The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-10-22 00:00:00

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

Lord Palmerston reached his 77th year on
Sunday last, he having been born on the 20th
October, 1784. Notwithstanding his advanced
age, there are few public men more youthful
in spirit, or more energetic in action, than the
premier. Time no doubt, has written its
wrinkleeon his Time,
brow, but it has nut
reached his intellect or his sympathies. The one
is as vigorous, and the other as warm and sus-
ceptable, to all the imprestious of the living—
present as ever, and, although we cannot reason-
,
ably expect a much greater prolongation of his
eminently useful life, we trust that many years
of usefulness to the public, and enjoyment to him- ,
self, lie before him.
The Imperial dockyards of Franco appear
unable to keep pace with the extraordinary de.
mends for steam war vessels, and the private
builders have been pressed into the service in
order that there may be no delay. These firms
have just received orders for ten iron-cased
batteries. With all the Imperial yards hard at
work, and the private establishments at Marseil-
les, Havre, and Bordeaux, equally busy, the
Emperor must surely soon have a fleet large
enough to satisfy his most ambitious desires.
There has been some talk of a reduction in the
naval expenditure of England, but in the face of
these tremendous and altogether inexplicable
preparations, and the alterations about to take
Place in the naval reserve on the other side of
, the Channel, it is not likely that such a cry will

become popular.
Earl Russell has been banquette.' at New-
castle-on-Tyne. On Monday afternoon the in-
habitants presented him with an address, con-
gratulating his Lordship on his accession to the
peerage, thanking him for his past services in
the cause of civil alla religious liberty, and
praying that he might long be spared to render
in the House of Peers further services to his
country. The banquet, which took place in the
eveniug, was served up in the new Townhall ;
the side elevations of which were filled by all
that is fair and fashionable in the female section
of the Newcastle community. Earl Durham
presided, and the proceedings altogether were
worthy of a nobleman who has played such au
important part in the diplomacy and statesman-
ship of the current century as Earl Russell, and
of a community so well known for its liberal
instincts as the busy town whose only monu-
ment is one to tho late Earl Grey. His Lord-
ship's remarks, on his health being proposed,
will, however, be severely criticised by our
cousins on the other side of the Atlantic. lie
had the hardihood to say what he believed to be
the object of the war which is now raging in
that unhappy country, and for his temerity he
will receive the compliments which may be ex-
pected from men who conclude that he has done
them an injustice. His Lordship does not be-
lieve in the puerile sentimentality which assumes
that the success of the North weaus the abolition
of slavery. Be is conviuced that the extermina-
tion of slavery is not a part of the Lincoln pro-
gramme, and that, therefore, the claim for Eng-
lish sympathy, which has been made by various
friends of the Union party, on the ground that
this is an anti-slavery war, is an attempt to im-
pose on our credulity, and to obtain our moral
support under false pretences. This very clear
exposition of our Foreign Secretary will shock
the sensitiveness of the party aho contend that
the Ninth are fighting for the liberation of the
blacks; and as, during the period of the famine
in Ireland, when political feeling ran high, an
Irish jury, empannelled to investigate the cir-
cumstances of the death of au individual who
died front starvation, gave vent to their indigna-
tion by returning a verdict of " wilful murder
against Lord John Russell," in like manner we
shall not be surprised if his LuNlahip is now pro-
nounced guilty of 'high treason, and placed in
the same category as President Davis and the
Generals who have taken up arms against the
Union.
In these days of agricultural meetings, where ,
party-politics are deprecated, it is somewhat re-
freshing to come upon a downright straightfor-
ward political meeting. Such a treat we have
in the Conservative demonstration, which took
place at Colchester on Thursday night. Major
Beresford spoke vigorously in favour of main-
taining the old party distinctions of Whig and
Tory, in reply to Lord Robert Montago's recent I
speech, condemning party-spirit SA the baue of
the country. The gallant Major ought to repre-
sent Weymouth. He might there stir up strife,
and fan the flame of party-spirit to his heart's
content.
Her Majesty seems this year to have deter-
mined to see all the mountain seemly worth
notice in the neighbourhood of her Highland
home ; not even 'coming to take a night's
lodging in very humble Highland inns, when
the route was too extended for a single day's
tour. The second excursion of this kind was
recorded in last week's Court Circular —Her
Majesty, the Prince Consort, the Princets Alice,
and Prince Louis of Mesas, left Balmoral on
Tuesday morning, drove up by Braemar and the
Liun of Dee, crossed the mountains on ponies to
Glen Feshie, and thence by Kingussie drove
down to Dalwhiunie, where the party stayed all
night at the inn. In the morning the tiavellers
resumed their route onwards by Dalnacandoch
to-Blair Castle, where they paid a brief visit to
the Duke of Atholo. His Grace esoorted his
illustrious guests through the far famed Glen
Tilt ; at the hunting-box, at the further end of
the glen, they were received by the Countess of
Fife, with whom they took tea, reaching Bal-
moral at eight in tho evening ; having on each
day had a mountain journey of nearly twelve
hours. These excursions, however, for the pre-
sent autumn are now over. Her Majesty will
leave Balmoral to-day, and to-morrow (Wednes-
day) the Prince Consort will formally lay the
foundation stones of the New General Post-ofiice
and Scottish Industrial Museum at Edinburgh,
and in the eveniug the royal family will leave
Holyrood for London, performing a night
journey. At the hour of Her Majesty's
departure, the park will be lined with volunteers
bearing torches.
The list of bankrupts in Friday nights'
G67.4iie is an alarmingly lengthy one, indicating
the existence of a very large amount of very
bad trading or very bad trade. The list contains
no leas than forty-nine cases in England, and six
in Scotland.
The accounts from Paris do not indicate any
improvements in monetary stairs, but rather
the reverse. According to sonic authorities
20,100,0001 have been withdrawn from the
Bank of France during the past week, and
another increase to the rate of discount, high
as it at present is, is considered inevitable. So
severe is the pressure on the Bank, that in ad-
dition to the accomodation it has received from
London, it has, it it; said, been under the neces-
sity of selling some of its rents, doing so, of
course, as quietly as possible, to prevent creating
an alarm. The fact of the present monetary
crisis in France,—caused from over speculation,
the late very deficient harvest, and the distress
and stagnation of trade in the manufacturing
districts on account of the American War—can-
not but cause Louis Napoleon to see before him
an Omit:IOUS and uncomfortable winter. If the
American war and blockade continue, he will
have whole districts of miserable and malcontent
workmen out of employ, whom he will have to
keep down with one hand and to feed with the
other. According to current reports, however,
the Emperor intends to recognise the South
American States as an independent power, and
to break the blockade for the purpose of obtain-
ing supplies of cotton. Such a proceeding would,
no doubt, be highly popular in France—aggi es-
lion and dictation always are. It a ould gratify
his own passions and the restlessness of his ambi-
tion ; while it would add to the insatiable vanity
of his people. It would give them something to
talk about and to boast of, and find employment
for his iron-plated steamships. It ought even
serve the temporary iaterests both of his dynasty
and his country. But besides the obtaining of
cotton, so necessary to prevent the artisans in
various parts of Franco from starving, owing to