The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-04-17 00:00:00

ROME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

REFRESHMENT FOR JURTMEN.—The jury in a
case tried at Liverpool on Tuesday, after an hour and
a halls CollBlll4iSti it, were visited by the registrar to
ascertain if there was any chance of the twelve
agreeing. He returned with an answer that there was
at that time no prospect whatever of unanimity, but
that the jury begged, as they were almost choking,
that they might be allowed a jug of water. -The
:assessor : As Mr. Justice Maude has decided that it
Is neither meat nor think they may have it (laughter).
The jug ,4 water was supplied to the jury accordingly,
and they were then once more locked up for further
consideration.
A Now BUTTON-FASTENER. Mr. Henry
Mayhew, the well-known author of "London Labour,"
has invented and p +tented a "clamp button-fastener,"
which appears to fulfil every condition necessary to
en able a single button to endure as long as the cloth
to which it is attached. It is applicable to a great,
variety of buttons, whether made with two holes or
fitur, and is manufactured in different sizes and colours.
The advantages of this invention, as contrasts -I with
the discomforts f the existing button, are described at
length in a prospectus which is itself a model of clever
and ingenious writing.
CLIMATIC CHANGES Tusonorr TriE AGENCY OF
ales.— The ground on which stands Ismailia, a town
6 000 inhabitants, and the head-qoarters of M.
Is Lesseps, was, but a few years since, a dry, sandy
-mem, on which rain was never known to fall (save
the Britiah hf.dical Journal.) All is now transformed.
lhe old dried-up basin of Lake Tiunsah has been again
015 d with water from the Nile by a fresh-water canal.
Trees, shriffic, and plants of all descriptions grow
rapidly wherever the soil is irrigated, and the artificial
113.8 is widens fast. "Accompanying," writes a corre-
spondent, "tills extraordinsry transformation of the
aspect of the place, there has been a corresponding
change in the climate. At the present time. Ismalia,
during eight months of the year, is probably the
healthiest spot in Northern Egypt." The mean tem-
perature for the four months June to September is
94 deg. ; the following four months 74 degs. ; and the
four winter months, 45 digs. "Until two years ago,
rain was unknown; but in the twelvemonths ending
April last, there were actually fourteen days on which
rain fell; and no later than Sunday last, there fell a
tremendous shower of rain, a phenomenon which the
oldest Aral, had never previously witnessed." Rain
ceases to fall on a country deprived of its forests, or
only falls in violent storms. Here we see rain return-
ing to the desert on restoring the trees.
CoNFLICT WITH A MADMAN.—A few days since
a Pole, twenty-three years of age, who had been con-
fined at Charanton for mental alienation, contrived to
escape. By some means he obtained possession of a
loaded six-chamber revolver, and taking refuge in the
shop of his brother-in-law, a bookseller in the Rue de
Tournon, threatened to shoot any one that approached
him. All at once he dashed out into the street just as
three serpents de ville, who had been sent for, were
approaching. One of them sprang boldly forward, and
threw his arms around the madman, who, however, in
the struggle, managed Whim the six shots, wounding one
at the officers in the hand and his captor in the thigh.
The latter, however, did not loose his hald but with
the assistance of his companions conveyed the prisoner
to the station.
A ROBBERY AND A Drnsr..—A robbery of a
serious description has taken place in the Cathedral of
Toledo. The following articles are missing :--
The crown of the Virgin of Sagrario, of solid gold, worked
in relievo, with a festoon underneath composed of two threads
of pearls, eight d:amonds, and eight rubies; one diamond
cross and star; two gold crosses; one cross composed of
brilliants and other jewels; seventeen brooches of diamonds
and jewels set in gold.
The intrinsic value of these treasures is said to be up-
wards of .£1.2,000 but their artistic value is priceless.
Suspicion rests on some of the ecclesiastics of the
cathedral. This robbery has been the cause of another
duel, not unlikely to he attended with fatal results.
Two gentlemen, one French and the other Spanish,
were talking about the robbery in one of the cafes of
Madrid the other night, when the former, after some
jocular allusions to the large bunting party who were
invited by Prim to go with him to his groon,ls in the
mountains of T. &do during the E toter recess, and who
enjoyed several days' sport there, remarked that pos-
sibly be (Prim) could give some account of the missing
treasures. The other, who happened to be a personal
friend of Prim, resented this as an insult, and struck
the Frenchman a blow across the table. The usual
result followed. A duel with swords took place' when
Prim's champion was wounded slightly in the arm,
whilst the Frenchman was wounded seriously, and it is
said his life is in great danger.
THEIR GUARDIAN ANGEL—Miss Burdett Coutts
has been nominated one of the Guardians for Bethnal
Green. Of course she will be elected by acclamation.
But the office and title will not be new to her, for she
has long beau the Guardian of the Poor.—Punch.
THE DRINK AGAIN !—A shocking tragedy was
enacted in Miller-street, Manchester, between twelve
and one o'clock on Sunday morning. Benjamin Craw-
shaw, a trait a, met his wife, Susan, shout twelve
o'clock on Saturday night, on her return from market-
ing, and induced her to accompany him to a public-
house in the neighbourhood. He there met with some
associates, and asked his wife to give him money to
pay fir drink, which she refused to do. He threat-
ened her with violence if she did not comply with his
request to pay for drink whils he had ordered, and on
her leaving the house he followed her to the street,
knocked her down and kicked her in a most brutal
manner. A crowd wan attracted to the scene, and the
poor woman was rescued from the violence of her hus-
band, but not before he had inflicted such injuries as
caused her death. A police constable came up, and,
finding that the woman had been badly injured, had
her conveyed to the Royal Infirmary, where she died
in a little more than half an hour alter her admission.
HINT FOR A HOLIDAY.— Go to the Zoological
Gardens, if you want to enjoy them, always for choice,
on a very wet day. In your water-proofer, and
under your umbrella, you will then have room, without
inconvenience or obstruction, to see the gild besets fed.

--- -
Punch.
TIRROIC CONDUCT OF A FRENCH LADT.—A
few days ago the steamer which plies between Italy
and Tunis stopped to land five passengers at La
Goulette. The boat into which they entered had not
got more than a few yards from the vessel when it was
overturned by the waves. A French gentleman, named
Cszeneuve, his wife, and two sailors, seeing what had
occumd, immediately jumped into another boat at the
quay and succeeded in saving four of them. The fifth
a young girl, was on the point of sinking when
Madame Cazeneuve, who was a good swimmer,
plunged into the water and supported her until the
rest were able to extricate them both from their
1 dangerous position.
DRY EARTH SYSTEM FOR WM:ISM—The "dry
earth system" has achieved a new triumph in Ame-
rica, (says the Medical Tines and Gazette.) It was in
-
trainee," by Dr. Hewson into the Pennsylvania Hos-
pital in Philadelphia, and met with such favour that
it is to be forthwith substituted for waterclosets in
that institution. But more than this, the dry sifted
earth has been used as an application to offensive
wounds with magical effect. There was a case of
compound fracture so offensive that it defied the effect
of ventilation and the usual disinfectants. The wound
was covered with dry earth, the odour was ab-
sorbed, and with the abatement of this came a speedy
improvement in the character of the wound. En-
couraged by this result, Dr. Hewaon has applied it
with marked success in the treatment of every other
disease attended with profuse and offensive suppuration
—ulcers of the leg, contused and sloughing wounds,
gunshot wounds, severe burns, cancer. In all these it
is said to have succeeded beyond expectation, and it is
now proposed to apply it to smallpox, the most offensive
and virulent of all maladies.
Love AT FIRST SIOHT.—" A rather extraordi-
nary marriage (says a New York paper) "took place
at York, York County, Pa., on the 25th February.
The bridegroom is sixty, and the bride over 100 years
old. The parties never saw each other but once before
the day of marriage, and it might be called a case of
pure love at first sight. The bride is well known b:.
many in this community, and is a popular personage
where she resides. Many of the most prominent per- I
sons of York have called to pay their respects, making
the aged pair presents, ac. She says no more hard-
ships now for her. She will live the new life which she
has so auspiciously begun with comfort and ease, lean-
ing on the strong arm of a doting and loving husband
for support and consolation in all her troubles and
trials" The following is the marriage notice:—" On
the 25th ult., by the Rev. N. S. Buckingham, Me.
Thomas Cromwell, of Chambersburg, to Mrs. Esther
Oliver. of York, Pa. No card."
A NEW POOR MAN'd PLASTER.—The Brussels
clergy have invented a very singular kind of "Poor
Man's Plaster." It may be remembered that sickness
has been of late very rife in the capital of Belgium;
fever and scarlatina had reached almost to an epidemic.
Well, a priest belonging to one of the chapels, had
printed on a small piece of gummed paper the words,
"Stop ! the heart of Jesus is with us." In the centre
of the paper was the tigawe of a heart, surmounted by
a cross. It wan only necessary for the patient to apply
this paper to the part where he experienced the most
pain, and to repeat the words of the formula as above
in good faith, to drive away the malady and to bring
about "a perfect cure." It is said that not only has
the priest effected wonders, but has reaped a good
profit into the bargain. Stationers' shops sell the
remedy; and in young ladies' boarding schools and the
religious communities the new medicament is con-
sidered as essential to be kept in stuck as squills
and senna-tea.
A BLIND PREACHER.—The Rev. W. H. Mil-
burn, "the blind preacher," and chaplain of Congress,
in America, preached at St. James's, Marylebune,
London, on Sunday. A correspondent states that,
although blind, Mr. Milhurn's infirmity would warmly
he detected by any perm' at a distance from him.
He wended the pulpit with deliberation, and, on
taking his place in it, gently waved his hand to indi-