The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-11-12 00:00:00

fEe gitourbritige affitrkr

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1887.

OUR COLONIZS.

Yzom South Africa there comes a cry of
"Under One Flag," evidencing the hanker-
ing after independence that obtains among
many of the inhabitants of the Tranavaal
Free State. It is satisfactory to not., how—
ever, that the bulk of the intelligent people
in South Africa have recognised the right
ef Britain to rule in her own eolonies, and
that Preeidesit Kruger stated publicly the
• other day that he should be sorry to do
anything against Queen Victoria's authority
at the Cape, and spoke in the meet candid
manner as to his being on ilia hest of terms
with her ldajeetfa Government. This is
well, and as an official expression disposes of
fears which at one time prevailed as to the
durability of Britain's hold in Africa To
turn to a wider Colonial survey, one cannot
but view with interest Canon Dalton's
published summary of the work done las.
summer by the Colonial Conference, as read
by him at the Colonial Institute in London
Tuesday night. Canon Dalton bag visited
almost all our Colonies, and examined them
observantly on the spot. He is in sympathy
with the growing greatness of all these
younger lEnglands beyond the seas, and
would give the fullest consideration to every
view their leaders advance well assured
of their loyal love to their Mother Country.
He vines with pride and wendrotes admira-
tion the vast Empire in the building of
which we LILT% for thrve huricireikPikure and
more, expended the beat of our Blood, and
lavished our treasure; and he holds that it is
oar bounden duty to strain every nerve to
keep this magnificent heritage. Our
Colonies, are out-growing, many of them,
the land of their origin; sad yet their
peeriotism does not abate one jot. The
Colonial Conference was convened out of a
common desire on the part of the colonists,
and of the most thoughtful of thee who
mould and lead opinion at home, to
strengthen the bonds whioh unite our
scattered Empire into one glorious whole.
The broad question of Imperial Federation
was formally tabooed, it is true, at the Con-
ference; but every matter considered and
discussed so amicably by the delegatee led
-up to that broad and stable unity of spirit
and aim which is 'Wove and beyond all
technic* phrasing and designating. And
already, as Canon Dalton contend., there
can beruo doubt that the influenoe of these
friendly debates ia the chief city of the
Empire have made thee infinenoe felt. The
eonsolidation of our vast realm is not a
matter of a few months; for its oonstitaent
members have been forms(' from many differ-
ing materials, and are of as vastly varying
sharacter as they nre of dissimilee develop-
ment. But these Parliaments of the-whole
Empire, of which last summer's eonference
in London was the initative, will, se they
continue from year to year, carry on stably
and soundly the work of building into in.
vineible firmness the anion of the States,
old and young, which form the immense
Power designated the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, and the Colonies
and the Dspendensies thereof. We have,
apart from the inestimably valuable good
feeling which has been festered into inviol-
able fidelity, and the fruit of which will
blossom in ages to come, one tangible out-
some of the Colonial Conference that has
already set its seal on the first assembly.
We refer to the amicable arrangement be-
tween Britaitiand Franco as to the neutrality
of the New Hebrides, which, it will be re-
membered, was a recommendation of the
delegates. The wisdom of such a step—and
wise, we feel sure, it will hereafter be ad-
mitted to have been _— would hardly have
been seen by our Colonial Office without the
advantage of such an expression of opinion
as the Conference gave opportunity for. If
we will but give our Colonies the hearing
that their importance warrants aid which
they rightly demand, we need not have the
slightest fear as to their abiding loyalt) and
sincere wish to remain ander the British
fieg.

COMMENTS ON CUELRENT NEWS
BOARD OP TRADE Returns are never of
the liveliest reading, never sufficiently ab-
ssrbing to be perused out of choioe for
literary entertainment by ordinary people.
Bat they are always important, and gener-
ally of interest, to those who watch the
tide-marks of British commerce with an
intelligent and underetanding gaze, knowing
how much the nation's welfare *ends
upon the nature of the figures which month
by month tell the tale or our imports and
exPf,rts. ' At time, too, the Returns are
pleasant reading, 1101.14 unt hopes of
''.PProaching briskness in trwie ; and this is
distinctly the ease as regards those issued
for October, which show that net only were
we busier with Impott and export last month
than was the case a year ago, bat that the
whole past twelve months have shown a
pronounced improvement upon their pro-
decessore. We have done more in exporta-
iittn from January to the end of October
this year by over four millions sterling than
we did during the first ',en mon:ha of 1886;
"d we have imported in the correspondiug
-ieried an inoreased value of four-and-a-half
illiou pounds worth, duty free of food and
drink over the delivery of January to
Out:ober last year. And that home in_
itasirrns £4lOl anAl fgemin PAS 14

not closed against English products, ie
proved conclusively by the fact that we
have this year exported already manu-
factured goods to the value of 160 millions
sterling. Let oar traders take heart of
grece from so satisfactory a report.

We are entering on a new year, munici-
pally speaking Mayor-choosing day is put,
and the town councillors in aH the boroughs
have got over the excitement of their elect-
oral contest; and are now beginning to
face the work of local government with
energy. Her Majesty'p graceful thanks to
last year's mayors and corporations for the
enthusiastic way in which they carried out
he general jubilee rejoicings formed a fit-
ting close to a municipal year which has, in
many respects, been a memorable one.

•
I,IT •London, the going out of one Chief
, Magistrate and the coming in of another is
made more of, even proportionately, than in
any provincial, town or city. The Lord
• Mayor of London is a highly important per-
son, and in some of his functions more of a
national representative than the mere head
of the officialdom of the capital. (lenorally
speaking the gentleman chosen for the high
and dignified position of the Master of the
Mansion House is one yvho has all the gifts
and attributes required in the holder of
such an onerous and honourable post. There
have bt.en many noteworthy Lord Mayors.of
London, men who would be ornamentirand
of use in any State position of trust; an.d
few, if any, of those who have eujoyod the
greatest distinction London has•iri its gift
have gone out of office in greater unction
Ann did Sir Reginald Ranson on Wdnea-
p.y. He bore himself well through all the
liarrassing ordeal of analtogether exceptional
.mayoral year, was dignified and yet happy
in every position and situation to which in-
cessant duty called him, always painstaking
and attentive, ever fair-minded and bounte-
ous in his generosity civic and personal.
Lord Mayor Hanson has gene; Lord Mayor
de Keyser takes his chain and chair. A man
of broad mind and much promise, a success-
ful prince of commerce, of cosmopolitan
views, steps into the place of a long succes-
sion of men who hare ruled London well.
The new head of the City ía of Belgian birth
and of Roman Catholic religion, but such
are his qualifications as a leader of men that
he has been chosen where many Londoners
of the Established Church are available. He
enters office with all goodwill. A prosper
one term to him. -


THE Belgian trawlers have of late been
indulging in flagrant misconduct in their
fishing depredations, and exhibiting no little
insolence towards the British crews to
whom they have wrought annoy. This is
distressing, seeing the good feeling which
exists between England and Beltrium. The
King of the Belgians is almost as much at
home here as in his own land, and he is very
much hurt at the pass these fishery quarrels
have come to, and is, indeed, "toying per-
sonally to put an end to them. Here is a
hint. We have a Belgian Lord Mayor of
London. If he could find time in the midst
of his multifarious municipal dnties to look
beyond the bounds of the City, he would b.
a most fitting chief arbitrator between hi)
countrymen by birth and his countrymen by
adoption. Both sides would have ample
confidence in Alderman de Keyser.

Tus late Lord Wolverton was a pattern
to all party med. in his loralty to the Cause
he espoused. Having thrown in his lot with
the Liberalism of which Mr. Gladstone is
the head, his wealth, his influence, his time,
and he himself were always Mr. Gladstones
to command for any party purpose. Liberal-
ism everywhere owes mach to him, and
will miss him greatly now that he has gone.
-Though he was the second Baron Wolver-
ton, the peerage was given on Mr. Gladstone's
initiative to his father in recognition of the
son's services as Whip. The Gladetonians
Gould better have spared many a more pro-
minent man than the brusque yet estimable
yacht-loving lord who died se seddenly on
Sunday at Brighton.

"ThillALCiA1•1101:71.11111," said a great satin,"
is the finest sit* in Europe." "That" re-
marks Pooch, "may be, but the moll in it
isn't." But Sir Charles Warren haa moved
the mob from the great open space at Char-
ing•croes row, and the noise of the demago-
gue is hoard outside the National Gallery no
more, much to the relief of those who dwell
there about it pus along the adjacent
thoroughfare*. Londoners generally agree
with the action of the Chief Commissioner,
for the meetings of the "unemployed" had
became an emphatic nuisance. Now Mr.
Stewart Heodlum, Mrs Besant, Mr, Detpsociat
Saunders, and the rest of those who profess
to synapathise with the admirers of the red
flag, will have to liad some ogler spot on
which to harangie their unwashed friends.

111. O'Bitzt has triumphed over the law.
He would not wear the prison garb, and lest
the employment of force should give him
the martyr's crown for whioh he seemed to
strive se strenuously his keepers allowed
him to continue in his own apparel, punish-
ing him, h bwever, with the bread 1111 d water
diet of the refractory. Then the surgeon
had him transferred to the goal infirmary,
because his health had suffered from his
self-imposed troubles. The fiery editor will
find Tn.'bamore much different from his own
home, and perhaps his experience of durance
vile may somewhat tame his violent spirit.
It is doubtful however, whether snob an
extremist as he will learn moderation from
experienou, or ever admit that the Sovereign
authority should never, in no matter how
good a cause, or with what worthy objeot,
be set at naught. Meanwhile moonlighting
and murder go on apace, while the Home
ante agitation on the one hand, and the
Government straggle to enforce the law on
the other, are maintained without any sign
of ceasin? ,and sans the promise of a peace-
ful settle ~ient of Ireland's ills.

ILL Englishmen will regret to learn that
the mischief in the throat of the Crown
Prince of Germany is still so dangerous that
Sir Morell Mackenzie had to be summoned
the other day to San Remo, and was able to
give only a very unfavourable opinion of his
distinguished patient's condition. With the
Emperor a nonogenarian and very decrepit,
his wonderful vigour notwithstanding, and
the Crown Prince attacked with so critical
an ailment, the Germans may well feel
anziotis concerning their Imperial House,
• • •