The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-05-24 00:00:00

WEYMOUTH.

FORTIFICATION THE NOTHL —OU Monday
week the ISth company of the Royal Engineers,
about 100 strong, under the command of Captain
Hawthorne, arrived in Weymouth from Chatham.
and were quartered in tke Barracks. They
will proceed immediately with the defences on
the Nothe, which are at present to consist merely of
earthworks. The Nothe, so .ong a general place of
promenade, was, after Sunday week, closed to the
public by a notice emanating from the Engineering
Department in this district

The Nothe fortifications for the protection of the
town and harbour of Weyommh, and also the adjm
cent roadstead of Portland. are being proceeded
with. A very short SpaCC of tem will suffice to put
this position in a defensible state.
Aminv.x.r.---On Saturday week as Mr. Sol Sly,
landlord of the Half Moon Inn, was attempting to
come down stairs he fell and broke two of his ribs.
Mr. Fox, surge," was quickly in attendance, and
happily the patient is progressing favourably.

FATAL ACCIDENT. —On Monday week a man
named John Vile was drowned while being towed
from Portland in a lighter by the Ocean Bride
steamer. It seems the lighter was heztvily laden
with ballast, and there being no " after scuttle" the
motion of the steamer caused it to strike A sea. which
tilled and sunk her. Before assistance could he ren-
dered the unfortunate man (who was steering) sank.
anti his body was nut discovered till the altenmon.
Hisson, uhn was in the lighter with him, was
picked up by a boat. Au intim* was hula on the
body by F. C. Steggall, Esq., at Portlan.l on Taos•
day, and a verdict of 'Accidental Death" re-
turned.

FATAL Ircintsr. —On Wednesday week a
accoleiit happened to the lady of .1. L. Leather, Ea..
governtio nt contractor for the Breakwater The bolt
was with some of her daughters taking a drive iii the •
neighbourhooll of their seat, Lmenth,rpe Hall, York
shire, when the horse ran away, dashing the carria4e
against a house, and iirempitating the ladies to the
ground. Mrs. Leather suffered concussion of the
brain, and expired out Wednesday la-t in the house
whither she hail been conveyed. The rest of the party
happily escaped uninjured.
TOWN COUNCIL Miriam. —A meeting of the
corporation of this Town was held in the Council
Chamber, Guildhall, on Thursday morning. 'eh,.
consideration of a letter relative to opening a sub-
scription list towards defraying the expenses of the
Dorchester meeting of the Bath and West of England
Society next veer. was deferred. The market-houses
were onlered to he painted. In reference to exclu•
thug the public from the Rothe, now that that emi-
nence is being fortified, a letter was ordered to be sent
to the War-office, asking that hart, at all events, of this
popular resort should be retained to the use of this
townspeople and visitors, desiring to promenade,
according to their ancient custom. The Mayor
stated that Lord Dighy, on behalf of the Earl of
lkhester, had expressed a wish that swans, the
property of the Earl, which alighted in the Back-
water should, instead of being ruthlessly destroyed,
become the property of OW Town Council and be
duly cared for as such. The offer was accepted. It
was stated that the value of the work executed at
the Pile Pier reached 4,000. By the contract with
Mr. Payne, 25 per cent, was to be retained by the
corporation, as a surety for the proper carrying out
of the specifications. After a short conversation.
it was resolved " That the payment of £3,5100 iii
bonds be prepared. to be handed over to Mr. Payne,
the contractor for the Pile l'ier, as part of a payment
Li. be mule to hint agreeably to Mr. Cubitt s certifi-
cate, and that interest he allowed him at 5 per cent.
on the sum of X 1,7541. until the same he paid." Mr.
Jolliffe's tender for watering the nails for .1:1; per week
was accepted. A shilling general district rate, to be
colketed in 3 months, was agreed to. It was decided
to amend the rating of the Great Western Railway
terminus, which at present was only rated to the
poor at .e 350. The inspector ef nuisaucts was
instructed to look after shop-keepers and others
obstnicting thoroughfares.

Vestev.—A vestry meeting of the parishioners of
Nleleouilse Regis was held on Satunlay week, the
business being to audit the churchwardens' accounts
for the past year, and to take into consideration the
proposal of • lady for completing the service of
Com 11111 l lion Plate. The chair was taken by the
Rev. T. A. Greaves, rector, who commenced the
proceedings by reading the announcement of the
meeting. He then explained that the vestry had
been convened in this matanec on Saturday instead
of the usmiil Thursday. in consequence of the Archi-
diaconal Visitation taking place on the following
Monday. The churchwanlens had, therefore, only
bet n allowed about a fortnight, instead of the cusp
Winery month, for the preparation of their ACC. MO tgo
which, however, he supposed were completed, and
he would call on the churchwardens for their produc•
tion. —Mr. D. Pidgeon, in laying the various iteuis
before the meeting, remarked that the estimate at
the commencement of the year had been given in
for £l6/ 1 Is.. but the churchwardens found that
their expenses hail exceeded that amount by about
£2.—Mr. Milleilge thought the accoulits ren-
dered to the vestry must be satisfactory
to all present. particularly considering the
short time allowed the churcheardens for
getting in as much of the arrears as they could.
Every one was aware of the difficulty attendant on
collecting the fag end of a rate, and he thought
much credit was due to the churchwardens for hav-
ing left so little uncollected. He al much pleasure
iii pr .posing that the accounts be approved and
passed. —Second.' by N 1 r. It. E. Eliot, and agreed to.
—The Chairman then called attention to the other
matter mi the notice ialter. A lady w Ito was in the
habit f frequenting Weymouth during the summer,
and who hail already done much for the town, had
remarked that iyinsiderable time might be saved in
administering the Lord's supper if the number of
cups were increased to four—there being at present
only two. She offered to place at his (the Chair-
man's) disposal, £2O or £3O towards this object. The
present communion service was of various 'axes—one
cup being unnecessarily large, the other very small,
and so than as scarcely to contain the wine. He had
consequently brought the matter before the vestry,
that they might consider whether it would be advi-
sable to exchange such portions of the communion
plate as were unserviceable or inconvenient. He
thought the amount thus realised, together with the
sum given by the lady, would provide for the
pariah, a plain, substantial, and lasting service of
piste.—Mr. Nivea inquired whether it would neces-
sitate a charge on the rate ,—The Chairman : it had
nothing to do with the rata, Not a farthiag at

the exissise was to be laid on the parish. In mmt
places the matter would be settled by consulting
the churchwanlens hut be wished nll he did to be
public.—Mr. banning : This stair plate will he
parish property stilt —The Chairman: Certitinly.
It will be your property. —Mr. Howard : And it is
understood the parish is not put to any expense ?
The I %airman Net a farthing. I should not feel
justified in asking the !swish to eontribste anything
because we could go on with the present strides:—
Mr. Lanning then proposed, and Mr. Andrews
seconded, that the ehurchwardens be empowered
: to dispose of so much of the old commimion plate as
along with the gift of Mrs. Henry Black:len will emu.
plete the present service. Agreed to.—Mr.
[ thorgbt the Weymouth tradesmen should be
employed to funibb the new plate.—The Chairman
[ concurred in the opinion. Mr. Howard proposed,
: and Mr. .1. Gibson seconded, a vote of thanks to
[ Mrs. Blackden for her handsome gift. -- Mr.
Howard wished there were many more ladies so
kindly disposed towards the town. —M r. Laming :
, We have had s pood deal of "sugar' here lately.
We must not complain. (l_anghter.)—The Chair-
' man said pe.see was a good thing. It was probable
the peace of Europe might be disturbed for same
years therefore it was important to preserve con-
cord amongst ourselves. The vote to Mrs. Blackden
was thin !assist unanimously, and the meeting
separated after the customary vote of thanks to the
Chairman, proposed by Mr. Hopkins, and seconded
by Mr. Howard.

TEMPERANCE. —On IVrilnealay evening Mr. J.
B. Gough, the popular advocate of total abstinence,
cave an orat: to behalf of Temperance at the
National Schoolroom. His intense and astorinhing
earnestness of manner, unfailing ilow of siniple yet
poetic language, his striking and graceful action.
over,lowing humour. passionate and alueet tearful
pleading. inexhatistil•fe illustration, his inimitable
mimicry, and eomplete abandon to the thorough and
potent representation of his ideas whether serious
or comic, aft.rel a treat to the listening spectator not
to be forgotten. Pi entitling that lie cone in n.O
spirit ..f dictation, but while upholding his own
principles, being always ready to respect those who
held views different to his own, he thought every
individual would agree that drunkenness was an
' evil. Show teetotalers a better plan than total absti-
nence front intoxicants for removing this evil and
they would adept it ; but, believing that the use of
intoxicating liquor as a beverage. not as a medicine,
was not only needless but hurtful to the octal. civil,
and religious interests of the community, and that
while it continues to be used as a common beverage
the evils of drunkenness would tweet be done away
with, teetotalers agreed that they would not use it.
Total abstinence, however, did not take the place of
the Loripel ; it was never pretended that the prin.
ciple of abstinence would make • man other than a
ether man. It would not prevent a man being a
thief, for instance. If the wine of Scripture was
permitted it was not unlawful to abstain therefront
but it was as absurd to uphold American slavery of
the 19th century as it was to uph.dd the wines of
Scripture in the present day. At a meeting of Mr.
Gough's in Exeter Hall, held about six weeks ago,
the -Earl of Shaftesbury, who presided, averred that
three-fifths of all the insanity in Great Britain and
in the United States were produced by the drinking
habits. The orator then combatted the arguments •
used in behalf of moderat. , causing his audience to
roar with laughter at his ludicrous illustrations.
After cogtending in favour of his assertion that he
never saw a drunkard even who was a "brute," the I
"man" could always be discovered, he urged the im-
portance of persons exerting their influence—and
influence was possessed by everyone though it might
be silent—in behalf of tl,e Teniperance cause—The
Rev. Mr. Greaves presided, and the assembly though
numerous and respectable did not fill the room. The
meeting opened with prayer, and at the close a
doxology was sung and a benediction pronounced.
--On the following evening Mr. Gough again ad-
dressed a meeting iti the same school-room. The
alldiallCO was hardly so numerous as on Wednesday
evening, and the chair was occupied by J. Coode,
Esq. The Rev. Mr. Lyon offered an introductory
prayer. Mr. Gough, after recapitulating one or two
of his points of the preceding evening, remarked that
lie desired to say something that would make the
people help the Temperance cause, for helpers were
needed. It was necessary to have an organization.
and though that organization, constituted of reformed
drunkards, tnight stand like a wall of granite, yet
the respectability of the public was requisite as a
cement. Indifference to the evils of drunkenness
caused many to refrain from helping the cause.
Siuuiile intoxicat was looked upon ass very small
matter, something hardly worth mentioning, and the
inebriate was not at once styled a drunkard ; yet
a thief was a thief from the first. There
was not a drunkard in England who was enthralled
by his own lusts but was in a more pitiable position
than any slave bought and sold in the market-place,
much as that might 'be dreaded. Mr. Gough here
exclaimed- -Gel made man in His own image; in
His own image created He him. Man by nature
walks upright, lifts his brow to the stars. Power
and .1 are given to man. The Creator of us
AI has set upon your brow anti upon mine a diadem.
and placed in our hands a sceptre. Its a glorious
thing to be a man with a mans heart, au.l with a
man s brain, and with a man's glorious intellect ;
with a will cap:o.le of lerstanding in some degree
the greatness of the Creator as gazing through the
it icrowmpe lie stands upon the verge the infinity
of !Admires, or gazing threugh the telescope on roll-
ing worlds sent through infinite space by the hand of
his Maker ; tim be a man with capacities for enjoy. !
inent and smarms of enjoyment worthy of a G.sl to
give to a Mall amid a man reverently and gratefolly
to receive from a God ; t.. be a man with a man's
soul capable of loving his Maker, and with the two
--tnnig wings of Faith and Love mounting up to build
his nest under the very caves of Heave.* ; to be a
man with a destiny set befiee him, with. a destiny
ligh as Heaven, vast as eternity there's some-
thing gb•rions in the thought "I am a MSS, God has
made inc Nature's high-priest and given me clomi•
iiiii n over the beasts of the field !" And yet there is
not a horse In the field, nor an on in the stall, there
is not a lion in the lair, nor a tiger in the jungle,
there is not a snake that draws his slimy length
. through the long graas, nor a reptile that creeps
throuo this earth, but is better fulfilling the pur-
ism° of God in his creation than a man when he
eitakea himself drunk.—There was no hope for the
drunkard, and every one who fell argued his way
down to drunkenness by such words as "When I
see my way clear I will give up my drink ;" yet
the moderatoa found it very hard to give up his
wine or his beer, I•ut to save a drunkard was a very
difficult struggle though the struggle was worthy the
effott. The drinking customs of society did not
effect good enough to compensate for the loss of one
man in 50 yaws. Mr. Gough concluded by urging
the extension of sympathy to the MUSS of Tempe
r.uice, particularly in reference to the young.