The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-02-22 00:00:00

IIIIIIIM•

rather difficult to believe, but surely our men of
science, to whom scarcely anything seems hoposslble,
could find out some method of preserving most long
enough for its being sent from Australia, where it is
almost dirt cheap, to England, where it is painfully
dear. Thousands of our poor never taste meat because
its price is so high, while in Australia sheep are still
boiled down for the fat only. The sooner our scientific
men hit upon a, plan of elmpensation the setter for
011I11110S of poor in this country.
Es erylxsly knows Leicester-square, by reputation
at least. They say that it is to be transmogrified into
pretty kniek-nack shops and restaurants in the
Parisian style. But then " they" have said something
of this kind for years, and Leicester-square remains
the dull, dreary desert it has been for years.

PASSING EVENTS, RUMOURS, &c.
The House of Lords broke ground for the Session on Tuesday
evening in legislation, a 1,111 having been formally introduced
by the tort thnicellor. It to entitled the Promissory oaths
Bill, :Oat is intended to do away with the necessity of the
taking of about three hundrci different oaths by persons I.f
all CLAW.s enip'o) ed in the public service. Thu measure pro-
poses to cut too, the mutter of oaths to five—that of
allegiance, the official, the judicial, and nillltitty °Alio, and
that taken by constables while all statutory oaths are to be
converted into declarations in the terms lu a hick they now
stand, and all others are to become simple delineations that
the persons concerned will do their duty. ,oinething was
said about the desirability of abolishing all promissory oaths
but on the whole the bill was accepted.

The Qucen has received the address of tho loyal Irishmen
In London, and Mr. Hardy has sent the following letter to
Mr. Ingby Seymour: have had great satisfaction in
laying before the Queen the loyal awl dutiful whin a s 111 her
Majesty's Irish subjects, residing in London :mil its vicinity,
which you, accompanied by a large deputatiou. pricc.l in my
bawls: awl I have the honour ti inform r .11 that her
M.iji.stri haus been pleased to receive the ie. most gra-
ciously."

The French Academy of Medicine has offered a prise of
e.SO for the discovery of MI infallible means of recognising
the presence of death. The French Sr. deeply interested in
this question, as the ollicial medical certificate of a death is
a very lax affair, and the moment this certificate is made out
the official undertaker :Mends, and in less than forty-eight
In the whole drama is over the C,1180,1,10110e to that
many people have been, and still are, buried alive.

The Lord Chief Justice, In writing to the lord Chaneell,
in the names of nil the judges, protest,l most strongly
agahmt the propo-,1 HOW before Parliament to bringniection
petitions before the Court otqueen's Bench and the superior
courts. At present the judge, have very little to do w ilk
political matters, aml the less they have to do the better,
sir Alemnder Cockburn thinks. Let them be mixed up in a
few election disputes, and their decisions will soon cease to
be respected. Tiny did not bargain for this when they were
made judges Besides. it cannot be done: they hate too
mueb work alresoly. There are many bumblers who, if not
brit:fleas, have at least, abundant leisure sad learning. Why
not give it to them

lit the Howes 01 CoIIIMOI., Olt Mositi.y even. log, Lord K
Cecil asked the Secretary of State for War whether it was
the Intention of the government to move for a sufficient sum
In the forthcoming estimates to extend the benefit of the
Contagious Diseases Act to every camp, garrison, awl seaport
lowa in the United Ktngdom, considering the large rnr
centage of soldiers and sailors whose services are now wholly
or in part lost t.• the state in consequence of Its partial and
incomplete adoptien. sir J. Pakington replied that when
the estienates were taint on the table the noble lord would
find a considerable increase in the item relating to the
carrying out of the Contagious Entente% Act. Ile should,
however, postpone an explanation of the details until it
became his duty to submit the army estimates to the
consideration of the Douse.

The annual report of the trustees of the Peabody Fund has
lust het n Issued 'Vito fund has been increased some twefify
thousand pounds by rents :m.l interest on unexpended capital,
and the total for December, Idol, Is £1f0,04.2 Us. Oft The
buildings at apitallields Sinti at Islington are fully occuplel
those at Shaftwell are slow in filling, owing to the depressed
condition of trade The dwellings continuo healthy, the
tenants satisfied the playgrounds for the children have pro-
duced the .best results another building will loon be erected
at Westminster ; and Mr. Peabody's second donation of
6100,000 will be available for the objects of the trust in July,
lesiff. The total population in all the buildings erected hy
the trustees Is 1,503.

Mr. Roebuck has been called to account by one of his
admirers for abruptly ternibiating his recent speech without
treating on the dttties of capital. The hon. gentleman
replies that he gave broadly Ale views of wh.st he thought
ought to be the aim of the Legislature iu any future
legislation, and that there he left the matter because there
was no proof of any glaring mistake on the part of the
capitalist. Ile denies that his symputhisse with the labourers
have ceased. Experience has, lie hopes, corrected errors,
but age has not chilled his sympathies, and "the temptation
which failed to influence the ) ming man will not," he says,
make me swerve from what I believe the path of duty now
that my career Its coming to ft. end."

The "lay declaration " of the Catholics of Ireland against
the Church Establishment bears the signatures of twelve
peen, four right honouthbles, fourteau baronets, nineteen
menthols of Parliament, flfty-elght deputy-lieutenants, and
over three hundred magistrates. All the Roman Catholic
peers and right honourable' have signed it : and it is des-
cribed by the Free mm4'4 Jovr nal as a "dignified repudia-
tion of the alleged apathy of the Catholic laity on the
subject, and a significant expression of the sentiments of the
Catholic community."

Earl Fortescue attended • meeting of the North bevon
farmers on Friday evening at Barnstaple, the subject dis-
cussed being compulsory education. Ills lordship said that
he considered the recent Act for the extension of the fran-
chise west rash one, and varliament would do well in not
committing another rash act ili widely extending the State
support of education lie moved a resolution to the effect
that aLy nyidem of general compulsory education at the cost
of the community at large would be unjust to the ratepayer,
as it would compel him to educate his neighbour's children
as well as lax own, and likewise that such a plan would be
demoralising to the children and parents. 'nits was seconded
by Sir George Long len. The Rev. Prebendary Brereton, if
Norfolk, also took part in the discussion, reading paper on
Learning and E Ile deprecated the system of com-
pulsory education at the :Rate expense, as propoFed by flinty
statesmen and others, as he believed that if the working
classes had their children educated front a part of their
earnings there would be a greater interest felt by the parents
than if the children were left to the care of the State. The
motion against the compulsory principle was carried.

Lori Lichfield presided on Friday night at a preliminary
conference on technical education, which was held at the
offices of the Working Men's club and Institute in the
Strand, London Ai ter a discussion, in which Mr. Paterson,
Mr. Luang t, Mr. Wynne, Xi r. symons, Professor Rogers, Mr.
caningsliy, Mr. Davis, Mr. Hodgson Pr itt, Mr. Applegarth,
and others, took part, tile following naoluttios were agreed
to with unanimity :--" That the 011e110011 tif technical eilticai
Lion of oar workmen dem:mils the carbeit ti,l, of all
classeii, but that 110 action 011 the subject 1,11 Lc cianplete
or .tisfaetory which does not take into account thc opinions
of the working classes themselves, and which Li not in Some
degree based on the special information whie'i they alone
can give. That to obtain this special infort..ation and to
give an opportanity for the expression Of opinion, it is
desirable ti hold a Collierume where working men represent-
ing the vat i.,us trades should lie invited to meet with em-
ployers of labour, scientific men, and others, with a view
to some definite action." uitlier resolutions were passed ap-
pointing a committee to arrange for the holding if the coo.
Strobe, to be held on the second Saturday in March, and
to prepare a definite plan to lay before it ; and deciding to
apply to I:overnment far copies of such reports and docu-
ments as have a direct relation to the subject of the con-
ference for the use of the persons who may take part In it.