The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-10-04 00:00:00

Zomersetobirt.

CRE%VK =NC. —Roliyicnee Rerimbs.—At the weekly
prayeriueeting on Friday evening, which was well
attended, the Incumbent stritesl that he hail been
favoured with a communication from a private friend
of hie, who bad lately viaitisl the North of Ireland
and had sent him a I.Av facts relating to the wonder.
lot revival of religion going on there. The following
extracts were read by the Rev. A. Ilavainy on the
occasion :—" The following irell authenticated
.fnct
with regard to Ballymena, is sufficient to prove that
a groat and stupendous change has taken place in that
town lately. NVhereas about £lOO used funuerly to
be speut every Saturday in the public houses, only
the suui of 10s. was spent in the public houses on a
Saturday in the mouth of July." "in one locality
in the outskirts of Belfast, two or three public houses
were closed in June and July. A good many of the
churches and chapels iu Belfast are open every even-
ing for public worship, and are tilled with attentive
hearers." "While walking down some of the back
streets of Belfast, between eight and nine o'clock in
the evening. I heard singing in a great many houses
—prayer and praise arose from many hearts." "I
lam told that Belfast was, till lately, a most ungodly
plane. But thousands who but a few months ago
were immoral, have now, through the grace of Go-1,
become moral, sent thourands also who were careless,
are now canfid about the one thing needful." "One
of the converts in Belfast said to me, ' I wish I was
in England to tell du:mahout the love of Christ, done
for me, a iioor heldilmerving sinner. I would go
through the whole world to tell them.' She asked me
whether God had poured out his Holy Spirit there.
'Let me know,' she said, 'whether there are any
brothers and sisters in England.' " " The landlady at
the hotel at Coleraine, • place of 6,000 inhabitants,
told me that at the beginning of May, scarcely any
one went to bed for ten nights Men and boys sang
hymns and psalms about the streets. (She was afmid
to leave the house.) She told me that the public
houses had little or no business." The Townhall in
Coleraine is open for halfon-hour every morning, at
half-past nine o'clock. It was a most cheering and
encouraging sight tome about 290 persons assembled
for prayer and singing—they seemed most earnest
and sincere." "The streets in Coleraine are now per-
fectly quiet and orderly at night. The upper
dames at Coleraine are affected by the move
-
went. They are purchasing Bibles, and help-
ing it forward in every possible way." "A
gentleman told me that his friends were invited to a
ball; and they wrote to refuse the offer in
consequence of the state of religious feeling in
the place.. They afterwards heard that there was
no dancing at the ball. The company felt no dis-
position to dance." "The new Townhall at Cob.
none was to have been opened with a ball; but
there was no dancing. It ended in a prayer-meet-
ing." "An instance was mentioned to rue of a
Roman Catholic boy, who MU affected, excited,'
having obtained a Bible, and read it. When his
father discovered this he was au angry that he threw
the Bible into the tire; and the boy shortly after-
wards died." "I was told of another Roman I 'litho-
lie boy who was awakened, and who called for a
Bible, the priest gave him one, and when it wax
known he was dismissed from his priesthood and
his authority to preach was withdrawn." At a
meeting at Brumuholge, a boy prayed for his uncle
who kept a publichouse. Ile said, ' Lord, eonnert
my uncle and aunt, that they way throw their rank
and whiskey into do .dreete, and 'serer edt another
drop.'" "Another converted boy prayeil for his
father, who was seeking salvation. His father soon
after professed to have been made happy, and the
boy made his way over the forms, clasped his anus
round his father, and kissed him. To see father
and son blessing and praising God together
:was a
sight that angels might look upon with delight."
"'The races were held in July, near Broonhedge,
and the writer says 'though we were within a few
Sul& of it, we scarcely knew of its existence; I did
not hew of a sim.:le person frutu the neighbourhood
being present. "instance of a girl in a state of bodily
prostration. On Friday (July 2.9, 11559). I visited
a few eases in Belfast, with the Rev. Theophilus
Campbell (a clergyman in the place.) We had not
gone far when A young woman ran up to Mr. C.,
and requested him to visit a girl, who bad been
affected for some hours. She was a girl of 14 years
of ago. She was leaning her hind hick, had her
eyes closed, and was crying out, 'Oh, Lord have
mercy on inc. Oh, .lesua pardon me.' When a by-
stauder istivtaiteil that she should say, Giro Joe a
heart of tiesleassid the Holy Spirit.' She added
thorn words; Iwo or three times she exclaimed,
see Jesus.' About twenty or thirty girls and
women followed us into the little close room, look-
ing very anxious, interested, and attentive. Mr. C.
took the young woman by the hand, and directed
• her to look to Christ with the eye of faith, and then
she would be saved, and experience peace. He then
knelt down and offered up a prayer, in which all
who were present heartily joined. It appears that
the girl bad lately been attending a Presbyterian
place of worship."
Bennie-- Volunteer Rifle Corps—A public in-
spection of the Briatol Volunteer Bids Corps, which
now musters upwanls of 600 members, and has been
duly gazetted, took place on Saturday afternoon in
Queen-square, the scene of the memorable Bristol
riots. About 300 volunteers, being nearly all that
have as yet received their uniforms, were present.
The several companies having fallen in were celled
over and told off by their officers. The covering ser-
geants then marked the Sank points, and the coin-

Ipanics formed upon them in open columns of com-
panies, right in front. They then wheeled into
line, and again broke into open column, right
in front. The officers then took the peat
of inspection, the rear ranks taking open onler,
and the battalion was inspected by Lieutenant-
Colonel Bush and the other field officers. After
forming close column on the hauling division, re-
forming open column, and again closing, the men
who had received their rules were ordered to fall
out, and were funned into two test cumpanim who
performed very creditably the following evolutions:
—Sub-divisions right wheel, re-form company, sub-
divisions left wheel, re-form company, sections
right wheel and left
.wheel, sections outward, fours
right, front advance in line, form close mitten' of
sections, prepare for cavalry, re-form column,
re-form company, retire in line, break into
open coliunn, close on the leading .livision,
deploy into line, from 9aarter distance column, right
in front on leading division, form column of sub-
divisions, wheel into line, manual and platoon exer-
cise, Lc. The test companies then broke off, and
the men fell into their proper companies, which
were now formed into close column, and having
faced to the left were addressed by Lieu:tenant-
Colonel Binh. The gallant officer sant he thanked
the men for the progress they had made in their
drill and for the attention they bad paid to the
officers who had commanded them that day. He
would my this, and he said it in the presence of
many officers in Her Majesty's service, that the
manner in which the companies hail gone through
their evolutions would do credit to regular soldiers
of the lino. Ho hoped in a short time that the
clothing and arms would be supplied to the whole
regiment, as at present they have only received
about a third of their complement. •He was quite
sure that the little lordships of drill would be taken
in good spirit, and that is few months more of the
steady attention which had been hitherto displayed
would be the very best course they could pursue to
attain complete proficiency. lb e was persuaded
that his friends and fellow citizens who had joined
the corps would-see no reason to regret having done
so, and be would say that in point of apptarance,
dress, and one they were not surpassed. In every
way he was satisfied with them, and in the name of
the officers ho "0.-red Uwe, his thanks for the great
'mins they had bestowed upon the duties of the
regiment, for which they deserved every possible
credit. As this was their first public muster, he
suggested that they should give three cheers for Her
Majesty the Queen. The gallant Colonel then gave
the time, and the men responded with cheers which
gave satisfactory evidence of soundness of lungs, the
band at the same time playing the National Anthem.
Cheers were also given fur the Lieutenant-Colonel,
the Major, and the Adjutant of the regiment. The
companies then came to the front, formed fours
right, and were marched, with the band at their
head, from the square to the Exchange, were they
were dismissed. The exceedingly creditable appear-
ance of the regiment canoed the addition of several
volunteers to the roll, and it is fully believed that
it will very shortly numbers thousand men.

EASY SOMPILSZT RAILWAY COMPANY. —On
Wednesday last the half-yearly meeting of this
company was held at the Argyle Room, Shepton
Mallet. J. N. Paget, Esq., vice-chairman of the
Board of Directors. There were about .50 share-
holders and directors present.—The Secretary (Mr.
G. M. Mackay) read the report, an abstract of which
has already appeared. The Chairman said that, of
course, no one expected a dividend in the present
state of the concern, and therefore it was to the in-
terest of the shareholders to subscribe funds for the
completion of the undertaking. He felt great plea-
sure in stating that the traffic both in passengers and
goods increased every week, and it would be still
further extended when the railway was completed to
Wells. The receipts were now about 1:7 or .t:h per
mile per week, and he had no doubt that when com-
pleted t Wells they would have XI I or £l2 per niile
per week, which would pay the shareholders a very
fair dividend. However to make the line a paying one
it must be extended to Wells, and the directors saw
no other way of raising the capital required fur that
purpose than by creating a preferoice stock of !
,e 5.1,000. The adoption of the report was carried
unanimously, the meeting was made special to con-
sider the extension to Wells. It was agreed that
application to Parliament should be made for a devia-
tion of the line to Wells, and that a preference stock !
of .C55,0n0, bearing interest not exceeding 5 per !
cent, per annum, be created. It was stataul that
the proposed deviation would make the lino 3 shorter
and a cheaper one. Of the proposed hUln of .1:55,1)00
the sum of 410,000 would be raised in Wells, aud an
appeal would then be made to the inhabitants of the
Slurpton 51.illet district, and the directors were
LO (supply the deficiency. The proceedings
eoncluded with thanks to the chairman and
directors.