The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-03-13 00:00:00

glisctllancous

HONE, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

THE "ROB ROY" CANOE ON THE BEA OF
Gaul-Ex.—Every hour of my day is filled up with plea-
sant duties. Not a moment seems to be lost, or to
hang heavy. As for loneliness, the idea of It never
crosses my mind. The particular sort of observations
to be made in this "land and water" journey would
be quite incompatible with the presence of a companion
unless he was both deaf and dumb. Yet one can
scarcely imagine a more delightful tour. Often I have
a long ride and a walk, and a paddle, and a sail all in
one day. Take, for instance, my first day on the Sea of
Galilee. We are camped near it, by the Jordan, and •
crowd of Arabs acaompany the Rob Roy to the river.
Gliding down the winding stream I soon float out upon
the wide lake of Genn,sareth. A hundred hills and
vales, and ruins and bays, all familiar to the student of I
biblical geography, are suddenly present around me in
actual life. I turn eastwards at once, and coast the shore
with an eager gaze downwards into the clear glassy
water, looking for relics there which could not be seen
from land, and which have never been this searched
for in the water. Careful records are made of each
buried column, each hidden pier, or quay, or fallen
stone, and my lunch is taken by a pebble beach with
sunlight glinting under the wavelets that ripple to the
soft and balmy breeze. Stretching out then to the
centre of the lake I recline in my canoe with the won-
derful panoramaabout me, gorgeous in colour and grace-
ful in outline, sacred in deep realities, and powerfully
stirring the mind. Here I read the sixth chapter of
John's Gospel, which tells how Christ taught on that
plain, and fed the people on that hill; how he went
alone for prayer to that mountain, while his disciples
went by boat across this bay ; then the night came on
and they were toiling in rowing, " for the wind was
contrary."—" Rob Roy," in Lami and Water.
VELOCIPEDE Scrtoins.—The nightly scenes at
Burnham's and Witty's schools in Brooklyn constitute
quite an interesting entertainment (says the Item York
Times). The expert riders of Brooklyn are multiply-
ing rapidly, and at both the above velocipede arenas
the displays of Skill and daring are numerous. The
funny side of the picture is also exhibited nightly in
the form of the collisions, falls, narrow escapes, and
the wobbling movements of the tyros in the art. The
attendance of spectators each night is such as to crowd
both halls, the gallery at Burnham's being specially
devoted to ladies and those of the other sex accom-
panying them, while at Wit ' ' the ladies have
the front seats. Mr. Burnham has introduced velo-
cipede riding as a feature of the exercises of his lady
classes, and Mrs. Burnham already rides with a degree
of modest ease and skill surprising to those who imagine
*at ladies cannot ride a two-wheeled veloeipede with-
out objectionable exposa. The exercise is especially
adapted for ladies, and it is simply as an exercise that
Mr. Burnham has introduced it. None but ladies are
admitted to the hall during the ladies' class exercise and
those who have seen Mrs. Burnham ride are in a fever
to learn the art themselves. The ordinary dress used
by ladies in these calisthenic exercises is just suited for
use in riding the bciycles, not half as much expos(' of
the nether limbs being made as in the ordinary walking
attire. Never before in the history of manufactures
in this country has there arisen such a demand for an
article as now exists in relation to velocipedes. They
are manufactured now at the rate of a 1,000 a week,
and that is about the tenth part of the number of
orders received for them. One contract was made
this week for the manufacture of 5,000 boys' bicycles.
THE WAY OF THE WHIRLED.—The Rail-way.—
Punch.

INCREASE OF SMOKING—The Principal of the
Laboratory of the Inland Revenue Department, Mr.
Phillips, reports that the consumption of tobacco in
this country continues to increase. The quantity
cleared for consumption in the United Kingdom in
1841 gave an average of lilioz. per head of the (esti-
mated) population; in 1851, 11b. Oloz. ; in 1861, 116.
3) oz. ; in 1865, 111). sos. ; in 1866, 11b. ritoz. ; in 1867,
11b. Noz. ; the increase being inappreciable in that
year when divided by the number of the population.
This may be partly due to the depression of trade,
and partly to the quantity cleared in 1866, showing an
increase of more than 2,000,0001 b, and being large
enough to leave more stock in hand than usual.
"GLORY TO THEM "-At a meeting held at
Limerick to further a collection on St. Patrick's Day
in aid of the released Fenian prisoners, Mr. Henry 1
O'Shea having said that they were not assembled to
identify themselves with the principles of those men,
there were cries of "We are." "They had dis-
played," the speaker continued, "a fine nobility.
Some had died in prison ; others suffered death on the
scaffold; more were sent to pine in English bastilles
and dungeons; and he was sure if they were called
upon to-morrow in their country's cause they would
do the same." Here there were cries of "Glory to
them." A resolution was passed, "bailing with the
ntmost satisfaction the partial release of the prisoners
who had been confined tor public causes." The Rev.
Mr. Shanahan is reported to have remarked that they
had cherished in their hearts and souls what those
patriots had suffered. He did not know well what a
Fenian was, but if it "meant love for Ireland, Ireland
for the Irish, and that they ought to be able to govern
themselves, he was a Fenian in his heart, and so was
every priest in Ireland." A number of persons ad-
dressed the meeting in a similar strain.
ROUGH'S GUIDE TO THE TURF.—The Police-
Punch.

A Corm ST. Veurrerlr4Vs.--The St. Catherine's
(Canada) Times says :—" The 14th of February will
long be remembered as an extraordinary day. The
whole country became an immense glacier, and the eye
was regaled with delicate fringes of icicles pendant
from fence rails, housetops, and the branches of trees.
The more tender varieties of fruit and ornamental
trees are badly injured in every direction—literally
smashed down with the weight of ice formed upon them
during the night. Peach trees have suffered most,
many of these being entirely ruined. About six years
ago we had just such another sped of weather, and,
strangely en.digh, there was an abundant crop of fruit
the following season, notwithstanding the destruction
of many choice trees. A Montreal paper states the
fall of snow this winter at no less than 118 inches.
SUPERSEDING A PRIKST.—The American papers
give particulars of a curious dispute which has oc-
curred at Auburn between the Roman Catholics of
that place and their bishop. A priest who had offi-
ciated for twenty-three years there was removed, and
another put in his place. The congregation, however,
refused to hear the new corner, gently led him out of
the church, together with the bishop, and then held a
meeting, in which they denounced the action of the
latter, and threatened to appeal to the Pope if nee as-
nary. The Now York Times draws attention to the
occurrence as one which shows the independent spirit
which pervades every organisation that is established
in America, and says that a more noteworthy assertion
of popular rights in ecclesiastical matter has not been
recorded for noise time. "No doubt the Bishop will
triumph in the end," it adds, " for Borne insure to sup-
port its own authorities, but the signs of the times
show that the Catholics of America will not submit to
ecclesiastical domination without a loud and significant
protest."_
-

Too REALISTIC !—The Boston State House
contains a statue of Washington, which a bold critic
says, "conveys to one who looks upon it for the first
time the umesthetic impression that it represents a
man getting up in his night shirt and attempting to
light the gas.'
A TRAIN BURIED IN AN AVALANCIDL—The
Italian Post office has published the following
notice_:— .

...... .
A telegram from Turin, announces that the mail from
France of the 28th is hurled under an avalanche of snow,
near the House of Refuge, No. 5, on Most Cents. Hitherto
there haa been no possibility of extricating the carriages.
The letters of the let inst, are at Lanalebourg, the railway
being obstructed. The postal route of Brianca is also blocked
up by the snow. As it cannot be foreseen how long this in-
terruption may last, orders have been given for the French
letters to be expedited by extraordinary methods, at what-
ever cost. No lives were lost in the accident.
PRESSURE OF THE RATES.—A table, intended
to exhibit the great degree with which the rates press
upon farmers as compared with other classes of per-
sons in agricultural (listricts, is given in the current
number of the Chamber of Agricult ore Journal. Re-
turns were obtained from sixteen persons, thirteen of
whom were fanners, one a surgeon, one a general
dealer, and one was rated simply as a "householder."
Several of these returns are from Northumberland,
and they show that a farmer who in 1848 paid income-
tax on 1:250 paid rates amounting to 20 per cent, of his
supposed income; that a surgeon paying income-tax
on f:200 paid rates which only amounted to 04 per cent. ;
that the like percentage was paid by a " householder "
who paid incorce-tax on £800; and that a general
dealer, who reckoned his income at £l5O per year,
paid rates which amounted to 14 per cent, upon that
amount.
A MODEL PARACIRAPIL—In order to accommo-
date newspaper language to the new theory that elec.-
tricit) is merely a " mode of motion" and nuts fluid,
the Moog° Times publishes the following model of a
paragraph :
During the thunderstorm of yesterday the stable of Mr.
John Jones became subject to electrical conditions. There
resulted a violent molecular electric agitation, whereby a
hole was undulated, or rotated, through the roof of the
barn. The pecular motion of the molecules was finally
carried to and communicated through a haymow, setting it
on lire, and thence through the body of a horse, whereby
death resulted.
WEIGHT OF RED DEER.—The Eirl of Derby
writes the following observations on the weight of red
deer :
The heaviest stag I ever killed at Knowsley weighed
30st. 41b., or 4241 b. clean, that is, after grallochiug.
(The gralloch would probably weigh fist. more. Ile was an
outlying deer, and very fat. I killed one, a year or two ago,
of 412115. ; but of late years the weight has diminished,
. chiefly owing, I think, to the park being overstocked, the
inumber of red deer exceeding 300. The average weight of a
stag eight or ten years, and in condition, would be from 20st.
to 21st., or .280Ib. to 3501 b. I have seldom killed any below
the former, or, of late years, above the latter weight.

_ .
A BELF-ILLDE MAN.—Mr. Aleiana-WT. f-
art, Secretary of the United States Treasury
(under General Grant), is • native of Ireland,
who went young and poor to New York, and now
ranks with those famous millionaires who, like
Astor and Girar I, created great fortunes by their
own energies and singular capacity for business. As
a merchant, he is butter known in America than any
other living man. The house of A. T. Stewart and
Co. does what is known as an importing and jobbing
business in dry goods—that is, in cotton, silk, and
woollen fabrics— their sales of which have been until
lately larger than those of any other firm. Their
amount has of late years exceeded forty millions of
dollars annually (about 210,000,000), and Mr. Stewart
paid a tax in one year on an income of a million and a
half. Before the war he was a Democrat, but absn-
doned his party in order to sustain the war, to which
he contributed great sums. He has long been intimate
with General Grant, and often mentioned as his pro-
bable Finance Minister,

PRESBYTERIAN EL'OQIIENCE DISPLAYRD. —An
old book thus describes the method of preaching popio
tar among the Presbyterians of the seventeenth
century :—" One John Simple, a very zealous preacher
among them, used to personate and set sermons in the
old monkish style. At a certain time he preached
upon that debate, whether a man be justified by faith
or by works, and acted it after this manner : "Sirs,
1 this is a very great debate; but who is that looking in
at the door with his redcap? It is very ill manners
to be looking in; but what's your name? Robert
Bellarmine. Bellarmine, saith he, whether is a man
justified by faith or by works? Ile is justified by
works. Stand thou there, man. But what is he, that
honest-like man standing in the floor with a long beard
and Geneva cowl? A very. honest-like man ! draw
near; what's your name, sir? My name is John
Calvin. Calvin, honest Calvin, whether is a man
justified by faith or by works? He is justified by faith.
Very well, John, thy leg to my leg, and we shall hough
(trip) down Bellarnaine even now." Another time,
preaching on the day of judgment, he told them, 'Sim
this will be a terrible day; we'l hill be there' and in
the throng I, John Simple, will be, and all of you will
stand at my back. Christ will look to site, and he will
say, who is that standing there? I'll say again, yea,
even as ye ken'd not, Lord. He'll say, I know thou's
honest John Simple ; draw near, John. Now John,
what good service have you done to me on earth? I
have brought hither a company of blue bonnets for
you, Lord. Blue bonnets, John! What is become of
the brave hats, the silks, and the satins, John? I'll
tell, I know not, Lord ; they went a gait of their own.
Well, honest John, thou and thy blue bonnets are
welcome to me; come to my right hand, and let the
devil take the hats, the silks, and the satins."—Curiosi-
.. .

ties of the Pulpit.
VELOCIPEDE RACE AT LIVERPOOL .—The intro-
duction of the velocipede into Liverpool, though only
of a recent date, is rapidly developing itself, and in
Saturday last a very exciting eight mile race, for a
prize of a silver cup, came off, the competitors being
members of the Liverpool Velocipede Club. About
three o'clock, the hour appointed for the start, only
five Velocipedeans came up to the starting post and
mounted their vehicles- Just as the vehicles got under
way, one of them knocked down a little boy, but the
rider kept his seat. The pace was rather slow owing
to the crowded state of the streets, but as the bicycle
gained the open country the veloeipedeans began to
work in earnest. The rate at which they got over the
ground was astonishing, and several horsemen and
carriages who followed the racers found it a most diffi-
cult task to keep up with them, although the roads
were rather rough for the bicycles. At sixteen
minutes to four o'clock the Marine Parade at Water-
loo was reached by Mr. Browne, who rode a much
larger velocipede than the other competitors. The
distance traversed was a little over eight miles, which
was got over in forty-four minutes. Beyond the mis-
hap mentioned above, the bicycles ran clear of every-
thing.
- —••— •

"SOLAR PROMI NENCEs."—Sun Elinds.—Punch.
A QUESTION OF COPYRIGHT DECIDED .—A case
of some interest to the cricketing world (Page e.
Wisden) was heard on Monday before Vice-Chancellor
Molina. The plaintiff, who is the assignee of the copy-
right in F. Lillywhite's cricket scoring sheet, filed a bill
to restrain the defendant from infringing that copy-
right. It was contended on behalf of the defendant
that the alleged invention was no invention at all, that
the plan of the scoring sheet was known so long ago as
1848, that at any rate Frederick Eillywhite was not
the author, and that it was far too trifling to be the
subject of copyright. The Vice-Chancellor said the
matter was a very small one, relating to a game which
always had been, and he hoped always would be, in-
teresting to Englishmen, and he regretted that a rea-
sonable arrangement had not been come to. As to the
question of copyright his honour held that there was
neither sufficient novelty nor importance in the sheet to
make it a fit subject for (anpyright. It would be ab.
Hurd to hold that there was a copyright in a particular
mode of ruling a book, and yet this was little more.
The bill ought never to have been filed, and it must
be dismissed with costs, including the costs of the
motion.
TIIE GAME LAws.—The bill brought into the
House of Commons by Lord Elcho, to amend the
game laws in Scotland, sanctions the killing of hares
by tenants without license on lands in their own occu-
pation, where the exclusive right is not specially re-
served to the proprietor in the lease. A tenant may
also appoint one person to kill bares or rabbits,
subject to the approval of such person by the landlord.
It is also provided that a tenant shall be entitled to
recover compensation from his lessor for any damages
he may sustain in consequence of the increase of hares,
rabbits, and game unduly encouraged or not duly pre-
vented by the lessor, on lands occupied by ti tenon
during the currency of his lease.
OH, DEAR! OFT, DEAR !—There is an old
souse, published, we believe, by C. efferys, called,
What shall He have that Killed the Deer?" We
have pondered over the question and dispassionately
come to this conclusion : It all depends on circum-
stances. If he happened to be the keeper, he might
probably have the inferior parts of the animal for his
own eating. If, however, he happened to be a poacher,
he would much more probably have six months.—
Fun.

_
CONVICTION OF AN HOTEL SWINDLER. —ln
the papers, a few weeks since, there appeared an ac-
count of the capture of a man named Charles Thomas
Woodhouse, charged with swindling the proprietor of
the Mount Ephraim Hotel, Tunbridge Wells. The
prisoner went to the hotel with two large bags. A few
days after his arrival a letter appeared in the news-
papers giving a description of a man who hail imposed
upon innkeepers in various parts of the country. This
description exactly applied to the prisoner, who was
thereupon apprehended, and his bags found to contain
hay and stones. He ban just been tried at the Kent
Quarter Sessions, and found guilty. He also pleaded
guilty to a similar offence at Nottingham in October,
1866, when he was sentenced to six months' imprison-
ment. Immediately after his release at Nottingham
he ran up a bill at an hotel at Wells, Somerset, and
absconded without paying it. He had been traced in
, fifteen counties, had stated himself to be an inspector
of mines, /to., and had assumed fifteen or sixteen
different names, among them Captain Devereux and
the nephew of the Archbishop of Armagh. The
Court now sentenced him to two years hard labour.
MunnEnous ATTACK ON A WIFE.— On Monday
the Mayor of Bradford went to the house of James
Unwin, driver of a wherry, residing in New Leeds,
and took the depositions of his wife Ann. The injured
woman said :
My husband came home at twenty minutes to one o'clock
on Saturday morning last. I don't know whether he was
drunk or sober. Ile knocked me down with his fist, and ,
while I was down he kicked me all over my body and face,
causing the injuries from which I am now suffering, and
from which I don't expect to recover. Alter he had kicked
me he struck me on the head with the coal rake, arid I
shoved it out of my head. I was insensible until half-past
two o'clock, arid when I came round he was asleep. When
we were living 10 Scarborough he came home drunk one
night and attempted to cut my throat, and on other oc-
casions when he has come home drunk he has violently Ill-
treated me. I was confined a mouth ago to-night. The
baby was dead. Ile had struck me collie Friday night pre-
viously across the shoulder with the poker, and about a
month before that he struck me across the shoulder with the
poker. _ _ .

BAD NEWB.—" Steps are being taken we believe,
to resopen the Great Convent Case of Sauna v. Starr
and Kennedy—
A more distressing announcement has not been made for a
long time. The rumour will be received with consternation
by thousands of newspaper readers who are hardly yet con-
valescent after three weeks of we:try suffering, and can see
no end for months to come to the Election Petitions and the
Irish Church. The thought that columns of the paper ntay
again be filled day by day with the Great Convent Case, must
bring terror and dismay to many a happy breakfast-table.
The Lord Chief Justice is expected to resign and take a peer-
age.—Punch.
AN EXPENSIVE Dom..—ln a shop in Rome
there is to be seen a doll ordered by an American
lady as a present to a child—the Marches% Al--
C—. It is an Easter offering; and no, of course, is
put in an egg. Now here is the literal description of
this "dear (t 80 little thing" :
The doll, as it appears, was dressed in a short costume of
pearl-grey endunere, worn over a petticoat of cerise satin, a
Grande Duchesse hat of pearl, grey, feather, with 1511-blown
rose. There ate several dresses besides, bu ; the two most
worthy of notice are a dinner and ball dress the first is a
rich silk of turquoise blue, made with two bodies ; the latter
Is of Valenciennes lace, with the smallest fillet muslin let in
the cost of this lace dress is 3501.) Then there is a white
cashmere peignoir, beautifully embsoidered ; also muslin
ones, trimmed with lace. The whole of the under-linen is
of the finest batiste, richly trimmed with Valenciennes the
pocket-handkerchlefs are perfect cobwebs of lace; a half-
square shawl of tine Brussels lace ; a carved ivory fan : gloves
of all kinds (even the useful doeskin) ; a bonnet of white
blond, trimmed with forget-me-nets ; loots, shoes, and
slippers', a boxful of lovely china and glass for the toilet
and last,though not least, a real Indian cashmere.
NOT A SELF-DENYING MAN.—lmmartine's ex-
travagance, even under the most desperate pressure of
poverty, is well known. The story is told in private
circles m Paris of an enthusiastic admirer of the poet
who severely stinted himself, to offer a large subscrip-
tion for the repurchase of the Lamartine estates. On
the day on which he had paid in the money, he hap-
pened to ask at a well-known fishmonger's the price of
a turbot. "Forty francs," replied the Parisian
Charles. " Ah, that is much too dear for me," said
the gentleman, and was passing on Lis way, when a
distinguished-looking personage paused for a moment
before the shop, and without questioning the price,
ordered the fish to be sent to his house. "Who
may that be? asked the first customer. "Do you not
knew?" said the fishmonger; "that is M. de Lamar.
tine." It may be surmised that the future subscrip-
tions of the gentleman were few.— [But ass set-tiff to
the above, we now read that the notary who was for
many years Lamartine's man of business, certifies in a
public letter that to his certain knowledge Lamartine,
in the course of twenty years, spent 200,000 francs in
charity, in the department of the Saone•et-Loire.]
P. T. BARNUM ON TEMPERANCE.—Mr. P. T.
• Barnum has been lecturing on temperance. Speaking
of the effect of habits of sobriety, he says
Two men will start together in life, the one keeping his
head cool with water--the other muddling his with liquor.
At end of ten years the former will have achieved success,
the latter will tw atrapping into a drunkard's grave but just
before he drops you will hear him say, "'stouishing what
difference 'er is in Me ! That teller started name's I did.
an' everything he touched turned to gol', and everything I
touched turned to ashes—'atenishing what • difference 'er is
In Me