The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1873-12-02 00:00:00

Rorgettmuiti Ewen.
TDEEDAT. DECEMBER 2, 1273.

NOTES OF THE WEEk.

Her Miijesty and the Court returned from
Balmoral to Windsor on Saturday lest. The
Russian piper, the Grcialidanin, main-
tains that Queen Victoria will go to St.
Petersburg, to be piesent at the Duke of
Edinburgh's marriage with the Grand Duchess
merle of Russia. The rumour is telegraphed by
the Berlin coorrespoodent of the Times; but the
Court Cirea/or says Her Msjesty will wend
Christmu at Osborne. The Exeter Town
Council has distinguished itself:in being the first to
resolve to present addresses of oongratulation
to the Queen and Use Duke of Edinburgh on
the approaching marriage of His Royal High-
ness. It is said that Her.Msjosty is desirous of
opening Parliament in person on the sth of
February next, when both Houses meet for
despatch of business; and of herself delivering
the socli from the throne. If this intention is
fulifilW it will give great pleasure to the nation,
and will be held to signify the sojourn of the
Court in the metropolis to a greater extent than ,
of late years. The Prince and Princess of Wales
have been entertaining guests, including the
Duke of Edinburgh, tluoughout the put week
at Sandringham, and next week their Royal
Highnesses are to pay • few day's visit to the
Duke and Duchess of Marlborough at Blenheim
Palace. At the present time tiir Ivor Guest,
Bart., connected with the same ducal house by
marriage, is entertaining the Prince and Princess
Christian at Canford, and their visit will be the
ohlef event of the week in the county. Their
Royal Highnesses are about to remove from
Froginiere to Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great
Park. The Prince and Princess Louis of Hems-
Darmstadt (Princess Alice of Great Britain and
Ire] Ind) are on a visit to Her Majesty the
Queen.
In the dearth of politics, the School Board
elections have received • good deal of attention.
By far the larger number have resulted in the
return of • majority of representatives favour-
able to religious education. But the most
noticeable point In the elections is the effeet of
the cumulative vote in increasing the power of
well-organised minorities. In the city of London,
for example, a minority of a little more than
one-third secured half the representation by
dividing their votes between two eandidates
only, while the malimity 'watered theirs won
five candidates, of whom two only were
returned.

Notwithstanding Cabinet changes which have
been interpreted to indicate increased Ministerial
leaning to uusectarian education, the splash of
Mr. Forster at Liverpool, shows plainly that he
at any rate has not forsaken his oolongs.
'Take away the religious element and you
would starve the education you give." This is
his opinion, after giving the closest attention to
the subject of any living man, and after being
exposed more completely than perhaps soy one
In the country, to the influence of the promo.
tees of secular schools. There Is the eloquent,*
of deep feeling In his utterances. It would be '
wrong, he says, to taboo religion. "I utast say
it. Though many m n think me recreant from the
prinolples in which I 11111 born, I held still to the
faith of my old Quaker tethers. If the time should
ever come when the fathers and soothers of
England wish that State Educiatiou should be
conducted merely upon the secular system, they
must and some other individual than myself to
do their business." Meantime the Ex•cutive
Committee of the National Education League
have resolved that Mr. Dixon, M. P., be requested
to introduce into the Howe of Commons early
next minion • bill to provide for the formation
of t,chool Boards in all districts, sad universal
compulsory attendance of children at school.
Mr. Candlish and Sir Charles Dilk• are to be
requested to bring in manures providing for
the repeal of the 25th clause and in favour of
free schools respectively.
The Home Rule conference recently held In
Dublin has excited but little interest, and proves
that the movement Is not generally approved of
in Ireland.

The Chairman of the London, Brighton, and
South °mat Railway, Mr. Laing, M.P., has
addressed • letter to the President of the Board
of Trade In referenc 3 to the late circular upon the
subject of railway accidents issued by the depart
went. Mr. Laing's object is to deprecate
Government interference with the actual working
of lines ; and no doubt he says truly that there
I. no department of affairs in which general
principles and abstract rules are of so little use
as in railway traffic, and that everything, down
to the timing of each train, is • matter to be
decided upon its own merits, and very often se
the result of • nice balthoe of conflicting coon-
derations. Whatever may be done too, he says,
the general public will always be disposed to
Ignore the truth forcibly stated by Captath TYlstr,
that "whatever may be the amount of care
taken, the item of human fallibility will always
remain, and will always be the came of a eertaln
number of accident*" While rejoiced to see
a railway magnate apparently interested in
the avoidance of railway accidents, we maintain
exception to his position that Government inter-
ference can do nothkg. Without attempting to
time trains on individual in.., or going into
other minute detain surely acme general
regulations might be enforced upon railway com-
panies with the object of reducing the number of
the now fearfully frequent anddente. We used
only advert to such points as the maximum
rate of speed, the working hours of railway
sep/oyis,or the elan acoonnoodation at stations,
to show where interference might be effectual.
It will be geaerally admitted that danger has
been diminished in mines, in powder factories,
In passenger ships, and in many other directions,
' by legislation and Government Inspection; and,
In spite of Mr. Laing's arguments, the public
will believe that • similar result might be pro-
duced by similar means upon railway.
France is settling down under the Mershalatca,
a/ the Pall Mad Gandhi calls the rule of the
"Bayard of modern polities," and the Ministry
which has been reconstructed by the Duke de
Broglie has given general satia&en. It is a
new form of Government this of the ifarehalate,
new even in France, which has tried every system
now except the american ; but every one except
the Legitimists and the Reda believes that in the
Manhalate Fresno has at last hit upon • com-
promise which will do for seven years at all
events.

It is generally agreed that the Cuban affair is
to end in peace, the Spaniards either restoring
the Virginia, apologising for her seizure,
releasing the captive& now to prison, and paying
a handsome compensation for the murdered men
or referring the matter to the nerman Emperor
for arbitration. The insurgents of Oartagena are
now likely to be extinguished, for the bombard-
ment of the place is being carried on with effect
by the Government.
The Bank rate has been reduced two per cent.
at • stroke, that Is, from 8 to 6 per ant, end
still the amount of the ash reserve in Thread-
needle-street is nearly eleven millions and •
quarter, where a week before it was lees than
ten millions, amounting to 48 per cent, of the
banking liabilities. It is only once before that
the rate of discount has been lowered 2 per cent.
at a single stop in this way, and that was in the
early part of the year 1858; but if there were
no fear of the Germans presenting the ET,000,000
worth of bills that they still bold upon London
and 'eking for the cash to lock up with the fifty
millions of marks which are still in the military
chests and Mints of Prussia, the Bank might
have reduced its rate to 5 per cent. without the
/lightest risk, for there is plenty of loose cash in
the market, and from now till Janntry the
amount of the public deposits of the Bank of
England will go on continuously increasing, and
after the payment of the dividends in January
the Government balance will be swollen by the
payment of the Income and Property-tax.