The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-05-19 00:00:00

Our Fonbon Corrtspouknt.

[We teem it right to state that we do not at all times
identVy ourselves with our correspondent's opinions.]

Time was when the "merry month of May" was :
the theme of graphic descriptions of poets and prose
writers, who delighted to depict the time "when bees
from flower to flower did hum." As the years go on
May becomes less genial, and so far as the opening of
the month this year was concerned, it was rather more
cheerless in its aspect than usual, and certainly the
temperature was often lower than it was amid the
south-westerly breezes of December. May has fre-
quently been characterised by clear easterly winds in
the day time and by keen frosts at night, the atmols-
pheric conditions falling several degrees below the
mild Ilhowery weather of April. But in the first half of
the present May there were few redeeming features,
or gloomy skies,, told winds, and equally cold rains
prevailed. The ungenial spring, following so closely
upon a succession of bad summers for the agricultural
infereat, lends colour to the contention of those who

from recent indications, declare
.that the climate of
t—Eneartd is deteriorating. It certainly is not what it
was. .
*The May Meetings, notwithstanding the gloomy
weather; have been well 'attended; tlni).?Earl af"Shaftes..l
bury, as in the .difieVettit•rtiklNEVilliir VciiVe • pari'
In these annual gatherings. , When the London"
Tavern was an inltitaition of the-City, it Wired with.
the Maneiori-isoistha:..diatilAtam 'of being. We pvrei
cipal place of resort eaStward for public meetings; but
since its 'demolition the'preference has gone west-
ward, to Willis's Rooms, and atroVe all to Exeter Hall.
Lord Shafteekrery, with. the,waight of neoreAhan four-
" score years upon his shonlaers; Weems as 'active as evt,
jni the-pave! freligkn nd. philanthropy. •- lons
experience of the .organipticip. s whoseLclAimS he:adva;
eates enables hiro dea marveltoris
with each as it comes before him, and though he is
often at four, or five meetings
.a day, the audience at
wiSr7 sepitrate and Ilistinet;
suppose that he had made a special study only of that
' Which they were attending.
The brief reams taken by the House of Commons, _
although devoted by its six hundred members tci dif-
feregt wept of recreation, - will be plied by its pre-
siding 'offigito rest only: ' Tie speaker is grateful
enough for his-week or ten days off duty. To sit- in
the chair ten hours at a stretch,- with only twenty
minutes out of its for refieihmenk tio be so sleettesst bit
his watchfulness that he must be ever ready:toetttfe
a point of order when appeale4 to, and to do this work
: a.knearly seventy years of age, is an exacting round of
duty which, although. handsomely rewarded -by the -
State, is worthy of all the recognition which the
country extends to it.
Although the Whitsuntide holidays have the effect
of bringing many visitors to town, the Parliamentary
recess has a set-off in the temporary suspension of the
London season in many quarters—Cabinet Ministers
and private members alike availing themselves of the
opportunity to indulge in the healthy enjoyments of
country life. So far, the fashionable season, from
the tradesman's point of view, has not been a
success. The continuation of wintry weather well
on 'towards the longest day of summer has re-
sulted in the absence of fashionable crowds and
the wealth of gay costume usually to be found at
this time of the year at the popular resorts. If
the return of our legislators, however, be but accom-
panied by the genial breezes which have been poetically
ascribed to the month of flowers, the art galleries and
park rides will be crowded by gay assemblies by day,
and long lines of carriages will be seen at night out.
aide the brilliantly lighted mansions of Belgravia and
Kensington. The reproach that the English are a
nation devoid of artistic instinct does not seem to be
warranted in view of the interest which is now mani-
fested in painters and their works. The many public
and private galleries with which the metropolis
abounds are daily visited by thousands of people.
Of course the Royal Academy occupies the first place
in fashionable attention, but the new location of the
Society of Painters in Water Cobura is a popular
resort, and is well worthy of more than one visit.
Owing probably to the circumstance that admission
Le not obtainable without taking some little treuble in
tnalOng application in advance, one of the most in-
tereating public establishments in the metropolis is
visited by a comparatively small number of people.
The Royal Mint, on Tower-hill, a neighbourhood rich
in historical associations, is just recovering from a
prolonged process of renovation and extension, and is
more than ever worthy of a visit. It had been found
that the buildings and appliances which were designed
more than seventy years ago were not equal to meeting
the demands of the financial world in an age when
. millions are talked of with the same freedom as thou-
sands were a generation ago. The new coining press
room, however, is a splendid illustration of the per-
fection of modern machinery, the fourteen presses
which it contains being capable In time of pressure
of turning out as many as 75,600 pieces in an
hour, which, it must be admitted, taking into
consideration the accuracy and delicacy with which the
process has to be performed, is a marvel of rapidity.
Owing to the state of disruption into which the
establishment has been thrown by the work of
alteration extending over ten months, no gold was
coined during the past year, but over three million and
a-half silver pieces were produced. It may not be
generally known that although fourpenny, twopenny,
and penny pieces have been withdrawn from general
circulation, over twenty thousand of these coins in the
aggregate were struck last year for the purposes of
the Royal charity known as Maundy Money. The
bronze coin last year was made by a Birmingham
firm- hitc4Lif4.l 71 1 t-1

'er

Those whose occupations or engagements lead them
into the streets of London Low, just before the cold
grey dawn begins to light the sky, and meet the
waggons piled high with perishable commodities of all
kinds for the metropolitan markets, must be struck
with the immense work involved in provisioning such
a densely populated area. There is no doubt that the
natural action of the laws of supply and demand
meets the wants of the people much better than could
the adminittrative skill of any central commissariat
authority, but still it is necessary for public bodies to
provide facilities for bringing the producer and the
consumers into contact. It is true that this could be
done more effectually than it is at present, but the
Corporation of London have just completed an
important work in that direction. The opening
of the new fish market near the Holborn Viaduct,
Which has been constructed at an expenditure of nearly
half a million of money, will, it is hoped, reduce the
price of a delicious article of food from the present
practically prohibitive rate to a point at which the
middle and lower clauses may participate in what
has hitherto been simply a luxury for the rich. Lon-
don is now possessed of some splendid markets, but at
a cost which could only be borne by the richest city in
the world. In addition to the efforts of private indi-
viduals the Corporation have spent about three- mil-
lions for this purpose within a few years.
Whatever may be the Laureate's opinion as to the
direction in which a young man's thoughts turn in the
zeason. of Spring, to judge by the conversation in the
railway 'trains which daily carry their thousands to
Ludgate-hill, Ifoorgate-street, Broad. street, Liver-
pool-street, and other centres of the City, cricket
occupies the chief place in his regard. As a matter
of fact, more cricket is probably talked in London
than in the provinces. Every large commercial
establishment, whether it be concerned in bullion
or in buttons, has its cricket club in connection
with it, and the Saturday half-holiday sees scores,
if not hundreds, of matches decided, the week being
occupied in the enjoyments of anticipation, partioi-
'cation, or recapitulation. The result is that the
youth of the great city, so far from being dull

• and det.ressed and " sicklied o'er with the pale
cast of thought," can compare favourably in
spirits and phytdque with those of similar age and
ozcupation in the c untry. uncongenial weaLher Lai
tabus far ireventd he fashionable gatherings to wit-
t-ness the game at Lord's, or the great popular assemblies
at the Ofal, but unfavourable meteorological condi-
tiOna have little effect in repressing the ardour of the
.. members of the many minor city and suburban clubs.
There seems, therefore, no ground for fear that
"Young England" will sacridce its physical strength
in the process of cultivating the mind. In fact cricket

is much more congenial than the classics.
The International Chess Tournament is being fol-
lowed with keen interest by a surprisingly large
number of people, and the interest is growing as the
contest is prolqnged. The admirers of "the king of
gam*" have certainly the merit of catholic and
cosmopolitaß sympathies, and the success of English
or. Continental combatants is subordinated to the
attractions of the game itself, although some people
would scarcely designate as a game a keen intellectual
etruggle extending over eight or nine hours. In an
age when so much is said about the absorbing
interest of business, it is refreshing to find how
many citizens take an interest in chess. In
addition to the many private clubs where the
.game is largely played, there are many well-
knoWn coffee-houses in the City where almost any
afternoon or even:ng a visitor can depend on find-
-
...mg, men of various nationalities., engaged in a fierce
but-friendly contest. Tournaments on a small scale

take place regularly,: and to those personally inter-
ested an d their intimate fripnds are almost of as much
importance as the international competition which is
now in progress.

The weather of Whit-Monday was unpropitious so
far as concerned those who had looked forward to
spend a pleasant Bank Holiday. Within fortreight

hours were witnessed some of those remarkable change
which are so characteristic of our latitudes. On Satur-
day there was a stiff gale, with rain, and gloomy
skies; Sunday was a day of summer calm and bright-
ness ; and during the greater part of Monday rain
fell almost continuously, but not heavily. There was
qnite enough to make the atmospheric conditions very
dull and extremely uncomfortable for those who on such
occasions seek amusement and recreation. The greatest
of all the attractions in London was the International
Fisheries' Exhibition which had been opened by the
Prince of Wales on behalf of the Queen with such a
brilliant ceremonial on the previous Saturday. It
appears that the number of persons who passed the
turnstiles on Bank Holiday was 44,000, and the
receipts amounting to about £4,000. A fish dinner
with potatoes included for sixpence, is not a common
experience in the metropolis, and the fact that it was
open to any visitor to the Exhibition as an investment
probably accounted for-,lt considerable proportion-of
the multitude that made its way to South Kensington.