The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-07-14 00:00:00

NistChntous 3ntrltigtrut.

ktOPIIE, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAI.

SCIENCE AND AT.—Mrs. De Jones (who has been
taking lessons in Scientific Dressmaking).—There,
dear, what do you think of my new Dress? Cut it
out myself, on Scientific Principles, you know.—Mr.
De Jones.—El'm. 1 admit the Ssience, but should
have liked a little more art I—Funny Folks.

BLINKEBS.—The Lancet remarks :—The question has
often been asked, "Why do horses wear blinkers?"
We cannot answer the question. It seems to us that
they are useless, ugly, and, to some extent, injurious
to the eyesight. The most beautiful feature of the
horse is its eye. If it were not "hid from our gaze,"
it would serve to denote sickness, pain, or pleasure.
Many a time would a driver spare the whip on seeing
the animal's imploring eye. The argument in favour
of blinkers is, we believe, that horses are afraid of pas.
sirg carriages. This objection, if valid, is of little
weight, as such timidity would soon be overcome.
We trust, now the cruel bearing rein has been cast
aside, that blinkers will also be abandoned—a course
which would, we feel assured, be attended with advan-
tage to both man and horse.

THE FISHERIES EXHIBITION,—The celebrated band
of the 6th Regiment of German Infantry (Thiiringian)
made its first appearance at the Fisheries Exhibition
on Saturday, and was a remarkable success, especially
when in the cool of the evening it performed in the
gardens, which were beautifully illuminated —The
number of visitors on Saturday was 20,132, making a
total for last week of 78,525. The total number from
the opening of the exhibition has been 688,278.

THE KIDDERMINSTER CARPET TRADE.—The Ware-
housemen and Drapers' Trade Journal says that it is
expected that from the let of July the carpet trade
with the United States will improve, and not un-
likely that this will give the fillip to prices for the
English autumn trade that is so much needed. The
new duties have now come into operation, with the
result of admitting from bond a quantity of carpets
that were awaiting the reduced tariff. These will
make room for fresh orders, and the travellers now in
America from England are doing fairly well, and
write home anticipating an increased trade later on.
FROZEN FOOD.—Chambers's Journal says :—lt has
been estimated that twelve million inhabitants of the
northern hemisphere consume about a million tons of
frozen food during the winter, and this exclusive of the
supply imported into England. Frozen meat markets
exist in Russia and Canada, beginning about the
second week of December, and lasting until April.
The roads during this period, leading to St. Peters-
burg, are crowded with sledges laden with food, the
whole frczen as hard as iron. This supply includes
swans from Finland, caviare from Astrakhan, reindeer
flesh from Archangel, bears' flesh from Olonetz, sheep
from Orenburg, and beef from the Ukraine. About
sixty thouiand oxen are sold during the season, thirty
thousand tons of herring, and six hundred tons of
cavaire. The Canadian consumption of frozen meat
and fish is about one hundred thousand tons, and fifty
thousand tons of fruit, milk, &c. The wholesomeness
of the supply is attested by the general good health of
the populations which use this frozen food.
THE MAGAZINE READER'S QIJERRY.—",What is the
naxt article.—Funny Folks.

OPENED BOTH DOORS.—The other day, when it was
pouring rain, a citizen turned aside to enter a store on
Michigan avenue, the door of which was open. He
made several attempts to push the umbrella in before
him but the space would not permit. He was
standing there, looking puzzled and annoyed, when
the dealer came to the door and asked: "Well, what
is it?"—" The door is not wide enough to admit my
umbrella." "Ah ! I see—just watt." And he
ktraightway flung open the other door to permit the
man to enter. After they had talked of this and that
for half an hour the man with the umbrella sudienly
slapped his leg and called out: "By George! what a
dolt! If I had cloEed my umbrella I could have
entered the door as it was !' —" That's so ! Come to
think of it I see you could," replied the other. "Well,
well, not a day passes that we can't learn something
new ! "—Detroit Free Press.

HARVEST PROSPECTS.—The Magnet of Monday
says :—" Favourable accounts continue to be received
from the agricultural districts respecting the crops.
Sati,factory progress is being made. The heavy rains
do not appear to have done any material damage, nd
with a continuance of settled weather from now the
farmers will have to congratulate themselves on the
season."

TWEED SALMON FISHINGS.—Ihe heavy showers of
rain during last week brought the river down in flood,
and there have been larger catches of salmon, grilse,
and trout than have been got for bhe last two or three
years. Salmon are most numerous, trout not being so
plentiful as last month, Prices on Saturday were :
&Onion is.. grilse 101, and trout 9d. per lb. The
prices in the corresponding week last year were—
Salmon is 2d., grilse is,, and trout 11d, per lb.l
GOING TO THE Doce.—Prince Regent, the best
mastiff of the year, was exhibited at the Kennel Club
Dog Show at the Crystal Palace last week. It is to
be hoped that this worthy winner of the Champion
Prize enjoyed himself thoroughly at Sydenham. It
will be remembered that the last Prince Regent we
had in England was a very sad dog indeed.—Punch.
A LARGE FAMILY.—The Madrid Eatafette states that
a Spanish gentleman, Senor Lucas Nequeiras Saes,
who emigrated from his native land t 3 America
seventy years ago, recently returned to Spain in a
steamer of his own, and brought with him the whole
of his family, which consists of no fewer than 197
souls, sons-in law and daughters-in•law not included.
Senor Saez has been three times married. His first
wife had 1i children at seven births, his second had 19
children at 13 births, and his third had 7 children at
6 births, The youngest of this family of 87 is now
nineteen ; the eldest, who is 70, has 17 children, of
whom the firstborn is 47. Of Senor Saez's 23 song, all
of whom are living, thirteen are married, Fix are un-
married, and four are widowers ; and of his surviving
dvighfirs nine are married. The grand-daughters
number 31, and of there 22 are married, nine are un-
married, and three are widows ; and of the 45 grand.
sons, 26 are married, 17 are unmarried, and four are
widowers, There are also 4a great-granddaughters,
and 39 great-grandsons, of whom three are married.
Senor Saez has nelr tasted wine or any alcoholic
liquor, and lives chi( fly upon a vegetable diet, with
but little salt. In spite of his 93 years he is still hale
and hearty, and makes a point of walking briskly for
at least three hours every day,
THE BOY WHO DIDN'T KNOW Too MUCH.—DIr.
Brisket (concluding a diatribe against education):
"What I want to know, Mrs. Jugging, is—what is
there the Boys an' Gells don't know nowadays! "
Youthful Customer (interrupting conversat!on) :
"Why, we don't know wot these 'ere Rabbit Pies is
made of, Guv'nor ; an p'eaps it's as well we don't !"
—Fun.

THE HANDEL FESTIVAL—The accounts of attend.
ance at the recent Handel Festival have now been
iesned. The numbers were :—At the Rehearsal,
19.020 ; Messiah, 22,388 ; Selection, 22,290; and Isvael
23,171—t0ta1, 87,769. This is a far larger ate; tlane
than at any previous Handel Festival, and upvva.ds
of 8,000 more than at the Festival of 1880. The
next highest total was in 1871, when 84,968 persons
attended.
FALLING 200 FEET WITHOUT HARM.—An Ameri-
can paper says that while a number of students of
Rutherford College, South Carolina, were bathing in
a stream, one of them approached too near the shoals,
when he slipped and fell on the rocks, whose steepness
hurled him down the slope over a precipice of fifteen
feet and dropped him on a narrow ledge of solid rocks,
, from which he fell over another in a pool of water
below—over 200 feet from where he started. To see
him dashing over the rocks in his perilous condition
almost paralyzed his comrades above, but their excite-
ment was calmed on seeing him scrambling out of the
water and proceeding to rejoin them with scarcely an
injury,

THE VERY LATEST FROM HANWELL.—Why ar
babilii like new flannel?—Because they shrink from
washing.—Funny Folks.
A WATERLOO HEROINE.—In London, the other day,
at the Mariborno..;ll-etreet Police-court, Mary
Strachan born in 1791, attended before Mr. Newton
to have her pension paper signed, she being allowed a
pension—which she has received since 1822—0 f £l4 a
year, her first husband, Simon Cochrane, a sergeant of
the 28th Regiment of Foot, having been engaged in the
Battle of Waterloo, and Mrs. Strachan having been
on the battle field at the time. Her husband 'was
killed. As she was•leaving the Court she expree:ed
a hope that she se,? some of tl-ose present once
more.

rA PLEASANT PROSPECT.—(In the centre of the
Channel Tunnel.) Ist Nervous Traveller "There's
oue thing—if we were threatened they could let in the
water and f•f-f.flood it in an in-in•in-instant!"-2nd
Nervous Traveller: "Why, yes, for the matter of that
they could blow it up, considering there is a
m-m-rr-mine under every qui-q-quarter of a mile ! "
Moonshine.

ACCIDENTS ON AMERICAN RAILWAYS.—Or tic rail-
ways of the United States the average of the accidents
per day for April were 353 accident, 087 killed, and
3.80 injured; for the year there were 427 accidents,
I'l6 killed, and 492 injured. The ave•-age casualties
per accident were, for the month, 0245 killed and
1.075 injured; for the year, 0.272 killed, and I'lsl.
injured. The averages per month for the year were
130 accidents, 35 killed, and 150 injured. April was
below the average, not only in accidents, but also in
killed and injured.
EMIGRATION FROM SwrrssuLAND.—The number of
emigrants from Switzerland last year was 11,962, and
out of this total 3,331 were from Berne, 1,158 Iron
Argovia, and 1,148 from Zurich. The other cantons
furnished from 755 emigrants (St. Gall), to 28
(Appenzell) ; and while the German cantons of Swit-
zerland, with a population of 2,186,429, sent out
11,158 emigrants, the French cantons and Ticino, with
a population of 790,450, sent out only 1,257. A third
of the emtgrants were agricultural labourers, and
about two thousand were artisans. Of the 11,962
emigrants 6,114 were men, 2,814 women (the majority
of them either spinsters or widows), and 3,034 children
under sixteen.

DIPLOMATIC ENSLISH.—The following circular hoe
lately been sent from the Foreign Office s—u Lord
Granville desires to call the attention of all members
of Her Majesty's Diplomatic and Consular services to
the necessity for greater care as regards the use of
pure English in official correspandence. The follow-
ing specimens of bad English, mostly due to mistrans-
lotions of French words, have been taken from de-
spatches recently received at the Foreign Offioe. A
despatch was received with the following docket :
Copy of King's speech, with appreciation thereon '
`Demission ' for dismissal, transaction' for com-
promise, 'franchise of duties 'for freedom from duties,
veridical' for true, arrestation ' for arrest,'lncas'
santly ' for immediately, 'signalize' for point out,
'prorogation' for prolongation, linereasensent' for
increase, category ' for class, 'expose' for state or
explain, destitution' for dismissal, 'minimal' for
very small, ' rally themselves to' for come round to,
'antecedent solidarity' for previous understanding;
took act' for took note, suscitated ' for raise
debarred of' for debarred from, disrecommended,
unmotived," spiritiste,' dro."
Peptic IMPROVEMENTS rrt CANAIDA.—In a return
issued by the Canadian Public Works Department,
it is stated that up to the present time 90,729,662 dole.
have been expended on Government railways and in
subsidising public railway companies; 23,447.564 dole.
on canals: 5,106,802 dole, on public buildines ; 6,750,633
dols. on ports harbours, and rivers; 8,875,035 dole. OA
harbours and breakwaters; and 2 677,738 dole, on
lighthouses, besides sums on other works that have
have also had an important influence on the develop.
ment of the country.
AVERAGE PRICES or BRITISH CORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for last week, as
received from the inspectors and officers of Excise :
Wheat, 425. 4d. ; barley, 28s. lid.; oats, 235. sd. per
imperial qr. Corresponding week last year :—Wheat,
475. 7d. ; barley, 275. 4d.; oats, 241.
DESCENDANTS or THE ANCIENT LORDS or LORNE.
—Constance Russell, of Reading, writes to Kates and
Queries:—" Sir Colonel Campbell of Glenurchy, first
Lord Campbell, married, secondly, Janet or Margaret
Stewart, eldest of the three daughters and co-heiresses
of William (John) Stewart, Lord of Lorne, with
whom he got the land called the Brae of Lorne and
at the death of her father the greatest part of the
lordship of Lorne, and quartered the galley of Lorne
with his paternal - achievement. Sir Colin being
tutor' to his nephew Colin, afterwards first Earl of
Argyll, he married him to Isabel Stewart, second
daughter and coheir with William (John). Stewart,
lord of Lorne, and afterwards gave up to him his
own share of Lorne. Walter Lord Lorne, Isabel
Stewart's uncle, reigned the title of Lorne, which was
confirmed to the Earl of Argyll by charter in 1470,
and be added the 'galley' to his own achievement.
It is thus that the Earl of Breadalbane and the Duke
of Argyll descend from the ancient Lords of Lorne."

TEM PARCELS POST. —There is at the present time
much activity displayed in the large mercantile esta-
blishments of the metropolis in preparing baskets and
cases for the transmission of goods by the parcels
post which will come into operation on August 1. A
prevailing pattern is that of a light wicker basicet of
the maximum dimension allowed under the regulations,
viz., 3ft. 61n., in its longest dimension, and 24t. ffin.
in girth, but many houses have adopted a basket of a
uniform length and girth, and in different sizes. In
the meantime, most of the railway companies have
established a "fast train parcel" system.

THE ICE-BOUND SEALERS Orr LABRADOR.—Presi.
ding at the fisheries Conference the other day, when
Captain Temple read a paper on the "Hair Seal
Fisheries of Newfoundland, and on the Fur Seiil
Fishery of the Straits of Magellan," Sir John Rose
referred to the painful incident of a number of the
hardy fishermen who pursue this industry being Im-
prisoned in an ice pack off the coast of Labrador, and
being in danger of starvation. Sir John said he had
taken some pains to make all possible inquiries as
to the prospects of these poor fellows, and he
was glad to say there was not only hope, but strong
expectation, that they would pull through, and that in
a very few days the good news would be received that
they had escaped from the ice. The truth was that
these ice packs disappeared as rapidly as they formed,
a change of wind or a slight shift of current die.
persing them.
OVERHEARD AT MARGATE.—Aff able stranger
(artistic) has got into conversation with fair damsel.—
I suppose you have been to the Academy? Fair
damsel.—No I haven't. I don't think I have ever
been to the Academy; but I remember once going to
the Natural Gallery. [Silence.]—Judy.
THE OCTOPUS AS AN EATABLE.—On the shores of
the Mediterranean, dainty little octopuses are served
as a garnish for larger fish; their long arms when
delicately fried being somewhat suggestive of macs.
roni. Larger ones are chopped up and eaten with
tomato sauce, and when thus disguised are not un-
palatable. A preliminary visit to the fish market
would, however, suffice to deter most folk from ventur-
ing deliberately to make a meal of one of the hideous
creatures which they may there behold floating in
large tubs ; in some are delicate-looking crittle-fish,
like transparent jelly; in others, the more repulsive
octopus, with protruding eyes, apparently watching
for the approach of the customer whose order seals
their fate. When a purchaser has selected the
octopus he most fancies, the owner adroitly seizes it
by the back of the neck, and though its arms twist
and writhe around his hands, he contrives to give it a
twist, which instantly disables, and generally kills it.
Then it lies, a hideous, inert, gelatinous mass, scarcely
to be recognised as.the same amazingly active creature
which but a moment before was outstretching its long
arms in every direction, reaching over the sides of the
tub and displaying the row of suckers which give such
terrible tenacity to its grip. 'When the creature is at
rest, it coils these terrible arms at its side.—Oasseli's
Family Magazine.
MR, SPURGEON'S HEALTH.—On Sunday the Rev. C.
H. Spurgeon was unable through an attack of his
old malady, rheumatic gout, to officiate at the Metro.
politan Tabernacle. At the morning service a letter
was read by one of the deacons from Mr. Spurgeon,
stating that up to the night before he had intended to
be present with them and to preach, but the state of
his health that morning rendered it impossible for him
to carry out his intention. It was unnecessary for
him, he added, to ask for the prayers of his peope, for
he felt sure they would be freely offered for him.

HOUSE PROPERTY IN NEW YORK.—House property
in some parts of New York already fetches higher prices
than in London, and there seems little probability of.a
fall (says Land). An illustration of the recent enormous
Increase in the value of property in the centre of the
Empire City is supplied by a block now being re.
erected at the cornlar of Broadway and Nineteenth.
street. The block originally cost £1,900, atid that
but a few years ago. The owners have never spent a
cent on improvements, the unfortunate tenants having
had to do ail that, and last year the income from
rents was £5,000. The new building now being put up
is for one of the great jewellery tirms, and the site
alone is estimated to be worth over £40,000, so that
when the building is completed the entire value of the
property will be very great. Opposite this block is
the old house where lives the one surviving, repre-
sentative of the original owners, and, extraordinary
though it be, it is surrounded by a miniature farm,
which is not to be built upon until after the owner's
death. His heirs will then come into possession of an
additional plot of most valuable land.

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