The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-02-17 00:00:00

SATUPDAY, FEB. 17, 1883.

r_ — 1,0
STORM WARNING.—The following message lye!
received on Tuesday at the London office of the
6,
York Herald :—" A severe disturbance is cos
between 'latitudes 45 and 55 and will arrive
British and Norwegian coasts, affecting also Tv
French coasts, between the 16th and 18th, with so!!':i
east, veering to north-west, gales; Atlantic
stormy,"
THE LONDON SEASON.—With the near approac..l34l
the opening of Parliament London is beginning tepid
(says the Court Journal). After church and beirei
luncheon time on a Sunday the Park is ftl of
fashion, and one is apt to think that the month 133 4
be glad July in place of dreary FebruarY.
Londoner is beginning to End out that there is id
air to be got in the Yarks, and that they 011°11 vlt
frequented both in and out of season. The seas° hi
London is fast lengthening out, and---seviege 0
August and September, when everybody has re. nof
Scotland—may be said to have neither beginnil.s
end. ~, th°
A WEALTH OF FLORAL CROWNS.—A writer 1-01
Figaro states that the floral crowns piled re rell'
Gambetta's coffin in the Palais Bourbon were so
over £20,000. There were more than four tho ,
of them, and the smallest must have cost fifty f
Paris and its environs produced them all, net
well as artificial. Natural flowers cost in Bowe
less, but in others much more, than their handl. of
imitations. It is estimated that the daily' w,rht
natural flowers in Paris realises some £4,00,
flowers most in fashion at present are the '
which sells at 5 fr. each flower; the lily of the
worth 10 fr. the pot; the Queen rose and the
rose; the Spanish carnation and the violet.
latter a large quantity comes from Nice ; bui'voris
have not the perfume of those grown round -,44,
Tne camellia, at one time so much prized, is nol
out of fashion. ..,,
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The folior;
are the average prices of British corn for last weesi,,
reoeived from the inspectors and officers of Elcieeiji
Wheat, 40s. Bd.; barley, 325. 10d.; oats, 210. ./
per imperial qr. Corresponding week last Year'
Wheat, 455. 6c1.; barley, 325. 5d.; oats, 20s, Bd.
tfll4
A VENERABLE FIRE ENGINE.—It is stated ths., 0
oldest hand fire engine in the United States I° oi
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was built 1y Broolld
London, in 1698, and imported by the Moraviaeftet
Bethlehem the same year. In the year 1848,, atilt
150 years of useful service, it was deposited le
museum of the Young Men's Missionary
where it still remains, and is yet in working ,41
The maker's original bill and the shipping Par
exist to attest these facts. (0
THE MAIDEN'S POINT or VIM—MaI:O4II
Maud, who has been with her Brother to the
and is full of it). "But was there no Love in the P.bot
then?" Maud. ' Lave? Oh dear no, Marnme..m'oi
could there be? The principal characters were OP'
and Wife, you know I "—Punch.
AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS.—The Magnet of gorlal
in a review of the British corn trade during last ,
says :--,' The weather has again been very neves
?
with only occasional bright intervals. All agricoP p
work is in a very backward state, and unless theiles
a speedy change for the better the position scf,ll oill
become serious. It is indeed verging on that OW.'
as the season is getting well advanced. On the, ..
tinent very similar weather has been experieneew.ie
IVORY AND PEARL.—During the past three 1701
ivory has risen at least 100 per cent. in valsieltier/
pearl, which is also largely used in hafting c? tIO
and other goods, has advanced very materially ,ehid
same period. The Manila shells, which are tbe °J
sources of supply, could be brought for V; 5e'5,.00
cwt. last May, but in December they realized rtes
£ll 15s. to £l2 10s. per cwt. During the P' 040
months, the value has increased from £l6O to vto
and £250 per ton. At the London sale, which hol
just been held, the quotations were rather lowers,,lll'
pearl shells were again in great demand, and th,,e 40*
rates charged by cutters will be maintained. 0140
occasionally come across valuable pearls in the s'„111
A very large and finely-shaped pearl was rece"
found by a Sheffield workman.
.00,
LIQUOR CONSUMPTION IN AMERICA.—The rl-, 01
just ssued from the American National Bares ve
Statistics shows a steady increase during the PO 11,
ot
years in the consumption of liquors in that con .riti
The consumption (not manufacture) of distilled 04 re,
during the years 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, and I,B°o
spectively, was 57,111,982, 54,278,475, 63,504
70,607,081, and 73,556,036 gallons. For the sal:Bei-0
the consumption of wines native and foreigot ,o 0
19,812,675, 24,532,015, 28,484,428, 24,231,106. 130
25,628,071 gallons. But the chief increase has be„geilh
malt liquors, which aggregated 310,653,253,345,07'
414,771,690, 444,806,373, and 527,051,236 gallooo.
A
AN INCIDENT OF THE EGYPTIAN Chasr&lG'lol
strange incident has just come to light in conot.oo
with the recent Egyptian campaign. AMI
wounded in the chest by a splinter of a shell at
Kebir, and left on the field for dead,
was afte .
attended to by the Hospital Army Corps, oodyrool
sequently removed to the hospital at Cairo. _ for
thence as he gradually recovered strength he via'
warded on to Malta, and a few days since he-
in England together with a number of other con\
r7lO
cents. He made his way to the depot at Chatheo3,
no one seemed ready to acknowledge him. 00C
day he applied for his cash, and then found thet
001
was marked off the regibter as dead. He was at 0
pains to prove his identity, and was finally se
Portsmouth.
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13061

A KINGFISHER IN DIFFICULTIES.—When nil
and self were walking down the brook side the:,,
day we saw a kingfisher. The bird allowed us
within ten yards of him. This I did not think 014,
of, as they are never disturbed here, and will gene'fief
let you get within shot of them; but when he 00
away I noticed his flight was slow, and very Itlei
the usual arrow-like flight of this bird. He svt
after going about thirty yards, and this 0.'301
noticed he had a fish in his month. After 217e0
another flight he settled in a young plantation ;lob
the brook, where we tried to catch him, but fsi7ibi
He then flew into a hedge where my brother lOP
him. We then found he had a "miller's thunib
swallowed, and he was choking, as the fish was
that part of the tail came off when I tried to Pt:l4
out of his, mouth. After cutting the tail 000,
pieces he rooked as if we had been too late, efnetalf
would die, but he came round in about five rtnijoef,'
and flew off down the pond apparently as well s20":00
—T. WHITAKER (Rainworth, Notts), in Lan°
Water. oti
THE COMMENTATORS. First quidnunc (TO
ecstacy). "I've just been writing to the
Shakspeare Society.' Believe I've made a discoveV
that Horatio was Hamlet's father ! "—Second cleicF
nunc (enchanted). "You don't say so ! "—First
nunc. "My dear sir, doesn't Hamlet, when hebl'l3o '
Yorick's skull, address Horatio, 'And smelt 001'
I think that's conclusive !!"—Punch.
Irtdinf
THE FRENCH RAILWAY STAFF. The
Minister of Public Works has published a sert,;col,
statistics showing the number of persons empleY'clor
the principal railway companies, the total at tbe,„4
of last year being 193,893, the Paris-Lyons andpØt
terranean Company coming first with 51,538, thve,-000.i
in order of importance being the Northern of
(35,709), the Western (28,309), the Orleans (20 001
the Eastern (21,613), and the Southern (18,090001
of this total 14,065 are women, the companies
employ the most being the Orleans (3,135), or :e se",
per cent. of the whole staff, and the Paris LYn°" to.;
Mediterranean (3,463), and the Western (11_'„,0
7 per cent. of their staff. The lines which ns'de
largest number of servants according to railet'n'd t 11,1"
the Northern (21 to the mile), the Eastern
Western (16 to the mile), the Paris-Lyons an,';' to SP-
terranean (14 to the mile), and the Orleans (1,7
mile.
PRISON LABOUR IN NEW YORIC.—A bill helm 0,1
reported to the New York States Trade Aseent,,teclAvi
the prison contract system which is to be Prof/I:pow
the Legislature. It provides that hereafter the tbd
of convicts shall not be let by contract, but oseiit3
shall be employed on account of the State
t more than fifty convicts shall te eiBP
upon each trade; that prisoners shall not rotut
ployed upon any article of American menttligoee,,ev
except supplies for the State; that Sing Sing 10,-,10 01l
-
be employed in the lime quarries and those at Li:at,/
in the iron mines, and that the earnings of indiv!„ilie
in excess of their maintenance be sent to their to"'
or to the Prison Reform Association. „nal
Pro' 0
RESPECTFULLY DECLINED.—The Newcastle „ails
has published the following letter from Sir ”ntpipea
ArreEttong :—" Much is being said about nil
forward for the representation of Newcastle, afloat,
requisition seems to he contemplated to induee.,oo,
stand it may save much trouble if I give nil
by anticipation. To go into Parliament at rn,to ao,
of life is about the last thing I would consentcpo Ii,IS
even for Newcastle. In the first place, Lon icoei
and Parliamentary hours would be more than `roil
bear; and in the second place, being too progther,
for cne Party and too conservative for the nt
ii
fear I should eventually illustrate the case 3!.te tl/01
between two stools. I should fully aPPrecir ss
honour of being chosen, but I should neverthe e
obliged to decline an invitation to stand."
me at°,
A MUCH TRAVELLED LETTER.—A letter vb—b's (e
travelling about for more than nine years, returno
good state of preservation to the post office cbreiopitfi
was first despatched, should be kept as i* cllbit go.
and a species of testimonial to the care takel3,o4
office administrations of what is entrusted to ot,,
marks the Evening Standard). At the Elberfer7sliare
Office a letter was returned last week whose Pee b 0 ,Ø
are thus related. It had been put in thtinolo.
the same office on July 3rd, 1873, its deshe O°P
being Nicolajiewisk, in Siberia, where t
a to
of the writer of it (a seaman) haPPeneu
When it arrived, however, the latter 01`eros0P:„
away with his ship, so the letter, after re 00.1;
Siberia, returned in the course of three years tlbiss°,l
feld. The seaman's father having learned aline 0130
was then at Hong-Kong, redirected the enve s'et (in '0
once more, in October, 1876, the letter etsirte
travels. When it reached China, however, 700
whom it was addressed had left the count ' B°,ll
lowed him about from one place to anotnerci
arriving just too late until, at length, it fonnuare,
back again to the ilberfeld Post Office, "be no
the consent of its writer, it is henceforward
served with all the respect and COnsideration
bef
such a much-travelled letter.
ucit'Y
HER MAJESTY'S STAGHOUNDS.--n n Tes
Majesty's staghounds met at Stoke-con3loll,,e'
weather was fine, and in consequence of th!:0,00
no meet of Sir Robert Harvey's harriers, t
"hr'rks taPo
unusually large field, including Lord t
master, many followers of the ROYal
number of the resident gentry and YeornauZl33o;;"o
deer "Guy Fawkes" was turned out on the ..,:reotil
and after trotting about in the woods in the
virillooo...,
of Uxbridge, led the field through LadY optli
grounds to Fern Acres, coming out subsecl_h
Stoke-common. After going again thrc14.111,6
Willoughby's place, the quarry, made for gt
and eee
Langley, the seat of Sir R. B. Harvey, betv7,4o
captured in the grounds of the Rev. a W37' n fr
Hedgerney and Fulmer, after an hour's frith', Woe
casualties, notwithstanding the condition oriaJø
were few, only about six falls occurring etuGerrar_4s
chase. The hounds were trotted back to web wd
t oetdb,e/.0 e b e
Cross, where a second deer was rel eas
taken after a satisfactory run, Owing
rain the going was very heavy,