The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-09-23 00:00:00

Our ..onboit 07orttsponbriit.
IVre deem It right to stute that we not at all tlmee
Identity ourselvet with our Cerreniumileut's opleiole

It is announced by a medical journal which evidently
speaks with authority and knowledge of the subject
that Her MUjesty has been more seriously ill than her
Subjects nimbi have supposed. This paper states that
her illness began at Osborne, in August, with somewhat
serious symptoms ; that she continued decidedly ill,
that on the 19th of that month and for mine days
subsequently, the Queen suffered float very severe sore
throat; and that, at the beginning of this month, Her
Majesty experienced great pain and swelling under
the right arm, which afterwards proved to he an
abscess, winch was opened by Dr. Lister, 'on the
4th. It was of considerable size, but the subse-
quent progress was favourable. It is satisfactory
to find these statements followed up by an assurance
that there has since been a great improvement in the
Queen's health, and heartily will the country cefie-
rally echo the hope expressed that this improve-
ment may continue.

Perhaps nothing shows much more cleaaly the
strength of successive French Governments the
strcsigth, that is to say for the time being—than
vigorous prosecutions of the Press. Only strong Go-
vennuents can dare to do this, and weak Governments
that have essayed to do RO have found out their mis-
take. The recent prosecution of, and heavk penalty
imposed upon a French newspaper, may be regarded as
an illustration of these remarks. 1 have no doubt that
the conductors of the paper heartily deaprve the
punishment, but be this wit may, and feeling a hearty
repugnance to Press censorship generally, I cannot
but think that in the present condition of France it is
better for the Government to err on the side of severity
than of leniency no far as the Revolutionary Press is
concerned.

While France is politically in a most unsettled state,
with rival parties watching their opportunity, with the
de facto Covernment having anything but a strong
hold upon the great missii of the people, and with com-
munists still alarmingly numerous—with all these dis-
quieting circumstances, Paris is determined to enjoy
le sport, Perhaps the races at Longchamps which
have been re* iv ed with such spirit, are des-
tined to become as brilliant as ever, perhaps
even more brilliant. At all events Paris is still
the city of pleasure, and has not the slightest intention
of abanitining that mead distinction, and it need not
he said that what is pleasure to some is important
business to others, and that when Paris enjoys her
races tens of thousands of visitors flock into the gay
town, many of them, by the way, from intc own shores.
When one reads of the brilliant gatherings of the
devotees of le sport and the amused throngs of mere
sight-seers, on the occasion of the Ismgchamps races,
one may heartily exclaim, Paris is herself again!
It does not appear by the accounts received from the
wine-growing districts of France, that the Osman
occupation has resulted so injuriously to the planta-
tions, as was at one time reported. There is a large
untouched stink on hand, and the crops this year will
be much better than was expected. One of the great firms
of wine- growers have imported hirgely to England cham-
Pague which has been bottled in 40 curious a way that
the new system is worth mentioning. The peculiarity
is a fastening somewhat in the shape of a bird's claw
leverage, called for distinction's sake, the needle-gun,
by means of which the bottle is instantaneously un-
corked, and if it be desired, the cork and fastening can
be replaced and the contents presents!. This inven-
tion will have sonic effect on chiunpagne drinking in
England where the mutts- has hitherto been all or
none.

After all the agitation, the numerous meetings, and
the -voluminoas correspondence about Epping Forest,
it seems almost an anti-climax that of a few gentlemen
constituting a verderer's court, "to receive present-
ments of all enclosures and encroachments within the
Imundary of the forest, and investigate all charges of in-
frirgements of the forost rights." When one bears in
mind the large extent of territory to be dealt with, the
claims of li...wean] occupants who in the f act of possessi
have nine p.iints of the law, and the complicated legal
questions involved, it seems too much to hope that
this ancient court can secure a maintenance of right
Saint justice. if it can, the question naturally arises,
why the court should have been in abeyance since 13IS ;
if it cannot, certainly it will not be for want of fuss and
formality. Whatever may be the result, the interests
involved are so extrusive, and the number of persons
interested in these enclosures is so vast that the pro-
ceedings of this antiquated verderer's court will be
eagerly watched far beyond the precincts of the Forest.
It is, at all events, satisfactory to find that an elaborate
and constitutional effort is being made to preserve the
public rights, and heartily is it to be hoped that public
right may at last triumph.
The registrar-general can tell us almost to units what
was the population of London at the last Census; but
how on earth can any no arrive at the feline 'Amnia-
tiou of the metropolis? This, however, one of those
important personages a vestryman has professed to do.
He asserts that there are 700,000 cats in our town, and
that 300 horses die here every week. How he has at-
tained thew facts he does not say, but his assertions are
by us means improbable. The two facts, if facts they
are, are conni,ted in a WCII kiloWll way ; and all I will
add is that Itoe derive benefits frim the eats aforesaid,
we suffer not a little through our bad arrame.,.
!neuts for prividing them with foci--a matt., of
especial importance in this times of contagiur„

How consummedly must Mt Lowe ',.ejoiee on learn-
ing that after all the bullying aDd. brow-beating that
he suffered is re the match-t,..5, our lively neighbours,
the French, have actualty adopted the very thing that
he was forced to al•.lendon. Ec lace luedtont is now the
motto of the s rench government. They want an illl-
- money, and e. me of this they decide nis.o
PLiaining just in the very way that our own Chan.
,ealr of the Exchequer proposed. A tax will be
levied at the rate of one and a half centimes per box
of not exceeding 50 matches, and three centimes per
hundred for all larger packages. To use the joke that
WAS hacked about B,k much in our own case, this is a
light tax, and so light that, indeed, we can scarcely
understand it with reference to our own coinage. When
we consider that five centimes go to a sou it needs
scarcely be said that one and a half centimes In. a flea-
bite, as Mr. 1.) israeli said of the national debt. Doubt
less a large sum will be raised in this pedling way ; at all
events, it is worth remarking that France adopts what
England abandons. And perhaps no one will he sur-
prised to hear that a tax will work very well abroad
the mere mention of which created quite an uproar at
home. Of one thing, at least we may be pretty cer-
tain, that there will not be such a denamstration
amongst the match-makers of Paris as there was on
the part of those of London.

The joint purse of the North-Western and the Lan-
cts4hire and Yorkshire Railways, and the discussion of
Sir Edward Watkins proposals, seem to suggest that
we are on the eve of important changes in railway
matters. Had our railways from the first been made
by Government, as railways are, for instance, in Bel-
gium, there is no doubt we should Lave been spared
many blunders, much ruinous competition, over supply
in some districts, and under supply in others. Our
railway system is, in fact, not a system at all; it is the
hap-hazard and spontaneous growth of thitish enter-
prise, and has been governed by a multitude of
fortuitous circumstances. We most, however, accept
our railway network as it is, and if any improvements
ran be effected on the foundations that have )s laid,
no much the better. Sir Edward Watkins proposals
aim at systematising our existing railways, harmonising
their arrangements, and adapting the various lines one
to the other. A more gigantic work can scarcely be
imagined, and it seems utterly beyond the accom-
plishment of even one master mind. But there is no
reason whatever why we may not have an amalgama-
tion of railway boards, the united body working for
the general good, and the several representatives
studying the interests of their particular lines. At
present, it must be admitted, that the railway world
exhibits rather a conflict than a unity of interests, and
railway shareholders as well as the public generally
suffer from the fact. If we cannot have an entire
amalgamation, we might, at least, have a great railway
conference, SO that useless competition might be
obviated, railway trains be better organised for the
public service, awl a more harmonious working of the
entire system is: eanied out. To this complexion
must it come at last, and the sooner such a consummas
than is arrived at the better.
People who have travelled on the continental rail-
ways, can scarcely fail to come to the conclusion
that in one respect at least their arrangements are
better than our own. I refer to stoppieg for refresh-
ment. A definite time is allowed for refection, and
such an absurdity as stopping at a refreshment station,
but not stopping long enough to secure refrexhment is
only perpetrated in very exceptional cases. But on
our railways such an anomaly is only too common,
and a sad illustration of the evil effects of it has just
occurred in the untimely death of a clergyman, at the
Woking station. It is to be hoped that this painful
case will do something towards producing reform in
this direction.
Mr. Ruskin, whose Melo on political economy are
perhaps among the strangest productions of that strange
science, has just determined on a course which will be
of the utmost benefit to young England. lie proposee
to found a mastership for teaching drawing in connec-
tion with the Slade endowments of an Art Professor.
ship at Oxford. He also proposes to open elementary
schools in the course of next month, in the University
galleries, Oxford. This ought to give an incentive and
no doubt it will, to the toaching of drawing throughout

the kingdom. Distastefulas it may bu to acknowledge
the fact, fact it nci.ertheless is, that our artizans and
mechanirs labour under a great disadvantage as com-
pared to their foreign rivals, especially In Prussia,
Austria, and Northern Europe generally. The teach-
ing of drawing which on the continent is common
enough is, amosiovt oursolves an expensive rarity,
whereas a short course of drawing les,.ons, particularly
mechanical and linear drawing ought not to !‘e
sive and might be a common feature in most of our
schools. There are a number of trades in which an
accomplishment might thus be easily gained and would
be of far more service to our handicraftsman than they
appear to imagine. Indeed, our mechanics generally
little know of what great utility even a slight know-
ledge of mechanical drawing would be.