The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-07-13 00:00:00

DORCHESTER, JULY VI, MO.

PREMATURE QUERIES.

It is quite natural that there should be just now
great interest felt in the subject of the Turko-Greek
frostier, and, therefore, it is not surprising to find
curiosity taking the concrete shape of questions in
Parliament. Such intarrogatories were put in both
Houses last Thursday evening. Is the Lower Hews,
Sir Henry Wolff asked Mr. Gladstone 'whether any
communisation had taken place between Her
Majesty's Government and other Go vernment• as to
the employment of °waive measures towards
Turkey Is the event of that Power refusing
to accept the recommendations of the Conference
of Berlin ' while in the Upper lioam the
snqmiry. wbs made Iby Lord Dunraven of Lord
Grenville 'whether liar Majesty's Government had
come to say determination as to what steps are to be
takes, with or without the other Powers represented
at the late Conference of Berlin, in the event of the
Porte declining or neglecting to be guided by the
decision of that conference." There is no doubt that
the noble earl and the hon. baronet were to a great
extent representative men in putting them similar but
not identical questions, and that their curiosity was of
• MON respectable order than that often manifested by
the "I only wanted to know, you know" class of
psopl.. Yet it vunot difficult for the Prime
Matter and the Foreign Secretary, in almost identi-
cal tome, to make to them queries straightforward
replies which, while giving no information rather
conveyed rebukes. The tenor of both sewers was,
that it is not the duty of Her Majesty's Minis-
ters to declare in Parliament their intended policy
contingest on the future action of another Power or
other Powers; that the Government bad no reason
to anticdp Os the refusal of the Porte to accept
the dedeion of the Conference; but that the
collective note announcing that the decision had
not yet been p. wonted to the Porte. In these days
of telegraphic intelligence, when more or less
apocryphal telegrams from Berlin, descriptive of the
deliberations and conclusions of the Conference, were
immediately followed by similar despatches from Con.
stentioople, announcing the receipt, coesiderati,n, and
rejection of the decision, it is intelligible how popular
Warest is internatiossal political matters may altogether
outrun official action. But if the telegraph is employed to
discount and prejudge political questions in this way,
we moot sot expect our own or foreign diplomatist:l to
be bawd or Informed by what Is, after all, mere
litthlt may be true or it may be false that the
Government has already made up its mind to
relmst the judgment of the Conference; but it would
be .4,6ol:rist Improper for Ortlr Government to form,
sod y to announce, any determination in con-
sequence of informal information received respecting
this matter. Looking particularly at Lord Donreven •
qv:Dodos, we shall see that it refers to two contingencies
—first, that Turkey may refuse to obey the Conference ,•
and secondly, that some or all of the Continental
parties to the Conference may decline to join this
country in enforcing the decision arrived at. Now, it
Is pretty certain that the arrangement of any definite
plan for coercing Turkey in case of her o
would have occupied much time, and gives berin!itleg
trouble, all peen without any necessity, that the
Powers were quite notified in postponing the °onside:c-
atkin of that until it was seen whether the
Porte would be coutnmactions. It is quitenlttiust •
court of justice, dealing repeatedly with si
should have a pre-determined and pre-establcieln
memos of enforcing Its decisions; but when an Inter.
national Conference Is called to settle a special and
peculiar question, and special and peculiar arrangemeots
must be made far =forcing the •on if necessary,
it is not unreseousble to leave the milking of such
ansaganests until the necessity for them has arisen.
Similarly, considering the various foreign and domestic
subjects which have lately claimed the attention of
our Mini:Oars, we think most people will agree that
they have gone out of their way in holding a
Cabinet Council to discuss what steps this country
should take in the double contingency of the Porte
Vziabortrimacious, and the Continental Powers
to moist in coercion.

DOZCIEZITZIL
Lusrmarioss IT Aaaasasuarr.—J. J. Hon,
Proms, draper; H. W. Sloorney, Weston-suparre,
builder; W. Branch Flower, Wivelisoombe, Somerset-
Aire, grocer and labourer. —Tram Friday's Goretie.
DISTISTST.—it Will be WM by an announcement of
our advertising columns that Mr. Deane-Webb, of 43,
Queen Anna-street, Oavredish•quare, London, W.,
visits Dorchester every alternate Saturday, his con-
sulting rooms being at Mr. Lockett's, 1, Cornhill,
Dorchester.
BOY'S Las Boon:Y.—On Friday afternoon • boy
named Edward Cox was admitted into the Detest
County Hospital with a compound fracture of the left
leg. He was playing when a coal waggon ponied, and
the story is that he was asked to have a ride, and
jumped towards the shafts, but fell, and one of the
wheelsreed over his log. He is under the care of
Dr.
Tudor.MUM'fornio.—The annual match in connection
with the Dorchester Agricultural Society was held on
Thursday last, at Mr. Oakley Saunders's, Brad-
ford Peverell, the judges being—Messrs. Chapman
Saunders, John limos, (lidastinstown), and George
Broads (Monckton). Thou were seven oompatitore ;
but the judges condemned the whole work, and would
not have awarded any prize, had not two UM worked
so evenly. The 2nd was given to James Parsons,
saffilS In the ern of Mr. Richard O'enge, and the third to
Edward employed by Mr. Mary Mayo. The
judges ex an opinion that the time allowed was
not nt in this coos, as the turnips had not been
horse-hoed. The entries for long servitude and stock
prizes at the society's nest meeting class on the 13th.