The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-02-14 00:00:00

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HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

LONGEVITT.—Six inma tee of Faversham Union Werf.
houE.e have died this week, whose united ages en3°un"
to 492 years. The eldest was aged 96,and the othex five
ranged from 71 to 85.
DEATH or A. FRVICHMAN.-31. Vatel, Conservateur
du Musk du Jue de Paume, well known by his contri-
butions to the histories of Charlotte Corday,Vergniaudt
Madame du Barry, and the Jeu de FAUTGe, died last
week at the age of 69 years.
PASSENGERS TO FRANCE.—The number of passenger°
between England and France last year was 361,154 p •
fAug off of 76,320, due, of course to the cholera;
182,897 went by way of Dover and 'Calais, 96,304 °_,f
Folkestone and Boulogne 67,156 of Newhaven and
Dieppe, and 14,797 of Southampton and Havre.
ADDITIONS TO 'THE LOUVRE.—The French joernalsf
announce the purchase by the Louvre for 100,00°L °
three pictures by F. Hale from the Hospital at Haarli
These works are now in Paris, and contain portraits Of
the Beeresteyns, 'man and wife, the founders of the
hospital, and others. When repaired, these distifl.
guished examples will be placed in the gallery.
AVERAGE PRICES OP BRITISH CORN.—.The fOllOWwl5
are the average prices of British corn for last week, ss
received from the inspectors and officers of Exase_.:
Wheat, Vs. 9d.; barley, 325. 5d.; oats, 20s. 11d. PT
imperial qr. Corresponding week last year: Wheal'
375. 3d.; barley, 325. 4d.; oats,l9s. 6d.
STRANGE DISCOVERY IN LONDON.—At the demolition
of an old house in St. Stephen's-square some days ago
secret staircase was discovered in the wall on the ground
floor. A pamphlet entitled "A beautiful Song of grisly
Death," illustrated with a skeleton holding in one hand
a spade and in the other a lantern, was found 00 tb,e
staircase. It bears the date 1633, and is of a devotions+

character.
Romer? ANTIQUITms.—An interesting discovery
Roman antiquities has just been made at Donningtol4
about a mile from the town of Newlmry Some Wel/
were engaged in making excavations close to a newili
erected residence, when, at a depth of Bfts several
Roman urns were found. The urns are now iia the poo'
session of Dr. Montague Palmer. curator to the /Sea"
bury Literary and Scientific Institute.
ZOOLOGICAL Socirry.—The additions to the Zoologics'',
Society's Gardens during the past week include a gay'
brouck monkey from West Africa, presented by 14„..r9L
East; a Sambur deer from Madras, presented hY_Tfa'
officers Ist Battalion Essex Regiment; a long-es 7
owl, a tawny owl (British), presented by Mr. George t
Crisp; a Malayan tapir from Malacca, a white st°r:
(European), two magpies (British), deposited; tw
Calandra larks (European), purchased; five striP-w
snakes, born in the Gardens. s Of
THE NATIONALITY OF EMIGRANTS.—The tOBl%.
Trade return of persons who left the United ICingd°l3;
during the month ending January 31 for places out o
Europe shows that there were 8434 of British origirl
foreigners 1045, and those whose nationality was not
distinguished numbered 229, the total being
Compared with the corresponding month of the PO'
year this shows a decrease of 1869.
. -
RAILWAY STATISTICS.—Of the 221 axles which
failed
on the railways of the United Kingdom during the 81
nine months of 1884, 172 were engine axles, visa
crank or driving, and 20 leading or trailing; 18 were
tender axles, 5 were carriage axles, 83 were waggon
axles, and 13 were axles of salt vans; 49 wagg°ll°'
including the salt vans, belonged to owners other doll
the railway companies. Of the 152 crank or drivillg
axles, 102 were made of iron and 50 of steel. Tll
average mileage of 99 iron axles was 216,857 miles, aut
of 47 steel axles 156,115 miles. Of the 232 rails whics'
broke, 154 were double headed, 73 were single-b°'
and five were of the bridge pattern; of the double
-
headed rails, 103 had been turned; 105 rails were made
of iron and 127 of steeL
A LATE RELIC OOLLICTOR.—COMte A. de Liessille'_-11
great collector of relics of the First Revolution, ba"'
just died. The Municipal Museum in the Rue Osrrirs
valet, Paris, a building itself interesting as Madame 'h."
Savigne's house, owes to him nine-tenths of its collets'
tion of coinsi medals, rottery, engravings, and hOs,r,
connected with the Resolutions of 1879, 1830, irsis't
and 1870. He also presented the model of the Been
carved out of one of the stones of that edifice, a°
books and newspapers to the Lumber of 10,000. SPrillig,
from a Legitimist family in Normandy, he was a i9.41-Ad
admirer of the Revolution, and for 25 years ruranog—
all France for relics of it. On the remodelling of the
Carnavalet Museum in 1879 curate:,, the curate:,
i M.
00usinf
himself an ardent collector, induced him to present hit
collections to it. By his will he leaves his house
Batignolles and 50,0001. for a children's art SC
while a valuable porcelain collection goes to the SèV
'manufactory.
Russimi ABMs—By the addition of imntred...
machinery to her three small arms factories, Russo,:
now in a position to turn out 2000 rifles per Zierais,sus'
reckoning 300 working days, at the rate of 600Ouv
year. This is a great increase upon the production 0
former days. The busiest period recorded was in 181,'
when all the factories were worked at their hardest's':
anticipation of a levy of the militia to co-operate in
expected war against England. The turn-out ef
Tula factory that year was 154,525 Berdans, the Irss
factory 145,500, and the factory at Sestroretsk 142,1-
Berdans, or in all 441,525. At the present moment the
number of Berdans required for the Russian ern3l,
annually is loopoo. Thus the factories possess a Ptci
ducibility six times in excess of the normal rate' a„
las
could readily supply China or any other Power W
enough weapons to equip an army. The recent repos°
that Russia had agreed to siapply China wish 200,0004
300,000 Besdans is questioned, but she has con Set"
to furnish Bulgaria with a very large number this yea'
Engineering."
EARTHQUAKES.—The following table has been 0°172.
piled from the records of the meteorological observeli
tory at Tokio. It gives the total number of recorc,.
earthquakes which occurred in the respective inenc4t9",
during the ten years ending December 10,
January, 53; February, 50; March, 73; April,
My, 51; June, 40; July, 36; August, 27; Septelarssbe't
15; October, 47; November, 51; December, 60.
list would, of course, need to be in full detail for eers
month of each year, in order that any safe deductics;
might he made from it; but the general notion thaer
there are more earthquakes in winter than in sucar.de
receives some support from this talale. The
per month for the ten years is 45; that for
winter months (October-March) is 56; and for the
summer months 35, or about 40 per cent. less.
important element of disturbance in the figures
be the great improvement in seismological instrureens,
since 1874, and the consequent registration of /nova"
ments which would previously have passed unnotiee'
—"Nature."
DISCOVERY OF RINOS.—A short time ago a consiS3es
able quantity of bronze rings was found in the Fieo a
a railway cutting at Bergen, in the neighbourhood. e ,
rrauenstein, in Upper Bavaria. They were 1Y11.3,5
together in a heap, about 2i feet below the surface
~,B`ie
30 cemented by the surrounding clay that they 10'110
be separated with a pick-axe. They were groupe::
bunches of five each; each bunch being quite PB4:;t
BO to say, in the clay, apart from the others. '--ssaa
ring was about one centimetre. thick, open; the 7„ag
being thinned and somewhat flattened, and eliu.'"o
respectively as hook and eye; those ends were sb°oi
seven centimetres (21in.) apart. The outer surfacehey
the ring is rough, destitute ot any ornament W11;4
3o not seem as if intended for personal use.
their size and appearance, weighing about seven mice ,„
and having a diameter of 4sin. to do not le;
towards forming any opinion as to their destinsstier.
Similar rings have been found in other parts of ix 0,
many, chiefly in the south-west, but never in gilt Ise
thus excluding the supposition that they walla ss-ep
been designed for personal adornment. It ha° 1111
tuggested that they were simply "raw nusterlf4
thrown into this shape for convenience of ne°s°.-tal
transport to market by retail dealers, like the flat telt,
buckles which have been also found in aburs36'ais
Some owner buried them for safety, probably thousla
if years ago and either failed to rediscover the 000
never returned to dig up his property