The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-11-28 00:00:00

raistellaltt OITS

HOVE, :FOREIGN, AND COLONIA.O

THE BirrE PRlZE.—Profezis—or's Powell, Roberts, and
Edwards, adjudicates appointed to decide upon the
merits of 18 translations of the" Alcestis," cent in for
competition at the recent National Eisteddfodd, for
which the Marquis of Bute offered a £5O prize, have
decided to divide the prize between the traulations
bearing the names of "Aristopht.t.es " and " Aypol-
loninus."

CORN AVERAGES—The followine are the averap
prices of British corn for last week, as received from
the inspectors and officers of Excise: Wheat, 30s. 101 ;
barley, 295. 9d.; oats, 18s. 3d. er imperial qr.
Corresponding week last year: Wheat, 313.7 d.; barley,
31s. 5d.; oats, 19s. sd.

AMERICAN RAILWAYS.—Up to the (ad of October of
this year, 1870 miles of new railway had been laid 10
the United States, compared with 2932 miles last year
at the same date. This year's mileage will be insigni-
ficant compared with the total mileage for 1882--
11,596 miles. Previous to 18-3 Pittsburgh was entirely
without railway communication, and in that year the
mileage of the entire country was only 15.360 miles,
compared with 125,542 miles at the close of 1884. Thig
is an average increase of 3443 miles a year.
A Lox° BRIDGE.—The longest draw span bridge in
the woeld is being constructed by the Passaic Rolling
Mill and Bridge Works, of Patterson, N.J., for the
Minnesota and North-Western Railroad Oompany'S
bridge across the Mississippi River, at St. Paul. the
total length of the bridge will be 14301 t., the draw
being 430 ft. in the clear, and will weigh over 500 tens,
the material being iron and steel. The machinery for
lifting, latching, and turning can be operated by band
or steam power. The turntable revolves on 50 wheels '
IBin. in diameter, while the drum has a circumference
of Mt.

TORNADOES.—Mr. William A. Addy, of the American
S'gnal Service Bureau, calls attention to the fact that •
the study of the phenomena of tornadoes has advanced
FO far that predictions of the appearance of these
terrible, destructive agencies can be made with a
considerable degree of accuracy. Of thirty-eight
predictions that tornadoes would occur in April and
June of last year eighteen were verified; cf nineteen
predictions in June and July of this year, fifteen were
generally velifled and where regular tornadoes failed
to arrive, violent wind and hail storms partially fulfilled
the prophecy.
EMINENT GERMAN MUSICIAN. ileinrich SCIAMI
otherwise " Sagittarius," who has been called "the •
father of German music," was brrn in 1585, and his
tercentenary has recently been celebrated in his native
Saxony. Schiitz's "Sieben Worte," which German
critics declare contains the germ of " Bach's "Passion "
music, was published in Leipsie as lately as 1870-
Schatz's studies in Italy enabled him to introduce the
dramatic, as opposed to the old ecclesiastical, style to
German music; and his "Die Auferstehung Christi,"
produced at Dresden in 1623, is said to be the oldest
specimen of German oratorio extant.
VALUABLE MS.—The police have succeeded in dis-
covering in the ex-monastery of the Cistercians at Santa
Crece in Gerusalemme four beats containing 144 manu-
scripts, which it would seem were withheld at the time
when the Italian Government took possession of the
libraries of the different monastic orders and con-
centrated their contents in the newly-founded..publie
library in the Roman College, called the Victor
Emanuel. That these manuacripts were missing Wes
recognised at the time, and their recovery now
matter for congratulation, as among them are many of
great value, some of them being of the seventh and
eighth centuries.'
AMERICAN LIVE STOCK AND FRESII MEAT.—During
the past week seven steamers arrived at Liverpool with
live stock and fresh meat on board from American
and Canadian ports, bringing a collective supply Of
704 cattle, 1633 sheep, 4689 quarters of 'beef, and 105
carcases of mutton, against the preceding week's ira-
ports of 1021 cattle, 214 sheep, 7910 quarters of beef,
and 294 carcases of mutton, showing a somewhat large
decrease in the arrivals of both live stock and fresh
meat. The conveying steamers were as follows :
Missouri, 220 'cattle and 904 sheep; Mentmore, 190
cattle; Lake Superior, 294 cattle and 729 sheep; Snairt
721 quarters of beef, and 55 carcases of mutton ;
British Princess, 1056 quarters of beef; City of
Chicago, 900 quarters of beef and 50 carcases of
mutton; and Samaria, 1043 quarters of beef.
THE Zoonourcen Soctrry.—The additions to the
Zoological Society's Gardens during the past week in
-
elude a green monkey from West Africa, presented by
Miss Hodgson; a Macaque monkey from India, pre*
sented by Mrs. Berens; an Arabian gazelle from Arabia,
presented by Mr. John Patton; two short-headed
phalangers from Australia, presented by Mr. P. S.
Abrahams, F.Z.S.; a ring-necked parakeet from India,
presented by Mrs. Morgan; two Indian cobras from
India, presented by Mr. Barrows; two European tree
froes, European, presented by Mrs. A. Bretton ; two
catfish from North America, presented by the National
Fish Culture Association; two mule deer from North
America, a Triton cockatoo from New Guinea, de`
posited; two Barbary wild sheep from North Africa,
four spotted-billed ducks from India, purchased; s
Sambur deer, born in the gardens.
AMERICAN MONEY.—The standard gold dollar of the
United States contains gold of nine-tenths fineness,
25.8 grains, and the standard silver dollar contains
silver of nine•tenths fineness, 412 5 grains. One million
standard gold dollars, consequently, weigh 25,800,0e°
grains, or 53,750 oz. troy, or 4479 1-61 h. troy of 5760
grains each, or 3685.71 lb. avoirdupois of 7000 gain°
each, or 11084000 " short " tons of 2000 lb. avoirda•
pois each, or 1.645-1000 " long" tons 2200 lb. avoirdu-
pois each. One million standard silver dollars weigh
412,500,000 grains, or 859,375 oz. troy, or 71.614.5811/.
troy, or 58.628.571 b. avoirdupois, or 294644000
" short" tons of 200 lb. avoirdupois each, or 26•307-10/
" long " tons of 22401 b. avairdupois each. In-round
numbers, the weight of 1,000,000 dols in standard gold
coin is 1 2.3 tons; standard silver coin, 261 tons;
subsidiary silver coin, 25 tons; minor coin, sc. nickeir
100 tons.
EAPRAEL'S PRODUCTION.—The portrait of Raphael,
painted by himself, in the Gallery of the trffizii
Florence, has a companion picture, according to the
" Piemontese," which states: "A precious relic hae
been discovered. A small portrait in water colours,
one•fifth size of life, reptesenting the profile of a youth
exceedingly like Raphael d'Urbino, at the time swill
he frequented, scarcely 15 years old, the school 0
Varnucci at Perugia. The picture is painted 011
walnut tablet 3 by 31 inches in size. To the left,
almost in front of the profile, is the facade of a palace,
drawn in an elegant manner, and bearing the inscrins
tion V.R.8., and in Roman ciphers the year 1491.
Hither, and almost in the centre, is a small, graceful,
but simple temple, which reminds one of that in the
'Nuptials of the Virgin,' at Milan. On the brows
background which surrounds the profile one discovers
in small, black, and very neat letters the inscription les
Raph. Sa., unmistakeably in the writing of the great
master. The small tablet, found by a well.krsowo
amateur of the fine arts at Turin, served as a small
board to support a very beautiful miniature painting el
the afore.aid period."
CRIMINALITY IN ANlMALS.—Whether or nO a horse IS
or is not capable of the crime of " felo-de-se," and call
be subject to " crowner's 'quest law," is more 'than ss
writer in the "Live Stock Journal" can say. Yet by
is quite prepared to affirm that he has seen a ag
commit "murder." And this not a murder of t
hasty, passionate, " red-handed " type, but the 009"
deliberate, well-arranged-beforehand pattern, where tng
murderer ran no risk of loss of life, and the victimParo
no chance. A huge mastiff, in a muzzle, was bullieuesa
a much smaller dog (a setter), n hich, having itS kos.
free, was able to tease and even to wound with Le
purity the former, hampered by his leather bridle. , '1;0
scene was the bank of a rivulet. The mastiff ran a°,,,r
to a drinking-place for cattle, where the water
the shore was quite shallow, but it deepens"
e;
one got further in. He was followed by nss. se
mentor, who was at least as much in plaY
war, and the two entered the water togi.?"'"big
splashing about at first in apparent amity. T_Pecieep
dog, however, got between the shore and. the eed
water; and, gradually pushing the smaller fuithe_l.
further out, the smaller found himself obliged to
Instead of pretending friendship any louger,.
mastiff, placing his paws on the setter's back, th_rls
him under water; and kept him there. The rg'—as
, the
struggled hard to get into the shallow again, or I'
his head out; but the mastiff kept between hisnaarteea
ford; and, as often as the setter's head PP22,
above water thrust it under again with his Trole,,
man standing on a bridge hard by called caltnnehed
drowning my dog." The owner of the setter 01'
to the rescue, but, before he could reach tywneg
Nature had given way, and the setter was floarneera
carcase. The mastiff took no notice of it; but wrSS,B
ashore; shook himself; and quietly ressulfa
saunter which the setter had interrupted. _
deed was done out of malice aforethought " "