The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-05-19 00:00:00

alisallanerats

ROME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

THE LABOUR MARKET.—The coal trade generally
continues quiet. For engine classes of coal there is a
fairly good demand. The iron market continues quiet.
The steel, engineering, and general finished iron in.
dustries are fairly active, and manufacturers of iron
and ship plates are very busy. The general condition
of the lace trade shows little change. In the curtain
department a fair business is being done; but corn.
petition is severe, and prices are low.

THE DEMAND YOE LABOUR IN CANADA.—The fol-
lowing telegram has been received at the London
Samaritan Sniety, 98, High-street, Somerton, from
Mr. John James Jones, director of the society, who
left Liverpool on May 3 with a party of 500 emigrants
for Canada :—" All well. Five thousand fresh applis
cations for farm and general labourers, domestic ser-
vants, and mechanics. Make arrangements for as
many as possible for June 28."
THE FORTHCOMING ROYAL A GRICULTURAL SHOW.—
The entries of stock for the Royal Agricultural
Society's Show at York in July are considerably in
excess of those at any previous meeting for many
years past, with the exception of the International
Exhibition held in London in 1879. The contrast is
the most striking in the horse classes, there being a
total entry of 614, against 239 last year at Reading;
156 at Derby in 1881; and 487 at the Carlisle meeting
of 1883. 'The total entries of live stock this year are
made up as follow :—Horses, 614' cattle, 468; sheep,
416; pigs, 193; grand total, 1691. The entries for the
three previous years were 1,467, 1,229, and 1,501
respectively.
THE SARDINE INDUSTRY.—It is reported that the
continu,d disappearance of the sardines, once
abundant on the coast of Brittany, has become a
serious calamity to the people of that part, where the
catching has been wont to give employment to 1,500
boats, and more than 9,000 fishermen, while the curing
and packing for home consumption and exportation
have furnished a living b a very large number of male
and female hands. The reason of the disappearance
is believed to be the great change of temperature
during the season, the weather having for the last two
or three years been not only more variable, but at
times, even during the summer months, comparatively
eye king cold and stormy. These changes it is be-
lieved have driven the sardines toward other coasts;
and up to the present time there is no token of their
Early reappearance.
THE DIVINING RoD.—The Sydney Morning Herald
says : A gentleman from the western districts related
a few days ago a circumstance which, if true, would
go to show that supermundane gifts, to which some
people pretend, might, after all, be turned to good
practical account. A boy, son of a carrier, was taken
to a place somewhere on the confines of the Mitchell
and Gregory districts, where it was supposed under.
ground water was likely to be foun3. Arriving at the
place, he started on foot with a twig about 3ft. long,
and which branched out into a fork at one end. Each
end of the fork was pressed lightly against the point of
the thumb, whilst with the points of his forefingers he
supported the twig in a horizontal position, or, rather,
at a dip of 45 deg. He had not walked many miles
before the twig suddenly dipped until the end touched
the ground. The spot was marked by a peg, and, it
was stated, at that spot there is now a well giving a
neverfailing supply of water.

QUALITY AND QUANTITY.—The three new Musical
Knights are quite equal to a Score.—Punch.
OPERA BY TELEPHONE.—An Interesting experiment
was tried in London the other evening by the manage-
ment of the Savoy Theatre for the amusement of the
Prince of Wales and other guests of Mr. Arthur
Sullivan. A special wire having been laid on to Mr.
Sullivan's private residence, the principal songs and
choruses of laktnthe were sung upon the stage by
members of the Savoy company, the sounds being
transmitted by telephone. The whole of the music
was heard with remarkable distinctness.
AN ALASKIAN WAR CANOE.—A gigantic war
canoe, or dug-out, of Thinklit make, from Alaska, has
been exhibited in the New York Museum of Natural
History at Manhattan-square. It is a vessel sixty
feet in length, fashioned out of a single trunk, pro-
bably with the rudest of tools, yet the outline is
graceful, the bow and stern raised and ornamented
with the strange grotesque facings characteristic of
these people. The seats of the canoe are cut in relief,
showing faces gaily painted red and white. The
carrying capacity of the vessel, which has been in
actual use, is about fifty men. It was purchased and
forwarded from Sitka to the museum, free of expense,
by a gentleman interested in the ethnological collec-
tion of the museum.

THE NEWFOUNDLAND SEAL FISHERY.—The prose-
cution of seal fishing at Newfoundland is now com-
pleted for the season, and the results, so far as the
Dundee fleet is concerned, have been ascertained.
The catch of the six vessels hailing from Dundee was
95,100 seals, an increase of over '32,000 as compared
with last year, and a decrease of 45,000 as compared
with 1881. The gross value of the Dundee catch will
amount to about £BO,OOO.
THE TWEED SALMON FISHINGS.—During last week
the catches were remarkably good, being far better
than for the corresponding period of the last three
years. On Saturday prices were :—Salmon, Is. 5d.;
trout, is. 4d. per lb. In the corresponding period of
last year the prices were :—Salmon, is. 7d. ; trout,
Is. 6d. per lb. Although the prices have been lower
this year than last the increase in the takes more than
makes up the difference in the prices. The prices
have been sometimes as much as 10d. per lb, for
salmon and 6d. per lb. for trout, lower than those of
last year.

PERPETUAL LEASEEL—Among the many proposals
that are before the Legislature for the benefit of the
agriculturist interest is one emanating from Mr.
Barclay, M.P., who has introduced a bill to enable
corporations and limited owners to grant perpetual
leases of agricultural land. The feature of the plan
is that the tenant may assign his lease in perpetuity
to another, but he cannot underlet the land for a
yearly term. Another feature is, the rent can be
shifted from year to year, according to the price of
agricultural produce. Something similar to this has
been in practice in England for many years—that is,
the rent is to be a corn rent—and the perpetual lease
is something very much like tenant right, as agitated
for in Ireland.

NEW ZEALAND SlLL—Colonials say that it requires
500 acres of cultivated land, or 5,000 acres of bush
land, to produce in wool as much value as can be ex-
tracted from one acre of mulberries in the form of shk.
In favour of the idea of growing silk in New Zealand,
it is argued that they have fully nine months summer
there, as against six months in Europe. In the Bay
of Islands, Auckland, a project is on foot to give a
practical turn to the idea by purchasing 10,000 acres
of land suitable for mulberry trees. If this is carried
out no doubt a new industry will be opened in this
most distant colony of ours, which will bid fair to
become after the lapse of a few years of the utmost
importance.
THE PROEITS or SILVER COINAGE.—The rapid and
continuous fall in recent years in the market price of
silver has raised in a curious way the profit made by
the Mint on the silver coins which, as is well known,
remain of the same weight and fineness under all
variations in the intrinsic value of the metal. In 1870
the profit was only 9 per cent., in 1875 it was 16 per
cent , while at present it is about 28 per cent. In one
year it was even higher—namely, in 1878, when it was
3li per cent. In 1881 the total gains of the Mint
on the -coinage of silver reached the large sum of
2166,823.
MISSIONS TO SEAKEN.—The annual report of the
Society for Missions to Seamen shows that the gross
income for 1882 was £21,003, being an increase of the
net income over that of the previous year of £1,579.
Forty-six seaports were now occupied by two clerical
superintendents, 23 chaplains, and 41 Szripture-readers.
24,019 merchant seamen, bargemen, and fishermen
had been enrolled as total abstainers in the last four
years. 4,213 bibles and prayer-books had been sold
to seamen of twenty different languages last
year. Half a million of second-hand bibles, prayer-
books, hymn-books, other books, magazines, period-
icals, and tracts has been placed on board outward-
board ships during the past year.

MR. IRVING'S VISIT TO AmmircA.—A New York
telegram says :—The arrangements are completed for
Mr. Irving's engagement. He appears at the Star
Theatre, formerly Wallack'r, on the 22nd of
October ia " The Belie," and will play there for four
weeks. Then he will go to Philadelphia, B.)ston, and
other large cities, playing for two weeks in each place.
The pieces will be given exactly as in London. Mr.
Irving will bring his scenery, costumes, and properties
with him. Special railway trains will transport the
scenic effects to the different cities. His arrival is
awaited, with great interest, and the tour is certain to
be brilliantly successful in every way.
THE MEDICAL WOMEN MOVEMENT IN INDIA.—The
Hindoo Patriot states that the project for introducing
medical women into Bombay is now fairly established,
upwards of 40,000 rupees having been already sub-
scribed for this purpose. The scheme includes four
distinct objects—the bringing out of women doctors
from England, the establishment of a dispensary for
the poor, medical education for female students
through the Grant Medical College, and, finally, the
establishment of a hospital for women and children.
A Parsee has offered a lakh of rupees to build a hos-
pital of the latter description.

A GOOD NAME FOR A PROOF READER.—COrFeCtaCUS.
—Fun.

DRIVING NAILS INTO HARD WOOD.—A corre-
spondent of an American paper has lately witnessed
an experiment of driving nails into hard seasoned
timber, fairly dried. He says that the filet two nails,
after plasing through a pine board, entered about one
inch, and then doubled down under the hammer; but
on dipping the pointa of the other six or eight nails
into lard, every one was driven home without the
least difficulty. Carpenters who are engaged in
repairing old buildings sometimes carry a small lump
of lard or tallow for this purpose on their boots or
shoes.

A BOAT or PEARL.—A Turin jeweller has made a
tiny boat formed of a single pearl, which shape it
assumes in swell and concavity. Its sail is of beaten
gold, studded with diamonds, and the binnacle light
at its prow is a perfect ruby. An emerald serves
as its rudder, and its stand is a slab of ivory. It
weighs less than half an ounce; its price is £l,OOO. -

. _
THE NORTHERN COD FISHERY.—The fishing vessel
Don, Mortensen master, the first ship to arrive this
season from the Iceland and North Faroe fishing bank,
has arrived at Pierdwall Bay, Westray, and landed
the proceeds of her first voyage, amounting to over
3,000 cod. The weather in these northern latitudes is
reported by Captain Mortensen to be much better
than it was last year, and fishing vessels, consisting
of Danish, French, Dutch, and English ships, were
looking forward to a good season. Some smacks have
already landed their first cargoes at Faroe.
EXPERIENCE DOES IL—Promising student (who
has been allowed to see eminent painter at work) :
"Painting those flowers in background—eh? Now, I
should ha thought you'd have put them in with a few
bold strokes of your brush."—Eminent painter: "And
so I should—at your age / "—Funny Fo:ks.

UNDERNEATH THE 00EAN.—About sixty miles out-
side of Nantucket is a streak of very cold water, and
animals dredged up are like those caught in the waters
of Greenland, Spitzbergen, or Siberia, The water is
fifty fathoms deep, and the bed of the ocean is of clay.
Boulders weighing 800 or 1,000 pounds are dragged up,
Prof. Verrill believes that they are brought down by
icebergs from the Arctic regions and dropped when
the ice melts. The boulders are found as far south as
Long Island. Further out to sea 70 to 120 miles soutb
from the south-eastern coast of New Englattd, the
bottom of the sea, which has inclined very gradually
eastward, forming a table land, takes a sudden dip
downward, so that whereas the water on the edge of
the bluff is 100 fathoms dlep, at the bottom of the
basin it is 1,000 fathoms deep. The slops is as high
and as steep as Mount V ashington, and on its sum-
mit, which is level, a diver, could he go to so low a
depth, could not put out his hand without touching a
living creature.

"Clam !"—Paterfamilies (reading doctor's bill).—
Well, doctor, I have no objection to pay you for the
the medicine, but I will return the visits.—Judy.
THE TRADE OF CHILL—A volume of Consular re-
ports just issued comprises a statement compiled from
official statistics, showing an extraordinary rapidity of
increase in the exports and imports of Chili. It
appears that the total trade for 1881—the last year for
which complete returns have yet been published—
showed an increase of upwards, of 21 millions of dollars
over 1880, which in its turn showed a great increase
over its predecessor. The increase in exports is chiefly
in borax, silver ore, iodine, and gu mo, but all principal
articles show an advance. The total of imports and
exports was nearly 109 millions of dollars, of which
nearly 46 millions were imports. As usual, Great
Britain stands at the head of the list of all the nations
trading with Chili.
PNEUMATIC TUBE MESSAGES IN PARIS.—The French
Minister of Posts proposes to make an important
extension of the present system of sending written
messages through pneumatic tubes. At the heginning
of next month M. Coehery intends to introduce a Bill
enacting that any letter posted in Paris to an address
in Paris will, if prepaid with a 500. or sd, postage
stamp, be delivered through the pneumatic tube
service within one hour. It is thought probable that
this charge may eventually be reduced to 30c. should
the new arrangement become popular.
THE CULTIVATION OF TIMBER.—There exists in our
country many a broad stretch of land which, by the
action of science, might be rendered productive, and
at the same time beautiful (says the Builder.) The
growth of timber is not of se nature to tempt the
speculative demands of modern private initiative ; it
is for this reason that it behoves Government, or, at
least, local authorities, to take up the question. They,
at least, standing virtually independent of the con.
sideration of immediate gain, are the only fit instru-
ments by which such work can be done; but the
system once set in order, the returns, it is evident,
will he no lees regular, even more so than from the
ordinary sources of profit. A clo.e study of the
matter—an inquiry into the admirable methods
adopted on the continent, in France, in Belgium, and
in Germany,—would form an interesting subject of
inquiry either for some Government coodnission or for
some privately appoiated body. The“preslion la one
of something more than passing interest. Whence are
we to obtain our supply of timber? Nature unaided
will soon cease to be able to satisfy our demands,
but we have here another of the many instances where
science intelligently directed can solve the difficulty,
and thus once again be of the utmost service to the
world, not alone practically, but Eelthetioally.

Thum or A WATERLOO VETERAN.—The death has
just occurred at Newbury of a medical practitioner,
Mr. Robinson, who had entered upon his 91st year.
Mr. Robinson began his profes,ional career as an army
surgeon, and was present on duty at the Battle of
Waterloo. For a long period he has been in practice
at Newbury, and for some years was a member of the
Newbury Corporation.
AVERAGE PRICE..? OF BRITISH CORN.—The follow.
ing are the average prices of British corn for last
week, as receivei from the inspectors and officers of
Excise :—Wheat, 435, ; barley, 31s. 4d. ; oats, 224. per
imperial qr. Corresponding wee s- last year :—Wheat,
465, 11d, ; barley, 28s. 9d. ; oats, 21s. Bd.

INSURANCE OF VALUABLE LETTERS.—The Post-
master-General has, it is stated, approved of the scheme
for the insurance of letters containing money and
other valuables. The rates are to be the same as for
parcels-Id. up to £5, and 2d. up to £lO. The two
insurance schemes will come into operation simul-
taneously, and as soon as working arrangements can
be made,

How TO ENJOY A MAY MEETING.—Mamma:
"Have we the crochet and crewel work, Emily ?"
Emily: "Yes, ma."—Mamma "And the sandwiches
and sherry ?"—Emily : "Yes, ma."—Mamma: "And
has Reggie his hardbake to keep him quiet ? "—Emily:
"Yes, ma."—Mamma (fervently) "Then I think we
shall have a comfortable and profitable meeting 1"
Funny Folks.
A REMARKABLE BOITQUET.—The Court Journal
says :—Miss Mary Ferguson, daughter of Mr. Robert
Ferguson, Millhill, Mnsselburgh, is sending a novelty
to the Internati)nal Fisheries Exhibition. It consists
of a large and handsome bouquet of flowers, made of
bones taken from the heads of fish. From the thin,
semi-transparent bones, delicately-tinted, are made
the rose, poppy, and tulip; the harder and thicker
bones are utilised in the construction of such flowers
as the daisy, forget-me-not, and hyacinth; while the
eyes, dried and richly coloured, make most realistic
berries, The bouquet has been the work of about five
years, it consists of many thousands of pieces, which
are gummed together,
THE FOREIGN COMMERCE or FRANCE.—The Minister
of Commerce has just published the statistics of the
foreign commerce of France during the first four
months of the current year. As compared with the
same period last year the imports have increased by
more than four hundred million francs, the figures
being one thousand five hundred and eighty-five mil-
lion three hundred and eighty-six thousand francs for
January, February, March, and April this year, and
one million one hundred and fifty-one thousand one
hundred and forty-five francs for the same period in
1882.—0 n the exports there is a slight diminution of
two million seven hundred and thirty-eight thousand
francs, the figures being one thousand one hundred and
thirty-three million three hundred and five thousand
francs for this year, and one thousand one hundred
ond thirty-six millions and forty-three thousand tor
last.

AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS.—The Magnet says
"During the past week the weather has been rather
gloomy and unsettled. North-easterly winds, with
cold rains, have mostly prevailed, consequently vege-
tation has made very little progress. Beyond delay,
however, no damage appears to have been sustained.
Continental and American advice@ remain much about
the same."