The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-09-17 00:00:00

Put Voithon Corasponbtnt.

sW e ihrin it rig!•.t be state that we slo notetaf. Knee
alewife ow e, Ives e ith our cerns-poutieue, j
-----
I write at amsoment when there are many indications
of France and Germany being in • stete of transition
from war to peace, and earnestly hope that before this
is read negotiations for peace will be the prominent
beet of the day. Amonget those indications is the
universal deeire that Paris should not be attacked, the
sole exception perhaps being on the part of the Pre.
siane, who are Kill pressing forward to the, for the
moment, apparently doomed city. But there are not
wanting signs of even Germany, crowned with euceees
and weary of elsueliter, being in a s anewhat relenting
mood, and willing to lieten to tertneof peace, if auth
tatively proposed. In our own country the feeling in
favour of peace is deity and hourly becoming stronger;
and, as France and Germany are known to respect the
public opinion of Eneland, this fact must have a
beneficial tendency. That France in her Borrow and
humiliation is becoming more wrlliog to lieten to
peaceful suggestions width not long ago rho would
have scornfully spurned, is beyond a doubt. Several
Influential PariejournaLs now use language which they
would not have dared, in the then temper of the public,
• week or two nines. The Goulois, which has Is: en
paseionately in favour of continuirs the war at all
has/whir, now writes more mildly, and even hints at
the proprietry of medietion, and the Fiearo, whieh
has a larger circul Alen than any other political paper
in Paris, taye, " Ps mice iss prepared to say to Pruesia
-- the one man who let Icope a disastrous war upon the
Centieent is caged behind Prumian fortremes ; Fiance
has repudiated him, and lays down her arms. . . .
France, Prussia, E•uope, ClVslssaticlr, aad humanity
moat alike cry aloud for an end of the carnage." This
is strong and significant language. Figaro, too,
admits the right of Prussia to a pecuniary cone
peneation, and pretty plainly hints that France
would even Fianna to lose Alpaca and Loraine,
though the would strive to get them back again.
It is something, however, for co popular a paper to
entertain the thought of ahandorieg territory even for
a time. Another feet which is hopeful in regard to
pesce, though it is FEld in itself, is that the ProvLional
Government and the cidzetie of Paris are becoming
alarmed at the mass of disorderly people that have
crowded. into the city, and it is feared that while the
Prumians might be thundering away outside h• r wane
the ecoundrelelom of Paris would be pillaeine within.
Many correspondents in the French capital have taken
this view, and the fear im by no means without hankies-
tion. There is remote to believe, too, that the convic-
tion is forcing itself on the }bench, soldiers and citi-
zen, that Paris cannot finally hold out if the Pruseims
are determined to take it. The French papers nosy
not like to say so inneh, but the opicion mutt he gal.:t-
in ground. The Parisians are doing their utmost in
preparing for the worst, but there is reasou to believe
that stronger and stronger becomes the hope, even lc
Paris itself, that that " worst " will not arrive. Last,
but not least, come the preliminary efforts of the nein
teed Powers, The Times' Spemal Correepondent ia
Paris saye, In the best informed quarters here the
hept continues of negoci Woos probably leading to
peace. Russia joine her efforts to them of Austri
England still belle aloof.' The latter statement, how-
. ver, if true at the moment of writing, hag since become
Father doubtful. On the whole, then, our prospect of
returning peacs is brightening.
It will he remembered that some time ago General
Palliest), stated in the Legislative Body th it 40,taa
rifles were to be delivered from England. Tine state-
ment attracted great attention at the time and its
truth WAS denied. Mr Pelieky, of the " private in.
quiry" office, now defieittly states that 4,540
Snider rifles, fisted with bay nets, were des-
pm ched on the night of the eth instant from
Southampton to Havre, and that these rifles nearly all
came from Birmingham. I observed, too, that this
same gentleman offers £5O reward for information re.
letive to the vessels, that conveyed "a considerable
quantity of rifles and other firearms to some port on the
Continent unknown" for the roe of ore of the belle.
gerents. This looks as though the Government were
taking the matter ere and had Pet Mr. Pellaky to work.
In any case the supply of arms ought not to he pr.
mitted. I believe that as the law stands each arms
can be seized on the high seas but nowhere eke. This
Is certainly a great overnight in international law. But
it can be remedied, and it in surprising it is not done.
The Foreign Enlistment Act gives to the‘Geivernment of
the dry the power to prohibit the expert of anus during
• time of war. If this were dine, surely the painful
difficulty would be amply met.
That the duties of the Special Curreependent during
the war are arduoue and his position perilous, has been
proved by many incidents during the lest few week&
The eaddest and by far the most important, is the
death of Lieut.-C. lonel Penderten, one of 1 he Tints'
correspondents, who was 'hot by the side of the Crown
Prince of Saxony. Thousands also will have read
with deep interest the narrative of Mr. Sala, the
Correspondent of the Telrgraps, who was most dis-
gracefully and cruelly treated on the charge of being a
Pruseian spy. Mr. Hall, the artist and ccreespondent
of the Graphic, has been twiee imprisoned as a spy—
once by the Pruesisuis and once by the French; Mr.
Austin, a Correspondent of The Times, Mr. Holdm
worth, of the Daily News, and a gentleman whose
name I forget, who was • trieiating for the Standard,
have all gone through the came ordeal ; and even more
names could be added. In net one of the cause, as far as
canbe learned from the narrative., was there any just
cause for enspicien, and it can only be cenclucled thet
the authorities deeired to throw every obstacle in the
way of these gentlemen, to whom we are all so much
indebted. Dr. Bernell, of The Times, has had the
epecial benefit of the protection of the King of Pram
eia, aid has met with no disanter. I suppoee, by the
way, when this unhappy war is finished we shall have
a bock on the subject from this brilliant miter, and I
hope Mr. Sala will collect and revise hie contributions,.
They ought to be put in a more compact form than the
pages of a daily newspaper.
We have now the true sts ry —there is tenth on tire face
of it— of the escape of the ex•E co p rue. In COM pauy with
her friend and secretary Madame L., tiraou, and with
M. Ferdinand de Leseeps, the affrighted lady fled from
her apartments in the Tuileries tbieogh the long gallery
of the Louvre (many readers may have read the in-
creiption recording how Napoleon the Third united the
two), got out into the street, entered • common cab,
drove to the house of M. de Leseepe, and late in the
evening drove to the terminus of the Northern Railway
recapieg detection by means of a very thick veil, and
rolled safe and uneuepeeted away towards the
Belgian frontier." And her escape must delight all
who read it, unless it be some ultra-Republicazat in
France. She may or may not have had some there in
bringing about the war, but, be this, as it may, he
most have • hard heart indeed who would begrudge
her the recaps that she so daringly made.
The loss of the .Ceptain, turretehip, recalls memories
of that stirring episede ill our naval annals, "when the
-Royal George went down with twice live hundred men."
This eplenclid man-of-war, it will be remembered, wee
overeat at Spithead by the guns rolling to nine 61%
"Twice five hundred men" did not perieh on that lee-
esteem but Admiral Kempenfeldt and nearly all his
numerous crew, with well nigh a hundred women and
some.two hundred deem and others who were driving
bargains on board perished. Snuffboxes mode out of
the timber of the Royal George, and other memorials
of the memorable disaster, are preserved in many
faunae. But it would seem that there are
to be no memorials of the 'ironclad Capiaen. The
noble ship warn "a moment seen, then lest for ever!'
We all know the sad burden of the messengers that
severally came to the patriarch Job—like the melan-
choly refrain of a song—"and I only am ercaped alone
to tell thee." The first accounts of tire sad ealamity
led um to believe that in this, C 383 not rue was
left totell the painful story, but happily we have since
learned that a few were saved Deservedly or
not, the calamity will have the effect of throwing dis-
credit upon Captain Cowper Coleds plans of turret'
ship building, but he has gone down with the ship him-
self and iss beyond the reach of criticism. It no said
too, that beside the loss of Captain Cole, the first
Toad of the Admiralty, and the Under Secretary for
War have each to mourn the loss of • son. The na-
tional lees too, set a time when we are making great
ef forte to increase the efficiency of our war navy, is a
serious one.

From war and the engines of war-fare, it is pleasant
to turn to an act which the Lords of the Admirality have
just performed in the interest of life-preeervation. They
have awarded to Mr. Rogers, the inventor of a ifs-
saving apparatus, 1:200 towards defraying the expenses ,
incurred by him in carrying out experiments showing I
the merits of his invention. This ii more agreeable
reading than narratives of experiments in new modes
of deatroying human life.
The Talking Machine which is being exhibited in
London, is now attracting a good deal of attention. It
certainly is • marvellous invention, and with your
back turned to it you might easily imagine that it,
was • human voice that you hear. But after all what
good is it? None at all, perhaps, except as a proof of the
wonderful inventive powers of man.

A RYRU LT or Yon Viaz.—ln the front page of
Saturday's edition of Galionani's Messenger appearsthe
following :—" We have to claim the indulgence of nor
subsexihers for the diminished form in which the Mes-
senger appears to-day, but the departure of the greater
number of cur compositors in consequence of the ex-
pected siege of Paris leaves us no alternative." Gallo-
nalti appe two pages only instead of tom

HER MAJESTY'S SHIP "CAPTAIN."

The following hu been received front the Secretary of the
Admiralty:— „ .

" AnMesstry, Sept. 12.
" The gunner of the nnfortnnsta ship Captain baq
reached the Admiralty. From his report aml the de.
poeitions f other survivors, it appears that ohs cap.
eired in a heavy squall sh rtly efts r midnight. Captain
Burgoyne, who was on deck, ordered topsails to be
lowered and sheets let ga but in vain. The force of
wind, acting on the rads and on the bot,om of the
hurricane deck proved too much for her stability.
"The following persons, who escaped from Her
Majesty's ehip Captain, and landed at Corcubion, north
of Cape Ficisterre, on the evening of the 7th inst.,
arrived this day at Portsmouth in Her Msjestj steam
chip Vologe
_ _

-
"Mr. James May, gunner- James Ellis, gunner's
mote ; Lewisrry, captain foretop ; Jstnes Harvey,
second captain foretop ;George Bride, coxswain of the
Pinnace- Charles Tre man, lending seaman ; John
Heard, Robert Herd, William Laurence, David Dry-
burgh, and John Walker, able seamen; Jannis Free-
man, Henry Grange, Robert Tomlinson, and -Thoinas
'Genoa, ordinary seamen; Francis Merryman, James
Saunders, and J,l Gobble, blys (first class).
T' nears hole he depositions of the survivor.,
that us.. option; tur I bottom up in a heavy squall,
and went lown n. minutes."

stA:zatzNr ot, 11111..7-ANIEi MAI%

Mr. James f.. gnms. r 'ad elan, etates that he was
aweke .I'A/et tau.. a Itri it on .he night of the tith, by some
marines making a note* •tutside of Ids cabin, and finding the
ship more that. usually nnsteady, he deemed himself to go
ell deck anti ace tithe guns were all right in the turrets. In
posing the engineer's biath.ria, he exchanged a remark
nt.ri the engineer Ole 4. who h le come oil tie first watch,
snil tiltui it. Is certain 55 SU it • being jmt pant twelve
e'clotk. When he got op Int.. the after-turret the ship gave
aver, heavy roll to staeix..d rod continued iu that portion,
gra toady heelka toot i mote anti more, until he found the
water coming irto the point hole on the top of the turret,
throat, which he crawled, and then found himself over-
bard. fie however, succeeded, MI nee other", including
Captain Burtendte, In reaching the steam pinnace, which was
floating bottom uppermost, and oMurving the launch pouring
within a few yards of them he cried out, Now, jump, men ;
(blots your only chance" lie and three othera did co, and
sudiewled in getting into the boat. They in lair. endeavoured
to regain the pinnace to save tru ir captain, but the sea
running so very high prevented tLem fultiUlog their task.
awl in the attempt they were struck oy a heavy sea, nearly
swamping the 0.-at, end washing one Mall .GeOrgO Myers)
overboard. It mm then determined to let the boat run before
the ma as the lard was known to be to leeward of them.
Abell; two o'clock they sighted the light en Cape Ywieterre,
and afterwards observed laud. They made for it, and rue,
ceeded in landing about noon of the its at lini,terre, and
at four 'clock, after makirg all necessary inquiries, and
drying their clothes, proceeded to Ceti:ebb-al, where they ,
found the vice consul, who telegraphed and rent the news
of the and disaster through Commie to England. The I
Monarch's beats picked then, up. Mr. May speaks highly of
the manner in which Charles Treganua steered thia oar.