The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-02-23 00:00:00

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eur Paha Gump°Ont.
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(We deem It right to state that we do not at all UM,
identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.

The Guildhall of the City of London is unfortunate
in being stowed away in a corner of the busy corn-
mnnity which is so proud of its noble proportions
and its historic associations. The wayfarer who pastes
along Cheapaide would never think of looking down
the narrow thoroughfare known as Sing-street to find
that which in Paris would be called the Hotel de
Ville, if he had not been told of its existence there.
As the British Museum is packed nicely away in a
back street in Bloomsbury, co is our Guildhall in-
visible from the main artery of traffic in the City. The
Mansion House, the Royal Exchange, and the Bank of
England stand boldly out in the eastern part of
the Metropolis, while the National Gallery in the
Weet is a prominent feature in the architecture
nf Trafalgar-square. Yet the Guildhall playa an
important past in our national affairs. A. great
routing at Guildhall, at one time to strengthen the
hands of an Administration, or at another to condemn
its policy, has very considerable weight, the Lord
Mayor generally presiding.
Tha news from the Soudan has lately created
much excitement in London, and it has generally
fallen to the lot of the evening papers to be the first to
publish the disastrous intelligence which told of the
defeat of Baker Pasha, and the capture of Sinkat.
Such incidents afford opportunities for a rich bar,
vest for the street vendors of newspapers, which they
spare no effort of lung-power to reap. Their voices
in different notes, but all approaching the key of
high crescendo, rise high above the sounds of the
street traffic, the imperfect acqua'ntance of the
sellers with the quality of the information which
they offer for sale being often ludicronsly manifest.
But the jeurnals being at a price which can be com-
manded by the humblest, are posed of with emazing
rapidity. There is nothing s) absorbing as war,
whether we are engaged in it or not ; it sells the
papers better than anything else.
The copious extracts which the various newspapers
have given from the Queen's book have given the
public a very excellent idea of the contents of the
sumptuous volume published by Messrs. Smith and
Elder. A cheaper edition will be issued, so that all
clams of her Majesty's subjects may be able to
possess themselves of a work which is undoubtedly
of great interest to every one. Whatever the Queen
might write would be certain to be read, and her
Majeetw's style of composition is so simple and so
unafferlted that it can be easily understood by the
hurable.t of her people. It is like the eloquence of
Mr. Cobden, as described by Sir Robert Peal, Un-
adorned; but the way in which the narrative is told is
extremely attractive.

The bye-elections are becoming more numerous, and
the results are closely scanned and commenteJ on by
both parties. It is interesting to note how a tone of
e3hillaration in one camp is 3on followed by a shout
of triumph in the other. The Paisley and West
Somerset pollings took place on the same day, but
the result in the shire was not known until the next
day, while that in the Scotch burgh was declared on
the evening of the poll. In earth case the political
party vLoating the seat succeeded in retaining it,
beating off the attack of its antagonists; frit the
majority in both was a large one, and within a few
boars gave satisfaction respectively at the Reform and
the Carlton Clubs.

The announcement that an Australian team of
tricketere will visit our shores this summer must cause
some little excitement in cricketing circles. Lad
season we were not favoured with their presence, but
great intareet was centered in their exploits in the
summer of 1882. The "eleven" was under the
captaincy of Mr. W. L. Murdoch, and was far
superior to the teams who did battle for Australia in
1878 and 1880. They played 33 matches, and were
successful in no less than tventy.three, eleven being
drawn and only four lost. This was a splendid
record, considering the fact that the best cricketing
talent, both amateur and professional, was at different
times opposed to them. The four teams that were
euccessfnl in lowering the colours of the visitors were
Cambridge University, an eleven of Past and Present
Cantabs, a North of England eleven, and the Players
of England. Undoubtedly thematch of the year was that
between Australia and England, played at Kennington
Oval, August 28th, when the home team ongoing in fox
thei: eccd inLings, wanted only 85 runs to win_
But they were not equal to the task, for, owing to
the splendid bowling of the "demon," Spofforth, 8
panic seemed to seize them, and, with the exception
of the champion, who made 32, no other batsman
made much of a stand, the isoninge closing for 77,
the Australians thus winning by 8 runs, amidst tre-
mendous excitement. This was certainly a splendid
team, and if an equally good one vieits us this year,
we s'aall have to look well after our laurels, and keep
up the peestige of our national fame.

A short time since a rumour was current in sporting
circ!... that Lord Falmouth was about to retire from
the Turf. It turns out to be true; and such an ardent
patron of horse-racing as the Viscount will, of course,
be a great loss. Although he has been on the Tart
for a great length of time, and has won a large number
of races, yet he often did not clear enough to pay
his expenses. Some of the classic events his horse
have won may be named in the Two Thousand'
the Derby, the Oaks, and St. Leger, and even some ol
these big races more than once, He held first claim on
the beat jockey on the turf —F. Archer—who has
steered many of his horses to victory. Harvester, the
favourite for this year's Two Thousand Guineas, is to be
sold before the race, and therefore will not run in Lord
Falmouth's name. His trainer, Matthew Dawson,
and the abole-named jockey, have presented him with
a splendid piece of plate, in the form of a silver shield,
beariog a suitable inscription on his retirement.

The Lincion and North-Western Railway Company
held its half•yearly meeting on Saturday, when a
satisfactory dividend at the rate of 8 per cent. per
annum was declared. Very few railways can do this ;
but taking the meetings as a whole, that is to say, the
balf-yearly gatherings of shareholders reported during
the past few weeks, railway property certainly hold_
its own in the market. In several cases a larger
dividend has been declared; in many that of
last year was maintained, and in only twa
Instances did large companies pay less. In
more than one case—notably at the Great Western
South Western, and Great Northern meetings—did
the chairman advise a policy of "rest." The time for
wagleg expensive battles upon competing schemes on
the ground that new lines were wanted to open up
sparsely-peopled districts has gone, and shareholders
find that the outlay of capital can be devoted to far
wore profitable purposes.
The late Count Montalembert once spoke of taking
a bath of liberty in tree England. That was more
than a quarter of a century ago, and although the
expression would not now apply in the sense in
which it was used by Count Montalembert, eminent
French statesesen occasionally come over here for the
purpose of studying economic questions. Of this
number" is M. Clemenceau, who, since the death of
M. Gambetta, has been the leader of the advanced
Radical party in France, and who has recently visited
Englana to inquire into the condition of the working
classes. M. Cldmenceau was in the House
of Commons on one of the nights of the debate on Sir
Stafford Northcote's vote of censure, and on Saturday
was, at a committee meeting of the Cobden Club,
being afterwards shown over the Reform by Mr. T.
B. Potter, the member for Rochdale. The fact that s
Radical leader is an honoured guest at the French
Embassy at Albert-gate sufficiently attests the change
which has come over the order of rule in France
during the past few years.
The funeral of Mr. Thomas Chenery, the late
editor of the TiMa on Saturday does not follow that
of Mr. Delano at so long an interval as had been
hoped, see.ng that Mr. Chenery was half a generation
younger than one of the hardest working men in
England, the present Premier, Sorjeant's-inn,
Fleet-street, has become a kind of official
residence for the editor of the Times, for it
was occupied by Mr. Delane before Mr. Cheneryi
and is within five minutes' walk of the office,
Between four and half-past in the morning Mr.
Chenery might have been regularly seen, at
the conclusion of his nocturnal labours, wending his
way hum Queen Victoria-street to Serjeant's Inn,
where he died after only a few days' illness, and
baying had only a six years' tenure of the important,
and responsible post which he had held. '"

-'TOFI/LATION OF ALGERlA.—According to the stet's.
Ocal returns published by the French Government,
the population of Algeria at the end of the year
1881 included only 233,737 persons of French origin.
There was a farther non•Mussulman population of
225,609 composed as follows : 114,32 U Spaniards,
41%665 naturalised Jews, 33,693 Italians, 15,402
Maltese, 4201 Germans, and 22,328 of various nation-
alities. The Arab population of the colony had
increased from less than two and a half millions in
1876 to nearly three millions at the end of 1881.
CATTLE Disza.sx.—On Saturday the Clerk of the
Peace for Lancathire was notified of an outbreak of
cattle disease at the farm of the county asylum at
Whittinfsham near Fruit ,n, Seven cows out of an
herd of 60 are affected. Inqui:i.ls that have been made
show that the origin_ of-the otithr•Ak was the bringing
of six fat cattle from the Salford Catt,e Market three
weeks ago. The disease has also broken out on the
farm of Mr. Robert Sager, Old-hall, Simonstone,
among 23 cattle. A report had also been presented
by the Inspector for the Wavertree district, Liver.
pool, sta,.ing that mine f9ver bar broken out at
Waierl":ee,