The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-02-23 00:00:00

SATURDAY, FEB. 23, 1884

The number of suicides and attempted suicides in
Berlin during January last was forty,two, Compared
with thirty•two in the pro-gous month.
British artists have been asked by the trustees of
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts to form a repre•
etntative exhibition of English water•coloars and
works in black and white, to be held in the United
States this autumn.

Since the accident to the Emperor of Russia while
sledging at Gatichina two more distinguished
Personages have met with sledge accidents in St.
Petershurg. General Richter, chief of the Emperor's
headquarters, and M.. Kostomoroff, the eminent
historian, have both been thrown out of their sledges
and injured more or less severely. General Richter
ha 4 now recovered; but M. Kostom3roff is still;
suffering from his injuries:
Notice has been given !let the Queen will hold'
Drawing-rooms at Buckingham Palace on Friday, the
14th (instead of Thursday, the 13th, as previously
anno%nced), and on Thursdny, the 20th of March
next, at three o'clock.

Consul General Annaley, in his recent report on
the trade of Hamburg, notes a a ground for cons
gratulation that of the total increase of 2,189,127 cwt.
in the whole imports by sea into that port in 1832, as
compared with the preceding year, Great Britain
alone contributed no less than 1,759;935 cwt.

Lar,re numbers of plovers are now feeding upon the.
lowlands in the valley of the Upper Thames, the birds
being principally met with in the Staines and Wrays-
bury districts.

Thera being only five steamers arriving at Liverpoo
during last week with live stock and fresh meat on,
board frcm American and Canadian ports, the collec•
tive arrivals were considerably below the imports
from the same countries during the preceding week,
and when compared with the figures for the last few
weeks they show a somewhat large falling off, par.
ticularly in fresh meat. The past week's supply
amounted to 923 cattle, 850 sheep, 4,180 quarters of
beef, 325 carcases of mutton, and 50 hogs.
The Cercle des Echecs of Paris has accepted a chal.
lenge from the Vienna Chess Club to play a match hy
correspondence. Stakes, 2000 francs; one move to be
made every four days; Vienna to send the first move
by telegraph, on the 27th inst.

Two publicans have been charged at Weymonth
with using earthenware cups which were not duly
stamped, It was proved that the liquor had been
measured in stamped pewter vessels. The charges
were dismissed.

The dead bodies of three seamen and some wreckage,
Including portions of the cabin of a vessel, supposed
to be that of a schooner, have been washed ashore
near Stradbally, on the Waterford coast. There were
no letters or papers of any kind on the bodies that
would lead to the discovery of the name of the vessel
supposed to have been wrecked.

The Duke of Albany took part in an amateur con.
rt at Esher the other evening, in aid of the funds of
the village National School. He sang Clay's "The
Sands of Dee," and was encored.

Twenty-six British-owned and seven foreign vesse!l,
Including four steamers (three British and one German),
were wiecked during last week, making a total of 340
for the present year, against 395 at the corresponding
period of last year, when the total for the same week
was forty-four. Seventeen vessels went down off the
British coast, all being British-owned with the except-
ton of thzee foreign, one of the latter sinking with all
band. Six British, with all hands were reported; one
being wrecked off the Irish coast. Number or, lives
lost, 'eighty.
Tnn result of the polling in West Somerset was
officially made known on Saturday, when it was
sonounced that Mr. Elton, the Conservative candi-
date, had received 3757 votes, as compared with 2995
recorded for Lord Kilcoursie, who had contested the
division in the Liberal interest. The Conservative
majority was thus 762.
An International Exhibition of Agriculture will be
held at Amsterdam from the 25th of August to the
6th of September next. Practical trials will be made
of agricultural engines.

With a view to the discussion of questions of school
hygiene, periods of study, gymnastic* training, pre-
vention of disease, and allied questions connected with
growing boys and girls it is proposed to form a society
of medical officers of public, charitable, or general
schools. This society, meeting at inteevals, would
discuss papers on these important questions, and the
experience gained in the various institutions would be
collected for the general good.
_ _ _

A fire broke out early on Saturday morning in the
stables at the Longford Military Barracks. The
whole range of buildings, consioting of the sergeants'
mess, tailors and saddler? shops, &c., were destroyed.
One man was injured by a falling wall. The 16th
Lancers and the 45th Regiment are quartered in the
barracks.

A proposal to adopt the Free Libraries Act in the
burgh of Elgin was rejected the other day by a
majority of 319, only thirty•six ratepayers voting in its
favour.

It is stated that Cardinal Manning has been asked
to serve on the Commission to inquire into the housing
31 the working classes. The Commission will be un-
usually numerous and representative in its composi-
tion, and its inquiries will extend to all parts of the
United Kingdom. The investigation of the Commis-
sion will occupy the greater part of the year.
Last week's receipts of cotton at all United States
ports were 104,000 bales; since Ist September,
4,161,000 bales. Week's exports to Great Britain,
97,000 bales; week's exports to the Continent, 19,000
bales. Total since Ist September, 2,632,000 bales.
Stock at all ports, 1,019,000 b^lee.
A Paris telegram says that a duel with swords has
been fought between two members of the Chamber of
Deputies, M. Franck Chauveau and M. Laguerre,
Both were slightly wounded in the first assault, and
M. Laguerre afterwards received a second thrust,
which did not, however, inflict a dangerous wound.

A meeting has been held in the Royal Hotel,
Edinburgh, the Lord Provost presiding, when it wae
resolved that a subscription should be started for the
purpose of obtaining a bust of Thomas Carlyle, to be
placed in the library of the University of Edinburgh
on the occasion of the tercentenary of the University.
A committee was appointed to carry out the object;
in view.

Saturday was the anniversary of the commencement
of the National Debt, which took place on Feb. 16th,
1689. It amounted in 1697 to about five millions, and
was then thought to be of alarming magnitude; but
owing to subsequent wars the debt now amounts to
about £786,600,000.
Portraits of the Queen and the late Prince Consort
presented by her Majesty to Mrs. S. C. Hall in 1877
have been given te the Hospital for Consumption at
Brompton by Mr. S. C. Hall, in fulfilment of the
wisher of his late wife.

The area of space applied for at the forthcoming
International Exhibition at the Crystal Palace amount:
to 150,C00 square feet, and will be allotted to exhi•
bitora from Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark,
France, Germany, Greece, Holland, India, Italy,
Japan, Portugal, Russia, Servia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, United States of America, and the
Unite,' Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
The cooperation of the Telegraph and Postal D.
partments in India is to be further utilised for the
public advantage, and there is likely to be soon
brought into force a system by which money-orders
may be sent by telegragh to any part of that country.

Mr. P. A. Taylor. M.P. for Leicester, has addressed
a letter to the electors stating that it is not his inten-
tion to seek re-election after the next Dissolution ol
Parliament. The hon. gentleman states that dimi-
nished strength compels him to sever an honourable
connection which has existed for close upon a quarter
of a century.

Charles Nowland, who was convicted at the last
York Assizes of the murder of his wife at Hull in
December last and sentenced to death, has been
reprieved by her Majesty.

The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens,
Regent's Park, London, during last week included a
Chacma baboon from South Africa. presented by
Colonel Gildea; a Macque monkey ; a black kite from
India, presented by Mr. John M. Hagerman ; a com-
mon hedgehog, British, presented by Mr. Archibald
Aitchinson ' • a bonnet monkey from India, presented
by Mr. J. Wilson; a vulpine phalanger from Aug.
tralia presented by Captain R. Slater; two com-
mon iackdaws, British, presented by Master Harrot;
a chanting hawk from South Africa ' • a partridge
bronze-winged pigeon, from New South Wales, pur-
chased.