The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-08 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

At a recent meeting of the Nottingham Town
Council the question as to whether the Castlie Art Museum
should be openel on Sunriays waa d;scusiied. Aft,r a warm
debate, the motion in tayora of its being opened on that
day wr,s re4ectod by to 25.
The death is announced at Berlin of the well-known
chemist, Professor Sonnenschein. He had only reached the
age of sixty•two. He was, if not the chief, one of the chief
authorities in all matters of chemical cknaly
A fracture of the collar-bone and three broken ribs
have been " 4-ustained " by a female trapeze performer at the
Theatre Comique, Detroit, Michigan. The "artists" was
balancing herself on a rope thirty feet in the air, when she
fell head foremost, striking a seat, he: body rebounding
into the centre aisle.
The threit,tancei strike of carpet weavers at Kidder-
minater, which was to have commenced next Saturday, has
been averted by a resolve to refer the question in dispute to
arbitration.

"The sth Lancers, who are quartered at Brighton,
were celled upon the other day to supply fltty-two men for
the 17th, to go out to the„Cape. There were 171 on parade;
and when thB colonel told any to step forward who would
like to go, the 171 all volunteered, and three sergeants pyo_
up their stripes to go as privates.". -The woriq.

In view of the alarming increase of small-pox,
typhus fever, and other infections disorders in various parts
of Switzerland, the Federal Council have appointed a
medical commission to confer on measures for the pre-
servation of the public health.
Tie Washington Capital ungallantly remarks:
"You can always tell a woman suffragist by the build of
her face and the size of ner foot."
Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," has (the Bombay
Gazette says) been operated upon by a Bengali adapter. The
result is a drama in Bengali, called " Ajaysintha and
Vilasvati ;" the scene is in R,jputana, and all the
Montagues and Capuiets are taken from the ranks of Rajput
nobles and princes. The work is described by the Bengal
Librarian as neatly got up But Juliet's belief in the
insignificance of names mutt be rudely tested; she might
well, exclaim, "Romeo, whererore art thou Ajaysintha?"
Much distress prevails in Newfoundland owing to
the failure of the cod fisheries.

The President of the United States has-vetoed the
anti-Chinese Immigration Bill. Ile says that certain amend-
ments made by the Senate would have the effeat of abroga-
ting the Barlinghame Treaty with China, and thus deprive
the citizens of each country of protection in the other. The
consequences to Americans residing in China would, he adds,
be disastrous.—Telegrams from San Francisco report that
great indignation is felt there at the Chinese Restriction
Immigration Bill having been vetoed, though no disturb-
ances have broken out.

M. Blondin, the "hero of Niagara," made his first
appearance at the Westminster Aquarium on Monday, after
a long absence from London From the moment when he
appears in his suit of armour, mounted upon a golden Eagle,
to be drawn slanting-wise by ropes to the scene of opera-
tions high up near the roof of the building, to the time when
the exhibition culminates in his riding a miniature bicycle
across the tight-rope, his feats are characterised by singular
agility and ease.

At Berwick the plasterers struck work on Monday,
the masters, having reduced their wages from 7d. to ed an
hour.

There is much common sense intermingled with
American piety. At a daily prayer-meeting held in Wall.
street, New York, one of the busiest parts of the city, re-
cently, among other requests handed in was one for the
prayers of the meeting on behalf of a starving family. Re-
ferring to this particular request, the presiding merchant
said —"We: will not trouble the Lord about that. If the
friend who banded in the request will give me the name
an" aldress of this family, I will attend to the matter."
—Echo.

A Correspondent of Tlze Times, writes from her
Majesty's ship Hector :—" Southampton Water presented an
extraordinary appearance this morning (Sunday, March 2),
the greater part of the surface being completely covered by
a thin film of ice. We found in pulling a boat through it
that the ice offered a very appreciable resistance; the ice
was strong enough to support a walking•stick thrown along
it. The only explanation of the unusual phenomenon which
suggests itself is that the surface was covered with fresh
water from recent rains, and there being a perfect calm it
bad not mixed with the salt water. It would be interesting
to know if this has ever happened before in Southampton
Water."

From some statistics illustrating the rate of deser-
tion in the army (which we publish to-day says the Daily•
Netts of Wednesday), it would appear that more than 17 out,
of every 1,000 men in the army in the year 1878 deserted;
that most of them were under one year's service, and that
out of these 17 men quite 16 deserted on home stations,
desertion from foreign atatims being almost nil. Recruits
appear to form the large body of deserters.
A ceremony of a somewhat unusual character took
place at St. Katharine Coleman, Fenchurch-street, London,
on Sunday last, viz., the marriage of two deaf and dumb
persons. The marriage service was read in the ordinary
way by the Rev. 11. Williams, whilst the Rev. C. Rhind,
chaplain to the Royal Association in Aid of the Deaf and
Dumb, interpreted to the bride and bridegroom and other
deaf rod dumb persons, several of whom were present, and
who entered heartily and intelligently into the service. It
is stated that there are upwards of 2,000 deaf and dumb in
the metropolis, whose temporal and spiritual welfare is care-
fully attended by the Royal Association.
The Astronomer Royal reports that the duration of
registered bright sunshine last week was 10 2 hours, the
sun being above the horizon during 746 hours; the recorded
duration of sunshine was, therefore, equal to 14 per cent. of
its possible duration.
Rossini's widow at her death appointed the Depart-
ment of Public Assistance in Paris residuary legatee. After
payment of all the charges and legacies a sum of 2,395,000
francs remains, which will be applied, in accordance with
her wishes, for the construction of an asylum for indigent
French and Italian musicians. It will be erected at Passy,
and will accommodate from 110 to 120 persons.
America is not the only place in the world where
petroleum can be obtained. Long before the wells in the
New World were discovered, Baku, on the Caspian, Hungary,
and even distant Rangoon supplied us with mineral oil; but
now we learn that at Heide, in Holstein, a "flowing well'
of petroleum has been struck ; and, as there is sure to be
more where there is some, we may possibly obtain our sup-
plies without crossing the Atlantic.
An order has been received by the officer in charge
of the powder magazines at Upnor Castle for the despatch of
another million of cartridges for the Martini-Henry rifle to
the Royal Arsenal, for shipment to the Cape. They will be
taken from Upnor in War Department lighters. This will
make six millions which have been sent from Upnor during
the past fortnight.
It has been decided to attach a medical officer to
each regiment employed on active service at the Cape, in
addition to those employed in the several field hospitals,
the regimental and general unification systems being thus
worked together.
A woman over ninety years of age met her death
near Dundee on Monday, under most distressing circum-
stanees. Wnilst crossing the Caledonian Railway at l over-
gowrie Station, the express from Dundee came up and ran
over her. Her body was fearfully mangled, and the head ,
completely cut off.
The liquidators of the late West of England and
South Wales District Bank intimate that they will this
month obtain permission to pay the creditors a first instal-
ment of 10s. in the pound‘
An alarming gunpowder explosion has taken place at
a mining village near Dairy, Ayrshire. A man had received
two barrels of gunpowder for blasting purposes His wife Was
tillieg his flask, when one of her children approached with a
torch of burning straw. Perceiving the danger, she grasped
at the child, but some of the embers falling among the gun-
powder, it exploded, completely wrecking the house, and
blowing the root oft the house adjoining. Two boys were
slightly burnt, and the girl, three years of age, who carried
the lighted straw, is so injured that it is doubtful whether
she will recover. Saverat of the occupants of the other
house had to be dug oat of the ruins, but they are not much
hurt.

"George Augustus Sala. in his 'Echoes of the
Week' in the Illustrated London News, points out that the
well-known saying about making two ears of corn or blades of
grass grow where one grew before was first used by Swift. '
it occurs in 'A Voyage to Brobdingnag (1 Gulliver's
Travels '), and is put into the mouth of the King of that
country, thus :---` He gave it for his opinion, that whoever
could make two ears of corn or two blades of grass to
grow where only one grew before would desrrve better of
mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than
the whole race of politicians put together."—Mark Lane
Express.
German industry pronejses to be largely represented
at the Sydney Exhibition. The Committee which has been at
work in Stuttgart since November last has received applica-
tions relative to it from all parts of Germany, and has already
supplied 600 manufacturers with certificates of admission.
" the Sydney Exhibition," says a correspondent of the
Frankfu,ter Zeitung, recommending it to his countrymen,
"has a particular attraction inasmuch as Australia has not
been affected by the general of trade—is, in fact, the
only bright point amid the commercial distress."
A meeting was held in Glasgow on Monday evening
by the Clyde shipbuilding engineers who are out on strike.
A resolution was passed by a large majority that work be
not resumed till the notice fixing the hours at 54 per week be
withdrawn. It was stated that the societies elsewhere which
had received such large support from Glasgow would help
the Glasgow men on strike.
An organised agitation is being promoted by the
Good Templars of Wales with a view to obtain a Sunday
closing bill for the Principality.
Mr. Allport, general manager of the Midland Rail-
way; Mr. Oakley, of the Great Northern Railway; Mr.
Milts Fenton, of the 7sletropulitan District Railway.; and
Mr. Small, managing director of the London Tramways
Company, gave evideoce on Monday befare the Committee
of the House of Lords on tramways. The purport of the
evidence was that in some country districts narrow-gauge
tramways connected with railway stations would bene tit the
railways. In towns tramways should be taxed as were the
railways, and objection was taken to the use of steam in
the streets. The last witness, however, thought but little
danger was to be apprehended from the use of steam on
tramways in towns; the great drawback to it was that it
cost more than horses.
In the course of a lecture at the Royal Institution
in London, the other evening, Sir W. Thompson showed
some experiments and made some interesting statements
with regard to the extreme slowness of the diffusion of
liquids. He exhibited tubes filled nine days previously,
which in the upper part contained one fluid and in the lower
another, such as a solution of sulphate of copper, a solution
of common salt, coloured alcohol, dx. A mark of where the
two fluids met was registered at the time the tubes were
filled, and in the nine days the diffusion had not extended
upwards and downwards more than two or three inches. In
a lecture-room at Glasgow a tube about 30ft. long was filled
some years ago, and from the rate of diffusion it has been
calculated that complete interfusion of the two liquids
will occupy nearly 1,000 years from the time it commenced.
It appears from a return that the capital stock,
shares, and securities transferred to the official trustees of
charitable funds in the year ending the 31st of December,
1875, amounted to £726,163 63., and the moneys other than
dividends or interest paid to the account of the trustees
during the same time to £548,017 6s. lid. The balance at
the Bank of England at the end of the year was £35,811
7s. sd,

- •
There were 2,602 births and 1,771 deaths registered
in London last week. Allowing for increase of population,
the births exceeded by 4S, and tlae deaths by 45, the average
numbers in the corresponding week of the last ten years.
The annual death-rate from all causes, which in each of the
two preceding weeks had been equal to 23 7 per 1,000, rose,
under the influence of lower temperature, to 25 5. The
deaths included 22 from small-pox' 21 from measles, 35 from
scarlet fever, 8 from diphtheria, 50 from whooping-cough, 16
from different forms of fever, and 19 trom Mare:eel.
Two of the most interesting tableaux in the huge
procession on the grand gala day of the festivities in con-
nection with the silver-wedding of the Emperor and Empress
of Austria will certainly be: First, the turning out of all the
thoroughbreds entered for the two days' races, ridden by
their respective owners and jockeys; and seoond, the minia-
ture steamer provided by the Danube Steam Navigation
Company, with a complete crew, select band, and the com-
pany's general staff as passengers. A large flotilla of the
company's steamers, rigged out anew and flagged with their
beautiful standards and banners, will also be brought up the
Danube canal, and be anchored along the Franz Joseph Quai,
where a naval entertainment will be given in honour of the
occasion.
Sir J. Lintorn Simmons has sent a letter to Sir
Benjamin S. Phillips, chairman of the Union Steamship
Company, expressing the Empress Eugenie's high apprecia-
tion of the ureat attention and consideration shown to her
and to the Prince Imperial by the directors and officers of
that eompany on the occasion of his Imperial Highness's
departure for Natal, and intimating that the Empress would
be much pleased it Sir B. Phillips would convey her thanks
to all those who showed her so much kind attention.
"Alpha.—The letter was very gladly received. I
wait, with impatience, for news. You are not forgotton,
and I deplore our continued separation.—Alphe,"—Adver-
tisement in The Times.
A new Aniline dye, " Uranina," is noted by the
Scientific American. It is in the form of a red powder
which, when aprnAled on the surface of water, at once sends
down slender streamers oi vivid green, and speedily tints the
fluid with a brilliatt green and amber hue. The colouring
power of the dye is so great, that it is said a single grain will
perceptibly tint over three hundred gallons of water.
In London, on Monday night, a "torchlight meet-
tug" was held in Trafalgar-square, when resolutions and a
petition to the House of Commons were adopted against the
labour tests and the breaking up of hew& in adminiitering
relief, and asking that public work e ahould be instituted for
the benefit of the distressed,
An iron pier is now in course of construction in front
of the Ocean Hotel, at Long Branch, which will eclipse any
of those at the famous English teaside resorts. Ills said to
be 660 feet long and 60 feet in width, with a breakwater 200
feet in length, akd capable of accommodating 1,200 dancers.
The estimated cost is 100,000 deliarz.
A violent hurricann burst over the Bay of Naples
on the night pf Feb. 24, veering from the S.E. causing great
havoc sanong the coasting craft in the
"M, Grdvy, the new President, seems likely to
prove a formidable rival to our dear old Talleyrand, agar
port of 'Naples.
author of epigrams. He is a very good chess-PlaYterrihingd,
being asked recently to write sornethieg, bowever _
ess
in an album wrote as follows :—' Life is like a game
When
each one holds his rank according to his quality;a . a ,
al
are
the game over, kings, queees, knightsaand 11 the re
thiovin-intoAine rommon lioxi-E—Arattfirix•