The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-04-27 00:00:00

(Our Yenta torrtsponbtnt.
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Politically, we are all at "sixes and sevens," owing to
the critical position of the Mnietry, and the varying
I,l%asaa of the political situation afford material for
ussion and surmise according to the lattiit news of
the nionient and according alai to the political sympa-
thies of those who discuss the matter. There is more-
over corwillerable uncertainty and some wiggly ini.; with
regar.l tour imhappy quarrel with America, but there
nevertheless seems great probability of an amicable set-
tlement. The pi ',aim' at pears t be this that the United
States tiovennneut will not formally withlraw the in-
bee, t claims, but that ma the other hand the Govern•
net will not insist on them ; that a settlement on
the basis of the direct claims is perfectly feasible, ani
that claims which ought never to have been asserted
can be allowed to stand over—and to the out by lapse
of time.

Her Majesty's visit to the ex Emperor and Empress
of the French at Chiselhunst, on the anniversary of the
birthday of the former, was a graceful and kindly act,
and the cheering and congratulations of those who were
fortunate enough to get a glimpse of the royal party
showed how this kindliness was appreciated, and how
heartily the Queen is beloved. Of course it will be
easy to found surmises on this visit, and to draw poli-
tical conclusions from it, but while quidnuncs indulge
in this sort of thing, those who have more calmly
studied her Majesty's career know full well that such
visits as these never have any political siehificance,
and that in this case it was a mere friendly greeting
by the sovereign of a mighty empire to a "monarch
retire t from business."

It may be said that our Government has so many
difficulties to contend with, in regard both to America
sad home questions, that it would not be wise for it to
oall Spain to account in the matter of the slave trade,
and that Spain is now in so unsettled and disturbed a
state that it would be cruel to call her to account now.
But the discussion that has taken place in the House
of Commons shows that slavery is still carried on in
Cuba to a scandalous and saddening extent, and that ,
Spain is bound to us by treaty to abolish slavery in
that island. Among other facts, it is stated that in
Mach, 1869, the Cuban Assembly declared slavery
abolisited, and that 100,000 slaves were set free, and
that, nevertheless, the Spanish Government took
possession of these poor creatures and worked them as
slaves; and that a new form of slavery has been esta-
blished In Cuba in the persons of the Chinese. Spain
I by treaty with us bound to abolish slavery, and yet
her Government refuses to do so, and carries on the
revolting slave traffic with all the horrors peculiar to
this trade. For many reasons it may be an awkward
time to interfere now, but it is to be hoped the
subject will not be allowed to drop. And there is
another kindred subject in regard to which we have
been called upon to interfere—the cruel treatment of
Jews in Romania. Both the motions relative to these
matters were withdrawn, but they gave rise to earnest
and animated discussion, and as treaties in both cases
give us the right to interfere it is highly probable that
these debates may yet be productive of friendly remon-
strance with Spain and Turkey severally, if of nothing
more.

Mr. Straight has given notice of a bill empowering the
authorities to punish with whipping men who commit
violent assaults on women and children. And I, for one,
believing that in the case of such men—if that word is
to be applied to them —flogging is the most effective
punishment, Lope this bill may become law. At
present robbery must be added to violence before this
punishment can be awarded, but many cases of per-
sonal violenns without robbery are worse than others
with it, and it would be well to try the effect of the
cat o' 1:11110 tails on the brutes (thouch it is libelling the
brute creation to use the word) who cruelly attack
"the weaker vessel." The administration of this
punishment is, I think, a wholesoine application of the
balisa&s, or law of r.ttaliation, which was in vo,uo
among the Jews. By the way, it would be well for
those who are likely to come under the operation of the
new law, if it is pawed, to read the statement of a
medical journal on the effect of Hogging. " Familiar
an we were," says the writer, "with surgical operations
before the days of chloroform, we believe that not the
most serious and protracted, including amputation,
trephining, lithotomy, tooth-drawing, or all of them
put together, were half so painful as flogging !" Sap-
posing we have such a law as that contemplated, it
would be well for wife-b eters to know these facts.
It low often been remarked that naval and military
men have an undue share of honours conferred upon
them. Successful warriors are raised to the peerage,
or have orders and distinctions bestowed on them,
which seldom fall to the lot of men who are eminent
in art, science, or literature. But during the reign of
Queen Victoria, we have had less cause to find fault in
this respect than our forefathers had. We cannot,
with any justice, Pay that men who spend their lives in
studying the arts of destruction, or who gain distino-
thin amid the slaughter of the battle-field, are ex-
clusively honoured in their lifetime: or, that they
alone repose in the temples set apart for "the mighty
dead." I cannot call to mind any names in the peer-
age that are specially associated with literary merit
except those of Lord Lytton and Lord Houghton, but

many subordinate titular honours have been conferred
on men who had previously made a name in connec-
tion with the arts and sciences. Many such honours
will occur to the reader. The recent pre.sentation of a
testimonial to Sir Sterndale Bennett, reminds me how
much musicians have been honoured, and worthily so,
during the present reign. Sir Michael Costa, Sir
Julius Benedict, Sir Sterndale Bennett, Sir John Goss,
Sir Robert Stewart, Sir F. Gore Ouseley, and Sir J. G.
Elvey—all these names show how wisely and liberally
the Queen, "the fountain of honour," has dispensed
her rewards in comparison to preceding sovereigns.
It may be rather late in the day to have a festival
in celebration of the recovery of the Prince of Wales,
but the May Day Me at the Crystal Palace,
honnured as it will be by the presence of several
members of the royal family, will prove, I have
no doubt, immensely attractive. We must not
be too hard upon the directors. Their expenses are
enormous, and they must, in justice to the shareholders,
get up some great attraction for the opening day of
their spring and summer season, besides which it must
be remembered that they planned a festival of this kind
long since, but that it VIM thought advisable to post-
pone it. I hope and expect that the festival will be a
great success, and that "the palace of the people's
pleasures" will be thronged by visitors from all parts of
the country.
We are always being told that such and such a
number of "South London tradesmen" have been
fined for unjust weights and measures. It may be well

to state that the South Londoners are not One whit

worse than tradeemen in any other quarter, but that
the frequency of conviction in the former case simply
arises from the fact that the inspectors in this district
are paid according to convictions, which is not the case
elsewhere.

The Aeronautical Society has been learnedly dis-
cussing the merits of a certain instrument made to de-
termine "the relation between the velocity of the
atmosphere and its pressure upon plane surfaces of
varying dimensions and degrees of inclination." It will
be seen that this can be as plain as a pike-eaff, for we
read that "experiments seemed to indicate the law
that the lifting force of inclined planes, carried hori-
zontally through air, was increased in the direct ratio
that the sine bears to the length of the plane, or the
height of the incline to the base." What can be more
simple? There WM a good deal more discuasion of an
equally self-evident character. Anil then a paper "on
Flight " IV3B read, the object of which was to show that
It is possible for man to tly through the air if a proper
machine can be made for that purpose ? Certainly, just
BO- if and when. When Dog and Magog hear the clock
strike one they come down to their dinner!
"Mary Jane," which is the typical name of the do-
mestic servant, is becomin4 demonstrative. Nothing
can show more forcibly to what an extent the working
classes are asserting their rights than, first, the combi-
nation amongst the agricultural labourers, and, now,
the aggressive attituds of domestic servants. There
may be much difficulty in ascertaining where the agri-
cultural rising commenced, but there can be none as
to the locality in which azitation among the domestic
servants begins—it is bonny Dundee. It seems that
in that town a large meeting of female servants was
held—l wonder how they all managed to get out—
to form a protective and benefit society, and that the
society was formed there and then; that the girls com-
plained of the unreasonableness of their mistresses;and
maintained that some organization should be instituted
to enable servants to learn something of the characters
and tempers of those who sought to engage them,
also that their hours should be from six in the morning
till ten at bight, with "weekly holidays and a free
Sunday every fortnight." When we hear of the nine,
and even the eight hours movement, it is curious to
find the domestic servants stipulating for only sixteen
hours work a day; but, my dear Mary Jane, you must
know that your case is exceptional, mid that the regu-
lation of your work by hours is simply impracticable.
I confess I do not know what you mean by "weekly
holidays," but if you mean a day's holiday every week:
why I wish you may get it—and I should very much
like one myself! It will be interesting to watch
whether the agitation among the domestic servants will
spread, and what measure of success is to attend the
movement. At present it is certainly rather a start-
ling sign of the times.

The London Standard Srirti that the Empress of the
Fr* tab ,uilermc from a paioful, although not a serious,
indammition. Sir William Gull is in attendance.

the sight eTe, causing blood to spurt cm* and giving her
intense pun. She stooped down and exclaimed, "I
am stabbed !" and before she could reach home a mob
surrounded her and tore all her clothes off. Two c, -n-
-stables shortly afterwards came up and conveyed her
to Guy's leepital, where she was kindly attended to.
On the following Monday her right eye was taken
out, and the left eye was rendered almost useless
She had seen the prisoners before in the street, but
was not acquainted with them. On the morning the
trial of Harris came on she went to the house of Mr.
Smith, in Kent-street, where she saw the prisoneni.
She told Mr Smith that a detective had come for her '
to go to the Sessions-house and give evidence against
Harris, when he said, " For God's sake don't go, oryou
will murdered; you had bolter say you know no-
thing about it." He fll,ll pointed to Murray,
acd said, "That's his wife." Murray then said,
'Yin had better go with me, and iii d.-n't 'do' for
you some (ice else will." Witness left the house atol
, then accompanied the detective to the Sesaions-house.
On the Sunday after she was attacked the pi homer
Murray was brought to her bedside at the hospital,
when she recognized her as the woman who struck her
on the eye. Murray cried and said she was sorry. She
admitted having struck her on the eye. A few days
afterwards the other prisoner was brought to her bed-
side and she recognized her as the other woman who
attacked her. _ _ .

In answer to the Magistrate she said that after the
constable had left her at home the prisoner and several
others came to the house and threatened her. Murray
said, "11l gouge your eye out before the night is
over." She did not hear Lynch say anything. She
did not know llarris before she gave evidence against
him. She had seen him in the street on two or three
occasions ; but she did not know whether he was
cuss-
nested with either of the prisoners.
_ _
•

--- •
Murray here said, She hit me and I hit her, and
we buth fell, aml she fell over a burrow, and must
hive cut her eye."
- - - • •

The complainant was recalled, and denied having
struck Murray or falling over a barrow.
Lynch exclaimed, using very bad language, "What
I have to say will be to your betters in a higher court."
•

- -
The Magistrate having cautioned the prisoners in
the usual way, Murray said that Lynch was not with
her when she attacked the prosecutrix. Lynch SVMS
not at the Sessions-house on the day of Harris's trial.
She further added that she was drunk when she did it.
Lynch declined saying anything at present.
'I he Magistrate committed them both to Newgate
for trial, and bound sear all the witnesses to prosecute
at the next Central Criminal Court Sessions.

Our T""'"