The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-08-23 00:00:00

burn preferred lying outside the Prince.—Mr. Bower
inquired if any other berth was **signed by the
liar-
bour-inaster for the Prince ? Witness maid be ap-
pointed &station above the Brightoa or the Cadnius.
Defendant said some of his other steamers were
there—Mr. Devenish inquired why the Prime was
ordered to remove ; whether it was to accommodate
any other vessel I—The Harbour-muter said the
Bannockburn was shout coining in with passengers
in a few minutes.—Defendant: I am not. bound to
put my vessel in danger; the harbour-master might
order me about all night. —The Mayor: Then he is
amenable to these who appointed him if he gives
vexatious orders. —Mr. Deveniah : Is this order any-
=fresh I—The liarbouruunder It was not a
thing, leit there was no opposition
before.—Mr. Devenish Oh. then, it was not
because of inconvenience, but on amount of
the opposition.—Witness: Every veiled must
have tin accommodation to which it is en-
titled--Defendant: Have you ever been told, if the
steamer was not removed, you would lose your situa-
tion ?—Harbour-mastes : Nothing has ever been said
by way of intimidation in connection with the Ban-
nockburn.—The resolution passed by the Council re-
lative to the steamers WAS then put in.—The Magis-
trates having examined it, Mr. Griffin said the only
question was, whether they sat on the Bench as ad-
vocates of any particular party, or to carry out the
law. It was 3 curious fact that the law was gene-
rally allowed to be carried out by some few Msgis•
trates who were habitually present; but when an
unusually large number of Magistrates were in at-
tendance, the question always arose, "Why are
all
these gentlemen present to-day is there anything
political in hand?"—Mr. Taylor, a Magistrate, who
has not been present on the Bench for six months at
least, indignantly denied that he ever came to the
court for party purposes.--Mr. Griffin: You have
rarely been here since I have been a Magistrate.
You were only here at the appointment of the Over-
seers—Defendant thought there must be something
very unusual when, after being eleven years in the
harbour, he should have received the first orders
from the Harbourumeter.—The Mayor said it WAS
most absurd to entertain such an idea. Defendant
must be aware he had disobeyed the Harbour-muter.
—Defendant: He ought not to give me orders to re-
move my vessel into& dangeroussituation. It is done
from caprice of the Harbour-master. He has been
threatened he shall lose his sitnation.—The Mayor:
That can't be caprice.—Mr. Devenish I don't
think this has been done for the public aocommoda-
tion.—Mr. Bower: Mr. Griffin signed the gammons.
—Mr. Griffin asked Mr. Arden, the Magistrates'
clerk, whether, when he signed the summons, he was
at all cognizant of the circumstances.—Mr. Arden re-
plied in the negative—Mr. Griffin wished it to be
understood that the signing of &summons was merely
a ministerial act.—Mr. Arden said lie should have
asked any Magistrate that happened to be on the
Bench to sign the summons.—Defendant said the
captain of the Bannockburn and himself bad always
endeavoured to accommodate each other, and tried
to make the best of the circumstances in which they
were pLiced.—Mr. Griffin said he would propose
that a nominal penalty of one shilling and costa be
inflicted on Captain Gowns, merely to show that the
Harbour-master must be protected in the execution
of his duty. The Magistrates agreed to the proposi-
tion and Captain Gowns paid the fine.