The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-08-11 00:00:00

SATURDAY, AUG, 11, 1883.

THE DYNAMITE DISCOVERY IN BIRMINGHAM.—At
the Birmingham Town Council on Tuesday, Coun-
cillor W. H. Hart, Chairman of the Watch Com-
mittee, moved a resolution increasing the salary of
Chief Superintendent Ferndale from £7OO to £BOl
a year, as a reward for exc-ptional services in
connexion with the dynamite discovery. Ths resolu-
tion was carriul by s large maj,•rity, and the other
recommendations of the Watch Committee for promo-
tion and increase of pay to Inspector Black, Sergeant
Pace, and Sergeant Rees were also approved. Mr.
Hart said the Home Secretary had set apart £1,500
for distribution among the police officers engaged in
the detection of the plot, so it might be taken for
granted that the Birmingham officers would receive,
in addition to their promotion, a handsome sum from
the Government.

HOPS FROM AIISTRALTA.—A shipment of hops has
arrived in London from Al=lbourne. These hops are
the first that have been exported from tie Antipodes,
and much int!rest is felt in the colony as t ) the
success of the enterprise. Considerable attention is
now being paid to hop culture in Victoria, South
Australia, Tasmania, and severa parts of New
Zealand, the climate and soil suiting the plant
admirably; Those pests to the English hop-farmers,
lice and fly are never to be met with in the Australian
hop-tields, and the plant grows so luxuriously that a
crop is usually gathered from yearling hops, In Eng-
land hops rarely bear ui.t.l the second year of setting.
The parcel now in London weighs 900 cwt. ; and as
there is a perfect dearth of hops now in England, it is
expeced that the brewers will appreciate the enter-
prise of our colonists and encourage them :t r persevere
in it.

A JEWISH COLONY IN AMERICA.,—A colony of
Russian Jews have settled down in the State of
Oregon, and are devoting themsel-res to agriculture.
They have named their settlement New Odessa, and it
is situated on the California and Oregon Railway, near
Leland, in Douglas county. The People's Gazette of
St. Paul's reports that the colony is likely to thrive.
The colonists are industrious husbandmen, and have
already a flourishing trade in firewood, with which
they supply the railway company.

THE BESANCON WATCH TRADE.—From the reports
of the Chamber of Commerce of Besancon it appears
that the French watch trade, known as the "fabrica-
tion bisontine," is on the whole in a fairly flourishing
condition. In 1875 the number of watches turned out
(mainly from the Department of Doubs) was 424,916,
of which 139,624 were of grid and 285,292 of silver,
while during the past sear the total production was
493,933, of which 172,716 were gold, and 321.227 silver.
The average value of a gold watch is estimated at 851.,
and of a silver one 251., which brings the value of the
trade for 1882 to 22 710,6851. Of this about half may
be apportioned fee tne labour. The first quarter of the
present year does not compare SO favourably, showing
a reduction of 5,164 gold watches, though the silver
ones increased by 5,04. The importation of foreign
watches was 92,710 in 1881 and 76,922 in 1882. In.
chiding 897 watches made in other French towns, and
the 76,922 imported watches, the total trade of the
year amounted to 568,722. The first commencement
of the Besancon industry dates from 1793, when 411
okilled artisans from Neuclultel were expelled
from Switzerland and settled in the department
of Doubs. At the present time the number of em-
ployers is between 190 and 200, while some 43,000
persons find occupation in watchmaking either in the
shops or at their own homes.
THE EXPORTATION OF FISH.—A return has just
been issued, by order of the House of Commons, of
the quantity of fish annually exported from ports of
the United Kingdom during the ten years from 1873
to 1882 inclusive. The return refers principally to
salmon, cod, herrings, oysters, and pilchards. The
total value of fish of all kinds exported in 1873 was
£1,293,896, and in 1882 it reached the highest amount
for the decade—namely £1,619,702. The lowest year
was 1876, when the value of fish exported fell to
£952,804. The aggregate value of fish exported in
the ten years was £14,148,104. Herrings formed the
largest item among the various kinds of fish specified.
ART IN ENGLAND.—The Architect says :—Whatever
may be the condition of art in this country, it is a
remarkable fact that every year there are more books
and publications relating to art issued in the English
language than in any.other. Out of the 886 publica-
tions and books on art which appeared in Europe
during last yesr, 311 were in English, 269 in German,
and 237 in French. The remaining 49 publications
represent the efforts of the Italians, Swedes, Danes,
and Spaniards.
THE DAY OF RESTITUTION.—A correspondent writes
to The Times :—" A new idea often serves as a tonic
to the relaxed conscience. If, while the joy of the
new Parcel Post is folly on them, folks would ()Lily
turn out their cupboards and examine their book-
shelves for volumes long botrowed and never returned
they would probably set in motion for the time being
the largest circulating libraty in the world, and ad-
minister consolation to tens of thousands of long de-
spondent rightful owners." •

SEASONABLE FOOD.—The Goodwood Stakes and the
Chops of the Channel .—Moonshine.
SWAN UPPING ON THE THAMES.—The Queen's
Swanherd, and the officials of the Dyers' and Vintners'
Companies, have just concluded their annual swan
upping excursion on the That4s,tfor the purpose of
marking the Royal and other lirds between South-
wark-bridge and Henley. The work occupied four
days. The number of swans nicked was as follows :
Queen's, 185 old birds and 80 cygnets ; Vintners' Com-
pany, 51 old birds and 22 cygnets; Dyers' Company,
43 old birds and 27 cygnets; total, 408. The swans
were marked on their bills with the emblems cf their
owners. Her Majesty's being distinguished by a c•mple
of diamonds, the Vintners' by two V's crossed, and
13 the Dyers' 37 four bars and a nick on the right side
of the bill.
EARLY LIBRARIES. —Library is derived from liber
which sivnifies the inner bark of trees, on which the
Egyptians made their records. The oldest public
library of antiquity of which we have any credible
account is that founded by Pisistratus at Athens,
(about 540 BC. ) which was carried by Xerxes into
Persia, and recovered by SeleucusNicanor. The second
library of note was founded by Ptolemy Philadelphus,
284 BC. It was partially destroyed when Julius
Csesar set fire to Alexandria 47 B.C. when 400,000
valuable books in MS. are said to have been Let by
this catastrophe,
A SAD ACCIDENT.—A. painful affair occurred last
Saturday at Dr. Langdon Down's Trainiu z Institute.
for Imbeciles, at Normansfisld, Hamptol Wirk. Lieu-
tenant Evelyn Down, Highland Light Infantry, aged
22, was with a younger brother in the carpenters' shop
connected with Or, establishment, when by some
accident the former received 3 severe
_cut on the

thigh from a chisel. Although several doctors were
iMmediatels in attendance, death ensued on Saturday
Evening. Dr. Down who is a Ihvsician at the East
London Hospital, anii his wife had left home for Paris
only three hours previous to the sad incident.

LONGEVITY IN ENGLAND.—The mortality returns
for England in the sear 1881—which have just been
completed—record the death of ninety-one persona
who were reeistered as 100 years old and upwards
when they died, Of these aged persons twenty.five
were men and sixty.eix women. The ages of the men
are recorded as follows :—Nine were 109, five 101,
tbree 102, one 103, two 104, three 105, one 108, and
one who died at Heleham, hi Norfolk, if the register
is to be relied upon, had attained 112 years. Of the
women twenty,f our had reaehed 100, fifteen 101, eight
102, five 103, six 104, two 105, three 106, and three 107,
THE SUGAR CROPS.—The Pernambuco Correspond.
ant of 2'he Times, writing on the 1311 ult., says :
" TO weather has been very seasonable of late kr
the growing canes, ant?, unless prevented by a relapse,
grinding operations, it is anticipated, will commence
at an earlier date than usual. Prospects for the
coming yield in this and the adjacent provinces are
considered -encouraging. Entries for the past fort.
night. amount to 6,932 bags, making the deficiency to
date, as compared with entries at the same period last
year, 829,069 bags."
A RIVAL OF QUININE.—German medical journals
discuss a new medical agent lately discovered by Pro.
feesor Fischer, of Munich. In the course of a long
series of investigatiens concerning the nature and
action of quinine, he found that by means of a succes.
sion of chemical transformations a substance can be
obtained, in the form of a white crystalline powder,
from coal ter, which greatly resembles quinine in its
action on the human organism. Fischer has given it
the name of " kairin." The chief effect produced by
it, as yet observed, is the rapid diminution of fever.
heat, and its efficiency in this respect is described as
remarkable. It is believed that it will render the use
of ice in fever cases unnecessary, and that its skilful
employment will enable the phyeician to moderate the
temperature of the patient. Kairin is also reported to
have less inconveeience for the stomach than qeinine.
But observation does not show—as yet, at least—that
it possesses that tonic and restorative influence for
which quinine is so frequently administered. Perhaps,
from a chemical and physiological point of view, the
most valuable thing about the new discovery is that it
seems to bring us nearer to finding out the chemical
nature of quinine itself and the true character of its
agency. The discovery has been patented and a
manufactory of kairin established, under the direction
of Professor Laubenbeimer, of Giessen.
MISTAKEN ECONOMY.—An incident which occurred
in the House of Commons the other night illustrates
the enthusiasm with which the new parcels post has
been welcomed by the public. An hon. member re-
ceived a packet containing a petition for which, being
sent through the parcels post, a charge of threepence
had been paid. Had the document been sent as an
ordinary letter it would have cost twopence. Had it,
been sent by book post a penny stamp would have
franked it; and, being a petition designed for presen-
tation to the House of Commons, it might have been
sent post free.
THE SUB-IRRIGATION SYSTEM,—This system has
attracted considerable attention of late on the part of
skilful and scientific agriculturists, and it is interest-
ing to know that some trials have been made in
America which have fully established the great value
of the process. Mr. Biggs, a prominent horticulturist
in California, has tried the plan in an orchard of 150
acres in Solano county, and he found tliat the product
was so increased in quantity and quality as to pay the
cost of the improvement in one year. Mr. E. W.
Steele, a leading agriculturist in California, has
also introduced the system on his land, Trenches
about 18in. in depth are dug, at intervals of 71t., and
as long as required-to cross the
.piece. of. land to be
irriger ed. and in these cement pipe 4in, in diameter
and of 2in, open bore is laid, by a machine carried
along by hand, making the pipe continuous, like a
gigantic sausage. Who!) the cement is still soft, holes
are punctured in the pipe at inters? ds of 7ft., and in
each of these a perforated plug is inserted, through
which the water, when let into the pipes, will perco-
late and irrigate the ground. TO prevent the.plugs
from being stopped by the overlying soil, a cement
cap is placed over each in such a manner that the
water may always flow freely. These pipes connect
with a main trunk of 4in. or 6in. in diameter, tbrough
which the supply of water runs. The pipe of various
sires isjuade on the place at a small cost, and when
dry and set becomes as hard as a stone, and strong
enough to !hold a column of water of 50ft. pressure.
Large cisterns, distributing boxes, and drain and
sewer pipes have been made of the same, and act ex-
cellently, This system of sub-irrigation has proved
most moossful in every way,

A CLINCIIIM—Tonamy : " What'r' you going to be
when you grow up, Charley ? "—Charley : "Fish
man !"—Tommy. " You a fisherman Why, I saw
yoa crying when your nnr,e was bathing you the
other day."—Charley : " Fishermen don't bathe 1

Fun.
AN AMERICAN UNIVERSZYY 'DESTROYED BY DORT'
No° —The new portion of tho -University of Indiana,
at Bloomingt in that State,
was set on fire by
lightning curing a thunderstorm el. the night of JOY
12, the electric fluid travelling along
telephonewhich served the inatit d ion. The laboratotf, museuros
and library were completely destroyed. The .711sietIT
contained a collection of fishes, made by Dr. 4.1.0>Yal
wire
which was thought fl he the largest and Wt'
valuable in the -United States. There were 15,000
volumes in the library, besides the so-called Owen
collection, the loss of which is believed to be irrepar:
able. The general loss is estimated at 200,000 dole., el
which only 30,00:1 dols. is covered by insurance.
METEORLOGICAL.—Ptri of the Pier: "Although WO
so fine just now, Jack, the sailor man on the pier• Read
earl he thinks we shall soon have a squall."—Jach' :
"Not the slightest dou'it of it. Lady behind youe
just dropped her baby ! "—Pun.
AN AIISTRO•GERMAN EXHIBMON.—An influential
committee has been formed in Berlin for procuring the
holding in that city in the year 1885 of an exhibition
of art industries in Germany and Austria. They have
addressed themselves to Prince Bismarck, begging
him to secure the co--operation of the Reichstag, and
grant of money towards the exhibition. The present
Idea is to erect the necessary building at the Lehrter
Railway station, and the expense is calculated at
2,000,000 marks (£100,C00). But the committee
hoped to induce France, Englani, Italy, and other
countries to become exhibitors, in which case it might,
perhaps, not be limited to art industries, but extend to
other branches, realizing a dream long and often enter-
tained, of holding a great international univereel
exhibition at Berlin.

-
A MEDLEVAL MS. The Ausburg Allgemeine
Zeituno reports an interesting manuscript discoverY:
The Munich antiquary, Herr Karl Fr. Mayer, founts
a few days ago in the library of the former Carthusian
monastery at Buxheim a volume which had evident
been bound in the monastery itself. The first and "
last leaves were pieces a a parchment MS. which hail
no connexion with the contents of the volume, and bad
unfortunately been cut down to suit its size. Ells'
mination showed that they contained about 400 lines
of au old German poem, ' Konig Rother," of which
only one other MS. copy now exists, so faras is known. "
at the Heidelberg library. This Buxheim fragment&
which Herr Mayer believes to belong to the close oe
the 13th century, varies considerably from the Seidel,.
berg MS.
THE WELLINGTON MONUMENT IN ST. PAUeff ,
CATHEDRAL.—The Royal Academy has (says the
Athenceum) taken corporate action in addressing tbe
Prime Minister and begging him to promote the re
rnoval of the Wellington Monument to a proper site:'
in St. Paul's. In addition, and independently of the
Academy action, a memorial s4ned by nearly eyed'
artist of note in London and many writers on art, ill
all about 200 persons, has been presented to ble.
Gliolstone, begging that the monument may be car
pleted and properly placed. They were preceded 11
a third memorial to the same effect, signed by ninre
than 100 members of Parliament.
THE EGYPTIAN INDEMNITIES.—The compensatioil
assigned by the International Commission to sufferedl
from the Egyptian troubles amounted up to the I.sth
ult. to 63,190,531 f., divided among 6,368 persons og
follows :-846 Egyptians, 14,327,155 f ; 936 French-.
men, 11,292,610 f.; 1,784 Greeks, 11,032850. ; 1,255
Italians, 7,027,439 f. ; 492 Austrains, 6,110,220 f.; 651
E iglish, 4,456,272 f. ; 83 Russians, 3,411.7201.; 11„'',.,
Germans, 1,918,15.3 f. ; 8 Brazilians, 1,147,000 f.; of .
Spaniards, 975,120 f. ; 39 Dutch, 561,745 f. ; 23 Amer
cans, 3363821.; 9 Danes, 220,200 f. ; 16 Belgisnes-
-161,0551. ; 7 Swedes, 140,700 f. and 4 Portuguese'
41,8501.
FRENCH RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK.—The minist
of Public Works has just completed a census of tb
rolling stock on the French railways, which is thin'
summed up :—Nord, 1,138 locomotives, 2,021 passenger ,
caralages, 33,971 goods wagons; Est, 922 locomotives,
2,759 passenger carriages, 22,401 goods wagons.; Ouesh
1,045 locomotives, 2,881 passenger carriages. 17,4 v
goods wagons; Orleans 970 locomotives, 2,1)0 Pse;
Fenger carriages, 20,433 goods wagons; Paris 103'.
Lyons, 1,960 locomotives, 3,489 passenger carriaBs4
62,200 goods wagons. Takin: all the smaller lines si!
well, there are in France 6,893 locomotives, of whier
2,826 are fr passenger traffic and 4,067 for gooo°
traffio ; 15,432 passenger carriages, of which 3,208 are
first. cla,s, 5,315 second-class, and 6,090 third-class, The
total number of goods wagons is 182,089.
"PROCRASTINATION IS THE THIEF OF TIME."":.
That may be; but Time is the greater thief, for he 1°
always stecetny on.—Funny lolks.
A COMMENDABLE OFFER.—We (Daily News) under.
stand that Mies Arabelia Kenealy, who lately ob-
tathed her degree in medicine at the King and Queen'.
College of Physicians in Ireland, has offered her se!:
vices to the Foreign Office to proceed at once to OP
seat of the cholera in Egypt. Mies Kenealy urger
that, under the existing social conditions of that cow
try, a woman•doctor might be especially useful, il
she could extend medical aid among those members el
her sex who are not permitted to see a male doctor.
-

THE TRADE DOLLAR.—A curious agitation has bee°
set on foot in the United States against the Colo
known as the "trade dollar," which has hitherto
always passed current in the same way as the ordinari
dollar. The trade dollar was first coined ten yearo
ago on the representations of American merchantl
trading with China, who believed that if the Unite'''.
Htatee Government would issue a coin of somevible'
greater intrinsic value than that used by foreig°
traders the Chinese would prefer doing business witill;
Americans. The new coins were never made a leg
tender, because they were never intended to circulan
in America, but the idea with which they were issueo
having been proved by experience to be fallacious,
they found their way into the general currency of the
country. Recently, however, many tradesmen hare
issued notices to the effect that they will no longer re;
ceive these trade dollars, and they have thus bsno°l;
depreciated to the extent of from 10 to 15 Pei
cent., notwithstanding that they weigh 320 grains
silver, or exactly 7i grains more than the ordinau
dollar.
COMPLAINT WITHOUT "GROUNDS."—The Suburbs°
Honsenolder's grumble at the absence of Garden.
Punch.
DISCOVERY OF AN ANCIENT MAI, IN Icsnalvry'r
Mr. R, H. Major has received the following tette
frt.m Baron Nordenskjold, datei Reikiavik, June I°4
1883 :—" Highly honoured colleague,—Just when
had steam up toleave Reikiavik the spring of one eof
my chronometers broke. I went ashore.to get aPe
spring put in, and while-I waited I received the ill;
formation that an old map was in the possession
one of the inhabitants of Aaden. I went immediate/Y
to him
Sand found that the map consisted of a Jr";
ment of a chart resembling Zeno's. The fragrsee;
compriees a piece of Greenland with the names G41„1
Cher, Boier, Ther ; Iceland very complete, with°,,`",,
Tires, Iscant, MimaQt, &c • England and Scotland, t'i
latter terminating roughly without the incorreg:
extension towards the east. No degrees of latitiow
are shows in it, but compass lines similar to those, cgli
the chart of Andrea Bianco. A portion of Frisland
or Estotiland appears. I cannot, however, deterin,i°,
its age here. 1 have sent this important find to ws
librarian, E. ,Dahlgren, in Stockholm, who vial
once have it copied. In greatest haste • the anchor a
already weighed. With distinguished respect sri
friendship, A. E. NORDENsKJOLD."
INTERESTING DISCoVERY OF COINS.—At the meettl
of the Newcastle-under• Lyme Town Council last ive.e„o
it was stated that an interesting discovery of old nOO
had jut been maie in the ancient borough by
workmen whilst carrying on operaticns at tnl3;
bottom of Cnurclnatreet. The find csnsisted 13'6
a number of silvar pieces, sixpences, shillings' filo
half crowns,
. crowns of the reigns of Jamesl., Chrts,
1., and Queen Elizabeth, and were very
resting from an antiquarian point of view. The c 0
were found in a jar embedded in the clay, and it Ibe
most probable that they had been buried during ag
Cromwellian period, when, as will be known, rasqae
the soldiers of the general visited Newcastle.
mayor said that the total number of coins handec

to Lim was 134. al°
CINCEIONA Cut.Tuni.--The Republic of Guatettlgo
has arranged with a welbknown Ceylon planter, 03,
W. Forsyth, to select seed for 5,000,000 cinchona Won
Mr. Fotsyth has ridden 1,000 miles through Cellthet
America in search of the best sites. He states ncti
the rapid increase in the number of uses to flu'of
ziechona bark is put, not only for the manufacture 0,
and an as an ingredient in the substitute for bgPte:
but also for various commercial purposes, has led be
sident Barrios to try this experiment. It Inal,ced
remembered that this cinnhona tree was introu,
into India in 1879 by Mr. Clements Markhatn, 'foe
at. the instance of the British Government,
culture was so profitable that not only has the alto,
investment of £150,000 been repaid, but the trees
been valued at £1,000,000. The cinchona tree relelt
a tropical climate and a plentiful rainfall. col.
would not grow in the United States, it could be
tivated with be. '
great advantage in Mexico thotifie'o
requires careful supervision. It is hoped that 5t 'ries
a portion of the vast amount of soil in Central Atavie for,
not now under cultivation may be utillzed in this col'
A planter who has devoted much attention to the.oln
tivation of both the cinchona and the coffee tree 'OOll
siders thit both would grow well on the volcanic fot
of Mexico at a certain altitude. The latest systelr, by
getting the cinchona bark to the best advantage ',eh
means of a sucker; when it has developed strTibe
cutting down the parent stem so as to strip it uer,
bark, the full nourishment is directed into the oleo'
which in due time is sacrificed to another sucker. Olge
temala and Mexico are both expected shortly toe!'"
in cinchona culture to a large extent.
THE USE or SALT.—The Lancet remarks
given to understand that amongst other follies 0
se
day some indiscreet persona are objecting to tbe la
salt, and propose to do without it. Nothing CO ôo'
more absurd. Common salt is the most wide'Yeeti
tributed substance in the body ;it exists for
fluid and in every solid; and not only is it eitote°
where present, but in almost every part it coneto
the largest portion of the ash when anY tiqt.oet3t
burnt. In particular it is a constant constrlopor
of the blood, and it maintains in it a P„f tb,c
portion that is almost wholly independent übieoi,
quantity that is consumed with the food.oatici;
will take up so much and no more, horleYe''
we may take with our food; and on the
hand, if none be given, the blood parts sv yooll
Cora e 0
natural quantity slowly and uewillinglY• ~c,oef! g
salt is of immense importance in the 19i, 1°,6
ministering to the nutrition of the b°
not only is it the chief salt in tbe,.i; sti;
juice, and essential for the formation of volt,
may hence be reasonably regarded as of blgio
in digestion, but it is an important egent
~fcre
moting the processes of diffusion, and tber%irecin
absorption. If any further evidence were recll Dole;
would be found in the powerful instinct whil„r
animals to obtain salt. Buffaloes will travel,rio
to reach a "salt lick ; " and the value of "
ea eog
proving the nutrition and the aspect Aoral: Ous
cattle is well known to every farmer.. ,4
wholesome, and indeed necessary, should be no;
moderate quantities, and abstention frora It
to be injurious.