The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-11-07 00:00:00

alisallanwits 4nteuigence-:.

HONE, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES.—Mr. W. 1. St. ,To.lan
Hope, the new secretary of the Society of Antiquarw,
entered on hie duties M Michaelmas. We understand
that the library of the society at Burlington House Will
be henceforth open from II a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, instead
of from 10 till 4; and it will close on Saturday at 1
instead of 2 psn.—" Walford's Antiquarian."
A QUAINT WEDDING GUSTOM.—It is the custom ill
Northumberland to place a stool at the church door
during the =fringe service, over which stool the
newly-married couple have to jump. They are allowed,
however, to walk out on payment of a forfeit.
THE SCOTCH TAIIRS —The depths of the lakes in
Scotland have been given as follows: Loch Lomond,
maximum depth of 105 fathoms; Loth Ness, of 129
fathoms; and Loch Morn, of 180 fathoms. The bottom
of this lake is the lowest level in the British Islands.

Busnirss BORES.—A notice to the following effect
is posted up outside the office of a large works in the
Manchester district: " Notice ! The hours of attend-
ance in this office are: To canvassers for Church sub-
scriptions, 10 to 2; book and insurance agents, 2 to 4;
commercial travellers, beggars, and advertising men, all
day. We attend to our own business at night."
A NEW CONGREGATIONAL COLLEGE.—The "Academy
says arrangements have been concluded for the estab-
lishment at Oxford of a theological hall in connection
with the Congregational body. From the source of its
endowment it will be called Mansfield College, and it
will have a head, a staff of six lecturers, and a chapel.
The first head will be Principal Fairburn, of Airedale
College, Bradford.
FRENCH 'Bus HonsEs.—The total number of horses
owned by the General Omnibus Company of Paris at
their various depots is 13,679; of these 9377 are em-
ployed for the omnibus service, 3541 for the tramways.
586 fcr the omnibus service from the railway stations,
and 175 at Versailles. This would be an average per
vehicle, for the omnibuses, of 15 horses, 15.73 for cash
tramcar, and 14.19 for the service from the railway'
station.

THE pictures from the Paris Salon, bought by the
French Government for the State. are being exhibited
at the Paris Palais de l'lndustrie for three weeks.

ITALIAN Coral will be scarce and dear this year. The
coral harvest has been very scanty this season, and the
loss will be greatly felt by the Neapolitans, who alone
send out 500 vessels and 5000 men to the fishery.
A CENTENARIAN donkey has just died at Orornarty.,
N.B ,at least so says a contemporary. This aged beast
had been in the family of a Mr. Ross of Orcmarty since
1779, and its age at that time, when it passed to its late
owners, is unknown.
THE old curfew law has been revived in some of the
Western States of America. The curfew bell is rung
at eight or nine pm., according to the season, and any
boy or girl under 16 fctind out of doers after that time
without being accompanied by a relative can be
arrested for misdemeanour.

A SECTION of the Milky Way has been admirably
photographed at the Paris Observatory, showing about
5000 stars, ranging from the sixth to the fifteenth
magnitudes. To similarly represent the whole of the
Milky Way 6000 similar sections would be required,
representing 20,000,000 stars down to the fifteenth
magnitude.
MIL BANCROFT, the veternn American historian, is as
energetic a worker as ever, although he has just kept his
85th birthday. He rises every morning at five o'clock,
and begins to compose at once, declaring that his best
work is done before breakfast. After a meal at eight
he devotes himself from nine to 1.30 to his chief work,
"The History of the United States," leaving the rest
of the day free for other occupations.
IN English language and literature candidates for
the Cambridge Higher Local Examinations have now
attained a high degree of excellence, according to the
last report of the examiners; but in the study of early
English there is much deficiency. This is certain to
be the case where there are o few qualified teachers.
In French and German the attainments of candidates
do not improve. Set subjects in Latin and Greek are
well prepared by many students.—" Atheneum."
The first English journal ever published in Japan by
a Japanese has just made its appearance in Yokohama.
There are several English journals in Japan, but they
belong to British subjects, and are written in the
interest of foreigners, who almost alone buy them.
The " Anglo-Japanese Times," however, is published
and written by and for the Japanese themselves. It is
brought out by the proprietor of an important native
newspaper, the " Mainichi Shimbun," or " Daily News."
The French Tribunal of Commerce, at the suit of
Madame Adam, editor of the "Nouvelle Revue," has
ordered the publisher, Dentu, to stop the sale of the
book entitled "La Socike, de Londres." It held ihs,t
though the work was issued prior to the sketches of the
so called Comte Paul Vassili, the latter had been
announced first, and consequently had priority of title. ,
It declined to grant damages, affirming that no loss had
been proved. The defendant was ordered to pay tha
costs.

TuuER statues have just been brought to light from
the cellars underneath the old Courts of Law at Guild-
hall, where they have been idden for many years. They'
formerly stood in front of Guildhall Chapel, and are
life-size representations of King Edward VI., King
Charles 1., and his consort Queen Henrietta Mans. All
three possess great artistic merit, the figure of Charles
I. in armour being particularly effective. The statues
are only slightly injured, and compare very favourably'
as works of art with those (four in number) removed
from Temple Bar, which now stand close beside them
in the vacant ground behind the Guildhall. They are
probably of the date of the fire of London, and deserve,
as they no doubt will receive, safe custody in the
Corporation Museum at Guildhall.—" Citizen."
TITE ZooLooroar, Somx-ry.—The additions to the
Zoological Society's Gardens during the past week in-
clude a vervet monkey, from Smith Africa, presented
by Mr. George E. Crisp; a Malbroack monkey, from
West Africa, presented by Miss Ethel O'Donoghue; a
kinkajou, from Demerara, presented by Mr. John
Carder; four common squirrels, six common dormice,
British, presented by Mr. Thos. Weddle; a Tennsnt's
squirrel, from Ceylon, presented by Miss Maud Bovill ;
two vulpine squirrels, from North America, presented
by Captain E. E. Vail; a coypu, from South America,
presented by Mrs. Amelia Appleton; a Robben Island
snake, from South Africa, presented by the Rev. G. a
E. Fisk, C.M.Z.S., two sly silurns, European, pre-
sented by the Marquis of Bath, F.Z.S. ; a red lorr, from
Moluccas, and Alexandrine parrakeet, from India de-
posited.

AN interesting relic of old English justice has been
placed over the Judge's seat in the Admiralty Court of
the Royal Courts of Justice—the Anchor which from
time immemorial stood in the original Admiralty Court
in Doctors'-commons until the Admiralty Judicial
Business was transferred to Westminster in 13(30.
Then the anchor was thrown into a lumber-room, and
now it has been disinterred, regilded, and mounted on
a black velvet ground in a handsome dark frame. A
cable is twisted round the anchor, which is about four
feet long. Even now a long silver oar, some centuries
old, is brought into Court when a judge sits on Ad-
miralty matters. Formerly the oar was carried before
the judge by his Marshal of State, at present it lies on • .
the Registrar's table.
BRITISH training ships have long been doing a useful
work amongst our poorer lads, and one of the highest
positions in the service may be claimed by the Exmouth
which lies off Grays, Essex, under Captain Bourchiers
R.N. Last year she sent 27 more boys into the Royal
Navy than all the other mercantile training ships com-
bined. During the year 326 boys were received on
board the Exmouth, while of those who had completed
their course of instruction 95 entered the navy, 106
went into the mercantile marine, and 61 joined the
army as musicians. Altogether since the Exmouth
began her work in 1876, 2625 boys have been admitted
on board, being trained in every branch of naval sers
vice, together with tailoring, cooking, and music.
Recreation is not forgotten, games and entertainments
being provided, as well as a library, for which contribil-
tions would be very welcome.
A VERY early specimen of wood engraving has been
found amongst the Austrian Arch-Duke Rainer's
precious collection of Egyptian papyri, which have
already yielded such valuable results. It is a strip of
Arabian paper dating from the ninth century, containing -
a woodcut with ornameets and initials. wood-engraving
has always been ascribed to Chinese origin, and although
the early Egyptians and Romans stamped bricks and
other articles of clay with wooden stamps, the woodcut
proper was not hitherto known before the beginning of,
the fifteenth century, some six hundred years later than
the present discovery. Amongst the papyri, too, is a
fragment of Homer Odyssey, dating from the second
century.
KING LOINS OF BAVARIA'S debts greatly exercise his
people, and the Chamber will shortly be asked to decide .
on the financial situation. It is now suggested to
require the King to sell his art collections to the
nation, or to devote two millions of marks annuallY
from the public revenue to paying off his creditors.
Probably his Majesty, thoroughly in sulks with his
subjects, may not come to town at all this winter, but
stay at one of his gorgeous castles in the Tyrol, and his
winter sledges are already being prepared in readiness.
King Louis loves to dart about the country at night in
these sledges drawn lay four horses and postillions, anq
driving recklessly over bad roads, and heaps of ice an°
snow till he seriously damages his vehicles. One of
these sledges is a huge affair, in Louis XIV. style, pre-
fusely ornamented with gilding, figures, and most
delicate mythological paintings, and upholstered with
blue velvet. A group of genii support a canosar. ef
golden crowns over the Royal head. Another aleigb
resembles a gigantic shell supported by Tritons, while
little Cupids, seated on the edge, hold golden garlands-
Now the King wants his sleighs illumined by the elecs
trio light.
AN Aucnnexa's EXPLOIT.—The Archduke John mune
the other day, says the Vienna correspondent of the
"Daily News," from Linz to Vienna, on the Danube, a
distance of nearly 140 miles, in 22 hours. The Arch'
duke was accompanied by an aide-descatnp, eacb
occupying a small Kamtchatka boat. It had been enr;
sidered impossible to venture upon the rapids ne'"'
Grcin with safety, and the boats were hurried alo.-
with the speed of an express train. The Archduke IS
none the worse for his exploit; but the aidesde-easaP s
hands and arms were greatly swollen. Instruments were
carried which showed that they dipped the oars 660°
times. • .
set
A TRAGIC STORY.—The following story is at pren f
going the round of the Paris papers. The dead bod 9
an English or an American lion-tamer, named Steviarst
was, it is said, lately found in the room of a horise.;s
Romainville, outside Paris. By the side of the rernai
was the corpse of an old lion. Stewart had '
falleritt°is s
evil days aid went to Romainville with his lion. sss
supposed that he succumbed to an apoplectio stsnd -
and that the lion lay calmly down and died of grief"
hunger by the side of his master.
n agb,
AN 'EXTRAORDINARY (JONFESSION.—Agnes wav-nsuit
aged 30 years, has been charged at the Glasgow
Court with child murder. The allegation was thiar
had drowned her boy, seventeen months old, .S 3
Clyde. Adam Hempseed, the prisonet's sweetiSTa ,
deposed that he and the prisoner went to the banirles,
the Clyde, and meeting a man thero told hilna7a-sc
wished to get rid of the child. They
wenvidajn
leaving the child with the unknown man. The e.; At -
of the witness created a great sensation iia cobrulfssble
this stage the prisoner pleaded guilty of
;O
homicide. homicide. This was accepted by the Oro
_!,s, -
the accused was sentenced to t 9 Tearegoal EV"
tude.
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