The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-05-03 00:00:00

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 1879.

A MUNIFICENT BEQUEST.—Mr. William Marshal,
merchant, of Glasgow, who died at the Bridge of
Allan about a fortnight ago at the age of eighty•seven,
has left a legacy of £200,000 to found an institution
bearing his name in Glasgow, his native city. There
are four trustees, and upon them devolves the chorac•
ter of the institution to be thus founde3.
ANOTHER FROM SOUTH AFRICA.—The universal
feeling when Colonel Pearson was enabled to take his
sick and starved soldiers out of Ekowe.—Relisf to
everybody.—Judy.

THE TRANSMISSION OF YELLOW FEVER.—A theor
of the transmission of yellow fever by coffee has bee
raised by a Transatlantic doctor, and the Alban
Sunday Press brings forward several proofs in Bopp)l
of his statement. Thus during the epidemic of 1867
sack of coffee was brought by steamer from Galvei
ton, where the fever was raging, to the small town
Liberty, and althongh no communication whateve
was held between the crew and the inhabitants, tb
coffee being placed on the bank and left for some Om
the receiver of the coffee was taken ill and died, an
from his household the infection spread througnot
the city. During the same epidemic a similar cal
occurred in a settlement near Corpus Christi, whei
almost the whole population was swept off by ti
fever. Here the coffee was transported in an ape
waggon for fifteen miles, was left for twenty-fot
hours at the top of a tree some distance from tl
village, and was subsequently divided and placed i
different bags, and again exposed to the air, eat
family fetching its own portion. Yet all those wb
consumed the coffee died, and these few who h 9
received no coffee escaped altogether.

WESLEY THANKSGIVING FUND. The goneri
treasurers of this Fund have received direct the But
of £3,896, and in payment of, or on accouut of, sut
scriptions premised to the Fund a further sum
£19,896. The principal district payments are :—Fire
London, £2,485 19s. 6d; second London, £7,264 8:
10d. ; Leeds, £3OOl Is. ; Birmingham and Shrewsbur)
£2,010 10.; Carlisle, £1,815 17s. ; York, 100
and Manchester, £505 5.3. A sum of £16,600 has bee
applied for Connexional purposes by the Committee.
ORTHODOX I—The Rev. Alexis Tonsher (going roun
his new parish) "Of course you observe Lent, Mn
Rickvard ? "—Mrs. Rickyard. "Oh, yes; Sir, we alit
hey Pancakes o' Shrove Tuesday! "—Punch.

A CHILDREN'ES EXHIBITION.—Nature says that
exhibition of an interesting kind is to be held
Dresden in the summer of this year. This is a gener
exhibition of objects of art, science, and industry co
nected with the education and training of youth, TI
following are the various classes into which the exhit
tion will be divided :-1. Teaching material for schoo]
home, Kindergarten, &c. ; 2, printed works, as schoc
books, children's books, illustrations; 3, gymnast
and similar apparatus; 4, musical instruments;
toys; 6, articles required for children in all depar
merits of industry, as furniture, linen, clothe
orthopmdic instruments, &a. A systematic exhibition
the development of various school materials will be co,
nected with the above, and historical objects connecti
with training and education are theref.re desired.
similar exhibition on a small scale in 1877 had a gre
success. The committee of the exhibition consists
one merchant and three teachers. Inquiries should I
addressed to Herr Kaufmann C. Heinze, Dresde
The exhibition will be open from July 1 to August 3
"REVENGE Is SWEET !"—Party (who had rung ti
night-bell at 3 A.II ). "Oh, so sorry to disturb you
this hour; but this prescription "—(beseechingly)
"it you'll kindly—it's a matter of life—"—Trade
man. "Who are you ?"—Party. "Oh, I live at No. 4
the Crescent. My name is—"—Tradesman (reco
nising former Customer). " Oh—ah—to be sure—
know. Well—yon go and knock 'em up at yoi
Co-operative Stores! ! "—[Shuts window viciously]
Punch.

ESCAPE or A WAR BALLOON.—The other day the
Military Balloon Committee were pursuing the's
experiments in the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, whels
their investigations were varied by a startling incident'
One of the " Royal " balloons was brought out of tho
balloon-house and inflated at the gasworks. T 13,8
special car used for captive experiments which is muc;
deeper than cars in general, was attached, and prepars'
tions were then made for conveying the whole machin°
to the balloon ground, about half a mile distant. Ths,
care-with- half a d,zen sandbaws inside, was fastenea
to a waggon, by means of which the balloon was
have been drawn along the roads, but the waggon, hop,
scarcely begun to move when the rope snapped alio
the huge ball shot upwards. Having disappeared io
the clouds for a few minutes, its shattered remaies
were seen descending, and they fell into the Thames
near Erith, from whence they were soon recovered. 0
A PHONETIC Loine LETTER.—" Phairest Phlore,
wrote an amorous youth who is smitten with thi
phonetic craze, "phorever dismiss your phears, an'
phly with one whose phervent phancy is phixed on yotl
alone. Friends—phamily—phather—phorget Own,
and think only of the phelicity of the phuture ! Phew
phellows are so phastidious as your Pherdinand, 0
pheign not phondness if you pheel it not. Phoree
phrolic, and answer phinally, Phlora."—" Oh, PherelP
nand, you fool " was Phlora's curt reply.
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION.—The recommends'
tions of the House ot Lords Committee on Interne,
ance were warmly discussed at a conference of tv
West Midland Temperance League, held at Wolves
hampton on Monday, and a resolution was pass°'
declaring that no scheme of legislative reform can Pt:,
satisfactory to temperance workers or successful in.l4,
results which does not provide for entire Sundo„Y
closing, the abolition of grocers' and confectionesl:
licenses, the withholding of drink licenses from mos:"
halls and similar places of amusement, and the ew•,,i
powering of magistrates to refuse to grantyoff liceno.ll
or licenses which would introduce the principle of tbk
purchase and management of the liquor traffic et
interest by municipal authorities, as proposed bpi"'
Gothenburg system.
THE MOLE.—I am glad to see Dr. Buckland is tel-
ing up the cause of the mole. When I did so on ti
former occasion, I was sat on. Still, however,
believe as a rule they do more good than harm, if tti
farmer would only spread the heaps when me° ,ori
Evidently they are one of Nature's "soil produce's'
in addition to their destroying obnoxious varieties o
worms.—" Nahanik," in Land and Water.
190
THE TABLES TURNED.—Lady Clara Robinson („eess
Vere de Vere) is subject to fits of Radicalism. An
suddenly informing her daughter Gwendoline
kind hearts are more than coronets, and simple flow,
than Norman blood, she gives her permission to
and play with "those nice daughters of the people,
Gwendoline Robinson: "You. may play with Nip
little girls !"—Small Daughter of the People:
you please, Mies, mother don't like us to play sew
strange children !"—Punch.
a
To KILL Alas.—According to Science Gossip
mixture of calomel and powdered white sugar in Os'
parts kills ants speedily.
Mark teen
WHEAT-GROWING PN • AMERICA.—The Marx t,
Express says :—" The question of the coat of evilest,
growing in America is one of great importance to tb,
British producer. It is not to be settled by two
three statements, and those already published musty./
taken with reserve until confirmed by a number
o
others. To give a fair idea of the average cost
growing wheat all over the United States, we rensik„f
hundreds of statements which are the results
actual experience. A correspondent in ta-day's
gives the cost of growing a wheat crop on a Aee'e
of fifteen acres in Nebraska, and he considers t't
expenses and the return to be fair indications
what are usual in the State. It will be °biotic.,
that the produce was only 15 bushels per acre,
expenses being 335. 4d., and the returns 375. 64
Now, 15 bushels is above the average yield of tall
United States, and set the profit was only 4s.
per acre—certainly not a living profit. It is all ce'(f
well to say that American farmers must send Oaf
surplus produce here, whether it pays them to do 80 (Iv
not; but if they get no profit, they will soon ceaso,3
produoe a surplus. If such prices as have pertailTo
for wheat were to last two or three years Ameri°
farmers would certainly direct their energies to seo
thing more rem unerative than wheat-growing."

CAVALRY OFFICERS' FIRST CHARGERS. —The 3111301
Tailors and Outfitters.—Punch.
I
HYACINTHS AND TULlPS.—Holland keeps its
eminence in the cultivation of these bulbs, in fact, L'of
flowers which are dispersed throughout the home,olo
England are almost entirely of Dutch growth.
demand is steadily increasing, the exports, ten Ylie
ago, amounting in value to under £lOO,OOO, but for till
last year to £140,000. The largest bulb groundo
Holland are at Welsen, where ninety acres are devil,
to hyacinths and tulips, and at Haarlem, Sehote,4
Bloemenvaal, and Ileenstede, at each of which plea:,
over a hundred acres. are given up to flower cultil"
tion.
fctlt
AMERICAN FOOD.—During last week only t,
stedmers arrived in the Mersey, conveying fresh nien.3
their collective consignments amounting to
quarters of beef, 1,710 carcases of mutton, and 1;0,
dead pigs, which is much below recent perioqo
Although only two steamers reached Liverpool sclj
live stock on board, the.number of sheep brought n
exceedingly large, Live pigs also came to hand,/0
increased numbers. Neither pigs nor sheep
scheduled in the New Cattle Bill, which consTeta
cattle lauded from the 'United States at LiverPcc" r 0
be slaughtered on the quay. The totals last week v'e
100 head of cattle, 3,323 sheep, and 1,018 pigs.
MULES FOR THE ZULU WAR.—A. most unusual Ajt.
exciting scene, says the New York Herald, was wio
nessed on the afternoon of the 16th inst. on one of
river piers in the shipping, on board the British tre
port Ontario, of 500 mules intended for the ser,",lip
of the English forces engaged in the Zulu war. 'of
mules were purchased in Missouri and KentuckY,re
an agent of the British Government and stiji
brought by rail and steamboat to the wharf ig°4
the Ontario was nacored tinder the charge' of tvie?Ay
young men, several of whom suffered Sever'ot
on the journey from the proverbial viciousneoo op
the animals under their pare, one having the W 11,4
side of his face klcked off, and another being bitTet
through the right arm. When assembled on the P:ed
before being placed on the transport, they " disPliv„pe
a few of their playful characteristics, to the int°Po,
amusement of an audience of hack•drivers, staved" re
and bootblacks," hut remarkably few injuries °la
suffered by the men engaged in the work of plPc p,
them on board. The Outario was to sail on TherscWit,
the 17th inst., for the Cape, the passage boils? a'
pected tp occupy day,e.
THE RULISG PASSION.—A naturalist of our sscquo,-;$
an„ bad a mole ote his nose all his life, and kei"
there still when he died.—Furt.
INTOXICATING LIQUORS (IRELAND) BILL —The p '
lowine resolution has been unanimously agreed to(110.,
conference held at the offices of the Licensed :10.
tuallers Protection Society of London, at which 00c,"j..
gates attended representing all the Lieensed
lers' Protect ion Societies throughout Ceret Brits:al -rel.
Ireland:" That in the opinicn of this boitternde. •no
presenting the lic.-lised tietualiers' organiSatTa
throughout Great Britain and Ireland, any laity
change in the hours of closing public houses iiill.4
Portion of Great Britain or Ireland would be 11*-00
inexpedient, and an unjust and needless interfereuof
with the comfort and convenience of large classe°„
Her Majesty's subjects, and that these repeated Ph:,
posals for legislative changes are as unnecessarUi
they are annoying to the public generally, and tinJa,
to those whose capital is invested in a legitimate c
ing, which ought not to be the subject of such Pc"-
Petual interference."

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