The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-10-19 00:00:00

fonbon aentspnbatt.
tWIOIIIIt riltitthtoo,pgrrtle that Lee:.
unpoLeotn.a.l3l times

Rumours have been afloat that we are to have an
Autumn seeeion, hut there is no likelihood of their
truth. Government, no doubt, have to consider the
arrangements for paying our little bill to America under
the Geneva award, but there la no necewilty to call
Parliament together for that, and there is no other
eubject which demands the convocation of our legisla-

tors.
Opposing political parties are busy with the regis-
trations. and an unusual amount of actitity is Ma
Ili.
fested on either elite. This is a healthy state of things.
We could not get on very well in this country without
political pottiest, and their end* scours eeverally to
advance their views and interetts, so long as they
confine themselves to legitimate action. are commend-
able. There is also manifested a greater desire than
formerly on the part of those entitled to vote to claim
their right. This, too, looks healthy. There is, of course,
one reason for all this. It is probable that, even if the next
sesoion is played out to the ordinary term, a general
election will take place before Parliament is again
convoked and in any cooe a general election cannot
be very far off. Whenever that election takes place it
will be the most important of any that we have had
since the Reform Act of 1832, not even ex :epting
that which immediately followed the Act of LW,
In cons, quence of the action of the ballot. No wonder
therefi re that so much pnittierl activity is now mani-
fested. This activity is not wholly without its bene-
ficial influence on the otherwiseunemployed, as witness
the following advertisement :—" Parliamentary re-
ferencing clerks—several experienced clerks wanted.
Send particulars as to experience, previous engage-
ments, and term of salary and expenses, to." &c. When
so many clerks are out of employment such an invita-
tion as this must be pleasant.

The appointment of the Hon. G. Denman m the
new Judge in eneceosion to the lamented Juatice Wilke
la not open to etrieus objection,
_even on the part

of political opponents to the Ministry. We cannot
expect a Government to appoint a political anta-
gonist to a vacancy, and among their supporters
few men, if any, could have been found better fitted

for judicial duties than the gentleman now ap- I
pointed to the bench of the Common Pleas. The public
generally will rather like the appointment, because it
revives memories of Lord Chief Justice Denman, one
of the brightest ornaments of the bench. This appoint-
ment, by the way, has given rise—as every legal
appointment always does—to a number of rumours as
to other legal changes. Among "gentlemen learned
in the law" any legal vacancy or change always creates
excitement, and the whole fraternity seems at once to
be on the qui vim as to whose turn it 9hall be next; but
. .

the general public looks calmly on.
Ireland, Co much and so of ten disappointed with re-
. .

. ,
yard to rumours of a royal residence in the country,
has now been doomed to disappointment even in re:

spect to the rumoured intention of the ex-Emperor of
the French to take up his residence in the country.
That rumour is now officially contradicted. It appears
moreover that the exiled Emperor intends going to ,
Madeira in the spring, the Queen having kindly placed
a royal yacht at his disposal. By the way, the
Napoleonic star seems more decidedly than ever in
the descendant, Prince Napoleon, the eitfaiit terrible,
of the family, having been virtually expelled from
France. Whatever opinions may be entertained re-
lative to the benefits or disadvantages of imperial rule
in that country, as it is pretty certain that the cele-
brated Napoleonic maxim, l'empere erg is petix, being
no longer applicable to the country, the action of the
French Government in this matter cannot be generally
disapproved of, though perhaps it may be regarded as
a sign of weakness. Apropos of Ireland, let me express
a hope that suggestions which have been thrown
out with regard to the peat fuel may be carried out for
her good and that of the United Kingdom at large. It
has been stated, on competent authority, that if peat
is properly drained and solidified it becomes in a few
months "as dense as coal, and more useful." Peat
fuel is largely used in the ironworks of France, Ger-
many, and Sweden, and on the railways in Canada and

elsewhere. If this be true, Ireland has an immense
source of wealth that has hitherto been little utilised.
The revival of commercial activity is illustrated,
among other ways, by the formation of a number of
limited liability companies. Through the months
of August and September nothing was done in
this respect, so far as the public could see. Pro-
motera, parliamentary agents, solicitors, and en-
gineers, mighthave been maturing their plans privately,
but sitting was brought before the public; but "chill
October" has brought out several companies, and
there are many more to come. Looking at the character
of the new companies generally, without specifying
any in particnlar, I think the country may be con-
gratulated on their practical ueefulness anol value. The
enormous price of coal, fir example, has given birth
to several schemes for increasing the supply both
here and abroad, and I venture to say that our coal
owners and colliers would do well to take warning by
these enterprising projects. The demand by colliers
for snore wages and less working time--which means
ham production—and the raising the price of coals in an
even higher ratio than the inerea-e of wages, naturally
leads to desperate +tie+ ts elsewhere to add to our
weal supply; seal England at the present mo-
ment is fast becoming a coal-importing as well
as experting country. Our coal-owners and misers
would do well to profit by the lesson.
A good deal of discussion is taking place on a sub-
ject which L. anything bur. pleasant—the flogging of a
certain class of criminals. A member of Parliament,
whose opini ins are worthy of respec, and who is
evidently very tender-hearted, protests against this
punishment, and says it makes him ashamed if being
an Englishman; bat really he need not be ashamed of
that, unless it be that he is ashamed of being a fellow.
countryman of the scoundrels that are flogged. I have
never seen the eatrainiAration of the cat, and hope I
never limy, but I believe it is a very hopeful chastisemeat in certain cases, and I believe moreover taat it
would be well to extend this punishment to those who
commit violent outrages on women and children.
The Lord Mayor of London and several influential
Mende have just taken a step which is of general im-
portance. Alexandra Park and Palace are to be sold
for the reepeetable sum of £lOO,OOO, and they are then
to be devoted to recreative purposes under conditions
which shall secure guarantees against those immoral
tendencies wWch undoubtedly affect public gardens
and places of + utd oor amusement. It may be remem-
bered that the Great Exhibition of 1851 (which in
some respects has never been excelled) was got tip on
the principle of private guarantee against l's. On
this same principle the Lord Mayor and his friends
are guaranteeing £l,OOO each in reference to the
Alexandra Palace and Park. For the welfare of
society generally it is to be hoped that the move-
ment will succeed. But for this effort the place would
have been devoted to racing and the delectation if the
sporting fraternity. In connection with public gardens
it is worth notice that the Middlesex magistrates have
just refused, by 22 to 7, a licence for music and
+lancing at Oremorne, and, licence for music only by
22 to 8. There was a full bench of magistrate, and
we are bound to believe that this important course was
taken, after due deliberation, in the interests of public
morality.

I have noticed that here and there—that is as a rare
exception to a general rule—the Adulteration Act is
being put into force, and that some convictions and
fines have been the result. But such prosecutions are
quite exceptional, and it is scarcely too much to say
that this Act is becoming a dead letter, as the preceding
Act was for twelve years. The only wonder is that the
new Act is enforced at all, seeing that the appointment
of an analyst, without which nothing can be done, rests
with local authorities, the mai city f whom are trade.
men. lint it in refreshing to see that any action at all
is taken. Every conviction must produce a beneficial
effect, and some will benefit more by such convictions
than honest and conscientious tradesmen.
Few things are more remarkable in the annals of
lile and death in great cities than the excitement oc-
casioned in numerous households when it is announced
that ROllle person nnknown has been found dead. The
other day, at an inquest held here, two mothers swore
to the identity oi the laily of a young woman found
dead in the Thames, as that if their daughter, and
two nets of elative.i severally supported one of the
mothers. All this was done in perfect good faith, aid
She obvious c nein-ion is that there is still one young
woman missing, perhaps flew'. And another inquest
on a woman found dead in an area in a wretched
quarter of the metropolis—has brought somewhat
similar facts to light. From some of the many people
who have gone to endeavour to identify the body it hag
been ascertained that several females are missing, some
of them being connected with respeitable families.
It seems that the photographs of a number of women
who have been found dead and have been buried
without identification, can be seen at Scotland-yard.
What a saddening exhibition must that be !
An Alpine Club exists, the member, of which know
"bow hard it is to climb the steep where Fame's
proud temple shiers afar." Possibly th, se gentlemen
take "Excelsior" for their motto, but at all events he
who climbe highest and does deeds of the greatest dar-
ing among mountain fastnesses seems to get the most
praise. And now we have a new club formed, under
the title of the " Cruising Club," the members of
which are to consist of gentlemen who possess canoes,
skiffs, or gigs, and that have cruised in boats ‘.l this
kind not less than 200 miles on one journey. It is
rather a curious fancy to unite gentlemen in a club,
hut It must be admitted that it is the bold venturesome

mounced

spirit which such pursuits presuppose that is one
element in ngland's greatnesa Another illustration
of the same spirit is to be found among our whilem
lively neighbours the French. A Frenchman has a
little five-ton yacht in the Seine, and wants four other
gentlemen to cross the Atlantic with him in this cockle-
atoll—just to show that such daring is not confined to
England and the United States. This sort of thing
may possibly be Carrjed too far.
.