The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-01-16 00:00:00

Pisan-atom .intriligritte,
HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

DEFRAUDING A RAILWAY CuMPANY.—A SiDgU-
lar fraud on a railway company has just beeti dis-
covered at Milan ; a large case lying in the goods depot,
and supposed to contain merchandise, was remarked
to emit an extremely unpleasant smell. After sothe
hesitation the package was opened, and was found to
be only the first of three boxes, each between five and
six feet long, while on the lid of the inner one were
inscribed the words, "Mortal remains of Giovanna
Lampugnani." The coffin, for such it was, enclosed
the body of a young woman. The first impression
was that a crime had been committed, and that the
murderer had adopted this method of disposing of his
victim; but an inquiry showed that the deceased, who
belonged to a highly respectable family, had died a
natural death abroad, but having to be buried at
Milan, MM. Franchetti and Co., Carriers, of Trieste,
who had been charged to forward the body for inter-
ment, had cent it as merchandise, in order to avoid
the special tariff to which it was liable. The ftmeral
was allowed to take place immediately, but a prose-
cution has been instituted against the fran.port
agents.

WHAT'S IN A NAME ?—The Imperial Court of
Paris has just given judgment in a suit by Blondin,
who was, during the Exhibition, performing at the
Park ‘4 Asnieres, against M. Arnault, director of the
Hippodrome, who had brought out a rival tight-rope
.lancer under the same denomination. In fact, the
name does nit belong to either of the men, that of the
hero of the Niazara Falls being Gravelet and of the
pretender, Corelly. The Tribunal first applied to,
however, considering that the former had acquired a
certain notoriety in different countries under the ap-
pellation in question, and that Arnault, in announcing
the appearance of Corelly as Blondin, was committing
an act of unfair conetition, had condemned him by
default to pay to Gravelet 10,000 f, as damages. On a
fresh trial the sum was reduced to 500 f. Arnault again
appealed, but the Imperial Court now confirmed that
decision, and condemned the director of the Hippo-
dronie to the payment of all the costs.
SOMETHING LIKE AN EDITOR !—II the "women's
I right's" women are sometimes rather hard on anybody
' who ventures to question their discretion, at any rate
they make up for it by the most affectionate
enthusiasm for their supporters. Mr. Mark M.
Ponieroy, for example, editor of one of the New York
papers, has written up the great cause, and is canonized
accordingly. Among other tributes of love and admira-
tion, his life has been written by a gushing lady of the
name of Tucker. From this curious work we learn that
Mr. Pomeroy measures forty-three inches round the
chest, stands five feet eight inches from the ground,
and "has abtained as high a position as an editor as it
is possible for a man" (Mrs. Tucker does not go the
length of saying a woman) "to reach." "He has a
tremendous brow, with a forehead as fine and white
as that of a girl;" lips "full, but refined and pure ; "
his "ears are large arid indicate the democratic ele-
ment in his character ;" and "in the pupil of his left
eye there is a red brick which grows darker and more
fiery when Mr. Pomeroy is politically excited." It
is probably from this visualpeculiarity that this gifted
being takes the familiar style of " Brick " which is his
nom de plume.
_ _

No LAUGHING MATTEL—A young man named
Edmund Barker gave himself up to the police on
Tuesday, at Sheffield, on the charge of having at-
tempted to poison his father's family. He said that,
having suffered from a painful disease for some time,
he had been very passionate, sometimes almost
frenzied ; but his excitement was always subdued by
the sight of a policeman. He and his father had re-
cently been on very bad terms, in consequence of his
refusal to work. On Sunday he bought three penny-
worth of vermin killer and threw the whole of it into a
pan in which a quantity of broth for the family was
boiling. His mother ,noticing some peculiarity in the
colour of the liquid tasted it, and, finding it to be
very bitter, handed a spoonful to her daughter, who
also swallowed a small portion. Shortly afterwards
both of them were very sick. On recovering a little
the daughter accused her brother of attempting to
poison them, upon which he burst into a lauffi and
admitted that he bad put the poison into the broth.
On Monday afternoon he calmly t. Id his mother th,tt
it was his intention to murder the whole family, upon
which his father put him out of the house. After
wandering about the town for some time he went to
the ,lice-office and gave himself up.
A Comic BOON TO iIUMANITY.—ChIOraorM
ap; wars likely to be superseded by the Protoxide of
Nitrogen. 'I his new anregthetic is the old laughing
gas. Operations vrill become mere jokes when the
patients undergoing them laugh at them. Of course
there will then be an end of all Ben US operations.—
Punch.

THE MULTIPLICITY OF DIVORCE SUITS.—The
Divorce Court opened on Tuesday with 206 eases on
the list. This may be thought a la rle number, but,
as in other matters, we are far behind the Americans.
We learn from a Chicago paper that in that city alone
there were 460 petitions for divorce laid before the
courts during last year. This is a formidable collection
of persons who have not found in marriage the greatest
good life has to offer, but our Chicago contemporary
discusses the subject with great equanimity. The
number "might have been greater, perhaps, without
producing any general cat istrophe." That is, if
course, a comfort. It is observed that the wives were
suitors for divorce in a majority of 176 cases, and that
the month of dune was the one must fatal to matri-
monial happiness, or, as our contemporary puts it,
" both sexes were on the rampage about that time."
Another bad month was October, owing ti the fact
"that about that time many persons are making their
domestic arrangements for the winter." Chicago
seems likely to preserve the reputation it has gained
as a sort of " din)t " fur quarrelsome husbanos and
wives, and it n• ill be tj it from the short extracts
we have given that journalists do not think it
necessary to make themselves miserable over the cir-
cumstance.

THE RAGE FOR VELUCIPFDES.—The Pcince
Imperial of France is learning to rile upon a velocipede,
and may soinetin4es be seen practi.ing at an early
In.ur in the reserved garden of the Tuileries, while his
father looks on. This machine for solitary locomotion,
now the rage in Paris, is only an Improvement of the
rel weft' re, which w. s in vogue in France and England
years ago. The re,uscitatiou of this toy after a sus-
pension of its usage during half a century is a curious
fact. The opinion certainly VIM that to ride ten miles
on a velocipede was far more fatiguing than to walk
the distance. Whether improved mechanism has
reversed that verdict is more than we can say. It is,
however, clear that an expert velocipedist can do ten
miles on tolerably good roads much quicker than he
could walk them, and therefore we do not see why
velocipedes, which cost less than a very bad hone and
eat nothing, should not be useful. There are plenty of
professors in Paris who teach the art of riding on them
—not we should presume to imagine, very difficult—
for two francs a lesson.

-A
FATED FAMILY.—On Monday a melancholy
accident occurred at Adelaide Colliery, near Shildon,
the property of Messrs. Pease and Partners, by which
two young men, brothers, were killed. About ten
o'clock one was preparing to leave work, and was
putting on his clothes, whilst the other, standingby his
side, was preparing for work, when a large stone, some
tons in weight, fell upon them, killing them both on
the spot. The eldest brother, Thomas Pratt, aged
about thirty, leaves a wife and three children; the
younger, George, had been recently married. The
father of the deceased and a man named White were
killed in a similar manner, at Eldon Colliery, twenty-
eight years ago. Another brother was killed at
Inkerman, the whole of the family having thus met
their deaths by accident.
A. Z. A. D.—During the examination into the
Overend, Gurney, & Co. failure, a curious transaction
was fished out, which caused considerable difficulty.
An entry in a ledger stood as follows :--"Peto and
Betts azad £14,000." What did azad mean? Mr.
Howell, the accountant, could not tell nobody could
tell. Judy, of course, knew, and finding that the
mystery has not yet been cleared up, she now boldly
states that the word in question is only a slight 'llls.
spelling, and the entry should run—" Pao and Betts
4a.1 had £14,000." That is all !—Judy.

-
REFUSING TO BE CURED.—The Academy of
Medicine has just received from the Prefect of Haute.
Savoie some details of the goitre is that country, and
the means taken to remedy it. Of the 310 communes
into which the department is subdivided, there are
scarcely ten in which the disease does not prevail. Of
5,000 children subjected to the treatment of indurated
pastilles and a decoction of walnut leaves, 2,000 were
completely cored; 2,000 underwent a great improve-
ment, and with 1,000 only no appraciable benefit was
obtained. Notwithstanding these remarkable results,
the cure has had to be abandoned, in consequence of
the parents refusing to allow their children to undergo
it; the fact of goitre beings cause of exoneration from
military service is considered one of the chief reasons
for that resistance, and in consequence the prefect pro-
poses that for the future the conscripts afflicted with
the malady should be incorporated in the army with
the others.

SUITABLE ATEIRE.—III the Sheriff's Court,
Glasgow, Malcolm Broadfoot, a master chimney-sweep,
of Govan. brought an action for damages against
Messrs. Hinshelwood and Abercombie, omnibus pro-
prietors, for having refused to carry him, although
there was sufficient accommodation and he was ready
to pay his fare. The defence was an admission of the
refusal, and a justification on the ground of the festy
clothes of the prisoner, his dream not being consistent
with a due regard to the other paeaengera, the cleanli-
ness of the 'bus, and the interests of the defendants ax
common carriers. The sheriff eventually decided in
favour of the defendants, and indicated that the same
rule might be applied to bakers in their working
clothe .

KING THE °DORE'S COFFEE-T RAT. —Great in
terest has been excited by the exhibition in the window
of Messrs. Elkington, and Co., of Liverpool, the well-
known silversmiths, of an unique specimen of art
manufacture, in the shape of a coffee-tray, which was
"looted" at Magilala, and is believed to have belonged
to the late King Theodore, It was brought to Liver-
pool by an officer of the TraruTort Corps, by whom it
was presented to Mr. Eberle, ..f the Alexandra Hotel.
The tray is a very fine specimen of workmanship, and
is 25 inches in diameter. The design is very rich in
conception, and faultless in execution. The centre
ornamentation is composed somewhat in the Byzantine
style of art, a combination of natural folage and scroll
work, forming a device most pleasing to the eye. The
centre panel is. framed by concentric circles, each one
being variwd in design, showing great taste in the
regular arrangement of ornamental scrolls en suite with
the centre panel. The outer border is raised and very
simply fluted. It is difficult to assign an epoch or a
country to this rare work of art, but with other
specimens of the goldsmith's art from Abyssinia to
guide us, we may--with some degree of plausibility—
attribute its production to native talent. However,
judging from the method of its production, which is
technically styled flat chasing—a favourite manlier of
working with the Arabs -it may, with qual safety,
be attributed to the latter. The metal of which this
"Theodore tray" is composed is copper, most skillfully
nd effectively overlaid with gold.

HUSBAND An, Wire.—At the Worship-street
Police-court, London, the other day, Rebecca Riley,
aged forty, was charged by her husband with having
bitten him. As he was stating the case the wife in-
terrupted, and begged her dear • Ted to forgive her."
Fed replied: My dear, I don't want to hurt you.
The Wife You know, darling. I have always been a
~00d mother to our children. Wituees • I know you
have, dear; but you hurt me last night.' The Wife:
Welt, do forgive me this time. and we'll go home
together, and make it up. The Magistrate: It is for
me to say whether you will go home together. The
Husband Oh, do let her go sir. She is is very good
wife to me when she is not drunk. The Magistrate:
Do you wish to withdraw the charge then? The
Husband: Yes, please, sir. The magistrate then
lectured the prisoner on her brutal behaviour, advised
her to keep her promise, and ordered her to enter into
recognizances to keep the peace.
A BURMAN MARTYR.—A Rangoon journal re-
ports the crucifixion at Mandalay, the capital of
Bunnah, of a learned man for his religious tenets. The
following may be relied upon as a true statement of the
case :
A Burman of great respectability, and in his own way a
highly educated man, began to denounce the worship of the
Poongees as being not only wrong in itself, but contrary to
the true spirit of true Bhuddism. Ile at the same time ex-
posed the gross alone of power which is so common amongst
the nom of the yellow robes, aud the iniquities in which too ,
many of them indulge. He in fact preached a reformed
Ilhuddisin, and did his utmost to rid that religion of its
worst features. A few followers, to the number of al oout 40,
adopted the reformed religion, and all went about endeavour-
ing to aid in the good cause. For this heinous crime the
leader of this little bind was cruelly crucified, some of los
disciples thrown into prison and all more or less persecuted
TAKING IT C,OLLY.—A curious accident oc-
curred in New York on the night of December 20, at
the Olympic Theatre. The main gaspipe laid under
Broadway burst in front of the building, and the gas
found its way into the theatre vaults under the side
walk. A man with a lighted torch was sent into the
vault to see what was the matter, and, the gas igniting,
exploded, slightly injuring him, while jets of it con-
tinued to burn at crevices in the walls of the vault
where the gas found its way through from the broken
main. Streams of fire also issued in a similar ,inanner
from the walls of an adjoining vault. Over 30 different
flames, some of them of large size, were counted in the
two vaults, and the heat they produced was very great.
In the theatre everything went on ass usual. A dense
audience, unaware of the proximity of danger, filled
every part of the house, while two or three firemen
watched the flames to prevent their spreading. Late
at night the gas was turned off, the street torn up,
and the leak stopped. The audience knew nothing
of the danger they had been ill until they left the
theatre.
WHAT WILL BE i—A clergyman, whose name is
stated to be Mr. Wild, has been lecturing in Canada,
taking for his subject "What the world is coming to."
He announces these among other things looming in the
distance
coral insects will till up the Feeble with solid habitable
land ; eventually the globe will be all land, or at least there
will be no more sea; there is also to be perpetually equal day
and night of 12 hours each all over the globe ; there is to be
only one language spoken throughout the world, and "that,
of course, will be English. .

CONUNDRUM BY DR. E. B. P—s—Y.—Why is
it probable that a Parish Clerk is always offending
his Clergyman during the week ?—Because the congre-
gation invariably hear him on Sunday making Amens
to him.—Punch

FATAL ACCIDENT TO A SLEIGHING PARTY.—A
distressing accident is reported to have occurred at
Jackson, Pennsylvania, on Thursday the 24th of
December, to a sleighing party while on their way to
Eho to attend a Christmas-eve entertainment. The
report is to the effect that the party, some thirty in
number, was riding in a large sleigh, and, in order to
shorten the distance, the driver was directed to go
across a certain clearance. In doing so, in order to
reach the road again, a pond had to be crossed. Un-
fortunately, the original ice had been cut, the place
being at the time closed by a thin sheet of ice. This
was not observed, and the team on being driven upon
the ice immediately went through. It is said that
thirty persons were drowned, none of the party but
the driver escaping.

- -
THE CLERGY AND THE GOVERNMENT OF
AUSTRIA.—The conflict in Austria between the clergy
and the government still continues, and the latter
shows no disposition to yield any of the ground it has
taken up. Two new laws complete the recent liberal
legislation with regard to civil marriage, and are re-
garded as a step towards the complete separation of
the Church from the State. The clergy meanwhile
keeps up its hostility, and the government replies by
repressive measures. An ultramontane paper, the
Frit eel of the People, has been seized for publishing a
m
letter from the Pope condemning the new institutions
of the empire. This rigorous act has produced, it is
said.a profound sensation, and is without precedent
in Hapsburg annals since the reign of the Emperor
Joseph 11.

•
AGRICULTURAL—The poorest farmer in the
land, if linable to feed his calves, can always graze his
shins. —Punch.
ACCIDENTS IN THE HUNTING FIELD.—The Due
de Guise, only son of the Due d'Aumale, was thrown
fnou his horse a few days ago while hunting and
broke his leg. The Duke is progressing favourably.—
Lord Algernon Lennox, the second son of the Duke of
Richmond, was also thrown from his horse the other
day while jumping a stile, and broke One of his ribs ;
and a third accident in the hunting field is reported as
having occurred to Mr. G. A. Muntz, son of the mem-
ber for Birmingham. Mr. Muntz was out with the
Rolderness foxhounds, when the horse he was riding
took fright, and jumped out of the enclosed lands on
to the high road, where its head came in contact with
the shoulder of a mare belonging to Mr. Fewson, and
ridden by that gentleman's groom. The consequence
was that the horse on which Mr. Muntz was riding
fractured its skull and died instantaneously, and the
shoulder of Mr. Fewson's mare was broken by the
violence of the concussion. Mr. Muntz escaped with
a slight bruise On his leg, but the groom was much
hurt. _ _

WINNING HIS WAGER !—A hot made by a
wag of Berlin on New Year's Day attracted crowds to
one of the principal streets of the capital. In this
street there is a hairdresser's shop, and the author of
the het had undertaken to sit for four hours, without
in wing, in the place of the wax figure in the window.
At three in the afternoon he appeared at his post,
dressed in a white sheet and with a huge wig on his
head surmounted by a fez cap. Every effort was made
by the bystanders to make him show some signs of
life, Street-boys wore tempted by the promise of
large rewards to make their most ridiculous grimaces,
and address him in all sorts of funny speeches; but all
in vain. He remained immovable until the clock
struck seven, when he rose, bowed gravely to the
assembled crowd, and retired into the shop.

FAR FROM IT.—The woman who is bent on
marrying a man because he is a Lion, should remember
that it does not necessarily follow that she will become
a Lioness. —Punch.

A HARD CASE.—In London, a few days ago,
two men of respeatable appearance were given into
custody for having knowingly uttered a counterfeit
half-crown over a public-house bar in Westminster.
The coin was sent to the Mint to be tested, and found
to be genuine. The men, after having spent two days
in the House of Detention, were liberated on Satur-
day, and on applying to a magistrate for compensation,
were told that he had no power to grant it.
THE CIVIL SERVICE CLUB.—A policeman's trun-
cheon—Judy.
AN AMERICAN BANQUET. —A grand military
banquet was held recently at Chicago. On the large
platform sat Sherman, with Grant, Schofield, Logan,
Pope, and Terry on his right, and Thomas, Slocum,
M`Dowell, Stoneman, and 'Wilson, on his left. Ac-
cording to the New York World, by the time the
speaking should have commenced the bulk of the guests
were so drunk and so noisy that it was impossible to
proceed. Every effort to restore order was in vain ;
and at nine o'clock General Grant retired in disgust.
General Logan at last succeeded in getting a hearing
for some minutes, but the riot again prevailed, and, in
despair, General Sherman left the chair.
" WATERLOO JUNCTION." Wellington and
Blucher.—Punch.
"No SONG, NO SUPPER."—The Vienna journals
give a curious will left by a rich eccentric octogenarian
named Stanislaa Poltzmary, who lately died on his
property near Pesth. After bequeathing pensicins to
all his old servants, and alms to the poor, he sets down
an extraordinary clause instituting as his universal
legatee M. Francois Lott, Hungarian by origin, and a
notary by occupation in a little town near Vienna.
But the testator annexes the following condition :
Sly property will belong to M. Lots when he shall have
sung either at La Seals in Milan or the San Carlo in Naples,
the parts of °Lein., in the Opera of that name, and that of
Elvin° in the Sonnambula. Ido not dispose of sip wealth
in this manner for the sake of being thought an original, but
having been present four years ago at an evening party in
Vienna. I heard this gentleman sing a cavatina from each of
those operas, with a beautiful tenor voice. Therefore, I
believe him likely to become an excellent artist. In any
case, if the public hisses him, he can console himself easily
with three millions of florins ;£300,000), which I leave him.
M. Isitz is at Naples for the last month, preparing
to carry out the wishes of the deceased. The notary
is not forty, has a well-turned voice, and works night
and day to learn as quickly as possible the two parts
with their pronunciation and singing. He will pro-
bably make a fiasco, but the property is well worth
the hazard.
MR. PEA BODY'S CHARITABLE GIFTS.—The bene-
' factions of Mr. G. Peabody are far larger than gene-
rally supposed. A few day's ago, when his latest gift
of 500,000 dols. to the London poor was announced,
we sp dce of his donations as amounting to an aggre-
gate of over 4,000,000d015. But we (New York Times)
have been furnished with an authentic list of Mr.
Peahody's gifts and we find that they amount to over
. .

double ihasmL 7 in fact, they amount in all to over
10,000,000 dole, in our currency. The following list
(cold values) will display the remarkable facts, and
this list does not include the large sums he gave to
further American interests in the great Exhibition of
1351, nor other large sums he has given for interna-
tional banquets and such purposes : To the poor of
London. 1,750,000 dols. ; Baltimore Institute, 1,000,000
dole. ; fiir education in the South to blacks and whites,
2,000,000 dole. ; for a museum to preserve American
relics, Yale College, 150,000 dole. ; for a similar
museum in Harvard College, 150,000 dole.; for insti-
tute and education at Danvers, 250,000 dole. ; fora free
museum at Salem, 50,000 dole.; to the State of Mary-
land, 250,000 dole. ; Bishop Mllvain, for Kenyon
College, 25,000 dols. ; Kane.e Arctic Expedition,
10.000 dole. ; for "memorial church" to his mother,
100,000 dole. ;to members of his family, 2,000,000 dole.
—total, 7,735,00 dole.
A DOMESTIC TRAGEDY. A fearful tragedy
has just taken place in the Rue d'Angouleme-du.
Temple, Paris. A land measurer, named G—, aged
30, residing in that street, appears to have lived on
bad terms with his wife. More than once they had
parted, she going to reside with her friends; but less
than a week back Mine. G-- returned to her hus-
band after a fresh separation. The peace was of short
duration, as the night before last two pistol shots were
heard in the apartment, and on an entry being forced
by the neic,hbours the husband was found to have fired
a bullet into his wife's head, and then blown out his
own brains. The woman, being still alive, was re-
moved to an hospital.

HIS WISH NOT FCLFILLED !—The will of the
Right Hon. Henry Maxwell, Baron Farnham, late of
Farnham, in the county of Cavan, who, with his wife,
the Baroness Farnham, it will be remembered, perished
along with many others, in the lamentable accident to
the down Irish mail train on the 20th of August last,
has been proved at the principal registry of the CLurt
of Prnbate in Ireland, and also at the principal
registry of the Court of Probate in England., by the
Hon. Richard Thomas Maxwell one of his brothers.
The personal estate is sworn under £rio,ooo. The
whole of his property real and pereonal, no bequeatlied
to his wife, and the will contains the following dircc-
tions as to his uneral :
I direct that my funeral shalt be strictly private, and
that it shall be attended with as little expense as a due regard
ti decency may warrant, and in the event of my delth
taking place in Ireland it is my wish that my remains should
be eposited in my family vault in the church of Cavan ; but
' should my death take place out of Ireland, then my wish
Is that I may be buried in consecrated ground nearest to the
place where my death shall occur.
ELECTION EXPENSES.—Ahstrants of the detailed
statements of election expenses incurred on behalf of
Sir Michael Hicks Beach and Mr. R. S. Holford, the
membeis for East Glocestershire, at their recent
re-election have just been issued. For Sir Michael
Beach the statement is—paid agents and expenses
I:11 2s. ; printing &c., 94. ; 3:3
3s, ; under-sheriff's expenses, 1:23 2s. B.l—total, £1.14
17e, 24. For Mr. Holford the statement—Under-
sheriff's expenses, 1:23 2a. al. ; paid agents and their
expenses, A:2i ; ; printing, advertising, kr., £47 2s.
la ; £3 3x—total, 1:99 I3s. 24. The
unopposed return of Mr. C. Seely, M. I'. for Lincoln,
coat that honourable gentleman 12207. Of this emu
i:105 was paid to Mr. J. T. Tweed, as agent. The
official expenses of the election also amounted to P.A.
The unopposed return of Mr. G. H. Finch for
Rutlandshire cost that gentleman £44 ; the Hon. C.
J. Noel, his colleague, disbursed rather more-133,

BURIED IN HIS WEDDINO-SUIT.—At Bowling-
green, Kentucky, a short time ago, a young man
named Smith, of the firm of Smith am! Thomas, had
a personal collision with one of the clerks named
Bennis, and a short time afterwards Bennie approached
Smith and his partner to give up the key of his store.
When within a few steps of them he put his hand
in his coat pocket for the key. Smith, of course,
thought that this was to draw a pistol, and immeili-
ately drew his and commenced firing. He shot twice
—the two first shots —when Humus drew his pistol.
Nine shots passed between the two, when it WIWI 111,4-
covered that Berries was idiot in the elbow, and Smith
turned pale and staggered with the terrible shock of
Ida death wound, The ball entered just below his
ribs and passed into his bowels. Of this wound he
died. He was to have been married the following day,
and was buried in his wedding-suit.
A MEMORIAL Or PRESIDENT LINCOLN.—A car-
penter in Washington prizes among his best treasures
a scrap of paper on which is written
f son have a piece of board to spare, please let Tad have
iL—A. 'LINCOLN.'

It was brought to him by the boy Tad, while he
was at work at the White House.
NOMINATIONS AT ELECTIONS. The Daily
News says that the Manchester Town Council, in
resolving to petition for the abolition of the antiquated
system by which candidates at elections are nominated,
are only petitioning that a most unnecessary strain
may not be put upon their powers of keeping order
during a time of political excitement. They make the
obvious suggestion that nominations should be hence-
forth made in writing, as nominations for town councils
are. Our whole system of Election is breaking down
under the pressure of the new voters. One of the
first duties of the new Parliament will be to remodel
it, and the first step in its reform must necessarily be
that for whii:h the Manchester Town Council have so
wisely resolved to petition Parliament.
MR. GLADSTONE AND AMERICA.—A correspond-
ence has just been published between the Premier and
Mr. Edwards Lester, of New York- Mr. Lester
forwarded to the Premier a book entitled, "The Glory
and Shame of England." It seems to be pretty free
in its criticismsof this country; but the Premier frankly
admits that "arrogance and self-confidence are amongst
our national faults," and that a little "taking down"
occasionally will do us good. With respect to his cele-
brated expression during the American war, the
Premier " confesses " that he was wrong, that he
"took too much" upon himself in expressing such an
opinion, but he asserts that his motives were not bad.
His sympathies then, as now, were "with the whole
American
,people," and he cordially expresses a hope
that the L nited States, " already so great, may grow,
prosper, and flourish more and more, for their own
benefit and the benefit of the world."
ALL IS NOT GOLD THAT GLITTERS !—A splendid
bracelet was found recently in the Ladies' Gallery of
the House of Lords by one of the attendants, and
every exertion was made, but in vain, to find the
owner. An advertisement was inserted in the papers,
with no effect. The anxiety became so devouring that
the mystery of mysteries was taken to a great jeweller's
to see if he cottld throw light on it. He did so. The
bracelet was "sham" from beginning to end. False
stones had been let into false gold, and the whole
structure of deceit was not worth :10s. The lady who
had worn it was too proud to reclaim the pinchbeck
treasure.
A GIANT'S SKELETON.—A Michigan paper re-
ports the discovery d a gigantic human skeleton in a
rock near the Sank llapids. It says :
The head is massive, measures 31i inches in circumference,
low in the os fronti, and very flat on top. The femur mea-
sures 263 inches, and the fibula 25i, while the body is equally
long in proportion. From the crown of the head t.• the sole
of the toot the length is 10 feet 91 inches. The nicasure
round the chest is 54 inches. This giant must have weighed
at least 900 pounds when covered with a reasonable amount
of flesh. The petrified remains, awl there is nothing left but
the naked bones, now weigh 304 pounds. The thumb and
fingers of the left hand anti the left foot from the ankle to the
toes are gone, but all the other parts are perfect.
GAMING AT STA.—A Bill is now before the
Belgian Chamber of Representatives to abolish
gaming at Spa from the year 1870. An account of
the receipts and expenditure for the past season, as
verified by the Court of Accounts, shows what im-
mense chances are against the players. The losses at
the roulette table amounted to 37,831 fr., and the gains
to 939,641 fr., or a balance of profit of 902.810 fr. ; for
the trente-et-un the figures are 380,8691 r., and
1,233,864 fr., or a net produce of 852,995 fr., in a period
of three months only. The share of the Treasury in
the profits was 848,560 fr., or 155,108 fr. more than in
the previous year.
A YANKEE STORY.—A Massachusetts paper
states that some time ago a person took a passage in a
ship from Boston. While sitting waiting for the boat
to come to carry him on board he was taken with
a sudden blindness, accompanied with an extreme
nervous prostration, and it seemed at times that he
had lost all animation. He made known his position
as best he could to some one on the wharf. A doctor
was immediately summoned, who informed the captain
that the man was in such a condition he couid not possibly
allow him to go on board. He was taken to his board-
ing-house and the vessel sailed without him. Another
physician was called, and both, after thoroughly ex-
amining the case, stated that they never, in their
experience, saw a similar one. He continued sick all
night, the next day was as well as ever, and keenly felt
the disappointment of losing the voyage and the
pleasure he anticipated in visiting the Holy Land.
The strange part of the story is that the vessel was
never heard of after she left Boston. Not a word of
tidings was ever received of her fate or t her crew,
and it is supposed that she foundered with all sin
board

A GOOD SWIMMER.— Sir P. Francis has brought
under the notice of the Foreign-office the gallant con-
duct of Alexander sl'Nair, a seaman, who distin-
guished himself at the wreck of the bark Tyne last
week. The Tyne was wrecked about half a mile from
the shore of the island of Marmora, and the crew would
probably have perished with the ship had not NUNair
jumped into the sea, and with a line fastened to his
body SWIM ashore. To the line was attached a cable
which on being fastened to the shore by NUNair formed
the means of escape for the captain and crew. M'N air
belongs to Dundee, and though he has been only eight
years a sailor has suffered shipwreck five times, on one
cccasion having to swim three miles for his life.
A PUZZLED WELSH JURY.—At the Montgo-
meryshire quarter session at Welshpool, the other day,
before the Earl of Fowls and Mr. C. Wynn, MP., a
tramp was indicted for stealing a jacket. The prisoner
was proved to have sokl the stolen clothes. After a
lengthy consultation the jury returned a verdict of
guilty against the prisoner, and, to the surprise of
everyone in court, accompanied the verdict with a re-
commendation to mercy. The Chairman On what
ground, may 1 ask? The Foreman (evidently puzzled)
Ido not know (laughter). The Chairman: We are
generally glad to take cognisance of such recommenda-
tions from juries, but we like to know upon what
ground the recommendations are made. The foreman
then turned round to his colleagues in the box, and
another lengthy consultation ensued, and after the
lapse of a few minutes the foreman suddenly started
up. and explained the recommendation by saying—
"We recommend him to mercy because no one see'd
him commit the crime "—an explanation which elicited
a loud burst of laughter from a crowded court.
FRENCH CoiseoE.—When any French coin is
closely examined there may be perceived certain parti-
cular signs which appear to be arbitrary and without
special meaning, in addition to the effigy, the name of
the Sovereign, the figure on the reverse, the date, the
legend and the edging. These marks which are
invariably three, are intended as signatures. Every
mint has a letter intended to indicate the place where
the piece of money was struck. Paris has always used
the A, and a proverb still existing amongst the
inhabitants f the capital says of a good thing: " It is
stamped with an A." The director of the manufac-
ture also places his emblem, called In marque; that of
the present functionary is a bee. Finally, the third
belongs to the engraver general, and is termed to Affer-
ent. M. Albert Barre's is an anchor. The position
these signatures occupy on the coin is fixed by decisions
of the Mint Commission, dated the 23rd April and the
15th May, 1865, and this place varies according to the
metal and the value of the specie. This is an ad-
ditional precaution aminst coiners and a proof of the
responsibility accepted by the parties engaged in the
Noduction.
A SHOCKING CASE.—On Monday an inquest was
helro2f
mother
ohte
ehf
child, Richard
adt,
six
hino,
iießlades,answera aged
n t
wt
the
odwnttee
rte ,
saidw e
he on the
pt,thhhe:
"14 years old last April." The little baby was hers,
and was born on the 20th of November last. It was
brought up by hand, she saw it alive last at about
half-past seven on Saturday morning, when she was in
bed with it, and it seemed perfectly well at that time.
She went to sleep after that with the child lying on
her arms, and a few minutes before nine her mother
woke her up, and witness then found the baby was
apparently dead, efforts made to restore it being
unavailing The sister and mother of the child gave
corroborative evidence; and in answer to questions '
put by the Coroner and jury, the former said her '
sister was not married, and the latter said the age she
had given was quite correct. She had not told her who
the father ~f the child war, but had told the others
that be was a married man . with three children. The

jury returned a verdict in aocordanc• with the
medieal ovidenos.