The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-09-13 00:00:00

ecurral lictus.

THE GREAT EARTERN.—The Great Eastern certainly
will be the most complete vessel ever sent to sea, not
only has every valuable improvement been adopted in
the building of the ship, machinery, rigging. Ice., but no
expense has been spared to add to the health, comfort,
and cerivenience of the passengers and crew, among
other great improvements Stevens's Patent Bread
Making Machine has been fitted up in the kitchen, so
that new bread of the beet quality can be supplied to
every one on board, • hem which can be best appre-
ciated by those who have hitherto been compelled to take
lung voyages.
A Soldifeit DEVoCRED BT A SHARIL—A letter from
a soldier in the 24th Regiusent. now at t;orfu, to his
friend* in MAnclieeter ya,—" lam sorry to inform
you that I had a very narrow escape of losing by life
while bathing, on Sunday morning, the 7th of August.
There were. lot of us, and we had been in the water
about 20 minutec. 1 and other three swain out, and
when about re yards in deep water to our surprise we
taw a monstrous large shark making towards Us. I saw
him close behind nie. Being the last I dived down
into the water; the shark passed me and caught one of
the three. Baits were out in a moment after, and we ,
were picked up. Our poor companion was torn to
pieces. We got one-hail of lUM. and this portion of
his remains was buried in the afternoon."
THE LATE LoRD HENRY SETMut:ll.—The Paris
Momilcur publishes the following note from the Gene-
ral Administration of Public Assistance :—" Lord Sey-
mour, who lately died in Paris, disposed of his fortune
by a will, according to the terms of which he has con-
stituted several charitable institutions of Paris and Lon-
don, conjointly, his universal legatees. Ile has, more-
over, decided that the portion of that fortune which is
to come to the establishments of Paris shall be employed
in the purchase of landed property, not to be resold. It
is the duty of the Administration to point out to public
gratitude the name of this generous benefactor, who, in
thus sharing his property between the poor of l'aris and
of London, has contributed as much as was in his power
to tighten the bonds which already so happily unite the
two capitals of the civilised world."
TOAD exnacs SNAKi.—On the gardener of • gentle-
mail living at Runeton going to work • few mornings
ago ho was surprised to find a snake lying in one of the
paths, wriggling about in a very uneasy manner, and
evidently, to use a familiar phrase, "in a fix." Ile
quickly got an implement, and without difficulty
despatched the intruder, which was above three feet in
length. But the singular part of the affair is to come.
On examining the dead snake, his jaws and the parts
which "there seljaisent lie" were found to be enormously
distended, and the cause of this was soon ascertained to
be a large toad—still alive—which, in order to prevent
the unpleasant operation to it) of being swallowed by
the snake, had evidently resorted to its well-known
power of blowing itself out, and thus at the time the
gardener came upon the scene there was a deadly con-
flict going on between snake and toad, the former ex-
erting its faculty of almost unlimited distension of the
jaw, the latter its almost unlimited power of bodily
expansion. The snake, at the moment of the gardener's
interference, was clearly in a very uncomfortable posi-
tion ; it had got inure than it could eat. The toad, too,
could not have been easy in its feelings, finding itself
gradually going down, down. However, it survived the
, contest. and was extricated and set at liberty by its good
j friend the gardener.
THIS CONsERVATIVR LAND SOCIETT.—The officers
and clerk of the society celebrated the insuguiation of
the eighth year last Wednesday by a dinner at Situp- I
son's, in the Strand. Charles Lewis Gruneison, Esq., the
secretary, being in the chair, supported by Henry
Smith, Esq., the solicitor, James Wylson, Esq., the !
eurveyor, Charles Belton, Eerp, accountant and cashier,
Messrs. Edeall, Powell, Stacey, Hill, Middleton, G.
Wilson, kc. In proposing the toast of Prosperity to
the Conservative Land Society, and the health' of
Viscount Ranelegh, the chairman, Colonel Brownlow
Knox, 31.1'., the vice-chairman, and the other members
of the Executive Committee, the secretary stated that
from the formation of the society on the 7th September,
1852, and the 7th September, 1859, 15,012 shares, repre-
senting £752,100, had been lamed. The cash receipts
were £403,672 12s. 9d., the withdrawals only £91,199
10s. Ild. ; the sale of land aniounted to £228,046 2s. flit..
the rights of choice were 7,853, of which 5,449 bad been
exhausted, leaving 2,401 on the register. The last
security share was £10,042, the last share No. 15,042,
and 36 estates had been purchased in 13 counties.
The returns towards the Michaelmas quarter up to the
7th inst. were already larger than any preceding quarter
in 1858459.
ACTIoN AGAINBT A RAILWAY COMPANY roe DELAY.
—A case of souls importance was decided in the county
court at Barnsley a few days ago—Mr Thomas
Wml-
ing jobber, of Ardeley, against the Lancashire
and Yorkshire Railway Company, to recover £2 10s.
damages sustained by negligence on the part of that j
company. On Whit-Tuesday the plaintiff took • third I
elms ticket to Leeds by the train starting from Barns-
ley at 425 a.m., and which is dna at Leeds at 8.5 a tn.
The train did not leave Barnsley until after the time
stated, and on its arrival at Wakefield the Leeds train I
had gone, and plaintiff had to remain at Wakefield un-
til the next train. The consequence was that plaintiff !
was too late for the Leeds pig-market, which he had
gone purposely to attend, and hail to buy at a consider-
able loss; the pip he intended to purchase were sold, I
and he hail to purchase at an advance of 2s. 6d. each.
The lateness of the train, it was contended on the part
of the plaintiff, was caused by some excursionists. For
the defendants it was contended that the delay did not '
arise from their neglect or the neglect of their servants,
and if any loss had been sustained bfthe plaintiff, it
was not to be attributed to the company. The delay at
starting was occasioned by the lateness of the Sheffield
train, by which the plaintiff was a passenger, and if the
company's train hail loot waited the plaintiff would have
been kept at Barnsley. The plaintiff's loss, if any, was
occasioned by his own act, in being late at the Barns-
ley station, and with regard to the excursionists, they
were all seated in the train before the arrival of the
Sheffield train. Witnesses were then called, and the
judge gave judgment fur the plaintiff, kl, with railway
fare and costs.
THE GREAT EANTERN AND SEA-RICKNERS.—Like all
new things, much prognostication of failure has been
indulged in with regard to this vessel. It as sufficient
that she is the largest vessel in the world, for people to
find out all the shortcomings possible. But
there is eine thing which, if She accomplishes, will
make up for all possible failures of another kind. If
she accomplishes the great fact of enabling bad bailors to
cross the ocean without being sea-sick, she will revolu-
tionize sea transit, increasing the amount of travellers in
the same proportion as modern railways couipared
with the old stage coaches. Sea-sickness is induced by
the up-heaving of the diaphragms in proportion as the
rising and falling of the waves converts the vessel into •
moving lever, uplifting stein and stern alternately. Yet,
strange to say, there are people to be fuund who main-
tain that the larger the vessel the more she will pitch
and roll. They forget that a large log is undisturbed by
the ripple on a sheet of water, while a small toy vessel
is incessantly moving and tossing, taking every angle
of the ripple in its departure from the horizontal line.
The question is only one of proportion. If the waves
be large, the vessel must be much larger to prevent any
disturbance. But the objectors persist in regarding the
waves as solid ridges, upon which this long vessel
is to roc:s, forgetting that the weight of the vessel
will sink into these ridges till the displacement is
sufficient to support her, She will make a straight
horizontal course through the waves, while their crests
and valleys undulate alongside. If 700 feet of length be
not enough to accomplish this, we must go to 1,000, till
we have "ruled the waves aright."
THE RELIGIoUS REVIVALS IN IRELAND.—On Mon-
day night week a remarkable scene was witnessed at
Woolwich. A meethig had been announced for seven
o'clock in the Towoliall, to receive sonic account of the
religious awakening in the north of Ireland from two
gentlemen who had recently returned from • personal
visit, the Rev. J. Bailie, of London, and General Alex-
ander, of Blackheath. Lang before the hour of meet-
ing the hall was crowded to excess, and when Colonel
F. Eardley-Wilinot, ILA.. took the chair be stated that
• second meeting would be held in the same place at 8
o'clock to accommodate a great concourse of people who
were assembled outside. On the platform were observed
many officers of the garrison as well as clergymen of the
town and neighbourhood. The first meeting was opened
with prayer by the Rev. A. De Ls Mere, after which
the Rev. J. Baillie and General Alexander successively
addressed the meeting, giving sonic details of what they
had witnessed. Both expressed themselves so solemnly
iimpressed with the works of the Most High that they
shrank from coining forward before a mixed assembly to
te.dl of His marvellous doings; but, es they were not
empty subjects of curious speculation, but matters of life
and death, which deeply concerned every soul before
them, they felt called of God to speak the things which
they hail seen and beard. The stillness of the audience
was very inarked while the experience of several of the
converts was related, especially while General Alexan-
der stated three most striking features of the Holy
Spirit's work,—deep overwhelming conviction of sin,
perfect realization of the personality of the Devil, and
the aboundiree mercy and Almighty power of Jesus this
Deliverer. Two answers to the questions of doubting
Christians are worthy of serious attention. First,—
May not this be merely excitement? There is no ex-
citenient among the converts, except during convictiou
of sin ; afterwards all is calm peace mid holy gravity;
the excitement is among those who go prejudiced to in-
spect the work. Seoumily,—Will this be petuument?
General .tlexander said, "I believe it will, but if the
now that is washed returns to her wallowing in the
mire I can only say that, wonderful as lathe work now,
this would be even more wonderful." Mr. Baillie
then gave out two verses of the convert's favourite
song

"He took me from a fearful pit,
"And from the miry clay,
"And on • rock lie set iny feet,
" Establishing my way.
" He put a new song in my mouth,
"Our God to magnify;
"Many shall see and shall fear,
"And on the Lord rely."
After prayer by the Rev. W. Hare, Chaplain to the
Forces, the meeting with great reluctance left the ball
to give place to those who were waiting outside, who
soon filled the house to overflowing • second time.
After prayer by the Rev. W. Hill, of the London Dio-
cesan Home Mission, the former speakers again ad-
dressed the meeting, giving further interesting details.
The most solemn feeling pervaded both assemblages.
At the conclusion the same two verses of the 40th
Psalm were again sung with deep earnestness, and
prayer was offered by the Rev. W. H. Thompson. The
people returned to their homes deeply impressed with
the conviction that " tbs kingdom of Clod was come nigh
unto them"