The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-07-13 00:00:00

Nistella mous cateltignut.

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

PnoTEcnvit DunEs.—The Sheffield Telegraph is in-
formed by its Wolverhampton correspondent that an
anti-free-trade moveineht is being promulgated in that
town and in Birmingham, and that a committee, said
to embrace the names of influential manufacturers, has
been formed to give effect to the opinion held that
reciprocity duties ought to be imposed by the Govern-
ment upon such nations as lay heavy duties upon
British manufactures.

READY TACT.--Poet
.(fingering a volume of his

Poems on the Table), ! I 'tie() you have got my
,
poor rhymes, Mrs. O'Flaherty !"—Mrs. O'F. (con
-
scions that 'the leaves have never been cut). A—
yes—er--it's a new copy. The other was so dog's.
eared and tattered that we were quite ashamed of it,
and had to put it in the fire ! "—Punch.
SCARCITY RULES VALUE.—A Scotchman who was
sailing with a number of ladies in a boat—(including
his wife, her sister, her mother, and his mother)—and
the boat having been overturned near the shore by a
squall, shouted out to the rescuers to save one old lady
in particular, who was afterwards found to be his
mother. On being asked why he did not point out
his wife as the chief object to be rescued, he calmly
replied, " Weel, ye see, a man can get as mony wives
as he needs—but he can never get anither mither."
A NEW MATERIAL.—A process has been patented
in Ametica which may lead to the introduction of
bleaching tow for wearing apparel. This material
contains one-fourth wool, and is a soft, strong fabric
that bids fair to revolutionise the market for cheap
goods. It has no element of shoddy, but is from the
stoutest fibre, and will wear equal to the best im-
ported cloths. The chain is of bleached tow or hemp
and the filling one-half wool and the other half
bleached tow. The peculiar advantages claimed for
this cloth are, first that it will not fade; that it takes
and holds the dye better than any known vegetable
substance, this being due to the peculiar bleaching
process; second, that it will wear equal to any goods
known to manufacture in this country; and third,
that it is unparalleled in cheapness.

THE OLD HOME FEELLNG.—No matter how much
we wander, the old home feeling will seize upon us
once in a while (says an Australian paper). A tramp
came down a dusty road, and sat down to rest on the
steps of a house in a quiet village street. Through the
windows the voices of a man and woman in violent
altercation were heard, and the tramp listened intently.
Angry words, and occasionally the sonnd of some-
thing thrown, came to his ears, and he could hardly
sit still. At last evidently the wife had taken a
broom, and the blows fell fast and furious. The tramp
could stand it no longer, but, rushing to the side door,
darted in, and, stepping between the pair, cried in a
husky voice, "Give us a clip or two with the broom,
old woman—it seems just like old times."

AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for the week
ending July 6, as received from the inspectors and
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 465.; barley, 375. 2d.;
oats, 275. 11d., per imperial qr. Corresponding week
la=t year :—Wheat, 61s. 5d.; barley, 355. 6d.; oats,
275. 10d.
GIFTS FROM CLIENTS TO THEIR SOLICITORS.—A
cause has been heard in the High Court of Justice
(Chancery Division) before Vice-Chancellor Malins,
which had for its object the securing of the validity-
of a gift from a grateful client to his solicitor. As the
courts have the strongest objections to such gifts,
which, from fear of undue influence, are very readily
set aside as void, it was sought to obtain the sanction
of the court to the gift in question by means of a
friendly action and of the publicity of the transaction.
The plaintiff, the client, appeared in person, and,
sitting on the bench, explained to his lordship his
desire to give to his solicitor, that the solicitor had
refused to receive any gift, and that he only consented
ultimately on the condition that the approval of the
court should be obtained. After hearing the plaintiff
and counsel, his lordship said he would make a decree
in the terms of the claim, which would be prefaced by
a statement that the plaintiff had appeared in court
and had been examined by the Judge, who was satis-
fied that it was the voluntary act of the plaintiff.
DOGS IN SAN FRANCISCO.—in San Francisco every
one who keeps a (fog is required to pay a tax for it,
and a small metal tag is given to the owner by the
collector to be fastened to the collar of the animal.
Then every day a cart, kept by the pound-master and
fitted no with a menagerie like set of cages, is driven
about the streets, and two active young fellows, pro-
vided with long lassoes, catch any stray dogs. The
last report of the pound-master shows that 4,511 stray
dogs were thus caught and impounded in the year. Of
these 1,085 were redeemed by the owners, 69 were
valuable enough to be sold, and 3,393 were destroyed.
The fines and fees amounted to £9B. The BUM
collected on dog licences amounted to V,BOO.—
Sheffield Telegraph.
A BULGARIAN NATIONAL HYMN.—The following,
according to the Deutsche Zeitung, are the principal
stanzas of a "Bulgarian national hymn," written by
a Russian, which has gained the prize in a competi-
tion got up by the Russian Governor-General of Bul-
garia, Count Dundakoff-liorsakoff :—" The blood-
stained waves of the Maritza, the tears and wounds of
widows, have made us despise the arrow of death.
Forward! the day of revenge is at hand. On, over
the mountains to Philippopolis, where our comrades
await us. Philippopolis is ours; then to Adrianople,
to seize the prize of victory! Once we are at Stam-
boul our hopes will be fulfilled. If the Cossack re-
mains true to his faith, the whole of the East must
bow to his sword and sceptre. Alexander, the cham-
pion of the Slays, is also our Emperor and lord. Long
life and fame to him! The day of glory has risen,
when Russia's Sovereign will also be our ruler."
CIVIL LIST PENSIONS.—CiviI List pensions have
been granted to Dr. Prescott Joule, the inventor of
the principle of the mechanical equivalent of heat, of
£zoo per annum; to Mr. Nash, water-colour artist,
and the Rev. Mr. Gravel, Irish antiquarian and
archeologist, of £lOO per annum each; and to Miss
Chisholm, daughter of Mrs. Chisholm, "the emi-
grant's friend," of £5.1 per annum.
CHARLES MATTHEWS SHUT UP !—Cool as Charles
Mathews appeared on the stage, he was rendered
very nervous sometimes by loud conversations in the
boxes when he was acting; and he was frequently
obliged to address the offending parties, or appeal to the
public to protect him (says the Whitehall _Review). In
such emergencies he was sure to be applauded by his
audience, who insisted on silence from the obtrusive
characters. Once only he was worsted. He used to
tell a story of his being "shut up" himself with
infinite glee. An elderly gentleman had throughout
the evening annoyed him with loud talking. During
the last piece the old man rose in his box and was put-
ting on his overcoat, still talking at the top of his
voice, when Charle3 Mathews, unable to stand it any
longer, addressed him: "I beg pardon, sir, the piece
is not over." " Yes ; and that's the very reason lam
going," replied his unabashed tormentor.
READY, ALWAYS READY !—Aunt Mary: "Here,
Ethel, dear, I have brought you' some honey drops."—
Mamma: "Oh ! how nice. Ethel must save them
till she has a cough."--7Ethel (after waiting two or
three minutes) : "I've got a cough now."—Fun.

AMBITION AND 11'8 REWARD.—A San Francisco
theatrical manager was busily engaged in the prepara-
tion of a new pantomime, for which a number of -
children were required to enact the roles of dogs and
monkeys. His rehearsals were proceeding satisfac-
torily, when one morning a lady came to the stage.
door leading a little boy with a mouth like an almanac
extending from 'ear to 'ear, and a facial expression of
illimitable vacancy. She was anxious that her infant
prodigy should obtain an engagement, and make his
first appearance in public as a full-fledged baboon.
"Mister," she said, money is not an object with me,
nor ever has been, I don't ask any pecuniary emolu-
ment for my little boy, hut I do want him to have
some little cultivation. You can have his services free,
and I'll find his dress, but I want him to enjoy all
the advantages which maternal love and economy can
purchase him, and I'll give up anything for his mental
improvement." The boy obtained publicity as a
yellow dog.

A PLAGUE Or LOCUM—A Madras paper narrates
the following curious occurrence :—On the )3th May a
very large number of locusts settled on a portion of the
Madraa line of railway, covering the metals fur some
distance. A passing train crushed some thousands of
them, and the glutinous substance from their bodies
rendered the rails so slippery that the wheels refused
to take the metals, and the engine had to be brought
to a stand-still. and the wheels and metals cleaned
before she train oould proceed. The train which
followed was also detained by the same cause,

An Emorri.D TEUTOST.—.A.fIoshy German only reached
the boat the other day by lively running (says the
Austrainaian). His speed was augmented by the kind-
ness of the idlers on the wharf, who encouraged him
with such shouts as "Go it, fatty!" "Let out another
lii)k, old boy, ! " "Hurry up; you're late ! " "Just
see him fly ! ' &c, The boat had only got two or
three feet from the wharf, when he made a jump, and
landed on board all right. Taking his handkerchief
from his pocket, he mopped the paspiration from his
face, drew a long breath, and then, happeni:l4 to
glance backwards to the landing, from which the
steamer was then about 200 yards distant, he ejacu-
lated, in the tone of one who had escaped a deadly
peril, "Ileffenii, what a yump I did make.",