biglam/hmd_newspapers huggingface dataset:
The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF A GIRL.

On Monday afternoon Mr. Carter, coroner for East
Surrey, opened an inquest at Camberwell, touching
the death of Annie Harman, aged 21, one of the
housemaids in a gentleman's family, residing at Gipsy.
hill, near London.
Mr. A. Harman, a carpenter, residing at Croydon,
identified the body as that of Ms daughter, Annie, a
single woman, in service at Gipsy-hill. She came
home on the Sunday previous to her death to see
them, and he could not account for her death.
J. H. Russell said he was a railway porter at West
Dulwich Station. About a quarter-past twelve on
Tuesday morning, the 20th, in consequence of a tele-
gram from Herne-hill stating that a train had passed
something dark on the metals, he proceeded along
the line to Gipsy-hill, and about 25 yards from
the Union-road bridga he found the dead body
of the deceased. Before he came to the body he
found a woman's hat on the four-foot way; next a I
boot, without any food in it; then he found a portion
of a woman's ulster, and then the body, which was
also lying across the'four-foot of the down line. The
body was dead and cold. He took hold of one wrist
to move her and found her arm was off; her head
was also severed from the body, and was lying
in the four-foot way by the side of her arm. It
appeared to have been done by the train, as
her neck was crushed. The position in which
he found her led him to believe she had laid herself
down on the line. At daylight Mr. Canfield, the
station-master at Gipsy-hill, called his attention to a
large pool of blood about 50 yards from where the
body was found. ,:There was about six quarts of blood,
and it appeared to him that she had first been knocked
down there. There was no crossing in that neighbour-
hood on the line.
Charlotte Akerman, a fellow servant, said the
deceased had lately appeared greatly depressed and
strange in her manner.
The jury then found that the deceased met her death
by mischasce, while wandering in a state of mental
aberration, but how she came on to the line there was
no evidence to show.

also
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

PATENT LAW REFORM.

Among the measures mentioned in the Queen's
Speech as to be brought forward, that for the im-
provement of the patent law had no place, and yet
there is no reform more urgently and pressingly re-
quired. As the Electrician points out, the expense of
a patent for seventeen years in the United States is
seven pounds; in England the cost of one for fourteen
years is about two hundred pounds. There is little
cause for wonder at the labour -saving inventions of all
kinds which have done so much towards the prosperity
of the great Republic. It is not only in the innu-
merable ingenious tools and knickknacks, but in the
machinery in every branch of manufacture, that the
progress is shown, Men who know what English ma-
chinery is are simply astonished when they visit the
manufactories of the States. Nor is this to be wondered
at. Every workman knows that if he can invent any
appliance by which labour can be saved or production
increased, he can patent it at a small cost, and may
then make a fortune from it. Here there is no such
incentive to invention. The workman knows that
however clever an appliance he might contrive, the
oost of patenting it would be wholly beyond his power,
and that the capitalist—if he is lucky enough to find
one—would reap all the benefit. The difference of the
costs between patents in England and America
does not represent all the advantage of the
American system. In England, for two hun-
dred pounds, you may get a patent; but it may
afterwaids turn out that the same invention had been
patented before; and, then, not only is the money
lost, but the inventor is liable to an action for in-
fringement. The Patent Office takes his money, but
does absolutely nothing for him. In the United
States, upon the contrary, before even the small
amount charged is accepted and the patent is issued,
the authorities look through their indices, and assure
themselves that the patent applied for is not an in-
fringement upon any which have preceded it. Were
the patent laws of the United States adopted here it
would give an immense impetus to inventors, and so to
production, and would enlist the whole intelligence of
the artisan class.—Eming Standard.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

" LIGHT GOLD.

At a meeting of the Institute of Bankers, held at
the London Institute, Mr. J. B. Martin in the chair,
a paper was read by Mr. It. H. Inglis Pa!grave,
F.S.S., "On the Deficiency of Weight in our Gold
Coinage, with a Proposal for its Reform." Scientific
investigation, it was stated, shows that 18 years' wear
reduces a sovereign below its point of legal currency.
The gold coinage in circulation is now estimated at
£80,000,000 in sovereigns and 220,000,000 in half.
sovereigns, and of those it is thought 236 000,000
in sovereigns are heavy and £44,000,000 light;
while £9,000,000 in half-sovereigns are heavy and
£11,000,000 light.
Mr. Martin estimates that the cost of recoining
light gold would be for sovereigns £550,000, and
for half.sovereigns £236,500, or a total of £786,500;
and this must either fall on to the Government
or on the last holders when light coin is called
in, as was done in 1842. Conducting the with-
drawal of light gold privately and through the Bank
of England would be, it was considered, the most con-
venient and the safest course for the Government to

pursue.
A discussion followed, and the whole question of
the gold coinage was ordered to be referred to the
Council, with a request that they would consider
the beat means of bringing the matter prominently
forward.

th

The Council of the Association of Chambers of
Commerce have appointed a committee of about forty
persons to examine very carefully the provisions of the
Bankruptcy Sill.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

THE MANUFACTURE OF ARMOUR-
PLATES.

In an article on "Armour-Plates," the Globe says
The manufacture of an armour-plate from the
moment when the oven doors, which have bean closed
upon the thick layers of iron all night, are opened,
and the burly sltef pronounces his dish "done," is a
fascinating spectacle. For every new plate the great
month of the oven is carefully built up with fire•bricks,
and the furnace is literally sealed. When it is deli-
vered of its contents, and the ragged mass of metal is
drawn forth in a white and dazzling glow, the brick
and mortar work crumbles like snow before the sun.
Prior to the reign of composite plate, the white-hot
mass was hurried down a slight incline upon a low
trolly, straight into the jaws of the rollers, but
the application of the steel face entails an inter-
mediate process, and a re heating, before the plate
is finally squeezed and welded by the cylinders.
After the white glow of the first exit has changed
to a dull red, the plate—weighing, it may be, from
thirty to forty tons—is caught up endwise, as though
it were a portmanteau, by a travelling crane, which
holds it under a great cauldron of molten steel,
waiting to pour its scalding potion down a wide
slit that represents the vacuum left for the steel. .
The plate, having received its charge of steel, is placed
In the furnace again, brought out once more in its state
of dazzling luminosity, and drawn down to the huge
rollers, through which it passes backwards and f or-
wa-ds until it is reduced to the thickness required.
After this it is transported to another shop where its
surface is planed, its rough edges cut square or adjusted
to specific angles, and its body drilled to admit the
bolts that are to nail it to the vessel's side.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

A "PULLMAN" TRAIN ON THE
CONTINENT.

Writing from Rome on Sunday evening, the Corre-
spondent of the Daily Telegraph says :
An interesting experiment in the way of continuous
railway travelling has just been crowned with com-
plete success. A train consisting exclusively of Pull-
man carriages left Calais at half-past two o'clock on
Friday afternoon, and arrived here this evening, the
passengers having had no occasion to leave their seats
or berths except for the purpose of taking refresh-
ment at certain pre-arranged stopping-places. This
trip of 1,400 miles is the longest continuous
journey on record; for although the distance
from New York to San Francisco is much more
than twice as long, in all such expeditions in the
United States the passengers have to change cars
several times, whereas in this particular excursion the
same carriages have performed the through journey
from Calais to Rome. The occasion was special, and
is scarcely likely to occur again, at least for some time
to come. The Pullman Car Company is about to
establish a regular service from Rome to Reggio by
the new line through Calabria, thus enabling tourists
who do not care to risk a voyage upon the often
stormy Mediterranean to reach Sicily by means of a
short sea run from Reggio to Messina. The cars had
to be taken through France and Italy, and the occasion
was utilised to form a special excursion train.

-
The train consisted of three cars, named respec-
tively the Australia, Germania, and Castalia, each
having sleeping accommodation for thirty-two persons.
There were, however, only about thirty passengers in
all, so that these had ample space to move about in
and thus beguile the inevitable tedium of a journey
lasting more than two days and nights. It is unneces-
sary to explain the arrangements of Pullman cars to
English readers; but you can scarcely form an idea
of the sensation produced by the train along the line
of route. The officials of the various railways took
special interest in the experiment, the train invariably
containing some of the directors or superior employes
of the particular line along which it was travelling.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

RIGHT AND LEFT-HANDEDNESS.

The St. James's Gazette says :—Mr. Charles Read
wrote one or two letters some time age to a morning
paper condemning the practice of nurses and mothers
who discourage children from using their left hand,
and thus render it comparatively unserviceable.
Nature, he maintained, has made no distinction
between the right and left extremities of the body ;
and but for the existence of a foolish prejudice in
favour of the right hand, both limbs might be
rendered equally useful. Dr. Gailtan Delaunay has
Just communicated an interesting paper to the
French Anthropological Society, in which h 3 seeks
to establish that right-handedness is not an acquired
habit, but is a natural attribute characteristic
of the superior races. Savage tribes, he states, and
communities in an inferior state of civilization show a
much larger proportion of left-handedness than highly
civilized peoples do. The Annamites, for instance,
are noted as a left-handed people ;and negroes, accord-
ing to Harting, are equally developed on both aides of
the body, the right and left extremities possessing
exactly the same power and weight. Idiots and epi-
leptics, again, offer a very large percentage of left-
handed individuals; and there are more left-handed
women than men. Infants, Dr. Delaunay says, are
left-handed at first (Mr. Reade adduced this fact in
support of his theory) ; Ps they grow older they
become both-handed, and eventually right-handed.
In old age, however, there is a marked tendency to
both-handedness again. His general conclusion is
that in the evolution of the species there has been a
steady tendency to the development of the right side
of the body at the expense of the other, and that the
examples of left handedness still to be met with in the
superior races are mere " survives "
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

THE PUBLIC HEALTH.

The Registrar-Greneral's return for the week ending
February 24 shows that the annual rate of mortality in
28 great towns of England and Wales averaged 227
per 1,000 of their aggregate population, which is
estimated at 8,620,975 persons in the midale of this
year.
The six places in which the rates of mortality were
the lowest were Brighton, Derby, Plymouth, Bristol,
Portsmouth, and Salford.
In London 2,759 births and 1,554 deaths were regis-
tered. Allowing for increase of population the births
exceeded by 10, whereas the deaths were so many as
299 below, the average numbers in the corresponding
weeks of the last ten years. The annual rate of mortality
from all cansee, which had been equal to 217, 21.5, and
20'1 per 1,000 in the three preceding weeks, was
last week 205. During the first eight weeks of the
current quarter the death-rate averaged only 209 per
1,000, against 29 6, 231, and 269 in the corresponding
periods of the three years 1880, 1881, and 1882. The
1,554 deaths included 6 from small-pox, 28 from
measles, 36 from scarlet-fever, 18 from diphtheria, 28
from whooping-cough, 1 from typhus, 13 from enteric
fever, 6 from ill-defined forms of continued fever, 12
fromdiarrhcea and dysentery, and not one from simple
cholera ; thus 148 deaths were referred to these
diseases, being 83 below the corrected average number
In the corresponding weeks of the last ten years.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY.

Writing on Tuesday the Paris correspondent of the
Daily Telegraph says :

To-day has taken place the most impressive ceremony
to be seen in Paris, perhaps anywhere. I cannot call
to mind any sight so moving as that of a grand
funeral service in the historic Chapel of the In-
valides. General Martimprey was governor of
the institution when he died, and was, there-
fore, entitled to sepulture within the precincts of the
building where he had held sway. He was en-
titled, moreover, to all the military and religious
honours which could be paid to his remains.
The spectacle was imposing in the extreme. To
say that, so far as the pompes funebres are con-
cerned, it was a burial service "of the first-class "t s
to tell those familiar with things Parisian that the
sacred edifice was draped with black, that an immense
catafalque was erected in the middle of the building,
and that the four often-mentioned figures of Faith,
Hope, Charity, and Religion were set up at the four
corners thereof. It goes, too, without saying, that the
armorial bearings of the deceased general, alternating
with the names of the battles in which he had been
engaged, such as the Alma, Inkermann, Magenta, and
Solferino, were ranged in shields round the edifice,
which was chiefly illumined by green lights, that
flickered in tall silvern lampadaires. But what cannot
be imagined by those who were not present is
the effect produced by the torn trophies of many
campaigns hung from the roof of the building, and
by the grand music of the ceremony. A military
band was stationed near the high altar, while a
small orchestra of wood and stringed instruments
in the organ loft supplemented the effect of the
king of instruments. The contrast between the
streaming melody that flowed down from the
gallery and the monotonous roll of the drums outside
was striking in the extreme. But the climax was
reached when, at the conclusion of the religious
ceremony, the coffin was placed on a sumptuous car
drawn by four richly-caparisoned horses, and halted
before the entrance of the building. There, on the
broad esplanade, troops of all arms defiled, officers
saluting, and flags being lowered as they passed the
body, and there the dead general held his last review
before retiring to rest for ever beneath the gilded
dome which symbolises the gratitude of France to the
defenders of her fame.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

THE LABOUR MARKET.

Business in the cotton market at Manchester is
still weak. Those merchants who have small orders
for goods are content to occupy themselves therewith,
but among others the competition for orders is very
keen. The calico trade in Oldham is represented as
being in a very healthy condition. The woollen
market shows a more cheerful tone, but there is hardly
any appreciable improvement in the amount of busi-
ness. In the hosiery trade there is but little change to
report, and in the woollen departments there are many
complaints about the state of the spring orders.
In Staffordshire and Lancashire the iron market
continues stagnant, with an easier tendency in prices
all round. The coal trade is moderately active. The
engineers and shipbuilders in all parts continue fully
employed.
Work in the metropolis is, on the whole, fairly good.
The pulling down of old buildings, the extension of
the tramways into the suburbs, and the lengthening of
the underground railways, gives full_ employment to

classes of labourers, it exceptionally gc-iod-wages.
In the West of England the unfavourable weather
caused a material diminution of orders in several of
the stable industries, but there are few factories where
the workpeople are not fully employed, and in the
boot and shoe trade the men have continued working
extra time. Cabinet manufacturers, who had found
it difficult to obtain substantial orders during the first
fortnight of this month, have experienced an imme•
diate improvement following upon three days' fine
weather, which will also have a good effect on all
branches of the building trade, much work having
been delayed. In the agricultural districts saddle and
harness manufacturers have experienced little if any
falling off in home orders, and farmers are evidently
preparing for active work during the next few weeks.
The sugar refineries are doing a steady business, and
commercial men find trade in South Wales much
better.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

AN ERUPTION OF ETNA.

Etna is again in a state of eruption, though ap-
parently not of a violent character. Professor Sil-
vestri, who is the guardian of that volcano, as Pro-
fessor Palmieri is of Vesuvius, writes from Catania
after the following manner (says the Correspondent of
The Times) :
" The explosions which from the bottom of the
crater succeed one another incessantly at intervals
of tour or five minutes, besides projecting
hurricanes of steam, laden with the finest ashes and
minute sand, send out also scoriaa and large
fragments of incandescent lava, which constitute
a deci4ed eruption in the central crater. For
this reason the summit of the mountain is seen at
a very great distance all illuminated by a blazing
light. The whole of the matter ejected, which is
diffused on the outside,ls seen to be formed of frag-
mentary lava, motto e'abcrrati and 'profoundly'
attached by the action of acid vapours; the very fine
ashes are intermixed with abundant and glittering
microlitic crystals of calcareous sulphate. The erup-
tion of mud at Patetno has ceased, not presenting
more than a weak residuum of action, as happens in
its normal state."
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

THE VICTORIA CROSS.

The Queen conferred the Victoria Cross on Satur-
day on Lieutenant W. U. M. Edwards, 2nd Battalion
Highland Light Infantry, for the conspicuous bravery
displayed by him during the battle of Tebel-Kebir on
Sept. 13, 1882, in leading a partiy of the Highland
Light Infantry to storm a redoubt. Lieutenant
Edwards (who was in advance of his party) with great
gallantry rushed alone into the battery, killed the
Artillery officer in charge, and was himself knocked
down by a gunner with a rammer, and only rescued
by the timely arrival of three men of his regiment.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

REMARKABLE CASE OF LONGEVITY

IN SCOTLAND,

The Medical Press and Circular says :—Dr. Charles
Stewart, of Larkhall, states relatively to oases of
longevity that there at present lives in the town of
Larkhall a man whose years now undoubtedly reach
103. His faculties are unimpaired, and he is ex-
tremely high-spirited and fond of fun. He works
daily, walking a distance of nearly two miles to and
from his work each day. He is the father of a con-
siderable progeny, who naturally are people in the
decline of life. He never had a day's illness during
his long life, until about nine months ago, when he
had a severe and dangerous attack of a disease peculiar
to senility, from which he entirely recovered with
surprising rapidity, to the astonishment of his friends
and Dr. Stewart, his medical attendants This highly
interehting individual is an Irishman. _
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

THE PROGR'ESS OF FARM WORK.

The Mark Lane Express says that if the fine weather
has come to stay there will soon be a prospect of
getting to work on the land in earnest. At present
all the strong lands are very wet, and it will take some
little time to render them sufficiently dry to work. If
they should get wind and sun enough to dry the
more rapidly the mud of February will be brick in
March, as there has been an entire absence of the
disintegrating influence of frost. Here and there a
little seeding has been done during the three or four
fine days on the lighter description of soils, and the
ploughs are already at work on land which is not ht,
but a beginning must be made some time. It will,
under the most favourable circumktances, be a difficult
and anxious seed-time, and probably most of the work
will be done little by little daily, for safety if not for
necessity.
Reports of the lambing season yam but they are
not good anywhere. Keep is very plentiful.
The mild weather is causing the buds to show
rapidly on the fruit trees, and in some parts the
whitethorn is in occasional leaf. The birds are
singing, the woods are full of violets and prim-
roses, and the meadows are more like April than
February.
Liver-rot is prevalent all over the country in stock
purchased from off unsound land in the autumn. The
seas .n itself might have been taken as a guarantee for
such a result. Foot and mouth disease is spreading
rapidly, and now exists in Eneland, Wales, Scotland,
and Ireland. Prices for beef and mutton have been
rather weaker during the past week.

DYING AT HIS Pon.--The death is announced of
the Rev. John Frederick Thorpe, vicar of Herne-hill,
near Faversham. The deceased was preaching for a
neighbouring clergyman in Seamlter Church, when,
finding himself unable to proceed with his discourse,
he brought it to a close with a few kindly words. He
was assisted from the pulpit to the vestry, where he
'expired half an hour afterward& Mrs. ThPrpe W&O
present in ohurch at the time.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

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Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

MUTINY IN AN AMERICAN PENI
TENTIARY.

A despatch from Jefferson City, Missouri, announces
that the convicts at the penitentiary at that place have
revolted and set fire to the building.—The following
particulars have been given :
The Missouri Penitentiary, in Jefferson City, con-
tains 1,400 convicts. They labour in workshops within
the prison, which are provided by various contractors.
On Friday in last week, upon returning to work from
dinner, mutiny began in the harness shop, where the
foreman were seized. Then the ringleader set fire to
some loose straw in the shop, and the entire building
was soon in a blaze. The guards rushed in to ex-
tinguish the fire, but were met by the convicts, who
cut the hose. The alarm bell quickly notified to the
town that something had happened, and soon large
crowds were running to the Penitentiary, guided by
the appearance of a dense smoke caused by the fire,
which had spread to the adjacent shops.
The Legislature immediately adjourned, and the
entire male population, putting themselves under the
lead of Adjutant-General Waddell, were armed by
him from the State armoury. In a few minutes more
he had established a cordon round the Penitentiary,
all classes standing in ordered ranks, with loaded
rifles, ready to suppress the revolt. The prison walls,
with the buildings yet unconsumed, were quickly
garrisoned, when the officials began to march the con-
victs back from the burning buildings to their cells,
The ringleader, armed with a knife and club, endea-
voured to climb the walls and escape, but was dis-
armed and put into a dungeon. Half-a-dozen others,
who had seized the foremen, was then also captured
, and imprisoned. In this way 1,150 of the convicts
were marched to their cells, the remainder being
allowed to aid in subduing the flames.

-
The fire still spread rapidly. Several convicts were
fatally burnt, and some were hurt by jumping from
the windows. The convicts wh,) had been left at
liberty worked together with the firemen to suppress
the conflagration. Damage has been occasioned to the
extent of 300,000 dole.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

PRESENTATION FOR SAVING LIFE.

On Wednesday in last week in the presence of a
number of friends, the Royal Humane Society's
bronze medal and certificate were presented to Miss
Jessie Reeve Myers by the Rev. T. Plunket Mooney,
the clergyman of the parish, at the residence of
her mother, Lynton-villas, Southampton, for saving
the life of her friend, Miss Mary Martin, on the 13th of
October last. The young lady was in the act of pushing
off a boat from a long jetty at the bottom of the
garden, when she over•reached herself and fell into
the river in 10ft, of water. The tide was ebbing
rapidly at the time and carried her away from the
shore. Miss Meyers, who was walking along the jetty,
saw the accident and was for a moment or two
paralyzed, but seeing her friend sink twice and at the
same time floating away with the current, she no longer
hesitated, but plunged into the stream and swam to her
assistance. In the first attempt to grasp her friend
her hat came off in her hand. She immediately flung
this aside, and seized her by the hair, and after con-
siderable difficulty she swam with her to the shore in
a very exhausted condition. Fortunately Miss Martin
was perfectly rassive or the lives of both might have
been sacrificed.
On making the presentation Mr. Mooney com-
plimented Miss Myers on her bravery and presence of
mind.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

DEPARTURE OF MR. GLADSTONE
FROM CANNES.

- - --
The Correspondent of the Daily News, writing on
Monday, thus describes the departure of Mr. Glad-
stone from Cannes :
The Cannes station presented a very animated
appearance this morning when Mr. Gladstone left for
Paris en route for London. The Premier arrived
about a quarter of an hour before the time, and while
waiting was the object of much attention from a large
circle of friends who had assembled to witness his
departure. He was accompanied by Mrs. and Miss
Glaistone, and his private secretary, the Hon. Mr.
Lyttelton, Lord and Lady Wolverton being also pre-
sent to see them off.
Anyone who saw the Premier arrive at Cannes six
weeks ago must have been struck with the aston-
ishing difference in his appearance. When he came
here he could scarcely walk along the station plat-
form unaided. His face was pale and careworn,
and he was wrapped up in furs and a heavy
overcoat. To-day he appeared without wrappers of
any kind. He hurried, at times almost ran, along
the platform with the sprightliness of a young man.
He laughed and talked merrily with his group
of friends, and his face was quite coloured with the
sun and sea air. Altogether the change was most
surprising, and it is to be hoped that the sudden
transition from the clear, pure atmosphere and
warmth of the south to the fogs and dampness of
London will not undo the beneficial work wrought in
his condition.
Mrs. Gladstone also was looking exceedingly well,
and she has enjoyed her visit immensely. Her amia-
bility and kindly generous manner, have made her
many additional friends.
Both the Premier and Mrs. Gladstone took with
them in the train some floral souvenirs of esteem and
friendship, which were presented to them as they
entered the station. They travelled in an ordinary
first-class compartment. The train left at a quarter
to one. The day was beautifully fine, and the sun as
hot as in an English June.
As the train moved out the Premier was warmly
saluted by those on the platform.

Mr. Gladstone arrived at Paris on Tuesday, and
alighted at the British Embassy. He called upon M.
Grevy at two o'clock in the afternoon. The Premier,
accompanied by Lord Lyons, the British Ambassador,
subsequently visited M. Challemel•Lacour, the French
Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

1311IERLEY HILL.

STEALING BOTTLES. —At the Police Court on
Monday. before Messrs. H. 0. Firmstone, 'ft
Wilkes Webb, and P. H. Foley, James Kendrick
labourer, was charged with stealing two bottles,
the property of William McMillan, pottery mantl•
facturer, of Brii-rley Hill —The case being provea
the prisoner was fined lOs 63, with the alternative
of 14 days' imprisonment.
CL%151 Fon Woßx DOlsE.—Eli Pearson, carter, I
of Brettell Lane, brought a claim against Benjarnia
Warr, boiler manufacturer, for .22 2s 03, for work
done for him at the rate of is a day. The Bench
gave the complainant a verdict for .21 17s 03- /*
c mnter claim of El 19s Od the Bench disallowed.

_
Coat. STEALING —James Grainger (7), Sopllo.,
Morris (13), and Minnie Kendrick (11), were chargea
with stealing coal, the property of the Earl Of
Dudley P.C. Duffey stated that on the 200 ult.
he s.,w t e defendants taking coal from the Race
Course Colliery. Grainger. on account of
hi vouth, "as dzscha,ge,J, but the other defendants
were fined 5s each.
Warm STEALING.Edwin Bromley (12), 0.1
Winds iwa, charged s,ealinf.Y. a gold watch anue
silver chair, the property of James Jordan, 0'
Br;-tdir.,y.--e.)n the 20th ult., Ela,riet Jord ,n, the
\viff nfp!oAe•rnit,.r, W 1 onit visit to a M. Hingley,
gas. manu ac:tarer, Worristoy, and left the watch
in abe :room thee. The boy, it Hppeared, was 011
that dat employed at the house repairing the bet
wires and the work would uecesstate his going inbf
the h•droom where tt. watch was 1-ft. The WELPS
was tnissyd. o th 21st ult. and it was aso rtaiaed
that on the 22nd ult. the boy showed the watch to
a servant in the employ of the R-v. J. J. Slade,
rector or. Wordsley. On the -ollowing day the boY
was arrested by P.S. Williams and he then stated
that ho had found it.—Owing to the boy'slpreviotts
good character, the Bench were not disposed toseod
him to prison, and ordered him to have 12 strokes
with the birch rod.
DRUNKENNESS.—John Kindon, shoemaker,
Wollaston, was charged with being drunk, and WO
fined 5s including costs for the offence.—Walter
Danby, ironworker, Buckpool, was summoned for
being drunk on the 18th ult. P.C. Hume stated
that defendant was so helplessly drunk that he and
and P.O Adams had to take hint home in a wheel-
barrow. Defendant was fined 2s 6d and costs. •
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

A CURIOUS BANKING CASE.

In London, before Mr. Justice Stephen and a
common jury, in the Queen's Bench Division, the
cause of "Cheshire v. The Birkbeck Bank" has been
heard. . . . . .

---
In this case the plaintiff, the widow of a chemist,
who carried on business at Coldharbour-lane, Brixton,
and other parts of London, brought the action as
executrix of her late husband, to recover a sum of £l6O
i
odd, which he bad deposited n defendants' bank, but
which the defendants declined to give up until fur-
nished with further proof than they had obtained as
to the identity of the depositor with the person who
had authoriad the lady to take it out.

Mr. Bingham, the plaintiff's counsel, said the de-
ceased, who had been a gentleman of somewhat eccen-
tric habits, and took pains to conceal his business
transactions even from his wife, made deposits in the
defendant's bank under the title of "King Napoleon
Pepper," and shortly before his death he gave his wife
authority to draw the money, signing the note
"K. N. Pepper," a title which, of course, in its con-
tracted form, was only the phonetic way of spelling
Cayenne Pepper. The note thus authorising the
plaintiff to get the money bore the address of Mr.
Cheshire's place of business at Coldharbour-lane, but
the bank, not being satisfied as to the writer's identity
with their depositor, declined to give the money up
without sufficient evidence of that fast, and until they
received an indemnity against any other possible
claim on it.
It was held on behalf of the plaintiff that the
evidence already offered was sufficient ; but Mr. A.
Cross, counsel for the defendants, held that in the
case of a bank with 40,000 depositors, amongst whom
there were some depositors with names as striking as
the one now in question, while at least seven of them.
were Peppers, it was necessary to observe some can-
tion.
Mr. Bingham, on the other hand, remarked that
the defendants probably had not seven Peppers of the
address of K. N. Pepper, at Coldharbour-lane.
The plaintiff, the widow, and executrix of the
deceased, explained in her evidence that her late hus-
band disliked appearing in his own name in certain
transactions, buying things at sales under names that
were merely assumed for the occasion and giving the
name of Thompson when ailing to a doctor' to
prevent his wife or assistants from knowing that he
was ill.
After some conversation, Mr. Justice Stephen sug-
gested whether the evidence as to identity was not
sufficient, and put the question to the Jury whether
they believed that Cheshire was Pepper.

_
The Jury at once replied in the affirmative, and a
verdict was entered for the Plaintiff, but, looking at
the difficult position in which the bank had been
placed in the matter, the Court did not allow costs
against the defendants.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

A YEAR OF WINDS.

The year 1882 will be best remembered in meteoro-
logical annals as a period of exceptional windiness
(says the Globe). The complete returns which prove
its title to this distinction have been ccllected in a
very accessable form by the hon, secretary of the
National Rose Society. Those show that the mean
velocity of the wind Lear London throughout the twelve
months was 46 miles above the average of the previous
32 years, and, with one exception, higher than in
any of them. Indeed, "after February there did not
occur a single really calm month ; and of the re-
maining ten months six were exceptionally
windy." There were sixteen gales during the
year, but only one of them is characterised as
strong, and the special feature was rather the long
continuance of the storms than their violence while
they lasted. The two months in which these storms
were most prevalent were April and November. In
the latter month the mean velocity was no leas than
177 miles above the average of the previous 39 years,
but the highest velocity in any one day was only 501
miles, and in any one hour not above 28. It was
in April, however, that the unruly captives of
2Eolus indulged in their most boisterous frolics.
There were only eight days in which the
velocity per hour was less than 10 miles, al-
though 10 is about the average of March, which
is popullrly believed to be the most windy month of
the twelve. But on the 29th the winds, which had
been strong and steady up to that time, increased to a
gale, and the average velocity rose to 24. Between
four and five in the afternoon it blew at a rate esti-
mated at Kew Observatory as 50 miles an hour, and
for some very short periods 70 to 80 miles. It brought
with it a salt spray, supposed to haye-corpe from the
sea; and, by the aotion of this liquid, as well ashy the

rubbing of the leaves against the branches and against
one another, did an extraordinary amount of damage
to the foliage, which was blackened and torn ,;o
pieces.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

THE PRINCE OF WALES IN BERLIN.

On Tuesday the Prince of Wales paid a number of
visits to the leading personages at present in Berlin.
His Royal Highness first called on Prince Bismarck,
whom he found in tolerably good health, but, owing
to his white beard, much altered and aged in appear.
ance.

The Prince next called on Count von Moltke, and
then on the Prussian and German Ministers and the
Ambassadors of Austria and Russia. Subsequently
he visited the Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria and
the King and Queen of Saxony, who arrived here this
afternoon.

-----------
At his interview with the officers of the Bliicher
Hussars, the Prince, after expressing his sense of the
great honour the Emperor had conferred on him by
appointing him chief of so celebrated a regiment,
promised Colonel von Thiele that he would take an
early opportunity of visiting the regiment at its head-
quarters in Pomerania.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

LYE.

CONCERT.—A conceit was given in the Temperance
Hall, Lye, on Monday last, in aid of the Sunday
schools. There was a good attendance. The pro-
gramme commenced with a duett by the Rev C.
Phillips on the harmonium and Mr. T. Rhodes the
pianofore. It w as played in a tno,t brilliant manner
and elicited I4,ud app! use. The whole of the part
songs were very well retwered, admirable iime being
kept throughout, and gave great satisfa.ttion to t e
audience. The song "Clear and Cool," by Miss
Richards, was wed sung in a most finished • yle.
The s •ngs "Cloistn- Voices," and "True to the
Last," by Mr Eric Walker were received with loud
applause, the latter bAng encor 'd. Miss MI lie
Fie d's songs, "The Children's Home," and " The
Ipast Chord," were well received, the former being
encored. ‘`How shall I woo her," and "Come into
the Gorden Maud," by Mr. Yates, were given in his
usu 1 good style, and were he r ily enane 1.
audience nere ..ad an agr.!eable surpiise by Mr.
Barratt sin4ng "Old Simon the Cellarer, ' in ad-
dition to th ) Lems on the programme, which was
lou ly app! to e.t, Mr-4. tlanimond Smith •5 tongs'
"Going to M ddiet," ad " Iwo '8 Company,' were
gi,en in her usual pleasing manner, the last song
bt.tng encored. The humorous songs of Mr, Colder
wire fittlinielY good, and cauied roars of lougktor

-
- _
-
_ .7- _
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

THE QUEEN AND JESSIE ACE.

The Queen, in acknowledging the receipt of a por-
trait of Miss Jessie Ace, daughter of the keeper of the
Mumbles Lighthouse, who it will be remembered,
rescued two of the crew of the barq_ue Prinz Ad,albert
- the 27th of January, intimates that she is much
pleased with the photograph, both as a work of art
and also as a memento of a noble act. The photo-
graph was sent at the express request of the Queen.

I on
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

THE NEW COURT OF CRIMINAL
APPEAL.

The Lord Chief Justice of England is to be the chief
of the new Court of Criminal Appeal which the
Attorney General's Bill proposes to establish, all the
judges of the High Court and the Appeal Court, save
the Lord Chancellor, being members of this new
Court.
In hearing appeals the Court is to be constituted
of three or more judges up to seven, as the Lord Chief
Justice may, in each case direct. To this Court an
appeal is allowed for any one who is convicted on
indictment of a criminal charge. In capital cases the
appeal is unrestricted, and may be based on any ques-
sion of law, or of fact, or of both. On other indictable
charges the appeal is unrestricted, as regards questions
of fact or of mixed fact and law; but as regards ques-
tions of law, the leave of the Court of trial, or of the
Attorney General, is requisite.
Questions of law reserved by the Court of trial are
to be decided by the Court of Criminal Appeal. And
where a question so reserved appears to be of sufficient
importance, and it would be unjust to the defendant,
or inconvenience to the public interest to proceed with
the trial before the decision of the question, the trial
may be adjourned and the jury discharged, if the de-
fendant be willing.
A man will not be entitled to be present at the hear
ing of his appeal unless the Court directs it so for
special reasons. But he may, of course, appear by
counsel; and he may also submit a written statement
in support of his appeal. With regard to the proceed-
ings at the hearing of the appeal, the notes taken by the
judge at the trial may be used as evidence; and, if the
Court thinks fit, it may also receive affidavits in
relation to any matter incidental to the appeal, even
though it has not arisen at the trial. As additional
information is sometimes forthcoming after a trial, this
is provided for by the direction that, if it be deemed
essential for the purpose of doing justice, the court
may call any one before it and let him be examined
by counsel even though he was not a witnses at the
trial.

Nearly all these provisions, itgvill be noticed, are in
favour of the defendant; no appsEal is allowed against
an acquittal. Want of unanimity on the part of the
Judges will not, however, acquit a defendant, for it is
the opinion of the majority that will prevail; the
judgment standing good in case of an equal division of
opinion. In such a case, however, it will be open to
the Home Secretary to intervene, as he probably would
where a man was going to be hanged for murder. And
to make doubly sure as to questions of law, a further
appeal to the House of Lords is with regard to them
still allowed in all cases, both to the Crown and the
defendant if the Court of Criminal Appeal give leave.'
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

DISESTABLISHMENT IN WALES.

At a meeting of Welshmen held in Manchester on
Tuesday night the subject of disestablishment in Wales
was discussed. A resolution was passed expressing
great pleasure at the intention of Lord Richard
Grosvenor, M.P., regarding the disestablishment of
the Establi,hed Church in Wales, and accepting it as
a distinct assurance that Liberal statesmen are pre:
pared to accede to the urgently repeated demand of
the Welsh for religious equality. The meeting called
upon the Welsh members to take immediate action in
Parliament to give effect to the deep-seated conviction
of the Welsh people on the subject.

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING.—Now that the statue
Of the Luke of Wellington has been removed from
Hyde Park Corner, the First Commissioner of Works
is said to be exercised as to its new destination, There
Cannot be two opinions as to the proper place—Lei.
ceder Square—for there the Duke would be face to
face with his old enemies the Frenoh,—Fun.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

THE CENSUS RETURNS.

I.lr. James asked the President of Local Government
Board when the census returns for England would be
Printed and circulated among members.
Sir C. Duke: The first two volumes of the census report
are now being prepared for the press, and will be printed
and ready for circulation before the end of ApriL The
!.ehraining portion of the report will be printed probably in
oflternber, and the Registrar-General informs me that it
WIZ be all circulated before November.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

LORD WOLSELEY and 'the SERVICES.

Lord Wolseley, speaking on Monday night at the
annual dinner of the South London Rifle Club, at the
Holborn Restaurant, London, said that he was an old
soldier himself, and he also had an opportunity of being
associated fora very long time both with the Auxiliary
Forces in this country and with the Volunteers in
Canada. He had never, it was true, served in the
Navy, but he had made a great many very disagree-
able voyages, and these entitled him, perhaps, to say
a few words also about this portion of the service.
Speaking from his own experience, his lordship said
he had been so very frequently associated with both
the Army and the Navy that he was capable of giving
a very gcod opinion of their respective merits, and he
must say that, the Navy being the more national
service of the two, if it were impossibe for both the
services to be perfect, he would infinitely prefer
to see perfection on the sea than to see it
on the land. England could never become a great
military Power, but for many many years she had
been the greatest naval Power of the world, and he
most earnestly hoped she would never cease to hold
that position. When men who were interested in
the expenditure of this country began to make cal-
culations as to the amount and rate of taxation
to be levied on the country for the maintenance
of the Army and Navy, it might become matter
for consideration whether there should be de-
ducted a million or half a million of money from the
Army Estimates of the year or from the Navy
Estimates. He should always say decidedly, if it was
absolutely necessary in the interests of the country,
let the economy be in the Army, and not in the Navy.
He mist say that he saw nothing to make him believe
that the Army was deteriorating.
As regarded the Auxiliary Forces, Lord Wolseley
said he had been for many years associated with them,
and he did not think there were many officers in the
Army who knew the Volunteers as he knew them. In
the Army they had not only derived much agvantage
from the creation of the Volunteer movement, but they
had found there was a great deal to learn from the
Volunteers. The Volunteers certainly shot better
than the Regulars. The way in which the Volun-
teer Force had been organised and carried out reflected
the greatest credit upon all who were connected
with it. As regarded the great debt of gratitude
which the Artily generally owed to the Volunteers, he
did not think this was sufficiently. appreciated. The
Army was once the most unpopular service in Eng-
land. But this was all changed, and wherever one
went in England now it was found that the Army was
a popular institution. He traced this to the institu-
tion of the Volunteer movement. The more the
Volunteers and the Regulars became associated, the
more popular would both become.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

A SUBMARINE TUNNEL AT
DEVONPORT.

A. movement has been on foot at Devonport to
establish a new means of communication between
Devonport and Torpoint, which are at present sepa-
rated by tl:e River Hamoaze. The stream is about a
mile wide, is thirteen fathoms at its deepest, and
traffic is at present carried on by steam-ferry, bridge,
and boats. The traffic is very large, Torpoint being
the connecting point with a considerable portion of the
East Cornwall agricultural district. Of late years
the ferries have often failed, and the passage being
frequently dangerous traffic is occasionally altogether
suspended.
At a meeting held on Tuesday it was decided to
communicate with the landowners on both sides of the
water, and with the Government, with the view of
securing their consent to the construction of a sub-
marine tunnel. This is expected to coat £75,000, and
if consent can be obtained a company will be formed
to carry out the project.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

hundred of the industrial population went to a place of
worship, so much the more reason why every nerve
should be strained to bring them within the pale of
those religious influences which ennoble the mind and
elevate the soul. Lori Shaftesbury's physical and
mental energy is wonderful, looking at the fact that he
has passed the eightieth year of his age.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03

ACTION AGAINST Al RAILWAY
COMPANY.

In the Queen's Bench Division, on Monday (before
Mr. Justice Field and a special jury), the case of
"Allen and wife v. the North London Railway Com-
pany " was tried, and was an action to recover damages
for personal injuries sustained by the plaintiff's wife.
The case for the plaintiff was that Mrs. Allen was
travelling by the defendants' line from Broad-street
to Poplar on the 28th of February, 1882, when the
train came into collision with a train of trucks, which
it was alleged were s. insecurely fastened that it was
broken and blocked the line. The result was that the
passenger train was -turned over, and the female
plaintiff received injuries which confined her to her
room for six weeks, and caused expenses for medical
attendance, Luning, and assistance in household
management.
The dzfence was that the accident had been caused
by the unforeseen breaking of the draw-bars of one of
the trucks in question, and which did not belong to the
company, but which they were bound to forward with
all reasonable dispatch.
Ultimately a verdict was entered for the defendants
on the ground that there was no evidence of negli•
gence.