The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-11-20 00:00:00

DORCH RRTICR.

Ckternt's Pretty RlLtniNoa. —To mica:err to the
tivte of the public Mean. Creel', Peter, and Halpin
hive put forth one of the cheaper and beet o
t .eir illustrated WRNS, edited by Tom Hood. Tom
if iod has tact se well 54 rate, for in this hsedsome
eispenny•worth of toned paper, we observe contri•
butioris culled with great judgment from the deed r
well as the living—from Wasbinginn Irving, Peter
Pindar, G emit. Colman. Ed gar Allan Poe, Shak «moire,
Pipe, Oliver Goldsmith, Sterns, Steele and Waller,
Smith, Gay, and Cowper, as will is from Charles
[holm.% limgfelinw, Kingston Wendell Holme.,
although if tee add even Tom Hood himself and Mr,.
Barrett Browning to this list, it would hardly show
tie disproportion of good things attainable from our
current literature as compered with that of the peat.
All this testifies boweve• in favour of Torn Hood's
diecrimination in selecting only sterling Ore; and
oertainly the alternating humour and pathos of loch
"The Broken Heart," "The Pilgrims
and peas," "Dr. Pangloes," " Anabel Lee," "Mr..
Garai)." and so forth, ought to oommaad • large
circle of readers, and will we hope attain it, as an
enormous circulation alone can make this beautiful
pirate book pay.

THE lIITZOROIDR.-111 common with all the world
•whose busman or pleasure keeps them awake, we
looked on Tuesday night for the meteoroids of Nov.,
Professor lierschell, of Glasgow' bad telegraphed to
the Times that they would be visible only from 12
(midnight) till remise, and more especially towards
sunrise, which means star-set. Aocordingly, re-
turning home from Mr. Robinson's choir concert,
although we saw no shower, one or two singularly
brilliant meteors were observed to fall in the south-
west region of the heavens the moment we gained a
horrison clear on the houses and trees of the town.
This was enema upon eleven o'clock, and an hour and
more previous to the professor's prediction. The
sten were all sparkling with excitement as if any of
Arm might " fall " at any moment There was
'evidently in high altitudes skein frost, and thus the
night was remarkably clear and good for observation.
Bat although we again looked out before snarl...—
on knocking off work in fact (literary work)_
betwixt three and four a.m., when we bad the
pleasure certainly of noticing in the S.W., where
the constellations now far set had all travelled, a
sucoeseion of very brief but very bright meteoric
" falls," there was still no shower, and the dropping
fire kept up was like that of the minute gun at us,
the flashes however without the report So glaring
was the luminous excitement of the sky that we
fancied, however, that nebulous streaks of great
luminosity were perpetually coining into sight and as
suddenly vanishing, in the setting quarter of the
heavens, for it is evident that the rain of starlets
which occurs this time on November 13-14, and
will not recur again for 33 years, is visible while
falling through an arc of the heavens extending from
So miles to 60 miles distance from 'the earth, and
that only at star-setting.
CHORAL CoNCWRT.—The choir of All Saints
Church, 1.4 Tuesday evening, gave their first choral
concert. We aro happy to say they had a full house,
the Town-hall bring literally crammed. Heins an under-
taking of so much local interest, it was very gratifying
to the choir, and also to their admirable ouwirieter
and acomnpaninist, Mr. Imseph Robinson, to find their
efforts so well rewarded. Dorchester is not remarkable
for having its concerts very well attended, and it alto-
gether seems pleasant when the people do arouse them-
eel ves and patronize en undertaking of this kind. We
hope to see as good • house on Thursday, the 21st inst.,
when Mr. Bogton Smith's concert 1,-kes place. The
prgramm• of the Choir Concert had to undergo •ocue
c'..ngea, one we most especially regretted in consequence
of the atsmslif Mr. Curtis, which prevented him from
a.king his part in the performances. His pine was
kindly impplied by some of his brother amateurs, but
sm., bore to have the pleasure of hearing him at some of
ithe other three concerts. The evening opened by an
'Overture to Zampa, by Mr. J. Robinson, harmonium,
and Mr. Thorn, pianoforte, the latter supplyinz
Mr. Blames plate, whoae abaonce wail unfortunately
unavoidable. "The men of Halbach" just now
having a great run of popularity, was well produced.
Breath soft ye Winds" contained some very nine
• delicate passages, but we much preferred the choir in
their rendering of Bishop's glee "Wind. whistle cold,"
when they Deemed to have their voice,' under better
control. "Home sweet Home" and "Come where my
love Bea dreaming" were both beautifully sung, the
f moor was one of their best pieees,all the voices going
. smoothly together, and the harmony and time being
faulticsa. 'Hark! the lark" was fairly sung. And
now we must speak of ens great treat, namely, Mr.
Robinson's solo on the harmonium "Listening A 0g.1.,"
arranged from Moakley's song. Some of the effects
produced were really beautiful'', delicate. The instru-
ment was • good one, and capable of • great deal of the
organ effect being produced upon it. The third movement ,
•of the piece was very pretty. We almost wish it
were allowable to escort such • piece, because it was
decidedly the best thing of the evening, and was a
credit to MI. J. Robinson's powers as an artiste.
To return from grave to gay we mast compliment Mr.
Janie' Andrews on his appearance as "The Dublin
Carman," and on his impersonation of "The Soldier."
Both his songs were, of worse, encored ; the people en.
joyed them, and Mr. Andrews seemed to enjoy singing
them. The chorus to "The life of a soldier" wu we
must say vastly better in the encore, Mr. Robinson
10:ing removed the drums to the ante-room and brought
tie vices nearer. This was not quite no deafening,
she sweet voices of the choristers being preferable to
tie roll of a drum. "O'er the bonny Clyde" received
• welbmerited encore, and wss prettily sung by Masters
MarohalLiay and Robinson. The former has a powerful
so well an elastic voice, if such a term may be used.
Muter Rubinson has a sweet, well-teried, and well-
cultivat.d voice for his age. The little emote notes and
runs w. re well given, and brought out an expression of
applause. Mr. R. Parmiter's solo, "The Moss-grown
Well," was well received, but he seemed to make
the most decided hit as far as *Wig the people
was concerned in his comic songs, sung in character.
Altogether the audience were pleated with their
ev4iiinc'e amusement, and went home, no doubt, highly
grapnel, ui-on all which we must congratulate Mr.
Ittilnurnn. as also upon his good arrangements for the
conifer tot both choir and bathroom.- L. W.