The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-04-30 00:00:00

Our Fonbon ternspoOtt

tWe deem it right to state that we do not at all UMW
identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.

Lord Beaconsfield adds another to the list of public
men who, in making their testamentary dispositions,
have directed an avoidance of ostentation and parade,

when the time comes for the body to return to earth.

The sentiment is essentially one of modern times. It
is recorded of Nelson that on going into one of his early
battles he exclaimed, "A peerage, or Westminster
Abbey!" An earthly honour or a public funeral would
be an ample reward. But later generations of the
servants of the State, at all events those who serve
the State in a peaceful as distinguished from a war-
like capacity, have seemed to prefer that the cere-
monial at the final scene above ground shall be marked
by a quietude more befitting the occasion than pomp
and parade. Sir Robert Peel, twice Prime Minister
of England, rests peacefully in Tamworth church-
yard; Earl Russell, twice Prime Minister, reposes
amid the country scenery of Chenies ; Lord Beacons-
field, twice Prime Minister, slumbers amid the
calm of Hughenden. The only Premier of modern
times—and he also twice held that office—who had a
nubile funeral was Lord Palmerston, who, however,
had left instructions that his remains should lie in the
little churchyard of Romsey. But Lord Palmerston
died Prime Minister, and in his case a public funeral
took place in Westminster Abbey.

The disappearance of Lord Beaconsfield from the
Parliamentary arena, in which he was so conspicuous
a figure during forty-four years, leaves a blank which
will not be easily filled. His legislative experience
was contemporaneous with the reign of Her Majesty.
He entered the House of Commons at the general
election which succeeded the death of William IV.,
and was never out of Parliament during the
remainder of his life. Thirty-nine years in the Com-
mons, and five in the Lords—such was the record of
his career. The generation of public men so active
upon the political stage when he entered the People's
Chamber has passed away. Palmerston and
Peel, Russell and Cobden, O'Connell and Hume,
Grote and Burdett, Macaulay and Buller,
Sidney Herbert and Conaewall Lewis, Stanley
and Graham, these, with a host of others,
have all gone. the beginning of his political life
carries the recollection back to the days when the

14ueen was a young girl n her teens; when thezailway
system, which has now reached such an extraordinary
agree of development, was in its infancy; when there
was no electric telegraph and no penny post ; when the
Corn Laws were in full force, and the trade of the country
was trammelled and hampered on every hand by Excise
duties. Of the prominent public men of to-day who
were then in the House of Commons, time has
wrought such w Dndrous changes as to leave only one
remaining. That is the present Prime Minister, whom
the lapse of forty-four years has borne onward upon
the voyage of life from the age of 28 to 72. Mr.
Gladstone was at that time one of the members for

Newark, he is now the only survivor of the Prime
Ministers of the past half-century; and like Peel,
Russell, Palmerston, and Beaconsfield, he has twice
held that office.

A very remarkable illustration of the speed with
which news is now sent to the uttermost parts of the
earth occurred on the morning of Lord Beaconsfield's
death. The London papers came out with the last
bulletin issued in his lifetime at ten o'clock on the
previous night; and as the noble earl did not die until
half-past four in the morning, the metropolitan
journals all came out without the announcement of
the death. Yet the New York papers, published
3,000 miles away, appeared with long biographical
notices and leading articles as well. This they were
enabled to do through the difference of time, which
is one greatly to their advantage. Half-past four in
the morning in London means a quarter-past eleven
on the previous night in New York; so that there was
ample time for the preparation of either biography or
leader. As a matter of fact the intelligence was
actually telegraphed from London to New York in
eighty-seconds, a feat of electricity which is at once
marvellous and startling.

The Poet Laureate, in his "Queen Mary," says
that " Death gives life's last word a power to live,
and, like the stone-cut epitaph, remain after the
vanished voice, and speak to man." The preservation
of recorded death-bed utterances and their frequent
quotation, sufficiently attest the accuracy of Mr.
Tennyson's statement. Many of these last words are
typical of the characters or frames of minds of those
by whom and when they were used. Instance after
instance might be quoted in illustration of this
in the final utterances of such men as Lord
Nelson, General Wolfe, Philip Earl of Chesterfield,
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Thurlow, George Washington,
the Earl of Eldon, William 111., Louis XIV., Oliver
Goldsmith, Fontenelle (the French writer), Goethe,
Madame Roland, Dr. Adam, and many other dis-
tinguished persons. The recorders of the last words
of illustrious persons have now to include Lord
Beaconsfield in their.list. "I am overwhelmed !" is
reported to have been his final utterance on earth,
before the silver cord was loosed, the golden bowl was
broke, and the spirit returned to God who gave it!

The Commons have re-assembled for the work of the

Session, but the Lords do not meet until Thursday
week, May sth. The Lords have taken a longer holi-
day because they have litire or nothing to do, nor is it
probable that they will find much employment for
some time to come. The Irish Land Bill promises to

tax all the attention of the people's representatives, for,
v, at all events, the time between now and the Whitsun-
tide recess. That is a measure vast in its range and
complioated in its details, and its discussion will
probably take up most of the time at the disposal
of the Ministry. Seven weeks sounds a long time to
debate a single measure; but it must be remembered
that the Government have only at their disposal two
nights a week—Monday and Thursday—the other
days being devoted to private members. The Adminis-
tration would be well pleased to get the Bill past the
second reading and through committee by Whitsun-
tide.; and even then there would be the Corrupt
Practices Bill, the Bankruptcy Bill, and other im-
_, portant pieces of legislation, more than enough for the
remaining time at the disposal of Parliament.
Of all the winters which have visited these islands
in modern times that now passing away will leave
perhaps the most vivid remembrances. For more
than six months has it continued—snow in October,
snow in January, and snow in April, such has been
the dreary recital. In place of the customary April
showers, east winds have swept pitilessly over these
islands. Sometimes, when the sky has been clear,
these winds have passed over the land like the hot
breath of the parching sirocco; at others, when the
firmament has been overcast by clouds, the breeze has
brought to the mind the picture of the black destroy-
ing angel, striking down the weak, the aged, and the
Infirm, withering the tender vegetation, and dis-
figuring the face of that tardy Spring, whose genial
presence after six months of winter would be so wel-
' come. Time was when the First of May was the
beginning of summer; Now it finds us but barely
escaped from the grasp of winter.
The Report of the Directors of the Cunard Steam-
ship Company (Limited) for last year shows a grois
revenue of £1,138,389. After deducting the working
expenses for the twelve months, which amounted to
£847,736, besides the contribution on account of
,:epairs and renewals and amounts paid on premiums,
the net balance, added to that brought forward, is
193,812, which is further reduced to £63,385, after

provision has been made for the interim dividend
paid for the first six months, and one or two
minor charges. From the latter sum the Direc-
tors, for the second half of the year, recommended
a distribution at the rate of six per cent, per
annum, transferring the balance of £18,877 to the
reserve fund, which is thereby raised to £118,877. As
the Cunard is but one of the great steamship lines
which crosses the Atlantic, a very fair illustration of
the enormous traffic between England and the United
States is here afforded. And it may be added that not
only has each Company its own route across the ocean as
clearly marked out on the chart as the railways ar
upon the land, but each has its (MR way of
naming its ships. The Cunard selects the names of
countries ending_ in "a." For instance that company
has steamers christenedtCuba, Russia, China, Servia,
Scythia,Parthia, Batavia, Sumatra, and on. The
Inman line christens its ships Cities, viz., City of
, Chester, City of Berlin, City of Boston, and City
of Brussels. The White Star has its distinctive
appellations in " Celtic," "Baltic," and so forth.
' The Allan puefers nationalities to countries,
thus "Sarmatian," "Dalmatian," "Croatian," &c.
, _Mr. Donald Currie's ships are mostly Castles, thus
"Balmoral Castle," "Edinburgh Castle," "Grantully
Castle," &a. Little facts like these may not be very
raportant ; but they are interesting as showing the
systematic principles upon which the business of the
great st9amship companies is conducted—principles
upon which is founded the discipline that prevails on
board, and has savel many a gallant ship from
destruction in time of storm and tempest.

A CHEMIST'S ANALYSIS OF A WIFE.—Gay Lussac
went into a linen draper's shop and saw a girl engaged
intently with a book behind a counter. " What are
you reading, mademoiselle ? " said he. "A work
which is, perhaps beyond me, but which interests me
nevertheless—a treatise on Chemistry." The heart of
the great chemist was reached through this unusual
partiality of a draper's shop girl for his favourite pup.
suit. He sent herto school, and afterwards made her
his wife, The experiment succeeded, but he did not
recommend an imitation of it.