The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-05-23 00:00:00

BRITISH MID FOREIGN.

A heavy thunderstorm :accompanied by hail and
showers of cold rain passed over London on Saturday
afternoon. Similar weather was reported from other
parts of the United Kingdom.
Mrs. Nancy Biggins, of Constable Burton, Yorkshire,
has just died at the age of 105 years. She was of
eccentric habits, and is said to have taken a regular
quantity of spirits and smoked several our ees of
tobacco every week.
Mr. James Anthony Fronde, who has been staying
in Australia for the benefit of his health, arrived at
Queenstown on Saturday morning on board the Cunard
steamer Etruria from New York. Mr. Froude's health
is stated to be quite restored.
The Access to Mountains (Scotland) Bill just pub
lished secures to the public the right of access to moun-
tains and moorlands in Scotland.
A body found in the canal at Liverpool on Saturday
proves to be that of the son of a local clergyman. The
youth, who has been missin some time, is believed to
have committed suicide.
An application made in the First Division of the
Court of Seisious, Edinburgh, on behalf of the Lord
Advocate, asking the appointment of Lord Rosebery as
Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, in room of the
late Earl of Selkirk, was granted.
The annual dinner of the members and subscribers to
the Newspaper Press Fund took place at Willis's
Rooms on Saturday evening, Dr. W. H. Russell in the
chair. Donations to the amount of nearly £9OO were
announced.

One of the terrrible storms ever witnessed at Vienna
took place on Friday night. The cold was so piercing
that six persons were frozen to death in the outskirts
of the city.
There will be no contest at present for the county
seat of Denbighshire vacant by the death of Sir Watkin
Williams W 3 nn, Bart., but that the present baronet,
Sir Herbert Lloyd Watkin Williams Wynn, will be
returned unopposed until after the general election,
when the Liberals will contest the seat.
Frederick Bauer, of 72, Mansell street, Whiteehapel,
summoned at the Thames Police-court by Henry Van
der Weyde, of 182, Regent-street, for an infringement
of the Copyright Act by having reproduced and sold
certain photographs of Miss Mary Anderson without
Mr. Van der Weyde's knowledge or consent, was fined
altogether £1.7 14s

On Sunday evening a boy named Pritchard, of Prin-
cess-street, Chester, was alone in a boat on the Dee,
near that city, when he was hailed by some men on the
abore. On rowing in close to the bank of the river,
igee men jumped into the boat, which upset, and Prit-
chard, as well as one of the interlopers, Joseph Dale, of
Warrington, were drowned.
News has been received of the safe return of the Rev.
G. (I,efell, F.R.G.S., in the Baptist Missionary
Society's steamer the Peace' after a voyage on the
the Upper Congo River from Stanley Pool to Stanley
Hills, a distance of 1060 miles. He has explored many
of the tributaries on the way, and found that the
Mbura was navigable only for ten or twelve miles from
its junction with the 0nn..0.0, when cataracts barred the
way. The Mobangi is a fine river, but the people are
very wild.
Mr. Mundella, M.P., presided at the first annual
meeting of the Tzacher's Guild of Great Britain and
Ireland, held on Saturday afternoon at the Memorial
Hall. Among the speakers were the Rev. Canon
Percival, Sir G. Young, Mr. E. N. Buxton, the Rev. Dr.
Rigg, Dr. Weymouth, and Mrs. Bryant.
A bill was issued on Saturday morning for extending
to parishes in England and Wales in which the tithe
rent-charge is payable under Enclosures Acts and some
other local Acts the same permissive facilities for com-
muting tithe which are granted to other parishes. Tne
parishes to which this bill seeks to extend these facili-
ties are about 400 in number.

While some miners were engaged in clearing Royal
George pit, belonging to Messrs. Baird, at Ardeen,
Stevenston, on Saturday, a large portion of the shaft
gave way, burying two of the number. The colliery is
about to be closed, and fears were entertained that the
men would be surrounded by water. In a short time
a volunteer party descended the shaft, and ultimately
succeeded in rescuing their fellow workmen.—A young
man named Linnerton, belonging to Langloan, Coat-
bridge, while on a visit to a friend, fell down a shaft
and was killed.
Early on Sunday morning, while a policeman named
Boniface was visiting Brown-street, Sheffield, he d's-
covered a hole in a low roof behind Mr. O'Dell's pawn-
broker's shop. On mounting the roof he found two
men inside endeavouring to force an inside door.
Whistling for assistance, he boldly jumped down into
the building, and succeeded in handcuffing both of the
men, one of whom is a notorious criminal, named
Quinn, who has already had two sentences of penal
servitude, the last being eight years for shopbreakiuo•
The other man, named Donnelly, had likewise beel
previously convicted.
The workmen at Pain's firework manufactory in
East Fields, Mitcham, on Saturday, at 10.30, discovered
that one of the sheds, in which the fireworks are made
was on fire. The hose kept on the premises was at once
got to work. Seven detached huts were destroyed
before the flames were subdued. The stores aed
forty-two other buildings fortunately escaped. Two
men were slightly burnt about the face and hands.
In connection with St. Giles's Christian Dlission,
with which is associated a Home for Discharged Pd.
sioners, a new commodious house has been opened in
pre ;ence of a large company of ladies and gentlemen,
at Brook•street, Holborn. Mr. T. A. Bevan, the
treasurer, presided over the opening proceedings, and
the meeting was addressed by Sir Vir. (barley (the
Common St rjeant), Mr. Flowers (the Bow-street magis-
trate), Mr. Chance (the Lambeth magistrate), Mr.
Howard Vincent, and others. The cost of the new
portion of the building is 1650, towards which 1'512 have
been received, leaving a balance of £l3B to be made
good through voluntary contributions.
The anniversary meeting of the Theatrical Mission
took place on Saturday afternoon on the site of the new
building to be erected in Henrietta-street, Covent
Garden, and four foundation stones were laid at the
same time. Professor Drummond presided, and among
those who took part in the proceedings were the
Countess of Aberdeen, the Lady Mayoress, Mrs. Bond-
Cabbell, Mrs. Horace B. Marshall (the stones being laid
by these four ladies) General Field, C.B. ; Dr. Kirns,
F.R.G.S.; and Mr. Courthorpe Todd, the founder and
director of the work. The statement which was made
by Mr. C. Todd showed that the movement was per-
fectly unsectarian and evangelical, and represented
every section of the Christian Church.
The Home Secretary, in acknowledging the receipt
of the resolutions passed by the Council of the King's
College, expresses his satisfaction that measures have
been taken to prevent future bullying in the school, and
his opinion that an inquiry might have been more
promptly instituted by the authorities of the school.
He considers, also, that an attempt to elicit the truth
by a tribunal altogether unconnected with the school,
and of a character to mark the gravity of the offence,
was indispensable in order to prevent the recurrence of
such incidents as the death of a boy from bullying both
at this and other schools.
On Saturday the Archbishop of Canterbury opened
the new infirmary of the Croydon Union. The designs
are for six pavilions, with 643 beds, but as yet only four
pavilions with 435 beds have been erected, the total cost
of building being 001,000. In an address the Archbishop
contended that a great alteration was required in our
legislation to encourage thrift and prevent pauperism,
as well as to deal with pauperism when it occurred. It
was not fair that the hard working and honest should
be taxed to support those who refused to work. Some
law should be devised by which those who were able to
help themselves should be compelled to do so. He
commended to public attention the American system
by which men who were drunken and lazy and who
were not fit to have the care of their children were de-
prived of them, the children sent to an industrial
school, and the father provided with compulsory
labour, the proceeds of which went towards the sup-
port of his family. This would not be an undue inter-
ference with the liberty of the subject

Canon Worsley, of Ripon, died on Monday at his
rectory of Little Pontou, Lincolnshire, which he had
held for sixty years.
The body of the gentleman recently found in the
Vale of Health Pond, Hampstead-heath, has been
identified as that of Mr. Philip Fleck, a silk merchant,
of Fell-street, City, residing at Broadhurst-gardens,
West Hampstead.
It has transpired that a robbery had occurred at one
of the branch post-offices at Derby. In the temporary
absence of the person in charge £5 in gold and
between 1:60 and £7O in blank postal orders were
appropriated.
On Tuesday afternoon, at about four o'clock, Miss
Ellen Terry was being driven along the Strand, when
her landau was run into by a pair-horse open carriage
containing three ladies. Miss Terry's conveyance was
so much damaged by the pole of the other vehicle
that she had to continue her journey homewards in a
cab.
A Council was held by the Queen at Windsor on
Tuesday, at which the Bishop of London and Sir John
Lambert were sworn of the Privy Council. Mr. Russell
Lowell presented his letters of recall, and Mr. Phelps
was introduced to her Majesty by Earl Granville as the
Minister for the United States.
On Tuesday the spring general meeting of the
National Rifle Association was held at the United Ser-
vice Institution, the Duke of Cambridge in the chair.
His Royal Highness called attention to the fact that
arrangements had been made by the Council for a
revolver competition. While he did not raise any
objection he would urge that there should be very
stringent regulations laid down for the competitors,
and that any infringement of the rules should be
severely censured.
Tuesday night's ball of the Royal Institute of
Painters in Water-Colours, which took place at the In-
stitute-buildings in Piccadilly, was a great success, the
Prince and Princess of Wales being present.
The annual dinner given in connection with the
Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain took place on
Tuesday at the Holborn Restaurant. Mr. Michael
Cartleigh presided, and in proposing "The Medical
Profession," commented with satisfaction upon the
discoveries which had been made with reference to the
origin of infectious diseases as a result of the attention
which had been called to the subject by the recent
supposed discovery of Dr. Koch.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
reading of the barometer last week was 29.765 in. The
mean temperature was 474 deg., and 41 deg. below the
average. The mean was considerably below the average
on eaeh of the days of the week. The duration of
registered bright sunshine in the week was 51.5 hours,
against 45'2 hours at Glynde Place, Lewes.
In London last week 2544 births and 1496 deaths
were registered. The annual death-rate per 1000 from
all causes was 19-1. The deaths included 45 from
small-pox, and these were exclusive of 30 London
residents who died in the Metropolitan Asylums
Hospitals.
At Tuesday's sitting of the Central Criminal Court,
George Raymond, who had been convicted of forgery
and of stealing a cash-box, the property of Sir Alexander
Malet, was sentenced by the Recorder to seven years'
penal servitude.

From April Ist to the 18th inst. the Exchequer !'e,;
ceipts amounted to £12,387,178, as compared with
£11,433,185 in the corresponding period of last year.
The expenditure has been £12,117,734. On Saturday
last the balance in the Bank of England was £3,7440423
and in thnßanl7 rif Trehnd £1.628.599s

A hamper was recently found in the High-road,
Hounslow, with a young child in it peacefully sucking
away at the milk bottle. It was well dressed in long
white clothes. On a piece of paper attached to its arm
was written in pencil "A poor unfortunate child by a
soldier at the "Windsor Barracks." The police handed
the child over to the relieving officer of the distri t.
The Prince of Wales has appcinted Major Lord
Henry Arthur George Somerset to be Superintendent
of his Royal Highness's stable, vice Colonel Kingscote,
C. 8., appointed Commissioner of Woods and Forests.
The Prince of Wales has also appointed Lord Henry
Somerset to be an Extra Equerry in Waiting to his
Royal Highness.
The death is announced from typhoid fever, at
Souakim, on the 15th inst., of Mr. Frank Roberts,
Reuter's sp icial correspondent with General Graham's
force. Mr. Roberts, who for some years held a re-
sponsible position on the editorial staff of Reuter,s
office, accompanied Gem..--ml Graham and staff to
Souakim, end ably chrcnic ed the events of the late
campaign against Osman Digna.
During a severe gale on Sunday morning a coble
upset in the River Tees, near Middlesboro', and the
two pilots, named Sanpett and Boardman, were
drowned.
The Dike of Connaught leaves India for England
this week on a two months' furlough.
Mr. Thomas M. Waller, ex-Governor of Connecticut,
entered on Monday upon his duties as Consul-General
of the United States in London.
At Mullingar, o.i Monday, a dog ate off part of the
face of a child two months old, during the mother's
absence.

On behalf of her Majesty, the Princess of Wales held
a Drawing-room at Buckingham Palace on Monday,
when the presentations &ere about 170 in number.
In the first four montrs of this year the tonnage of
vessels built in the kingdom was 130,500 tons, or about
30 per cent. less than in the corresponding months of
last year.
"General" Booth having had the Crantham Theatre
on lease for three years, and having failed to keep it in
tenantable repair, was summoned by the proprietor at
the county court f3r £l7 10s. 2d., and judgment was
given for that amount.
At Nottingham, on Monday, Joseph Tucker, a shoe.
finisher, as committed for trial charged with the
murder of a woman with whom he lived. It is alleged
that he poured paraffin oil over her clothes and set fire
to them.

In the Divorce Divisior.s, on Monday, the Rev. A. 0.
H. Wilson, a clergyman of the Church of England,
obtained a decree nisi for divorce from his wife on
account of her misconduct, costs being awarded against
the co-respondent.
A Reuter despatch from Cairo states that the Ger-
man and Russian diplomatic agents will probably pre-
sent to the Egyptian Government a remonstrance
against the Khedivial decree of April 12.
According to a return relating to Post-office Savings
Banks, there was at the close of 1884 due to depositors
£44,773,773. The charges and expenses incurred in
the management of the department amounted for the
year 1884 to £248,617.
The transport Kimberley, which was about to sail
from Portsmouth, was ordered back for.the purpose of
taking on baud an 18-ton gun, which is intended to
form part of the defences oi the harbour at Cape
Town.

It was stated in Dublin on Monday that the War
Office inquiry which recently followed the recall of
Lieut.-Colonel Chichester from the Soudan, in connec-
tion with alleged irregularities on the embarkation at
Kingstown of the sth Lancers, has resulted in his com-
plete exoneration.
Several casualties were reported at Dover on Monday
morning, showing that the thunderstorm which passed
over the district on Sunday was very destructive. At
Whitfield six sheep were killed by lightning, and at
Wootton a mill was struck and burnt to the ground.
A return was issued on Mondaymorning showing that
a further vote "on account" of 4,360,500 is required
for the year ending March 31, 1586. Of this sum
£,350,500 is required for Civil services, and £1,010,000
fo* Revenue department.
(According to a statement by the Bishop of the North-
West, the half-breeds have completely exhausted their
means of livelihood in the war, and it will be necessary
to send them 250,000 dollars to keep them from
starvation.

Several landowners in Kent who have farms vacant
at the present time have been requested to let them on
a new condition—viz, that in future.the landlord shall
pay the Extraordinary Tithe. In each case the applica-
tion has been refused, the amount ok rent offered being
considered too low.
At Blarney Petty Sessions on Monday, three men,
named Buckley, Lineham, and Shea, were committed
for trial, charged with attacking and heating Jeremiah
Meehan, sheriff's bailiff. Meehan, with his wife and
to friends,was out driving, when his horse was stopped.
He got out of the car to ascertain what was the matter,
when five men attacked and assaulted him. He identi-
fied the three prisoners.
At Edinbur. h Policc•court a man named James
Carling, an engineer, who resides in Edinburgh, has
been remitted on a charge of murder committed at the
Diamond Fie'ds, Cape of Good Hope. The arrest was
made in accordance with instructions received by the
police from the Governor of Cape Colony. Thm pri-
soner will be dealt with by the Cape authorities.
On Monday, at an inquest held at Sedgley, it was
shown that a married woman named Maria Lloyd had
m t with a shocking death through endeavouring to
e tinguish a paraffin lamp by blowing down the chimney.
hit
T e lamp exploded and ignited her clothing and also
tt of her husband. The woman died after under-
g4ng great agony, A-verdict of "Accidental death "
was retu:ned.
The steam launch Bfarvi, from the Sailors' Home,
G reseed, when taking 0 7 seamen to join an outward-
bo nd vessel on Monday evening, came into collision
with the steamer Louise and a schooner. The launch
weis completely crushed, one of the occupants being
injured, and all having a very narrow escape from
dirning.
n Monday the rub-committee of the Suez Canal
Commission passed the second reading of the first half
of the Draft Treaty.
Two large villas at Mount Florida, a suburb of
Glasgow, were destroyed by fire on Monday, damage
being estimated at nearly three thousands pounds.
The local Fire Brigade sent for assistance from
Glasgow, but before the city engines cculd arrive, the
buildings had been burnt down. The inmtites escaped.
Whilst the Glasgow Brigade were proceeding to
another fire at APE:inlay's Cork , Establishmcnt at
Anderston, one of the engines ran over both legs of a
Kp re
pl,echnaereidonyue:wwc
uo
armour-ncdoitmi opnl
eptleadt efdo r t a
cu r
trievte ssl:kie
rpv i Aci ao arn,
boy named John Brown, of Helm-street, who lies in a
l NCI oa np dt aaiyn,
and steamed to Black Stakes, Sheerness Harbour, to
receive her powder and shell. The Ajax, which has
cost about half a million of money, is a turret ship of
the Inflexible type, equipped with four 38-ton guns,
besides Gardner and Nordenfeldt machine guns, and
plated with armour 18 inches in thickness. She was
recently commissioned for special service, but her
destination is at present unknown.
The trial of the action brought by Mr. Tennent
against Dr. Stocker, arising out of the plaintiff's de-
tention in Peckham House Asylum, has terminated in
a verdict for the plaintiff with five hundred pounds
damages. Mr. Justice Grove stayed execution until a
motion for the reduction of the damages had been dis-
posed of, upon an arrangement that one hundred
pounds should be paid to the plaintiff at once, and the
remainder into court.

On Monday evening, in the theatre of the London
Institution Mr. Mundella presented to the Rev. W. T.
Thornhill-Webber, the Bishop-Elect of Brisbane, a
handsome testimonial which has been subscribed for
by the teachers of the Board Schools in the metropolis,
by way of marking their appreciation of the great ser-
vices he has rendered in the promotion of education.
In addressing the gathering Mr. Mundella condemned
that pitiful economy which strove to starve the educa-
tion of English children.