The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-11-28 00:00:00

ailetropolitan 6ossip.
IT OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.

le remarks snider this head are to he regarded as the ex.
pros-ion of independent opinion, from the pen of a gentleman
in wiv we we have the greatest emthlence, but for which we
~,,,,,tat,Ast do Ibetp hold ouroelves responsible.]

Ti we are not still actually engaged in election
business, there is little else of a public character that
occupies the public mind. This, however, is not a sub-
ject on which I wish to comment "at any length," as
the colloquial phrase runs; but I will just note a few
remarkable facts. These are—that a few of the most
prominent public men who were among the candidates
have been rejected, to the surprise of many; that a few
hitherto unknown men have been elected ; that the
working-man candidate has uniformly been unsuccess-
ful ; that the -Reform League candidates have also
been unsuccessful; and that, take the new House of
Commons, as a whole, so far as the social standing of
its members are concerned, it wiil be much the same
as the last. The greatest fact of all, howiver, is the
undeniable fact that the Liberal majority will be much
larger next Session than it was last Session. We may
draw many conclusions from this fact, and account
for it in many ways also; but there is the
bard, dry fact, Mr. Gladstone will have a large
majority. "What will he do with it I" Whatever
else he may do with it, and whatever may
be the preliminary skirmishing in the House, this
majority will certainly be brought to bear, sooner or
later, on the overthrow of the Ministry. We may
therefore prepare for a renewed battle under altered
conditions, which has yet to be fought out.
One strange feature of the elections appeani to be
beyond ordinary comprehension, and I avow,that my
" head-piece "is not equal to mastering the details
connected with it. I allude to the " three-cornered
constituencies," as they have been called for want of a
better name. I have a lengthy article before me
which professes to explain the whole affair. Mathe-
matics and algebra are brought into the argument to an
extent enough to frighten ordinary mortals, and the
conclusion—the argument in a nutshell—to so difficult
that, even supposing one can understand it, we cannot
expect people to remember it.

- -
There does not seem much reason now to hope that
trade will materially revive till the turn of the year;
but, though the commerce and trade of the country are
rather dull, they are not in an unsound state. The
raising of the Bank rate 1 discount from 2 to 24
per cent. may be regarded as indicative of less
stagnation in commercial circles. Money has for
a long time been too cheap, and this is directly
traceable to its non-employment or, in other
words, to the absence a speculation. Renewed
speculation is now commencing to a small ex-
tent, and if we have much of it the Bank
rate will undoubtedly be again raised; but there
is little prospect of this for the moment. The present
rate, two and a half, may be regarded as unhealthily
low. May it be gradually raised till it reaches 5 per
cent., the most healthy financial temperature we can
have, and then may it stop there a long, long time.
But this is looking too far ahead Meariwhile large
numbers of those classes who never take the slightest
heed of the Bank rate of discount, fancying that it
does not concern them (though indeed it does), are
beginning to feel the biting power of poverty and
distress, and in more than one district, special efforts
are being made to relieve it. Happily, if poverty is
perennial, the streams of benevolence are perennial
also, and when the one increases the other increases
also, though not always in an equal ratio.
The Treasury is now supposed to have under its con-
sideration a proposal to reduce the postage on circuliwa,
newspapers, pamphlets, Itc., not exceeding 2 oz. in
weight, to a halfpenny. The Edinburgh Chamber of
Commerce, has drawn the attention of "my lords"
to this matter, which has often been urged. The
present book and newspaper post—the uniform
penny for MS. or printed matter under 4 oz.—
is a great boon Compared with the former
expensive system, but there is no reason why we
should not have further improvements. I believe the
reduction to a halfpenny for 2 oz., retaining the
penny fur 4 as., would largely increase the revenue of
the lost-office. That great establishment is not
now used for newspapers in anything like the ratio
that it would be employed were the rate reduced.
Our go-ahead brother Jonathan has, I think, gone too
far in this direction, for in America newspapers are
carried I.st-free in the county where they are
printed. This seems rather too much of a good thing,
but we might take a hint front our American o
inasmuch as their rate is one cent (halfpenny) for a

newspaper under three ounces to any part of the
United States, and one cent for every additional
ounce. It is rather hard to its, by the way, seeing how
liberal the Americans are to themselves, that they '
should charge us 2,1. for a newspaper to or from
America. The Lords of the Treasury might do well
to bake the example t.f the United States, in the former
respect, into consideration. Awl ar,ciuof Anw,;,,,
1 suit glad to notice tin friendly relations that are
springing up between the London workmen and the
IleW American Al Mister. Sonic of the former have
invited the latter to a dinter at St. James's Hall, and
Mr. Howdy Johnson has cordially accepted the
invitation. This is as it should be. Friendly rela-
tions between the people of the two countries cannot be
too sedulously encouraged.

Recently there have been no less than three deaths
in the hunting field. Lord Somerville, Dr. Milburne,
and Mr. R. Hutchinson have severally fallen victims
to their passion for the chase. Many people cannot
see the pleasures of foxhuntiug, but it is possible that
its danger gives a zest to it? Some men seek the
bubble reputation in the cannon's mouth, and the
danger attending the battle-field makes it always ex-
citing, and people, snore or less, love excitement. It
may be so with the sports of the field, and it is scarcely
likely that these three deaths will prove a warning to
others.

LI the Ist, lamented 'Rossini's celebrated "Largo at
loco ot Ion," Figaro, boasts his almost übiquitous powers
and the value of his services. He tells us he is
"Figaro here, Figaro there, Figaro everywhere ; "
but the Paris Fiparo appears to be nowhere, so far as
the value of its information is concerned. It speaks
if the Princess of Wales as an ambassaolress to Paris,
and tells its that the "Duke of Stratford' had arrived
in the French capital; while another l'aris paper,
commenting on the career of the late Marquis of
'Hastings, gives the details of Isis marriage with
" Laurentine Payet, daughter of one of Lord
Anglesca's farmers !" When a journal .4 such a
circulation as Figaro snakes such curious blunders, no
wonder that the French entertain strange notions
about ourselves.

Locomotion in our large towhs is still anaceptible
of great improvement. London, with al its wealth
and enterprise, is behind the age in this re,pget. We
arc, however, once again promised tramways, and the
sanction of Parliament is to be asked to a scheme for
a tramway from Highgate, through Islington, to the
City and Whiteehapel. Ilad the metropolis a Prefect
like Baron Haussmann, or hail we a munittipalgovert-
ment (and this is also promised) we shotild undoubtedly
have tramways, Which are for many reasons better
than the present system. Any one who has travelled .
on a tramway in a street car will at once admit the
superiority of that style of locomotion to the ordinary
street omnibus? By the way, it is rather strange that
the velocipede, which is so much in vogue in Paris
has not yet made its appearance here as an or
dinary vehicle of locomotion. We were told some
time ago that, in consequence of suburban rail-
way fares being raised, velocipedes wouhl largely come
into we by city merchants, clerks, &e.; but the
velocipedes, so far as London is concerned, is still
confined to the hover class td Sunday idlers. And yet
the velocipede, it seems, has capabilities of locomotion
which are not to be despised. A gentleman lately em-
ployed one for travelling from Bristol, or rather
eighteen miles beyond it, to London. He left his
home at four p.m., and reached Heading the same
night. 'There he slept (with no care about his horse
being baited) and started for the metropolis the next
nuirning, where he arrived at ten a.m., not at all
fatigued, tiltarp work that, and suggestivo of veloci-
Pedes being of real utility.

A painful pro .of of the frequency of ml buries and
assaults in lomd.qt stteet., especially now that the
long dark eveninzs have sot in, may be seen in several
shop windows here, where are exposed for sale life.
preservers (strange contradiction of terms !), daggers,
and knuckle-dusters —not the least frrmidable per-
haps are the latter. A itan who puts his lingers
thr.mgh (Me if the. wear. ms tel dens-hes his list
could certainly give a man such a blow as would do
him very serious injury, to say the least. These mur-
derous weapons are chiefly used. I should say, by
foreigners who have an exaggerated notion of the in-
ecurity of one streets, but that there is some foundation
for their fears cannot be denied in the face of awk-
yard facts.
The

Court of Common Pleas having decided in
favour of the legality of the "Sunday evenings for
the people," the series of " services," as they have
strangely d, will shortly be resumed. " En-
Mtments" would be a better word. Much may be
. for aml against these gatherings, but mo,t of that
ich can he 'aid for theta is of a negative character,
010 that which an be objected to them is of a posi-
, character. Rut I will not enter en these disputed
ts, merely noting the fact that these "Sunday
Mg' for the people" will again be a feature of the

been

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