The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-06-20 00:00:00

COMMUISIOII

It- is stated that James Stephens, the late head-
centre, will be selected as Nationalist candidate for one
of the divisions of -county Tipperary, and John O'Leary
and Thomas Clark Luby, ex-Fenians, for other southern
constituencies.
While a boy named William Davenport, residing at
Fortshill, near Newry, was returning home from school
he was struck down insensible with sunstroke and
died in a few minutes. This is the first case of sun-
stroke that has occurred in Ireland for many years.
A general order hag been received by the Irish Excise
authorities to return the extra duty charged on beer
and spirits, consequent on the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer's Budget. •
In the Dublin Exchequer Court, Miss Mary Ann
Grayson claimed £5OO damages from Mr. Lawrence
Hope, a farmer and ai owner of racehorses, for breach
of promise. The plaintiff's father, on Saturday, obtained
a verdict for 050 damages for her seduction by the
defendant. The breach of promise action was now
settled on defendant paying £2O.
On Monday the Manchester Ship Canal Bill, which
has passed a committee of the Lords, came before a
committee of the Commons, Mr. Forster in the chair.
Counsel on both sides have promised to consider a sug-
gestion to refer to the committee any evidence which
has been already given, that body undertaking to give
it the same consideration as if it had come before them
in the ordinary way.
A fire occurred on Monday night on board the steamer
Arno' of Sunderland, which arrived in the Victoria
Dock at Leith from the Black Sea, with a cargo of
barley. The fire is supposed to have arisen from the
over-heating of the donkey-engine boiler while dis-
charging cargo. The flames spread to the upper deck,
and much damage was done before the fire was extin-
guished.
The Austrian Government has refused to authorise
the establishment of private cremation societies, on
the ground that they might encourage crime. The
decree states that murders have often been detected
through the exhumation of dead bodies, and that even
if it were arranged that all bodies should be examined
before cremation, the examinations would generally be
' of a perfunctory character. It would be too expensive
and it would take too long to apply in every case those
delicate chemical tests which are used where poisoning
is suspected; and yet, without the general and com-
pulsory application of such tests, there could be no
security.
The White Star Company's steamer Celtic arrived
off Queenstown Harbour at seven o'clock on Monday
morning, and reported that on Thursday morning last -
a steerage passenger named McKay, a Scotchman,
jumped overboard and was drowned. The Celtic was
stopped as quickly as possible, and a boat with four
men was lowered over the side, but it capsized as soon
as it touched the water, throwing all the men into the
sea. They managed, however, to get on the keel of
the capsized boat until another was got out, which
picked them IT. Meanwhile, McKay had disappeared.
At Halesowen, on Monday, Thomas Allen, solicitor,
was committed for trial for being engaged in a system
of extatordiaary frauds. The prisoner's "modus
or erandi " was to visit parties who had sons engaged
in the army in India, and to falsely represent that he
had befriended them. By these means, it is alleged,
he succeeded in obtaining goods, lodgings, and money
all over the country.
At Sheffield on Monday a cutler, named Turner, was
fined £2 and costs, or a month's imprisonment, for
shecking neglect of two of his children, now inmates of
the Ecclesall Workhouse. One of the children, a girl
four years of age, was no bigger than a baby a few
months old, and when admitted to the workhouse was
in an emaciated condition.
The Lord Mayor presided on Monday at the annual
distribution of prizes to the successful competitors of
the Medical Schools of St. Thomas's Hospitals in pre-
sence of a large company.
Much surprise was excited in Paris on Monday by the
announcement of the death of Vice Admiral Courbet,
Commander-in-chief of the French fleet in the East,
who expired on board the Bayard, off Makung, in the
Pescadores, on the 11th inst. In the Chamber there
was a general expression of regret among all parties at
the death of the gallant officer.
The Afghan Delimitation Commission telegraphs that
it is still encamped near Herat. In consequence of the
approach of the hot season it is not considered possible
that the demarcation of the frontier can now begin.
before September.
At a meetiug of the Weeinesbury Local. Board it watil
reported that the late Mrs. Edwin Richards had
bequeathed to the town a handsome collection of pid-
tures and £2OOO towards the erection of an art gallery,
and considerable sums for other purposes. The pictures
are valued at from £15,000 to 120,000. It was decided
to procure a see for an art gallery and collect the
requisite f &lids for a building.
At Wedneshury, John Hand, iron worker, has been
sentenced to three weeks' imprisonment with hard
labour for shocking neglect. It was shown that in
consequence of prisoner being too idle to work, his wife
and six children were found in an empty house in a
state of starvation, they not having had food for
several days. Being ill they were all removed to the
workhouse. The prisoner was found lying on some
bags in a drunken state.
At Exeter, on Tuesday, the county magistrates fined
Mary Coombe £5O, with the alternative of three months'
imprisonment, for being in tho possession of an illicit
still. The defendant resides at Broadelyst, near Exeter.
In April last two brothers, named Taylor, went to her
cottage and became intoxicated with still liquors. They
proceeded to an out-house to sleep off the effects, and
on the elder of the two awaking he found his brother
lying dead by his side.

Tie following resolution has been passed by the In-
ternational Arbitration and Peace Association, moved
by Dr. Karl Blind, seconded by Dr. G. B. Clark: "That
the executive of the International Arbitration and.
Peace Association hereby records, on behalf of its mem-
bers its deep sympathy with the French people on the
occasion of the death of their eminent citizen, Victor
Hugo. His fame as a poet and writer, his steadfastness
in advocating for thirty five years past the cause of
popular freedom, his noble and humane endeavour to
awaken the conscience of the wealthy with regard to
the sufferings of the neglected classes, and thereby to
promote social harmony, have made his name a great
one throughout the world. This feeling of respect has
shown itself since his death among all nations, regard-
less of whatever temporary estrangements there may
have been. From a feeling of international brother-
hood, remembering tbe fact of his having been the Pre-
sident of the great Peace Conference in 1850, and con-
sidering how long the distinguished poet and statesman
lived as an exile under the shelter of this country, the
committee resolves to forward the expression of its sym-
pathy to the friends of the deceased, as well as to the
kindred.societes and the press."
It is recorded iu Mcilda's minutes of the House of
Lords that there has been received and referred to the
Committee for Privileges the "petition of Edith,
Countess of Aylesford, formerly the wife and now the
widow of Heneage, seventh Earl of Aylesford and Baron
Guernsey, for and on behalf of Guy Bertrand, claiming
to be eighth Earl of Aylesford and Baron Guernsey,
praying their lordships that she may be allowed to
appear and be heard for and on behalf of, and as guar-
dian and next friend to, her infant son, the said Guy
Bertrand, before their Lordships' House and before
their Lordships' Committee for Privileges, by her
counsel and agents, in opposition to the claim of tho
Honourable Charles Wightwick Finch to the titles,
honours, and dignities of Earl of Aylesford and Baron.
Guernsey; and also that of further hearing of the peti-
tion of the said Honourable Charles Wightwick Finch
may be postponed for such time as is necessary.
Parcels not exceeding 71b. in weight will be received
at any post-office in the United Kingdom on and from
the Ist July for transmission to Aden, to any part of
the Continent of India, and to British Burnish.
On and after the Ist of July money orders may be
obtained at any Money Order Office in the United
Kingdom, payable at places in the kingdom of Hawaii
(Sandwich Islands).
Mr. Justice Chitty on Tuesday sanctioned a scheme
by which a fund of about £7O a year, left by Nathan
Simson in 1725 to his poor relations should be ad-
ministered in portions—three-fourths by the Jewish
Board of Guardians amongst Jews, and one-fourth by
the Charity Organisation Society amongst persons not
Jews.
At a conference of clergy, held at the National
Society's Rooms, it was resc)ved to establish a Clergy
Pensions Institution, in which self-help is to be the
leading revenue.
In the Court of Appeal on Tuesday the appeal of the
Whitechapel Board of Works from an injunction of
Vice-Chancellor Bacon restraining them from imped-
ing the plaintiff Horner in his market rights was dis-
missed, the Court holding that the statutory powers of
the defendants were subordinate to the market rights
of the plaintiff.
On Tuesday, at the Middlesex Sessions, Albert
Leister was found guilty of obtaining i:.50 with in-
tent to defraud, and sentenced to six months' hard
labour.
At the London Mansion House on Tuesday W. H.
Herrington was fined 205., and 245. costs, for falsely
representing himself as a solicitor.
From April 1 to the 13th inst. the Excnequer receipts
amounted to £17,052,157, or £285,745 more than the
£16,766,412 received in the corresponding period ending
June 14, 1884. The expenditure up to the 13th inst.
was £17,004,068, being .-.3,499,922 more than the ex-
pet.diture for the similar period of 1584-5. The balances
on the 13th inst. amounted to 5,175,945, and on June
14, 1884, were £7,939,360.
Earthquake shocks of increased severity have again
occurred in Cashmere. Over 2000 persons are said to
have perished in the district of Mirzurfurabad.
The phylloxera has increased so markedly in Hun-
gary that the whole of the vineyards in the wine-grow-
ing country of llegyallja are threatened with destruc-
tion.
A meeting of the supporters of the Metropolitan
Provident Medical Association was held on Tuesaay at
the residence of Mr. F. D. Mocatta, 9, Connaught-
place, W., at which a resolution was passed t4i, the
Already been
icthinee
wheardking
clazses
effect that as by the scheme of the association good
in
many districts of London on reasonable payment and
mbreoduigchatl
ising terms. and had proved of much value to
the public, it was nonpauer ,
withina ten d a nt
hc
ee
raenade h medicine f
d
desirable that funds should be raised
in order to extend the stane self-supporting system into
other districts.

A Dublin newspaper recently pnblished a paragraph •
that gave rise to much indignation. It was to the
effect that the panel under the stained glass window
erected in St. Saviour's Roman Catholic Church,
Dominick street, to the memory of the late Mr.- • "
Thomas But Ito, Under Secretary, who was assas.inated
in the Phu:lux-park, and wbich bore an inscription
stating that it had been erected by Earl Spencer, was
surreptitiously unscrewed and removed on Sunday, and
that there was no clue to the perpetrators of the out-
rageous act. Upon making inquiries it was found that
this statement was devoid of truth, the simple fact
being that some days ago worktnea were sent for to
execute some slight repairs to the plate, and for that
purpose they took it down and carried it to their work-
atop. it win be baf.tk :n its Alaee in a day or two. -