The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-07-31 00:00:00

THE CAMP AT LULWOBTM.

(By Cosmopolitan.)

Having generelly • peculiar propensity of decidini on
the Impulse of • inumisat most of the little mattsra in
commit .tt with my humid., eatAcnce,ll, on this ucca.ion,
with chimeteviatio •tolilsone a. at•ii almost on the eve of
the Volunte r eneampno et et Lulso.th, determ;neil to
avail myftlf of the privilege of • ware holiday, to visit
the watering-plam *lnch &urge 111. made famouv, end
at the atme tilos to h. prossut at the annual gathering
of tile Dom (Aire 't ..11:1;...ers in estop mi having
onkel an my " trap.," aulunteoctd my journey with.
out fur her solo.

1.). licensing with the usual elaborate introduction to •
scription of • j urnsy, 1 •11,ital." into in, narrative as
u 'ceremoniously as I commenced my tour. mul will state
n brief y as possible what I saw and beard during my
sojourn.

Weymouth bas but few sprelmensof antiquity whom-
of to bout. the King's Statue and Corporation, so far
an I can learn, being the eel: cues. The statue itself is
of modern workmanship, and is considered a "
representation of Oat monarch for whom It was in-
tended. lint the pedestal and thn "Bone would appear
to have bowl deg train the ruins of Nineveh, and if
such vra• the case, the members of the Corp-ration
enact bays been born some time before Nineveh'. Over.
throw, and been sleeping these laat few thousand yearn,
in, notwithatmtd.ng all the ridicule that has Ise-u east
upon the Loge pile, they still maintain that it lean init.
mitably fine epeeimen .4 modern art, requiring only a
little iitumm to fill up the mocks. and • fe* pailfuls a
whitewash. .

About an haute steam-packet voyage from the pier at
Weymouth conveyrd the Widp.rt, Dorchester, Wey-
month, and Sherb .roe corps to the cote at Imlwortb.
The snyage vete plessAer. •seept toe few of
the Volunteers, who, on accouot of their unsling of
stomach, made tisrgeteof themselves at width their com-
panion. shot off thcir bon mote and repartee.. The line
range of sun.hstlied elitfe with their potty contrast of
green and white, on the Dorset hire coast, erre themes
f admiration, and the large white chalk figure of the
horse wit', George 111. riding rampant upon it, attracted
general attention. The *ors at Lulerorth is a pretty
ba-lo of water fringed by rock., and the ilietanee thence
to the camp is something met than. Ave minutes' walk.
The four e snit alrady noosed were the Arch on the
ground. In the apace °lab .nt hall-an hone afterwards
etre- the Wareham core; dusty and f.tigned, having
walked from Wareham along narrow and dusty rode
In tint broiling sun, a distance of about nine miles. If
such arduous and gratoitona labour I. not blank proof of
a loyal and patriotic spirit, what is' The Poole, Whip
borne. Blandford, Shaft.obery, Stdrir.initer, aid
corpe were conveyed to Wool AY special
train. etrleiep theta About 20 minutes past one o'clock,
and *ere tusrehod intoiciliately to Loloosth with all
couvenient sp. ea.
'roe muster in each corps of nonmommimioned oaken
and men was not is many criessolarge on heretofore, the
fact being tl.at In very many instances master tradesmen
could not well leave their bneinvos for a whole week,
while •mong the mechanic and artisan claw, those who
have to keep a family by the sweat of their brow, could
ill afford to allow them•elves a week's holiday for soldier-
inc. Could a scheme belled...l for raising a fond toerarde
giving thine who could not afford to lose eo touch thine, •
trifling recompeose for coming to camp, one can have
but little hesitation in saying that the pebering
would be increased fully one half during the whole
stay of the camp at Lul worth. The number
of inembers of all corps 0n...50t et trot wa• not
more than eve bemired, brit additions came in
during the ev.tilng and the following morning, acid
that continued till Friday morning. New breams sweep
dean. There were many on the ground and they were
respired. The first etereise In which the men v01e...-
tail!? devoted theinlecis wee to wred out the number-
less thistle. which were growing. and to sweep away
every particle of the obnoxious plant, baying true and
proper regard when night come for their poor feet. This
done, they naurd their detached re,ideneee "Jessamine

After the assembling of kb whole of the corps, the
man were marched out on the drill pound sod put 1
through a few maineuvres, when Coloi•el Maxim,
addressing them, expressed the gresit pleasure he felt an
meeting iin tl is, t •eir third Occanion, in citric., where
they could throw aside their wmal habits as ',Jealous,
and take to their swords and muskets—not for the pure
pose of using them against their fellow creatures, hut ,
that they might the better be enabled to learn the
minute details of,militaty discipline sod order, in rase of
need, the better to be prepared to deLnd their Queen,
their homesteads, and their country. Ile rejoiced the
more reedit to see to many present to take an acts,.
part in learning those details no necessary for the
defence of their country, when lie saw the sad accounts
of the denudating war th.t wee now being waged in the
°entre of Europe, and he was cur- that when th-y in ad
In the newsp•pers the graphic attenuate of the demotaLing
off-cis of thet war, of the death-unlade of the produce of
the earth, Of bonissteads burnt to the ground, and of
the site, of villages only to be reoognimed by the smoke
from their reins ; and when they, on the other hand
loolted round upon our fields and saw that they were
almost ready for b , eel saw that the bounties
which Providence had provided for them were about to
be gathered in in peace, h• wan sore that they would ell
join with him in thanking God that they were English-
men. The reason why England *as net thee involved
in this war was that she was guarded all around so
efficiently by the navy and the salient of the line,
Assisted by the militia, the yeomanry, and the volun-
teers ; and he asked, why during the last few years
England, isolated as ehe was, was not suld.et to
those peel. and rumours of war as heretofore, he
would point to the 180.000 men who bad enrolled these
selves as volunteers, who had given tip en numb of their
leisure and their time to learn drill and the use of arms
to the service and the 'amour and credit of the country.
They had to thank those gentlemen, on such en occasion
as that, who had invite them and who had paid their
subscriptions to enable them to come to that came, to
enable them to be mar., efficient soldiers, and to show
to the county and to the country that they wire still
embned with as much of the volunteer spirit as ever.
And here he had to remind the volunteers that they
bad loot an ardent and fervent friend by the death of
Mr. eturt, who by his advice and liberality to the
volunteer. mnieted them so greatly. Fla wee, however,
h•ppy to inform them that bin spirit was still with
I them, as the son who now resided at Critehell was
embued with the same spirit towards them as was his
fatlier—(cheers). He had now the pleasure of addreen
iug men, many of whom 'had been volunteers from the
commencement. They had learned the squad, battalion,
and other drills, and it was not necessary for him to
address them at so great • length unto their duties./ on
former oomisions. It would be to their assiduity—by
throwing their whole heart and soul into the matter—
that they looked to the proper carrying out the duties
of the several corps. It would be for them to Advise
and tell the younger members bow to obaerve discipline
and conduct themseleei. It was for them to tell them
that during the time they were in camp, the strictest
mili.ary discipline must be observed, and that if they
felt &eerie., d by any orders that might be riven them,
if they felt themselves wronged in any matter, it was
for them first to obey their enters and thee Co eomplide
of their wrongs to him afterw•rde. They were amen-
able to every MIK, and if anyooe required leave of
absence from parade or drill, he was the person to eve
that leave. He trusted that every mail would widen-
. . .

your to give his but attention to his duties. and that
th.y would be able to prove to their inspretlng ocr
that they were an efficient end firvt.rate battalion, u
he belreved,.was already reported of them —(applauve),

He wislu-d also to repeat 0110 remark which he wide
last year. They met remember that they heal in
very slender houses and could easily be heard by their
neat door neighbour. He trusts', therefore, that no
person would say anything wrong or near, m it might
be obnoxious to tne next heft. He looked upon the
officers to eve that the lights in the several tents were
put out at the proper hour. The programme waa much
the same ea last year. The bugle would sound *t half-
put five, guard would mount at 'even, and prayers
would be read at half-peat seven o'clock. He trented
that to whatever denciarinaion they belonged, they
would all assemble together to our titi•sbort Prayer to
the great abro r of all their Isenellta. They ware a
Chrietian people—tee whatiteer denomination they be-
loomed, they proleimed to be Cbrietiana—and it was
right and proper for every one of them to meet together
to pray to God (or those blessing they all so greatly
needed for thi day. They would breakfast at right
o'clock, and meet for drill at half•past nine. Dinner
would be ha a owe o'clock, and in the afternoon again
•

t.-here's. woold b.-s."-ehrr-t-irill. A mom•m. nte herroot
hems (emotion le Ailing up the programme. IA due
weether there would be besides the atom fire, which

- c •
would be lighted every night gam one, various athletic
sports, and should the weather prove unfavourable for
outdoor energise, as they would perceive by the staging
that 6r4 been erected at one end of their roam tent,
there would be In-door recreation provided. He hoped
that they would all have • vary pleasant week, both in
work and in play, and that their meeting would be as
ancemsfol as last year. If he were asked why they had
all hitherto worked to hannoeioesly together, he would
reply, it was bemuse they " paddled their own canoe"—
(greet applause).
From dinner till twilight, everything pegged off as
dell wad stagnant as /naivetes.. netne sought repose
in Meta, others strolled about a the hills and many in
group. of twos and threes lay on the greensward on the
hill side. Tie camp fire, which might be seen both
from Weymouth and Portland, infused a little more life
into the prom...slier. There war • large attendance,
end the glare of light shining on the faom of throe who
sat in tier, one above mother round the fire, bed • very
Kai), effect, Next to the fire, seated on tbe ground,
were the Dorchester and Poole glee singers, who wig
severs] glees amidst much applause. It was however
clearly evident, even to a soommical ear, that • little
more praggiee together would not have been Mins.
Private Taylor sang • ma/ that wan loudly encored., gigg
he gave • second which evideetly delighted the audience
more than the first. Captain Garet also sang two songs
amidst gapturone applause, and Captain Edwards stag
"Free and Easy" with etosedingly good testa It
being now about a quarter pest ten, the party hied
themselves to their tents. We regret to .tat. that
while at the gismo fire, Mr. Bandmaster sygm of Binna,
ford, stepped into a rabbit bole, and sprained Ing foot
rather severely.
There were somas of hilarity st night, and the loud
ha ha's M times that bunt forth from the Mots, made
ti. voilaa ring again. Bat there is an dmoribing the
strap preausees of scamp when it is like • fairy fair
—when its bell shaped tents are luminous and the
moving agorae within them sr* grotesquely distorted
in their shadow' on the canvas, and the common menu
covered with glow-worms and lire.flies, mingled with the
magician fruit of Aladdin's jewelled tree, glinting and
glittering on • July sight. But hark! murmuring
mends are arising front one or two of the tents, which
are likely to lead to an investigation on the following
day. The wind blew chilly, and the "short hours
morn the tool" were likely to be severely cold, in
enneemmoce of which some "brother' is arms having
resume 'nerds to the oomtorts of masa Mum of teen
surreptitiously purloined a few neighbouring blankets
wham gm, "owners for the week" were anteing them-
selves at the amp firs. Al the hours rolled on the
vied beams more Getting,' severe, and the meditate el
the deprived ledlirklaals, ea may well its imagined,
berme* ometertlem kde. Ives to thole who
poememil his minket' onMaled ho nab=