The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-03-09 00:00:00

Our youbon CorrespoOtnt.

rWe deem It right to state that we do not at all times
ideatity ourselves with our Correspondent's upinionsA

It would be only partially correct to say that the
extraordinary outrage on the Queen has aroused the
indignation of the whole country. Indignation there
undoubtedly is, but the prevailing feeling seems rather
to be that of contempt and disgust towards the
wretched youth who has oti)y succeeded in making
himself infamous. It is remarkable that on each of
the three occasions when an attempt on her Majesty's
life has really been made the mock hero has been a lad
of that awkward age when the heedless folly of youth
has not been tempered by the sense of manhood. It
was a miserable scapegrace of a potboy out of place,
Edward Oxford, who, in June, 1810, fired two pistols
at the Queen and her husband as they were passing
along Constitution Hill in an open carriage; it was a
young fellow of the name of Francis who, two years
afterwards, tired at the Queen, driving in an open
barouche in the very same thoroughfare ; it was a lad
named Bean who, a few weeks after this, aimed a
loaded pistol, which happily missed tire, at her Ma-
jesty, as she was riding in an open carriage on her way
to the Chapel IloyaL Pate, the retired lieu-
tenant, who struck at the Queen with a stick and
battered in her bonnet, in June, 1850, was an
exception to the rule. And now again it is a lad
who has excited the contempt of the nation, and
indeed of the civilised world, by pointing at her a
rickety ald pistol, unloaded, and a document in two
park—of which it is difficult to say which is the more
absurd—which the Queen was to be frightened into
signing ! A smile of pity and derision is naturally ex-
cited on reading the contemptible document which
this petty Bombastes Furious had in his pocket when
he so unaccountably succeeded in sneaking into the
forecourt of Buckingham Palace. The climax of ab-
surdity is arrived at when this wretched youth claims
that he "shall not be strangled like a common felon,
but shall receive the death which is due to him as a
Christian (!) a Republican, and as one who has never
harmed a human being, that is to say, he shall be
shot !" No, Arthur O'Connor, you shall not be shot
—except into prison—but you shall have a wholesome
castigation with the cat in Newgate. This at least is
what most people appear to hope for and anticipate.
But while he is awaiting a trial which is almost too
good and too important for him, let me say that
any one less like a hero I have seldom seen.
He is a poor puny-looking lad, and certainly weak of
body if not in mind. His long, thin face; his min-
tellectual forehead ; his dreamy and sometimes vacant
look, and his generally feeble and mean appearance,
arc all in accordance with the wretchedly stupid acts
which are now undergoing complete investigation.
Once only during his examination at Bow-street was
his generally impassive face lighted up with the glow
of enthusiasm—when for a moment the poor fool
anticipated the glory of martyrdom, as Mr. Poland
read out the desire of the kind of death which the
foolish boy till then anticipated ; but when the pro-
secuting solicitor took all the romance out of the pri-
soner by coolly mentioning that the penalty would be
imprisonment and a flogging, the wretched lad was in
a moment ilesillusionne, and seemed half inelined to
blubber like a whipped schoolboy. People who have I
read the account of this examination must have had,
mingled with their pity and contempt for the prisoner,
a keen relish for those parts of the narrative which
show how rapidly the would-be hero was placed in the
power of the attendants of the Queen, especially with
what gusto John Brown seised the miscreant. "I took
hold o' him," said the brawny Scotchman," with one o' my
banns, and I irrippit him with the other by the scruff
o' the neck." This reminds one of the manly-hearted-
ness and physical strength of Dickeu's John Browdie.
Poor little O'Connor, when once Mr. John Brown
"Iginpit " him there was no hope of escape. As to
the result of the trial there appears little difference of
opinion, but I will not speculate on it. Meanwhile,
however, the universal feeling is one of satisfaction
that our good Queen was not even frightened for a
inorosnt by this deeply to be regretted outrage.
Great improvements, it is said, are about to be
effected at Sandringham Hall, the residence of the
Prince of Wales, which is to have a good water supply
at the clot of eight or ten thousand pounds. This
large sum, thus expended, will do good directly and in-
directly, and perhaps not the least benefit flowing from
It will be the example it sets to landowners elsewhere
to improve the condition of their tenantry in a similar
way. The Prince, it is well known, ha-s done much to
provide decent cottages for the labouring poor on his
estate. 0 in sic twines, or, in plain English, would
that other landlords would go and do likewise! Bad
drainage; bad water, and too little of even that; and
overcrowding—what terrible evils do these parent evils
involve! If the bill introduced by Government to
effect sanitary reform become law we shall at least
have throughout the country greater facilities for and
inducements to sanitary reform, besides the controlling
Influence of a central author ty ; we shall have the
principles of centralisation and of local government
harmonised, and thus the condition of the poor of this
country will be greatly ameliorated. Amelioration, it
i true, will be slow work, but though slow it will be
sure. This Ira Btobe a sanitary reform session. May
the result prove to be so.
The last of the American reply to Lord Granville's
note is still anticipated with interest, but not with that
deep interest which would be manifested had not the
purport of the reply transpired. Its tone it is said is
pacific, and all fear of war is now subsiding. We are
not yet, it is true, quite out of the wood, audit is too
soon to halloo; but still there is good reason to believe
that all difficulties will be overcome.
If I were to say that I assisted at the demonstration
In Hyde Park on Sunday last I should state "the
thing that is not," but I was there, and—perhaps
like five-sixths of the crowd—merely went because it
was convenient to do so, because the weather was
charming, because the park was tempting, and because
I bad some little curiosity—by no means a burning
desire—to see what the demonstration was like, and
to hear what the demonstrators had to say. As
a great gathering it was an interesting eight, as a
demonstration it was a weak, silly affair, and demon-
estrated nothing that I could discover. Making my
way to the Reformers' Tree—rotten and broken away
to a stump, as it to typify that the days of these park
demonstrations ought to be over—l noticed a placard
on which was inscribed " Free speech, the bulwark of
popular liberty." What an absurdly vaunted truism!
As if we had not already free speech, and as if there
were any attempt to deprive us of it! What pro-
portien of the vast crowd sympathised with the
remarks of the respective speakers it is
needless to surmise, as I should say not one
in a hundred could hear their remarks. The
great majority of the people present—and among them
were Peen, Commonere, lawyers, military men, artists,
and men of letters, with a plentiful sprinkling of
ladies, shop-girls, &c.—seerced to have gone in a listless
strolling humour, just becauee the day IWO so fine and
the park so attractive. As usual at such demonstrations
the "mock Laany " men mouthed their nonsense,
and here and there would be a little crowd round some
blatant soouter who at once violated grammar and
common sense. Expreasine my individual minion
only, I hope the Government will carry their Parks Regu-
lath in Bill, assured as Jam that nine-tenths of the popu-
lation of London whom the measure would most affect
would be glad to see it become law. As to the liberty of
speech and the right of meeting, this has really
nothing to do with it. The right of thousands of people
marching through the streets, flaunting their ragged
banners, waking the echoes of an otherwise peaceful Sun-
day with their harsh and discordant revolutionary
'music," and then assembling in a beautiful park to
break clown branches of trees (and carry away flowers
in the season)—all this has something to do with it.
It may not very deeply interest many of your readers
personally—it certainly does not very keenly affect
your correspondent—but it may be worth mentioning,
that there is a great fall in the diamond market! A
well-known firm of auctioneers the other day sold a
large stock of Cape diamonds, and "oh, what a
falling-off was there!" Before the discoveries of
diamonds at the Cape (it must be literally a Cape of
Good Hope for the explorers) a certain diamond which
was knocked down unsold for £2,100, would have
fetched £5,000 at least, and the same depression
was evidenced in regard to the sale of other
diamonds. If the find of these precious stones
,o on as it has of late, who shall Pay but what, be-
fore long, diamonds, still the most valuable of precious
stones, will become quite a drug in the market? By
the way there will be a marvellous display of jewellery
and precious stones in the forthcoming International
Exhibition. India, France, Russia, and Germany will
severally have fb magnificent display ; London and
Birmingham will exhibit their treasures—and so by the
way will the British aristocracy—the latter on loan.
In other respects this Exhibition bids fair to be very
attractive, considerably surpassing the display of last
year.

The liberality of the public in regard to the uidow
Merritt, whose husband was shot in the street by an
American, is remarkable. More than £l,OOO must
how have been subscribed for her, and subscriptions
ore still pouring in. The poor woman is a poor woman
longer, and she may be regarded as provided for for
life. The friends who have chiefly interested them.
e dyes in raising funds will new have to choose between
a business and an annuity. Meanwhile the kindliness
and sympathy of a British public are once more
pleasingly illustrated.
In the densely crowded district of Bethnal Green has
just been completed a building which is to be called, I
inliovo, EimittEnd Diumak leak imbat

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