The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-24 00:00:00

Ulisreltalerats

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS.—The Magnet, in its re-
view of the British corn trade during last week,
states :—We have had another week of very favourable
weather. Rapid progress has been made with all
kinds of field work, and a good deal of the lost ground
has been regained. The low temperature has checked
any unhealthy development of vegetation, which would
undoubtedly have commenced had the weather been
mild, damp, and warm. Compared with the state of
affairs a month ago, the present position shows an im-
portant improvement.

DYNAMITE ROBBERY ON A FRENCH RAILWAY,—A
robbery of dynamite has just taken place on the rail-
way from Lyons to Geneva. A train containing one
sealed van, marked " Dynamite," left Lyons station
for Beßegards. On the journey the gulrd noticed
that the seals had been broken and that the dynamite
had disappeared. The explosive, weighing 25 kilo-
grammes (about 551 b.), was made up into cartridges.

LONGEVITY.—Under date March 17 "Z." writes to
the Morning Post :—Sir,—ln your obituary of to.day
are 16 persons, all of whom died over 80, whose united
ages amount to 1,373 years, giving an average of 85
13.16 years to esoh. Of these nine attained the age
of 85 and upwards, whose united ages amounted to
801. years, giving an average of 89 years to each.
Three reached 90 and upwards, the oldest one dying
at the age of 95.
"THE VILLAGE WEDDING."—The Pall Mall Gazette
says :—" Mr. Luke Fildes, A,R.A., will send to the
Royal Academy a single picture, but this is a very large
wad important. one. The artist has been engaged on
Ws work, 'The Village Wedding,' for considerably
tn 0,13 than a year, and there is still so much to be done
to it that it will occupy him closely until sending-in
/15y. The scene is the open street of a Berkshire
yillage, under a midday light. The painter has
carefully eschewed anything like an ideal treat-
ment of the procession ; the bridal pair are dressed
in brand-new garments, such as arprove themselves
on Sundays to a rut al taste. Behind them walk
the mother of the bride; the bride's brother, a magni.
f.r.ent Lifegnardsman, and ~the sweetheart of the
latter; and then the bridegroom's father, with other
friends. The villagers, in their far more appropriate
and picturesque everyday clothes, stand by in groups to
watch the procession. The whole composition is a
realistic page out of the actual village life of southern
England in 1882, and will possess great value to the
antiquarians of a century hence, It is likely to be
one of the most popular pictures of the year."
AN ATTACK BY A SHARK.—The Sydney Morning
Herald says that a dreadful discovery was made on the
21st of January in the waters of Iron Cove Bay. A
man on a fishing ezcursion in the vicinity of the new
bridge at the foot of Western•street, Balmain, say
some clothes on the bank of Iron Cove Bay, near the
bridge. A search was instituted, and the body of a
man was found floating in rather shallow water. The
greater portion of the stomach had been torn away.
From all appearance the man had been attacked by a
shark.

AN OCTOGEITAIIi4I QN S7AQE.—The writer of
the dramatic column in the Daily New says
playgoers cannot fail to feel some interest in the fact
that a considerable gathering of actors took place on
the stage of the Princess's Theatre In London last
week for the purpose of presenting a token of regard to
Mr. J.B. Johnstone, who is believed, with some degree of
probability, to be now the oldest actor on the English
stage. Mr. Johnstone plays the part—and plays it,
moreover, with admirable truth and spnse of humour
—of the old peasant in the later scenes of "The
Silver King." Mr. Johnstone has just attained his
eightieth birthday.
HAnE-BRAINED.—The Graphic remarks :—Appa-
rently the meaning and origin of the term " hare-
brained " was not settled after Lord Beaconsfield spoke
about "the irresponsible chatter of hare-brained
frivolity," or the "Irresponsible frivolity of hare-
brained chatter,!' or whatever arrangcment of those
terms may be preferred. Some people still spell the
word " hair-brained," as if persons to whom the term
is applied has less brains than hair. This is a purely
modern view, based on the existence of testhetic poets,
who have more curls than common sense. If we read
"hare-brained,' a reflection seems to be thrown on
the intellect of the hare, which, however, is pro-
verbially declared to be subject to lunacy in the month
of 1119!rch. Now the hare is no monster of sagacity,
like the elephant, hat Africa. at least on the West
Coast, he and brer rabbit" are accredited with very
great astuteness, Reynard the fox is no more cunning
than " brer rabbit." The French, however, have a
proverb about a bare-brained man, "he forgets as he
runs, like the hare." Now the Hottentots, and we
believe, the Fijians, have a story that the mood -sent
the hare with the message of immortality to men, and
that as he ran he forgot the message, and told men
they must a lldie for good and all. The coincidence
is strange. In English country districts bare-brains,
taken as food are thought to make one drowsy.

A FAMOUS OLD ROSEBUSH.—The celebrated rose
bush at Hildesheiro, in Hanover, believed to be one
thousand years old (tradition says it was planted 11
Charlemagne), never bore so many roses as last season.
The shoots grafted on its trunk in recent years are
growing admirably. The bush stands at the outer
wall of the cathedral crypt. Its branches extend about
38ft. high, and 34ft. in width. It is an object of much

curiosity.
SEVERITY OF THE WEATHER IN ITALY.—TN e rig comes
from Avezzano, a small town in the Abruzzi, at the
foot of Mount Velino, that so much snow has fallen
that the roads have become impracticable, hindering
postal communication and making it difficult for the
population to provide themselves with wool. Mail
persons are reduced to misery and suffer extremell
from the cold. The wolves, very numerous in the moun•
tains, are driven away from their dens by the snort
and venture in the vicinity of the habitath to the
peril of wayfarers. Such a winter has not F een expe•
rienced for many years. At Aquila, on the torth side
of the mountains, the temperature has been 13 d*

below zero.
STORM WARNING.—The following cable message
received at the London office of the :vrtio 70r*
Herald:—" A disturbance, likely to develop dangerone
energy, will arrive on the north British and Norwegian
coasts, between the 20th and 22nd, accompanied II
south strong winds, veering to north•west gales;
Atlantic stormy north of latitude 40 deg. during the

week."
CEEDIE DE LA OREME.—Mrs. Jones. '6 A.h ! and
good morning to you, Mrs. Smith. Did you like the
cream I sent you?" Mrs. Smith. " Oh, very much?,
thank you." Mrs. Jones. "Yes; and if you could
let me have the pot I sent it in, you'd oblige me 'coo,
you see, it's m, old man's shaving mug, and he don
like no othsr.' --Fun.

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