The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-10-28 00:00:00

Ete 3tourbrible bertier.

Britain is left alone to deal with the gathering time at considerable colt, and the effect has been
dangers of the situation as best she may, for Ito reduce the number of revolutions of the pumps
there is no prospect of any active assistance eight per minute, thus comfirming the opinion ex-
from France just
pressed in these columns six months ago, that the I
now.
water in these pools wan the feeding source of the
The potection of' British interests is
e
manifestly the first object at which our states-
water eneountered in th sinkings.
men aim. We vent to war In-1853 not because • Now, however, that the water difficulty is at an
end, there is. nothing, -we are assured, to prevent
we loved the Turks, but because, had we
allowed the 'Ottoman capital to fall into the talniedsiifnakilings going on h
.with vigour and rapidity;
thicko e s well
in
cvoemnpma
tsizigume of
hands of the great Colossus of the North, ourare
e. The
commerce in the Mediterranean and the Black new reachingpiant, consisting of a splendid pair of 26in.
Sea would have been under Russian control, and cylinder engines, are at work, and will greatly
the possession of our Indian Empire mast have' falicitate the sinkings. Great credit is due to the
been at stake. France then combined with company and their engineers for the energy and
England to drive back the Czar from the banks courage displayed in the prosecution of the work
of the Danube, and to prevent one empire from under the peculiar disadvantages they have!had to
weighing like an incubus upon the heart of grapple with; and it is to be hoped that there is
Europe. But France has lately been beaten I now a fair prospect of their zeal and outlay being
down in a life and death wrestle with a po-suer- speedily rewarded. The estate comprises 128
acres, and with ,the other recent explorations and
ful enemy, and unless that enemy were to be
actively engaged, and France saw an finds of coal on the margin and ,confines of the
district, there is no probability of South Stafford-
opportunity for recovering her lost territory shire being put to any great strains for its coal
we could expect no help from her now. We supply for very many years to come.—Birmingham
must, consequently, as-the s fight f eyingor Daily Post.
our own hand. Our main reason for desiring to
keep Russia out of Constantinople is to pkevent
her from being able to threaten our communica-
tions with Egypt; and it is possible that the
time may be. near at hand when it will become
necessary for us to secure that territory which
the late Emperor Nicholas offered to us three
and twenty years ago as the price of our, assent-
ing to his seizing Constantinople. Nicholas, it
will be remembered, told Sir Hamilton Seymour,
the British Ambassador at St. Petersburg, that
provided Russia could have the Turkish capital,
there would be no objection to Great Britain
dividing the spoil, and taking Egypt and Candia
as her share of the boety.— We refused the
offer then, and declined to join in the partition
of the territory of a friendly Power, which as
was then thought might yet become a useful
and a healthy member of the European com-
munity. We believed in the' sincerity of
Turkish promises of reform, and in the ability
of what, is called the Sublime Porte to carry
them out. We have done our utmost to uphold
and regenerate the Government of which
Russia has so long been planning the overthrow.
If, then, Turkey is to be dismembered, let not
the Ottoman Empire be broken up to our dis-
advantage. It may not be this year or next,
but there can be little doubt bf his ultimate
doom. It is a standing anachronism in Europe,
and its political fabric is rotten to its founda-
tions. Whatever, therefore, may be the
destination of other parts of the Turkish
dominion, Egypt and Candia, so kindly allotted
to us by the late Czar, ought to be-allowed to
fall into no other hands than those of England.
The circumstances are now very different from
those of 1853. Then the suggestion was for a
forcible partition of a State which we, at all
events, believed to be yet capable of life ; now
it is clear that the life is rapidly ebbing away
from it. Therefore, were Great Britain to stand
by, and see another Power quietly appropriate
her freedom of highway to our Indian Empire,
a cr.,' would be raised for the protection of
British interests which would not be easily
appeased.
It may therefore be taken for granted that.
Great Britain would be bound to acquire a
pr,sition on the Delta in which English troops
could ha posted, and froni whence English
ships could be despatched for the protection of
the Mediterranean ingress to the Suez Canal
It might not be amiss for Russia clearly to
understand that we shall be prepared for all con-
tingencies should war unfortunately break out
in the East. It is indeed possible that this is
seen clearly enough already, and that the
hesitating action of Russia is due to a know-
ledge of the fact. that an English occupation of
Egypt is an element in the Eastern question
which must certainly be reckoned upon. But it
Is a matter upon which no doubt should be left
for a moment, more especially when any such
doubt, if it existed, which tend to stimulate
ambition. The Bulgarian horrors have placed
a war for the defence of the Ottoman Empire
out of the question, so far as this country is
concerned, but that is no reason why the nation
should stand by with folded arms when the
inevitable hour arrives, and calmly look upon
the operation of the devouring of the carcase
by the eagles.

THE IRON TRADE.

WOLVERHAMPTON, WEDNESDAY.

WOLVRRHAMPTON, Wednesday.—On 'Change '
this afternoon but little real business was-trans.
acted. At this makers of first-class bars did
not greatly complain, for - they kept tolerably
active. Proprietors of 0 works, however,
where second and third class iron is turned
out, were anxious to secure orders, and in '
many cases they would not have repelled buyers
if they had offered somewhat lower prices. The
disposition which was manifest five weeks or so
ago by home merchants and consumers to buy
for forward delivery has now almost altogether
disappeared. The beginning of improvement
of trade in America is slightly stimulating
with that country hereabouts. Spring steel and
1 uopapleted springs are going awayiess tardily
than it'ir some months past, and here and there
the shipmazts represent a fair quantity.
Whether this edition of things will
1
go on
developing itself is by po means certain. Iron
and steel masters are strengtnned in their hope
that it may, by the application Which is now
being made in this county for 3,400 ions of No.
8 galvanised steel cable wire, to be used in the
construction of ' the main cables of the East
River Suspension Bridge at Brooklyn. It has
been a long tittle since such an application was
received in this country from United States '
consumers.
Whilst, however, this is taking place the
Americans continue to push their wares into this
country. At this moment American axle
frames and pulleys are being freely offered
hereabouts, ,and in a fair number of instances
are being bought. The prices are under those
of local foundries and machinists, and the goods
are by some customers declared to be rather
superior than inferior to those produced in this
district.
Stocks of pig-iron appear to be growing both
on the wharves of the carriers and also on the
hanks of consumers. To this the only excep-
tion relates to the leading foundries, where the
consunntton of melting iron keeps great. To
the dd Co 9d reduction at which Middlesbrough
forge iron was offered in this district last week
has to be added a similar drop announced this
afternoon. Some other qualities of pig-iron, on
the contrary, were very strong this afternoon ;
notably South Yorkshire, the makers prohibiting
by telegram the agents from accepting orders
below £3 5s short weight, delivered at stations
in South • Staffordshire. Thus the producers
'hold off ifirmly for the recent rise of 2s Gcl per
ton. That this firmness is politic remains to be
seen, for at present the little tendency to buy
-hich was being evinced has been checked by