The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-08-23 00:00:00

Our fontlon orrtsponknt.

[We deem It right to state that we do not at all times
ienttfy uurselvei with our Correspondent's opiniona-J

In the discussions which have limed upon the recent
ministerial changes, some remarkable errers have been
made respecting thoee new members of the Government
who would find it neceesary to appeal to their con-
stituents for re-election. By a statute passed in the I
reign of Queen Anne, with the object of limiting the
power of the Crown, every member of the Howie of
Commone, on accepting office in the service of the
Sovereign, was compelled to vacate his seat. lie
could, of coarse, offer himself for re-election, and it was
then for his constituents to soy whether or uot they
approved of his taking an official position in the
Government. The Act was a sufficiently salutary one
for it protected the people from being represented by
men who, without their comsat, might other
wise have ben officeeeekets end time-server,. At the
seepu time its operation produced stone inc inveuience.
For h. etouce, if a. MILL ter merel y moved from one poet. to
au' her- flour the Chancellerellip of the Exchequer to
the Foot. land, hip of ftJ miralty--he meet vsc •1e
his sea', and perhads Is called upon to go thfougn all
the hustle and excitement via mate ted elec.ien. The
eseep•ions from this rule were the Secretaries of
State, wheo they happened to exchange one Secretary-
Ail, for ale the r— t'e Home for the Foreign, or the ,
Warodti e for the (o'oi,s. These fuuctimarics ore
each ewe rn in as 'one of Her Majesta•ei Piiteipal
Sec:etaie of Stott'," so that his removal from
one department to the other would not affect
k position in the least. Butt with the rearrauge-
meat of Cabinets which is no often necessary
in modern tunes, it was found that even with these
exceptions the necessity for an appeal to • Minieter'e
conetituenta merely because there had been a transfer
of offices, transferred the choice of the head of the ad-
ministration ; laud so it came to pass that in the Re-
form Act of 1867 a provision was inserted, enacting
that no minister who already held office under the
Crown should vacate his seat when he was merely I
shifted from one position to another. This simplified I
matters, but there is a confusion in the minds of the
general public as to what really i.e a crown office. Take
a striking example. There were lately man;' altera-
tions at the Treasury, and these included the appoint-
ment of Mr. Dodson as financial secretary and Lord
Frederick Cavendish as one of the Commissionere.
It was assunnel that b ith would have te be
reelected. Not so, however. The Secretaryship
Is inn posed to be in the gift of the First Lord, end not
of the Sovereiga ftherefore Mr. Dolma did not vacate
his seat ; but the (' I:l2mioir.ner.hip. although really •
nomination by the Prime Minister, was by legal Ii tior,
an appointment by the Queen, and so Lord Frederick
Cavendish found it necessary to ask his constituents to
ratify the choice which had been'made.
The letters respecting the success of Sir Samuel
Baker's expedition have been read with much pleasure,
and this coupled with the result of Sir Bartle Frere's
mission to Zanzibar, has once more raised the hopes of
those who look forward to the extinction of the
slave trade. This is a traffic which is evidently
dying hard. It is nearly a century ago that
William Wilberforce, the father of the late
lameated Bishop of Winchester, commenced his battle
against it which lasted about twenty years. When in
1807 the Slavery Abolition Bill passed both 11011sts of
Parliament, Sir Samuel Hominy congratulate
Wilberforce that he could at last lay his head ut on his
pillow, and rejoice that the slave trade was no more.
Circumstances have proved that this expectation was
based upon too sanguine a foundatien. Nearly seventy
years have passed away, and to-day we find two
Engliehmen making efforts to put an end to the traffic,
one by force of arms, and the other by means of treaty
negochations. Both Sir Samuel Baker and Sir Bustle
Peers are expected to be present at the meeting of the
British Association at )lradfor i in September.
Louden is now what is conventionally called
"empty.' That is to say, there are only about three
millions of us left in town. The City is as full of
traffic as it ever wan, the northern, southern, and I
eastern suburbs show no diminution in the mass o 1
human life which populate these districts. But if you
turn towards the went, you will find the mansions in
Name after square, and street after street, with their
Uccle closely draw, for the owners and their families
have taken wing, and are scattered over all ports of the
Continent. Tee Queen and her two youngest children
are six hundred miles from 11,31130 D, and are enjoying
the pure moorland air of Balmoral. The Czarewitch
and the Cz +revue, who enjoyed their visit to the
Prir ce and PrMci as of Wale, sufficiently to extend it
to several weds, leave left the capital for Sk•Petere.
burg. The clebs are deserted, and Rotten Row presewn
• striking contrast to the gay scene ti be witnrseed
there at the height cf the season.
Henilerson, the head of the Metropoliton Police,
has just issued his annuel report, awl it contains some
very curious statistics. One fact will take many by
surprise who have an idea of the all absorbing character
of the grewth of London. There is an impression
that it increases more rapidly from year to y ear, but
the truth is that its development is slowly decreasing.
Thies, from 1862 to 1870 the averse e annual length of new
squares and steeets was nearly 69 miles, in 1870 it was
less than 43 miles, in 1871 less then :39 miles, and Lea
year lees than 21 miles, One exp'anation of this has
been hazarded which looks rraemable enough. It is
that whereas the effect of railways originally was to
bring the country to the town, so that London grew
for many years with magic rapidity, the result
now is to carry the town into the country. lewdon
is not now really represented by the limits of the metro-
politan district, but by • circle which may be measured
by a railway journey of from one to two hours. In
mislay respects such places as Brighton and Reading
may be looked upon as suburbs of the capital. This
may sound strangely, but it is true. Many of ye-or
readers have heard the old prophecy that London will
go on growing until Highgate becomes its centre. Well,
is not this practically fulfilled? It has become in,
poseible tm fix upon any station upon any line at
which London may be said definitely to end.
Accerding to the annual report of the Commissioners
of Custom there was.. last year, a considerable increesee
In the total number of seizures of tobacco, cigars, and
spirits in the metropolis as compared with 1871. Thee,
293 cases of smuggling were detected in 1872,
as against 183 in the previous twelve months:. Such a
statement does certainly appear incongruous in the
present day. Most people associate tales of smugglers
with roeloboand coasts, cavernous recesses, and lonely
sew, but here is the broad fact staring us in the face
that it is carried on in the first port of the kingdom,
and in the heart of a vast population. As it is pro-
bable that the detected cases bear but a small propos-
tion to those which manage to escape the vigilance of
the Custom-house officials, it is evident that a brisk
trade in contraband tobacco and spirits is still pursued
in no less busy a plate than London itself, and in the
face of the heavy punishments inflicted by the Metro-
politan magistrates upon the offenders who are
brought before them.

Just now are being held the half yearly meetings of
the various railway companies, and it may not be amiss
to remark that railway investments are not in such
favour as they formerly were. For this there are two
main reasons. In the first place there has been a
lowering of dividends, and in the next there is a paean.
billty of • comparative stoppage in the trade cf the
country. Of courte anything of this sort would Cause
some of the companies to suffer very eeverely. But as
far as can be seen at present there Is no immediate
prospect if any such suffering. Trade may have been
at a higher pressure than it now is, but the railway
traffic returns show no diminution ; and this fact,
combined with the r. flection that the maximum of
expenses has been generally reached, is an encouraging
one for railway shareholders. Coals are not higher
in price than they were twelve mouths ago, and the
same remark applies to iron. With continued trade,
and the careful retrench:mate which heovy sxpeot es
have sugcested, tie lines will, in all probability, be
worked to greater lidVatltA4o than heretofore. In
connection with this subject t hero is one feature
of a highly ailt,factoty character. The Micland
Railway Company WAS the flirt to try the experiment
cf issuing third-class tickets by all trains, and
example was rapidly followed by the direct ens .4 o .her
lines, The result of the general introduction of third
clean fares has amply juetitied the expectation' of
ther,e who projected it. The prospects of this kart of
traffic during the autumn are in excess of anything
ever before known. Hitherto tourist tickets have been
confined to two classes, first and second, but now
third class tickets ti tourists are ietue.l upon once of
the lines. The companies have at last awakened to
the fact that the custom of the third-class passen7er is
worth cultivating. For yews they were subjected to
inconveniences of the most systematic character.
Their trains started at unearthly hours, and their
journeys were purposely made tedious in the extreme.
They were shunted into obscure sidings, and there
made to await the passage of an express, and the
aocomm..dation provided for them was little above the
rank of cattle pens. But with the issue of third.clasa
tickets by express trains, what a difference in the mode
of travelling, and in the rate of speed! There are,
however, some improvements in railway management
which have yet to le effected. Why, for instance,
should a booking offi-e remain closed until within five
or ten minutes of the time appointed for the departure
of a train? The large crowd awaiting the convenience of
the clerk at last becomes tidgetty and nervous, mistakes
are made over the change, and instead of 'electing
Your seat in the train, you have to make a rash at the
Ism moment, and be content with any seat which may

off, r itself. Why not increase the facilities for the
one:lase of tickets by the adoption of a plan which
has been tried in other countries By this you are
enabled to buy • railway ticket in a shop as easily as
you invest in any ay.i lee of merchandise, and confusion,
cm ;Ming, and delay at the railway station are oh.
viated. Under the existing system the ordeal of the
bee king office lea real source of terror ta many of both
sexes. Besides, this plan would introduce the habit
of travelling into English life to a much greater extent
than it has ever been, and by rendering it popular,
the:e would be higher traffic returns and better di.
vidnds.
' • •"

(Le thing which often strikes the country visitor to
To don al being exceedingly incongruous is the large
am mit of Sunday trading which iH care ad on. Its
ra gu!stiou bone of the moat difficult problems with
wh!.-4 the legirlature is called upon to deal. ?Jea-
nne after measure has bean introdt owl, but
meat of them have proved abortive, and some of the
Metropolitan vestries have had recourse to a statu e
pan est in the reign of Charles 11. With some of the
Poorer el:oases it may bo absolutely neceslary to go to
111:111zet on Sunday moaning, but it is fairly open to
quo .ion whethcr the street cries could net be stopped
for that day. It is not uncommon to hear such about.
as "Ten a prrany walnuts!" Fine silver eels !'
"Fresh Yarnieuths !" "Newipgathered strawber-
riea I" mingling with the chimes of the church bells,
and for cesterrneit.el'a darr WA to be seen side by aide
a crowd of well diessed peop!e proceeeb g to their
plates of woiship. A mea-ire oliich would give the
wonried Londoner a few hour,' peace an a Sun 'ay,
by the suspension of those stentorian bawlings in the
thoronghfsres wialch are now so distressing, would be
heat Lily welcomed by a large proportion of the popula-
'too.

The Foreettrs' Day at the CI ystal Palace is one of
the great events of tbe year at that institution. The
Palace he visited by vokt numbers, and in 1871 the
turnstiles chronicled the fa t that 85,000 people—a
population equal to that of many a &wishing city—
had entered the building. The Foresters go to Syden•
ham by road and by ; conveyances of all descrip.
lions are crowded by them and their families, aud the
railway stations are enlivened by throngs of them in
their picturesque attire. Toe principal requirement
for out-door enjoyment is, of course, the weather, and
although in this respect the Foresters have hod
better days than last Tuesday, they could well
console thetneelven with the refl•ction that it might
have been considerably worse. There W 164 some rain
in the morning, but the afternoon WA, favourable, and
no 01ee who was present could doubt that the people
entered thornghly into the spirit of the attractions
which were 1 rovided. These include i out door recrea-
tions of all deactintions. One of the sights ot the day
was Blondin's performance or the high-rope. Althongh
this clever acrobat hat, been before the public so long.
his name even tow is certain to be a good "draw," on
account of the daring nature of the evolutions which he
goes through at such a heisilit from the ground.