The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-02-21 00:00:00

01. at nban Correspoubtut.

INVe deem it right to state thst w 6 do not at all Umes
!,dentify ourselves with our Correspoutieut's opinions.)

The lobby of the House of Commons is once more
the scene of active, political life. For a long
time the inertia which fell upon the Parliament and
affected the liveliness of its debates extended to the
lobby itself, which is a certain reflex of the spirit
which pervades the Legislature itself. Just about this
time two years, when the Vote of Credit for Six Mil-
lions was before the House of Commons, the lobby was
the scene of some of the wildest excitement which has
been witnessed for a generation. Admittance there-
to is obtained by an order from the Seijeant-at-
Arms—a regulation which has been enforced only
of recent years; formerly it was only for a
stranger to [vie the policeman at the entrance for the
name of any M.P. he chose to mention, and he passed
in. But this created considerable inconvenience from
the crowd which at times assembled, and the Speaker
made a decree that no one should be allowed in who
did not possess an order bearing the sign-manual of the
Serjeant-A-Arzns. To procure this coveted privilege, it
is ne essary to show that the applicant has legitimate
busieess to transact in the lobby ; and if this can be de-
monstrated there ii no diffi Jolty in the matter, But,
somehow er other, ciurieg the bel:icose excitement of
Februery, 1878, the lobby seemed as crowded as in
the days of yore. It would at times be wrought to
the highest pitch of emotion, when a member, catch-
ing a sentence from the Chancellor of the Exchequer
or the Home Secretary, would rush out of the House
into the centre of the animated throng, crying out
"War I war !" Those were indeed stirring times;
but gradually the state of public feeling cooled down,
and in a few weeks all danger of hostilities passed
away.

A reaction is always inevitable after a period of high
excitement; and then for a long time the lobby was
almost deserted. This was especially the case last
year, when there was an extraordinary absence of
political interest in public affairs. Seldom had there
been such a year so far as the paucity of elections was
concerned. From the 16:12 May to the 22nd December
not a single new member was returned for any English
constituency, county, or borough. Such a fact is almost
without parallel in modern experience. Members
neither died nor resigned. They were not called to
the peerage, nor vacated their seat on appointment

to office. Bat the dead calm which then prevailed has
been followed by a period of unusual animation. No
sooner had Parliament assembled than three English
constituencies were called upon to fill up vacancies in
their representation. In Liverpool, Barnstaple, and
Southwark the contests, atter a long spell of stagna•
Lion, would show the current of political feeling.
In three counties separated by long distances, and
widely Averse in physical characteristics, the body
politic was called upon to pronounce its 'opinion.
From Lancashire, Devonshire, and Surrey, voices

issued which should be heard at Westminster. And
thus it came to pass that the lobby of the House of
Commons resumed its wonted aspect; the air was full
of electioneering rumours; and eagerly discussed
were the probable results of that appeal to the
country towards which, by common consent, events
are now rapidly hastening.

When the Lord Chamberlain gives notice that the
State apartments at Windsor Castle will be closed to
the public after a specified day, it is. known that the
arrival of the Queen at that historic palace is at hand.
It is always freely open when her Majesty is at
Osborne or Balmoral, and a day at Windser is enjoyed
by many thousands of the people of London, to whom

It is rendered so accessible from either Paddington
or Waterloo. William the Conqueror was as good a
jud-ge of a site for a royal palsy as he was able as a
soldier, when he selected a residence for the Sovereigns
of England amid the magnificent scenery of Windsor,
His judgment as to choice has been confirmed by sue-
cssive kings and queens; for the Castle was enlarged
by Henry 1., improved by Edward 111., added to by
Henry VIII., extensively repaired by Elizabeth,
beautified by Charles II„ and to a considerable
extent rebuilt in the reign of George IV. Here
James I. of Scotland was Imprisoned; here
many a royal and Imperua laersonage has been
entertained, the last great occasion a tma sort
being on the visit of the Emperor of Russia to
this country in May, 1874, when the sumptuous gold
plate upon the tables was estimated to be of the value
of two millions sterling! Here, also, is the resting.
place of many of our sovereigns; but the most splendid
shrine of all is that to the memory of the late Prince
Consort, who died on the 14th December, 1861, and

whose remains lie in the mausoleum at Frogmore,
The questions which have been asked in both Houses
of Parliament respecting the possession of Herat, have
drawn attention to the importance of that city, .0
often described as the gate of India. It is a strongly.
fortified city on the confines of Khorasan, and the
capital of a state formed by Shah Mahmoud rather
more than sixty years ago. Its population Is about
120,000. Three and-twenty years have elapsed since
Great Britain and Persia went to war over Herat;
and as we had to fight Persia at the time we had the
Indian Mutiny on our hands, the double conflict
was fur a white a tr.} intz, ono. The Persians of
modern days were, however, not so formidable as
their ancestors, whose deeds are recorded in history,
both sac:red and profane. General Outram found
them to be of very different calibre from those led
by Cyrus into Babylon over the dry bed of the great
river Euphrates, which stream had been diverted by
the skill of his engineers, and by no means possessing
the enterprise of those whom Xerxes led into Greece,
crossing from Asia into Europe by a bridge of boats
over the Hellespont. Sir James Outram was
enabled to win an easy victory in 18T; peace was
concluded at Teheran; and Herat was handed
over to Persia under very stringent conditions. The
rumour that Great Britain had released Persia from
her engagements with regard to this coveted city is
now contradicted by the Prime Minister.
When, a few months ago, the grave closed over the

remains of Lord Lawrence; it wa-s felt that England
_ _ _

had lost a statesman whom we could ill afford to
spare. In the trying time of the Indian mutiny, when
Lord Canning was Governor General, and the founda-
tions of our authority in that great dependency
were shaken to their base, Sir John Lawrence
was Governor of the Punjab, and in that capacity
rendered such service to his country that on the
death of the Earl of Elgin, Sir John Lawrence
was appointed to succeed him in the Viceroyalty.
When he came home, in 1869, he was raised to the

peerage; and in 1870 was elected Chairman of the first
School Board for London. It was remarked at the
time how wide was the sphere of Lord Lawrence's
usefulness, when the almost absolute ruler of two
hundred millions of people, and accustomed to all
the splendours of Oriental life, could settle quietly
down to the work of presiding over a body called
into existence for the purpose of organising the
educational machinery of the metropolis. The death
of Lord Lawrence has b3en followed by a move-
ment for the perpetuation of his memory by a
suitable memorial; and the recent meeting at the
Mansion House showed that this is supported by men
of both political parties. Lord Derby and Lord
Granville—Foreign Secretaries in two Administra-
tions of opposite views—the Dean of Westminster and
Lord George Hamilton, were amongst the speakers in
support of a project which will command the gym.
pathy of all who :are acqtittinted with the history of
Indian administration daring the time that the
deceased peer held a high and responsible place in the
rule of that great possession.
Astronomy has been described as so noble and
sublime a science that no opportunity ought to be lost
of impressing its grandeur upon the human mind. It
is only, however, when a solar eclipse is visible in this
country, or a huge comet nightly sweeps over the
surface of the heavens, that its wonders are apparent
to the ordinary beholder. Yet for centuries the science
associated with the study of the heavens has occupied
the greatest of intellects; while another science, neither
so grand nor so sublime, but very useful indeed, is only
just making way amongst 119. Within five or six years
every London paper and a considerable proportion
of provincial journals have made it a point each day to
devote a portion of their space to meteorological read
jugs and prenictions. The latter, which refer only to the
probable events of the nuat few hours, are by no means
so exact as the forecasts of the astronomer, who is
enabled to tell, for centuries to come, the precise second
at which an eclipse will begin and end. The
Meteorological Council of the R.yal Society has issued
its report of a year's results of the new methods of
forecasting the weather. Although some progress has
been made in the power of predicting storms, it is
Iravkly confessed that the tempests do not always
(~liorr the warnings. it is, however, clear that
we are gradually feeling our way if not to a
science of an weather, at least to a correct
Interpretaticu of the movements of the barometer,
and the larger the area over which the observation
of these movements extends, the more likely
le the inference from them to be correct. When
" depressions" are approaching our coasts from dif-
ferent directions, an accurate knowledge of them is
neeersar7 to eecure weather predictions which are at
all to be depended upon.
Brussels, besides being one of the most interesting
capieela in Europe, is to the people of this country one
of the most accessible. It is quite as easily reached
as Paris; and a return ticket from London to
Brussels is issued for about thirty shillings in the
summer months. The fact that Brunelle, which
echoed to "the sounds of revelry by night" a few
hours before the battle of Waterloo, ls within nine

miles of that famous field, has for more than sixty
years attracted to it an immense number of visitors
from all parts of the world; and the people of the
Belgian metropolis are endeavouring to make the city
itself the scene of other inducements to the traveller
and the tourist. Progress is being made with the
great National Exhibition there, which wili include
not only the beet specimens of Belgian art and
industry, but of its agriculture and horticulture,
an electric railway, a captive balloon, and a lake.
The number of native exhibitors will be about
7,000. On the let of May will be opened an
International Exhibition, due to private enter-
prise, and designed to become a permanent insti-
tution. Brussels has, indeed, laid itself out for a very
festive summer, with fetes political as well as artistic.
Once in Belgium the visitor will take care to have a
look at the fortifications of Antwerp, which the First
Napoleon described as a loaded pistol held at the
heart of England, were it in the possession of a
hostile Power. There are also the belfry towers
of Bruges, with their beautiful carillons of chimes ;
and the historic associations of such cities as
Ghent and Liege. The English agriculturist would
find ample occupation in studying the Belgian
manner of cultivaticg the soil, more especially in
the Ardennes; while almost within sight of that
part of its frontier watered by the Meuse, is the little
town of Sedan, the scene, nearly ten years ago, of the
destruction of the empire of France and the creation
of the empire ot Germany. Altogether a brief sojourn
In Belgium might be made full of interest to many a
mind totally diverse in its character; and with fine
weather it may fairly be expected that the Brussels
Exhibitions will be attended with success,