The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-04-21 00:00:00

Ittistellanerats

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

THE INDIAN MAIL—The East Indian mail, run,
weekly by contract with the British Government be-
tween Bologna and Brindisi, the whole length of the
peninsula, carried 1,155 passengers from Bologna to
Brindisi in 1881, and 1,027 from Brindisi to Bologna—
an average of 222 and 194 through passengers per
train. The number of employes was 66,016, or, remarks
the American Railroad Gazette, very nearly 12 per
mile, against 4.8 per mile in this country. The average
wages per year was 214 dols., against 466 dole. in this
country. _

AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for last week, as
received from the inspectors and officers of Excise :
Wheat, 425. id.; barley, 335. 3d.; oats, 21s, 11d, per
imperial qr. Corresponding week last year :—Wheat,
455. 11d. ; barley, 28s. 7d, ; oats, 21s. 7d.
GOOD ADVICE.—A. Listen to me, my dear fellow
B. With all the pleasure in the world, my dear
fellow. But don't preach; lay sermons are like
doctors' advice—only sought when one can't do with-
out it.—Judy.
'lme CROPS.—In its review of the British corn
trade for the past week, the Magnet says :—" The
general appearance of agricultural affairs is satisfao•
tory and the young wheats mostly look well. Rain
is, however, required in some districts to stimulate
vegetation ; but the progress made during the past
few weeks in agricultural work has been marvellous."
LIVE STOCK IN PRUSSIA.—From a live•stock census,
taken on the 10th of January last, it appepra that the
total number of horses in Prussia was 2,403,289, as
against 2,271,230 in the year ]873; of mules 572, as
against 934; of asses 6,313, as against 8,784; of oxen
8,735,596, as against 8,639,514; of sheep 14,716,732,
as against 19,666,794; of pigs 5,801,784, as aga;nst
4,215,926; and of goats 1,672,370, as against 1,481,461.
FOOD CONSUMPTION IN FRANCE.—Some curious
statistics have just been collected by the Ministry of
Commerce relative to the consumption of bread, wine,
and meat in the eight principal towns of France, From
these statistics it appears that Paris is the city in
which the most meat and the least bread is consumad
in proportion to the number of inhabitants, Lyons
being the town in which most wine is drunk. At
Lille the beer average is 213 litres a year per head of
the total population, the cider average at Rouen being
114 litres.

BLESSINGS OF THE BUDGET.—Nobody much the
worse for it. Some few rather the better. Six-
penny Telegrams, and (preparation for repeal of Silver
Plate Duty) slight boon to silversmiths. Reduction
of Passenger Duty for poor railway directors. Ar-
rangement towards redemption of National Debt,
with some advantage perhaps to posterity at large,
and without much present injury to individuals. Pro-
portionate gun-licences for accommodation of occa-
sional sportsmen. Remission to Income-tax payer of
partial impost by threehalfpence in the pound—for the
present. Any longer—don't you wish you may get it?
Thanks due for small mercies. No new burdens and
curses.—Punch.
THE INDIAN WHEAT TRADE,—The Civil and
Military Gazette of Lahore states that since 1877-78
the exportation of wheat from India had grown from
317,000 tons to nearly a million tons. There still
remain vast tracts of suitable land to be placed under
cultivation, but owing to the recent completion of
some important canals in the Upper Provinces, much
of this land will shortly be turned to profitable
account. England is by no means the only market for
Indian wheat. No fewer than seven million acres in
the Punjab alone are now producing this cereal, and
the total yield is estimated to equal that of the United
Kingdom. In 1881-82 the Punjab sent to France
6,000,000 cwt., and to Antwerp about two-thirds of
that quantity, by the Scinde route alone.
THE LONDON CORN MARICET.—The Mark Lane
Express of Monday says :—There is but a retail de-
mand for wheat at this morning's market. English
wheat in small supply is firmly held, and foreign sells
slowly at about last week's prices. There is no change
in the value of flour, which meets a very quiet trade.
Round maize is rather in buyers' favour; but mixed
American, at 265. 9d. to 275., ex quay, is unchanged
on the week. Barleys are quiet but steady. Malt
very quiet at former rates. Oats are in small supply,
and the tr:bde is steady, although dull. Beans and
peas unchanged. Linseed steady and unchanged_on
the week.
MEs. RAMSBOTHAAes COOXERY•BocK. She is
making a collection of recoipte. uaened watt,eu nod
varicose beans when in season, she says, is an excel-
lent dish.—Punch.
SUICIDES AT BERLlN,—During the month of March
57 persons attempted to take their lives at Berlin, 46
of whom were successful; against 39 during January
and 41 during February. In 1882 the greatest number
of suicides also took place in March—viz., 63. Of the
suicides in March of this year six were committed on
one day and five on another. The different means
adopted were as follows :—Shooting, 10; hanging, 17;
drowning, 13; and poisoning, 17. There were 42
men and 15 women among those who destroyed them-
selves.

CHRISTMAS CARD ALBUM COMPETITION.—The award
of prizes in the competition in Christmas-card albums
and fancy articles, for which prizes amounting in
value to £l,lOO were given by Messrs. Hildesheimer
and Faulkner, Jewin•street, London, has been issued.
In album competition, Class A, the first prize (£100)
has been awarded to Miss Patty Townsend, of
Nuneaton; the second (275) to Mr. W. E. Wilson, of
Stockport; and the third (£o0) to Miss H. M. Bennett,
of Forest-hill. In Class B, the first prize (£100) has
also been obtained by Miss Patty Townsend; the
second (£75) by Miss Mary Capes, of Clapham-common ;
and the third (£5O) by Mr. Ernest Wilson, of Stock-
port. The first prize of £25, for fancy articles, has
been given to Miss Congreve, of Brighton. The judges
were Mrs. Wm. Duffield, Miss M. Ellen Edwards,
and Miss Alice Havers.
A CAPITAL REASON.—" It 'a the Duke and Duchess
of Marlborough, just before the battle of Blenheim,
you know I "—"What a subject! My dear fellah, if
you must paint dukes and duchesses, why the deuce
don't you paint modern ones ?—" Modern ones! Why,
dash it all, man, I never saw a modern duke in my
life, nor a modern duchess either !—and, what 's more,
I don't want to ! "—Punch.

THE VICEROYALTY OF INDIA.—The Morning Post
says :—" It is, we hear, more than rrobable that the
Marquis of Ripon after his recent efforts at new leis•
lation in India may return to this country, and in that
event it is strongly rumoured that the Viceroyalty
will be offered to the Marquis of Lorne, a choice which
will generally recommend itself to public opinion.
both on account of the high qualities of Lord Lorne
and the great advantage of the presence of her Royal
Highness the Princess Louise as directly representing
the Empress of India in our great dependency."

DEATH OF THE HON. Mae. STONOR.--The Hon. Mrs.
Stoner expired at her house, 78, South Audley-street,
London, on Siturday evening. Between five and six
years ago she was the subject of a very severe carriage
accident, when returning from Turville Park to Stonor
after dinner, from which she never entirely recovered.
The effects of those injuries were the cause of her
lamented death. For the last fortnight of her fatal
illness her sufferings have been borne with the
greatest fortitude. Telegrams have passed between
Sandringham twice a day, and latterly more frequent-
ly. The Prince and Princess of Wales called person-
ally in South Audley-street immediately after the
return of their Royal Highnesses from Sandringham.
The Duke of Cambridge also called, and the other
members of the Royal Family were duly informed
frequently of the condition of the lamented lady. The
late Hon. Mrs. Stonor was the youngest daughter of
the late Right Hon. Sir Robert Peel, and married,
25th September 1855, the Hon. Francis Stonor, second
son of Thomas third Lord Camoys, and who died 10th
January, 188 i. She had issue three sons—Francis
Robert, Lord Camoys, Hon. Hy. Julian, and Hon.
Edward Alexander—and a daughter, the Hon. Julia
Caroline Stonor. She had been a Lady in Waiting to
the Princess of Wales since her Royal Highness's
household was formed in 1863.
A FEMALE PHYSICIAN,—.Nature says :—Some time
since we alluded to the work done in China by an
American female physician, Miss Howard. She has
attended the mother of Li Hung Chang, the great
Viceroy, and now we read she is treating the wife of
the same high official. The fame or the lady doctot
appears to have spread far and wide over North
China, and she is now flooded with applications tor
assietance and ad vice from the women of wealthy
families, who would die rather than be treated by a
foreign male physician. It looks as if the various
countries of the East offered an almost inexhaustible
sold tor women possessing medical knowledge and
skill,

PUTTING HIM TO THE TEST !—Several weeks ago, by
special enactmmt of the Legislature, the Governor
offered a reward of 200 dollars for an Arkansaw man
who is not a judge, colonel, major nor captain.
The next day a plain, unassuming gentleman
called on the Governor and said :—" I have the
honour, sir, to claim the reward you offered
for a man who is neither a judge, colonel, major,
nor captain. lam neither of these." "I am glad
to meet you, air," said the Governor. "Just sit
down a moment until I attend to a little matter
tht buiin.eFi." The man took a ceat and the Go.
vernor ot into an adjoining room, and after a
moment called, " Colonel."—" Yes, sir," said the
gentleman, arising.—" That's all right," remarked the
Governor. "I see you are a colonel. Porter, please
show the military gentleman to the door and admit
the next man."

THE AVESLEYANS AND THE AFFIRMATION BILL.—A
Correspondent. whose letter is too long for publica-
tion (says the Daily News), writes :--"To many Wes-
leyans it is matter of regret that the Committee of
Privileges was ever called together at all in reference
to the Parliamentary Oaths 13111; but being called
together it was their wisest course to rule the question
out. The Committee is appointed from year to year
to watch the interests of Methodism in legislation,
both as a corporate body and in relation to their
rights as citizens, and its sphere has no more to do
with the political religious question than it had with
the repeal of the old tests in the old times. There
can be no Methodist corporate action for or against
the Bill, because of the division of opinion among
them,"