The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-02-01 00:00:00

fonbon Torrtspentitnt.

(lire deem it right to state that we do not at all times
sispoteer ourselves with cur Correspundent's opinions)
Mr. Gladstone's circular to his supp&rters, remind-
ing them that Parliament will reassemble on the 6th of
next month, and that 'the attention of b ,th Houses
will at a very early date be called to business of impor-
tance," may be regarded as something more than& mere
matter of form. Mr. Disraeli has also issued his
circular muting his supporters to he present at
the opening of the session, and that the Conaelva-
tivcs will readily answer the 'appeal is certain. It
is not usual t.o adopt such a phrasu saat a
rery early date," and the inference he that our legis-
lators will be very epeedily called on to deal with
the most important business ttvit the Government in
tends to inaugurate; or, in other words,that the heavy
business will COMO first,. If this be so, it leads to the
conclusion that Ministers, far from ahirkimr an appeal
to the country, rather court it, as it would be ot course
only on some important.n,easnre that Ministers would
make such an apt/ea What the Ministerial mea
ewes are to be is by no means certain. Members of
the Government have been unusually reticent during
the teem., and have literally toll us nothing, their
utterances in regar 1 to next session having been more
of a negative than of a positive character. A measure
on local taxation, however, will certaihly be brought
forward, and this is a subject that will ineuitably
create such difference i.f opinion and such opposition,
be its provisions what they may, that I sh ,old not be
at all surprised if this were to turn out to be the mea-
lore on which the cauntry is to appealed to. Mean-
while thers are many indications of political activity
consequent on the approaching session, and Cabinet
councils will now be frequent.
Among the telegrams from New York there is one
which will have been read with more-chagrin than
satisfaction by most Euglislinten. It seems that the
r.p ,rt of the committee of the Howie of Rspresenta-
Myers the di.tribution f the money for the Alabama
claims states that the award is ten million dollars more
than the claims for property actually destroyed. As
this money was awarded to the United States Govern-
ment, and not to individual claimants, the surplus is to
be paid into the American Treasury. So that Bpdher
Jonathan really has got the better of Joan Bull to the
tune of ten million almighty dollars! It nilght be
thought that the aforesaid Brother Jonathan av, odd
perhaps like to give this into back to us, but depend
upon it he won't like. But here a thought intervenes.
The American Government has not yet got the money
awarded, and as our own Government now discovers
that the award is unnecessarily large, it is just possible
that it might 'Amr to paying it. This, however, is
very improbable. We shall as a matter of course stand
by the award, but at all events we may be permitted
to ask—why was not the amount of "claims for
property actually destroyed" ascertained before the
Geneva award?

The ladies—or I should rather say, some ladies—are
evidently in earnest in endeavouring to obtain votes.
In various parts of the country meetings have been
held at which ladies as well as gentlemen have spoken
In favour of female suffrage. Mr. Jacob Bright will,
it is understood, re-introduce next session his Bill for
the Removal of the Electoral Disabilities
.of Women.
There is not the slightest probability of the measure
being then passed, lost it is highly probable that an
Increased sepport will be given to it. and the ladies
will then be in good heart to continue the agitation
and make female suffrage a "test question' at the
next election. It cannot be maintained that the MAO-
try is at present present prepared for an extension of
the suffrage even to widows or single women who are
householders or lodgers paying an adequate rent. but
I think it canuot be disputed that Ors is what we are
coming to. And then, "what next? and next V'
Our history is full of the narratives of disaster at
sea, belt it may be questioned whether any story is
more harrowing in its details than that of the collision
In the Chaunel, the awful incidents connected with
which mast have been a public and a domestic fireside
topic all over the kingdom. No novelist or dramatist
could imagine more terrible scenes. The suddenness of
the fearful and fatal blow which caused the good ship
F.arth.liii to be in a few minutes engulfed in the
waves; the terror and alarm on the part of all on
board; the disregarded orders of the heroic captain
women shrieking and wailing ; men rushing furiously,
with the madness of desperation, to cave their own
lives, whether women and children perished or tot;
the panic that seized every one but the brave captain
and a few of his tansty officers and men ; the frantic
struggle to get into the boats, regardless of the captain's
threat to shoot the next man that attempted it, and
hie actually firing on these desperate men in the vain
effort to save the women and children first: the strug.
glinz, and bottling for life by men who had missed the
beats to fall into the cold dark sea; the arrival of that
augel of inerey, the pilot-boat, which rescued many from
drowniog ; the phantorn ship tlat bad done all the
damage gliding away in the darkness—what an awful
catalogue of horrors; but le notevenaskeleton outline
of thiseaddening narrative, which, indeed, can never be
fully told. What a striking contrast loss the conduct of
the male passengers of the tiorthfleet present to the his-
tory of the 10-s of the Birkenhead troopship in 1851;
On the 26th of February in that year this noble ship
struck on a rock off St. Simon'a Bay, South Africa,
and the awful result was that out of six hundred and
thirty eight people four hundred and fifty-four perished.
It is related that "during the few minutes that elapsed
between the striking and the sinking of that ship the
soldiers were paraded on deck, and their officers told
them they must make up their minds to die. They
etssod to their arms while the women and children were
sent off in the boats, and then, without one moment's
flinching or cowardice, those four hundred and fit by.
four good men and true went down with their ship."
The bravery and heroism of such conduct as this never
appeared in so strong a light AR it does now when we
read of the mad selfishness of strong men, who pushed
women and children aside that they might crowd into
the boats. And yet how few there must be who in
similar circumstances would not do the same ? Self-
preservation is the first law of nature, and 'all that a
man bath will he give for his life." Many thoughts
are suggested by this terrible ealamity. Why, it has
been asked is it not compulsory on shipowners
and captains that there should be a cork life-
belt for each person on board? One correspond-
ent writes that on the Am.rican steamers he has
always found the state-room furnished with cork life.
belts, one to each berth, and that he has frequently
seen a large pile of these belts conveniently packed
under the tables in the cabin, while on the hurricane
deck there is a stack of "life-boards," about four feet
In length, which may be thrown overboard and thus
give a chance for life to those who may not have
secured a life-belt. Had there been such arrangements
on board the Narilifieel how many more lives would
have been saved! Another thing ought to have been
done. If Captain Clifford's system of lowering ships'
boats be the beet in existence, that system should be
compulsory; if a better plan can be invented, by all
means let us have it; but in any ease the present bung-
ling, tedious, and hap.bazard method of lowering boats
should be abolished. The Quern's letter relative to
this terrible calamity, and her generous contribution
are just what reZht have been expected from her
Majesty, and, SA a matter of course, they are having
the effect of bringing in numerous other contributions.
The survivors from the ergulfed versel are receiving
every mark of sympathy and all the relief that they
require, and they will continue to be abundantly cared
for. But as there will be more funds than are re-
quired for this, it is to be hoped that ampie rewards
will be given to thaw who so nobly devoted themselves
to the rescue of the struggling creatures in the waves.
Among those who will thus be rewarded we may
be sure will be found the name of Stanley, the mats of
the Prinseas pilot.boat.

Lord Lytton, who achieved fame in so many depart-
ments of literature, finds an appropriate grave in
Westminster Abbey, the sacred Pantheon where so
many eminent men repose. It would, I believe, have
been more agreeable to the feelings of the public had
the slistinguisbcd poet and nos elist been buried in
Peels' Corner, where lie Thackeray and Dickens, and
many a renowned author before their time, but never
Maims, Lord Lytton—who will best be remembered by
the name of Bolwer—has a grave which will be
honoured by our own and future g-nerations, and
which is one more objeot of permanent interest in the
venerable Abbey. •
The thick and thin otponente of the Hyde Park re-
gulations really make themselves very ridiculous in
their opposition to the law of the land. There has
been a special meeting of the Hyde Park defence fund
promoters at one of the " advanced" political clul
here, and a resolution has been passed commencing,
"that this committee canndt recognise the validity of
the opinion• expressed by the Judges of the Court of
Queen's Bench that Hyde Park is SAS much the private
property of the Crown As is the nark of a private
gentleman his property." What nq ..iiti climax for a
little clique of prioons knowing t, tha.ii of the law to
announce pompously that they cannot recognise the
validity of the decisions of the highest common-law
court ! Why, they most recognise it. Tani curious
repudiation reminds ti a of the hackneyed anecdote
about the nim io the stocks.
There has been so much written and said about thorse
unhappy gas stokers that 1, for one, should not be at
all sorry it the new phase of their cams should be the
prelude to their pardon. Their penitent end humble
petition to the Home Secretary is at all events more
likely to be honoured than the extravagant denuncia-
tions of excited speakers on their behalf in public
meetings.
Being in the neighbourhood of Great Ormond-street