The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-04-24 00:00:00

.
If the Bill to amend the Adulteration Act of 1860 be

—.—
passed, the public will have some better guarantee
against the adulteration of articles of food and drink
as well as drugs, and perhaps the provisions of the
new bill are as stringent as can at present be endured
by a nation of shopkeepers. But still, in my humble
opinion, the measure does not go far enough. It im-
poses a penalty, it is true, of £5O for adulterating, and
£2O for knowingly selling adulterated articles of food
or drink, or drugs, and if this penalty be enforced it
will prove "a moral and a caution." But will it be
enforced? That remains to be seen. I fear the bill is
not sufficiently compulsory. Analysts are to be
appointeo. whom inspectors of nuisances may sub-
mit articles to be analysed, and who are to make
quarterly reports to the local authorities. But
quiz custodict ipso.; custodes Who is to guarantee and
enforce prosecution. Furchasers are to be entitled "on
par:relit to the inspector of a small sum, to have any
article analysed." True, but then we have public
analysts already, and purchasers are now "entitled"
to do what the new measure proposes; but they don't
do it, and it is not to be expected that they will.
Most people I.ok for good effects from this bill, should
it become an Act, from the heavy penalties. For my
own part, I should prefer smaller penalties, with
proper provision for inspection, analysis, and prosecu-
tion at the public, not private expense. The evil, how-
ever, is so great that any well considered attempt to
check it deserves public support.
A notice of motion has been given to call the atten-
tion of the House of Commons to the frauds of Mr.
Higgs, clerk to the Great Central Gas Company, and
for the purpose of showing that such frauds as these
ultimately fall on the public, who have to pay an
extra price for gas. How far this may be the case
will be for Mr. Goldney to show, but it is certain that,
considering the immense consumption of gas in London,
we pay much too dearly for it. I notice that in Shef-
field gas has been reduced to Is. 31 per 1,000, and
even to 2s. 9d., "an allowance being made on taking a
quantity," and that in Swansea the price has been
reduced from 3s. 0.1. to Is. 11. Why then should we
pay 4w? The consumption of gas is every day extend-
ing in the metropolis, and in all but poor and small
houses buil.'ers are now in the habit of fitting up new
dwellings with gas pipes, leaving the finishing touch
to the incorring tenant. But gas would be still more
extensively used were it not so unnecessarily dear. It
is a fact worth consideration that the Fire Insurance
offices prefer gas to any other mode of lighting, as
the risk of "the devouring element" is considerably
less. . . .

Mr. Fdmund Yates, who formerly held an important
position in the General Post Office, is engaged, it is
said, in obtaining statistics and information from pro-
vincial newspaper proprietors in reference to the re-
duction of charge for printed matter passing through
the post. This looks as though Government were in-
clined to the view taken some little time since by Mr.
Graves, ALP. There are not many proposed reforms
perhaps in relation to which there is so decided a
balance of argument in favour of reform as on this
subject. The only arguments against it are first those
very objections which were ori&inally made to the
introduction of the penny postage system. The re-
duction of postage on newspapers would be a great
boon to newspaper proprietors and a benefit to society
tenerallv, and would do no harm to any one, while
ultimately the G. P. 0. itself would be the gainer.
We have had a Yelocipedal display by several en-
thusiasts, who had been previously discussing the
merits and demerits of the velocipedes at the Society of
Inventors. The crowded neighbourhood of the Strand
and Charing Cross was chosen for this unwonted
display, but then it should be added that it was
past ten o'clock at night, when the traffic has con-
siderably diminished. The bicycle, however, has
not yet been, as it were, acclimatised in London,
and perhaps never will be, on aocount of the
throng of vehicles in the road, and the police prohibit-
ing them on the pavement. But they will now come
into vogue, perhaps, in the suburbs of the metropolis,
where they are even now occasionally seen. A French
gentleman has stated that he did the distance between
Runes and Paris, ninety miles in one day, without
much fatigue. this is capital. But something more
definite and better still has been recorded. Mr. Booth,
who claims to be the champion of skating, may, for
the mom nt, claim the honours of velocipede champion
--till he is beaten. Ile has done the journey from

London to Brighton, fifty-two miles, in seven hours
and a-half, or at the rate of seven miles an hour,
Such facts as these will perhaps lead to velocipede
races—and possibly broken necks.
The smokers on railways have gained another
triumph by the permission to enjoy the weed on the
Metropolitan Railway, though it was generally
thought that the exception of this line from the
general regulation to provide smoking carriages was a
wholesome one. It would seem, however, that the
smokers are more powerful than Parliament or rail-
way companies, for smoking was just as common on
this line as on others, and the compulsory establish-
ment of smoking carriages will help the railway
authorities to preserve the other carriages free from
smoke. After all, however, in spite of the Act of
Parliament and bye-laws, the matter still rests to a
great extent as it was before, and mutual forbearance
occasionally does more than legislation, while the
reverse of this virtue frequently proves too powerful
for any regulations whatever.
Although the step which the Government has taken
in Fending out some unemployed dockyard men, with
their wives and families, will go but a little way to-
wards meeting the requirements either of Canada or
the home country, that step is in the right direction,
and will not tend to damp private efforts. Indeed, it
has been shown that out of 300 emigrants sent by
Government to Canada in a Government vessel, no
less than ninety have been assisted by the Woolwich
Relief Committee. It would lie well if private efforts
were better supported than they are by the public.
We should gain largely by it in the long run.
The Picture Exhibitions are now attracting crowds
of lovers of art cognoscenti, idlers, loungers, artists,
swells, and "girls of the period." Many, no doubt, take
intense delight in the beautiful paintings that are so
numerous as each exhibition comes round, and many
perhaps know little about art, and care leas, but only
go to these exhibitions because it is the correct thing
for fashionable people to do. What a thrill id delight
must the previously unknown artist feel when he
reads the enthusiastic encomiums of the art critics,, or
hears the admiring remaiks of the visitors as they
crowd round his painting. But what of the unfortu-
nate artist whose painting is rejected by the Royal
Academy committee? We may form some idea of his
feelings by the remark made by Dr. Lankester, the
coroner, at an inquest just held. He hat held two or
three inquests on artists, he said, whose minds had
given way under anxiety and excitement while waiting
the decision of the committee of the Royal Academy.
This inquest, by the way, was held on an unhappy
Frenchman, who had devoted himself incessantly to
the painting of a great picture, and who had literally
starved himself to finish it, dying, poor fellow ! from
sheer privation, just when the painting on which he
had set his heart was on the eve of completion. Many
a painting, perhaps, on which fashionable loungers
gaze at this time of the year has a sad story connected
with it, besides the story told on the canvas.
The prices occasionally given for even rough un-
finished sketches, by great masters, are wonderful.
Some of the late Mr. Turner's productions, left to his
and biographer, Mr. Ruskin, have just been
A painting of the "Slave Ship" brought
A mere sketch—just the commencement of a
which, when finished, would have represented
Rock, brought £4; an unfinished drawing of
Pier, fetched £73 10s. ; a part of a sea piece
£67 ; and a little sketch, said to have taken
only three minutes, brought £5 15s. These are
, prices, but then it is the fashion to admire
_;antly the works of Turner. There was, per.
far more in either of two sketches by the
John Leech, which sold for five guineas and for
and a-half guineas.
is said that steps are being taken for establishing

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baps,

a betting exchange at Edinburgh. So much the worse
for Edinburgh. We have nearly (nut quite) gut nil of
the nuisance of betting men at fresco, but the evil of
betting is rife am ever, and there are several clubs in
London almost wholly supported by bookmakers and
betting men. The modern Athens would do well to
prevent, if possible, any such a demoralising institu-
tion as a betting exchange.
The banquet recently given to Mr. Charles Dickens,
and some remarks made by speakers on that occasion,
have given rise to considerable discussion as to the
alleged scarcity of official rewards for literary men on
the one hand, and as to their vast power and influence
on the other. As illustrating this latter point, reference
may be made to the enormous influence of the self
-
exiled Victor Hugo. It is said that simultaneously
with the publication of his novel " L'Homme qui Bit"
in Paris, will be published in various parts of the
world, two translations in English, one in German,
four in Spanish, two in Portuguese, one in Russian,
one in Polish, one in Dutch, two in Greek, one in
Hungarian, one in Swedish, and one in Czechian;
besides which the English translation for America has
already appeared. Here then will be at the same time
offered to almost the whole reading world (curious that
Italian should be omitted) the last novel of one of the
most distinguished European writers. Can any states-
man in the world boast of such influence as this? It is
very doubtful. The simultaneous publication of a
novel in a dozen languages, and this in distant parts of
, the world, is indeed a notable fact, at once proving
the power of the novelist for good or evil, or both, and
that under whatever form of government men in
different nations may be ruled, there is still throughout
the world a republic of letters. I have heard that this
work of M. Hugo's is the finest he has ever written,
and that is saying a good deal, but it is earnestly to
be hoped that its moral tone may be more healthy than
some of his previous books.