The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-05-09 00:00:00

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[We them It right to state that we do not at all times
Identify othselves with our Correspondentl °Onions.]

The return of the Queen to Windsor Castle,
- and of the Prince and Princess of Wales from
Ireland, combine with the splendid May vveathcc
to raise the hopes of those who look forward to
a bright London season. Last year the season
was unfortunately cut up by the death d. the
Duke of Albany, who died on the 28t1i of March,
and the forty days of Court mourning did not
expire until the second week in May. During
that time neither her Majesty nor any of her
children took part in a public cerenynnal, and
that which was absolutely necessary b.) be done
was carried out by the Duke of Cambridge. This
year circumstances are altogether different. The
Queen has come back from a month of change
and rest on the Continent improved in health,
and, it is hoped, sufficiently strengthened to take
part in those occasional engagements at Buck-
ingham Palace where the presence of the
Sovereign is so welcome. Some of these, such
as the holding of a Drawing Room, can be
delegated to the Princess of Wales ; but this is
not the case with the Queen's Court. What is
known as a Court is a reception by her Majesty
of both ladies and gentlemen, while the Drawing
Room is restricted to ladies only.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are now free
for the engagements of the season and after his
return the Prince performed his first public duty
on Saturday by opening the new subway between
South Kensington Station and the Exhibition.
The lot of the special correspondents who fol-
lowed their Royal Highnesses from Dublin to
Cork, from Cork back again to Dublin, and then
northward to Belfast and Londonderry, can
scarcely be described as a happy one. So long
as they could travel by train all was well; but it
was when they had to hire cars or other vehicles
to accompany the Royal party across those por-
tions of the island where the locomotive has not
yet reached, that their troubles began. The
roughest handling which they seem to have had
at all was in Cork, where the crowd in its enthu-
siasm pressed so near to the Royal equipage, that
they upset the car of the specials, tumbled them
out amongst the shouting multitude, and left
them to follow up the Prince and Princess in the
best way they could.
The Inventions Exhibition, opened on
Monday by the Prince of Wales was, as is usual
in such cases, incomplete, and the work of un-
packing cannot be completed for some time to
come. His Royal Highness has, from the first
taken a great interest in these annual exhibi-
tions; and from the energetic management
which gave the public the Fisheries and the
Healtheries, much is expected from that which
is now thrown open to the public. The conduc-
tors of other descriptions of entertainments com-
plained last year that the Health Exhibition, by
drawing vast numbers to South Kensington,
materially interfered with their own receipts.
But those who solicit the public support must be
prepared for competition, and these exhibitions
find it pay to include everything for the level
shilling. It was pointed out by a shareholder at
a recent meeting of the Crystal Palace Com-
pany that the public paid a shilling for admis-
sion, but once inside, if they wished to see every-
thing, there was eighteenpence for this and half-
a-crown for that, until a total was run up of
12s. 6d. Take, again, the London theatres.
What kind of accommodation would one expect
to obtain for a shilling? The pit is in many
cases half-a-crown. Therefore it is that people,
with a small amount of money to spend in amuse-
ment and recreation, take it to the place where
they can get most for it.
Another popular institution was opened to
the public on Monday, the Royal Academy,
where the familiar shilling enables those who
take an interest in arc to admire the latest
works of our best English artists. The Acade-
micians are a wealthy body; and invariably on
the Saturday evening which precedes the first
Monday in May they give a magnificent banquet
to the most illustrious and distinguished company
which can be gathered together. Last Saturday
evening, for instance, the Prince of Wales was the
principal guest, and made a speech ;* and amongst
the rest of the company were the Duke of Edin-
burgh, Prince Albert Victor, the Duke of Cam-
bridge, and Prince Christian.
Football is now a thing of the past, as the
cricket season has once more begun. Of course
two or three weeks must elapse before it gets
into full Swir. W. obeli ba,-ro to be content
this year with the ordinary home fixtures , as neither
Australians nor Philadelphians will honour us
with a visit this season. Last year these were
the primary cause of excitement in the cricket
world, especially the former. But it is
one of our oldest pastimes, and there is
always a great deal of interest taken in it, as the
attendances at the Oval and Lords, when there
is a great Match on, will show. The contest
between the counties for the honour of first
place, is of course always very keen. These are
all to come yet, and it is to be hoped that the
weather will prove as fine as it did last summer.
The champion Dr. W. G. Grace, has, it is said,
no intention Of retiring yet. If this is the case
it is very likely he will add more to his already
long list of wonderful scores. The contests between
Eton and Harrow, and Oxford and Cambridge,
are always attended by a large and fashionable
concourse of people. Of the team that visited
Australia last autumn only Alfred Shaw has
returned. The other members will arrive
shortly, as they will be wanted to take up their
places in their respective elevens.
Seldom has there been such a feeling of relief
as when, in the closing hours of last week, it
became known that the knotty points in dispute
were likely to be referred to the arbitration of a
friendly Power. The week has been one of ex-
treme tension. Monday witnessed the dissolving
of all opposition to the Vote of Credit after the
speech of Mr. Gladstone. Then came the false
news of the occupation by the Russians of Meru-
chak, which seemed to destroy the last hope of
the maintenance of peace. On Thursday the
imposition of increased taxation told of the de-
termination of the House of Commons and the
country to defend the national honour. Friday
and Saturday brought better tidings, and on the
day last mentioned there was general buoyancy
on the Stock Exchange. Consols rose 11 and
Russian bonds 31, to the great delight of their
holders, who only a few hours before had found
these securities practically unsaleable.
The destruction by fire of the Japanese village
at Knightsbridge on Saturday is greatly to be
regretted. It has struggled against many diffi-
cuties from the beginning, but it held its own,
and in western and fashionable London was a
complete representation of the life, energy, and
skill of a most interesting Asiatic people. With
the Chinese court at the Exhibition, and the'
Japanese village at Humphrey's Hall, a very
good idea was obtained of the two races who so
long regarded Europeans as barbarians' and for
centuries were the very embodiment of national
exclusiveness. The burning of this little place
almost on the eve of opening the Inventions
Exhibition may indeed be described as an unto-
ward event. G. R.