The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-08-09 00:00:00

THE WEATHER IN SWITZERLAND,
The Times publishes the following letter :

Sir,—Having read in The Times several contra-
dictory reports of the weather in Switzerland, perhaps
you will allow me to give my experience during the
last five weeks. I left England on the 27th of June
for Paris, The weather was fine until July 4, when in
the Rhone Valley it rained all the way to Visp. I
atayed at Visp and Zermatt from the sth to the 9th
.at.; the weather during that time was glorious, and
the view on the Bth from the Gorner Grat unclouded.
I passed over the Simplon and remained on the
Italian lakes and Lugano till the 21st; the weather—
not too hot—was all that could be desired. Rain for
part of the 23rd in crossing the Furka. Since then I
have passed over the Grinniel, Sheideek, and Wengern,.
and arrived here yesterday. With the exception of a
short thunderstorm for about an hour yesterday at
Lucerne, the weather for the last week has been cloud-
less, and so continues to-day. I may add that during
the last five weeks I have not been stopped in one
excursion, nor had a single view dimmed by bad
weather.—Your obedient servant,
MONTAGTI S. FILCHER.
ROtel Right, Salm, July 31.
THE SIOUX INDIANS,

.
the

Transatlantic mail advices give some clue to the
significance of a telegraphic despatch which we pub-
lished last Saturday, (say The Times,) to the effect
that General Miles, who commands the forces in-
tended to hold Sitting Bull and his bands of Sioux
Indians in check, has received orders from Washing-
ton to avoid bringing on another Indian war. The
following are extracts from a private letter written by
the colonel commanding the 18th United States Regi-
ment, which is at present stationed near the boundary
line in Montana territory :
" This place " he says "is situate east latitude 110 leg.
and south latitude 48deg. . . . We hear that Sh-
ting Bull is just over the line with 800 lodges', or 2,400
Indians, in a sad condition, as the buffalo have all, or
nearly all, crossed over to this side. We also under-
stand that he is collecting all his people, and by next
moon will have a dance and decide on which side of
the line he will move. If he should choose to cross
over into the United States, I presume that you will
hear of one of the greatest Indian fights that have
ever occurred. He will either have to surrender or
fight, and, as we have only a handful of troops com-
pared to his forces, it. will take a long time to collect
sufficient troops to make anything of a contest. We
were sent out here as a regiment, which sounds large;
but when we give you the numbers you can readily
see that we should only have been classed as two good
companies (250 men); yet you will, no doubt, read, in
case we have a fight, that. the 18th Regiment is atter
Sitting Bull, and he will have to come to terms."
The situation of affairs; is further explained by a
gentlemate a guest of Msjor Walsh, of the Canadian
North-West Mounted Police, who recently visited
Sitting Bull's camp in the neighbourhood of Bismarck,
United States, and who reports that the famous
Indian chief said, "lie was tired of war and blood.
He went into the Wnite Mother's country to get rid
of war. He and his braves had come back to the
United States to hunt buffalo because they were-
scarce in the Dominion. The women and ceildren
were hungry. They had not come to injure the white
man or his property, hut were forced to come. If the
soldier would let them hunt in peace, they would go
back as soon as they got meat."
The same gentleman reports a conversation he had
with Sitting Bull, in the course of which that warrior
said, "I hate the Long Knives (Americans), b; cause I
and my people have always been deceived by them.
They asked us to go to the reservations, seeing they
would care for and feed us. Then we were told we
must farm. Seim could not do this. Then we found
our rations were short. Not many years ago they told
ue they would give Us the Bieck Hills country. As
soon as the shieitg dust (gold) was found there they
;.rovo Us from it. I cannot behove the Leng Knives.
Then they sent Lung Hair (Custer) to follow us. Do
your people know of anything we dld to brine Long
Flair upon Us at the little Big Horn River? No; we
‘vere there peaceably in camp, hunting for meat to
feed our families. If you were ever told we were
hostile, it is a lie."