The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-03-16 00:00:00

THE LOWTHER FAMILY.
(From Monday's Times.)

"In your interesting obituary notice of the late Earl
of Lonsdale you omit to mention one fact connected
with the past history of the family, which you may
perhaps think worth mentioning (writes a correspon-
dent). It is recorded at page 158 of the Universal
Magazine for September, 1782, under the title of
' Present to the King,' and after some opening re-
flections upon the decay of patriotism in England the
writer thus proceeds
Sir James Lowther, Bart. (we publish the name of the
gentleman at length, as it would be unjust to the people not
to let them know their benefactor), on Friday, the 7th inst.,
waited on Lord Koppel, and, after having expressed his con-
cern that the country Subscriptions for building ships of war
were not carried on with greater spirit, requested his Lord-
ship to present his humble duty to the King, and at the
same time CO request His Majesty would accept of a MAN-OF-
WAR mounting SEVENTY rot, GeNS, completely Inann'd,
' victual and tided for action the whole expense
to be paid out of his own private fortune. Lord Koppel,
I astonished at such an unexampled instance of magnanimity,
remained for a few moments silent. At length he assured
Sir James that the matter should instantly be laid before the
King. This was accordingly- done, and the proposition ac-
ceded to in the most elegant manner by the Sovereign.'
"The writer's concluding remarks upon this princely
gift may be considered not uninteresting, even at the
present time. He says :
' When we consider that the expense of building and fit
ting such a ship for action cannot be less than SEVENTY
FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS, We may venture to assert that a
higher instance of public virtue cannot be found in the
history of tills or any other country. If the nobility have
any grace, wisdom, or understanding, which is every day
prayed for in the churches, they will instantly fallow the
example of this elevated character, instead of daily wasting
thousands in idle dissipation.'
"In the following month (October) there are some
verses addressed to Sir James Lowther. 'The opening
lines draw a contrast between the degenerate sons of
Albion in 1782, as compared with what Britons once
were, allude to the decay of patriot fire,' &c., and
thus conclude :

'Thou. Lowther, has reviv'd the dying llama,
And by not Immortialiid thy name !
Proud Gallia now shalt hear, and hear with dread,
The great, the glorious effort thou hunt made,
And all her base allies shall trembling hear
The thunder of the Lotman MAN-OF-WAR.'

The 7-cs—;nY;ni-all-capitala are in the originaL"

SCENES FROM THE COURTS-MARTIAL
AT VERSAILLES.
Reoently the courts-martial have been of small Interest ;
but the other day • strangely tragic scene toot place In the
Sixth consell de Guerra (writes the correspondent of the
Da4 Telegraph'
The trial of shoemaker Boudin, as Communist and
incendiary, did not promise much intereet, nor did the
public anticipate that the short trial would have com-
pressed into it some of the strongest passions of human
life. After the fall of the Commune, Boudin went
back to his workshop, where he managed to escape
detection for many mmithe. One evil day, how-
ever, he yielded to the temptations of abfsinthe,
and, as he WWI reeling home, pointed out the ruins of
the Prefecture of Police to a friend, and remarked that
he had " helped to do that." The ever-present police
agent overheard the remar_,k and Bondi n was arrested
and sent to Versailles. The prisoner did not deny
that he had nude this unfortunate remark. "I do