The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-11-09 00:00:00

Miscellaneous 4ntelligerat.

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

VALUE OF LAND IN MELBOURNE.—A large and
handsome building is about to be erected for the Union
Bank of Australia in Collins-street west, on the site
formerly occupied by the Criterion Hotel. This site,
which has a frontage of 661 t. to that thoroughfare. and
runs back to Flinders-lane, a distance of nearly 320 ft.,
was bought from the Crown in the early days of
Melbourne by the late Mr. Michael Fender for £l6.
It remained in his possession until his death, and his
heirs sold it a short time since to the Union Bank for
£33,ooo.—Argus.
A COMMON SENSE VIEW OF THE CASE.—The Berlin
Correspondent of The Times says :—" The St. Peters-
burg Exchange Gazette, the only important journal in
Russia opposed to a renewal of the war, ridicules the
notion held by its contemporaries that Russian victory
in Afghanistan and Romnelia would lead to disarma-
ment and peace. ' Were Russian victory ever so com-
plete,' says the financial organ' it would have to be
succeeded by the permanent display of immense
military forces in and on the Black Sea and on the
Indian frontier. Where, then, should we find the
promised facilities for domestic development? Let us
have done with the Eastern Question at length and
devote ourselves to home affairs."
EDISON'S MEGAPHONE FOR THE DEAF. —Mr. Edison
writes, in a letter published in the Brittsh Medica
Journal, addressed from the Laboratory, Menlo
Park :—" I have now two assistants engaged at my
laboratory in experimenting upon an apparatus for the
benefit of the deaf. The results so far have been quite
satisfactory, and I hope soon to have a practical appa-
ratus for introduction to the public. The only draw-
back as yet is the large size of the apparatus. I can-
not at present say what the coat will be."

A POLITICAL CLOCIC.—A Political Clock to suit all
shades of opinions has been invented by an ingenious
Parisian clockmaker, specially intended for such easy-
going Prefects as may wish, like the good old Vicar of
Bray, to keep office under all changes of Government
(says The Graphic). The clock is surmounted by a
draped female figure, which at present represents the
Republic, and wears a moveable Phrygian cap. Should
the Prefect abjure Radical for Moderate opinions he
can take off the cap and replace it by a laurel wreath,
while if the Republic be out of favour the figure can
well typify France, while the pike held in her hand,
can be supplanted by a tiny flag and may be sur-
mounted according to taste by a Bonapartist eagle,
the Gallic cock, or a Legitimist fleur-de-lys. These
"accessories" are all sold with the clock.
AN INDIAN BENEFACTRESS.—We (The Times) re-
cently announced the investiture of the Maharanee
Surnomayee with the insignia of the Imperial Order of
the Crown of India. This Bengalee lady, who has
spent more than five lace of rupees in one year for the
promotion of education and the relief of distress in her
own country, has just Bent 2,000 rums to the Boden
Professor of Sanscrit (Professor Monier Williams) as a
contribution towards the erection of the proposed
Indian Institute at Oxford.
COST OF THE PRODUcTION OF COAL.—Lord Aber-
dare, in replying to an inquiry as to the accuracy of a
statement ascribed to him by Mr. Heath, M.P., to the
effect that the cost of production of coal had increased
2s. per ton owing to legislative interference with
labour, has explained that it is quite true the cost has
increased by 2s. per ton, but he does not ascribe
the increase to legislative interference with labour.
In fact, a very small part of the increase is due
to legislative interference. Something was owing
to the increased price of machinery, but the greatest
cause of the increase was the arbitrary regulations as
to the subdivision of labour and hours introduced by
the men themselves. Legislation, he adds, has nothing
to do with the needless subdivision of labour, nor with
the reduction of working hours.
GAS AND THE ELECTRIC LIGHT.—The Court Journal
remarks :—" Apropos of the coming electric light and
its struggle with gas, Byron tells us in one of his
letters, that for three weeks Drury Lane was empty
because of their having used gas, which it was said
would poison all in the house • and an instance is very
well known in which the validity of a will was tried
before a jury, in the course of which the testator was
proved to be sane on all points except that of believing
that he would live to see Bloomsbury-square lit by gas.
This was of course thought conclusive, and the will
was set aside. It was somewhat the same with the
opposition to railways, on the ground that their pas-
sing through the meadows would frighten the cattle
and prevent their getting fat, and this was actually an
objection sustained before a Committee of the House
of Commons some thirty years ago, and which then
stopped the line to Oxford, and which has stopped all
but a branch line to Northampton to this very day.
It is possible that we may see the same objections
made to the electric light, and very possibly with the
same results."
THE VENTILATION OF BEDROOMS.—There are few
bedrooms, remarks the Lancet, in which it is perfectly
safe to pass the night without something more than
ordinary precautions to secure an inflow of fresh air.
Every sleeping apartment should, of course, have a
fireplace with an open chimney, and in cold weather it
is well if the grate contains a sinallfire, at least enough
to create an upcat current and carry off the vitiated
air of the room. In all such cases, however, when a
fire is used it is necessary to see that the air drawn into
the room comes from the outside of the house. By a facile
mistake it is possible to place the occupant of a bedroom
with a fire in a closed house in a direct current of foul
air drawn from all parts of the establishment. Summer
and winter, with or without the use of fires, it is IN ell
to have a free ingress of pure air. This should be the
ventilator's first concern. Foul air will find an exit if
pure air is admitted in sufficient quantity, but it is
not certain pure air will be drawn in if the impure is
drawn away. So far as sleeping rooms are concerned,
it is wise to let in air from without. The aim must
be to accomplish the object without causing a great
fall of temperature or draught. The windows may be
drawn down an inch or two at the top with advantage
and a fold of muslin will form a " ventilator " to take
off the feeling of draught. This, with an open fire-
place, will generally suffice, and produce no unpleasant
consequences, even when the weather is cold. It is,
however, essential the air outside should be pure.
Little is likely to be gained by letting in fog or even
a town mist.

CURIOUS CAUSE OF A RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—Major
Marindin, RE., has reported to the Board of Trade
upon the cause of an accident which occurred on Oct.
6 to a passenger train near Bradford Junction (Wilts),
on the Great Western Railway, in consequence of the
engine leaving the rails. Three passengers were in-
jured, the engine sustained some damage, and the per-
manent way was a good deal cut up. Although it was
difficult to believe that so slight an obstacle would be
a sufficient cause, Major Marindin could only account
for it by supposing that, in passing over a i-inch nut,
which there is no doubt was on the rail, and which was
too small to be swept off by the guard iron, or to be
seen from the signal-box, the leading end of the engine
must have lifted sufficiently for the flange of the right
leading wheel to be above the top of the rail, and that
it therefore followed its natural tendency to fly off on
the outside of the curve. There was no evidence to
show how this nut came to be on the rail, but it could
hardly have been in this position unless it had been
purposely placed there, quite possibly from pure
znischief, and without any malicious intent. As, how-
ever, such practices are most dangerous, and it is very
difficult to keep people off the line, he hoped that all
persons detected in trespassing would be rigorously
prosecuted.

A FELLOW-EEELING.—OId Lady (to young Curate
who has obtained preferment, and is about to leave).
"We 're main sorry to lose you, Sir. You've been
very good to us old people. You might 'a' been a
old woman yourself, Sir !! "—Punch.
THE END OF IL—The San Francisco News Letter
says :—About two weeks ago, as the overland train
was passing Cheyenne, the attention of the passengers
was attracted by the lamentation of a poor Irish im-
migrant, whose berth had been robbed during the
night, and every penny of his scanty savings stolen,
and whose family would, therefore, arrive beggars in
a strange land. The charitable passengers at once
began a subscription, which finally amounted to some-
thing over two hundred and fifty dollars. When the
money had been handed to the sufferer, a pious,
plausible-looking man, dressed in black, and adorned
with a white cravat, drew him aside at one of the
stopping places, and said, "My poor man, I am truly
sorry for you. Your sad case touches me deeply. I
am myself well provided with this world's goods, how-
ever, and so will give you 250 dollars more. Hereis a
500 slollar gold note. Give me the 250 dollars you
have, and keep the rest. May heaven bless you 1"
The poor Irishman did as requested, with many bless-
ings on the generous stranger, who insisted that his
gift should not be made known. When the passengeis
reached this side of the bay, the pious-looking
philanthropist was nowhere to be found, he having
evidently gotten off at Oaklands, for reasons of his
own. The next morning the immigrant repaired to a
bank to get his note changed. The teller picked up
the bill and began narrowly examining it. " There—
there is nothing wrong with the bill, is there?"
gasped the poor fellow. The reader has seen all along
what was going to happen. He has read lots of just
such incidents as this. It's the old—old story.
"Nothing in the world is the matter with it." said the
teller quietly, and he handed the man fifty tens. That
ended it,
MEDICINAL EFFECTS OF ONIONS. A mother
writes :—Once a week invariably—and it was gene-
rally when we had cold meat minced—l gave the
children a dinner which wai hailed with delight and
looked forward to; this was a dish of boiled onions,
The little things knew not t they were taking the
best of medicine for what most uhildren
suffer from—worms. Mine were kept free by this
remedy alone. Not only boiled onions for dinner,
but chives also they were encouraged to eat with their
bread and butter, and for this purpose they had tufts
of chives in their gardens. It was a medical man who
taught me to eat boiled onions as a specific for a cold
in the chest. He did not know at the time, till I told
him, that they were good for anything else. [A case
is now under our own observation in which a rheu-
matic patient, an extreme sufferer, finds great relief
from eating onions freely, either cooked or raw. He
asserts that it is by no means a fancy, and he says so
after having persistently tried Turkish baths, gal-
vanism, and nearly all the potions and plasters that
are advertised as certain alleviates or cures. It is a
case of chronic rheumatism which originated in fever
thirty years ago. This is worth trying and we shall be
glad to learn the experience of sufferers who may put
the suggestion in practiced—Hants Advertiser.