The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-10-02 00:00:00

Rictropolitan 60551 p.

V CUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.

't r ran under this head are tone regarded as the cg.
ntiepoodent °pillion, from the pen of agentientall
.ve nave the greatest confidence, but for which we
~,xtheks do not hold ourselves responsible.]

Perhaps we shall not be very far wrong in taking the
Earl of Canaarvon's views on the Irish question, as
._3( pressed the other day at the meeting of an agri.
cultural a..sociation, as an indication of the policy of
he Conservatives in respect to any measure which the
Cr( vemment may introduce on the suhject of land in
Ireland. Be this as it may, his lordship enttred so

_
elaborately into the subject that it may be useful to
note the purport of his remarks. He considers the
want of compensation to the tenant for improvements
is a great evil, and he would remedy it by leases; he
es in favour of small holdings, but maintains that this

eyatem ahould.not be carried out to a too great extent,
anl that there should be a fair proportion cf large
holdings without which he thinks the land cannot be
_

properly cultivated ; and be it strenuously opposed to
anything like coufii.cation of landed property. Inci-
dentally, the noble earl thews how extremely difficult
it will be to deal with the ',reaming queetion. But dealt
with it must be, and we may fairly look for a rather
stormy cession. There I ave been some rumours afloat
al to the character of the Irish Land Bill which
Ministers intend to bring in, but these, it appears, are

.„
founded on mere Spec:lllation. The Government have
no doubt been busily engaged in collecting facts and
material, bnt there is reason to believe that they will
not meet till the end of October to consider the bill
that mhall be introduced.

There is no reason why Ministers should not enjoy
their helidays as well as the rest of us, nor why each
member of the Government should not enjoy himself
after his own fashion. But still it raises a smile to
hear that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is fre-
quently to be seen practising on a bicycle, near his
residence at Warlingham. The tall, powerful, corn-
mending figure of Mr. Lowe seems scarcely adapted
for this slight vehicle. He, however, keeps his balance
no doubt, and may he always have a balance on the
right side, so that he may take eff some of onr taxes.
His patronage of the veloeipede will perhaps tend to
make it fashionable, and it is far from this at present
in London. Here and there you may see a decently-
dressed young man on his bicycle, travelling on our
enburban made, but the chief part of our veli cipeiles-
trians are—" not to put too flee a point upon it"
• certainly not the dite of society. In the lower
parts of the metropolis on a Sunday these velocipedes
are becoming a nuisance. There are in some of the
most populous resorts positive droves of them; and
bicycles and three-wheelers are driven about in such
numbers that they naturally attract crowds of idle
loungers. I do not remember, however, having seen
one vi locipede on a Sunday driven by any one who
could fairly be called respectable, and that is a
negative consolation. Writing of Sunday gatherings,
I am sorry to Fee that there is to be a Fenian demon-
stration in Hyde Park on Sunday, the 2 Ith of October,
and on a much larger scale than any previous demon-
etration if the kind. Fully admitting the right of
people to meet and denounce, abuse, or petition the
Governm et as they think proper, I cannot see any
excuse for these Sunday gatherings in the park,
which was intended for health and recreation, and not
for monster political meetings. Instead of aiding the
cause of the imprisoned Fenians, these turbulent
assemblies, with their frothy and rabid speeches, must
do the Fenians more harm than good. And another
word about Sunday nuisances in London. Recent
r rders by the Chief Commissioner of Police have some-
what tended to lessen the nuisance of tha roster.
mongers' markets on a Sunday morning. There are
some parts of London which have hitherto been
n.onopolised by this class and their customers up till
the time when the publichouses are opened, but the
rosters and their stalk' have now been "regulated" a
little, and it is just possible to pass along the pave.
meets. The nuisance of this class bawling out their
wares all over the suburbs has also beea slightly, but
very slightly, modified.
A conclusion, in which nothing is ooacluded, las
been arrived at by one of our magistrates. The lord
of the manor of Wandsworth (as it was at first stated,
though it afterwards turned out to be only a resident)
had erected a fence inclosing part of the common;
another inhabitant pulled down this fence; and the
former summoned the latter to the police court. The '
offender was fined 405., and had to pay 10s. for the
damage, the magistrate remarking that "the lord of a
manor had a right to inclose as much of a common as
he chose, provided he leave enough for the corn.
mantra" Such a magisterial dictuni as this shows
in what an unsatisfactory state is the law. Why this
decides nothing at all. "Enough for the moss
moners !" But the commoners want it all; they
wish it to be left free and open to themselves and
their children, and this is what all London wishes, and
all London is concerned in the matter. And if the
magistrate is right, and the lord of a manor;has a right
to put up a fence, or allow another persoa to do so,
and leave what the lord of the manor considers enough
for "the commoners," it 115 a matter which concerns
the inhabitants of every town on the outskirts of which
there may be that precarious boon—a common.

The Southern Embankment of the Thames will
be ready for inauguration in about a month. Though
inferior in extent to the embankment on the northern
side, it will cause the embanked view to present
a noble appearance. What will then be chiefly
required is that the Thames be purified by the
al solute prohibition of foul tributariev running
into it. The extent to which this now exists is
far greater than is generally believed. There Is no
reason, however, why our river should not b, av pure