The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-10-06 00:00:00

$ onttroctsb ire.

MR, JAMS. LUIZ, cattle dealer, of Shepton Mallet,
was robbed of £2OO at Tor fair.
Cntrrios TO FAVOUR& —At the Stormily petty
session. Mr. William Pewee Taylor, of ntogursey farm.
charged with depast•.ring a sheep upon Wall common
which was infected with the "limb,' therefore endanter-
ing the s.fety of all the sheep on the common, was
load £lO.

DOODLE INFARTICIDS AT WILL& —A wooden box
sontaining the skeletons of two infanta has been found
in • field near Wells Asylum by a thininey-sweop named
Will.. He took it to the polioo-station and Sergeant
Tucker opened it and found the remains of two children
In a very advanced state of decomposition, nothing
remaining but skin, and promoting the ap oe of
dried mommiea. The bodies were wrapped in rough
woollen clothes, bearing the marks of the Somerset
County Lunatic Aryl= on them, and round the neck
of one of the bodies was • piece of tape, evidently show-
ing that the child was murdered. The bodies appeared
to-have been salted ! The box apparently has been
hid for • long time lost, and must have been placed
purposely in the field (adjacent to the grounds of the
Lunatic Asylum) as any person passing was bound nearly
to see it. On the lid of the box were pasted or gummed
the following words, the Wien being printed and cut
from some printing :—" Mr. Die—(tbeis apparently one
or two letters are rubbed off)—Clande, County Lunatic
Asylum, Wells." This is not the first child morder by
two or three that has taken oleos in Wells. An inquest
was opened on Wednesday, and adjourned for a
fortnight.
Staloos GUMMI AGAINST • SCHOOLDASTEL—At
the Wineanton police-court, on Wednesday, before T.
Rogers, and 8. Wood, &qrs., Mr. Smith, of Castle
Cary, was summoned by Elizabeth Newport, • girl
residing in the same Owe, for unlawfully assaulting her
by kering her against her will. Mr. Robb., of Wells,
appeared for the defendant. The proercutrix, a little
girl, not quite fifteen years of age, said she lived at
Castle Cary. At the time of the alleged assault.
14th September, she was liviog In the house of Mr.
Smith as • servant, which situation she had filled for
• little over a month. Mr. Smith's family conaisted of
himself, his wife, and four children, and • lodger. Mir.
Smith was the National schoolmaster. On Tuesday, the
15th, about two o'clock in the morning,she wee asleep in
bed in the room in which she usually slept, when the
heard the noise of the opening of a door, and saw the
light of a candle. That awoke her, and she saw Mr.
Smith at her bedside with a candle in his hand. Eibe
then asked him if it was time to get up. He made no
answer, upon which the repeated her question, and be
replied "Ns." He was looking very strange, so she
was afraid, sod got up and began dressing. The defend.
ant came round to her and said she was to get into
bed mein and led him get in with her. He kept on
rooming that, and she began to cry. He had in the
meanwhile, before he come round to her, placed the
candle on a box, and before telling her to gat Into
bed he put his arms round her arid kissed her two
or three times. fthe
bat she told, him she would go home. He then
left, and in about three minutes' time he returned in
his nightdress, when he again told her to go into bed
and let him get in 'Liao. She refused, and he left the
room. No other witnes, spoke to the facia, but witheases
were called who gave the defendant a high character
The bench indicted a fine of 505., which defendant paid,
protesting his innocents.
Ton RATING OF LAND. —A public meeting wait son.vened at From. on Wednesday afternoon, at the
request of nearly 1.600 ratepayers of the counties of
Somerset and Wilt". The meeting was held in the
Mechanics' Hall, and was the largest and meat
influential which has been held in this town for many
year". The ch•ir cam occupied by the Marquis of Bath.
The body of the hall was crowded to sloess by agri-
culturist, from the surrounding &strict'. The noble
chairman, in introlucing the proccedinr, spoke in terms
of approval of the Central Chamber of Agriculture, and
of the Somerottabiro association in connection with it.
When a Chamber of Agriculture had been started for
flomersetabire, through the vigorone and energetic
exertions of his friend Mr. Genre Andrews, he (Lord
Bath) took the ear)iest opportunity in his power to give
his adhesion to it ; and when it was proposed to confer
upon him the honour of taking the *hair that day he
had very great pleaaure in doing so—(cheers). Their
object was to look into matters, and to see what special
grievances or injuries agriculture laboured under, an,!
by calm and temperate discuasion to endeavour to find
out remedies for those grievances—always bearing in
mind that in redressing their own grievances they in-
dieted no injory on any other class of the community
—(hear, hear). They, above all things, desired
unanimity amongst themselves, so as to bring that
unity to bear on those measures which they writhed to
eupport. In abort, they had at heart the welfare of
the general arrieultural holy-- not the interests of one
class or ors party, but of the entire body—(cheers). Tbe
committee had coiled attention to the great grievants
the agricultural body laboured under in the way of taxa-
tion. The property &seemed to the income toe in
England amounted to P. 300.000.000 per annum; of this
sum two-thirda were exempt from local taxation, and
the remainder of the but-then war born by real property.
It seemed to him that the fund holder required the
protection of the polies, and the cenvenienee of roods,
as much as the agricultural classes; but on the latter
was thrown the whole bortheo of their support. The
fund holders were as much benefited by the labour of
the poor as any other class, but the support of the poor
was wholly borne by the owners and occupiers of land
—(hear, bear). Nor was this the whole of the grievance,
for every year, almort every day, the evil WU growing
to an alarming extent. Fresh schemes were starting up
—sonic of them very excellent sod deserving projects;
but they had all this in commos, that they required
money for their carrying out; and it mostly happened
that the proposition to throw them epos the rates was
coorisd—(bear, beer). again.' are tearless, of Into
years. to throw everything upon the load rates—against
that prospective evil, and against eaiating grievances,
they were asked to-day to unite for mutual protection
(theers).—Mr. H. Genie Andrews moved the firth
resolution ;—" That this meeting give' its cordial and
active support to the Somerset Chamber of Agriculture
and County Association of Ratepayers, especially in
their appeal &inlaid the unfair exemption from
the poor-rate ea-eminent of imam arising from
personal property." Yr. E. C. Olive briefly
seconded the resolution, which we. carried.—Mr.
' J. D. Parsons, of Woolserton proposed, and Mr.
John Card, of Norton Ferris, seconded the following
resolution:—" That, is 1865.7, according to Parlia-
mentary returns, the annual income assessed to the
Income-lax in Roglend and Wales mounted to 296
millions, that only 94 millions of it is included In the
poor-rate athessment, under which a tax of tan
millions is annually levied; and, therefore, the assess.
went question is one of the most important now before
Chambers of A.griculture.'—Carried. Sir Edward
Strachey moved the nest resolution:—" That the
relief of the pour is without doubt a national object acid
a national object and a national duty, and all income
ought to contribute t it." Ibis bon baronet Mai t•
would avoid the historical as well as tlas traditional
part of the subject, and come at once to what he
thought was the common sense view of it. If the
State maintained the poor. that it biome the duty of
everyone who profited by the labour of the poor to con.
tribute to their maintenanoe—(hear, hear). Now, it
could not be said that the owners of land were the only
employers of labour, for was it not the fact that
every one was the employer of labour! Therefore it
was clear to his mind that every one, in proportion to
his income, should contribute to the maintenance of the
poor. Turning to the financial question, Sir Edward
said that according to certain Government returns the
nett Leal taxation of this ariontry amounted to 141
paid by the occupiers of lands, Imam, and
real property. What proportion did that taxation
bear to the total income of those who paid it and the
income of the country? The gross estimated rental
paid to the I indica* was E 110,000,000. Dories
twenty-five years the income-tax had been assessed
to occupiers on ono-half of their rental, and as that
principle had been adopted by successive years,
It could not be eliallenged. It followed that the
income of the occupiers of Land was 85 millions, and out
of that sum they wets required to pay 14 or 15 millions
for the maintenthes of Meal institutions in which the
whole community bad an equal interest (hear. hear).
The bon. baronet plotted an earnest speech by urging On
Landlord and tenant the duty of unity for redressing this
grievance,—.Mr. E. A. Freeman, of Samintrleaae,
seconded the resolution—Captain Wickham proposed,
and the Rev. Prebendary Millward seconded, the fourth
reaolutioo—"That tbe exemption from the poor-rate
essesament of 200 millions of annual income is unjust,
and requires the serious attention of Pediment with a,
view to it, reniovah"—Mr. G. Jorvis, Kilmington, pro-
posed, and Kr. Task, Weethery, seconded, • resolution
to the effect that the sesessment °Vali inoome to •ootornon
fund for the purposes of poor-rates is the only available
method of adjustneent.—Major Paget, M.P. thought
the resolution went too far. Their 06010 bad his hearty
sympathy, but he trusted they would aot Injure it by
precipitate action—(bew, hear). It was open to dis-
cussion whether the MOLDS they proposed were the
only or the beet remedy. He was present fa the Howie
when Sir Moray Lopee brought forward his motion.
and he remembered hearing from the other side of the
House, "What I the land burthened I It is not
burtrithed half enough." And Mr. MoLereo, the
member
William
which rfITI
r• Edinburgh,uetyt.omtbf:Vedm.:::::FULthfodut ntshould
badth
mbhee beeserle,i
kg: a:ol4r
upon land, which duty had not been enforced, and
at once. Those were only some of the views which
would be opposed
Paget) just at this moment, that Parliament would not
be very ready to provide them with the funds necessary
for the relief of the poor, and allow them to spend them
just as they liked—(hear, best).—Mr. Andrews some-
what warmly defended the resolution as it stood, but
expressed his willingness, and that of the committee, to
accept any better plan than that they proposed.—Tha
Earl of Cork entirely concurred with his noble friend,
the chairman, and Major Paget, as to the general utility
of Chambers of Agriculture, inasioneb as they afforded
an opportunity to a large body of men, who bed hitherto
abstained, perhaps Dot wisely, from explaining their
political opinions. But, at the some time, he 'a, not
prepared to go to the length of admitting that the only
way of settling this matter was to relieve the land and
real property of heavy taxation by messing all income
for • common fund—(bmar, hear). No greater miirtak•
could be made than to extract platy,' on pertain sub-
jade. Pledges were very easy to make, but be main.
tamed if it were ahown to be possible to re-arrange the
taxation complained of, the proposition ought to be
fully oonsidered.—Major Allen expressed similar views.
—Alter • few remarks from the Chairman, explanatory
of the pledge whiah was asked, the resolution was
carried.—Mr. W. C. Cruttwell moved, and Mr. J. Baker,
of ()Hwy, seconded a resolution recommendatory of the
question being dimmed with a view of publie bodies
bringing their infleent• to bear upon it at the impending
general election. - Carried.—Mr. R. Dnekworth pro-
posed " That the question is at preempt free from party
politica and should be so kept."—Mr.
M.P., seconded the resolution in • brief speech, in which
he expressed his hearty soncurrence to the objects of
the Chamber of Agriculture, and hie satidastion with
the resolution.—Votes of thanks to Mr. Genie Andrews
and to the noble &airman brought the proescsdinp to a
sloth at six o'elock.

PLUMED aad Publisbed, Cbursh•street, Dominator,
by Auk= Amnia, of las Peri* of Pardiaaica
ka ssit sad co-propAsur.
Thursese, Ocasissr 6 AL

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