The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-12-13 00:00:00

.I■lll

The Empress Eugenie arrived on Wednesday rtrorn,
tag at Camden House, Chlslehurst, from Madrid.
The emigrants from the Mersey last month Dual'
bored 10,141, an increase of 6,253 on the figures for No'
vember, 1878.
On Monday morning an old man named Saunders•
residing at Kirkcaldy, left with his horse and cart to fetch
a load of coals from a colliery in the neighbourhood. On the
arrival of the cart at Kirkcaldy Saunders was found sitting
up but frozen to death.
The Paper Manufacturers' Association, at 3( meeting
of the trade held In London on Tuesday, resolved that SD
immediate and substantial advance in the prices of all papa,
Is imperatively necessary.
A. splendid wheet crop is expected this year in the
Argentine Republic, the weather having been roost favour-
able and the amount available for export Is estimated at,
125,000 tons.
Lord Henry Scott, M.P., speaking at an agricultigal
dinner at Havant, on Tuesday night, said if America could
Doted so with England they would have to enable their
English tenants to have as large a liberty of cultivation as
possible, as a year-to-year agreement always must restrict
agriculture. He condemned the suggestion of peasant pro-
prietors, and said that country was most happy which itio
had the greatest variety of holdings.
According to the Gaulois of Saturday last, the Em'
press Eugenie intends to proceed direct from Spain to 7,thlty
land, before returning to England.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has sent *
handsome present of game for the benefit of the patients of
the Consumption Hospital, Brompton ; also thirty pheasants
for the patients in the Charing-cross Hospital, London.
La a gang of men were engaged on Monday in
excavating on the Brighton Railway, at Preston, a quantal
of chalk, which was doubtless loosened by the frost, fell, and
completely buried one of them, named Street, aged thirty.
When extricated life was quite extinct. 1
The City of New York has had to pay 10,000
for an accident to an individual resulting from slippery side., -
walks.
A correspondent of the Novoye Vremya, writing
from Tcbikislar, says that, according to official reports, only
about 300 of the 6,000 camels which met out with the
Russian expedition against the Turcomans are still alive,
the surviving animals, moreover, being so reduced that WY
are also almost sure to perish.
A telegram has been received at the AdmiraltY
reporting an accident to the boiler of H.H.S. Pelican. The
following men are reported to have been killed :—Jame'
Crawley, stoker; Thomas Frost, stoker; Joseph Wellmair,
stoker. William Fyne, the leading stoker, and Thnothl
Curtin, stoker, are progressing favourably.
The annual exhibition of the Smithfield Club, which
is one of the largest of recent years, was opened in the AO:
cultural Hall, London, on Monday. Both her Majesty an°
the Prince of Wales are represented in the show, which WO
visited daring the day by his Royal Highness, the PrinColo
Louise, and Prince Christian.
There was another heavy fall of snow in Paris on,
Monday. The street traffic was almost entirely suspended,
and during the previous three days the omnibus companY I.
stated to have lost nearly £B,OOO.
There were 35 British end foreign wrecks reported
during the past week, making a total of 1,518 for the presenli
year, an increase of 61 as compared with the corresponding
period of last year.
Field-Mashall Sir Charles Yorke, G.C.8.. Constable
of the Tower of London afid Lord-Lieutenant of the Tower
Hamlets, completed his 89th year on Sunday, having been
born on Dec 7, 1790. He entered the Army in 1807, end
was created a field-marshal in Jane, 1877.
The Americans are a remarkable people. The last
novelty proposed in the way of leg competitions is 5
standing match. Competitors to stand on a foot square a
ground without lifting their feet. The last one who drops -
to win.
The Times correspondent at Cabal telegraphs that en
Imposing parade of all the troops at Cabul was held on
Monday on the plain near the cantonment. Five thousand
men were assembled under arms. Their appearance WO
excellent, and made an evident impression on the numerous
Afghan spectators, including all the airdars of note now at
Cabul.

---
A telegram from Pesth says that the Kiiros river
has risen in consequence of the snowstorm; inundated the
suburbs of Gross Wardein, and rushed into the inner town.
Most of the inhabitants fled to quarters which are still dr'',
but shelter is wanting for thousands of fugitives. Bien,,l„
houses fell, the railway dam was destroyed, and telegrell'uly
communication interrupted. The neighbouring villages are
likewise threatened with destruction.
The last day of angling in the Tweed district !All
notable for the capture of the heaviest salmon taken
year by anglers. It was a fine fish of 431 b., and for so 114:
vanced a time of the year was in very fair condition. Madis
been taken when fresh run " from the sea, it would no
doubt have proved a very formidable antagonist to tackle.
and the angler would not have found it so easy a matter to
bring his prize to land as it seems he did.
The Bristol Times says that the Miiller Orphan Thin
near that city has recently received a munificent legaer
nearly £lO,OOO from the estate of the late Mr. Alexander
Botefeure, of Bayswater, London.

Mr. Whitbread, M.P., addressing his constituent°
on Monday evening at Bedford, dealt chiefly with dome3ti9
questions. He deprecated the demand for Protection, all,a
said that but for cheap food we should not have got throng"
the recent bad times, He would support, as he had deno
before, a Bill for the abolition of the law of primogeniture.
Local burdens also required readjustment, for they WS!!
excessive in many ways, and also unequal and unjust. Aa'
urged the people to be more thrifty, and advised Liberal' tn
be faithful to their party.at the next election.
A young stableman named Alfred Alderton died at
Blcester last Saturday from the effects of an accident on
the previous Wednesday. He was exercising one of Lord,,
Valentia's horses in the kennel paddock when it supped SW
fell, throwing him heavily to the ground. He was pink°'
up insensible, and death ensued from concussion of tbs
brain.
German papers announce the death at Cassel
Major Philip Wetzel, a veteran of the Napoleonic wat".....as
the age of ninety. He made the campaign of 1812 with rtn'
Russians against the French, and was present at the battle.
of Smolensk and the M.eskowa and the passage of tn.!
Berestna, and served In the subsequent operations down
tee occupation of Paris by the Allies. His mental facultie.
were vigorous to the lad.
The report of the Council of the London HoWital
Saturday Fund states that the receipts of the year amounted
to nearly £6,550, being a little in excess of.the precedlni
year, and in moving the adoption of the report at the las
meeting of the Board of Delegates, Mr. Samuel Morleh
M.P , expressed his gratification at the desire evinced bY
Working men to contribute to the various hospitals and
pensaries which afforded them so many advantages in tinn/
of sickness
Captain John Orr died on Sunday in Edinburgh at
the age of ninety. He was the only survivor of the officer°
of the 42nd Ragiment who were at Waterloo. On the 140
of October last he was presented with an address and a par,
of 800 guineas from former pupils of the Scottish Naval an"
Military Academy, of which he was for many years super'
intendant, and other friends.
The steady improvement in trade is strikingly re:
fleeted in the Board of Trade Returns for November, wble'
were issued on Monday. Both in imports and export.
there has been a remarkable increase on the figures for tin!
corresponding period of 1878; and although allowance mass
be made for the fact that trade. depression had reached ita
lowest ebb in the months of October and November last
this in no way detracts from the satisfactory and encouraffw°
nature of the present returns. They bear favourable coulParP
son with those for the corresponding periods of 1877, and con•
tam n most convincing evidence that the revival which WI
been in progress for several months past has a sound
durable basis.''—Stasidard.
An alarming accident occurred on Tuesday mornbl
at the launch of a vessel belonging to Messrs.
Son, in the Dockyard, Dumbarton. The workmen were eu
gaged removing the blocks from under the ship, when, 11'0132
some cause or other, she began to glide into the waa°,;'
drawing with her a number of the workmen, who Wa^
ther
nearly drowned. One man had both his legs broken, ano
his hip joint dislocated, and both were severely bruised.
Again we are informed that the famine in UPPerB
Silesia is very serious, There are more than 150,000 Inflase"
by it, most of whom are Poles.
lat
The receipts on account of revenue from the
April, 1879, when there was a balance of £6,915,756, to 130'.
6, 1879, were £19,305,569, against £50,105,233 in the cortet
ponding period of the preceding financial year, which Walt
with a balance of £6,243,389. The net expenditure WI!
£54,892,910, against £55,431,564 to the same date in the Pr''-
vious year. Tne Treasury balances on Dac. 6 amounted 1,0
£1,193,396, and at the same date in 1878 t £2,698,078.
The Registrar• General reports that last week scarlet
tle
fever showed the largest proportional fatality in Newell' a,
upon-Tyne, Sunderland, and Sheffield; measles in 14,1..,h.
Nottingham, Plymouth, Birmingham, and LiverpooL
theria caused 15 deaths in London, 4 in Liverpool, .re,
Birmingham, and 2 in Manchester. Five deaths were..l
tarred to fever in Leeds, and 4in Sheffield. Five more fel..
cases of small-pox were recorded in London, but not one
any of the nineteen large provincial towns.
A return of the quantity of fish conveyed inlandi.%
railway from each of the principal fishing ports of the tliseit
Kingdom in the year 1878, has been Issued as a Parliatuen
paper. From English ports 176,652 tons were desparionz;:
Grimsby sending the largest quantity from any port—r„a
44,782 tons. From the Scotch ports the quantity sent Ingt".„,..
was 32,792 tons, Peterhead furnishing the largest quant"ged
viz, 2,396 tons. From Irish ports 6,894 tons were could,.
inland, of which 2,264 tons were despatched from Pow
patrick.
About one o'clock on Sunday the Chard Rererv°4
was the scene of a sad fatality. Two boys, named
and Mitcham, aged respectively 12 and 16 years, belong:7
to Combe St. Nicholas, ventured on a piece of unsafe reed
and both fell through. Ladders and ropes were Prnegtee
but they were of no avail. At five o'clock the body ofBll
elder boy was recovered, and the search for the other vl
continued long into the evening.
The pension list of the United States is excluding
military and naval, and the Commissioner of Pensions
ports that there were 212 755 names on the pension rolls.r4
Jane 30, 1879. Of thew 125,150 were army invalids ; Si,
army widows, children, or dependent relatives; 1,844 na
Invalids; 1,772 navy widows &a ; 11,621 survlvleg aol
of the war of 1812; and 21,194 widows of deceased soldilir:
of that war. There were 37,346 new pensioners added durtnol
the year, owing to the enlargement of the lists by seal., ;
Congress. The annual pension charge is 25,493,742 d°tee
but the cost for the past year was heavier owing to
arrearages due to the new pensioners.
A review of the troops in St. Petersburg has he,be
held by the Czar to commemorate the institution el "80
Order of St. George. His Majesty was received by the n:00
with enthusiastic cheers. A dinner was afterward" Ow
in the Winter Palace, at which the Emperor proposed 5,
health of the Emperor William, the oldest knight a for
George, who, he said, had borne the cross of the Order :et
sixty. five years. The toast was received with much &cog
ing His Majesty afterwards complimented the I°, ei
soldiers of the army on the cordage they had displaYe;et
the last war; and in conclusion he expressed the hone 'tee
Russia would be able to develop her resources in
paths of peace, and have a happy and a glorious future.
ea
The Euphrates, Captain Brownrigg, whioh arrifoo
at Spithead from Bombay on Sunday morning, went h3rd
harbour next day for the purpose of discharging the
Buffs and her freight of invalids and time-expired 0%0
While in a gale of wind in the Bay of Biscay on wednetire
morning the steering wheel "took charge." There oP
eight men employed at it at the time—four blae-jacke'stee
the weather side and four military time-expired men 011 tee
lee-side. One of the latter, Lance-Corporal Hooper, 0: of
15th Hussars, was caught in his tunic by one of the "P°aewea
the wheel and whirled round several times. He suste.,o4
a fracture of the thigh and died on the following 121°s7ef"
from concussion of the brain. The deceesed, who had), for
22 years' service, bad a wife and four children on bosr'gies
whom a liberal subscription was made by the officer" ''.od
other deaths occurred during the passage—two children
three soldiers. in
The general distress caused by the bad harveBt°so.
Hungary is increasing rapidly in consequence of the.,Bo
meetly esti ly and severe winter. Most of the Comitats noo
appealed to Government for loans and seedeorn. 111,6401
districts in the north of Hungary the potatoes are not w.OO-
than walnuts, yet the bread made of the meal of the"e vie
ripe potatoes, mixed with hips, is the only food 0, 0,01
country people. A few weeks hence even this 100'1.0
fail. In other districts the wheat harvest will soon be .4411
up, famine will ensue in the course of the winter, add 1.000
be impossible to sow seed in the spring. It is the int. 13.0 01,
of the Government to endeavour to mitigate the &Ore,' 01
carrying out public works which will supply hundre'"
hands with employmeat.
An accident which happened at Li err eno t
day should induc a caution in the ireatmee oi k
during the winter. A boiler explosion occurred at el)„"attil
house in Lime street, but no poss,n was injured, t'',o
much damage was caused. The °oiler was what is ki1°7,530.
the "L." boiler, and was behind the fire grate. It ha'.ollo
been used for some time, and exploded with a terrto
about two hours after tte fire was lighted. The kitchen 000
rendered a complete wrecv, nr d it is fortunate that loon
was in it at the time. It is nip a matter of contcretu,,oon
Matzo one was in 'a mall adjoining street, where a Pv
of the boiler and a large numbiwof bricks fell.