The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-11-13 00:00:00

SIIAFTESBUIVT.

Mr. T. B. clifrrs gr.t., on Fr I v ntrtnio, ou.ly el.Ttecl
Mayor for the t and Mr. C. W. Ki,r(x-\I-iyor)
‘rag el-me I Allerman in Ow pl of Mr.
.1.1,11,
_ . . - .

Moans's. the riih..iiniawal off •unietly. Thin* wsa the
U.lllll burning of ettiziea au lis lar nulifier iif
use time wit loin I. 1.111 I.llilo. its the
atreiit.. Tte-re wia n 411.1 not a on :le su
arising out of thiialfi

HER MAJEATI"A MINIATERS AT THE
GUILDHALL.
LORD HEWN:4IEI.D ..N THE WAN.
.• . .

Gog and M:.-oz, the twill giant warilers7d the City,
ha. e seldom Ciefore to ,ked down upon so large a
gathering of Cabinet Ministers me that which took
ilace in the Guildhall on Friday night, at the dinner
given according to ancient cuntom by the land Mitt-or
awl the Sheriff, of familial awl Miilillenex. Nearly all
the members of the Government were present, awl the
sveeches delivered wen., an a matter of course,
exceptioaally interesting. Lord Beiconsfieldi wan
naturally a centre ~f attraction, and his It/v(l+ll4h it
must be ;Omitted, Alm 'lce with even more thin w inted
effect. The firet topie dealt with by him w 3,1 the
Indian Famine. The maguitnile of the calamity awl
the generous response mule by the people iif England
to the appe tl for help, f wined fitting themes for the
Premier `I eblqUellee. " lii the most dendey populate,'
province Of tier Majeitty'n Indian poendesion," said the
wade earl, " there has occurred a famine which in
itself in one of the most terrible visitation., on record,
but which, if it ha I not been or a Providential recur-
rence of the bounty of Nature, might have become
unprecedented. The energy and firtuneas of the
%leer .y of this country in India hae tuppliedi succour
to suffering milliens. The power of a Gmeininent iii
administering relief under nuch circtinettancee in
neceesatily limited. There in a limit to fulininistrative
efficiency awl t systematised till . 5.n.... There are conili•
tions upon which the Government can feint a nation,
which, &parted from, bring wit only codusion but
possible inalversatioll and eel tain failure. Under amnia
circuinntancee, it in the han 1 of private charity, blessing
awl blesneil, that can operate with beneficent results,
awl we have seen the mont signal instance recently
in this country of sympathy with our fellow.subjects
in a tibitant lanil." This well-merited tribute to the
energy ..f the late Lint Mayor awl the liberality of all
clansen in the land, come, at an opportune periisl.
The stibscriptiou list. are about to lie closed, and we
may shortly expect to hear that the dangerous crisis
in pant. Nothilig, however, appears to have been said
by Lord Beawinsfield iu reference to measures of
prevention in the future. The recognition of the fact
that the calamity wax of an appalling nature, and
that thous:llOn have die I notwithstanding the efforts
of the Government aidl by private benevolence,
suggests the adoption of .me plan whereby the evils
which arise from drought may 64 mitthuinol, if they
cuniot be wholly overcome. Irrigation and railways
have been pointed to as calculated to meet the requite.
amide of the case, and it is to be hoped that no time
will be lost in stimulating enterprise in a direction
likely to open up Southern India to • greater extent
: than at present in the case. It in in the power of a
Government to encourage the development of work,
of the kind referred to, and it in Myr., •able, under all
the circumstancos of the case, that Ministers will fail
to recognise their respon.ibility in respect to this twist
important matter. The quarrel between Turkey and
Rusda next came under re% iew. If there in a greater
calamity than famine, the Premier is of opinion that
it may be found in an extermioating war. Ills
lordship remind the guest* of the I in! Mayor that
the policy of Minkel-n Wio mie of neutrality, and
declared that they had been faithful to their "righted
plan. "Cosmopolitan critic.," said the Premier, in
that vein of irony for which he is notorious," "men
who are friends id every c Ain ry save their own,
have denounced thin p dicy as a selfish polky. It is
an selfish ItY Thai+ ition but it is the policy of Her
, Majesty's Government—the • olicy which they have
' adopted from the firnt and have maild tined. It is
their policy to believe that it is their duty to protect
British interente abroad, and it in the I, dicy which
they believe the voice of the country has sanctioned
and adopted." An might have been expected .if hien,
the noble lord recogninen in connection with the Otto-
man Empire more substantial p over and greater
vitality than is conitioinly believed to valet. " For
some years," he remarked, "it ha' been a dogma of
diplomacy that Turkey was a myth awl not a fact,
that its Government Wan a phantom, that its people
were effete, and that it wan unel merely as a mean. for
statesmen to maintain a fictitious balance if power,
and in order to secure the peace of Europe." That the
nation is not in a debilitate I et tte tho Premier thinks
in clearly proved by the' fact that since the outbreak of
hostilities "half a million of warriors have devoteit
themselves to the service of their country without pay
or reward." Turning to a c wisideration of the pros.
pecta of peace, Lord Beaconsfield tleclared that he wan
by no means incline,' to take a denpowling view of the
matter. The Czar has anserted that he is not animated
by any desire of territorial aggrandisement, and the
Sultan has promised to carry out whatever reforms
may be deemel necessary to the welfare his
subjects. If both isitentates keel, their vhwil the
Premier appears to think that peace may not much
longer be deferred. tie urges, however, that the
country sheulil "try a little patience," and the noble
lord closed hi* reference to the war by saying •—" I
trust that the time may not be far distant when, with
the rest of the Powers of Europe, we may contribute
to a settlement of the difficulties which will not only
secure the peace hut alto the independence of Europe."
Unhappily Isfrtl Bea,insfield 'cannot fiwl any indica.
tions of a revival of trade, but he points with satisfac-
tion to the general contentment of the people. and
c ngratulates hi. colleagues upon the fact that the only
fault which could be alleged against Itlinisteni by the
Leader of Her Majesty's Oppwition was that they
"made evety class comfortable." Other speechen were
delivered, the majority of which had a hopeful tone
about them. The most important utterance of the
night, however, was that of the Premier, predicting
the termination of the cruel war now devastating
'flukey before the expiration of another year.