The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-03-12 00:00:00

Our foal= 6nDrespnAtnt.

(We deem it right to state that we do not at all times
identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.

One result of the disaster at Isandula in January,
1879, was the speedy connection of our South African
possessions with this country by a telegraphic wire.
That intelligence took more than a fortnight to reach
England, inasmuch as the first telegraphic station at
which the Cape steamer touched was St. Vincent,
nearly 5,000 miles from Capetown. It takes a good
fourteen days for even a rapid steamship to make that
distance ; and, in the face of what had happened, it
was felt that no time must be lost in being able
to communicate directly with our South African
colonies. Similarly, the tardy way in which the
news of the Indian Mutiny reached England led
to the establishment of direct electric communication
with Calcutta. What a difference the telegraph makes
is forcibly illustrated by one simple fact. The defeat
at Isandula took place on the 22nd January, and it
was not known in London until the 10th February.
The fortune of war on the Majuba mountain did not
finally turn against the British arms until two o'clock
in the afternoon of the 27th February, and by mid-
night the intelligence had reached the London news-
paper offices in Fleet-street. Between the actual occur-
rence and the receipt of the news the hands of the clock
had not travelled once round the dial, and In that
short time a space of eight thousand miles had been
traverqed ! A more remarkable example of speed
in the transmission of important tidings has never
been furnished.

Byi;on, in his "Siege of Corinth," has described
the hOTrors of the battle-field, and has told his readers
that

"There is snmething of pride in the perilous hoar,
Whatever be the shape in which Death may lour,
For Fame is there to tell who bleeds,

And Honour's eye on daring deeds."
Many an encomium has been passed on the memory
of Sir George Colley, who died at the head of his
greatly-outnumbered force, with his face to the foe.
In the presence of the dead body of this gallant
man, the victorious Boers stood bareheaded, as one
of the highest marks of respect they could pay
to the remains of an intrepid though unsuccessful
antagonist. Meanwhile the governorship of the colony
of Natal and. the temporary command of forces de-
volving upon Sir Evelyn Wood, has reminded the
public of the services which this distinguished soldier
has already rendered in South Africa. His life-roll of
military work is already a long and brilliant one, for
it began with the Crimean war seven and twenty
years ago. He is thoroughly acquainted with the cha-
racteristics of South African warfare, seeing that less
than two years ago he returned from the campaign in
Zululand. The exploits of Sir Frederick Roberts are
even yet more fresh in the mind. His march from
Cabul to Candahar will ever be quoted as a testimony
to British energy, pluck, and perseverance; and it
gave much satisfaction that on the eve of his depar-
ture for Durban her Majesty conferred upon this able
general the honour of a baronetcy in recognition of his
services in Afghanistan.
The Doers, who, in time of peace have been de-
scribed by those dwelling among them as a quiet
unobtrusive, and hospitable people, have proved them-
selves as capable in war as they are proficient in agri-
cultural pursuits; and their natural skill as marksmen
is rendered perfect by the means which they take in
practice. A champagne bottle, fixed upon a cricket
stump, would be easily struck by a Boer at a distance
of 600 yards; and it is not difficult to estimate the
deadly nature of such accurate firing as this at shorter
ranges. The manner in which the ranks of the
officers suffered showed that the Boers had an idea
that if the mentould be deprived of those placed in
authority over hem, it might possibly lead to panic
and demoralization, more especially with unseasoned
troops. _ _ _ _ _• _ .

It is not often that the House of Lords girds itself
up for a debate of two nights and a late division.
The retention of Candahar, however, is a question of
great national interest, and well justified the time
which the peers devoted to it. On such nights—too
rare in the experience of the Upper Chamber—it pre-
sents a very brilliant appearance. The Peeresses' Gal-
lery runs round three sides of the House, and there is
no concealment of the fair sex, as in the Commons,
The representatives of the people place the ladies in
a thickly-barred cage over the Reporters' Gallery,
and indeed in such a position that technically it
is not within the limits of the House at all.
They can see the members, but it is dcult
for the members to see them. The Lords, however,
with conatuous gallantry, provide spacious galleries
for their76Commodation, where peeresses and their
unmarried daughters sit in full view of the assembled
senators. On a summer evening the rich dresses and
the variety of colour help to make Isp a picture which
Is well worth witnessing, and once seen is not speedily
forgotten.
- There are few who can have failed to notice the
fact that of late years prominent public men who
adorned the benches of the House of Commons have
migrated to the Lords. This was illustrated in a
remarkable manner in the recent debate, and by a
glance at the benches of their Lordships' House, on
any night when a considerable number of peers are
present. The Lord Chancellor, his predecessor (Earl
Cairns), the Earl of Beaconsfield, the Marquis of
Salisbury, the Earl of Derby, Viscount Cranbrook,
Viscount Halifax, Viscount Sherbrooke, Lord
Aberdare, Lord Brabourne, Viscount Bury, Vis-
count Enfield, the Duke of Westminster, Lord
Wolverton, Lord Carlingford, Lord Cardwell, have all
left the green benches of'the Commons for the crimson
benches of the Lords within the past few years. All
these eminent men have been Ministers and with
such a list of names, it must be obvious that a
very considerable change has passed over the poli-
rml composition of the front seats in either chamber.
The transfer of all this intellect from one House
to the other, has been effected in less than half a
generation.
One explanation why the Fourth of March was chosen
as the day for the installation of the American Presi-
dent is that for several hundred years the date will
not 'fall on a Sunday. Of course there will
he many a Sunday on which the 4th of March will
_fall, but the installation year is only one in every
four, and the story goes that it is carried over the
Sunday century after century. On these occasions
the city of Washington is gay with flags and bunting,
the President delivers addresses from the Portico of
the Capitol in presence of the foreign dignitaries and
an immense number of people, and a grand ball is
given at night, for which several thousand invitations
are always issued. A peculiarity of the American
constitution is that, while the President is responsible
to Congress, his Ministers, whom he selects, are re-
sponsible only to him. In making his choice he is
under no ohligation whatever to consult the wishe§ of
either the Senate or the House of Representatives ;
and in the United States it is not impossible for a
Ministry to hold office and yet be at variance with
both Houses of the Legislature.

When a political crisis occurs or is imminent, it is
the custom to talk lightly of the chances of a dissolu-
tion of Parliament. It is dismissed as airily as though
the election were that of a Board of Guardians or of a
Vestry. Yet there is no doubt that a general election
costs at least two millions sterling. The expenditure
upon that which took place last April has been offici-
ally declared in a Parliamentary return to be a
million and three-quarters, and it is very well known
that many expenses are incurred which are not included
in the return presented to Parliament. The cost which
a candidature for a seat in the House of Commons
entails is so large that it has given rise to the saying
that St. Stephens is to a considerable extent a club for
members of the aristocracy and moneyed classes. Of
course there are exceptions, for the House numbers
many whose claims are founded upon descent and posi-
tion. But notwithstanding that admission is not
confined to a class, the fact remains that those desirous
of entering it must often pay heavily for their laudable
ambition. Valuable evidence on this score has been
furnished by the return of election expenses issued a
few days ago, the cost of contesting some of the
English counties being especially noticeable,
The Act passed last session for the protection of
wild birds from the Ist of March to the Ist of August
in each year has now come into operation. The birds
embraced in tile schedule numbered eighty-five; but
as many of the names given are synonyms or local
appellations the list may be reduced to half that
number. Large numbers of these birds have hitherto
been consumed as food all the year round, In London
alone over two millions of wild fowl are annually
brought to market, the wings and feathers of
which are variously utilised, while the carcases are
eaten in a variety of ways. It may be hoped
that this measure may be found sufficiently ample
for the protection of our wild birds. In this
statute, it is coniienient to be able to find the
laws relating to the protection of the feathered tribe.
"Under the new Act many other birds besides those
scheduled are fully or partially protected, and garden
and song birds will now be safe from the traps and
guns of strangers, although those persons on whose
property they are will still have the power of killing
them. It has been proved in France over and over
again that garden birds are far more destructive to
insects than the birds themselves are to the 'fruit
:supplies.
Now that the bright days of spring are in store,
we may well forget the miseries of the prolonged
winter, prominent amongst which the snowstorm of
the lath January will he quoted in succeeding years.
The Chairman of the Great Western Railway told the
shareholders at the half-yearly meeting that the viol-

tation had reduced their receipts by £56,000. Rad that
sum been in their pockets they might have been able to
declare or per cent more dividend. The Company's
officials had to excavate the snow from 111 miles of rail-
way, varying in depth from three to ten feet. Sixty-four
trains had to be dug opt anchblocks took place on 141
different parts of theiAsstem. The first half of the
year is never so good for railway investors as the
second, which includes the tourist and excursion
season, and the first half of the present year is likely
to be even less unproductive than usual.