The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-08-20 00:00:00

Our Kn.= ConTsponbot,

[We deem it rklit to state flint nye an not nt nT. tins*
Identif) emends IV iI 11 01.11. Correvoltall it.

The War, as a matter of course, is still the all-ab-
sorbing topic, and news and rumours, contradictions
and explanations come upon us thick and threefold. It
is very unfortunate, but rot at all remarkable, that we
should not be able to rely on the first statement that
arrive. The difficulty of obtaining news is only enr-
passed by the difficulty of sending it when it is ob-
tained. The war correspondent, have a very hard tire-
of it, and the wonder is, that, with their lives in poi!
any of them should have the courage to
endeavour to perform their arduous
and bar.rdous
duties. And besides many other n
-muses for the unre-
liability of news,. there are
nhe mistakes cf the tele-
graph. A. most impor...at
error,
it now turns out,
wia'aeifl t°twe'...'enota with the disastrous d, feat of
the French at.
Woerth. Marshal M•Mahon sent a
telegram • General du Failly, ordering him to send
two '...alithol3B to Laeibach, to attack the Prnirians from
fl
.416 Bank. The telegraphic agent wrote Kandiach, in
quite an opposite direction, and the troops on arriving
there found nobody on the ground, and meanwhile the
.Marsbal was suffering terrible 10-s. A strange error, too,
occurrent in the French version of the Prussian telegr im
of the battle of Wei-senburg. The Prussians said, "V u
can fire salvoes I r the victory r but the French
made the Pruseians say, "You can telegraph this to
Victoria." Another nurious telegraphic blunder is worth
noting in a London paper of Saturday evening last.
After mentioning disturbances at several French towns,
it is added, "Order is now said to be entirely de-
stroyed," instead of restored! But the news as to
which there can be no doubt is plentiful enough, and
sad enough. The terrible defeats which the Flinch
have suffered seem to make them only the more des-
perate, and the prevalent opinion appears to be that if
they do not speedily gain two or three victories-- one
n 4 be enough- the Napolet fir ri'Llime will rapidly
become an affair of the part; while en the other hard
if victory two or three times again declares foe the
German arms there is a prospect of the war being all
the sooner terminated. Meanwhile our own position
is certainly int free from peril, as is evidenced by the
extensive naval semi military arrangements that are
being entered into. An opinion is largely entertained
that the chances of our being drawn into the war are
greater now than they were before this new treaty just
entered into with France and Prussia. Of course there
are strong arguments in the ether direction,hut a dread
of the possible effect of our new engagements midoubt-
eedtyexists to a considerable extent. One thing,however,
cannot be denied—that our Government have acted for
the best, and that what they have done has been done
in accordance with the unmistakeable voice of a large
portion of the nation.

The war has notoriously increased very largely illegal°
of newspapers generally, and, as anatural consequence,
the street newsboys are more dethonArative than ever.
Some people find this a great nuisance ; others say it is
a great convenience; and perhaps it is something of
both. But the enormous sale of papers in the streets
of London—at all times, and especsilly just now—
'suggests an idea. I have often wondered, when
noticing the kiosques in the streets of Paris, that we
have nothing of the same sort in London; and now at
last a temporary one has nctually made its appearance,
and under the very rose of our high and mighty L-.rd
Mayor, for it is rot far from his official residence.
This kiosque seems exclusively devoted to the sale of
the City Pres; but why should we not have little
boxes as in Paris—light ouses they are in one
sense—in ether parts of the Metropolis? They would
not impede the traffic; they would bring in revenue;
and they would be a great public convenience. If con-
structed as they ought to be they would be an orna-
ment to cur rather dingy streets,

Th. officiaia cf the railways having connection with
the Continent continue to advertise their ordinary
routes, Cr state that certain routes wertioned are
" proticted," and the General Steam Savization Corn.
pimp anuoun es their aerangements for Calais, Bou-
logne, etc., 113 usual. But it is well that intending
visitors should understand that passports are necessary.
In one sense passports are required either to enter or
to leave France, but in another sense they are not
nee, ssary t 3 enable you to leave the country, for I
have heard of cafes where people without these docu-
ments have been compellel to quit the inhospitable
shores of Frarce. At all events, it is certain that pass
ports are advisable if not absolutely necessary, even
for a short trip. This disagreeable state of things
added to the misery of war, has had its natural effect
on Ciutinental travelling. As an illustration of this
may be adduced, the fact that, although the South-
Yastern Railway have a net dividend of £118,453 for
the half-year, sufficient to pay a dividend of 3 per
cent, per annum, the directors recommend a aividend
of only 21 per cert., "considering the state of
the Continent." Very naturally, too, such facts
as these have led to the development of home
travelling. The wrr broke out just at the most
awkward time of the year for continental hotel-
keepers, &c., and to a very large class this war simply
means pecuniary ruin. Comi aced with the horrors of
the battle field and the unspeakable miseries if actual
war, the disap 'ointments of holid sy-makera and the
Leavy losses of imikeep,rs are small matters perhaps,
but still they are worth some consideration. On the
other hand the war is certainly a good thing for all
whose business is connected with home travelling,
holiday-making by the seasid-, and the visits of tourista
to our own usually undervalued scenes of beauty. But
for this war, the holiday season this year would have
been enjoyed with a vigour and a freedom of expen-
diture not known for at least four years, owing to the
revival of trade during the present year, and, war or
not, pre pie are just now evidently determined to enjoy
themselves—on the moors, hy the lakes, by the iseasiile,
in quiet villages, or anywhere else whither fancy may
lead them.

Much surprise has been exprtased ass to the present
result of the trial of Carver, for what is called the
Croydon murder. That he should have been found
guilty of murder, and eensenced to death is a double
strprise to most people who leave carefully read the
evidence, and the man's own statement just previous to
the yassing of this awful sentence. I will not con-
merit further on tie case, but may add that no one can
well believe that this sentence will be carried out.

And so the Thorncliffe Colliery dispute is settled at
last, after having lasted not less than 68 weeks. The
firm, I read, undertakes to find 300 of the old bands
work within a month, and the rest so soon as vacancies
occur. And Co the men have thus far triumphed. Ab,
tat how about that 68 weeks? Can the cleverest among
us ever reckon up what a strike costs? The loss
of wages may be ascertained, but who can estimate the
effect of enforced idleness, of diminished strength, of re-
tregade homes, of neglected education? But of course
there is another side to the matter, and it may also be
a.ked who can estimate the benefits of a successful strike ?
Yee, there are two sides, and I am not called upon to
advocate either; but at least I may express delight at
this long dispute bring settled at last, and a hope that
are long we shall have "courts of conciliation" in
this country.

The el, 're to po.,eits some article of furniture or of
use connected with the memory of the late Mr.
Dickens is natural enough, and no
,one can express
surprise that when the contents of some of the rooms at
Gadshill were put up for sale by auction, very good
prices were obtained. But still one may speculate on
what will be done with some of the articles. For in-
stance a hcarthrug from the late novelist's bed-room
fetched 30s. N is, what will the purchaser do with
this hearthrag? If he puts it to common use it will
wear out like other hearthruge. Will the owner label
it to show whose it once was, and put it under
a glass care? And here is another brilliant
thought—what will be the ultimate cost of this
hearthrug ? How many friends will come to see—not
the owner, but the hearthrug, to the pecuniary cost of
the former? But then there is the pleasure of posiess-
ing an undoubted souvenir of a great and gifted author
who is no more. We all like to possess a memorial of
a friend, and Mr. Dickens was a friend to Us all.
It is stated that during the session just terminated
there were passed 112 public, 172 local, and four pri-
vate Acts—together 288 statutes. A volume might be
written on the knotty question whether these Acts are
good, bad, or indiff.rent ; but without entering on this
query, it is very certain that all this additional legisla-
tion must seriously complicate that 1111811 of laws which
we rather facetiously call our "St-stute Book." Sop.
posing we add only 100 public statutes each session to
this mars, look at the mounlain of laws we sholl have
in a few years I It is very rare that we have laws
repealed, and yet we have hundreds of laws that are
practically obsolete, and only nerve now and then to
embarrass lawyers and judges, and utterly confound
plain common,..enre people. Oh for • corlification of
laws! Tnis has ben the dream of many a law re-
former, but every year the dream becomes less likely
to be realised.