The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-02-21 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

he stew—aFcrof a -ship friim North Shields, lying in
the Thames, a man named Bage, went on shore last
week, and as he took too much liquor, he resolved not
to return on board that night. Meeting a man who
volunteered to find him lodgings, Bage went to a house
where his new friend, one Holland, and a- worn•
stripped him and carried off his watch and money with
his clothes. Some old garments were thrown to him,
and on Saturday morning Bage put these on, and asked
Holland to go with him to the ship and have a drink.-
Arrived on board, the steward locked the thief into a
cabin and sent for a policeman. At the Worship-street
Police-court on Saturday the magistrate thought the
evidence against Holland was not sufficient, and dis-
charged him.
Mr. Joseph Cowen, addressing his constituents at
Newcastle on Saturday, maintained that the Govern-
ment had falsified their promises as to the retrench-
ment of expenditure at home and ef liabilities abroad.
Having pointed out how Ministers had carried out a
policy of aggression and annexation, he deprecated
their action in Egypt and the Soudan. With regard to
Ireland, he suggested gentleness, generosity, and
courtesy. As to the Government scheme of Reform,
he thought it was not ideally perfect, but it did in-
tentional injustice to no class, and would work without
perceptible friction. •
. _ _

- The Trustees of the Peabody Fund announce that
when the buildings in course of erection are completed
they will have spent the whole of their capital. Up to the
end of last year they had provided for the artisan and
labouring poor of London ten thousand one hundred
and forty-four rooms, occupied by eighteen thousand
four hundred and fifty-three persons.
In consequence of the continued increase of small-
pox in London, and 'particularly in the Northern Dis-
trict, the Metropolitan Asylums Board has directed a
circular to be addressed to the guardians and sanitary
authorities suggesting a house-to-house visitation.
A sentry stationed at the Sheerness Powder Maga-
zines was alarmed early on Friday morning by seeing
three men on the roof of a gun shed in process of erec-
tion. When he challenged them they ran away, and
although he pursued he missed them in the darkness.
The footprints that were noticed in the morning led to
the belief that the men belonged to the garrison.
The French Government have received a despatch
from General Briere de l'lsle, dated from Langgon, on
the 13th instant, stating that the French flag was hoisted
on the citadel. The Chinese had been routed the pre-
vious day, after a severe battle.
The French Chamber on Saturday voted by a large
majority to proceed with the discussion of the clauses
of the bill for imposing additional Customs duties on
foreign cereals. A counter measure, abolishing the
land tax and increasing the duty on alcohol, was in-
troduced by Al. Germain, but opposed by the Govern-
ment.

The Earl of Northesk and the Earl of Orkney have
been elected Scotch representative Peers.
The funeral of Cardinal M`Cabe took place in Dublin
on Tuesday. After mass in the cathedral, there was an
imposing procession, in which the Lord Lieutenant was
represented, to Glasnevin Cemetery.
The receipts on*account of Revenue from the Ist of
April, 1884, when there was a balance of £5,632,569. to
February 14,1885, were £73,671,033, against £75,361,164
in the corresponding period of the preceding financial
year, which began with a balance of £6,972,730. The
net expenditure was £73,8-11,101, against £73,837,394 to
the same date in the previous year. The Treasury
balances on February 14 amounted to £5,890,605, and at
the same date in 1884 to £7,883,940. •
The brig, Mary Brockelman, went ashore on Tuesday
near the mouth of the Boyne at Drogheda. The crew
were saved. The vessel was bound from Ayr to
Drogheda with a cargo of coal.
A crowded meeting of the Eight Hundred of the
Birmingham Liberal Association was held on Tuesday
night, at which a new constitution was agreed to,
adapting the organisation to the new conditions which
will be brought into existence in the borough.
Sanction has been given for the attendance of the sth
t
Lancashire (Liverpool Rifle Brigade) and the 21st
Lancashire (St. Helen's) Rifle Volunteers at the forth-
coming manoeuvres at Brighton.
An exciting scene was witnessed at Trinity College
Dublin, on Tuesday afternoon. The students assembled
in a body outside the gates, and snow having fallen
heavily, they snowballed every person passing. Some
persons retaliated, and a general disturbance- ensued.
The police were sent for, but they were also vigorously
attacked with snowballs, until with their batons they
drove the students into the college.
A prize fight between a Manchester Irishman and a
Welshman took place on Tuesday morning at Redditch;
near Manchester. Thirty rounds were fought in less
than an hour, and both men were fearfully punished, and
had to be bathed in an adjacent canal before they could
be taken home. The Welshman was declared the
victor. Scouts were posted to prevent surpriee by thes
police, and the fight was uninterrupted.
At the Berwick Police-court on Tuesday, Thomas
Elliot, carrier, of Wooler, Northumberland, pleaded
guilty to contravening a bye-law under the Explosives
Act by conveying dynamite without bein ; prepared to
despatch it forthwith to its destination' and with
having deposited it in a stable at Berwick. The pro-
secution was coeplucted by the town clerk. The
defendant was finWd £2, including costs, and the dyna-
mite was ordered to be forfeited.
,
Mr. Richard Moon, in presiding at the half-yearly
Ii
y
meeting of the London and North-Western Railway,
called attention to the great increase of local taxation.
That company was feeling it very much, for there was
an increase of about £7OOO in rates and taxes 'during
the six months, and the directors did not see that they
had yet come to an end of this augmentation of their
burthens.
IR London last week 2913 births and 11525 deaths were
registered, the former having been 29, and the latter*
450, below the average numbers. The annual death-
rate per thousand from all causes was 19.5, and was
lower than in any previous week of this year. The fatal
cases of smallpox exceeded the corrected weekly average
by seven.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
reading of the barometer last week was 29•271 n. The'
mean temperature was 46.2 deg., and TO deg. above the.
average in the corresponding week of 20 years. The
mean exceeded the average throughout the week. The
general direction of the wind was S.W. Rain fell on
three days, to the aggregate amount of 0•25 of an inch.
The duration of registered bright sunshine was 8.6 hours,
against 6.6 hours as Glynde-place, Lewes.
Mr. Justice Manisty and Mr. Justice Mathew •ou
Tuesday refused to change the venue from London to
Durham for the re-trial of the action brought to re-.
cover the value of policies on the life of the late-Mr.
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Walter
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Lotinga in the Commercial Union Assurance Company,
.resisted on the
ht a series of
actions arising out ef his being placed in Bethlehem
Lunatic Asylum, on Tuesday applied to the Queen's
Bench Division for an order to inspect the case-book •
of the hospital, and it was granted. Applications were _ - .
also made by Mr. Has' er in coeneetion with his actions
agairtst a solicitor and a medical man, but they -ere•
dismissed.
A correspondent writes: "The way in which presi
messages from the seat of war have been edited '- by -
the authorities on the spot tends possibly to the fact,-
widely rumoured in well-informed quarters at the pre-
sent moment, that the whole text of General Gordon's
last message was not officially made public in England.
The message as published was: Khartoum all right.
Can hold on for years.' It is now said that these words
were preceded by What are you coming for? I haie
not asked for you."
An amusing incident in connection with the police
precautions at the Law Courts is reported to have
happened on Tuesday. One of the judges was stepped
at the entrance in Carey-street and requested to show
the policeman the contents of his bag. He at onee
acquiesced, and was then allowed to enter the building,
having been previously assured that all bags were'.
searched. .
On Tuesday night a fire, which might have been
attended with disastrous results except for the good
sense of the audience, took place at the Haymarket
Theatre, London. During the performance of the first '
act of " Diplomacy " the scenery caught fire, and,
rapidly spreading, occasioned alarm amongst a portion
of the audience. Cries were raised of "Keep your
seats," but some of those present rushed for the doort •
upon seeing the curtain dropped. Mr. Bancroft ap- •
peered before the curtain, and upon his assurance that
the fire had been subdued and but little damage bea
been done, the audience became reassured and the per-
formance watts continued.
At the Gateshead Police-court on Tuesday, Ann
Little was charged with stealing cats. The evidence
showed that the prisoner was in the habit of
stealing cats, skinning them, and selling them-as
Scotch hares for Is. 3d. each. Prisoner had been carry- 4'4
ing on this practice for about three months, and a large -
number of cats have been eaten by various people pre
the supposition that they were hares. The prisonee.
was sentenced to three months' imprisonment.
The whole of the underground workmen employ'etl'at
the New Sovereign Colliery, Barnsley, owned by Clark's-. •
executors, have been paid off. The colliers were serred
with notice a month ago in consequence of their refusal 4.
to submit to a 10 per cent, reduction in wages, and Ore • •
owners being unable to work the colliery at the present
rate of payment to the men have decided to close it-.
altogether. The Black's Main Colliery is still closed
Mr. Woodall, M.P., speaking
owing to the strike. -
at a large meeting held
in Manchester, in favour of the enfranchisement of
women, said there was good reason to triumph ire the
success that had already been obtained by the move-
ment, and they were determined to persevere until vie-
tory was achieved. A resolution was passed to the , '
effect that the Representation of the People Act
recently passed should be supplemented during the-
present session by a measure for the extension- of the.. _
suffrage to duly qualified women. A memorial was
adopted to Mr. Gladstone in favour of the objects of tEe
meeting, and it was decided to petition both Houses'of -
Parliament with the same view.
The Court of Appeal have given a decision affecting
i
a large number of persons who have left shares in the
Oriental Bank Corporation. By the charter of tlie
company the liability of the original
trans-
ferred. Lords Justice Baggallay, Bowen, and Fry; re-
f
continued for six months after they had been holder" of shares
verging a decision of Mr. Justice Chitty, held thle
allottee of shares, but to the transferrer and the person
"original holder" not only applied_to the first holder or-
to whom he transferred. Both Mr. Clayton and 'Mr.
Hartas, who had been holders of shares, were thereford
held liable as contributories to an amount equal to the e
amount of the capital subscribed on their shares, all
their shares being. fully paid up.
Mr. 0. M. Palmer, M.P., presiding at the annual meet-,
lug of the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce drew, ,
attention to the railway rates. He enumerated seve2l
excessive charges. Coals 40 miles from the sinisb
iffeb
instances, local and general, of what he cd.nai_ gve _
'
charged to him 17s. per ton, being a higher chargeett son;
1
merchants would deliver them at over a large part ,
PUlt 'AS di
on commerce, manufacturers, and :term .
second time ang,..
Europe by sea. These charges, he said ressed heriel
urged that the bills should be read a.
Ravensworth expressed general concurrence in laese .%
referred to a hybrid oe_Select Committee. The, E,atil ol
views. He referred at considerable length to the Royal
Commission on shipping, and urged shipowners to rebut • .4014_4:
the statements made as to shipping and shipowners,
with all the influence '-
which would probably be supported wi
•
of the Board of Trade.

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