The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-09-27 00:00:00

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There has lately been consisierable speculation con-
cerning the probability of an autumn session for the
purpose of providing the means for the Ashantee ex-
pedition. Many of your readers will remember that
six years ago, when we were preparing to rescue the
captives from the grasp of the King of Abyssinia,
Parliament was called together in November, a state-
ment was made by the then Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, and • sum of three and a halt millioas sterling
warn voted to repay the expenses of the war. It after-
wards turned out that the cost was treble this amount,
_ _ _

but thie was provided when the House cf Commons
wee eating in ordinary session. The preparations for
punishing the Ashantees have been greatly developed
since the arrival of the recent serious intelligence
from Cape Coast Castle, and it DOW appears that the
expedition is to be on a more extensive scale than had
been originally intended. By many well-informed
persons it has been thought likely that the precedent
of 1867 will be followed, and that the Legislature will
be summoned to meet for the special purpose of pro-
viding hut& for the Ashantee business. This arrange-
ment would, at all events, have one advantage. An
explanation would then be given of the cause of our
quarrel with the Ashantees, for, so far, there has been
no authoritive statement on the subject, and very few
persons understand why we are going to war with a
horde of savages. Besides, there is a oonstitutional
theory that no expenditure shall be made upon a
national purpose until it had received the sanction of
the representatives of the taxpayers.
In the course of a few weeks an appeal w;ll be made
to the electors of London which will command much
interest throughout the metropolis. The term of
office for which the School Board was elected in 1870
will then have expired, and the whole of the 49 seats
will become vacant. Although but little hes yet trans-
pired with respect to the intentions of particular
sections of educationists, there is no doubt that some
of the contests will be of a severe character. Fault has
sometimes been found with the present Board because
It has done so little and expended so much. It should,
however, be remembered that when the Board as-
sembled nearly three years ago, the provision for
elementary education throughout London was in
a state of complete chaos. It was necessary, in
the fret place, to orgasins a staff to lay
down principles on which future action should
be blued, to frame a cede of bye-laws, to agree
open a syet,m of training which, while doing justice
to the education of the poor, should not be too expen-
sive to the ratepayers; and in short to found a plan of
public instruction which, with modifications, may be
expected to lad for very many years. All this required
time, and when questions were put as to bow many
children the London School Board had rescued from
the streets, the fact was often overlooked that there
would be no object whatever in gathering them to-
gether until schools were provided for their reception.
The greater part of the difficulties have now been over-
come, and the members of the existing Board are
working bard to complete their labours as ter as poem.
ble in order to leave as few arrears as they can to their
succemors.

I have more than once spoken of the contrasts which
are presented ins week through some parts of London,
and nowhere is this more marked than in the city of
Westminster. In a line with the splendid pile forming
the Houses of Parliament, and within an easy distance
of that building, is the gloomy prison-fortress of Mill.
bank. Again, there are little thoroughfares running
out from stately edifices, in which the condition of
the people, with to cleanlinem, is but little re-
moved from thatrertchte residents in the agricultural
districts. It is generally assumed that the primary
object in preserving • little open space at the rear of •
house, is to afford • supply of fresh air, and so long as
the air really is fresh, the backyards which are so
numerous in the metropolis are vo y desirable. But the
original design of these places is too often overlooked.
Although there is in London an expensive organization
for the guardianship of the public health, thereis n o 'noon
eiderehle portion of the capital in which people live in
close proximity to accumulated heaps of refuse, the
existence of which proves that the sanitary inspection
of this great city is not what it ought to be.
Visitors to Paris must have noticed the pleasure of
floating baths upon the Seine, and have contrasted the
'pentacle with the absence of anything of the kind in
London. There is, however, some hope that in the
course of a short time similar contention will appear
upon the Theme.. The subject was brought under the
notice of the Corporation a short time ago, and a design
for a Boating bath has been laid before the General Fur.
poses Committee. The idea is that it should be floated
on a pontoon, built after the fashion of those which con.
'State the landing piers upon the river. The centre
of this buoyant structure would be hollow, and would
form the bathing place, 150 feet long, and 35 feet wide.
When full, the water would be in the middle six feet
six inches deep, the bottom of the bath sloping down
towards one end, and up towards the other, where the
depth would be three feet. At each extremity it is
proposed to plan • filter bed, presenting a surface of
about 3,000 superficial feet; and this, it ia calculated,
would yield • flow of nearly a million gallons of pure
water a day. The total contents of the bath are
to be 200,030 gallons, and a constant in and out-
flow would be maintained by means of a small
steam engine. At night the structure would be
entirely emptied, thin affording • perfectly clean
state for the next day. A head's apparatus is to
maintain the water in the bath at a temperature of
about 72 degrees. The framework of the superstruc-
ture is to consist generally of wrought iron. Braising
boxes are provided for 150 bothers, and this allows a
space of Sit. by 4ft for each. It is suggested that the
establishment should be opened for about fourteen
bears a day; and allowing half an hour to each bather,
about 2,600 persons might be accommodated daily.
Should the experiment prove noceesful, floating baths
will be erected at various points along the river and on
the ornamental waters of the parka. I think there
can be little doubt that suck an institution as a swim.
ming bath in the Thames would be patronised by large
numbers of the inhabitants of London.
All of us have had more or less acquaintance with
the loss of life and the destruction of property, which
recta from • severe thunderstorm. Taking this into
consideration, to say nothing of the terror with which
neh visitations inspire the nervous, it is surprising
that lightning rods are sot more generally adopted.
Properly wronged, they afford absolute security at a
comparatively small ocet. A practical person will
know that • lightning conductor should be of copper,
Upped with platinum, and it ought not to be leas than
half an inch in diameter. This, including every ex-
pense attending the adjustment, can be supplied at
about ls. Bd. or Is. 9d. per fact. There is a popular
notion that lightning rods attract the electric fluid, but
(hi. is • mistake. They merely conduct the lightning
in Its course to the earth. The extensive adoption of
lightning conductors in • town has been often
recommended, for this would not only render mafe
the structures to which they were attached,
but by affording numerous channel' for the ready
passage of the electricity, would tend greatly to
mitigate the severity of a storm. Lightning rods have
been supplied to most of our important public build-
ings, but many are still without them. Two or three
years ago a church in Southwark was struck by the
electric fluid, and damage to the extent of £6OO was
caused. A conductor might have been fitted to the
edifice for about sixty shillings.
There are various social combinations whose pre-
valence is characteristic of the age, and perhaps none
are more entitled to respect than the ancient friendly
associations of our land. There can be no question
that what the City Companies were in • more restricted
sphere to the members of • common profeesion the
Druids, the Foresters, and a variety of similar in.
stitutions were to larger mimes of society. That the old
fraternities show signs of vigorous life and undiminished
popularity is not open to doubt They cheA a ten-
dency to isolation, and promote a spirit of union and
fellow feeling amongst large numbers of our country-
men. The great field days organised by these sasocia-
tins are now looked forward to, not ally in London.
but in moat of the chief centres of population, as pro-
viding some of the moat agreeable recreations of the
year; and as long as the people continue to sanction by
their attendance on those occasions the general prin.
ciplee on which such associations are founded, there
will be no reason to apprehend that their usefulness is
not recognized, or to fear that societies which are
founded mainly to provide against sickness and be-
reavement will be in a flourishing condition.
For such a young game, Polo, or hockey on horn-
book, has become very popular. In every corner of
the county! Polo clubs have ben started, numbering
It. members by scores and by hundreds. The game is
a most exhilarating and enjoyable one, and powwows
great interest to the spectator. The members engaged I
In ths game are divided into two part., each side seek-
fog to drive • small boll through its opponents goal,
and they are mounted, as a rule, on lithe, small, but
strong built ponies. In • well contested game the ex-
citement becomes intone, the horse; seeming to enjoy I
it s• much as their riders. It is to my mind • good
sign of the times that such • game flourishes. Although
entailing for the time bard work, yet participation in
It conduces to health. Physiologically "peaking, such
games as then should be encouraged, aa they tend to
strengthen and Improve the constitution of the body,
sad afford a healthy means of relaxation for the mind.
Some objections have been raised to the game, on the
ground that it entails amity on the WSW% beams

when there le • mark the horse/ an apt to reosive
heavy blows on the flanks, but I do not think that the
objection is of much weight. As • rule the riders are
very careful of the animals, and it is very seldom that
• hone is so hit as to cause any injury.

The progress of this country drain the present
century has been most steadily marked, and should be
a subject of great congratulation So the people. In
1871 it was found that the population of England and
Wales was more than two and shall times as great as in
1801, and probably by 1881, when the next census will
be taken, there will be three times the number of
people in England and Wales than there was in the
First year of the nineteenth century. Of course with '
such a large increase of population a great increase in
the number of dwelling houses is inevitable, and •
recent part of the Builder gives some valuable infor-
mation on this point. It appears that since 1801 we
have built, roughly speaking, in the way of dwelling-
houses, in England and Wales alone upwards of a
thous's, d millions of property, and that between 18611
and 1871, dwelling-houses were built to the value of
more than £220,000,000 sterling: The truths conveyed
by these stupendous figures are important and interest-
ing. They show that the increaseof wealth In this country
Is not speculative but • gigantic fact, and that despite
the great check which the commercial affairs of the
country received in 1866, when London passed through
a somewhat similar crisis, on a far larger scale, to that
which New York has Just seen, there has been •
greater proportion of money spent in the erection of
dwelling-houses than in the previous averages of de-
cennial periods, although the population did not in-
crease in a much greater ratio.