The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-11-24 00:00:00

AN ACTION FOR DAMAGES.

In the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of
Justice toe cause Sinip.,on v. the North London
Railway Company " has been heard bebre Mr. Baron
Pollock and a Special Jurv.—This was an action to
recover compensation for personal injuries received by
plaintiff whiie travelling on the defendant's line on
November 18, 1882, The defendants admitted the
negligence. The plaintiff, who is a builder and
decorator at 6, Roman-road, Old Ford, and was
41 years of age at the time of the accident, took
a taird•class ticket at 10 20 at Shoreditch on the
morning in question, and was proceeding on his
journey to Finchley, where he had a contract to
perform, when at the Woodside-park Station, while
the train in which the plaintiff was was at a standstill,
another train ran into it with very considerable vio-
lence, and the plaintiff, who was attending to the
window, was dashed backwards wiainst the compart•
meat, and sustained a concussion of the spine. He
remained nine weeks in bed, and has barely now re.
covered the use of his legs, while his other symptoms
are weakness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, impaired
vision, powers of life lowered, and rendered quite
unfit for business. Evidence having been given as
to the plaintiff's state of health and the Rats of his
business,

Mr. Murphy said the company acknowledged the
justice of his claim, and did not wish to deprive him
of any legitimate damage. It was refreshing to find a
case where there was so little exaggeration,

The Attorney-General having addreesed the jury,

Mr. Baron Pollock summed up, and the jury, after a
brief deliberation, found a verdict for the plaintiff
damages, ' damages £2,000. Hi 8 Lorth.hip gave judgment and
certified for a special jury.

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S FARM
AT EASTWELL.
When the Duke of Edinburgh first took Eastwell
some nine years ago, he was not able to become the
tenant of the park, which had been let for a term of
years, but the lease of the former tenants haviog ex-
pired at Michaelmas of last year, his Royal Highness
entered upon possessicn of it, or rather of part of it.
The park, aft a whole, extends over 2,500 acres, being
twelve mike in circumference, and the second largest
in England, and the Duke of Edinburgh is now the
tenant of 1 400 acres, which he has commencei to farm
on his own account. It should be said, however, that
460 acres of :his is brake and woodland, which is of no
agricultural value, and of the 940 remaining acres
about three-fourths is pasture and the other fourth
arable. The arable land comprises some sixty
acres, which belong to an Ashford charitable fund, and
which are rented by the Duke, as they run right into
the Eastwell property and tempted poachers very
much. The greater part of this land is very light
and there is not much depth of soil before one comes
upon the chalk, and as of late years the land has been
much impoverished some little time must elapse before
it will be in what farmers call "good heart." The
Duke of Edinbarsh has determined, however, to
undertake the rather ungrateful task, and he has ,
already made a good beginning. One reason why the
park land is so deficient in nutritive power is that far
too many deer have been kept upon it, for until a year
or so back there were 1,1.00 bead. This number is
being gradually reduced, and there are now between
860 and 900, while in another year or so the herd will,
in accordance with the Duke of Edinburgh's lease, be
brought down to 500. This reduction and the applica-
tion of plenty of lime and other fertilizers will do
a great deal, and there is no reason why this
land should not carry sheep as well as it has
deer. In places, but in places only, the land
is rather wet, this being due to the number of
springs or wells which there are in the park. Among
others there in a spring still called Plantagenet's Well,
near the site of the cottage in which Lichard Plan-
tagenet, the natural son of Richard 111., who fled to
Eastwell from London after his father's overthrow
upon Bosworth Field, is said to have lived, working as
a bricklayer upon the estate. In the chancel of the
parish church, which stands at the edge of the lake
made by the grandfather of the present owner of East-
well, may be seen, too, a sepulchral arch, uuder which
is an ancient tomb, supposed to he that of "the last
of the Plantagenets," an entry in the registry stating
that "Richard Plantagenet was buried at Eastwell on
the 22nd December, 1550." There is, however, much
less danger of foot-rot among sheep when the humidity
of the laid is caused by springs, and besides, tbe water
can be drained off.
When the Duke of Edinburgh first decided to take
over that large farm, he intrusted the general arrange-
ments to the Prince of Wales's steward from Sandring-
ham, but within the last few months he has engaged
as bailiff a young farmer, formerly in the employ of
Lord Sudeley, and recommended to him by that prac-
tical and excellent judge, Colonel Kin gscote. The Duke
of Edinburgh has commenced tbe formation of what
will, it is hoped, be one of the finest flocks of South.
downs in the kingdom, and it is intended to bring the
strength of this flock up to 900. At the present time
there are something like 100 wethers of the Romney
Marsh breed, but they are being fattened on turnips and
will be sold off. There are something like 300 Southdown
ewes in the flock already, and as the Duke of Edinburgh
has purchased from the flocks of the Duke of Richmond
and Gordon, Mr. Rigden, and Ms. Gorringe, and
as he contemplates getting some rams from Lord
Weileingham's flock at Merton, and from Me, J. J.
Colman, be will have the best blood in the country.
The park will also he peopled with some Scotch
cattle, as the Duke of Edinburgh has a number of the
picturesque and profitable Ilighlanders grazing these
at the present time, and it is his intention to bring
their number up to forty, selling off ten each Christ.
woe. Their strength is not yet complete, and in the
meanwhile there are several animals of the Sussex
breed being got ready for the Christmas markets,
Two or three of these latter will be exhibited at the
Ashford and Canterbury Fat Stock Shows next
month, the Duke of Edinburgh being president for
this year of the latter. At the homestead of the
farm, situated in a hollow ti the north-east of
the house, and not far from the church, the Duke
of E.litiburgh hats got together some excellent speci-
mens of the Jersey breed, and in the course of the
next year or two be will have a small but vary choke
herd, uniform in colour and pure in pedigree. There
are as yet only nine pure Jersey heifers, all under
three s ears of age, but there are fair cross-bred cows
which are excellent as milkers, the yield of milk all
round averaging three gallons a day. When the
family are at Eastwell or in London eke dairy does
not do more than supOy the recmirements of the
household, but at other times the butter is sold twice
a week at Ashford. There is a pedigree Jersey bull,
Baron 373 (sire, Baron 228), which was bred by Mr
Walter Kt relake, of Jersey, and which won a prize in
t island 'IL(' a tolv,r me nr.l at the I slil.gton DAir}
11,w last surocon before bt c using the proptrty ot
tne Duke of Edinburgh. There is evezy reason to
anticipate, therefore, that the Eastwed herd of
Jerseys will be heard of to aclvan age at the principal
shows in years to come. A popos of the Jerseys, it may
be added that the Duke of Edinburgh has built a new
dairy,which is after the model of that at Sandringham,
where it was made and sent te Eastwell to be put up.
The dairy itself is now completed and in use, but the
adjacent room, which is being fitted up RA a tea-room
for the Duchess of Edinburgh, is not yet finished. The
draperies in this room are very effective and tasteful,
4, consisting of a simple Russian clothoimilar to that


30r

--- --- - - - *, ~
which the peasants nsefor their'rei shirts,idrchased
by the Duke.,- at Moscow at the time of the Czar's
coronation. such are the main features of the East-
well Home Farm, which, being for the most part
pastoral, does not regnire many cart•horses to be kept,
hut among the eleven in the farm stables tliere is one
for the Use of the baiiiff. pained Cossack„ which has a
history. He was a charger during tflt.'Poissdan war,
and was ridden th-ce time over the t iliogya.. The
Duke of Edinburgh rode him as a charice.f;iWo,oi three
tinlo.Bl,WablY 1.44 .', thelidoi se. ' . ikade on .the
rthday-1,. d tio* he " )1e esTenin',
of 'hiii'll4 in ,conipi
tailiei fin tm arkei ' ~.. not ale,
eit-006i'in -the ensii stables are asiiiimber of the
f

tirloff. trotter, of whi3h the Duke and Duchess of
Edinburgh are so fond, and which are as useful as they
are handsome, —The Times.