The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-10-08 00:00:00

Our gonbon eontsponbtrit POST-OFFICE REGULATIONS.

.pve de hem ft •.1 state that we 40 liot at T. thug,
otusviv,s uur vortelk.l6.l“,ty j

Lord Castlereagh 'spoke of "aix ignorant impatience
of tsxatiom" bul that is nut f 6 Inaracterilitie .1 modern
Uinta It iq now-sql..ys 1..,: 1,11 :
that—

"We have nothing to with the maws hat esmy Iho.s,
Sid mains% 1., do e ith the toles but pa) them."
But, perhaps, it may be said that of late the within
has greatly been affecte I by an ignorant impatiene o of
war. So horrible have been the detail, id this war, no
utterly is xeueable was it in its firiCuptlon, Po reemerge.
hardy lia, it been carried on by the victors, and with
such &Leonhard cell-devotion anl proud obstinacy by
the French, that a feeling of " inward. impatience" hoe
sprung up, and' the war ought to 1.. stepped" has
been throne idea which has been urged with largely
varying argumentru Our Government have been
severely Wanted in eeveral quartos for brine Keeton.
ably neeleetful rf efforts to lining their influence to
bear upon the belligerents, to the iutemets of peace,
and the Net of no Cabinet Conned havicg been held from
the breaking up of Parliament tid lichaelnies-day has
been much commented on. 'Without entering deeply
into the pr,, ant eon of We matter, I think that there
who do se emit sorrowfully admit that our Governn et
have done all that they could, aud unhappily that ture
out to be ',emetic:illy very little. France long shoe
warned us that she would not for a moment entertain
any thought .tf mediation, while a hostile Prussian was
on her soil, and now that she would probably be only '
too glad if the neutral Powere would mediate, inter-
vene, or arbitrate —provided either of theme three nicely
distinct courses were undertaken with a leaning towards
France—there does not appear the slightest chance of
such a result, for the present at least. Would that the
difficulty of etopping a War bad more weight with
sovereigns anldiplorna' iota before war is begun. There
seems now no help for it hut to go on with this carnage.
producing war. Whatever niay have been the attitude
of the G'ermens at first, they it tw seem determieed to
make the ir o en term,. As to France, her di plmable de-
termination is marvellous. No Frenchman between 20
and:3s is to be allowed to leave the country; blithe men
between 21 and 40a. d all who have alreedy volunteered
are to be organieeel into a 'Mobilised National Guard
all men front 25 to Xi who are subject to the Army
Law will remain in that Guard till their services are
called for; and amongst other regulations sportsmen's
guns and other private weapons are to be delivered up
to the Government. Thus neither on the side. f Prinwia
nor of France is there any symptom of the war being
brought to a emelneion, though 311 Europe is saddened
by this cruel pereistence in warfare.
That we are suffering pecuniarily from the war is
clearly shown by the revenue returns just issued. In
the quarter ending Sept. 30 the totel receipts were
£l4,2o2,ooo,drcrease of £1,024 000 as compared with the
corresponding qnarter last year. War was declared, it will
be remembered on the 15th of July, ami if we take into 2nd.
account the disquieting ifects of warlike rumours for
several days be fore the actual deeleretion, an lit may be
said that the whole quarter was iefluenced by wax, and
how disselvantageone that influence has been we now
see. Add to all this the well known dulnese of Liminess,
which cannot, perhaps, be tested by theee revenue re-
turns, the tax on the purees of nrivate individuate in
aid of the sick and wounded, and the increased expendi-
ture for army and navy, and it will be seen that we,
too, have to bear some of the burdens of a war from
which we are supposed to hold aloof.
Great efferts are being made, and very properly so,
to aid the sick and wonaded in the war, but there is
another field for the exercise of benevolercs. Day
alter day for aome time past French refugees have been
arriving in this country. Whele families of such people
have come, bringing with them their little all, and
Ending theme-Ives strangers and re.; turners in a foreign
land. Money is now being raised, and arrangements
are being made, to relieve this el iss of persons ; an
Anglos French cemmittee is at work; the names of die-
tressed refugees are obtaiaed, MIA pecuniary relief is
delicately accorded to them. We have also in our
midst a coneiderable number of Germans who have
been compelled to leave France. as well as English
similarly obliged to quit a foreign country for their
native soil. Strange that people should be refugees in
their own land, blot so it ie.
The 'proverbial doubtfulm es if travellers' tales is
Illustrated now atel swain in the items of " new 3" with
regard to the war. The other day we were toll that
travellers who had escaped from Paris reported that city
tobe ins state of anarchy, with fighting in the streets
and now another "traveller," at Valenciennes, reports
that he saw a placard posted on the walls of that t own
to the effect that Versailles was retaken, the Prussian
army routed, many pieces of artillery caatured, 6,000
Germans mode prisoners, 33,000 hr.xl de eumktl, CO
mitreilleu C 3 taken, and the Pruretian staff captured.
All this turned out to be untrue. With the exception
of such travellers' take, however, the war news has
recently been more PC:nrately given than it was at the
commencement if the war, shea accuracy was the
exception.

Vieitors to London, as a matter of course, generally
manage to bare a walk on tha Thames Embankment,
and they will appr. elate the advantages of Beata.
I wish they may get them. The City Press urgcs that
mats should be placed there, and the only surprising
thing is that any journal slaw:ill have to ure arguments
ler such as car/ions waut. Seats have recently been
placed oaths parade in front of the Custote-houie.
Why not elsewhere? A few in our leading thorough-
fares would be a great boon to the weary wayfarer.
Too much publicity cannot bs given to the official
dictum of the Vice-President of the Privy Council in
regard to the representative character of the new
Education Act. He is desirous of seeing a fair pro-
portion of workieg men ou the halal Education Beard,
In London and elsewhere. Thera is no restriction, !wee
Mr. Forster, in the qualification; any person may
be elected, urea or woman; nor is it even
necessary that the person elected shall reside
in the place for which he Or she) is returned. These
statemente are of universal interest, though they were
elicited by a deputation of Londe!' working men.
Parliament has now given to the country the machinery
for national education; it is for the couutre to adopt and
adapt it ;and the elms most specially interested in the
matter is the working doss. They ought to see to it
that they have their representatives WI the school
beards; there is nothing to prevent it but tie apathy
and inaction of the working classes themeelver.
The Birmingham General Hospital a ill, it is said,
profit to the tune of about £6,000 from the receipts at
the recent festival, and this very satisfactory result is
in a great melaure owing to the committee having net
their laces against the star system. That fact will
doubtlees have its itfl aeece elsewhere. The enormous
sums paid to ladies and gentlemen who are stars of the
first magnitude are of course very agree..ble to the
recipients, and they at 1. art cannot be blamed for
them; but the payment of therm large fees always has
the effect of lowering the payments to less popular per-
fermere.

The new Poatal arrangements which have just come
nto force will undoubtedly have the effect of largely
ncreasing the Itu-ine-a of the General Poet Office; but
though it will make a great deal more work, at
rresent arrangements have been made only for taking
on a few extra handi—not ado quate, I shoal I say by a
long way, to the extra work that the men will have to
do, and the old employes are beginning to grumble ac-
cordingly. Hoping that this matter may be arranged
amicably, and that the working classes may get the full

benefit of the new arrangt.ruents, pint allow me to 1 ;
point out the strange neglect of the public in
facilitating p-stal delivery. The authorities of the
G.P.O. have urged the public to have letter-slips in
their doors, but it is curious to ot serve to what a very
small extent this has been done by the British house-
holder, whose house is his castle, and who seems to re-
sent the slightest suggestion as to the gate of his fortress.
Everybody muntadmit that if letter-slips w.rs in gene-
nil use the delivery of letters would be much easier and
quicker; but it is perhaps because everybody admits
this that so few people do it.
When Mr. Dnraeli's " Lothair" 801113 little time
ago proved a decided auc-erss, a natural result was to
draw attention to the author's earlier works. This is
still more clearly shown by the fact of a collected
edition of this gifted author's works—"Lothair " to he
the first of the series, and to contain a new general
preface. In all probability this series will have a good
and steady sale. Torre is in Disraeli's novels a lame
amount of material for thought; they suggest more
than they say, and they are evidently the emanation
of a deeply reflective mind, which can be seldom said
of the ordinary run of works of fiction.
Somebody who may or may not have had anything
better to do, has been cAculating that C:stles Dickens
introduced 1,425 characters into his 24 works. I
accept this highly important fact which I cannot die.
prove ! But of what earthly or unearthly use is it?
Supposing there had been found 1,426 characters.
should we have been more or less surprised? The
person who hat been devoting his time to the acqnisi.
Lion of this neeless knowledge must be a " character "
himself. We have prolshly all read a curious set of
statements alonnt the Bible, telling us, among other
things, how many verses and how many words there
re in it—l am not sure that he does not count the
fetters—and tell us which is the middle word. What
aborions trifling in this!

At kith, nn Agn.a Lamb, awtclowibont
70 year. of age, and who IiAS lately been stinsring symptoml
of mental derangenn lit, cut the throat of her granddaughter.
a girl of About eight years, with a knife. The girl Victim,'
from ber eateilant with lint intim injury, and the o!d wonon
alerwards out her own throat whis the ;knife. She to not
eidented to recover.

POSTAGE ON INLAND NEWSPAPERS.
The followik; ore the rates of postage on Registered
Newspapers: -
PP-paid Rate.- On each Newspaper, whether posted
eirgf y or in a pt--One kfaltpenny ; but a packet
wining two or more Itemstered Newspapers is not
chargeable with a higher rate of postage than that
chargeable on a hook-packet of the same wohdit, viz
, One Halfpenny for every two ounces, or fraction of
two 4/11UCett.
Unpaid Rates.--A Newspaper poeded unpaid, and a
Packet of NOV/Ppapera p eited • i-ler unpaid or insuffi-
ciently pat.!, will be chared with the unpaid rite
applicable to it mk-packeter, viz , One Penny for each
two miller s, or fraetiou of two motets, deductik; the
amount of any st.oup or stamps :Mixed.
Newspapers are Pllbj.?Ct to the following Regula-
tions :
let. The postage must be impala either by an adhesive
Stamp, or by the me of a Stamped Wrapper.
2nd. No Newspaper can ho sent through the Post a second
time for the original postage: for each L111,01'84011 a
fresh p..stago must be prepaid, exempt that in the case
of roe irect,or, the amount chargeable may be collected
.:,
3rd. /Every No. simper or packet of Newspapers mast be
postll itaer without a cover or In a cover open at
b..th e: and .nartoadmit of removal for examination,
It tb!vrclo ho I.lrged, tho Nes &paper or,p,cket will
h., treated as S tt:

1:i. i• very Nee Jpa per -mist he sn folded as to admit of the
tub. reetHy I: vented
n w whether posted slowly or in a p
•..ee ny emn.,,re except the Supplement or
Ott . O.f iS ie. lowing t it.
N ielpaper w,lcti has /11:y lett r, cr shy communlea.
WA of the emu en of a letter, written in it or upon its
cover, will ig hey,. dst the unpaid letter rate.
UM No vacant at Nos vapors must excxed 1411 w. In
weight; nor 'nay It exceed two feat in length, or ohe
foot In width ur depth.

INLAND BOOK AND CIRCULAR POST.
The Book Post rate is One Half-penny for every two
ounces, or fraction of that weight.
No Book-packet may exceed 141 b& in weight; nor
may it exceed two feet in length, or one foot in width
or depth. . . . .

Circulars, when they are whedly or in great part
prade,l, ererav,al, or lithegraohe 1, may bs Lent under
the li,gttlatione of the Book Post.

INLAND PATTERN AND SAMPLE POST.
The p ostage is One Halfpenny for every weight of
two minces or fraction of that weight; but the Pattern
and Sample Post is rearrietral to bond tide Trade
Patterns or Samptes of Merchandise. Goode sent for
Sale or in execution of an order (however small the
quantity may be), or any articles sent by one private
individual to another, which may not actually be pats
terns or stun plea, are not admiasible.
lat. The postage must be prepaid either by adhesive stamps
or by means of a stamped wranper, or by a combinatiou
of both ; at the Chief Innen and District Offices,
and the Branch Ifilittes at Loneltsrel Street and Charng
Cross, in Lon Lel, and at the Chief °dices in Niinburch
and Dublin, where, from 10 am. to 4 Op m., it may be
prepaid in money, provided the postage amount to not
leas than Lila soy OW case, and provided the packets
are posted in buudles, each representing a p. stage
of Os.
If a packet be not sufficiently rrepalt, but bear astamp
of the valise of one rate, it will be forwarded charged
with double the deficient postage; a packet posted
wholly unpaid will be charged w.th double the pattern
postsge.
3rd. Patterns or Samples must, when practicable, be sent In
coven open at the ends, and so as to be easy of ex .nu-
naticn. riot tatuoles of see is, drugs, Juni such Ike
articles. which cannot be scat iu carers of this hod,
bat such articles only, may he posted enclosed in boxes
or id bags of linen or other material, fastened I. such
a manner that they may be reaally opened, or in bags
entirely closed, provided such closed bags are trans-
parent so as to on site the sincere of the Post °lnce
readily to imtlafy themselves as to the nature of the
contents, if this rule be infringed, the packet will be
treated as a lettsr.
4th. Thorn m.t be no writing or printing upon ray packet
except the addross of the bonen for whom is is in-
tended, the address of the sender, • trade mark or
number, &Ild the mice of the articles; nor may Vera
he any writing or printing or other thug enclosed ex-
cept such Worse+, numb, member, and price, and a
written or printed description of tl e articles; and
these parreniars nmy be on labels attr c'led to the
',mph's. It this rule ow infringed, the packet wit' be
treated as a later.
SUL Any prohibited enclosure will he taken out and for-
warded to the address on the packet, charged with full
postage as au unpaid letter.
6th. No packet mast exceed 12 07.5 In we'ght, or two feet ill
length by one foot in width or depth.

HALFPENNY POSTAGE LABELS AND
STAMPED NEWSPAPER WRAPPERS.
In c ,nnexion with the reaction in ths rates of
pcntage on Inland Newspapers, Printed mattes, and
Patterns or Samples, Halfpenny Postage Labels, and
Newspaper Wrappers bsaring an impressed Halfpenny
stamp have been iter.glneed.
Newspaper Proprietors and News Agents, by Imply.
jog to a Head PoAnuaster, will be aLle to obtain at
very short notice any quantity of these Labels or
Wrappers.
The Wrappers (the dimensions of which are 14 inches
by 1: inches) will be sold at the following pric,s
O a ft
126
046
O 2 3
O 1 1,
O 0 5i
O 0 3
O 0 1}
O 0 1.2
but a discount of 1 per Cent, will be allowed to pirsons
purchasing at one time not lees than ill/worth of either
Labels or Wrappers.
Newspaper Proprietors and News Vendori who may
2esire to have thew own Wrappers or paper impressed
with the Halfpenny stamp, must make application, not
to the Post Office, tut to the Commissioners of In!and
Revenu-.
Wrappers mutt be of white paper.

110 „ .