The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-01 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN,

It has been officially notified that the Militia regi-
ments of the United Kingdom will be called out for training
during the financial year 1879-80 for only 20 days instead of
27 days.
The Eastbourne Chronicle reports an interesting dis-
covery of Roman coins a few days since on the Downs, neat.
Eastbourne. Some labourers were engaged digging flints
when they struck an an earthen vessel containing no less
than 685 coins.

Axt American pedestrian, with oud leg, offers to hop
any mania the world for 24 or 48 hours, the stakes to be NO
dollars.
MUnkasy's picture ot Milton And his daughters,
which gured at Um Paris Exhibition, has been sold at
'Leona for £B,OOO.
The Queen is expected to be absent from England
about three weeks at the time of Her Majesty's visit to
Germany.

Vien

Mr. Darwin has just reached his 70th year.
The Glasgow News 'says that several important
assets of the oily of Glasgow Bank are turning out much
betterthan had been expected. It is understood that the
mtual gain to the liquidation over the estimate originally
-made of the value of these assets will be over half a million.
•In consequence of the Mayor, of Sheffield's Relief
Fund in aid of the distress being exhausted, the ladies' com-
mittee which has provided clothing and food for many
thousands of families will have to cease their work on ing to
want of lands,
Tibei4ondon relief movement in aid c 4 the deatitute
Devonshire ahareholders, which was inaugurated by the
Bish*of Exeter at a public meeting held in London on the
17th inst., is making good progress. About £1,300 has
been already subscribed, 30 gentlemen have, joined the,
Committee, and severaL London bankers and others in-
terested in Devonshire are giving assistance.
It has been resolved at a special meeting of the
Margate Town Council to purchase the waterworks under-
taking at a cost of £59000.
Seven hundred journalists, stated to represent 1,002
Catholic publications in different parts of Europe and
America, were received last Saturday by the Pope, to whom
each made some offering. In the course of an address, in
which he pointed out the course which should be pursued
by Catholic writers, the Pope repeated that the temporal
power was indispensable to the Holy See..
The announcement is made that France has ordered
the despatch boat Renard to Egypt, and that an English
ship is going in the same direction. The apparent object of
this demonstration is to be on the spot in case of disturb-
anoe.
!'he Governor of Victoria, on the 19th inst., laid
the foundation atone of the Melbourne International Ex.
hibition, to be opened in Carlton Gardens in 188. The care-,
mony of laying the stone was followed by a public fife, at
which 20,000 people were present.
Trichinre has been discovered in American bacon
received in Switzerland.
A tunnel through the Simplon is now being dis-
cussed, and the contractor for the St. Gothard Works is in
treaty for the execution of the scheme. By this new route
the journey between England and the East would be short-
ened by eighty miles, as the distance between Paris and
Milan would then be nearly seventy miles less than by Mont
Cents, and about ninety-five shorter than by St. Gothard.
The Simplon Tunnel would be eight miles long, and the cost
of construction is estimated at nearly three millions sterling,
while if begun at once the works would be completed identi-
*catty with those of the St. Gothard Tunnel.
Another trial of the electric light has been made on
the Place de la Bastille, Paris, by order of the Municipal
Council. Sixtcen Jablochkoff burners are placed on the
spot. The trial is said to have been successful.
The quantity of fresh meat landed at Liverpool last
week from the United States and Canada was much below
the arrivals of recent weeks, and comprised 3,441 quarters of
beef, 752 carcases of sheep, and 543 dead pigs. The imports
of live stock also showed a decrease when compared with
recent periods. Four steamers arrived in the Mersey, having
on beard, collectively, 578 cattle and 177 pigs.
Mr. Robert Templeton, watchmaker, Ayr, has left
£lO,OOO towards rebuilding the "Auld Brig o' Ayr."
On Tuesday night the reading-room of the British
Museum was lighted by way of experiment with the electric
light of' the Societe Odoorale d'Electricite, a preliminary
trial having been made the previous evening. Eight of the
Jablochkoff candles, placed on alternate tables, were used.
The experiment was very successful. With the eight lights
only it was possible to read the foot-notes of books in any
'part of the room, and the manuscript titles in the catalogues
of printed boats,. Maps' and music placed at the central
desks. Several eminent electricians witnessed the trial, and
expressed their satisfaction with the result.
When President Lincoln was taken ill with small-
pox he wrote to Mr. Colfax that he might let the army of
once-seekers approach, as he had now something that he
would give them.--Echo.
ter Royal Highness the Princess of W.ales will, by
command of the Queen hold Drawing Rooms at Buckingham
Palace on Thursday, the 27th of March, and on Monday, the
3lst of March, at three o'clock. It is the Queen's pleasure
that presentations to her Royal.ilighness at these Drawing
Rooms shall be considered as equivalent to presentations to
her Majesty. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales will.
by • command ol the Queen, hold Levees at St. James's
Palace, on behalf of her Majesty, on Monday, the 17th of
March, and on Monday, 24th of March, at two o'clock It
is the Queen's pleasure that presentations to his Royal
Highness at these Levees shall be considered equivalent
to presentations to her Majesty. N.B. The Knights of
the several Orders are to appear In their collars at the levee
on the 17th March, it beings collar-day.
The accounts of the Commissioners of Her Majesty's
Woois' Forests, and Land Revenues for the year ending the
31st of March, 1878, show that the receipt from the land
reveLue•vias £456,489 95. 2d., and the expenditure on account
of-it £.38,917 53. 91., and that the receipt from Royal forests
and woodlands was £28,352 10s. Od., and the expenditure
£20,302 lei. Bd.

The Liverpool coalheavers resumed work on Mon.
day, and a large number of dock labourers also, a meeting
of the men at Birkenhead having been held, where it has
been unanimously resolved to go to work at the reduced
wages. This will set 2000, handls to work at Birkenhead.
Two workmen were making dynamite cartridges in
a house in elayenwyl, in Aargau, Switzerland, when an ex-
plosion occurred, which completely destroyed the building
and killed the two men, as well as a woman and her four
-children who were in an upper room.
The dead body of a man was found on Tuesday
morning on the North British Railway, a few miles north of
Berwick. It is supposed he was run over by a goods train.
A. statement presented to Parliament by the Seer.).
tary for War shows that the probable amounts that will be
repaid by the several colonies as contributions in aid of
military expenditure will reach a total of £223,500. Hon-
duras will contribute £5,000 ; the Cape, Zio,ooo ; Natal,
3,500: Mauritius, £22,000; Hong Kong, £20,000 ; Ceylon,
probably £1( 8,000; Straits Settlements, £50,000; and
Malta, £5,000 The statement showing the amounts in-
cluded in the Army Estimates for military purposes in the
colonies is exclusive of the cost of arms, accoutrements,
barrack, hospital, and other stores, the greater portion of
which is supplied from this country, and the value of which
cannot now be stated; it is also exclusive of any proportion
of recruiting expenses, head-quarter administrative ex-
penses, and non-effective charges.
The Bristol Chamber of Commerce have altered
:their reciprocity resolution, to be presented to the Asso-
ciated Chamber, as follows ;—" That a representation be
imade to the Government that, in the opinion of this
association, it is desirable that no new or renewed treaty
phould be entered into by the Government of this country
'with any foreign Government unless it includes the most
devoured nation clause, or in<ures reciprocal advantages in
%beairection of a mutually free and unrestricted commer-
cial relationship."
At Lord Beaeonsfield's banquet on Saturday last it
twai observed the Prime Minister looked in pain, and although
file mingled freely and conversed gaily with his guest!' yet
r:the large, roomy shoe and limping gait gave evidence that
the attack of influenza from which- he had been suffering for
i a week had resiilted in an attack' Of the gout, which I am
fglad to hear has now disappeared -:-•Tratth.
I False hair continues to be largely worn in France,
wtere the fairsex have failed to adopt the simple knot of hair
now almost universally worn by Englishwomen, as so severely
classical a style of
coifure is sadly unbecoreint to Gaulle faces.
17
During the first 'eleven months of last year over 100 tons of
4 human hair Werth:some £12,000, were imported into France,
more than half the quantity coming from China by Marseilles.
The King's Dragoon Guards are "heavies," ta 1
men of fine physique The troopers are armed with brass
helmets, swords (36 ineers in the blade), and breech-loading
carbines. The 17th Lancers are medium cavalry, and are
armed with lances (9 feet 3 inches long), and rifled pistol.
The Engineers and Infantry are provided with the ordinary
Martini-Henry and bayonet. The Field Battery on service
should have seven officers, 187 non-commis-toned officers and
privates, and 184 horses. It is provided with six guns, twelve
ammunition waggons, a forge. a general service cart, and
two store carte. The equipment is similar to the cavalry.—
Court Jon rnal.
Prince Krapotkine, the Governor of Kharkoff, in
European Russia, was shot on Saturday night while return-
ing home from a call. Ile was dangerously wounded.
The American papers publish the following story :
John R. Reed has been the gasman of the Walnut-street
Theatre, Philadelphia, for fifty-four years and has never
missed a performance in all that period. Re is somewhat
eccentric, and in his will is the following provision :—" My
head shall be severed from my body and my body shall be
placed in a vault, but the heaa shall be brought to the Wal-
nut-street Theatre, there to be used as the skull in 'Hamlet,'
and I do bequeath my head to the said Walnut-street Theatre
for that purpose."
"The reports from the commercial markets are of
continued dulness. In Manchester the transactions in cotton
goods are few and unimportant, and in Preston the number
of mills closed or running short time is increasing. In the
Liverpool market for raw cotton there is similar quietness.
From Bradford and Leicester again we hear of decreasing
demand for woollen goods, and a consequent downward
tendency. On the other hand, wheat rose a shilling a
quarter yesterday. In the Belfast linen market there is a
more cheerful view taken, although little actual improvement
has occurred; and from Barrow likewise a disposition to look
forward more sanguinely in respect to iron is reported."—
From Trade and Finance article in Tuesday's Pall Mail
Gazette.
A. meeting of the chief officers of the Manchester
Unity of Odd Fellows has been held in London, whereat it
was agreed that petitions be immediately sent to every one
of the 4,000 ledges in the unity for signature and presents-
Mon to both Houses of Parliament, praying for the total re-
peal of the 23rd clause of the Poor-law Amendment Act
(1876), under which power is given to guardians to attach the
sickness pay of pauper or pauper lunatic members of friendly
societies.
" Cardinal Manning's presence in Rome has given
-rise (says our correspondent, writing on the 21st inst.) to the
most unfounded assertions. Even the Riforma, which is
generally well up in English news, informs its readers that
the Cardinal had a long interview with Lord Beaconsfield
before leaving England, and that he is charged with an im-
portant mission to the Holy See. It is needless to tell Eng-
lish readers that Cardinal Manning has no political mission
whatever, and that there is no idea entertained eif establish-
Felations between the Holy See and the Britiih Govern-
ment. If such a desire ever existed in the mind of the new.
Pontiff he has laid- it aside altogether. English Catholic
prelates are 'wise in their generation, and know well that it
-would not be for the interests of the Church to appear to
'receive Government Protection ; and his Holiness has doubt-
ty en made to understand this. The Pope is undoubtedly
- very., ).ious about the Irish university scheme, as he wiselY
usttac.:...l snore importance to stioh"questions than to merely
political One le "—Pall--MoiPtiazetese-