The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-11-02 00:00:00

Visallancous (ittettigerat.
HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

AMERICAN Foot.—The arrivals of live Cock. at
Liverpool last week from the United States and
Canada were very large, though somewhat below the
average of recent periods, while the quantity of fresh
meat showed an increase over late weeks. Seven
steamers reached the Mersey, having on board 1,417
head of oxen, 3,257 sheep, 173 pigs, and eight calves.
The steamers conveying the fresh meat were four in
number, having on board 4,094 Quarters of beef, and
1,100 carcases of mutton, all of them coming from
New York. There were also landed 1,104 packages of
fresh butter, and 24 live horses.
A CHILDISH DISTINCTION.—Sister. "You should
not be sorry, Johnny; I never was sorry when I had
to go to school."—Brother. "That's because you were
a girl ; you would have been very so) ry if you had been
a little boy."—Fun.
THE ANIMAL'S NAME.—A good story is told of One
of the leading clergymen of Albany, who is a devoted
equestrian, (says the Albany Times). A new horse had
been sent him from the livery, and to quiet its friski-
ness the gamin who brought it was shouting "Whoa,
Emma!" The reverend gentleman, in all innocence,
asked if that was the animal's name, and met with an
aTrmative response. Riding through the park the
animal became restless, and the bystanders were
convulsed with laughter to hear the good dominie
repeating, in the most earnest and somewhat excited
tones: "Whoa, Emma! Whoa, Emma !"

SAVINGS BANKS.—One of the most acceptable of
our official returns is that which shows the progress of
the savings banks of the United Kingdom. At the
end of the year 1867 the trustees savings banks held
above 36i millions sterling, and the Post-office savings
banks si millions. At the end of the year 1877
the trustees savings-banks had nearly 44i millions
and the Post-office savings-banks nearly 28/ millions.
The amount in both classes of savings-banks increased
from £46,283,132 in 1867 to no less than £72,979,443 in
1877. But it has to be observed that the trustee
savings banks are showing year by year "payments
out " to a larger amount than the sums received in the
year, in 1877 to the extent of nearly £300,000, and the
increase in the total amount due to depositors is caused
by placing to their credit the interest due on their de-
posits.— Times.

- .
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL. —Young lady visitor.
"You'll excuse me, Biddy, but I think your tea is not
very good; I'm afraid you don't deal at a good shop."—
Biddy. " Well, miss, you see a body cannot expect to
get as good tea when they buy it by the ha'porth as
when they buy it by the ounce."—Judy.

THE TURKISH WAR MEDAL.—On the recommenda-
tion of General Nedjeb Pasha, Mr. Scudamore, son of
Mr. Frank Ives Scudamore, C. 8., has received the
Turkish War Medal for his services with the Stafford
House hospitals and ambulances in the Balkans and
Bulgaria. In October of last year Mr. Scudamore,
who was then only eighteen years of age, accompanied
General Kiazim Pasha on his march for the relief of
Plevna, and was present at the engagements of Luka-
vitza, Dubnick, and Tellich. Stores being needed by
the ambulances, Mr. Scudamore volunteered to return
for them, and, in company with a Polish gentleman
named Kilner, rode back from Tellich to Sophia.
without guide or escort, over a country swarming with
the irregular troops of both armies. For this and
other services Mr. Scudamore has received the war
medal.

A DUEL—The New Orleans Democrat gives an
account of a duel fought between two gentlemen,
Creoles, who went a few miles out of New Orleans for
the purpose on the 30th of September. At the first
fire one of the combatants was hit in the right arm,
the ball entering underneath the elbow, glancing
upward, and lodging in the muscles under the shoulder
blade. The doctor deperibed the wound as not danger-
ous. The Democrat adds :—" A curious circumstance
connected with the duel is that the injured man would
infallibly have been killed had he not held his arm
slightly bent, thus oovering his right breast, which the
ball would have pierced through and through, cond•
dering the distance of only ten paces and the heavy
calibre of the duelling pistols."
THE ITALIAN SPORT OF LARK CATCHING. - It
appears that Pope Leo XIII. has always been very
fond of the Italian sport of lark catching, and when he
was Archbishop of Perugia he had a rocolo placed in
the garden of his palace, where he used to pass several
hours each day at the beginning of the winter (says
the Court journal), A roco/o is formed as follows :
A elopirg piece ot ground is selected, and round this a
quantity of brushwood is placed, the whole being
about ICoft. long by 351 t. broad. A number of nets,
about 15ft. high, are put round the brushwood, and at
one end of the ground a small hut is erected to conceal
the birdcatcher. A number of worms and insects are
put uporothe ground, and also some larks, which are
tied by the foot, and the presence of which attracts
others. When a large number of birds have alighted,
the birdcatcher rings a bell, which startles them as
they are feeding, and bef, r • ,ey have had time to
fly away, a string is pulled and the nets fall to the
ground. Large captures are made in this way, and
the Pope has already given orders for a rocolo to be.
erected in the gardens of the Vatican.

A FIGHT IN A CHURCH.—Among the eoclesiastica
anecdotes of the time of Cromwell, there is one still
current at Bishop's Middleham, in Durham, concern-
ing their intrusive vicar, John Brabai!t. He was a
soldier in Cromwell's army; but preferring the "drum
ecrlesiastio" to the drum military, he came with a file
of infantry to Middlehem, to eject the old vicar. The
parishioners wade a good fight on the occasion for their
i
minister, and succeeded n winning the pulpit, which
was the key of the position for him; but Brabant,
nothing daunted, made a good and soldierly retreat
into the chancel, mounted the altar, and there preached
standing, with a brace of horse pistols at his side.
Right, however, had little chieice when Might ruled,
and the old vicar, who had held the living for forty
years, was finally ejected.

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