The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-06-23 00:00:00

Our Yon* gerrespgabent.

_fWe deem it right to state tirt we do not at an times
aentify ourselves with our correspondent's opinions.]

The intelligence of the appalling calamity at Sunder.
land reached London on Saturday evening about half.

past eight; and thinly as the city- itself Is peopled on
that evening, the news spread rapidly, and was speedily
carried to every quarter of the capital. It seemed so
extraordinary as to be almost incredible that on a
bright June evening, in a place of entertainment in a
prosperous English town, scores of innocent children
should have been trampled to death without
hope of rescue. Appealing as such a terrible
incident did to the heart of every parent in the

kingdom, the Sunday papers were eagerly sought
for, and then the magnitude of the catastrophe was
placed beyond all doubt. It cast a gloom over
many a household far away from the scene of
the holocaust of little victims in the flourishing port
upon the Weitr. In its way it stands out grimly
unique in the annals of fatality in this country.
Accidents involving heavier sacrifices of life have
been recorded, both on the land and on the water.
Colliery explosions have sent greater numbers into the
harvest-field of death; and we all remember the sink-
ng of the Princess Alice steamer in the Thames on the
3rd of September, 1878. But the sufferers have
always been of varied ages ; in this case the utter help-
lessness of the dead makes the sacrifice all the more
mournful and affecting.

The passage of the Bills granting £30,000 and £25,000
respectively to Lords Wolesley and Alcester through
the House of Peers, disposes of a controversy which
during its continuance in the House of Commons was
not altogether of a pleasant character. It is just a
little over twelve months ago that the massacres at
Alexandria, on Sunday, the 11th June, 1882, created
great indignation amongst all classes here, and this
was added to by the fact that the murdered Europeans
were refused the rights of sepulture upon the land on
the ground that they were dogs; so the remains were
taken out to sea, and cast into the blue waters of the
Mediterranean. There was a loud popular call for
swift and stern punishment, and this was speedily
inflicted upon land and sea. Mr. Cowen, MX.,
although personally opposed to the war in Egypt,
admitted in the House of Commons that it was a
people's war, and that the services of the cora•
manders, executed by the will of the nation, ought to
be recognized.

The Bright celebration at Birmingham has been the
talk of politicians far beyond the boundaries of the
hardware capital. The London papers devoted to it
a vast amount of apace; and as Birmingham is noted
for its energy, there can be no question that this com•
memorative festival was organized and carried out
with a success of which the metropolis of the Mid-
lands may well be proud. It came Jut forty years
after Mr. Bright's entrance upon parliamentary life,
the right hon. gentleman having been elected for the
City of Durham in the summer of 1843. Singularly
enough, and illustrating the long public career of
the present Premier, Mr. Gladstone was in office then.
At that time he was Vice-President of the Board of
Trade and Master of the Mint in the Government of
Sir Robert Peel.

The Agricultural Hall at Islington has witnessed
some varied scenes, but none of much more popular
interest than the double ride of the 2nd Life-
guards on the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo
on behalf of a charity. Last year there was an
enormous attendance at a similar gathering, the
final charge being made as at the memorable
struggle which gave Europe peace for nearly forty
years. Then the same trumpet was used as on the
evening of that fateful day, when the English Guards,
at the command of the Duke of Wellington, rushed
in full gallop upon the French Imperial Guard, and
very soon turned a battle into a rout. In the charge at
the Agricultural Hall there was no doubt that men
and horses knew their parts thoroughly well. Some of
the cavaliers were armed with lances, and others with
sabres ; and as nearly half the horses had gone through
the Egyptian campaign, additional interest was thus
given to the spectacle.

The International Fisheries Exhibition is still
drawing immense crowds not only from the country,
from which special excursions are run, but the
Londoners also flock to see it in great multitudes. A
series of cenferences has been opened, at the first of
which the Prince of Wales presided, and Professor
Huxley delivered the inaugural address. The Duke
of Edinburgh contributes a paper entitled "Notes on
Sea Fisheries and the Fishing Population of the United
Kingdom." His Royal Highness is, however, well
qualified to take a wide: area of observation. He has
been a greater traveller even than the Prince of Wales,
and must have gone over pretty well the whole of the
known world.

The Handel Festival at the Crystal Palace is an
occasion of great interest to vocalists and musicians in
this and other countries. The Festival of this week
has been the eighth of its series, which began in 1859;
and up to the latest hour preceding the rehearsal, it
was hoped that Sir Michael Costa might again act as
conductor, in which capacity he has appeared at the
seven previous festivals. His medical attendant, how-
ever, interdicted this on the ground that the excite-
ment and fatigue would be prejudicial to his health,
and his place was filled by Mr. Augustus Manny, the
conductor of the Crystal Palace Saturday Concerts,
As a proof of the spread of musical culture in Eng-
land, the remarkable fact has been mentioned that
nearly 3,000 of the choralists have been promised by
the metropolis alone.

There has been a singular run of Parliamentary
vacancies during the last fortnight or three weeks,
and an equally remarkable absence of contests. The
number of withdrawals of Irish members from Parlia-
mentary life is also noteworthy, most of the retiring
representatives being Home Rulers. So far as Eng-
lish constituencies are concerned, no contest has taken
place for several months, a picture of political quietude
which has not frequently been witnessed.
When the business which has been done by the
Grand Committees comes to be revised by the House
itself, the real value of the experiment called into
existence by the new rules of last year will be made
apparent. The House has the power of revising the
work done in Committee, of whatever sort or kind ;
and if to any extent it overhauls that which it has
delegated to the Standing Committees, the success of
the system of devolution will be materially interfered
with. It may be noted that the cloture, which formed
alch a battle-ground of party last session, has not once
been put into operation.

The death of Henry S. Leigh, which occurred early on
Saturday morning, has removed from the Strand one of
itsbest known frequenters, and by it the literary world
has lost perhaps the neatest English versifier of modern
times. His death was at the last sudden, although for
some time past his health had been failing. On Friday
night he was up and al-Jout his usual business although
his friends noticed that he looked extremely unwell.
It was little
,thought, however, that the end was so
near, and that the rest he was advised to seek tha
night would be his last upon this earth. The cause of
death is said to have been congestion of the Aver.
Harry Leigh, as he was known to his innumerable
friends, was a thorough Bohemian. His life was
spent between his chambers in the Strand—where
be worked the greater part of the day writing lyrics
for comic operas or vers de socia4 for magazines

comic periodicals—and the Savage Club, of which he
was one of the oldest members. For over twenty
years he had been a regular contributor to Fun, in
which were published some of his best verses.
Almost his last work was the rhymed address spoken
on the occasion of the benefit given recently at the
Gaiety Theatre to Mr. Edward Royce, the once
popular actor, whose theatrical career has been so
sadly cut short by paralysis. Bad news seldom comes
alone; and on the same day that Mr. Leigh died it
was reported that Mr. Royce had also had a serious
relapse, Mr. Leigh adapted several French plays
an' comb operas, his greatest successes having been
produc3l at the Alhambra. His lyrics were un•
rivalled as regarded their adaptability to music, and
seem tc sugiest that he had in him the power to write
poems of a much higher and lasting kind than the
"Carols of Cockaigne," the most popular of his col-
lected works.

Most people have heard of Mr. Spurgeon's Taber-
nacle and in the summer season a great many visitors
in London of all denominations and creeds are at-
tracted to hear the preacher who has maintained his
popuhrity so long. Not a few are struck with the
effect of seven thousand people singing unaccompanied
by any music, for the Metropolitan Tabernacle
does not boast of even an organ. The worshippers
there are at present in somewhat of a difficulty. The
building requires renovation, but what to do with the
congregation during the process is a problem which is
not easily solved. It was proposed to hire the
Westminster Aquarium for the purpose, but the
negotiations have fcllen though, and the subjet
Is still an open 'my not be known that a
note is taker of every public speech as well as of
e7ery sermon which Mr. Spurgeon delivprs. This
ree,r,' is even extended to the running commentary in
which he :,ccasionally indulges while reading the scrip-
tur„. The Lekt-named reflection: have not yet been
published.

The fuurth of July; which is cellbratea " Inde-
Zruited States, will be c.ele-
vendence Day" in the
brated in London by the con::4ipletfttary dinner which
is to be given to Mr. Henry IrviN Vrevious to the de.
parture of the Lyceum Theatre co-m" 37 for America.
The Lord Chief Justice, who will' ,hina„74zlf visit the
States during the Long Vacation, will prei:Ne, and

all who have heard " silver•tongued Coleridge," as he
used to he termed at the Bar, can anticipate how well
the chair will he filled. The dinner aliogether
promises to be one of the largest and most infiner,tial
gatherings of those connected with and interested in
art and literature which have been held in the metro.
polis for many years.