The Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester Telegram. — 1877-01-05 (Weymouth, Dorset, England)

NOTES OP THE WEEK.  The boy of 17, named Callagham, who was to have been executed at Kirkdale gaol on Monday morning for stabbing a man, has been respited.  Over £2OO have been raised for the widows and orphans of the two policemen murdered by poachers near HungerforcL What doeo Somerset say to this I  , Some of the idiotic fools connected with the Admiralty have been playing what, in their shallow-patedneek, they, no doubt, consider a clever Una. They sent a bogus message ordering the Goshawk gunboat, then at Queenstown, at once to proceed to Gibraltar. She started in tremendous weather, and it was not until she put in at Vigo Bay, from stream of weather, that she could be signalled it was a sell. The lives of 63 persons were thus jeopardised to gratify the stupidity of some of the imbeciles whom the country has to support.  The maritime world seems to be considerably less satisfied with the results of the recent Arctic Expedition than London land-lubbers in high places. The 'etching clubs are talking of fitting out an expedition on their own account, and Dr. Peteman, the well-known geographer. is now in London consulting with the promoters of the scheme. We trust no more public money will be spent on Arctic exploration for the present. A more promising method would ho to offer a reward kr the navigators who actually succeed in reaching the Pole. Whether balooning is to be the ultimate means for the solution of the Arctic mystery, or no, feronauta flatter themselves that they have recently added to the value of their art, by rendering it subservient to sea-surveying purpose.. Rocks no less than two or three hundred feet below the surface of the sea, may be described, as it is said, in the bird's-eye-view obtained from serial heights; and, it is suggested that a staff of. experienced balloonists should be added to the Royal Engineers in time of war, in order to discern the whereabouts of the teeacherous torpedo.  What no one but a Poor Law Guardian can understand is, how our rates are kept up, in spite of the steady and continuous decline of pauperism. During the five years since the Gathorne Hardy Act has been in operation our pauper roll in London has decreased from 128,403, at which figure it stood in 1889, to 83,305, which is the number on the rolls at present. All the while the population of London has been increasing, and the valuation rental also rising. Why, then, under the operation of these concomitant causes, the rates do not decline, no one can tell who is not behind the scenes.  The transfusion of blood theory hag been before the public for a great many yea* and at times has been put into practioe with remarkable success. Quite recently a young hospital surgeon suffered himself to be bled profusely in order to save the life of a patient who was sinking under the operation of amputation. And, by the way, the admiration of bystanders at his generous self-sacrifice was such that it permitted them to let him stagger home to his lodgings iu a half-fainting state, from loss of blood, without an offer of assistance. In a few years time this incident may very probably be reproduced as the the thrilling plot of a threevolumed novel. The Russian army surgeons are paying great attention to this question of transfusion, in view of the probably impending war. The question is, who are to be the victims? We should propose that the army be aocompanied by a corps of plethoric individuals, good suWects for apoplexy, to whom the loss of a pint or two of blood now and then would be a positive benefit. Transfusion from animals has been tried ; but, unfortunately, the blood of the lower orders of creation is found to be too heavy for the purpose.