The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-08-23 00:00:00

Cur ndon Corrtspentent.
[We deem it right to state that we do not at all time'
identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opiniant.l

The knighthood of the most noble Order of the
Garter is one 'of the greatest coveted distinctions which
it is in the power of the Prime Minister of the day to
bestow. The Premier generally wears this dignity.
Viscount Palmerston, Earl Russell, the Earl of
Derby, the Earl of Beaconsfield—such are amongst
the modern examples of the Queen's First Ministers
of State who have appended K.G. after their names.
Lord Palmerston was the first nobleman below the
rank of an earl who had been made a Knight of the
Garter, an exception having been made in his case in
consequence of his distinguished services to the country.
Then came, for a similar reason, Viscount Stratford
de Redcliffe, the famous " Eltchi," of Mr. Kinglake,
for many years British Ambassador at Constanti-
nople. But, as a rule, the honour is restricted to the
first three orders of the peerage—dukes, marquises,
and earls. At present three Garters are at the
disposal of the Prime Minister, namely, those worn
by the late Duke of Buccleuch, Earl Cowley, and the
Duke of Wellington. Knights of the Garter are
long-lived persons. The Duke of Wellington was 77,
the Duke of Buccleuch 78, and Earl Cowley 80.
The prorOgation of Parliament releases for a time
our Senators and legislators from attendance at
Westminster, and although the formal date men-
tioned was the 15th September, it is generally under-
stood that Thursday, the 2.3 rd October, will be the
day of re-assembling. Meanwhile there is a tem-
porary lull in the activity of the franchise agitation.
Ministers and ex-Ministers have gone out of town,
having had enough of political discussion for the
time being. As there is always one judge of the
High Court of Justice in London during
the vacation to sit at chambers twice a
week, so one Secretary of State remains
at Whitehall for the transaction of formal
business. Their colleagues take wing, many to Scot-
land to enjoy the recreation of grouse shooting, while
others indulge in the luxury of Continental travel.
Sir Charles Dilke, for instance, has a seat in the south
of France, and Mr. Mundella is taking his usual
holiday in Switzerland.
It is an ill-wind that blows good to nobody, an 3 the
cholera scare has proved beneficial to the English and
Scotch watering-places in two ways. It has not only
kept our own holiday-keepers at home, but has driven
a large number of French over here. Another
cause of the crowds which have thronged our
own beaches is the fine old-fashioned English summer
which has visited the land this year. Granted that
some of the thermonnetrical readings published in the
newspapers may have been to an extent apocryphal
there can be no doubt that a temperature like that of
Hindostan has been experienced; but while the
Hindooe are prepared by dress and their ordinary
habits of life for such high atmospheric conditions,
the conventional garb of people in this country re-
mains pretty much the same. For example, there
is no doubt that in London the thermometer
has recorded more than 90 in the shade ;
yet if a man appeared in the streets without the tra-
ditional white collar and regulation necktie fastened
tightly round the neck, he would be voted a Bohemian
With the mercury at zero in a severe winter, and at
130 in the sun in a hot summer, there is ample room
amid such variations for changes of dress suitable to
the climatic conditions. Yet very little in this way is
done; the habiliments which did duty in the dark
days of winter carry people through the scorching
times of summer. The conservatism of the English
people, in'a non-political sense, is self-evident in every-
thing.

It wanted only the norribie details which have
come out concerning the Greely expedition thoroughly
to sicken the public with these enterprises. Since the
failure of Captain Sir George Nares in 1876, when
that gallant officer declared that the North Pole was
impracticable, England has left to others the task of
exploring those frightful regions. The Admiralty
equipped at a cost of £lOO,OOO, with every appli-
ance which modern science could suggest, two
ships, the Alert and the Discovery; but Captain
Nares found that between the highest point
he could reach and the North Pole there were
400 miles of icebergs which effectually barred human
progress towards that unknown land. Even had the
Grcely expedition reached a point reducing this by
one-half, what earthly agency in these latitudes
sufficiently powerful to pierce °OO ,iles r icy moun-
tains ?

i As far as it has advanced, the present cricket
season must be regarded as a very good one. Look-
ing at county cricket, we find that Notts is the premiez
county up to this time, and is likely to remain so, as
they have not lost one of their inter-county matches.
Last year they had the honpur of being at the top of
the tree. They, however, met with a reverse at the
hands of the Australians last June, our visitors
beating them by three wickets. The lace county has
a very strong all round team, and consists almost
entirely of professionals. Lancashire, Surrey, York-
shire, Sussex, Kent, and Middlesex, have all done
very well, and it should be mentioned that the hop
county is the only one that has defeated the Austra-
lians during their present tonr. Gloucestershire, once
the best county, has during the last two or three
seasons experienced some very bad luck, and until
recently had not been credited with a single victory
this year, their first success being at Clifton, against
Lancashire, which they defeated by seven runs.
Their match against the Australians on August
7th and following days, it is only fair to say, was
drawn very much in their favour. The three matches
against the Australians, in which th 6 full rozipresenta-
tive strength of England was brought out, have ended
as follows: The first at Old Trafford, Manchester,
resulted in a draw; the second, played at Lord's, we
were victorious by an innings and five runs; and the
third, fast recently
_played at Kennington Oval, had
also to be abandoned as a draw, through lack of time
to finish the match.

t The half-yearly meetings of the English railways
have not been so satisfactory as those who have been
hoping for the revival of conamercial activity could
have wished. The Chairman of the London and
North-Western, at the half-yearly nreeting held on
Saturday, regretted the diminution of the dividend
to the extent of one per cent, and there bad been
a similar experience in the case of the North-
Eastern. On the other liiand there has been
something better• for the shareholders in the Great
Eastern and South-Eastern than there Was last year.
It is, of courie, the second six months out of the
'twelve to which the railway -companies look, and from
present appearances the receipts as a result of the
holiday season will show a cOnsiderable excess over
those of 1883. If we add to this the prospect of an
abundant harvest, and the keeping of thirty millions
sterling in this country, which would otherwise be
sent abroad, we may still hope that our, old pros-
Derity has not altogether departed from our shores.