The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-05-10 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

A Reuter's telegram from New York says the Nor-
wegian ship Alentine, of Drammen, has been wrecked
off Magdalen Island. Nineteen persons perished, the
second mate being the only survivor.
The Union Pacific Railway having restored the
former rate of wages, the strike on that line has ended,
and the employes have returned to work.

The Royal Geographical Society has decided to
appoint for one year an iitspector to empire thoroughly
into the state of geographical education at home and
on the continent. In addition to studying the best
method of geographical teaching—chiefly probably in
Germany and Switzerland—he will be required to col-
lect and report upon the beet text-books, maps, models,
and appliances
The robbers who committed the murder in the Medi-
cine Lodge, Kansas, U.S.A., Bank, last week, were pur-
sued by a number of the excited citizens. A running
fight continued for several hours, when, their ammuni-
tion being exhausted, the robbers surrendered. They
were brought back to the town and confined in the gaol.
At midnight the mob broke into the gaol, and shot one
of the robbers dead. The other three were dragged out
and hanged.
Twenty deaf mutes in Norwich, Connecticut, are
members of a Congregational Church, and they have
formed a Bible class under the charge of a teacher
familiar with the method of conversation.

Dr. Isaiah S. Topples, the first negro to be graduated i
from a medical college n Columbus, Ohio, was recently
presented by the negroes of that city with a fine set of
medical inFtruments and books in appreciation of the
difficulties with which he has had to contend in
acquiling his education.
Lord Yarborough, in a letter to the tenants on his
Lincolnshire estates, intimates that it is his intention
to re luce their rents by 15 per cent. for the next five
years ilt s said that the Government have determined to
carry through the London Government Bill, however
long it may take. It is now expected that the second
reading of the bill will be taken before the end of this
month or early in ;hire.

It is stated that, in consequence of the death of the
Duke of Albany, and in deference to a wish expressed
in the highest quarter, the Ministerial banquets usually
given in honour of the Queen's birthday will not this
year take place.
M. Pognon of the French Consular Department, has
been entrusted with a mission to the Lebanon, having
for its object to obtain the text of the Assyrian in-
scriptions relating to the campaigns of Nebuchadnezzar
in Assyria.
The Zoological Gardens, in the Regent's Park, Lon-
don, now contain 2398 creatures, according to the
society's latest annual report-731 mammals, 1398
birds, and 269 reptiles. The visitors last year num-
bered 743,485 against 849,776 in 1882, and 648,694 ir
1881.

Up to the 25th April the secretary of the committee
of the British Association charged with the making of
arrangements for the meeting at Montreal had received
650 applipations for tickets from persons desirous to go
to Canada and to take advantage of the facilities
afforded by the steamship companies.
Owing to the unprofitable state of the jute trade,
Dundee manufacturers, who have a considerable
pecuniary interest in jute mills at Calcutta, are consider-
ing the propriety of putting the mills on short time.
No proposal has as yet been made to reduce the work-
ing hours in the Dundee mills, but the production in
them is being considerably curtailed.
The traffic receipts of the six great French railways
frem the Bth to the 14th ult, show an increase of
1,392,127 francs, as compared with the corresponding
period of last year.
At the Landed Estates Court, Dublin, a portion of an
estate near Fermoy, County Cork, yielding a nett profit
rent of £416 7s. 3d. has been offered fol. sale. There
being no bidding after £4900, Judge Flanagan re-
marked that it was purchased in that court -for £7300,
and despite the depreciation in the value of land he
would not sell at the sum offered. There being no
further advance, the sale was adjourned.
The total number of newspapers and periodicals of all
kinds at present issued in the United States and Canada
amounts to 13,402, being an increase of 1600 in the last
last twelve months.
The royalties paid to the Postmaster-General by the
United Telephone Company, and its subsidiary com-
panies, up to the 31st December, 1883, amounted to
about £36,000.
The Edison lighting station in New York is now, says
the "Electrician," connected with over 500 houses,
which are wired for nearly 13,000 lamps, of which
11,272 are actually attached to the conductors ..nd
ready for use as required.
Intelligence received from Barcelona states that four
dynamite cartridges were found on a railway bridge
near that town just as a train was approaching. They
were placed in such a minner that, had the train not
been stopped in time, an explosion would certainly have
resulted.
Last week's receipts of cotton at all United States
ports were 20,000 bales; since Ist September, 4,706,000
bales. Week's exports to Great Britain, 13,000 bales;
to the Continent, 14,000 bales. Total since Ist Sep-
tember, 3,467,000 bales; stock at all ports, 554,000
bales. Stock at interior ports, 76,000 bales.
At the instance of Count Moltke, a history of the
wars of Frederick the Great is to be published by the
General Staff. The materials will be derived from the
secret State archives of Berlin and other German and
foreign capitals.
The Treasury have agreed to allow £5OO to the
Fisheries Board of Scotland for the purpose of scientific
investigation.
The sale of the Earl of Gosford's library which occu-
pied eleven days, has been brought to a close by
Messrs. Puttick and Simpson. The prices throughout
were regarded as good, and the books generally were
in fine condition. The whole library realised the large
sum of £11,318.
The April return of the Cleveland Ironmasters'
Association shows the following as the month's makes
of pig iron: 130,000 tons of Cleveland iron, and 74,000
tons of other kinds, a total of 204,000 tons, or 12,000
tons less than in March. There are 101 furnaces blow-
ing, 66 of which are making Cleveland pig iron. Stocks
decreased 8000 tons in April.
A telegram received at Madrid from the Captain-
General of Cuba states that 71 persons were injured by
the explosion at the San Jose powder magazine. The
Captain-General's palace, the gasworks, the cathedral,
and several churches, besides 77 houses, had sustained'
damage.
The Agricultural Department of the Privy Council
have postponed the issue of the Order in Council which
was intended to restrain the discretion of the local
authorities in preventing the moving of cattle from one
district into another.

A New York telegram says that the visible supply of
wheat on May 2 was 22,500,000 bushels, as against
24,500,000 bushels the previous week. Visible supply
of Indian corn, 13,600,000 bushels, as against 15,600,000
bushels the previous week. The export clearances of
wheat for Europe dung last week amounted to
1,070,000 bushels; the eiport clearances of Indian corn
for Europe during the week amounted to 560,000 bushels.
The Prince of Wales has promised to attend the next
show of the Royal Agricultural Society, to be held at
Shrewsbury in July. His Royal Highness will be the
guest of the Earl of Bradford, lord-lieutenant of the
county.
"The Opium Trade between India and China" was
the subject proposed for the last Maitland Prize Essay
at Cambridge University. The successful essay, by Mr.
J. Spencer Hill, 8.A., of St. John's College, has just
been published by Mr. Henry Frowde, with a short
introduction by Lord Justice Fry, whose writings on
the same subject are well known.
The Guion Line ocean express steamer Oregon, which
left New York on the 26th ult., arrived at Queenstown
at 5.10 on Saturday morning, making the passage in 6
days' 16 hours, 57 minutes, which is the fastest home-
ward trip on record.

T .; li-sq,a4l that the number of female physicians
practising in Russia is no less than .sov, ur 100
are in St. Petersburg itself.
On Saturday the Mansion House Fund for the suf-
ferers in the earthquake in the Eastern counties
amounted to £2OOO.

The free reference and lending library in the new
municipal building at Leeds will contain about 150,000
volumes.

The Madrid National Library contains 600,000 printed
books and 30,000 MSS., while the university boasts of
nearly 137,000 books and an equal number of MSS. The
Duke of Ossuna has 3000 MS. plays, including many of
Lope de Vega, of the great age of the Spanish theatre.
Accoretng to the last regulations, the study of Ger-
man has been made obligatory for all students in the
University of Toldo, Japan. Formerly German and
French were optional subjects. Lectures, however, in
nearly all subjects are delivered in English, both by
foreign and native professors.
The Newcastle Society of Antiquaries is making pro-
gress with the restoration of the Black Gate of the
castle, which, when completed, will contain three or
four roomy and well-lighted apartments. In a few
weeks hese apartments will be stored with the fine
collection of Roman altars, pottery, and other relics
that for so many years has been hidden in the dark
recesses of the old Norman keep.

The traffic receipts of the railways in the United
Kingdom for the week ending April 27, upon a mileage
of 16,9091, amount to £1,231,168, bar, equal to £72 15s.
per mlle. For the corresponding week of last year the
then published receipts were 4,253,469, the number of
miles open 16,627±, or £75 Bs. per mile. A comparison
of tin two weeks shows a decrease in the total receipts
of P'l,lol, and an increase in the number of miles open
of 282. _ _ _

Pats advices state that the French wheat trade has
been quiet in the French departments during the week.
Prices have given way in the north, and have slightly
hardened in the north-east and east. The Paris market
has been firm. Havre and Marseilles quotations have
shown a somewhat better tendency.

The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens,
Regent's-park, London, last week included a Rhesus
monkey, from Continental India, presented by Mr. A.
Macdonnett Green; a common fox, British, presented
by Miss Bertha Haig; a herring gull, European, pre-
sented by Mr. It. Morton Middleton, jun. ; a green
lizard, European, presented by Mr. J. H. Leech; three
Russell's vipers, from Ceylon, two Indian rat snakes, an
Indian python, an Indian river snake, two Indian
cobras from India, presented by Mr. Gerald Wailer; a
grey ichneumon from India, a short-headed phalanger
from Australia, three lesser birds of Paradise, two red-
sided Eclectus from New Guinea, a chattering lory, a
three-coloured lory from Moluccas, deposited; a dusky
parrot from Guiana, received in exchange; a smooth-
headed capuchin from South-east Brazil, a severe
macaw from Brazil, two Schlegel's doves, a Buffon's
Touracou from West Africa, a diademed Amazon, a
yellow-shoulded Amazon from South America, a banded
aracari from Central America, receive on approval; a
Mediterranean seal from the Mediterranean, two chin-
chillas from Chili, an anaconda from South America,
)urchased.

Sir Saul Samuel, K.CI.M.G., agent-general for New
South Wales, has been informed by telegram of the
arrival in Sydney of the steamship Belgravia, which
sailed from Plymouth with emigrants in March last.
An accident which proved fatal occurred at Lowdham
Station, on the Midland Railway, on Saturday night.
A young man named Frank Brentnall, a resident of
Nottingham' slipped between the carriages and the
platform on the arrival of the 6.49 down train. His
legs were almost severed from his body, He was taken
to the Nottingham Hospital, where he died.
The opening of the great English Fancy Fair at the
Palace of the Academies in Brussels attracted a great
number of visitors. The Queen of the Belgians, who
had given a picture and two magnificent vases, was
received by Sir Edward Malet and the other members
of the committee.
In Russia a further duty of fifty copeks geld per pood
is about to be imposed on foreign agricultural machinery.
This industry in South Russia is almost entirely in the
hands of English firms.
The first sale in England of the 1881 crop of Aus-
tralian hops was made on Saturday morning in the
orough by Messrs. W. H. and H. le May,
hop factors.
The quality of the hops was very fine, and showed a
great improvement on the 1883 crop. The price realised
was £7 per cwt.

Seven steamers arrived at Liverpool last week with
live stock and fresh meat on hoard from American and
(Ia
cattle,gaani ands
tsa
tn6hle2ppqorrutearsc.etdeirTnshgoefwbte
week's
etkaf
;16 a
anc
rodr
insvs4ai ns maorfecnalts6sess4woogfenartteuitelt:o23sn3,
sheep, 6242 quarters of beef, and 684 carcases of
mutton, showing an increase in the imports of cattle,
but a decrease in that of fresh meat.
A six days' pedestrian tour at New York has resulted
in Fitzgerald, an Irishman,
making best record
known-610 miles. Rowell made 602 miles.
Only thirteen British and foreign actual shipwrecks,
of which six were owned in the United Kingdom" were
reported last week, compared with twenty-seven for the
corresponding week in 1863. The number for the year
to date is 615, against 802 in 1833. No vessels "missing"
posted; but the Meducn, of Liverpool, with fifteen
hands, and the State of Florida (steamer), with about
200 persons, are, it is feared, wrecked.
A pupil teacher named Herbert Stanley, iø years of
are, has committed -suicide at Newcastle by behooting
himself through the heart with a revolver. The deceased
had recently studied for the Civil Service, but failed at
the examination, and this appears to have preyed upon
his mind.