The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-04-09 00:00:00

Our Kmfoort Coursponbent.

rWe deem it right to state that NV(I do not at at. time.
Identity oursclvos with our e,rieleuelent'; ooinionui

The House of Commons generally, and particularly
those members of the Government who are members
of that House, deserve the thanks of the public for the
devotion they show to the business of the country.
Extra sittings prove the determination of Ministers to
get through the heavy work of the session. And
the public may be congratulated on one import-
ant measure having became law—the Irish Peace
Preservation Act. Everybody regrets the neces-
sity for this measure, but everybody admits that it is
necessary, and a hope ia very generally expressed
that it will have beneficial effects upon Ireland. That
it will do so there is every reason to hope, and if this
temporary measure is Ili lowed by a permanent one to
improve the relations of landlord Aral tenant, Ireland
"may be happy yet" That she may her me calm,
prosperous, and contented, with wrongs redressed and
rights maintained, ought to he the earnest wish of all.
The National Balance Sheet just produced is a very
agreeable document. The revenue receipts for the
year amount to £75,434,2i2, or newly two millions
more than the Budget estimated; and the revenue for
the quarter is neatly five millions more than the
revenue in the corresponding period of the previous
year. This latter fact is easily accountable for by
some of the taxes having been collected in advance,
but still the revenue returns on the whole are highly
satisfactory. On the 11th of this month, Mr. Lowe
produces his budget, and the revenue returns just
issued lead us to hope that the financial statement will
be a moat favourable one. We shall so soon know the
facts that speculation is not worth the trouble. In one
little matt-r, however, there is no speculation, for a
decided etateme nt has been made by the Premier in
reply to Mr. Graves. This gentleman having asked
whether Government would give him any information
with regard to the postage on printed matter and news-
papers, Mr. Gladstone definitely replied "1 am able
to say that my right hon. friend the Chancellor of the
Exchequer has a eanguine Ii pa of being able to
surrender to the hon. gentleman at discretion.'
This of course does not pledge the Government
to do exactly what Mr. Graves and his supporters
desire, but there is no doubt the budget will contain
this very proposition or something very nearly
approaching to it. This shows the benefit of continuous
agitation when there is a good foundation for it. The
anticipated reform will cert duly be a great benefit to
the public, whether the alteration be to a half-penny
stamp under four ounces or under two ounces.
Arrangements are being made to take out to Canada
a number of men discharged from the Government
dockyard's, stc., and they will be accompanied by
wives and families on the payment of £2 per adult.
Two troopships will be devoted to this service.
It will be remembered that Ministers some time
ago decisively refused to countenance State aid
being given to emigration as a rule, but this is a
very reasonable exception, as the men who are to be
sent out really have some claim on the Govern-
ment. It becomes a question indeed whether more
might not have been done, and might not still be done
in the same way, but at all events the present step will
be something towards relieving the pressure on our
labour market. Happily this pressure is already being
relieved in another and more legitimate way—by the
increase of employment. If any one will take the
trouble to look through tboee leadirg papers which are
the chief repositories of advertisements he will see that
trade, wholesale and retail, is reviving. The number
of pers,ns " wanted " in c munercial and retail trading
establishments is very cheering. This is a very safe
criterion. When business is very bad those merchants
and tradesmen who may want assietants do not necese
eerily advertise for I hem, having perhaps many applica-
tions to know whether there is any vacant berth, and
people study ing the advertisement columns and seeing
so very few people "wanted," while such phrases as '
"wants a situation" are painfully frequent, may come
to the conclusion that I usinese is worse than it is;
and on the other hand, when there are numbers
of advertisements for persons wanted, we may
at least safely conclude that business is quite as
good as this fact indicates. By the way here is one
"person" in Mr. Stuart Mills' acceptation of the
word, who is wanted for duties which point to a new
field of employment for women: "Wanted a respect-
able woman as canvasser and collector. Salary and
commission. Security required." I have often
thought that ladies—to be more polite—would make
capital canvassers--say for subscriptions, advertise-
ments, or orders. In many cases where a young man
would be stubbsd, a young lady would be pleasantly
received, and if she bad agreeable manners and a good
address—as indeed most young ladies have—there is
no reason why she should not make a good income on
"salary and commission." But then, what's to be-
come of the men? Ay, there's the rub!
A great deal has of late been eaid about the Home

Secretary being virtually in himself a court of criminal
appeal, and exception has been taken to some of the
decisions at wLich he has arrived; but he has now
under consideration a care quite without precedent.

and his decision as to which will be looked for with
some curiosity. The execution of Eatterford, for the
murder of a gamekeeper, is fixed for the 11th inst. ; but
"doubts are entertained as to the possibility of
strangling him, on accuunt of a malfermation of hi.
neck. He was severely- burnt when young, and his
chin is connected with his nt ek by a band of flesh in a
straight line." The surgeon to the gaol thinks that
any attempt to hang him in the ordinary way would
cause prolonged suffering and create an unpleasant
scene at the execution. The questions arising
out of this fact are peculiar, but the subject is too
painful to dwell upon. There is another fact con-
nected with capital punishment which may be noted
and the result should be watched. Lawrence and
Margaret Shields have been found gully of murder in
Ireland, and sentenced to be hanged on the 27th of
May. Some points are reserved for the Court of
Appeal. Now, supposing this Court confirms the de
cish.n, will the woman be hanged? For some mysteri
ous reason women scarcely ever are executed, but why
women should be spared aid men banged is a thing
that I for one cannot understand.

The public may he congratulated that, thanks to the
spit ited conduct f the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals—a society by the way which on
its commencement, and for along time afterwards, was
met with ridicule—we have had the List bull-fight in
this country. As these wretched bull fights were at
first conducted they were more contemptible than
cruel, and it was speedily found that they would not
pay, but the fact is only too clear that cruelty would
ave paid had it been permitted, ard therefore it is
highly satisfactory that these bull-fights are now pro.
hibited. By the way, the reply of the Secretary of
State to a question on this subject shows how little
power he tas f direct aation in such cases. It would
be certainly advisable to reform and consolidate the
laws relative to places of pub`ic amusement so that,
for instance, if a child is carried on a rope at a heis,ht
whence a fall would resu't in cruel death or maiming,
some authority might immediately interf-ec, wherever
the exhibition might be, and put a atop to it.
It is not of metroplitan interest only that our
Common Council have decided that Billingsgate and
Leadenhal Markets shall not be "disestabliehed," but
that they shall be enlarged and rendered more corn.
tin alious. It is in fact very difficult to disestablish a
market, and still more difficult to estahlish one. Over
and over adain efforts have been made to form new
markets in London, but one after another these efforts
have failed. People will not go to new markets, and in
fact the poor as a rule prefer dealing at street stalls,
'Ed of itinerant vendors,. But the two long.estaliliehed
markets alluded to ought c-a-tainly not to be cleared
away, though they sadly need improvement, so that the
treasures of cur coasts in the one case and of our farms
in the other may come up freely.
We are always hearing very droll things from
America, but one of the strangest of strange things is
now recorded. A young tradesman shut up his shop,
took a cab, went to a neighbour's honey, and bore off
his young and pretty wife; and then these two drove
to another house, and another young and pretty wife
came out, and the three, with a lot of bazgage, made
or the railway station? But the husband of one of
the women started off and di-covered—not the guilty
pair, an the phrase usually runs, but the "guilty trio.'
Can this extraordinary tale be true? For a man to
elope wi'h two married women, arid that both the
latter should consent to so extraordinary an arrange-
ment is almost beyoud beiief. And yet it is gravely
stated in an American paper.
A really 'during attempt at burglary" which is
worth allusion has been made here. No one can well
have passed through Feet-street without remarking
Mr. Attenborough's splendid shop at the corner of
Chancery-lane. It is noted for the great value of the
diamonds in the window. At night this window is
protected by a solid steel shutter, four inches from
which are very thick sheets of plate glass, and no ar-
ticle of jewellery is lees than twelve inches inside these
panes. At the corner of the shop abutting on Fleet.
street, were articles of jewellery worth many tboneand
pounds, including a diamond necklace priced at £1,200.
On opening the shutter on Saturday morning it was
found that a hole nearly an inch in diameter had been
bored through the steel shutter and that the plate.
glass behind had been shattered. It is supposed that
the thieves intended to hook out some of three pretty
things, but that either they were disturbed or that the
hr.k intrealleed NV.,'9 net long nongh, for nothing wa..3
taken. But the marvellous i art of t'-e story is that
Ivy *Beal tat lad b. iy ftitti thee f •r,
Wt.er. ,••• '4•I lt prlvette satohmsn

patrols all night in front of a bank within eight of the
treasure-house alluded to. Many robberies are most
mybteriously effected, but this attempt which did not

succeed is about as mysterious as any attempt that has
succeeded.