The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1864-10-25 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Paris ladies appear disposed to adopt, tor winter
costume, very short petticoats, very high boots, and
plait stocking.. Many so accoutred may be area on
the Boulevards.

Tel Coxenwerion o firthrris.—The Swedes stand
Sent on the list as the largest consumers of spirits in the
world. Numbering about four millionn of people, they
actually imbibe, on the average, eleven gallons of spirits
per bead diving the year, or 41,000,000 gallons, which
are produced and consumed in the country. This is
something frightful and prepares us for the statement
that the Scandinavian race is rapidly undermining its
physical and intellectual qualities by inch an enormous
ouusunintion of " poison." In a parish of the Lower
Seine, the consomption of spirits among 9.000 people
was discovered to be at the rate of about five gallons
each, not half so much as that of the Swede., yet the
result was aieknesa, insanity, and citime, to an extent
that was absolutely shocking. In this matter we have
nothing to boast of on/selves. It Is true that the Eng-
lob people, though seven times as numerous se the
Swede., do not drink as witches they do in the year by
about four million gallons ; yet the inhabitnota of
London lay out annually 0,0051,000 starling on apirlta,
that is at the rate of • sovereign per head of the total
Population, while Glasgow spends £1,300,000, and Man-
chester 1:L000,000 for the same purpose. What • mine
of wealth is here, if the people would bet save it. and
thereby insure their health, their personal happiness,
arid their domestic comfort? Who can doubt that this
is • much more important question than the expediency
or otherwise of extending the elective franchise, when
the very elements of the social progress of the people,
and at least thirty millions sterling annually are at
stake ! It is useless to think that le&kallve enactments
eau do much good In the matter. The Permissive Bill
is nothing but • measure for diverting the stream of
drunkenness into another channel ; what is wanted is
to dry up the stream at Be fountain head, and that can
only be done by improving generally the racial condition
of the people.-7fis Press.
1311GOLSTED lugraQvgmnwr Or TRH PAROCHIAL
Sin/AL—Mr. Beresfori Hope, in a letter to the Times,
has set forth his scheme for remedying the aeknow•
lodged defecta in the parochial system. He read •
paper on the subject at the Church Congreer, and this
paper embodies the ideas that were first presented in
the book published HOMO time back —"Th. Enflish
Cathedral in the Sixteenth Century." His plan is to
consolidate, say, four small parishes into one large one,
which he would pare under the care of • rector with
See or ail curate+. The result 01 thia plan would be
that the whole of the clew so employed would be
better off is a social, and probably in a pecuniary point
of view. The plan is, as Mr. Hope justly says,
"neither mediaeval Laudian, nor a dream," but one pre-
eminently adapted to the neceesities of the nineteenth
century. It has further the merit of having been, to
some extent at least, tried—Leeds under Mr. Hook,
and Kidderminster under Mr. Clanghton, practically
proved the value of the proposed plan.
A COAL PIT LIGIND.—In a small mine in the
neighbourhood of Billiton, whieh was only worked by
day, there was employed many years ago a strange looking
man, known by the Dooripiet of "Black Jack." He
was • man whom no one could fully comprehend. Instead
of working in the day time with his cornea tea he always
*hose to descend the shaft ju-t before their day's work
was over, and remain there all night, quite alone. The
woe's he performed was prodigious—he earned as much
In those twelve solitary hours as his companions could
earn in the •three dam and no one could fathom the
mystery. One night, however, the lecret oozed out.
It had been previously arranged that some one should
deecend the shaft as quietly as possible, and aortas • spy.
This was done, and the scene that presented itself was
etastling in the extreme. Jack sat smoking his pips
with the utmost composure, surrounded by innumerable
imps, who were busily at work under his direction.
The spy was aghast at the sight, and shrieked in his
terror. The sound of his voice reached Jack's ear far
up the dins passage of the mine, and he looked round in
surprise. The spy instantly signalled to be drawn up,
and bad no wooer regained the top than • shower of
stone., pickaxes, and lump. of coal, all mingled together
and smelling strongly of null hur, was hurled out at the
mouth of the shaft in wild coufspion. At daybreak the
miners descended as usual to their work, trying to
trb:ttoalulthortghhenZitnfllladlishgaapireP'nwedas, but
reaching:roonwn suds,
for poor Jack lay quite dead, and half buried beneath •
heap of shattered rook. A surveyor sent to inspect the
mine reported that there had been an explosion of
fire-dainp, but the spy maintained that the eruption was
caused by the imps, who, having been discovered by an
ordinary mortal, broke the spell that bound them, and
regained their liberty, to the litter annihilation of
unfortunate Black Jack. Strange tart may seem, we
are credibly informed that this wild legend enters into
the creed of many a Staffordshire collier to this day.—
Modfavid Coottla Eivess.
YASILI JOURN•LIIIII IN ENOLAND.—The daily
letters from Copenhagen are getting worms and worse.
We thought the scribe who painted so lovingly the
yellow "uniform" of the running footmen hal reached
the uttermost depth, but the 18tagdard laugh. at our

poverty of our imagination. That paper, the favourite
journal of the Tories. printed on Friday in its leading
type • letter from its special oorrespondent, isontaining
the following story—" If report speaks truly his
Imperial Highness the Coserewitch is perfectly be-
witched by the Charming Prinoess Dsgmar. . . .
One expression of his Imperial Highness 1. 50 pretty
that it may not be improper I should mention it. It
may have been . . when looking out on the
diamond-studded heavens of • northern night, that the
tall, fine-looking Grand Duke fixed his laye ere on
the still more expressive sees of his beautiful b.trothod,
Dagm.r,' he said, 'those are not eyes you have,
indeed, they aro not eyes r • Not eyes?* add the
lovely Primer, with a look which went to his heart,
`what are they if not eyes? 'By Heaven r said the
lovesick Imperial Prince, • they are dare.' Nothing
above is more bright or beautiful l'" And then we
abide New York for tolerating the Herald! I—Spectator.