The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1873-05-20 00:00:00

Duet Craig Cximoo.

TUISDAY, KAY 90. 1873.

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

The Queen, accompanied by Prim:ma Beatrice,
and attended by the ladies and gentlemen of
their suites, left 'Windsor Cootie for Balmor4 at
eight o'clock on Thursday evening. Travelling
by special train ind the Great Western and North-
Western Railways, the Royal party reached
Balloter on Friday afternoon shortly after two
o'clock. Her Majesty is expected to reside at
Balmoral until June 17, and then return to
Windsor. It is expected the Prince of Wales
will return from the Continent this week.

Preparations are being made by the ofboisla of
the Royal Household for the forthcoming visit of
His Majesty the Shah of Persia to this country.
Buckingham Palace, it is understood, will be
placed at the disposal, and will he made ready
for His Majesty's reception without delay.
The supporters of the Female Suffrage Bill
have antagonists in high quarters. It was
noticed at the recent division that the Marquis
of Lorne voted against the mateure,and it is said
that he (and his feeling I. shared by the Princess
Louise) Is so strongly opposed to the movement,
that when ached to take the chair at the
meeting of the Society for Improving the
Education of Women, he refused to do so unless
Mrs. Grey promised that no ladies should speak.
Last year several of them spoke, but this year
they are redueed to silence.
The Government have been in jeopardy twice
during the part week, but the certainty of an
" inpending election" made their supporters
respond with aluwity to the "whip" and gave the
Ministry from defeat First there was the
great battle over the scheme of the Endowed
School Commiessioners for the management of
Emanuel Hospital, Westminster. The Corpora-
tion of London objected to the loss of its control;
and Mr. Crawford, one of its representatives, led
the opposition to the proposal of the Commis-
sioners. In reality it was a blow at the general
work of reconstruction upon which the Endowed
Schools Commissioners have been engaged. The
Government defended the t3ommission, and was
supported by • majority of 48 votes in • House
of 524 members. The second concerned the Irish
Education Board, which it was proposed to cen-
sure for depriving Mr. O'Klefe of his position
as manager of the schools of Callan. This was
prevented by the appointment, on the motion of
the Secretary for Ireland, of a select committee
to investigate the case, and thereby avoid any
hasty expression of opinion at a time that Mr.
O'Keefe is prosecuting his civil action against
ICardinal Cullen, The Government were driven
I clone, and carried their proposition by only 159
votes to 131.

The Occasional Sermons Bill awoke a good
deal of interest, their being some precedents for
the innovation of sermons from laymen, which
the Bill proposed to sanction. It was, however,
rejected by a majority of nearly four to one.
The Timm, in discussing the result, agrees that
Mr. Gladstone', speech in the north, 00 Dr.
Strauss and the bases of belief, was an " Occo-
atonal Sermon," and moreover revels is the idea.
of hearing living statesmen on Sundays as well
as week days. "If Mr. Gladstone were admitted
to the pulpit, it is difficult (it thinks) to name
the preacher who could surpass him. A dozen
other L 111.014111 readily occur of men whose
, eloquence would outshine that of all but the
most frnous professional preachers Moreover,
such men would attract an audience to whom
bishops and clergy appeal in vain, If only it
could be announced that Mr. Gladstone or
Lord Selborne, or Mt. Bright, would deliver a
sermon under the dome of St. Pail'., it is easy
to Imagine what crowds from all classes of society
would preen for admittance." The admission of
eloquent laymen, to be found in moet congrega-
tions, occasionally to the pulpit, the /NMI
approves. "Few things," it says, " woul4 be
more useful to the Churca than such a relief to
the monotony of parish sermons." However,
the House took a very different view ; and it
was generally supposed that, if pared, this Bill
would be a dead letter.
In proposing a select committee to inquire
into the boundaries of parishes, as a preliminary
step to the reform of Local Taxation, Mr.
Stansfeld had no difficulty in pointing to the
anomalies of the present division', and especially
those arising from very small parishes, "and
detached fragments of townships." In one pariah
there was a population of only 1, viz. "an old
woman who kept a pig and donkey." There
were "782 parishes in which the population did
not exceed 50" One township referred to has
"19 detached parts, which varied in area from
0.29 of an acre to 258 acres. But Mr. Stanaleid,
we apprehend, will have considerable difficulty
in oorrectiug the geographical caprices of shires,
by re-partitioning the country into " depart-
ments"

After a brief debate, Mr. Miall's motion for
the dieestablishunsut of the English Church was
rejected by a majority of 356 to 61. Last year
the minority was 94. or one-third more than the
number which on Friday night rallied round the
Nonconformist standard. Mr. Mliii described
the disabilities under which the Church labours,
spoke of religions thouett being regulated by
law, and held out the bait that conscience would
be freer, intellectual effort less restrained, were
there no State connection. But Mr. Gladstone
frankly admitted that thought is leas free in
Ireland now than it was before the Irish Ohara
was disestablished, and oonsequently declined to
be allured by that roseate prospect of perfect
liberty; and he characterised the resolution as
one that is at variance with the practical wishes,
the intelligent desires, and the religious ',oriole-
' tions of tits eon ,try.
Mr. Plimsoll's Shipping Survey Bill on Wed-
nesday was "talked oat" and stands adjourned,
but the necessity for new legislation on the sub-
ject of our mercantile marine is now the settled
conviction of the country. A return has been
issued of COIN in which ships have been surveyed
on the requisition of seamen which contains some
highly suggestive information.
lii September seven mamma of the Petrel !edged s
oomplalot is to the nommerorthinese of that vemel.
The Collector of Curt.= at Pools reported that the
vessel came in math too deep "eves for • easter,"
which is no doubt sayings mood deal. She beta house
on dock of unusual else, which In a heavy sea would
most likely be carried away, or the vessel would be
Met. The surveyor generally oosSrmed this report,
adding that eight men were berthed to the forecastle
where there was room for only Ire. Ocelot the Drew
pv• the following aeronaut of LAG ezpsrissou on board
this ship:—" Water Sawed into the :oroomtle, and
washed all over ourselves sad bedding. TLe irot day
we got out of the Downs we had to put all oar toddle(
round the Inane' of the steamer to dry than. We
amid not It at our meals, se the water owner pouring
down on the too of us. The water used to drive over
tbe deck and law into the engine-room, so that the
hands °mild not stand above or below deck. We had
no aloes bulwarks, only eraochioos and rods, so that •
I man eould sadly pass through between one rod and the
I other:: The remit of the case was thstym crew were

paid off, the magistrates declining to mike any order.
There Is a report by the Herbaur-master of Holy-
head on the esee of the steamship °rookie. Bight
seamen of the vessel refuse' duty on the ground that
she warn unseaworthy. The Court held that the Orontes
was not uneestrorthy, but that "the (orecastle. where
Um estilors forming that portion of the orew were put
to live, was leaking and unite unfit for its ditties wheal
1 the skip lets Liverpool," and that '' oa the poses* the
olothiug end baddieg of its! men imeatno wet, and their
life [web] rendered miserable." The Court also ez•
preased to. opinion that great earelemneas had boon
i show. Is the may of the wear, some having some on
board as the ship was undosking without eves • shift
of clothing. "1b... men were toned to be lemon-
potent for their duties" ; bat the Court thought that
the "remedy taken to make them oompetent was quite
I an unjustifiable one." It is not do. suit to agree with
i this oval°s when we learn that the remedy took the
I forts of" harsh treatment, beating, and koooklog down.
I added to abusive I•ngnage." The Court went se far as
' to maggot that "moil • coulee was Sob. depreciated";
1 and then the lodgment winds up abruptly thus--" The
Court, taking all these eirencestanees Into imusidera.
I atioo, sentences molt prisoner to one day's imprison.
; meat." It mast ha obeerved that the tnea had pre-
' surobbl; already been in Nilson while the survey wo
Ibeing med., that " two of them had marks on their
, faces of ill usage," end that although the .hip
was pronouneed to be not unseaworthy, the forecastle
wsp shown to be quit, unfit for the reopti in of the
men. When we turn to the soneyor's report, we find
Shot it relates apperen.ly, not to tho medlars, of the
vessel se she gone in but to her coalition after she
had been patehed tp with vuleanised ladle-rabbet'
plug. and other things. Me have only to put ourselves
lin the place of the seamen, and to imagine how we
should feel if we were wet to when for Malin: to go
in • ship whioh was deelsred to be "quits twee' to
resolve us, and in which our limo would be node
unsersble by itositinua dreeehlev. There I. solute of
the Yerottoot Shipping Sot of 1867 by wide& It il as
offstage to have insnfilaieet sod improper moommode-
tlea in the foreesatie of I ship.
Here in another ease, Igo particulars of which are
given in • letter from the 80414 et TrSde to the Horne
Mee. The vlisahash goowles, en • voyage from
Liverpool to Monte Wee, wail found to be losklog
eoaddorettly, and put into Milford. Four seaman
refused to go on board again, and, on the report of •
reared barbone-mester Oast the skip 1,114 eesowarthy,
they wereoommitted to prison. The need left me
ore, in prison end sea to NS with • fresh crew, but
had, on the very night 41 the day she started, to pat
beak wit 4 three feet of Viler in the hold. LIP= this
tie mon in prison sppl.led to the Board of Trade, end
the Heard orderers jagysg isodoe of their own Maws.
Seem the earviyor'a' ' . it '/ wit steer that lb*
yowl vu milt for " the IBA cfriwaiwg
winat3/1.0 PO."' let II Ilk. of 11" e

waildav, the ship pat to 0011 • third Moo, sad had foe
the third time ta tarn book. This ow led to • °treater
Iron the HOMO °Moe warning magistrates set to trod
to th• opirdoss of retired harbour.mmieri sad 1".'Plo
of that seri, bat loosllluosiof the B.far4 of Trade
sarmrpora. la Much Imt too men of the Sir Robert Ille
Donooll were resteoood to ten week. Imprieonamot hi
Musing to proitiod to ma in her. When ova:fined by
S surveyor• the obis fres roan i to be I-sky 501 asses
worthy, watrr S•ing dirinctly hotrd tangling into
bor." The Home °Moe thereapot ordered tho reboots
of tbs. oleo.

It would appear that a good deal of the work
of the Home Offioe consists in releasing seamen
who have been imprisoned by the local magis-
trates for objecting to be drowned, and that
seamen are also liable to be looked up for refusing
to go to sea in a ship "quite unfit," for their
reception, and in which their lives would be
made 'miserable." It is not perhaps surprising
that there should be a strong impression on the
part of the men that the chances are against
them if they appeal to the law, no matter how
strong their ease may be.
The Deily Telegraph reiterates its statement.
founded on private telegrams, that the Khan of
Khiva has succumbed to the Russian foram.
In Frame, ths return of Republican candidates
I. said to have determined M. Thiers to favour
the permanent establishment of the Republican
Government, while the Deputies of the Right
are declared to be busily employed in finding a
suitable substitute for M. Thiers in the Presi-
dential chair.