The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-05-01 00:00:00

4nrlndon aurresponbut
frw. deem It right to state that we do not at 111 tlmeg
identify ourselves with our Correspondentl

Select committees of the House of Commons have
1 ately attracted a considerable share of the public
attention. These bodies are chosen for some specific
purpose, and sometimes number twenty or twenty-five
members. They may be nominated by the honourable
gentleman who moves for the inquiry; but practically
they are appointed by the Government for the time
being, which, possessing a majority at its back, is able
to constitute the committee as it thinks proper. Take
for instance the Committee on Foreign Loans, of
whichoge have heard al much. It was moved for by
Sir Henry James, a Liberal; yet the Liberals are in
a minority upon it, the Conservatives outnumber-
ing them in the rsptionM nine to seven. When a
Select Committee is-appointed by the House in Session
assembled, each name is put separately from the chair,
and there may be a division upon every one of them.
The Committees meet upstairs in large roomy apart-
ments over-looking the Thames. They are clothed
with most of the powers belonging to the
ITO-in itself ; can exclude the Press and the public
h. 4, their sittings, if they please, and con-
dUct the inquiry in perfect secrecy. The practice
In.committeeffaries, however, from that-of-the House
jwojmportant respects.. The House makes ample.
provision for the accommodation of the Press, but the
Cenimittee does not. If reporters are admitted, they
must find seats where they can—generally in the places
assigned to the members of the Bar. But while the
House -jealously guards its numerous entrances, and'
"rangers "• are admitted only upon the production
of an order from an M.P., any erson on earth is free
to go to a committee room. While in the House
itself a -stranger durst not speak, and ventures merely
tolook, talking and laughing go on freely in the corn-
mittee-room in the space devoted to the public, and
occasionally when some startling evidence is being
given, there are demonstrations of opinion which elicit
threats from the chairman that the rooom shall be
cleared unless better order is kept. When a corn:
mittee is deliberating upon its report, the Press and
the public are excluded, and the report is considered
paragraph by paragraph. Divisions take place just as in
the House, the Conservatives often enough voting in a
body on one side, and the Liberals in a body on
the other. Committees are not supposed to sit during
the time the House is in Session, and about five
minutes to four in the afternoon a messenger walks
along the corridors, opens the door of each room, and
says something in a loud voice which to the general
public is totally 'unintelligible, but which to the
Initiated s9unds like "Speaker at prayers." He with-
dreWs, aa rapidly as he entered, and passes on to the
next and to the next, until he has made the entire
round, the formula being in each case precisely the
same. • This is an intimation that the business of the
Howie is about to begin, and the committee, which
has been sitting, perhaps, four hours, winds up its
work for the day, and descends to the representative
chamber, some filing off to the right and others to the
left There they are, very likely, until midnight or
past; and considering that they have to be in the
committee room again at noon, their night's rest may
be said to have been truly and thoroughly earned.
In the construction of the workmen's towns in the
suburbs of London, nothing is more prominent than
the importance given to the possession of a plot of
garden ground, as far as possible, by each dwelling.
It is worthy of note that from the earliest ages to our
own times, the simplest, the mightiest, the wisest,
and the most common-place men have taken delight
in the cultivation of a garden. It is not only tat
the pursuit is pre-eminently natural and easy, that it
is healthy, and provides a.cheerful exercise and an in-
nocent amusement, that it may be taken up and re-
signed at will, and that even from the clumsiest work•
manship satisfying results arise. But if ever an occu-
pation deserved to be called a mystery—and our fore
fathers in their simplicity were accustomed to de-
scribe all handicrafts as arts and mysteries—then the
craft of the gardener is worthy of that name. The
taste for gardening has spread amongst amateurs as
well as professionals ; wealthy individuals have not only
set an example to men of limited means, but have
stimulated the exertions of every horticulturist, from the
men who supply our public markets to those who have
little more than a London yard wherein to exercise
their art. Indeed, London yard gardens are often
presided over by a genius who would be completely
lost in a broad acre of country soil, and the capabilities
of a window garden have frequently been wondered at
in the shows devoted to the produce of such limited
fields of operation.
The Devastation has long been looked upon as the
most powerful ship in the Navy, but it seems that the
Thenderer now undergoing the final stage of prepara.
tion is to be not only the leading representative of our
first-class ironclads, but the subject of the most inte-
resting experiments which have yet been made in
applying a self-acting princip% to the working of gums.
The enormous weapons with which the Thunderer is
to be equipped, weigh 38 tons each, or three tons more
than those of the Devastation. The new gear by
which Sir William Armstrong proposes to load and
fight the guns is hydraulic in principle, and is designed
not only to charge the gun and lift it, carriage
and all, into position for pointing, but actually
to take the shots from their rack at the vessel's side,
and carry them along their special railroad to the lift
beneath the muzzle of the gun. The simple turning
of a lever runs the immense piece of ordnance in or out,
thereby saving the labour of some sixteen men, while it
is at the same time more expeditious and noiseless. One
Is almost tempted to speculate upon the tremendous
results which would follow a great naval conflict in
our day after the innumerable revolutions in the art
of gunnery which have characterised the last quarter
of a century. Our last important battle upon the sea
was fought seventy years ago in October next, off Cape
Trafalgar. That was the greatest naval combat which
the world had hitherto witnessed, the combined
French and Spanish fleets numbering 33 sail of the
line and seven frigates, while Nelson's force com-
prised 27 sail of the line and four frigates. Here
were 71 ships of war dealing death and destruction on
an autumnal afternoon, the loud reverberations of the
guns awakening such echoes from the sea as had never
been heard before. Upon the land the impression was
equally terrible :

"And then the cannons roar
Along the affrighted shore—
"
Our Nelson led the way.
But anyone who has ever gone over Nelson's old flag-
ship, the Victory, and compared the guns with those now
in use cannot fail to be struck with the extraordinary
Progress which gunnery has made since that memor-
able day. We have had great land battles since
Waterloo, and have seen the effect of modern artillery
at Gravelotte and at Sedan, but Trafalgar still stands
out as the last European struggle for the mastery of
the sea. We all know how that ended, and we have
faith how a great marine fight would end now ; but one
result of it would be to put to a practical test the value
of many an invention which can scarcely be tried in a
satisfactory manner by any number of peacefully-
conducted experiments.
It may not be generally known that British candles,
when exported, are taxed all the worl over, and
are admitted into no country free Of duty. The duty
varies frona £1 17s. 4d. -per cwt. in the United States,
to 46. &Id. in Germany. Soap also comes in for
severe treatment, especially scented and fancy varieties,
on which Prussia levies a tax of £2 14s. 2d., and
Greece £2 16s. Bd. per cwt. It is somewhat remark-
able that this prime necessity of civilized life is ad-
mitted into no country free of import duty. Switzer-
land, of all our neighbours, imposes the lowest tax
upon British soap, being satisfied with one of 70. per
cwt. On the other hand coals, cinders, and patent
fuel are rarely subjected to taxation, Turkey being the
chief offender under this head. In fact not a single
eommodity enters the Turkish ports free. It may
appear odd, but precisely the same must be said of the
United States, where not only is the tariff almost
universal in its incidence, but in some cases nearly
prohibitory. The Americans, like the Australian
colonists, believe in protection for native industry,
and make the most strenuous efforts to exclude the
foreigner from competition with their own manufac-
turers.
It has been asserted by statisticians that the British
nation saves a hundred millions sterling every year. It
is scarcely possible to say how these figures are arrived
at, but no one can doubt that the annual increase in
the national wealth for a long period has been very
great. Within the past forty years the sum of
£550,000,000 has been spent on railways ; and although
stage coaches have disappeared, there are more horses
in the country now than before the first railway was
constructed. The iron road, however, is but one of
the many investments in which the accumulating
capital of the people has found more or less profitable
employment An enormous sum, for instance, is
expended every year in the erection of new dwelling
houses, and 7,00 of these are annually built in London
alone. Other important cities and towns exhibit an
squally proportionate growth. Then let us consider the
capital invested in shipping and mining enterprise, with
a host of other forms of human activity, constantly
assuming larger dimensions, and absorbing the surplus
savings of the nation. Large numbers send their earn-
ings abroad for investment, and go in for foreign loans,
South American silver mines. and United States rail-
ways. And if the statisticians are right, and we do
annually SaVil a hundred millions of money' it must be
borne in mind that at the same time the cost of living
has very considerably risen. In many ways it bas
doubled; yet as a people we are better off now than
when beef and mutton were at half their present price.
But while there has been an increase in the cost of

stroying the life of the young and tender flowers.
The Czar was in London in the middle of
May, and on the day he went to the Guildhall ban-
quet he was wrapped in his wintry cloak, as though it
were a February day. The merry month of May this
year will find vegetation weeks in arrear, and should
it for once assume its old character as "the fairest of all
the year," it will, while making an appreciable diffe-
rence in the aspect of our squares and gardens, call
into active life the fruit blossoms and the early vege-
tables instead of ruthlessly blasting them—a result
which will be an ample compensation for the chilly
days and cheerless nights which have hitherto clung to
us with a tenacity which we would willingly see mani-
fested by more agreeable neighbours.

,
the familrof Inchiquin, and shall be held and enjoyed
liyartehne rerehrtifor the time. being bearing the title of
household necessaries, in rent, and in local taxation, in I
bog-oak
tablets,
,giviveittp the e sttlteßryaroe7 lAarcihian-
other respects we are much more favourably situated
-quin four bogg-
than at a former period. If butchers' meat ie expen-
sive, free trade in corn has made dear bretd impossible. Boroimhe, ancestor of the Thomond family, two oval
We are no longer dependent upon a good harvest at pictures of Sir Donough and Lady O'Brian, together
home for a cheap loaf, for the contents of the world's with two portraits of the Eaxl and Countess of Inchi-
quin, by Sir Godfrey
.ICneller ; also a portrait of
granaries may now be brought into our ports without
: -another Earl of Inchiqum the companion and wife of
a tax of even a shilling. Again, sugar, tea; coffee, the said Earl having ben given to the Earl of Bentry ;
spices, and generally the commodities dealt in by also the portrait of a boy, son of the fourth Earl of
grocers, have all more or less diminished in price. Inchiquin; also the collar of the Hanoverian Order,
Spirits, in consequence of the heavy excise duties with the miniature of James, 'Marquis of Thomondi
levied upon them, have advanced in price; but wines, and his star arranged in crimson velvet on a stand in
especially the lighter sort, have fallen, and although
anrolhceorctir:ft;
fviastit: ceeasree;heatlsoeemveyrefoauhrdroeuntanddeplafted corner dishes,
malt liquor has not varied much in cost, a far better dishes with coronet covers and stanodurs as:lild'
article can now be obtained for the same money. covers with coronet handles at pleas-111;e' Then follisa,
Clothing is another important branch of expenditure, the residuary disposition of the testatrix's property.
and in this, with scarcely an exception, the advantage On the 22nd of October, 1872, she executed ,a codicil
is on the side of the present generation. Woollen, confirmingtheheLyill, except in some unimportant rc
nhei2n2erd
tioln Octobernam ed If
her
The
cotton, and silk goods, hosiery, hats, boots and ruPcciuss. O'Brian Boanrot
' shoes, are all cheaper than they were in the time died on the 22n'cl of May, 187'12, and was succeeded in
when the grey-haired men of to day were young. the title by the defendant, Edward Donough, the pre.
Again, as to travelling. Contrast our own penny-a- sent Baron Inchiquin. He claimed the diamonds and
mile express speed with the old hackney coach charge ttintna
tpettnes, and called on tlheeleleasineteiffnetetodeddeltiivleart
of eighteenpence a mile. A journey from Walwertll the bequest of them hadrrapsL, by reason of the
to London in the good old times came to the respect= death of Lucius O'Brian, Baron Inchiquin, in the life-
able sum of 4s.
,6d., in one of thope vehicjea; gow it time of the testatrix, and that they formed part of
can be accomplished either by rail, tram-car, or omni- , her residuary personal estate. Those legatees further
inslaistetceidartthfat tela ;33etabelatsi,exitt%retle jewels, plate, and
bus for twopence. Books and newspapers, too, are
Baron Incht-
very much more reasonable in 'pri-ce. than they were. lqinin " had also lapsed, and this suit was instituted fp
Therefore,-upon the whole, that the real requirements a declaration as to the rights of the parties.
of human life are more easily obtainable than formerly, Mr. Dickinson, Q.C., and Mr. •Horace Davey were,
there can be little or no doubt. . for the plaintiffs.
eiactactl that wasMrihly;ood not
a case
the Liar;y Lindley, Q. Q
1,,,r Cg.u,
re-
Such a backward spring as the present has not been
8 iaBe of aly
known for several years. In the struggle for the. executory trust, and that the bequests had clear
mastery, of. course the sun is in the end bound to pre- lapsed by the death of the Baron Inchiquin named in
vail, but although we are now within a few weeks of the wilL
the longest day, vegetation is yet lamentably to the rear. Mr. W. Pearson, Q. C., and Mr. Daw, for the de-
Day after day we see the sun shining out of a clear blue fendant, Lord Inchiquin, contended that, although, no
bequest of of
existing
sky, but the blue is like that of cold steel, and the wind, 110,
Inchiquin,"tlletlitiareirx4h iltnsahme emdad" Leutcii2use O'Brian, Baron
as it sweeps over the land, seems as persistent as ever diamonds to "Lord Inchiquin" as head oeil
from those northern regions which our geographers family, showingthatshe distinguished between the merge
are longing thoroughly to explore. Former ungenial person immediately to take and the quality attached to
Springs have been greeted with the reflection that the gift. That was clear from the next direction, thatthe
egoeyeel. biartehne
there was a very mild winter, and that cold weather heirlooms
ai.nndtirlieetf of Tinaahplaitleesldwaered to "be deemed
person for the time being bearing the must be expected some time. But this is not the case
now, and those who, after the frost and snow of Inchiquin." Her manifest general intention to create
December and February, predicted an early Spring, these heirlooms, coupled with the fact of her confirming
have c.rtainly, as prophets, had no honour in their her will, when she must have known that the defen-
own country. Yet there is a hope that, after all, this the death
tehfeLLord Inchiquin, cured any defect from
late Spring may turn out a blessing in disguise. We lifetime. ThelicipnasrOit e'Bertwane,reßaroet: Inacthitcrein, in he;
all know what happened last year. By the middle of moment, in a position to ask more not,
a declaration
April warm and forcing weather had brought out vege- that Lord Inchiquin was entitled to these heirlooms.
tation of all descriptions, and very beautiful it looked But then, assuming that to be the correct view, it fol-
lowed that the specific bequest on the tablets, with the
for a little while. Then came one of the most unkind
months of May we had known for a long time—keen htliasetoeryfa
dofßßarreihan 13nogfimut,,,and the other articles
d'.` to
frosts.. at night, black cutting east winds by day, the gift of the heirlooms, mustlais immediately
be a ';ailudeteeequiensgt
withering the fruit blossoms, and mercilessly de- in favour of the present Lord Inchiquin.

(owedl -,

The Vice-Chancellor said that the contention on
behalf of the residuary legatees was right to this ex-
tent—that this was not a case of an executory trust.
The real question was what, on the true construction
of the testatrix's will, was the interest which she
meant the legatee whom she named to take in the
diamonds and ehina plates if he survived her. The
Vice-Chancellor considered that she meant the legatee
to take a life interest only in that property, with a
remainder over, on his death, in favour of the next
Baron Inchiquin. As, however, the legatee named
in the will had predeceased the testatrix, the effect
was that the defendant was now entitled to have the
diamonds and china handed over to him, the disposi-
tion of the property being equivalent to a gift of it
in favour of the Baron Inchiquin living at the death
of the testatrix. The Court was not now asked to say
whether he took those chattels for life or absolutely;
but he was entitled to have them handed over to him.
With respect to the other question as to the tablets,
he thought they were specifically given to the Baron
Inchiquin named in the will, and that they therefore
lapsed on his death. The Vice-Chancellor referred to
the authorities on the subject, and said there must be
a declaration that the defendant, Lord Inchiquin, was
entitled to the diamonds, &c., without prejudice to
the question whether he was entitled to them for life
only or absolutely ; the trustees must hand those
articles to him, on his signing and giving an inentory
of them • and there must also be a declaration that the
bog-oak were given to Lucius O'Brian, Baron
Inchiquin, and lapsed by his death. The costs of all
parties, as between solicitor and client, to be paid by
the plaintiffs out of the general estate.

to remove their chains, Allard of about- 20 regi- DEATH ,OF PROFESSOR SELWY4.
mental sepoys being stationed around them. The ,
chaienageanving been removed, they were asked by the The University of Cambridge has lost one Of her
sup dent of the gaol *hether they had any.
to ' say, or any request to make. The first most distinguished sons, and toe Church a devoted
cathedral officer in the death of the Rev. Mr. Selwyn,
two t. prisoners replied "Why speak ? " and shook
B.D , canon of Ely, Lady Margaret's reader in the°.
theineads. The other prisoner, Rama, made a wind
logy:at Cambridge, chaplain in ordinary to the (Nem,
in *bieh be directed his son to search the ground
and hon. joint curator of the archiepiscopal library at
neaiva certain tree close to his house, and stated that Lambeth. In former years, as rector of Branstone and
he would find lOrs. buried there. He left a cow and
vicar of Melbourne. the deceased was well known as an
other things to his wife. The death warrants were
active parish priest, but it was chiefly as a university
then read to them' and they were led by the warders,
professor and cathedral dignitary that he was best
icconfp'anied by the se?oy guard, to the place of
known. He was ordained deacon in 1829 by the Bishop of
execution; one of the towers of the gaol, the gibbet on
Ely, and priest in 1831 by the Bishop of Rochester,
which was plainly visible from a considerable distance,
and two years later was appointed to the sixth canonry
At 22 minutes past seven o'clock the drop fell, and
residentiary in Ely Cathedral, while it was not
wishin five minul the bodies had ceased to show_
-aline of vitith till 1855 that he became the Margaret professor at
Cambridge. Mr. Selwyn was a great friend of the
U - -
re- V
Thr '

minutes_.
_
p to the Xst piorifent the men exhibited a dogged,
sullen' manger, anda appeared utterly indifferent to
their fate._ Foriiome dayl_prior to their execution
they were allowed any extra foo3, &c., they wished to
have, and all indulged pretty freely in sweetmeats and
beeries." They were not visited by any of their
friends, and the other prisoners were kept closely con-
fined until all was over.

7.-7.-

THE DANGER OF CROSSING RAILWAYS.
On Monday evening Mr. Carter, the Coroner for East
Surrey, opened an inquiry at the "Orleans Arms" Tavern,
Esher, into the circumstances undek which Captain Hardinge
William Browne, aged 35, of the Royal Horse Artillery, came
.by his death.
. .
Mr. Park Nelson, solicitor, represented the family Of the
deceased; and Mr. Superintendent Potter watched the case
for the Lontion and South-Western Railway Company.

The Rev. Robert Charles Lathom Browne, clerk in
Holy Orders, of 73, Park-street, Grosvenor-square,
identified the body as that of his brother.
Frederick Bessant, police-constable on the South-
Western Railway, deposed that on Friday last he was
on duty on the up platform of the Esher Station. A
number of persons were there, having been to the
races at Sandown-park. About 5.47 p.m. the 5.20
p.m. train from Waterloo was standing at the plat-
form to take up passengers for Southampton. Just
as the train was moving out of the station, witness
heard a porter, named Hain, who was standing on
the down platform, call out "Come back," and saw
him attempt to catch hold of the deceased, who was
running across the line ta-catch the London train. Hain
did not succeed in doing so, and at that moment the
Exeter express came through the station, and knocked
the deceased down. In reply to the Coroner, witness
said the deceased could not have seen the Exeter ex-
press coming, in consequence of the position of the
down train. He believed that the deceased neither
saw Hain nor heard his warnings, and that he was
probably slightly deaf. When struck by the engine
he was hurled against the wall of the platform, not
run over, and upon being picked up appeared to be
breathing. A doctor was sent for but the deceased
died soon afterwards. Witness fell certain that the
deceased wished to reach the London train, and that
the occurrence was accidental.

Samuel Hath, a porter at Esher Station, gave con-
firmatory evidence, adding that the deceased came
from the cloak-room, and at once stepped upon the
line and attempted to cross. Witness tried to grasp
his arm, but without success. The deceased took no
notice of his warning when he called out "Comeback."
Mr. Nelson stated that the deceased gentleman was
exceedingly deaf, and probably did not hear the last
witness call out. _ _

late PrinCe Consort, in Whose election as Chancellor of
Cambridge he took a very active part. He was a lead-
.-ing-memberef-bord•Derby's Cathedral Commission in
, 1852, and it was a constant subject of regret on his
part that its wise recommendations had not been car-
ried out. With his relative, Dean Peacock, he was
y interested in the restoration of Ely Cathedral.
g ennot in residence at Ely he used to instal himself
In the pulpit (owing to weakness) before the service
began, and his sermons, earnest and devptional, were
listened to by large 'congregations. In theological
opinion he may be described as an Evangelical of the
old school, with, in later years, on public questions,
considerable Broad Church leanings. His munificence
was as unbounded as his kindness of heart.
As a member of Convocation (his last work was sit-
ting on the committee of rubric%) he won the regard of
all, and his solid learning, ready /wit, and apt quota-
tions will long be remembered. He was the great
originator of the Ely Diocesan Fund. The stall at
Ely is in the gift of the bishop. He was a considerable
author, his chief works being on the Principles of
Cathedral Reform, Consecrations, on Ecclesiastical
Legislation, " Enochus Arden," Reasons for not
Signing the Oxford Declarations, and several books on
iagral
1 Prophecy. The deceased was a brother of the Bishop
I of Lichfield.

MONARCHISTS AND REPUBLICANS ON
THE PARIS STAGE.
The Paris Correspondent of The Times, writing under date
April 25, gives the following interesting description of the
representation on the Paris Stage ;of an important phase in
English history, the subject, being "The great Protector—
' Cromwell " :-
1 To sit in a theatre from half-past seven in the even-
ing till nearly two in the morning is a somewhat
laborious duty, even when the subject of the drama is
England and the hero Cromwell. The new drama,
bearing the name of the great Protector and written
by the late Victor Sejour and M. Drack, was produced
last night at the Chatelet before a crowded house;
and only those who know the theatre can appreciate
the immense throng collected within its walls. Adver-
tised for half-past seven, it was fully an hour later,
when, after the Gallery had roared themselves hoarse
and the Pit had worn out their sticks ber thumping
their disapproval of the delay, the curtain rose upon
the first tableau of the prologue entitled "The Emi-
grants."
It may be at once said that the whole of the prologue
was superfluous, and bore the very slightest affinity
to the action of the drama. The first scene repre-
esents a view on the Thames, with modern St. Paul's,
'Air Christopher Wren's work, in the background.
An old woman, accurately copied from the apple.
women of the London streets, is engaged in the evi-
dently futile task of inquiring for a lost relative at
the gates of the King's Palace, situated on the
of the stage, speaking from the audience point oi
view. On the left a tavern, bearing the sign of
"Le Porceau Cairasse," is doing a thriving trade
in beer and refreshments, and in the middle an.
emigrant ship is being filled with sacks of merchan-
dise. The populace enters, and from their conver-
sation it appears that Charles the First's luxurious
life is 'a source of great discontent. The King is
shags? after carried by in a sedan chair. He
enters the Palace, and the place is surrotmded by sol-
diers, who attempt to remove the pertinacious apple-
woman aforesaid. She clings to the railings of the
courtyard and screams. The people murmur, and
Cromwell (M. Taillade coming to her assistance, is
blessed by her, and loudly cheered by the mob. Cromwell
is about to set forth in the emigrant ship, but a Court
official, known in the bills as le Sclariff, presently
comes forward and reads a proclamation, forbidding
any of the King's subjects to emigrate without per-
mission. The people and emigrants, enraged by this,
seize upon axes and crowbars and set to work to des-
troy the Palace, after the manner of Parisian Revolu-
tionists. A volley or two from the soldiers settles
the matter, and the mob is driven back, leaving one
of their number dead. Cromwell snatches the axe
from him, and in a frenzy begins to hack a
fallen plank. "What are you doing?" asks the
Sheriff, who again reappears. "I am testing myself,"
replies Cromwell, and the drop falls. The second
scene of the prologue represents the interior of the
Palace of Whitehall on January, 1649. Cromwell's
family are discovered reading aloud the story of
~,Zimri, "who slew his master." Outside are heard the
cheers of the populace who witness the execution of
Charles. Cromwell enters, pale and harassed. His
.wife and two elder danghters shrink from him with
horror, and, refusing to allow him to touch them, leave
. the room and declare their intention of abandoning hiri
for ever. The unhappy man sinks prostrate into a
chair, and covers his face with his hand. His
youngest daughter, Francine (Mdlle. Easier) enters,
and, denouncing her mother and sisters for their heart
lessness, says she will never leave her father. Thus
the prologue ends, and every one asks his neighbour
what it is all about.
The first act brings us to the garden of a countr •
house, where we find the proscribed Royalist, George
de Warwick (M. Abel), and other cavaliers plotting
aeainst Cromwell's life and in favour of Charles 11.
They agree to draw lots to choose the man who is to
assassinate the usurper, and the lot falls upon
Georges. By a singular fatality Georges falls in
love with Francine Cromwell, and is beloved by her.
Upon this extraordinary hypothesis the action of the
drama is based. Despite the Puritanical character of
the age a hop festival is celebrated in the garden, who'
a numerous corps de ballet perform La Gigue Angler._
and several airily-clad dancers execute pas seuls.
doubtless expecting history and not
_ fiction, greeted this part _of the perform-
ance with manifest disapprobation notwithstanding
the feeble counter efforts of the claque. Cromwell
then enters upon the scene, attended by a numerous
escort of every fancifully attired Highlanders and sol-
diers. Francine, to conceal her lover, dresses him in
the attire of the Hop King, and he is carried by the
peasants off the stage, though not without exciting the
suspicion of the Protector. At this juncture a certain
Lord Willis is brought before him as being concerned
in a plot for the restoration. He tells Cromwell that
he has something important to reveal. The Protector
fills a long pipe and hears Lord Willis's story with as-
tonishment, though probably not greater than the 0c-
l:salon demanded, for the latter proposes a contract of
marriage between Francine and the exiled Charles
Stuart. Cromwell feigns to be displeased, but his
11,ebeian heart really rejoices at the idea, and, nally
leznegisente teethe arrangement. Lord Willis departs
ioFCrologne, airdlle curtain falls before an andience
evincing every sign of being bored.
The Second Act contains, independently of an incident
iwhich I shall relate further on, unquestionably the
most dramatically treated " situation ' in the piece. It
is night, in Cromwell's house, and Francine has just
received from her absent lover a slip of paper, enclosed
in a cross, telling her under secrecy that the Common-
-wealth is about to be overthrown and giving details of
the proposed reyolt. , Trembling and confused the poor_
Val hangs the cross about her neck as Cloinsvell-enters.
H7l- talks confidently of the stability of the Republic,
and tell hle daughter she must marry Charles Stuart.
diughtej, divided by the thought of her
.ather'sidanger and her own love, warns him not to trust
to appearances. He asks why. At first she refuses to tell
him ;, little by little he worms; from het' the perfidy -
his generals .and the deceit of Lord Willis. " Th.
proof of what 'you say?" he cries. Nervously clutching
the cross she sinks into a chair. Cromwell's eye detects
ithe movement; he approaches her, add, concealing his
anxiety under hypocritical affection, tears the cross from
her neck and bursts it open. Taillade in this scene
showed force, and Mdlle. Essler talent; such as brow
them the first hearty round of applause of the evening.
lint-a'rnore.tumpltuous demonstration. was; to fellow.
As Cromwell reads the paper which betrays his
daughter's secret and his enemies' treachery, he ex-
claims furiously, " ! this is again the work of
those miserable Royalists." These words produced
an electric shock. A great roar of approbation burst
from the audience, prineipally in the Gallery and Pit,
while mingled groans, applause, and hisses rose from
other parts of the house. " C'est honteux," cried an
indignant Royalist on my right, jumping up in his
indignation; "Bravo," shouted an enthusiastic
Republican on my left. For fully ten minutes the
piece was interrupted and Francina remained faint-
ing in Cromwell's arms. At last temporary peace
was restored, and the play proceeded. Crom-
well signs the death warrants of all the con-
spirators, and has just consented to spare Georges
de Warwick when Lord Willis is announced. After
a few words of simulated courtesy, Cromwell tells
-him that the plot is discovered and summons the
Iguards to conduct the nobleman to instant execution.
Lord Willis does not lose his self-possession, and as
he passes out he says some such words as these, "A
Royalist knows how to die for his King and country."
Again did the audience respond by frantic applause
and equally manifest hisses, only this time the tables
were turned, and the Royalist and Bonapartists ap-
plauded, while the Republicans hissed. Cromwell
and his daughter retire to rest, and scaecely have
they done so when Georges de Warwick, the chosen
assassin of the Cavalierparty, climbs in at the window
with a dagger in his hand, fanatically resolute to
deliver England from the tyranny of the Protector.
Francine returns, and in a terrible scene confronts
her lover, and at last saves her father's life by calling
for assistance. CrorawelLrushes in and seizes Warwick.
"Ala I" he cries, "Kings make use of. poniards as
well as demagogues." Here renewed tumult of course
ensued. Finally Cromwell spares Georges at the in-
tercession of Francine, and the act closes.
The twenty minutes which intervened..
Second and Third Acts_ were devoted to as__
-cation between a party of young men in-the balcony-
and a number of Radical blouses in the gallery.. Offers,
to fight were freely given and accepted, but happily,
the rising of the curtain on the Third Act pre-
vented these political challenges from being put to
the test. Whitehall Place is represented, and
here we find Richard Cromwell,. the Proteeter'e
careless son, revelling in a wineshop opposite his
father's Palace. In this Act an incident occurred to
which I would .willingly not allude, but as the sues
cess of the piece will certainly hinge on...it and on
the other incidents to which I have referred rather,.
than on any literary merits, I cannot pass it over in
silence. This time politics did not wife the interrnp-,,
tion, but a string of thinly veiled '66,67elntbilife:s'
uttered by be lew borhedian of the piece minced a per
feet storm of 'apPlaninandlaughter. To return to the
&NA?, gs Lw&kriajt tse, bseAge_egi Arm c!
Etgland br theirtrl. iament. 1 _His dearest tsnahitil as
f
about to be gratified, and his family will cover their
low birth by becoming scions of royalty. Here in
Whitehall Place he is oppressed by the thoughts of
the king he has sacrificed; but what of that? The
nation wills it, The cheers of the mob still ring

The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death.'

an...

right

I -'he audier.le,
ira Terpsichorean fi,

The

;ere
ise, I

of I

ag-brou.ght I

in his ears, and he is resolved to accept
the dignity, when Murray (M. Delanglay), a
true Republican, warns him that were he to
do so the people would rebel against him as they
did against Charles. Cromwell is convinced by his
arguments. The deputation from the Parliament
arrives in a coach resembling a capacious four-post bed-
stead, and the Protector receives them upon the steps
of the Palace in dder that the populace may hear his
answer. He.says a Crown is not wanted; a sword is
sufficient to protect the Republic. The curtain des-
cends On that political Babel which is an especial
characteristic of the evening.
In the last act we have the death of Cromwell.
The ambitious demagogue, worn out by sickness and
the constant fear of assassination, and haunted by
the remembrance of the death of Charles' sends for
his son, and endeavours to impress him with
rules for his conduct as the future Head of the State.
Richard listens to his father's advice, but his mind
cannot grasp the enormous difficulties of his coming
position. "Liberty of conscience," says his father,
is one of the greatest supports of the State" (this
sentiment, by the way, was loudly • applauded), "but
remember England is essentially Protestant." "Shall
I then make war with France?" asked Richard. Crom-
well sees his son's incapacity. "0 my God !" he cries,'
"he does not understand, he does not understand."

" At the last minute I learn that, in consequence of
the disturbances which occurred last night, the Censor)
ship has ordered the revision of the piece, and the
theatre is consequently dosed to-night." .

THE LONDON SCHOOL BOARD AT' THE
MANSION HOUSE.
The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress entertained
the members of the School Board for London at a ban-
quet at the Mansion House, on Saturday evening. The
company included the Right Hon. the Earl of Rose-
bery, Lord Napier and Ettrick, Sir J. Hill and Lady
Hill, Sir Charles Reed (Chairman of the School Board)
and Lady Reed, Mr. E. H. Currie (Vice-Chairman of
the School Board), Hon. and Rev. A. Legge, M.A.,
and Lady Charlotte Legge, Sir F. R, Sandford, C. 8.,
Sir John Bennett and Lady Bennett, Mr. Aldffman
and Sheriff Ellis and Mrs. Ellis, Mr. Alderman Cotton,
M.P., and Mrs. Cotton, Mr. Deputy Farlow, and Mr.
Deputy Harris.
The usual loyal and pairiotic toasts having been
duly honoured,
The Lord Mayor then proposed " The Houses of
Parliament."
The Earl of Roseberry responded for the House of
Lords, and Mr. Alderman Cotton, M.P., for the
House of Commons.

The Lord Mayor again rose, and said he had now to
propose the toast of the evening, "The School Board
for London." (Applause.) He was highly gratified to
see so many of the members of the School 'Board. In
its endeavours to carry out the object for winch it was
constituted, the Board had met with a considerable
amount of opposition from certain quarters, but he
believed that much of the prejudice was fast disap-
pearing. From statistics which were placed at his
disposal he found that there were, when the School
Board for London was established, something like
600,000 children in the metropolis requiring educa-
tion, and that only about one-half of them had been
provided. for. The task before the new Board was,
therefore, one of no ordinary difficulty. To provide
schools for, and to get into them 270,000 or 280,000
shildren, was, indeed, a gigantic work. (Hear, hear.)
To accomplish such a work involved, of course, great
expense, whieh necessitated an addition to the rates.
He believed that on the whole the School Board for
London had adopted a wise course, and that they had
erected a large number of schools, where they were
needed, at a very moderate cost. He believed that
within the last four years the number of children being
educated had increased by 100,000. He was satisfied
that a great check had been given to juvenile crime by
the action of the visitors of the School Board, whose
duties were of a very delicate and difficult character.
(Hear, hear.) The Board had built something like 87
or 88 schools, and they must have noticed that the
chairman of the Board had been busily engaged every
week opening one or more new ones. On the whole he
thought that the work of the Board had been very
satisfactorily performed, and he had no doubt that the
ultimate result would eminently prove so. (Applause.)
Sir Charles Reed, on rising to respond, was much
cheered. He thanked the Lord Mayor for the cour-
tesy displayed to the most newly-formed public body
in the metropolis, and said that it was little more than
four years since the nation resolved to place education
upon a national basis. Since 1870 there had been
formed 1,143 School Boards, covering an area of
11,000,000 of population, and of these Boards London
was the largest and the first. Indeed one of the
strongest arguments in Parliament in favour o ithe
Act was the educational destitution of London, and
they had ascertained that, notwithstanding all that
had been done, at least 180,000 children were not then
attending any efficient school. The Board have pro-
vided already, with the entire approval of the Educa-
tion Department, 80,000 school places, and the number
would be increased to 140,000. The schools built by
the Board were full. In fact, if all the children on the
rolls were to attend regularly, they would be over full;
and it was gratifying to him to be able to say that
they were not filled by emptying other schools, for this
he should consider to be a national disaster. Some
schools would naturally suffer under the competition;
but that which was stated last year by the Primate had
this year been confirmed by the Bishop of London, who
said recently that the schools of the Church had not
been injured. The fact was that the School Board had,
through its agency, been the means of adding 100,000
children to the school roll of London, and 40,000 of
these had gone to other than Board Schools. It was
true, as was said by the Lord Mayor, that the school-
master was abroad. When Lord iirougham made that
declaration he said that a personage less imposing than
the soldier, and by some thought to be insignificant, the
schoolmaster, was abroad, and he had more confidence
in him armed with his primer than he had in the sol-
dier in full military array. At that date the education
vote was £30,000; in 1875 it would be, if he might
guess in the presence of one who knew, a question of
millions instead of thousands. The schoolmaster was
indeed abroad in London, for the Board had set
to work nearly a thousand trained teachers with
1,600 pupils preparing for the work. He quite agreed
that building and filling schools were only means to an
end, and that end was the passing the standards at
examinations. He believed, notwithstanding the
heathenish ignorance of masses of the juvenile popu-
lation, the educational results would be satisfactory.
Referring to the fact that the magistrates and the
judges had drawn attention to to the diminution of
juvenile crime in the metropolis, Sir Charles said that
the Board had dealt with more than 3,000 destitute
children, a large proportion of whom had been with-
drawn from the public streets and put upon an honest
course of life. That this was a costly work he did not
deny; but large expenditure did not justify the charge
of "reckless extravagance." Speaking in the presence
of City men he was.glad to notice that the City of Lon-
don, the largest contributors to the funds of the Board,
had distinctly declined to be a party to indiscriminate
charges of extravagance, and he would only remind the
ratepayer that the most costly thing of all was ignorance
with its attendant evils—crime and pauperism; and
cost what it might this common foe must .be expelleth
from their midst. Speaking of the recent gift by the
Drapers' Company of seven scholarships of £3O each,
he said that such contributions were greatly needed.
The Board had no funds for this purpose, but it
was most important to enable boys and girls showing
distinguished talents to pursue their studies and
pass on to the secondary schools, and to make up
to the parent the loss sustained by the prolonged
maintainance of an unproductive member of the
family. What the Board could not do private
persons and public companies were doing, and
what they most. needed was numerous scholarships of
£lO or' £2O. It was to be remembered that these small
prizes were not open to children of their schools
alone, .but to the whole body of the seholars in the
elementary schools of London. The School Board
was honoured in being permitted to take part in work-
ing out a great experiment regarded by the whole
country with anxious interest. Gradually they were
nearing their most formidable difficulties as they came
to deal with the most destitute class of the population,.
but they were resolved to provide for London schools
—sufficient, efficient, and suitable, so that to every
child in the metropolis should be secured a cheap and
useful elementary education.
The Lord Mayor next gave "The Committee of
Council of Education and the Charity Commission,"
which was responded to respectively by Sir F. Stand-
ford and Sir James Hill.
The remaining toasts included "The Lord Mayor,"
"The Sheriffs of London and Middlesex," and The
Corporation."