The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-06-28 00:00:00

our railbon Corrtspitlnt.

IWo deem it right to state that we do not at all times
vler,,iiy ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.]

Whilst the nation was waiting in anxious expecta-
tion for important news from South Africa, a steamer,
was making her way over the ocean, by day and by
night, bearing a terrible message. Arrived at Madeira
the intelligence wa I flashed over Europe that Eugene
Louis Jean Joseph, the only son of the Emperor
Napoleon—looked upon ten years ago RR the most
powerful Sovereign of his time—hai been assegaied by
savages. The Prince had gone out with a recon-
noitring party, who had dismounted and unsaddled,
and were unsuspectingly refreshing themselves amid
the heat of an African sun, when a few fox-like
Zulus, concealed by the long grass, craftily approached,
and before their presence was perceived, bad time to
kill three cf the small band of soldiers. Two of these
were troopers; the third was the Child of France, "the
only son of his mother, and she was
.a widow." The sa-
vages. as they d'd their deadiy work, swiftly moved away,
little drearnieg, as they 14ft the stripped and reeking
bodies upon the open field, that their momentary act
would cause a sensation throughout Europe. Only a day
or two before, riding out from Mogvrechana camp, with
Capt. Harrison, of the Engineers, and other officers,
ancompained by mounted Basutor, the Prince had a
brush at a kraal held by about 60 Zulus, " The native
cavalry cat away, and the Prince was for some time in
danger. On the following day he and others were
surrounded and narrowly escaped being cut off. The

Prince got clear by jumping his horse over. a broad

krantz in the veldt. On the let of June, however,
346 all the world now knows, he was not so fortunate,

and perished at thsi hands of a wily and merciless foe.
English visitors to Parig, and their name is now
legion, never fail to spend a abort time in the Hospital
des Livalides. Underneath its gilded dome is the

SOW
grave of the great Napoleon, one of the most splendid
shrines ever raised by a nation to the memory of a
military conqueror. You go to the square of the Palais
Royal, where onmibiimes start for all quarters of the
French capital, tell the conductor you wish to see
the tomb of
.Napoleon, and he puts you down at the
main entrance to the Invalides, in the Place Vauban.
Now, the Invalides answers to some extent to our own
Chelsea Hospital, for it is _a residence for old and
pensioned soldiers; but the associations which our.
round it strike far more ,sleepTy into the Minds of
Frenchmen than any reminiscences of Chelsea Hoe.
pital could upon the hearts of Englishmen. On
16th of March, 1856, the booming of cannon from the
Invalides proclaimed to the people of Paris the fact
that a son had been born to the Empress of the French,
whose style and title were to be the Prince Imperial.
The event was celebrated with extraordinary re-
joicings ; the city was magnificently illuminated; and
the Emperor proclaimed an amnesty .to a thousand
political exiles. At that time his Majesty was in the front
rank of Continental sovereigns; he had, in conjunction
with England, just concluded a auccessful war with
Russia, and at that very time the Plenipotentiaries tf
the great Powers were sitting in Paris and negotiating
that Treaty of Peace which was called after the name
of the dry. The pen with which the Treaty was signed
was teouted in gold and presented to the Empress.
Everythieg looked bright and prosperous with the
Empire then, and the hopes of Napoleon fur the birth
of a son had been realised; thereby, ta all human
appearance, consolidating the dynasty by securing
a direct successor to the throne. That the father
shoeld die in exile after a disastrous war, and that the
son should be stabbed to death by a savage in South
a.frica, was a dream which never could have entered
hate f:le imagination of man to conceive.

Queen Victoria, in immediately telegraphing to the
Empress Eugenie an expression of her deepest sym-
pathy in the awful trial which has fallen upon the
Imperial exile, hae again shown how much she can
feel for the sorrows of those upon whom great troubles
descend. It seems difficult to believe that her Ma-
jesty has been reigning over Great Britain nearly
twenty years before the Prince Imperial was born; all
her old counsellors have passed away. It is like
re-openiog the chepter of a lang past age now
to read the account of the Queen's Coronation on
elae.23th June. 1838—now fortyeone years ago (a long
time to look back on)—when the young sovereign, then
only 19 years years of age, went froui Buckingham
Palace to Westminster Abbey, amid the indescribable
enthusiasm of the people. Up Constitution Hill,
along Piccadilly, through St. Jamesieetreet and Pall
Mall, past Charing Cross and down Parliament•street,
the Cavalcade passed to the venerable cathedral church
of St. Peter at Westminster, between living walls of
cheering crowds. The great officers of State, the
Archbishop and the other prelates, the choir, the
clergy, the multitude itself, have all gone; but the
Queen remains still the ruler of a mighty empire.
When the Dean of Westminster tools the crown
from the altar, and passed it to the Archbishop,
who reverently placed it on the Queen's head,
hem every part of the crowded edifice there arose
the enthusiastic cry, "God save the Queen ! " The
peers and peeresses put on their coronets, the bishops
their ceps, and the kings-of-arnas their crowns;
trumpet, sounded, drums rolled, and the Tower and
Park guns thundered forth a royal salute. It was
about a quarter to four in the afternoon when the
royal procession passed through the nave at the close
of the ceremony; and in returning to the Palace the
Queen wore her crown and the royal and
noble perronages their coronets. Among many
foreigners of distinction present, Marshal Soult,
the French Ambassador, was particularly noticed
and applauded. In the evening the Queen enter-
tained a dinner party, and witnessed from the
palace the discharge of fireworks in the Green Park.
The Duke of Wellington also gave a grand ball at
Apsley House. The theatres and nearly all the other
places of amusement were, by Her Majesty's command,
open gratuitously for the evening. A chronicler of
that time assures us that the immense concourse of
people which filled London during the day conducted
themselves with the greatest order, and no accident
of any moment occurred.
The report of the Select Committee on Electric
Lighting bears testimony to the value of electricity as
an illuminating power, The Committee, after refer-
ring to the evidence given before them by eminent
scientific men, and noticing some of the practical ex-
periments already made, arrived at the conclusion
that, compared with gas, the economy of the electric
light for equal illumination has not been conclusively
eetablished. In come Cases the electric light had the
adventege ; but
,for the ordinary purpose of domestic
supply it has not made sufficient progress to enable it
to enter into competition with gas. The system of
electric lighting is, however, developing with remark-
able rapidity, and the Committee are of opinion that
upon that development no legislative restrictions should
be placed. At the same time extensive establish-
ments such as theatres, balls, or workshops re-
quire no legislative powers to enable them to
generate electricity for their own use. But if under
existing statutes, corporations and other local authori-
ties have not power to take up streets for the laying
down of wires for lighting—a point as to which there
is some difference of opinion—ample authority should
be given them for that purpose. It is recommended
that local bodies should be frilly empowered to use the
electric light for purposes of public illumination, and
tat the Legislative should show its willingness, when
the demand arises, to give all reasonable powers for the
gull development of electricity as a source of power
and light. According to the conclusions of the com-
mittee, the power of supplying the light should rest
with the elected representatives of the peoplewho desire
toe supply—a principle which is the very root and basis
f our system of self-government.
Economists have frequently asserted that the food
srapply of Great Britain is unduly and unnecessarily
limited owing to the large quantity of waste land
which is allowed to go uncultivated year after year.
Be this as is may, there are in other directions supplies
ot food easily obtainable of which we neglect to avail
ourselves. An abundant harvest may be gathered
from the sea without sowing of seed or care in culti-
eation. Fish abound around our coasts; there is a
plentiful variety, and their capture is attended
by comparetively little difficulty. As articles of
food, fish are in high favour, and markets for
them
.are.readily to be procured. If they were to be
eupplied in greater abundance, and could be offered at
reasonable prices, they would more frequently appear
on the table of the less wealthy classes. Unfortunately,
but little attention has been paid to the question of
how best to utilise the fish harvest. Even as matters
stand, the occupation of a fisherman is at times re•
nanneretive enough; and, with the exercise of but
little study, care, and attention might be made even
more profitable, In the report of the Inspectors of
Fesleeriee, which has just been issued, it is stated
that off the western coasts there are large and
ee'7ue'ive banks which abound with valuable fish.
Among: t theee are several kinds which are no generally
2(Y;ked for, end are but little known, but would prove
ee useful addition to our store of food. The Com-
raieeioners eugeeet that the question is one well worthy
the consideration of the Government, and ask that they
hall be furnishol with the means of makingthe neees-
eau investigations. 1 he request is a reaeonaole on.e,an.d
there aupeare Ruch a probability that researches in this
direction are likely to prove profitable, that it will in
all likelihood be at once complied with.
The return of the Frenele Chambers to Paris is an
event of great interest in Prance. When early in
1871, the National Assembly met at Versailles to con-
clude a peace with Germany, which ceded Alsace and
a considerable portion of Lorraine, Paris had under-
gone a four months' siege, and was ill prepared to
receiveits legislature. The Aesembly, rememberlug