The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-10-29 00:00:00

Borset eon* &gen

TUESDAY. OCTOBER 29. 1987.

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

Sudden surprises characterise the coarse of events
in Italy. Not many days ago the temporal power
of the Pope seemed to havergwell•nigh reached the
lizaH of its wastages, when unexpectedly the threat
of French isterventien, unless the Italian Govern. ,
meat undertook the fulfilment of the September
Convention, was given, and it served to momur the
secular authority of his Holiness from its impending
overthrow. Consequent upon this wee the down-
fall of the Retain Government, and General
Cialdini was celled upon to form a government, to
carry out the obligations forced 'upon) the country.
This, however, seems to be • very difficult task,
: for we Pima that he has failed in eon-
' stringing a cabinet. sjlnthemaantim., extraordinary
evade have happened. Garibaldi has eluded the
vigils..oe of the five' or six Italian cruisers
watching eapthra.—"„an ?occurrent,' which raises
a suspicion of complicity with the General,
and he has shown himself at Flyence, where,
indeed, he -entered into f loommunication
with the Government. Doubtless, delay was urged
upon the Imalsivellatriot, for the honour of the
kingdom, pledged to observe the September Con-
vention, but his high resolve wee not to be shakes.
Is this strait, however, the Government feared to
arrest hint, and after remaining two days in Florence,
Garibaldi proceeded towards the Papal frontier,
issuing inflammatory proclamations by the way.
The volunteers were re-animated by the arrival of
their enthusiadio loader, and ••"teoewed &Haab on
Rome is being organised. Garibaldi, iii. said, is at
the head of 4.000 men advancing towards the Papal
territory. Evideatly the Italian government is
powerless to prevent this lthene.ward movement, be.
oases it is a manifestation of the desire of the nation,
tot the Emperor Napoleon bee apparently deter-
mined that the temporal sovereignty of the Pope
shall not yet die ; he has revoked the order whith
had been gives for suspending the embarkation of the
troops assembled at Toulon, and the latest news tells
us of the departure of an expedition to Ci vita Yea:lira.
But whatever the "Eldest 800 of the Church" may
do in this crisis, the issue of the straggle of Italy for
unification is not doebtfal--41 is only delayed.
British members of Parliament have, of course,
made up their minds to the sacrifice of about • month
ol their usual recime in discussing the Abyssinian
question, and British income-tax-payers probably
forme the likelihood of their being called upon to
pay the piper in the dance that King Theodore is
likely to lead our troops. &gibe more this expedition
is °moldered the lees satisfactory it appears. For,
if we wooed% that in • military point of view all
difficulties are sure to be surmounted —a matter
malty think op*. to grave question, the very pro-
bable contingency suggests Itself of the savage
monarch executing his prisoners as soon as he hears
the British army has landed, and retreating to the
mountain fastnesses of the country. In such
a use, what is become of the expedition Is
it to return at ODIN as an abortive adventure,
or is an attempt to be made to punish
Theodore Protabilitiel MONA to point to the
occupation of the country by our troops for some
length of time, and, if that be the owe, we may
fiod ourselves se involved with the oontending
factions in that land, as to have no other alternative
but to establish there • military station—c molt
which, we believe, would be anything but intim
factory to the English nation. But, if we We
believe the Cosmopolitan, speaking on what it
affirms to be good authority, an unlooked for danger
threatens es in dealing with this matter. It is
affirmed that • Minister of King Theodore, charged
with plenary power, has gone to New York for the
purpose of issuing "letter, of marque" to prey on
British comments, and that • whole Beet of
American Alathmas will be let loom upon the man.
"The feeling in the United States," itontinses the
Cosmopolitan, "is ripe for this sort of retaliatory
enterprise, and it is a very significant fact that Mr.
Seward has recently stopped the sale of Govern'
meet war vessels" Of warm, if there should be
any truth in this statement, it is most important,..
such conduct 'at the part of the United States,
though intended as only tit for tat in the
the matter of the Confederate crnieers, would be
almost certain to lead to a rupture with this country
—a contingency which we trust may ever be averted.
• The extra-Parliamentary utterances which have
enlivened the ream, exhibit in bold relief the
variety of opinions prevailing amoept members of
the House of Commons as to the practical operation
of the Reform Bill. The old Tory party views the
prospect with trepidation and alarm. Its feelings
ars well 'represented by • reoent article in the
Quarterly Review, in which we real, "Fantastic
combinations intended to soothe Conservative appre-
hension were in vogue in the early part of the session,
but they have served their purpose, and are forgotten
now. No one at present doubts that, so far as
figures go, the transfer of power has been
complete. Few use by injudicious (rankings to
incur the wrath of the New Mader., whose rule is
inevitable. A clear majority of votes in a clear
majority of 000stituenoies has then made evert° those
who have no other property but the labour of their
hands. Theomni potence of Parliament is theirs wholly
without reserve.' This is • melancholy pies" but
we have Mr. Kerslake telling the Colchester Conser-
vative Association that one result of the Reform
measure wql be that we shall hare 110 ooquetting
with democracy; men with broad acres will feel it
is dangerous to flatter the people, for they may lose
all that is dear to them—there will be but two
parties, one consisting of those who wish to maintain
England se it is, the other of those desiring altera-
tion, which can only end in • democracy brought
about by bloodshed and revolution. Lem fearful
Conservatives rest their hops for the maintenance
of the Constitution, on the assumption that the
newly enfranchised will follow their rightful leaders,
who, according to Mr. .I. ?toyer, are the landlords
and occupiers of land, the morohants and manufac-
turers of towns. Others of the Tory reformers
mingle with their expressions of faith in the working-
clam voters, serious warnings to them against
tieing duped into retaining members to Perlis.
moot to promote szoeptional legialatioo for their
benefit. Clearly the Conservative party is not very
much enamoured of its sacoses, and its chief gratifi-
i cation is in the fact that it has been enabled to keen
its seat on "the sunny side of the Home" Liberal
members, on the other hand, while censuring the
Conservative party for their political tergiversation,
bail the Reform Bill as • triumph of radical
principles, and ase in it the beginning of the and
of the Irish Church, the precursor of the adoption of
a system of national esoular education. and, in the
. distance, yet as sure to come to pass, the septration
of Church and State. But we believe that neither
the fears of the Conservatives, nor the hopes of the
Radicals will be verified. The legitimate influences
of wealth and station will continue to he exerted,
and while some constitutional changes are likely to
result, and would have been made if the Reform
Bill had been mimed, we don't believe there
) is the slightest reason to fear that the happiness and
prosperity of the country mid be endengered, but, on
the contrary, that the large measure of enfranchise.
moot now effected will operate in measures which
will increase the stability and prosperity of the
s kingdom.

The good poople of Dorchester will soon be called
upon to emeritus their annual right of elating Town
Councillors. It is not out of the way to call our
readers' attention to this matter, that they may
understand bow they are individtully interested in
the matter. The men sleeted will hays their share
in the duty of dispensing the borough funds, in
eseing that the town is properly watched. lighted,
cleansed, and drained, that immorality and vice are
checked as far as possible and, at least, prevented
from offending the am and ears of the respectable
portion of the citizens, both rich and poor, by open
and shameless exposers of themselves. Their duties
are most important, as far as Dorchester is oonoeruirl,
and give ample loop* for the sterols* of any good
principle and good sense a man may chews to
passim For this we don't want political or party
men. We don't want those who seek for admission
into the Council for their own private ends, or
those who think only of the dignity, and not of the
duties. Men who make long speeches about little
affairs are a eimple animates. Again, experience
proves that men who in their private business are
most careful of their money, and diligent both in
making and keeping it, as members de Corporation
are generally most rookies" of expense, " esteeming
mosey, as Charles Lamb says, no better than
dross, yours and mine easefully." It would, there-
fore, be worth ieguiriog, before the election, how
many meetings of the Corporation, as a Council and
as • Committee, were celled during the past year
without a sufficient attendance far the transaction
of businens, and hew any of the candidates
on the let proximo stand in this regard. For
want of this punctuality in the business of the
borough, it falls into the hands of OM or two in-
dividuals whom capacity is generally in invert,'
proportion to their selteatisfaction, and eu large and
(-amain' works are hogan, which are not sowed ;
and much of the work that is done is done impar-
fietly ; and Dorchester, which from it seize and
position
ought to be one of the cleanest and bast
lighted and healthiest towns in England, is win
capable of mock improvement. "What is every-
body's business is nobody's business," is an old say-
ing or. strictly true than in the baseman of a
corporation Playing a great interest in the welfare
and character of our little town, we vesture to com-
mend theirs matters to the serious attenti.m of our
readers. We have purposely written in the most
general terms to avoid the suspicion of personality,
which would deprive what we my of any influence.
Ifaoh reader may carry out our thoughts as far as
meets his own ottoviotions, and add whatever be
inheds6siet, 907 10 so age it 001 1101
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