The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-07-17 00:00:00

MOBBING A CONDEMNED PRISONER.

A disgraceful scene took place outside her Majesty's
Prison, Shrewsbury, late on Vriday night, on the
arrival of the condemned man Samuels from Newtown
Assizes. Inside the station every precaution had
been taken by closing the doors to protect the prisoner,
and it was hoped that by removing him through the
back gate, which is close to the prison, that he would
be easily conveyed to the gaol. The prisoner was
heavily handcuffed, and looked very dejected. He
was escorted by about half-a-dozen warders, but on
emerging from the station it was seen that a vast
crowd had assembled between the station and the
prison gates. Both warders and the prisoner were
mobbed, and it looked at one time as if the former
most be separated from their man. Samuels received
viplence from some infuriated roughs, and was with
difficulty got inside the prison. Although the execu-
tion is not officially fixed, it is stated that it will take
plaee on the 27th inst.

...AMIC '

RUSSIA AND BATOIME
(From the Morning Post Correspondent.)
BERLIN, July 11.
I understand on the best authority that Lord
Rosebery has so far declined to express any decided
opinion on the question of Batoum, remarking to the
Ambassadors who have approached the subject with
him that owing, to the precarious condition of the
present Cabinet, and the impossibility of conferring
with Mr. Gladstone and his colleagues, who are ex-
clusively taken up with the question of the elections,
it was impossible for him to deal with the matter in
the manner it deserved. The resolution of Russia to
abolish the free port of Batoum will, however, be
submitted to the attention of the Ministers at the
first Cabinet Council which will be held in London
next week. Meanwhile it may be interesting to re-
mind the public that the 59th Article of the Treaty
of Berlin, -which the Cabinet of St. Petersburg is
pleased to define as a gracious concession granted by
the Emperor, gave rise to important negotiations
and discussions between the Plenipotentiaries of the
Great Powers. The question of Batoum had been
confidentially discussed between the representatives of
the Great Powers, those of Great Britain protesting
against the occupation cf that port by Russia. In the
sitting of July 6, 1878, the order of the day including
questions conceating territories in Asia contemplated
in Article 15, 18, and 19 of the Treaty of San Stefano,
Prince Gortschake, after announcing that in a spirit
of conciliation Russia made important concessions
regarding the question of Erzeroum, Bayazid, and the
Valley of Alaschkered, added: "I am furthermore
authorised to declare that in his right of sovereignity
my august master will declare Batoum a free port.
This meets the material interests of all commercial
nations, and more especially, it may be, those of
Great Britain, whose commerce occupies the greatest
number of ships. I conclude by expressing the
hope that by this day's sitting we shall have made
considerable progress towards the object of our
meeting." These words in themselves ought to
impress the reader with the fact that the '' gracious
concession" was not a spontaneous and meaning-
less act, but implied a well-defined renunciation of
claims put forward by Russia. Prince Bismarck, who
spoke immediately after Prince Gortschakoff, dwelt
at some length on the great importance of the com-
munication made by the first Russian Plenipotentiary.
Re remarked that the resolution to give up Bayazid
and the Valley of Alaschkerd, and "above all" the
declaration that Batoum was to be a free part, con-
stituted most important mod/I/cations* of the Treaty
of San Stefano. What would Prince Bismarck and
the other Plenipotentiaries have said if the Russian
Representative had risen again, and had said, " Mind
that by granting these concessions with regard to
Erzeroum, Bayazid, and Batoum, we reserve our full
liberty of action to revoke them whenever it serves
our purpose?" Surely Prince Bismarck and the
other Plenipotentiaries would have 'replied that the
concessions made by Russia, thanks to the "esprit de
conciliation et aux concessio is reciprocities dont con-
scienceusement je reclame une large part an nom de
in Russie," to use Prince Gortschakolrs own words,
could not differ from the concessions made by the rep-
resentatives of the other Great Powers, and since they
were to be embodied in a regular treaty, must be con-
sidered as binding on all the Powers alike. On what
conditions was Russia permitted to occupy
Batoum as a free port? Thanks to its
position the Turkish fleet under Dervish Pasha had
ably defended it against the Russians. The con-
cession was granted in exchange for Erzeroum, and on
the distinct understanding that it should only be held
as a free port. Prince Bismarck, in dwelling on the
important concession made by Russia, remarked "that
he would be exeeedingly happy if Great Britain,
which possesses great interests in those parts, would
declare herself satisfied with this arrangement. The
Conference would have made a decided advance in a
pacific sense if, arriving at some understanding on
this point, it had now but to occupy itself with
details." Surely these words indicated clearly that
the question of Batoum was not indifferent to the
other Powers, or to be settled as the Emperor of
Russia might choose. Prince Gortschakoff was, in
fact, so anxious that the question of Batoum should
be settled so as to avoid all future misunderstand-
ing that he at once rose to ask what the other Pleni-
potentiaries had to say on the subject, Lord
Beaconsfield's reply clearly indicated the importance
,which Great Britain attached to concessions which
were certainly not meant to be of a purely provisional
character. Lord Beaconsfield remarked that he had
listened to the communication made by Prince Gorts-
chakoff with the greatest interest. He agreed with
Prince Bismarck that this spontaneous concession on
the part of the Emperor of Russia recommended
itself to the most serious consideration of the Congress.
At the moment in whichthe great assembly was about
to conclude its labours, and in which all the Pleni-
potentiaries endeavoured to settle the questions of
detail which yet remained open, the British represent-
atives were happy to perceive on the part of a power-
ful Sovereign a coaciliatory step of so important a
nature. The proposal appeared to the British pleni-
potentiaries to remove one of the greatest obstacles tl
a solution claimed by the whole of Europe. Lord
Beaconsfield considered it a most happy thought to
transform at the crad of a great war a contested
poaition into a free port and into a commercial entre-
pit for all nations. Lord Beaconsfield entirely
approved and accepted the proposition, and although
it would have been the desire of England that this
stronghold, which was never captured, should
have remained under the suieranity of the
Sultan, he considered it an advantagous
solution in the interest of the prosperity
of Russia, Turkey, and all peoples. Lord
Beaconsfield persisted in declaring that he would
much rather have preferred that Batoutn,in becoming
a free port, were not included in Russian territory.
"Fully confiding in the declarations of the Emperor
of Russia," Lord Beaconsfield perceived in the advan-
tages of the freedom of that port a compensation for
an annexation which he could not under any circum-
stances approve of, but he could not refrain from
saying that it was painful to think that, while con-
gratulating himself on the creation of a free port, he
could not help being preoccupied with regard to the
means of preventing, or at least of attenuating, new
troubles. Lord Beaconsfield spoke at considerable
length en the importance of studying all the details
of the question in order to avoid any future possible
complications. In a lengthy speech which followed,
Prince Bismarck expressed great satisfaction at finding
that an understanding was almost arrived at between
Russia and Great Britain. Count Andrassy, the
French Plenipotentiary, and Count Corti spoke in
the same sense. The importance of the question was
made manifest by the declaration made by Lord
Salisbury when the question of the Straits came under
discussion. Lord Salisbury declared that if the acqui-
sition of Batoum had been maintained under condi-
tions which threatened the liberty of the Black Sea
England could not have bound herself towards the
other European Powers to restrict herself from
entering that sea. But Batoum having been declared
a free commercial port, the English Government
would not decline to renew those engagements under
the modifications imposed by the decisions already
taken at the Congress.

JULY 12.

The Note presented by Russia to the Porte respect-
ing Batoum states that tit- 3 customs cordon round
the place causes serima prejudice to commerce,
further saying that Batoum will nevertheless remain
an essentially commercial harbour, and will not
become a place of arms,