The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-03-02 00:00:00

PisteWntenit jnteJtigtrrte,

20ME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

To BE REGRETTED.—Accordivg to a war correspon-
dent, "the whole of Bulgaria has now been scoured
by the Russians." What a pity it is, considering the
condition, both moral and physical, of tthe inhabitants
of that country, that the Russians have not been able
to scour the whole of the Bulgarians as well! Unless
report belies them, they need the operation very much
indeed.—Judy.
ROAST PIG.—A correspondent forwards us a curious
advertisement regarding a roast pig. It is dated
March, 1726, and is as follows :

"On Tuesday next, being Shrove Tuesday, there will be a
fine hog barbe cued, whole, at the House of Peter Brett,at the
Rising Sun, in Islington Road, with other diverisous. Note
--It is the house where the ox was roasted whole on Christ-
mas last."

A hog barbe cue'd is a West Indian dish, and means a
hog roasted whole, stufled with spice, and basted
with wine—generally Madeira. Oldfield, who was
a glutton of former days, is said to have eaten away
a fortune in these delicacies. Pope thus alludes to
him :

"Oldfleld, with more than harpy throat endue'd,
Cries, 'Send me, ye gods, a whole hog bar beeue'd.'"
The dish is quite unknown now as much as Johnson's
veal and plum sauce.—Meat and Provision Trades'
Review.

SIGNING THE MARRIAGE REGISTER WITH MARKS.—
Earl Portescue has obtained a return, which has been
recently printed by order of the House of Lords, show-
ing the propm tional number of men and women who
signed the marriage register with marks in the several
counties of England and Wales. In 1873 there were
205,615 marriages, and 38,684 men and 52,207 women
signed the register with marks. In 1574, out of
202,110 marriages, 36,117 men and 48,903 women
signed with marks; and in the following year, when
there were 201,212 marriages, 34,660 men and 46,666
Women signed in that manner.
THE ALBERT MEDAL.—On the reccommendation of
Sir Charles Adderley, the Queen has been pleased to
confer the Albert medal of the second class on John
Mitchell, carpenter; William Stewart, sailmaker ;
and Charles Wilson, A. 8., seaman of the ship Confer-
ence, of Bristol, as a reward for their gallant conduct
in saving the lives of several of the crew of the ship
Avonmore under very trying circumstances during the
occurrence of a tidal wave at Callao on the 9th of
May, 1877.

WEIGHTED.—CIerk (giving change). "Have you a
penny, sir? "—Swell. " .Haw ? 'Don't genewally caww y
coppars "—Clerk. "Then I'am afraid I must give
you eAven of 'em sir "—Punch.

eTZWEL ROBISERT. —On Saturday evening the resi-
dence of Mr. W. S. Gore Langton, of Newton-park,
near Bath, was broken into and jewelry stolen of the.
value of more than £2,000. The thieves placed a
ladder, which they brought from a barn a mile and a
half distant, against the outside of the house, and cut
a hole in a window pane. They then pushed back the
bolt of the window and thus obtained an entry.
Whether they had previously made themselves aJ-
quainted with the position and character of the room
is not known, bat the apartment entered proved t') be
the dressing•room of Lady Montgomery. The burjlars
broke open the jewel cases and-abstracted the con-
tents. The police wore speedily communicated with,
but nothing hail yet been disoovered to identify the
robbers.

A WEICIRTT MATTER.—PIacid Daughter :---"
stay at Uncle's has been delightful, Pa. Ma has lost
just fifteen pounds I "—lrate Pa :—" Fifteen pounds I
How wrong! She knows we c.innot afford to lose Or
thing."—P. D. :—" I mean fifteen pounds in weiglit,
Pa, and it was all her own, so it won't cone off You.

atilF

Fun. random -
VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.—The
Gazette of Tuesday night contained the following;—:
" Treasury Chambers, February 25, 1878.—The
of the Probate and Matrimonial Division of the Olt
Court of Justice, Ireland, with the concurrence of
Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Treastuei, herepj
gives notice that the following situation in the P_rl.„
cipal Registry of that Division is added to Schedu!!,ol.
of the Order in Council of 4th June, 1870, viz. :-
situation of Sweeper."
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.—It is announced,
instance of the badness of the times that far in'Ee.7.
second-hand Carriages are for sale in London at tele.
moment than ever was the case beforo---so raa.°2.,
persons who used to keep their own vehicle
become unable to afford that luxury. But this
of affairs would rather seem to point to socim
provement than anything else, for it shows that 00Ph
are getting on their legs again.—Judy.
tli
THE LONDON MASONS' STRIKL.—On Saturday
masons on strike, about six hundred in number, sit
received the usual strike pay. The committee hay'
not sent away from London more than about a doze:,
men during the past week, and after paying ell
penses they have yet a good balance on hand.
Saturday they received several donations, inchuhl
£lO from the parchment makers. In consequence °,
the stonemasons of England, Wales, and Irelat,l!
having voted by a large majority of lodges for to;
continuance of the London strike, the committee
limited an appeal to the effect that they believe it to
the duty of every working man to come forward .„_O4,
assist in this dispute, as they were not fighting tac
own battle only.
THE DEFENCES or, THE THAMES.—Additionairesola diet.
fences have been provided for the Thames. The ,
powerful armament of the Garrison Point Fort Pew
just been strengthened by four 38-ton guns, and evei,l::
thing connected with the fort has been put in ()reit
ready for instant use by the Royal Artillerfcce,:
stationed in the casemates. Every cannon has he_°:
provided with 200 rounds of ammunition. A
tected look-out station has been bullt on the roof, fr`?r,
whence the officer in charge can communic,stetooir.w.
orders direct to each gun. A large nPnher Off the-
pedoes have been prepared for the proteo:l°n,,°`
estuary of the Thames and Medway, and can: be
down at short notice.
1
"NOTICES OF MOTION."—Tram-car andß.; cyc_e J3O
—Punch.
THE SURRENDER OF WIDIN.—The surrender °I
Widin, a telegram from Bucharest states, has
settled between the Roumanian commander and
Turkish General. The Ottomans marched out
arms and baggage before the Roumanian arraY,
then entered the fortress. The town has suneh—a
much from the bombardment. The Christian)!°,
Roumanian inhabitants, numbering, with the 00:,i`
tives from Plevna and the environs of Widißt /3",
fewer than 70,000, gave the victors an enthusiastic ra.
ception. A few days before the armistice veas,°&.
eluded a deputation of leading inhabitants begge°
Governor to put a stop to useless conflict. }deli
RUSSIAN TROPHlES.—According to reportA
have appeared in the Russian military papers,
Czar's trophies during the late campaign consists °`
Pashas and 145,000 officers and men, comprisiqua
Pashas and 28,000 men captured in Asia, and 15.P.5-00.
and 117,000 men taken in Europe. More thitn,l°'
horses were captured in Armenia, and 24,0t'
European Turkey. The number of guns takeh
Europe amount to 606; in Asia, 682; the number ee.
tents 20,000 • rifles of various systems 180,0°
the-
small arms, yalagans, and pistolets belonging, vu
irregular cavalry, 200,000; silver-mounted Peg; ' •
and sabres, used by the Circassians, 13,000 ; "-
stores of gunpowder and a stock of ready-made
tridges exceeding half a million rounds.
ASKING FOR A TESTIMONIAL.—They had a (10°61
one evening. He got angry and swore he'd leave liel; '
Then she got vexed and told him he could do
pleased. He left. The next night he came back Ibsó
He He asked to see her alone. She readily complied. •
was all of a tremour. Her heart went out to hini
gush of sympathetic love. She stood ready to "
both arms about his neck and cry for joy. There v.,
not much colour in his face, and his voice was huth
He said: "I have been engaged to you six
Matilda, and and I tried in all that time to do what
right." He paused an instant to recover the VOL.°.„
which was faltering rapidly, while her trembling !is
creased. " I know that I have got a considerart;,
temper, and that I do not control it always as I ong°4
But I have tried to be faithful to you, tried t° "tt
eierything that I thought would tend to make re
happy. And feeling this I have called to-night te eci
if you wouldn't be kind enough to give me a sort
testimonial to this effect, so that I could show it to all,
young lady I might want to marry. It might he'
me." He looked at her anxiously. All the colour Le._
her face in a flash. She made a great effort to sour'
but after a struggle she gave way and flew et 111°
wildly. He left without the testimonial.
fricfo
AFRICAN EXPLORATION. The French
traveller and missionary, the Abbe Debbs, is aho°",l,o,
undertake a journey across Africa, from Zanzibar, ~,0
the Congo, and a grant of 100,000 francs (£4,000)
been made by the French Chamber in aid of
o°r'w
undertaking. The two German African Exploe-
ri%
Societies have amalgamated, and the united hccil of
about to despatch another expedition to the interiero
Africa. It has resolved to devote its attention to a
development of commercial enterprise in that o°°
nent, and calls on German merehants, manufacte
and others to aid in opening up the country to Gel' ,
trade. The German Government has promise", pt
sum of £5,000 in aid of the objects thus mdicateu .
the society.
O-B-D-ENT !—Acting on instructions, the sv"-,(for
inspired journals are preparing the public rchilia
vital changes by talking about " Czargrad"—rae7t s 0
Constantinople. If they were to allude
" Czargrab, it would be a distinction but wi"-03
much difference. Haw long will this grad-ual Meth
of grab-bing take ?—Fun.
THE SITUATION OF GALLIPOLL—Gaii.po,1i•
the remains of the Ottoman army are assenl'hent
the first town occupied in Europe by the Turks. of
was taken in 1356 by Orkhan, son and successl 0,6
Othman or Ottoman, who is generally oonsidere„ocl
the founder of the Turkish Empire. The town no'
as the base of operations for the Turks in their,acli
expedition against Constantinople, the result of
was that they seized on the suburbs of that cith -00
only evacuated them after receiving a heavy raceloy
from the inhabitants. Orkhan employed the Woo •
he thus obtained in rebuilding Gallipoli, which P. of
had suffered considerably during the siege. sl3°'"
the public buildings date from that time.
ACCIDENT TO AN IRONCLAD.—An awkward mee
has happened to the Invincible, which has i„ueb-aOl
repaired at great cost. As she was entering -n-ogaili -
Basin the blades of her propeller came in contact to, A
the sea wall, and the damage done being of tee °toe
sive a character to repair while afloat, it ho
decided to place her in dock. It is not expected, kip,
ever, that this will delay the completion of the eller
which can be done while the repairs to the Pr°Pe
are in progress.
THE NEW POPE.—The accession of Pope Leen,, tal
was formally announced on Sunday in all the Iflbe
Catholic churches of the metropolis, althonge tae
Encyclical Letter. addressed by his Holiness
Catholic prelates of the world had not been re.°ol
Circulars ordering special devotions for bless' IS
the new Pontiff were read from the Vicar-Gentr a 0 -
the diocese of Westminster, and from the rthe
the diocese`of Southwark, and, in accordance wi""_tiV
instructions given, a solemn To Deum was sung;oo•
the churches. In the diooese of Southwark the,/
sition of the Holy Sacrament was held in most 'II -1
churches with great splendour, the Data_ ,r 0
specially decorated with flowers and a profosilthe
lighted candles, the celebration lasting through°yalt
whole day. In the evening, at St. George's Cat"-apip
a solemn procession was held as a token of rel4t.d 0
The congregations on Sunday no longer sPßostghl
mourning. No special sermons were preaehn,r,A DY
at all the services the Church was congratul"—f the
the preachers on the quickness and calraness„,°„ol
election, and on the high character of the new °-
A RAILWAY BLOCKED BY ICE.—From rk i
is reported that for more than a week that tow:'„ of -
been cut off from North Russia by an accumulatie:-',O.
ice on the railways. Trains from Moscow oillt.ar•
ceed as far south as Belgorod, beyond which to P-stit,a
koff, a distance of fifty miles, the lineis covereda frost
a solid sheet of ice, caused by a sudden thaw lima° aie°
succeeding a heavy fall of snow. More than 6, for
have been engaged with pickaxe and chopceetr
week in cutting a passage through the inipe,°,l-00
but the ice is so thick and solid that a fortnigc" As 0
elapse before communications can be restored o
rule the snow-drifts in Russia mostly accul°,,,„6 00 (1
lines running across the steppes south of Khar's.' i'ater,'
the railway to the north is rarely impeded in wit ow
Still more uncommon is it for the snow to 01m?:„to
freeze in such a manner as to turn the railroso -db i 0
species of glacier, against which a snow Pl°°'
utterly useless. of
rapor to
THE DISTRESS IN SHEFFIELD.—Th a
e ce
Sheffield has published a statement with refere° oth
the administration of his relief fund since th#24,594
January. The amount subscribed has been lc%
7s. 4id., and the amount distributed £1,964 1-2. at'
Tickets for groceries had monopolized £1,672
upon soup kitchens and dinners for chil it
dren Doeilefil"
9s. ld. has been expended. There still rea'
balance in hand of £2,629 Bs. 3YI. —Another exc otte
means of relieving the distress has been foun---4-.noke off
6f the committees has arranged with the
Norfolk to undertake the levelling of a hilg°„:„ pc,r
land which would then be available for bn,ii°74,-,--41`;',
tho
ing on them, have been set to work and
poses. A gang of 40 men, who have famdiee bee •
ilso
taken off the relief lists. Applications to the
mittee for such work are numerous. 4.,aaent 11,,e1114,
ORTHOGRAPHY AT OXFORD.—Great
been created amongst the ranks of Spelling I's' nyrn3 "0
by the discovery that, whereas the correct syn° 10 t jhs
a coin vernacularly termed a " copper
orthography of the "Authorised Version, „f
"penny," it is printed, in a particular portionoui
Oxford Prayer-Book, " peny." Thus th,eY.a tba,
foundation of phonetic spelling has been I°Tie foes
University of Dark Blue itself. This give° collo
tisists great hopes. The question whether - !ow
ought to be spelt with one or two n's might
Spelling Bee, if Spelling Bees, once so num° ajogi°;:
not passed away to the limbo of extinct entonioroitt
species—like the Dodo and the Moa among
to :
logical.—Punch. see° of
A LANGUAGE OF THEIR OWN 1-3iittentle pa •
have reached India, and the newsp.aPere Iroach tgat
praises of them. They "give a finishing to abobo
iady's dress." They "have a certain • char_fe„ Ulie tat
them." They "have a quaint, prudis.. -e'er •
erteus,
ne- hiC
coal-scuttle bonnets." They "have a -a • vl A
dew
their own." own." Opinions differ upon the ra° owl cle
mittens are to be worn, but it seems geaerall9vo. blOllO
that black mittens should not be icrorn,sdaae.,tea
glows. Indeed, a fascinating dame at 2110, he 11'0
adopted this stylo. and asked a bachelor h°,, with
1,,r n sulject of her mittens, 111,P
retort, Madam, Ido not like it at t_11.., 400
ook as well in goloshes drawn over DIY cuv—
Trok,

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