The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-10-28 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.
The 20th of November is the date at present fixed
for the return of the Queen from Balmoral to Windsor
Castle.

In London on Slturday (21st), the members of the
Royal Naval Club of 1766 celebratea the 71st anniversary of
the Battle of Trafalgar at Willis's Rooms.

A large Marine- Aquarium will, it is stated shortly
b 3 established in Bizattngham.

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A notice has been issued that on and after the let of
November all the toll-gates on the road between London aird
Brighton will be abolished.
The Scotsman has information that the Russian
edition of Mr. Gladstone's pamphlet has reached a sale of
20,000 copies, chiefly in A Potersburgh and Moscow.
The skating-rinks in Paris are decidedly quite a /a
mode. The Parisians have taken heartily to the new pastime,
and many of them, both ladies and gentlemen, have become
exceedingly expert.
A coasting vessel of 100 tons, at Hartford, Con.
necticut, is owned and commanded by a woman, her two
daughters being the crew. When her husb Ind, the captain,
died, five years ago, there was a debt of 7,000 dole. on the
vessel, but the plucky women have paid it off.

Galignani announces the death at Toulon of M.
Gustave Delvigne, at the age of seventy-seven, inventor of the
explosive bullet and rifled gun-barrel, as well as other im-
provements in firearms.
Captain Marius Surrnont, who commanded the
Trans • tlantic steamer the Ville-du-Havre when that vessel
was sunk by a collisim with the Lochearn, died last week at
Rouen.

O'Leary the Irish-American pedestrian, on Satur-
day successfully accomplished his task of beating Weston,
who walked 500 miles in six days. O'Leary covered the same
distance in nearly an hour's less time than his rival.
At the Council held on Monday by the Queen, at
Balmoral Castle, it was ordered that Parliament, which now
stands prorogued to Tuesday, the 31st inst., be further pro-
rogued fo Tuesday, the 12th of December next.
Some children were playing with gunpowder at
Rivulet Carr, Leeds, on 31 )nday night, when it exploded,
17and four of them—three boys and a girl—were somewhat
severely burnt. They were removed to the General Ir-
firmary.
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A dense fog settled over London at an early hour on
Wednesday morning, continuing until 110011. In the central
districts it was especially thick, rendering the conduct of
business impossible except by the aid of artificial

The ship Melbourne (Messrs, Green and Co), on her
voyage to Australia, after leaving the Cape, made upwards
of 300 miles a day for seventeen days in succession, 5,139
miles in all; the three longest runs being 374, 395, and 352
miles in twenty-four hours.

A series of artillny experiments with the 6 inch
rifled howitzer and the 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifle gun
was commenced at Eastbourne on. Monday before the Siege
Battery Committee. The principal object was to ascatain
the effect of heßvy projectiles fired at various angles upon
caeemates of different construction. So far as Can be judged
from the trial the advantage was decidedly in favour of the
defence,

Mr. J. Webster's spinning mill at Eaglesham, a
village near Glasgow, was dostroyed by fire on Monaay.
There were 19.000 spindles in the mill, and 150 people were
employed. The building and machinery were insured for
£B,OOO. The damaze amounts to about £15,000.
The B,usaian Medical Gazette states that on the Ist
of last January the Russian army possessed 2,102 surgeons,
250 apothecaries, 6,887 assis ant surgeons, and 173 Vete-
rinary surgeons. Tnis gives one surgeon for every 407 men,
one apothecary forevey 3,454 men, and one assistant sur-
geon for every 161 men. _ _ _

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An important discovery of ancient remains has been
made at Hexham, Northumberland. In a week 21 altars
have been laid bare, and a vast accumulation of copper coins,
several thous Ind in number, found by workmen. The coins
chiefly belong to the reigns of Dloc'ettan and Constantine the
Great, extending from 281 to 310 AD-
Her Imperial Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh
arrived at Malta about six p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6, in the
imperial yacht Livadia, and fortunately just in time to
anchor in a safe berth in the grand harbour of Malta previous
to the outburst of a tremendous thunderstorm, accompanied
by a downpour of rain which lasted all the night, and caused
the break up of the long Malta summer.
Three girls, servants at a restaurant in Antwerp,
have died in consequence of an escape of gas in their bed-
room. A fourth, who slept in the same roam, lies danger-
ously ill in the hospital. Oa Sunday morning they were
called at seven o'clock, but did not answer. A smell of gas
was noticed, and the door of their roord was burst open.
Two of the young women were dead; the other two were
removed to the hospital, where one of them died on Monday
morning.
The Berlin Correspondent of The Times, in drawing
attention to the financial panic which exists in all parts of
Russia, sPys that Five per Cent. Internal Loans, quoted at
nearly 200 lb the summer, are now at 166, but contd not be
sold at that price; bonds of the St. Petersburg Credit Society,
bringing 90 and more in ordinary times, are below 80; shares
of the Russian Foreign C ommerce Bank, which commanded
185 in July, are at 170; while the shares of the Central Real
Estate Credit Bank have rapidly gone down from 9350 70.

Speaking at a labourers' Meeting at Bailey, Suffolk,
Mr. Joseph Arch reviewed the history of unionism, and said
it had pat five mations of pounds Into the pockets of the
lab ,urers It coniemplited h justice to no man, but asked
for fair play, and no more. If the day should come when
corn should be dear and farming more productive and remu-
nerative, the working man might then ask to share in the
prosperity.
The Edinburgh Oparative Shoemakers made de-
mands upon their employers about a fortnight ago
for an increase of wages, varying according to the character
of the work, from 8 to 20 per cent. The masters offered a
rise of 6 per cent., but this was refused, and a conference
called to consider the question. The masters thereupon re-
solved to resist the men's demands out and out, and the
result is that the latter have struck work.

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It is feared that the steamer Zampa, of Newcastle,
has been lost in the heavy gales which were experienced
about the end of last month and the commencement of the
present. The Zampa, a fine vessel of 1,682 tons gross, owned
by Mr. H. R. Sully, of Newcastle, left the Tyne on the 23rd of
last month, on a voyage for Aden, vi 4 the Suez Canal, with a
full cargo of coals under command of Captain Eiward
Lawson, and with a crew of 25 in number. It was expected
she would have reached the Suez Canal by the 10th inst.
She is now 13 days overdue at Port Said.

The Indian Corr9eponcient of The Times soya that the
rumoured appearanclt of a new disease, called " Kotkotia"
lately caused a great panic among the natives inhabiting the
Calcutta suburbs. It is described as beginning with a ting-
ling sensations in the fingers or toes, and having speedily a.
fatal termination if not checked at the outset. The treat-
ment consisted in cauterizing and tying a tight ligature
round the affected limb on the first appearance ot the symp-
toms. Dr. French, Civil surgeon, of Twenty-four Pergannabs,
after a careful inquiry declared the whole thing was purely
im.ginarv. lie found many natives serioualy affected by
the severe remedies may bad adopied, believing themselves
attacked. - -

The following letter has been addressed by the Prime
Minister to Mrs. George Smith, announcing her Majesty's
intention to • bestow upon her a life pension of £15,0 per
annum :—" 10, Downing-street, Whitehall, Oct. 20.—Madam,
—The Queen, sympathising with you in your bereavement,
and in the loss of one whose interesting and devoted labours
have shed fresh light on ancient history, has been pleased to
confer on you a pension of 4150 per annum. I have given
directions that her Majesty's gracious intentions shall be
carried forthwith into effect.—l have the honour to be,
madam, your faithful servant, BEACONSFIELD.—To Mrs.
George Smith.
At the council meeting of the United Kingdom
Alliance, held at Manchester on Tuesday, about 700 repre-
sentatives assembled from all parts of the 'fruited Kingdom.
The report referred to the increased attention given to the
restriction of the liquor trait: by various political parties,
and stated that the importance of the subject is now in-
creasingly felt in clerical, medical, scientific, and social
circles. The annual income exceeds £21,000.
At the Agricultural Hall, Islington, on Tuesday,
a novel exhibition was opened to the public, consisting of
all the implements used in the best dairies and the animals
appertaining to dairy farming. The show, which is very
comprehensive in character, including the actual operations
of turning milk into butter and cheese, is given under the
auspices of a committee, of.. which Viscount Combermere is
at the head.
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"Mr. Brooke Cuncliffe, of Rathin, Denbighbhire,
writes to allay any alarm which may have arisen among his
friends from the report of a gun accident to him, which
appeared in The Times of the 12th inst., and which exagger.
ated his injarles."—/ he Times, Oct. 25.

Bishop Ellic3tt commenced la!s triennial visitation
of the archdescuiry of Gloucester on Tue,day. Taking for
his general subj Act the prevalence of unbalief, he said that
moJern infidelity, claiming to rest upon facts and science,
Is becoming popularly known and popularly received, and is
doing immense mischief, especiagy among the young and in-
experienced.

Dating the time of the recent explosion at Hell Gate
a resolute black and white cat, which had made her home in
the holler-house, where the air was compressed during the
excavations, remained there, refusing to budge a sim.,le foot.
Evidently she had implicit confidence In General Newton.
After the blast she was found standing on the top of ‘ne of
the hollers, unhurt apparently, but mesving piteously, with
her fur and tail in a highly electrical condition, and her
mind manifestly disturbed.

The Boston Traveller tells the following, on the
authority of a truth telling auctioneer cf that city :—" A
year or more ago the auctioneer had for sale a lot of homce
panic medicines. All the medicines were lumped into one
pile, and disposed of in one lot, there being v4rlous kinds of
medicine in the mass. A b3arding.hoose keeper bought the
lot, and some days alter the purchase the auctioneer asked
her, "What did you want with that hommvathic medicine,
Mrs. --V' She replied, "I thought I could use it, and it
was cheap, so I crushed it under the roller, and then tilled
my sugar bowls with it. The boarders seemed to like it, RIM
especially when powdered OM ples.'!,