The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-07-14 00:00:00

Our FolOgn Coritspoubent.

IWe deem it right to state that we do not at all 'Ulm.
;:entify ourselves with our Correspondent's

The explanation given by the Court Circular of her
Majesty's att nding Divine Service at the Royal
Mausoleum at Frogmore, while other members of her
family were at the private chapel in Windsor Castle,
Is one of much interest. It appears that the steep
staircase leading to the royal pew in the chapel is a
cause of much inconvenience to the Queen in the face
of the recent accident to her knee, the stiffness in the
joint rendering the ascent difficult. Consequently her
Majesty has preferred the Mausoleum, where there is
no staircase to incommode her, and where on Sunday
the sermon was preached by the new Dean of Windsor,
who is a son-in-law of the late Archbishop of Canter-
bury. It is satisfactory to know that her Majesty's
general health is good, and there is every reason to
hope that the inconvenience which has been ex-
perienced so long will soon pass away.
The London season is a busy time for the members
of the Royal Family who are in town. Only a week or
two ago the Prince and Princess of Wales, after spend.
log a long day at Winchester, came back to London,
and attended a State Concert at Buckingham Palace
in the evening. Their Royal Highnesses are always
ready to lend a helping hand in a good work whether
religious, educational, or benevolent, and last
Saturday showed their interest in the pros-
perity of the new City of London College by
attending the inaugural ceremonial, where they
were presented with an address of welcome by
the Principal. On the same day Princess Beatrice
and Princess Elizabeth of Hesse returned to Windsor,
after being present at the State Ball at Buckingham
Palace on the previous evening, while the Duke and
Duchess of Connaught took an active part in the pro-
ceedings in connection with the annual meeting of the
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, which was held at St. James's Hall. This
is always one of the most interesting gatherings of the
whole year.
One institution which has this summer been a
highly successful one through the fine weather is the
garden party, Nothing can be more dismal than a
garden party on a wet day--that is on a day when,
after an uncertain morning, not sufficiently dismal to
keep the guests at home, they have assembled, and
the rain pours down pitilessly. The new Archbishop
of Canterbury and Mrs. Benson have been especially
favoured in respect of weather in the two garden
parties which they have given in the grounds of
Lambeth Palace. These are sufficiently extensive to
accommodate the hundreds of guests who have been
bidden to attend—representatives of religion, states-
manship, politics, science, literature, and art. There
is no doubt that the Primate, besides being inde-
fatigable in the discharge of his archiepiscopal duties,
is ie.so given to the exercise of hospitality in a very
wide sense of the word.
While the Fisheries Exhibition at South Kens!ngton
continues to draw large numbers of visitors both from
London and the country, an Exhibition has been
opened at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, which may
well be described as a representative display of the
triumphs of modern engineering and of metallic
science and skill. It is the most complete collection
of the kind which has ever been gathered together
under one roof. Interesting to the general visitor,
this exhibition is also one of immense value to the
engineering profession as bringing together so many of
the latest developments of engineering science and
mechanical ingenuity. The Agricultural Hall is
indeed seldom untenanted by an exhibition of some
kind. From the Cattle Show in December to the Horse
Show in June, and round to the Christmas Cattle Show
again, there is eenerally something in the vast building
in the High-street, Islington, to attract the attention
of an interested public.
The storm which burst over London on Sunday
night, after another sultry July day, was of evil
omen for the op,2t big of the Wimbledon meeting on
the neat moniing. Happily it was not so violent no
so prolonged as its predecessor on the 29th June,
when at midnight the thunder pealed over the metro-
polis with a terrific crash and rattle, and the rain
descended in sheets upon the million-peopled city,
'1 he volunteers who have attended at Wimbledon
from the beginning, and their nt,rober zr,u-t be getting
fewer every year now, have had some curious expe-
riences there-1860, with its deluges; 1868, with its
tropical heat; 1875, with its fortnight of drenching
downpour; 1881, with its temperature of 98 in the
shade, and very nearly approaching that of the
equator. It is gratifying to know that after nearly a
quarter of a century the popularity of the Wimbledon
meeting, so far from waning, increases and becomes
of augmenting interest to volunteers all over the
world.

The experiment of Grand Committees has worked
with different results in the two which have been
appointed this session. One may be said to have suc-
ceeded, ansl the other to have failed. The first of the
two to get to work was that which took charge of the
Bankruptcy Bill, an elaborate and complicated
mea3ure containing 158 clauses. Patience and per-
severance, however, overcame all difficulties, the Bill
waa got through, and the Patents' Bill followed.
Contra,ting this with the results of the labours of the
Committee on Law, there is a wide and essentia
difference. It dealt with the Criminal Appeal Bill in
a way which will render it necessary for the House of
Commons to review the work which was done, and
was unable to get on with the Criminal Code at all,
An explanation of the failure of the Committee on
Law has been suggested in the fact that a large propor-
tion of its members belong to the legal profession,
who being accustomed to argue points of detail in the
law courtP, carried the practice out in committee to
such an extent that the code had to be abandoned
because there would not be adequate time to discuss its
clauses.

Lord Wolseley, a few days ago, made an inspection
In London of a Volunteer Ambulance Corps, unique in
its c,mposition in this country. The students of the
medical school in connection with the Charing Cross
Hospital have formed a Medical Service Corps similar
to those in the regular army ; and Lord Wolseley, in
a hriet address which he delivered to them, highly
clitirnt ndtti the movement, and expressed a wish that
it rniOrt be followed by other corpi in different parts
lucre are rifb, artillery, and engineer
volunteers; ahy not an am'ailance corps? Such was
the reasoniag of a very practical authority on military
matters. And that. the Charing Cross Ambulance
Corps is a practical institution is proved by its offer
to go out to Damietta to attend the sufferers by the
outbreak of cholera. It may be mentioned that it was
0,4 this Ulna twelve months that active operations
were begun in Egypt by the bombardment of the forts
at Alexandria, which was carried out on the 11th
July, 1882,

Several plane have been propoked f:r utilizing the
Alexandva Palace and Park, the urfortunato specula.

toll ;which has deserved but not been able to command
success. The cause cf that failure is not apparent.
Delightfully situated and well laid out, conducted
with pluck and considerable judgment, and within
e-,sy reach ( f London, the Park ought to have been a
p pular resort. That it was 80 occasionally is shown
by the fact that eghty thousand people have visited it
in a day, and that the receipts have been a; mtich as

R!x thousand pounds. But rnifirtune seemed to mark
it for its own. It is just a little over ten years ago

that the first palacs was destroyed by fire, and pro.
t ably the increase in the capital necessitated thereby
.has been in the nature i f a millstone. At preeent as
:travellers on the Great Northern pass close by it the
deserted building is full of melancholy suggestions ;
as, in fact, are all failures of human enterprise. From
a commercial point of view, the best plan of disposing
of the property would probably be to divide it
into lots for building sites ; for residential property
is in demand in the district. For that very
reason, it is to be hoped that a scheme to acquire the
park, or a considerable part of it, for public recreation
will be adequately supported. Year by year the
necessity of preserving all available spaces becomes
more apparent. It has been stated that the Salvation
Army are ready to acquire the Palace for the purposes
of its organisation ; but that is scarcely Kob,bla.
Even if it had been contemplated, the recent adverse
decision suffered by the Army in the Law Courts
might have some effect on the question.
A very startling statement has recently been made
in connection with the London School Board. Al-
though the Board has been in existence for something
like twelve years it is said that 133,000 London
children are still in want of school accommodation.
The statement was made at a meeting of the Board,
and has not been contradicted. In fact, so impt,essed
were the Board by the seriousness and magnitude of
the subj,!ct that some members proposed the erection
of temporary buildings to meet the deficiency. At
first sight it would seem as if there had been serious
dereliction cf duty on the pait f the educational
authority, and it is to be feared that the propitiation
of secondary interests sometimes occupies premier
place ; but to those who are acquainted with
the great work which has been and is being
done there i 5 after al no great cause fir surprise.
The insufficiency of t',,e accommodation previu3
to tbd exktcnee of the 11,Jard and the difficulty of
local'zing the London street arab account f r much.
The figure, however, is so great as to call for earnect
attention, and although the rates are painfully heavy
as they are, something must be done to fill the gap.

Why ought my eldest brother to be a clergyman
Because bee our Pa'a son,—Punch.