The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-04-07 00:00:00

The King of the Sandwich Islands has asked per-
mission to hay., his silver money coined in the
American mints.
On Tuesday, while the French squadron was lying
off Athens a gun buret on board the Admiral'4 flag-
ship. Three of the crew were killed and two injiu ed.

On the occasion of the presentation of a sword of
honour so Lord Alcester and of a gold casket to Lord
Wolseley next week, accommodation is to be provided
at the Guildhall, London, for 2,000 spectators.

An Alexandria telegram states that, DP to I"
present time, 759 claims, amounting to the total enm
of £233,000, have been admitted by the International
Indemity Commission.

The Paris Academy of Sciences has awarded ex eqvi)
the Grand Mathematical Prize to Professor Smith, at
Oxford, and M. Minkowski, a student at Koenigsberg.
Each laursat obtains thus 3,000 francs.
The Mayor of Abingdon, Mr. Alderman Edwin
Payne, died suddenly on Monday night from syncope.
Upon the melancholy event becoming known, the
meeting of the Literary Society and the Musical
Association were at once adjourned. Mr. Payne had
filled the office of mayor several times, and was greatly
respected by all classes in the borough.

The safe of the Academy of Music, New York,
where Mr. Mapleson is giving a series of operatic
performances, has been robbed of a sum exceeding
four thousand pounds.
A Renter's telegram from l'esth states that a tele-
gram reports the burning of a :nixed train, owing to a
truck oontaining petroleum having caught fire. The
flames spread rapidly, and the whole train was
destroyed. No one was injured.
Winterbourne Court, Somersetshire, the seat of Sir
Greville Smythe, was destroyed by fire on Monday
afternoon. Some costly furniture and a number of
pictures were saved from the basement, but everything
else was destroyed.
In France, a statistical aceettat has been l,prepared
by order of the Director of Public Worship, showing
the precise nunibers of the Roman Catholic clergy in
that country. As a result, it has been ascertained
that there are at present 55,835 individuals hokling
different offices in the Church throughout the country.
Of thee 87 are archbishops or bishops.
Lord Alcester was, on Tuesday, presented with the
honorary freedom of the Cutlers' Company (London),
in recognition pf his services during the recent
2gyptian campaign, His lordship was afterwards
entertained at dinner ,and, in replying to the toast
of his health, spoke very highly of the conduct of
both services during the war.
An official intimation has been issued by the
Serjeant-at•Arms that the only representatives of the
Press to be admitted to the meetings of the Standing
Committees will be those of two News Associations.
The Scottish Meteorological Society is hopeful that
the sum of 1.,5,1)00 required to erect a permanent ob-
servatory on Ben Nevus will be collected in time to
permit of the neoeseary buildings being commenced
during the ensuing summer.

The attention of the police has been specially drawls
to the unprotected state of the river terrace of the
House of Commons. Directions have accordingly
been given that a police boat shall be permanently
stationed at this part of the river, and shall cruise up
and down night and day. It has also bees ordered
that the lights on the terrace shall be kept burning
through the night.

An alarming accident to a tramcar occurred on
Saturday at Birkenhead. It appears that on one of
the cars approaching Woodside Ferry the brake did
not act, and the 'vehicle ran down the decline at great
speed, knocking down a strong iron pillar in its course.
The passengers were muck
i shaken, and a woman had
to be taken home on a mattress n a cab. A man
also had a severe cut on the head. The front of thi

_
car was smashed to pieces.
It is reported that a letter bearing a distant postal
mark has been received by the Dean or rotorbtavutgla
containing a threat to destroy the deanery and
cathedral with dynamite, and the signature attached
was a "A Fenian." The dean communicated with
the local police, and an extra force of constables was
at once stationed in the precincts of the minster. The
letter itself was sent to licetland-yard.
On Monday evening a fire broke out on the premises
occupied by a hatter in Harrow-road, London, causing
serious injuries to three persons and considerable loss
of property. The occupants of the upper stories
escaped by leaping into a tarpaulin, but three were
seriously burnt—Maria Brown, wife of the manager of
the shop; her eon, aged seven; and a policeman who
attempted to rescue them. The shop and dwelling-
house were completely gutted, the former only being
insured.
On the arrival of the "Flying Scotohman" train at
Berwick on Sunday morning the door of one of the
carriages was found open. Inquiry was made along
the line, and the dead body of a man was found. It
is believed that he had opened the door and fallen out.
His name was William Walters, and he belonged to
Edinburgh, whither he was travelling.
On Tuesday a deputation from the silver trade
waited upon the Chancellor of the Excheoner to ask
for the abolition of the duties on silver. hir. Childers
said this was not a suitable time to ask for so large a
remission, but he would give the subject thorough con-
sideration.

On Saturday night a fire occurred at the mansion of
Sir Archibald Lamb, Beauport•park, near Battle.
- • 'Tint the
on the ground floor were gutted. The baeCie-eaLlii
Leonard's fire brigades were sent for, but before their
arrival the flames had been got under by the servants
on the estate. Sir Archibald was with his regiment at
Windsor.
At the annual tneeeting of the Coventry Tem-
perance Society, it was stated that the city had been
oanvaesed with the view of ascertaining the opinions
of the householders upon the question of Sunday
closing. The papers filled up numbered 4,379. Of
these 2,120 householders voted for entire closing, 360
were in favour of allowing two hours' sale off the
premises, 256 were neutral, while 1,643 were in favour
of the Ipreseut arrangement. The majority in favour
of an alteration in the law was 837.
A phenomenon of a very unusual character occurred
near Weymouth on Friday night in last week. The
Channel steamer Aquila was prosecuting her voyage
in a perfectly calm sea, when she was suddenly struck
by two tremendous waves, which flooded the deck,
destroyed bulwarks and fittings, and swept into the
cabins, causing severe personal injury in several cases.
In a few moments after the waves struck the vessel
the sea was perfectly calm.
The first attempt to give effect to the Irish re-
afforesting scheme promoted by Dr. Lyons, M.P., was
made on Friday in last week at Carrick, the chief
village of the district of Glencolumbkill, county
Donegal, where the distites is eery acute. A number
of unemployed people of the neighbourhood have been
engaged for sometime in the preparation of the ground
kindly granted by the owner, Mr. M'Glade, of Belfast,
for an experimental plantation.
The number of schools under the supervision of the
New York Board of Education last year was 296, and
the average daily attendance 138,239, being an in.
crease over 1881 of 3,769. Statistics show that 91 per
cent. of the average enrolment of pupils attended
school every session throughout the year. The total
number of teachers employed in 1882 in all the schools
participating in the school fund was 3,544, an increase
of 101 over the number employed the previous year.
Six hundred people are always employed in Barnum'e
show. Of these, one hundred and fifty are peformors
and one hundred and sixty agents and bill-posters.
They have five advertising cars and an army of bill.
posters. Every one of the employs is pledged to
total abstinence from all intexicants during the exis-
tence of his engagement. Last year the receipts
averaged £2,000 a performance.
On Saturday, a bottle containing the following
menage, written in pencil, WAR picked up on the coast
of Helm, thlrney :—" Dreadful weather; steamer
Marie Stuart; ship sinking off Bute; captain washed
overboard three days ago; Ilft, of water in the hold;
masts all gone, and in another hour she will go down.
God help us; farewell." The bottle and message were
forwarded to the ownets of the Marie Stuart, steamer,
of Leith, which left Burnt-island on the 6th of March,
and has not since been heard of.
The large bridge which has been constructed across
the water between New York city and Brooklyn has
not yet been opened for traffic. On Sunday the crowd
overpowered the watchman at each end, broke down
the barriers, and crowded across the bridge. The
police found themselves powerless to stop the stream
of people, who maintained possession of the bridge
until nightfall.
At a meeting of the Cirencester Chamber of Agri-
culture, Sir M. Hicks )3each, M.P., took part in a
discussion on tithe-rent charge. He thought that its
being a fixed sum would be detrimental to the tithe.
payers' interest; he was opposed to fixing it at par ;
and he approved of the proposal that the amount
should be paid by the landlord, instead of by the
tenant; but he thought in that case some compensation
should be given to the tithe-payer.
A telegram from Russia says that owing to the over-
flow of the river serious floods have been caused at
Charkoff. The market-place and several street, in
the suburbs are under water, and many shops and the
ground floors of several houses have been inundated.
The schools have been temporarily closed. Only the
two principal bridges have withstood the flood, all the
others having been submerged and damaged. Several
accidents have 0,,-cn•red, some of which have been at-
tended with lose of life.
Sir Tollemache Sinclair, MX., in proof of his
adherence to free education principles, announces his
intention of paying for one year the school fees of all
the children on his estates at Thurso and Halkirk.
He proneunces himself confident that the difference
in more regular attendance and the consequently
larger Government grant will show that the loss to
School Boards from a policy of free education would
be comparatively trifling.
A marriage of unusual interest took place in
Brooklyn, New York, on the 7th inst. The bride-
groom was Mr. Robert Hn.aza, from Boston, Massa-
chusetts, commonly known as "Major Littlefinger."
His height is 31t. 6in. ; he is 24 years of age, and "tips
the scale 'at 541 b. The bride was Miss Roamer, who
Is 25 years old, Mt. high, and weighs 451 b.
"By the death of the Hon. Mrs. Monsen a well-known
name disappears from the religious world. Born in 1811,
third daughter of the late Sir Edward O'Brien, of
Dtomoland, married to the Rev. Charles Monsen, she
was left a widow in 1851. Almost immediately after-
wards her services were claimed by the Rev. Canon
Carter as superior of the House of Mercy at Clewer.
Here she remained till 1876, during which time her
work grew year by year, until what was at first but a
small home for the reception of fallen women grew
into the great charitable organization known by the
name of the Community of St. John the Baptist.
This association, numbering now Over 200 sisters,:
extends all over England, and even to America and'7'."l"
India. To the sagacity, ,power of Organization,
generous sympathy of Mr. Atotiteitthrsticoerfrof thafial,e+a-)
great community is mainly due."—Obituary of rte
Times, April 2,