The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-08-04 00:00:00

THE SPECTRE OF THE BROCKEN IN

AMERICA.

The strange apparition of the Brocken, so frequently
eeen in the Hartz Mountains, seems to have paid a
visit to the United States. At least Mr. R. A. Marr,
of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, reports that he
has witnessed this atmospheric phenomenon in the
Tonjabe Range, in Nevada. In describing its appear-
ance he says
"Suddenly, as I stood looking over the expanse
beneath me, I saw myself confronted by a monster
figure of a man standing in mid air before me, upon
the top of a clearly•defined mountain peak, which
had but the thin air of the valley below for a resting
place. The figure was only a short distance from me.
Around it were two circles of rainbow light and colour,
the outer one faintly defined as compared with the
inner one, which was bright and clear and distinctly
iridescent. Around the head of the figure was a
beautiful halo of light, and from the figure itself shot
rays of colour normal to the body. The sight startled
me more than I can now tell. I threw up my bands
in astonishment, and perhaps some little fear, and at
this moment the spectre seemed to move towards me.
In a few minutes I got over my fright, and then, after
the figure had faded away, I recognised the fact thst
I had enjoyed one of the most wonder.ul phenomena
of nature. Since then we nave seen it once or twice
from Jeff Davis Peak, but it never created such an
impression up, n me as it did that evening when I was
doing service as a heliotroper all alone on the top of
Arc Dome."

A shocking case of misadventure has been investi-
gated at North Somercotes, on the Lincolnshire coast.
A bricklayer, named Thoreley, arrived home on SatFr-
day evening, after a fortnight's absence, and on being
informed by his wife that the birds were getting his
corn, he borrowed a gun of a neighbour, and left it
in the passage of his houc.e. His Pon, aged 21, took
it up to examine it, not knowing it wai loaded, when
it went off, and the w'role charge, en ounce of shot,
entered the back of his mother, causing instant death,
On Sunday afternoon a man, named lingh Clayton,
residing in Rochdale, wu,s drowned while bathing in
hollingworth Lake. Boasting that be could heat
Captain Webb in swimming, he went into the water
about one o'clock, but had only got about 20 or 80
yards from the side when he called to his comranions
for assistance. Two of them jumped into the water,
but before they could reach him the unfortunate man
had gone down, The body was recovered about an
hour afterwards, Ulayton was said to be a good
swimmerp

IMPERIAL PAT LILY. F., N T

CALF Or INTOXICATING LIQUORS ON SITXDAT
(CORNWALL) BILL.

In the llotrsE OF Loma. July 30, on the motion for the
third reading of the Sunday Closing (Cornwall) Bill, the Earl
of Weroyss moved the rejection of the measure, which he
condemned as piece-meal legislation, tending to increase
rather than diminish drunkenness and to restrict the free-
dom of the majority because of the wrong-doing of an
infinitely small minority.
The Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe defended the Bill, and urged
that it was desired by the poorer classes, and Lord Mount-
Temple and the Earl of Kimberley also supported, while
Lord Truro and Lord Bramweil opposed it.
The Marquis of Salisbury asked how far we were to go in
the direction of legislating for counties, and upon what prin-
ciples 2u3ti legislation was to be based.
The Duke of Argyll gave his support to the measure,
which was opposed by the Duke of Somerset and Viscount
Bury.
Upon their lordships dividing it was found that the num-
ei s were equal- 38 voting for and 23 against the Bill.
The Lord Chancellor, in accordance with the usual prac-
tice, gave his casting vote against the third reading, ancithe
Bill was consequently thrown out.
The Irish Reproductive Loan Fund Act, 1874, Amendment
Bill was read a second time, and the Companies Acts Amend-
ment Rill and the Prisons Service (Ireland) Bill a third time
and passed.
Their lordships rose at a quarter to eight o'clock.

In the HOUSE or COMMONS, in answer to a question from
Mr. C Bentinck, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said that
966 of our Suez Canal shares have been drawn at par, and
the proceeds have been invested in Consols in the names of
the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt

THE SUEZ CANAL QUESTION.
The orders of the day having been postponed, Sir Stafford
Worthcote moved an address to the Crown praying that in
any negotiations with reference to the Suez Canal Company
to which her Majesty might be a party, she would, while
respecting the undoubted rights of the company, decline
to recognise any claim to a monopoly of water communica-
tion between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea The
right hon baronet, contending that the question was one of
a purely commercial character, explained that his object
was to obtain from the House such an expression of opinion
as would release the House from the embarrassment which
would result from its acceptance of the views of some mem.
hers of her Majesty's Government who had recognised as
legal and binding the right claimed by the Suez Canal Com-
pany to exclusive control of any water communication across
the Isthmus of Suez. He maintained that while the com-
pany had exclusive rights over the existing canal they had
no right to forbid any other persons to conduct operations,
under the proper sanction, in any part of Egypt between
the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and cited the
opinion of Earl Cairns, who, agreeing with Messrs. Davey
and Underdown, could not see in the concession to the com-
pany anything beyond the concession of a power to consti-
tute and form a company, or believe that the Khedive could
or had given an authority which would preclude himself or
his agents from proceeding to construct another canal. It
was important that any negotiations or proceedings in this
matter should be so conducted as to avoid any possible con-
flict that might hereafter arise in the nature of a protest.
The earlier the House cleared up this matter the better, for
to leave it open in order that time might be given was not a
Safe course to take.
Mr. Norwood moved an amendment declaring that the
House, desiring to preserve its entire freedom of judgment,
declined to pass any resolution in regard to future negotia-
tions. He approved of much of Sir. S Northcote's speech,
though he was not aware that M. de Lesseps had
ever claimed an exclusive right to form a communi-
cation between the Red Sea and the Mediter-
ranean; but he differed from him in this, that he
thought the situation required that nothing should be done.
The commercial community ought to have time to reconsider
its position, and, if possible, to strike out a line of its own.
For this purposc he hoped the House would abstain from
taking any actioa. There were alternative schemes to be
considered, and he did not yet abandon all hope of an
amicable arrangement with the Suez Canal Company; but
the passing of such a resolution as this would stand in the
way of it.

-
Mr. C. Palmer, in seconding the amendment, expressed an
abstract approval of the motion and Sir S. Northcote's
speech, and discussed the provisional arrangement in an un-
favourable tone.

Mr. Gladstone held that this was something more than
a mere commercial transaction, in regard to which there
was therefore the greatest reason for caution. As to the
claim of M. de Lesseps to an exclusive monopoly, it
was no new claim, for in 1872, prior to the purchase
by this country of the Suez Canal shares, it was
atserted by M. de Lesseps, in opposition to the con-
struction of a proposed canal from Alexandria across
Lower Egypt. Deprecating any expression of opinion
by the House as calculated to seriously embarrass the
future negotiations, and diminish the chances of a favour-
able termination, the right hon gentleman urged that the
matter was not one which the House could clear up by a
resolution. It was a judicial matter, which probably would
have to be set led in the courts of Egypt, or by some com-
petent tribunal representing internatiqual interests. To
attempt to deal with it by a vote of the House would be to in-
vite other legislative chambers to do likewise and thus enor-
mously increase the difficulties of the qutstion by import-
ing into it national sentiments, national susceptibilities,
and national interests. He was convinced that the vast
interests in respect of which this country was allied with
the commerce and the consumption of the world would
receive full and just satisfaction in the settlement of this
important question if a course of prudence and equity were
followed; and he entreated the House not to accept a mo-
tion ehich asserted nothing that any of them would desire
to deny, established nothing that there was the least occa-
sion to assert, and vindicated a freedom that was absolutely
unimpaired.
-

A long discussion ensued, in the course of which the
Chancellor of the Exchequer reviewed the negotiations with
the Canal Company, and expressed his firm belief that
before many months or years were over the Government
would have succeeded in making an arrangement which
would be satisfactory.

Sir H. Giffard strongly supported the motion as a declara-
tion that the rash admiesion of an exclusive right of H. de
Lesseps which had been made by two members of the Govern-
ment was not binding upon the House.

The Attorney-General having maintained by reference to
the articles of the concession that exclusive rights were con-
ferred upon the Canal Company, Sir Stafford Northcote re-
plied, and the House then divided at five minutes to one,
with the following result :—For the motion, 183 ; against,
282. —Majority, 99.
Mr. Norwood's amendment was then put and agreed to.
Some other business was transacted, and the House ad-
journed at twenty minutes to flve o'clock.