The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-09-06 00:00:00

Mbonsbirt.

Exirrin.—The Palk* of DeromAire.—Mr. Palk,
M. P., when presiding at a political dinner the other
day, had the bad taste to refer to the condition in
life of one of his political opponents, suggesting that
1111 he WM a tea dealer he should be elevated to the
peerage by the title of " Baron Bobea." For this
the Wedmi Time, treat us to the following bit of
information about Mr. Palk', origin :—Mr. Palk's
grandfather died in the year liftS. He was a man
of modest merit and very considerable talent. He
was the son of the parish clerk of Ashburton, who
besides that holy milling followed on work-days the
ocular_pursuits of a common carrier. The son of
Amen Palk, the carrier, went to Oxford as a poor
student, and a hard time be had of it. Hs afterwards
went out to India, made a fortune and founded the
meritorious race of Talks, and OA a sensible man be
would have blushed at his duscendasit.

PtvmocTit.—A meeting of operatic as Wok place
at the Meehanie's Institute. Plymouth, on Monday
evebmg, Mr. T.ssp, carpenter, in the chair, when
a resolution, isaovri by Mr. Jacob Wieser, stone-
mason, was unainuo.o ly adopted to si yport the
preamt movement an Lint oi. There a ere &rad
641 a persons presmit, and the sum of 4:4 lit., was
•fiected. Only uae expression of a tilP,tioluable
nate, was used, awl that one met with moss
prpialitied disapprobation. baring the sliscum.ion
Mr. Slade, carpenter, wail he considered that an
effort had been tussle by Measrs. Trolloppe to lace
their Well Hi a worse conshison than that of slaves
or convicts. Mr Berry, engineer, belonged to a
society which dining hod six or seven years had
paid t2.2,1h0 to the e. .et mei to 00,4; on strike. and
such societies were to be sepia...lista by the " shwa-
mem." If a man got sick at his work, and hail no
such resource, what would his employer give him ?
Nothing. How much beefsteak could a bricklayer's
labourer buy with his wages? Why, as much as he
c add pull off a bullock's horns. 'Mr. IL Ambrose
would take an employer to Is, ws.rth say 4.4,000,
and estimate an operative at .CI,OOO it was therefore
clear that the operatives must combine to put
themselves on an equality with their employers.
All they got from their masters was " Wake up
" Get on." Mr. James Lamb complained of the
want of support by the local workmen. The
society's members woe like the figs in a Cornish
pudding—one here, the other at the Land's End.
In June the Plymouth men asked for 3s. C.d. a day
and nine hours ; they only obtained Is. • Week addi-
tional. He thought that Is. each to Trolhsppe's men
was a small pittance. Mr. John Cornish did not think
that 3d. per week from each operative in the country
was sufficient. Let every one take a quart of beer
leas and subscribe 6.1. There were not more than ,
nix teetotallers in Plymouth ; they could ationl an I
increased subscription. Mr. Charles Shorvell stated I
that after the operatives bad succeeded in London
the same system must be adopted in Plymouth. In
the Devonport dockyard the day's labour averaged
hi hours only.

FEARFUL Srm ACCIDENT.—An accident of a
very alarming character occured at one o'clock on
Tuesday aftenwon in the Sound, on homil Her
Majesty. screw steanisloop Pioneer, Commander
('harks H. May, under orders for the West Coast of
Avien. She had sous. slight defects to make good,
and was getting up steam for the purpose of pro-
ceeding into Hanumze, when the main steam pipe
burst close to the communication. John Dunn, lead-
ing stoker, was on the point of opening the commu-
nication-valve, and he suffered severely; Villiaw
Rine, engineer in charge, Charles Piller, thin! 01)0-
neer, John Oliver, third engineer, &din Dunn, lead-
ing stoker, James Murphy, stoker, and James Hen-
unison, second-class boy, unfortunately rushed aft,
where the steam was most dense, and, were, of
course, much scalded, esikeially in their faces. Mr.
J. A. Leicester, second-class engineer, prudently
shut off the communication. Ile escape(' uninjured.
The ship was speedily enveloped in steam, but as
there was a smart south-west breeze, its effects was
most detrimental aft. The looking-glasses in the
captain's cabin were shivered, mil the boots shri-
velled. Boats from the ships of war, with their
surgeons and assistant-surgeons, were soon alongside,
and the steam tender Confiance conveyed the worst
cases (seven) to the Royal William Victualling-yard,
whence they were taken in cots to the naval hospi-
tal. The Pioneer was afterwanle sent into Hamo-
aze. By inquiries at the Royal Naval Hospital it has
been ascertained that Dunn is in a very precarious
state, and that Mr. Bone is suffering severely ; the
others are not in great danger. Commander Reilly
is in command of the Pioneer, and not Captain May.

Tll6 Summits' Sritias.—A movement has been
connuencell at Banistaple, in the north of Devon, by
masons and earpenttra to obtain a reduction of their
hours of labour from 104 to 10 hours perday, ceasing
at 5 o'clock on Saturdays. The men have held a
preliminary meeting, and have resolved upon invit•
mg the masters to a conference.