The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-04-05 00:00:00

JL xstellantous Inteffignytt.

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

SHOCKINC CASE or INTIUMANITY.—In the Sheriff's
Court at Aberdeen on Saturday, James Graham, a
young man, was charged with assaulting his illegitimate
child, four months old, by striking it several blows on
the head, breaking its arms in two places, and otherwise
shamefully treating the child at various periods during
the absence of its mother, with whom the accused lived.
The case caused considerable sensation, owing to the
gross cruelty that had been used; and a mob threatened
to lynch the accused when he was apprehended. He
pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to twelve months'
imprisonment.
THE SEAL FISHERY.—A telegram was received in
Dundee on Saturday announcing the arrival at St.
John's, Newfoundland, of the Dundee sealer Aurora,
with 28,000 young seals. This is the first arrival from
the seal fishing ground this season. The captain reports
that the prospects of fishing are good. The master of
the Aurora reports that the sealers Falcon, Neptune,
and Hector, all of Liverpool, are full ships.
THE AMERICAN BOOK TRADE.—The statistics of
American publishing for last year are as follows; The
total number of books (including new editions) was
3481, which compares with 6145 in England. In
America fiction comes first with 670, as compared with
578 in England; then law with 397, as compared with
223; theology, 375, as compared with 912; juveniles,
331, as compared with 939; medicine, 211, as compared
with 253; poetry, 184, as compared with 159.
THE QUEEN'S NEW Boma—Her Majesty's new book,
"More Leaves from our Journal in the Highlands," of
which the English edition has noni nearly reached its
twentieth thousand, has been quite the rage with the
American publishers of reprints. Messrs. Scribner and
Welford imported copies of the book and put them into
the market at four dollars. Messrs. Worthington and
Co., as quickly as reproduction would admit, brought
out an edition at one dollar twenty-five cents. But
this has been outdone by Messrs. Harper Brothers' who
have produced a pocket edition at t wenty cents (ten-
pence), and a "people's edition" at fifteen cents
(sevenpence-h.alfpenny).
THE CANADIAN WHEAT CROP.—A Renter's telegram
from Toronto says: Reports received from all parts of
Ontario testify to the splendid condition of the winter
wheat crop. Farming prospects are a hundred per cent.
more favourable than at this time last year. In the
north-western territories ploughing and seeding has
commenced, and farming operations generally are two
weeks in advance of Western Illinois.
THE FRENCH ACADEMY.—The yearly cost of the
French Academy to the State amounts to 98,000 f., made
up as follows; Each of the 40 members receives 1500 f.,
the permanent secretary 6000 f. The five members
forming the dictionary committee each 1200 f., say 6000 f.
in all; materials and labour attending the making-up
of the dictionary, 10,000 f.; printing of papers and
speeches, 5000 f.; and the balance, 11,000 f., goes for
general expenses.
POLICE FORCES RETURN.—A return for England and
Wales, including the metropolis and the City of Lon-
don, of the strength or the various police forces and the
number of pensioners, as well as of the income and ex-
penditure of the police superannuation funds, for the
year ending the 29th September, 1883, has just been
issued. The aggregate strength of the forces was 682
superintendents, 1488 inspectors, 3482 sergeants, and
28,381 constables—total 34,033; whim the number in
receipt of pension was 6489, including 280 super-
intendents, 629 inspectors, 1371 sergeants, and 4209
constables. The annual amount of pensions payable
was £297,393 13s. 7d. The accounts of the super-
annuation funds show that the total of the available
funds on the 30th September, 1883, capital and income,
was £1,176,458 10s. 11d. The contributions from the
pay of the forces amounted ta £56,158 12s. Bd., and the
deficiency met out of the rates during the year was
£147,568 4s. sd.
TilE PRODUCTION OF ALCOHOL IN Russ-la.—During
the ;ear 1882-83, says the "Journal de St. Peters-
bourg," the Russian distilleries have produced
88,908,341 gallons of pure alcohol, and during the pre-
sent year 89,593.000. The decrease of 767,184 gallons
in 1882-83 is the result of the closing of 58 distilleries.
In the Polish province 31 distilleries have been closed
in 1882-83, and in the province of Kharkoff 11 at the
same time. In the province of Viatka 307,807 gallons
of alcohol less have been distilled during the year 1882-
83 than in the previous year. In the northern and
central, as well as the Baltic provinces, the namber of
distilleries has increased, the manufacturing of eau de
vie from potatoes compared to the period of 1881-82
having risen by the weight of 128,023,700 pounds of
raw material. In Poland the use of potatoes has
decreased, which may also be said of Turkish wheat in
the provinces where it is used in distilleries, while the
diminution in corn is insignificant.
SAGACITY OF THE HORSE.—On my farm, one Sunday,
the house was left in charge of one man, who sat on
the porch reading. A mare, with her young foal, was
grazing in the orchard near by. At length he saw the
mare coming from a distant part of the orchard at full
speed, making a loud outcry a sort of unnatural
whinny, but, as he says, more like a scream of distress
than the natural voice of the horse. She came as near
to the man as the fence would allow, and then turned
back for a few rods, and then returned, all the while
keeping up the unnatural outcry. So soon as he started
to follow her she ran back in the direction of a morass
or miry place which had been left unguarded, and only
stopped on its very brink. The man hastened to the
spot with all speed, and found the colt mired in the soft
mud and water. It was already dead.—" American
Naturalist."

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DEATH FROM BunNixa.—On Monday, Mr. F. Price,
district coroner, held an inquest at Salford, touching
the death of Elizabeth Ann Broadhurst, 13 years of
age. The deceased was employed as a nurse by
Dominic Sambocetti, an Italian, who is an asphalter,
living at Queen-street, Salford. On the 9th inst., the
deceased was left in charge of Sambocetti's children,
one of whom was sick. She was in the act of getting
a medicine bottle from the mantelpiece, when her apron
took fire. Her screams brought assistance but before
the flames could be extinguished she was badly injured.
She was at once taken to the Salford Royal Hospital,
where she died on Saturday night. A verdict of
"Accidental death" was returned.
TIIE CANAL BOATS BILL.—On the invitation of the
London School Board, Mr. T. Burt, M.P., and Mr.
George Smith, of Coalville, attended before a Depart-,
mental Committee to give explanations concerning the
Canal Boats Amendment Bill, now before Parliament.
The members present fully endorsed the Bill, the only
doubt they expressed being as to whether the Bill went
far enough. It seems likely that if the Boar,: takes
any action it will be to make the provisions of the
measure more stringent, and in particular to prOhibit
any child who has not passed the sth or 9th ztandard
from being employed on a canal boat.
FATAL FIRE AT A COLLIERY.—About six o'clock on
Sunday night it was found that a haulage engine in
the pit connected with the Welwood Colliery, near
Dunfermline was on fire. A party of six miners went
down the shaft with the view of extinguishing the fire,
but they were driven back by the smoke which filled
the pit. It was thought that by opening a trap in a,
distant part of the workings a fresh current of air could
be introduced, and accordingly three of the men were
despatched in the direction of the door. As they did
not return assistance was obtained from the outside,
and a search party was sent out, but they had to come
back unsuccessful owing to the density of the smoke
At length water was let down from the bank by mean.:
of the steam pipes, and at six o'clock yesterday morn
ing the fire was got under. The three men referred tt
were found lying dead about 200 yards from the trar
door. They have all left widows and families. Tt.-.
cause of the fire is unknown.

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TIIE FLOODS IN AMERlCA.—Louisiana telegrams state
that the entire lowland district is flooded, embracing
the parishes of Tensas, Concordia, Co tahoula, Madisggr.
Caldwell, and West Carroll, with parts of East CarrUll,
kr Morehouse, Ouachita, Rickland, mid Frinkland, this
lbeing the most fertile portion of the Ntate. Great
distress prevails, and there are earnest appeals for
relief. Whites and blacks in many places are huddled
together on the upper floors of gin:houses. Most of
the animals, unable to escape, have been drowned.
PEDESTRIANISM.—A walking match to Brighton from
Westminster-brid Te between two members of the Lon-
don Athletic Club, Messrs. O. L. O'Malley and B.
Nickels, took place on Saturday, Nickels giving his
opponent half an hour in advance. The start took
place at 7.15a.m from the Westminster Clock Tower,
Nickels leaving the same spot half an hour biter. At
Croydon Nickels had gained some two minutes only on
the leader, and then steadily lost ground. O'Malley
arrived at, St. Peter's Church, Brighton, in 9h. 41m.,
Nickel's time being 10h. Bm.
SPORT IN AMERICA.—A new shooting competition in
America is for two selected parties to go out into the
prairie and make the largest bag they can within a-
given time. In a recent match of this kind in Texas •."
there were twenty-nine guns on each side, and at the
close of the day 3699 birds, nearly all of which were
snipe, had been killed. One side had 1877 birds and
the other 1812, and the number of birds killed by indi-
viduals ranged-from 16 to 128. One party of-t1"...1,-v2
went thirty miles off for their sport, and killed
:
birds themselves.
a
es:
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITIFIT follcwing
as•
. .
raerceetihveedavferoramgethpericiensr British corn
cers o
for last weekExcise:
Wheat, Wheat, 38s. id.; barley,
imperial quarter. Corr
Wheat, 425. Od. ; barley, 3
WILD BASTS IN FEIN(
Playfair publishes in his
returns of the destructio
Algeria, which glow that
these pests of the colony
number killed for which r
ment rose from 647 only
tbheei sneg t
an9xrg6gile ryocona year.
eopAf 05m:230: oilon93ng.; aßn e. s i d

tspectors

31s. 3d. ; oats, 19s. 10d. per
sponding week last year:
id.; oats 21s. 9d.
AwunfA.LConsul-General
recent official reports some
1 of wild beasts in .French
the work of exterminating
is rapidly progressing. The
ewards were paid by Govern-
in 1881 to 1656 in the follow-
Le jackals figures for by far the
In the total of the two years
s these there were four lions,
and 198 hpults, .

Jorresp9iding

the destruction of

ithers,

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-ars - -
lions