The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-10-31 00:00:00

HOME, FOREIGN, AII'D COLONIAL

A ROYAL FORTUNE.—Princess Marie of Orleans,
Prince Waldemar of Denmark's wife, is stated to have
an inccme of £BOOO a year in her own right, and will
inherit a huge fortune, said to be not much less than
£500,000 a year.
Trim REvisien Brer.E.—lt is Asia that the Revised
Vcreion of tlye old Testament is to be adopted by the
Council of the Jewish Association for the Diffusion of
Religious Knowledge as the foundation of a new
edition of the Scriptures for English-speaking Jews.
ExilissivE BORROWING.—The School Boards have
availed themselves freely of the power of borrowing on
the security of the rates. Up to April 1, 1885, 6160
loans had been sanctioned by the Education Depart-
ment, amounting to £17,355,954 19s. 3d., to 1740
School Boards.
A SHAFTESEDRY MEMORIAL.—It is stated that it has
been practically settled that the memorial to Lord
Shaftesbury will include a statue in Westminster
Abbey. Various proposals have been made with a view
to perpetuate the great philanthropist's name in
connection with some benevolent object in which he
was interested.
PnamcrAN DISCOVERY.—Dr. Caruana, the director
of the public library in Malaga, has just made an
important discovery. He found a Phcenician inscription
of four or five characters engraved on one of the hug)
stones which form the ancient temple in the island of
Gozo, now called the Giants' Tower. It is the first time
that Phcenician letters have been found associated with
these megalithic structures.
OIL or RosEs.—The rising in Eastern Roumelia has
considerably affected a well-known article of commerce
—the oil of roses, for which the province is famous.
Over 140 Roumelian villages are devoted to the
manufacture, but political troubles have completely
checked the industry this season although there is a
capital crop of leaves, besides interfering with
preparations for neat year's rose harvest.
A DONKEY STORY.—An authenticated story oomes
from the Scotch Highlands to the effect that a donkey
died on Saturday, the property of Mr. Ross, of Oro-
marty, in whose family it has been for 106 years. It
can be traced back to the year 1779, when it passed
into the hands of the then Ross of Oromarty, though,
what wasits age at that time no one can say. Further-
more, its death was the result oi an accident, for it was
"hale and hearty " when a kick from a horse ended its
career.

GOETIIE'S FRIENDEL—George Bancroft, the Americah
historian, attained to the patriarchal age of 85 the
other day. On his birthday he was visited by Mr.
Calvert, an American man of letters, who has lived to
83, and who, as well as Bancroft, is one of the few
living Americans who made Goethe's personal acquaint-
ance. Mr. Bancroft, notwithstanding his age, is still
hale and hearty, and able to ride on horseback daily.
He is now engaged in preparing a paper for a review
on the constitutionality of the Legal Tender Act.--
" Athenveum."
HOMER'S ODYSSEY.—A Vienna correspondent writes:
The further examination of the Archduke Ramer's
papyri has led to the discovery of an interesting and
valuable fragment of Homer's Odyssey. This copy
dates from the second century. Hitherto these papyri
were not known to contain more of Homer than some
fragments of the Iliad. Another still more interesting
discovery is that of a strip of Arabian paper dating
from the ninth century, and containing a woodcut with
ornaments and initials. This relic shows that the art
of woodcutting was probably of Arabian origin or that
it was, at all events, known to the Arabs in the ninth
century.
FOREST LANDS IN GERMANY. The official returns
recently made of the forest lands of the German Em-
pire show sn increase since 1878, when 13,838,856 hec-
tares (34,11)5,813 acres) appeared on the territorial
census, of 152,546 acres, a result brought about by re-
planting and wooding commons and waste lands. The
ground occupied by timber is now estimated at 26-100ths
of the empire, out of which the fir and pine culture
claim upwards of two-thirds, the remainder being ap-
portioned to oak,7minor trees, limes, &c. As ,regards
freehold, the crown and State possess 4,505,268 hec-
tares, municipalities lay claim to 2.109.939 hectares,
and foundation trusts and guilds to 530,738, while the
proprietorship of 16,589,495 acres (6,713,677 hectares)
1 is enjoyed by individuals.
THE ZOOLOGICAL SOciSTY.—The additions to the
Zoological Society's Gardens during the past week in-
clude a purple-faced monkey from Ceylon, presented
by Major Norris; a rhesus monkey, from India, pre-
sented by Mr. J. H. Fielding; a common marmoset, a
black-eared marmoset from Brazil, presented by Miss
Knowles; a common marmoset, from Brazil, presented
by Lady Cowley; a common hare, British, presented by
Mr. F. J. Allpress; a Mexican souslik, from Mexico,
,presented by Dr. Stuart; a herring pill, British, pre-
sented by Mr. J. G. Taylor; a macaque monkey, from
India and a green monkey from West Africa, de-
posited ; an ariel toucan, from Brazil, purchased. a
Hoolock Gibbon, received in exchange.
AMERICAN RAlLwArs.—The extent to which railway
engines are exported from the United States is not
generally known. During the fiscal year ending June
30, 1884, 282 locomotive engines were exported from
the United States to foreign countries, valued in the
manifests at 2,819,946, or nearly 10,000 dols. each.
This is nearly double the export of 1881-829 when 133
locomotives, valued at £1,455,717 were sent from the
i States. It s shown by the export statistics of the
United States of the last ten fiscal years that the
number of locomotives exported during that time was
1115 of the aggvegate value of 11,356,596 dols. Of
these 427 were sent to south America (Brazils
Colombia, the Argentine Republic, Pero, and Chili), of
a total value of 4,548,165 dols. ; Canada and British
value 1 81;3 699'
Columbia, 208 value 1,908,699 dols.; Mexico, 167,
~ ,dols.;
dols.; Cuba, 88, value;
778,500 dols. • Central America, 21,,
, France 1. of an estimated value o Russia, 58 value
772,911 dols.; ,
value 108,022 dols.;
Australia, 115, value 1,079,170
f 18f111011 dole-
Turkey, 12, value 182.000 dols. ; Spama9, England 8, aud„