The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-12-25 00:00:00

Dorsttsbtrt.

Li WORK. —As the question is frequently
put, and with, we rejoioe to say, increasing recur.
repo. "What are the @rifts of literary work done at
the Newspaper Press College!' we are glad to say
that with the aid of our coadjutors, in London and
in the country, we can always supply local papers,
with leaders and other spacial contributions, at a
remaikably cheap rate—by arrangement with a
friend of our. they can literally indeed be had for
nothing. Magazines and periodicals are supplied
with articles of all varieties and by different writers,
on the usual terms. Business pamphlets are care-
fully prepared, and revision of MAIL is extensively
undertaken. Amongst the latter a new edition of
Murrsys "80/Aland deecribed" has just been put out
of hand. A owngst the compilations in progress ter
the coming French exhibition, there lean illustrated
Guide Book for Paris visitor&

mean. On the 18th Mee the Right Rev.
the Lord Bishop of Salisbury instituted the Rev.
John Wade Sheltoo, clerk, •., to the Rectory of
Coiloombe, void by the death of the Rev. Deere
Clemeteon, clerk, oath. preeentation of tbe Right
Honourable the Dowager Countess Nelson, the
patroness ; and on the same day his lordship instituted
the Rev. John Smith, clerk, to the Rectory of
Kington Magna, rendered vacant by the oeseion of
the Rev. William Lilley Smith, Week, the lad
incumbent there,on his own petition ae patron thereof.
On the 21st inst. the Bishop 'Moused the Rev.
Augustine Howie 8011, clerk, wa, to the perpetual
curacy of Caine Abbe., void by the resignation of
the Rev. Wiliam Henry Davis,. clerk, the last
incumbent thereof, on the presentation of the Right
Hon. Lord Rivers, Rushmore Lodge.
Till PIOTLII.6 hlioatritz.—Announced in our
advertising columns this Chriatmas, our readers will
notice the advent of the net, and beautiful onntribu•
lion to our poptlar literature just started by the most
inoelleet of all our religious publication societies. the
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. As an
accession LO pure literature we are enchanted with
the Bret number. It is delicately as well as profusely
embellished—the only thing we amid possibly take
exoeption to is a rather violently toned frontispieoe
printed in colour.; bat the soft style of the glyph°.
graphic engravings that stud the letter press pages
are far superior to anything yet issued at sixpenoe.
egoepting perhaps an extraordinary number of the
Illustrated London News. We are glad to notice
that although the serial story is obviously deemed
inevitable and that consequently we have as the
puce de resistance Holm° Lee's tale of "Mr.
Wynyardli ward," the higher walks and older forum
of Boglish literature are not neglected; and whil,t.
doe space is aooorded to narratives from the
Australian Bush, America, Canada, Continental
mend and natural history, indeed for that matter
"plain needlework and domestic recreati ins," we are
treated occasionally to an essay on Shakespeare's
King John, to reminiscence, of Blomfield "the poet
of the people," to "Home Memories of Cowper" and
to original poetry altogether. The People's Magazine
is parallel with the Leisure Hoar and quite as good.
The specimen part we have noticed is in advance of
the regular weekly pub/dation, and their is ample
room for

PRIPAR AIM FOR CHRIOTICAIL —That mythical
white:beareded,indtvidual yallept "Old Fatb.r

um," is one ol.tbs best

in the *odd. He

este, but when be does he eats voraciously-.
week Of feasting mskts tip for his year of fasting.
He likes the fat of the land. None of Ph irnah's lean
Irina is slaughtered for his annual dish. Nothing but
the priniest of prime makes hi.. long table groan. He is
utterly regardless of billiary disorginisation. and pays
no heed to the pills of Cockle. " Father Christmas"
ene, in for good fere, for merry•makine.
for ivjoicinfr, for reminding no all of the
message of " Peace on earth and goodwill amongst
men.' He is • brave old fel!orr, add, although he
eighteen hnndred and sixty-six years old, yet he look'ss
fresh and jolly as ever be did. We like to imitate him
—to follow his sensible example. Everyone believes in
• "merry Christmas." If we look around on there are
no signs of any diminution in the contemplated enjoy.
nest if the season. Bountiful 'applies are to be met
with in every direction. Every shop dons its best attire,
rietorates itself in its most bottoming meaner, and
stands up to be looked at by creeds of admirers.
From every town In the county we learn that the
fraternity of butchers have provided goodly oboes of
joints Horeb. star never better, Weymouth extensively
and good. Briiiport amply and excellent, Blandford in
large supply and of unexceptionable quality, Poole more
than enough of good sort and en dif • penny • pound
cheaper than their brethren of the knife and el
el. where Ware h• tn, V7i Or borne, She r borne, flturmins ter,
Walbridge, and everywhere else, sufficient for ell
dewsnds and of improved quality. Beth of their shops
Ii reliant with beef and mutton, indicating the rapid
strides agriculturists hay- wad. of I.te yeas
In the art of breeding and feeding. The pork butchers
exhibit, gaily adorned, htige specimens of the
porcine wee, and the best-looking one—as pigs go—
t/ generally seleeted for • ate of honour, or rather Us
head is selected for that place. To have a respesta
head was "the head and front of his offending'
Ideconted with evergreens be looks out of his leafy
picture-frame with • smile of resignation on his
lovely features, and the insertion of an orange between
hi. jawo gives additional . :premien to his appearance.
If we takes look round the poulteren' shops We shell
see lots of go. le and turkeys ready and waiting to be
devoured. The grocers bestir themselves, too, at
this time. The window.penes seem ready to burst
open with the pressure of the fruit behind. Currant,
and raisins and candied peel, all decked out with bits of
berried holly, are exhibited in ',eery street, while the
fruiterers show boxes of oranges, ant baskets of apples.
and other deserts. But even new "Father Christniss"
is attempt on, and we conalude with • little hint to the
merry•mak. is. wlich we giro in Ella, Cook's pleasant
verse:—- . .

"Let the feasting and the drinking
His as goodly as it msy ;
Yet the wise ones will be thinking—
As they hail the festive day—
Time is bushing an to reet,
As he roeke anon his breast
Of Christmsa green."

RaeROES TATI•B Ruoii.. —Edward W. Cos
Esq. Recorder of Holston, has published a proposal
addrCessii to Lord Derby for • Constitutional
Reform Bill, which lik• a straw thrown up may in
the absence of any other indication serve to show
"bow the wind sits the 'boulder of our sail."
Mr. Con has analysed the electoral statistic.' and
submits this as his practical suggestion for • measure
that shall be liberal, constitutional, oomprebonsive,
but safe. He distinguishes th• constitutional from
the democratic principle by assuming that the one
requires the representation of classes and interests,
and the other that of the minimal majority; and h
wishes to admit the working classes to a fair share of
the franchise without involving the preponderance of
mere numbers. He strongly eulogises the municipal
at the expense of the pal liamentary franchise,whenos
we should infer that be is in favour of something lite
household suffrage so forcibly illustrated in the recent
case of Councillor Proud, of Dorchester, who was
unseated for not being strictly • householder, and
cannot re-appear on the borough register for three
years to come. Now, subjcct to this serious draw-
back of three years' privation of privileges for um-
payment of rates, Dorchester has 386 municipal
r.r 481 parliamentary voters, and would they have
135 more; in foot in SO boroughe the excel,' is 36,710,
not quite 21 per cent. There would in tact be a
total addition of 150,302 to the entire borough
franchise. With regard to counties Mr. Col Would
propose to assimilate the principle of ownership
there to that of citizenship of the boroughs. He
thinks a £2O franchise would be low enough for
occupiers. With regard to the rodistributioa of
mats, colouring the map of Britain r„d,
yellow, and green, for manufacturing, urban, and
agricultural districts respectively, he finds the
entire borough popalation to be 9,321.709, the entire
county ditto 11,427,656; but of the former at least
one-third is agricultural, soother urban, and there-
fore the manufacturing population 111 ooly about
row fourth of the whole. They would therefore be