The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-07-19 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

A Greek merchant at Chio, M. Dromokeitis, has
bequeathed (the Debats says) 1,700,000 f. for charitable pur-
poses, 700,000 f. being intrusted to the King of Greece for
some national or humanitarian work.

At a meeting of the London engineers on Saturday
evening the 21st weekly balance-sheet was submitted,
together with a statement of the position of affairs and of
the evident intentions of the masters. After a long discus-
sion, it was resolved that every resistance should be made to

the Masters.

- --
Fifteen deaths from sunstroke occurred at Charles-
ton last Saturday.
A fatal torpedo explosion has occnred at Cronstadt,
when five men were instantaneously killed, seven dangerously
wounded, of whom several have since died, and ten slightly
wounded.
- - • --

A Times' telegram says that the Duke of Argyll was
in Boston one day last week and visited the poet Longfellow.
The Portuguese also are exercised greatly on the
subject of agricultural affairs, and a commission has been
appointed by Government to inquire into the agricultural
crisis there.
A Polish peasant woman at Mankowe—young,
handsome, and with a fine voice—has established a new sect,
an 4 chosen twelve apostles to preach abstinence from wine,
meat, and marriage, tea being the beverage enjoined.
It is said that the story of the Prince Imperial fight-
ing the Zulus with his great uncle's sword is inexact. He
had no sword of Napoleon I. with him. On the contrary,
the one that he carried was lately made in France, and was
presented to him by one of his young friends—Conneau.

At a meeting of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
a petition to the Prime Minister was adopted, asking for the
speedy appointment of a Minister of Commerce and Agricul-
ture.
A violent storm has caused extensive damage to the
crops and other property in the West and North• West and
in Canada, telegraphic communication in these districts
being also interrupted.
A congratulatory address has been issned by the
Viceroy of India on the termination of the Afghan war. The
Government has recommended that medals shall be granted
to the troops engaged in the campaign.
It is said that the Government of the United States
has resolved to take a serious view of the prcject of M. de
Lesseps to cut a canal through the Isthmus of Panama, and
that the Cabinet has the matter now under consideration.

Monday (14th) being the anniversary of the capture
of the Bastille, various fetes took place in Paris in celebra-
tion of the event.
M. Charles Monselet has discovered in the shop of a
Paris bookseller forty.five manuscript volumes quite
modern written in utterly unknown characters. An
assembly of savants having been convoked to pass an opinion
on the hierogllphics, declared that they were quite beyond
their ken. Several pages are framed by borders executed
with the pen in the most marvellously delicate style, flowers,
animals, heraldic shields, angels, landscapes, ruins, etc.
The famous lion of Chwronta, which surmounted the
tomb of the Bceotians killed in the great battle when Philip of
Macedon vanquished the confederate army of Thebans and
Athenians in 338 BC., and which was blown up during the
War of Independence, under the idea that a treasure lay
concealed beneath it, is to be restored by the Hellenic Arch-
teological Society. The fragments, now lying in a ditch near
Kahurnor in Bceotia, or scattered on the road to Llvadia,
will be collected and put together.

- -
Mr. T. Brassey, M.P. for Hastings, on Saturday
distributed the prizes in connection with the Eastbourne
centre of the Cambridge University Local Examinations
In remarking upon the benefits of recreation for the young.
he drew a forcible illustration of the possibility of combining
an amount of physical exertion with hard study.

The Bishop of St. Albans, writing to the Arch-
deacons of his diocese, observes :—" If this weather con-
tinues, no man can tell whether great dearth and svlarcity
may not follow. I request that you will communicate to the
clergy through the rural deans my earnest wish that they
will, in accordance with the Archbishop's request, appoint
a Sunday for humble prayer and supplication to Almlghty
God that, by God's mercy, our apprehensions may be re-
lieved, and men's hearts comforted."

- - •
Her Majesty has been recommended to take steps
for recognising the service of officers in connection with the
late Afghan expedition, and a London Gazette will shortly be
published announcing numerous military promotions.

A telegram from Alexandria states that the Egyp.
tian steamer Samanoot has been lost whilst returning from
the Mantillas. Twenty-three natives and two Europeans
perished.
Cholera is, has caused, and is causing sad ravages
among the troops returning from Afghanistan. The 10th
Hussars lost a number of men, as many as fourteen dying in
one day at Dakka.
The London Gazette of Friday (July 11th) contains
an order in Council, dated July 9, to be cited as the Dairies,
Cowsheds, and Milkshops Order of July, 1879. It deals with
the construction and water supply of new dairies and cow-
sheds, the sanitary state and cleansing of all dairies, cow-
sheds, milk storer, milk-shops, and milk-vessles, the con-
tamination of milk, the keeping of swine, and the registra-
tion of herdsmen and others.
Liverpool was visited by a heavy thunaerstorm on
Sunday afternoon. The electric fluid struck the large
cross on the Roman Catholic poor schools of St. Francis
Xavier, Salisbury-street, completely shattering it. It fell
with a great crash, but fortunately no one was injured, the
heavy rains keeping whin doors the Sunday-school
scholars.
From Berlin it is reported that the German Govern-
ment contemplates increasing the number of recruits
annually by 23,000, owing to the increase in the military
strength of France.
The Princess of Wales's fashion of wearing a flower
on the neck trill of her dresses close to the left ear, is being
imitated by all Paris ladies.—Court Journal.
"To farmers who, acting on Lord Derby's recipe for
the cure of agricultural depression in this country,may be look-
ing towards Manitoba as the happy land in which all their
losses will be retrieved, the following extract from the
oronto Hail of June 27 will be interesting Mr. W.
Weld, editor of the Farmer's Advocate, who is at present in
Manitoba, telegraphs from Emerson to London that the
destitution there is fearful, and that many who arrived there
from Ontario are walking back.'"—Mark Lane Express.

The Rev, J. Kirkman, vicar of St, Stephen's,
Hampstead, writes to The Times trona Zermatt, July 13:—"It
may be serviceable to many who are deterred from visiting
the Continent by the prevalence of wet in England and the
terrible word 'depression, to be informed that the weather,
on the whole, is much fairer in Switzerland. To-day has
been one of the clearest and most genial days I have ever
known up here. Most of the chief mountain and passes
have been ascended during the last ten days. During all
this week even the Matterhorn, powdered with_fresh snow, ,
has stood out clear and indicative of better times. This
week has been almost entirely fine, keen, clear, and sun-
shiny. The excessive amount of snow upon moderate heights
is rapidly disappearing, and the peculiar concurrence of
spring and summer flowers is quite an unusual gratification.
Tuesday last was absolutely cloudless until evening."
At the last meeting of the Royal Historical Society
a paper was read on the original records relating to the
visitations of the plague to this country, by Dr. George
Harris, F.S.A., in which extracts were given from documents
preserved at Norwich, Nottingham, Derby, and St. Martin's-
in-the-Fields. An animated and interesting discussion fol-
lowed, in which Dr. Hyde Clarke and Mr. Cornelius Watford,
F.S.A., took part. The latter gentleman expressed his con-
viction that the recent cold weather and heavy rains had been
the most effectual preventive of the plague that could have
happened, and but for this we should certainly have had it
amongst us.
A Tikes' telegram says that a wave of intensely
warm weather is spreading over the United States, a tem-
perature at or above 100 deg. being reported from South
Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Nevada,
and California, the highest being 109 deg. at Augusta,
Georgia, and 103 deg. at Jacksonville, Florida. The tem-
' perature in seaboard cities ranges from 95 deg. to 98 deg.
The Anglo-Jewish Association has, on the motion
of Baron Henry de Worms, sent an address of condolence to
the Empress Eugenie on the untimely death of the Prince
Imperial. When moving the address, Baron de Worms re-
minded the Council that the Jews were especially indebted
for many of their liberties to the family of Bonaparte, for it
was the First Napoleon who did away with the Ghettos
throughout Europe. He believed the Empress would view
the letter sent by the Association in the light of an expres-
sion of a feeling of condolence, and at the same time of
gratitude for past kindnesses received by the Jewish com-
munity at the hands of the Bonaparte family.
On Tuesday afternoon a child named Patterson,
four years of age, Ron of a farmer at Bennoway, Fifeshire,
was playing alone in his father's threshing mill, when the
mill lade overflowed and set the machinery in motion. One
of the pillions caught the child's clothes and he was
dragged in amongst the wheels. Hearing his cries the
farmer ran to render assistance, and lost a finger in attempt-
ing to extricate his child, who was so firmly fixed in the
released. machinery
that nearly an hour elapsed before his body was
at tLordthe
luncheon Elc ho,
the of P. ,
Eparsets
Lothian i d e d on
Agricultural Saturday
sf
ot ec
irne
toy oant
lor
lord Dunbar.
spln
o k
eat paroompeoslienng sugthoc
fc a:a
hto i s
tt
thee, s
es
do c isettayee
of
hf es
gut
iocbulle.
ture, one of the principle causes of which, he said, was the
flooding of the country with foreign corn and meat at prices
w c tmhaiwihs
oh: hweoßulrdit lesuh
efiatr mdaetrac oounldthntost cpoomi
npt taen. Thed
thenf toywael
should be able to "cut our coat according to our cloth." In
the
landlords
and extendashould to
thalwith
such
rtceinliatnists
o cropping s
n a
initg as under
itY spirit, a
scientific system could now be given
icminpanciim
without injury to the soil.
On Monday the Duke of Devonshire opened a hail
at Chesterfield, which has been raised in memory of George
Stephenson, who spent the later years of his life in that
town, and was buried there. The hall is a handsome struc-
ture, erected at a cost of £13,000, and it is intended to apply
it to scientific, literary, and educational purposes. It con-
tains a valuable collection of pictures and other works of
art.
A. deputation has waited upon the Chancellor of the
Exchequer to present the resolutions passed at a meeting
held at Bt. Bartholomew's Hospital, protesting against the
proposal in a Bill now before Parliament to charge a duty of
one per cent. on the gross income of charities, as a contribu-
tion towards the expenses of the Charity Commissioners.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, after hearing the views of
the deputation, replied that the present proposal was a
much fairer one than any that had yet been made to meet
the cost of the Charity Commission, and was not in the nature
of a tax on the poor, but a check on abuses which would be
against the interests of those classes. He was not, however,
sure that in detail they had got exactly the right mode of
dealing with the question, and he waa quite prepared to look
into any plan that might be suggested.
There were 2,604 births and 1,179 deaths registered
in London last week. Allowing for increase of population,
the births exceeded by 248, whereas the deaths were no less
than 326 below, the average Lumbers in the corresponding
week of the last ten years. The annual death-rate from all
causes fell to 17•0, a lower rate than has prevailed in any
week Mace the middle of September, 1676. The deaths in-
cluded 4 from small-pox, 67 from measles, 38 from scarlet
fever, 11 from diphtheria, and 36 from whooping cough.
According to the Berlin correspondent of the
Standard, Prince Bismarck is losing no time in turning to
account the larger revenue provided for him by the new
tariff. We read (says the Pall Mall Gazette) that—"lt is
probable that the long-meditated raising of those regiments
which are numerically defective to the numbers required on
a peace footing will not be further delayed. To furnish the
requisite numbers, giving each battalion the minimum
strength prescribed—namely, 601—a further levy of 35,401
men is necessary. Besides this, about 100 regiments require
more workmen, and other additions, making a total acces-
sion to the army of 37,325 men. This will involve an aug-
mentation of army expenses of about 28,000,000 marks
annually. The Government are also seriously considering
the proposal for the formation of fifteen new batteries of
four guns."
"As the spring and now the summer pass away
without any sign of revival of trade, and the reports from
the iron and cotton districts become more and more gloomy.
it becomes the business of prudent people, in view of what
can now scarcely fall to prove a bad harvest, to look for-
ward to another 'hard winter' for the working classes.
Happily, the necessaries of life are still very cheap, and we
may hope that this will continue, notwithstanding the re-
ports of bad grain crops in France and Germany. Unques-
tionably the low price of food accounts for the slight amount
of distress which prevails notwithstanding the long period
of depression. But, on the other hand, the increased number
of mills now working short time all through Lencashire and
the almost hopeless outlook in Cleveland and South Wales
seem to point to a serious strain during the next few
months. Agricultural depression and a shrinking foreign
trade must injuriously affect all classes; and althcugh
there hae been much saving during this period of general
retrenchment, some time must inevitably pass before the
effect of this ewe, be felt in the revival of trade gelleralty,"—
PA Mtfil °WC"'
. _