The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-08-17 00:00:00

Donsetobire.
THE LIBERAL MEMBERS FOR DORSET.
To the Editor.

Sir —I think " Elector " hag been unfairly hard on
Mr. Portman, and I do not think be could have seen
the division list on the Hares and Rabbits Bill. If be
did, he is most ungenerous. This hat was • crucial
point for country gentlemen, (specially those with
large estates and big preserve.. Mr. Portman's vote
on this—which has exposed the lame Insincerity of
many pretended farmer: friende—was a straightfor-
ward and honest one. Your c .rrespontient seems to
forget that Mr. Portman has never professed to be •
}Wirral. His natural leader, there is no doubt from
his last election addrese, is rather Lord Harlington
than Mr. Gladstone. A great many far more pro-
nounced Liberals than Mr. Portman voted against the
Irish Disturbance Bill, which when it reached the
Lords had almost lost all political character. As Mr.
Portman has no Irish estates his vote was not
influenced by any personal consideration. The Hares
and Rabbits Bill, 'however, appealed rensibly to his
intoned, ,• but he set them on one side, and very
honourably, in my estimation, voted in support of his
agricultural constituents, which Colonel Dighy did
not, to the infinite dieguat, I fancy, of that little
coterie at Broadwinaor, who regarded him as the only
vierder of the agricultural Interest. Where, too, was
Mr. Tioyer on this occasion? Paired for the session I
How deep the debt of gratitude the farmers owe the
member who stayed away, and the other who voted
maimed the measure which shall relieve them from the
ravages of ground game!

PAIR PLAT.

THE HEALTH OF THE DISTRICT.

The Ragistrar•Csenersl's returns as to the health,
deaths, births., Ic, in England and Wales, lie before
us, and from them we extract the returns relating to
our own district. It will be seei. that Weymouth still
tnaintaine the remarkable healthiness; which makes it
11.1 great a favourite among visitors,

WATERING PLACER AND SUMMER EISOETS.

The statistics of mortality during the spring quarter
ere given as usual (table x.) fr forty•alx of the
principal English health retorts. The mortality given
I. not that of the actual watering•place itself, but of
the district or sub-district In whi,h the wstering-
place is situated. As a rule, the death-rate In the
watering•plaos la likely to be somewhat higher than in
the whole district or sub-district, the watering-place
having more of an urban character than the surround.
lug country; but occasionally the reverse is the rase.
This, however, though doubtless • matter of interest
to the Sanitary Authorities severally intrusted with
the care of the watering-place, and of the district out-
side its limits, is of comparatively imp Hance to
the holiday-making visitor, who by no means confines
himself to the immediate boundarim of the place in
which be actually sleeps.
The mean annual death-rate in them forty-siz health.
re ma ; the zymotic death-rate being 11.
This maim" Invnurshly, not only with the rates In
all England, but with those in the rural districts, in
which they were 182 and 11, respectively, and shows
that these places taken together have not been
wrongly selected by persons in search of health.
ybe symbolic rate was over ln, but did not exceed
20, in Boarborough, Yarmouth_, Herne, Brighton,
Bognor, Weymouth Peusanoe, Weston, Ileaummt,
'tangos, New Brighton, Southport, Bath, Clifton and
mattock. 11,111 over re, but did not exceed II O, in
Margate, liamegate, Dean, Torquay, and Liancl dno •
end was over B'o Haetinim and at. Leonard:o 19'
(32), in lib I (4'2), and In Blackpool
-rod (4.4 In and fit.
_Located.
rate was mainly due to enemas, in atasicpool
ism and mark feria

Distrleta Acres. Population. Manistee. Birth& Deaths
Shaftesbury . 36403 13137 IS 100 60
Sturminster .. 37934 10861 8 9I 66
Blandford 67271 14634 12 113 Si
Wimbome . 81163 17323 SS 160 To
Look . 14552 14734 31 187 81
Wareham .. 96300 17216 25 134 70
Weymouth .. 34174 31210 47 226 125
Dorchester . 115717 10044 SS 103 120
Sherhome .. 40018 13082 17 80 62
Beaminster .. 63761 13111 IS SO 74
Bridport 33187 16732 18 116 71