The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-10-28 00:00:00

SATURDAY, OCT. 28, 187 g.

A CHILD THAT IS "TAKING NOTICE" AT I
LAST.—The Occupier of Temple Bar.—Punch.
A VESSEL BURNT.—The ship Thorndean,
Captain Hardy, which hag arrived at Liverpool,
brought the captain and crew, consisting of six hands,
of a small schooner named the Annie Bell, which took
fire while on a voyage from Cape Breton for St. Pierre,
Newfoundland, with a cargo consisting of cattle, hay,
batter, and other goods. On the 3rd of October, the
day the vessel sailed, fire broke out by the healing of
the hsy or otherwise in the hold, and spread so quickly
that after vainly fighting against it for a few hours the
crew had to leave in the small boat during the night.
They, fortunately, fell in with the Thorndean in a few
hours afterwards. The master, Neil Mackinnon, was
the owner of the vessel, which was not insured.
TUE LATEST AMERICAN INVENTION.—A pecto-
plume, or machine for plucking birds, in the latest
American invention (according to the Live Stock
Journal). The machinery consists of a wheel a foot in
diameter, of which the edge is-provided with fingers
or "pickers " of India rubber, so arranged that as they
come above the surface of the picker table they clasp
and pinch whatever comes in their way, and as they
pass below on the opposite side open again, releasing
the feathers. Of these the smaller feathers are blown
by a current of air into a spout, while the heavier ones,
falling into a V—shaped trough, are picked up by an
automatic hand, bunched, bound round with wire, and
thrown into a basket. The machine is worked by a
treadle, and an operator is able to pluck a fowl a
minute—a rate which by power could, it is said, be
increased-to 200 fowls an hour.

A MiORI2B IDEA OF BANKRUPTCY. —A Cape
paper tells the story of a Maori who, baying been the
unfortunate creditor of a bankrupt, had lost £4O or Eo,
and was determined to master the system by which he
was deprived of his money. Having done so, he was
able to explain to his friends that he had lost his money
because his debtor became "Packarapu." In explana-
tion of this word he said that a white man who wants
to become a "Packarapu" goes into business and gets
lots of goods and does not pay for them. He then gets
all the money be can together—say £2,ooo—and puts
it away where no one can get it, all except £5. With
this he goes to the Judge of the Supreme Court, and
tells him he wishes to become "Packarapu." The
judge says he is very sorry, but of course it cannot be
helped, and he then calls all the lawyers together, like-
wise all the men to whom the "Packarapu" owes
money, and be says—" This man is Packarapu, but,
wishing to give you all he has got, he has asked me to
divide this among you all." The judge thereupon gives
£4 to the lawyers and £1 to the other men, and the
"Packarapu" goes home.

-
Ibis announced that the November number of the
Contemporary Review will contain an articlo by Mr. Gladstone
on " Russian Policy in Turkestan."
Not only Is drinking diminishing in Massachusetts
by the pressure of hard times, but temperance socielias are
collapsing for want of funds.
A telegram from Cape Coast Castle, says the
Dahomians have attacked two villages near Grantipopo, and
carried off 80 women anti children They killed all the men.
It is feared that they will next attack Grandpopo
The Hospital Saturday Fund has this year reached
the sum of £3,450; and the collecthns have been carried out
at a cost of £B5O less than was found necessary in the first
year.
A butcher of New York followed the Lady of hid
sister to Greenwood Cemetery the other day, and altar the
remains had been lowered into the grave drew a pistol itard
his pocket and shot himself in the head. Ile died in aUV
hours.

In the Dublin Cauncil Chamber on Monday a letter
was read from the Sanitary Officer of the Poor of London,
requesting the Dublin authorities to take immediate steps
to prevent vessels infected with stnall-pox from entering that
port.
The value of chicory imported increaged in the fire
nine mouths of this sear to 4,0,CE9, from £46,113 in the pre,
ce,ing year.

The -Chancellor of the Erchequer acknowledges in
The Times (as "Conscience Money ") the receipt of the
second half of a £lOO note, income-tax balance on winding
up a firm.

A Renter's telegram from Florence states that the
Empress Eugenie and Prince Louis Napoleon, accompanied
by thar suite, arrived there on aturday. A large number
of persons awaited their arrival at the railway station.

PrincP3 Milan's infant on and heir was baptised at
Belgrade on Sandy. M. Kartsoff, the Russian Vanua, was
present as proxy for the Czar, who is godfather to es obila.
The boy was named llctiloich.

Speaking of the panic of Wednesiay last, the DatilY
News says that the total actual injury to the value of stockS
and shares caused by the panic it is impossible to determine,
but, to take Gonsols only, the diminution in value represented
about 14 millions sterling.

At a meeting of the operative spinners at Blackburn
on Saturday, it was decided to accept the master's offer,
which is that there should be a conference, on the condition
that the workmen should withdraw their notices, which
would otherwise expire on the let of November.
Felicien David, the composer, who died recently id
Pads, was a prodigy from infancy. At five years of age be
played the violin in public, at eight he was a singer in Aix
Cathedral, and at nine he composed a piece performed at a
grand mass. In the delirium preceding his death he sang
LOWS original airs.
A decoosecrative service was held on Thursday, In
last week, in Allhallows Church, Cheapside, London, previous
to the edifice being pulled down. The sermon was preached
by Bishop Clanghton. Previous to the sermon, an elderly
gentleman pushed his way forward, and examic.d "1 pro-
test against this service, In the name of God." tie WA
removed,

The Calcutta wheat trade has had a wonderful rise
lately. In 1870 the quantity exported was 2,000 tons; in
1873, 10,000 tons, which fell in 1874 to RAO tons, and last
Tear rose to 50 000 tons. This year already 120,000 tons has
been exported from Calcutta alone. This wheat is grown
chiefly in the Punjab, and is much valued in the EnglisD
market, mainly on account of its great dryness.
At the first meet this season of the Surrey pack Of
staghounds a large dog in a rabid state ran among MO
hounds and bit several of them. The mad dog was killed
upon the spot, but subsequently symptoms of hydrophobia
manifested themselves amorg the pack, and four valuable
stagliounds had to be destroyed. It is yet uncertain as to
the extent of the mischief.
- •

--- ------ -- - -
The London and North• Western Company will not,
it appears, discharge from their locomotive department all
Crewe, some 400 men; and fall time it is believed will 10
resumed on Dec. 1.
- -

---- -
A brewer in Denmark of the name of Jacobsen hag
set apart the sum of one million crowns (about £60.000), one
half of the interest of which is to be applied in continuing 00
chemicap' ysioligical laboratory establishFd by him In cow
Lection with his brewery. The other half is intended to
promote the study of the natural sciences, mathematic.%
philosophy, history and languages.
A telegram from Constantinople announces that the
Government has discovered a plot against the life of the
Grand Vizier and Midhat Pitch& Two Ulemas of thehigheit.
rank were implicated in it, and they have been arrested an°
exiled Other arrests were expected.

Should it be dcemed necessary to still further in'
crease the fleet in the Mediterranean, there are several shill
of war at Portsmouth which could be despatched in a shore
time, The Lord Warden, 18, armour-plated ship, onll
awaits its officers and crews. The Thunderer, double turre;
ship. could be got ready for sea in a fortnight ; and the
Boadicea, 16, nnarmoured corvette, could proceed in A
month A few weeks more and the Inconstant, a sister shiP
to the Shah, could also be despatched.
The Earl of Kimberley, at the Norfolk Chamber of
Agriculture on Saturday, supported a resolution advocating
the establishment of representative county boards, to 1000_
should be entrusted all county business other than appertai' n,
to public order and the administration of justice. Mi. 8e18,4.
M.P., also supported the resolution, which was adopted.

In the theatre of the Royal United Service Institnt.
tion, on Saturday, Captain Cameron was presented with 0
testimonial from the offizers in the Royal Navy, Sir G.
Sartorius, Admiral of the Fleet, presiding Upon the chron,,°'
meter was an inscription stating that it was the gift of
naval officers of all grades, "in token of their admiration ol
his great achievement in traversing tropical Africa from th.
IndLua Ocean to the Atlantic."
A sad and unprecedented balloon accident occurrelj
on Sunday at Brie-Comte-Rebert. M. Roumard, a rich lands
owner, apparently In excellent health, went up
with O
aeronaut Riques, and died suddenly from the rupture of °'
aneurism when only 1,000 yards from the earth.
The Punjab may boast of containing the manes_
pony in the world, if the following, as published in tin
Lahore paper, is true :—" His Highness the Nawab
Loharoo sent a remarkably diminutive Nepaull pony, wnlc",
f!
Is only eieht inches high, as a present to the young Mali&
rajah of Puttiala The pony is a perfect miniature of ea We.
bred horse, and is highly valued by the natives."
ingA electionrep ort
fe cau
newr r en
steihnoboardol
vigorous
t effattlie o
r trs Pare °tea°
made by the IL, men Catholics CO carry eight members of thn
creed and thus obtain a majority at the hoard. At the ha:
election tne nve candidates who were returned at the top 01'
aP
r
the poll were Catholics.
A gentleman from Bordeaux is now in Paris soliciting
from the Prefect of Police the authorization to try an 11170,;
tien for moving streeacarriages by electricity. It is claime.
that through the aid of a mechanism which will °wept,
more space than the ordinary driver's seat, a speed of 0
kilometres per hour is obtained with power to draw Nur
persons.
Early next month another armortr-plated broaclgld.,6
ship will be added to the navy—the Nelson, which has hseo,"
built and provided with engines by Messrs Elder of Glasgo
Her estimated displacement is 7,323 tons, and horse Pow!,
6,000 Her thickest armour is nine inches, behind which his,
hacking of 13 inches and an inner skin. At present
Intended that she shall carry 12 guns, one-third being Wu
inch, and two-thirds seven-inch. —Army and Navy Gazette.
The other day a lady fell off the Brooklyn
York) boat into the East River; a poor Irishman sprang ,
rescued her. When she was safe on deck again, her husbah
who had been a calm spectator of the accident ban'o
the bravo fellow a shilling Upon some of the bystander
expressing indignation, Pat said, as he pocketed the mond'
" Arrah, dsn't blame the tintienian—he knows best; mayl3oP'
if I hadn't saved her, he'd have give me a dollar 1"
Looking at a display of armour-plates from Sheffiel,cl,ll
varying from eight to twenty-one inches in thickness, ore,
dentions by solid shot, a Yankee spectator, at the va,is
dephia Exhibition, was heard to exclaim, "Welt, by thtullar,
those chunks of iroa are expected to float! Peeps they
hut if I built a boat on that principle I should take a ph
graph to rea ember her by before 1 launched her."
The Scotch p)aching angler suspends by straps Wide!
his outer garments a capacious bag of coarse linen for no;*
cealing his salmon, while he carries in his hand quite filo
cently a string of trout. Lord Scrope once caught a De_o°" ,
with a salmon in his bag, and demanded how it got 110
The reply was, 'How the beast got there I dinns ken. es
mast ha' !mitred intil ma pocket as I war wading" His ole/..„."
answer so amused Lord Scrope that he let him go scotefres•
Scribner for October.
David M'lutosh, Eoq., of Havering Park, b°
offered a cup of the value of 100 guineas to the Essex
cultural Society. The prize is open to the United Biugdoif;
and is to be the property for one year of the exhibitor of tt.
best pure bred shorthorn, male or female, of any age, at
society's next show, and if won three years consecutive 4
by the same exhibitor, the trophy will become his proper',
Mr. Samuelson, M.P., in distributing the prizeo
the students of the Liverpool Science and Art classes dee
chiefly with the position of pupil teachers, and urged tb,tis,
the training colleges in England should be placed apes 7d
same footing as in Scotland, as one means of procuring CP;
potent teachers with the least possible change in the ellAw'
code and in the law.
Letters received from Zanzibar mention a aa0930
disaster to the pinnace of her Majesty's ship Thetis.
boat was coming pff from shore, having a gun on board, wilt
she suddenly capsized, and sank instantly, her crew 0
sixteen being left struggling in the water. Eight of the 0114
could swim, and these gallantly assisted their comrades ~,
giving them oars and other floating objects, but two ria,el;/
named Luke and Bond, sank finally before being reache.ey,
boats from on board her Majesty's ships Undaunted, Tllel
and London, from which the disaster was witnessed.
According to the Hay Standard, "there win ~no
shorn in New South Wales this year upwards of 25,000eay
sheep, yielding approximately above 125,000,0001 b. of W4:41.;
equal in value, at is. per pound, to £6,250.000 sterling. Erti,
year our wool is increasing in quantity and rising in Val' to
so that by the close of 1880, four years bence, New Solo
Wales ought to have at least 30 000,000 of sheep, which,
horned cattle and horses, ought approximately to reprees"
In money value upwards of £60,000,000 sterling.
It is stated from Paris that the work of sound-11
for the projected Channel tunnel is advancing rapidly. to
the Ist of September the depth of the shaft at Sanded!a
reached 107 metres ; on tbe let inst. it bad increased to 1;7
and en the Cali Inst. to 122 metres. The boring of this elan
which ia to bo sunk to a depth of 130 metres, will probabig;
completed towards the end of the present mouth. 4:38
soundings of the Strait were taken some time back. eeo
result of these operations appears entirely to confirra
expectation's of the geologists.
It has been noticed by A. G-autier (Bull Soc. Chilitt;
Paris, xxv. 433) that rabbits which have been poisoned sia,l
eti esnarpsnieddrcaet
taswit
ohhwni
which
hatectsth
araihreaapparentlyvcaeovnpbt apparently
reiennnii
containing
yebrjevehecluto
subjected
anhydrous hydrocyanic acid may be restored to life 10,T,fg
the
manner be restored by the agency of c lordineea.d' can
liih—
mtla
treatment,rnitdit'dan e:Lehl: chlorine
10;1
T eldesthave son g
,oaf d theu ae
aCarto
the
Princegymnas
gymnasium
ire
Germ
after heshalt
January, is to proceed next summer to the university:,
Bonn, where his father also studied several terms. Thirat
prince of such exalted rank, and son to the heir-apparel: a
the German throne, should pursue such a severe course it,,
studies with the sons of common civilians until his matarn,
has happened for the first time in Gera:hwy.—Court Jourtia
A fatal occurrence took place on the Lon-1,1T)
Chatbam, and Dover Railway. lhe driver of the 930
from Maidstone on Monday when turning a curve near Piot
Mallleg, saw the body of a man it ing across the rails w:De
his head reeling on the metals. It was impossible to ster:De
engine in time, and the man's head was severed (NMI
body. The deaeased was a Mr. Wilson, bailiff to Mr. Doilg'
Neame, of East Mailing. cil
At a special meeting of the Leeds Town Cotlo_o
on Monday it was resolved to promote a new Improveo,ooo
Bill for the extension of the gas works. A sum of £3ooe to
will be required for this purpose. The Bill gives poivod.
enlarge the reservoir, to.widen a number of streets, and Poe
chase property, and to effect certain sanitary improveroe
Powers are given to borrow considerable sums 01 moue,'

these purposes. cl
The demand for English coal in SI% Petersburg elid,
in the north of Russia is likely to be considerably reduceeto
partly in co, sequence of the large quantities nowlmported firv.;3o
Westphalia, and partly from the impetus likely to be g tor,
to the production of mineral oil. An American speotile,,eo
who has "struck oil" in the valley of the Volga, has
on lease 350,000 acre.s of land, wt.ich he has already begnee
work. Ile promises to sell petroleum at 30 per cent. Ow
the price of that imported from America, and he has 51700
shown the value of his dizcovery by supplying some °Lutell
staamere on the Vulga. It is said that toe comoanto .41
have tried hewing with the new fuel are perfectly sails
with the result of the experiment tit
In connection with the Health Section of the recA
Social Science Congress, Mr. Alfred Ilairland, Tel R C•lpilt
exhibited to those attending the Congress a series of Mot,
showing the geographical distribudeu of phthisis, 000
and heart disease in Eugland and Wales. They were
upon more than half a million deaths during ten Yeart, ttie
were most elaborate specimens of what may be done eeel
way of making the results of statistics at once attractisri,",
apparent. The general results arrived at are extrenrcqme
teresting, and might well be of great value in determii
the mevements of invalids and others 112 search a a he
district.