The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-02-16 00:00:00

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HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

THE HOURS or POLLING text of the bill
to extend the hours of polling at Parliamentary and
municipal elections in certain boroughs, introduced
Into the House of Commons by the Government, is as
follows :—L (1) At every Parliamentary or muni-
cipal election to which this Act applies the poll (if
any) shall commence at eight o'clock in the forenoon
and be kept open until eight o'clock in the afternoon
of the same day and no longer. (2) A Parliamentary
election to which this Act applies shall be an election
of a member or members to serve in Parliament for
any Parliamentary borough within the meaning of the
Parliamentary and Municipal Registration Act, 1863,
which has, at the passing of this Act, a number of
registered electors exceeding 5000. (3) A municipal
election to which this Act applies shall be an election
of a councillor, auditor, or revising assessor in any
municipal borough or ward thereof, where the whole
or part of the area of such borough is co-extensive
with, or included in the area of a Parliamentary
borough, with such number of registered electors as
above in this section mentioned. 11. (2) This Act
may be cited as the Elections (Hours of Poll) Act,
1884.
TIIE USEFUL AND THE BEAUTlFUL.—Distressed Fair
One. "Another hat 1 Why, oh why did I ask every-
body to send me a useful valentine? All hats, and of
exactly the same pattern 7—Funny Folks.

A POCKET BATTERY.—A pigmy voltaic battery of
great power for its size has been devised by M. Skir-
wanov, and is now employed to furnish the star lights
on the heads of the ballet of .La Farandole, Paris. It
is superior to the accumulator hitherto used in yielding
a more lasting current. It gives an empere for one
hour, and has an electro-motive force of 145 volts.
Two of these cells, contained in ebonite cases buckled
to the belt of the performer, keep a star light going,
and the light is readily controlled by the wearer, Each
cell consists of a zinc plate bent into the form of a U,
and holding in its inside a plate of silver, surrounded
by chloride of silver, as in the ordinary De La Rue
chloride of silver cell used by electricians for testing
purposes. The zinc plate forms one pole of the cell
and the silver the other. A solution of caustic potash
(75 rads potash to 100 water) is filled in, and, as a
porous diaphragm, the chloride of silver is covered
with parchment paper. The vessel is of ebonite, with
a closed mouth, which, however, is opened when fresh
liquid has to be put into the cell. This is necessary
after every hour's run, and the chloride of silver has to
be replaced after three or four hours of use. The cell
is thus expensive, but this is of minor importance in
theatrical work as compared with its small size and
weight-100 grammes.
EMIGRATION STATIBTICS.—The emigration returns
for last month show that 10,436 emigrants of British
origin left our shores in January, 1884, being 342
fewer than those who left in January, 1883. This
diminution wAs entirely among Engish persons, the
numbers of English emigrants having been 7829, as
compared with 8247 in 1883. The Irish emigrants
were 25, and the Scotch 51 more numerous than in
1883. The emigrants went for the most part to the
United States and to Australasia, in nearly equal
numbers.

WANTED A DPirOECE.—A few days ago, says the
Kentucky State Journal, a middheaged countryman
walked into the office of a prominent Newport
attorney and took a seat, when the following conver-
sation took place: "I called in to see about gittin' a
divorce from my wife." "Ala! what seems to be the
difficulty ?" "Well, me and Jinny are always
quarrelia', and think it would be better if she would
go back to her folks and I stay where I am. She ken
take the three children with her." "On what grounds
do you want a divorce?" "Well, you see it's jist
this way : Jinny's the most skeerist woman of tramps
ye ever seen, and so when we go upstairs to bed she
wants me to look under the bed for a man, when I
know ther' ain't no man there. So you see that riles
me and I get mad, and then she gets mad, and then
there's a fuss, and I don't have no peace and can't get
no sleep, and I'm a hard-working man." '' You can't
get a divorce on those grounds, sir." "I can't!"
"No, sir." "Well, then, I know what I'll do. I'll
go home and saw the legs of the bed close up so a man
can't git under. If I had thought of that sooner I
might hey saved all this time comin' in here."—Detroit
Free Press,
THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH OF HESSE.—It is now
conermed that the marriage of the Princess Elizabeth
of Hesse with the Grand Duke Sergius of Russia is to
take place on the arrival of the latter at Darmstadt
towards the end of this month. There is no truth in
the statement that the Princess Elizabeth will change
her religion on her marriage. It will be remembered
that the late Grand Duchess Alice, on the occasion of
the marriage of the present Grand Duchess Wladimir,
expressed her satisfaction at the fact that the custom
according to which Princesses adopted the religion of
their husbands had been abandoned.
FIISTORICAL AUTOGRAPHS.—A famous collection of
autographs is about to be brought to the hammer at the
Hotel Drouot, in Paris, that, namely, of M. Alfred
Boyet, which was reputed to be second only to that
formed in England by Mr. Alfred Morrison. Among the
most interesting items is a letter from the Empress
Josephine before her marriage, and one from Joachim
Murat, King of Naples, to the Duke of Wellington.
There are also numerous letters written by famous per-
sonages of the time of the great Revolution, including a
long one from Madame Roland. Victor Emmanuel,
Count Cavour, Prince Bismark, and the present
German Emperor are also among the writers of the
etters now offered to the public.
MEMORIAL TO O'CONNELL—A Renter's telegram
from Rome states that the Rev. Canon Brosnan hes
forwarded to Ireland by sea the first stone, presented
by the Pope, for the dedicatory chapel to be erected
at Cahirciveen, the birthplace of O'Connell, in memory
of the great agitator. The stone has been taken from
the retrains of the house of St. Clement, first Pope
and martyr. It is rather more than a yard in length.
Tne Pope has also given a marble slab from the
catacomb of St. Donatilla for the high altar of the
chapel. On the marble is an inscription affirming
his holiness's approval of the building of the church.
The requisite funds for carrying out the work have
been cotlected by Mr. Brosnan,
TWENTT•EIGHT YEARS IN GAOL —At the Middlesex
Sessions John Keeling, aged 59, was indicted for
breaking into the dwelling-house ef Mr. James Wil-
Hams, a gentleman residing at No. 35, Upper Gioia.
ceeteteplace. He pleaded not guilty. The prosecutor,
on the night of Jan. 21, left his house securely fastened,
and on his return some two or three hours afterwards
he found that some one had broken into it. As soon
as he bad turned on the gas he went back to the front
door with his wife, and made use of a shrill es lo-
whistle which he had in his pocket, and called out
"Police." After a little while the prisoner came
downstairs, and in an impudent manner demanded
what he wanted, to which he replied that he wanted
an officer to take him into custody. The prisoner
managed to get outside the house, and was captured
soon afterwards. The jury found Keeling guilty.
Warder Donald Robertson, of Pentonville Convict
Prison, proved that the convict had often been con-
victed, and had spent over twenteoeight years of his
life in gaol. His lordship said it would be uttely use.
lees to address any observations to such a person as
the prisoner, and sentenced him to seven years' penal
servitude and three years' police supervision.
MILITARY DUELLING IN AUSTRLit.—A warm discus-
aion is going on in Vienna newspapers in connection
with the case of an officer recently dismissed from the
army for refusing to fight a duel. Two young men
named Hintner and Mori, both lieutenants in the re-
serve, and both attending lectures in the University
of Graz, met last October at a railway station, Mori
made use of some efraesive expression which Hintner
thought was intended for himeelf. He asked Mod if
it was so, adding that if it was, or if the expression
:was repeated, he would box his ears. Mori said it was
intended for mother person, and the incident ended.
jun: essel
also
Four weeks later Mon d sent his seconds to Hintner, call.
H the
in wthoerrdsireooe,
fuo,uttshesei egdyra wtti
onoi sswfiet crthhehtaadsalrloaednwnageni
duel,
mg on him for a written apology and withdrawal of
idgsb ewhccoioamnrudss
ctse
ioe;i
nfithcgweeh,atasal
nasa also e.
da‘
hfuisserdelaibg
bec luso duelling was forbidden both by the civil and the
military law." Hereupon the niattsr was brought
before a court of honour, consisting of superior officers
of the 14th Army Corps. The decision of this court
was " approved " and pnblished on the 12th of January,
and simply recites that " Josef Hintner, lieutenant In
the Reserve of the Tyrolese J'eger Regiment of the
Emperor Franz-Josef' s charged with "absolute re-
fneal of a duel, and the sentence is that the accued be
deprived of his commission and rank." This sentence,
It wears: becomes forthwith OperatiV4