The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-12-06 00:00:00

Our Iron* Corrtsvonbeut.

[We deem it right to state that we do not at all times
.cientify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.]

Royal visits to this country have been very scarce
of late years, for no potentate of importance has been
over here since the Czar spent a few days with us in
the summer of 1874, Twelve months previously we

_
had the Shah of Persia—a personage whose presence
in our midst so exhausted the public curiosity, that
when the Eatparor of Russia came twelve months
later, the people were unable to work up very little
excitement about that august monarch. The Czar
conveyed the impression of a man who was lonely and
unapproachable in the grandeur of his position, who
could mix nowhere on terms of equality, and who as
the ruler of seventy millions of souls, was virtually
condemned to pass through life without a companion
to cheer him on his solitary way. His manner was as
frigid as the surroundings of his own Winter Palace at
St. Petersburg ; his pze upon the sights of London
was not that of eager and often amused interest-, like

_
that of the Shah, but it more resemblei a look of cold
abstraction, as though the mind of the observer was far
away fr.= the object of his vision. Cold and ilia-

rA3Ava, tha Russian Emperor was not a potentate to
iLslAre p:pu:ar enthusiasm; the people were re-
sp,ctful, but never went beyond cordiality.
Although, however, Royal and Imperial visitors
have not of late years come to England, they have often
met in continental cities. We have more than
_once

heard of the gathering cf the eagles; and at Berlin a
year or two ago the meeting of the three Emperors of
Austria, Germany, arid Russia was a very imposing
spectacle. Surrounded by the finest soldiers—the
most mighty men in the whole army—there were thosa
three potent rnlexs, the embodiments of the giant
military Powers of Europe. But the most recent
visit to Berlin is one of the most remarkable of
the whole series. It is not that of the master

--_ _
of naaLy legions, whose friendship it is impor•
tant for Prince Bismarck to secure. It is not

that of a powc:ful monarch whoa sway is owned
by wide•spreading terr:Lorie3, at whose smile
natione r and at whose frown peoples tremble.
It is the Kir)g of the little land of Danmark—the
father of the PrinLeas of Wales, the CzArevna of Russia,

the King of Greece, and the Dachess of Cumberland.
AustriA an Prus3ia, half a generation ag), fell

upon poor little Denmark in -a
dispute about the
Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein; and although
there could be but one result of a conflict with

two giant stater, the little kingdom fought bravely,
winning the admiration of Europe in the heroic

_
struggle which it made in its self-defence. Ever
since that time the relations between Germany
and Denmark have, to uEe a diplomatic term, been

somewhat strained ;but the journey of King Christian
to Berlin will, it is hoped, inaugurate an era of cor-
_

dialiGy. The close family connections of the Danish
Sovereign with England and
_Russia surround him

with an importance possessed by no other European
monarch; and the Emperor of Germany, at the age of
oighty-three, does well in the winter of his days to be on
friendly terms with a brother ruler whoge political im-
portance is not to be measured by the extent of his
dominions.

Not the least noteworthy of the many visitors to
Madrid on the festivities consequent upon the Royal

marriage was Lord Napier of 11Iagdala. Not because
his lordship eleven or twelve years ago beat down the
power uf the overbearing Enperor of Abyssinia, for
the Spaniards having no dealings with the Abys-
Einians, take very little interest in the deeds and habits
of that people. But Lord Napier of Magdala is the
Governor of Gibraltar, which the Spaniards, during
the last century and a half have claimed as their

own, and which they are constantly demanding
should be given up to them as Spanish territory.
But although England fifteen years ago gave up the

lonian islands to -Greece on the ground of nationality,

she seems in no hurry to surrender Gibraltar. The
truth 1.3, that with Gibraltar and Malta in the
Medit,n-ranean, the naval position of England in that

great sea musi be aa firm ;•3 the caveted Rock itself ;

and co Ministry that has ever yet exiated could en-
tert.ia the idea of giving up Gibraltar. Even if we

dij, Spain wGuld not be straog enough tl keep
and the chances a7a that it would speedily
be eOzed by France, Italy, or Rusaia—either
of which Powers wculd then have an impregnablenaval

statioa in a sea where we are now supreme. Seeing
then, the soreness with which the Spaniards have
always regarded our occupation of Gibraltar, the
cordial reception given by King Alfonso to Lord
Napier of Magdala is all the more satisfactory. His
lordship, as the custom is in more humble walks of life,
broaght to the king some wedding gifts—gifts from the
Queen of England to his Most Catholic Majesty of
Spain—and these were graciously accepted.
The return of the French Parliament to Paris is a
national event in the history of our nearest neighbours.
But to those who have not yet visited Paris it was
news that the French have no Parliament Houses like
our own, and that the two branches of the Legislature
meet in different buildings some distance from each
other. Surely it is time that France provided her
representatives with a legislative habitation and
a name. The Houses of Parliament in London form
one of the most splendid and striking buildings
in the Pritide capital. Lords and Commona
meet under the same roof; and the fact that
Ministers are enabled to meet for consultation in
the lobbies, although sitting in different chambers, is
a great convenience in the discharge of public business.
But in France, where Ministers are enabled to speak
in both House, the Senate meets in the Palais Luxem-
bourg and the Deputies in the Palais Bourbon; and
although these structures are on the same side of the
Seine, they are separated by an inconvenient
distance. Paris, through past centuries, has been
supplied with cathedrals like Notre Dame, churches
like the Madeleine, palaces like the Tuileries, and
hospitals like the Invalides ; but it has never pro-
vided a home for its Parliament—a striking illustra-
tim of the slezder root which representative institu-
tions have taken in that country.
The interesting historical reminiscences which have
clustered round the Tower of London during the past
hundred years, together with the fact that it is the
depository of the Crown jewels and a famous collec.
tion of arms, render the notable structure an attrac-
tive resort to visitors to the metropolis. A alight fire
which occurred within its walls hot week, and which
was soon subdued, derives some little importance as a
reminder of a disaster which is within the memory
of many readers. Previously to this occurrence
the Tower had enjoyed a long immunity from
danger of this description. Thirty-eight years have
elapsed since on October 30th, 1841, the great armoury
cr storehouse to the east of St. Peter's Chapel was burnt
to the ground by a fire caused through the over-heat-
ing of the flue of a stove in the Round Tower imme-
diately adjoining. On this occasion 280,000 stand of
small arms were destroyed by the flames; and the
great, or White Tower, as well as the Jewel Tower,
narrowly escaped deetruction. The Regalia were then
saved mainly by the agility and courage of a superinten-
dent of the Metropolitan Police, Mr. Pierse, who squee z-
ing himself into a small aperture hastily made by crow-
bars in the iron grating of the room in which the
jewels were kept, handed out the various articles of
the regalia, remaining at his post at the risk of his
life until they were all rescued. The fire at the
Tower last., week was caused by a spark; but it
has truly enough been remarked that "great events
fr. m little causes spring," and great would be the
sorrow in the metronolis and indeed throughout the
kingdom, if through such a trifling cause, or indeed
any cause whatever, we were to lose a building bound
up with centuries of English history, and once gone
conld never be replaced.
A remarkable lack of organization was shown in
the School Board elections fur London. This may be
in a great degree attributable to the immensity of the
con3tituctrcits which are called upon to go to the poll,
arid there can be no question that the metropolitan
boroughs are of a meet ruawieldly character. They
r,re too vast to have any community of interest not
I,lv with each other, but with themselves. For in-
et Ince, Blackfriars and Norwood are both in the
borough of Lambeth, which in another direction ex.
tenth from the Elephant and Castle to Putney.
But the residents at one extremity know nothing
of those at the other; many of the dwellers in
the Westminster road have never been to Putney
in their lives, and can therefore feel not the
slightest interest in the feelings, wishes, and aspira-
tions of its inhabitants. The consequence is that,
where there is no interest, people will not even
trouble themselves to vote, and it is certain that not
a fourth part of the ratepayers went to the poll.
Marylebone has a population of half-a-million, with
at least 60,000 electors ; yet the highest of the successful
candidates polled less than 15,000, even with the cumu-
lative vote, which enabled the elector to give the whole
of his seven votes to one candidate if he pleased.
The late Mr. Cobden propounded a very different
scheme of representation. Give Marylebone seven mem-
bers as at present ; but instead of the whole seven being
returned for one enormous borough under the cumuli'.
tive vote, divide the constituency into seven wards, each
rcturning one member, and each elector having but one
vote. They) would then be some chance of local inter-
est being excited, which under the present system is
impossible. One incident of the elec'ions was the
popularity of the Is dy candidates. Upon the last
13)ard there were four; now there are nine. In the
majority of cases where lady candidates stood, they
were returned at the head of the poll, with thousands
of votes to spare.
Mr. Gladstone is now within a month of completing
the seventieth year of his age, having been born at