The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-09-30 00:00:00

Our yonbcts orrespoOtut.
pro dean AAP to doh. that Teo do sot at il Limos
idootll7 .WM,17.111 whit oar Consupolidearo

AARON( the topics of the day, perhaps the most in-
temaing is still the eerie, of battles fought during the
Autumn Manoeuvres which have just been brought to a
toncluoion with a grand review of the entire army'
The lessons which slicers and eoldiere have learnt from
these manceuvres are, spite of every departmental draw-
back and short:inning, eminently practical, and though
the weather on the whole was so fine that the men can
scarcely boast of having "roughed it," we must beer
hr mind that to many thousand. regulars, volunteers
and militia—this was the first experience of camp life
on so extensive and shifting a scale. The "old birds"
of the army, used te anything, have nevertheless not
indulged in yawniag, the change from garrison life
being exceedingly welcome, while, as for the "young
bird," the recruits, the militia, and the inexperienced
volunteers—the military outing Lae been in every
respect beneficial, inasmuch an it has given than a
thorough insight into as nearly genuine a camp life as
could possibly be obtained. The country must needs be
gratified at a great addition of good soldiers to its list
of defenders truld Mr. Cardwell may congratulate himself
that the money which the speetaele ham cost, and may
yet suet us in the Anne sf coupeneatien to tanners, will
tot be of tires thimm which evolee hoetilewitichen se to
vs-cry petty detail. Net case of the Icaot oilocto of am
laancouvrvo law been Ou alumus a whet staff sag
generals are used.; and though we Lase Mel a LIDA of
toreign ettioese keenly watehing their satioas, we used
not fear the tides *ldels ell **eh easy starry Inoue, La
the simple manna that the unreal hse Leen gone
through magnificently. General Sir Hope trraist
mairstalned Lis hi,fh reputation fee skill and strategy ;
and a. for Ces' nasals Stareley, McMahun, and Casor—
woll, the imprearion l• that • real snowy Lad bones
keels out of their way, unless Mid enemy wombs to be
knocked to "smithereens," whatever " ernithereens "
usay be. Sense episodes are especially worth mentioning.
General Stay...ley we. "shot." no low than twenty
larrehtmpping away at him point-blank. Atthe same
battle, too, General MeMakon received his quietus.
tie stled Highlanders riddling him with their balls
Ss imagination, of emirs*. Errora such as those, which
were ass:simper:dal with a request from the sdhliere to
eon:rider the Generals as " dead birds," would not, it
is to be hoped, happen us the presence Si a real foe,
since we have here two exceptionally wideamake
weasels, who are quite oompeteut to look after their
awn safety. There was a good deal of reality mingled
with the make believe. At times the soldiers so
warmed to their work. that it was a hard matter to
preterit anything unpleasant; but in vita of every
precaution, a sleirmieh did take place between a
line and a militia regiment, though I believe only one
DISII suatainssi any injury, the affray being peremptorily
stopped. The occurrence arose through an attempt to
take prisoners, and, apropos of prisoners, I am reminded
that at the mimic battle of Foxhill the Prince of Wales
fell into the hands of the enemy. The account eof his
capture are varied; not so as to what followed. The
Prince, evidently objecting to the" forelgn tyrant's
y' he," dashingly set spurn to his horse, as did his fellow-
prisoners of the 10th Huwars, and the whole went
madly galloping clown the hill and along the road,
hotly pursued by the enemy, the upshot being that his
Royal Highness get clear off. At Forchill, too, the
Hampshire and Inns of Court Volunteers added a
manceuvring feather to their cape, they Laving suc-
ceeded in turning the Guards. As for the Household
'Cavalry, it has acquitted itself throughout in a highly
creditable manner ; but the men return to their barracke
as "tin bellies," an epithet which n-ill probably stick to
them. Altogether, considering the comparative free-
dom from blunder, the great British Public has reason
to congratnlate itself on this, the first mock campaign,
and when the second takes place, the sanguine may
indulge the lope that the wonders accomplishel may
so far frighten foreign potentates., as es er to keep back
the tide of war from ..ur short's.
Sinbad the Sailor could not have been more
lighted te have got rid of the Man of the Mercantil%
than have the Parisians been to get rid of the German
incubus in the pereone of the °coolants of the Parie
rte. For more than a year were theme annoying
and vexations tyrants, but perfectly legitimate tyrants,
stationed around the once happy and. still beautiful
city, keeping watch and ward ever it, as if to see that
the fires of war dii net break out again; just as fire-
men are statiened in a partially consumed building
g after all apparent clanger of the re kindling of the
t was Lis passel away. How delighted the ordinary
light-berated Parisians; must have been to find that
their forte were at last vacate! I.s. the enelby and that
the old familicr tricolor waved in uniksputeil triumph
o,er the fortresses ! The outskirts of Paris were im-
mediately and reasonably enough em pf;!, and not till
that snpremely happy moment cull it fairly have
been said Paris is herself again. Put it would seem
Oat the feelings (sf joy anal satisfaction are mingled
with othevs, and perhaps it is not too much to say that
the thirst for revenge is beginning to manifest itself
already, theargh indirectly, at all events preparations
en a large scale are being made to repair the forts and
greatly extend the works of defence. Paris is never
Rkely to forget that in the year 1670 she wr invested
by the heleageries Prumian'a hosts, noniWari4, we
may depend rpon it, is proreily determined that
•he turnse will be again invested by Psnesia or
any ether nation, or that if the fortune of war
should ever again produce this disattnius result,
at any rate the city shall never again be starved
into suldniesiou.' The elasticity and power of re-
...riper/tan which iranoe her exhibited are per-
fanly marvellous ; day by day she gains health and
strength ; her is &field institutions, amidst many diffi-
culties appear
.to he. beaming coasolidated and the

entire enur.try bide Wr Cr. 100 g to become as pros-
perous as elm wee Were. the late war.. But the very
• feet of Frawee thus triumphantly oreri-13ing... her diffi-
culties must have a tendenty to nourish that spirit of
revenge agaiust her conquer ..re which neither prosperity
or adversity ever completely stifles. There is too
inuch reason to fear that far distant as the day of
revenge may be, France cherished the hope that the
jav will yet come. To ether nations the thought is a
painful and disptieting one and Heaven grunt that this
Say .4 re fangs. may net be in our time.
Society is deeply inflehted to those historians of the
Press who record the cturent history of war. The war
in the Crimea, the great struggle in America between
North and South, the Austro-Itaiian war, the Mexican
easepaign, the Franeo-Prussian war, and many minor
straggler of oar time, have Lau faithfully reeorded by
special correspondents, a claim ef writer that has
slating into eab.tersee in our own time. The narratives
famished by these enterprieing gentlemen are tn-
valualde. Written at times in actual battle, awl often
in hardship, and under great difficulty (a awl instance
Is illustration ,1 which W,ho the death of Lieut.-Cul.
Pemberton, The Mae correspondent with the late
German array), it ia natural enough that these corre-
spondents may occasienally err, but, on the whole.
their rtarrativee are wonderfully correct, and are highly
appreeiated by the civilised wreld. The Emperor of
Cemnany showed haw greatly he valued ',fah
ebronielers of wax by bestowing a decoration on Dr
W. H. Hawaii, The rirtel. earrespen.lent ; aml the
lr.mperer has new similarly honoured Mr. Hilary
skinner, who, as tern-Beefing the Dairy Nees, was
attached tr. the Tired-Quarters of the Crown Prinee of
Prussia daring the late war. No.ene Gen grudge Niels
. .

. .
}immure to ruck men ; but still the thought elitrinies
itself that therm Om writers were set the roily cane-
s-pendants who did arsineus week gallantly and well
diming the recent riarperate earnpaign. As a single
instance, I a ill mention only the name ef Mr.
Archibald Forbm, whose splendid arthiecements in
telegraphing early aeceunta of memorable episodes in
the war drew train re niai(3 a well remembered
tribute of generous praise.
While the poorer elasem et the eauntry bitterly feel
that animal food is smarce and dear, they must hear
with mansternation the SA4I accounts of the spreaal of
the foot.ansimmith disease amen g cattle. Official re-
turns state that this miserable and depreming dismae
exists in fifty counties in England awl Walea eel
twenty-three Scotch counties. It is Said that there
ore no lila than 20,000 beasts actually suffering from
the disease, but a still larger number more or lam
atTreted by it. as aa illustration of the reveres of the
climate and the groat excitement it naturally causes, I
F. it etated that in the county of Iluelcin4liam there
ass C 6 infected farms, and that n one month there had
lean an increase of MO animal. stifssAwl. With food
already so deur am! v. later approaching, ouch fact., AS
thee: arc alaimit.g. Our o:ily hope ACIAIIS to be that
the Privy Cordwil will Waist oa a more rigid system of
inspection than at present exists, awl ea the strict
carrying out of ties Cont.g.,,ioux Diaessee (Animals)
Act. For their own *Mk,. however, our cattle breeders',
farmers, and ash:men arc cow exciting great efforts to
repreaa the diaeme, and earnestly indeed it is to be
hoped that there effort. will he successful.
A few more days and the first of the series of Annnal
International Exhibitions will hare came to a close,
The Exhibition that is now dying out, but which like
a lamp is unusually brilliant just before it is extin-
guished, has beta, wi the whole, a great success.
ita inception, and consbhiably airer its bring
;.c.efid to tlw public, ti dal k shadow of war rested
Eva! it. Fra:lee ard ficrtlanY (c'TeciallY uhc
isa a prevented by their disas-
tioas e eitest foal entering into the friendly rivalry
of rations with that irippt which they other-
s, i.e would have done; but France quick to re-
gain lost ground has during the lad month or
two gabled one of its moat charming features to the
International Hallibltion. The second of the ',trim, of
annual shown will in all probability limn under wore

fwrourablis eircinnstanore than the first, and there are
many considerations which lead to the anticipation,
that the mama of the aeries will, in many respects
ezcel the first. Ile this BA it may, the Royal Commis-
sioners me, I hear, quite satisfied with the pecuniary
results of the Exhibition which is about to close its
doors.

The Railway Tragalst on the Lane/Ware and York-
shire line Cecilia much more like an American cattle-
trophe than an English one. That a murder and a
seioide should take place while the train is in motion
in indeed a startling episode in the annals of railway
travelling in our own country, though such terrific
Incidents have frequently occurred among our Ame-
risen cousins, In spite at all the otatementa that may
have been made on this painful subject the exact cir-
cumstances .4 this double crime can neves be known
in this world. Whatever theme facts may have been,
it is jut possible that the conaummation of this tragedy
might have beau obviated had the communication be-
tween passengers and guard been at outs: put in motion.
Serious quarrelling between these two victims of pas-
sion or revenge was haud in the next compartment,
but nothing was done, nor ails the train stoppal even
at the first pistol shot, and it was not till the train ar-
rived at Kirby station that the exact character of this
awful event was! made known. Had the railway coin-
munieation been earlier, gi•en at the moment when the
suspicious quarrelling was first heard, v-ho shall say
that no portion at least .4 this two crime might
wit have been prorated °
" thomsaml doere stand open," but we in our
madness and folly pet-61st in threwingupeu other dour*
leading to the Sark valley. A UW.OIIIOII mode of in-
velum/icy seieide Is that of entering or leaving a train
when in Motion. The other day a traveller on the
South Easters line, on • friend leaving him at New
Cross station endeaeoural to change from a third to
• second slum earrissge to which his ticket entitled him.
But the train had began to move, aud the rash and uu-
fortunato man reeled and fell over the buffers of two
earth/gee. His two legs were broken by the pondeross
train, they had to he amputated, and a cruel death was
the speedy remit, and such rasa, alas are far from
unseramon. It seems to ins that feople cannel or wit/
not realise tlie fact that long after the break has been
put ,el, and when the train is nominally stopping, it has
far from stopped, and that considerably before It cornea
to a standatill, it noverthelea niovee so rapidly as to
throw most people down who do not leap out in the
same direction as the train and run is few steps. Simi-
larly passengers do not appear to be aware how rapidly
a train acquires momentum when once it has started.
The reckleantes with which travellers disreganl them,
facts is one of the etrangeA features of railway locomo-
tion. And this in spite 44 the lad accidents whi,:h so
frequently occur in this way, and the still greater
number of hair-breadth escapes.
An item or two of news from the new diamond-
fields in South Africa will probably have the effect of
Inducing many people to leave this count!), in the
hope of realising a rapid fortune in these modern
elysian fields. A tradesman has received from his son
a very valuable diamond, with the kitimation that a
still nu me valuable one is on its road. The writer also
says that the Dutohinan's fortunate "find," weighing
127 carats, is not a whole stone, but only a chip from a
larger one. The pursuit of diamonds must be much
more exciting than that for gold. The reader meal not
be informed that one piece of gold, double the weight
of another, the quality being oqual, is just worth
double ; but very difierent is the mode of adculating
the value of diamonds. Of course quality, or water, as
it is called, has much to do with the value, but so far
as size is concerned, the following is the startling
system of estimating relative value :—A wrought dia-
mond of 3 aunts is worth £72; one of 4 carats, £126;
one of 5, £200; one of 10, £800; one of 20, £3,200;
one of 30, £7,200; one of 40, £32,800; sue of 50,
V 20,000; one of 60, i,000;2.2 and oue of 100, £40,000.
Es yond this weight such a method of caleudation is
not, hour', Cr, applicable, in cvnwvinenee if the ditE-
...thy of finding purchasers for the more valuable gems.
The story of the diamond of 127 carats —and this only
a piece of a larger atone, suggests visions of a koh-l-
-m or, which is said to be valued at £3,000,000 ; or of
the great Russia eceptre diamond, which is worth
I:4,800,000 ; or even of that marvellous diamond be-
longing to the Portugueee Court—a diamond which is
the size of a turkey's egg, and is supposed to be the
most valuable in the world, but which is uncut, and
has never been entrusted to a lapidary. No one can
affirm with With that in the new diamond fields of
South Africa some such a monster treasure as one of
these may not be found, The mere thought is ex.
Mr. S'them, they say, is to receive 00,003 for one
year's cm:l:gement in America. This is an enormous
sum, but not beyond the rangeof belief. Thismarvellous
actor has acquired such a world-wide reputation that
our American cousins, for national as well As theatrical
reasons, must long to SCe his performances. The strong
point of Mr. Sotheru's acting is its thorough natural-
ness; he caprice out to the letter and to the life the
maxim of Horace, Acs est Cthlre artent tree art Is the
concealment of art. On the stage Mr. Sothoru is, FO
to speak, never Mr. Salient but always the perfect
aubodyment of the character he assumes.