The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-12-27 00:00:00

Our Yonhn Corrtspow)eut.
[We deem it right to state that we do not at all times
Identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.]

As is tonal with the Queen, Christmas is spent by
Her Majesty at her marine residence at Osborne,
whither this year she has been accompanied by three
of her children, Princess Louise, Prince Leopold, and
Princess Beatrice. The Marchioness of Lorne, as she
looks out upon the foam-flecked waves of the Solent,
cannot but mentally contrest the scene so familiar to
her in her childhood and her youth, with that in which
she spent the Christmas of last year. Then she
had been exactly a year in Ottawa, the capital of
the wide-spreading Canadian Dominion. Arriving at
Halifax on the 25,h November, she found a telegram
waiting for her, announcing the death of her little niece,
the youngest child of Princess Alice, and leas than three
weeks afterwards came a message from across the
sea, conveying the intelligence of the death of the
beloved Princess herself. It was, therefore. rather a
gloomy Christmas both at o.sborne and at Ottawa
twelve months ago. Princess Louise finis that the
sererity of the winter in Grenada does not suit her
health, and having by the advice of her physicians
returned to England for a few months, spends Christ-
mas with her mother and her youngest sister and
brother at Osborne. In these times of family re-unions
at this festive season, it is not without interest to
know that the last occasion on which the Queen, her
mother, her husband, and all her children were
together was at Christmas, 1857 two and-twenty
years ago, Exactly a month afterwards, the 25th
January, 1838, the first break was made in that wide
household circle through the wedding of the Princess.
Royal, Death and marriage have since contributed to
lessen it very materially; and within three months
each of tht se agencies was at work—Princess Alice
having died on the 14th December, 1878, and the
Duke of Connaught was married on the 13th March,
1879.
Before leaving Windsor for Osborne, her Majesty
issued very positive instructions that every piece of
news from Afghanistan Was to be promptly forwarded
to her, so great was her anxiety to hear the result of
the desperate fighting between the British forces and
the vastly superior numbers of the enemy. Maps on
a large scale, marking the respective positions, were
also supplitd to the Queen, so that the details of the
military situation might be apparent at a glance.
Treacherous in peace, fanatical in war, thirsting
for revenge, and patriotic in their despair, the
Afghans have on more than one occasion shown
themselves to be no despicable foe. When General
Roberts advanced to Cabul with a comparatively small
army to avenge the murder of the members of the
British Embassy, he carried out a series of military
executions in the Afl.4han capital, and these retribu-
tive measures may probably have aroused the wrath
of the tribesmen, who gathered around him from the
neighbouring mountains, and the result was the series
of telegrams from the Viceroy of India which created
so much uneasiness in the country. At a season when
at home the air is laden with good wishes; and peace
and good will towards men "is heard upon every hand,
it is a matter of sad regret that at this time of day, and
on that very continent where those words were first
heard, a British army should be engaged in a life and
death struggle with a fierce and barbarous Power
thirsting for its blood.
The aniety caused by the news from Afghanistan
brought the Cabinet Ministers to town within a week
of Christmas Day, a most unusual occurrence, and one
to be accounted for only in the presence of grave
events. Even in those dark and gloomy December
days, when even if there be not a cold wintry wind,
the air is heavy and chill, and the atmosphere de'
presskg, there is sure to be a knot of persons at the
corner of Downing-street to see the Ministers pass in.
The Premier anil the Chancellor of the Exchequer
have their official residences at the Treasury, where the
C uncils are held, the one at No, 10, Downing-street,
the other at 11, so that both these Ministers are
enabled to reach the Council Chamber without passing
through the street. But it is different with the
heads of the other ereat departments of the State,
who come to the Cabinet meeting from their rupee- 1
tive offices, some singly, and others in twos and threes.
The spectators who, even on the coldest day, gather
together at the coroer of the historic little thorough-
fare, up which so many Ministers have passed in days
gone by, are generally supporters of the political ,
party in power, and never fail to give a cordial cheer I

by the acceptance of the stewardship of the Chiltern
Hundreds, no new writ can be issued for filling it
until the meeting of Parliament. The Speaker can
issue his writ for filling vacancies from other causes
during the recess, but not for this, which the House
reserves the liberty of ordering itself.
It is remarkable to note the fluctuations of
mortality in the ranks of the two branches
of the Legislature. Some years, it is double
that of others. For instance, this year only
eight members of the House of Commons have died;
the year before last the number was fifteen, or nearly
double, not very long ago thirty-two peers died in
twelve months; this year their lordships removed by
death do not (mint a dozen. The only peer whose
decease caused a vacancy in the House of Commons
by the elevation of his eldest son was the Earl of Fife.
This is a very small proportion, for thcre can be no
doubt that the House of Lords consists to a great
extent of men who have passed through the Commons,
and have therefore had an opportunity of judging by
experience of the Taality of legiststion required for the
serener atmosphere of the Upper House.