The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-12-17 00:00:00

AirPbDR e'otrtsponbtut.

IWe worn it tight to state that we flo not at MI Mines
Icutity oUrol sith our correigiondenta opinions

That the awful Franca-Fr:mien war has arrived at
a critical stage is undoubtedly true, but it is no lees
true that a critical stage Wan reached udne time ago,
and still there seems no probability of the disastrone
steuggle coming to an end. Within the last few days
thorn Inue been rumours cf an atinistiee being
asked for by the Freneh, but these rumours
appear to b. ivemstaree. Th.et events are hurry-
ing forward the French to an arruLitiee is pro-
bable enough, but meanwhile " there must be
much more blood." Whether there will be another
great sortie fr. in Pane is a toestir n tench de-
bated, but the true state of the case appeira to inn to
be put by The natla when it nay.: "In the absence
of a curtaining force outside, !Mennen in breaking rut '
would apparently mean the otter ruin of all them Who
achieved it. The garrison of Pane is thnaplaCt din an
awful dilemma, between starvation within and a more
violent fate without." A 9 to help from the provinces.
there appear* to be little chance of it; the ravine .
have enough to do to pr dect themselves. Wi
Orlenne and Reangeney sviebdao the long list of'.

which have succumcd to the vietorius G,

with Tours, and Blois, and Dieppe—to mentt
other towns threatened, what hope can Part.
from provincial forces? And as to the position La
Paris herself a very ominous telegram COMCII from the
rlin correspondent of the Daily News. Writing on
the 9th, he ray. : "Ta.alay it is" redibly report< d that
at a council of war held on Tuesday last, to wh'eh the
Mug, the Crown Prince, Count Moltke, Blumenthal,
kc., were present, the question of bombarding the city
was again considered mei ilecided in the affirmative."
It is said, too, that Count Bismarck denies that he is
opposed to the bombardment of Paris. Alas! and
must it come to this? Must this world-renowned city,
with its two millions of souls, with its temples of art
and science, its splendid palaces gird mansions, its
lov.ly parks and garden., its touletards and pro-
menade", its theatres and cab,", its cathedra and
chnothes—must lovely Paris, the home of refinement
and the pleasure r, sort of the civilized world—must
Paris is, bombarded? If so, it is to be hoped, for the
French themselves, that the hot shell thr awn into the
town may be the signal for an armistice.
We may now safely congratulate ourselves that the
Russian difficulty, the Eastern question, the Black Sea
question, or whatever else we choose to call it, is com-
pletely got over— for a time. It will not disturb our
Christmas festivities. The first week in the new year,
It is said, will see a Conference assembled in London—
presumably the Foreign Office -when all the Powers
concerned will be represented, and earnestly it is to be
hoped that Russia will be kept to the p ,int of the
neutralization of the Black Sea. Meanwhile it may
fairly be said that the coneliatory and yet firm
attitude of the British Government has done notch
towards leading to this satisfactory arrangement for
the settlement of the dispute.

Tit-for.tat, and one good turn deserves another are
not bad principles to act upon, if they are not pushed
to revenge or other ill-feeling. It is suggested that
our Government might very well act on the tit.
for.tat principle in the case of the Alabama
affair. Your readers are aware that the Presi.
dent recommends Congress to appoint a commis.
non to decide on the amount of the private claims
of American suld-cts in connection with the
owes through the Alabama, &c.. ; that the American
Government will pay these claims, and apply to the
British Government to refund the money. Of course
our government need not consider themselves bound
by any such one-sided arrangement, but supposing
America makes her claim in this way, it is proposed
that in reply our Government should "take a similar
action in respect to the claims of individuals here upon
the American Government, in which case holders of
Cotton Bonds may yet see their money back to the
ast pound." Not a bad idea that. And I think I
have heard something about Pennsylvanian Bonds,
long since repudiated or unsettled, but never having
possessed any inch bonds, I do not profess to know
much about them.

The name of Londonderry is naturally associated
In the public mind with certain demonstrations whhh
moot of us on this elde of the Channel consider are
re, re honoured in the breach than the observance, and
it is very satisfactory therefore to hear that the magis-
trates of that city have issue I a proclamation pro-
hibiting in future all party demonstrations there. Had
such a proclamation been issued by the Id- ,vernment,
It can readily be imagined that our Irieb fellow subjects
would have been very indignant at it, but when it
cornea from their own magistrates, in the interest of
the general peace and order of the city, exception
cannot fairly be taken to it. Party demonitrations in
Ireland, whether they are connected with " the gates
of Deny' or anything aloe, never el) much, if any,
gml, and often lead t) a breach of the peace.
A good deal of interest was manifested in the epring,
of the year in the opening of the Tower Subway along
the bed of the Thames. I am sorry to say it haa proved
a decided failure; it has not paid current expenses, to
Fay nothing of theinterest of the .£16,000 which the
tunnel cent. The lifts, deecendirg and ircending,
have suffered numerous hitches from time to time,
the occupants occasionelly finding themselves stuck fast
half way. The directors are now considering the pro.
gaiety of either closing the subway, or having it
merely thrown open to foot passengers, thus reducing
the expense, but not overcoming the difficulty with
regard to the lifte. The difficulty is by no means in-
superable, but people who would use the subway have
become so frightened by the occcasional bits hes alluded
to that it will in any case take a long time to enable
the directors to conquer the prejudice that has been
created against it. This is much to be regretted, even
on national grounds, for the Thames Subway is, after
all, a great public work.

Entertain what opinionsthe reader may with regard to
the Papacy and recent events in Italy, no one will deny
that the great meeting jt heist in St, James's Hall com-
mands rcspect from the influential position of those
who assisted at it. Refraining from comment on the
speeches or the resolutions, I may note the remarkable
igegonncl of the mettint-- It is seldom indeed that so
many of the nobility congregate in public meeting, and
take part in its proceedings, as was observable on this
occasion.

One of the men who helped to make England the great
country she is, has passed away in the person of Mr.
Briassey, the well-known railway contractor. He was
a self-made man, who by energy and perseverance,
combined with a large share of ability, achieved great
successes. A list of the railway undertakings with
which his name is identified would be a very long one.
Not only are many great lines in the United Kingdom
among these, but he WWI the contractor for railways
In France, Spain, Canada, &c. How long his name has
teen identified with railways is shown by the fact that
his first contract 'was taken in 1836, for ten miles on the
Birmingham and Liverpool line, then called the Grand
Junction, but now incorporated with the North Western.
It is stated that fr ,m 1848 to 1861 he made, either by
himself or in association wii.h others 2,374 miles of
railway, at a c intract price of 28 millions sterling. To
do that, and do it well as Mr. Brawny dal, must
require • good head-piece, as the familiar phrase goes.

"We are requested to state," say several papers,
"that there is at the present time a vacancy in her
Majesty's Office of Works for an architectural clerk.*
And a very pleasant and healthy announcement that is.
'We can most of us remember the time when no such a
statement would have been made, but when the berth
would simply have been filled up by favouritism.
Within the last few years, however—ever since the
beg since defunct Administrative Reform Associa-
tion—Movie and merit, frequently decided by rigid
examinatione, have been regarded as necessary pre.
liminaries to appointments. Deubtlees we have still
much to grumble at in the way in which vacancies
are still filled up in some cases, but how much more
honourably and fairly are appointments given now-a-
days than they were in the time when George the
Third was King, or even, 'when, God be praised, the
Georges ended." What may be the salary offered to
this" architectural clerk" I do not know—£2oo
perhaps! for the salaries run high in thin public de-
partment. To say nothing id that of the much.abmed
First Commiseioner, the Secretary has £1,200 a year;
the Director of Works £1,500 ; the Surveyor rao;
and the Solicitor 1:1,500.
The Police Commissioners have been very tardy in
their action with regard to the g ,ote clubs" which
form a feature of life in London about this time of the
year ; but better late than never. The good that
those clubs ever did the poor who patronised them in
very doubtful, but the evil connected with them is on.
questionable, the mere f act that they ha ve ge nerall y been
held at public-housesbeing qnitesufficient proof of their
contingent evils. Our Government is becoming quite
paternal in the matter of betting and gambling, and the
good that has thus already been done in this respect is
incalculable. It is rather anomalous, however, that
while betting is being put down elsewhere, that great
'Temple of Gambling, Tattersall's, is left untouched.
Parliament, it is said, dare not attack it, seeing that
no many members of both Houses are also membere of
" the Corner." It is anomalous, too, that while the
police (very properly) put down goons clubs, and while
it in illegal even t rdvertise a lottery, the Art Unione,
which everybody knows are lotteries, should still be
nanctipned by special Acts of Parliament. But then
these are for the good of Art, with • capital A!
that makes all the difference