The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-07-12 00:00:00

tillnatt tattspriluni.

Wills It right to Matto that we do hot at all Olt I
-34 vap aninstree with ow Correspandentl ordnio.l.:

Li the month of July progresses, the glories of the
Landon seamen begin gradually to wane. When the
sun is not shining with an intense heat, the atmosphere
is close mai stagnant, and all who have the means
turn their thoughts towards the country and the
Continent. Religioum, rharitahle, and philanthropic
gatherings, which for weeks previously ha , taxed the
energies of prelates and noblemen, grow less in number.
the distributions of prizes by Royal princemmee become
fewer, and by the ml iif the ninth the blinds are
closely drawn in th-roughfarr af air thoroughfare of
of this West-end. I may here say that the season which
has now area its last days has by common regiment been
the most bra liant witnemired in Loudon since
the death of the Prince Consort. To say nothing
of the preset ce of the irihah and Czarewitch,
it is a matter of notoriety that the various mem-
bers of the Royal family have worked most ener-
getically in endeavouring to fulfil the numerous de
mands upon their time. The presence of a Princess at
a bazaar for a charitable purpose, or of a Prince at a
dinner for-the benefit of the fundm of a hospital, is a
very great attraction, and the invariable result is a con-
siderable addition to the receipts. No wonder, then,
at the managels are Bo anxious to secure the attend-
ance of a member of the reigning II ,nee at their annual
miseting, and there can be no euestion that the Royal
family are increasing their hold upon the respect and
affection of the people by the ready response which
they give to the invitatlots which pour in upon them
to lend their aid towards the advancement of the cause
of charity.

It has been said that the affairs o some of our great
metropolitan hospitals are not in so satisfactory a con.
dition as might be desired. Mention has been parti-
cularly made of St. Thomas's Hospital, which, as
many of your readers will probably ren ember, was
originally built at the foot of London Bridge. When
the extensive alterations made by the South Eastern
Railway Company were carried out there, the proposi.
tion of the governors to erect the hospital upon its
present site, opposite the Houses of Parliament, was
strongly opposed by the City Corporation, who objected
to the institution being transferred to a district which
was already sufficiently served by Weetmins ter Hospital.
The opposition was, however, in vain, and the new build.
iug was erected in seven blocks upon the south side of
Westminster Bridge, not far from the Archbishop of
Canterbury's ancient palace at Lambeth. The site
and the erections have co..t about £6OOOOO, and as the
total accommodation is 500 beds, it follows that each
bed will heve cost more than £l,OOO. A statement
has been issued, showing that 150 beds are now eloped
for want of hands, Po that accommodation for only 350
patienta is now available, as compared with 600 in the
old hospital. It is hoped that the share of this noble
Institution in the proceeds of the Hospital Sunday col-
lectbes will enable the Governors to make more provi-
sion for the mass of suffering humanity which is always
to be found in the metropolis.
Another institution of a different character is in a
far more promising way. In the year 161 a charitable
gentleman, Edward Alleyn by name, founded a school
for the education of a limited number of boys, and
endowed it with an estate at Dulwich, one of the most
charming suburbs of London. At first there were only
twelve boys in the school, but as the land gradually
increased in value, the inc me was proportionably
augmented. The consequence is that the Dulwich
estate of to-day yields an amount which 200 years
ago would have been deemed perfectly fabulous.
Three years since a magnih .ent new college was built
at a cost of £lOO,OOO, and 650 boys are now educated
within its walls. It is about a quarter of a mile from
the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, and stands in the
midst of a beautiful and ter in country. Dulwich is
to then .uth of London what Highgate is to the north
--a lovely spot atudded with villas, and spr arently as
far removed from the noise, the bustle, and the smoke
of the vast ckital as though it were a hundred miles
away from it, instead of being, as the case really is,
only about twenty minutes' distance by rail. Thee. ns
treats between the crowded city streets and the suburban
delights of such a place as Dulavioh can only be ap-
preciated by those who witness them daily.
Under the auspices of the Social Science and the
Howard Societier, an ir quiry has lately been made into
the condition of the police cells of London, and it has
been conduced with tie sanction of C donelllenders3ll
and Colonel Fraser, the chiefs of the Metr poll= and
City forces. From this it appears that the ',dice cells I
of the City, which are under the control of the Cor
poration, are generally superior to th, se in the metros
politan district. They are better lighted; eonsequerdly
there is lees d Moony in securing decent order. Mr.
Tallack, whose name is well known in connection with
this question, and who was one of the committee selected
to carry out the investigation, is r f opinion that com-
plete isolation is not desirable. One weighty reason is
that when drunken prisoners have been left alone
PtliCi le has a ften been the result. On the whole the
result of the inquiry is such as to convey a favourable
impression of the management of our role, eels, an
impassion whi.l hay not at all times prevailed.
All who know Waterloo Place in Pall Mall will
remember the collection of statues and monuments
which there abound& One of the latter is an emble-
matical figure representing the victories of the allied
armies in the Crimea ; while one of the statues is to
the memory of Lord Clyde, and another to that of
Benjamin Franklin. A few days ago a statue of Sir
James Outran), the great Indian general, who was
buried in Westminster Abbey just this time ten years, I
was added to the existir g group of figures. It is by
Mr. Foley, the well-known sculptor, but it is not to
remain permanently in its present position. Its deed
nation is an ii en space opposite Government House,
Cadcutta, and so excellent has been the treatment of
his subject by the artist that many will regret that it
is not to stay longer upon its present site.
Amongst the attractions of the International Exhibi-
tion is a collection of drinking implen ents, and a very
curious one it is. There are found old drinking horns,
which were so much used by our Saxon ancestors, the
Goths, the Romans, and even the Greeks, To make
an examination of this singular array, and to contrast
it with the spiendid assortment of pottery in the exhi.
bition of 1871, is to obtain a very comprehensive idea
of the extraordinary progress which has been made in
civilization since the days when the Romans were
roasters of the known world. Time was when horns
were considered treasures worthy to be bequeathed,
and they are often mentioned in early wills, and noticed
in the list of effects belonging even to Royalty itself,
for many of them were worked in g, Id and silver, and
ornamented with carving and elaborate devices.
Thanksgiving Day, the 27th February, 1872, is not
to be allowed to pass without some eubstantial mark
of remembrance of the day when the Queen went to
St. Paula to return thanks for the recovery of the
Prince of Wales. It has long been a matter for obser-
vation, and indeed for regret, that although nearly
two centuries have elapsed since the building of our
great metropolitan cathedral, it has practically re-
mained unfinished according to the designs of its
emiuent architect, Sir Christoph. r Wren. Contrasted
with the embellish cents lavished upon some of the
structures upon the Continent, St. Paul's has never
ehown to advantage, considering the enormous wealth
of the English nation. Subscriptions to a large
amount have, bowel!, r, lately been raised towards the
completion of the internal decorations, and amongst
theee is a window in commemoration of Thanksgiving
Day. The designs are nearly ready, and are to be
laid before the Dean and Chapter.
Although Loudon has been, for a long time, com-
paratively free from large Cool37,Tating, a fire occa-
sionally breaks out, elemaniling the utmost exertions
on she part of the Fire Brig aide to master it. The
number and efficiency ed thie important boy have
Irately occupied the attention of Cie Met...politan
Board of Works, and although there is no doubt re.
speating :to capabiltiee, many have urged that its
numbers are ineufficieut for the protection oi snob an
illalaCPße area as that occupied by the British capital.
Sometimes there is a fire which renders it necessary
for the wi ole of the brigade to be concentrated at one
spot—such, for instance, as that at the City Flour
Mills last November; consequently, at such a time
the rest of the metropolis is left unprotected. Those
who argue in favour of increasing the Brigade contend
that this ought not to be, and that there should at all
times be a sufficient reserve to deal with any
emergency which might arise. Two great fires occur-
ring simulameouoly at opposite ends of London, or
even one following immediately efter another, when
the entreies of the Brigade are spent, at d the men are
exhausted, is a contingency for which so vett a city
ought not to be unprepared. Chic-Igo was destroyed
becanee its firemen were wearied out in suppressing a
conflagration only a few Lours before the breaking out
of the fire which swept like a whfilwind over the I
place.

Both the Court of Common Council and the Metro-
politan Board of Works have witLiu the past few days
taken decisive steps for the prevention of an outbreak
of cholera. Seeing that the dreaded plague has appeared
In ports trading with the United Kingdom, and that
It in not only in the eastern part of Europe, but Hlro
in many cities of the United States, it is evident
that all the efforts of the sanitary authorities will
be required to keep it out of Great Britain.
There is no doubt that in the Austrian and Russian
dominions its presence has been felt all the winter; in
the beginning of June it showed itself in Western
Prussia; it afterwards travelled to DlllllZie and to
Pesth ; it is stalking through Bohemia and Gallicia

enl the fact that it has manifested Itself at Vienna
ham considerably increased the public anxiety. In the
autum of 1871, when it was hovering upon the shores
of the Levant, a joint committee of city and port
authorities framed a scheme for the mope lion of all

vessels coming into the Thanars. It wan estimated
that £1,200 a year would suffice to maintain a cum.
petent staff, hut the money c nil not be had, and the
plan therefore collapsed. The Court of Cummote
Council hae, however, now voted £4OO a year for a
medical officer of health, and £l2O for an inspector of
shipping ; and should any further appointments be
necessary, they witl doubtless be made. Meanwhile
geeat stress is laid on the importance of direct ventilae
time in houses. Where there are skylights they should
las kept constantly open, anti the dwelling is thereby
thoroughly eite-sel from the top to the bottom. Un
questionably fresh air in one of the best preventatives
against the attacks of the disease.

Ths Wimbledon competition opened under a sky clear
as that of Italy, and with &burning sun youi ing down
its rays upon the marksmen. On the same day thi re was
a review of the troops at Aldershot, witne-oted by the
Prince and Princess of Wad s, the Cemarewitch and the
Cesarevna, the Dukes of E iinhorgh and C smbridge,
and Prisce Arthur. It is odd, but true, that reviews
generally happen on days of blazing heat like that
of last Monday, when the small amount of breeze
which does blow is hot and stifling, and svhen any
exertion with even the lightest of garments is felt to
be dppreseive. What the experience o, the troops
mbet be on such a day, with their tightly-
buttoned coats, and closely-fitting stocks, can
be known only to themselves. However, it is felt
by the military authorities that, as the army cannot
select the weather in which they would prefer to go to
war, neither should they choose the day on which to
go through the fatiguing exercises of a mimic battle.
The figure of the Cesarewitch has by this time become
familiar to the habitués of London Sotiety. As the
heir to the Throne of all the Itussias, and a connection
by marriage, of the Prince of Wales, he in everywhere
received with great deference, and was included in the
list of distinguished guests at the banquet lately given
by the Trinity House Corporation.