The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-02-08 00:00:00

Misteltimenus iltittigence.

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

THE RUSSIAN CRUISER-Es. —The St. Peteral;Urg COr.
respondent of the Daily Telegraph. save :—The Whin.
teer fleet that was to have sent the British merchant
navy to the bottom of the ocean seems to be a burden on
the hands of its owners. The suggestion that it should
be employed for the development of Russian maritime
trade had to be discarded in presence of the practical
objection that the steamers are all of the passenger
class, and having large engines and requiring a con-
siderable amount of fuel they have very little stowage
room. The fleet consists of the Russia, which cost
700,000 roubles; the Moscow, 500,000 roubles: the
Petersburg, 400,010 roubles; and the Nijni Novo-
gorod, 300,000 roubles. One million roubles still lies
at the disposal of the Committee.
Loss or THE THOMAS E. KENNY. The Thomas
E. Kenny, British ship, Captain Grant, of Maitland,
N.S., was abandoned on Jan. 19, in lat. 44.30 N,
long 30.10 W, while on a voyage from New York to
London. From the 10th to 18th, strong gales with
very high seas continually breaking on board, washed
the deck fore and aft, smashing boats and bulwarks.
On the 16th, the second mate and three seamen were
washed overboard; and the next day, at 9 p.m.' ship
was struclr by a squall, which hove her on her beam
ends, causing her to leak heavily. On the 18th, ship
still on her beam ends. Cut away the masts in
order to right her, which could not be done, the
cargo having shifted, and there being sft. sin. of water
in the hold. On the 19th the ship in the trough of
the sea, rolling heavily, and leaking badly. At eleven
a.m. a sail hove in sight, which proved to be the
Brunette, brigantine, from St. John's, which by
means of her boat, manned by Robert Stephenson
(boatswain), Michael Wall and Brya Roach (able
seamen), succeeded in rescuing the captain, twenty of
the crew, and three passengers, there being at the
time a very heavy sea on. The Brunette arrived
safely at Lisbon on January 27.

BRITISH TBADE AND FOREIGN TARIFES.-At
crowded town's meeting held at Coventry on Monday
evening, to consider the cause of the present depressed
state of trade, it was unanimously resolved that it is
of the utmost importance that a Royal Commission be
appointed to inquire into the operation of foreign
tariffs, and to ascertain what is the cause of the pre-
sent distress now prevailing throughout this country.
A resolution was also passed hailing with satisfaction
the prospect of the abandonment of the French
Treaty of 1860 at the end of the present year, and
imploring Her Majesty's Government not to enter
into another treaty that will not give to this country
free and fair trade or reciprocity.
BATHS FOR VILLAGERS.-A correspondent writes
to the Daily News :—" Apropos of your sensible
article in Friday's issue about learning to swim will
you let me tell your readers whEkt I saw at Gernsbach,
a village near Baden-Baden, last summer? There is a
beautiful pure running stream there, like those in
Devon and Cornwall, and the first arch of the principal
bridge was converted into a bath by the simple
expedient of railing it on both sides and making a
platform underneath to dress on. A small fee was
charged for admittance. Might we not adopt this in-
expensive plan in many a riverside village in England?
—Yours faithf ally, M. J. R."

_
OUTBREAK OF PRISONERS.—The Madras papers re-
port a serious outbreak of the prisoners at Cannanore
Gaol, on January 2. For two days the prisoners had
shown signs of discontent with the change made in
their diet under recent orders of Government. In-
subordination having shown itself, one of the ring-
leaders was sentenced to be flogged. During the in-
fliction of the sentence, Colonel Beauchamp, with Dr.
McAllum, civil surgeon, being present, the prisoners
suddenly burst into the main yard of the prison, and,
arming themselves with heavy stones, advanced in a
crowd upon the supeeintendent and his small police
guard. Colonel Beauchamp was severely wounded on
the brow by a large stone, and was compelled to order
the police to fire. Six men fell before the volley, one
dead, and five more or less seriously wounded. The
rioters were instantly cowed by this decisive measure,
and retreated to their wards in an orderly manner.
There are over 850 convicts in the gaol, and fully 400
of them took part in the fray, Colonel's Beauchamp's
eye is much injured.— Overland Mail.
UNSEEMLY INTERRUPTION. The new Footman
(stentoriously) : "Mrs. Montgomery Jenkins's car-
riage! "—Mrs. Montgomery Jenkins: 'A
—tell the
coachman to wait."—New Footman: "Please, Ma'am,
he says he can't. He says he's got another job at
twenty minnits past eleven! "—Punch.
GRAPHITE IN NEW ZEALAND.—An important dis-
covery of graphite has lately been made in the interior
of Wellington Province, New Zealand, where large
deposits are believed to exist, very pure in quality and
compact in texture. A correspondent of the Colonies
and India states that samples sent to the Colonial
Laboratory gave been carefully examined and prove
equal to the best "Cumberland lead," the deposits of
which have proved such a source of wealth to this
country. The importance of the discovery is enhanced
by the fact that the presence of the graphite indicates
the existence of coal of a quality superior to any yet
found in New Zealand.
A CURE FOR POLYGAMY 1-- Khalil Pasha Was very
fond of Western customs, and he used to assert that
it would not be so very difficult, after all, to raise
Turkey to the level of the great Powers. "Still,"
objected some one, "there is the barbarous habit of
polygamy, which it would be difficult to uproot."
"Polygamy 1" exclaimed Khalil. "Were I the
Grand Vizier, I would simply declare that every
Mussulman has the option, as before, of keeping four
wives. Only I would exact from him the obligation
of keeping his mothers-in-law as well. You would
see then what would become of polygamy !"—The
World.
STATISTICS OF PAUPERISM,—The comparative state-
ment of pauperism for December' 1877, and December,
1878, shows that the number of paupers in England
and Wales- at the end of the Christmas quarter of
1878 was 736,340, which was an increase of 51,122, or
75 per cent, compared with 1877, and 62,27, or 92
'percent. as compared with 1876. In the three divi-
sions of 'England in which the principal manufactures
are carried on—the North-Midland, North-Western,
and York divisions—the increase in 1878, compared
with 1877, was 36,542, or 62'2 per cent. ' • and in com-
parison with 1876 the increase was 46,452, or 30 per
cent. In the metropolis the increase, as compared with
1877, was 1,717, or 2'l per cent. ; and on a comparison
with 1876, thire was an increase of 1,237, or 1.5 per
cent. There was a slight decrease in the south-eastern,
eastern, and south-western districts.
A TRICK OF HELLER'S.—A correspondent of the
Cincinnati Commercial tells the following story of
Robert Heller's skill in sleightof-hand tricks :
"Lager Sketch beer c labs. the
Oneleading
day
there
er.
e beverage
were
gatheredin the
some Cinci-
nnati
musicians, seventy
mengentlemen—artistsof
letters, lnmf Torts, t
allers ,
professionsd octors, p poets,
represented—when Heller announced the fact that
he would make disappear a full glass of lager, not by
the usual raethod—that was, that he woulckmake die-
appear this glass and the beer, and it would be found
in the rear pocket of some one of those present, and
he would be unaware of its presence. A moment! It
was n'ot in Heller's hands, and where had it gone?
Every one was intent on Heller, and crowding closely
around the performer. Mr. Samuel N. Bike, who was
languidly leaning against the mantel-shelf, smoking,
and quitei n
hi
s unconcerned,noatp
n ek
estora
s w
e twenty
did,feenoto:ka wektna. y 0
w,
nu:
his hand
but that eath was the victim) and withdrew it
hurriedly, dripping with beer. The veritable glass,
half full of the frothing fluid, was in hie p
STATE AID TO ART.—In the last number of the
Kunst- Chronik a comparison is made between the art
budgets of France and England for the present year,
and it is shown that, although the French Government
grants aid to a much larger number of art institutions
museums, public buildings, manufactures, &c., the
y
total sum voted for the present year was lees by about
three million francs than that allowed by England,
which only supports the South Kensington Museum,
A,‘ cycandouuel,ic—ver
the British Museum, National Gallery, Portrait
Gallery, and the museums of
eofarEedainpbtutroglLiannkd
thatD übltinhle.
This is noteworthy,
State aid granted to art in France is much larger than
in England, and so it is, but it certainly, according to
tctenibkudpgrentsp,osdnosestonotencmosptarseo
alba(' ht
'bhued getgs .Kunst.o f
oher countries, especially Germany and Austria.—
Fair One (during an interval in the valse) :
y fond of dancing,
" Yaas. Igo in for it a gEs_otmo.ordici T
ll ec you
"
i 0-113w1":
e r:
` I
wonder
the BARKER'S
u following
E dß,osn ' don't
TlBeßa,atr
liTnAkc"
p The innde le d
News
Andrew
i aot.po n
tWelAisollstn had a bank at Nashville, in the wilds of Brown
s
county, more than twenty miles, across hills and the
ruggedest roads,
from any railway, On day Mr.
Wilson casually learned that a large e
etiamount of his.
bills
w would
Swoopbbleddnupn in in , and a carpet-
bagger bin,onnC l
cinlina a few days for
coin. The time was too brief to allow him to get
gold or silver, and he was in great trouble. The
dreaded visitor appeared at the bank, and at the same
time a happy thought came to the banker. Leaving
his clerk to engage the stranger, he rushed out, went
up a flight of back stairs into the office of the only
notary in the town, and, finding that functionary out,
he pocketed the notarial seal and walked off. He then
boldly
and
lt to
find yrenfwused payment, and the stranger took a paper
iathnotntai rayand make the proper protest. No
importantseal, and
could done,taccohumenbtet°then aeesd. it
legal red tape absent,t
would require at least a week to communicate with
indiat°l?°l. atkd replacie the lost ser.d. SO the carpet..
13444 " ' A. r. Wilson &Valid himself of
4 this • . &der.",