The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-07-03 00:00:00

Itlisallancaus

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

WHO WOULD Be A PaiNcEl—"An effort is
being made to induce the Prince and Princess of Wales
to extend their visit to Hull for a few hours, but it
appears probable. according to present arrangements,
that their Royal Highnesses will retnrn to London the
same evening.' Are you surprised that their Royal
Highnesses intend to snake so short a stay? Read what
follows :—"Addresses will be presented at the station
by the Town Council, by the Dock Company, by the
Chamber of Commerce, by the Consuls, and by the
Danish re-idents." Why not also by the Custoru-
house officers, the Police, the Fire Brigade, and the
velocipedists ? Do you wonder now that the Prince
and Princess prop an to "return to London the same
evening ?"—Punch.

AN Oco RIGHT.—In the Court of Exchequer, an
action has been brought against a farmer and cattle dealer
at Lakenheath, in Suffolk, to test the claim of the Duke
of Manchester to levy the toll of Irl. per head on every
beast bought in St. Ives Cattla Market. His grace's
title to hold a market at St. Ives dated from a grant
made to his ancestor the Earl of Manchester in the
year 1628 by King I harles I. ; but the contention in
the case was as to dormancy of the rights so derived
I luring the last fifty years. As regarded a main lues -
tion for determination the evidence was very mnflict.
ing, but ultimately, after a trial which la.ted nearly
four days, the jury, after a short retirement, found a
verdict for the plaintiff.

POISONING WITH VITRIOL—An inquest has
been held at Leeds, on the body of John Gill, two
years and ten months oil. On Friday night the
mother of the deceased went into the house of a
neighbour, a dyer, who was using some oil of vitriol in
a back yard to which access could only be had throu4h
the house. Unobserved by Kay or Mrs. Gill the de-
ceased rambled through the Iciuse into the yaid, and
taking up the bottle containing the vitriol, which had
been left n a stone table, drank a portion of the con-
tents. His screams soon brought as,istance, and a
medical gentleman was called in, but the injuries were
of so dreadful a character that the poor child died on
Saturday evening. A verdict of Accidental Death was
returned.

Tait ATLANTte CABLE AND THE PRESS.—The
amount of enterprise shown by our American cousins
in all they undertake often surprises Englishmen, but we
don't remember to have heard of co gnat a contrast as
the amount of expenditure in telegrams across the
Atlantic by the English and New York journalists re.
spectively. During the first fortnight in June the money
paid by all the London newspapers, taken together, for
messages from their American corteipondents was a
few shilling under £l6, whereas the London agent of
one New York paper sent messages in the same time
to his employers amounting to somewhat over £5OO,
and in this sum there is not reckoned what was spent
by the agent in London of the New York United Press
AFanciation.

PRIVATE DETECTIVE AGENCIES OF Now YORK.
—The private detective system and abuses have been
shown up in the iVew York Times. It seems that there
are several firms and a large number of individuals in
their employ who make it a boldness to study the
habits of young men in responsible positions, for the
purpose of reporting them to their employers or part-
ners in business. This is technically called "shadow-
big." The officer, after getting a "spot "on the clerk
(seeing him for the first time), takes up a position near
the latter's place of business shortly before closing•up
time, and when the clerk comes out he "shadows" Mai
till he retires to his home for the night: When the
clerk eaten] a blliard room or restaurant it is the duty
of the "shadow" to follow him in, if he can do so with-
out being "dropped on" (noticed by the clerk), to see
how inneh money he spends, if any; if so, find out
who, whether they are fellow clerks, or more disrepu-
table and dangerous associates of either sex.
THE VICEROY OF EGYPT'S FAVOURITE GAME.—
Pyramids.— Pun ch.
GERMAN GYMNASTIC SOCIETY.—This useful as-
sociation held their annual display of exercises in the
main transept of the Crystal Palace on Friday, when a
very large number of spectators attended .the bulk
being accommodated with reserved seats in the Handel
Orchestra. No fitter arena could he found for such a
festival, as there was ample room for all the various
gymnastic machines, in addition to a very high space
overhead—the reatest desideratum in a gymnasium.
Proceedings were commenced by a few remarks from
Mr, R. G. Ravenstein, the President of the society,
stating that they had removed their venue this year
from the Palace gardens to under cover, in order to be
independent of the variable British climate. Another
great change for the better was their having no rtlaleti.;
exercises in the shape of foot races on this occasion.
They were purely a gymnastic society, and as such
they ought to confine themselves to that branch of ex.
revise alone. Mr. It. Schweizer, the director of the
festival, then introduced upwards of 120 members, who
went through numerous and varied gymnastic exercises]
both gracefully and well, accompanied by music from
the band of the St. Georges Rifles.

THE ENGLISH SPARROWS IN NEW YORE.—The
lirew York Times says
The little English sparrows which have been introduced in
the vicinity this season have already done a marvellous work
of cleansing. In the upper parts of the city, in Jersey city,
in Hoboken, and especially to Brooklyn. which hitherto has
been the very paradise and elyaian fields of worms, the pest
of former years is hardly noticeable. For their own sakes it
Is to he hoped that the birds will not eat all the worms, or
their hopes for next summer's diet will be vain.

MURDER WITHOUT AN OBJECT.—A private of
Zouaves Was shot the other day it, Algeria for the
crime of having murdered his sergeant The defence
set up by the unfortunate man before the court-martial
was that he had no complaint against his victim, and
did not know exactly why he had slaffi him. The
Z slave appealed to the Emperor for mercy; but his
Majesty considered that, if his non-commissioned
officers were to be shot fez nothing, the service would
go to the devil, and refused to interfere with thecourse
of justice. The criminal behaved with much pluck at
his execution, and, in imitation of greater heroes, asked
permission to take command of the firing party, a re-
peat which was very naturally refused.

SURGICAL TOAST AND SENTlMRNT.—Veloci-
pedes and Compound Fractures !—Punelt.

BOLD BETTISO.—A curious bet was made be-
tween two gentlemen of Montreal, both of whom are
noted for the amplitude of their beards. One is an
eminent Q.C., and the other, if not exactly a legal
functionary, exercises control over an institution of
justice near the f,e to St. Mary current. The bet was
that the loser of the toss should at once denude himself
of his masgnificent beard and moustaches. It was
made in an idle moment, and promptly accepted. The
Q.C. won the toss in two straight heats, and the gaoler,
uttering a cry of anguish, took a gin sling and rushed
to the nearest barber's saloon !

A SECT OF CANNIBALL—In the account of the
Skoptzi sect published in a Russian journal, the nature
of the "two communions' of the Skoptzi, which has
hitherto remained a profound secret is explained.
The first communl xi, says the memoir, is called that of
the Flesh of the Lamb, and it is administered at all
the general meetings of the Skoptzi; the second, which
is only administered to the elect on extraoriiinary occa-
sions, is called that of the Blood of the Lamb. Tne
women of the sect are bound under terrible oaths to
live a life of chastity, but it nevertheless often happens
that they have children, and this is usually ascribed by
the Skoptzi, not to the women having broken their
vows, but to divine interposition. The child., if &male,
is " sacrificed" on the seventh day after its birth. A
bandage is tied over its eyes, its body is stretched over
a didi, and a silver spear is thrust into its left side, so
as to pierce the heart. The 'elect" of the Skoptzi
then advance in turn and suck the child's blood. This
is what is called "the communion of the blood of the
Lamb." As soon as the ceremony is over the body is
put into another dish full of sugar, where it is left till
it dries up ; it is then crushed into powder, and admi-
nistered in small cakes to the ordinary members of the
sect as 'the communion of the flesh of the Lamb."
To BE MADE Esousn ! It is stated that the
last-born child of the Emperor of Austria is to be
brimght opus an English Plincess. She was horn at
Buds, not two years ago, and her mother, the Empress,
has Appointed An English unmarried lady to be head of
her household (which is to he composed of English
people) ; her nurse has been English; the first tongue
she learns is to he English, and the privileges accorded
to the lady who is to superintend the establishment of
the infant Princess are something quite unparalleled.
The Empre•s Elizabeth's own predilections for every-
thing English are so great that she positively speaks
German with an English accent, and this determined
Anglicising of her last child seems to please the Hun-
garians, among whom the little Princess was born.