The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-04-17 00:00:00

Nittropolttan 6ossip.
BS OUR OWN Mt:IWO:08NT.

remarks under this head ore to be regarded as the ex-
pi own of independent opinion, :,din the pun of a gentleman
in whom we have the greatest cc iitidence. hut for widala we
nevertheiess do not hold oursuive., esponbibled
-

Comparatively few perhaps have waded through the
long speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
brilliant though it is, but most people have mastered
the leading points of the great Budget speech, inasmuch
as this is a breeches-pocket question. And very
agreeably disappointed have most of 1113 been. It was
pretty generally thought that at the very least we must
expect no diminution of taxation, while it was thought
probable that additional taxes would be found
necessary, consequent on the nine millions for the
Altyninian war. But instead of this, Mr. Lowe takes
a penny off the income-tax, removes the shilling duty
on corn, abolishes entirely the fire insurance duty, the
hair.powder duty (a stupid and trumpery little tax),
remodels and simplifies the duties on locomotion and
relieves the cab interest, and abolishes the license for
Belling tea. I have heard staunch Conservatives
speak l.ihly of this Budget, and oa the whole it
decidedly gives satisfaction, not only in itself but in
reference to what might have been expected. Mr.
Lowe has made his Ekbut as a Chancellor of the
Exchequer und,r very favourable circumstances, null
his reputatiou stands higher than ever. The Budget
as a whole has been very favourably received, and has
increased public confidence and business actii ity. The
new mode of collecting taxation, by Government
instead of parochial officers which is now inaugurated,
will, it appears to be generally thought, prove a de-
cided improvement on the old system. This may be
regarded as smother blow at the petty parochial system
which every day becomes less and less adapted to
society. Long ago the late Prince Consort remarked
that representative institutions were on their trial,
an assertion that has since been notably verified. It
may now be said that parochial institutions are on
their trial, and solar as they have been tried they have
been found wanting.
Now that the hitherto heavy duty on cabs is re-
duced to a merely nominal duty we may fairly look
for what we have long been asking, improved cabs.
Here and there we may see rather a smart Hansom
with a good horse, but they are the exceptions, and
our four-wheelers are far from what they should be;
they are frequently old, worn-out, dirty vehicles, not
fit for any respectable rider. Cab-proprietors replied
to all grumbling by asserting that they were so heavily
taxed, that they could not afford better cabs, but this
excuse will hold good no longer; and moreover the
lighter taxation will naturally induce more competi-
tion, which will have the ordinary result—improved
service.
The directors of our Fire Assurance offices generally
appear to have had immediate confidence in the adop-
tion or the Chancellor of the Exchequer's proposal to
abolish the duty, for no sooner was the announcement
made public than many of the offices sent out notices
either that policies would henceforth be issued tree of
duty or that they would be issued for the interveniug
period till the 24th of June. There is no doubt that
the removal of the duty will greatly promote fire in-
surance business, and probably a few more offices will
be started. There will now be less excuse than ever
for not insuring one's property, aud as this department
of business will increase we shall less frequently hear
of the terrible calamity that fire entails as well as
causes immediately.
England and Canada will, there is reason to hope,
both profit by the resolution at which the Hudson's Bay
Company haa just arrived, to accept the proposal of our
Government to purchase their exclusive rights over
same millions of acres in British North America, for the
sum of £300,000 Canada will have to pay the money,
which is to be raised by loan, so that our own country
will not have to pay a farthing; but we shall largely
profit nevertheless. An immense territory will now be
opt ned up to our unemployed artisans, mechanics, farm
labourere, Stc., and it is earnestly to be hoped that
Parliament will now speedily turn its attention to some
scheme of national emigration. This topic is now be.
coining of increasing interest among our working
classes, and there is little doubt that during the spring
and summer of the present year emigration to the
Dominion will be considerably increased, whether
Government materially aid the movement or not. As
incidentally supporting this view it may be mentioned
that at a meeting of the Canada Company, a few days
ago, the shareholders were told in the report that their
prottpects were brighteaing on account of the stream of
emigration that would undoubtedly set in towards
Canada. Over and above the employment question,
the emigration of English, and Scotch workmen—we
cannot or'a; s speak so confidently of Irishmen—will
be a benefit politically to the mother country, if we are
to maintain Canada, in strengthening a territory on
which Americans are often said to look with envious
and longing eyes.
We have among sin a high and mighty potentate,
HAUL Mensoor All, the Nawab of Bengal, or the
Nabob, as he is commonly called. He is staying at
the Alexandria Hotel, Hyde Park, where his little
bill has been arranged beforehand, at the modest
charge of £350 per eight days, being £5O more than he
paid during the game period for staying at the Grand
Hotel, Paris. This seems an enormous sum for the
great man and his servants, but then, if report speaks
truly, his apartments will have to be renovated when
he leaves them, owing to the Hindu° custom of cook-
ing in their bedrooms. But no doubt he is a very
desirable customer nevertheless. He paid £5O for one
night, for instance, at Calais, and the same sum for a
night's lodging at Dover. The illustrious stranger is
anxiously looked out for whenever he takes his rides
abroad!
This is the age of international exhibitions, and
perhaps the thing is likely to be rather overdone. The
Paris Exhibition of 1867 was, undoubtedly, on the
whole a grand and glorious success, but it seems pro-
bable that it will as it were give birth to a number of
failures. The Maritime Exhibition at Havre last year
excited very little general interest and Great Britons
did not trouble themselves to visit it. There is to be an
international exhibition at Amsterdam this year, but I
can discover no traces of enthusiasm anywhere in re.
epect to it. Of course, we cannot expect the Dutch to
be enthusiastic about anything, but none of what may
be called the warm-blooded nations appear to take any
interest in it. In 1871 there is to be a monster exhi-
bition at Lyons, the silk city, but the period appears '
now so distant that no one out of this great commer-
cial town can be expected to care two straws about it
for a long time yet. And nevertheless these inter-
national exhibitions are important and interesting, as
marking the progress of art and manufactures, and as
bringing together men of all nations to compare notes
as to the progress of commerce, trade, and civilisation.
There is now, every Sunday afternoon, preaching in
front of the Royal Exchange, seats being provided
and the services being conducted by some known
minister. These meetings are held under the sanction
of the Lord Mayor, A Unitarian—his permission, not
his patronage. The question arises whether authorised
street preaching might not be desirable, and it is a
question that will bear a great deal of argument. I
have listened hundreds of times to street preachers,
and I do not intentionally exaggerate when I say that
not one in twenty spoke grammatically, and that it is
not uncommon to hear such language as must disgust
people of even ordinary education, while the ribald
remarks of sonic among the crowd lead one to ask
whether more harm than good is not thus done. But
officially sanctioned preaching by educated men, with
seats provided for hearers, would be a very different
thing.

--- --
There are more clubs in the world than are dreamt
of in the philosophy of most of us. I see that the
members of the Dictionary Club have been dining
together. Ido not remember to have heard of it
before, but I see among the names of its members those
of several men of eminence in literature. What can
the Dictionary Club be A society of learned philo-
logists, perhaps, who meet to discuss the meaning of
abstruse words and recondite phraseology. Philology
is a very interesting and useful study; but like many
other pursuits, it has its devotees, men who will spend
days and nights in hunting old authors to discover
when such and such a word was first used, and who are
in the seventh heaven of delight at discovering that a
particulAr word was "probably" first used three
centuries ago, but whose delight is in due time changed
to chagrin when some other devotee discovers the same
lii a look half a century older. The Atlvnreurn
is the favourite storehouse for such wondrous dis-
coveries which deeply interest, no doubt, the members
of the Dictionary Club, but which do cot appear to
exercise the slightest influence on society.
Several persons have recently been convicted for
sending to the new meat market, meat unfit for food,
but even though imprisonment has been the punish.
ment swan ded them, there are still persons bold enomdi
to attempt to enrich themselves by the same unlaa ful
means, regardless cf the injury to their fellow
beings, and we therefore want more rigid laws
as to the detection of such crimes, and for their
punishment, though in the former respect we have
touch advanced since the establishment of the monster
market to wills this awful stuff was consigned. And
now a word :0 ,011 t butter. I read that & provision
dealer here pqrchased the other day twenty casks of
butter, at 23 per cent, below trade price, and
that on piercing "the material" he found a material
difference ! the outside of the compound being pure
butter and the interior being fit for nothing but carts
grease! "Served him right" perhaps for more
reasons thnn one but still two questions occur—first,