The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-12-05 00:00:00

Our cironboii Coutspithent.
[We deem it right to state th‘t we do r,ot at all tlmas
Pftutify ourselves with our Correspondent's opin:ons.l

It is not often that the people in this busy
metropolis take an interest in the politics of the
far north of Scotland, but most people here will
experience a feeling of relief when the return of
the election in Orkney and Shetland comes to
hand. From that distant and almost inaccessible
district, where the people have different habits
and a strange speech, will come the last of the
present elections; and "when the hurly-burly's
done, when the battle's lest and won," social and
commercial life will once more flow in their
accustomed channels. The check to business
which the City experiences during a general
election represents an almost fabulous amount.
In many of the large warehouses orders have
been nearly at a standstill, country cus-
tomers given up to local contest having
put off to some more convenient season
all but the meet urgent business. Thus
the accumulation of work will make the few
weeks intervening between this and Christmas
an unusually active time in the "great hive of
industry."
Beyond the very few people directly concerned
it is not known that for the first time the Queen
has been kept daily and immediately informed of
the results of the elections, but such is the case.
To save the time which would be occupied in
conveying the information through the usual
official channels, arrangements were made for the
transmission to Windsor of the polling in the
various constituencies in the kingdom directly
they were made known, so that her
Majesty was able to tell hour by horn
how the feeling of the country was being
expressed. This is significant of Ilia close
interest which was being taken in high quarter s
in the struggle between the two great parties.
In all circles this interest centinued to grow as
day by day the results were FO nearly eqt al.
Naturally the Premier was an attentive observe;
of the current of public opinion, and the Marquis
of Salisbury, at his country seat at Hatfield, was
kept informed in the same way as her MajEsty.
It is needless to say that the result of the con-
test in Midlothian—and, in the case of the
-Queen, of the candidature of the Marquis of
Lorne at Hampstead—were particularly inquired
for.

By this time politics have probably become a
"weariness to the flesh," but one cannot help
remarking on the growth of political interest
which has marked the contests in the Metro-
politan boroughs. This has been shown not so
much by sound and fury as by the wonderful
increase in the number of doctors who have re-
corded their votes. And in this connection it
could not help being noticed how differently a
London crowd behaves on the occasion of an
election contest to that of a crowd in the
country. In one division especially, where the
struggle was very keen and party feeling strong,
:ncidents which in a country borough would have
led to free fights were taken in good humour as if
practical jokes were a necessary and seasonable
accompaniment. Not that the London rough
can claim any refinement of manner over his
country cousin; but the former is used to cro
and, which is perhaps still more to the point, to
the close observation and by no means ta ly
application of force on the part of the police.
Turning from a subject which, with all its ex-
citement, at last grows monotonous, the death
of the Duke of Somerset deserves mention. By
his decease the Queen loses a Privy Councillor;
and another Garter, the most coveted of honours,
is placed at the disposal of her Majesty's advisers.
Dukes cannot help being leaders of society, but his
Grace could hardly be described as a society man.
The country was more congenial to him, and he led
a very simple life at his Devonshire seat, Stover-
park, pleasantly situated between Newton
Abbot and Bovey Tracey. His simplicity of
manner and dress was amusingly illustrated by
the incident which came under my own observa-
tion. At the time he was First Lord, and with
the other Lords of the Admiralty, was making
the annual inspection of the dockyards, now, I
am sorry to say, many years ago, he was ap-
proached by a local reporter on a railway station
in his own county, and asked who were the
members of the distinguished company then
present. After giving the names of his com-
panions the duke added, "And then there is
myself." "And who may you be,my good man ?"
said- the reporter, under the impression that ht
was speaking to a kind of superior servant
to one of the party. "0! I? " replied his Grace,
with some amusement, "I am the First Lord, the
Duke of Somerset."

r,,,I.SC\I4,P7;,SNINVfaIy lihmifilul)lsAd6/1 ill'eaties.
Such pieces as "The Private Secretary,"" The
Magistrate," and "The Great Pink Pearl" are
assured successes, and will not be followed by
new pieces for some time to come, judging by
present appearances. At other theatres the
management have done well by such revivals as
" Falka " and "The Colleen Bawn." A genuine
novelty, however, is promised at the Gaiety
Theatre this month, in the shape of the Indian
Victoria Parsee Company, who will play in
Hindostanee and English in a selection from
native and other pieces. There are scarcely
enough of our Indian fellow-subjects resident in
London, one would imagine, to make the experi-
ment a paying one; and it is a question if
English playgoers will be induced by the novelty
of the entertainment to listen to dramas in an
unknown tongue. The new drama on "Faust,"
which is to be produced at the Lyceum, will be
presented with a more than usually careful
regard for the completeness of the scenic acces-
sories,even at this theatre.

Sir 'Ralph, or, as he was better known, Captain
Gosset, will not be the only familiar figure which
will be missed when Parliament re-assembles in
January, but the retirement of the late Ser-
geant-at-Arms was announced before the close of
the late Parliament. His death so soon after-
wards, however,
,was unexpected, and will be
mourned by many members of the House of
Commons and others who had been brought in
contact with him during his long official careor.
For nearly half-a-century he was in the service
of the House. It cannot be said that the duties
were onerous, but they required tact, and it says
much that he was popular with all parties. A
Government official in such a position gets to
look upon himself more as a master than a
servant, and the late captain, in his own domain,
was certainly an autocrat. It came to be looked
upon as a great favour for a member of the
House to be invited into the captain's private
room to smoke a cigar, but many of the best
stories of the day were born and nurtured in
that atmosphere.
The death of the King of Spain came upon
the country so suddenly that it would have been
a great sensation if the public had not been pre-
occupied with politics. Some singular circum-
stances are connected with the event. The
news was telegraphed from the British Embassy
in Madrid to the Foreign Office in London,
and was published in the evening papers
before it had been officially announced in
the capital of Spain. So careful indeed
were the Spanish authorities to keep the news
secret until steps had been taken to prevent a
revolution, that press messages were not allowed
to be despatched from the capital. Conse-
quently there was some doubt here for many
hours Eis to whether the news was true, no con-
firmation having been received. In fact, the
Spanish Minister becamo aware of the death of
the King on receipt of a telegram from her
Majesty at Windsor, expressing her sympathy
with the widowed Queen of Snain.
A chrious incident has just crme to light in
connection with what is known as the recent
Midlothian campaign. At one station at which
the ex-Premier stopped the usual address was
presented, but time did not permit of a reply.
As Mr. Gladstone, however, desired to make
some remarks touching the polities of that
district, he dictated his speech to a reporter who
was accompanying him while the train was
speeding onwards. To this day the people of
the town in question cannot understand how it
Was that they did not hear the speech, or how so
much could have been said in such a short time.
A. F. R.

"Now then," said a busy lawyer to one of a number
of. waiting cheats, "you are next, sir." "I'm what?
Next' . "No, you don't," said the client, moving
toward the door. "I didn't come in here to get
sliaVed."--IVV. Times.

uj
the coon a smart animal?" asked a stran,ger of
Old -Si ".I.aclson. on Onion Creek. "Talk about coons
)eing smart, I should say dey was smart." "Well,
flow niart, are they?" "A coon played me de
meanest trick you eber heard tell of. I found a hole
whar de coon went inter de ground, and I waited dar
all day long to shoot dat coon, and when he did come
out he was a polecat."
"Can't you give me another pail to put your milk
in?" said thelnilkman to the girl the other morning.
"Why, what's_the matter with thst one you've got in
your hancl?." "Why, it leaks. I want one that's
vgatertighii". t The girl went to get one ; but she
thonghtrunch ns-she went.
When ieevrng a Proposal of love a girl should
ap_pear half scared and half tickled, and if her lover
asks to liiqs her, she otio.bt not to say either yes or no,
,lont let:
.tht:th.. its own course.
- •

Bedfordshire, Luton—C. Flower, L., 2209. •
Cambridgeshire, Chesterton -- C. Hall, Q.)
C., 85.
Carnarvon Burghs—T. L. D. Jones-Parry, L., 65,
Cheshire, Wirral—G. T. D. Cotton, C. 1495.
Cornwall, Bodmin—L. H. Courtney, L., 1153. ,
Cumberland, Esk Dale—RA. Allison, L., 1586. ,
Derbyshire, Ilkeston—T. Watson, L., 1987.
Durham, Barnard Castle—Sir J. Pease, L., 3505.
Devonshire, Ashburton —C. Scale-Hagne, L.,
1251.
Flintshire—Lord R. Grosvenor, L., 1626.
Glamorganshire, Gower—F. A. Yeo, L., 3447.
Herefordshire, Leominster -- T. Duckham, L., ,
121.
Lancashire, Lancaster —G. B. IL Marten, C.
857.
Leicestershire, Meltcn—Lord John Manners. C..
1282.

,

Lincolnshire, Stamford—J. C. Lawrence, Q.O. C.,
1101.

Norfolk, Northern—H. H. Cozens-Hardy, Q.C.,
1686.
Northamptonshire, Mid—C. R. Spencer, Is., 1099.
Somerset, Wellington—Sir T. D. Acland, L., 539.
Surrey, Reigate—Sir J. T. Lawrence, C., 1964.
Staffordshire, Wellington—G. Leveson-Gower, Is.,
1037.—Leek--C. Crampton, Q.C., L, 162.
Suffolk, Sudbury—W. C. Quilter, L., 1452.
Warwickshire, Nuneaton—J. W. Johns, L., 276.
Warwickshire, Stratford-on-Avon—Lord W. Comp-
ton, L., 901.
Westmoreland, Kendal—Earl of Bective, C., 263.
Wilts, Wilton—Sir T. F. Grove, L., 822.
Worcestershire, East—G. W. Hastings, Is., 491.
Yorkshire, Ripon—W. Harker, L., 165. Bother-
ham—A. H. D. Acland, L., 4044.
Dumfries-shire—Sir R. Jardine, Is.. 1291.
Forfarshire—J. W. Barclay, Is., 4306.
Lanarkshire, South J. G. C. Hamilton, Is.,
1338.
Renfrewshire, West—Sir A. Campbell, C., 638.
Stirlingshire—J. C. Bolton, L., 2516.
Clare, West—J. Jordan, P., 6474.
Donegal, North—J. E. O'Doherty, P., 3645.
Down, North—Colonel T. Waring, C., 1474.
Sligo, North—Macdonald, P., 4444.
Tipperary, East—T. J. Condor, P., 4067.
Tyrone, Mid—M. J. Kenny, P., 1642.
Waterford, West—J. D. Pyne, P., 3387.
Berkshire, Newbury—Mount, C., 200.
Gloucester, Cirencester—A. B. Winterbotham,
747.
Oxfordshire, Henley—Col. Harcourt, C., 520.
Somerset, Frorne—L. T. Baker, Is., 763.
Sussex, East Grinstead—G. B. Gregory, C., MI.
—Horsham--Sir W. B. Barttelot, C., 2016, _

Yorkshire, N.E., Whitby—E. benison, C., 340.
Essex, Epping Sir H. Selwyn-Ibbetson, 0.,
1744.

Hampshire, Fareham—General Fitzwyram,
1259.
Pembrokeshire—W. Davies, L., 1261.
Kerry, West—Harrington, N., 2345.