The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-04-08 00:00:00

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

A magnificent royal sturgeon, 7 feet in length bas
been added to the Brighton Aquarium.
, The custom of hasty burials among the Jews is re.
ceiving the attention of the United Synagogue Council.
A Civil List Pension of £lOO per annum has been
allotted to Ur. John Brown, of Edinburgh, in recognition of
his literary eminence.
Ladies have abandoned silver, gold, and steel orna-
ments, or braid on their dresses, and instead of these long
silk fringes and feather trimmings are being revived.
It is sail that the supplementary grant for the Prince
of Wales's Indian expenses will amount to £40,000, and cheap
at the cost —Court Journal.
. "What military exercise does the last month re-
mind one of f—A March past."—Fun.
Cardinal Manning says the cause of total abstinence
has spread rapidly among the Irish population of the metro-
polis

The American papers make the announcement that
the press at which Benjamin Franklin worked in London is
about to be exhinited at the forthcoming Centennial Exhi-
bition in Philadelphia.
Philip Dean, 55 years old, the oldest active hunter
in Utah, and who boasts of still being able to bring down a
crow on the wing with his rifle at 100 yards, has during his
residence in the Territory, killed 2,950 deer, besides innumer-
able buffalo.
The Athenteum is extremely sorry to learn that the
first volume of the "Life of Swift," which Mr. Forster pub-
lished shortly before his death, is the only portion of his
materials that he had embodied in a narra'ive form, and that
hii work must consequently remain a fragment.
The oyster opening match that came off recently at
the Howard A thenteum, Boston, resulted in a victory for John
Curran, of Providence, who opened 100 in three minutes and
forty-five seconds, John Dodge, of New York, being his com-
petitor. This prize was a silver goblet.
The Prus3ian Cross Gazette says there is no truth in
the report of the Czar's intention to retire from active govern-
ment. The Czar is in delicate health, but with proper care
and avoidence of over exertion he is likely to recover very
speedily.
The Mayor of Portsmouth has received a telegram
from Alexandria stating that the Prince of Wales will be very
happy to receive an address from the corporation on board
the Seraphs upon its arrival at Portsmouth.
Gratifying information of the de:Tease of the foot-
and-mouth disease in Cheshire has been given at the linuts-
ford quarter sessions by the chief constable. There are now
only six farms affected, and pleuro-pneumonia exists on one
farm only.

The following are the average prices of British corn
for the week ending the Ist April, as received from the in-
spectors and officers of Ezcise :—Wheat 445. 4d. ; barley,
33s 7d. ; oats, 258. 2d. per imperial qr. Corresponding
week last year: —Wheat, 425. 5d.; barley, 4 Ls. 3d. ; oats,
30s. 3d.

The Sheffield School Board have decided to build
large central schools in the middle of the town, in which to
give clever boys from the other board schools a high-clasa
education. A college is to be erected by Mr. Firth, ex-
mayor.

The Sheffield Telegraph publishes some statistics of
the local trade with America, and says they "plainly demon-
strate that sine. 1873 our trade with the United States has
been gradually falling off, until at the present time we are
not doing one fourth the amount of business we were trans-
acting three years ago."

An interview between the South Yorkshire miners'
representatives and the coal owners was held at Sheffield on
Monday, but no settlement was arrived at. The men asked
the masters to consider a reduction of 7i per cent., but the
latter insisted upon 15 per cent. A general lock-out is feared
The revenue returns for the quarter, as well as for the
financial year, ending March 31, snow that the receipts for
the quarter have been 4,23,719,648, a net increase of £758,501
as compared with a similar period in 1875; and for the year
£77,131,693, a net increase of £2,209,820 over the returns for
the twelve months forming the previous financial year.
The Victoria (Philosophical) Institute held its fort-
nightly meeting on Monday evening, when Mr. Howard
F.R S., read a paper on the "History of Egypt in connection
with the Bible." He reviewed the present rapid advance of
Egypt towards a more leading place amongst the nations of
the earth, and anticipated a bright future in store for its
people.

Mr Isaac Lowthian Bell, M. P., in speaking at the
meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute, referred to the severe
labour of the men employed in puddling furnaces, and ad-
vocated the substitution of mechanical means of perform-
ing the work as tending to ensure greater regularity in the
process.

An action was brought at the Liverpool Assizes on
Saturday by a workman against a master tailor to recover
damages for the bite of a dog. At the request of the Judge,
the Liverpool Post says, the animal was placed on the bench,
and its quiet, decorous behaviour won the hearts of the Jury,
who at once found for the defendant.
Tho Pandora, Captain Allen Young's yacht, is now
being prepared at Southampton for another voyage to the
Arctic Regions in search cf despatches from the expedition
under the command of Captain Nares. lier yards, &c., have
been sent aloft ; her funnel has been placed in position,
additional cabin accommodation is being provided on deck,
and the yacht will be ready for sea in the course of a few
weeks.

Mr. W. H. Melvin, solicitor to the Board of Inland
Revenue, has been examined before the House of Commons
Select Committee on the railway passenger duty. He gave a
history of the various stages of the tax, which, he mentioned,
was not imposed on Ireland. He also described the disputes
and consequent litigation which had arisen out of certain of
the statutes passed in reference to this duty and the exemp-
tions therefrom. '

On Saturday the whole of the bricklayers in the
Wigan district struck work for an advance of wages. The
men are at present paid 325. per week in winter and 365. in
summer, the hours of werking being 49i. In December
last they applied for an advance of 3s. per week, to come in
force on Saturday, April Ist and as this was not complied
with the whole of the men left work.

A crowded meeting, called by the Licensed Vic-
tuallers Protection Society, w.s held in London on Monday,
at the Cannon-street Hotel, to consider the question of
granting licences to grocers to deal in wine, beer, and spirits.
It was unanimously resolved to memorialise the Home
Secretary, with the view to obtain an alteration of the
Licensing Acts, and to give discretionary powers to magis-
trates in the granting of licences to grocers.

From the liBt issued on Wednesday of petitions
presentel to Parliament this session (says the Globe), it seems
that "the intense feeling of hostility to the Imperial title,"
spoken of in certain quarters, is ahoy, n in the fact that 56
petitions, signed by 3,096 persons have been presented in
opposition to the Royal Titles Bill. Considering that 9,535
peisons have petitioned for the release of the Tichborne
"Claimant," 119 163 in support of giving the franchise to
women, and 93 P 43 against Mr. Osborne Morgan's burial
resolution, these numbers are very remarkable.

During the examination of witnesses in a liquor
prosecution at Montpellier, Vermont, before the Grand
Jury, a former well-known landlord of an hotel was inter-
rogated as follows:—" Do you know of any liquor being Bold
in Montpellier, of your own personal knowledge?" "Yes,"
bluffly responded the ex-landlord; "I have sold liquor to
eight of that jury that sits before you." The prosecution
considered him a "too willing witness," and told him he
could go, although he was ready to answer further on the
subject.

The increasing expenditure of the School Board of
Loudon has been discussed at a conference of delegates from
vestries and district boards. A resolution stating that the
meeting was of opinion the present school rate of sd. in the
pound was excessive, and that, according to the understand-
ing when the act establishing the board was passed, 31.
should be sufficient for all purposes, was carried, there being
only three dissentients out of 68 delegates.

The Norfolk local authorities have passed a reso-
lution forbidding the moving of animals from places where
foot-and-mouth disease had existed, except by license. Mr.
C. S. Read, M.P., said the disease had much diminished
in Norfolk, and the action of the Privy Council in ordering
the cleansing of railway trucks had been most efficacious,
and urged continued pressure upon the Government to order
the slaughter or foreign cattle at ports of debarkation, and
rigorous quarantine for imported store stock.
On Monday the Oyster Fisheries Committee again
assembled, Sir C. Legard in the chair. One of the witnesses
was Mr. Rut, formerly a commissioner examining the
oyster fisheries in Ireland. In his opinion the scarcity of
oysters was due to over•dredging, want of close time, and
the absence of a gauge to regulate the size of saleable
oysters.
This is how a Scotch newspaper reports a "spelling
bee," of which, by the way, the country has become quite a
hive In the word "malleable "2,3,4,6,6, 7,8, 9, 11, and
12 were crushed right of!; 10 and 13 foundered with " ful-
filling ; " 1 went down with "statistics,' 6 could not
"proceed," and 9 and 12 came to grief, the one over
"cygnet," and the other over " wether ; " 10 failed in
"occurrence," 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 collapsed over "harangue
8 and 15 went out in " soliloquy ;" " caitiff " confounded
3 4 7; No. 2 was knocked down with "pewter," and 6 gave
up with "measles."—" Notes from the North," in the
Pictorial World-
The General Association of Master Engineers, Ship-
builders, Iron and Brass Founders, &c., has asked for the
opinion of 193 employers—members of the association—on
the subject of piecework, and 97 have sent replies. Twenty-
seven employers who practice piecework pay from 124 per
cent. to 30 per cent. in addition to fixed weekly rates 'thirty-
three Pay from 30 per cent. to 4i per cent. additional ;
twenty-six pay from 45 per cent, upwards, several returning
as high as 75 per cent in addition to weekly ratings.

The derivation of the word "Rink" Is seldom
abstrusely studied by the performers on asphalte, and it will
be news to some to hear that Rink is another form of the old.
word "ring" (says the Court Journal). The rink is the ring
or circle drawn on the ice, round the " tee " or mark at
which the curlers aim En the game of curling. This sport
being taken to Canada from Scotland, Eta home, the rings or
rinks were sometimes skated upon; they then were covered
over to protect the ice from snow, and so the "rink" came
to signify a space on the ice dedicated to skating.

The direction of the Bureau Veritas has just pub-
lished the following statistics of maritime disasters, re-
ported during the month of February, 1876, concerning all
flags. Sailing veasels reported lost: 25 vessels, English, 18
American, 12 French, six Norwegian, four German, three
greek, two Austrian, two Danish, two Dutch, 12 of which
the nationality is unknown—total, 86. In this number are
included seven vessels reported missing. Steamers reported
lost: Four steamers, English; one French, one of which the
nationality is unknown—total, six.

The latest thing in pavements is an invention which
will allow the roadway of the street to be broken up and laid
down again In a few hours. Mr. Norton, of Abyssinian tube-
well fame, uses slabs of wood 3fl. by 61t., lays them down,
and welds them together by melted asphalt, which speedily
hardens. When there is any occasion to take up the pave-
ment a hot iron passed over the asphalt joint enables you to
do so at once. This is no slight boon to such a city as London,
where they are always having the roadways up in some lead:
ing thoroughfare, to the serious inconvenience of the public
"The enlarged title of England's Queen need not
have been debated by parliament, for it was settled long ago
by the florists. When John Company collapsed, and the
Indian fendatorios were united under the British Crown, the
good John Salter—himself a prince among chrysanthemums,
and a real dispenser of titles—bestowed upon the best flower
of the season the august name "Empress of India." The
matter being thus settled in the court of Flora, to make it
the subject of contention now is manifestly an injustito to
the floral union, for the badges of our bondage in love are the
Rose, Shamrock, and Thistle, to which may be added for
India, the Chtysanthemum."—Vre Gardener's Magazine.
ge as.
Easterninr eo Irailway
Bengalt
Lieutenant.o
The Calcutta Government Gazette announces a most
liberal offer on the part of a native gentleman, Rat Blinnpat
Singh Bahadoor (says the Corespondent of The limes). lie
proposes to construct at his own expense
run from the Itanagtiagl,,sit:t, i‘o,nntohrei
utlalue
northwards, by way of Kishnazhnr, Bel hamdore, and Moor-
shedabad, to Bhugwan
GOV•I'Dor has reserved his decision as to the acceptan,
the offer, but has directed inquiries to be institutpedhua:npdoaal
scheme to be prepared for gtvibg effect to the proposal. i
the meanwhile be has conveyed his thanks to Rat
Singh, and has expressed his desire to encourage native
capitalists in comieg forward to aid in the construction of
light branch railway &

-
A council meeting of the Central and rsociated
Chambers of Agriculture was held in London on Tuesday.
xty, A. Bell, lid- P., gave in the report of the local taxation
cornniittee, in which regret was expretsed that no provision
bad licoa made iu the Padget for any further relief to rate-
payers in Inspect of charges made on them exclusively for
imperial purposes. A number of proposals with reference to
the desirability of making the regulations for the suppression
of cattle diseases uniform and compulsory throughout the
United Kingdom elicited some discussion, and were ulti-
mately remitted to a committee for further consideration.
A general approval was expressed of the Poor law Amend-
ment Bill; and a resolution 'was proposed and adopted
declaring that the powers at present vested in school boards
to compel the attendacce of children at school, and to pay
the fees in the case of the poverty of the purest, should be
conferred on every sanitary authority not in a school board
district