The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-10-03 00:00:00

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New York papers of the 12th of september contain particu-
(We deem R right to state that we do not at all timeri lure d a fearful storm in the Atlantic of Net foundland.
Identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinionsd The steamship Ville de Pane, which arrived at New York
from Brest on the 9th, encountered • terrible cyclon t sea,
, and sustained severe injuries, but weathere rm
Investors in securities the value of which it bravely at a meeting held on board, the p at up
doubtful, ma' et the ivietorlof the 'l' ! the folio Mg report :
Compel* d that take oz. I' We d from Brest on board the qk de Pr'
the Ne er b ay, I supoota, , the ' 'Au3klBld, and all likteing t,
it from
~ h hictski; owing
it, i
, banks N 0 dlapkenco das -
galeAssoi-e se liailitffttt oyffile
London or mre an a thousand yeara The first. ' ' b il The 'which
passengers or seamen Olt Oar . —e . en,
named stream is, however, not much more than 250 raged about twelvehours, carried off part of the bridge,
year,' old. In 1630 Sir Hugh Nlyddelton, to whom a on which the captain was standing at the time. The
statue has been erected on Islingtomgreen, completed cabin on deck was burled against the captain, whowas
1 almost drusiehaesia.toa depth iiiir t)finhia:cidentti, .altd vary
a work by which the springs of the Amwell and the
Chadwell were brought into London from Hertford- ' rearcoyntinued in CoinmannZtleiensea wiratinhning''ovelrOar.erd
shire, in order to supply the northern end of the town one of our seamen, destroying one of our busts and
with water. The work was carried out in the face , damaging another, breaking the arm of the finct officer,
of manyalifficulties, for the stream had to be conducted .; and disabling several sailors. Still the ship behaved
38 miles; it was crossed by 154 bridges, and there are i gallantly throughout. We, the passengers, feel that
numerous sluices. Well, in 1634 the shares were .
awned aiLlwoef oairpsatalivnatan'reuLdrhiGs God, to
id)rtaovetlie
worth £3 48.-23. each ; 150 years later the value had . exertions of the crew.
risen to k 431 da. Bd. ; and now every one of them would The steamer, which followed the Tide de Paris also en.
fetch £17,000. Of course you never find the New countered a heavy gale. The Tribune of the 11th instant
River Shares quoted upon the Stock Exchange, for WI The State State Line steamship State of Virginia was on
those who have them in their possession cleave to
her voyage from Glasgow to this port. She had made
them, and are by no means anxious to push them out in an excellent passage, and on Sunday afternoon had ap-
the market. The population of London has grown so preached the banks of Newfoundland. Early on Mon.
wonderfully that the New River Company find ample day morning there were indications of a coming gale,
occultation in fitting water appliances to newly-built and at ten o'clock the wind was fast freshening. The
houses hence the enormous increase in its revenues,
State of Virginia was now in lat. 43 degrees, long, 60
;
degrees. At half-past ten the wind had increased to a
which has so sent up the value of its shares, gale, and was coining from the south-east. From this
The stringency of the game laws in this country is time its fury increased steadily until noon, and then
often madt She subject of comment; but in France the it veered slightly, in the west. At one o'clock a violent
lament felnemetting the leniency of the laws regulating teurrrliiceaandet7ttebiworni(7,gl:nttiliethseteeanut
7nheils, wwaserehrauledinwitaht
the preSeeiation Of game. Each 'year the number of only half speed. The wind again veered westward,
sportan44 largely Increases, while gams is just as never for a moment losing force, and a tremendous sea
rapidly disappearing from the land. In France swept over the struggling vessel amidships. At ten
overW. ~rhane dstetahmeesvinr
received
deiwzi
poachers am punished by a nominal fine and the con- horay-iith;sBtaleiliValr,wLll.4l3h.
fiscation of their apparatus; and some of the journals in m
no serious injuryy, the loss of a ventilator being the ex-
that countri are calling out for more repressive mea- , tent of the damage.
sores. • The Anchor line steamship Australia like the State
Although a bountiful wheat crop has rendered us of Virginia, was on ler voyage from Glasgow to New
less dependent than usual on extraneous 'sources of : York. Thegale struck heratabouteeveno'clockon Mon-
supply, the future price of our food must be greatly lay morning and increased steadily. The steamer felt
influenced by the results of harvests in other countries. I morn srnhartPlreitliufrd
modulated,nie anti
tleleven again a increasedm . Before
t
No home crops, however great, would compensate about two p.m., and at four p.m, was raging with all
for the practical failure of cereals abroad, the fury of the morning. The engines were stopped
since it is obvious that the surface of Great and every precaution was taken. The only disaster
Britain is not capable, even under the most ' was the loss of some canvas which it was impossible to
favourable comlitione, of producing sufficient food for save in time.
The second
line
end . Tate. of a the Boloi
account
belongingof
i,e to the
the home population. A certain quantity, greater or :
Anchor
smallessasarding to the yield of our own lands, mina . said it could t.itlt.ebe cl'alle'll a cyclone, because it did not
every year be imported from abroad, and this must , blow from all points of the compass, but only covered
Lave no inconsiderable effect upon the prices in our about half. "At about eight o'clock in the morning,"
own markets. Bearing in mind these reflections, it is said he, "the gale struck us, although it was not un-
, usually violent at that time. It increased, however,
eatisfacitory to note that the cereal crops in the United
I with e
of
equalledrmapaindityeLh,a,,v,etilieotsesaeeann,
States are far above the general average. The past
a t eleven in a,n':i;Pe• It
-
ten years, taking them as a whole, have brought forth , was positively frightful. The sea was then .running
abundantly, but this season greatly exceeds them. It I mountains high, the billows great rolling masses of
is estimated that California alone will be enabled to i foam, which broke with an almost deafening roar.
export 20,000,000 bushels of wheat, while an almost I The atmosphere was generally clear, but now
equal surplus exists in Minnesota. So profitable has aiLdotnli,entit slitt6ehnatersobslcurdvethe sun from viewd
the cultivation of food grains proved to be, that corn euch excitement and fear. The steerage w'passengersne
is now being largely sown in many of the Southern were calmer, because less vestige of the work of
States in place of cotton. the waves could be seen from their positions
below. With the cabin passengers it was far dif-
Excursions to the gay city lif Paris at a remarkably ferent, for they called upon the officers to save them,
reasonable rate are now SO frequent, that when Lon- I and were crying and praying frantically for relief.
dollen' return home they cannot help contrasting the Most of them were stationed in the upper ealoon, some
life which they ordinarily lead with that mimed by people with life-preservers buckled on, and their small valu-
ables
in similar positions in the French capital. In some re-
a st
struck the
tclifeteir pLrsonle,,wheliiina
all the
win-
epochs the difference is very great. The ordinary Londoner I dows of the saloon and filling thirriou.le with water.
sticks to business elevedenionths out of the twelve, and The passengers thought we had started by the quick
then enjoys what he calls a thorough outing. He , route for the bottom, and for a few minutes the scene
believes in the comforts of home and in the value of : was one that baffles description. As soon as they re-
domestic happiness. The Parisian, on the contrary. : covered from their fright, however, they were glad
seldom strikes you as being thoroughly in earliest over I
, eonccufrenthce
seek drier quarters below. Soonoe over us, a f
tsemr smash.
anything except enjoying himself. So far from doing ' ing two of our best lifeboats. Another wave carried
hard stern work for eleven months, he lives a gossiping ' away our entire outfit of ventilators, twelve in all.
kind of life, and instead of having a home he seems . About three o'clock in the afternoon the gale com-
almost to exist at the ca/i. The price of a cup of I menced to moderate, and in a short time we were en-
abled to resume our course. I have been through a
chocolate entitles the customer to a seat at a little I
, large number of storms on the Atlantic, but I never
table, to the use of all the newspapers, and to the ; witnessed such an appalling scene in my life."
facilities for writing a letter if he takes the precaution
to Impel/ himself with paper wad envelope. Thus by
the payment of a few pence he enjoys all the advan-
tage's of a club, and diepenses with the necessity for a
home, lire-side chit-chat of an evening in Paris is
almost utterly unknown, for if the weather be dry, the
Boulevards are crowded, and if it be wet, the people
flock to the numerous places of amusement. You
never hear a Frenchman talk of home, for he has no
word in hie language synonymous with that which is
Si, expressive in our ears.
How to store rain-water, with a view to its utiliza-
tion is, I see by the Australian papers, exciting atten-
tion there as well as in this country. In some parts of
that great c, mtinent are vast tracts of land useless
from want of water, while in others casades abound,
inane presenting the appearance of immense sheets of
foam as they roll over cliffs two hundred feet in height.
There is no doubt that while plenty of good land in
every respect fit for purposes of cultivation, can be
found in the interior of Australia, the annual rainfall,
if properly stored, would prove amply sufficient for all
fanning purposes. The construction of reservoirs on
the hills seems to lie only a question of time. As the
pepubstion of Australia increases, the same necessity
for more room which drives the surplus inhabitants of
the ,id world to seek their fortunes in strange climes,
must come into active operation, gradually extending
the frontier of Australian civilization farther and
farther into the bush. Not only poets and senti-
mentalists, but practical men as well look forward to
the time when the tide of industry shall so advance as
to enable Eastern and Western Australia to join hands
across a continent, a great part of which is now given
up to the savages. England's great southern depen-
dency has inscribed upon her banner the motto
"advance, Australia," and although that nation may
never become so great as the United States, it is
destined in future ages to play a very considerable part
in the world's history.
Some uneasiness is felt at the change which is slowly
taking place in the condition ef the Thames, particu-
larly within the three or four miles of its course between
Teddington Lock and Richmond-bridge. For some
time peat there has been a steady subsidence of the
water in that part of the channel. Measurements
lately taken at one spot show the present high-water
mark to be lower than the low-water mark 'd the year
before last; and as the margin between high and low
water is something over four feet this would
seem to be a serious falling off. However correct
such an estimate may be, it is an unquestion-
able fact that in places about Eel-pie Island,
where river 'steamers pawed freely last April, there
is now scarcely depth enough for two-oared gigs and
the lightest skiffs when the tide is low. Men stand in
the river to help boats over the shoals, boys are seen to
walk across the bed of the stream from shore to shore
without wetting their jackets, and at one point a dog
waded from Surrey to Middlesex without finding
,seasion to swim. No doubt some of this result is at-
tributable to the dry summer through which we have
just passed ; but as the depth ef the river above the
locks is said to have undergone scarcely any alteration
this cause cannot have much to do with the ex-
traordinary effect below. It is feared that dredging
will fail to remedy the evils complained of, and that
the construction of a weir nearer London will have to
be resorted to.

were being educated at them were not given a fair
opportunity of displaying their abilities. He had read
with the greatest gratification some remarks which
had been made upon the subject by the Chancellor of We are glad to learn that a series of lectures is to be
tLo Exchequer. He supplied ahnoct everylsidy read r delivered fir the he nett of ladies at Oxford next term.
the speeches a the ChanAlor of the Exchequer, but I A committee, coin!, g some well known names, has
be would leteless repose these obeervatiems of Sir been formed tokro necessary ents. A
mix e • similar experilien ed"' rearmAZY well in
vaini towns--au in Edinburgh -where PO.
, one atnii 'wheni,zeus I•,fe
itnhe use
&seers deli, er et during' she winiser, moat .to
tre • that th theme lardq Masses I Merhool are t
mt to I . There is admitted. gth erabject light rim
in ge bodies to ook ese Physics, E ish literature, etc, ogy, afid
matters in a sufficiently broad point of view. They will moral philosophy., Lsi proimiting a cause of this
think of the interests of this or that town or this or sort„ the advocates of " feffiale suffrage" wawild
thet locality with which they are themselves specially be doing readly good work: -No ode objects 0.0
conneuted, and-they will wake the greNtest tight they the "higher !education" of Woman. 2ih of cqual
can to_lntain those advantages for theneselwai without advan.tage to them and to tansomnaupity, If o,ey
little-rurtgr a-field, anti endeavouring are to be benefitted by thorough instruction, they
must be prepared to expend a go d deal of energy.
to see how all the endowments of a county could be
The great obstacle to ,uccess in ladies' classes at pre-
turned t • so much better use, and how everybody
sent, d that they show a disposition to select the
woubl he the richer and nobody. really the poorer for a
is
attractive subjects, and thrust the duller aside.
free use of them. Tlidn there-as a kind of prejudice
whichiprevailsirom a ivent Of sufficient understanding ' Even a course Of English literature, however, can
on the subject with regard to the kind of education hardly be ye:7 profitable without some dry study. A
series "sensational" scientific lectures is worse
which should be given. For instance, whenever there
; is a proposal made to turn a bad half -starved classical . than useless. It conveys a wrong impression of science,
and cultivates no faculty. If women desire, in any
school into a good sound second-grade 'who'd, as it is
called, you find that there is an outcry. People can- 1 department, to equal men, they must be content to go
not believe but that something is going to happen which through the same strict training.—Globe.
is to degrade i the education which s given in their
, school. '1 bey cannot see that good cider "—Sir Stafford
was speaking in a cider-producing county (a laugh)—
"is preferable to bad champagne.'
lie agreed with every word of those observations, and
be hoped that whichever party might be in power
, would act upon these views and of the Chancellor of
the Exchequer and would take care that the endow-
, ments with which the country had been so richly
furnished should be applied to the best advantage.
Among the proposals which had been made fipon the
subject was one for founding scholarships out of the
endowments which existed so largely in the country;
and he could conceive nothing which would be more
encouraging to deserving young people. It was
necessary to put aside some of those narrow restric-
tions which had been imposed upon grammar schools
in former times, when it was impossible for the
founders to anticipate all the necessities of the pee.
sent day, and it was idle in dealing with the ques-
tion to talk about desecration of founders' wills, or to
be frightened by imaginary dangers and difficulties
from the path of clear duty as well as expediency.
It might be objected that by making innovations in
founders' wills you would discourage the founding of
, institutions of this kind; this was, no doubt, a thing
to be guarded against, and he was not one of those
who wished for reckless interference, or to go beyond
the necessity of the ewe. He would simply go
further in tle direction of the wills of the founders
of grammar schools. He had gone into the matter
in come detail because he considered it a burning
question. All parts of our educational fabric should
be bound to one another. The Universities, the grammar
schools, and the elementary schools should be all more
or less connected with each other. In other words, a
clever poor boy should have the means of goin•• to a
higher school from one below it. Every one would thus
have a fair chance, and the country would have the
benefit of latent talent which ought otherwise be lost
. to it. There might be some clever mathematician or
engineer in embryo, but unless we gave him a start he
. had comparatively chanceof showinghis abilities.
It was to the interest of the country that the intellect
of the nation should be turned to the hest account,
and this could not be done unless we had a well-con-
sidered.ronnexion between the different echo As and the
different places of education throughout the country.
Ile was rather inclined to say that just now there
appeared to be an esainination mania. Everybody
wished to examine everybody else (a laugh); and,
an far as he could make out, everybody wished
to be examined. (Laughter.) No doubt there
were advantages attending examinations ; at the
same time, knowledge was a plant of slow growth, and
if we forced a plant we did harm. Neither must the
work f education be confounded with the work of in.
struetion ; the work of education was the work of our
life. Let there be book learning by all means; no one
appreciated it more highly than he lid; but the prac-
tical lessons of life must be learnt also.

On the motion of the Bishop of 'Norwich, seconded
by Mr. C. S. Read, M.P., a cordial vote of thanks
was accorded to the noble earl for his address. Mr.
Read observed that he felt grateful to the noble earl
for enforcing with all the authority of his high position
the dmportance of industrial training.