The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-03-14 00:00:00

Misallantous aruttiligtnre.

HOME. FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

BERLIN NEWSPAPERS.—BerIin now possesses 410
newspapers and magazines. Forty-five are official, 77
political, and 148 are artistic and scientifi GO com-
mercial, 20 religious, and GO literary.
ASTRONDIOMY.—The French Minister of Education
has appointed a Commission, composed of astronomers
and other scientists and a railway manager, to report
on the opportuneness of extending the decimal system
to astronomical distances and time.
DISCOVERY NEAR STRATFORD-ON-AVON. Several
skeletons, believed to be Roman, in a good state of
preservation, have been found at Middle-hill, near
Broadway, on an estate belonging to a gentleman at
Stratford-on-Avon. Close to the skeletons were dis-
covered a number of Roman coins.
TuE ZOOLOGICAL Socurrv.—The additions to the
Zoological Society's Gardens during the past week in-
clude two wood hares, from North America, presented
by Mr. F. J. Thompson; an Alexandrine parrakeet from
India, presented by Mr. W. Hay; a common magpie
(British), presented by Mr. H. Clare; a slowworm
(British), presented by Mr. R. Gunter; a short-tailed
wallaby, from Western Australia, deposited; two brown
pelicans, from the West Indies, purchased; an Isabel-
line lynx from Tibet, received in exchange; two
spotted ichneumons, from Assam, received on approval.
W. LLOYD GARRISON.—A bronze statue of the late
Mr. William Lloyd Garrison, the leader of the American
Abolitionists, will be cast during the ensuing summer,
the clay model being completed. It was on October
21st, 1835, that a great pro-slavery mob in Boston—
largely composed, it was said, of men of property. and
standing—attempted the assassination of Mr. Garrison;
and the English friends of the great Emancipationist
will be interested to know that the statue will be placed
in one of the squares of Boston, and that it is in con-
templation to unveil it in October next, on the fiftieth
anniversary of the riot.
THSI HARLEIAN Sociwrx.—The Council of the Har-
leian Society have just issued to the members the first
volume of the Christenings at St. James's, Clerkenwell,
from 1551 to 1700, and the continuation up to 1754
will form Vol. 11., and is nearly all in the press. The
"Visitations of Bedfordshire" in 1566, 1582, and 1634,
are now being issued to members, and that of " Dorset-
shire "in 1623 is also nearly completed. It is proposed
to print the weddings which have taken place at St.
George's, Hanover-square, from the commencement of
the registers. The registers of Christ Church, New-
gate-street, are transcribed and will shortly be put in
the press.
AN EMINENT GEOLOGIST.—The death is announced
' of the eminent Russian geologist, George Helmersen,
at the age of 82. He studied at Dorpat under Engel-
hardt, whom he accompanied on his scientific journey
along the course of the Lower Volga and the Ural. He
subsequently took part in Hofmann's and Humboldt's
explorations of the Ural region. Having completed his
studies, especially in minerology, he spent some years,
by direction of the Russian Government, in geological
travels through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
The results of his indefatigable industry have been
published in numerous memoirs of the Russian Academy
of Sciences and other works. /

_ _—
ROYAL Arrnions.—Among reigning Sovereigns anti
their consorts who are authors may be counted Qneens
Victoria; King Oscar 11., of Sweden ; Dorn Luis, °'
Portugal; the Shah Nasr-ed-Deen, of Persia; Que°2l
Elizabeth, of Roumania; Prince Nicolas, of Mem"'
negro ; Don Pedro 11., of Brazil; and, so it is said, Xing
Louis 11., of Bavaria • and among other literal,
royalties are the Imperial Crown Prince RudolPii,
Austria; the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Albert Vietor
and Prince George of Wales, the Princess Christian,
the Imperial Crown Princess of Germany, Prince Lucien
Bonaparte, and several others. There are also maul
royal artists, musicians, and priests. There is probably.
however, but one royal doctor. Duke Charles Theodore
of Bavaria, is in practice at Munich, and is a surgeon
oculist of high reputation in his own country.
GIFT TO THE NATION.—The gift to the nation bY
Messrs. Osbern Salvin, F.R.S., and F. Du Cane God"
man, F.R.S., of two valuable and highly instructive col-
lections is announced. One collection, presented 0L
certain conditions, comprises the entire series °'
American birds brought together by those gentlemen,
numbering upwards of 20,000 specimens, and illustrating •
the life history and geographical distribution of the
birds of tropical America. The other gift, which is Ufl
conditional, comprises a very fine collection of Conti"'
American coleoptera of cicindedidm and carabid
It contains 969 species, and, moreover, 767°
examples, of which more than 400 are types of new
species. To this collection w;11 be ultimately added,
by gift, the remaining families of coleoptera, with other
entomological specimens.
PORCELAIN DECORATIONS.—It was known some WO,
since that a new method of decoration for half-bake°,
porcelain had been discovered at the great Sevr,e2,
manufactory, but that something was wanting in r
completion. At the. last Paris Exhibition of tne
Society for Arts :and Manufactures, some pieces were
exhibited which had been prepared according to the
new method, and which attracted much attention. Af•
Lauth, the director at Sevres, has since succeedea in .
completinz the process. He and the Chamber of Cour
merce in Paris and Limoges would have desired to keeP
the whole process a trade secret, so as to secure the
advantages of it altogether for French industry; but
the impossibility of doing this has been recoginsed".,
Now it is only hoped that the first appearanee inWe
open market of wares prepared in the new manner
shall be secured for France. The exact character of the
new process has, naturally, not yet been ascertained bi
outsiders.
FOREIGN LIVE STOCK an FRESH MEAT. The
arrivals of live stock and fresh meat at Liverpool awing
the past week from American and Casadit.•n Ports
amounted to 1616 cattle, 276 sheep, 13,024 quarters of
beef, and 1755 carcases of mutton, which shows
decrease in the imports of live stock, but a very lark@
in the shipments of fresh meat, when compared wit'
the arrivals of the preceding week. The conveying
steamers, 12 in number, were as follows :—Borderer,
538 cattle and 276 sheep; Palestine, 306 cattle and 731
quarters of beef; Venetian, 369 cattle, 1091 quarter9.,..o
beef, and 50 carcases of mutton; Mentmore,
cattle; Catalonia 1584 quarters cf beef; City O.',
Berlin, 1440 quarters of beef and 275 carcases
mutton; City of Chester, 940 quarters of beef and 11
carcases of mutton; Wyoming, 2740 quarters of bee,
and 530 carcases of mutton; Helvetia, 1784 quarters
beef and 300 carcases of mutton; Lake Winnipeg, 6."
quarters of beef and 75 carcases of mutton; AdriBrlo4
720 quarters of beef and 150 carcases of mutton;
Illinois, 1160 quarters of beef and 225 carcases o`,
mutton.

SCHUrAtANN'SMSS.—Madame Schumann, the pianiste'
and widow of the composer, has been rubbed of all bee
husband's manuscripts, which she kept in her Wl°,
at Frankfort. The thieves also carried off a number 01
wreaths, medals, and other relics of the composer..
THE LARGEST DOCX.—St. John's, Newfoundlaseuf
now possesses the largest dry dock in the svorld.
The dimensions of this dock are 600 ft. long at top
558 ft . long upon the line of keel-blocking; bread'
132 ft.; 85f t. at entrance; draft of water over gate e".
25f t. at high water.
TEA PLANTATIONS.—There are plantations in Ces/en
producing 800 pounds to 1000 pounds of tea per acre
yearly, and the majority from 500 pounds to 600 pounds,
and this tea is being laid down in the London Docks a;
64d. to Bd. per pound, according to situation and yielth
per acre.
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.---The following
are the average prices of British corn for last week, as
received from the inspectors and officers of Excise:
Wheat, 31s. Bd.; barley, 31s. 3d.; oats, 20s. Bd. Pest
imperial qr. Corresponding week last year: Nana"
375. 7d.; barley, 31a. bds oats,l9s. ]ld.
THE Pass's ROYAL.—The proprietors of the shops,
Ssc., in the Palais Royal, Paris, have formed a syndicate
among themselves with the object of restoring to this
favourite promenade a part of its animation and ex'
tractiveness. With this object the syndicate is prepay*
tug to illuminate it throughout by electricity.
EXPENSIVE POST OFFICE.—The new post office °f
Paris, which has been in course of construction dial
the last five years, is now nearly completed, at a cost o
about 17,000,000 f. At present there remains only
arrangement of the material and the furniture, le'
which a credit of 846,000 f. has been asked a the
Chamber of Deputies.
"THE RESCUE OF GREELY."—Captai:i Schley, the
commander of the Greely Relief Expedition, and Pro;
fessor Soley are bringing together some account 01
their perilous trip. The book will be entitled "T
Rescue of Greely." The opening chapters will des'
with the search expeditions of the Neptune in 1882, the
Proteus and Yantic in 1883, followed by a fuller
account of the last and successful rescue by the Thetia
and Bear.
SCOTCH MEMORIALS.—A praiseworthy step has been
taken by the Edinburgh Town Council in resolving 11.
place memorial tablets on all spots of historical intefrressi
in the city. The first place to receive this sear' -
attention is the site in Chambers-street (fort:Orly
College Wynd) of the house where Sir Walter Scott
was born; and it has also been decided to erect a .
memorial stone over the grave of the novelist's father
in Greyfriars' Churchyard.—" Atheneum"
ELECTRIC LIGHT IN AMERICA.- —Thu Edison Central
Station in New York for the distribution. of electrica
for incandescent lighting has been in continuous opera"
tion for two years and a half, with the exception of s
stop of about two hours. The use of the lamps is less
than two and a half bouts per day, and the operating
expenses lgc. per lamp per day. The price charged,!!
on the basis of gas at 2 dols. per 1000, and daring t":
year 1883 the station earned 3 per cent, on the ins'ea'.
ment.
CRIMEAN DIFFICULTIES.—The diffiFulties that Pre:
ceded and led to the Crimean war first assumed
serious shape in March, 1853, when Menschikoff began,
writing his famous "Notes." It was on the 19th
March in the following year, 1854, that the Enaperes;
Nicholas" did not find it suitable" to give an ansW?
to the ultimatum of England and France' sent to
Petersburg on the 27th of February. On the 23rd an,
24th of March the Russians, under Prince Gortchalo,'"
passed the Danube and occupied the Dobruja, an°
few days later war was declared by France
England. On the 2nd of March, 1855, the Emperor
Nicholas died, being succeeded by the late EmPers°,'
Alexander; and on the 30th of Starch, 1855, the trea'J
of peace was concluded in Paris. tle
BOARD OF TRADE Rrsrrams.—The Board of TO:,
returns show a decrease in the value of the imports In` _
last month of £7,142,359 compared with Februsr{
last year, and during the two months of the presell '
year, compared with the corresponding period of 188,.„'
of £6,738,575. The decrease in thevalue in the expor",
in February, compared with February, 1884, ws
£2,058,159, and the decrease during the two snontbex;
compared with the first two months of last year, ly
£3,301,179.
A NEW OFFICIAL RESIDUNCE. Mr. GiadfOriej
accompanied by Lord Rosebery Lord Richer _
Grosvenor, Mr. Childers, and Mr. Herbert Gladston:
have visited Dover House, which lies between,sals
Treasury Building and the Horse Guards. Here
were met by Mr. Milford and Mr. Thompson, of t
Ao
Office of Works, and a complete inspection was
of Dover House, with a view tp its being taken
residence for the Premier. For some time past it n
been considered desirable to obtain more convePit
premises for the Premier; and is Dover Wt.
possesses many attractions and conveniences, it is Pof
bable that it will be bought tor the official residence
future English Premiers.