The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-01-13 00:00:00

Demi Conutg (Expren.

TUESDAY, 34MUL-11Y 18, 1874.

NOTES OE THE WEEK.

Tfer Msjeaty is still at Osborne, and was
visited there last week by the Prince of Wales.
At length the statue of the Prince Consort on
the Holborn Viaduct has been formally unveiled
by the Prince of Wales, who was warmly
' received in the City. On Thursday, the tenth
analversary of the birthday of His Royal High-
ness Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward, the
eldest son of the Prince of Wales, was celebrated
at Windsor with the usual honours. The Prince
and Princess of Wales and Prince Arthur, left
London on Saturday night for St. Petersburg,
in order to attend the nuptials of the Duke of
Edinburgh and the Grand Duchess Marie.
'I heir Royal Highnesses will arrive in the
Russian capital on Thursday. Another Royal
courtship Is spoken of. The London oone-
spondent of the Irish Timex says f—" A long-
expected visitor made his appearance on Monday
at Osborne, and had the honour of lunching with
lbs Queen. He is a Young German Prince, the
cousin of Prince Louis of Hesse, good-looking,
genial, and gentlemanly. Like our own Prince
Alfred, now so comfortably housed at the Winter
Palace in St. Petersburg, the Queen's guest is
attached to the naval service of his nationality;
and if report can be relied on, Prince Louis's
cousin is an aspirant for the hand of the Princess
Peatrice, and, what is more, is likely to be sue-
oesful.

The Ministerial programme for the mating
session is sketched by a special correspondent of
the Birmingham Post, now in London. He
believes the Rating Bill, on the preparation of
which the Local Government Board are at
present tinily engaged, will be Its chief feature.
Nothing as to its provisions has yet leaked out;
hut it is understood that it will be considerably
more comprehensive in its principles than the
measure of last year, and will have a collateral
connection with the Budget. The Lord Chan-
cellor's Land Bill will be the next measure of
importance. Whether it will be introduced in
the Upper or Lower House is not yet known;
but the probability is in favour of the former
1 supposition, especially if Mr. Gladstone agrees
himself to introduce the Local Taxation Bill. A
Sanitary Bill, which will in effect be simply a
I alight amplification of Mr. Btansfield's scheme of
last session, will also be Introduced. This
I measure is one which the President of the Local
I Government Board holds to be of the greatest
importance. Last year his proposals met with
great opposition from the manufacturers, on
account of certain clauses which they considered
partook of a penal character; but in the revived
Bill an effort will be made to neutralise these
objections. These, as far as can yet be learned,
will be the chief items in the Ministerial pro-
gramme. The most notable features of the session,
however, will be the budget., and the debates
that will be created by the education difficulty.
As for the former, it is universally accepted that
Mr. Gladstone has in store a "great financial
au:prise." One of its main features, it is said,
will be the amalgamation of the Customs and
Inland Revenue departments, the saving to be
derived from which will enable the Government,
if not to remit much taxation, at all events to
neutralise the las that is certain to be occasioned
by the A shan tee expedition. As for education,
in spite of Mr. Bright's return to the Cabinet,
nothing will be attempted except the carrying
out of certain administrative reforms. The Lord
Chancellor and Mr. Forster will stoutly oppose
any proposal of the right hon. member for
Birmingham for the repeal of the 25th clause,
and it is understood that the majority of the
Cabinet are on their side.

The Conservative victory at Stroud seems to
be regarded as significant that the electors are
I tired of the Gladstone Government, and to indi-
-1 mite the probable secession of many conatituen-
-1
• cies that now return Liberal members. et
Taunton on Saturday Major V. H. Lee was
elected without opposition to 611 the seat for
West Somerset vacant by the death of Mr. W.
H. P. Gore-Langton. The new member is a
Conservative as was Mr. Gore-Langton, is 37
years of age, was educated at Eton, served in
the 21s1 Regiment during the Crimean war,
where he was wounded; has served as High
Sheriff of Glamorgan, is a J P. for Somerset,
and heir to large estates at Dillington, in that
°county. . . .

-
The whole country up to the Prah is clear of
Ashantees, the road is open, and the reinfoice-
n.ents ready to march straight Into the interior.
Sir Garnet's orders are, it is clear, to go to
Coomusio, and to take guar•ute,s for the future.
But when there, what are we to do with the
Ashantees I Sir Bartle Frere has been asking
this question in a very plain form at Edinburgh,
and his advice is, while avoiding, &along as we
honourably can, further territorial entangle-
ments, to accept our position as a governing
race, to take upon ourselves the " dal of rul-
ing"—a duty laid on us by our own superior
power, and an inevitable conoomit att of the
advantages which our civilisation has given us.
Public attention has been diverted from Or.
Keuealy's address by revelations silo:gin many
persons connected with the trial which have
come to light in the prosecution of the witness
Jean Luie for perjury. Of course the man
Lungren, who personated Lute, is not to be be-
lieved. His story is that he was led on to mike
the statement he did, against his own inclination,
by Mr. Guildford Onalow, M.P. Mr. Whalley,
M P., and others; and he tells a wonderful
story of how Mr. Onslow was to hays the greater
part of the property; he (Luie) to be steward;
Captain Brown to have a post at Southampton
docks; James a public-house, and so forth„ Mr.
Onslow and Mr. Whalley both repudiate the
strange story.