The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1873-09-16 00:00:00

jOgnet entintq Expo.

TUESDAY, SErTENTIEZ IC 1873.
NOTES OF THE WEEK.

The result of the Renfrewshire election shows
that the tide of popular opinion is still running
strongly against the Ministry. The rival
candidates were both Colonels, with political
opinions almost identical. It was scarcely
possible to distinguish an address by
Colonel More front an address by Colonel
Campbell. The only difference between the two
gentlemen was that Colonel More was •
supporter of Mr. Gladstone and Colonel Camp-
bell was not; and the election indicates that in
Scotland as in England people have come to
distrust and dislike the present Cabinet; but
there is no reason to suppose that it is • sign of
re-action from Liberal opinions.
An apparently semi-offiHal announcement in
the Daily Telegraph shifts the grounds upon
which it is held to be unnecessary for the
Premier to vacate his seat. It was at fleet con-
tended that, as Mr. Gladstone was not to receive
any salary as Chancellor of the Exchequer, that
'office was not, as far as he was concerned, an
office of profit under the Crown. Since then it
has been discovered that in 1834 Sir Robert
Peel, in accordance with the report of • Com-
mittee of the House of Commons, which sat
three years earlier, drew his whole salary as First
Lord of the Treasury and half the salary of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, together £7,500 ;
and it is stated that Mr. Gladstone has resolved
to follow his precedent. It is obvious thst the
Chancellorship thus becomes an office of profit,
since it yields £1,500 a year, and the original
argument against the necessity of a new election
falls to the ground. It hs now, therefore, been
found necessary to explain that "the sole reason
why the Premier has not vacated his seat is that
his acceptance of two offices instead of one is
manifestly one of the cases contemplated by the
spirit, at least, if not the letter, of the amended
Act passed a few years ago."
It appears from • return in Friday's Gazsits
that during the month of August 473 diseased
animals were iimported into Great Britain from
abroad, the whole of them being sheep, 410
coming from Antwerp and 3 from Bremerkafen.
They were all slaughtered at the place of landing.
This statement is reassuring in reference to the
decline of the cattle plague on the Continent,
but still it affords sufficient reason for continuing
the precaution of inspection at eur ports. It
has lately been complained by democrat's
agitators that the price of mast has been need-
lessly kept up by the system of Inspection; but
we can readily conceive what mischief would be
done by the introduction of 413 diseased sheep
Into the country. Besides if there were no
inspection, importers would naturally not be so
careful as they are now not to bring over diseased
animals for which they uselessly pay height.
Railway accidents are is unfailing as births,
deaths, and marriages. In August there were
three or four • week; in September there is one
at least • clay. On Saturday week • carriage
took fire on the Glasgow and Helensburgh Rail-
way ; before the train could be stopped, the
, passengers lied to scramble out of the windows
to escape being roasted, and several of them
were badly hurt. On Sunday there was a
momentary lull, but on Monday the work of
destruction was briskly renewed. At Tamworth,
, the Rugby express swooped down unexpectedly
on the people who were crossing from our line
to another killing a girl. On Tuesday three
' people were killed and • number injured on the
South-Western, near Guildford, by a bullock
, getting on the line and upsetting a train. It
appears that either the gate by which the bullock
I entered was open, or it was so low that the
I animal coald jump over it. Bullocks are not
great jumpers, and a fence that • bullock can
, jump is obviously inadequate. There has been
a similar accident on the Somerset and Dorset
Railway, but without fatal results. On Tuesday
' again two centre carriaces of a long train jumped
, off the metals at Cannon-street, and, breaking
, away from their couplings, fell over on their
sides. Happily it was • train of "empties."
On Wednesday there were two more accidents,
one of them, as usual, on the Landon and North-
, Western. At Watford part of • train went on
one line and part on anothor ; but fortunately
the pace was moderate, and this time nobody
was killed. On the Great Northern an express
came into oollision with • train of "empties" at
, Wakefield; but, by lack, without fatal con-
sequences. On Thursday there was a collision
, on the Great Eastern. On Saturday some
cattle got on the London and Chatham and
' Dover line, and were run into by the express
from Margate, the eonsequenee being that the
engine was thrown off the rails, and the pas-
sengers much ahaken. Accidents are mainly
due to a steady repetition of the same causes.
During the last few weeks there has been • sue-
' cession of accidents from facing-points, erratic
, goods trains and trains of 'empties," and cattle
on the line. In a majority of cases also the
disaster might either have been prevented or
Its results mitigated if there had been adequate
brake-power.

The annual blue book containing the reports
of the Government School Inspectors has been
Issued, and the testimony of almost all the
Inspectors goes to show that, in spite of the Re-
vised Code, intelligent reading is still a rare
accomplishment ,in elementary schools. How
important an accomplishment it is needs no
argument to show. It is hardly too much to
say that if a c",ild leaves school thoroughly able
to read, and understand what he reads, he ha. I
realized nine-tenths of the total benefita which
behold life has to give him. The bad reading so
generally complained of by the Inspectors is in
part due to inefficient teaching. Children learn
to read off the words of their lesson with toler-
able accuracy, but they are often allowed to do
this in an unintelligent monotone which it is im-
possible to listen to without feeling that the
child's mini does not go along with his voice,
and that for any pismire or profit he is deriving
from the exercise he might as well be reading a
foreign language. The teachers too often regard
the reatdlog lessons simply as vehicles of so many
hard words, and if the Is able to pronounce
these, the school standard is satisfied. Nothing
more can be required for a pans at the Inspec-
tors examination, " and the great stimulus of
teaching, the money payment, is therefore
absent." Really good reading cannot be attained
without a Mew understanding of what is being
read. If, therefore, good reading—reading,
that is, in which the maiming of the whole
passage, as well as of the individual words, is
conveyed to the listener—were required of every
child promoted in the higher standards the
I teacher would be forced to pa more attention
, to this part of his work, and real education
I would be obtained.
, The rilll6ll of Thursday contained an article
respecting Sir Garnet Wolukry's expedition to
Ashantee, which is looked upon as being
" inspired." Sir Garnet, It seems, goes out, not
to accomplish a settled plan of action, but to see
what can be done. He will not fall to remember
that the object of his mission Is peace, and that
any military operations in which he may engage
must be undertaken for that end alone. If
peace can be secured without oae blow being
struck or one shot fired, "he mast be aware that
this will be regarded at home as the very best
result he could achieve." If, however, he fiuds
the Ashanti*s still threatening lamina and Cape
Coast Castle, instead of preparing to meet us on
their own ground, or on the proposed march to
Coomusie, it will be well for him to fight
them. Tbe leading journal trusts that there
may be this early opportunity for battle, and
that our new detachments may arrive in time to
avail themselves of it. If the Ashanteer will
fight us where they are they will be beaten, and
the more resistance they may offer, the more
disastrous will be their defeat.
Spain has chosen another President. The
orator, Senor Castelar, who, on taking officie,
moderates his Republican opinion, is now at die
head, and calla out the reserve to put down
revolt at both ends—Carlista and Reds—north
and south. He profuses great oonfidence in the
Republican forces; and his appeal to the country
on the score that Europe cannot recognise such
a helpless Government as theirs has been, is well
put and warmly responded to. The frigate
difficulty has not yet been finally settled,
Admiral Yelvertou not being disposed to risk
the chances of the frigates being again speedily
re-captured, but demanding a complement of 500
man for each vessel. Pending compliance, the
British wjuadrou looks after the meals at
Gibraltar; and Cartagena is being well supplied,
for the blockade there is but a pretence.
The King of Italy Is about to visit the
Emperor of Germany at Berlin, and, according
, to the Cologne Uazet4e, will meet them many of
the inoversign Princes of Germany. The meeting
and the festivities which will accompany it are
the outward signs of a political understanding.
They are a real, if not an intended, response to
the Fusion and to the designs out of which it
sprang. The alliance of Italy and ciermany is

an answer to the alliance which seems to be
'meditated between Francs and the Pspaoy.
Ms. Thomas Scott, • well-known writer on
agriculture, give. • discouraging amount of the
state of the crop. lie tells us that, owing to
the wet weather, the loss may be reckoned by
millions of money; and he anticipates that the
present deficient corn crops, the third of •
series, dear labour, dear meat, and now dear
corn, combined with dear coal and dear iron,
cannot but beve a serious effect upon real
property and commercial prosperity. It there-
fore appears time that landowners were more
fully developing their estates, and public and
private financiers and capitalists sitting their
houses in order—adds Mr. Scott.