The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-09-19 00:00:00

our foitbon torrtspenttnt.

'We deem it right to state that we io not at all dais
,iontify ourselves with our correspondent's opinions"

In leas than two months Parliament will have, in
all probability, assembled. At present it stands pro-
rogued till the Bth of October, but it is expected that
there will be another and a final prorogation to the
9th of November, then to meet for the dispatch of
divers urgent and important affairs. Meanwhile we
are getting deeper and deeper still into election
business, and election news forms the staple com-
modity of the London papers. The totally opposite
views that certain landlords have taken of the assumed
duties of tenants is a curious feature of the current
news. Several landlords, to their honour, have notified
that they leave to their tenants perfect freedom of
ac;ion ; and one of the former says, "No change of
f.,.ling, whichever way you vote, will thereby be
created in my mind as a landlord towards you as a
t•mant." On the other band, some facts have transpired
which show that there are landlords who consider the
tenant's vote ought to go with the land. In one case
the t enants have been informed by the steward " that the
landlord will inform the tenantry how they are to vote,
and that their votes must be given as he may dictate."
It is difficult to believe that such notifications as these
ale ever made in earnest, but they are seriously re-
corded nevertheless. That there will be bribery and
intimidation during tne forthcoming election, as there
always is during every election, may confidently be
lookefffor ; but I, for one, am inclined to believe that
the enlargement of the constituencies will render such
unfair influence rarer than before, compared with the
increased number of voters. Bribery will be a dearer
game, and intimidation a more dangerous game than
ever, lint another subject is just now more occupying
the attention of the public, and that is the revi-
sion of the lists of voters. The revising barristers
will not have an easy task this time. They have two
difficulties with which they were never bothered before
—women and lodgers. As to the former, I should
imagine there cannot be any reasonable doubt of the
intention of the Legislature ; but lawyers may, if they
please, deal with the strict letter of the law. As to
lodgers, I notice that in Ireland it has been decided
that "a lodger is a person who occupies part of a
dwelling-house as his 'residence, either where the land-
lord resides on the premises, or where, although the
house is wholly let out in tenements, the landlord
retains a control over the outside door, entitling him
to enter the premises against the will of the oven.
piers of the tenements, without thereby beeorning a
trespasser." And in accordance with this, where
the landlord had no control over the outer door the
claim of the soi-disant " lodger " was disallowed
Surely the Legislature never meant to draw this
distinction.

People are gradually returning to town, but then
these people are nobodies —merely ordinary British
taxpayers, who count for nothing in the fashionable
world—and the theory still is that nobody ie in town.
We may expect the season to commelice on Saturday
the 3rd of October, for on that day the fashionable
S3turday concerts at the Crystal Palace recommence.
In London there ia, of course, a season within a season—
April, May, and June are the months when London is
in full fig, whatever that may be; but before and
after this, there is what may be called a demie.saison,
When London is full, but not very full, if you can
understund that. This winter London may reasonably
axpect to have more than the usual advantages of the
presence of the aristocracy, members of Parliament,
tic., owing to the meeting of that august body in
December.

The disproportion between the punishment for '
offences against property and that against the person,
is frequently remarked upon, but it is new to have
such remarks from the bench. A labourer was
brought before Mr. Knox, one of our police magistrates,
the other day, charged with a cruel and unprovoked
assault on a man and his wife in the street. The
latter was considerably injured. Mr. Knox remarked
that if the prisoner had been brought up for some
trumpery theft he might have been sent to prison for
twelve months, and then the magistrate made a de-
claration which may be commended to magistrates all
over the world. He would not deal with the assault
on the husband, but sentenced the brutal fellow to six
months' imprisonment for his assault on the woman,
under the Aggravated Assaults Act. If magistrates
viscid act in this determined way, assaults on women
would perhaps become less frequent. At present they
seem as frequent as ever they were. But why not
fig the setnuelrels who brutally beat women and their
children ?

A cavalry officer has very properly made public an
application he has receivea from a too obliging money-
_ .

kicler. "In the event 14 your requiring a monetary
!sivance," says this discreet person, "I shall he happy

to ilace the amount named by you at your. disposal.

ami as it is my wish to obsersie, as far:as it.is in my

power to do so, an incognito, you need not be under
any apprehension on the score of secrecy;" and after
repmliating any connection with advertising money-

lenders, he adds, "whatever advance son might re-
quire would be made on fair and satisfactory terms,
and on your own personal security. The phrase "as
far as it is in my power to do so" suggests some
awkward reflections. It foreshadows a contingency
under which the money-lender will not he able to pre-
serve an incounito, but when legal proceedings will

reveal the details 'of the contract', always supp.ing

that the borrower do not pay. It is too bad that
officers, gentlemen in government appointments, itc.,
should be thus continually tempted, but that they are
thus tempted is well known. They are continually
receiving offers of loans, and frequently are unable to I
resist the temptation. And whenever these scheming
money-lenders get their victims into their power, as
they often do by means of renewed bills at an in-
creased rate of interest, the " incognito " does not at
all trouble the money-lender. Tradesmen, farmers,
Sic., should be on their guard against another class of
money-lender- the man who advertises and who, in his
iqvii proper or improper person, is a company or an
agency. The mischief these men do—and mischief is
too weak a word in many cases—is incalculable.

As meat is always so dear in this country that the
poor can Kellum obtain it, and as it is always cheap in
Australia and South America, it may be well to give
additional publicity to a mode of preserving fresh
meat which is mentioned by a correspondent of
one of our papers. The method of doing this is
by the contact of sulphurous acid, the gas pro-
duced by the combustion of common sulphur. "In
,hamber about twelve feet square, forty carcases
mutton could be preserved fir any length of time at
the expense of I.L a day. Dr. Dewar has preserved
meat by this process for many months, if not for years,
with the greatest success. One wouhl naturally sup-
pose that a gas with such a pungent odour as sulphur

fumes would taint the meat, but I can bear witness
that it does not. I have eaten a chop preserved by
Dr. Dewar for four months, and never wish for a
better, either in point of tenderness, flavour, juiciness,

fre'tihness." if all this is true, .why is the syntem

not adopted? There is perhaps some objection to this
method of meat preservim; which has escaped the
writer's attention. But at all events It is marvellous

that in this nineteenth century of progress some system
rrf preserving meat, and of transporting it from coun-
tries where there is more than is wanted to countries
where there is always leis than is wanted, is not dis-
covered and acted upon.
A man has just died, of whom it may be tail, in the
words of Dr. Johnson, that he has " left a name at
which the world grew pale, to point a moral or adorn
a tale." The tale of Sir John Dean Paul's life and
death is a sad one, and its moral is a striking one. One
morning in June, Wel, the commercial world was
startled by the news that the old and esteemed lank
of Strahan, Paul, and Bates hail stopped payment ;
but, ere long, the affairs of the bank had a sad and
deep interest for the community generally. Sir John
Dean Pant WllB known to the set ill as, a philanthropist
and a leading man ann rug the religious institutions of
the day. lie took the chair at May meetings, Iris
name was generally to be found among the subscribers
to religious or charitable institotions, and he wbs
universally respected. The funds rif many of these
societies were entrusted to the keeping of the bank in
which he was a partner, and to the same bank were
also entrusted several securities. It was too clearly
proved that all the partners had fraudulently disposed
of these sreurities. It was new, than probable that
there was never tiny intention on the port of either of
tie se partners trs rob their customers. The 111 ICU molts
were used to prop up a falling bank, and with the In rise,
no doubt, of getting them back in time to save ex•
posure„ But rtiln fell on the hank like an avalanche,
end the judges could only deal with overt acts.
It Wali the painful duty of Baron Alumna,., who
was a personal friend of Sir John Dean Paul, to
pass sentence on them, and he condemned each of
them to fourteen years' tranmesrtation. Then came
anothee avalanche, which, however could not have
fallen on the banker barouet himself, but which must
have added to the grief ,4 his family and friends, All
that was good in his life, all that he had ever done in
the cause of philanthrory,- -long before any one act of
dishonesty was committed, was raked up and made to
do duty to prove that he had henna life-long hypocrite.
Put "no man is all bail ;" even Nero had some to
weep at his tomb for kindness he had done them.
A farewell series of readings by Mr. Charles Dickens
is announced, and we are itiformed that on no considera-
tion whatever will he Ire indiwol to amssint an extra
Ci ;ht in any place in which he shall have been once
announced to read for the last time. Having more

than once heard him read, let me recommend any who
have the opportunity to hear him, not to let that
opportunity clip. He is undoubtedly one of the
finest readers in the world, and many think him
the finest dramatic elocutionist of our time. His fine
clear voice, his brilliant speaking eye, and the play of
his expressive features, together with the dramatic
force with which he brings out the peculiarities of each
character, cannot be surpassed. if eonalled. As Mr.
Buckstone says, if Charles Dickens had not been a great
author he would have been a great aetor, itil more
than once he has proved on the stag- how great Ids
powers are in this way. But at 51 years td age he
possibly finds these powers somewhat fail him, and
hence these farewell readings.