The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-04-26 00:00:00

SATURDAY, APRIL 20,

A u3structive disease of the leaves has appeared is
the coffee plantations of the Dutch East Indies.
An order in Council has been issued, directing the
division into two portions of the Archdeaconry of York,
or the West Riding, one of which is to retain that
name, and the other to be called the Archdeaconry of
Sheffield.

The fire which occurred at Rangoon last week raged
for two days, and forty-one houses were destroyed. The
damage is estimated at about one million two hundred
thousand pounds.
Prince Bismarck has sent a hearty letter of thanks to
"the Loyal Men of Jever," who every Spring send hiu)
a large basket full of the earliest plovers eggs.
The Policemen's Swimming Club at Glasgow, started
in September last, has made great progress, and manY
constables who could not swim a stroke at that time are
now fine exponents of the art.

Big nuggets are still occasionally met with in New
South Wales. At Temora one was recently found
weighing 1730 z.
The first session of the New Veterinary College,
Edinburgh, has just been closed. The classes were
attended by 167 students.
One of the original copies of the National Covenant
of Scotland has been placed in the Parliament House,
Edinburgh.
In a plebiscite taken in Stornaway, 3495 persons voted
for closing all public-houses, and only thirty-two were
for keeping them open. The licensing justices, how'
ever, have just renewed all the licenses.
The Indian police have made an extensive seizure
of proclamations purporting to have come from the
Maladi.

Last week's receipts of cotton at all United States
ports were 27,000 bales; since Ist September, 4,665,000
bales. Week's exports to Great Britain, 14,000 bales;
to the Continent, 12,000 bales. Total since Ist Sep.
tember, 3,407,000 bales; stock at all ports, 611,000
bales. Stock at interior towns, 52,000 bales.
Mr. Gladstone, writing to a lady correspondent at
Cardiff, who had inquired of him whether the neW
Franchise Bill would include female suffrage, remarkf
that he fears the consideration of the matter referred
to would be travelling beyond the scope of the present
bill.

In London, the other evening, in the refreshment bar
at the Ludgate-hill station a gentleman was examining
a small pistol, when it suddenly exploded, injuring one
of his fingers. He was carried out in a fainting con'
dition.

A leading firm in the meat trade at the London
Central Market state that they have just received from
Russia two brown bears, frozen and packed in a large
case, forming part of a heavy consignment of garne.
principally white and brown hares, which, similarlY
packed, have also arrived in good condition. _

_
The traffic receipts of the railways in the United
Kingdom for the week ending April 13, upon a mileage
of 16,909 i, amount to £1,283,709, being equal to
£75 17s. per mile. For the corresponding week of last
year the then published receipts were £1,248,655, the
number of miles open 16,6271, or £75 2s. per mile. A
comparison of the two weeks shows an increase in the
total receipts of £35,054, and an increase in the number
of miles open to 282.

The Municipality of Meldola have just placed upon
their town hall a monument to the memory of Felice
Orsini, who was executed in Paris in 1858 for attempt-
ing to assassinate Napoleon 111. by throwing bomb&
under his carriage.
The Post Office Committee of the United State,
House of Representatives have resolved that it is er
pedient to establish a postal telegraph, by contracting
with the existing companies to do the work.
The annual report of the Amalgamated Society of
Engineers has just been issued. During the past year
the number of members has increased by 2030, the
total being 50,418. The total income has been
£134,649, an increase of £10,241 as compared with the
previous year. The outlay was £124,724, an increase of
£22,569 The assets of the society are now £178,125.
Mrs. Sladstone is expected to contribute a little
man...ai on" Healthy Bed-rooms and Nurseries" to the
series of handbooks about to be issued by the Inter.
national Health Exhibition Committee.

The contract i'or constructing the 77,000 square
metres of buildings for the Antwerp Universal Exhibi-
tion has been divided among three Belgian companies.
A new observatory is being built on Blount Ventoultt
in the department of the Vaucluse, France. The works
are considerably advanced, and the service of observe'
tions will commence in the autumn of the presellS
year.
A correspondent in Greece who has lately visitea
Olympia, states that the excavations have been renewed,
and are now proceeding at the expense of the Athens
Archxlogical Society. An Athenian gentleman has
given 200,000 f. for the erection of a museum, which IS
making good progress.

A number of bones of animals—though none of an
extraordinary size—have been discovered, at a depth of
16 feet, during the excavations in the site of the Corr
hkstitutional Club in Northumberland-avenue, London.
The spot at which the bones were found was formed)'
part of the gardens of Northumberland House.
At an evening school for adults in Hornsey, "
Horse" was given to the pupils as a subject of compo-
sition. An agricultural cottager set to work with
will, and executed the following: "The ors is the noblst
of anerrnals and so is the kow. If you hit him fin
won't do it. The ors has 4 legs 1 in each korner'
Finis."

An innovation in the education of Eastern women
to be introduced at Constantinople, where a day schom
is to be established for instructing girls in useful arts
and trades, under the Sultan's especial patronage. The
fee will be nominal, as 200 scholars will be admitted oil
payment of 9s. a month, another 100 being taught
free.

The Town Council of Edinburgh have authorised the
purchase of Blackford-hill as a public park. The are":
is 107 acres, and the price asked is £BOOO, being abon,
45 years' purchase of the present grazing rent. Black
ford-hill has an historic interest, as being the spot fronl
which Sir 'Walter Scott makes Marmion survey the
landscape of the city and the Firth of Forth.
Particulars have reached Belfast of the death of Dr.
Logan, R.N., at Suakim, on board H.M.S. Sphin%•
Surgeon Logan successfully extracted the bullet frore
Colonel Burnaby's arm, and several pieces of shell froro
Baker Pasha's face, for which he was mentioned iø
Admiral Hewett's depatches. He afterwards had a sun'
stroke at Massowah, and died from a fever which super
vaned. He belonged to a County Down family.
A girl, four years of age, named Tanner, residing
with her parents at Duke-road, Chiswick, while playia
with matches, ignited her clothes and set fire to tl?e
house. The fire was extinguished, but the child died 10
great agony, a few hours after the occurrence. A little
brother was found insensible, being suffocated.
The Duke of Cambridge has signified to Major'
General Newdigate his satisfaction at the admirable
manner in which the maneeuvres on Easter Monde/
were carried out, and at the discipline and efficienri
shown by the volunteers. _

A me;aorial against -the Congo Treaty has been
addressed to Lord Granville by the Committee of the
British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society.
It is estimated that in the coming year, the first 14
twelvemonth of its working, the new Bankruptcl
Department of the Board of Trade will prove almost
self-supporting. As a matter of precaution a vote for
a trifle over £2OOO will be asked for.

In continuation of a scheme of barrack extension
Portsmouth the authorities have been directed to frarne
an estimate for preparing a site for new barracks for
the Royal Artillery. The present barracks were coir
demnal more than twenty years ago.
On Saturday morning the axle of a truck on a good
train proceeding from Pontypool to Hereford, broke
when approaching a bridge crossing the Wye at Here'
ford. Two trucks left the metals, tearing up the per
manent way, breaking through the ironwork at the side
of the bridge, and falling into the river. Fortunateli
there was no loss of life.
It is proposed to collect and to publish the princlP4
speeches which the Duke of Albany delivered duria
the last few years of his life.
An old lady named Annie Leeson, who was said to be
103 years of age, has just died at Solihull, near Bit;
mingham. She lived with her son, who is 79 years 0'
age. She was in full possession of her faculties.
The discovery was made in the Birmingham Court
of Quarter Sessions the other day that during the tirce
the Court was sitting some thief had stolen, unobserved,/
into the Recorder's and Clerk's private rooms, an°'
after emptying a decanter of sherry and another of
claret, had carried off the wig belonging to the ClerY
of the Peace.

The Spanish Cortes have just paid £36,000 for the
library of the late Duke of Osuna. The collectioo
consists of 2770 volumes of MSS. and 33,567 volume.
of printed books, many of which in both batches are
unique.
The Spanish Government proposes to ask the Frencli
authorities for permission to remove to Madrid the
remains of the painter Goya, who died at Bordeaux
1828, and was interred in the cemetery of the Gran('
Chartreuse there.

A centenarian family inhabit a village in the Kiyote
district, Japan none of whose race have failed to attaill
the age of 10dsince the foundation of the family
730 A.D.
It is intended to open an exhibition, towards the e 133
of July, of national portraits in the galleries of the
Scotch Royal Academy at Edinburgh, as a preliminart
step towards the establishment of a national portrait
gallery for Scotland. It will consist of authen 26°
portraits of men and women whose names are associateu
with the history of the country.
There has arrived in St. Petersburg a boy of 13 NW'
had travelled 1500 miles on foot in order to obtain
struction on the violin at the Conservatory. He starte3
from Vladikavkas, a Cossack village, where from the
age of 6 he had given concerts, and he hoped to obtai,
a permanent appointment in the capital
The Lincoln great annual horse fair commenced ori
Monday. The number of animals offered for sale volo
larger than usual, but many were farming or draught,
horses which have hitherto been mostly shown later or;
in the week. The best animals, suitable for riding, car
riage, or military Purposes found ready purchaser*
especially amongst buyers from France, who were
particularly anxious to effect the purchase of mareo.
Prices ranged from 80gs. to 200 gs.
On Monday evening a man named John Humphrey,
of Dundee, lumped overboard from the river stearaef
Marquis of Bute when approaching Junellon Pier, ell
the Clyde. The man was with difficulty rescued, wheo
Infirmary, where he expired.
it was found that both his legs were broken. He
conveyed to Greenock In wit#
At Liverpool on Monday an inquest was held on di!
body of W. Sutton, a gamekeeper in the employ of alto
Earl of Sefton, who died from injuries received on the
day of the Grand National steeplechase. A labourert
named Patrick Kearney, and some other man were
fighting in a public-house. Sutton went to the a,ssisr
ance of the landlord, and Kearney struck him over the
head with the buckle of his belt, inflicting injuriee
which proved fatal. A verdict of manslaughter wag
returned.

On Monday Francis Henry 'was charged before tiv,_
Newry magistrates with committing ,a murdero/!:
assault upon his mother: The accused was beating 11,1,'
father when his mother interfered. He turned fierce/Y.
upon her, and struck her with a basin, inflicting:
fearful wound on the head, and fracturing her slay'
The father was also badly beaten. The prisoner ivo
remanded.