The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-06-23 00:00:00

Nisrellanerats

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The follow-
ing are the average prices of British corn for last week,
as received from the inspectors and officers of Excise :
—Wheat, 425. 9d.; barley, 255. 6d.; oats, 225, 10d,
per imperial qr. Corresponding week last year :
Wheat, 475. 5d.; barley, 265. 6d.; oats, 235. 2d.

PAVING THE WAY. —Medical student No. 1: "I've
quite given up knocking about, old chappie. Every
morning I'm up at five, and keep on working till nine.
After breakfast attend lectures. Dinner, and read hard
till supper. Take half an hour's rest, and go on till
midnight. Bed, and up again next morning at five."—
M. S. No. 2: "Good gracious, old fellow, you'll
break down, sure as a gun. How long hava you been
keeping on at this game? "—M. S. No. 1: " Oh, FM
going to begin to-morrow I"—Funny Folks,

THE SALVATION ARMY IN SWITZERLAND.—The Great
Council of Neuchatel have ratified, by a majority of
54 to 14, the Decree of the Council of State suppress-
ing the meetings of the Salvation Army in Switzer-
land. The measure, which was supported by petitions
bearing 10,000 signatures, is justified by the ascription
to the army of the character of a religious corporation,
hierarchically organised and despotically ruled by a
foreign chief.
A MONSTER BALLOON.—An air balloon of excep-
tional dimensions was recently described in the
Hamburger Nesehriehten as having just been made at
Berlin upon the plan of Herr Opitz a German
aeronaut. It is 751 t. in height and 35d. in diameter.
The valve is said to be Mt. in diameter.
The material used in its construction is a combination
of silk and hemp, which has been obtained from Eng-
land, and represents a weight of 1751 b. The material
is coated internally and externally with a special pre-
paration invented by Herr Opitz. The car is of
Spanish cane in which eight strong ropes have been
plaited. %lie anchor is constructed on an improved
principle to prevent slipping.
THE "TERRITORIAL SYSTEM !" OR, NOTHING LIKE
ACCURACY,—Officer (at Headquarters): "And who
may you be ? " Recruit : " Please, Sir, I'm the
Seventh Battalion Prince Consort's Own Rifle
Brigade, better known as the Fust Tower 'Amlets
Milishy I "—Punch.

AN INTERESTING REOORD.—The Pall Mall Gazette
Bays: -Until a few months ago it had been supposed
that the names of the members of the Parliament of
1614 were lost for ever. The elections had been more
fiercely contested both in the counties and the smaller
boroughs than on any previous occasion, and out of
a total of 476 members at least 300 were new to
parliamentary life. The sheriffs had exerted them.
selves vigorously on behalf of the Court candi.
dates, and complaints were rife of the numerous
devices which they had practised to obtain the return
of their friends. Yet with all the eagerness which was
displayed by the friends and opponents cf the Court
to secure a majority the names of the winners were
unknown. The whole of the returns were missing
Williswhen Browne was compiling his "Notitia
Parliamentaria" nearly two centuries since. They
could not be found when the official return of members
of Parliament was printed five years ago. Fortunately
for historical students a list had been discovered
among the manuscripts of the Duke of Manchester,
and its contents are printed in the June number of the
Palatine Note Book.

THE MACKEREL FISHERY. The fishermen
Hayling Island are making a better mackerel harve!'
than has been known for many years. The catch al
so enormous that the other day a net burst containleA
from 10,000 to 12,000 fish, which, of course, were all
lost. The fish have been selling in the island
neighbouring villages at 30 for is,
A BRAZILIAN MILK CART.— V.-. 3 Way of supplYirl
Para, Brazil, with milk is novel and primitive (8034
an American paper). The milkman COrfle3 to your
door bringing his tin can and several measures in one,
hand, while with the other he leads the cow hersel'
through the city streets to the various dwellings to be
supplied. Should there happen to be a calf belong
to this particular cow, it is muzzled and is then eitba
allowed to follow its own sweet will or it is tied to its,
mother's tail! The approach of this triple milk cell
is announced by the musical chimes of three oPda
sleigh-bells, which are fastened to the leather strAP
worn on the cow's neck.

-
HIS ULTlMATll3L—Paterfamilies (after "where ta
go for the holidays" has been discussed for three
hours).—Confound it I here's Julia wants to go t°
Paris, John's all for Norway, Clara won't hear of ant
thing but Russia, and your mother's mad for going 144
round worli in the Ceylon. I tell you, I won't b!,
bothered any more—Margate, or nowhere —FunAY
Folks.

- --
FRENCH COINAGE.—The Journal Office publishes $0
account of the quantity of gold and silver mond,
coined in France from the year 1795 to the 31st
December, 1882. The gold and silver coins amount
in the aggregate to 14,242,193,368 francs 35 centime!
(nearly £570,000,000) for the period given. The g°
and silver withdrawn from circulation during the Pin
I°.
time represents 293,249,164 francs 22 centimes (000"
£11,725,000).
NOT LEFT OCT.—There were five of 'era on the
corner. One said that his wife was cleaning botlse
and had every room upset.—The second observed thst
he had just left six painters at work on his hotuse<
The third said he was tearing out partitions and hullo;
ing on a wing.—The fourth smiled sadly and addeu
that he was going to have four ceilings whitewashed.
three roams repapered, a chimney torn out and
hall widened.—' Gentlemen," said the fifth mall II
he drew a long breath, "I don't want to be lookeu
upon as one who is trying to crawl out of his fair share
of this world's misery, and I therefore take this opPet'
tunity of informing you that in order to buy. sit!
carpets and a parlour suite I have been obligee?
mortgage my house and shall probably lose it. ""
Detroit Free Press.

ANTECEDENTS OF JUDGES.—The antecedents of Mal
who have risen to eminence in professional life 9.0
sometimes curious because they do not give any fore:
cast of the bent of mind which ultimately raises etle?
men. For instance, the late Sir George Jesseil
Master of the Rolls, was at one time an assistant to
his father, as a diamond merchant; and people vill°
are acquainted with Hatton-garden will tell you
he was often to be seen soliciting orders on his father
behalf. The late Mr. Justice Lush was not educat,e',,
for the legal piofession, and his son.in•law, Mr Jtist'e"
Watkin Williams, first turned his thoughts to the
ministry, then studied medicine, after which he became
a barrister. Mr. Justice Grove, who was present one
the bench at the Old Bailey during the trial of th
dynamite conspiracy case, is a scientific chemist of
the first rank.—City Press.
THE HALF-HOLIDAY GIIIDE-130011.—Advice but
two, and make it a whole holiday at once. Pgitich
better.—Punch.

THE DIOCESE OF ARGYLL AND THE ISLES,-I_lllB
Very Rev. James Robert Alexander Chinnery-wm.
dane, LL.B., dean of the diocese, has been elected to
fill the vacant bishopric. Mr. Haldane received bi
education at Trinity College, Cambridge, where 13;
took the degree of LL.B. in 1864. He was ordsineu
by the Bishop of Salisbury in 1866. In 1876, dr
having been assistant at All Saints', Edinburgh, 'Off
some years, he was appointed to the incumbenc9 (3,1
St. Brides, Lochaber, and ever since has worked her,
for the Church in the West Highlands. He was nig°
dean by the late bishop in the year 1881.
TIME ON AMERICAN RAILROADS.—In the States
the railroad system is so vast that a new plan fa
regulating the time is adopted by the managers of thet
various lines. It is arranged that east of and 1741100
to Washington trains shall run according to the loci
time of the 75th meridian; between these points 01l
Kansas City, the 90th meridian, or one hour slowet
than the eastern; west of Kansas City, by the 106th
and 120th meridians, or two and three hours slovief
respectively than eastern time. It will be seen Os,
these differences of time are based on the fact thlo
each degree of loegitude makes a difference of foul'
minutes in the local time. The arrangement vill6
made on May 13, and much simplifies the railwei
time-tables.

THE BIGGEST RACE ON RECORD.—The human one'
—Pun.

HARVEST PROSPECTS IN FRANCE.—The reports ?11,
the wheat crop in France express dissatisfaction v7l‘"
its prospec's. The straw is short and limp, and the
ears have not developed to the degree desirable. Thlt
however, does not apply to the rich soils, whio
promise better results. On the whole' says that
Bulletin des Hanes, it is improbable that the whei4,(l
crop will attain an average. It will probably Yle',.
less than 100 million hectolitres, which would amonn:
to a diminution of nearly 25 millions on the yield 01
last year. Barley, and especially oats, on the other
hand, seem to offer the prospect of a good harvest.
HATMAKING.—The Evening Standard remarks :-01
late years haymaking has undergone a complete changef
in this country, machinery and steam having, °
c urse, materially interfered with much of the poetria
formerly associated with it. Thus, in the place 0'
the scythe, one may often now•a•days see the tubt
cutting machine mechanically cutting down tll
waving grass; and in those picturesque spots, wher.:
many a village damsel in her dainty cotton froc*
helped to toss the new-mown hay, the teddiog
apparatus now in a systematic manner accompliebe„g
this part of the work. This, too, is not all, for in s'
uncertain and treacherous climate like our own, vlberee
no reliance can he placed on the weather from 013,
day to another, artificial appliances are extensivell
used to dry the crops. In consequence, therefore,
these alterations haymaking, excepting in small, °lid
of•the•way country villages, is fast losing all the xnell/
pleasant memories connected with it, and will PIT:
bably soon become an uninteresting occurrence
which few save the farmer, will pay any heed. -

• - - -
HISTORICAL PARALLELS TO THE SUNDERLAND DI
ASTER.-66 Ancient history," writes a correspondent o
the Pall Mall Gazette, "gives a parallel to the Sunder'
land disaster which may be added to that afforded in,
fiction by the story of 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin+
I refer to the Herodotua's account of the portents
which the Chians had been warned of coming e°
before the battle of Lade, one of these portents being
that the roof of a large schoolroom suddenly gave ;00
and that of the 120 children who were at their lesson!'
at the time only one escaped with his life. Thuet
dides also mentions a terrible disaster which befel
some school children at a later period, when a band
Thracian mercenaries on their way back from Athol
landed on the coast of Bceotia, sacked the town
Mykalessus, and slew all the children in the large!"
school of the place. With a touch of nature the lail"
torian goes out of his way to reflect that this was the
greatest and most terrible disaster that the town, ill'
fated as it was, ever endured.'
PROFESSIONAL PRlDE.—Doctor's boy (to Chemist's
boy).—" Get out wi' yer Ain't yer got no respeet
for a medical man ?"—Fun.

CUTTING Nxw ZEALAND GREENSTONIL—The cuttfl
of greenstone pendants (says a New Zealand_paPeu
which the Maori hangs in his ear, and the rakel
from his watch-chain, must be tedious work.
jeweller in Napier recently sued a Maori for £2OO
work done in cutting up a block of greenstone
ing about 3 cwt. into a dozen slabs. It took him t"
months to make the first trial cut, and nine month:
to make eleven other cuts, working eleven ovi
at once, driving them by steam-power, and Ice,er
ing them going from ten to fourteen hours a al
The Maori thought the charge too high, Oa
offered £100; then £lOO and half the stone, 011,3
next £6O and half the stone. The jeweller declint
these compromises, but offered to take all the stone al
payment. The native owner thought the charge t°°,4
high also. Another jeweller stated that is. the sclasi'j
inch was the usual price for cutting greenstone,
the plaintiff said he would be willing to accept 17a ii
meat on those terms. Reckoning it up, it was fool:
to come to £194 Bs., very nearly the amount sue" fc)"
—Colonies and India.
THE LONGFELLOW MEMORIAL.—The 500 autogroP,..s
letters from the influential personages who constl4
the Longfellow Memorial Committee have been 10,,„°
seated by Dr. W. C. Bennett, the hon. secretarY,
the American Longfellow Memorial Committee, t 0
permanently deposited in some public institution IP
Boston, U.S., or its neighbourhood, for the inspectil
of all Americans who may desire to see the hitfv,
esteem in which the poet was held by so many of
best minds of England.
refluth
AN EXHIBITION OF CONFECTIONERY.—The
German papers report the opening at Heidelberg
exhibition of confectionery and the kindred arts.
hundred and fifty German confectioners, besliw"
several foreigners—French, Swiss, Italians, 9100'
raa
and even North American—are the exhibitors
of the products of the confectioner's art whic 13
being exhibited are of great excellence and ingen
even as works of art, among them bouquet i of flosve.r.
made of sugar. All kinds of machines and utens"
employed in the confectionery trade are exhibited.