The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-03-03 00:00:00

LONDON CORRESPONDENG%

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

Lord Macaulay in one of his essays relates
how an Italian convict was offered the alterna-
tive of reading Guiccardini's "History" or going
to the galleys, and that, after trying a few pages
of the former, he preferred the galleys. Pro-
bably, if the alternative were given to many
culprits in England of reading all the papers
issued by . Parliament to passing their time in
penal s.erritude, they would speedily feel com-
pelled to prefer penal servitude. For a great
number of the blue books and white papers
which pour forth in a continuous stream from
the official press are dull and uninteresting to
the last degree, and it may be doubted whether
a single person beyond their compiler and the
proof-reader ever gets through them. For some
weeks after the opening of every session,
there are always a larger quantity than usual of
these publications, for certain of them appear to
have been saved up during the recess, to be
Numbed at the heads of members immediately
they come back to work; and this year the total
is as weighty as ever. Of course, all these Par-
hainentary papers are not uninteresting; for
there is much that is of value, and even of
amusement, imbedded within the dark recesses
of Some of them, which only require careful
extraction to prove instructive to the general
public. The reading of blue-books is never
likely to become a popular study, but there are
many duller ways of passing an hour than by
Owing at the contents of some of these, parti-
etelarly those bearing upon antiquarian affairs. ,
As soon as Parliament met this year the
House of Commons reverted to its old method
of taking divisions, thus discarding the experi-
ment it attempted last summer of taking them ,
upon a new plan. Why the new plan was sug-
gested VMS because of the great amount of time
occupied by every division, and it was thought
that it was possible to economise this by adopting
a different system, but this has been found to be
impossible, Por the present, therefore, the old
fashion is to be resumed, and as every news-
paper reader is more or less interested in
Parliamentary divisions, while exceedingly ,
few have seen one taken, it may
be of interest to state how the thing is done.
When a debate has ended and the Speaker puts
the question, he judges from the volume of sound
arising from either side.whether the Ayes or the
Noes "have it." It is the custom when a Go-
vernment motion is being put to always declare
in favour of the Ministry, and the Opposition at
once challenges the Speaker's word. "The Ayes
have it," saps the Speaker; "The Noes have it,"
reply the Opposition; the First Commoner re-
peats his original opinion, the Opposition repeat
theirs, and a division is thereupon called for as
the only means of settling the dispute. Electric
bells communicating with all parts of the build'
ing are set ringing for three minutes, to call '
the members together ; the strangers in the
galleries are are carefully locked in; those in
the inner lobby are rigorously cleared out, and
then all the doors are fastened and the Speaker
once more puts the question. If he is still
challenged, he names the tellers for each side,
those members who support the motion stand up
facing him and walk out behind his chair, those
who oppose it stand up with their backs to him
and walk out at the other end of the House.
When all have gone and returned, the senior
teller of the winning party reads out the figures,
the Speaker repeats them, there is a cheer from
those who have succeeded, and the division is
over.
Those who are superstitious in regard to coin-
cidences in figures, will have noted that in two
of the earliest divisions of the session of 1888
the majority which the Government secured was
8, and as this number is looked upon as espe-
cially significant, there is no telling what they
may mean. But, to clearer-headed mortals, the
most interesting thing about 1888 will be the
remembrances it recalls of great things which
have occurred in England in previous eighty-
eights." Of course, the principal of these are the
defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and the
mimosa of the Great Revolution in 1688, and
both will be formally celebrated in the
course of the year. As to the former, a
movement is on foot, and is being very
exteneively supported for placing a memorial of
the event upon Plymouth Hoe. That historic
apot will always be celebrated in any chronicle
of the Armada because- of its having been the
scene of the game of bowls in which, according to
tradition, Drake, Raleigh, Frobisher, and others of
our groat Elizabethan sea captains were engaged
when the news arrived of the Spanish fleet
having been sighted off the Lizard. The com-
mittee entrusted with the preparation of the
memorial has selected a design for it, and there
are good hopes that during the summer tangible
ateps towards its completion will be adopted.
It is now not far from fifteen hundred years
since the Romans left these shores, after the
occupation of four centuries, and yet there are
continually being unearthed relics of their stay
in England in the shape of pottery, -coins, and
even tesselated pavements. Those who have not
studied the subject could scarcely imagine what
very distinct traces of their occupation the
Romans left behind when,_ owing to the crumb-
ling, of their Empire, they returned to Italy.
Their villas were dotted about the country in
eerne of the most pleasing situations, their
baths can still be traced, and there can yet be '
seen upon some of our woodlands distinct traces
of the roads then made straight across hill
and dale, which have remained unto this day as
a proof of the skill and persistence of those early
invaders. Only recently in London there have
' been found some further ; specimens of Roman
coinage and pottery, and in the museum at Guild-
hall is to be seen a splendid collection of such
articles, gathered from excavations in all parts of
Cur great Ashy:
Visitors to London can scarcely fail to be
interested in the information that the widening
of Ludgate-hill throughaut its length is at last
to be completed. This is a work which
has been going on by fits and starts
for many a year, and it had been
dealt with in such a fragmentary, .fashion
that those accustomed to use the thorough-
fere had almost given up hope of ever
seeing it accomplished. But those who became
impatient at the delays failed to remember that,
In these matters, public bodies are not always
their own 'masters. Property, which has to be
compulsorily acquired, is a delicate thine- to
handle; and the value of land in the heart of
London is so enormous that it is not much
wonder that the City Commissioners of Sewers,
who have had to deal with this question,
adopted a . policy of delay, when, by tbe
expiration of' leases or other 'considerationi,.
they knew the delay.would secure them the pro-
perty at a cheaper rate. However, all's well that
ends well ; and those who have daily to use Lud-
gate-hill will not be inclined to grumble when
the long-deferred and much-needed widening has
at length been coinpletecl. .
It is a commonplace of talk in the winter that..
the cold weather injuriously affects the interests
_ .
of those who are engaged upon outdoor employ=
ments ; but the sense in which the phrase is used
is customarily a consideration only for a limited
class, principally rhasons, carpenters, and others
at work upon buildings. But cold weather and '
strong winds affect more than these for
- they inflict sore and widespread suffering
re upon the fishermen around our coasts.
I.' Trawlers and hook-and-line fishermen alike are
'.- injured, though thc latter in greater degree than
' the former; and as the fishing industry has not
been at its brightest for some time, the recent
"cold snap" has had the more hurtful effects.
It may be feared that those of us who
live at home at ease, and who enjoy fish at our
meals, do not always sufficiently consider the
sufferings of those who obtain the fish for us.
Cold winds and angry seas are the portion
of the fishermen, and those of them
who are employed in the North Sea,
" nor'ard of the Dogger," have often to undergo
privations which are almost appalling in their
intensity. Means have been adopted by the
benevolent within.. the past few months of
lessening these to some degree, and particularly
of diminishing the evils caused by the " copers'
which infest that stretch of water. But much
may yet be done to mitigate the sufferings of a
fine body of men who do a great deal of useful
~.._ .work, and all lovers of fish should give an occa-
rional thought to the men who catch them.
.e._
. a As if to make up for the mildness of
. earlier part of the winter, the end of February
volo-41---has seen n, great deal of snow, and, as far as
- ' London was concerned, the fall was the heaviest
On 4 lay the longest of any with which we have
toen visited for the season. Snow is a very pie-
: - auresque object when falling, and haa furnished
material for many a poem; but in such a
arowded city as this metropolis of ours it can
pnly be considered an intoleyablp n*-
nititanorea ii-le,,adily ging Otto to 4 rgt
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country generally the snow has proved
a boon, and though more of this particular form
of moisture may not be needed, a large addi-
tional amount of rain is urgently required if we
are to be saved from a water famine during
summer. It is necessary to emphasise this po
because individuals can do something to less
the danger by striving in their several capacitit
to prevent waste. As a rule, it is not until the
water famine has actually appeared that persons
are warned against waste, and it is then much
too late for effective precautions to lie taken.
But this time forditarn,ed sho*l be forearmed,
and all consumers shod take Care that they do
nothing more than is necessary to diminish a
supply which in any case can hardly avoid being
short. A. F. R