The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-02-12 00:00:00

LATEST PROVINCIAL MARKETS.

itinf.%wma, Wheat, £lll O. to
fIG 13s. ; New, 112 0.. to Vl6 10s. or load ; Malting
Bat :e:., 31‘. to 445. ; ditto. 10. to 30..
• t 3iki, ; Hvlns. 40s. to 50v. ; Malt, dflii• to 72g.
• Flour, 44ii. to 50s. per s.ck. —There was an
inn ru ed sale for wheat. at noher over late quotations.
Birey sold st full limes. Oats and beans fully as high.
Flo,r trade steady at last week's rates.

. .
ci A HMI SKTKR. .gattlrdST, 6.—Wheat. 4fts. to
(la 4 week, 48s. to Wel ; new wheat. 444. to 864.
(kw. week, 444. to 58. —lt4rloy, 30s. to 48.. 114141
was k. 304. to 48.j—04., 26a. to 325. (last week. 26a.
to . I4esn4, Ma. to 624. (4,4 week), 564. to 62a.
ouh. boot. 15.1. —Timm good supply. Wheat .old
slonly at former rate.. Harley met a steady deukawl,
anA fully sustained lest week'. onotetiona.
T ulreog, Saturday. --Wheat 84. to 8c
(new), 7.. to 7, 641. ; barley. 64. to Be. 3d. per bushel;
oat, to 3. ; beans, fn. 64.; Indian Qom,
8.. 61 per bushel.

_
TO BAKERS AND OTHERS.
FSALE—A capital Kneading Trough,
ne•ding Table, sundry long and abort Baking
Tina. Poloolutke Awl Queenoake ditto, Pie In-hea, an
a...torment of Cottons, ke.—Also. a good 11.1111 LET
NV ILL.—Fur Price, ko, apidy to Mr. C. CHISLETT,
Everabot.

RED ERICK FOOT, AUCTIONEER,
• (MIER %I, VALUER, &Del UONNLERION
AGENT, DORCH WEIL

TA LtiAnwis tee

it is with skittle-sharping. At once any man '
cam lay his hand on a ninny who is likely to be
taken in by that fraternity. He turns up as
regutarly in the police courts, and with RR little
variation as an intoxicated countryman in London,
Who is decoyed down sonie blind alley and
robbed of his watch and money—as the Eastern
Counties grazier who purchases a brass ring for
guinea gold front a rascal lie meets with in
Jews court—as the medical student who conw
pletes the enjoyment of a supper pity by
wrenching off a knocker. The dupe of the
skittle-sharper is as touch 11 type and belongs to
a class as limited as does the sharper himself.
One needs scarcely to peruse the history of
his adventures. It is the exact connterpart of
dozens that have gone before. It is always the
saute story of knavery on the one side and
stupidity on the other,—the promiscuous ac-
quaintance—the invitation to " take a glass of
ale"—the accomplice who turns up at the tavern
and has just returned front Australia with a
store of nuggets, or has collie into a legacy—the
adjournment to a skittle ground, the bets,
the hocusaed brandy-and-water, the money
deposit, and the ultimate levanting of the
swindlers and the discomforture of the plundered
dupe, are acted over and over again, ad
rianr,ain. Hut the public at large are not to be
cozened by skittle-sharpers ; and del not theme
latter gentlemen pick out their game with the
utile at caution and circunispectit in, their over-
times would be met, in the majority of instance/1,
either by is sound kicking, or by their being
handed over to the nearest yolicetnan.
With these facts before our eyes, and this convic-
tien strong within us, it is to us -as ono would
suppose it must be to every reasoitable person -a
matter of the greatest astonishment anti bewilder-
ment how it is that, after the bitter experience iif
the tens of thousands who have been utterly ruined
(hr. tight the failures of private thanks, theta should
still be found in any district in England. at least anv
considerable number iif parsons so insane as to pre-
fer trailing with a private tirm winch, for ought thev
know to the contrary, has been insolvent for year',
in preference to a 1414441 a bank which offer-
every guarantee of security. The astute philosophy
must have hail this suhject forcibly presented to hi-
mind's eye, who divided mankind into three classy.
- one a bleb could discover truth for itself ; anothei
hich could perceive truth when discovered
others ; and a third, neither capable of discovering
truth, nor perceiving it. nature and value when dis-
covered. Sympathise as we arty with the sufferers.
many of al , perhaps, Itme their all, by the bank•
fallacy of some prit ate firm, we cannot altogether
close our cycle to the fact that they have themselves
to blame in a far higher sense than many of then.
may be willing to acknowledge. The subject of the
instability of private banks has been brought before
the puhlic again aunt again, anti although many have
peresived the truth and avoided the danger which
they saw looming in the future by transferring their
I.nsiness to a Joint-stock Company, there are still
others who tenaciously cling to tad opinions, and
trustingly confide in the au, posed wealth and respec-
talolity of the firm a all w hon. they anti their
fathers have at long transacted busimas.
The history of the Poole and Ringwood hank is
the history of all the other private banking hints
that have failed of late years whether metropolitan
or provincial. Of course there are some
slight differences in particulars, peculiar to
each, as an enthusiastic student of zoology once de•
Oared respecting a dock of 1,000 sheep, that there
was not tine mutton whose face did not offer some
pinta of difference to the features possessed by his
next neighbour ; but there are certain generic traits
- certain broad and strongly-marked points of sitni-
larity common to all these failures-the supposed
wcalth anti stability of the firm ; the unbounded CM-
lidenco placed in it by its customers ; the failures of
other firms leading to the notice on the doors;
the panic ; the ruin of private interests and detri-
ment of the commercial character of the district.
And what guarantee have we-who amongst the
customers of private bankers can tell-that what
lIMS happened at Poole and Ringwood may not
happen in any town in England tomorrow,
w litre private bankingis carried ? We know very
well that the depositors in private banks have an idea,
t:iat although other banks—of winch they perhaps
never hail any very high opinion-may fail, the firm
hich they patronise is substantial and safe. Anil
such undoubtedly was the opinion entertained by
the sufferers 14 those arch swindlers, Sir John Dean
Paul and his associates. Such, undoubtedly, was
the opinion of those who deposited their hard cane d
savings in the Brolport illanilfonl, and Poole banks,
and, indeed, in every estahlittliment that has ever
failed. It is the old story ever again of the dupe of
the thuulderigger and the skittle sharper ; notwith-
standing all that they have ever heard anti read how
others Lad been taken in, they believed themselves
secure, 111a311111Cli as they were w iser titan their
1. live.

Emperor's Speech, the Queen's Slreech, and the
opening of Parliament, all of which 11113 paat,
end rei,orted in the same paper." So wo were
obliged to look again, awl col& as our ignorance
by saying that we really did uut kuow what
o;Lii net.
We will now give our readers as much of the
precious article iii question as a c had patience
to read, and leave them to judge of the powerful
initid and towering literary genius of the
editorial department of the Dorset ehroviicle
"THE ENGLISH PARLIAMENT AND THE

In taking a review of our own efforts in reference
to the subject in question, at a sentence have we
ever written .4 which, at the present moment, a e have
u..t teasel to feel proud. It will be recollected
by many of our readers, that among our earliest
efforts, we honestly and fearlessly -in spite of the
prejudices entertained by many a ith whose opinions
in otlier matters we cordially agreed —endeavoured, so
p!muly awl forcibly as lay in our power, to point out
the superiority of Joint-s'aick banks to tlieir
diminutive neighlsmrs. We stated that " The
days id private banks were numbered, and that,
tlyir in umusi was waiiin4 fast ; that pub ie
coundelice ni these establishwenta had been shak.n
aml that they must ultimately give way, one by one
till they became as unknown in England as they

,ot UrU in Scotland." And almost every (lay ' events
are occur' ing,teniling, in one way and another, to vs.
r.:Y our pridietion. The hloue so Irequently iut:ic•
ti ii against the staliility and credit of private banks
of lute years, and the possibility of their recurrence
ecru were hitherto hut little dreamt of, cannot
but he AIXOIIII4IIINI with loci-eased feelings of
nue:lean:se to the trailing and oiereautile community
everywhere. Placed in juxtaposition with private
estsblialinients, how great is the contiast with
revect to j todock banks where there ie every
possible guarantee or security.
" Bid," notwithstanding that 15 Private Banks
have been closed in this county within the last 20
yelis, we Levu heard it asked, " why is not a
In isle tine Si safe. and attic ti, compete with a joint
stock company ?" As well might it he asked, " Why
is mita tr.i.lesnian 1/03StIlaWil Of 0111). his., SA safe, and
&hie to compete n ith one who is possessed of
x. 5,000 ?" The reason is obvious. Banks established
on the jointatock principle are lint like private
firms composed of three or four partners— some or
hien are perhaps men of straw but whose names
ary given for the sake of an appearance of stability—
lett by a UUUICPIUII and unlimited proprietary, allot

whom have an interest in the prosperity
of the establishment', who have a largo paid—
up capital, and who are individually respou•
nitile, even to the very last shilling they
possess, for the debts and liabilities of the
establishment. Such au one cannot be otherwise than
safe fur all the purpose fur which banks have beau
established ; and it takes no prophet, nor took of
a pniplivt, to foresee that the time is not far
iliiitaut when the .liiint•stock principle will, like
Muslim' rod which swallowed up thoseof the Magieians,
lie the only principle tiro which twilling can lie

. .
carried on. It is indispensable to a vny‘ier, who
would keep clear of ahoala and quicksands, that lie
shouhl have MI board • proper chart nod compuus,
and this the enstoinuns 14 • joint-stock bank pommel's
iti the compan)'s published annual accounts with the
num,* of every individual ahareli.ibler. If the
exact position of private firms weru mule public.
w hat numbers would there not be among them put

up their shutters tomorrow ! The ahsenee of this
knowledge of their position will ward off the evil
chty for • time, but sooner or later it must come.
Private batiks are ,tereuett !

WE never take up the Dorset Chronicle but we
are sure to throw it down in disgust ; indeed,
it is so painful to us to see the Queen's English
SO shamefully abused (especially in the editorial
columns, where, at least, one would expect
tijil something reAttable), that we are almost
inclined to wake a promise not to be guilty of
suoli a thing again ; and we really would do so
but for a duty which we, as county journalists.
owe the public. Our attention WAS drawn to a
lea.ling article in the (Anna& nu Thin-x(l3y
last by a simple question. A little boy having
asked us whether he was to understand the
article to refer to the present, the past. or the
filt,ire I We it up hastily and seeing
will, will, will, will" in nloilt tire limit, we
said—" future, any boy." flue little urchin was
not to be put oil in this way, but immediately
said "thu oaskaok be, for it speaks of the

• --.60.41.