Blandford Weekly News. — 1889-02-16 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

THE QUEEN AND COURT DRESS.  IT is somewhat astonishing to read the announcement that "the Queen has been pleased to permit that ladies who, from illness, infirmity, or advancing years, are incapacitated from wearing the usual Court dress at her Majesty's Drawing - rooms, may, on permission being obtained through the Lord Chamberlain, appear in a high Court dress, of which particulars may be obtained at his lordship's office." The mysteries of Court etiquette pass all understanding, and there is not much light in this official statement. Why it should be necessary for ladies, who do not want to run the risk of bronchitis by presenting themselves at a Drawing-room in low dresses in this inclement season, to apply to the Lord Chamberlain for a sort of medical certi icate, is not clear to the average mind. Moreover, it is not open to merely delicate persons to avail themselves of this privilege. The usual "Court dress" is to be unchanged, and unless a lady is ill, infirm, or old, she cannot escape from this regulation. It would be interesting to know whether the Lord Chamberlain's duty is to insist on a precise statement of the age or ailments of the applicants for a high dress. The idea of the Lord Chamberlain acting as a sort of official Worth, and prescribing the kind of dress which the invalid or the aged may wear in the presence of royalty, is admirably conducive to the dignity of his position. If Drawing-rooms are necessary to the social system, they might be made consistent with common sense and humanity. But this consideration is of no consequence to the barbaric red-tape which manages these august fashions.  The French police have arrested at Epinal a working lithographer named Danga, who is believed to be the perpetrator of four atrocious murders at Pont-iMousson.  The Lower House of the Prussian Diet has passed the second reading of the Bill for raising the Emperor's Civil List by 3,500,000 marks, the minority against the measure consisting of Herren Richter, Virchow, Munekel, Langerhans, Hermes, Halber• etadt, and Schmieder. -•• • • •  M. de Lesseps has addressed a circular to those who subscribed for the shares of the new Panama Company, stating that he is not at present in a position to constitute it, and consequently bolds at their disposal the sums which they deposited. The care of their interests and the destiny of the work must be left to the Liquidator. Two Cornish miners, John Rule and William Bent, who were entombed in Drakewall's mine, near Tavistock for some four and a-half days have been rescued alive. The men when reached were found to have got into a large chamber were the ground had been cleared. This space afforded them plenty of air, and from the constant soundings of the relief party they were aware of the efforts being made to release them. They were in total darkness the whole of the time except for the momentary light of a piece of candle. A man brought up at the Greenwich Police-court on a charge of begging was asked by Mr. Marsham, the magistrate, how be earned his living? Prisoner: By devotion. Mr. Marsham 1 What do you mean ? Prisoner I am an agent of Providence. Mr. Marsham : How dp you become so? Prisoner: By studying His ways, and works, and laws. Mr Marsham ; How long have you been in that position.? Prisoner; Since I had a transfiguration of our Maker Himself. Mr. Marsham : How along ago was that? Prisoner: I dare say four or five years ago. Needless to say the magistrate remanded the man for inquiries to be made concerning him.