The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-02-26 00:00:00

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HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

A VERY Slt RIOIIB PLAGUE.—Everybody has his
pet plague of Irish land tenure. Punch has an idea
that the great cure of landed property in Ireland is
the slugs. In other countries they destroy the green
crops. in Ireland they destroy the landlords—Punch..
A WHITE BEAR IN Trig NIEDITERRANEAN.—A
small Mediterranean vessel making the voyage from
Sardinia to Sicily a few days ago, came upon a white
bear swimming about in the water. The bear made
for the beat to the great consternation of the men on
board. As the vessel was very heavily laden, it was
feared that the mere attempt of the animal to climb on
board would capsize it. On came the bear, and the
captain armed himself with a hatchet with which he
chopp,l off both the animals paws as it aeized the
boat. The bear fell beck into the era, and was soon
finished by a musket boll or two. The animal was a
true Polar bear, though how it came there was a
puzzle. It will hardly do to take it as an Illustration
of the Darwinian taeory of the development of species,
the result of the recent severe weather, and it appears
more probable that the brute must have escaped from
some menagerie on shore and gone out to sea.

A MORMON FANATIC.—The following letter
has hen addressed to the Editor of the Nem York
Herald :

Salt Lake City, JIM 20,1070.
Permit me to certify an article published In your piper o
the Silt inst. entitled Mormon Romance " I still reside in
Salt Lake City. I am the granddaughter of General tie to
II arpe, the Swiss hero, who fought for the liberty of his coun-
try. and who distinguished himself as general of division
under Napoleon the Greet. 1 was • Protestant, or rather, an
earnest inquirer alter truth, when I embraced the Gospel—
restored to the earth with all its spiritual powers, rafts and
idersings—as it was preached by the Saviour and Ills apostles.
Alice receiving the truth, my greatest desire was to identify
myself mcre directly with the people of God and for this
purpose I made the sacrifice of all I hold niost dear and
near to me on earth—my children. I was the widow of the
Russian General Consul in linens., and, as you say, I was
associated with the aristocracy of that country, (Russia.)
where I had many friends. It is true that nothing could
prevail to stop me front coming to Utah, the place appointed
by the Almighty for the gathering of Israel In the last days.
As I could not get my means I started with just enough to
Cross the ocean and the States, And I crossed the great
American desert on foot. through great trihulations, it is
true, but the God I had enlisted to serve gave me power to
endure and to arrive here safely thirteen years ago " De-
lusion," sir, would not have given to • delicate nervous
woman, the supernatural strength required to accomplish
such • feat. When I arrived In Council Bluffs, I received a
letter from one of nip relations, entreating of me to go back.
stating that both the Sales Consul and 'Walden Ambassador
had received orders to arrest me and send nte back ; but I
escaped front their hands, and here I am, preferring to serve
the true and living God, under the inspired voice of a living
prophet and apostles, in a modest position, than to enjoy all
the world can give. With the highest consideration, I re-
main, sir, yours respectfully, JOSEPIIINX PE LA Mittel:

A LIBERAL MEASI7IIF.—ME. Plimsoll, M.P.,
wishes to compel all Railway Companies to provide
hot-water bottles for Third Clads pasAengers. A. work-
ing man, not yet in Parliament, says that he would
move as an amendment, that after the word " hot "be
inserted the word " brandy. "—Punch.

A SAD TRAGEDY !—On Saturday afternoon a
chocking occurrence happened at a farmhouse between
Ormskirk and Liverpool. That morning Mr. William
Prescott, farmer, Clieve'e-hills, Aughton, went to
Liverpool market, in company with his wife, leaving
at home his son William, fourteen years of age; a
daughter named Margaret, aged nice; a Nioung child,
and a servant girl. About half-past two o'clock in the
afternoon young Prescott took down a gun, with the
intention of going out to shoot small birds. His rioter
Margaret wag near the door, and he told her to open
it. She was in the act of doing no, having her back
towards her brother, when the gun exploded. The
poor girl cried out to the servant, "Oh, Polly, I'm
shot," and fell to the ground. She was lifted into a
bed close by, and Drs. Symonds and Walsh were soon
in attendance. They found that the shot had passed
under the left shoulder blade in an oblique direction,
through the left lung and heart, and lodged in the left
breast. The muzzle of the gun must have been close
to the girl when she was shot, as the discharge had
lodged in one place. Death must have been instan-
taneous. Young Prescott was taken into custody to
await the coroner's inquest. When he saw what he
had done he wept bitterly.

A NKW AN.NIVERBART. (Yet A VICTORY.)
Wednewlay, February 16th. The Battle of Water.
low !—Punch.

TOBACCO SMUGGLING EXTRAORDINARY.— Some
months ago a person named Duponcel established a
factory in Belgium near the French frontier for the
manufacture of charcoal blocks. Me exported the
commodity largely to France, in waggons containing
10,000 kilogrammes each. Since November last 14
waggons pa- sod the French frontier without suspicion,
but a few days ago the station master at Amble.; hap-
pened to pick up one of the blocks, and found it was
made of wood. He caused an investigation to be
made, and it was found that each block was stuffed
with tobacco, that ingenious means being adopted to
smuggle it into France. The waggonload of blocks
contained 5,000 kilesorammee of tobacco. Dupoucel
disappeared at the first news of the discovery.
THE DUBE OF EDINBURGH IN INDIA.— The
Duke of Edinburgh reached Agra on the 21st, and a
proceseion, illumination, addresses, state dinner, and
state ball figured in the programme. From an Anglo-
Indian's, if not from a stranger's point of view, the
proceedinca seem to have been rather dull. Sir
NVidiana Muir. the Governor of the North-West
Provinces, and Lay Muir were there. There was
one hale sensation, however. About three o'clock on
the morning of the 23rd, in the portion of the Lieu-
tenant-Governor's camp where 11.1t.H. and his suite
were, it was discovered that Sir Seymour Blane's tent
was on fire, and io a very short time it was burnt to
the ground, with everything it contained, except, for-
tunately, its distinguished tenant. It was a still
night, or the fire must have spread, when the conse-
quences might have been terrible. It is thought the
Duke may hurry through some parts of his tour in
order to get down to Ceylon at the right time for the
sport preparing for him th.re. The elephant " kraal"
which Sir Hercules Iloblnion prop, see ti treat him to,
is expected to be a very imdortant part of the Duke's
Eastern experiences. About three weeks will be
spent in Ceylon. If permission is obtained from the
naval authorities at home, the Galata; is likely to sail
down the east coast without her royal captain. When
he has rejoined her she will sail for the Mauritius, and
thence proceed, rid the Cape of Good Hope, to Mug-
land, whore she will probably arrive about the end of
' July

_
AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION —The unmarried
woman ii rated her+elf. The married woman's rating
foils on her husband.—Punch.
" Rummers PKOPLE."—On Saturday last the
coroner for South Essex held an inquest at Fobbing, a
village num. the Thames, on the body of • child, named
Selina Baker, who had died rather suddenly. The evii
dence of the parents went to show that the child, pro-
loos to her death, had suffered with a severe cough.
Tile coroner inquired of the father of the deceased
whether any med,c‘l advi,e was procured, or whether
any medicine had been given, to which he replied that
he belonged to the "Peculiar People," and one of the
elders of the Church came to the house awl anointed