The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-05-13 00:00:00

Qtrll:oo6til orrisponbtitt.

IVO deem it right to state that we de 1,,.t at all lima
Ilimaity ourselves with our rorre,pottiltiit's

The sanguinary internecine strife between French
and French, between the Versailles troops and the
Paris Commune, continues with bitter hatred, and ap-
parently with no hope of a speedy settlement It Is
all very well for M. Thiers to speak of the hour ap-
proaching which ehall terminate the anxiety of Paris
and all France ; that is merely well-meaning promise
of that kind which has been so often falsified in the
recent history of the country. But may not this hour
be approaching in a sense different to that which the
venerable statesman means? It has been frequently
stated of late that the Germans will interfere if the
insurrection be not cpeedily put down. The last state-
ment to this effect, I.ke most of those which preceded
it, has been as dttinitely denied as it was definitely
made; but if another statement be trne, German inter-
ference is certainly looming in the future, and a not
very distant future. It is said that convoys of pro-
visions for Paris have been intercepted by the Prue-
Diane, and that they decline to give the Commune
any explanation of the fact, if fact it be. This is
very suggestive as it stands, and clearly foreshadows
German interference. Nor on the whole is this per-
haps to be feared, for in all probability it would
speedily put an cud ti the insurrection, and ena' In
France to form a stable Government. But what kind
of Government? I will not attempt an answer to a
question which is just now being very generally asked.
The incompetency of France to form a li,publican
Government is well nigh demonstrated. Is she once
again to pass from anarchy to despatiein ?
lit. Livingstone, the hardy and intrepid explorer,
has done the world such great service that it is not
wonderful that general interest is felt in his move-
menta ; but it has been very tantalizing, during the
last year or two, to receive such contradictory accounts
about him. Now we have been told that when last
heard of he was quite safe; that he had been seen by
some unmentionable tribe at some (to the public) un-
recognizable place ; then we have been told that he
was somewhere or other under most dangerous cir-
cumstances ; then that he had been murdered by
savages ; and now we have the good news that the
doctor is safe. He was, it appears from official
Information sent to the Foreign Office, at Manakozo
in October lag, awaiting the supplies which had been
sent to hint. Though not one person in a million may
know where Manakos tle, still we are all glad that the
missionary doctor is safe somewhere or other, and we
hope ere long to hear that he is in good health, as
well as safe. What a muvellously adventurous life
has his been !

Some of the statistics of the Religious Tract Society,
which has just held its annual meeting, are little less
than astounding. During toe year the society has
issued .60 liflC public:at iouP, including 117 tracts, be-
sides six periodicals; and the circulation of the society's
publications amounted to 40,727,471 from the central
dgpt, and 8,5400,000 from the foreign.d4Ots; together
amounting to some forty.nine and a itiarter millions of
publications, and making the grand total of copies of
publications circulated since the formation of the
society, 1,3,•A ! Now, whatever opinion may
be entertained as ti the objects and scope of the
society generally, It must generally be admitted that
by its operations the world on the whole is benefited.
And what a vast improvement there has been in the
society's publications on the whole. They are broader
and more liberal in their tone than they were within
the memory of most of us ; while as to their artistic
and practical execution there has been a wondrous
improvement ; and yet not wondrous when we
call to mind how much woo I•engraving and printing
have advanced of late years. And, by the way, what a
mit advance there has been in the character of popular
literature :,'e rally ! Books, Lewspapers, and periodi.
calls throughout the United Kingdom now are very
different to what they were, say twenty years ago; they
are cheaper and better, and Mfinit. ly more numerous;
readers have enormously increased ; and society on the
whole nrist have been greatly benefit- I by this
development of literature and journalism. If a nation
may b 3 judged, as doubtless it may, by its paper and
print, surely we have some cause to be proud and much
cause to be thankful.

It may safely be predicted that there will be great
opposition to the official decree that has just been pro-
mulgated, that after a certain date the postmasters
shall be prohibited from pnichasing postage stamps of
the public; and in fact, it is not difficult to discover
the eigneof the approaching storm. The permission to
sell stamps at a past-office at a small discount has been
a great boon to the public—so great and so un:vereally
admitttd that I need not ins!st on it. Jut as crest
as this boon has been will be the dissatisfaction if the
boon be withdrawn.

[am sorry to read of the indisposition of Mr. Mantis,
the conductor of the Crystal Palace concerts, and hope
he may soon be him3elf again. This g ntleman has
really done much towards the popularisation of high-
class music. The Crys'al Palace management has had
a decided effect in raising the taste of the public, and
this result is in a gr. at measure owing to Mr. Moons,
who has almost unlimited control of the musical ar-
rangements, though he may not have it nominally.

Good news comes from the South Pembrokeshire
coast, where • large oyster bed haB been discovered. It
Is said that the bed extends for about six miles in
length (how much in breadth?) that the oysters are
large, and that the take of some of the vessels engaged
in dredging has been unusually large. For years past
oysters have been getting dearer and dearer, and all
the efforts of the scientific oyster-cultivators seem to
have been more or leas failures, while they certainly
have not cheapened the "delicious bivalve" and
"toothsome mollusc," which are the fine phrases for
"oyster." Apropos of our food supplies, new potatoes
are toadying in large quantities from Lisbon, and in
very g teal condition, so that our marketgardeners
must prepare for a new field of competition. The fact
Is remarkable, owing to the long-continued laziness of
the Portuguese. With a tine soil and climate they
export very little compared to what they might
easily send no. As to the p,rt wine that we are
supposed to get from Portugal, that may almost
be said to be a pleasant fiction, for perhaps
three-fourths of it are manufactured elsewhere.
The genuine Portuguese port, as the nativeo drink
it, is very different to port made for the English
market, and the pure wine is not so "nice" as that
which they send us. As to the new potatoes that the
soddenly enterprising Portuguese are sending no, we
can take them all, but why does not Portugal take our
manufactures in return? This badly governed and
stupidly atagnant country is a century behind most
other nations', and imposes such heavy import duties on
(to thorn) foreigu manufactures that they well nigh
prohibit them. If the Portuguese cannot make up
their minds to free trade, they should at least favour
the principle of reciprocity.
Such phrases as "London is full," or "very full"
(the tter a ridiculous phrase by the bye)—" London
Is empty "—there is nobody in town,"—and so on, are
often hacked about without much reason, and perhaps
It is hardly correct to gay that I never remember
London so fuU as it is now, but this at all events
expresses my meaning. London tradesmen, ittc., haNe
been lookirg forward to the present being a good
season, and it wool! seem that they are not likely to
be disappointed. There are immense numbers o
viaitors here from all parts of the world, besides the
members of the Legislature and others who stay in the
metropolis during the semen; and the consequence is
that "heaps of money" are being spent in gaiety,
amusement, and trade. Trade generally is pretty
brisk here, despite the grumbling which never ceases
entirely, and theatres and places of entertainment are
in full swing. We have two Italian operas and French
plays at three theatres—a thing that never occurred in
London before ; and then we have the Royal Academy
and other picture exhibitions, and taehionable and on.
fashionable concerts innumerable. The International
Exhibition, too, now that the Queen has visited it and
that the prices have been brought down to the popular
pocket, will become nir re generally patronised, as it
deserves to be. As to the hotels and lodgiog-housen,
the landlords and landladies are doing a very brisk
business. I know of one case which illustrates this.
A foreign family were driven about for five hours the
other day before they could find hotel accommodation
—an exceptional CIRO perhaps, but still it is a fact to
the point.