The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-06-30 00:00:00

Ittistellanens 4nteltigente.

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

ELECTRIC LIGHT POSTS.—The " posts " for the
electric lights in Union and Madison-squares, New
York, are said to be 250 feet high, three feet in
diameter at the base, and eight inches at the top.
They are constructed in tubular sections of steel
plate, each 50 inches long, and riveted end to end.
The masts or towers are prevented from swaying by
six wrought-iron guys, and are well bedded in a
strong foundation. The carriages to which the lamps
are attached run on guides each side of the mast,
which serve also as ladders by which the lamps can be
reached in the event of disarrangement.
OUR MOST OBLIGING POSTMASTER-GENERAL.----
Little Girl. "If you please I want two 'aPenny.
stamps and one 'apenny wrapper and a post-card.'
Postmaster. "Thank you, miss; where shall we sand
them to ?"—Moonshtne.

A LECTURE ON ECONOML—A stupid-loolsiag tramp
knocked at one of the finest residences in Auet,iss, and
was received by the lady of the house. " What do
you want ?"—"Please'm, give me a dime to buy a
glass of bread: 'sense me, I mean a loaf of beer."—
"I haven't got any money."—" Haven't get no
money I Then, madam, I would suggest ttset yoga
move into a cheaper house; you are evidently living
beyond your means. Economy is wealth. Economise
in the matter of clothes and house rent. Oat your
expenses, and then, perhaps, some day you %via 'save
a dime to spare—a dime, madam, that may be the
means of preventing a hungry and thirsty fellow.
mortal from committing suicide; or it may be a
quarter—a coin of the value of twenty-five cents—that
will upholster the dark clouds on the horizon of his
despairing soul with a silver-plated lining, and fill his
stomach with bock beer. Good day, fair lady."—
Detroit Free Press,
THE OLDEST TREE IN THE WORLD.—The oldest
tree in the world, so far as anyone knows, is, says
Knowledge, the Bo tree, of the sacred city of Amara-
poora, in Burmah. It was planted 283 ac., and is
therefore now 2,170 years old. Sir James merson
Tennant gives reasons for believing, that the tree is
really of this wonderful age, and refers to historic
documents in which it is mentioned at different dates,
as 182 A.D., 223 A.D., and HO on to the present day.
"To it," says Sir James, "kings have even dedicated
their dominions, in testimony of a belief that it is a
branch of the identical fig tree under which Buddha
reclined at Urumelaya when he underwent his apo-
theosis." Its leaves are carried away as streamers by
pilgrims, but it is too sacred to touch with a knife.
and therefore they are only gathered when they fall.
The King Oak, in Windsor Forest, England, is 1,000
years old.
HOEING TO MYSIC.—A planter who operates ex-
tensively just below Little Rock, Ark., has devised a
plan by which he is enabled to work a negro to the
full extent of his physical ability (says an American
paper) :—" While visiting one of my fields some time
ago," says the planter, "I became indignant at the
lazy manner in which the negroes worked. All day I
tried to think of a scheme by which the cendition of
things could be improved. Finally I hit upon a plan.
I decided to apply mutic to field work. Next day I
came to town arid employed a drummer and fifer, and
took them down to the farm. I started the musicians
across the field, playing an inspiring air. I never saw
such a change. The negroes suddenly became enli-
vened, and kept time with the music. The hoes
struck the ground with rapidity, and the weeds and
grass flaw. The work progressed so rapidly that
within three days my fields were as clean as an onion.
bed."
DESCENT IN RANK,—The Berlin Post announces that
Prince Alexander of Sayn-Wittgenstein, the owner of
the castle and estate of Sayn, near ooblentz, has re-
nounced his princely title, and rank, and special privi-
leges, and received from the German Emperor the
name and title of Count of Hachenberg. His wife,
the Princess Yvonne, died in October, 1881, and be
has since married the governess of his children. Ac-
cording to the family compacts (as with other media-
tized princes) the Prince could only contract a morga-
natic marriage with A-)lady who was not of rank
similar to his own. Like many other German princes,
and his own elder brother Prince Frederic in the same
Position a few years ago, he preferred to descend from
his high rank to a lower level, where prejudice or tra-
ditional etiquette will not binder him from placing his
wife by his side. The princely rank and estates
have passed to his eldest son, Prince Stanielas, who is
in his tenth year. Prince Alexander himself is nearly
thirty-six years of age. _ _

LLTTING° liofirsEs-.—The Building and Engineering
Ttine3 says :—A verbal agreement for the letting of a
house is of no legal value whatever, unless some act of
part performance be done under it. If, therefore, two
parties meet and agree by word of mouth, the one to
take and the other to let a house, and nothing more be
done in the matter, the landlord will have no right of
action for the rent, or for the breach of contract, This
arises from the Statute of Frauds, which was passed
in the reign of Cha-ries IL, and should by this time be
pretty well knowni but Which IA eyen tiny the,cause of
constant confusion -and injustice. That statute pro-
vides that no action shall be brought upon any con-
tract relating to an interest in land, unless there be
some note or memorandum of the contract in writing,
signed by the party to be charged, or his agent.

ATERAGE PRICES or BRITISH CORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for last week, Off
received from the inspectors and officers of Excise :a--
Wheat, 425. 5d.; barley, 31s. 6d.; oats, 225. 6d. Per
imperial qr. Corresponding week last year :—Virhesti
465. lid.; barley, 275. 6d.; oats, 235. 7d.
THE WORLD'S WOOL PRODUCTION.—StaiStieaI
writers have estimated that the production of wool
over the whole world in 1830 was 320,000,0001 b.
ia
1881 the same authorities estimate the production s;
1,926,750,0001 b., apportioning the yield as follow
Europe, 858,750,000; South America and Mexico,
174,000,000 ; United States, 185,000,000; Australis,
255,000,000; and Africa. 96,000,000.
THE PRECIOUS METALS IN RussiA.—Some in-
teresting particulars are published by the Russo
Government concerning the Russian export and hay
port of precious metals during the last ten years.
Between 1873 and 1882 Russia sent into Europe 37
millions sterling and imported 11l millions; on be;
Asiatic frontier she imported £750,000 and exported
£230,000, Altogether her imports of precious reetalfs
were little over 121 millions sterling, and her exporte
were 39i millions sterling, leaving a balance of nearly
27 millions to represent the drain of precious metaW
from Russia in ten years, which is chiefly accounted
for by the necessity of meeting interest on loans con'
tracted in Europe.
THE TWEED SALMON FISHERY.—The fishing in the
Tweed, which of late has been reported as very poor,
Is now becoming more remunerative. Salmon ste
more numerous, and the trout have very greatly
creased. The prices on Saturday were—salmon,
is. 3d.; grilse, is. id.; and trout, is. Grilse are about
as usual.
CLEANSING THE STREETS OF PARLEL—The sweeping
of the Paris streets, according to the latest official
return, costs 5,243,000 francs. The number of persone
employed in the work is 3,016, including 820 sweepers,
2,010 "auxiliary sweepers," and 186 foremen. Tbe
sweepers receive a hundred francs (24) a month, and
the auxiliary sweepers 30 centimes (3d.) per hour,
The total cost of maintaining, cleaning, mid repairing
the roadways is 8,502,000 francs a year, and of the pave'
ments and crossings 1,265,000 francs, or 9,70,200
francs (about £)90,680) altogether.

THE FOURTH CENTENARY OF SWEDISH PRINTING."'
Next month the Swedes purpose celebrating the 400th
anniversary of the first establishment of a printing
press in their country by a Gorman named John
Snell. It is recorded that a printed hook was seen ill
Stockholm, for the first time, in 1474; its title sass
"Vita sive legends cum miracutis Catherine); "but it
was not until nine years later that, at the instigation
of the Governor, Sten Sture, John Snell set up hio
press. It is, however, by no means certain that he
continued to work it without interruption, since
bibliographers are acquainted with only one or Ova
books professedly printed during those early years.
But it is known that printing has gone on at Stock'
holm regularly since 1491. The monastery of Vadstenn
followed in 1495, and the Upsala printing press wes
established in 1510. It is intended to celebrate the
fourth centenary at Stockholm on July 8, and in cow
nexion with it, there will be an exhibition of printing
from the let to the 9th of July.
-

A PRACTICAL APPLICATION OP ELECTRICITY.--Tb°
National Museum at Washington is one of the best
examples in the United States of the practical appli'
cation of electricity. In so large a building it wee
found advisable to take advantage of the best meant;
of communication, first being its system of telephonee
and call•bells, by which those in any room can cone
municate with every room in the building. Twenty'
six telephones are connected by a local telephone ex'
change, which in turn is connected with the main tele-
phone office of the city, The result is that but three
messengers are needed in this vast establishment.
LORD SALISBURY AS A FARMIII.—Lord SalisburY
has (Land says) turned farmer. Ha has taken io
hand several farms upon the Hatfield estate, and, sie
a rule, devotes two days a week to his new hobbYt
arranging all matters of details, aniA in point of facto
actively interesting himself in the real work of agrie
culture. After the cares and worries of party warfare
in the Upper House on four days in the week, Lord
Salisbury seeks on Wednesdays and Saturdays the
refreshing influence of scenes bucolic, and no doubt
finds all he would seek.

EXAMINATION Cumouros.—Commenting upon the
spread of education in Belgium, the Globe says :—A.t
recent examination in Brussels a candidate described
as an incident of the Spanish domination "the at;
tempt by Moses to possess himself of central Gaul)
and Rubens as "an illustrious Belgian who left tie
many fine books," Another candidate, asked what be
would do with a man apparently drowned, replied.
"Hang him up by the legs, get the water out of hire,
scrub him till he bleeds, fill him with tobacco smoke,
and then make him stand on his head."
THE RECENT ILLUMINATIONS AT Moscow.—The føl
lowing are the details of the method by which the
fairy.like illuminations at M3spow at the coronatioe
were produced :—The Tower of Ivan the Great and ite
side galleries were lit up by 3,500 small Edison laraPet
fed by 18 portable engines, which moved a number IA
dynamo•electric machines of every existing oyster).
The portable engines and machines were kept at the
other bank of the Moskwa. The sheds communicate°
with the tower by 70 aerial electric wires. On tbe
ramparts of the Kremlin towards the river eight larf°
and ten smaller electric suns threw their light over tir
river. The rest of the illuminations consisted ,01
200,000 lamps and 30,000 coloured glass globes, 50,0?°
lanterns of Venetian glass, 600,000 tapers, and 10,80031
of fireworks
MISPLACED.—BiII (standing idly in market•place)
"'Arry do 'ee want a job ?"—'Arry (eagerly), 'AY ;
what is it? "—Bill. "Why, go and find me one, to be
sure.—'Arry. "Gar—! "—Judy.
BRAZIL. —On the
uy2
!thy otfheMaabol
May,
SLAVERY IN
anniversary uf the battle of T
societies of the capital of Ceara held a great festival.
at which all the slaves in the municipality were set
free, making the fourth in the province where"
slavery has been extinguished. The slaves in WY,
province, numbering about 33,000 at the passing el
the law of 1871, are now reduced to about half, se°
strenuous efforts are being made to effect the liberr
tion of all the rest.
BRITISH CALICO PRINTERS' GARDEN
ittiotl
the
garden party promoted by the British calico printers/
with the primary object of demonstrating the suite'
bility of printed calicoes for ladies' costumes, and th,
subsidiary purpose of benefiting the two local obi'
dren's hospitals, was held at the Botanical Garden..
Manchester, on Saturday, and was a great succeet
There were between five and six thousand people
present, the majority of the ladies wearing cape.
dresses. Others appeared in zephyr cloth or nell4
cloth costumes, and all the latest designs and coloa.
were displayed. Some of the patterns had bee°
specially designed and printed for the occasion.

- - -
"AY, THERE'S THE Rus."—Bather No. 1. "1 .an
Charlie, I shall be glad of a glas.3 of ale when I Be'
outside; shan't you? By-the bye, why is it people
get so thirsty after coming out of the water? "—Bather
No. 2. "I don't know, unless it is because they rub
themselves dry."—Fun.

A RAILROAD ROBIN.—A. robin, says the Rocheste.
Post Express, has been building a neat on the waif
frame of engine 340, of the New York Central rq.ch
which runs between Rochester and De Witt, gong
east one day and west the next, ever since Sunda/.
last, and notwithstanding the noise and motion has *
all completed save the lining. The engineer and fire'
man are very proud of their feathered tenant.

AUsErn Ennis (Oadurcis, Minna' I
dosteco., Little Saskatchewan, Manitoba), writing t°
Land and Water says: In this country a good dog
a valuable addition to the homestead. Through th?,
kindness of friends I have had two water-spaniela Beni,
out, but they never reached me. One was stolen II!
Winnipeg, the other went mad on the prairie. Thi'
caused me to try my hand on 'making in a young
English sheepdog, one of your Trefoil breed, hiseirl
white, and tan, with " bob " tail. The result is
have a very useful all-round dog, good on pra,ri!
chickens and willow grouse, set and find dead or liv°
birds, retrieve ducks, good on bares—hunting thein
into range iz thick " bluffs "in excellent form--hi *
good watchdog, and will scent Indians any distall,
This latter quality is not necessary, but these
a rule, dislike the society of the red men. At tll4
time, when so many English farmers are coming /4
this country, they might do worse than bring a dog"
the same breed (Trefoil) along.
A PICTURE IN THE HEART OF AN OAK. —A c°,l",
respondent of the Waterbury -(Conn.) American, WIZ:
ing from Watertown, says that Mr. Benjamin Mar°ll
of that town in splitting a log of black oak, observe
a picture on 'the smooth grain in the heart of the tree
It is a landscape, or rather a clump of trees, with
and branches and twigs as clearly defined as tbong"
drawn with ink or photographed by the sun's vge.
The trees form a picture about four inches sewe•
showing like the open leaf of a book, and the same °I
the opposite page. Mr. Marvin says it is a prettY g°°3
portraiture of the slump of trees which he
fells
the picture appearing in the heart of the large°
one.
Oh
PREMATURE GROWTH. —ln the record of the Freu
Academy of Science for 1729, there is a description °t
a lad seven years of age who was then nearly five feeot
f
high. His strength at four years old was so Bre hay
that he was able to throw the ordinary bundles o
into the rack of the stables, and at six years old
lifted as much as a strong labourer of twenty o,_llla
carry. A simil. 'count has been given of a nnl:o
born in Bow'.,who, when four years of agei.vi:A;
four feet ti,e Woes high, and when six had attagt-a
five feet r...• &I a beard. His voice was strong 00ii
manly, atm no had all the appearances of a fnll-gr° to
man. But while everybody was expecting
speedily shoot up into a giant, the signs of gr°-a;
ceased, and those of age were as rapidly developebe
his voice grew weak, and before he had attained to•
years of manhood he was an imbecile, and feeble
a man in the extremity of old age. The old "?t,,rvie
Memiors" contains an account of a girl who was
feet six inches in height when four years oid,.‘fia
well-rounded limbs and bust, looking like a Or'
eighteen.—The World of Wonders.
hl
A PALACE OF DELIGHT. —On the Herreninse1 •,oe
the Chiemissee, at the entrance to the Bay°. yt
Tyrol, the King of Bavaria has been for the last °A
years building a palace-villa, which rumour saYe /lot
surpass in splendour, comfort, elegance, and alr°
in artistic perfection, all the other Royal residenoeto
the world (says The Times). The main building_fpo
been for tome time completed, including the P-ot
banqueting-room (which is 301 t. longer than 00.4,
Versailles), the reception-hall, and the State aPl',l.d
ments. But additional buiidings are being eeecivo;
the ornamental grounds are being enlargedatee
rearranged continually, the system of
that it
supply is being improved or extended—so tha_io
would be impossible to estimate when the work
_wrk,
be judged to he fully completed. Five hundred "rug of
men are constantly employed from the begiditog
spring far into the autumn. The principal hnif fat
has been completely furnished. The resources oales
have been taxed to the utmost, the very door-11„11'0d
and window fastenings being of exquisite desig°_ood
mlrmanshin. There is an abundance of beautiful ;low
carving-. And if the wells are not clothed wititi) ore
it.gs like those in the Doge's palace at Venice, thave I
lined with most beautiful and costly marbles.
_OOlO !
palace is not visible from any of the neighbourinEre oite
or places accessible to the ordinary travellert,t,
having been chosen so as to secure complete Pr'''