The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-09-06 00:00:00

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for the week
ending August 30, as received from the inspectors and
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 48s. id. ; barley, 293. 7d. ;
oats, 241. 9J. per imperial qr. Corresponding week
last year :—Wheat, 455. Bd.; barley, 425. ; oats,
263. 2d.

BALDNESS FROM FRIGHT.—An extraordinary case of
haldnesa from fright is reported in the Gazette de
Hopitaux A girl seventeen years of age one day
narrowly escaped death by crushing and was much
frightened—headache, chills and itchinz of the scalp.
After two or three days' suffering she recovered with
the exception of the itching, and when combing her
hair found it coming out in large quantities, and in
three days she became quite bald, and was still the
same when seen by a journalist two years later.
A RIVAL TO Da. CARVER.—According to the
Pacific Life of San Francisco, Dr. Carver has great
occasion to look to his laurels for fear of them being
carried off by a certain Mr. Ruth. who recently at
Utah. Piedmont Sprims, broke 48 and 49 out of 50,
and 93 and 99 ,irt of ICO glees balls. He afterwards,
by raising and firing his rifle by one hand, hit 42 out
of 50. To test the skill of himself and rival shots, he
has challenged Dr. Carver, and, in fact, the world;
proposing to beat Dr. Carver's best record, viz, 885
out of 1,000 glass halls. Mr. Ruth seems an adept at
fancy shooting, for at a recent exhibition he hit in
every instance, holding his rifle sideways, upside down,
over his head, shooting from his hip without aim, and
with his head over the chair back. Should a match
come off between the two crack shots, an interesting
meeting may be expected.—Land and Water.
POPULATION OF GREECE.—The Athenian papers
publish some particulars from the recent census of
Greece. The population of the kingdom was in 1870
1,457894; but in 1879 it had risen to 1,679,775, show-
ing an increase of 221,881. In 1838, when the first
CHI2BIIR was taken, the population was returned at
850 000, so that it has almost doubled within 40 years.
In 1870 Athens had a population of 48.000, but in 1879
it is set down at 74,000; while the Pilaus, which in
1870 had 11.000, has now 22,000. At the establish-
ment of the kingdom nearly half a century ago Athens
was little better than a village ; while the port of
Firm's, so far as it could be considered deserving of
the name of a town did not exist.
AUSTRALIAN EXPLORATION.—According to news re-
ceived in Western Australia from Alexander Forrest's
exploring party, which reached Roebuck Bay towards
the end of April, all was well. t agnificent country
was passed through between Deguley river and the
furthest point then reached by the party, especially
round Beagle Bay, opposite Lacepede Islands. Mr.
Forrest says he saw 4,000,000 acres fully capable of
carrying 1,000,000 sheep. The water is chiefly from
fine springs, and there is abnndance everywhere. The
natives are q.iiet.
A GOOD EXAMPLE.—Lord Combermere, speaking
at a luncheon in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Show, on Saturday, said that in consequence
of the serious nature of the times be had decided to
reduce his own personal expenditure by one half, be-
cause he wished to show to his tenants and the coun-
try in general that the landlords, at all events, were
willing to put up with great inconveniences in order to
meet the difficulties which surround them, and he
desired to impress on tenants and owners the neces-
sity of reducing their expenditure in every possible
way,

EMPLOYMENT Or WOMEN IN COALPITS.—The Bel-
gian authorities have not as yet recognized the advisa-
bility of prohibiting the employment of women and
girls underground, although public opinion has done a
good deal to discourage this degrading practice. In
1868, in the collieries of the province of Liége were em-
ployed 940 females out of a total number of 15,686.
In 1877 the numbers were, aboveground, 1,086 women
above 15 years of age and 321 girls under 15; under-
ground were 463 women above 15 and 67 girls under
15. According to the recent report of the chief mining
engineer of this province, these numbers have still
further decreased, the underground female workers
being only 453 altogether. It is to be hoped that the
Belgian colliery owners will discourage the system
until it dies a natural death. In Great Britain the em-
ployment of wom-n underground was forbidden by
the Regulation of Mines and Collieries Act 1842 (5 and
6 Vic., c. 99), and, although there is no law to forbid
their working aboveground at the pit bank, there is in
many coal districts a feeling against it.
A CE.NTENABIAN. The Armenian newspaper,
lifshak, announces that an old lady, named lialia
Butnj MA, died at Tiflis on Augnst 15, in the 114th year
of her age. She had always enjoyed excellent health
until a few months before her death. She was a
widow. She was married when only 15 years of age.
Her eldest son still lives, little short of a centnry obi.
Her youngest son is in his 57th year. All her sons
were fishermen. The total number of her descendants
now alive is 50.

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A STORM AT MUNICH —A terrible storm broke over
Munich on the evening of the 22n1 instaot ; it lasted
over an hour and a half, deluging the streets with rain
and flooding the cellars. In some places the roofs
were blown off the houses and trees were uprooted or
broken across. The Glass Palace, where the Interna-
tional Art Exhibition is located, bad a narrow escape.
The roof cannot have been made water-tight, and
cannot have been put together with strong glass, The
water began to leak into the building in large quanti-
ties, and several panes in the roof were broken,
through which the water poured in cataracts. Fortu-
nately the planks of the flooring are fully a finger's
breath apart, so that the water could escape as fast as
it entered. None of the pictures have suffered any
injury worth speaking of, all that were in an exposed
position having been removed in time. The south-
west wing of the building was considerably damaged.
Had the rain and wind continued for an hour longer,
it is believed that irreparable injury would have been
caused. Reports received in Munich state that simi-
lar tempestuous weather prevailed simultaneously all
over Southern Bavaria and the neighbouring elevated
districts.

THE STINGING SCORPION.—There is a species of
stinging scorpion found in the river bottoms of
Western Texas. Immediately after the blrth of her
young the female places them in a basket-shaped re-
ceptacle on her back, where they at once attach them-
selves and begin sucking her blood. Of course the
mother soon succumbs to this unfilial treatment and
begins to droop. The young ones are by this time
sufficiently nourished to demand more substantial
food, and they kill their mother and devour her.
Should one of the young ones become detached from
the living nest it is at once killed and feasted upon by
its mother. Thus it seems that while the female
willingly sacrifices her life to her offspring, yet she
does not hesitate to kill them should they be s devoid
of instinct as to refuse to remain where she places
them after birth. While this is going on the male
parent stands around.
STORM FORECAST.—The following cable message
has been received at the London office of the New
York Herald, from the Herald Weather Bureau, New
York :—" A disturbance, preceded by a depression,
will arrive on the British and Norwegian coasts,
affectin z the French coasts, between the 3rd and sth
inst. Rains south, veering north west; gales, or
strong winds, and lightning."

MANUFACTURING ICE.—The Arctic Ice Company of
Boston are now turning out between ten and twelve
thousand pounds of ice per day, which they are under
contract to deliver at half a cent a pound. The process
employed by the company is said to be the cheapest
known to science at the present day. The coot of
manufacture is only eighty-five cents a ton, or about
four cents and a quarter a hundred pounds. As it is
sold in bulk at ten dollars a ton, the margin of profit
is nine dollars and fifteen cents on each two thousand
pounds. The ice comes out in huge oblong blocks,
thirty-two inches in length and twelve inches square.
There is space in the freezing-chest, so to speak,
for four hundred and eighty of these blocks,
amounting in weight to thirty thousand pounds.

TELL'S CHAPEL—The well-known spot on which
the 2'ellskapelte stood, at the foot of the Axenstrasse,
on the Viersvaldstii,:ter-See, is now a scene of desola-
tion. Every vestige is gone of the building, which
has probably been more frequently painted and en-
graved than any other in Switzerland. The workmen
have laid the foundation of the new chapel, and the
selected painter—Ernst Stiickelberg, of Basle—is at
work on his designs for the frescoes of the new build •
hog. Her Stiickelberz has spent some time in the
Forest Cantons making studies of types of character
for his pictures. The results of these studies are
exhibited in the new Art Museum at Berne. The 33
t) pes, as he calls his fine portrait studies, are not only
artistically but ethnographically consciention9, and
are equally free from a conventional and an i3eal
handling. Indeed, they are so good as severely
realistic portraits that one fears lest the compositions
in which they are to be introduced should not come
up to the high standard suggested by these heads.—
Academy.

A PLEASANT PROSPECT--The Rev. Head-Master:
What do you mean by buffeting a person?—New
Boy: Shyirg stools at him, sir. —Judy.
THE ANGORA GOAT.—The breeding of this goat in
California has, after a trial of twenty years, proved a
commercial failure. Though the appearance of the
animals is prepossessing and the wool commands a
high price in the market, the yield is not sufficient to
pay the interest on the cost and the expense of keep,
while the merino sheep, on the contrary, has made
large fortunes for the breeders since their introduction.
—The Angora appears to have been a failure likewise
in some ot the otner American States. such as Ken-
tucky awl Georgia, where the experiment has been
tried for a considerable term of years.
DIVORCE IN OHIO—It appears that for every ten
marriages there is one divorce suit in the State of
Ohio, and the proportion of actual divorces is one
in 17. In the year 1878 25,796 marriages were con-
tracted. There were already pending 1,349 divorce
suits, while 2,024 new ones were instituted. The num-
ber of marriages dissolved in the course of the year
was 1,432.
THE EFFECTS OF FROST ON VEGETATION.—A paper
which was read before the British Association by Mr.
E. J. Lowe gives many interesting notes in regard to
the effects of the frosts of 1860•6 I, 1878 79 (says Land
and Water). The title of the paper was "Effects of
the Frosts of 1860.61, 1878-79 on Vegetation." The
greatest cold, he said, of 1860 exceeded that of last
winter by 10 degrees. It was six degrees below zero
in 1860, and it was four above zero in the late frost.
The paper which he read recorded in a tabulated form
the effects in the two frosts at Highfield House on both
hardy trees and plants, and plants of a more delicate
character. It showed that whilst in many cases the
effects were similar in both years, yet during the
milder winter some plants had suffered to a greater
extent than they did in 1860, and vice versa. It was
worthy of remark that instead of the cold killing the
slug and other pests of plants, they were never known
to be more numerous than at these times. Many hardy
plants, in pots, were killed, whilst those which were
plunged iuto the ground escaped. When the summer
was hot vegetation would survive a greater amount of
cold than when the summei wa, cold. This was shown
clearly by the fact that ',Lints remained uniejared in
the south tl France where the summers were ex
tremely farenrabla. whilitin England the same degree
of odd would claim them.

TROUT IN AUSTRALIA..—A letter has been sent by
the Chief Secretary to Mr. F. T. Buckland, of White-
hall, Llndor, stating that the successful acclimatization
of the English trout in the streams of this colony has
been now thoroughly established, and that the time
has arrived when it should be placed on official record
that the honour of initiating such acclimatization in
Australia is certainly due in the largest degree to that
gentleman and Mr. Francis Francis, who jointly pre-
sented to the Tasmanian Government some boxes of
trout ova in 1864. The services of Dr. Whitcombe, of
Ballarat, in this direction have also been officially
uckno wledged.— ./Iff /bourne Argu,s.
THE SWEDISH NORTH EAST PASSAGE EXPEDITION.—
A. letter Was ra .eived in Stockholm on Augunt 26 by
Madame Palanner, the wife of the captain of the
Vega. It is dated March 10, and states that the Vega
is frozen in at the entrance of Behring's Straits, in lat.
67 7 N, long. 173 30 W. It goes on to say,—" The
letter is forwarded by natives, who pass on from
Behring's Straits to the Kolyma River. We are all
well and in good spirits. We hope to get free in June.
Frost, 20 deg. to 30 deg, Ice, 41 t. 2tn. thick.''

THE SUNDAY OPENING MOVEMENT IN LONDON.—
On Sunday the Royal Horticultural Gardens were
for the first time opened on a Sunday to others
besides Fellows. It was intended to limit the sd,nis-
sions to 2,000, but the executive of the National
Sunday League, on whose behalf the privilege was
granted, and through win se office the tickets were
issued, found, even without public announcements,
the applications far in excess, and large numbers were
not supplied. The council of the League acted as
stewards so there was no call upon the usual staff for
extra labour, —At the same time in the Royal Albert-
hall the last of the season's organ recitals was being
given by Mr. A. L. Tamplin. These recitals, with
the additional attraction of the art exhibition in the
gallery, have had attendan-ms on an average of 5,000
per Sunday during June, July, and August. About
7,000 were present on Sunday.

THE INVENTOR OF LITHOGRAPHY, The art of
lithography was invented by Alois Senefelder, a Bohe-
mian, in the year 1796, at which time he was em-
ployed in Bavaria. Since his decease the litho-
graphers, printers, and others connected with the
graphic arts have determined to raise a statue to his
memory in Munich, the city where the invention was
made. A committee formed in Berlin in 1878 has al-
ready succeeded in collecting, chiefly from Prussia,
Leiessic, and Hamburg, a sum of 22,000 marks
(£1,100) for this purpose. It is, however, intended to
raise 50,0 t 0 marks (£2,500), as the bronze statue by
which it is desired to perpetuate the memory of Sanefelder cannot be produced and erected at a smaller
cost. A writer in the Freie Kiinste accordingly
suggests that an international subscription should be
opened in order to enable the committee to carry out
its design. It is pointed out that Senefelder actually
travelled to France and Austria, and resided for a
time in Paris and in Vienna, when engaged in intro-
ducing his invention to the world, It may also he
added that the Society of Arts awarded to Senefelder
their gold medal in the year 1819.
TIME'S CHANGES—The Daily Telegraph remarks :
"How much improvement has accrued within the last
few years to the character of the relations obtaining
between the German Empire and the French Republic
may be read in the fact that a number of French
officers, specially sent to Germany by their Govern-
ment for the purpose of attending and reporting upon
the grand Autumn Manceuvres about to take place on
the Fatherland's western frontier, under the personal
supervision of the Emperor William, have been invited
by his Imperial Majesty to accompany him to Stras-
burg, the capital of Elsass, where his headquarters will
be established, He who seven years ago should have
ventured to foretell that French officers would so soon
ride in the suite of the German Emperor through
Alsatian valleys and across Lorraine plains, admiring
spectators of evolutions performed by: an army corps
composed of men who were born en' jects of France,
would assuredly have drawn down upon his head the
bitterest scorn and abuse of ninety-nine Frenchmen
out of every hundred. But time is a great healer of
wounds and maker-up of quarrels. So courteous are
the terms upon which France and Germany live
nowadays side by side, that when, in the course of
the manceuvres, the venerable Kaiser shall approach
the new French frontier, he will be respectfully
greeted in the name of the President of the Republic
by a special envoy of high official rank, who will pay
his respects to his Majesty on the Franco-German
boundary. The Marquis de St. Vallier has, we under-
stand, been cho,en by M. Grdvy to execute this mis-
sion of international politeness."
A MONSTER TuN.—The great Tun of Heidelberg,
which was made in 1751 by order of the Elector Carl
Theodore, was estimated to contain 99,067 gallons.
The next largest vessel, as far as is known, in the
world has just been manufactured in the coopering
establishment of Werk and Co., in Cincinnati. It
will hold 18,000 gallons (therefore about 51 times
emalter than the Heidelberg tun), is 15ft. high and
15ft. in diameter. The staves are of oak, 5 inches
thick, and the total amount of wood employed in
making it was 8,125 ft. It weighs about six tons.
AUSTRALIAN IBLANDB.—The Queensland Legislature
has passed an Act declaring that certain islands in
Torres Straits, and lying between the continent of
Australia and the island of New Guinea, shall, from a
day to be fixed by the Governor by proclamation, be-
come part of the colony of Queensland and subject to
the laws in force therein. This territory is described
in the Act as follows :—" All islands included within
a line drawn from Sandy Cape northward to the south-
eastern limit of the Great Barrier Reefs ; thence fol-
lowing the line of the Great Barrier Reefs to their
north-eastern extremity near the latitude nine and a
half degrees south; thence in a north westerly direc-
tion embracing Eat Anchor and Bramble Caye ;
thence from Bramble Cay in a hne west by south
(south 79 degrees west) true, embracing Warrior Reef,
Stasi, and Tuen islands; thence diverging in a north.
westerly direction, BO as to embrace the group known
as the Talbot islands; thence to and embracing the
Deliverance islands, and onwards in a west by south
direction (true) to the meridian of 133 degrees of east
longitude.
bFELLING REFORL—The movement in regard to
English spelling, which resulted last year in a request
from a large number of School Boards for a Royal
Commission to inquire into the question, has led to the
formation of a Society under the title, "English
Spelling Reform Association." The Aesociation is
not committed to any special scheme of reform, but is
content with advocating the general principle of im-
provement, and with the collection of materials for
the formation of sound judgment upon the question.
The list of members of the Association includes the
Bishop of Exeter, Sir ()herb is Reed, Mr. Robert
Lowe, Dr. Abbott, Professors Max Muller and SAyce,
and Mr. E. B. Taylor. The etfiee of the Association
is at 20, John-street, Adel phi, London.
AN OBSERVATORY ON MOUNT ETNA —The Italian
Government is about to construct a large observatory
on Mount Ens, which will be fitted for seismological
as well as for meteorological rie.d astronomical obser-
vations. A site has been selected at a height of
9,652 ft, ebove the level of the sea, near the Casa deer
Inglesi, so called from a building erected there in 1811
by the English durit g their occupation of Sicily. The
purity of the atinospnere is EO great at this elevation
that the planets can be observed with the naked eye
almost as well as with telescopes of low power through
the thick atmosphere of towns. Venue, when ehiiiieg
alone in the heavens, casts a distinct shadow. The
cost of the projected establishment will be borne
chiefly by the Italian Government, the municipality
of Catania contributing a small proportion. The
building will be the property of the University of
Catania. This will be the second loftiest observatory
in the world, the United States signal station at Pike's
Peak, in Colorado, at an elevation of 14,336 ft., beieg
the lottiest station, and, indeed, the loftiest inhabited
building of any kind in the world.
. -

RAIN IN PHILADELPRIA,—Sueh a rainfall as we
have had in Philadelphia during the last three days
amounts to a great deal more water than one would
suppose in a city of such magnitude. The rainfall
since Friday night to 2.lii p.m. yesterday (Aug. 18)
amounted to something over five inches. This, dui-
tributed over 129 square miles of territory—the area of
the city—amounts to more than 46,000,000 tone, or to
1,512,807,886 gallons,—Philadephia Ledger.
A GASTRONOMICAL ANECDOTE.—A. correspondent,
who is an epicure, offers us this addition to anecdotes on
gaetronony, Atnony our friends, in a celebrated °aid
in New (Meanie was a Spanish Creole, who, when he
vaunted English, French, German, or even Ntw
Orleans cooking, used to remark, "but you never
tasted roasted monkey," The Creole's simian came to
be a standing joke about the Small tables at the cafiS,
until, in a moment of wounded pride, the Indian
offered to purchase a monkey and have it served at
dinner, on condition that each person then present
would partake of the dish. To this proposition there
was no dissenting voice; the party in a body esc, rted
the Creole to a bird-fancier's on the landing,
where the purchase of a moderete sized monkey
was made, I recall with what feelings of re-
morse we regarded our promise when we
looked upon the animal as it came from the hands of
the chef, and was placed upon the table on the day ap.
pointed for the feast. The Creole and the cook had
evidently conspired to render the spectacle as ghastly
as possible, The monkey had been prepared enti.e,
and was seated bolt noi:ght in the dish, looking for
all the world like a lit (13 leeby ! To complete the re-
semblance a dish conteatking a complete suit of infant's
clothing—tiny stockings, shoes and all—was placed
beside it. And there it sat, trembling with every tread
upon the floor, and wavering from side to side in that
helpless way pecu'iar to infancy, until, aghast at the
spectacle, the habitu6s of the cald rose in a body and
incontiDently fled.—Court Journal.
HE WANTED SOME SCENERY.—On a train coming
east over the American Central Railroad the other
day was a Californian bound for New Jersey, and the
train had scarcely left Chicago behind when he stopped
the conductor and said: " On whieh aide of the car
can I best see the mountains?" The conductor told
him that there were no mountains along the route, and
the man indignantly replied: "What did you build
the road for? What do you suppose I am travelling
for? Thie must be a one-horse road if it don't take in
at least one mountain !" He cooled down after a
while, but in half an hour he tackled the brakesman
with the query: "Does this road pass by any old ruins
of interest?" The brakesman couldn't remember any
ruins except an old log house here and there, and the
Calilornian was mad in a minute, "Do you think I
shipped on this road us freight or live stock?" he
called out. "If you don't run past any old ruins why
don't you say so on the time cards, and not be deceiving
people?" When the conductor next came along the
Californian was looking from the window to catch
sight of the bridges, and he turned and said "If we
conic to any bridge over 830 feet Meg juet give me the
word; I don't care about seeing any shorter ones.'
The conductor had to admit that the road was trying
to get along with a few short bridges, and the pas-
senger bobbed round in his seat and replied, "What
did you build your old road for? If you haven't any
lung bridges on the line why cliche.% you hunt for a new
one?" About thirty miles west of Detroit the Cali-
fornian caught sight of a lake afar off, and going out
on the pletforre he asked the brekesman "Don twe
run along the shore of that lake over there? " "Nu ;
we are as near it as we shall go." "You are, eti ?
Then that settles this road with me! When I ceme
back I'll ride in a ;umber waggon ! you can't fool me
again. Looks to me as if the folks who built it simply
wanted to connect Detroit and Chicago, and didn't
care a cent for scenery. I'll get off at the next station
anci walk"

A "CT" JOKE.—Farmer's wife: "What ani
ye daein' in there, Jock? "—Herd Laddie
suppin' the cream, mistress."—Farmer's wife
but I dinna like that."—Herd Laddie :—" Ye (liana
like gold meat, then."—Fun.

A GIANT RArr.--The greatest raft which has ever
yet been sent down the Mississippi passed lately the,
town of Davenport, in lowa. It contained 3,533,924
cubic feet of timber, and 1,000,0400 lcgs ,aud 9,000,000
the were piled up on its surface. Its destination was
Now Orleans.

AN IMPROVEMENT IN TELEGRAPHY.—A remarkable
invention ur impravement has just been patented in
Germany by Professor Klinkerfues, the principal
astronomer at the Observatory of GS-Aingen, and
wiciely known for his meteorological and physical
re-
sercbes. The improvement now refeFred to consists
of a method by help of wnich it will be possible to
despat:l as many as eight different messages simul-
taneously along a single wire. .An apparatus bac,
likewise been devised by which all the messages wiL
at the same time be meChanically written down..,6m
ANNIVERSARY OP THE BATTLE OF WORCESTER.—
Wed uesd ay (3rd) was the 228th anniversary of the battle
of Worcester, which was foucht on September 3. 1651,
and in which King Charles IL was totally defeated by
Cromwell. After the battle the King, accompanied
by a few faithful adherents. rode to Boscobel Houser
on the border between Staffordshire and Salop, where
he was entertained and hidden until September 11 by
the members of the Penderal family, who inhabited
that house and the wijacent Whiteladies Priory.
During this period the King spent several hours hidden
among the branches of the tree which has since been
known as the Royal Oak.

THE GERMAN BATIIS.—The German nowspapers
publish statistics of the number of persons wllo have
visited the chief bathing-places in Germany. At Wiei.
baden the number of visitors (including stranoers
passing through) down to the middle of August was
54,382; at Teplitz, 31,260. including mere tourists:
Baden-Baden, 25,718; Kralabad, 21,019;
Chapelle, 14,903 ' • Pyrmont, 10,543; Eiger (in
Saxony), 4,563; Nordeney (on the sea), 4,268; Lan-
genschwelbach, 3,491: Colberg, 3,910; Oeynhansen,
3,033 Krenznach, 4,824.

THE UNKNOWN PLANT.—A correspondent of the
Globe writes : Your correspondent at Kilmore ex-
presses his regret that aubergines are not growni n
this country. Aubergines (or egg plants) cannot be
grown because they require much more heat than we
have. I have tried to grow them for years, and have
only succeeded twice. The seeds are sown in January,
and the young plants are grown in pots, and kept in a
stove-house. In June they are put out in a sunny
border, and if the season is favourable, a fair crop of
small fruits may be gathered. Tnis year I have failed,
as a matter of course. In France this vegetable is
only grown in the south. At the latitude of Metz I
have failed to observe even a single egg. They were
sold in London last week at 2s. a dozen—cheaper than
we could grow them for, and far finer too.—l am,
yours truly, EGG PLANT, Sunbury-on-Thames, August
30."
"HONESTY ITS OWN REWARD,"—A stingy gentle
man has given a young crossing-sweeper .sixpence.
Crossing-sweeper (running after gentleman) : "Oh, if
you please, sir, it's a bad 'rm." Stingy Gent (corn-
placently): "A bad one, is it, my good boy? Well
no matter, keep it for your honesty !"—Pun.
WILD DEER IN DEVON.—Rousing the wild deer is
far more preferable than hunting the carted one,
although the red hunting deer have been known to
run thirty miles, and often never seen until taken..
In Dorsetshire, at the beginning of the present cen-
tury, Lord Dorchester imported into this country the
roebuck from Scotland, and which he loosed at his
beautiful seat, Milton Abbey. Mr. Pleydell, of Wat-
combe, hunted them for many years, and at his death
Mr. Veltman, of Stock, hunted them with his splendid
little pack of harriers. They are now to be found
in the different coverts of the Vale of Blackamoor,
and from Stoke Wood and Woolland Ivers, have
been known to run to Stock, eight miles over the
heavy vale. The time to hunt them is in the spring
of the year, when the bucks are in good condition, as
they live and thrive on the young ash plantings, bark
and buds. They are savage little animals, and have
sharp hems like the chamois, and about as big. They
do not herd he the fallow deer, but pair off in the
woods for breeding, and have been known to run
unuer hor4es for the purpose of ripping them up
when mobbed by the c Juntry people. They are sup-
posed to increase rapidly in numbers, and I should say
there are now a tun dred brace in the woods.—E. B. A.,
in Land and Water.

A NEW FASHION IN FLOWERS.—There is a curious
whim just now to carry flowers in small fancy baskets
instead of in the hand as bouquets (says the Court
Journal). Ladies take there to concerts and dances be
this fashion, but there is something so formal looking
about it that the custom iie not likely to survive long.
At weddings these flower baskets are now most
faehionable ; twelve bridesmaids at a wedding the
other day each carried one, not for the purpose of
strewing her path with flowers, but white waiting for
the bride, the baskets were placed on the floor of the
church in front of the bridesmaids, and so formed two
floral lines, between which the bride passed on her
way to the altar, in front of which there was a very
large orange treP, and the box which contained it was
wreathed with foliege and blossoms.
"SOLD ! "—School Board Inquisitor. "Good morn-
ing, coachman. Your name is Prosser, I believe?
Have you any children—boys or girls? "—Old groom
(essuming intense meekness). "Yes, sir; at your ser-
vice, sir. Yes, sir, two girls, sir--" School Board
Inquisitor. "Do they go to school? "—Old groom.
" School, sir ? Not they, sir I "—School Board
Inquisitor (fiercely). "And pray why not? "—Old
groom (shaking his heae). " Ah, sir' they've got such
wills o their own, sir. "—School Board Inquisitor.
"Aba I"—(producing note book with ardour)—" their
names and ac_es ?"—Old groom (gill more meekly).
"Jane and Mary, sir. One's nineteen, sir, and the
other's just turned o' two•ant-twenty, sir ! "—[Exit
Inquisitor hastily.] —Punch.
ORATORY AS A FINE ART.—The Daily Telegraph
remarks :—" Oratory, as a fine art, has not improved
since the age of Pitt and Canning, of Fox. Sheridan,
aid Burke, of Curran and Grattan, of Wyndham,
and Wilberforce. and Grey. With the stately decla-
mation of the eenate-house, the forum, and the stage,
has receded the careful orthoepy of social speech.
Words were often, and indeed habitually, mis-spelt
by the highest and the most ref nal ; but they were
spoken with a clearness and precision which formed a
pees-eery part of any pretence to good breeding.
Our age has exactly reversed all this. No man
or woman who wishes to eFe ,pe ridicule would dare
to write an ill spelled letter ; but too many of
either sex will be found to talk the most
igueble blip slop, such, indeed as is " quite too
awfully dreadful, don't you know.' Lord Gran-
ville, with polished slyues of satire, ventured
most deferentially to indicate, in the House of
Peers, a slight diffi-ulty which the most experienced
stenographer might pardonably find in reporting
words that are not really spoken, but are only
mumbled, mispronounced, and run one into another.
Noble lords, he suggested, with a courtesy the more
becoming, inasmuch as Lord Granville speaks English
almost if not quite as well as he speaks French, might,
possinly, have only themselves to blame should their
wisdom sometimes fail to find its way pure and un-
adulterated to the public, which reads the daily papers
with a patriotic punctuality. But lords are no worse,
we are bound to say, than other folk, and it may be
observed that by the plurality of clergymen, the word
" Trinity " is invariably pronounced as if it were
written " Trinaty," and that a not a few of their cloth
are accustomed to mention our beloved Sovereign
every Sunday as 'Victoria rour-mose-grashas-Queen-
an-guyner.'"

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