The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-12-21 00:00:00

Misallanezus

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

PROOF THAT RUSSIA'S ADVANCE IS STOPPED IN
CENTRAL ASlA.—General Kauffmann dates from
Task end.—Punch.

MUCH TO BE SAID ON BOTH SIDES.-Ought the
volunteers to be paid? This question is just now
vexing the mind of two distinct parties in the force.
On the one hand it is said that further assistance is
needed to make this branch of the service as efficient
as it should be, and those who advocate the remunera-
tion of those who give up their time tl perfect them-
selves in a knowledge of all the duties of a soldier do
not shrink from meeting objections by declaring that
the men would readily submit themselves to the strict
military discipline, which would be required in return.
On the other side it is argued that such a change in
the demands which would be made upon the men
would be fatal to the existence of the force as a
Volunteer army. Evidently there is much to be said
on both sides.

A NOVEL IDEA !—A Virginia gentleman of scien-
tific turn of mind, who has been a great sufferer
during the past summer from the drought, has aspired
to a new science—that of controlling the clouds in
order to cause it to rain at will. He has built a" rain'
tower," thirty feet in diameter at the base and forty
feet high. This tower contains four flues, and two of
them extend twenty feet above the tower. The method
by which rain is to be produced is to fill the flues with
dry pine wood, which is set on fire, and kept burning
until the desired effect appears in the form of rain-
clouds. The originator of this novel idea firmly
believes in the utility of his invention, although he
has made repeated trials, and thus far the heavens
have been unpropitious.

THE PROPOSED RHODOPE GRANT.—" A Conserva-
tive " writes to the Standard
"I fear that the resolution of Her Majesty's Ministers,
proposing to grant a sum out of the public funds to the dis-
tressed inhabitants of the Rhodope district, will, if per-
severed in, do much to alienate the mind of the country
from supporting their policy. The almost unprecedented
state of distress, bad trade, and want, are strong arguments
against such proposal. One, too, cannot help remembering
Sr. occasion when a public grant might have been justlyl
made, but which, however, the Government declined to make
—I refer to the case of the Indian famine. The refusal of
the Government in that case will be also a strong argument
against making a grant in the present case."
THE AMERICAN AND CANADIAN FOOD SUPPLY.—
There was a perceptible decrease in the amount of
American fresh meat landed at Liverpool la 4 week
when compared with the previous one, while the
arrivals of live stock were characterised by the same
feature. Four steamers reached the Mersey with
fresh meat, consisting of 4,033 quarters of beef, 852
carcases of mutton, and 596 dead pigs. There were
also landed eight boxes of poultry from Canada.
During last Christmas season a large number of
turkeys and geese arrived from Canada, and were well
received in the English market. The total arrivals
of live stock only amounted to 187 cattle and 751
sheer

EXPRESS LETTER SERVICE.—At a meeting of the
Huddersfield Chamber of Commerce, the following
resolution was unanimously passed, and it will be
brought under the consideration of the Associated
Chambers of Commerce at their approaching annual
meeting :—" That the Postmaster-General be memo-
rialised to establish an 'express letter service' in the
United Kingdom, such express letter service to be
based on the principle that ordinary letters, upon
having a threepenny express stamp affixed thereon,
shall, on their arrival at any town or village in the
United Kingdom' be immediately olespatched by
special messenger to the parties to whom such letter
may have been addressed."
"CATCHING AT A STRAW."—Curate (Visiting a poor
cabman down with bronchitis) : "Have you been in
the habit of going to church ?"—roor Cabby (faintly) :
"Can't say I hey, sir; but —(eagerly )—" druv
good many parties there, sir !' —Punch.
A SUGGESTION ABOUT DIPHTHERIA. In an Austra.
lian paper, the Journal of Chemistry, Dr. Bachelder
says :—" I would suggest to physicians in treating
diphtheria, to use internally a very weak solution of
carbolic acid, and for the throat or Nixes a solution
of hydrochloric acid, about the strength of strong cider
vinegar. I have treated every case successfully, so'
far, with the above remedies. Croup is instantly re-
lieved with the acid solution. Apply it to the throat
with a brush or sponge, or use as a gargle."
A FOWL JOKE.—When is the most sluggish and
broody of hens most likely to achieve the laying of an
egg ?—When she is in earnest (her-nest).—Fun.
DUPLEXLNG THE ATLANTIC CABLE. Mr. J.
B. Stearns is now at Valentia, having just crossed
over from Heart's Content, where he had been
carrying on a series of experiments with the object of
duplexing the Atlantic cable. He has been so suc-
cessful that he expects to have finished his work at the
cable by the end of the year. As long ago as last May
he obtained a perfect balance on the mirror, but the
recorder is more difficult to work duplex than the
mirror. He has now, however, succeeded in obtain-
ing a balance with the recorder which from specimens
brought to England, appears practically perfect. Some
of Mr. Steam's specimens show the ordinary local
vibrations, or " laterals " as they are termed, which
occur alike in ordinary working and in duplex. These
vary greAtly, being sometimes very strong, and some-
times entirely absent, According to the results ob-
tained in the Eastern companies' cables, which have
been duplexed by using Muirhead's condensers, the
working cApacity of cables is increased about 70 per
cent.—Journal of the Society of Arts.
"CLOTHING TIIE MINISTRY-"—The ancient custom
of presenting pieces of fine livery cloth of four-and-a.
half yards each to certain great officers of State has
just been carried out by the Corporation of London
(says the City Press). These pieces are sent to the
First Secretary of State the Lord Chancellor, the
Chamberlain and Vice-Chamberlain of the Household,
the Lord Steward, the Controller, the Lord Chief
Justice of the Common Pleas, the Chief Baron of the
Exchcquer, the Mastev of the Rolls, the Recorder of
London, the Attorney. General, the Solicitor-General,
and the Common Serjeant. Livery cloth, black and
green, is also sent to certain Corporation officials.
Many surmises have been made as to the origin of this
custom, which is a survival from days when liv ry
cloth was an arttcle of prime importance among' the
livery" of the City. It has been suggested that the
present was originally made as a bribe to cover the
monopoly of the cloth trade once held in the City.
TYPHOID FEVER AMONG SWlNE.—Tuesday nights
London Gazette contains an Order lin Council, dated
December 17, 1878, "The Typhoid Fever of Swine
Order for 1878," which is to take effect from December
23, and providesthatil " typhoid fever of swine (other-
wise called soldier disease or red disease) shall be
deemed to be a disease" for the purposes of the sec-
tions of the Act of 1878 referring to slaughter and corn-
pensation, notice of disease, Orders of Council, powers
of police, and power of entry. Local authorities are
to cause all swine so affected to be slaughtered, and
are, out of the local rate, to pay to the owner one-half
of their value immediately before it became affected.
No swine are to be moved from places where typhoid
fever exists, except for the purpose of slaughter and
with a licence of the local authority.

TAKING CARE OF THE ACCENT.—A clever little pas-
sage at the expense of a member of the Belgian Lega-
tion is current (says the Court Journal). A young at-
tachè recently arrived at Wanhiugton fresh from Lai-
don,his last station, awl greatly vexed over what he was
pleased to call his exile. "At all events," he was in
the habit of saying, and the remark became widely
quoted, "I shall steak no Engli-h in Washin.ttou. I
learned it in London, and I don't intend to spoil "roy
accent." Time passed. The attache wa,s at a receo-
tion. Some friend of his asked a bright young Ameri-
can woman to permit him to present the attache to
her. "Oh, dear, no," was the lady's reply, (and it has
travelled over Washington) "I couldn't think of suchi
a thing. I learned my French in Paris, and it wouldi
ruin my acoent to talk with a Belgian."