The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-03-25 00:00:00

tectfo,
; for I .
t.kiu_
by

---
JAPANESE ART All :TER -CENTENNIAL

-
EXHIBITION.
Tho collection of Japttese manufactures at the
Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition will probably at-
tract considerable attention. Japanese art is now so
'much talked of that many connoisseurs will be glad of
the opportunity to see in what direction it has moved
• during recent years. The whole collection was for some
time exhibited at Hamagoton, in Japan, and excited
much interest. There is said to be very large supply
:of lacquer-ware, and, according to the Japan Mail, it
displays "much patient execution and good taste in
ornamentation." Our contemporary, however, while
'acknowledging that the knowledge of this art can
.arcely be said to be lost, declares it would be vain
"to look for those supreme exemplars of skill and
workmanship which characterised the highly-wrought
chefs d'ceuvres of former times in the workshops of
to-day." Formerly the artist did not work so much
for gold as for the smiles of his patron daichio
and the satisfaction of his own artistic conscience.
Now he can become rich without rising; po a very high
ideal, and the temptation is 'usually greater than he
can resist. To save time and trouble, he copies designs
and executes them in a mechanical spirit. Partly to
make up for the lack of higher qualities, and partly to
minister to a commonplace taste, he uses costly mate-
rial • but this is a very vulgar substitute for artistic
excellence. The porcelain of the collection seems tp
be better than the lacquer-ware. It comprises choice
specimens from the Kioto and Satsuma potteries,
chiefly modern; and Hizen and Y6do manufacturers
also contribute some of their products. The influence
of foreign trade both in designs and pigments may be
easily traced; but as.yet this has led to no excess. In
their domestic architecture the Japanese are said to
adopt European methods in a somewhat startling
style, a wall of sky blue relieved by green jalousies,
and a brown door picked out with scarlet, being not
nnfrequent phenomena. It is to be hoped they will
remain more independent in those departments of art
in which uhey have cleseptedly won such WO rank and
fame.—Globe. r 4 t,2

lad of

A el -
APPALLING RAILWAY ,ACCIDENT.
e ,
•
A terrible accident, involving a heavy loss of life,
occurred at the narrow passage bridge in 'Shenandoah
county, nearly midway between Edinburg and Wood-
stock, on the night of the 6th inst., between ten and
eleven o'clock on the Valley division of the Baltimore.,
and Ohio Railroad. The accident'oc9nrred to the eastern
bound train, known as the miier train of freight am 7
passengers combined. This train left Harrisonburg at,
half-past seven o'clock, and was a ve'r'y long one, carry.
lag cattle, hogs, sheep, flour, cloverseed, &c., besides a
number of passengers. It went well until it reached the
narrow passage bridge, the highest btidge in the valley,
being 118 ft. from the bottom of Narrow Creek, from
which it takes its name. At this point the accident oc-
curred. A gentleman who lives near the bridge describes
the accident as one of the most frightful sights he ever
beheld. The bridge was an P•id eirPtnrei
unsafe for heavy trains. Whigiithe eniame haUsidr,
got on to the first span the bridge commenced to give
way, sad in a faw,moments broke ~down beneatA tiler;
train, precipitatlnk it upon the rocks
than a hundred feet belo* the train of cars were piled
up for thirty or forty feet. Of the large number of
cattle and sheep and hogs, but &solitary steer showed a
sign of life remaining. When daylight broke upon
the scene the cars were found broken into fragments,
making the wreck complete. Fifteen persons were
found to have been killed and a large number of others
wounded. This is the first serious accident that has
happened on the Valley division of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad.,

'HE PPINCE OF WALES IN A WILD
ELEPHANT HUNT. '
The Special Correspondent of The Times, writing from
,
Camp Jamao, en the Sarda, on February 22, gives the follow-
ing graphic description of the mode of lighting and capturing
wild elephants
"I can, onirdenxibe :
what occurred to-day from the
somewhat eihabistedllps of those who late in the after-
noon returned from a 50 miles run on the backs of tame
elephants, and who went with the Prince on an expedi-
tion to see the mode of fighting and capturing wild ones.
There is nothing which so pleases a captive ' hathi ' as
to better one of his free brethren into such estate of stu-
pidity and weakness that he is unable to frustrate the
arts of the snarer who slips the rope and chain round
his legs and leads him into Pervitude. In Nepaul
this science is practised in perfection. There
are certain elephants of great strength, courage,
'address, and malignity towards their species
which are kept for the purpose of fighting.
There are others of extraordinary speed to follow up ,
the chase with the spectator—iucus
_a non lucende—on
their backs. One of the grandest old savages in the
world, who is shown as the hero of 100 fights, and who
has never yet been beaten is fastened up outside this
camp in a sort of little domain of his own. His bulk
is incredible. The enormous size of his limbs, body,
and head diminishes the effect of his great stature.
He has only one tusk, having lost the other in action.
His head, which displays gigantic bumps of combative-
ness and destruction, is coloured blood red, and his
body is of a similar sanguinary hue. There is a
tree by his side to which his hind legs are secured
first by triple coils of stout rope, and then by
iron cables, and when he leans forward the tree
leans too, and then there biomes into your head,
'Which way shall I run when he pulls it tip ?' His
attendants live—if their existence can be called living
—in huts close to him, and any pride they may feel in
being of his suite is evidently subdued by fear, forthey
approach him mincingly, and I dare say utter inward
propitiatory words.. He is never at rest, and his eye, '
joy
Y pfull of devilish cunning. never loses sight-of .Yeu for
a
of sucls a ollster ;of
tehin being
led
doiush jo
can- oril t
to be experi-
enced, perhaps, by a prize fighter backed heavily for a
stmrergnt. The find
sure thing. Perhaps, however, he may be really a
philelephant, and be ac:uated by a friendly desire to
reclaim his erring bretbxen and subject them to the
processes of civilitation=tO carry burdens, and bear
fardels and goading.
"There were two herds of elephants in the wood
east of the camp, and it was Sir Jung's desire to
eaufure them under the eyes of the Prince. Horses
were ordered to be ready at 7 a.m., and the fast
elephants with pads were sent on ahead for the
Prince and his party. Howdahs cannot be used for this
work—they would • be swept (if by the branches.
The Prince had to get astride on a pad, holding on
by a strap—the mahout in front with a r kukeree ' to
cut creepers and urge his " hathi,"'beVind a Man with
a mallet to hammer the creature into' full speed,
and these trained racers will do seven miles an
hour, the usual pace of the animals being only 2,
as a high averrge. When the party had ridden a few .
miles they found the pad elephants and a number
of others, and were told that the fightb g fellows were
on ahead engaged with some of the witd ones, who,
heeded by an old tusker, were showing a bold front,
and giving battle resolutely. 'Forward I' was the
word. The Prince had at least a novel sebsation now,
fir the elephant, ' kukereed ' before and mallated
behind, dashed on at a speed which would have been ex-
hilarating enough, but that :he went crashing through
trees, down ravines, hp ntillalm, through jungle in the
most reckless and terrible manner, and that he had an
infinite store of water, in his proboscis, which he re-
plenished at every pool, and sluiced himself with
troar time to time as he 'ran to cool his sides, quite
forgetting that he had outsiders, too, and drenching
the Prince unmercifully. After two hours of this
wild eAreer over a very difficultcountry Sir Jung
called a halt and suggested that they should send back
arid have the tents moved up to the place where they ,
were and continue the chase; but it was considered
beet to return to camp, as it might be difficult lo have
- the tents struck, moved, and poached by the evening.
SO the hunt was tip again, till Sir Jung 'once more
pulled up and told the Prince he was 25 miles from his
camp.and that they must give up and return. .As they
were ,dismounted, taking some refreshment, runners
calm uP to announce that some of the wild herd had
brOken back. ' Prlount.at once !'exclaimed Sir Jung,
'you are not safe! Get, on your elephants I '
AilotUr ' scout came to report that the tusker had
struck to the left and that the fighters were engaged
with' him: Off went Prince and party full
speed again, but they did not see the battle.
They .on 4 beheld the result, for about tan miles
back, they. Came on the , captive—his legs tied
—sii 'elephant on, each side and one before and one
behind him, his proboscis dejected, his tail bleeding,
his ribs punched, his head battered, his bearing ex-
cell:ling sorrowful. Sir Jung was by no neans pleased. ,
The men should have 2 he did ' (*e ,alephanta, and
he went off on a racing hathi to to them so, but he i
returned with the 'Prince; . and in the' course of the
night and early moining tilt*: Verdi 14 'in 'all, were
br4light in captive and are now fastened, Up to under-.
Yo training and taming, one little creature being re-
Awed to milk diet by hand. It was an experience.
But every one who said he was glad he had done it i
woo admitted he did not want to do it again. The 4
Prince was about toe freshest of the whole party, not
always excepting Sir Jung, who seems made of iron." , . 1

2k6 Times' Correspondent also gives the following descrip-
tion of bir Jung Bd.hadoor and his attendants :

Sir Jung Bahadorx has just walked over with his
brother and son, and a few attendants from his camp
to the Prince's fire. They are in full Nepaulese State
dress. Considering time, place, and circumstances, a
more curious spectacle could not be witnessed. No