The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-09-19 00:00:00

alisallantous Znielligeart.
HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

1

IxviorrioNs EXIIIBITION.—The number of
visitors to the International Inventions Exhibition fl

the week ending Sept. 12 war 124,145. Total since the
opening, 2,713,987.
SomiEns' INsTrincrtorr.—Viseount WolFeley has jest
finished a complete revision of hi 3 "Soldier's Pocket
-
Book."

FOREIGN OPERETTAS FOR CAIRO.— Turkish operetta
is to be introduced this season at the theatre of Cairo,
alternating with French.
Stuetnn OF A GAMBLER.—According to the " Vol-
taire," one of the largest picture-dealers of Berlin bat/
committed suicide after losing upwards of 2,0000.0
the gambling hells of Paris.
A Russrax EXPEDITION.—The Russian Geographical
Society is said by the St. Petersburg journals to cow
template sending a scientific expedition to the Amour
for the purpose of studying the surrounding region
with regard to its geographical, historical, and c01:0'
mercial features, as well as its mineral resources.
MoNeco.—The State Library at Monaco is being
catalogued. Among its contents have been found
about 20,000 letters from persons who have filled most
important positions in French political or literary his'
tory, such as Catherine de Medicis, Richelieu, Mazariet
Louvois, Colbert, and Montaigne.
EDUCATION.—An "Educational Yellow Book" is le
preparatiou. It will contain "What her Majesty's in
specters say " on "the three R's," "infant schools,'?
"overpressure," and other matters relating to educe-
tion, classified, paragraphed, and arranged from their
reports (1884-85) for England, Wales, and Scotland.
SCOCESSFUL OAREBR.—The death is announced at
Berlin of General Baeyer, chief of the Trigonometrical
Survey Department of the Grand General Staff there.
The deceased, who was born in 1794, and had therefore
reached his 92nd year, was the son of a peasant farmer,
and fought under Blucher as a private in tl e variouS
campaigns of the Liberation war. Ho had a Euror)eae
fame as the author of various well-known works en.
geodesies.
FEMALE ST-onasTs.—The female element constitutes
a tenth part of the entire " Studentschaft " of the
University a Zurich during the present Semester. In
the medical faculty there are 29 ladies, in the philo-
sophical 14, and two have inscribed themselves as
students of its politico-economical sciences. Of these
4.5 female students, 15 are Swiss, and 10 are Russian.
Hithertoßussia has supplied the largest contingent of
female students at Zurich.

, I

HANDSOME OFFER.—Tbe King of Sweden has in-
formed the Academy of Sciences at Paris that upon
attaining his 60th year, in January, 1889, he intends
offering a prize of 2500 f., in addition to a gold medal, -
valued at 1000 f., to the author of the most important
discovery in mathematical science. The judges, who
have already been nominated, consist of three gentles
men, the first being a Swiss, the second being a German,
and the third M. Hermite, a member of the Paris
Academy of Sciences.
IMPORTANT DISCOVERT.—Professor Thorold Roger),
M.P., has made a very important discovery while pur-
suing his investigations at Cambridge for additional
volumes of his work on the "History of Prices." This
is a set of accounts kept at King's College durina 120
years, with the excption of one year, beginning with the '
year 1583. There is information accessible with regard
to the missing year, so that the series of accounts is
practically complete for the eetire period. ID addition 1
to the facts furnished as to prices, these accounts con- f
tam n many curious details illustrative of social life la
olden days.—.. Athenwum."
ANCIENT PRAYER BOOK.—In the Vienna Hofbiblio-
thek there is a parchment MS., written between the
3 ears 1516 and Isl9—the private prayer-book of the
Emperor Charles V. It bears the traces of long use-
In one place of the book, the spot where the Emperor's
spectacles used to lie is clearly marked, and in other
places the names cf some of his near relatives aro .
inscribed, as his Aunt Margaret, the Elector Joachim ,
of Brandenburg, and others. It is adorned with beautiful -
miniatures by a Netherlandish artist. The bock was
formerly the property of the dissolved Jesuit College in
Vienna Neustadt, where it had been kept since 1670.
CURIOUS EFFECT AT INSTRUMENTAL CONCERTS.--'
The effect of music is curiously illustrated by the
keeper of the resraurant at Theodore Thomas's concerts
at Chicago. He says, "On the niehts when they play
Wagner's music I sell five times as much Lager beer as -
usual. On Mendelssohn nights nobody wants any hen)
sandwiches, and as I get 85 per cent, out of them I
don't think much of Mr. Mendelsaohn. Strauss is the
composer to make the w'ne go off. A man feels well
off while he listens to a waltz of Strauss, and he ordera
his bottle of champagne freely."
TRADE IN SOUTH WALES.—During the eight months
ending August 31 the official statistics show, with
one exception, a falling off in the trade returns of the
South Wales Ports. The coal shipments from Swan
were 15 per cent, less than in the corresponding period
of last year; Llanely showed a falling off of 3 per cent., •
and the Cardiff returns have gen practically sta'
tionary. Newport showed an increase of 10 per cent'
over last year, and of 21 per cent. over the correspond'
ing period of 1883. The iron exports for the elgb".
months ending August 31 this year were as follow:
Newport, 81,192 tons; Cardiff, 47,645 tons; and Swan'
sea, 2961 tons.
A BISHOP ON FREE SEATS.—Oanon Trench, who v 7..?
appointed to the vicarage of All Saints, Notting-hia,
where the pew rents exceedei £6OO a year, has, with
the consent of the parishioners and pewholders•
abolished them provided a lesser sum is guaranteed.
The vicar having communicated the circumstance to
the Bishop of London, his lordship writes fronl
Grasmere expressing his entire approval, but adds:
hope that you will make it clearly 'understood that the-
failure of the fund for the support of the clerzy rotls!
be followed by the revival of seat rents. I do no"
myself object to seat rents provided the free seat°
occupy the best part of the church. Justice require()
that people who like to secure their seat should be coa'
tent with an inferior seat. But it is best that all seats'
should be free if we can afford it."
COUNTRY SUPERSTITIONS. A correspondent i°
"Notes and Queries" says: "The wife of a Derbyshire
clergyman tells me it is a common notion among tlie
miners that pulmonary consumption is caused by tue
upheavieg of the lungs, and that shot is swallowed t°
weight them down into their hormal place. The loaf
says she has lately been a constant visitor to tlao
Chesterfield hospital or infirmary—l forget which it 0
called—when several instances of this strange folli.
came to her personal knowledge. Another superstition,
in Kent and Essex, is that measles will be cured bi
giving to the sufferer some hair from the node whet;
the stripes of an ass cross, sprinkled on bread so
butter. These in the year 1585! The schoolmaster
abroad is not yet a fait accompli."
:FOREIGN LIVE STOCK AND FRESH MEAT.
following steamers arrived at Liverpool during la s .
week with live stock and fresh meat on board fro°
American and Canadian ports, bringing a eollectil
supply of 2034 cattle, 497 sheep, 6848 quarters of bee '
and 200 carcases of mutton, against the precedil
week's arrivals of 2275 cattle, 1287 sheep, 8707 (Plate%
of beef, and 430 carcases of mutton, showing a decress
.
in the imports of live stock and fresh meat. The eles
veying steamers were as follows: Missouri, 464 est:./9
and 768 quarters of beef; Helvetia, 408 cattle and lo'
quarters of beef, and 100 carcases of mutton; Toro
406 cattle; Lake Nepigon, 236 cattle, 497 sheen' a
671 quarters of beef; Oranmore, 520 cattle; Samaris!
1086 quarters of beef; the British Prince, 1024 quarteg
of beef; City of Chicago' 920 quarters of beef, arid ili
carcases of mutton; and Adriatic, 700 quarters of hee
and 50 carcases of mutton. nt4
AMERICAN Mos-ustErrs—Among the monuree f
assumed to be connected with the aboriginal histor7ss
North America is a rock inscription on the rocky ta
of Menana, off the coast of Maine. The rock sarl'-of
is smooth, and the inscription lies within a sort.op
border. The symbols which constitute the inscriPtlsa
resemble in shape our letters V and X, or combinattir
of those letters. No one has yet pretended to give %.
exposition of their signification. Professor Stone fs'ci
lately made a careful examination of the rock, Mr
declares that the so-called inscription and other siw:Pf
appearances in the neighbourhood are not the wor,'„! is
human hands. The smooth surface of the roc' of
simply the effect of weathering upon a fine plane a
cleavaze, while the apparent symbols are only dsW°
fissures filled up with oxide of iron.
'
DEATH OF THE INVENTOR OF BALLOON PHOTOG000 OO
—At the weekly meeting of the Balloon Society 1,1.11 it
Royal Aquarium, Westminster, the President sts7,4o
was with the deepest regret that he had to ano°7s ai
the death of Mr. Walter Bentley Woodbury, °ls.ii SO
their oldest members. He had often been loret3e- th°
their meetings, and had written a paper olls, wail
application of photography to tallooning, whist`fasro
read at one of their meetings in 1880. M. l'`',0100:1
stated that he had received from the French 33'-bile:
Society, a series of five photographs taken wsi to
crossing Paris in 12 minutes, which rere quite Mt' jocl
any taken on the face of the earth. Mr. 'Woodb.,°2otof
been the pioneer of balloon photography, and '13004
of many improved processes known as the Wr°%siriea
type. Mr. Woodbury died at Margate, and was „eat/.
at Abney-park Cemetery, his funeral being attertu .
many members of the society. to tile
i
THE ZOOLOGICAL GARIMINS.—The additions d, -
Zoological Gardens during the past week
_,frielv W.
purple-faced monkey from Cey_on, presenter" santell
Ernest Greathead ; a weeper capuchin fr°./31 tarl„,,
America, presented by Mrs. A. Sinclair; a ririt,r J, us:
coati from South America, presented by blest`"Sort
Robinson; a yellow-footed rock kangaroo from jevw {
Australia, presented by Mr. C. W. Holden ; ,es prin
lant's cvnictis and a suricate from South Afsrler 'Ol7
sented by Mr. J. Constable; four black vaus_tfoariglati;
from Scotland, presented by Mr. W.
F.Z.S.; a white-backed piping crow fr,„%lborielis
Australia, presented by Miss A. CharsleY; arsOliftiLi
eater from New Zealand, presented by Ghle 11P,)-is
F.Z.S. ; a Humboldt's lagothrix from ,siteoect
Amazons; a glutton, North European, ",„1,1-frol" 0
jaguar, from America, deposited; two '`';iverS,
gerbilles, two snow birds, five cowmen '
striped snakes, bred in the Gardens.-