The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-12-27 00:00:00

Elisttliantrius gnitiligentt.

HOKE, FOREIGN, AND COLO/k,UL.

COMPETITION WITH A VENGEANCE.—Competition is
stated to be at times so keen with regard to deadweight
suitable for outbound Atlantic steamers that, were the
statements not founded upon facts, the instances cited
would appear to border upon the ludicrous. The idea
of being able to send goods to London, via New York,
cheaper than by steamer direct from Liverpool to
London, would appear to be almost incredible, yet the
facts are that between 500 and 1000 tons of rough
freight was offered the other day—no specified time
being stipulated—for delivery in London. The usual
London lines offered to carry the same at the usual rate
of 10s. per ton, but the firm of one of our leading lines
of New York fast steamers stepped in, and offered to
convey the same and deliver in London at 4s. per ton
less. The offered was accepted. The goods had to be
carted in New York to the wharf of the Atlantic
steamer bound for London. From this it appears that
rough weight can be conveyed from Liverpool to
London via New York for 4s. per ton less than from
Liverpool to London. What profits can be derived from
such transactions the least said about the better.--
"Liverpool Journal of Commerce."
PROPOSED REvrveL.—The "Era" says that the in-
terest attached to the publication of Lord Tennyson's
dramatic poem of " Becket " should draw the attention
of theatrical managers to an undeservedly forgotten
play, in five acts, called" Thomas a Becket, written by
Douglas Jerrold. The piece was produced nearly sixty
years ago at the Surrey Theatre, when the manager wall
the renowned William Elliston. Dibdin Pitt acted
Herry 11., that clever but somewhat too sonorously
sententious actor Rumball representing ThomaB
A Becket, and Samuel Vale, a great favourite with a
Surrey audience, found in Yoldwarp a good part for a
low comedian. Miss Vincent and Mrs Egerton filled
the only two female characters, here respectively de-
signated Lucia and Idonea. The dialogue is in well-
turned prose, of an epigrammatic kind, and some of the
-situations are strikingly effective. Reduced to three
acts, and placed upoa the stage with some care, the re-
vival might prove a success; and as the play has not
been acted since 1830, there would be the recommenda-
tion of a novel attraction to the present generation.
FABULOUS SALARIES.—The rumour of M. Lassalle's
engagement by M. Strakosch for a tour in the United
States has been confirmed. The leading baritone of the
opera is to receive £20,000 for a six Months' tour. There
is really no need to wonder if opera spells bankruptcy,
says the " Era's " Paris correspondent—for managers—
when salaries reach a sum like this. M. Lassalle is ad-
mittedly a good, sound, useful artist, and M. Strakosch
is stated to have said that he is the only singer in the
world whose voice is capable of filling the vast theatres
of the United States.

PAPAL HONOURS TO A LONDON PRIEST.—The Very
Rev. Dr. Gilbert, who for 25 years has been rector of
St. Mary's, Moorfields, one of the largest, oldest and
most important mission districts of the Roman Catholic
Church in London, and for a considerable part of that
time vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Westminster
under Oardinals Wiseman and Manning, has just been
appointed a domestic prelate of the Holy See, with the
title of Monsignor. A committee, comprising the Duke
of Norfolk, Lord Arundel of Wardour, Mr. Charles
Russell, Q.C., M.P., and other prominent members of
the Catholic nobility and gentry has been formed for
the purpose of presenting an address and testimonial to
Monsignor Gilbert, on the dignity conferred on him by
Pope Leo XIII.

TEER COLONIAL NAVY.—The twin-screw iron gun.
vessel Ps.luma, which has been built in England for the
Queensland Government, has left Sherness for Aus-
tralia. The Palurru, which is under the command of
Lieutenant George E. Richards, R.N., is manned by
seamen and marines from the Royal Naval Barracks,
Sheerness.

AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH OORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for last week, as
received from the inspectors and officers of Excise:
Wheat, 31s. 5d.; barley, 31s. 3d.; oats, 19s. 4d. per
imperial qr. Corresponding week last year: Wheat,
395. 2d.; barley, 31s. Bd.; oats, 19s. 7d.
THE Pencm. POST.—Borrowing a hint from the
practioe of the private carriers, the Post Office authori-
ties now undertake to call for parcels at the residences
of the senders. With this object the men in their
employment have recently been engaged in leaving at
each private house along the high roads out of London
a scarlet card marked Parcel Post" in conspicuous
letters, with a notice that exhibiting this card con-
spicuously in a window will ensure a call from the next
post-cart passing the door.
Boum:fans UNLER THE REDISTRIBUTION BILL.—A
statement issued recently gives the population, ace )rd-
ing to the census, of each of the several boroughs and
proposed boroughs referred to in the third, fourth, and
sixth schedules of the Redistribution Bill, and, as far
as it can be given, the population of each, with the
altered boundaries referred to in the fifth schedule. Of
the boroughs set forth in the third schedule as those
which are to have additional members, there are
seventeen with populations varying from 596,311 in the
case of Liverpool, to 190,590 in that of the Swansea
district. Of new boroughs under the fourth schedule
there are forty-three with populations between 282,865,
which is that of Islington, and 42,900, that of Fulham.
Under the fifth schedule, which relates to boroughs with
altered boundaries, there are thirty boroughs having
populations fluctuating between the figures already
given as those of Liverpool, and 16,435 at Salisbury.
The sixth schedule gives thirty-two boroughs with
populations varying between those of Liverpool and
Swansea.

THE QUESTION OF OVER-PRESSURE. Complaint
having been made to the Right Hon. Sir L. Mayfair.
M.P., of the educational over-pressure exercised by
school teachers, in order to obtain the grant which
formed part of their salary, he replies as follows:
"The managers of Board Schools have the power to
give fixed salaries to teachers, and the London School
Board exercise that power. Of course, the dependence
of teachers on school fees, without a fixed salary, has a
tendency to create the evils which are complained of."
EDUCATION IN WALES. —A Welsh corresponden

recently wrote to Mr. Mundella, M.P., upon certain re
ported utterances of his upon the question of educattont
The correspondent pointed out that. in Wales the
supremacy of educational accomplishments was due to
Nonconformists. Mr. alundella, in reply, says the
statement lately made by the Archbishop of Canter-
bury to the effect that Mr. Mundella had stated that in
rural parishes in England the clergy were the best sup-
porters of education, and took the greatest interest in
it, was perfectly true, and was authorised. The ideal
of the rural clergy is altogether much higher than that
of farmers and local authorities generally. "You
may," adds Mr. Mundella, " be quite right in what you
say about Wales; but, even so, it would not disturb the
general accuracy of my statement."
FIRES IN PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENT.—The following
list of fires which occurred in places of public enter-
tainment during the current year is based on the
statistics published annually by Herr Franz Gilardone :
January 20th Lusby's Music Hall, completely destroyed
by fire; April lath, the Tarascon Theatre, owing to an
escape of gas; April 21st, the Sidoli Circus, at Bucha-
rest, burnt down, and on the same day the Cleveland
(N. America) Theatre, destroyed by a violent gas explo-
sion; May 16th, the Stadt Theatre, Vienna; June 15th,
slight fire at the Great Warsaw Theatre; June 20th,
the East London Aquarium ;June 29th, Royal Theatre,
Edinburgh; August 6th, the Summer Theatre, Tomsk.
Siberia; September 16th, fall of the green-room of the
Cabers Theatre, twenty-five persons more or less
injured; October 19th, the German Theatre, Moscow;.
November 16th, the Euterpe Theatre (Smyrna), built
in 1861, and, after those of Alexandria and Cairo, the
largest theatre in the East ; November 20th, the Varie-
ties, Southampton, and the Southampton Theatre.
The latest date given is the 22rd November, on which
day the Thalia Theatre, Stettin, was burnt to the
ground. It is worthy of note that England and Scot-
land furnish a somewhat undue proportion of the
catastrophes attributed to fire.
UNPUBLISHED LETTER OF 008 DEN.—The "Aberdeen.
Free Press" contains the following unpublished letter
by Richard Cobden: "Manchester, 7th April, 1838.—
My dear Sefton,—l have just received the accompany-
ing inquiries from my friend Dr. Kay upon the subject
of steam power, &c., in Stockport. Perhaps at a leisure
moment you will do me this favour to look through the
enclosed letters, and if the information sought can be
furnished by you without taking too much trouble, I
shall be obliged. At all events be good enough to let •
me know at your earliest leisure whether you can attend
to it. I hear but indifferent reports of the state of
trade amongst your Stockport cotton masters, but I
very much fear it will be worse before it can be better.
The remedy lies in their own hands—if they will com-
bine for a repeal of the corn tax there will be plenty of
trade for them and their successors; if not, their
children and children's children may have reason to
doubt the wisdom of their ancestors as I do now.
You will see there is a signal of distress from Spring
hoe. There are the Revenue Returns we Radicals shall
profit by ! and our friend Earner used to say prosperity
made Tories of us,' and adversity isa medium necessary
to bring the political mind back to a wholesome state
again. In the face of a bankrupt exchequer, I presume
that great preparations are going on for a splendid
coronation, to cost the country for the farce of placing
a bauble upon a, child's forehead about £300,000, or
sixty years' salary of the American President! What 3
thinking people are we English !! ! Hurrah for tbe
Great Western steamship, that sails from Bristol to
bring the United States within fourteen days of En:.
land I'—Your e very truly, RIGID= 00BDBN .12

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