The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-10-21 00:00:00

Our foitUn Coursponbrnt.

(We deem it -leht to tate that we do uut at all times
identify our 4Chti with our Corn-pendent', ipiuiotis

'The awful catastrophe at Chicago continues to he
the saddest and most interesting topic of the day. This
crewhile prosperous and busy city was one of the very
finest in the world ; and most of us, only now that its
heart has le-en burnt out, leans for the first time what a
grand and noble town it was. Its rapid growth is
almost as wonderful as its sudden fall. Only thirty
years ago it was a mere outpost town with less than
1,000 inhabitants, and the recent awful conflagration
raged in a city of 300,000 souls. Its hotels were said Lobe
larger than the monster hotels of Paris and New York ;
its stores and warehouses excelled those of London,
Marchester, or Liverpool ; its railway stationie banks,
churches, institutions, theatres, and mansions at least
equalled, as a whole, those of any civilised city; it
was sit immense importance as an emporium for grain
and cattle, and a recent number of the Chicago
Tribuote mentions as an ordinary fact that 70,000
quarters of grain, and 2,000 head of cattle
entered the city in one day. In a word, it was one of
the most wealthy, luxurious and prosperous cities, in
proportion to the nmuber of its inhabitants, in the world.
The sad narrative of the catastrophe that has befallen
this city has been anil is being SO fully told that I shall
not dwell on its details, preferring rather to refer to the
efforts that are being made to alleviate the sore distress
that has thus been occasioned, but just let use note, in
passing, that the tire of Chicago, as far as lean learns
was the largest ever known. The best accounts state
that 12,000 houses of all kinds were burnt, while it is
reworded that in the Great Fire of London 13;200 houses
fell a prey to the flames, but the great difference in the
size of houses in old London and those of modern
Chicago must be taken into account. The London fire
covered only 436 acres, while that of Chicago covered
a space of three square miles, or 1,920 acres. The
tiring of 'Moscow in ISI2, by order of its governor,
caused a siterifice of only 11,810 houses, and as the
city was deliberately set sin lire in 500 phwee at
once there was ample time for the inhabitants; to
escape. There have been awful fires at New Si'ork
(great part iif which city was burnt on two ocruions),
San Francisco, Portland (Maine), Cs instantinople, Ham -
burg, &c., but this monster. fire at Chicago trance-nuts
them all. We have such large business connections with
the city, and so many of us have friends and relatives
there, that succour to the distressed was a matter of
course. The City of London is never behindhand in
benevolence; whether it be the sufferings of our troops
in the Crimea, distress occasioned by the war in France,
a famine in Persia, a hurricane in the West Indies, or
a conflagration in America, the citizens of the metro-
polis are always prompt to render relief, and funds
are now rolling in rapidly to alleviate the sufferings of
our burnt out American cousins. Funds, too, are
being raised in many other quarters, and public and
private benevolence is bring manifested in the true
spirit of our common brotherhood. American citizens,
too, are nobly rendering assistance; and all this, com-
bined with the wondrous energy of the American
character (the rebuilding of the city commenced long
before the ruins were cool !), will soon enable us to
say, Chicago is herself again 1
Pr. Johnson says, "A man s. arcs more about cutting
Lis own little finger than about a devastating earth-
quake in a distant land.' There is some truth in this, no
doubt, but he mast be a somewhat heartless reader
who peruses unmoved the sad tales of calamity which
come to us thick and threefold just now from abroad.
Just briefly to refer to only a few of these, we hear from
rersia that cholera, pestilence, hunine, and bad govern-
ment make the situatii in there more horrible from day to
clay: that of the 120,000 inhabitants of Meschad, two-
thirds have perished from hungerand disease, while the
remaining third, attempting to escape from the city,
were captured by roving troops and led into slavery
and that utter starvation threatens a large portion of
the inhabitants of the country. From Canada, besides,
news of severe political disturbances, we have intelli-
gence of the flourishing town of Windsor being des-
troyed by fire. From America we hear of forest tires
having desolated enormous tracts of country. of lami7e
numbers of persons having perished in the fissures, and
of immense losses of cattle, horses awl winter st,res,
the States of Michigan and Wieeinsin having suffered
severely. in regard both to life and property. Add to
these calamities the awful catastrophe at Chicago,
which is calling forth sympathy and help in so many
quarters, and it must be confessed that by comparison
we "live at home at ease." We have our trials and
troubles, of course, and we have a national habit of
grumbling, but in presence of such stupendous afflic-
tions as those referred to, not to mention others which
might easily be jatted down, we have ample cause for
cencratulatien and thankfulness.
For a long time peed no social tragedy has created so
mush sensation, and such deep and sad interest as the
murder and attempted suicide at Stockwell. The
dreadful word by which the chief crime is cha-
racterised cannot be taken exception to, for the un-
happy man now in prison is a self-accuser. What may
have been the proximate and immediate causes of this
horrid murder of a wife is a matter upon which I shall
not enlarge. A calm, impartial, and searching trial
awaits the man whose name is now so painfully
familiar. Meanwhile, the fact of a clergyman, a
echolar and a gentleman, a man so honourably known
in the world of literature, who had been so long the
preceptor of youth, and who was surrounded by friends
who respected him, having committed so terrible a
crime, in so barbarous a manner, is itself a great
mystery; the antecedent circumstances are all mys-
terious; and, perhaps, the greatest mystery of all is
that the unhappy man who planned everything else so
calmly anil deliberately, should have failed in his at-
tempt to take hie own life. It may be that this failure
will result in clearing up all the now unaccountable
circumstances connected with this sad event; but
already too much is known, and the whole affair forms
a sad topic of conversation. The books with which
the rev, gentleman's name is connected are not sif a
popular character; otherwise, there is no doubt their
tale would be promoted by this dreadful affair, awl so
the morbid curiosity if the public can only be math-
feeted in the usual way by going to the locality,
staring up at the house, and talking of the incidents
in ith which it will long be associated.
Welcome news comes from various parts of the coun-
try to the effect that there is a fall in the price of
meat. Three causes are assigned for this—the abund-
ance of after-gra enabling graziers to send cattle into
the market earlier than usual ; the large importation
of Australian preserved meat; and the foot and mouth
disease which h led to an unusual despatch of cattle
to market. 's ne first cause is temporary and may be
liummarily dismissed; the second is matter for mai-
venial congratulation; but the third suggests very un-
pleasant thoughts. It is earnestly to be hopel that no
cattle actually suffering from this malady have been
killed for food, but our system of inspection is so Ile-
fective that grave doubts on the matter may be enter-
tained. A to Australian meat, I learn from a firm
largely engaged in its import that the consumption is
g-radnally increasing in London—a fact which is en-
couraging, conisidering the continued high price in our
would be carniverous two.

While we have so many wars and rumours of war
between Capital and Labour ; it should be a matter of
universal congratulation that amicable negotiations are
being aimed at by the Court of Arbitration and ('on-
dilation for the North of England Iron District. May
the deliberations of this court be not only satisfactory
so far as the immediate interests with which it dents
are concerneif, but may its example awl influence be
powerful in the establishment of similar courts else-
where. It is only by such a just system of negotiation
as this that trade disputes can be obviated or settled.
It is not difficult to ascertain what progress the I km°
Rule movement, as it called, makes in the metropolis.
I hear of a certain committee being busily engaged
through the machinery of the various Irish organisa-
tions, in forming London into districts and subalistricts ;
of the inteutii in to convene mass meetinjo of Irish
resiilents here in favour of Home Rule; and of the
intended establislunent of Irish branches of that mys-
terions body, the Internationale. All this at first soi awls
very grand, but thoughtful readers will not be led
away by suili statements. It must ke only a smal
section I Irishmen lore who care about Home Rule,
the great majority of our Irish residents being quite
satisfied with the advantages of just the Kline govern
went as Englishmen have.
Owing to the disastrous news from across the
Atlantic, numbers of Americans, many of them in-
timately connected with Chicago, have left 054, rOide,
for the unfortunate city. This fact is not at all sur-
prising, hut it is somewhat astonishing, that many of our
own countrymen have actually started with the special
object of seeing the ruins of the place. If these
people have money to spare to gratify RO morbid a
desire, it is to be hoped they will also have some cash
to contribute to aid I hieago in her distress.
France has auffered for her ambition so bitterly in
the results of this recent war, that it most be generally
gratifying to find that she has gained nolittle advantage
by the Financial and Customs Treaty just concluded
with Germany. Instalments of a heavy indemnity will
be accepted on easy terms by the conquerors ; the eva-
cuation of six departments in the East is at once to be
commenced, the army of occupationtheis icing reduced
to 30,000 men ; and, with all this there is thrown in the
concession of some small slices of territory to France—
a boon as great as it must have been unexpectefL
the country is now settling down politically, after the
elections to her Councils General, and sa she is in many
ways displaying her well-known recuperative power, we
may fairly hope to see the humbled, but still proud
country, advance in prosperity.
t,s ),,,1 • sinfrinhant reign. Dis•

covered in 1739, it was lirst devoted to illuminating
purposei in 1702; it was first permanently used for
illumination at Manchester in 1305; two years after-

wards as was introduced into one of the streets of
London. and fr on that time its use has been extended
throughout the country. What we Owe to Om ser-
vices of this valuable invention would be a long tale
to tell ; but what if gaki is to be superseded by some-
thing at once more intrinsically valuable, and yet,
strange to say, cheaper? There is a proliability of this
atoll events. A French chemist, it is said, has discovered
a new light as superior to gas as gas is to oil. The new
Oxyhydric light is shortly to be exhibited at the f 'rrstal
Palace, and meanwhile it is asserted that the new light
is so powerful that it actually causes a Name
from gas to east a shallow; and that the oxyhydric
light is white, clear, and healthy. But I see nothing
stated as to its diffusive power, which is a most im-
p,,rtant pint. The great trial, la ovever, which is ti
be made will probably settle this and other doubts,
and at any rate will be looked forward to with interest.