The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-01-14 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS,

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

There are 150 original applications for admission as
attorneys this term. pwards of 10 00(1 aro DOW 05 the roll.

From 75 to 100 Britieh subject's in India die every
tweet)-four hours from enlke bites.
General Tom Thumb and hie wife are on a
starring" excursion in India.
- . .

Parliament, which stands prorogued until the 17th
hat , wilt be further wijourned to Tuesday the 7h of
February, when it will meet for the despatch of business.

Recruiting for the various Indian and offer corps,
which has fr some time pest proceeded bat slowly, hall
within the lent week or two become very brisk.

Letters from it )me represent the recent inundation
as the most serious on record. The devastation is described

The American panel% record the eudden death of the
Rev Albert Barnes, 1) 0., the well-known commentator, at
the age of 72 years.

Mra. Moffat. wife of the Rev. Robert Moffat, the
well-knovro African mlosiouary, died on Monday eight of
bronehttla at the age of 76.

•
By an order received at Woolwich on Tueaday
morning recruiting is at once to be re opened for the Royal
Engineers.

••
The Canadian Scot.nnan states that the Campbells
of Canada have lea .iced ti contribute to the " clan" sub-
scription for a marriage gift to the Princess Louise, and
have taken action in the matter.

"It is etateti that the new Poetmager.General hag,
throughlbe /ORM] Caihr.lic Bishop of Limerick, offererl his
estate at Turvoe, near Limerick, as a temporary residence
for the Pone to the event o ha EloMeat being ended from
Inme."—Pall Mall Glzette.

Great atourement wan created in Paris the other day
by a representation in the Charivari of a cook tossing in •
fry teg-psn a eat and a rat. Beneath the drawing was the
eh.raessristic interlption :—" Forced union between belli-
gerents."

An old men, who had only one eye, saw two men
fighting to Clerk street Edinburgh, the other day. Ile w.
a man of peace, and Intel fared, whereupon one of the com-
batants knocked out his only eye, the other having been
destroyed in a similar manner twenty years ago.

The Earl of Ayleaford died on Tuesday morning at
his town redoence, in the 47th year of his age Ills
Ird-
ihip who represented South Warwickshire In the House of
('linmnris Iron) 1849 ti 1857, is succeeded by his eldest son,
Lord Guy., ttey, who is in his 214 )ear.
'

The Turkish Government is now a competitor in our
markets for a supply of gunpowder. We understand that a
contract will shortly be entered Into with some leading
manufacturers for the delivery in Conatantineple of at least
10,100 barrels et the strongest and most costly article that
can be produced.
An American raver gays that "compositors en.
gaged at the Nm York Trtbuna °Moe are fined ten cents for
each profane woe., utterdd on the premises, the money no
gathered being given to the poor. One unfortunate new
hand !fist nearly a week's wage, in a single night over a bit
of Horace Greeley's manuscript."
• • •

The last publication of the Imperial papers includts
a receipt, dated 20th April, WA, given by Louie Napoleon
B mapnrte to the Spankh Marshal Nsrvaer for a loan of
500 000 franca, the rate of Ibterest to be 5 per cent., an 4 the
whole to be repaid in five y ears.
- - - - " •

A meeting cd the Greenwich Advanced Liberal
Association was held on Saturday evening, at wh!ch a resolu-
tion was passed, recognising .• an apparent want of syni-
patby " between Mr. Gladstone and the electors, but pro.
testii.g against the requisition lately in course of circulation
snail attempt to destroy the harmony now existing between
all shades of Liherals in the boa ough.

The firet number of the German Correspondent a
journal succeeding the North German Correepondent,
arrived in England on Friday It announces that its prin-
cipal object will be the cultivation of friendly relation.
between Germany and England. It regrets to are that Ger-
many la leas understood in Ragland than England Islet Ger-
many.

At the Central Criminal Court, in London, a
publican, named Fairchild, was convicted of having, within
four months of hams been adjudicated • bankrupt, removed
part of his proper:y, and also of wilfully breaking up and
destroying some of his furniture and shop fittings to the
prejudice of his creditors, 11. was sentenced to twelve
mouths' hard labour.

What promised to be a most severe struggle between
Church and Inasent for the election of • School Board for
Canterbury has, almost at the last hour, been avoided by a
compromise, according to the terms of which the Church
party have • clear 1.4 rity of one. The Dissenten are re-
presented by two Baptist, one the working-men'. candi-
date,) one Wesleyan, and one member of the JewWl per-
suasion.

No little excitement has lately been caused by an
assenion to the effect that our store of gunpowder was very
smell. In times like these we ere constantly receiving hints
to' keep our powder dry," and it would be a very serious
matter if there were no powder to keep dry. We are happy
to find, however, that "no powder "only means the absence
of a particular kind, and does not signify that our store-
beams are entirely neticient of this indispensable article.
The people of Quebec, Montreal, and, indeed, of all
the maritime portion of the Dmilulon of Canada, have for a
long time been In dread of a predicted "tidal wave," which
was to come December 23 and inundate the country. Thou-
sands living along the water's edge had removed or made
preparations against the flood. The fatal day came and
paFsed ; there was no •' tidal ear° " or freshet ; the tide, tt
was noticed, was even lower than usual, and the mind. of
the Canadians have been greatly relieved.

Tuesday night's Lon-don -Gazette announces the ap-
pointment of Mr. 'Monsen to ti.e office of Postmaster-
General. As this position Is held directly from the Crown,
which an Under-Secretaryship Is not, Mr. Mob.ll's seat for
the county of Limerick becomes formally vacant The right
hon. gentienian bee represented the constituency since 1817,
when William Smith O'Brien was returned as his colleague.
The election of a School Board at Halifax has been
accomplished without a mutest. There were forty-sin can-
didates, but an arrangement was entered Into by which the
number was reduced to eleven, the number of which the
Board is composed. Ole of the elected members ill • Roman
Catholic priest, the only clergyman on the Beard.

At the Central Criminal Court, in London, an
escaped convict named Cl if rd plended guilty to being at
large before the exoiration of his sentence. lie had been
convicted two years ago for stealing a bracelet, valued at
£OOO, from Messrs. Hunt and RositelEs, and sentenced to
twelve years' penal servitude. fie managed to escape from
Brixton Convict Prison a few weeks since. He was sentenced
to three months imprisonment, in addition to his former
sentence.

As a proof of the perfect convalescence of the Pope,
a letter front ltlme mentioni that on Christmas Ere lii.
Holiness celebrated the midnight 111,28 in his private chapel,
and again early on Christmas morning; and that on the
same day, at nine a in , he went down to the Sistine Chapel,
where, In the pretence of several of his bishops and one or
two of the cardinal., t:e again acted as •. celebrant," and gave
the Communion to the inemben of the Papal household and
to several strangers who were privileged to be present.

It is not generally known that one of the largest
coal componles eerviog London's fiery wants consists of two
persons, ones petrol enormous wealth, the others person
who owns only one share. 'that ewe the nobleman has for
a long time endeavoured to persuade his partner to etll.
But though his lordship has succeeded in buying up all the
rest he cannot Induce the fortunate possessor of this frac-
tional interest in a very profitable 001/013111 to part with it.
The Prossicn Government has taken a reml ution of
great Imp,rtatoe. In reply to the Roman Catholic Arch-
bishop of Breslau, asking tor the dismissal of those teachers
of religion or other subjects In puelic schools, who have
declared against Infallibility, the [Oldster of &lunation has
uttered a decisive No." It follows from this that the
eallibiliste are considered by the Government equally good
Catholics as the Infellibilitts, and that if they separate from
the Church they will be allowed to claim a portion of fie
property.

'l'hu Record containa an appeal from the Committee
of the Protestant Alliance to " all classes of Protestant.,
both Church and Nonconforming, Conservative and liberal,"
to at oboe urge their representatives In Parliament to take
such action as may effectually prevent the utterance. of Mr.
Gladstone's letter about the Pope being regarded aa the
accepted policy or sentimec.t of the nation. A copy of the
resolution taken by the committee is to be sent to every
member of Parliarcent, "and be otherwise circulated through
the litithh dominions."

At the annual meeting of the Yorkshire Adult Deaf
and Dumb Association, held at Hull, Mr. Wheelhouse, M 0,
took the opportunity to mention his earnest emir° that
Government should assist more folly In the primary educa-
tion of blind and deist and dumb children, and said that he
thought the non Insertion of powers for that purpose in the
Elementary E location Act of last smarm was • very grievous
defect, which he hoped soon to see remedied.
_ . .

- •
Mr. Isaac Butt, am president of the Dublin Amnesty
Association, went to Q leenstown on Sunday to read an
ad areas to the Fenian priaoners on board the outgoing Cunard
steamer. He praised them for their patriotism, and attribu-
ted the late legislative changes in Ireland to the boldness of
their actions. He declared that the Irish nation would soon
cancel their decree of banishment. A new spirit of nation-
ality had, be said, been evoked by them In Ireland, and the
day of their lesedomwae dumb* agar.

There a report that the ex-Emperor of the French
win shortly meet one of the el-Queens of Spain.
- •

The Liverpool School Board are i,oing to pay thoir
secretary £4OO a year.
°Lie of the sufferers by a late railway arch/eat was
ruthlust aribily about, when tome.. asked If he was hurt.
" No," he said, but 1 ean't tied my umbrella "

A on cf the late Abrah .m Lincoln is being edtp
cated in a private school near London. Kra Lincoln has
taken up her residence in England.
It is said that extensive orders for shoos for the
Per nda army have he.n reeen e 4 at N athainpton, and thist
their execution is rapidly proceeding.

-
The Mu.?ical Confervatoire of Pam which, prior to
the war with Pruarda, contained 'Le hundred students, la
now claw].

The Rev. Ileary Batchelor, of Glaegow, selected
" Napoleon II." as the text of the remarks he addresse4 to
his hearers nu New Year. morning.

It a fact that flu an average there are three or
four inoneets held every day on Ike bodies of new-born
cnildren, murdered by personsunknorru, in the west-end of
London.

A paper, in giving an account of the diatribtaion of
prizes at a cattle show, has the following :—'•rfbe bed
beaet in the show—the cup tear unanimottaig awarded to

Some of the Church papers, which profess to be well
informed, state that I): Fuse; Is founding a new community
of Anglican nuns, who are to be entirely clad In hablta of
pure and spotless white.

The Roman Catholic ladies of England, following
the example of the ladles of Rome, contemplate ,undoratanda
the W estminster Gazette) preaeutlng all address of ay novelly
to the Pope.. .

On tinnday (New I's ar's Day) :IO,COO skaters n
R,s(eat's Park onntrihnted the rill.gulliuhlt sm-.1 ol tit. to the
Royal Humane Society's hut, and neat day the oontrinuUons
auoubted to only 94(1.

We hear front New York of a new atrangeno:nt by
the l'ostrottice. The ptllar.boxes are connected with a pneu-
matic tube that runs runs round the city to the general re-
ceiving-house. As the letters are drop;ed Int the box they
are blown along the tube at the rate of 65 miles all hour.
In London, the other evening the wife of a journey-
man carpenter, purchased a goose for her family. On ex
suetninc the tuelde she fortunately tilecoverod seereted two
wverelgus of the reign of Witham IV —no doubt Intended
as a country gift to some p rty unknown to the par
chaser.

George's widow bas been married the last
ex years, and from that time I have loot all clue to nor name
or where she ha. gone Cannot tell whether she has left
England or not. With love from Eleanor, John's widow. The
letter came to hand January b, lo7l.''—Advertliement In
London Times.

Di crees have been is,ned granting to the %Mow of
General Prim the title of Ducheas Prim to descend to hot
daughter), an.l to her son, 10. lOon P.tiny Aguero that of
Duke dustead of Marquis) of the Castillejos, with nobility of
the first order in both cakes.

Twenty.sis candidates were oricinally nominated
for the likrkhurn School B erd, out as then. have now been
reduced to thirteen, the requisite number, there will be no
contest. The Bolted cousiats of ell mrervatives and
Churchmen, two Roman Catholics (clergymen), and five
tinsectarlans, Including holders of various religions bald..

Their Royal Itighneseee the Pi ince and -Prineees of
Wallas gave rather s novel enterttimoent at Sindringhain-
Ir men on Friday evening in last week—vie, a ball to a large
number of tenant farmers and their wives and daughter.
The party numbered about 250, and there was dancing
until an early hour on Saturday morning. A eumptuous
supper was nerved In the course of the night.

he Cirtinin states that the Government has at
•
length made up its mind to relinquish the vast patronage of
the Customs and Inland Revenue—two of the largest depart-
ments under the Crown. At first, the appointments of
secwid class assistants of Exdse and outdoor otilccrs of
Customs were included In the operation of the scheme of
open competition, from which, however, they were with-
drawn In October last. They have now been restored to
Schedule A of tot Order In Council. This last not of the
Treasury will throw some eight or tibia thousand appoint-
ments open to the public.

• •
Ass unusually shocking cate of destitution and
wretchedness was brought under the attention of the magis-
trate at the Thames Police.court, in London, the other day.
An application was made for an order to remove a French
Jew, named Herman Wolff, from the room in which he
lodged to the workhr use. It was stated that he was ninety-
eight y...ars of age, very Infirm, and quite imbecile lie had
outlived all his relatives and had paid no rent for two
months. Ms clothes and furniture were all gone, and the
landlord was afraid of his tailing on the fire. The medical
certelcale was deemed to be too vague to MOM), the magi.
testy in issuing the order sought for, and the Case was
sojourned.
At the 31iddlesex SONSiOna a man Was found guilty
of stealing a gAti watch, and seutonced to eighteen mouth.'
MINI labour. On the prisoner being removed from the dock,
he was heard to threaten the prosecutor with punctual 010.
knee when he was liberated. The Chairman ordered him to
be brought back, arid rebutied him for his audacity. The
man, In a mail passion, with raised arms, arid chest bed fists,
dechred that the presecu;or bad sworn falsely against him,
and that he would "do" for him when became out of snol.
Hereupon the Chairman " told him " that his punishment,
Instead of eighteen menthe' hard labour, would now he penal
servitude for fin yearn.
Last week the aggregate mortality in London and
19 other large towns of the United Kingdom was In the ratio
of 33 deaths annually to every Lien of the estimated pope-
tattoos. Tortsmonth demi the lowest, with a rate el 19 ;
Liverpool the highest, with one of 56, In the metropolis
2,368 births and 1,828 deaths were registered, the former
having been 8 below, and the latter 93 above, the average.
There were 651 deaths under five yearn of age. Zymotic
diseases caused 401 deaths, including 79 from small-pm, 34
f rem massif .1 12 from scarlet fever, 4 from diphtheria, 6 from
cr,up,36from whooplng-eouah,lo from typhus,lB trim enteric
or typhoid) fever, 6 from simple continued lever, 16 from
eryapelm, and 19 front diarrhoea.
The other day a soldier was charged at one of tte
Gondola Poles Courts with theft. In hie defence he stated
, that he had served his country tn the 33rd Regiment for
sixteen years and a half, and that he had fought In the
Crimea, In India, and In Abyssinia. For his conduot In the
latter canupaign he had received the distinguished tonics
medal_ Whilst working on a road In Abyssinia, his dislocated
his shoulder, and was sent home invalide to Portensouth.
In May last he was discharged with a pension of 6d. a day for
sin months, and the renewal of the grant had been refused.
lie was now a complete cripple The magistrate told him he
ought to have gone to the workhouse, but the man thought
the workhouse was not the place for one who had served
hth country welL Ile was remanded tor further Inquiries.
It is raid that the Dutch novelist, Dekker, author
of "Mon Havelaar," is In great distress, and that a public
suMcription has been net on foot in Holland to relieve him.
This sort of proceeding is not to be generally recommended ;
but Dekker fairly merits • pension from the public, for it is
owing to his pnilantillophy that he has lost all chandes of •
pension from the Crown lie occupied a Mela post In the
Dutch Kist Indies, and was compelled to resign lueceme be
would not connive at the ‘dhcial oppression of the natives.
In "Mae Havelaar" be pleads the cause of the ill-used
Javanese. Cuthiderei merely new novel thin book mast be
pronounced a true work of genius; but the thoughtful
reauer will regard it with even deeper interest as the reflec-
tion edit ruelimeholy and heroic. Ide

At the official declaration of the poll for the county
of Meath on Saturday It was Mated that 1,140 votes had been
re.rded for 31r. John Martin, and 684 for Mr l'lunkett,
thus giving the former a mnj why of 456. Mr. Martin, In
returning thank., remarked that he had been elected without
any expense whatever to himself. 'The return of Mr. Martin
for Meath," the Fre, man'g Journal nays, "Ii a great fact "Ii

adds, "The result will surprise niany, and none, perhaps,
more than the present member for Meath himself. ills. we
couleee, a surprise to us, and indicate. the existence of an
organisation of the extent of which few had any conception.
Mr. Martin apparent,y became a candidate a few days before
thet lined for the election, and yet he has beaten his
opponent by nearly two to one. This election proves un-
mistakably that the Government has not yet touched the
national heed."