The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-08-01 00:00:00

Onr Tonbou Corrugated.

tWe deem It right to state that we do not at all thing
tdentity ourselves *Unfree Correspondent's opinions.]

Those who delight in political speeches must
have rejoiced at the recent issue of the morning
papers. Earl Granville at the City Liberal Club,
Earl Spencer, Lord Hartington, and Mr. Bright
at the Westminster Palace Hotel, and Mr.
Chamberlain in Hackney, all spoke within a few
hours of each other, and as members of the late
Cabinet, what they say is worth listening te.
But it is much to be regretted that so many
speeches on the sane side should come together.
It is impossible for either the newspapers or the
public to do justice to so much at once. In the
first place the papers have to get to press,
speeches or no speeches, and whoever may be
the orator, he has to be mercilessly cut down at
the last if there is the slightest danger of missing
the morning trains. As to the public, the plat-
form addresses between now and the general
election will
.amply satisfy them on whichever
side of politics they may happen to be. There
are nearly four mouths to that event, which we
are told will result in the most momentous deci-
sion given by the country during the last half
century. But within the remembrance of any
of us no dissolution of Parliament has occurred
which has not been described in similar language.
The Ministerial banquet at the Mansion House
is always a sign of the approaching close of the
session. Her Majesty's present advisers have
not been in office sufficiently long to enable
them to say much about the past; and by the
time they assemble at Guildhall on the 9th
_November, just a week before the issue of the
writs, the clang of arms between the contending
parties will be heard all over the three kingdoms.
Closely as this banquet at the Lord Mayor's offi-
cial residence has followed the installation of a
new Ministry, there was one some years ago very
much nearer, so near indeed that the is and the
outs were both bidden to the fen Ft. That was
in 1866, when Mr. Disraeli and Mr. Gladstone
paid compliments to each other across the festive
table, their style of address being very different
from that which they were accustomed to ex-
change across that which Lord Palmerston once
described at one of these banquets as "the un-
fruitful table in the House of Commons."

The marriage of Princess Beatrice in Whipping-
ham Church will be long remembered by the
peaceful dwellers in the valley of the Medina.
The ornate ceremony in the little structure was
a perfect picture, the unique figure of the Queen
attired in black satin standing out conspicuously
amid the bridal garments of the Princess and her
attendant bridesmaids. It seemed a day chosen
for a wedding, when the bright sun shone upon
the land, just as it did in the days when it re-
minded one of our poets of "the meeting of
heaven and earth." If tons of cake, and piles of
gifts, and universal good wishes could make the
young couple happy, this would certainly be ac-
complished. More than twenty-eight years ago,
the eldest of the Queen's daughters was married;
the youngest has now followed the same in-
exorable law; but there appears to be no dimi-
nution of the loyal feeling of the great body of
the people towards the Throne.
The Wimbledon Rifle Competition was brought
to a successful termination on Saturday. The
absence of rain during the greater part of
the meeting contributed in a very material
degree to the comfort of the volunteers, who
with all their zeal for the public service would
naturally prefer to sleep in a dry blanket than
in a sponge. The prizes were distributed by the
Countess Spencer, who had the pleasure of
handing one to her husband, an excellent shot.
This ceremony is often conducted by one of the
Princesses; but there had been a fatiguing
week, and in the absence of Royalty no one
better quart ed than the Countess Spencer for
the work could have been thought of.
Up to last Saturday there were three first-
class counties in the cricket world which had suf-
fered one defeat only—Notts, Lancashire, and
Yorkshire. When the two last-named met for their
return match, the former was decisively beaten,
thus leaving Notts and Yorkshire at the
head. The struggle for county supre-
macy has been very keen, and great
praise is due to the." Tykes" for their splendid
all round play during the season. Surrey, which
had been beaten only once previously, and that
by Gloucester by two wickets early in the season,
was thought to stand a good chance of being
the champion county, but on meeting Lancashire
on a wet wicket they fell all to pieces, and
although they did their best to effect a draw
they were unable to prolong the game until time
was called, and Lancashire were the winners by
a large majority of runs, 188. It must not be
lost sight of that the Southeners were without
the service of Wood (wicket-keeper), M. Read,
and Mr. Roller, who were unable to play, they
all having sustained injuries the previous week.
After a delay of a week owing to the extremely
variable weather and the choppy seas, the
Oxford eight were enabled to start early on
Saturday morning for their row from Dover to
Calais in an eight-oared rowing galley. The
men have been practising a long time for this
event, in which much interest has been taken.
They are to be congratulated on the way in
which they performed their task. The distance
is 21 miles. The journey was accomplished in
about four hours and a-half, which is extremely
good time, considering that the Invicta, the
fastest mail boat, takes a little over an hour to
do the same distance. Several of the crew were
obliged to cease rowing ror a time owing to
fatigue, but they all kept to the boat, and when
they returned to London the same evening in
the steam-tug which accompanied them on their
journey, they seemed none the worse for the
exertion they had undergone. = •
The death of General Grant has revived
the history of the greatest civil war
of modern times. From April, 1861,
to April, 1865, the struggle between
the Northern and Southern States, excited the
utmost interest in this country. At first the
battles on the other side of the Atlantic were of
so ludicrous a character as to provoke general
ridicule; but this was only for a short time, and
by the time General Grant had become a promi-
nent figure in the armies of the North, the sacri-
fice of life had grown to be very great on both
sides. Grant himself never spared any number
of men in order to secure an advantage. His
expression that he intended to keep "pegging
away" until Richmond was reduced to submis-
mission speedily became historical. General
Grant was a great soldier, and the errors of his
later political career have been overlooked in the
remembrance of the splendid service which he
rendered to the Union. G. It.