The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-07-04 00:00:00

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ROME- FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

A 7 a meeting of the Edinburgh and Midlothian 10°
Association on Saturday afternoon, the cowpetition
for the Caledonian Challenge Shield took place. Cot:
poral Duncan, 2nd Midlothian, was the winner, witn "
score of 66.
MARRIAGE STATISTICS.—Forty years ago 93 per cep
of all marriages in England and Wales took place in
the churches of the Establishment. Last year, accord'
jog to the report of the Registrar-General, the 10°'
portion of marriages elsewhere than in the churcheo
had risen from 7 to 30 per cent. of
A CURIOUS PRACTICE.—A Mexico correspondent
the Los Angeles "Times "says that "along the southern
coast of Mexico people have a habit of inoculating
themselves with the virus of the rattlesnake or &VT
which novel vaccination renders them absolutely safe
for ever afterwards from the bite or sting of the"

deadliest reptiles."
A Hreronie Pll2.—The old Town Hall of \loins!,
which has just been abandoned for the new Palace
the Ring, is to be demolished. The old building sr"
refronted in the last century, so that it looks modern,
but many parts of it date from the 13th centuraa auri
it has been identified with all the historical events hi'
the annals of Vienna for more than 600 years.
LAST WEEK'S WRECRS.—Twenty-six actual shir
wrecks were reported last week, making the total fo,r
.
the year 568. Among the British vessels, schie'
numbered 13, were three steamers of an aggregate.
tonnage of 3369 tons. Four foreign steamers also way
down, one sinking with 65 persons. Total lives lost fer
week 80. Off the British Isles seven vessels
(five British
owned) were wrecked, of which three British sank bi
collision, one life being lost. Corresponding week
last year: Wrecks, 14; total for year, 794; off British
coasts, 4; by collision, 2.
CORN AVERAGES.—The following are the average
prices of British corn for last week, as received frois
the inspectors and officers of Excise: Wheat, 325. Bd.;
barley, 28s. 3d.; oats, 225. 4d. per imperial qr. Corr&
spending week last year: Wheat, 375. 4d.; barlar
275. 11d.; oats, 235. Od.
ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY.—At a meeting of this'
society held on Saturday, Lord Walsingham, vice-1001'
dent, in the chair, the following candidateswere elected
Fellows: Mrs. G. W. Drabble, Mr. F. Garrick (Agent'
General for Queensland), the Hon. Charles A. 11013,
Mr. G. T. Pilcher,Mr. John Tayleur, Lim R. Tidswelif
and Mr. Walter Wren, M.A.
EXTRAORDINARY lIIEASURES.—A committee of the'
Uruguay Legislature have presented a bill to that beciP
the provisions of which are somewhat remarkable. 131,
this proposed measure newspapers are to be prohibit
from publishing any details with respect to
For breaking breaking this law the owner of the paper will be.
required for the first offence to pay a penalty of o°'
and for the second offence, £lOO, or in default of the
payment of the fines, one month and four months res'
pectively. Lard
LORD MAYOR AND THE PREMIERSHIP. In
Salisbury England has, for the first time, a Price
Minister directly descended from a Lord Mayor Of
London, his ancestor, Sir Crisp Gascoyne, having filleu
that office in the last century. The male line of the
Gascoynes died out, and the heiress married Lord Salis"
bury's father. This marriage brought him the fine P,r,°:
perty of Childwell Hall, near Liverpool. Lord Sau':
bury assumed, under his grandfather's will, the nate'
of Gascoyne as a surname in addition to his owl.--
" City Press."
INDIAN PUBLICATIONS.-- From recently puaaer
s
returns it appears that in 1883 in Madras ;63 books alit'
pamphlets and 55 periodicals 'were registered, t,
increase of 77 over the previous year; in Bombay 14°r„1
works were registered, an increase of 253; in Beng'
the number of works was 2218, an increase of no fewer
than 660, the greatest increase being in books in Petv
gall, in which, moreover, ahigher standard of excellence
is noted. In the north-western provinces the publir4;
tions decreased from 1193 in 1892 to 960 in 1893 ; but
in the Punjab they increased from 1198 to 1786.
A Vaenat.en EDITION.—The trustees of the Britisa
Museum purchased at the Crossley sale a complati
copy of Defoe's " Review of the Affairs of France
of all Europe as Influenced by that Nation,
Historical Observations on Public Affairs" (8
1705-12. This is an excessively rare work—in fact, the
only perfect copy known. It was acquired by
Crossley at the Chambers' sale. As regards the 13
volume, Mr. Crossley, in a long manuscript note, saY:',.;
"A copy of this last volume of his work is not knee/nu";
be in existence." In fact, the copy already is
British Museum Museum only extends to Volume 6. the
THE ZOOLOCHCAL GARDENS.—Thai additions to
Zoological Gardens during the pa., week include W°.
Barbary apes from North Africa, presented respective''
by Mrs. Allison and Mrs. D. Fox Tarratt • two cornal
marmosets from Brazil, presented by Colonel flov.re,
Davis; two brown bears from Russia, presented by Dt,"
Walter Holdsworth : two bandicoot rats from fecl.„'l4
presented by Cokmel 0. S. Sturt,
American robin from North America, presented by
H. Keilich ; two partridges, British, presented by
H. J. Seelgrove ; an Azara's fox from South Anieriese;
a pleasant antelope from West Africa, six corerueu
chameleons from North Africa, purchased; a Japseel ,
deer, three Canadian beavers, a Chiloe wigeon, sere'''. •
Australian wild ducks, bred in the gardens. St
FOREIGN LIVE STOCK AND FRESH MEAT
week's arrivals of live stock and fresh meat at the port
of Liverpool from the United States and Cana,: ,
amounfed to 2318 cattle, 7070 quarters of beef, and 330
carcases of mutton, against the preceding week's
ports of 1323 cattle, 6007 quarters of beef, and
615
carcases of mutton, showing increase in the imports'
tions of live stock and fresh beef, but a decrease hi
that of mutton. The conveying steamers were it
follows: Venetian, 610 cattle and 1133 quarters- el
beef; Palestine, 383 cattle and 792 quarters of beef;
Spain, 366 cattle, 720 quarters of beef, and 100 carcasel
of mutton; Baltimore, 564 cattle; Mississippi, 3t3
cattle; ; Catalonia, 1728 quarters of beef; City
Chester, 1000 quarters of beef and 100 carcases ,
mutton; Germanic, 780 quarters of beef and 130 ear;cf,",
cases of mutton; and Lord Gough, 917 quarters r
beef.
THE AUSTRIAN CATTLE ir
RADE.—The Austrian
portation of cattle during the first quarter of 1855 .I',
eluded 7554 oxen, as against 9467 in the correspoedo
period of 1684; 3325 sheep, as against 2013;
wine, as against 21,124; and 1801 horses, as agal;;
4105. The exports were: Oxen 30,081; sheep, 151,50
swine, 45,089; and horses, 6421. The exports in the
first quarter of 1884 were: Olen, 22,912; abeeß
149,966; swine, 45,089; and horses, 5791. The eV°
of sheep has slightly increased, notwithstanding
that
the Bavarian frontier has been closed against sheep. freici;
this country. The export of swine has diraintsb!3r,
owing to a similar prohibition on the Prussian front°,
The import of swine from Roumania shows a very_ifq,
increase, and this is one of the reasons why the 107'
garian agriculturists object to a renewal of the treall
of commerce with that country, t
of the
KRUPP'S WORKS.—The latest published repor
establishment of Messrs. Krupp, Essen, shows that tea
works continue growing, not merely in extent, but AL.%
as regards the number of persons who find employra,7o
there. In 1860 only 1764 men were engaged at
works; this number has risen in 1870 to 7084, now itto
over 20,000. If the women and children are taken airth.
account whose livelihood depends upon the eatabat'er
ment, we find a working-class population of not fevra,e
than 65,391 persons of whom nearly 29,000 live
houses owned by the works. At Essen alone railvi.tcs
tracks of a total length of 37 miles are laid down, v;101
a rolling stock of 88 locomotives, 893 waggons,
trollies, besides 69 horses. There are 40 miles of tele-
graph wires, 35 telegraph stations, and 55 Dlorse
paratus. alolfs
DEMOLITION OF THE ROMAN GHETTO.—The ‘Ae,
tion of the Roman Ghetto, the oldest Jewish quarter 7;
Europe, dating, it is said, from before Owsar's tiraet,.,o
proceeding rapidly. The archaaological cow:01010'0
which is charged with the exploration and protect!so
of ancient monuments has applied to the Ital!pa
Government that measures shall bo taken for cleart
the Temple of Jupiter and the portico of Octavia frel
the buildings that have grown up around them, alio
also for putting them in such a state of repair 10,4
necessary for their preservation. The commission sf,
requests that the new streets which are to be laid
over the the cleared area shall be so planned that th.ei
points of intersection shall cohr4de with the folioirrl •
ancient buildings, which are now within the Gh_oe'tofae.
The theatre of Marcellus, the crypt of the Er°, l'oid
Balbus, and the porticoes of the Flavian Emperers
of the Emperor Philip. There is a supplementarl4
quest that these buildings shall be placed on theiScit,
of ancient monuments, for the preservation of vl
a small contribution is annually made by the Statea tbe
A. REPORTER'S " SMARTNESS. '—A reporter caller rfie,
other day on the publishers of General Grant's 0
coming book, and asked to look over such parts ofluand.
were in type. He obtained the usual agent's Orderly. 0
seated himself in an ante-room and began carelesB4tif,
tura over the pages of the "dummy." Prese a.at
assuming a look of innocence, he told the publisher rit
he was anxious to get down town, and asked if he 133,:a0
not take the " dummy " with him. Mr. Webster, la at
was trying, it is said to talk to half a dozen peoP,i6o
the same time, said that he might if he would P.° 1J
not to make any extracts. Apparently the prornfse,aor
given. But next day there appeared in a leading las
York paper a series of extracts from the booker 0
reporter havirg woven the scattered pages togektii quo'
that they read almost as a continuous story. Tueor 0
tations from General Grant's book were taken fr,ssecl
portion of the work which the "Century "had nere
the right to publish in advance of its appearalts
book-form, and it is stated that both the publisb7a fp
the " Memoirs " ar.d the Century Company isteoirs'i
claim damages. The first volume of the " hfe,133,i5
will be published in December; the second, 1:19.0br
pected, will be ready for the printers early ifl
sly IS
1886. The book is to be published simultan%o
six languages, and there is to be an American ea"„"f the
German. It is also stated that 350,000 copies
book have already been subscribed for. k SVC%
APPROACHINGEARTHQUARES.—Theearthqua-e
which were felt last week over a wide area in tholt,
remind us that an authority on the subject °.
phenomena, M. Delaunay, of Paris, is of opiloof th 6
next year will see the recurrence of nphearal° yIS gh
earth's crust in an intensified form. M. Delatinthecieg
prophet of evil, but, unfortunately, all his Ptrarlaire6to
have hitherto come true. His speciality is ear
and he predicts them only too surely. -faet"
announced that that year would not conclude ivjr of pc!
violent disturbances of the earth, and ass reatl SOP;
the frightful catastrophes on the coasts
.on
poioe,a6
America followed. In 1883 M. Delaunaar agte
to approaching earthquakes, and soon after td,
eruptions in the Indian Archipelago oecurr!., 133:1
thousands of human beings lost their lives, °'l
8.1 s
dreds of square miles of terra firma were enrijelatiriN
the sea. Towards the end of last year he'grk
once more raised his warning voice, and the f•ascoain_ao
in Spain proved how well founded were 1115. e aalcarea
Quito recently he has prophesied very serelii.raevya,a
disturbances for 1886. Having acquired all:6 weitio
notoriety in foretelling earthquakes, 8.°.r"0 ses..„'-ia
ought to be attached to M. Delatmay's utt' 13a 111;01 •
affirms that next year these natural phenorter
of a very intense character, and that til Ythe
themselves either when the earth is nude! as jari,go
influence of a planet of the first rank, sue° filo /Ma
or under that of a group of asteroids, or aat tae 1
sun and moon are nearest to our planet
time4-7--",Jron." a