The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-03-07 00:00:00

Gur Nonbun Carrtspubtnt,

(We deem it right to state that we do not at all times
iloitify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.]

The announcement that the marriage of Princess
Beatrice is to be solemnised in the parish church of
Whippingham has been made the subject of some
comment by those a ho remember the incidents of the
Royal marriages of the present reign. The ceremony
it appears is to be quite private; so that between the
surroundings of the wedding of the Queen's eldest
and youngest daughter there could not be a greater
possible contrast. The bride of the 25th January,
1853, was given away by her father in. the Chapel
Royal of St. James's Palace, and the Queen's
mother. the Duchess of Sent, was also present.
The accessories of the wedding were of the
most splendid character, and the day was
marked in London as one of general rejoicing. The
marriage of the next sister, the late lamented Princess
Alice, took place under circumstances mournfully dif-
ferent, in the private chapel at Osborne, for the
Prince Consort had been dead only a few months.
But with the exception of the Duke of Edinburgh,
who went to St. Petersburg to fetch his wife, the
marriages of her Majesty's children have been cele-
brated at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, the last being
ef the Duke of Albany in April, 1882. A Royal
wedding in a sequestered parish church is a novelty,
and not a popular one so far as the people of London
and Windsor are concerned.

Surprisingly little interest has been manifested in
the two country vacancies which were declared at the
beginning of the session, West Gloucester and Mid-
Somerset. One was caused by the retirement of a
Liberal, and the other through the resignation of a
Conservative; yet scant notice has been taken of
either in the Londoa papers. The main ca-ise of this
is that the present county constituencies have been
practically superseded by the Franchise Act, which,
although upon the statute book, has not yet come into
operation. The date named in tho Act itself is the
Ist January, 1880, but Parliament in its wisdom can
either accelerate or postpone the time for its working,
according to the exigencies of public affairs.
The banquet to Lord Ripon, given by the National
Liberal Club at St. James's Hall, was one of the most
magnificent gatherings of its kind which has ever been
witnessed in London. But a great mistake was com-
mitted in placing the most important speeches last,
and in all the speeches being a great deal too long.
It was eleven o'clock at night before the Secretary
of State for India rose to propose the toast of
the evening, and, in reply, Lord Ripon spoke
a full hour, although Mr. Bright was to follow
with a speech in giving " Prosperity to India."
The consequence was that when Mr. Bright
rose to address the audience, it was wearied, and
although the right hon. gentleman spoke at the
length of a column and a half, the Tones gave him
only a few lines. The truth is that the London
papers have to get to press at a very early hour for
the morning trains, and if important speeches are
delivered too late to be reported, the fault lies with
those with those who organise gatherings of consider_
able national importance. In the House of Commons
a speech delivered at one in the morning, has to be
written out, read, corrected, and on the machine by
three, at which hour the roar of the machinery from
the newspaper offices is heard in Fleet-street, break-
ing rudely enough upon the silence of the night.
The approaching visit of the Prince and Princess of
Wales to Ireland is an event of considerable national
importance. The Prince will hold a levee, and the
Princess a drawing-room at Dublin Castle; and a
reflex of the interest which the journey excites is
found in the questions asked respecting the journey
by some of the Irish members in the House of
Commons. Looking at the 'disturbed state of the
country, the proposed visit of the Prince and Princess
has been described in some quarters as hazardous;
but there is little doubt that the side of the Irish
character, which is too often presented in the English
newspapers, is not the most favourable one. We all
remember what was thought of the Prince and Princess
of Wales going to Birmingham some years ago when Mr.
Chamberlain was mayor. The midland capital is the
headquarters of English Radicalism, and the chief
magistrate of that day—the President of the Board
of Trade now, was regarded as a Republican. Lord
Beaconsfield, who was the Prime Minister, achieved

a great success, for Birmingham rent the air with its
acclamations, and Mr. Charnts--1
Bi"coZiairt-i!
Royal an oof
experience of their Royal Highnesses has been the
same wherever they have gone in England--Notting-
ham, Leicester, Newcastle, or Sheffield. Those who
know a great deal of Ireland declare that the amiable
and winning Princess of Wales will certainly make a
most favourable impression upon a highly-sensitio
people.

The London season has at length opened. On
Monday the Prince of Wales held the first levee of
the season at St. James's Palace, to be followed by
another on the 14th. An even more welcome sign is
the announcement that the Princess of Wales intends
to hold a Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, and
there is hope that her Majesty will hold more than
one within the next few weeks. The heavy trouble
which fell upon the Sovereign nearly twelve months
ago in the death of the Duke of Albany has since pre-
vented her from fulfilling those State duties in which so
many of her subjects in the capital take such an interest.
It would be a relief to many of these once more
to see the Royal standard waving from Buckingham
Palace, denoting that the Queen is there. It is
always hoisted at the presence of a reigning
Sovereign, whether our own or of any other land.
For instance, when the Sultan of Turkey, the Shah of
Persia, or the Czar of Russia is sojourning there, tho
Royal standard is flying.

Not in the• history of the present Parliament has
there been such a scene of excitement witnessed in
the House of Commons as on Saturday morning. The
Ministerial majority has always been sufficiently
large to secure the safety of the Govern-
ment, though not so large on the Egyptian
as on some other questions. For instance,
on the 13th May last, on a Vote of Censure,
moved by Sir Michael Hicks-Beach it was twenty-
eight, while on the second reading of the Franchise
Bill in November it was 140. But it was known all
last week that if the Ministry obtained a majority on
. Sir Stafford Northcote's "Vote of Censure it must be a
small one; hence the excitement which preceded the
announceMent:of the numbers.! It was only fourteen,
but it seems to have been sufficient to decide the
Cabinet to remain in office. The leaders of both
parties being practically agreed upon the principles
of the Redistribution Bill, there should be no
trouble in passing it, and the necessary arrangements
could be male for dissolving Parliament in the
autumn.

• The Court of Common Council has been discussing
the propriety of erecting a statue to General Gordon
in the City of London; and has deferred corning to a
decision until it receives the report of the committee
which is considering the description of statuary
which is ultimately to be placed on Blackfriars-
bridge. This structure was opened by the Queen
in 1869, and 111 1885 it is still unfinished. Visitors to

London must have often noticed the huge blanks at
either end of the bridge, and wondered why these were
there. After many years it seems to have been
- thought desirable to take steps for the completion of
the bridge from an ornamental point of view; and
more than twelve months ago, by way of experiment,
an equestrian statue of Francis I. of France was
brought from the Crystal Palace and placed on the
north-west pedestal. There it has been ever since,
but no progress appears to be making towards any-
thing else. But now that the name and fame of
an unselfish patriot who has perished in the service
of his country are waiting to be immortalized in
. enduring marble, it may be hoped and expected that
the movements of the Statuary Committee will be
expedited accordingly.