The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-06-04 00:00:00

g moon erartspnanit.
_fiVe &ow It right to Mete that wo do not at al WWI
ousaatvw whit ow curroapowlante

Supposing ministers so far succeed with the Irish ,
Land Bill, the second reading in the Lords will be
moved, as at present arranged, on the 13th of
and the country generally will probably be glad when
that important stage shall have been ',sexed, for then
it may be conshiered thorergldy safe. There is, how- I
ever, not much came) to fearthe failure of the measure.
Not so confidently can we speak of the Education Bill,
BO many and so difficult are the points that are coil.
einually springing up in relati.m to that measure. It
seems absolutely impossible fur any ministry to propose
any bill on this ticklish subject of education which
will stand a god chance of being carried.
The Government has announced an approaching
reform which at first sight seems a very slight one, but
which will probably have important results. Postal
reform into include cards with a halfpenny stamp on
one side, leaving the other blank for "any communica-
tion, whether in writing or in print." The Postmaster-
General thinks these will be extremely convenient to
the Post Office. Whether this be so or not, they will
certainly be extremely convenient to the public. He
anticipates that they will be employed for" very brief
communications," and that therefore they will not
materially interfere with the revenue from ordinary
letter postage. It is to be hoped not, nor is the
change at all likely to reduce the income of the G.P.o. ;
I believe it will rather increase it. Whether any
charge will be made for the cards themselves, beyond
the halfpenny for the stamp, the Marquis does not
say, and we are left to conclude that the stamped cards
will be a halfpenny each, with perhaps "an allowance
made on taking a quantity." But in any case these cards
will be largely used for all sorts of correspondence. The
quantity of circulars, cards, price-lists, &c., that now go
through the poet is enormous, but probably the half-
penny card-postage will more than double this. This will
give a great impetus to printing, and tradesmen will
showerthese cards all over the country. But they will
also be need for private correspondence to an immenee
extent. We often write brief letters which we care
not who sees or does not see, provided the persons for
whom they are intended read them ; and if we can
only put one thought in brief compass—and what a
blessing that will be !—the cards will be applicable for
these. But I expect that this halfpenny card system
will day elope, more or less, secret modes of writing.
Cipher writing, perhaps, will be largely employed, and
foreign languages adopted. In any case the new cheap
system will be a boon to many and an injury to none.
There are many people who consider that of more im-
portance even thanthe Irish Laud Bill or the Education
Bill is the subject of false weights and adulterations,
Which occupied the attention of the House of C,,mmons
Friday last. I think no one can have paid
attention to this matter without being convinced of
the soundness of the position taken by Lord E. Cecil,
that the present state of the law with regard to false
weights and measures and to adulteration is un-
satisfactory and demands the attention of Govern-
ment. The long debate which ensued upon this
motion brought out a number of most important and
very disagreeable facts, but unhappily they are not
new. Even granting that some of these statements
may have been exaggerated, it is undeniable that the
great British public are afflicted not only with short
weights and measures, but various weights and mea-
sures. As Mr. bluntz says, we have avoirdupois
weight, and troy weight, and apothecaries weight, and
long weight, and short weight, and he did not know
bow many other weights. That the majority of trades.
men sell by short weight, I should be sorry to affirm,
but that many of them do cannot be denied; and it is
chiefly the poor who stiffer. As to adulteration let any
one only read the Food Journal and he will be con-
vinced that this exists to a larger extent than he pro-
bably suspected previously. But what is to be the re-
medy? Ay, there's the rub. The Home Secretary pro.
mine that the Government will deal with false weights
and measures next session, and that they will take
adulteration into consideration; so that something has
been gained by the debate. Meanwhile, Ido not think
sufficient justice is done to ourtradeemenby recognising
the powerful influence of excessive competition. To
some extent they must be forced to adulteration or short
weight, or both, by others; and this fact shows that
if we had rigid laws against both evils, and these laws
were honestly and strictly carried out, tradesmen
themselves would be benefitted by them. It is the no.
certainty and irregularity of existing laws that the
trading class have to complain of. Laws on this sub-
ject should be universal, equal, strict, and rigidly en-
forced, including a system of fair inspection and public
prosecution, and thus the trading classes as well as the
public would be greatly benefitted.
The Prince of Wales has by no means an idle time
of it during the London season. He is really called
upon to do a good deal of work. During the last week
or two he has presided at the annual festivals or meet-
ings of several charitable institutions, and has spoken
earnestly on their behalf. The natural result has been
in each case a larger accession to the funds than would
otherwise have taken place, and two highly-deserving
Institutions, the Hwpital for Sick Children, and St.
George's Hospital, have been largely benefited. And
In many other ways large demands have been made
on the time of his Royal Highness, while he appears
always ready to lend his name slid influence, and often
his presence and advocacy to any good work. All this
tends to increase his popularity. It in much to be
regretted that society sees comparatively little of the
Princess, whose health, it is to be feared, remains
delicate.

It is something new for policemen in and about a
London Police court to be armed with revolvers, but
this was the came during the examination of Devitt and
Wilson, the suspected Fenians, on a charge of treason
and felony. Nor was the precautions taken without
apparently very good cause. Many among the crowd
that gathered round the court as the accused were
taken to it looked as though they would have hesitated
at nothing to rescue the prisoners. Their further
examination will be watched with interest, and mean-
while, Corydon appears likely to be of good service.
Rather smart was the passage of arms between him and
we of the prisoners. "You can't live in Ireland," said
:Devitt to Corydon ; " reptiles can't live there, you know."
.ofhey do when I catch them," replied the informer,
and when I catch them I make them bite." The
whole awe seems to be an important one, and it may
be hoped that it will aid the authorities in coping
with the dangerous treason of Fenianiam. For the
moment, however, more attention is directed to
Fenian movements in Canada. The recent raid upon
the Dominion has proved to be, as Lord Granville
characterised it, "monstrous, senseless, preposterous,
and indefensible." And a very good job that it was in-
defensible in more senses than one.
'The London Parks are now in all their beauty, and give
pleasure to hundreds of thousands of visitors. There are
parks and parka, one differing from another as much
as possible. Their locality makes just all the differ-
ence. Victoria Park arid Battersea Park can severally
bold their own in comparison as to beauty with any
other, but then Victoria Park is surrounded by a poor
avid populous district, and Battersea Park is in an out-
of. the.way district which is certainly net specially
favocired by the beau monde. This renders these
lungs" all the more valuable, Mat they strongly con-
trast with the only great fashionable Park we have in
London. ifyde Park now on any fine day—say es-
pecially between one and four o'clock—presents a most
attractive specOcle. The gently waving trace, the
bright fresh grass, the masses of colours produced by
the flower-beds, in ihemselves combine to make the
place a most charming resort; but then an additional
charm is given to the place by the throng of horsemen
and lady equestrians that a so striking a feature of
Rotten Row. There is not a prettier sight in London
than the lady's mile in the afternoon of a fine day in
the height of the season. The English, I think, are
universally admitted to be the best riders in the world,
and certainly no ladies can ride more gracefully than
will& ladies do. Be this, however, as itmay, Rotten
Row generally and the lady's mile specially afford a
eharnu'ug spectaole that no one who can witness it
should miss. As you lounge in your hired
chair, or
upon the convenient iron rail, you
.lem,
see a moving panorama not excelled by any similar
sight elsewhere in the world. The finest horses that
money can buy are deftly managed—and very little
management they require m a rule—by aristocratic
and fashionable riders of both sexes. There are men
In London who "knot' everybody," or at least most
of our eminent public men and many ladies of fashion.
If you can secure such a "guide, philosopher, and
friend," he will make your visit all the more agreeable.
lie will point out to you the Duke of A.—that gentle-
man with the large brown beard, on the bay horse,—
Lori 8., and the Ron. Mrs. C.—that slight figure on
the grey that's cantering so rapidly—ah, you're too
late, but she'll pass us again presently. If you can't
Lace such a companion as this, you may indulge in
speculation, and at any rate you will see a very
pleasant living and moving panorama. And very
agreeable is it for the pedestrian in the hot and dusty
streets of the great city to turn aside to the quiet
beauty of, we will say, St. James's Park, which every
year seems to increase in beauty. The London parks
colt the nation a good deal of money, but at least it is
ell laid out.

111oRTALrrY ix Rutio.—The official returns for
ti le week ending May 28 show that in Paris there
en, utrred within that period a total of 1,254 deaths, of
whi 'eh 218 were from smallpox—an increase of 23 over
the that week, and the highest recorded during the
nee._ epidemic; scarlatina caused 19 deaths, measles
d typhoid hive! 25, typhus 1, erysipelas 7,
bi,Lechit is 78, pneumonia 105, Marrhiea 5, dyseutery 1.
epulen tiro%) 12 various other comae. 764