The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-09-20 00:00:00

drunk at the time; but in a silent, stupid state.
The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the
deceased had committed suicide whilst in a state of
temporary inanity.

Exmouni. —The New Lifeboal. —On Monday
this usually quiet little town was thrown into some
little excitement when it had become generally known
that Lady Rolle and some of her friend', accom-
panied by Richard Lewis, Esq., the secretary of the
Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and some
gentlemen of the place, had decided on taking a trip
in the beautiful new lifeboat recently sent here by
that society. Accordingly, at about 11 o'clock, the
lifeboat was brought on her carriage out of her
house and launched from it, having on board Lady
Rolle, the Countess of Antrim, Lady Helen M'Don-
nell, Mies Parlby, Rev. J. Hall Pulby, Mr. Tring,
Colonel Wilkinson, and several other gentlemen,
with the boat's crew. This operation, which is
sometimes so difficult of accomplient with some
lifeboat carriages, was in this instance quickly per-
formed, in consequence of the ingenious but simple
mechanism of the lifeboat carriage. Indeed the
whole work of launching, from the time the boat
and carriage, drawn only by her crew and a few
extra hands, were taken from the house to the
beach, which is sandy, did not occupy ten minutes.
Nothing could have been more satisfactory than
the launching, and loud expressions of approba-
tion followed it. The lifeboat afterwards pro-
waled with Lady Rolle and her party outside
the bar. The boars behaviour whilst ploughing
the seas elicited the admiration of every one on
board. She was afterwards brought alongside a
vessel, and there, with the aid of tackling
she was after some difficulty capsizal; but she in.
stantly self-righted, from a peculiarity in her con-
struction, and self-ejected the water thus shipped in
a few seconds. This operation again excited some
applause, as such an effect was doubtless quite novel
to many persons in this little town. Some success-
ful experiments were also made with the cork life-
belts, which each man of the crews of the society's
boats is now always required to wear before going
afloat in the lifeboat. One of the crew plunged into
the sea with his belt on, and performed various feats
in the water, much to the amusement of the specta-
tor& The lifeboat is a beautiful craft; she is 30
feet long, 61 broad, and was built by Forraitt, of
Limehouse, after the plan of the boat now adopted
by the institution. We are told that the National
Lifeboat Institution has now eighty-live lifeboat
establishments in connexion with it, on which it has
expended upwards of .C 26,000.

BURNLICI A TOLL Houtz AND GATE. - A most
summary mode of gettinE, rid of an obnoxious toll-
gate has just been resorted to in the village of Lang-
ford, near Cullompton, in Devonshire. It seems that
a toll house and gate were some time since erected
near Langford by the turnpike trustees. The inha-
bitants of the locality felt themielves much aggrieved
by the impost to which they were thus subjected,
and several persons have from to time been summoned
before the magistrates for attempting to evade the
toll, considering that they were not liable. The case
was brought before the Quarter Sessions at Exeter,
but was remitted to one of the higher courts, where
we believe it now awaits decision. In consequence
of the disturbances that have taken place the police
have had orders to watch the gate, but notwithstand-
ing their vigilance both the gate and the toll house
were • few days ago destroyed 'uy fire. Suspicions
have, of coarse, been raised, but as yet the police
have no clue to the offenders.