The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-08-04 00:00:00

Duet Conithi Expreos.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 4. UR L

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

During the past week the House of Commons
has been sitting early and late, hurrying
through the neccessary business! before proro-
gation, which it is expected will take place on
Friday next.
The total number of public Bills introduced
in the House of Commons during the present
session has been 191, of which 96 originated
with the Government and 95 are to be credited
to the industry of private members. Of the 96
Government Bills, 36 have already received the
Royal assent, three have been withdrawn, and
57 have either been passed or await their further
stage'.
It is believed that Lord Penzance is the
eminent judge alluded to by Mr. Disraeli, who
is willing to take the position of judge of the new
Ecclesiastical Court, and who, having a pension,
would not require the 3,0001. a year which it
was agreed should be the salary of the new
office. Lord Penzance, it will be remembered,
was judge of the Court of Probate and Divorce,
in succession to Sir Cresswell Cresswell, from
1863 down to a year or two ago, when he
retired on account of ill-health. Three years
before when the Right Hon. J. P. Wilde, ho
was made a Baron of the Exchequer, and
received the honour of knighthood, obtaining
his peerage in 1869. This offer of Lord
Penzance's remove* one of the difficulties in
the way of the working of the Public Worship
Regulation Bill.
The new Commissioners appointed by the
Endowed Schools Amendment Act are Mr.
Longley, Chief Inspector of the Local Govern-
ment Ward in the Metropolitan district, as
additional Charity Commissioner ; and, as
Endowment Commissioners, Canon Robinson, a
member of the former Commission, and Lord
Clinton, formerly Under-Secretary of State for
India and one of the University Commissioners.
Lord Sandon has been censured for the intro-
duction of the Bill without due consideration,
but the Premier courageously accepted, on behalf
of the Cabinet, entire responsibility. It was
their Bill, and Lord Sandon was asked to under-
take charge of it.
The stringtoicy in the money market, indi-
cated by a rise in the rate of discount, is
unusual at this early period of the latter half of
the year; and not only was the Bank rate
advanced last week from two and a half to three
per cent., but a further advance in a short time
is also highly probable.
The New Licensing Act has received the Royal
assent, and now magistrates and the trade must
set themselves to understand ita provisions.
One of the judicial difficulties will be defining
"populous places." The suburb of a large town,
, though containing only a thousand inhabitants,
may justly claim the title "populous," because
probably its inhabitants have been gathered
together quickly, and may be increasing at a
rapid rate. But how will it be with small
' stagnant towns, the inhabitants of which were
about as many in number a hundred years ago
as POW I It is competent for magistrates to
decide that a place of this character, though far
',. below the limiting number, is "populous," so
. that it may enjoy the privilege of having its
, public-houses open until eleven o'clock. We
may expect that the discretion given by the new
Act to country magistrates will be liberally
exercised, and we shall see some very amusing
, proofs of the inadequacy of legislation to alter a
deep-rooted custom. The Act sets at rest the
long-vexed question ulf the "traveller," and
therefore is entitled to some merit, if only on
that score. A Loma fide traveller must have
journeyed at least three miles from the place
where he slept on the previous night ; but
this is not the only restriction. In any
suspected cage the publiesa is to be held
responsible, if he is unable to show that he was
entirely ignorant of any attempt at deception,
The new provisions substituted for those of the
old Act with regard to the endorsement of
licences are much loss stringent. Under the
Alit of 1872 all convictions were at once entered
on the license; but in future recording convic-
tions is kit to the discretion of the justices.
The taking-away from the police the powers
given them under the &dukes-mien clauses of the
old Act is perhaps a wise step, seeing that they
could not or would not exercise them. LiPiOn
are in future to be subject to the same super-
Viisloll as other articles of daily use, and to be
dealt with under the Adulteration Act. These
1 are the principal changes, and with regard to
the expediency .of altering the Act of 1872,
looking at the matter kliapeuisionately, we can-
not perceive that "the glito, wi!ii worth the
candle."

Sir William Harcourt has been writing
vigorously in support of the historical Protestan-
ove of thu Church of England. Archbishop
Likud, to ihows, scrupled not to apply the word
" Protestant" 4.44 the religion established in
England, In whicii religion he declared he had
lived and was ready to rini• i kia trial before
the Peers the Archbishop said One Inotations
are from Soothey's Book of the (!hurrh):—
. . . .

I will die with these words in my mouth, that
Aevcr intended, much less endeavoured, the subversion
Qf Ake laws of the kingdom, nor the bringing in of
Popish supt.rstilion upon the true Protestant religion,
established by 4.w this realm.
And nein, na lisdyiog address, he made the
following solemn asreveraLi44i-- 7
This is no time to dissemble with ILti,n of all
in matters of religion ; and therefore I dews if nail
be remembered, I have always lived in the Protestant
:Arlon established in England, and in that I come
npw to
Concluding a. letter on the question whether
the English Sove!reign is to be called the
6upreuie Read '' or " §ifyreme Governor" of
the Church—a matter wartlay, ke thinks, to
exercise die iwgenuity of casuistia qrtlyntob the
learned gentienaaw aap

We are sometimes asked what we mean by a
"Ritualist ?" I think it would I,c a inuple explana-
tion of the term to say that it means an Euglidt
clergyman who repudiates the name of Protestant • If
I am asked what I mean by a Protestant, I would
cxylain it by reference to the boast of the Spanish
confessor to the King, " I hold your God in my hand,
And I hairc yuiu wife at my feet." It is to lead the
way up to a suniLir ,luetsawion that all the parapher-
nalia of Ritualistic practict Ac 4 doctrine are devised.
It was in order to subdue Su'ob pollination that the
English Reformation was accomplisheO:
A deputation has offered a suggestion to thq•
Chancellor of the Exchequer for overcoming the
Itifettlty of collecting voluntary church rates in
conOtrY knrishes. It is that the land tax accru-
ing on Wei* 4A.4. and tithes should be applied
to the purposes fOrtuepti niet bythe church rate.
The deputation was assureii Vrepeenl being
considered during recess,