The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-09-02 00:00:00

THE HARVEST.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 2, 1876.

STRANGE OMISSION.—From an official doeu- . " RilLwAr COUPLING."—When the Porter
ment recently issued, it appears that the sums sent marries the Young Lady in the Refreshment Depart'
to the Chancellor of the Exchequer as "conscience ment.—Punehe
money" for the year ending March 31, amonntei to FACTORY ACCIDENTS. —ln the half -year
£2,62 19s. 11d. It is one oi those appalling mysteries ending the 30th of April, 1876, factory accidents
which shakes one's faith in one's fellow-creatures to caused the death of 128 persons—namely, 91 men and
its for nds.tions, that these tender-minded people did one woman, 27 young persons (all mah a except two),
not, while they were'about it, go the other penny.— and eight male children and one female child. The
Judy.:-.
~ accidents not fatal were serious enough to require
BRIGHTNESS or TBE MORNING STAR.— The amputation of a limb or part of numb in 488 instancee,
Rev. J. G. Medland, vicar of St. Martin's, Ilaverstock- but in 403 of them' the lose was only of part of the
Lill, writes to the Standard to say that whilst looking hand; there were also 260 fractures of limbs or boner,
out of his window at half-past three o'clock in the 197 instances of injuries to head or face, and 2,193
morning hie attention was instantly arrested by the other injuries sufficient to prevent a return to work
dazzling brightness and beauty of the morning star. within the next 48 hours. The total, including the
"For eeveral years," he says, "I have seen the 128 killed, is 3.266 persons injured-2,497 males and
stars in the southern hemisphere and, with many 769 females. Cleaning machinery bi rnotion is de-
:Others admired their brilliance, but this far outshone ecribed by a subiespeotor as "continuing to leed to
. them as well as all the meteors and falling stars I have very numerous and painful mutilations."
ever beheld. I believe that half the world Would rise Mn. GLADSTONE ON FRES LIBRARIES.—MT.
to see an object of "Inch exceeding beauty suspended in Gladstone has-
to a Glasgow correspondent written the following letter; in answer
: -
the sky, and they would have no difficulty in finding it .
almost over their heads." ,
"Sir,—l regret that Ido not feel myself canpetent to
Tan " FORCE " AT PLAY.—At the annual give any well-Informed or trustworthy opinion on the ques-
liqpn whether the Tree Libraries Act ought to be iviopted in
Fête, at the Alexandra Palace, of that useful institn-
c Glasgow.
uances It
Iseems to res?niiredoa
not,
rtoknewledge of
rthhei
ocnire-
tion, the Police Orphanage, the "general attractions
were augmented by the competition of constablee in paiticular objection to it which you mweenvArOncoanselling ex-
athletic 'sports." The historian does not state whether tensively felt—namely, that the people are not yet ripe, that
anybody tried to "outrun the Constable."—Puneh. time...must is allowed fee the action of the school boards to
educated than
jehpezepolpeloefoluLaiivaeorroLatr:,nl pr,lasusmaeile:
THE ,TITL.II, 107 PRESIDENT.—Upder what style Luck: all
and titles should a sovereign address the chief magis- all times when I have seen their free library opyea it has
trate of a Republietres Vanity Fair) In writing to been crowded by the very description ot people for whom
the-President of the nited States her ll:lajeety makes I sueh an institution is principally intended. And it seems to
use of the dreadfully patronising formula of "My
be great
gretre Importanceoortfance for maintaining the knowledge and
I life t though
hose
.who can use ii, even ththey&God. _ Priencl." The flake of Rutland employed Isom. e Iti y n
not represent anything like the entire population.—l
rilmilar,thrase when he isemd a proclamation to tne remain, eze', W. E. GLADITONE."
.
\ r

A JOINT NoTE.—According to report, the
great Powers are preparing a joint note, which they
will present to Turkey, complaining of her barbarous
conduct of the present struggle. Preparing a joint
note, are they? Well, it's time someone sent in the
butcher's bill.—Fun.
DEFINITION OF TRADE lINIO2IS.—Am impor-
tant alteration is made in the recent Act (39 and
and 40 Viet., c. 22) as to the definition of " Trade
Unions." It is now declared that the term "Trade
- Union" niees—nis any oombination, whether temporarY
or permanent, for regulating the relations between
workmen or masters, er between workmen and
workmen or between masters and masters, or
for imposing restrictive conditions on the conduct of
any trade or business, whether such combination
would or could not, if the principal Act had not been
passed, have been deemed to have been an unlawful
combination by reason of some one or more of its pur-
poses being in restraint of trade. By the 9th section
of the Act a person under the age of twenty-one, but
above the age of sixteen, may be a member of a Trade
Union, unless provision be made in the rules to the
contrary, and may, subject to the rules enjoy all the
rights of a member, except as provided, and may eNe-
cute all instruments, but is not to be a member of the
committee of management, trustee, or treasurer of
the Trade Union.
Tait MATTER Exmuz4rEn. A Melodeon
artist on the Barbary Coast advertised a benefit for
hiinself last week in a popular dive, and being of a
frugal turn of mind he stuck up small yellow adver•
titling polders all round the premises, and at the
appointed hour took his seat in the box office. After
waiting patiently till the hour of opening, he was
chargined to find that not even his brother artiste had
put in an appearance, while as for the general publics
neither man' woman, nor child had passed the deor,
either up or down, the whole evening. Being anxious
to discover the cause, he stood at the entrance and wag
surprised to notice that all the passers-by suddenll
turned back when near the door of the dive. Feeling
that he was the victim of some deep laid plot, he
locked up the shebang, and, amid a volley of self'
uttered imprecations, was about to proceed to his
hotne under a wharf. Before leaving, however, he
.commenced tearing down his yellow posters, when the
'shrill voice of a neighbouring hag was heard above the
evening sou'wester "Young man, if you pulls down
them small-pox notices you'll get ninety days surer
than nuffen. '
WILD FOWL PRESERVATION.—An Act of Par.
lianient has lately been issued for the preservation Of
wild fowl, reciting that the wild fowl of the United
Kingdom, forming a staple article of food and corn-
merce, have of late years greatly decreased in number bY
reason of their being inconsiderately slaughtered during
the time they have eggs and young, and the protection
afforded, owing to their marketable value, by the Act,
36 of the Queen is insufficient It is therefore enacteci
that "wild fowl "—a list is given--ahall not be taken
between the 15th of February and the 10th, of JulYs
with penalties for infringing the law. The Howe
Office may vary the period. One half of this penalty'
is to be given to the informer and the other to the poor
of the parish. Provision is made for the trial of
offences committed within the Admiralty jnriedictine
or on boundary waters•
.
THE COST OF THE BRITISH MUSETTM.—The
trustees of the British Museum have issued a return
of the total expenditure on the institution since ite
foundation in 1753 up to the end of March, 1875--
nearly a century ana a quarter. The charges are
classified unoer their distinct heads, and show the en-
'tire expendicure during the period, with the following
interesting results :—For the staff and building, to'
gether £3,621,731; for new buildings and repairs,
£1,300,085; for rates and taxes, £41,472. The charge
for the staff alone during•the entire period for salaries,
wages, police, and pensions, is £1,473,937 (this; item 112
1874 5 reached the sum of £55,016). From the stan
and building charges also must be deducted the cost of
bookbinding and preparing and printing the catalogues,
tz-,c., all of which is executed on the premises, and 0.100
the sum of £5,416, for the publication of the cuneiform
inscriptions, in contrast on the seemingly enormous
rums expended on the staff, &c., with the comparatively!
small sums expended on the collection itself, Drying
the corresponding period the entire cost of purchase
a.nounte to £1,070,934, or considerably less than one'
third of the cost of maintenance. The expenditure on
antiquities, including excavations, has been-In,
Assyria, £18,108; in Ephesus the large sum 01.
2377,633 ; on manuscripts, £120,032 ; on music, reaPef
_ .

and book;s, 2322,915. •
ANOTHER " THOUSANDTH ANNIVERSAEIe."---
Au "Amused Observer" writes to the Daily News
"Daring the present mania for celebrations of
sorts, it may be amusing to your readers to learn tho
it is actually intended to hold a festival at Anderna°l2
on the Rhine, in commemoration of a battle whico
took place there a thousand years ago between the
nations of the Franks and the Germans who had beeo
separated only a few years before. Can any further
height of absurdity be reached? I should think it
hardly possible."
Tula MONEY IN CHANCERY. EnormoUSlY

wealthy as we know "Chancery" is, yet the retore
presented to the House of Commons shortly before the
prorogation, shows that the funds dealt wite by the
Court are almost beyond comprehension. For tbt!
year ending August last the fonds amounted in rouno
numbers to about £87,000,000, while the balance
hand was over £69,000,000, represented by 246,732,35°
Console, £5,528 164 Reduced Three per Cents.,
£7,565,663 New Three per cents., £4,590,890 easb, the
residue being made up of India Stock, Bank Stock.
Metropolitan Consolidated Stock, debentures and
stock of the leading railway companies, &a. In midi'
tion to these enormous stuns there is £460,000 or
thereabouts in foreign securities.
THE CARMARTHENSHIRE MURDER. Tile
funeral of Mr. John Johnee, who was murdered by hi'
butler, took place on Saturday, when his remains were,
Interred in the family vault in the village churchyard();
Caio, three miles from the residence of the decease'
at Dolanoothy. The approaches to the vault and the
floor of it were covered with ferns and white &were.
The churchyard was crowded, and a large number,
of persons occupied every elevation from which
the procession could be seen. Many of the
nobility and gentry of the district sent their
carriages to join the procession which was of eon'
siderable length. At the churchyard Miss Jolene°,
and Lady Hanover, both attired in the deepot
mourning, stood next to the coffin. Each held in 110
hand a magnificent bouquet composed of white roller;
phloxes, and choice ferns. Behind them, also dresseo
in deep mourning, stood the female servants of the
household, each carrying in her hand a similar bonquet"
A young woman then came forward with a basket in
her hand, from which she took a number of large
letters, tastefully composed of everlasting floweret
which, when placed over the black pall that covereo
the coffin, made up the following sentence in Welsh :
" blewn cof anwyl." She also placed a beautiful
boucniet of flowers on the pall below this loving IT
affectionate sentence, and then retired. The burls'
service was read in the Welsh language, Mr°'
Cookman is still in a critical condition.
PHYSICAL CHANGES IN ENGLAND.—It is net
impossible that the climate has actually changed sinee
England was covered with bush and swamp. It seems
certain that the rainfall is less, and probable that fa
more evenly distributed; that there were greater flood°
mad less fog lathe twelfth and fourteenth centuries.
A year in which the snow only lay for half a day during
the Winter months is recorded by one of our chronicle°
as a miracle ; and a frost like that of A D. 1281, wile°
man skated from Lambeth to Westminster. and the
great Mimes. of ice breaking up bore down five arch'
of London Bridge, has no paralel later than Char!'
11. Earthquakes were violent and frequent. In the
ben years from A.D.- 1235 DO fewer than five are re;
corded, two of which are said to have been great act
horrible, while a third veas sb violent that it sho°s.
down several churches in Kent,
• "Members, chimneys, all to burst,
Churches and castles foul 'gan fare,
Pinmicles and s'eepks to ground it cast,
And all was for warning to De ware,"
Even volcanoes are recorded, though not in Englana
itself. A great one broke out in Guernsey during the
reign of Henry 111., flames bursting up out of the es.
consuming large parts of the cliffs, and sending shower°
of ashes over the land. —English History in 1114
Fourteenth Century, by Charles B. Pearron.
A NIAGARA BEAR INCIDENT.— In the surarnor
of 1816 three men living about three miles above the
Falls, saw a bear swimming in the river. Thinking
he would, be a capital prize they started fee him in a
large substantial log canoe or " dueeent." When the,'
overtook him he seemed quite obliged for their atter'
tion, and quietly putting his paws on the side of the
canoe, drew himself into it, notwithstanding that WI
vehemently belaboured him with thdr paddles. An ha
came in on one aide two of the men went into the
water on the other side. The third, who naer leo
called Fisher, could not swim, and extra-ally enongb
felt somewhat embaratsed. Much to les relief the
animal deliberetely elate clown in the bow of the eeknoe
facing him. As the -noise of the rapids and roar of the
Falls reminded him that they were ominously nsart
Fisher resolved to take advantage of the truce all
null vigorously for the shore. But when he began I.°
paddle the bear began to growl his objections, enforcieg
them at the same time with an ominous grin. Fißba
desisted for a while, but feeling their constant and
sidiotis approach to the rapids, he tried again to use no
paddle. Bruin then raised his note of disapproball
an octave higher, and made a motion as if he inteno
to get down and "go for" him. The man who awe°
ashore soon, however, reappeared, in another call
with a loaded musket, shot the bear, and ended Filgh.er_A
terrible suspense. Bruin weighed over three htiner
pounds.—Scribotor.