The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-04-19 00:00:00

Correspontienct.

BRIDPORT.

Ws:atm-AN FORKIGN MISMIONB.—The annual public
meeting was held in the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
on Monday night, under the chairmanship of
C. Edmunds, IF.sq., Mayor of Bridport. Earnest
addn-sses were delivered by the Rev. J. C. Woodcock,
Rev. J. Nettleton, late missionary in Fiji, and ,;eorge
I.iftat, Esq., the lay deputation from the Parent
Society. The details of missionary labours, given by
the Rev. J. Nettleton, were especially b.teresting,
and showed the want of increased sympathy and
exertion on behalf of Foreign Mission. His Worship
expressed his sympathy with the society. in the
previous Sabbath Mr. G. Lidgett preached two able
sermons in the above chapel, the collections being
devoted to the funds of the society.

FALL OF A FLOOR—THREE MEN INJURED.
Some excitement was caused by the sudden collapse
of an old floor, which was was in the act of being
removed from the s abler of the "Boll" Hotel, East
Street, on Monday morning, just before o'clock. I.
appears that the stables are underming enlargement,
and several workman in the employ of Mr. Harry
Gerrard, builder, were engaged In preparing for ins
removal of a wooden floor supported by heavy beans,
and which was situate shout 10 or 11 feet from the
ground level. A mason, Robert Patten was standing
upon the floor, and another maroon, George Brake.
, and a carpenter named Burridge were standing
beneath. Unexpectedly, and without warning the
beams gave out from the side walls, and the whole
mass of flooring fell with a crash, bringing Patten
away with it. Brake and Burridge, who were under-
neath, sustained injuries, the former having several
ribs factured, and the tatter a bad scalp wound. The
mason, Robert Patten had his left amulet fearfully
crushed. He was at once conveyed home, when Dr.
Hay and Mr. \V. A. E. Hay at once attended, and
found he had sustained a compound fracture of a twat
alarming character. The fifth was also much
lacerated, and we hope that the fear of his being
incapacitated for labour in the future may prove
groundless.
ENGLAND'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
OPIUM TRADE.

A riowerful and interest ng discouree was delivered is
the Uoitartau Chanel. on Sunday morning last by the Rev.
Russel Lent Carpenter resident past ir. There was • large
Tha rey gentleman took his ter 'rum
Ezekiel ggviii., verse 18--" Tn u haa Milled thy rust...rift'
by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the hug I,ty of
thy traffic, therefore will I bring forth • Are from the
ridet of theft" As., sad Mathew :art chapter..
verse 15.
The percher at the outset gar scriptural woo a of beer
various nations had suffered by violet 64 God's law, soda
much resretted the incidents 1)6141E14 about th- (kith .fte
wars sour years a.m. It was wrong to force the opium
trails upon the Chinese triple who did n.i went it.
Mr. Osrpneter divided his discourse into soseral heals.
Me urn( opium we. the prepared Juice of the poppy
containing morphia sad neietine, valuable r • melicir
. when skilfully prescribed, and know. in England as
laudanum the English victims were yet few, but is
Chine it had become the national vice. In this country
the eade is guarded by legal reetyraints, for the use of opitm
is productive of the mrt persiciouscouwquences dftwor-
ing the healthy arta,* of tri digestive organs. and.
weakening the powers of the mind.

TeIi,i6I.4II6IIWIKII 111201erOu4 al to this pernicious &yr
The Curt of Directors of the East Indian CAnpor Ur 441
to Um Governor-General el India, "Wet., it Iwpcseitieto
prevent the use of the drug altogether, except for t
i he
purpose of mediedne, we would gladly do t in ocompaisioa
to manklod." The trearderance of the government of
India from the hands of the India Compaus to the
Queen took place in 1858. no chews wall made in the
system conferring up in the Goverouient th., 540 right to
produce and sell opium throughout B,,tsh Islia. Tim
revenue sad tax on opium is about 6,600,000 and a quarter.
and forms about sigth.of the total lodian uss.
. . . . . .

- - -
—no blew/ ot Ow trod+ shoeed that iu 1799 Th., import
of opium wee prohibited in China by the Kroperor, sod
from then till I. Eoglia aud other inercheets smuggled
the drug into the oountry by bribery sad snood force.
During the latter year 10 291 nitwits of opium were
destroyed by order of tbe Won's C. inttalesioner, and Is
1841 Great Britian went to war with China, and compelled'
the repayment of 6,000,000 for the opium destroyed. The
smuggling was resumed until 1991, when after a seooed.
war to. Chinese Government wee compelled to legalise.
the trade. 83 loin.. 1R toe Chinese implored Busteuj
to prohibit the entrance of the poison into their senniev„
but the petition teas ignored.
The preacher slittded to the fact that opium was at
present sent to China in spite of the protest ef the Minn%
and concluded by showing that traffic in opium was
injorious to tOtnalelea. soda great obeteeldito the progress
at Christianity.

One of the largest contribuidons bead of the Chin
Distress Fund comes from the Italli family in London,
U no less than 1X,(1011 have been sent by that family
alone.

A theft despicable in it. nature bee been perpetrated
in Birldport, and a pe son guilty of such an act would
surely be mean enough for anything, for ha aou d
have as little scruple about appropriating the contents
of a blind man's bat as he wonkl a church offertory.
The oontribution box in aid of the Bridport Cottage
Hospital has been do en from the reading-room of the
Working Man's Association. the Old Castle in South-
The box, which was *nod at the above
=t uition about two months ago contained when
stolen shout aye 'billings. Perhaps the only chaste
of the thief or thieves being traced would be the die-
°every of the iron box, which in the event of turning
up could easily be identified. Cunning as the dis-
reputable thief might pride himself to be, let him not
be too sanguine tit t the law will fail ultimately to
overtake him, when be may rest assured that...the
hospital authorities, as well as theme of the association.
will not fail to press for a conviction. The matter
placed in the hands of the police authorities, it Is
hoped that the person or persons implicated will be
discovered and NverfaY Punished.

The bArgilams joke of a Councillor at one et 0*
Mut meeting has led to • few amusing "critiques"
all over the country. 'The following es a specimen
from a Hampshire coaterary :
TlO. AND SMALL-PDX.
" Tea and ahrimpa, Bd. pm head." used to be a pops'sr
advertisement at maid& places, especially on UDi.
Holidms. The Bridoort people have hit upon sornethiug
far more striking. They intend shortly to provide "tea
and sinalLpon" at some ridiculously low tt..ure t Sow
will they do it Why, they have • statutory sman-P"
hermits], but no pat mita. In order to tont aa honest
prom, and that the building should not gement uneted.
a Town Councillor has suggeat,ed that it be tit for tee.
parties I

I have been asked, Mr. Editor, what is to bsdons with
°tam interesting tehieta inserted at regular distaaces
In the stonework of the fence at that eternal Wilt
street Impeovement. My enquirer seems to be under
the iNprewdon, that they Ware to bear the lson.mrect
NlPukboons of the worthy councillors undertaking the
work, but that now for some unaccouatable restos
they are to remain beautifully blank. This would. NI
ridiculous, and I only hope a low apreopriate &nom
may be prepared and mewed thereon.