The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-02-03 00:00:00

gotta anb lkinta.

Bitter as the present winter is, perhaps no illustra-
tiou of its severity would appeal more forcibly to
Weymouth people than the fact that the Backwater
was frozen over, the swans had no waterway from
their island, and skaters even dared to trust themselves
op the brood and glassy surface, so much more
convenient than Lodmoor. If the frost should be
repeated for any length of time, Weymouth might
have a fashionable winter season, the main attractlon
el which would be skating by torchlight. We hope
the Town Council will throw aside all fear of the Local
Government Board, dismiss the Borough Surveyor's,
or Mr. Hawksoley's, or any other plan for needless
expenditure, sod go in heartily for what will bring
prosperity into the town when most wanted.

--
Althon& the " signals of distress" are hung out all
down the Fault, yet we learn that Weyinouth has had
a fair season, much better than could have been
expected from the general depression; and it only
wants scene attraction to bring a few isitors this
winter, and Weymouth will not be in despair. More
families come almost every year, and though the
prosperity of the healthy watering place may not grow
"tri leaps and bounds," yet the excellent returns in its
Weer by the Registrar-General are building up a
solid foundation of prosperity which may outlast the
late shocks. No; it is useless to refer us to instances
where the fashion of liquidation has been followed.
When people have not been very " litrong " for some
time past, it was to be expected that the first bad
times would bring them into the pit, over which they
have been shaking before.

If anything could shatter the prosperity of Wey-
mouth, it would be the piling-on of a burden
additional to those she has already to bear. One
MOOO Is gone into the gutters, and to make ducks
drakes of another such • sum, while Mr.
Rewiresley tells us it would not in the least affect the
uA would be a scandalous waste. Alarmists may
cry "What shall we answer to the Local Government
Board 9". To this we would answer—" Don't be
frightened; the Government Mani has not any mind
of Remelt, because it has no iiettleil opinions i.n the
question of drainage outfall." Play back on the
Government Board the old trick the Circumlocu-
tion Office -" Forms ! give 'ern plenty of forms." Or,
to vary the quotation made by a gallant Tory for the
benefit of the farmers, let the Two Council
entertain the Government Board with " The tune the
old cow died of," to something like the following
words

"There was a Town Council dealt with a young Board,
And had no plans to give her;
Bo they set their Town Clerk to play her this tune—
Boulder, good Board, consider,
These are not the sort of times for money to grow,
Consider, good Board, consider."
If objects to our describing the Government
as of the female sex, it will not be those who
teasel that the Board though young in age an • very
isewiyotreated peer, and young oh I extra young in
wings% is positively • very model of Mother Gamp,
draft hos umbrella at Local Boards me if they were
=grebor,thweyhom I
are t threatens threat:ray
as to cinnceivtaili:ye
an Wised to.

Perhaps it may be objected the Government Board
baye so many stupid letters to answer that it is beyond
eassidaratlon. Let the Council then do the thinking
peat, bed return to the bruta futictina of the Govern-
ment Beard some such courteous rebuff as that of the
old tores—" Le Boi eels arisera."

Bow do Professor Corfield and Mr. Hawkesley
agree about the Backwater? If the difficulty were
about a few wore pounds before the Assize Court, a
fury of twelve would have to agree before • decision
Could be given. We should like to have • jury
seochison sod unitarians empanelled on the drainage
with orders to agree before another sum was
Erett,".and, equally of course, before they got any
Consultation fees.

Should they never find a verdict they might be sent
MI as summarily as we how the congregation of a
Weymouth church is occasionally dispatched to their
Sunday mesa—without the usual form.

lilt tree that a certain flock without a shepherd,
ax an under-pastor, is about to emigrate to
in order to enjoy the mild atmosphere and
the spiritual blessings under the chaplain there?
Another flock, we are told, has no regular pastor,
but occasional changes in the shepherding impart what
chasm there may be in variety. We don't like to take
naksown journeymen into our printing office, much
less shacld we try • strapper for foreman ; but perhaps
sish:ctirrcUng may require less acquaintance with the
Youthfully energetic 1111 is a body of Christians
wheal we take leave to call a church, they are so
impressed with the danger of chance pastors that a
good old shepherd has been almost unanimously chosen
though 'twits so many years ago he did good service
there that some might fancy he was past his prime.
But we hear the old and valued members are coming
back fast, and the flock, so much scared, is gaining
confidence and peace. Well, they have plenty of young
under4hepherds to do the hurdling and guide the
young lambs, and we hope the combination of ripe
wisdom in the shepherd, and energy in those under
bhp, will help makes prosperous and valuable flock,
that can spare plenty of drafts for others not so well
off.

While we are thinking of church work, deeply do
we regret the loan from St. John's of that most efficient
lay helper, the lady recently deceased. Ah, poor
sufferer! she reached the great city too late to obtain
the relief expected; hut she found there the long relief
from those ills that pained her here. May another be
raised um to do, in that increasing district, as good
work as lady who is gone.

Our friends the Foresters unite business with
pleasure in a pleasing and practical way. The Wey-
mouth District is to give the patronage of Bold Robin
Habd and his followers to an entertainment which is
to come a in two or three weeks. On Easter Monday
there will be a concert and Feneral entertainment,
while Whit Monday will be bnghtened up by a Ite
and gala, when the brethren of the merrie greenwood
will show • pretty picture with their gaily-coloured
procession and sports of ye olden time in the field.
Our advertising columns will from time to time give
the details about these events which are to combine
Wile CHIN dvki.

What can they be about at the Royal Hospital to
"overrun the constable " to such a shockinz extent 7
Did we are that the excess 1 income over expenditure
was kno odd? We have an idea that too many poor
sick sad afflicted have found the Hospital, with its
" chicking " and other good things, a pleasant refuge
from the cares and the privations of this awful winter.
The matron, we know, is a kindMearted soul, and to
enjoy her care one could put up with some ; but
really if we have hospitals so very attractive, in
addition there must be officers who know "how to ask
and to have." Had the estimate of wants been more
correct, or the assurance of Dr. Who-was-it been
greater, MO would have come an heartily (nun Mr.
Edwards as MO, for that gentleman likes to clear MT
&Ma for charitable objects, if the officers will only
begin again.
At the Hospital they must turn over a new leaf and
look more closely into the ailments of would be indoor
patients, or they must make up their minds to beg
more largely. At the Union the poor try to get
outdoor relief; but at the Hospital they don't seeni to
Ifear—(they rather like it)—going into the House.

litlnreally, dear Doctor —, when you put a
do
of fifty guineas alongside a munificent gift of
000, aren't you afraid that, instead of the wealthy
land-and-house-owner borrowing a lustre from our Mr.
Edwards, there is danger of that comparison which is
odious? And how long ago WAX that fifty guineas
given? 'Tlsn't the sum that we remark upon so much
as the position of the parties, for that was indeed •
worthy gift of Cir, hy the Mayor, who has thereby
done almost infinitely more good than if he had
expended the money on a grand dinner, with Its
eloquence and drinking of bealths.

Can the oldest inhabitant tell u. when the Back-
water was ever frozen so hard as it was last week?
We have been so instructed in all about the Great
November Gale that we seem to remember It,
though it happened before we were born; but even our
instructors can't remember such skating at the back
of the town. We were amazed to see the blockade of
Swannery Island till a long channel had to be cut for
the feeding of our beautiful birds, who even now look
most uncomfortable. The great blocks of ice that
come floating down harbour and under the bridge
remind us of those seas whence come our timber and
corn. the Baltic and the Azof.

In spite of all the cold we get lk ely times at
Wsouth. Amalgamation between the Town and
ItaUaa bends helps us to music ;we don't refer to the
marriage of Weymouth girls by the Italians, which has
been enough almost to make the Weymouth youngmen
imkrbut to the infusion of Italians into the band
...41.1. improvement all round. On Friday
night in lar they cheered up Weymouth from
St. Johns to Mary-street, and just in the midst of it,
the excitement was increased by the gallant volunteers
tramping out to Broadwey with martial strains.
Dreadfully cold has it been on the Front for tbs
wheelebairmen and porters: but yet their hearts are
warm again when they think of "Mrs. Wilson, of
Rath," for the lady will always go by that name. For
several years past she has treated them to a New Year's
dinner, where chairman Wtx,dsford, or some other
knight of the Weymouth three-wheel, guided tb•
merriment of the evening. Chairman Philip Rocket,
bowever, like a family man, reminded the lady of the
wives and families, and this year Mrs. Wilson sent
as crisp _notes instead, and Mr. Racket was glad to
levy on Mtwara. Eliot's for a great hag full of win to
share among the men. Such gifts as these keep the
poor men's hearts and the denor's too, from being
cramped by the cold. May we hear of many more
snub.