The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-07-08 00:00:00

evr Nonhn 6orrtspnabtzt.

[We deem it right to state that we do not at an tiE/CS
Identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.]

The happy lives led by the merry hay-makers, and ,
the glories of the beautiful midsummer sky have often
been the theme of song ; but to the dwellers in crowded
cities, or at least to a large proportion of them, hay-
making can be naught but a tradition. Poets might
"babble of green fields," but in many cases the fields
are far away from town ; and those who live in street
and alley, their senses dimmed by the sounds of rush-
ing traffic, and by the unrelieved monotony of bricks
and mortar, can have little idea of the beauties of the
landscape, or of the effect produced by the "eternal
silence of the plain." Just now, however, in the early
hours of the morning, and when long lines of wains
and carts rumble through the quiet streets frcm the
home counties, heavily laden with fruit and vegetables
for Covent Garden, a delightful fragrance is borne
uppn the light summer breeze. The myriads of
chimneys pointing to the sky from all parts of the
metropolis then cease to pour out smoke upon the at-
mosphere, and for a brief period the air is clear.
Then it is that the delicious perfume of which 1 speak
Is wafted over that vast populated province which
people call London, and behind the walls of which
more than three million human beings ore at that
time asleep. It is the smell from the distant
hay-fielde, telling those whose business or pro-
feseional duties call them forth thus soon that far
away from the great capital, with its multitudinous
Interests, the everlasting work of Natute continues
to go on, changeless and unchangeable. On any of
those splendid summer mornings which we have had
lately, you might have rieeu the dins grey of the dawn
slowly appearing behind the massive dome of St.
Paul's by two o'clock; indeed, so short has been the
night that the last tinge of twilight has scarcely faded
from the west before the birth of another day has been
ushered ir. Curious and interesting it is to watch the
gradual progress of the light over the enormous area
of the metropolis. Trace its course from a stand-point
on either of the bridges, London or Blackfriars, and
you will find it soon above the cathedral's golden
crown, steadily and surely blotting out the gas-light in
the clock tower at Westminster e and at last enveloping
the entire firmament in a pale amber glory. It.
Illuminates the previously darkened waters of the ever.
flowing river, chasing away the shadows of the brief
night, and calling forth from trees and gardens the
merry song of birds. Combined with these you get the
(dour from the hayfields, awakening memories of for-
mer days, and reminding you that, although the town
may grow in the number of its streets and
squares, the grass springeth up under the in
flue/Ice of sun and rain, just as it did in
the days of Adam's delving. A midsummer's
night'. dream in London's streets is one not soon to be
forgotten. Dream in one sense it is not, fir the way-
farer may become acquainted with many things not
thought of in his philosophy. Upon the hard granite
seats in the recesses of Blackfriars Bridge, fer instance,
he would see many a homeless one enjoying his night's
sleep quite as comfortably as the spectator could
slumber in his feather bed at home.
The older a Parliament becomes, the more numerous
are the changes through resignations, and we have seen
this session how the wear and tear of legislative life
affects some members at an age when a man i4supposed
to be at his best. It is not to be wondered at that a
delicate Constitution should break down under the
strain. This is felt to be greatest in the month of July.
The House of Commons meets on Monday afternoon
at four o'clock, and sits until, say, two in the morning.
It assembles on Tuesday afternoon at two, goes an until
seven, suspends for dinner until nine, sits into Wednes-
day morning, and meets again at noon. The sitting
Is then carried on until six in the evening, when there
is a break until Thursday afternoon at bur, with a
morning and evening sitting on Fziday. How the
jaded representatiees of the people must welcome
Saturday as a time of recreation, and Sunday as a
period of rest! In the last week or two of the session,
even Saturday is pressed into the work of legislation.
No one can be surprised at the cheers which always
welcome the introduction of the Appropriation Bill,
for then it is known that the days are numbered. By
the way, the end of this session will complete the half
of the present Parliament; for although nominally a
house may last seven years, it never really does so. If
a Parliament runs six years, that is its outside limit;
it is then old and effete; members have grown weary;
and the place has long lost the charm of its novelty.
Besides, it would be dangerous to allow a Parliament
to run its extreme course of seven years, when the '
Septennial Act declares that it must of necessity be
dissolved. The demise of the Crown or the outbreak
of a foreign war during the interregnum would demon-
strate the inconvenience of leaving the country with-
out its great C3uncil of the Nation at a critical tin e.
The longest Parliament of modern times was that
which lasted from May, 1859, to July, 1865 ; and dur-
ing its last session there was the greatest difficulty in
keeping the House together, so intent were the mem-
bers upon the prospects of their re-election.
Charles Dickens once graphically described the race
between himself, as a reporter for the Morning Chronicle,
and the represesentative of The Times, between
Edinburgh and London, with an account of some im-
portant event, Dickens beating his competitor by five
hours. Those were the days of hackney coaches,
which the great novelist lived to see superseded by the
railway. What would the old Jehus have said had
they been told that a time would come when the dis-
tance between the English and Saottish capitals-400
miles—would be accomplished in nine hours? At
least, this is what the Great Northern now promise to
do, and people will be able to leave the terminus at
King's Cross at ten in the forenoon, reaching Edin-
burgh at seven in the evening. Breakfast in one
capital, dinner in the other—such is to be the order of
the day. The pace is an amazing one—a sustained
rate of 44i miles an hour for the whole of the distance.
Brunel was accustomed to declare that such a speed
was compatible with safety only on the broad gauge;
but experience has proved that the narrow gauge is
equally safe when well laid, and the Great Northern
has the reputation of being one of the most splendidly.
constructed lines in the kingdom.
The National Training School of Cookery at South
Kensington was established to meet a great acknow-
ledged want, and if its operations could be cow ilerably
extendee, so much the bstter. It has been wild that
Paris was enabled to hold out against the German
armies sa long as it did, solely because of the skill of
Its people in cookery, and this consisted in turning to
the best possible account every item of provisions stored
up in the place. Nothing is wasted in a French house-
hold, and palatable dishes are ma-le out of materials
which In England would be considered meet only to be
cast out and trodden under foot of rcan. There is
another important element of instruction in which we
are sadly wanting, and that is the art of carving at
dinner. It has been said that a good carver would
make a joint or a bird go as far again as a bad one, and
see what a consideration this is in a numerous household
where the carving knife has to be brought into requisi-
tion every day. Surely this accomplishment ought to
be AS well worth teaching as adopting the odes of
Horace, or turning Shakespeare into Greek.
The brilliant weather and refreshing showers of the

past fortnight have dispelled all fears respecting the
safety of the crops. There had undoubtedly been some
uneasiness over the harsh biting winds and cold un-
genial rains; the land was not in good order for the re-
ception of seed, and summer was late and apparently un-
favourable. All apprehension, however, has now fled, and
from various parts of the country reports tell of the
Prospect of a good harvest The wheat crop looks
healthy and promising, oats and barley are progressing
favourably towards maturity, and potatoes and
turnips show well and evenly above the ground. With
trade dull and unremunerative, wages falling, the
prospects of a good harvest cannot but be reassuring.
This 3 the more so inasmuch as an unfavourable turn
in the position of affairs in the East might at any
moment cut off our sources of supp:y from the
Baltic and Black Sea. Although we can never again
expect to see butcher's meat sold at the prices which
it cowman del before the cattle plague, it might fairly be
hoped that the recent improvement in the pasture lands
w sensibly affect the value of cattle and sheep, which
by reason of the fears regarding the crops, have lately
been fcrced up to an extraordinary figure. Lamb at
sixteenpence per pound in London must remain &luxury
to many.

some time ago a Royal Commission was i ed
to examine the value of the numerous historical
manuscripts stored in the private houses of our
nobleis and gentry, and in church vestries. Of
courie the muniment chests of our ncbiljtycan
only be inspected through the favour of their
proprietors, and the heads of many of our i
great houses have come forward n the most ready
manner in order to add to the public information re-
specting important events in our. national history.
The next report of this commission Is
likelyto contain
revelati.ons of great interest. The work is betrg con-
ducted by come of our best known literary men, who
visit the places where these treasures are stored up.
Some of the earlier manuscripts and charters have
been wonderfully preserved. Many, dating from
Norman times are still legible, and these are much more
easy to decipher than the writings of the Tudor or
Stuart periods.
People who have passed up and down the Thames
upon the decks of the river steamboats—and an
enormous host of visitors from the country have done
sr—have been struck with the vast extent of the docks,
and with the forest of masts which for miles point
up wotitzle clouds. There are the ships of all
nation g perhaps those of the United States,