The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-01-19 00:00:00

POTATOES IN ITALY.

The Queen remarks that a noteworthy experiment is
about to be essayed in the island of Sardinia. Signor
Cirio, the well-known Italian practical economist, has
come to the conclusion that the time is fully ripe for
Italy to grow her own potatoes. It is stated that,
even in the most fertile regions of the Italian king-
dom, the potato does not thrive as it does in many
other countries of Europe, to say nothing of the
United States and Canada. Not only are potatoes
Insufficiently cultivated as an article of food, but
nearly all the potato flour and starch used in the
peninsula are of foreign importation. So Signor Cirio
is about to begin his experiments in potato culture
forthwith, and he has fixed on the island of Sardinia
as the initiatory field of his labours. He has selects.(l
some of the best kinds of the tuber for planting, and
will follow the most approved methods of cultivation,
carefully noting the result of his operations, in
order to ascertain what will be most suitable
for Italian farmers. Signor Cirio, however,
will have to accomplish something else before he
will he able to make potato planting general and
popular in Italy. He will have to persuade the masses
of his countrymen to become a potato-eating people.
At present the staple food of the nation in northern
and central Italy is " polenta," or Indian corn-meal
porridge. In southern Italy it is macaroni; and it may
be said, indeed, that. save at the tables of the rich, and
at the hotel tables d'hôte, potatoes are very rarely seen
in Italy as articles of fwd. Next to polenta and macs,-
Toni, the Italians prefer "risotto," a mixture of rice
with oil and grated cheese and a little saffron. Even
on the sea coast, where fish is abundant and cheap,
potatoes are rarely consumed as an accompaniment to
fish. There is no prejudice against the "patata" in
the mind of the Italian, only it has not come in his
way; he knows little about it, and does not care übiut
it. A Radical in politics, he is a strict Conservative
in dietetics, and eats and drinks pretty much the same
things that his ancestors ate and drank two thousand
years ago, Signor Cirio will have to teach his com-
patriots not only to grow potatoes, but to eat them.

SUICIDES IN PARIS IN 1883.—The total number of
suicides or attempted suicides in Paris during the
past year was 542, or 63 more than in the previous
twelvemonth. Out of this total 217 suicides were
committed by the use of firearms, 148 by drowning,
81 by banging, and 37 by burning of charcoal in a
closed room. The remaining 51 suicides sought death
by jumping from a height, by poison, or by placing
themselves in front of trains or vans. The number
of persons who shot themselves—among them Wing
41 women—is nearly double the total of IEB2, whereas
the number of persons asphyxiating themselves with
charcoal fell from 149 to 37, Measures have been
taken to prevent people from throwing themselves
from the top of the Colonne Vendome, but three per-
sons committed suicide during the year by jumping
from the tcp of the Colonne de Julllet on the Place de
la Bastille, and one from the Ara de Triomphe. Two
men and ens woman killed themselves by jumping
from the tower of Notre Dame. Out of the total
number of suicides, upwards of 100 were committed
in the suburbs of Paris.
THE FRENCH POPULATION OP THE DOMINION.—
The Minerve, a French newspaper published at Mont-
real, states that the number of French-speaking in-
habitants in British North America is 1,298,929, of
whom 1,073,820 are in the province of Quebec, 102,743
in Ontario, r 6,635 in New Brunswick, 41,219 in Nova
Scotia, 10,751 in Prince Edward's Island, 9,949 in
Manitoba, 2,896 in the Territories, and 916 in British
Columbia. The French population in the province of
Quebec continues to increase, while the English-speak-
ing population is decreasing.

Tria DEAD SEA.—The well-known writer Gre-
gorovius ha,, just published, in the January number of
Unscre Zeit, tinder the title, "A Ride to the Dead
an interesting sketch of the famous lake, He
substantiNlly cor,firms all the traditional characterias
tics, except as to the appearance of the landscape and
some other minor particulars. He declares that no
Sicilian bay nor the Gulf of Corinth presents more
varied or beautiful colouring, only the water seems
darker, as if of molten metal. He denies the general
etatement that no bird fifes over its waters, and that
its shores are without vegetation. But he confirms the
tradition that no living thing Is found in it; fish
coming down by the Jordan die at once on coming
within its bounds. The water is so " thiek " that he
moved in it with difficulty ; its bitterness was terrible,
the bottom was slippery like soap, and one can scoop
up with the hand a slime like mortar. The touch of
It causes great smart to the eyes. While the tempera-
ture of the atmosphere was 66deg. Fahrenheit, that of
the water in the Dead Sea was 64deg. On coming cut
of it the body was thickly Incrusted with crystals of
salts of magnesia and soda.

SMOCKING ACCIDENT:—An accident happened on
Saturday at the Gladstone Liberal ()lab, Sheffield.
The steam crane was being worked by John Hudson,
when it got out of gear. Hudson immediately applied
the break, and caused such a jerk to the load being
hoisted as to cause one of the stays of the crane to snap,
and the whole machinery came toppling down. Hudson
was caught between the crane and an iron girder. Both
his legs were cut clean off, and he died after removal
to th, hospital. The clerk of the works had a narrow
eset.pe.
_

. -
FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION. —A eleastrons boiler
explosion oc urred on Saturday morning at the works
of Thomas Bolton and Sons, metal rollers, Birming-
b4m. The front of the boiler was blown out. The
escape of water and steam filled the boiler-shed at
once, completely enveloping the fireman, Elkington,
who was seen through the cloud of vapour crawling
over the boilers to the outlet, He was got out as
qni,kly as possible, and was then found to be fearfully
scalded on the head, chest. back and arms. He died
next day.
REOOGNITIO OF BRAVERY. OTI Monday a public
presentation was made' on behalf of the United States
Govert.ment, by the Mayor of Weymouth to Captain
john Cook of the British barque Silurian, in recogni•
• tion of is Courage and humanity in saving seventeen
the crew of the American ship Orade, wrecked off
Fierschell Island in March last. The gift consisted of
a hands.)me, douhle-med keylEss chronometer watch,
heating a suitable inscription. Part of the American
crew—the captain, mate, and four sailors—were
, 'eked up two days prkvious'y by a German ship, the
radt,in of bleb renz.cd4l dole, to co back ad
teecue the other men.