The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-01 00:00:00

WEATHER FORECAST.

The following cable message has been received from New
YOrk at the Lonth.n office of the New York Herald:—

"A. storm centre, one of two in large depression,
will reach the North Atlantic European coast between
the 27th inst. and March Ist, following closely on
that predicted for the 25th to 27th inst. Another
centre will follow rapidly, arriving March Ist or 2nd.
Heavy gales south-west to north-west will prevail,
with rain and much snow. Vessels will encounter
stormy weather in the North Atlantic until about the
sth."

• THE -PRINCE IMPERIWL'S FIRST
SERIOUS CAMPAIGN. , •
• It -will be learned with general interest and pleasure
that the Prince Imperial of France has made arrange-
ments to proceed to. South Africa to-,take part with
his .former comrades in arms of the Royal Artillery
.in
the Zulu war. . The Prince strenuously petitioned for
a commission to serve with the English force at the
gape ; but failing to overcome the unavoidable ebjec-
tieps to the proposal, he has resolved to go out as a
volunteer, and to attach himself, in that capacity, to
-the Voltiron that is most likely to se the sharpest
fighdng?-41te Times of Wednesday hai the follotving,.
:le:Wet-on the event :
. .
"The son of Napoleon 111. hu obtained permission to
attach himself to the staff of the Royal Artillery for the pur-
pose of accompanying the batteries now under orders for
Sotan Africa. To-morrow he will leave England for Natal
in the Danube.' This announcement will be received with
a certain interest in this country. In France is is perhaps
inevitable that it should give rise to more CQMplicated feel-
ings. The highest virtues of a fallen dynasty in the eyes of
the nation that has repudiated it must almost necessarily be
those of effacement and resignation, and therefore French Re-
publics.ns will hardly care to be reminded of the Prince imee-
riarsexisteuce.even by his innocent and, indeed, praiseworthy
desire to seize the opportunities of his chosen- profession.
But Lug -Diemen can afford to be at once more generous and
lees senottee. They have accorded to the fallen Imperial
family the refuge which has never been denied to exiles,
whether humble or exalted; but they have done so' without
pledging their political sympathies in one direction or
another,' So long as the Prince is content with a private
station among us-and we must all hope that be may long live
to adorn it—we shall not grudge him such opportunities of
personal distinction as all men who occupy a similar station
may seek. His youthful -military training has been com-
pleted, not without signs of conspicuous merit, in the schools
of the British army. it now he is walnuts, nke so many of
his former comrades at Woolwich, to bring his theoreteael ,
knowledge to the test of actual service, that is so natural
that, but for his name and lineage, it would hardly call foe
remark. Every one must wish nini well on his departure
for this his first serious campaign. But no one, in this
country at least, will think that his taking the field in South
Africa shows any disposition to quit the private station which
he has occupied so blamelessly since he first came to live
among us, nearl nine years ago. ,
There are many reasons why a man in the Prince's
position should long for active service. The profession of
arms is the only one that is open to him, if, indeed, it could
be a matter ot choice to one who bears the name of Bona-
parte end heads the Imperial branch of his house. His
father was a soldier of no mean repute at one time, though
his military fame was ,eclipsed in the crowning disaster of
his life. Notwithstanding the blunders and misfortunes
Which culminated at Sedan, Napoleon 111. had been esteemed
as an accomplished and scientific writer on artillery, and his
Conduct of the Italian campsite of 1859 sufficed to tarnish the
Military prestige of Austria. How much of his success in Lom
hardy was due to his own initiative and how much to the more
experienced generals who composed his staff, it might per-
haps be difficult to determine. The fact remains that Napo-
leon 111. nominally at least commanded his own troops, and
the result of the brief campalgo was to add to the renown of
the French army and to the prestige of the Empire through-
out Europe. From his earliest youth the Prince
like the more fortunate Princes of other sovereign families,
;was trained for the profession of arms, 'When his father
;started for the front in 1870 he took his son, then a youth of
ttourteen; with him but fortune turned so rapidly against the
!French that the Prince was soon sent back to Paris. Now an
?onliortanity offers of seeing something of the reality of
fwar, and, as is only natural, he is prompt to avail him-
self of IL He takes his chosen profession seriously, and is
I aysions to gain experience in it Through no fault ot his
!own. fer be was too young at the time to exercise an inde--
pendent will, his first essay in war Was not a happy one: His
; tir'at serious military experience, will be gained in Solith.
; Africa. He will find the Artillery Staff on the Tugela and
in Zululand a very different kind of service from that of the
Imperial Staff in the bummer of 1870, while the Freiiiall
t army was still proud in its uushattered strength. But be
Fags gained not a• little salutary experience since the days
,of 'that 'boyish and unreal Campaign. He has grown ko•
years,- of manhood; he has submitted to the dile'
cipline, at once strict and levelling,' of an Eeglish Mili-
tary-school ; and he now takes rank among his comrades a;
one who must bear his own share whether of duties, of hard-
ships; ot dangers, or of privations. That he is ready to con 4
front this position and to fulfil its exigencies must beset down
to his credit. 'The profession of arms is his rather by neoes-
ally than by choice. Like the exiled Princes of a rival
dyntiety, however, he desires-the active pursuit of his pro-
fession. That a man should voluntarily take up arms in A
quarrel not his own is nut perhaps a cuuree to be highly
recommended on general grounds. But the Prince's position
is and must be an exceptional one, arid cannot, therefore, be
judged by rules which suit only ordinary cases. Necessity
has made" him a soldier, and duty no less than inclination
should prompt him to perfect himself in his calling by -the
stern training of actual warfare.
"The people of this country cannot but wish the Prince
good speed in his adventurous undertaking. The relations'
between England and France are, happily, so frank and
ftiendly that our neighbours Will hardly resent the personal 4
'goodwill that Englishmen have always felt towards the
fallen Imperial family, If it were not clearly understood
by all parties in France that such a feeling is personal and
wholly uninfluenced by dynastic sympathies, our position
might seem to be . a little delicate. We are something
like a man who remains on excellent terms with two
of his friends when they have quarrelled with each other.
He . has nothing to. .do with 'their dispute, and,
as he has no quarrel with either, he retains his regard for
both. Our kindlj feeling for the Imperial family rests'
partly on ityropithy for fallen fortunes, but chiefly on the
associations gentrated by years of alliance and friendship.
English treops have not yet forgotten that they stood
side by side with Frenchmen on the hard-fought fields
of the Crimea. Englishmen in general remember that
Napoleon 111. was'-an exile in England in the 'years
of his early advent:ye and that he never forgot an
English friend iu his prosperity. Moreover, the alliance
between England and France which the late Emperor brought
about was begun in war, but it was consolidated in peace.
Englishmen have not forgotten, and their Continental neigh
bours do not seem likely:to allow them to forget, the benefits
which Erglish -corrittierce reaped from the Commercial
Treaty with France. Ihis was the Emperor's work, and
it was hone almoit in spite of his subjects - It France
had not been induced by the Emperor's wise initiative
to surrender as much of Protection as she did in
the Commercial Treaty, it is hard to say how long
we might have waited for an arrangement which
has been of incalculable benefit to both countries. Thus.
Englishmen had 'many reasons for wishing well to the
-Empire and to the Imperial family. These reasons served
to fix the sympatlaies of a great mass of people on the French
side during the great struggle of 1870. Happily, the sym-
pathy of Englishmen is still warm for France and for
Frenchmen irrespective of dynasties, for we thould be less
than generous it our old regard for the Imperial family had
been extinguished by its misfortunes. Whatever may have
been his deserts towards France, Napoleon 111. deserved
'veil of England in a variety of ways, which we cannot
:and ought not to forget. If the son has inherited not a
little of the goodwill which the father earned, that is be-
cause we have 'seen 'him content to *eke a private station
- and adhere to it. So long' as he makes no effort to step
beyond it our goodwill will endure. With his dynastic
interests, whatever they may .be, we have nothing, Whatever
to do, and we are fat too anxious for the peace and tran-
'quility of France ever to meddle with them, or„eve a to re-
,c,ogetze their- eXietence. The Prince will doubtless he
,cordially welcomed by his comrades in arms, but it will be
*betatise he cones among them simply as one ready to share-
their toils and perils. 4