The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-12-09 00:00:00

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SATI7RDAY, DEC. 9, 1876.

"AN ULSTER."—An Ulster young lady is
engaged in making a cloak entirely of partridge
feathers. In it will be at least 10,000 feathers of diffe-
rent sizes, the lower portion of the cloak being made
of the tail feathers and then ranging up. The breast
feathers come next, while the variegated plumage
around the neck of the bird will encircle the white
throat of the lady. It will require about 100 partridges
to fill out the regular course of feathers, which are
placed in layers similar to the way in which they grow
on the bird.

APROPOS OF THE CATTLE SHOW.— Farmers
now flocking up from the provinces all admit they have
had a splendid harvest this year, but they sey the
greatest haul in the whole country is the Agricultural
Hall.— Judy.
„I '
THE GREENLAND SEAL FISHERY.—An Order
in Council has been made fixing the 3rd of April as the
time before which it is illegal for British vessels to kill
seals in the area comprised between the 67th and 75th
.N.•parallels and between longitude 5 deg. and 17 deg.
W. The Norwegian Government has made a similar
regulation for Norwegian vessels, and the German
Government has undertaken to do the same in respect
to German ships. It is hoped that Holland and
America may also be induced to enter into this arrange-
ment before the next sealing season. Last year a
simi•ar Order in Council was passed, but owing to the
want of cooperation of the other countries interested
in the fishery it was revoked. The penalty for a
breach of the above regulation, in any person killing or
capturing seals before the 34 of April in each year in '
the above area, is £590 for each offence; the captain or
owner, or both, by whose connivance or default the east
offence is committed, is liable to the same penalty -1
as the person actually committing it; and the e's
• fine may be recovered by distress on the ship -1
and tackle engaged in contravention of the Act.
An offence is to be held to have been corn- rs'
mated, for judicial purposes, in the place in which
the • charge is preferred, and half the penalty i
goes to the informer or prosecutor. The word " seal"
is defined to include the harp or saddleback seal, the --
bladder Dime or hooded ,seitl, the ground or bearded i a
seal, the floe rat Or floe seal, and any other kind of :ea I
seal. re-,
, BOOTtl" . AND Snozs.—Boots and shoes were ex- *
ported from this country dulling the month of October
to the value of £110,438. For the ten months ended
October last, the value of our exports of these goods
reached the large sum of £1,171,539. These figures,
however, show a considerable decrease on the returns
for the corresponding periods of 1875. when the exports
were respectively, £118,911 and £l,2lB,432,—Tanner's
Journal.
A NEW METAL.—Some of our readers pro- i
bably remember the announcement some months ago •
of a newly discovered metal, to which its discoverer,
M. Lecoq de Boisbeaudran, gave the name of gallium
(says the Standard). With great difficulty he got a ,
rew grains of it in a pure state, ascsrtained, after
repeated experiments, what was its specific gravity. . 4
and found that its melting point was at eighty-six and .
a quarter degrees Fahrenheit, so that the ordinary
heat of the hand would dissolve it. We need not go
further into particulars, lint from what was able-
to be ascertained of it, it appeared that gallium ought
to be considered as occupying a place between
indium and aluminum. But now comes the odd
part of the story. Just as the planet Nep-
tune, with its position and dimensions, was
discovered by induction before ever it had been .
seen, so this metal was " inferred " by a Russian
chemist, named Mendeljeef, as early as 1869. He
ventured to give it in advance the name of eke-alumi-
num, and said that the future element taking its place
between indium and aluminum, and being volatile
would be discovered by means of the spectrim analysis,
and this was in fact verified. He also said that it
would melt at a very low temperature,—a prediction
which, as we have seen above, WAR remarkably ful-
filled— that its proportions in oxidization would be
two of metal to three of oxygen—which turns out to be
the case—and that its specific gravity would be 5.9,
whereas it is about 5.935, but is not easily determined
with accuracy. Such a triumph of chemical prediction ,
is, we believe, unprecedented.
A COMPLIMENT. —Hairdresser. "Any off the
beard, sir? "—Customer. "No, thank you. I've lately
trimmed it myself."—Hairdresser. "Indeed, Sir ! I
should not haves thought any gentleman out of the prc•
fession could have done it so well! I "—Punch.
A RAILWAY INCIDENT—The Paris Temps
relates how a lady, travelling alone in a first class rail-
way compartment in France, was surprised by the
fiudden entrance of a man as the train began moving.
lie flung a parcel on the seat, sprang upon her before
she could shriek, and whispered, "Not a word or you
are dead. Take these scissors and quickly cut my hair
'short." He knelt down close before her, and she
tremblinely obeyed. When it was done he arose and
said—" Now, Madame, look out of that window; you
will soon be free." The terrified lady again obeyed,
but' discovered by side glances that he had taken
priest's robes out of the parcel and was putting them
on. Just then the speed of the train began toslacken ;
the daring intruder, utterly transformed, bowed
haughtily, and, before the cars stopped, jumped
nimbly from the train, and disappeared.
Our
DERBY PoTrERY.— Foreign Policy.-
- Punch.
t TARING CARE OF THEM !—III no city in the
United States is the travel-stained, weary tra- '
yeller taken as good care of as he is in a
San Antonio hotel. The manners and customs of r
the guest are carefully studied. A young mall '
fn)m the frontier, stopping at one of the said hotele,
told the clerk the other evening that he was going to ,
be late. "Just wait a minute," replied the accomme- `
dating clerk, as he rushed off, soon reappearing with 4
a large envelope, which he placed in the guest's breast
pocket with this remark: 4.` That is a bond for your e.
appearance before the Recorder, properly signed. As
soon as you are arrested for being drunk and dis- •
orderly, just give the bond to the policeman mention
my name to him, and he will bring you home in a ,
hack.. Good-night 1"
A Mr CHAb ICAL CIIRIOSITY.—The latest marvel
among mechanical automata is a lay figure which
actually speaks. Fabre has spent twenty years in
constructing the ingenious mechanism of this talking
Frankenstein, and the "counterfeit presentment" ei
a man, whica it completely resembles in appearance
and voice. If is being exhibited in Brussels. The
figure has organisms corresponding to the arrange'
meats of the mouth, the larynx, and the chest, sad,
strange to say, there are keys behind the figure, so ags
when pressed, to produce a kind of vocal piano, each ,
key representing a vocal sound, and the operator being
able to "play upon words" in the manner of the
human articulation. This talking Psycho can, in fact, e
carry on a conversation; and the movements of its
mouth are so like nature that the machine is to be
tatted for teaching the deaf and dumb how to carry on a
system of speech by imitating the lip movements of the
talking figure.
NEW FOOTBALL RULES.-- L No match to be
played without a surgeon being in attendance on the
ground. 2. Seould there he a hospital within easY •
distance, notice to be given beforehand that the ger
vices of the staff may be called into requisition. 3.
An ample supply of bandages, lint, splints, steel other
appliances to be kept always in readiness. 4. Ad
ambulance to be in waitine, to convey any one who
may receive an injury to his home or to the hospital.
5. If an ambulance cannot be procured, then a au&
cleat member of cabs to be in immeditite call. 6.
Proper attendants and nurses to be engaged to wait 00
the sufferers. 7. Brandy and other stimulants to be
kept on the grounds. 8. Crutches arid sticks to be
supplied for the use of those whose injuries may be,
only slight, but who yet may require some artificise
support to enable them to return to their homes. 9'
No game to be played except on ground within sea
reach of a telegraph office.—Punch.
, DR. SCHLIEMANN'S DIS.COVERIES.—The Times
publishes the following telegram, dated Argos, Dv
oember 2 v-- . .1
-..
1 In the tomb previously referred to Dr. Schliemann 1110
discovered a large golden mask and an enormous breast,
plate of gold. He also found the body of a man, wonder'
rally preserved, especially the face. The head was round,
the eyes large, and the mouth contained thirty-two fine
teeth. There is, however, a difficulty about preserving the
remains. There were also found fifteen bronze swords with
great golden hiltz—a mass of immense golden buttone
splendidly engraved ornamented the sheaths of the swords:
also two great golden goblets, and a great quantity of other
objects in gold, articlesin earthenware, a carved wooden bos.
Several articles in chased crystal, ten large cooking utensili
of bronze, but no traces of anything in iron or glass.
A VERY BAD JUDGE.—The Man who tries
his Friends.—Punch.
CHINESE ITINERANT BARBERS.—Though 0
couple of barbers are indispensably employed, there is
no barbarism in the customs of the respectable Chinese
so far 34 coneerns their treatment of the hair and
beard. It is, on the contrary from a general s.nxietY
to maintain in their capillary condition the reputed
high standard of domestic and national civilisations
that every citizen of the upper or middle classes takes
care to have his face and head, all except the statelY
tail, punctually shorn of nature's weedy growth. lie
would otherwise he considered to figure as a rough till;
cultured savage in the eyes of native society, an
might even be called to account for such indecent negli•
gence by a magistrate of police. The operation of essel
shaving is usually performed by these skilful peofes•
eional artists, who go their morning rounds, entering
the houses of their customers in turn, bringing with
them a pail of hot water, placed upon their portable
stove, a set of dry towels, slung upon the upright rods
that servo for its conveyance, a few pieces of moistened
clay-paste or unctuous fuller's earth, no had substitute
for soap, and the broad-bladed keen-edged razors, for
adroit depilatory' execution upon the heads of th° 1
le )ple. It is a good steady trade, as the Chinese are
not given to sudden whims and caprices or changes or
fashion in this matter, like some of our own countrY;
men who let their moustaches and chin tufts grow wile°
for a mere freak, and sacrifice them, in the next awl:lW
to thoughts of stricter soberness.—lllustrated Londoo
News.
. .THE EFFICACY OF VACCINATION.— In his re:
turn- of this week the Register General brings forward
an important argument in support of vaccination. ILI
order, he says, to estimate satisf-ctorily the protective
power of Vaccination, it would be necessary to knoll
the numbers of ' vaccinated and neveccinated persons
exposed to risk from email-pox. This information, a!
regarde the adult ' population, is unfortunately 11°,,
avalbsblee but recent vaccination reports show that au
least 91 per cent. of the children living under five year'
of age in London are euccesAully vaccinated. It ml
thus be estimated chat of the 348,441 children living 03,
London in the middle ef this year, between the ages °1
one and five years 317,081 had been successfulii
vaccinated, and 31,360 were unvaccinated. At dies°
ages, 50 deaths from small-pox were registered i 4
London between let January and 18th November;
1876; of these, one Was certified to be a vaecinetect
case, 35 to be utivacchriated, and in 14 cases the inedict°"a
certificates did not furnish any information
vaccination. Disregarding the 'not stated" cases,
appears that only one death from small-pox occurreu
among the 317,081 vaccinated children living in Lou
between one and live years of age, whereas 35 death:
from this disease were recorded among the 31,360 d A
vaccinated children at the same ages. Thus in equal
numbers living, 372 deaths from small-pox occurrt
among unvaccinated, to one death from the same eaufi
among vaccinated children at these ages.—Aredi—
Examiner.