The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-11-08 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

At a town's meeting held at Blackpool, it has been
rasoived to adopt the Free Library Act.
The Earl of Redesdale has allowed his tenants 10
per cent, off the rent of their arable lands.

The municipal elections in the corporate boroughs of
England and Wales look plaoe on Saturday, most of the
contests being of a political character.
Some idea of the capacity of the British Museum
Library may be gained from the statement that it contains
three miles of bookshelves eight feet high, and, taking them
all at the ordinary Bvo. size, there are twenty-flve miles of
shelves. The dome of the reading-room is the second largest
In the world, the diameter of that of the Parthenon, Rome,
exceeding it by only two feet. while St. Peter's, being only
139 feet, is less by one foot.

The Army and Navy Gazette states that it is the in-
tention to offer Lord Chelmsford a command on home
home service, shortly, to compensate him for the loss of his
command at the Cape, and in recognition of his services in
having effectually broken the power of King Cetywayo.
-

A Renter's telegram, dated New -Yoric, Nov. 1,
announces the death of Majar-General Joseph Hooker, who
hod several commands in the Federal army during the Civil
War, and was known as "Fighting Joe.' He commanded
the army of the Potomac from January to June, 1863.
- -

,
Mr. Stansfeld, speaking at Slaithwaite, near Hud-
dersfield, on Saturday night, expressed a hope that at the
coming election the country would pronounce a final Judg-
ment on the question of foreign policy.

In the Cassel State Library, as well as in the
archives at Hanover, Dr. Gerland has succeeded in discover-
ing a whole series of important original letters, hitherto not
known, from the pen of Leibnitz, the philosopher, and of
Papln, one of the inventors of practical applications of the
power of steam.

Prince Alumazon, the only on of the late King
Theodore of Abyssinia, who is at present finishing his educa-
tion under the tutorship of one of the professors of the
Yorkshire College at Leeds, has been seriously ill since his
arrival in that town, and Sir James Paget has been sum-
moned to attend him. The Prince is a bright, intelligent
young man, with a thorough command of the English
language.

The entries for this year's forthcoming Cattle Show
of the Smithfield Club closed on Saturday, and the show is
fixed to open in London at the Agricultural Hall on the iith
of December. The entries for cattle are beyond the usual
number, and will be comprised in 32 classes, the sheep will
occupy 31 classes, and the pigs 13 classes, making the total
of classes number 76. The prize list this year, in the aggre-
gate, represents a sum of over £3.000.

The Duke and Decheas of Connaught opened a
bazaar at Brighton on Tuesday, in aid of the Royal Schools
for . the Daughters of Array oEdcers at Bath and Roe-
hampton.

The South Wales Daily News says that the first
cargo of American new wheat has arrived at Cardiff. It
consisted of 43,300 bushels in splendid condition.

The direction of the Bureau Veritas has published
the following statistics of maritime disasters, reported dur-
ing the month of September, 1870, concerning all flags :
Sailing vessels reported lost: Thirty-four English, 15
American, 13 Noiwsglan. 10 French, 8 Dutch, 7 German, 6
Italian, 6 Republic of Nicaragua, 5 Swedish, 3 Milan, 8
Russian, 2 Austrian, 2 Portnguese, 1 Brazilian, 1 Republic of
Costa Rica, 1 Republic of New Granada, 3 of which the na-
tionality is unknown; total, 118. In this number are in-
cluded 8 vessels reported missing. Steamers reported lost:
Five English, 1 French: total, 6.

Colonel Loyd-Lindsay, MX., spoke at an agri-
cultural dinner at Abingdon on Monday night, and stated
that the Government believed that before very long peace
would be re-established on the North-west frontier of India,
and that the frontier would be settled In a much more
satisfactory way thau hitherto had been the case.—ln re-
sponding for "The County Members," he said a general
election could not be far distant. The decision as to the
time when it would come was in the breast of the Prime
Minister, and the censiderations which would guide him
would be for the benefit and the general advantage of the
country at large. The battle at the next election would be
fought on the foreign policy of the Government.
The Paris correspondent of the Daily Telegraph
writes :—" A few days ago an unhappy man threw himself
off the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and was picked up dead.
At six o'clock on Sunday afternoon another suicide of a
similar character occurred, this time at the July Column, in
the Place de la Bastille. The unfortunate creature fell on
the circular entablature at the base of the monument, and
there the body lay for a whole half hour awaiting the ar-
rival of the Commissioner of Police. It would certainly be
well to place a wire grating at the top of the public monu-
ments here, as is the case In London for occurrences of this
terrible nature are becoming alarmingly frequent jut now.
The new premises in Northumberland-avenue,
London, which have been erected for the Society for the
Promotion of Christian Knowledge were formally opened on
Monday. In the morning a sermon in aid of the objects of
the association was preached by the Bishop of Durham,
which was followed by a celebration of the Holy Communion.
Salesequently the building was formally opened by a reli-
gious service conducted by the Bishop of London, and the
Archbishop of Canterbury delivered an address, in which he
described the work carried on by the society as being of
paramount importance. In the evening a conversazione
was held at Willis's Rooms, at which the Bishop of Rochester
presided.
- - -

eery
every
marks :
In not!iiiTinage
Isthet oefl eNc toivornms elrhtes Tainted a :is' whichin a l
leader
country town throughout England, and even in the most
ciniptioorntsan. tfentres of provincial life, is fall of stirring asso-
la ,ondo. n alone has no share in the excitement
which is annually aroused at this period by the municipal
elections. On Saturday there was almost as much interest
bestowed upon the choice of town councillors in the English
cities and boroughs as would furnish forth any community
with political spirit enough for the working of the most
ela,)orate Parliamentary institutions."
Licences to kill game can now be obtained at the
reduced charge of a for the remainder of the season. All
game certificates will expire on the Silt of April ; lOs gun
licences do not qualify the holder to kill game or rabbits.
At the carnival in SAn Francisco in honour of
General and Mrs. Grant, the latter was presented with a
bouquet cnmposed of the flowers indigenous to the various
countries she had passed through in her tour round the
world. Toe flowers were placed in regular order, starting
with Philadelphia and ending with ban Francisco. The
boucplet-holder. five inches long, was made of pure Cali-
fornia gold, and inlaid with quartz and metals found on the
Pacific coast.
A large and enthusiastic temperance meeting was
hat on Monday night in the Free Church Assembly Hall,
Ed.nbargb, at which an address was delivered by Sir Wilfrid
Lawson in support of a resolution urging that a national
effort blaottid be made for the suppression of the traffic in
Intoxicating liquors.
The monks of the Gothard Hospice state that during
the year ending September 30 they have relieved 11,101
indigent wayfarers of all nations. among whom they lime
distributed 45,966 rations. They have also granted hospi-
tality to 132 persons suffering from the effects of exposure,
and made many gifts of clothing. The expenditure of the
hospice having exceeded its income, the monks appeal to
the public for help to enable them to continue their good
work during the coming winter.

Letters from DAroasens report that Abd-el•Kader
was not expected to live.
Signor DArio Mazza, stenographer to the Italian
Senate, has invented a machine which claims to reproduce
a speech in the ordinary printed characters as rapidly as it
is spoken, a word of several syllables being recorded by a
single touch of the keys.

The ceremony of opening the valves connecting the
Fewston Reservoir with that Of Swinty, part of tha scheme
of waterworks supplying Leeds, was performed on Monday.
The mayor unlocked the valve with a gold key. The con-
struction of the Fewnton Reservoir was begun in July, 1874;
it has an area of 155 acres; will hold about 870,000,000
gallons, and has cost £147,000.
Mr. Robert Young, surveyor to the North Brauce-
peth Coal Company, met with a fatal accident en sionday.
He was making an examination of the workings of the
Boyne Colliery, near Durham, when he heard a set of
wagons approaching. He endeavoured to get into a refuge
hole, but failed, and was knocked down by the wagons,
which passed ovcr his neck and killed him. His body wss
not rec.overe4 uptll some tiro rikf ter wards. Mr. 'You* who
was fitti yeara of age, was vrldery 'mown =4 "'MS"

• 41.••4 144 tds .3;44 liatii•444

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