The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-04-26 00:00:00

isallantotts Inttiligtact.
HOMJE FOREIGN, AZID COLONIAL.
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from

H.M.S. MIRANDA IN GALE.—Letters received
the Australian Station announce the arrival at Sydney
from Hobart Town of the filimnda,Commander Acland,
after having experienced a terrific gale on the voyage.
The Miranda left Hobart Town in fine weather, but next
day a strong gale sprung up from the W.N.W., accom-
panied by very high seas. The gt4e increased in force
during the day and night, , and two huge seas broke
clean over the ship, washing awax ope of the upper deck
ports and carrying away a portion of the netting on the
port bow, besides which the captain's galley was stove
in and other damage dont. The storm raged with great
fury for about forty-eight hohrs, when it gradually sub-
sided, and the Miranda was then able to make a twelve
hours' full speed trial, in which an'average speed of 81-
knots was attained. , . •
AN ARCH2EOLOGIGAL RODBERy.I—A daring theft
involving a serious archteological.loss, is reported from
Florence. It seems that for the hist four centuries a
most valuable bishop's cope has been preserved in the
treasury of the cathedral church, of Pienza, an old
Tuscan town, lying about thirty-thne miles south-east
from Sienna formerly of importance but now much
decayed. This cope had been made for Pope Pius 11.,
better known as 2Eneas Sylvius Piccolomini, one of the
most distinguished of the early humanists and a native
of Pienza. It was a masterpiece of Italian embroidery
and work in the early renaissance.. The material was
gold brocade covered with wondei:ful designs carried
out in needlework, represented saints and angels, trees
and birds, and arabesques, exhibiting the same style of
composition which is to be found in miniatures and fine
wood carvings of the 15th and ..16th centuries. The
whole was profusely adorned with pearls and precious
stones the value of which alone watitestimated at about
2,000,000 francs (L 80,000 At his death the Pope
bequeathed this precious vestment to the cathedral of
his native town. One night last filonth the cope was
stolen from the Treasury of Pienza, and a few days ago
it was discovered in the shop of a dealer in antiquities
in Florence, but completely stripped of its pearls and
precious stones and some of its more valuable em-
broidery.
KILLED ON THE RAILWAY.—Mr. S. F. Lanham has
held an inquiry at St. George's Hospital touching the
death of James Jordon, 34 years of age, a labourer in
the service of the London, Chatham, and Dover Rail-
way, and lately residing at Camberwell. John Jordon,
brother of the deceased, stated that he saw him in the
hospital, when he said," Ere was at work in the tunnel
at Penge, but owing to the dense steam he was unable
to see a pilot engine coming, and although his fellow
workmen called out to him, he was -too late to get out
of the way." Charles Morr, a platelayer, said he was
working in the tunnel with Jordon at midnight on the
6th inst., and heard an engine approaching from Syden-
ham-hill. He told Jordon to lie down in the 6-foot
way, but before he could do so he 'was struck by the
engine. The engine whistle was sounded. There were
fifteen men in the tunnel. Dr. Arnold said death arose
from three fractured ribs and a scalp wound. A verdict
of accidental death was recorded.
A FALL FROM A RAILWAY TRAIN.—An exciting
scene was witnessed the other day on the railway
between Pesth and Vienna. As the morning express
entered the station at Neuhasel, cries for help were
heard from the sleeping car, and at the open window of
the carriage were seen two -ladies laid a gentleman,
apparently in a state of much excitoinent. When the
train had been stopped it was found that some mem-
bers of the Roumanian Ghika family had passed the
night in the sleeping car, and that a little boy eight
years old had fallen out of the open window. Some
workmen hastened back, and soon found the child, who
had providentially only ieceived some bruises by the
fail.
THE HIGH STEWARD OF WESTMINSTER.—The office of
High Steward of Westminster, which has become
vacant by the death of the Duke of Buccleuch, is a
singular relic of antiquity. The post has always been
i
held by a nobleman, who s appointed by the Dean and
Chapter of Westminster, and holds office for life. His
main function appears to be to appoint a deputy, who
is confirmed by the Dean and Chapter, and one of the
duties of the deputy is stated to have been to preside
at the court leet, an institution which, as Blackstone
remarked, had, even when he wrote," been for a kng
time in a declining way."—" Solicitors' Journal."
A FIREMAN'S FuNERAL.—On Saturday the body of
James Jones, aged 29, a member of the West Ham Fire
Brigade, who died after falling from his engine while
on the road to a fire on Good Friday, was interred at
West Ham Cemetery. The coffin was conveyed from
the residence of the deceased on a manual fire-engine,
the mourning coaches being followed by numerous
bodies of firemen, police, and members of the Ancient
Order of Foresters, of which latter body Jones was a
member. Upwards of 50,000 people congregated in the
throughfares through which the procession passed.
THE CHOI'S IN INDIA.—The reports- as to the pro-
spects of the crops received from many parts of
Northern India are still disheartening. In Tirlaoot the
failure of the kharif, or rice, and of the rabi, or spring
crop, seems to be widespread. Regarding the adjacent
districts of Sarun Chumpartm, it is said that the ex-
pectation of half an average crop is a sanguine esti-
mate, and that there will probably be much suffering.
In Behar the prospects of the indigo crop may almost
be regarded as hopeless. The droug4 in Darjeeling
will interfere seriously with the opening of the tea
season.

FIRE IN A COLLIERY.—On Sunday morning a fire
broke out at the surface works of Page Bank Colliery,
Spennyraoor. The " stead " consists of screens, engine-
houses, :ea' belts, coal crushing machines and some
eight hundred tons of coal intended for coking purposes.
Four engine-houses were burnt down, and much of the
valuable machinery was seriously damaged. Several
railway trucks standing at theocreens were consumed
The flames spread rapidl:, among the highly combus-
tible material, and at last caught the shaft pulleys,
which fell with a crash, fortunately missing the shaft.
No person was injured. Several horses and ponies were
down the pit at the time, but the ventilation is good,
there being connection with another jlit belonging to
the same owners, Messrs. Bell Brothers. The damage
is estimated at £30,000.
THE REVOLUTIONARY PARTY IN RUSSlA.—lntelligence
from St. Petersburg states that three naval officers
named Rachmanoff, Dobrotvorski, and Postelnikoff,
were arrested
,on the 18th inst. at Cronstidt, charged
with belonging to the revolutionary party. They were
Subsequently imprisoned in the fortress of St. Peter and
St. Paul. Nine superior Government functionaries
were arrested on the same charge at Saratoff last week,
and sent in custody to St. Petersburg.
REMARKABLE FROST ON THE CONTINENT.—A pheno-
menal wave of cold swept over part of Switzerland on
Monday night without any premonitory Warning, the
thermometer falling niany degreei below zero. The
damage to agricultural interests is -.enormous, and at
least one-third of the vintage has been destroyed. It is
telegraphed from Macon that a disastrous frost has
devastated the vines in the Saone Valley, and that the
damage is estimated at many millions of frapcs.
AN EXTRAORDINARY SurrnvG.—At six o'clock on
Monday evening the first meeting of the Thornhill
(Yorkshire) Local Board commenced, twelve members
being present, and the proceedings lasted until three
o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, the time of sitting having
thus extended to 21 hours. It appears that on the
question of the appointment of a Chairman being con-
sidered an equal number voted for each of two candi-
dates, and as the meeting could not, it was thought, be
legally adjourned, the members sat throughout the
night. On Tuesday afternoon' however, it was decided
to adjourn until the second Monday in May, no ap-
pointment of chairman having been made.
INTERESTING EMIGRANTS."--AbOUt 100 stoats and
weasels, which have been
.caught with considerable
difficulty in different parts of Lincolnshire, were on
Tuesday conveyed to London, en route for New
Zealand, they having been purchased by the Govern-
ment of that country for the purpose of destroying the
rabbits which overrun the colony. As the4ourney out
will occupy about forty-five days, 1500 live pions have
been shipped for the consumption of the. animals
during the voyage. A consignment of..thotit. the same
number was taken last year, but di...lring a stem all but
ten of the stoats and weasels were washea_ cp;erboard.
These ten were liberated as soon as theyslancled, and
within a few hours, one of them des.troyeciseyen ducks,
several miles distant from where it was set_fame
OUTRAGE IN COURT.—An extraor'dinary Alone was
witnessed at the Accrington Po,lice-court olikaiesday.
The magistrates had senteneed a woman; named Mary
Cawley, to three months' imprisonment, andqvere pro-
ceeding with the business of the Court, when Cawley
threw her clog at the bench; the.clog stx.nelr the chair-
man, Mr. Green, on the breast, but its force_,had been
broken by coming in contact with the magistrate's desk.