The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-09-28 00:00:00

atisteilanenus

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

DEATH OF A YOUNG HISTORIAN.—The death is an-
nounced of a historian of great promise, named Carl
von Gebler, who died during the early days of this
month at Gratz, in Styria. Although only 27 years
of age, he had already achieved a great reputation
by his work on "Galileo Galilei and the Roman
Curia," which attracted the attention of stu-
dents and critics all over Europe. People could
scarcely believe that an author who showed such
learning, courage, and judgment was only a lieutenant
of Austrian dragoons. His early death is to be greatly
regretted, for it is known that on more than one sub-
j act he had made studies which would some day have
borne fruit, For the last twelve:nonth he was engaged
in examining documents connected with the history
and trial of Joan of Arc, and he proposed writing an
exhaustive work on this theme.

THE CATTLE DISEASES ACT.—Yes, they act with
fatal effect too often.—Fun.

"So FULL OF NOISE IN HERE."—"O, Johnny !”
cried a nervous mother, "do have some pity on my
poor head! Can't you play without shouting so?"
Poor Johnny drew up the tape reins with which he
was driving two chairs tandem, and called out, in a
loui, hoarse whisper: "Get up—whoa!" But at
length finding little pleasure in this suppressed
amusement, he threw down his reins, and,
laying his hands on his breast, said, with a
long breath : " Oh, mother, it's full of noise
in here, and it hurts me so to keep it in. Don't
all little boys make a noise when they play ?" "Yes,
Johnny, I believe they all do," replied the lady. "0
then, mother dear, cried Johnny, in a winning tone,
"please let me be a little boy." We will join poor
Johnny in his petition. Please, mother, let your sons
be little boys while they may. Let them have a free
and happy childhood, that when your heads are low in
the grave they may point back to those days and say:
"We were happy children, for there was always sun-
shine where our mother was."—Echo.

LOOMING AHEAD.—Cotton lords not only leave their
sons and heirs the heirlooms of the family, they leave
them the steam-looms as well very of ten.—Fun.
A STRANGE CURE FOR HYDROPHOBIA !—An im-
pression widely prevails among certain classes in this
country that the danger arising from the bite of a
dog sugpected of being mad can only be averted by the
death of the animal; and dogs unaffected by rabies
are no doubt often destroyed in accordance with this
theory, leaving the person or persons they may have
bitten in a state of suspense as to the risk incurred
of an attack of hydrophobia. In Burmah mad
dogs and dogs supposed to be mad are not
only killed, but eaten, the flesh of a mad dog being
in the opinion of the Barmese not only the best antidote
to the poison of the tooth, but a prophylactic against
hydrophobia. A crowd, the other day, according to
a Rangoon paper, were seen in the streets of that city
hacking a dog to pieces and scrambling for the morsels,
which when secured were taken home and fried and
eaten by their fortunate possessors. The dog was
rabid, and had bitten several persons, some of whom
have since died. It was ultimately chased and clubbed
to death, and those who devoured its remains flatter
themselves that they are now hydrophobia-proof for
ever.—Pall Mall Gazette.

" ITS PROPER USE."—Sergeant: "And what do
you mean by wearing your cap like that? What do
you suppose your cap's for?" Private: "Please, sir,
to keep toy head warm, sir," Serge-ant (cornfully) :
"To keep your head warm! Nothing of the kind, sir.
It's to put on one side, and look big at the girls.—Fun.

TOY PISTOLS AND REVOLVERS.—The Prefect of the
Paris Police is about to prohibit the sale of toy
pistols with explosive compounds, as they have caused
many serious accidents. We would not go so far as
to prohibit the sale of revolvers, but we should be
glad to see some legislation which would restrict their
numbers. In wild and thinly-peopled countries they
may occasionally be of advantage, but in such a
country as Eegland they serve scarcely any u,eful
purpose. Our modern footpads rarely give their
victim the chance of firing at them, and the same may
be said of burirlars lcisides which the man who shoots
at a supposed burglar may find himself on his trial for
manslaughter. What much more often happens is
that those who keep such weapons as a protection
against robbers end by accidentally shooting themselves
or their friends. But, if useless as an engine of pro-
tection, the revolver is unrivalled as an engine of de-
struction. It figures largely in the annals of murder
and suicide. Numbers of these horrors would never
have been perpetrated, but for the existence of this
pestilent little firearm. Try a revolver-tax, Mr.
Chancellor of the Exchequer.—Graphic.

BUSINESS IS BUSINESS.—Rector's Wife—" Oh, Mr.
Dosset, we have not seen your Assistant, who has such
a very nice, Tenor Voice, in the Choir lately." Country
Grocer—"No, Ma'am • I've parted with him owing to
the Rector and other Gentlemen getting their Supplies
from the Stores in London !"—Punch,

A HYENA AT LARGE. —A hyena escaped from a
menagerie temporarily established at Blangy (Pas de
Calais), a few days ago, and killed and severely wounded
a dozen sheep, dispersing a whole flock, near the
forest of Crepy. The animal has already been met
with several times. An inhabitant of Crepy was
enabled to force his pas-;ag,e only by means of a club.
Another farmer, at Auvin, had two sheep killed on
Monday night. A. M. Theret, of Crepy, went out to
shoot the beast. He saw it crouched in a hay rick,
but just at the moment when he was within fifty
paces of the animal, two gendarmes, who had mis-
taken him for a poacher hiding himself, came down
upon the hay rick in full gallop. The hyEeno, at once
mad,- off, and the sportsman lost his prey. Grand
battues are being organised to kill it.
AN APPETITE FOR IN FORMAT lON.-Arthur (who
has been listening with breathless interest to one of
Grandpapa'a Bibie Stories) : "And were you in the
ark, Grandpa, along o' Noah and all the rest of 'em ?"
Grandpapa (indignantly) : No, sir, certainly not ! "
Arthur : "Then how is it you wasn't drownded ?"
Punch.

WEIGHTS .AND MEASURES.—Art Act of Parliament
comes into operation on Jan. 1, by which the use of all
boat or customary measures will be abolished, and it is
imperative that every contract, bargain, sale, or de-
livery made or had in the United Kingdom shall he
according to ono of the IMperial weights or measures
as defined by this Act, under a penalty of 40s. for
every sale. To enforce one uniform mode of making
market reports, the Act 'provides that any person who
shall print any return or list, price list, price current,
or any journal or other paper containing price list or
price current in which the denomination of weights
and measures quoted or referred to denotes or implies
a greater or less weight or measure than is denoted or
implied by the same denomination of the Imperial
weights and measures under this Act, shall be liable
to a fine not exceeding 10s. for every copy of such re-
turn, price list, price current, journal, or other paper
which he publishes.

IN THE CELLAR.—Lord Beaconsfield (to his Butler).
—Let tho old Port stand. Don't shake it on any
account. Butler.—lf you please, my Lord, do you
thiLk it will be any the better for keeping? (Smelling
a bottle.) It's rather gone already, Lord Beacons-
fi3ld. Put it into a cradle. If it isn't worth drinking,
we can use it for cooking purposes. I'll try the new
Cyprus to night,—Exit, .to dress for dinuer.]—
Punch.

DESTRUCTIVE STORM IN AJSIERICA.—ParticuI ars have
been received of a terrific storm which swept over the
States of North Carolina and Virginia on the 11th
inst. The course of the storm was from north-east to
south-west, and it struck a point_ about three miles
from Goldsboro, North Carolina, about seven o'clock
in the morning. Four white people in Wayne county
were seriously injured, and were not expected to live.
&large number of hogs, cows, and horses were killed,
and barns, outhouses, and dwellings blown down. In
Virginia the damage was equally serious, accounts
from Burkeville stating that telegraph poles had been
blown down, and the woods in the track of the storm
completely demolished. Houses, wagons, fences, and
a large quantity of farm material were also destroyed.
The pecuniary loss will be very heavy, as many corn,
tobacco, and cotton crops have been destroyed,

•

.
•

HINT TO PROSY PREACHERS.—It isll fatit 114,t gene•
rally known that a too qniet sermon often proves to be
a moving discourse. Judy.

A BEAR AT LARGE.—TWO English sailors who
arrived ia London a few days ago from the Indies in
the 'ship Atlanti, brought over with them two beazs
from a port they had touched at. On the journey one
died, but the other was muzzled aud chained by the
two men, in order to be taken to Jamrach's repository
to be sold. On getting outside tne docks the brute
broke the leather muzzle mid furiously attacked his
two guardians, compelling them to relinquish their
hold of the chain. He then capered about on his hind
legs for shout ten minutes, making desperate attempts
to seize horses and foot passengers, and finally
succeeded in securing a wolf hound (which had annoyed
him by barking at him) and fatally crushed the animal.
One of the owners in the meantime procured a bludgeon,
got behind the beast, and felled him to the ground.
The animal's carcase was taken to a furrier's and sold
for 10s.

A WEST INDIAN STORM.—The mail which arrived
at Southampton on 'fuesday brings news that on
Arigust 1,2, and 3 a series of heavy gales, raging at
times with the force of a hurricane, swept over Port of
Spain, Trinidad, and caused considerable damage to
the cocoa-nut plantations. A large number of small
craft were sunk at their moorings. The shipping also
suffered, thou ,11 not so heavily. Several houses were
unroofed, and huge trees uprooted. The telegraph
wires broken, and some of the public squares presented
a complete wreck. On the 6th inst., the date of the
steamer leaving, the weather had become more settled,
but it was still blowing hard at intervals.

"DARWINIAN."—Our Village Grocer (great Flori-
culturist)—" Most extr'or'nary thing, sir. Last year
I had some Bacon in my Shop that went bad durin'
that hot weather, and I buried it in my garden.
You'll hardly believe it, but all my Asters this Season
come up streaky! ! "—Punch.
A VESSEL BURNT AT SEA,—lnformation has reached
Liverpool of the total destruction by fire of the
Greenock barque Marion. The Marion, with a cargo
o 500 tons of coal, left Greenock for Quebec on the
13th July, and on the 4th of last month the coal was
found to be on fire. Every effort was made to extin-
guish the flames, but without effect. The crew per-
sisted in their endeavours for nine days. and on the
13th, when off the eastern edge of the Grand Bank,
the American barque Charles Lewis hove in sight.
She stood by the burning vessel, and succeeded in
taking on board the whole of the crew. The Marion
had not been abandoned more than fifteen minutes,
when she sank. The shipwrecked men were landed at
Cow Bay by the American barque.
SHOALS OF DEAD FlSH.—lndian fishermen have
lately been much puzzled by the shoals of dead fish
that have been seen floating down the Ganges and
Juinna, and various, opinions are entertained as to
the cause of this unusual spectacle (says the Pall Mall
Gazette). It has been suggested that the swarms of
locusts which crossed the North-western Provinces
some time ago may be answerable for the destruc-
tion of the fish. In 1863 a flight of locusts fell
upon the lake Naini Tal, and the fish in that
water gorged themselves with these creatures to such an
extent that they died in large numbers and floated to the
surface. On the other hand, this theory, it is pointed
out by the Pioneer, would scarcely apply to the
Ganges and Jumna, in which the destruction has taken
plac- this year, as it is clearly established that the fish
at first tried to leap out of the water, and were
apparently endeavouring to escape from some danger
directly pursuing them. Large and small alike died,
and those who have seen the enormous bodies of fish
floating down the Jumna are quite at a loss to account
for the phenomenon.
FANCY GOES A LONG WAY.—" Oh, mother, I don't
want to go to school to-day, I've got such a bad pain
in my head." "Very well, you shall stay at home
and take some physic." "Oh, it don't matter, I'll go,
then; I've got the pain, but it doesn't hurt a bit.'
—Fun.

CURIOUS FORM or INSANITY.—The New York Time,
says :—" On the 4th of September Mr. Orville D.
Grant, brother of ex-President Grant, whose insanity
has been a familiar fact in private circles for some time,
was removed to the insane asylum at lorris Plains.
He will notlie subject to any of the severer restraints
or experiences of asylum life, his detention at the
institution being the only stipulation made with the
medical superintendent, the same to be accompanied
with such medical treatment as may conduce to his
recovery. If he could have been persuaded to remain.
quietly at home no restraint would have been put ii.Pon
his actions, for he was a kind husband and fatt.er, and
there was no apprehension that his mania would take
a violent turn. His insanity consisted in a mono-
mania for immense transactions without any capital.
Besides, his mind was so unsteady that he could not
be trusted on long journeys alone. Laat fall he went
to California to attend to what he called large milling
interests of his, and to push the fortunes of an inven-
tion for cleaning wheat, from which he expected great
things. He returned in June, and since then his
mania has been worse than ever. Of course, he did
not bring back the anticipated fortune. On the con.
trary, he has spent or invested in unremunerative
enterprises nearly or quite all the 50,000 dole, he
had formerly made in the timber business. About
three weeks ago he went to -Boston and entered into
contracts for pianos and other manufactured articles
to the extent of more than 100,000 dole, His friends
went on to tioston, cancelled the contracts, paid his
hotel bill, and brought him home. Dr. Morton
defines the disease as a monomania for cotrUnercisd
operations, but ventures no opinion ae 1-4.; hiS
ultimate recovery."

FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT.—A sad boat accident, rap
suiting in the loss of two lives, occurred on Saturday',
near the little island of Cumbrae. In the morning
Nix.. and Mra. (le,rge Hodge, of lielensburg, their
servant, and their four ',boys, aged from three to eleven
years, left Melport in a lug-sail boat for a trip to the
island. After going ashore at the lighthonio and
spending some time there, they went out again in the
boat, which on getting 300 yards from shore wan
observed to sink. The lighthouse-keeper at once put
off in a small boat, and with some difficulty saved
Mrs. Hodge and three of the children, and finally the
servant girl, who got hold of the stern of the boat and
was thus rescued. Mr. Hodge and his second son
must have sunk with the boat, as their bodies were
never seen. Sir William Thomson, whose yacht viaB
near the scene of the accident, lowered a boat, and he,
with his men, carried Mrs. Hodge to the lighthouse.
Sir William also rendered valuable aid until the
arrival of a medical gentleman,

SAI3AL UMBRACIILIFERA.—Forty years ago a small
plant of this beautiful South American palm wee
brought to the Horticultural Gardens of Amsterdam.
It has now grown into a tree of 22ft., with a conical
pale-white flower stalk about 31t. high. The tree has
just developed its first flower, and is expected to be in
tull blossom within three or four weeks' time.
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for the week
ending Sept. 21, as received from the inspectors and
officers of Excise :—Wheat. 435. 2d. ; barley, 40s. 11d. ;
oats, 235. 6d. per imperial qr. Corresponding week
last year :—'Wheat, Ks. lid. ; barley, 435. Bd. ; oats,
258. 10d.
A FISH STORY.—A Gananoque correspondent Of
the Toronto Globe tells the following fish story
"Mr. Charles Lechay had a most desperate encounter
with a maskinonge on Monday on the river, a little
below Granite Island. When Mr. Lechay gaffed the
mon.-4ter he made straight at him, breaking his leg and
frightfully lacerating his arm, and his clothes were
literally torn off him. Had it not been for timelY
assistance the fish would have killed him. The
monster measured lift. 81n., and weighs 5891b5."

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.—The Lancet says :"" •
"In the ten years from 1867 to 1876 inclusive wie
published notices of the deaths of 3,434 qualifie,"
medical men. Of this number, the age at whicu
death occurred was recorded in 2,684 instances, or
in 78.13 per cent, of the whole number of deaths. The
average age at which these 2,684 deaths occurred WO
56'6 years.

NOVEL DISCOVERY IN NATURAL HISTORY I 14'
lecturer on natural history was called upon the other
day to pay for a live rabbit which he had in a basket
in a railway carriage, and which the ticket collector
said would be charged the same as a dog. The lecture!
vainly explained that he was going to use the rabbit
in illustration of a lecture he was about to give hl a
provincial town, and, indignantly taking a small live
tortoise from his pocket, said, "You'll be telling ule
next that this is a dog, and that I must pay for q
also." The ticket-taker went for superior orders, sea
on his return delivered this lecture on natural histerl
—" Cats is dogs, rabbits is dogs, but a tortus is a
hinsect.' The professor had to pay dog fare for the
rabbit.

THE NUT SEASON.—If the filberts you now takl
with your dessert could speak, what would they saY
—Why, "Give me none of your jaw," of course.'"
Judy.

CALAMITIES IN GROOPS.—Mapfair remarlrs r.
might, be interesting to investigate the question, Cr.
anything be deduced from the fact o calamitle'
occurring in groups? Only a month or two ago, whel
the German war•ship went down amid a cluster o
fatalities to human lite, I showed how nearly all the
great disasters of history are accompanied and Pre:
ceded by others as certainly as a planet by its moon,'
The experience is repeated once more. The accideule
began with deaths by lightning extended to numeroo!
deaths by drowning, advanced to the accident 11!
Sittingbourne, and culminated in the awful disaster fib
Woolwich and the sclrcely less fatal colliery raged/
in Wales. Is there a new science here? It can hardlY
be a branch of meteorology. And yet there ;must he
sonic reason for accidents so regularly happenil
together. If that reason could be discovered, an
warnings could be issued to the general public its the'
are issued to the mariner when the storm approach
or, as is now proposed, to the miner when the Inloo
dangerous, some perils at least might be averted."

HARD K NOX.—A weekly con temporary, common;
ing on the retirement of Mr. Knox, says :—" The
tion of a London police magistraie is for the most Oro
a thankless one. The dutiez are trying and incessant.
What would you hava a magistrate's duties ba, be
"trying"
LATE BLossoms.—The Rev. R. H. Nisbett Bronl
writes to The Times from Folkestone, Sept. 20 :
may be worth notice, as a somewhat uncommon frett
of vegetation, that laburnum trees are now in flow"
in more than one garden here."
m ling
" SQUARE " GAMBLING.—Perhaps the only ga .he
place in the world where the odds are even witn.v6-0,
banker and the hunter, is at St. lago, on the ,
There a Yankee gentleman set up a table on svl"j
was played a very simple game indeed. One Cla
was dealt round to all playing, and everyone olb°,,ia
back so much, as to whether in turning up, it NO 74
be black or red. If the player backed the wr°ht
colour, the banker took the stake, if he guessed
the banker paid Lim the same amount. Some Is
said to the worthy gambling-house keeper, "Illiren
it pesdible you can male anything out of this w,ha
the odds are perfectly even for the player and:of
banker?" His answer showed a pleasing amonu" a.
insight into the nature of fools and gamblers in grika
ral. " Wa.l, yer sea." said he, "I give 'em dritat
free, and they do drink hearty too. Then them
wins stops till they loses, and them what loses
away. So it must come square to we in the end' '
PicOria

N
.

•
r,

EP