The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-06-09 00:00:00

(7b be continued.)
.4
THE BYE-ELECTIONS.

Now that Parliament has resumed work it will be
of interest to review the strength of parties and take
cognisance of the effect of the bye-elections. When
the last vote had been polled in the general election of
1886 the relative strength of parties was as follows:
Liberal Unionists, 77; Conservatives, 316; Glad-
stonian Liberals, 192; Parnellites, 85; total, 670.
Without referring in detail to all the bye-elections,
contested and uncontested, which have taken place
since, the following particulars show how those
figures have been since affected. The Liberal
Unionists have lost a seat each at Burnley, the North-
wich Division of Cheshire, and West Edinburgh—
total, 3; but when in February last Mr. Shirley
(G.L.) retired from the representation of the
Doncaster ' Division of Yorkshire, Mr. W. H.
Fitzwilliam gained the seat for the party
by a majority of 211, Mr. J. S. Balfour,
the Gladstonian candidate, being again unsuccessful
in his attempt to gain admission to Parliament; and
about twelve months previously Lord A. Percy re-
tired from the representation of St. George's, Hanover
square, in order that a seat might be found for the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, who easily defeated Mr.
Haysman, another unsuccessful Gladstonian aspirant
for Parliamentary honours; so that the gain of one
seat and the amicable transfer of another have re-
duced the net loss of the party to one. The Con-
servatives have lost a seat each at Derry City,
Coventry, the Spalding Division, and Southampton,
and they gave up a seat to Mr. Goschen at St George's,
being a decrease in their figures, as compared with
the return of the general election of five; but on
petition they gained in December, 1886, a seat at the
Buckrose Division of Yorkshire, Mr. W. A. M'Arthur,
who has since been accepted at the St. Austell Division
of Cornwall, being unseated, and Mr. Christopher
Sykes being declared the sitting member; so that the
net loss of the party since August, 1886, is only four.
The Gladstonians have lost the seat on petition just
referred to and also that at the Doncaster Division,
but on the decease of Mr. Rylands (L.U.), Mr. Slagg
(G.L.) was returned in his room for Burnley, in Feb.,
1887; on Mr. Eaton (C.) retiring from the representa-
tion of Coventry with a view to his elevation to the
peerage, Mr. Ballantine won the seat in July last year;
in the same month, on Mr. Finch-Hatton (C.) succeed-
ing to the peerage, Mr. Halley Stewart won the seat
he had vacated for the Spalding Division of Lincoln-
shire. When in August Mr. Verdin (L.U.) died, Mr.
Brunner was returned to succeed him for thg
Northwich Division of Cheshire. Mr. Buchanan,
who had been returned as a Liberal Unionist,
changed his opinion on the Irish question
and was re-elected as a Gladstonian by West
Edinbiargh, in February last; and now Mr. Evans
has been returned for one of the Southampton seats,
in succession to Sir John Commerell, so that there has
been a Gladstonian gain of six seats and a loss of two,
net gain four. The Parnellites have lost no seat, but
in October, 1886, they gained one on petition for
Londonderry City. The great gains of the Glad-
stonians were made last year, and in this year the
Liberal Unionist victory at Doncaster can be set
against the result at Southampton. In estimating the
Parliamentary strength of the two great divisions of
the House of Commons account must in fairness also
be taken of the attitude of two or three wavering
Unionists,but there are not enough of these to influ-
ence to any material extent the position of the party
of Union.

arm.
"Mr. Chard—dear husband, let me explain in
private. I have much to unfold to you; much to be
forgiven; but I feel assured that you will not be in-
exorable toward your own Lonore. You have de-
feated me, Mr. Ashton—take your bride and go—this
house is no longer a shelter for you."
She led the trembling old man away, who seemed
either unable or unwilling to resist the subtle power
that guided him whithersoever she willed. They
paused a brief moment before Rose; Mrs. Chard
mournfully regarded her, and then said:
"Adieu Rose! be happy, and forget how deeply]
would have injured you. I loved you, too, though
you will probably not believe it."
Rose impulsively grasped her hand.
"I forgive you—indeed I do."
Lonore stood forward, lightly kissed her brow, and,
taking a spray of flowers from her hair, passed on
with a firm and proud step. Trevor had Lready dis.
appeared.
A carriage was at the door, into which Rose stepped
followed by her two friends. A second one came
after it, occupied by Kate and the trunks which she
had prepared for this escapade.
During the drive to the cottage occupied by the
family of Mr. Rivers, Ashton explained how he came
so opportunely to the rescue of his bride. He had
been sent to Cuba to discover all that could be learned
of the antecedents of Trevor and Mrs. Pierre. He
gained such evidence of Trevor's parentage as must ---
have quashed his claims to the estate. He was on If the Chinese are losing in the tea trade, they are
the eve of setting out for London, when a letter from gaining in the substitution among themselves of native
Mrs. Chard, enclosed in one from Mr. Spring, reached for Indian opium. The testimony of the consular
him. The existence of the true heir had been made reports is decisive upon this. Mr. H. J. Forrest,
known to them, and they were filled with apprehen- writing from Amoy, says that reference to the cus-
sions on account of the abduction of Rose. That her toms returns will prove the ominous fact that Indian
uncle's purpose was to force her into a union with opium is dying a slow but sure death. That the
Trevor, there could be no doubt, and Ashton was decay of importation will continue until the business
,
implored to find her, save her from such a fate at all has entirely ceased, Mr. Forrest has no doubt. The
ll
hazards and bring her baok to her friends. ' prevalent opinion that smokers accustomed to
, Indian opium do not care to smoke
The Only feasible plan to accomplish this was the any other is
only partially true. A mixture of the two drugs is
one adopted. Only as his wife could Ashton wrest
her from the guardianship of her uncle, and in the in fact getting into favour, and it is stated on
silence of midnight the murmured words, which gave excellent authority that nearly all the Indian opium
her irrevocably to him who had loVed her from boy- used at Amoy is blended with the native product.
hood, were uttered. While prosecuting his investiga- The new mode of levying the "le-kin "is also
tions, Ashton made the acquaintance of Mr. Rivers, prejudicial to India. The tax upon the Indian
and accepted his invitation to remain at the parson- article is levied exclusively by the Imperial autho-
age while in that neighbourhood, and he, when he rities, and the local officials derive no profit from it.
understood the position in which she was placed, On the other hand, home -grown opium is taxed by the
readily consented to lend his aid to defeat the
latter at such rates as they are pleased to fix. They
iniquity intended to be practised against the helpless have, therefore, a strong motive to encourage its pro-
Rose. duction. According to an authority, described as
The result of the interview between Mr. Chard and "excellent," the quantity of opium planted this year
his wife was such as might have been anticipated. is larger by one-half than that planted in 1887. Mr.
She told her own story; dwelt on the fact that after Forrest's own opinion, however, is that this estimate
the death of Gayoso, which might reabonably be is greatly below the truth, and that at least double
expected to occur within a few months, she and her last year's acreage has this year been planted with the
brother were the heirs at law to the property they POPPY.
were so anxious to secure; that their claims were Mr. Consul Phillips, reporting from Foo Chow, says
really of more weight than those of Rose. Mr. Chard that even the importation of opium is passing from
the hands of the British merchant into those of the
soon discovered that her own title to the property on
which she resided was as fallacious as that she set Chinese. Whether the Chinese trader will ultimately
forth to the inheritance of his niece. The plantation t succeed in getting possession of the whole opium
and slaves were mortgaged for much more than their import remains to be seen; but there is no doubt that
actual value, and in a few months must pass into the he has already struck a severe blow at the' only
possession of others. article of any importance left in British hands.
But his blind devotion did net waver; his adored
Lonore still fooled him as sweetly as ever, and made
him perform her will with the conviction in his own
mind that he was doing exactly as he pleased. They
went to Europe at the time appointed, and Mr. Chard
even found sympathy for poor Alfred, who accom-
panied them, and thought it unjust that he could
claim no portion of the magnificent fortune he had
tried so hard to secure.

CHAPTER XL!.
CHLOROFORM.
MRS. CHARD was filled with alarm when she learned
that ROSE) had actually left on the steamer with her
uncle. The letter left by Mr. Chard: explaining ,the
small share her daughter had in the deception prac-
tised toward her, relieved her mind of its keenest
uneasiness; yet she was still far from reconciled to
the departure of Rose in suchquestaonable companion-
ship. "th
Her first resolution was to follow her woütlay,
and, had she known of the detention, of the ship on
reaching the American sllor, she would pertainly have