The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-05-31 00:00:00

k4ATUPDAY, MAY 31, 1884

The cattle plague which was entirely stamped out
during the winter, has reappeared with considerable
virulence in the district of Odessa.
_ _

Orders have been received by the authorities of
Portsmouth Dockyard for drawings to be prepared of a
turret ship of the Conqueror class. The new vessel,
which is to be built at Portsmouth, will be one of the
largest ships in the English navy.
Paris advices state that wheat quotations were firm
npon the French departmental market early in last
weak, but that they have not since been so well main-
tained. Prices have experienced no material change in
the French ports.
Sixty-six thousand eight hundred immigrants arrived
in the United States during the month of April last.
Spain has recently shipped 4,000,000 vine cuttings
and 3000 young olive trees to Mexico.

A New York telegram says that the visible supply of
wheat on May 23 was 19,300,000 bushels, as against
20,300,000 bushels the previous week. Visible supply
of Indian corn, 10,000,000 bushels, as against 10,500,000
bushels the previous week. The export clearances of
wheat for Europe during last week amounted to
780,000 bushels; the export clearances of Indian corn
for Europe during theweek amounted to 610,000 bushels.
The "London Gazette " of May 23 contains a further
list, 285 in number, of addresses and resolutions of con-
dolence on the Duke of Albany which have been pre-
sented to her Majesty.
A New York Central Railroad express train coming
from St. Louis was crossing thc branch line at thegrade
near Rochester, New York, when a goods train on the
branch line ran into it, throwing seven sleeping coaches
from the line. Twenty persons were injured including
Prince Yamashina, of Japan. His injuries are painful,
but not serious. Eleven members of his suite were also
hurt.

Last week's receipts of cotton at all United States
ports were 6000 bales; since Ist September, 4,740,000
bales. Week's exports to Great Britain, 20,000 bales;
to the Continent, 5,000 bales. Total since Ist Sep-
tember' 3,527,000 bales; stock at all ports, 487,000
bales; ditto interior towns, 61,000 bales.
The International Conference of Librarians is to take
place at Toronto from September 3to 6. The librarians
intend to spend Sunday, the 7th, at the falls of
Niagara.
The report of the Council of the Inventors' Insti"
tnte, Chancery-lane, states that an International li`xhi-
bition of Inventions is to take place at South liensi.ngilm.
in 1885.
The arrivals of live stock and fresh meat at Liverpoo
during the past week from American and Canadian
ports were unusually large, there being no fewer than
twelve steamers landing live stock and dead :neat from
the latter countries. The total imports, vii.en com-
pared with those of the preceding week, show a very
large increase in the supply, and amounted to 3504
cattle, 363 sheep, 11,241 quarters of beef, and 820
carcases of mutton.

On Sunday a Communist manifestation took place in
Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, about 150 persons being
present. An address was delivered, and, notwithstand-
ing a thunderstorm, accompanied by rain, was listened
to until the end. At the close there were shouts of
"Long live the Commune."
The strike of operative dyers at Bradford continues.
The masters have offered to concede 10 per cent. ad-
vance from August 1, but the men have rejected the
offer on the ground that three months' notice has been
given on their behalf already, and an advance ought to
begin at once.

Sotheron Estconrt, M.P., has returned 10 per
cent. of rent to the whole of his Yorkshire tenantry.
Two brothers, named Gardner, quarrelled in a public.
house at Hanley on Saturday night. The younger of
them eventually left and was proceeding towards his
home, but finding the other following him turned, and
he and his brother butted each other with great vio-
lence. The younger was thrown down, receiving in-
juries from which he died next morning. The eldo
brcther was taken into custody.
Messrs. Cassell have just published an admirably
illustrated guide to Paris for a shilling. It is full of
useful and entertaining information, well arranged, and
amply illustrated. An excellent map of Paris, and an
index facilitate the work of the traveller, not only in
finding his way through Paris, but in finding whatever
is wanted in the 316 pages of which the guide is com-
posed. '

The report of the Prussian State railroads for the year
ending with April, 1883, covers an acreage of 9001 miles
of railroad, The passenger traffic of this system
amounted to 2,197,317,000 carried one mile.
Three folio editions of Shakespeare were among the
rarer books of Mr. Fiske Harris's library recently sold
at Boston, U.S. One folio' dated 1632, brought 150
dols.; another, dated 1663, 252 dols. 50 o.; the third
copy realised 80 dols.
A fireless locomotive driven by chemically induced
heath, has been used regularly since March 31st for pas-
senger traffic between Stolber, near Aix-la-Chapelle,
and Wurfulen. The locomotive, when charged; it is
found, will go for twelve hours. -
At the recent census the population of Bengal was
69,636,861, and in this number there were 1,374,184
widowers, and 7,397,647 widows,
The Metropolitan Railway now issues 72,000,000
tickets yearly, of which 80 per cent. are third class,
averaging I.Bd. per ticket.
A Gujerati translation of the Queen's bcok is pro-
posed in Bombay, and a young Parsee lady, Miss
Putlibai Wadia, has asked for the necessary permission.
The Spanish Abolitionist Society has presented a
memorial to the Government calling attention to the
disregard of laws passed for the abolition of slavery
In Cuba. The memorial points out that while in the
regular execution of the law 40,000 negroes should have
been completely freed by this time from the modified
form of slavery termed patronage, only 1500 have been
legally released.
The following is a list of the guns now in course of
construction for Spain: In England, 14 Armstrongs
and 18 Nordenfelts ; in Germany, 16 Krupps ; in
France, 39 steel guns, principally of 12 and 10 Centi-
metres • and in the Spanish National Manufactory,
eight Of 16 centimetres and two of 20 centimetres.
More artillery is being contracted for abroad.

Mr. Aronsberg, of Masicheater, having communicated
to the Queen and the Duchess of Albany his desire to
establish a series of prizes to various educational
establishments throughout the country, to be called
"The Duke of Albany Memorial Prizes," the Duchesd
of Albany has written that she cannot but entertain
the proposal with feelings of pleasure; and her Majesty
has replied, through Sir William Harcourt, that she is
much gratified at the spirit displayed in the proposal.
A Reuter's telegram, dated St. John's, Newfound-
land, May 23, says: Intelligence has reached here that
the French brig Senorine sank off the great banks of
Newfoundland on the sth inst., and that nine of the
Crew and 53 Passengers perished.
. For ascertaining whether a sample of petroleum is
sufficiently volatile to be dangerous, Herr Montag
points out a very simple and conclusive method. He
fills a glass three parts full with the petroleum to be
tested, and fills up the glass with boiling water, at the
same time holding a flame over it. If the vapour dis-
engaged becomes ignited, the petroleum should not be
considered a safe liquid to leave exposed to the atmo-
sphere.
The American papers have lately announced the
birth of a new word in the political vocabulary of the
States—namely, "mugwump." A mugwump is any
political personage who "boasts himself to be some-
whatt" and is synonymous with the Washington' ex-
pression " swellhead,' or the disagreeable New York
big bug."
The special prize of £6OO, offered by the Committee
of the International Fisheries Exhibition, for the best
full-sized lifeboat, fully equipped and on a carriage,
adapted to aid stranded or wrecked vessels from the
shore in gales of wind, and through heavy broken spas
and surf, has been awarded to the National Lifeboat
Institution.
* A statue of Martin Luther was unveiled at Washing-
ton last week, numerous representatives of the Lutheran
clergy and laity being in attendance from 'all parts of
the country.
What is said to be a very durable paini has been made
of very finely-powdered zinc mixed with oil and sicca-
tive. A varnish is thus formed, which may be applied
with a brush in the ordinary manner.
The National Portrait Gallery has lately acquired a
fine group of seated portraits of Villiers, Duke of Buck-
irgham, his wife (born Manners), and two children.
This work is in complete preservation.
Seven British vessels, four French, two Swedish, two
Norwegian, two Russian, one Dutch, one German, and
one American were repeled as actual wrecks last week
(one Swedish being lost off Scotland), making the total
for the year 695, against 30 for the corresponding week
of last year, when the total was 894. Of the above only
four were steam vessels, three being British owned, with
a total tonnage of 3070 tons. •
Owing to tho difficulty of obtaining orders and the
slackness of wo k the Britannia Iron Company, Middles-
brough, have given a week's notice to pay off the whole
of their hands, numbering about 1000. Az the depres-
sion is general, there is no chance of these men getting
employment elsewhere. The outlook in the iron trade
is worse than it has been for years.
Heavy rains and freshets are reported to have
occurred in the United States, causing much destruc-
tion of property in Arkansas Louisiana, and Texas.
Railway traffic in the overflowed districts is genetrally
suspended. Several hundreds of miles of the linetraill
submerged • and the damage to the railways is esti-
mated at 2;000,000 dols.
At Blackpool, on Saturday evening, a man named
George Smith put off in a small sailing boat along with
six or seven other men. After tacking about for over
half an hour the boat capsized. Bescuing parties put
off from the shore with all speed, but they succeeded
in rescuing only Smith and a man named Hollis. The
bodies of the drowned men have not yet been re-
covered.
The number of vieitors to the International Health
Exhibition last week was 83,220, the total since
the opening being 179,222.
On Saturday night the Moscow express run off the
rails near Bologoe station, and the engine, luggage van,
and three second-doss passenger caariages were pre-
cipitated down the embankment. The manager of a
Moscow factory was killed, the Deputy Governor of
Orloff, and a lady were severely injured, and five of the
railway employes were more or less hurt.
Shortly after midnight on Saturday the Star Music-
ball, Barrow, was destroyed by fire. It is supposed that
the fire originated in one of the dress-boxes. In some-
thing like half an hour after the first alarm had been
given the whole building, with the exception of the
hotel in front, was a complete wreck. The damage is
estimated at £lO,OOO.
On Saturday an extensive fire occurred at Hunter's
Point, Long Island, along the bank of East River and
New York harbour, destroying a large number of villas
and also much of the village of Ravenswood. The losS
occasioned is of heavy amount.
The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens,
ent during last week included a
Regent'-ark, London,
Part ridgbn,loi?esented -11 P. -NAT jamrach ; a
bonnet monkey, presented by Mr. A. King; two
Japanese pheasants; two Egyptian geese; a white
American crane ; 13 green lizards purchased; two
common vipers, presented by Mr. W. H. B. Pain;
common partridge, presented by Mr. R. Steele;
banded ichneumon, presented by Master Adaras ;
twelve variegated sheldrakes ; four soft-billed ducks;
Bemicle goose; an Argentine tortoise, presented bsr•
Mr. Win. Petty,