The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-01-13 00:00:00

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

The proportion of civil to religious burials in Paris
appears to be rapidly increasing. During the month
of November lact, out of 4,400 burials 1,207 took
place without any religious ceremony.
'fn. Lif.ran Alronautic S ciety have determined to
make experiments to test the practicability of taking
photegraphic surveys of the country from balloons-

An Adelaide paper says :—" The following figures,
showing the number of sparrows and eggs that hav3
been destroyed up to November 6, have kindly been
supplied by the Under-Secretary :—Heads, 27,35;
eggs, 187,212. From October Ito November 6, 5,420
heads were paid for, and 44,05 eggs,"

On Monday Sir C. Dilke was re elected for the
borough of Chelsea without ooposition, on appoint-
ment as Pt esident of the Local- Government Board.
Lord Tredegar, at his recent rent audit, remitted
to the whole f his aglic,:itural tenants 10 pee cent.,
in view ( f the ba 1 state t.f trade.

Primroses in penny bunches were selling in the
southern suburbs of London on Saturday, The
hawkers stated that they were chi- fly gathered in the
copses among the Surrey hills around Sunderstead,
Warlinghatn, and Barrow-green.
The Secretary of the United States Navy has sent
to the Senate a letter recomm.nding the enlargement
of the Navy by building one steel crui..er of 4,000
tons, three of 2,500 ton,,, one despatch boat of 1,500
tons, and one torpedo boat—the total cost being
5,169,000 dole.
Recruiting for the Foot Guards is now actively
going on in various parts of the country. The Guards'
Brigade is at the present time considerably under the
usual strength, owing to the number of men who have
left the Brigade to rejoin the reserves. Very little
recruiting for the Guards is done in London, most of
the rergeants who are told off for the duty being sent
to the north and west of England.

Tuesday's London Gazette states that his Royal
Highness Plince Albert Victor Christian Edward of
Wales is appointed Honorary Sub Lieutenant of the
Royal Naval Reserve ; dated Jan. 8, 1883.
Her Majesty is expected to visit the Continent in
the month of iarch (says the Court Journal). Orders
have been given to prelare the yacht Osborne to take
the Queen at that time to Cherbourg.
A novel and practical subscription has been pro-
poAed for the benefit of the victims in the inundated
Rhine distlricts, namely, the send ng to its Committee
of the winnings by games at cards, biiliords, bowling,
dominoes, &c, on certain evenings from all parts of
the Prussian l‘lonarchy, by clubs as well as private
and family parties.
Under the head of "Conscience Money" the Chan-
c,llor of the Excheqter acknowledges the receipt of
thee' 2i notes (21. b ' • and of the first halves of note for
£5O, and of note for £5, and stamps for £2 14s.—total,
£57 145., sent anonymously, on account of income-tax.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, last week
the mean temperature was 462 deg., and 8 3 deg. above
the average in the corresponding week of the twenty
years ending 1868.

The electric light in the lighthouse at Sydney, New
South Wales, will be the largest of the kind in the
world. The merging beam is said to have a luminous
intensity exceeding 12,000,000 candles.
A New York telegram says that the visible supply
of wheat on Jan. 5, was 21,000,000 bushels, as against
20,600,000 bushels the previous week. Visible supply
of Indian corn, 9,100,000 bushels, as against 8,200,000
bushels the previous week. The export clearances of
wheat for Europe during last week amounted to
1,260,000 bushels; the eYport clearances of Indian corn
for Europe during last week amounted to 520,000
bushels. _ _

Documents prove conclusively that Brahmin 3 played
at chess in a primitive form 3,000 years anterior to
the Christian era. The powers and moves of the
pieces have been materially altered from the ancient
game to that of the game now played, but the moves
and powers of the Knight and Rook have not been
altered for the loDg period of 5,000 years.

At the School Board election for Portsmouth, the
result of which was declared on Tuesday, the working
man candidate' a dockyard rigger named Palin. who
is also one of the crew of the Royal yacht Osborne,
beaded the poll with 10,457 votes.
A conference of the Federation of Miners of the
Midland- Counties was held on Monday at Walsall.
Delegates ttended from Shropshire, Derbyshire.
Staffordshire, and Worcestershire, representing 65,000
men. It was resolved, in view of the low rate of
wages and the disorganization among the men, to make
special efforts in every district throughout the kingdom
to strengthen the association in order to secure a
higher rate of wages.

An explosion has occurred in a coal mine at Omit-
e,s-viltas, Illinois. Ten persons were imprisoned in
the mine, and it is supposed that they have perished.

John Quinliven, stationmaster, was killed on Tues-
day night at a level crost,ing at Bloomfield, on the
Belfast and County Down Railway. While putting
back a gate, which the high wind had blown across
the line, he was knocked down and killed by a passing

engine.
The Irish Executive have decided that the employ-
ment of military assistance in aid of the civil power
on protection duty in Ireland is no longer necessary,
and the Lord Lieutena .t has caused his thanks to be
con ve3 ed to the military authorities for the service ren-
dered during the late emergency. The completeness
of the superintendence by the officers, and general
intelligence of the men during their employment on
this unusual duty, have given great satisfaction to his
Excellency.
The officers of the Wiltshire Regiment have offered
to pay the expense of fixing a clock in the tower of
Salisbury Cathedral in memory of their comrades who
fell in Affghanistan, and the dean and chapter have
accepted the offer.
The depression in the Macclesfield silk trade in-
creases the emigration that is taking place from that
town. On Monday no fewer than 39 operatives,
together with their families, left for Queeneiand.
Large numbers have emigrated to Paterson, New
Jersey, and abeut 40 more intend sailing this month
for New South Wales.
Last week's arrivals at the port of Liverpool of live
stock and fresh meat from the United States and
Canada shows a falling off in live stock and a some-
what large increase in fresh meat. The total shipments
amounted to 500 sheep, 6,677 quarters of beef and 1,823
carcases of mutton. There were no arrivals of cattle,
and the only steamer which landed live stock was the
Iberian with 500 sheep.
A scheme has been set on foot to make a ship canal
from the Tyne to Solway Firth. The distance from
sea to sea is about 80 miles, of which 12 are at present
navigable.
Messrs. Robertson and Bruce's Comedy Company,
who have been performing at •Norwich, appeared on
Monday night, by royal command, before the Prince
and Princess of Wales and a distinguished party at
Sandringham, and played "The Guy'nor."
The officer in charge of President Garfield's remains
at the Cleveland Cemetery lately unscrewed the upper
lid of the coffin and found that there was no change
in the appearance of the face. Gov. Sherman, of
lowa, who was present, says that it looked just as it
did the day of his funeral—as if in a weary, note-
refreshing sleep. "I was surprised," he says, "for
despite the emaciation of those noble features, t was
at once struck with their likeness to the General as I
had seen him alive."
The strike of the Vienna compositors, in which a
thousand men have taken part, has just ended, after
lasting eight weeks, with the complete detest of the
men.
News reached Kirkwall on Monday that a vessel,
rig unknown, bottom up. had been towed whore at
North Ronahishay, Orkney, on Saturday, the deck-
house having been washed away. and no trace of crew
or papers. A deck beam has the marks "98 tons," i
and the vessel's number is " 28,687." The cargo s
battens and dressed flaoring seven-eighths of an inch
thick, the former marked K K K on end, and the
latter EE E. The quarter of the vessel is damaged,
and the cargo is being discharged through the hold.
The ship is dry at low water, but will soon go to
pieces with the surf.
A tire, caused by an explosion which blew off the
roof of one of the buildings, broke out on Mtnaday in
the Linoleum and Floorcloth Factory of Messrs.
Barry, Ostlere and Co., Kirkcaldy. The linoleum de-
partment was entirely destro) ed. A quantity of valu-
able material was burnt, and the damage is estimated
at several thousands of pounds. When the explosion
occurred some of the workmen had a very narrow
escape, and one received some injury.
The " General Repertory" of the French Bureau
Veritas for 1882, which has just appeared in two
voluit es, gives for the whole world a total of 48,487
sailing vessels, with a tonnage of nearly 14 millions.
England heads the list ; and then comes in their order
America, Norway, Germany, Italy, Russia, and
France, who only takes seventh place, England ap-
pears for 4,317 steamers, carrying live and a half mil-
lion tons. Next comes America, with 594 ; and then
France, with 414.
A fire occurred at Milton Church, North Stafford-
shire, on Sunday. In the afternoon the vicar, on
entering the church, found that a part of the roof was
on fire. He sought assistance, and soon the fire
appeared to be extinguish, d. Before the evening ser-
vice, however, it was discovered that the fire had not
been extinguished, and efforts were immediately
renewed to put out the flemes, and this time with
success. The fire was caused by a defeet in a flue
which ran close to the woodwork of the roof.
Jewelled snakes are the favourite New Year's gifts
in precious stones in Paris this season, from which
hengs some pol tical or sentimental emblem, such as
a bee, a flower, a dove, an arrow, (.r a pierced heart.
Quaint jewelled desi. are much liked as presents,
and a diamond sabot, a lantern, a spider, a nail, or a
little Polichinille are frequently suspended to the
neekleets.
Lloyd's agent at Cochin teleeraphs under date
January 9 that the British Empire ship, bound from
Shields to Bombay', w..s burned at sea on the
sth inst. off Alleppey. Ten persons were saved. Two
bodts, one with the captain and five hands and the
other with the chief officer and nine hands on board,
were missing. The British, Empire was a vessel of
1,414 tons, built at Quebec in 1.863, and owned by a
Liverpool firm,
At the lUetrupolitan Tabernacle on Sunday morn-
ing, the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, referring to. the state
eeo
of
rfohmis
several meetings apologised
du to his
his strength would 8') continue to improve as to
isthfleec wk fokr. e absencehped
enable him to get through all his usual work. He
should not be able, however, .to be with them that
evening, as be was afraid to trust his foot twice
during the day. The rev. gentleman afterwards made
a feeling allusion—in the course of which he was much
affected—to the loath of one of his deacons, and next
preached "the simple, plain gospel," as the deceased
asse3u used to can it, basing his discourse on
Romans x., fourth to ninth verse,

On Tuesday morning six troops of the 4th Royal
Irish Dragoons, quartered at Brighton, were pre-
sented with the Egyptian war medal by Major-General
Newdigate, C. 8., who complimented the regiment on
their valour, and made special reference to the gallant
ride from Tel-el-Kebir to Cairo.

On Monday, the nineteenth anniversary of the
birth of Prince Albezt Victor, eldest son of the Prince
and Princess of Wales, was observed at Windsor with
the customary rejoicinks, the bells ,f St. George's
Chapel and St. John's Church pealing merrily in
honour of the occasion.

Californian Belles have taken a hint from nigger
recreations, and the Christmas social novelty in San
Francisco is an aristocratic "Bones Club," these
familiar negro musical instruments being said to show
off pretty arms and hands.

On the strength of a petition of the Berlin Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the police
of that capital will henceforth prohibit all public
performances of tamers of lions and other wild
animals.

The Rev. W. S. Thomas, of Raise, near Taunton,
while superintending on Saturday some pteparations
in connection with an entertainment about to be given
in the village, dropped down dead. He was suffering
from heart disease.

A curious requirement is stated in a Berlin journal.
"Wanted a person capable of buildinz flea-carriages
and accustomed to harnessing fleas to them,"

A subscription of £5,000 has been given by Mr.
Andrew Carnegie, of New York, s native of Dun-
fermline, NB., in support of the fund being raised
for the National College of Music. The gift has
been acknowledged by the Prince of Wales in cordial
terms.

It is estimated that it would cost £14,000,000 to lay
down the requisite plant to supply the whole of London
with the electric light.

Wolves in Francs are still unpleasantly numerous,
for no fewer than 1,225 were killed last year by per-
sons who claimed the Government reward. Those
slain by amateur hunters are not included in this