The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-08-02 00:00:00

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 1879.

STORM FORECAST.—Accordbm to a telegram fr°D)
the New York Herald, another centre of disturbance'
will arrive on the British and French coasts on the
evening of the 30th; heavy rains on the central ant!
northern European coasts; south-east and north-weo
gales, backing north-west, strong winds. The weather
will continue stormy several days.
DOG AND CAT.—Old Officers tell us "the Services
are going to the Dogs." Can this be the reason the)'
?
are getting rid of the Cats ?—Punch.
MARK TWAIN'S HORSE.— Gentlemen
this
of mine was tongh-bitted, and he went so fast tha,
had to guide him by electricity—had to have -
lines and keep a battery in the waggon all the time
order to atop him." 'Why didn't you stop hian
hollering Who-a?" was asked. "Stop him by ho
ing who-a? Why, I couldn't holler loud enough .
let that horse hear me. He travelled so fast that nt-
sound ever reached him from behind. Why,
once started from Virginia city for Meadow Creek
right in front of one of the most dreadful rain storroe
we ever had on the Pacific coast. 'Wind and rain
hors!
Why, the wind blew eighty miles an hour, and the
rain tell in sheets. I drove right before that storm for
three hours—just on the edge of the hurricane and
rain for forty miles. Now I don't want to tell a lie
about my horse, all I ask for him is fity dollars." "
1 U
give you four, or the first dish of his cat' meat," syee
the response by a bystander.
INSANITY IN Exonsis.—Sky clouded, with a fel/
lucid intervals.—Punch.
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DUELLING PEOHIBITED.—At length there mum
be some prospect that an end will be put to the s&
and barbarous practice of duelling which has prevailed
for so many years past in the German Universitiee
(remarks the Daily Telegraph). The authorities nt
.Leipzig have published a formal prohibition of these en'
counters, decreeing that any proprietor of an inn or beer
house in the district under their immediate control who'
shall permit any " Paukerei " to be fought out DPP
his premises shall be subjected, without fail or re'
mission, to a heavy fine. It is the custom of the
students who have exchanged the convential provoce•
dons of "stupid youth" or " pig-dog "to meet with
their seconds in a private room of some suburbao
hostelry, and there score one another's cheeks and
noses according to the University rules in that case
made and provided. Their bodies and arms swathed
In bandages, and their eyes protected by thicls
glass goggles, they are set foot to foot, and hew awaY
at each other's countenances until one of them obeli
have been disfigured to such an extent as may be re-
quired by the exigencies of their particular quarrel.
It is time that these nonsensical rites be foregone, for
good and all, by the flower of German youth. The
Saxon "powers that be" are highly to be lauded for
the moral courage they display in warring upon lb
senseless and perilous practice. We are glad to observe
that their salutary example has already been followed
by the Bavarian magistracy, who a week or two sir"
condemned no fewer than thirteen students of the
Munich Hochschule to from three to six months' im-
prisonment for acting as principals and seconds lo
college duels.

REMARKABLE FEAT BY A DOG.—H. W„
from 24, Marischal-street, Aberdeen, to the Live SOO
Journal, says :—The following remarkable feat, per-
formed by a Collie dog, may prove of interest to some
of your readers. About three weeks ago I decided to
have a short holiday, and started per rail from Aber-
deen, accompanied by my Collie dog Clyde, en route to
Ballater. From Ballater I walked to Braemar, resteo
there all night, and next day went through Glen Tilt
(fording the Tariff) to Blair Athole. From Blair to'
Dalnaspidal, on the Highland line, was traversed the
following day. Arriving at the latter place late at I
night, and finding no accommodation, was glad to
avail myself of a lift on an engine as far as Newton'
more, and remained there that night. Thence in the
morning to Boat of Garten, and from Boat of Garton
to Freeburn Inn, Tomatin (fifteen miles from Invet.
nese), and here my journey ended, so far as the dog
was concerned, as he got out early in the morning,
started a hare or rabbit, and that was the last I saw of
him. Imagine my astonishment when a boy brought
Clyde home this morning. The dog had been found
near Norwood Hall, Cults, and apparently did not
know his way any further, for he remained there
three days; but having a collar on, was then brought
here. The dog is in good condition, and apparentlY
none the worse for his journey. This incident is, r
think one of the most extraordinary ever heard of
connection with dogs, for he must have retraced his
steps nearly 200 miles, and that notwithstanding
breaks in the journey by railway travelling, fovdin
two rivers, and visiting different places.

AN UNHACKNEYED Smut—Old Gentleman: "
shall report you, young man. Why didn't you stop
before? Here have I been running after your 'bus for
the last quarter of an hour." Conductor: "All right,
guv'nor, you needn't turn so rusty. I abet like a
pertater, eyes all over I"—Fun.
AN INTERESTING MEMENTO.—The table upon which
Napoleon 111. signed the declaration of war by Franc:o
against Prussia at St. Cloud in July, 1870, has been
just added, with the sanction of the German Emperor,
to the Hohenzollern Museum in Berlin. When St.
Cloud was bombarded and occupied by the German
troops during the operations against Paris, the table
was saved and taken in the first place to Versailles
and afterwards to Berlin. The table is round, about
five feet in diameter, and covered in the centre with
men cloth; the outer rim of the top being of ebony,
richly inlaid with mother-of-pearl and various metals,
and bound with an ornamented gold ring. Under the
top of the table are six drawers of the form of a
truncated segment of a circle, and each provided with
a cunningly constructed lock; the inner part of the
drawers being of mahogany, the outside of quaintlY
carved and inlaid mother-of-pearl. By the side of the
table stands an arm-chair covered with green leather,
which, being a favourite chair of Napoleon 111., was
sent to him at Wilhelmshohe.

A SLIGHT HlNT.—Aunt Tabitha : "Tell your
mamma, Rosie, I said you were a very good girl for
bringing the letter round so carefully." Rosie : "Yes,
Aunt Tabitha, and I'll tell her I didn't ask you for a
shilling, because she told me not to, Aunt Tabitha."--
Fun.

A CURIOUS LAKE.—In Colorado is a ten-acre field,
which is no more nor less than a subterranean lake
covered with soil about 18 inches deep. On the soil is
cultivated a field of corn, which produces 30 or 40
bushels to the acre. If anyone will take the trouble to
dig a hole the depth of a spade handle he will find it
to fill with water, and, on using a hook and line, fish,
five or six inches long can be caught. The fish have
neither scales nor eyes, and are perch like in shape.
The ground is a black marl in its nature, and in all
probability was at one time an open body of water, on
which has accumulated vegetable matter, which has
been increased from time to time, until now it has a
crust sufficiently strong and rich to produce fine corn,
though it has to be cultivated by hand, as it is not
strong enough to bear the weight of a horse. While
harvesting, the field hands catch great strings of fish
by punching a hole through the earth. A person
rising on the toe and coming down suddenly can see the
growing corn shake all around him. Any one having
the strength to drive a rail through this crust will find
on releasing it that it will disappear altogether, The
whole section of country surrounding this field gives sig.
dence of marshiness, and the least rain produces an
abundance of mud. But the question comes up, has
not this body an outlet? Although blackish, the
water tastes as if fresh, and is evidently not stagnant.
Yet these fish are eyeless and scaleless, similar to those
found in caves.

PEDESTRIANISM.—At Lillie-bridge, on Monday even-
ing, a three hours' competition for a championship
belt and £lOO was decided between H. Thatcher and
W. Perkins. The weather was delightfully fine and
several thousand spectators were present. The men,
who appeared in good condition, were sent on their
journey at 5.25. Perkins at once took the lead and
gradually drew away until in the second mile he had
50 yards to the good, and when five miles had been
walked he was 150 yards in front, which he increased
to 180 yards at the finish of six-miles. At the 12th
mile, Perkins began to show signs of distress, and
Thatcher drew up fast, until at 13 miles he was only
80 yards behind. During the next two laps he
quickened his pace so much that he got level. But
Perkins onc,., more aroused the hopes of his partisans
by increasing his pace; and by the time 14 miles had
been placed to his credit be was fully 30 yards in front.
Thatcher, by no means daunted, persevered on his
journey. At the end of 14i miles he improved his
position materially, and on entering the straight in
the succeeding lap he drew level. They raeed together
for. a little distance, but Thatcher, amid the enthusi-
astic cheers of his friends, succeeded in wrenching the
lead from Perkins, who, when he had gone 14i miles,
gave up. The condition on which the belt was to be
held was that the winner should walk 21 miles in the
three hours. Unfortunately for himself, Thatcher
slackened too much after the retirement of his rival.
and failed to cover the required distance by 820
yards.
AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION.—The TiMe3 of Tues-
day published the following letter :—" Sir,—A. great
deal of nonsense is being written to you and the other
daily papers about the terrible importations of
American meat by which the farmers of this countrY
are ruined, having been deprived of the only source of
mouey•making that free-trade had left them. Allow
me to point out that this is absolutely false, for the
price of meat is as high now as it was five years ago,
when not one word was said about 'agricultural de-
pression.' I have before me at this moment the
Agricultural Gazette for July 21, 1879, and for Jul!"
18, 1874, and I find the quotations per stone of 81b. in
the Metropolitan Cattle Market to be as follows
1879—Best Scots, Herefords, Scc., Sc. 81 to 6s ; 1874--
sa. 6ci. to ss. 8.1. 1879—best shorthorns, se. 6d. to
sa. Bd.; 1874-ss. 4d. to ss. 6d. 1879—second quality
beasts, 4s. 4d. to 53. ; 1874-41. 4d. to 5!. So that beef
at present is positively dearer than it was this time
five years ago.—Your obedient servant. GRosON
AUGUSTUS HAIG, Pen Ithen, Radnorshire, July 24."

THE HEIRESS TO THE THRONE OF BRAEM—Tbs
Princess Isabel, Comtesse d'Eu, the heiress prestrznP-
tive to the thrine of Brazil, was born on July 29,
1846, and therefore completed her 33rd year on Tues-
day. The Princess is the only surviving daughter of
Pedro IL, Emperor of Brazil, by his marriage with
Theresa, daughter of the late Francis 1., King of the
Two Sicilies. She was married on oct3ber 15, 1864,
to Prince Louis of Orleans, Comte d'Eu, eldest goII
of the Due de Nemours, of the ex-Royal house of
Bourbon. Orleans, and grandson of King Louis
Philippe. The offspring of this union is a son, named
Pedro (after his grandfather, the Emperor of Brazil),
born October 15, 1875.

NEW CALEDONIA.—The New Caledonia correepofl.
dent of the Sydney Morning Herald, writing on the
lath of May, says :—" The frigate Navarin has
arrived from France, and the frigates Var and
Calvados are daily expected. By these vessels the
deporegs will return to France direct from the Isle of
Pines—ix , such as have received pardon. A large
French steampacket, named the Picardie, is daily
expected, by which the wives and families of the
married Wportes will be taken to France. In the next ,
icoot.b or iox weeks there will be the greatest eut•
itourmg of t.opolation from this colony ever known.
Four hundred and thirty eoloieis wul leave in the
three frigates and two transports. The two latter are
to keep company with the respective frigates in whose
company they leave by orders received from France.
Such a diniinution—over 2,500 souls—in our small
population will very sensibly &fleet the business truer'
aotionm of the town, and not for the bettee!

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