The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-08-17 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

The Paris Constitutionnel of Wednesday maintains
the correctness ot its recent announcement that a marriage
has been arranged between Prince Lours Napoleon and the
Princess Thyra.
-

-
The Queen will pay a private visit to the Duke and
Duchess of Roxburghe, at their seat, Broxmouth Park, Dun-
bar, on Saturday, the 24th inst.

The Bristol Mercury mentions a report that the
Marquis of Bute has given 15,000 towards a fund for the
erection of a Roman Catholic cathedral at Dundee, to com-
memorate the re-establishment of the bishopric of Dunkeld,
which ceased about 292 years ago.

At the coal and ironworks of Messrs. Parsons and
Knowles, Warrington, on Monday, a shunter named liar'ey,
while connecting some waggons on a tramway, was acci-
dentally caught between the buffers and killed.
Mr. Gladstone is said to have already attacked
several of his trees with quite unwonted vigour. It relieves
his feelings, just as beating her doll relieved Maggie Tulli-
ver's in "The Mill on the Floss."—By the way, Mr. Gladstone
is not the first great man who has amused himself by felling
trees. It was also a favourite exercise with Sir Walter Scott.
—lVhitehall Review.

Very damaging floods took place in the middle of
July in various parts of the Western States of America. The
Prairie Farmer states that in north-Western Illinois and in
Wibconsin and Minnesota the damage was severe in many
localities, from washing and the laying ot grain, and that
harvesting and haying were generally suspended from July
11 to 15.
- -

The Prince and Princess of Wales visited South-
ampton on Monday, the occasion being the laying of the
foundation stone of a new church in place of the ancient
parish church of St. Mary, which is to serve in part as a
'memorial of the late Bishop Wilberforce The reception
given to their Royal Highnesses was very cordial, the in-
habitants making the event a popular rejoicing.

- - - -
A lady well-known for her apt replies to embarras-
lug questions, was asked a few Sundays ago if she had been
to church. She replied, "No, I have not. I cannot get up
early enough—in fact, I never get up when I can help it till
the last thing at night"— Vanity Fair.
Mr. Turman, tobacconist, of Liverpool, a visitor at
Penmaemnawr, was bathing on Tuesday morning, when he
was suddenly seized with illness. He was immediately re-
moved from the water, but, in spite of medical aid, he ex-
pired on the beach.
The Shah arrived at Teheran on Friday last. His
Majesty, who was welcomed with much pomp, immediately
received all the dignitaries at Court, and expressed his
profound satisfaction with his recent journey and the cordial
reception he received in Europe.
Mr. John Rankin, a young Kilmarnock gentleman,
has just completed a journey to London and back on a
bicycle. He left Kilmarrock on the 23rd of July and reached
the metropolis on the let of August, after having made a stay
of two days at Sheffield, part of a day at Birmingham, and
part of a day at Coventry. The distance of 439 miles was
thus run in about six days, making allowance for stoppages.
Mr. nankin left London for home on the sth of August,
taking the east coast route, and reached Glasgow on Satur•
day evening, thence going to Kilmarnock that night by train.
The longest run in one day was from Morpeth to Edinburgh,
the distance travelled being 112

The strike of the Paris cabdrivers has terminated,
the Compagnie des Petites Voitures having made some con-
cessions to the men

A 'cording to the returns of the officers of Exciae
the sale of wheat during the past week amounted to 34,400
quarters, at an average price of 444. Id , against 22 854
quarters, at 85s. 84. during the corresponding period of last
year.

"The saddest thing about the Woman Suffrave
Movement,' said Mrs. Gady Stanton, 'ls the fact that the
large. 4 ami.unt of ridicule that we have met with has been
thrown at us by women themselves."
- - -

Cyprus (the Special Correspondent of the Standard
at Larnaca telegraph), improves considerably on acquaint-
ance. The reported unhealthiness-of the island has been ex-
aggerated. There is no leprosy, and malignant fever is rare.
The idea of making Nicosia the capital has been abandoned.
Trade is springing up, and the town of Larnaca now presents
a bustling appearance.
An open-air meeting of disbanded men of the re-
serves was held on Saturday in London, when resolutions
were passed to the effect that the severe distress of the men
compelled them to solicit aid from the public until they
were reinstated in employment, and requesting the public
to assist them in getting work.

The lists of subscriptions in Paris for presenting the
Queen of the Belgians with an obj.ct of art an the occasion
of her silver wedding have been all sent in to Brussels. The
sums collected amount to more than 100,000 fr.

A recent number of the Rjpublique Francaise gives
an account of the great publishing house of Hachette and Co.
kccording to the writer, this firm has the largest bookselling
buqiness in the world, turns over some fifteen million francs,
publishes a book a day, employs 5,000 persons, and exports
yearly 200,000 packages.
On Sunday last a procession, with military trophies
from the war and cannon captured at Nisch, including four
Krupp 100-pounders and a number of bronze and steel guns,
entered Belgrade. The cortige consisted of 1,000 decorated
draft horses, led by hand by a regiment of infantry.

The new game law in force in the Swiss Canton of
Gralibiloder has had the effect of largely increasing the stock
of chamois. There are said to be about 10,000 bead of
chamois in the canton. Last year 200 chamois were shot,
besides tin' ee bears and eight eagles.
The New Zealand Government have instructed Sir
Julius Vogel, the Agent General in London, to despatch
1,000 additional emigrants this year, chiefly to the Canter-
bury district.

The 11th annual Trades' Union Congress is to be
he'd in the Athenreum, Bristol, on Monday, September 9, and
following days. The programme of business includes, besides
Parliamentary subjects, co-operation and its relation to
trades' unionism, representation of labour in Parliament,
overtime, and apprenticeships.

There have been severe gales at the Cape. Five
vessels were wrecked in Table Bay and two in Algoa Bay,
the names being the Nerie, Caledonian, Etta Loring, Red-
breast, Jean, Petronella, and Elmira Coombs.

The boiler of the torpedo vessel Sulina,, which was
repairing to Nicolaieff to take part in tbe impending Rus-
sian review, has blown up. Five enginemen and two stokers
were killed and only 27 of the crew were saved.

The published abstracts of expenses incurred by the
two cAndidates at the late Southampton election show that
they amounted to £1,955 on behalf of Mr. Alfred Giles, the
successful Conservative, and to a 1,548 in the case of his
Liberal opponent, Mr. Henry Mason Bompas.

Arriving before her mails, which were landed at
Suez, the Australian steamer Chimborazo has come in at
Plymouth, having made the fastest passage on record from
Adelaide-89 days.

Seventeen British and foreign wrecks were reported
during the past week, making the total for the preseut year
906,0 r a decrease of 182 as compared with the corresponding
period of last year. The approximate value of property lost
was £OO,OOO, including British £35,000.

Up to Monday 52 public and 228 local Acts of Par-
liament Wive been passed in the present session, which com-
menced on the 17th January, and ending, as it is expected to
do, on Saturday next, the 17th lust., will have lasted seven
months. The session of last year terminated on the 14th
August, and there were passed 69 public and 242 local Acts.
Locusts are still committing depredations among the
crops at Mysore, and under the orders lately issued the
villagers have managed to destroy 600 candies of locusts, and
the rewards paid them amount to about 4,000 rupees. A
strange kind of destrucLive insect, totally distinct from the
locust, is, the local papers say, ravaging Travancore.

On Monday the custody of the Elcho Shield was
handed over to the Lord Mayor of Dublin by Major Leech,
captain of the Irish Eight, who said that this was the fourth
occasion which this result had been achieved within six
years, and the second year in succession that an Irish team
had been successful.

According to the Anglo-American Times, common
table salt and carbonate of soda have proved a most valuable
remedy in eases of diphtheria, these substances rapidly acting
on the diphtheric membrane.

It h stated that Prince Bismarcir caused himself to
be weighed a few days ago at Kissingen, when the bllance
marked 243 lb. 100 grammes, In 1874 the Prince, who is
getting very stout, weighed 40 lb. less.

Thirty persons have been killed and a number in-
jured by a tornado, two miles in length and a quarter of a
mile broad, which has visited the town of Wallingford, Con-
necticut. Many buildings were destroyed. Tne storm lasted
only a few minutes.

The War Party ha Russia is much dissatisfied, and
complains that the chief results of a long and murderous
cimp,sign have been destroyed by the Treaty of Berlin. 'We
are assured that General Todleben himself has said, "We
have been fighting for the Slays, and have obtained nothing
for It; we must now draw the sword for Itussia."—Vanity
Fair.

Chamounix, Switzerland, was en fete on Sunday, on
the occasion of the unveiling of a monument to Jacques
Balmat, the man who first ascended Mont Blanc.

The Municipal Council of Genoa has just formally
received Imm the Chevalier Luigi Cambiaso, Italian Consul
at the Republic of San Domingo, and M. Giambattista Cam
-
blase., Consul for that State in Genoa, a phial containing a
small fragment of the mortal remains of Christopher
Columbus, discovered in the Cathedral of San Domingo .on
the 10th of September last.

Vice-Consul Wrench, in his report on the trade and
commerce of Constantinople for the years 1874 and 1875,
says :—With every advantage of climate, of soil, of material
productions of the most varied kinds, of geographical posi-
tion—with virgin forests and with abundant mineral wealth
--Turkey would, under an enlightened Government, bid fair
to rival half the world in productive wealth.

The Legislative Assembly of Vancouver's Island
has passed the Bill, recently introduced, imposing a tax
upon every Chinaman in the province. The rate, however,
is fixed at 40 dole. instead of 50 dols, per head, as originally
proposed. The debate in Parliament preceding the vote was
of an accrimonious character. The Colonist, an anti-Chinese
newspaper, declares that the Bill will make the province the
laughing stock of Christendom, and accuses the Ministry of
Insincerity and faithlessness in the matter.
The Emperor William, acoording to advices from
Teplitz on the 3rd inst., made an excursion to the field of
battle at Kulm, and descended from his carriage at Soboch-
leben, to get a sight of the Prussian monument erected
there in commemoration of the victory won over General
Vaudamme. Ms Majesty was able to trace the letter "W"
with his right hand in the album of the monument. At his
request the Duchess of Baden, his daughter, added the
words—" After the attempt at assassination."

The Bavarian Government has ordered some changes
In the dress and organization of the Bavarian army with a
view to its closer assimilation to the armies under Prussian
direction. The old.fashioned gold collar is to be done away
with, and a scarf of Prussian pattern substituted. More-
over, Prussian epaulettes have been introduced, and the six
battalions of rifles are to be formed it to two regiments of
infantry, so as to correspond with the Prussian army organi-
zation. The change last referred to is to be carried out in
the course of the present year.

A mass meeting was held in Greenock last Saturday,
to protest against the foreign bounty system. Mr. James
Stewart, M.P., who presided, sail he coul.l not believe that
a great nation like France would be guilty of carrying on the
pm-sent selfish system, which was oily beneficial to the sugar
refiners of France, and not to the people. Resolutions against
the continuance of the bounty system, and in favour of the
imposition of a temporary countervailing duty, to be
abolished when the bounty system was done away with, were
unanimously adopted.

Count Batthyany gave an invitation last Saturday
to the members of the Royal Yacht Squadron to visit him at
a garden party at his residence at Eaglehurst Castle, at the
eutrance of Southampton Water. His Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales arrived there at four o'clock, and left at
half-past six During the afternoon a number of balloons,
of a grotesque form, such as cows, zebras, and the Claimant,
were started from the grounds, and when floating ill the air
had a very ludicrous appearance.

- -
According to the Swedish papers Prince Louis
Napoleon had a very narrow escape with his life during his
visit to Sweden. Examining at an agricultural exhibition,
in company with the King, some machinery, the Prince had
approached close to an engine, which unexpectedly was set
Its motion, and some parts of the engine caught the clothes
of the Prince, who would undoubtedly have been drawn into
the wheels lithe King had not with great presence of mind
instantly himself stopped the engine. As it was the Prince
escaped with having his clothes torn to pieces.
"Five hundred and sixty•three persons, it is stated,
have been arrested in Germany since the 2nd of June, the
dste of Nobiling's crime, for insults on the Emperor Williami
Forty-two of these have been acquitted, and the rest, in-
cluding 31 women, sentenced to terms of imprisonment,
amounting altogether to 811 years. Berlin, Breslau, Bonn,
Bochum, Hall, Lobsann, and Manheim produced the most
prosecutions, and five of the accused committed suicide
ketore irial.”—Paris Correspondent of The Times.

There was a partial eclipse of the moon on Monday
night and Tuesday morning The first contact with the
shadow was clearly perceptible at seventeen minutes to
eleven o'clock at a point on the moon's limb 109 deg. from
the most northern point counting towards the east. The
shadow disappeared at 157 deg. from the northernmost
point countiiig on the other side at 1.34 a.m. In the middle
of the eclipse, roughly speaking, about half of the moon was
obscured. Towards one o'clock clouds came up and the end
of the eclipse could nut be seen. There will be no other
total eclipse of the moon visible at Greenwich until the year
1834.

Another German invention threatens to aggravate
the organ-grinding nuisance (says the Berlin Correspondent
of The Times) Hitherto .the cruel instrument required a
new cylinder for each piece; in future the insertion of a
new slip of paper will suffice to awaken fresh melody. The
paper_ being properly perforated,
.the pegs of an adjoining
. . - --des •

. . . gs
c)litcler moving the keys in accordance with the hot, pre-
sented to them produce the tune. After this the grinding
organ, music box, and orchestrion will treat us to a terrible
variety of 'musical delights.
The half-yearly meeting of the Glasgow Conference
of Latter day Saints has been held at Glasgow. The sta-
tistical report showed that the total number of deacons con-
nected with the body in Scotland was 496, composed of 70
elders, 18 priests, 26 teachers, 14 deacons, and 306 members.
During the half-year 48 had been received, 38 removed, 94
baptised, 42 had emigrated, 8 had been cut off, and 6 had
died. The total income of the Conference for the half-year
was about 4200.
An inquest has been held in London at the Univer-
sity College Hospital as to the death of Alfred Williams, aged
19. On the 24th of June Williams was in the Endell-street
swimming bath, and not content with the ordinary diving
board, he climbed to a higher place in order to dive from it.
In doing so he had to seize a gas bracket, which bent, and his
knee went through a window, the glass inflicting a lace-
rated wound in the knee joint. He was taken to the hos-
pital, and eventually Dr. heath, one of the physicians, de-
cided upon amputation. Williams became-exhausted, and
died from blood poisoning. The jury returned a verdict of
"Accidental death."

The Rev. Geo. GilfiDan, pastor of St. George's
United Presbyterian Church, Dundee, died on Tuesday
morning in the house of Mr. Valentine, banker, at Brechin,
after 30 minutes' illness. Mr. GiMilan left Dundee for
Brechin on Monday night, and was to have officiated at the
marriage of his niece on Tuesday. lie was in his usual
health on Sunday, and preached a powerful discourse on the
subject of sudden death Deceased was an extensive author
and critic. The death of the rev, gentleman has caused pro-
found sensation in Dundee, where he was universally es-
teemed.

It is asserted that there is in course of formation" A
School of Beauty,' in which the members, male and female,
pledge themselves to do all they can to make themselves
comely by natural means. Prizes will be given to those
ladies who can move with ease and grace and so afford evi-
dence of the free use of their limbs, whilst it will be a lead-
ing rule of the school that, though stays may be used as a
means of support, they shall not be deemed essential as an
accessory to beauty.— Court Journal.
The " raotal " of that excellent little tale, "Eyes
and No Eyes," is peculiarly applicable to the crop reports of
a season like the present. If ou see'half.a-dozen reports of
the wheat crop from the same district, one will probably
mention the existence of blight, while others will say nothin
T
about it. The majority -of observers are super cial
ob-
servers, looking only on "the outside of the platter.;
those la e
thrashing machine will soon confirm the judgment o
look' at something besides the straw. Rather t g
who in estimating a crop of wheat, think ithnicekcesstsaaurdyinto
crops are so
wheat: but I adhere to ray estimate of a bare average.—
g -n-,ral that I do not anticipate a bad crop of
Mark Lane Exprors,

The dynamite factory at Presbnrg has been blown
np, nye persons being killed and several injured.

The Duke .of Connaught has consented to become
a patron of the United Kingdom Railway Officers and
Servants' Association, and has forwarded a donation of 20
guineas to its funds

On Saturday afternoon a carter named Hoskins, in
the emplov of Mr. Bill,of Comhe-hill, near Cheltenham, was
driving a waggon and team of horses, when he was struck by
lightning and killed.

A man named William Baker, aged sixty years,
who has been postman for many sears at Almondsbury, near
Bristol, has been knocked down by a bicycle and killed.
The Grand Duke Constantine of Russia paid an
official visit to the Russian Section of the Paris Fahibition
on Monday afternoon.

Reports from the moors speak very favourably of
the number and condition of the grouse, which are said tobe
more healthy and more plentiful than for several preceding
years.

Forty thousand men, including the Russian Im-
perial Guard will, it is stated, begin embarking for Russia on
Saturday neat, their departure to be nm#diatly followed
by the simultaneous witkdrawal of the rest of the troops
from Stefano and Gallipoli.

The Hesperus, 1,777 tons, Captain T. R. Harry,
chartered by Sir Arthur Blyth, Agent-General for South
Attarslia, left Plymouth on the 9th inst for Port Adelaide,
with 593 emigrants, among whom were 120 single female
domestic servants.

According to the Investor's Guardian Pix new com-
panies, with an aggregate capital of £4,145,000, have been
registered within the past fortnight for the purpose of opera-
tions in connection with the island of Cyprus.

A respite has been granted in the case of Ellen
Lanigtui, who was convicted at the recent Liverpool assizes
of the wilful murder of her two children by drowning, but
was strongly recommended to mercy as she had acted under
the influence of great privation, and also, perhaps, actual
aberration of intellect.
A valuation of house property in Paris has just
been made, and the returns which have been published
show that the number of houses and tenements has increased
from 64,186 and 805.130 in 1862, when the previous valuation
was made, to 75,274 and 1,022,639. The houses in 1862 had
68,941 doors and 3,302,612 windows, as compared to 68,409
doors and 4,259,613 windows at the present time. The gross
yearly value has increased from £15,314,025 to £23,478,587, or
rather more than 50 per cent.

A large portion of the area of the Bahama Islands is
devoted to the cultivation of pine-apples. As many as
1,600,000 ci the fruit have been collected from a siucle acre
at one crop. There is an enormous demand for the Bahama
pineapple both in Europe and America. and a new industry
has lately sprung up in the island in preserving the fruit in
tins. One factory in Nassau alone exports annually
1,000,000 this, valued at 80,000 dols.

The Select Committee appointed to inquire into the
prevalence of habits of intemperance and into the manner
in which those habita have been affected by recent legisla-
Von and other causes, express the hope that they may be
permitted to resume their inquiry next session, with a view
to the further consideration of their report, which they have
been unable to complete this session.

The Bishop of Lincoln, in answer to a memorial
from a number of clergymen in his diocese, ha Q expressed
an opinion that a clergyman of the Chiirch of England in
his diocese would find it impossible to perform the religious
service at a marriage between a Christian and a Jew or
Jewess.

Although the large number of funerals consequent
upon the recovery of the bodies of some of those lost In the
Grosser Kurillrst has been attended with considerable ex-
pense, it is intended that the whole cost shall he borne by
the public funds, and that no repayment shall be accepted
from the German Government for the performance of this
painful duty towards those who lost their lives upon our
shores under exceptionally distressing circumstances.
Whitehall Review.
The latest news from the West Coast of Africa is
not of the most pleasing description. The whole coast has
been particularly unhealthy during the past twelve months,
more so, in fact, than for the last twenty years During
the two months ended July 4, this year, nearly one quarter
of the European population at Lagos have died from the
effects of fever or dysentery. The small-pox, which at
the commencement of the year had committed frightful
ravages amongst the native population, has seluibly
abated.

A large number of Americans attended the Chapel
Royal, Savoy, in London, on Tuesday morning, to witness
the marriage of Mr. F. Weddon, of New York, to Mrs. Lillias
Jennie Mills (widow of the late Mr. Mills' of Brooklyn, and
daughter of the Bishop of Long Island, New Yorii). The
service was choral. The Bishop of Nebraska, N.S ,
officiated, and he was assisted by the Rev. 11. White,
chaplain to Her Majesty. The bride, who wore a
dress of brocaded satin, autumn green, was accom-
panied by her two sisters, who wore dresses of white
satin, and she was given away by her father, Bishop Little-
john. Amongst those present were many American clergy,
and to the secretary to the. United States Legation.

"I find that I was not correct in my statement last
week to the effect that Lord Beaconsfield and Lord Salis-
bury had had separate hotel-bills during the Congress at
Berlin. Lord Salisbury lived at the British Embassy, and
had therefore no hotel-expenses. Those of Lord Boacons-
field and his three secreraries, of Lord Salisbury's six secre-
taries, of Sir Lintorn Simmons and the three officers of his
staff, and of Sir Edward Hertslet, together with about eigh-
teen 'body-servants,' messemgers, ctc., were all included in
the same account, which amounted, with the fees given to
the servants, to leas than £2,000. This seems reasonably
moderate tor five weeks, considering the occasion."--The
World.

"An officer who returned to Malta from Cyprus' ill
with fever, gives an uninviting description of Larnaca. The
town, he says, is small and the streets are dirty.
Refuse of all kind is thrown into the streets through the
windows of the houses. The air is—well, unlit for delicate
nostrils. There are many gardens, and fruit is abundant.
Those of the officers who had hoped to see their families
follow them shortly have abandoned the idea, for they can-
not be housed until there are dwellings other than those at
present existing, which are unsuitable to Europeans. In
short, the first thing Cyprus wants is sewers."—Mayfair.

The Coffee Public-house Association, 40, Charing-
cross, London, announce that they are enabled, by one of
their members, to offer a prize of £2OO for an essay on the
providing, on an adequate scale, of halls or other places of
resort and recreation for the working classes, the arrange-
ments to include the sale of refreshments, hut not of in-
toxicating drinks, so as to supply the rennirements of the
people in that respect, and to realize a profit to meet at
least current expenses. The object of the donor of the prize
is not only to draw general attention to this au ject, but
also to elicit suggestions as to the agency by which an under-
taking of such magnitude may be most suitably and
effectively carried out. The date fixed for sending in manu-
scripts is March 1, 1379.

The Liverpool Post describes an unusual scene which
occurred on Monday evening at the landing-stage upon the
arrival of the White Star steamer Adriatic from New York.
Her prosengers include a troupe of coloured actors, who
have been brought to this country to play "Uncle Tom's
Cabin." The company numbers sixty performers, and of
these fifty-four are negroes, and comprise men and women,
boys and girls bud a few children. As they came ashore
they jumped with delight, and sang "The Gospel Train"
and "God Save the Queen," and finished by giving cheers
for England. The musicians of the company carried their
banjos and other instruments. Most of them were well and
showily attired, whilst others had oidently undertaken the
voyage in the hope that fortune would prove more kind to
them in England than it had done in America.