The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-01-06 00:00:00

ear TOOOII torrequitbrnt.

(We dons It right IS Rate tkat we (le no) at au MGM
.dentify oarsolves with ear CorronpenClent's oaW4ne.]

Already In the marts; of commerce, the cennting-
house and the factory, the splendid mansions of the
rich and the cottage homes of the poor, has that simple
and affecting letter of the Queen been sympathisingly
read. "One touch of nature makes the whole world
kin," and there are many touches of nature in this
letter from the Sovereign to her people. As the
widowed mother, writing with earnest affection of her
eldest son— mother and son SO dear to the country-- the
royal lady touches a peculiarly tender chord in many
a heart, but the whole letter--n,, eariteet, so dignified,
and yet so homely--will for ages to come remain a
memorial of thOkindly relations between monarch and
Bubjeete. It is a trite remark that Death levels all
distinctions; that the King of Terrors lays equally
low the priaise and the peasant; but sickness has the
rams effeet. The l'rince ,-f Wales during his severe
illness has had all the advantages that medical science
mathl procure, aud the whole nation had been waiting,
watching, fearing and hoping; but just the same
kindly sympathies, jut the same affection, just the
saute alternations of hope and fear have exerted their
varying influence as would have been enerted in the
humblest family aiming her Majesty's subjects.
Affliction had its sweet use', awl the long and danger-
ous Hinter of the Pi hice, from which he is now happily
recovering, has tended to strengthen more than ever
the bonds between Queen and people.
I have somewhere read that if Lancashire is prospemus
England is properous. Certainly the condition of
this great manufacturing county is some criterion of
that of the United Kingdom, and it is highly satis-
factory therefore to read such favourable acconntsfrom
the North. It seems that the rateable value of Lanca-
shire property has Increased two and a, half millions
sterling. Lord Derby's remark that this al•olutely
proven the material progress of the country, and his
statement that both her manufacturing and agri-
cultural interest* Sr. aotive, must be pleasing to the
community at large, especially considering the aphorism
to which I have referred. Cheering, too, is it to find
that news of similar prosperity reaches us from other
quarters ; while here in the metropolis, trade, making
due allowanee for the time of the year, is decidedly
brisk ; employment is general ; nail pauperism has
diminished and is diminishing. I could easily cite facts
in proof of the last assertion, but facts of this kind are
dry reading. I do not .think, however, that my con-
clusion will be disputed. At present, at any rate, the
year 1872 bide fair to be a prosperous one. The Revenue
Returns which have just been issued, though dealing
with the past, confirm this hope very pleasantly.
Whoa we find that for the last quarter of 1871 the
reveille was £.121,915 more than during the correspond-
ing quarter of the previous year, and that we have up-
wards ,d two millions more revenue il_tring the last
nine months of the past year than during the cores-
" Tending peri.al of the preceding year -when we find
these agreeable facts, why —twopence off the income-
tax is about the least we can expect.
That -trade societies are not wholly established forthe
purpose of keeping up wages and otherwise fighting
the battle of Labour against Capital, we all know, but
sometimes forget. The Amalgamated Society of
Carpenters and Joiners has just presented, with no
little pomp and circumstance, the sum of one
hundred pounds to one of its members, who
was disabled for life by having his left hand
cut off with • circular saw. When the money
WAS being handed to him it was mentioned that this
was another instance of the ratepayers being !spared
front a burden that otherwise would have fallen upon
them. Very true, and not at all unimportant. But
I wonder whether finch facts as these will inflitenmsthe
Government when preparing their bill on Friendly and
Benefit societies, which is to be introduced nextressiom
It will be rather difficult to separate taro objects aimed
at in one sabecription ; whereas trade societies, as trade
unions in the ordinary acceptation of the tern+, can
hardly, one would think, be brought within the opera--
thin of the measure about to be brought forward.
Working-men and labourers now out of employment
suppose there are some of these, 119 there always
are —might do a worse thing than his accept an offer
now male to them to go out to New Zealand to aid in
tit,. construction of a railway "over there." True,
New Zealand is a precious long way off, but then it
possesses a delicious cilia its and a fine soil, an-I there
are ample scope and verge enough for the labours of
English mechanics, artisans, and labourers. Moreover,
A railway always creates work long after it is Made —in
all sorts of diroet ways. It is rather strange, then, that
considerable difficulty is found in procuring the
number of labourers required. No less than 1,000 men
are required, but they emneforward very slowly. Such
a fact speaks strongly for the activity of the labour-
market at home.

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Cotkncil is a
euriocs and nondescript body, dealing with a cumber
Of very different things—froin the drainage of a town
up to a question of the cogency; from the dirnensi -us
of a cattla-trock up to a national form of prayer or
thanksgiving. But in the multitutie of counsellors
there wanteth not WiifiloM, and whatever the Privy
Councillors do is generally done well, and after
mature consideration. I suppose these councillors
have inspected the new Foreign Cattle Market, either
personally or by deputy. At all events they are
graciously Pleased to express their satisfaction with it;
and in doing this they ratify the opinion of all who
have, like your correspondent, had the opportunity of
rambling through the new market, and ndticing its
splendid arrangements for the reception, slaughter, and
distribution of foreign cattle. Wandering through the
alleys, corridors, and pens of this fine market the other
day, I came to the conclusion—which by no means
demanded any peculiar sagacity or profundity—that
this new establishment will exert an immense influence
on the arrival of foreign cattle in the metropolis, in-
crewing largely the supply, and consequently cheapen-
ing meat in London, and, as a second consequence,
elsewhere. How important this result will be I need
not insist upon. Considering that this certainly will
be the result, to say nothing of innumerable other
advantages, the only wonder is that we have never had
a Foreign('attic Market before.
The idverpool magistrates have hit upon a good idea,
in endeavouring to repress drunkenness. Besides
fining offenders, their names and addresses are to be
published. I believe this will have a decidedly good
effect. Cases of people being brought up for being
"drunk and incapable," and being tined, are seldom
worth reporting, and thus drunkards escape the penalty
of publisity. But the official publication of their
names—a kind of moist pillory—will, probably, have
a fess! effect. If it has, other mag-Lstratse might take
the hint, and it might even be embodied in an Act of
Parliament.

I am glad to learn that Mr. George Cruickshank is
engaged on his Autobiography. If it is not to be pub-
li,hed till after his death, may it be many a year yet
before it sem the light ! ?tut if I were great man
enough to write an autobiography, worth reading, I
should like to have it published so that I could snub
this objector, confound that disputant, and PO on.
Would It not be well for the vets ran artint to do the
cause? At present, perhaps, society hardly doe, him
jnetiee. Ile has exerted an humentse influenee on
the social program of this country—much greater
than is generally esappored. To many people Mr.
f'rnickehank is only known by his pictures of
" The It sale" scol the "Worship ol Itscelna9 "--pie-
tare. that have been locturesl upon and written about
those without number. But he was a powerful artist
before nasixt of am were born, aml hie sketches date, I
believe, au far back aa leo6, "when George the Third
was king." C. add all his productions be (collected,
and placed in chronological order, they would form a
gallery is themes-Ives thoroughly unique in character,
mel avoids,' prove a marvelleitaly interesting study with
, Ito the political and ssesial progress .4 the people
cluai s; upwards of half a century.
the htt Sunday and the Met day of the f/1.1
Year, when mnititselee sf peretle in the metropolis
wcrc prcparieg for their watch-night services, a con-
MI-cable number of railway servants met at a tavern
to (either the ten hours' movement. That a Sunday
ea esing etionl.l be chosen for such a purpose is a fact
Vitt is certainly to be regretted, &0.11 can well under-
stand that numbers of good people would be shocked
by such a meeting on the Sabbath evening, almost
eimultaneonely with last. congregatiees assembling
for the purpose of solemnly recognising the passing
from one year to another. But them men, be it
remembered, did not choose Sunday ea ening. They
are occupied so continuously on other evenings that
they lame no time to meet; they work such" long
bourn" that they have not an hour to spare to aim at
the lessening of their work; they meet on Sunday to
proteet against PO much Sunday work. And I
think they are perfectly right. The facto Mated
at this meeting inconteetilily prove it ; and the
pnblie are directly interested in the move-
ment inasmuch as the unreasonable protraction of the
work of signalmen, pointemen, atc., has an undoubted
connection with railway accidents. All honour to Mr.
Bass, for expensing the cause of railway workmen as
he has lone! The advocacy of such a man is at once
e proof of the justice of the cause, and a guarantee for
its coerces.
Nearly a year ago the preliminaries of peace were
discussed by the French and ( lermans, and when in duo
tinse the treaty of peace was signed by the
representatives of natione that has' been en-
deavouring to ruin each other, it was fondly
Imagined by other nations+ that peace would be
and so it has been—with a vengeance! There
now, too many evidences of this, French and
newspapers preach hatred, and in some parts

aec4ed ;
are, just
German

of France there -ire continual —outrages inflicted on
Germans. In some cases it is undeniable that murder
has been committed by Frenchmen, the victims being
German soldiers. Such painful facts as these ought
to read humanity a lesson. War, no doubt, settles
disputes—after a fashion, but it always leaves a
heritage of hatred and vengeance. Can it be said that
France settles down contentedly under the arrange-
ments of the treaty of peace? Far from it. The
efforts now being made to reorganise her army tell a
very different tale.