The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-04-19 00:00:00

gtisttlianelatsJ flteltigtn,ce.

ROME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

SNOW AT EASTEL—A correspondent writes to The
Times that snow at Easter is not quite beyond living
memory. He says :—" I can remember several snowy
Easters—notably that, I think, of 1838. Keble refers
to it in the Lyra Apostolica,' written about that
time
"'These Easter snows, of evil do they bode
Of Faith's fair blossom, with'ring ere its time."

PROFESSOR DOVE.-All the German papers contains
obituaries and anecdotes of the great physicist and
meteorologist, Professor Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, who
died on the 3rd of April, in his 76th year. His leo.
tures, with experimental illustrations, were amongst
the most popular in the University of Berlin. Like
one of our own famous physicists, he was constantly
tempted to insert an episodical byplay of humour in
the midst of his most serious expositions. At one
time, in a discourse on the force of water, he was much
disturbed by a group of young academicians from
Nassau, who sat together on the same row of seats,
and made untimely jokes during the professor's ex-
hortations. Towards the end of the lecture he intro-
duced a long Spritze, a syringe, or possibly even a
fire-engine epuirt—and solemnly told his hearers that
this instrument would discharge 'water to an
almost incredible distance—" as far," said he, "as
from Berlin to Nassau." The word "Nassau" had
no sooner escaped his mouth than he discharged a
tremendous mass of cold water upon the irreverent
colony of Nassau students. Professor Dove was
fond to the very last of sele, ting quaintly out-of -way
illustrations, which he uttered in a most quiet and
innocent manner. Profeeeor H. W. Vogel, in a
memoir in the Berlin Montagsblatt, has collected, a
series of specimens. One of the most effective,
pethaps, was his sober and business-like reckoning
of the height of heaven by a calculation of the exact
time which was occupied by vne of the "fallen
angels" in his descent. Globe.

AN EXPLANATION.—SyIvia, "I wonder what that
old woman meant by saying her cup was overflowing,
when mamma gave her the cold chicken."—May. "I
suppose she meant her mouth watered."—Punch.

DOORKEEPER OF "TH Houss."—On one of the busy
closing days of the recent session of Congress, while
" Gene " Durnin, an assistant doorkeeper of the
House, was standing at his post, a long-haired, gaunt,
and a, gular son of the sunny South approached and
attempied to pass into the chamber. Howld on,"
cried ' Gene,' in his best Kerry brogue, "yez can't
go in there." "Who is you, sah ?" angrily demanded
the Southerner. "I'm the fellow that howlds the
fort," replied "Gene," good-naturedly, " and I
tell you agin that yez can't get in, for there's
no admittance to any but members and mem-
bers-elect." "But I'm from Norf Carolina, sah,"
continued the visitor, "I'm a konstituent of de
'on'able Mister Waddell, born and raieed, sah, two
miles from his place, an' I ain't a gwine to leave
Washington City without a seem' of him." "Oh,
that's different," answered "Gene." "If you want to
see Mr. Waddell, just give us yer card and take it
in to him." " Kard, sah I kard " cried the " kon-
stituent," now evidently much mystified, "what
kard ?" "Why, yer visitin' card, to be sure," replied
"Gene." "Never heard of no such thing, sah," cried
the vibitor. " Gene" looked at him for a moment in
silent amazement, and then, carefully considering all
his words, asked, "Well, now, not meanin' no
offence at all, will yez tell me what yez do when yez
go to see a man in North Carolina?' " Duh, sah?
What do I duh ? Why, I ride up to de man's fence
and yell out, 'Say, mister, is yer dog tied ?' "—New
York Times.

OUR WHITE ELEEHANTS.—A correspondent of one
of the daily papers advocates the employment of ele-
phants in Africa. We have at least one white one, if
not two, there already, and the Government have
several on hand elsewhere—in Afghanistan, for in-
stance. Could not something be done with these
embarrassing animals in these hard times? Burmah
might take a few cff our hands. The animal is
highly prized thEre, which is more than can be said of
it anywhere else.—Punch.

GIGANTIC TBEES.-It is well known that 4merica
claims to outstrip all the other parts of the world even
in the size of its trees. Thus, until lately, a sequoia in
the neighbourhood of Stockton, in California,estimated
to be 3251 t. high, enjoyed the reputation of being the
tallest tree in the world. But an official of the Foresta
Department in Victoria (Australia) measured not bog
since a fallen eucalyptus in Gippsland, and found that
it was 435! t. long from the root to the highest point of
the branches. But even this is exceeded by another
eucalypt As still atanding in the Dandenong district in
Victoria which is estimated to be 4501 t. from the
ground to the top.

AMERICAN FRESH MEAT SUPPLY.—The quantity of
fresh meat that came to hand at Liverpool last week
from the United States and Canada was about the
largest this season, though one of the articles—dead
pigs—was considerably smaller than usual. The totals
were 6,507 quarters of beef, 2,238 careasee of mutton,
and 45 dead pigs. Ever since the provisions of the
New Cattle Bill were put into operation at Liverpool
the arrivals of live stock at that port from Canada and
the United States have been of a very insignificant
character, while during several weeks not a single head
of cattle was landed. Last week, however, no less
than eight steamers with live stock on board reached
Liverpool, their consignments amounting to 720 head
of cattle, 1,092 sheep, and 1,341 pigs.
you see D 0 seTt Fr Li f AyDoVnA NtTrAac4vßel.e—Ohim nai btursaeldurti
v earn d: Wgeeltlf;
my bus, falls off, and breaks your leg say,
smashed up, where are you? But if so b yowuhryidetshoenn
there you are I—Judy.
records some curious bequests CLTRIoIIS GOOD FRIDAY BEtaQIIfEosrTSG.
Good eF
Cityri e yP„ rt
eh3eB
provisions of which are still observed in the City of
London. The younger
atd divine service at the
of Christ's Hospital to
the number of sixty ten
y
church of Allhallows, Lombardemtreoendt,
Symonds, who
with the bequest of one Peter
Cents.) to be given to the boys _ m o sit
y
raisins. devised a certain sum (now invested
form
Threefi per
ackets of sins. Payments are
the eexton, the peer, and others.
nlewo prednenrieeds atno d
`adillioam Vitt's gift, dated 1692, is distributed at the
same time. At St. Bartholomew:s the Great, West
Smithfield, after the morning service, the old custom
was observed of laying on the churchyard a number
of sixpences to be picked up by aged women of the
parish. The money for this purpose is said to
have been left by a lady buried in the churchyard,
but the spot cannot be pointed out. At this service
the Rev. James Abbiss, the rector, who is one of the
most aged clergymen in the country, took part in the
prcceedings.
A SEAT or LEARNING. Ignoramus says he
wonders that accidents do not more frequently
happen at Cambridge, where, what with Classical and
Mathematical Tripos, there must be the constant
danger of coming down between two stools.— Punch.
MESSRS. CHILD'S BANK AT TEMPLE BAR. —On Tues-
day (Bays The Times) the business of Messrs. Child and
Co. at Temple-bar was commenced in a temporary
building immediately adjoining their old premises at
Temple-bar, the removal of their ledgers, day-books,
and the records of their house having been effected by,
an extraordinary supply of workmen, under the super-
vision of the partners, during the brief interval afforded
by the Bank Holidby on Monday. The old room
facing the street—known from generation to genera-
tion as "the shop," and perpetuating the remem-
-branbe of the days when our bankers were goldsmiths
—was at the same time dismantled and is now doomed
to immediate demolition in order to make room for
the new banking howe which will shortly rise in its
place, only being thrown a few feet further back from
the street. When this change is commenced, the
last remaining stones of Temple-bar on the south and
north sides of the street will be finally removed also.
THE HEALTH OF Mn, SPURGEON, Mr. Spurgeon
belongs to the nation more than to his denomination,
and we will venture on a little gratuitous advice to
him and his friends, at the risk of having it disre-
garded, as gratuitous advice is apt to be. If all ac-
counts be true, the worst symptoms in Mr. Spurgeon's
case are those which imply overwork. It is vain to
think that the balance of health in Mr. Spurgeon can
be restored by three months' rest. Twelve months
would be more like the time, though even that would
be little enough.

" The sweet vicissitudes of rest and toil
Make labour t asy, and renew the soil."
Few teen have worked so hard as he. Let him rest
hard, and we venture to hope that he may yet live
long to speak in unsurpassed English his message to
his countrymen,—Lancee.

TENNTSONIA SALE.—An interesting collection of first
and early editions of the works of Mr. Tennyson, from
the private library of the late Mr. Basil Montagu
Pickering, has been dispersed by auction by Messrs,
Puttick and Simpson, London. The largest prices
were realised for the following :—" Poems by Two
Brothers" (Alfred and Charles Tennyson), 12mo, 1827.
£3 17s. 6d. ( roovey); another copy on large paper, a
(Harvey) ; another copy also on large paper, £lO
(Knowles); two other large.paper copies were both
b.)ught by Mr; Harvey at the sums of £8 ss. and £9
respectively; " Timbuctoo," original edition, £3 A
(Pinkney) ; "Poems, chiefly Lyrical." 12mo. 1830, two
copies, £8 10s. each (Toovey ); "Poems," Moxon's
edition, 1833, two copies produced £ll ss. and £ll 15s.
respectively, both being purchased by Mr. Harvey:
" Poems," the first edition, in two volumes, Maxon,
1842, £8 ss. (Harvey); the same, second edition, 1843,
£3 15s. (Stewart) ; "The Lover's Tale," a 12mo volume
of sixty pages only, Moxon, 1833, was bought by Mr.
Harvey for the large sum of £4l; "In Memoriam,"
first edition, 1850, £5 (Harvey) ; another copy, £5 ss.
(Pinkney) ; "The Window, or the Loves of the
Wrens," 4to, 1867, £lO se. (Harvey); "The Victim,"
4to, 1867, £lO 10s. (Harvey).
IT WILL NEVER Do.—The fatal objection to the
Electric Light is that it shows things in their true
colours! What a world it would be if that alarming
result should ever come to pass, Punch need not waste
time, ink, and eloquence in insisting. —Punch.

1
EFFECTS OF BREATHING NOXIOUS VIPOURS.—In
some experiments lately made by M. Poincard on the
effects of poisoning by sulphide of carbon, he often
found in the bloodvessels drops, apparently of this
substance, condensed anew after absorption by the
lungs. Still, the great volatility of the substance
rendered this improbable a priori, and, as he had not
succeeded in chemically determining what the drops
were, he hesitated to express the view referred to. He
has since obtained like results with other substances
not miscible with blood, and which are much less
volatile than sulphide of carbon, esrecially spirit of
turpentine and nitrobenzine. The chemical determina-
tion, indeed, was as difficult as before; but, from the fact
that it was only in animals that had respired those va-
pours that free drops had been found in the circulation
looking exactly like the substances furnishing the
vapours, he thinks the matter worthy of attention.
Workmen who respire vapours of this kind are evi-
dently exposed to a poisonous action, variable with the
vapour's composition, and also to mechanical disturb-
ances of the circulation and nutrition, similar to those
produced by embolies and introduction of air into the
veins. Thus may probably be explained the sudden
deaths observed in the course of experiment with those
substances; and perhaps certain fatal results from
taking chloroform have been due to the same cause.
The drops in question, found in nearly all the organs, , I
are specially abundant in the liver the kidneys, and
the lungs.—The Times. _ _

WET YOUR WHISTLE.—As to the old saying of the
vulgate and the vulgar, "Wet your whistle; "here is
ene notion as to its origin. You know perhaps at
some old inns (there is such an one at Chiswick) a
whetstone is seen hanging outside the door, on which
wayfarers may sharpen or whet their knives. You
may know also that the old Sheffield blades were styled
Sheffield whytels, vide Chaucer, hence the expression,
"whet your whytel," i.e. "sharpen your knife" and
begin to eat, and this has been corrupted into "Wet
your whistle," which among our lower orders means
quite the opposite.—Pictorial World.
ESPRIT DE CORPS.—A Correspondent informs us
(says The Tints) that, after the athletic sports of the
90th Light Infantry (with Wood's column) at Camp
Zambula, the regiment subscribed £126 for the widows
and orphans of the men of the 24th Regiment killed
at Rorke's Drift and Isandlana.

PROHIBITION OF AN OLD CUSTOM.—On Good
Friday, the time-honoured custom of flogging the
effigy of the false apostle, which for some years past
has been carried out by the crews of the Maltese
and Portuguese vessels lying in the London docks, was
entirely unobserved. At an early hour crowds of
ughs began to assemble at the various dock entrances
in exoectation of witnessing a repetition of the scenes
of disorder and riot which have characterised the
Good Fridays of former years, but they were doomed
to disappointment. Not a single attempt was made
on board any ship in the docks to carry out the
custom, and the same may be said with regard to
vessels lying in the river. For years past the Roman
Catholic clergy have set their faces against the evil,
and it is said that it is due to their advice and assist-
ance that the dock authorities were successful in put-
ting a stop to the procceedings.

WHAT WE MAY COME To.—That times are bad is
the cry from all quarters, and economy is the order of
the day. Consequently it is not surprising that a
movement is on foot to abolish feather beds, and sleep
on tick only. If this is not hard, one would like to
know what is.—Judy.

WOMEN CROSSING THE STREET.—How women
cross the street has been made a subject of observa-
tion and study by Dr. E. M. Hale, of Chicago, He
says : "A lady starts to cross the street; when
she gets one-third or half-way over she sees a team
approaching; the driver, in nearly every instance
watches her movements, and seeks to drive in be-
hind her. If she keeps on her way, all is well. If
she only stands still she is perfectly safe. But here
comes in the strange and fatal idiosyncrasy of her sex.
Just as the driver thinks he can safely drive behind
her, she stops, starts back a few steps, and unless the
driver is prompt and draws his horse back on his
haunches, the woman is under his feet or knocked
down. Then come the hue and cry that the driver
is to blame, How can he help it? All teams can-
not be driven on a walk and do the business of a
great city. I have asked many of the polieemen
who guard the crossings at the intersections, and they
all testify to this universal habits in ladies, "They
all do it," said one of them to me, "and I have all I
can do to keep them from backing under the horses'
feet." If your repo,rter will ask a thousand men who
drivo actively through our streets, they will all con-
firm my assertions. I write this in all kindness and
sympathy, and would seriously call the attention of
the women to the great risk they run by a blind and
thoughtful adherence to this instinctive habit.
DRYING OYSTERS FOR USE.—Oysters in China are
frequently dried for use instead of being eaten fresh.
They are taken from the shells, plunged for an instant
into boiling water, and then exposed to the rays of the
sun until every particle of moisture has evaporated,
when it it said they will keep for a length of time,
whilst preserving the full delicacy of their flavour.
The finest and fattest bivalves, bred and fed on the
leaves and cuttings of the bamboo, are chosen for this
process, those taken from the natural beds being
inferior in quality, and not sufficiently plump for the
operation.
MIXED PICKLE.—Joint Occupation of Eastern
Routnelia.—Panch,
THE MODEL OF AN ENGLISH COUNTRY GENTLEMAN.
—Under the head of "Obituary," The Times of
Tuesday gives the following :—" We lately announced
the death of Mr. Harvey, of Ickwellbury, who expired
at 9, Cavendish-square, London, on the 7th inst., after
a long and painful illness. The representative of one
of the most ancient families in Great Britain and a
large landed proprietor in several counties, Mr. Harvey
may be cited as the model of an English country gentle-
man. In puplie life, as a magistrate and chairman
of Quarter &side's, Mr. Harvey's career was one of
the highest usefulness and influence, and it will be
difficult, if not impossible, adequately to replace him.
Few men have succeeded in doing so much good to
their suffering fellow-creatures, for it is mainly due to
Mr. Harvey's exertions that the condition of pauper
lunatics has been so much ameliorated. The disgrace-
ful conditioß of county lunatic asylums was early
brought to his notice, and after years of untiring labour
he had the satisfaction of seeing better buildings
erected and a better mode of treating the insane
adopted in all those counties in which he had influence.
Not only in England did Mr. Harvey mitigate
the sufferings of these unhappy beings, but his
generous aids of time and money brought comfort
to many sufferers of the same class in Italy,
Turkey, and Syria. For many years Mr. Harvey
had been well known as an enterprising yachtsman,
and was one of the oldest members of the Yacht
Squadron at Cowes. In his yacht, the Claymore, he
visited most parts of the world, and his noble exertions,
at Tyre, when he was instrumental in saving that
town and the lives of all its Christian inhabitants
during the war in Syria, will long be remembered in
yachting annals. For this gallant deed Mr. Harvey
received the thanks of Her Majesty's Government
and of both Houses of Parliament. Mr. Harvey
married Annie, daughter of Mr. Henry Tennant, of
Cadoxton, Glamorganshire, and leaves two children—
a son, who is on the staff of his Excellency the
Governor-General of Canada, and a daughter.

_
JOINT OCOUPATION.—Carving at a School-table.—
Punch.

PRIZES FOR ORIGINAL COSTUMES !—The Chinese
question in California was amusingly satirised at a
recebt fancy ball in San Francisco, where a lady ap-
peared in the character of "California burdened by
the Mongolian." Dressed as the "Golden State" she
bore on her shoulders the figure of a Chinaman, and
in front a placard, with the inscription, "President
Hayes, beware the veto; see what the Pacific Coast
is coming to." Givers of fancy balls during the coming
season may take a hint from the San Francisco Com-
mittee, who, the Nvws Letter says, offered prizes to the
wearers of tit, most original I,nd prettiest dresses.
Thus the wearer of the above costume got a pair of
diamond earrings as the most original, the prize for the
best sustained character was a gold watch, and that
for the handsomest toilette a locket and chain. Prizes
of a similar kind were also given to the male visitors,
the award for the most original character being carried
off by the gentleman who wore on his head a telegraph
pole 12 ft. high, at the back of which was a fire-alarm
box.

TULIP CULTIVATION IN HOLLAND. - The Dutch
official trade returns show that the export of flower
bulbs during the 16 years from 1861 to the end of 1876
amounted in value to 19,640,000 Dutch florins (about
£1,636,000), or an annual average of over £lOO,OOO. It
appears that the value has been annually rising; thus
the export for 1876 is set down at 1,666,000 florins
(nearly £139,000). According to the latest survey the
land devoted to rearing bulbs of tulips, hyacinths, and
similar flowers amounts to 210 hectares, or nearly 600
acres. Of these about 10 acres are in the neighbour-
hood of Egmont, about 90 around Velsen, while the
remaining 500 acres are in the neighbourhood of
Haarlem, Schoten, Bloemendaal, and Heematede.
But besides these special localities, where the cultiva-
tion of the bulbs is carried out on a large scale, there
are innumerable small patches scattered all over the
country where tulip and hyacinth bulbs are reared with
great care and success.

BLACK MONDAY.—The Daily News publishes thp
following letter :—Sir,--In old times Easter Monday
used to be popularly called Black Monday (compare
Launcelot in the Merchant of Venice, "It was not for
nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on Black Mon-
day ") ; and the reason, according to Stowe, was that
on Easter Monday, 1360, when Edward 111. was
besieging Paris, the cold was so intense that many of
his men.at-arms, were frozen to death. It is curious
to note that the date of that Easter Monday, as of
this, was April 14. Let us hope that none of our gal-
lant volunteers, who have been assembling in such
numbers to-day, have suffered the fate of Edward's
soldiers. I doubt whether so cruel an Easter Monday
has ever occurred during the five intervening cen-
turies.—your obedient servant, A SHIVERING A.NTI'
qUARIAIsit Oxford, April 14. _

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