The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-11-27 00:00:00

WEY&IOUTIC.

NAVAL RINITRIT. —To the 3114 October the num•
bar of the naval reserve bailing from this port is pat
down at 42.

Ovsma —Dredging, with onosiderable success,
now being carried on not far from the Mixon," and
If (official protection was given, we should soon
have oysters in abundance from off our own cond.

WIVIIOCTII NEW GAS COMPANY.-114 DIDWEETO
of this company had an interview with Mr. Burdon
on Wednesday last, and we bear there is every
prospect of an amicable arrangement being made, on
that the ezisting works should be transferred to the
DOW company.

MILITARY.—OD Wednesday afternoon a detach-
ment of the 56th Regiment arrived bee by South-
Western Railway from Tipnar, near Portsmouth.
The detachment, which consists of two officers, four
sergeants, one drummer, and 55 rank and file, ITU
under the command of Brevet-Major Anderson.

ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION. The members com-
menod their winter eeason on Wednesday evening.
In addition to • variety of indoor game., football
will be given in the field during the winter.
Previous to leaving, the yacht Northumbria Cricket
Club presented the association with • photograph of
the yacht s eleven, in • group, in oricksting costume.

Tot SMILLLIIOUTTI SAXDS. —The name "Small.
month Sands" can naw be struck off all charts, maps,
and guide-books ; they having entirely disappeared,
and what is more, the land which at one time
skirted them is rapidly shelving seaward. In a
year or eo this encroachment of the sea, if it pro-
gresees at the present rate, will necessitate a strong
protection being given to the railway. Even now
It has not many yards to reach it.

LOCAL BOARD Or lIRALTIL—The summary of
receipts and ezpomiiiiire for the year ending 31st
August has been issued during the past weak. Tho
account stands as follows:—Raceipts : To amount
received from general district retail, £2,697 9e. 24.;
special district rate, £75 84. ; total receipts,
£2,772 17e. 24.—Disbursement.: Balance from last
account, £44 71. 31d. ; public works, viz.
sewerage, £155 14e. 1044. ; works of paving,
£125 Is. 6d..; repairs of highways, £423 7s. 50.,
scavenging and watering roads, £557 2a, 3.1,; light-
ing, £56% f,e. 44.; miscellaneous works, £1167.. Id.;
total, £1,949 la. hd. (Ignore' espouses, •iz.:
salaries of officers, £355 175.; establishment charges
other than salaries, £99 13g. 94.; total, £454 10e. 94.
Loans on mortgage of rate*, viz.: Instalments and
interest, £290 Il• 74.; making in the aggregate,
£2,738 It.. 315. and leaving • balance in bawl of
£3-1 55. 1044; the expenditure end balance being
£2,772 17s. 24.

A Bur of a very exteasive character took place
on the Greet Western line between this place and
Dorchester on Wednesday night or early on Thurs-
day morning. It may be recollected that the
treacherous nature of that section between the
southern end of the Radian', Hill tunnel and the
bridge which carries the road over the railway. has
given considerable trouble; and on Thursday morn•
knit was discovered that about • thousand tons of
the side of the cutting had come down, completely
blocking tip the down line. Fortunately it was
discovered before any train had to pass along those
rails, or She result might hays been very serious on
such a heavy decline V.r. Humphrey, the district
superintendent of this potion of the Great Western
system, was immediate!, telegraphed for, and hia
speedily arrived with • lave staff of men, who imme-
diately set about clearing away the obstruction. The
traffic between this and forebode, had to be con.
fined to the up line, whici necessarily occasioned a
little delay in some of tie trains; but no further
difficulty was experienced, and the greater portion of
the work had been aocompl shed by Thursday night.
The line was clear on Friday morning, in time f
the first down train.

A WORKING MEN'S ASSIXIATION has been opened
at the iliddll School-room, and the attendance in very
gratifying. The room is exesedingly comfortable, and
the papers furnished are of • vsry interesting character;
In fact, cvery care has been taken to afford the working
clan the means of passing • rational and pleasant even.
leg. On Wednesday evening the Key. T. A. °reeves
gave an address at the National School-room, with a
view of explaining the objects awl nature of the
asacciation. The attendance was not so numerous as
could have been wished, owing, we believe, to the
announcements of the lecture having been issued only
the 1.4111 C morning. The rev, gentleman said that a
resding.room such as it was proposed to establish—like
a great number of our most valuable, useful, and in-
di.pensah'e institutions—represented a failure. Ile
would endeavour to illustrate what he meant, Sup-
posing family religion had spread its irfluenee through-
out the country, alit ought, and that all the laboering
classes were really educated in the knowle•lre of
Scripture, and were capable of teaching their children,
the Sunday schools would be scarcely needed. And so,
if the circumstances and dwellings of the working
classes were as comfortable as they ought to be in the
prenut rate of wages, and would be if drink could only
be banished out of the land, he did not believe they
would need such reading-rooms as that contemplated,
because then the dwellinn of the working men would
be as comfortable as could bo wished, and they would
be ale to afford a newspaper to read at home.
Therefore he regarded this work as representing •
failure. As respected the dwellinp of the working
class, however, he was in hopes of seeing • change
wrought in this respect. In many large towns
sten wvre being taken to improve them; hut
the grand problem was how to erect • house
for about 1:100 to meet the requirement of the
lebouring clack. The larger honors built in London
and Manchester had failed because the rent was
too high, and until they could afford houses with
sufficient accommodation for 2.5. or 2s. 61. • week, the
case woelfl not be met. There was another point in

which be longed to see something done in this town—
the erection of public wash.bouses. His own ex-
perienec of cottages was that a large number of the work.
leg classes were driven from their homes it night
through the washing of clothes there. He had often
seen hours rendered uncomfortable through the .train
Issuing from the drying of doilies. He believed the
erection of public weehimues would be • great step
toward. the comfort of the working man. These were
tno matters he hoped to sec brought forward in Wey-
mouth. lie was glad to say there was a project on foot
foi the erection of Immo. for the working duos, which
would meet a much-felt want in the town. Meanwhile,
could thy do nothing for the amusement and instruction
of the lihisuring clam? He thought they might, and
especially for Coe young. He would pr.-, to see the
reading room occupied by younger men. He heti. ved it
was not Sc. much intended for the heads of homilies,
not so much for Where as for the elder sons, not so
much for occupiers as for lodgers, as in • town if
this character there Inte a large number who were mere
lodgers, whom auk brought them here, who hail no
place where they could go to speak to • friend, or
to reed • new.peper, except to • public house, to
which they resorted simply and solely because they had
mushiere air to go; there was no doubt, therefore, that
• reading room of this eharacter would meet the want
felt in this direction. The question then arose abetter
the working clew would feel that the reading
room would prove of use and benefit to them. The
middle and upper classes pourssed those advantages at •
low rate, and kept themselves abreast of the advancing
tide of knowledge and science, At present the labour-
chills could scarcely do so. There were some person
who though t the working classes were not sufficiently
educated, not sufficiently advanced in mental discipline
and intelligence to enter into these things; but be
believed that to be • great bbel upon the working men
of this country. It we. a matter of fact that by for the
greeter part of the discoveries in manufecturcs and
science hail originated from the working elegem The
most intelligent, the most advaneed, and the most pro-
greoire of our leading men had sprung from this sec-
tion of the community, and this hod been the great
glory of our country. In foreign countries it was not
by good conduct or intelligence that the working man
would be fossil to have mimed himself, so much an by
obtaining the predilections of the priece, or by par.der-
ing to the pasaints of the multitude. Stephenson,
Wedgewood. and Ifinton, were instances of what he hail
The fathers of the two latter were timid,' e▪
ngagesi li. p•lntlng devices on evoekere rouriod•
afire, and now their sore were the largest oranufse-
turers in the kingdom, Men of enormome wealth, and of
enormous influence for good. There were numerous
Instances of working men who had shown themselves
capable of entering into the great questions of the day.
He then related instances that had come ander
his own elperienee. lie had formerly held • night
deal in an sgricuttural district, and among the you(
men who attended it some had risen considerably. One
wu at the bead of a large cotton manufactory at Man-
chester ; two were ordained clergymen of the Church of
England, and another was a Sealool and devoted mle-
eionsry in • distant country. He thought these facts
showed there was no went of intelligence or power on
the part of the working class to enter into the subject.
hr hod mentioned. He believed the working men was
jut an capable of taking en interest in the leading quee-
tions of the day, the great social, political, and religious
que.lions, ge. any other class of the community. But
there •014 • feeling is the minds of some that the work-
men. however mentally qualified to enter into these
things, would get no good from them : that his daily
tnil "ceui,ird his time and strength, and that he was not
interested in knowing what is passing in the world. He
believed the Idmorieg clue was greatly interested in
having an insight into theu matter.. There was no
man who had so great a .talie in what is going on, there
was no man who had so great • stake in the administra-
tion of thelaw, the worship of God, min sociel and sanitary
change', gee, as the working mon. Any ehange in the law,
o religion, or any itoproveMent in the social condition
of the country, would tell firet upon this class. They
would operate directly upon biro ; he would receiv, the
first brash of His storm. The working man was most
an the power, most in the veep, if he might no entire.,
It, of any change in these 'aspects. The landed proprietor
or the large employer, bad doubtless a great interest at
stake in the country ; his stake was his propertr ; but
the stake of the working man was literally his all,
himself, his wife, his children, and his dome. Ho (the
speaker) was tempted either to smile or to frown when
he was told the working man •hould not be trusted with
the franc:hie, because he bed no stake in the
cJontrr. Ife would grant it was a question to be
well pondered and examined, es to how far the
working class were qualilll.l to have a yobs. In
the legieletion of the ...remit"' ; but he must contend
that he wee interested in it, and that he bad more at
stake in the country than any other clue Soprose the
unitary condition of a town was bad, the rich man
could run away from it and it would not affect him; but
the poor man was bLiund by his work to remain. So in
any change in law or religion the rich Man could leave
the country if he did not like it; but the working MO
mast star, flee, fore in any arguments that were used
as to extending or not extending the franchise, they
must Wash from their mind, the ides that the working
Man bad no stake In the °wintry, whores, be had every.