The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-08-06 00:00:00

Our IConoiny Qtanoponbot.

(We deem it riuht to state that we do not nt aT.tin
Identity must Ives with our cowespendcut.'.• oninions.J,

News relating to the war comes upon Olin such an
avalanche that the papers appear to have room f. 'r little
else, and certaiuly no other eubjsct poseesses such
general intereet. You will expect no news from me
but it is difficult to re train from comment. The more
read about tliis alLabsorbing subject the more I feel
that on both ;aides it is a needless war, and that it will,
in all probability, be no cruel anal sanguinary, so awful
and desolating, that the human mind cannot conceive
its horrors. War in always sanguinary, "but this most
foul and unutterable." It is impossible to deny, too,
that our danger is considerable, through Belgium, the
neutrality and independence of which we are bound to
protect. Who could express surprise if, in spite of
ourselves, we are dragged head and shoulders into this
awful war? As to the probable result of the war to
the two great combatant', I have not the vanity to
offer any opinior, but I can weigh and estimate C:e
opinions of the able writers who deal with this sul ject
in the leading journals, and from these I gather that
the balance of opinion is in favour of France
getting the worst ef the struggle, that in one respect
it m -ay be hoped that it will be so because the war in
that case will he s •ouer over than should the Prussians
suffer several defeats, for the Prussians have for
greater strength in reserve than the French; that
France has been eating on the offensive, and had the
start of her enemy, but that rtllBNill has been steadily
making way, and will ere long force the war lin French
soil ; and that Prussia is developing a naval strength
which is surprising. But whatever tho result, we may
I k upon the means as the most horrible that human
ski!, influenced by the devilry of malice, can employ,
and we n ay well shudder when we think of she horrors
in store for the "civilised" we rid.

The Emperor Napoleon has been rather a mysterious
personage of I ste. Not long ago we were told that he
was very seriously ill, that be was suffering from an
aggravated attaa k of dysentery and from a complication
of disorders, and that it was doubtful whether he
would go to the war at all. Simultaneously with this,
we were elsewhere informed that he was in excellent
health. We were told, too, that he had lint been seen
for several days; that he had left Paris to head the
army ; that he had gone with the Baltic fleet; and
many other rumours concerning him were spread.
Rumours, however, noon gave way to facts, and we
learnt that the Emperor bad left St. Cloud (thirteen
days only after the declaration of war), and sub-e-
-quently that he had been most enthusiastically received
at Metz. His proclamation to the army, issued from the
imperial head-quarters in that town, mwt have been
generally read with deep inter, at. There isone passage
in it winch is as sad as it is interesting. The war, he
tells the world, "will be a long and a severe one, since
it will have for the scene of its operations places fall
of fortresses and obstacles." Coming from tnich an
authority such an announcement is calculated to in-
crease the horror which the war excited. But how
can the Emperor tell that the war will be long and
severe f He is mortal and fallible like the rest of us,
and he cannot even tell how long the war will last -for
him.

The Board of Trade returns clearly prove what was
previously generally understood, that trade and coin.
mercy had very considerably revived at the date when
war broke out. Our imports of wheat and other
cereal products, as well as of provisions, show that the
peop'.e bad more purchasing power than before, and
there was a considerable increase in the import of
cotton, wool, silk, &c., just showing the same fact,
Our exports during the first six months of this
year had also largely increased as compare,' with
the first half of the year IS69,—another proof of
the revival of business. At the time when this horrid
war was declared we were indeed in a very good corn.
mercial position, and were daily proaressing. Widle
speculating on the deadening effect of continental
warfare, it is satisfactory to find that j tureale of high
authority on matters of finance do not take a gloomy
view of "the [situation." One of these, after reviewing
recent events, eaye : "We see no cause for unneces-
sary alarm, for in many points we may even derive
advantages from the misfortunes I f others. Larger
sums of money will he disbursed at home ; and an ex-
cellent opportunity presents itself for many of our own
manufacturers." It is to be hoped this will be veri-
fied, though it would be better still if our success were
not based on the misfortunes of others. Meanwhile,
it cannot be denied that the war is having a great effect
on oar home trades—not so much in the man at pre-
sent, as in detail. Some departments of trade are
'ugly profiting by it, but it is to be feared that other
departments to a greater extent, are being injured
by it. One out of many results may be noted—
in London, Manchester, Liverpool, she , there were
in the commercial houses, drevious to the declaration
of war, a great many German clerks. Their number
has now been con-iderably thinned by the Prussians
going to the war, and, as a natural consequence, their
pines have partly been filled by Englishmen. "It is
an ill wind that Mewls nobody s Clad."
The session will probably be brought to a close on
Thursday the 11th, Prat in time for the opening of the
campaign on the Mows, which interests conic people
more than that other dreadful campaign which forms
the topic of the day. The momentous character of that
great struggle is shown, amongst other things, by the
intention of Miuisters to carry a Lill enabling her
Majesty to convoke Parliament within six days instead
of fourteen, as the law now stem's. This of course is
on account of the war, into which we may, in spite of
all the efforts that Government may make, be dragged
at any moment. At present, however, Conservatives
and Liberals have confidence that Ministers will do all
in their power to teer the State ship rear of rocks
ahead. The session will not be found to have been
quite so eventful a one as was promised at its corn.
mencernent, but it is probably not at all remarkable in
this. The end of a session always more or less dis-
advantageously compares with its beginning. Promise
is greater than performance. Besides other matter;
however, we shall have two grand subjects settled—at
least, for a long time to come—the Irish land question
and national education. The session that produces
two stch triumphs of legislation cannot be said to be
wholly uneventful.

Here is a little fact which is far more suggestive than
it seems at first fiett. A well known printseller has
presented a valuable collection of engravings for
the decoration of the walls at the Royal Free Hospi-
tal. I hope the example will be followed. I have been
in many hospitals, and have always noticed the dreary
blankness of the walls. To a casual visitor, merely
passing through a hospital to see souse poor Mend
this is a matter of little consequence ; but suppcse you
are the "poor friend." Suppose you have to lie, hour
after hour -with a broken leg, we will Pay—in a room
withtut the vesti,e of ornament. The walls, like
every other part of the room, are painfully clean, but
they are painfully bare; they are wainscotted or white-
washed, as even, as regular, and as destitute of ornas
ment as the rails on a railway. Now what a boon it
would be to the poor patients were there a few plc-
ores on the walls— for instance some of these familiar
et'ourerl eogravings given with the Illustrated Lon-
don Nara. The outlay would not be large, and in the
end the cost would be less than nothing, for when the
mind is pleased and interested and entertained, the
body is more susceptible of medical treatment. Seeing
that doctors sea rule fully admit this it is surprising
that our hospital walls remain so blank and dreary as
they are.

During some generally untnteresting law proceedings
a most strange fact has transpired awl ich not only has
interest for the present generation, but which bids fair
to entertain posterity. The late Dr. Rowland Wil-
liama (one of the celebrated authors of" Essays and
Reviews ") has left money to pay the town-crier of
Eampeter to proclaim, about mideummer, on a market
day, in that town, "that 1, Rowland Williams, never
coneented to the election of George Lewellin to a
ecbolsrslaip in this college ; hut in this, as in other
things. I west h ully slandered by men in high places,"
drc. This will is dated nine years ago, and the rev.
doctor died only a few rrontr a air. cs. This extra-
ordinary bequest. I puppet e, will be carried out. But
what a strange affair it will be, eepccially years hence,
when everybody will have forgotten the whole dispute.
It is a curious mode of keeping alive ecclesiastical
quarrels.

A lady advertines in the Patin papern that she is oren
to take the tcnition ornamental guest at dinner
parties." What &droll poeition ! Is she very beautiful,
or peculiarly graceful in her manners or is she merely
A good talker? Really, when you come to think of it
(or when you d n't) it is not such a stupid offer after
all. Theodore Hook, you knosi, used to be invited to
dinner-parties because he was such a humorous and
entertaining guest, and once upon a time was rendered
savage by a young girl innocently repeating her
mamma's wish, that he would "begin to be
funny." And how many young ladies and
gentlemen are asked "out" for no better reason
than bee nue they can sing or tell a good story. It is
rather droll certainly to advertise one's accomplish-
ments in thin way— for sale, but still many a private
party that goes off very flatly might be rendered very
agreeable by an "ornamental guest."

President Grant has comninnicated I o the A inerinn
(Senate the substance of the correspondence which has passed
between the British and A In.rican 0 mernments relativa to
the A tacit/au claims Lord Clarendon, in a letter to Mr
Motley, dated the 211 h of May, said her Majesty's Govern-
ment believed that for the settlement of the ipie•tion at
tune it was neither useful nor expedient to continue a con-
troversial correspondence, in which there was so little hope
of one Government convincing the other.