The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-04-04 00:00:00

Our 4.fonbeit Corresponbent.

rtfre desm it 'lt to ,r.c at we do not at alt
Identify our,!, !• r idenrs illllostl
The Irish Church, which is the bdie noire of the
present Parliament, is the battle ground on which con-
tending parties are fighting at the time your corres-
pondent writes. Mr. Gladstone's resolutions have
clearly defined the object for and against which the
opposing parties will contend. The tuutistakeable
character of these resolutions was too definite, too
clear and decided for Government to take issue upon
them, and political adepts have not been at all sur-
prise ' d that issues have been raised of a more bent-
, porising kind. Lord Stanley has come to the rescue
of his party by the following resolution :—" That this
house, while admitting that considerable modifications
in the temporalities of the United Church in Ireland
may, after pending inquiry, appear to be expedient, it
is of opinion that any proposition tending to the die.
establishment or disendovrment of the Church ought to
be reserved for the decision of a new Parliament."
Mr. Laing and Mr. Watkin (who may be called the
Advillamites of the Irish Church question) have also
eiten notice if motions, somewhat similar in terms to
that of the Foreign Secretary, and which would be
practically of the same effect. What the result may be
of the coidlicta now being waged it would be worse
than idle to discuss, as eviry hour presents us with a
new phase of the subject—a fresh scene in the political
panorama.
An influential journal has been sneering at the con-
duct of the Marquis Townshend, and speaks of the
head of a noble family, the owner of vast estates, and
an hereditary legislator, spending his time in wander-
ing about the streets giving beggars in charge, and
sometimes being given in charge himself ; and it then
alludes to a circumstance which only serves to show
how a kindly-hearted man may allow his zeal to outrun
his discretion. Those who have watched the Marquis's
career, however, from the time when as Lord ltaynham
he set his face against mendicity, and who will look at
the matter fairly, must admit that he has done a great
deal of good. In a highly civilised state of society as
ours is supposed to be, casual begging in the streets
ought to be unnecessary, and professional begging
ought to be strictly forbidden and punished, though
not severely. We have greatly improved in this
• respect on the days of our grandfathers, when street.
begging was a regular profession, and a good living
was frequently made by it. But these clays have
. altered. Na beggars now-a.days die and leave
• fortunes, great or small, and ordinary beggars have a
very sorry time of it. To induce almsgiving now,
it is necessary to excite compassion by the exhibition
, of some distressing physical calamity, or by sending
out ragged and shivering children, while the parents
are, perhaps, boozing at home. It is against this pro-
feasional mendicity, especially, that the Marquis sets
his face and zeal, ugly entleavours to suppress. And
in no doing, he confers a benefit on society. Through-
mit the country the people are heavily taxed for the
support of the poor, and if this money were but properly
spent there would be no occasion for begging. But
something more than the Marquis Townshend does
is necessary before it can be put clown. The system
of out door relief must be modified, refuges for the
casual poor must be established, and the wayfarer, to
wio in tile street beggar now puts the puzzling query,
" What am I to do?' must he able to answer it.
Then we might succeed in having as little mendicity
in England as they have in France, where it is a
punishable crime, with a penalty that very seldom has
to be enforced.

Mr. Shirley Brooks, who writes a column of
items in the Illustrated News, under the curious
title of " Nothing in the Papers " says, "Go !
and sit in one of their courts for a morning,
and you will come away struck with the patience,
acumen, and justice which you will have seen in
action on the part of the police magistrates." lam :
by no means inclined to deny the possession of these
qualities by the gentlemen alluded to, but the advice
to the public to go and sit for a morning in a police.
court is rather droll, considering the circumstances.
These courts are wretchedly small and inconvenient,
and there is seldom standing-room, so early is the little
space occupied by friends of the prisoners and of the
witnesses. The other day I sought admission into the
Mansion House police-court, but the official Cerberus
at the door stopped me, remarking in that stolid and
impassive style, peculiar to policemen, that the court
was full, and only sufficiently arousing himself to point :
to a number of people who were waiting. And yet
there was nothing particular on ; the court was in its ,
normal state of pushing and sweltering. And they
are all much alike in this respect, and so are our law-
courts if there is any trial of the least interest. The
boast of our courts being open to the public is in fact a
pleasant fiction.
A good old English song says, "Our fathers of old
were robust, stout, and strong," and more than one
author has endeavoured laboriously to prove that we
in this age have physically degenerated from the
phusique if our forefathers. I shall not enter into the
discussion of so knotty a point except to reit ark that
the suits of armour, the coats of mail, the gauntlets,
&e.., that have been preserved afford an argument of
an opposite tendency. Without insisting on either
position, may we not, however, hope that when the
young men of the present day become middle-aged
they will be more "robust, stout, and strong" than
their forefathers of the same time of life, and that the
next generation of men will be improved physically,
compared with the present? Never were athletic
exercises more in vogue than they now are. Calls-
thenii.w and gymnastics form a part of the curri-
culum of our best schools, both for boys and
girls, and athletic sports of all kinds are more indulged
in now than ever, a result which we may fairly attri-
bute to the volunteer movement—a movement which
has done more, directly and indirectly, positively and
negatively, for the health of the youth anel manhood
of the present age than is generally supposed. And
athleticism goes on and flourishes. A new Athletic
Club is about to occupy the place of the British Insti-
tution in Pall Mall. No less than £lB,OOO has been
given for the lease of this building, and a number of
noblemen and gentlemen have given in their adhesion
to the new association. Not many years ago such an
institution at such a cost would have been voted an
absiirdity ; but we are evidently progressing in this
rerpect.

Steadily, though slowly, the work of constructing
Iffackfriars Bridge and the Holborn Viaduct is pro-
gressing. Mr. Cubitt, the builder of the former, says
he expects that the bridge will be opened to traffic by
the beginning of next year. No one can know better
than he, but I take leave to doubt it. At no time has
the work been pushed forward rapidly. It has been a
labour of immense difficulty, owing to the treacherous
character of the bed of the river in that part. but this
difficulty has long ago been conquered. There have
been also pecuniary complications which have some-
what retarded the work, but these, too, have been
overcome. As to the viaduct, which will, with the
adjoining streets, &c., be one of the must stupendous
works in London, we are promised that this will be
opened at the end of this or the beginning of the next
year ; but this, too, is rather doubtful, without the
work progresses at a very different pace to what has
hitherto been the case.

A considerable alteration has just been made in the
postal districts in the south and south-eastern parts
of the metropolis. Your readers may be as much
interested in this as the inhabitants of these districts,
considering, that if the old initials are used "mistakes
or delay," the Poet Office authorities warn us, may
frequently be made. 13tit whatin. of special importance
to the writer; and writees (if there lie arch a word) is
that a wholesale emigration I 4 postmen has taken
place from one district to another, and that conse•
quenCy a large number of men will be quite strange
to the several localities, and " mistakes or delay"
TWIRL for a time occur. But country correspondents
and London receiverst (or non-receivers, as the case
may be) roust have patience, and it will come right in
the end. Another matter of importance to the public
generally and to Dm under-paid postmen in particular
is that petitions are largely being signed for an in-
crease of pay to the latter. And sadly they need it.
The position of the rural messengere in especially a
painful one. The organ of these philosophers of the
pc, ipatetic school, the Postman, says that their pay is
from to I2s, a neck, and that the corresponding
class it, towns get from flit. to 258. But for this
authority, the facts would be difficult to believe, and
cennuent is aneedless. The Poet t Mice is no admirably
managed generally that it i, v thousand piti, s there
should he such blots on the system, and it is pecu-
niarily SO successful that there is no netwasity for such
sheen:paring economy.
During the last iew years the work sf pulling down
houses has gone on apace in the metropolis, and among
the IN'Oi who have it etched the work of destniction,
it has been very COMlllioll to express wonder that sonic
serious accident cites not happen. And many have
occurred. The last instance is the dent It of a man who
has been killed by undermining a wall which fell upon
him. It is strange that engineers, builders, and
surveyors do not, amongst them, discover some better
plan of pilling down hone., than now exists. The
position of men thus engaged is frequently perilous in
the extreme, and makes bystanders shudder.
'the Duke of Cambridge has consented to preside at
the nest anniversary festival of the Newspaper Press
Fund. Th. association may be congratulated on having
gained so distinguished a chairman, but may not
members of the mess regard the honour as mutual ?
1 he Press is more powerful than the Duke of Cam

bridge. That may be a rather ungracious remark,
perhaps, but it is true. It is encouraging to hear
that this inetituticu s progressing ; that a large fund
has been secured which from time to time is drawn
upon for the benefit of distressed members of the
association; and that new members are coming in
almost every day. But still the society is nothing near
so strong as it ought to be, considering the immense
number of people in the United Kingdom who are
eligible to belong to it.
People are looking forward to the great University
boatrace with perhaps more interest than any contest
between Oxford and Cambridge has yet excited.
When
Cp the Imperial dream dash the Impetuous eights,
may I be there to see; and may I nee Cambridge win,
for no better reason than because they have List co
often. At present, however, it does not much look
like it, the betting being seven to four on Oxford. A
fine calm day would give light blue a better chance of
winning.

The arrangements for the annual Volunteer Review
are progressing satisfactorily, and many volunteers
with whom I have spoken anticipate that, from the
nature of the ground and the number of volunteers and
visitors who will be present, the great riflemen's
holiday will be more enjoyable than any of the kind
that has yet taken place. Almost everything, how-
ever, depemh4 on the weather.

REMARKS ON PASSINB EVENTS.
The House of Lords, on Tuesday night, took a sten which
will be mgarded by many as being in the right direction.
After some discussion, upon the invitation of Lord Malmes-
bury, their lordships agreed to abolish in all ordinary
cases the right of voting by proxy. This plan of voting can
only be resuscitated, with the content of the House, after a
notice take as forgo, that now required to be given for the
suspenaion of standing order.
The revenue retiirns for the financial year ending March
31st have been published. They are more favourable than
had been anticipated. There is a net Increase on the year of
£165,851 ; but this is occasioned entirely by the great increase
during the tut quarter of the revenue from the property tax,
consequent on the additional penny laid on in November
last. The total laconic for the year has been £69,600.219
against £69,434,669 in 1007. lin the year there is a decrease
of £508,000 in excise, but the decrease has now ceased, and
the quarter's figures allow an increase of £207,000. The
miscellaneous receipts show a falling-off on the year of
t:407,349. In 1667. however, they were increased by 5.500,000
of New Zealand Bonds which fell in. It is obvious from
these returns that fresh taxation will be necessary to meet
the cost of the Abyssinian war.

Earl Grey has published a " Letter to John Bright, Esq.,
M.P., respecting the Irish church, ' believing that there is
no one whose Influence will he more powerful than Mr.
Bright's in deciding in what way the present political con-
troversy on that subject shell be conducted. Earl Grey fully
accepts the principle of establishing religious equality is
Ireland, and thinks the disestablithnient of the Irish church
inevitable But he Is against the disendowment of that
Church. Ile would have its property made over to Corn.
missioners, whose duty it would be to administer it and pay
over the annual proceeds to the Protestant Episcopal, Roman
Catholic and Presbqerian churches in proportion to the
number of their members, according to the census.

The Board of Trade tables for February show the com-
merce of the country to have been steady. c.mipared with
the corresponding month of last year, the only difference in
the declared value of our exports is a falling off of £105,003,
or about per cent. From February, tuba, the falling off is
about 5 per cent. Taking into account the decline in the
price of cotton the present figures exhibit an amount of
actual trade at least equal to that of the same month of the
two preceding years, since while the value of the cotton
goods exported during the past month showed a reduction
of 7 per cent from February, 1067, there has been an in-
crease in the quantity of 20 per cent. In the shipments of
cotton yarn there has been an increase both as regards value
and quantity,—viz , 50 per cent, hi the former, and 70 per
cent. in the latter. Among the other leading branches of
industry, with the exception of hardware, which shows an
increase of 7 per cent., there has been In most Instances
some reduction,—namely, in earthenware, 10 per cent., iron,
3 per cent., haberdashery, 4 per cent., silk manufactures, 12
per, cent., linen manufactures, 22 per cent., and woollen
manufactures, 21 per cent.

From a return lust presented to Parliament It appears that
nearly all the sheep and lambs imported Into this country
come from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany anti Holland.
In records compiled for the year 1064 it is stated that 7,407
sheep were imported from Belgium, 30,633 from Denmark,
1,264 from France, 139.371 from Germany, and 247,009 from
Holland. The total number of lambs imported duriag the
.tme year was 17,696-6,102 of which came from Denmark,
11.037 from Holland, and the rest from other countries. The
largest imports of sheep occurred In the month of December,
and of lambs hi august, none if the latter being imported in
January and February, and only 1,107 of the former during
the flrat month of the year.

The text of a bill was published on Saturday, having for ita
object the amendment of the law relating to appeals from
the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Cantles. The bill
provides that in suits for digeolution an appeal to the House
of Lords by any party to the suit shall Ile from the decree
niss, but not from the decree absolute, excepting In cases
where, pending any appeal, the decree ?Ina shall be made
absolute, when the appeal shall be deemed to be as well
against the one as the other. There le to be no appeal in
undefended sults. When cause shall be shown against a
decree flhii either by the queen's proctor or any other
intervener, the intervener, when the decree is made absolute,
and the petitioner, when the petition is dismissed, may ap-
peal to the Hume of Lords from the decree absolute, or from
the order dismissing the petition, within is month. The bill
Is endorsed by Mr. C. Forster, Mr. Heathen; and Mr.
Kerslake.

The Sattrrelay Renew says the Government are dealing
with the education question in a cautious and conciliating
w,,y —The Sporlator &flounces the Duke of 'Marlborough's
Intl as a niistake. It weiikeils the c. nscience clause 'sit To
it applies it at all, and openly justifies its non.application
in the vast majority of Government-aided school.. It pro-
poses to aid purely secular school., but objects to aid in
their establishment even where there are no Where. It does
what it nught not to do, and leaves undone all it ought to do.
Mr. Disraeli has left the most important measure of the
1,1.1011 VI a silly Iluk.—The Economist complains that the
Education lull is imperfect, and that it is not likely to be
uieful au a fair basis for broader proposals.
Parliamentary returns have been published in reference to
the in-door maintetiatme and out-door relief of paupers In
England. From this document it appears that the total
amount expended in the 655 unions anti parishes which have
made returns for the half-year ending Michaelmas, 1067, was
£2,456,556, being an increase of £219,365, orb 4 per cent. on
the corresponding half of the previous year, a fact which is,
no doubt, mainly attributable to the large Increase in the
price of all the chief articles of limit supplied to the poor.
This increase is, indeed, observable in every division ot the
country, anti varies from 6 1 per cent, in the northern dia.
triet to 17 6 per cent, in the metropolis. A return is also
given exhibiting the relative industrial status of the union-
counties, which are arranged according to their position in
the scale of selected occupations. From this statement we
learn that the ratio per cent, of the domestic class Is highest
in Middlesex extra Metropolitan, which stands at 43.3, and
lowest at Bedford, being 231. Of the commercial class,
London stands foremost, the ratio per cent being 81, and
the lowest is in the county of Rutland, listing only 11 per
cent. Rutland, however, standard the head of the agricultural
class counties', the ratio being 83.9, and of course London
occupies the inverse position, having an agricultural popula-
tion of only 1-6 per cent Of the industrial class, Laucaster
stands hlgheat with 461, and Rutland the lowest with 17 3
per cent. These returns also include a statement of the
cost of immandenance and out-door relief in each of the 855
111110.18.