The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1875-10-19 00:00:00

JOorset Countti exgess.

TUESDAY. OCTOBILR 19. 1875:

NOTES OF THE WEEK.
After two years' experience of the Dorset
volunteers, Adjutant Batten is_ fain to confess

them " excellent fellows," but he li-as-isie; up
the notion that their good friends in the county
" a curtain extent throw their money away'
in giving so much as £.500 in the whole for prize
shouting, as compared with about 1-100 towards

tho camp fund. He hinta that the attention
paid to shooting and the prizes offered constitute
the corps more like Rifle Clubs than companies
of riflemen ; and the drift of his argument is,
that fewer prizes should be offered, as a means
of checking the devotion of so much time to
rifle practice. But, surely, it is a very one-
sided view that leads to this conclusion. A

mere comparison of the sums given to prize
!hooting and to the camp is valueless; the point
is, the adequacy of the respective amounts for
the purposes to which they are applied. Adju-
tant Batten does not say that the camp fund is
insufficient to meet the expenses; we believe
the contrary is the fact, and it seems to us a
very happy result that the liberality of the
county should be comfortably commensurate
with the requirements of each year. In regard
to prizes for shooting, the field is so wide, and
the sums subscribed depend so much on local
circumstances, that the totaling of the amounts
offered to the various corps proves nothing as to
I excess or paucity. But, when we find that the
prizes offered comprise a pair of leggings, •
photograph of Arthur Orton, a bottle of scent,
and so on, we do not think some subscription lists
can be very extensive. It is notable too, that
in the past season, the Dorset battalion has
stood as well or better than ever amongst the
corps of the kingdom as marksinen ; and, if
ritlemou arc not to be encouraged to attain
proficiency in the use of the rifle, why, better
make thorn a lino regiment—say a second Dorset
Militia, at once. There is no doubt but that
the prizes off,.. • I stimulate volunteers to con-
staut practise, and we believe that an examina-
tion of the different prize lista offered to corps
throughout the county would not justify the
conclusion whiuh the Adjutant has drawn there-
from. It seems to us that rather than depre-
cating contributions to prizes for shooting, it
would have been a much better course to hive
advocated prizes for drill. Why not institute
prizes for attendance, for soldierly smartness,
for proficiency in the bayonet exercise, in the
handling of the rifle, and in various other
branches of company drill I In some lino regi-
ments we have read of this being done, and
there seems no reason why it should not be
extended to the volunteers. At any rate, we
believe the Adjutant can, and ought, to devise
some means of popularising drill, without
denouncing that prize competition, under which
the various corps have attained their present
strength and prestige, and without which it is
just probable they would dwincUe to nothing.
Especially now, when two or throe of the corps,
hitherto amongst the best, are in a condition
Indicating speedy dietutegration, does it seem to
us an undesirable thing to denounce as "to a
certain extent thrown away," auy ef the means
which have been found to give attractiou and
life to the volunteer movement.
The news front China, is of a more cheering
nature than we expected. It appears that Mr.
Wade has obtained from the Chinese Government
the guarantee* which he deemed necessary to
ensure the fulfilment of their treaty obligations
with England. In a short time Mr. Grosvenor
will proceed to Yunnan, and there is some pros-
pect that European traders will be enabled to
traverse that portion of the Empire without
molestation. The turn which affairs have taken
will be hailed with satisfaction, since a war with
China could scarcely prove otherwise than
calamitous to the Celestials, and a source of
trouble and pecuniary loss to Great Britain.
In connection with the supreme Court of
Judicature it is officially auuounced that the
Lord Chancellor will receive the judges at his
house on the 2nd of November, which is the first
day of the "Michaelmas sittings," and proceed
to Westminster, where the courts will be opened
under the new Judicature Acts. The Lord
Chancellor and the Lords Justices will sit as
"the Court of Appeal" and hear appeals front
interlocutory orders. The Chancery Division of
"the High Court of Justices" will consist of four
courts— Master of the Rolls, Vice-Chancellor
Malins, Vice-Chancellor Bacon, and Vice-Chan-
cellor Hall. There will be the usual three
divisions of common law—Queen's Bench,
Common Pleas, and Exchequer—besides the
Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty divisions. It
is understood that there will be simultaneous
sittings at Common Law at Westminster and
Guildhall during the new " Michaelmas sittings."
The more the Admiralty order in the VIIIO of
the Vanguard is looked into the less it is liked.
Their lordships might have confirmed the find-
ing of the verdict or ordered a fresh trial ; but,
to confine it and then give the reasons for what
seems their harshness to poor Dawkins and
Evans, and their indulgence to the Admiral in
command as well as to the Captain of the Iron
Duke—it is this which lays them open to criticism.
I Have they forgotten Lord Mansheld's advice to
the young lieutenant who was made Chief Justice
of Tobago 1 His lordship said—always decide
according to common-sense, but never give
your reasons, for your decisions would be always
right but your reasons certainly wrong. Had
their lonlships held their peace, they might
have passed for as good lawyers as the Chief
Justice of Tobago; as it is they are exposed to
as fierce a storm of criticism as that in which the
poor Captain foundered.
The Coroner's jury on the Whitechapel tragedy
have given in their verdict • decided expression
of opinion. They say that the mutilated body
is that of Harriet Lane, and that Henry Wain-
wright murdered her. The jury at the Central
Criminal Court cannot but take aceouut a this
judgment as well as of the committal of the two
accused men by the magistrate ; and the counsel
for their defence will have a most difficult task
before them.
A novel scheme is proposed for dealing with
railway plant, or rather with the coal and mer-
chandise waggons. At present they are largely
hold by various waggon companies, and some of
the railway corporations are thinking of buying
from these companies instead of hiring them.
The suggestion is that all the railway companies
should possess trucks in common, so as to lessen
the practice of sending back empties. The repairs
and renewals could be couducted on a pre-
arranged plan.
Dr. Richardson, as president of the Health
Section at the Social Science Congress, drew a
model "city of health," called Hygeia, such as
a benevolent despot would build if he had the
command of unlimited millions and the most
advanced sanitary science. In this imaginary
city of 100,000 inhabitants, living in 20,000
houses, built on 4,000 acres, with an average of
25 persons to an acre, Dr. Richardson thinks he
could reduce the death-rate to 5 per 1,000,
eradicate sickness, and produce a healthy and
vigorous population, as everybody would live in
houses designed on the most perfect principles and
in which everything has been considered except
the cost. Here Sir Wilfrid Lawson would
dwell in preference to his country mansion, for
there would be neither drinking nor smoking,
no gutter children (because there would be no
gutter)--nothing, in a word, that could offend
the eye or the nostrils; and the population
would be the most refined and virtuous that the
world has seen since the days of the patriarchs.
As a glowing picture of what might be done by
a very improbable combination of circumstances
the paper was decidedly successful, but its value
as a suggestion of practical work may be
doubted.

We understand that Mr. Philippe, the borough surveyor,
hastendered his resignation to the Town Council
SCHOOL OV Air.—The annual meeting is fixed for
Townley evening, the Mth inst., when Mr. J. Eloper, )LP.,
will preside.
Doßarr Mittria.—Captain Frederick Standish Hors, of
the vsb Ite,thuent, Is to succeed Major Clapcott as
Adjutant of the Dorset Militia
FOOT.AXD-Mocln DISEASE. —The county returns for the
past week show 55 fresh outbreaks, and that since the last 1
return 6 cattle, I sheep, and SI swine have died from the
dimes.. The malady now prevails on 401 farms, there
being 2,401 cattle, 16,037 sheep. and 612 pigs affected.
s 7. Privre CUCRClL—Sernions on behalf of the Dorset
County Hospital were preached at St. Peter's church, on
Sunday last, and the collections amounted to £l3 9s, 10d.
Tows Bon.—We understand that the member, of the
defunct Ritie Band ha.• d.wided to form themselves into
a Town Band, and it Is hoped the Inhabitants will liberally
support them.
DIV uirst.—The retiring Councillors this year are Mr.
T. Bennett, Mr. J. F. Hodges, and Mr. W. Diadem Tame
Is also the vacany to be tilled caused by the death of Mr.
F. L Turner, whose term of alas expired at the same
time.
(01t)HL STC RT. —On Saturday afternoon, Colonel
Nattier Sturt, the former member for the borough, paid a
visit to the town, on his way from the Earl of ilchester's
at Abbotsbury to rrichel. anti made galls on as many as
time would perMit. Everybody Ira, glad to seethe
Colonel looking none the wome. tadeea ....elute
the
better, for his journey to Indis, and to find him the sante
frank kindly gentleman as when the member foe the
borough., His popularity has not waned • lot, and, if we
judge from the expresaions of political friends and
• may safely conclude that the oftener he
sea
Zertt better he will be liked.