The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-04-01 00:00:00

A "GREAT MESS."—Our Army.—PfotA.

TELEGRAPHY EXTRAORDINARY:—OR the day
of the marriage of the Princess Louise and the Marquis
of Lorne Press mssages of all kinds made up of close
upon 55,000 words were forwarded from the central
station of the Postal Telegraph Department in Tele-
graph-street, London. Some idea of the amount of
labour this represents may be formed from the fact
that this enormous number of words would make on a
rough calculation 27 columns of The Times newspaper,
and if sent over a single wire would have taken close
upon 30 hours to transmit. Of this large amount of
Prt-as matter nearly 20.000 words were sent by the
Press Association, 10,000 by the Central Press APSOCio
ties, and the remainder were telegrams of a miscel-
laneous character.

ACCOUNTED FOR AT LAST.—IB it not strange
that the "beet Man ' at a Wedding is not the Bride.
groom? This tioust be the reason of so many unhappy
marriages.—Pooch.

TIT FOR TAT !—A Highlandman was tried for
a capital offence, and had rather a narrow escape ; but
the jury found him "Not guilty." Whereupon thu
judge, in discharging, thought fit to admonish him.
"Prisoner, before you leave the bar, let me give you a
piece of advice. You have got off this time, but if
ever you come before me again, ru be caution (surety)
you'll be hanged." "Thank you, my lord," answered
Donald, "thank you for your good advice; and, as
I'm na ungratefu', I beg to gi'e your lordship a i ce
of advice in return. Never be caution for onybody, ft I
the cautioner ham often to pay the penalty!"
Tire REVENUE.—According to the last weekly
return of the revenue it is evident, as we (Economia()
have frequently pointed out, that there will be a great
augmentation upon the Budget estimate .—Mr. Lowe's
final estimate WM 1:67,634,000. He had received up
to the 18th of March k 67,201,295, leaving to come in
£4:12,705. And as on March 18 there was a fortnight
all but one day remaining, and the revenue comes in at
the rate of over a million a week, it may be considered
tolerably certain that the estimate will be exceeded by
from I to 2 millions, if not more. At the same time
it is becoming apparent that the Government have not
bees spending all the money voted last year :—The
amount voted for supply services was £40,466,000; the
amount spent to the 18th of March is d.16,290,!172;
amount to spend, £4,175,028. And as the expenditure
is usually "regular," it is not likely that so tumb will
go in the last fortnight of the year. There is thus
some probability that, whatever difficulties Mr. Lowe
may have with next year's Budget, he will still be
able to begin the year with a flourishing balance in
hand.

SUDDEN DELETE °FLOE D LONDESTIOROUGH'eI
STEWARD.—In London, last Saturday morning about
half.past eleven o'clock, a gentleman who was proceed-
ing along Piccadilly was men to stop suddenly, reel
round, and then fall forward on the pavement, lie
was at once lifted up, when it was found that he WAN
much cut about the lace, which was bleeding profusely.
Ile breathed heavily and was quite insensible. lie
was immediately placed in a cab and conveyed to the
surgery of Dr. Slight, Wardour-street, where he was
pronounced to be dead. From thence the body was
removed to the police-station, and in the pockets
letters were found which led to inquiries being made
at Lord Londesboroneh.stown residence, in Grosvenor-
square, as to whether the deceased was in his lordship's
service. The body was identified as that of his lord-
..hip's steward, Mr. Macleod. It appears deceased
had gone down on Friday evening to Plumstead to
spend the evening, and returned to town on Saturday
morning, and was on his way to Grosvenor-square
when he was seized. Ile was 54 years, and he had for
a considerable time past complained of severe pains in
the cheat.

GOLD MINING IN Vie fOßTA.—Berlin, the field
of large nuggets. hair this year eclipsed all its previous
productions. On the Bth of January the largest
nugget yet found there, an enormous lump of gin
weighing 1,717tia, was unearthed in Catto's paddock,
Jolduatown. The mining deli:ix:trent of the colony,
basing its estimate on returns obtained from gold
buyers, mining surveyors, and mining registrars, cal-
culates the quantity of gold produced in Victoria
during the year 1870 at 1,302,3680 z., of which
717,4820 z. are sald to be the yield of the alluvial
mines, and 584,986Jz. the yield of the auriferous
quartz reefs. But a return considered more trust•
worthy lints the quantity lower. According to this
statement, the production in 1866 was 1,5:36,5810z. ;
in 1867, 1 493, 831 oz. ; in 1868, 1,474,1870 z. ; in 1869,
1,367,9030 z. ; and in 1870, 1,281,8410 z. The number of
persons engaged in gold mining steadily deoresacd
during the whole of last year. The average number
of miners in 1866. was 73,479 ; in 1867, 65.857 ; in
1868, 63,181; in 1869, 68,037; and in 1870, 60.367.
THE NEW LKTIONARY.—tinder the bill now
passing through Parliament the new Table of Lessors
will becune the appointed Lectionary after the let of
January, 1872, but no suit is to be instituted against
any ch rgyman for following the Table now in n.e bef
the let of January, 1873, fhernfore, during the year
1872 either the old or the new Lectionary may be used,
or at one time one and at another time the other, at
the discretion of the clergyman. An optional or die
,irotionary direction Is not new to the Prayer-book.
Within due:limits it might be of advantage in prevent-
ing a certain occasional feeling of monotony and it
might sometimes be made the means of preserving
peace in the Church.