The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-02-16 00:00:00

SATURDAY, FEB. 16, 1884

The Government having decided that the London'
Government Bill will not be presented till after the
second reading of the Franchise Bill, there is no hope
that the former mum will see the light till after the
Easter Recess.

A meeting has been Inld of the New England His-
toric and Genealogical Society, at which Mr. Glad-
stone was elected an honorary member.
At a meeting of the Paria Municipality, a proposal
Z. give the name of Darwin to one of the streets was
referred to a committee.

Ain expedition, under Dr. Bunge, to the Polar
regions of Siberia, is projected, with a grant from tha
Dipaian Government of £lOOO We year and £5OO is
1685.

On Saturday at the Tunbridge Wells station of the
Sonth•Eastern Railway, a compositor named Smith,
known to be of unsound mind, jumped, with a little
girl in his arms, in front of the ILSO Hastings train.
Smith escaped with a severe scalp wound, but the
child's left arm was cut off at the shoulder.

A. New York State Cricket Association is being
formed for the purpo,se of fostering the game in and
around Gotham.

Dr. Znkertort considers the English the greatest
chess players, the Americans, in his opinion, lacking
finish in the game.

The ordinance recently passed by the Board of
Aldermen of Jersey City, prohibiting bicycle riding
through the streets of the city, has been rescinded, and
wheelmen are allowed the free use of the streets.
At a meeting of the committee in connection with
the proposed Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition to
he held at Wolverhampton, it was decided to invite tbe
Prince and Princess of Wales to preside at the opening
ceremony at the end of May next.
Sunday was the forty-fourth anniversary of the
arriage of her Majesty the Queen with his late
Royal Highness the Prince Consort, which took place
at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace, on Feb. 10,
1840.

The Royal Commission on Trawling have been
engaged throughout the recess, but have still much
work to do.

Intelligence from St. Petersburg states that all
persons suspected merely- of Socialism are being ar-
reited in that city. It is added that their number is
very large.

President Gravy has for years been known as a
slittul billiard player, and it is said that he sometimes
c'rnn h the French Champion Vigaaux to atrike his
colours.

During a fire at a factory at Allentown, Pennsyl-
vania, the walls fell in, killing five firemen and injur-
ing eleven others.
The Adjutant-General of the United States Army
reports the total of the organized militia of the United
States to be 88,070 officers and men. The total force
avAilable for militia duty, but not organised, is
3,827,921.
A Vigilance Committee in North 'Western Min-
nes( ta is known to have recently hanged eleven men
accused of horse stealing and other crimes within a
short time.

The Akha expedition has terminated, and General
Hill returned to Tezpur on the Ist. He was completely
successful. The captives were rescued, the firearms
surrendered, and the fine inflicted was paid. The
tribe has submitted, and one chief returned with the
force.

The new Law Courts will be forthwith erected on
the Grand Square of Alexandria, the Egyptian
Government having purchased the necessary land for
£20,000.
The Academy announces the death in South
Australia, on December 23, of Harriet Miller David-
son, the eldest daugher of Hugh Miller, and widow of
the late Professor of Moral Philosophy in the Univer-
sity of Adelaide. She had herself written several
stories, of which " Isobel Jardine's History," a
temperance tale, is perhaps the best known. She was
in her 45th year,
According to most recent dvices, the phylloxera
is making great havoc in the regions of the Douro,
where last year's production is alleged to be 40,000
pipes short. Many of the people are emigrating from
the districts thus attacked to Brazil.

It appears that th 3 slave trade flourishes in African
lands nearer to England than the Soudan is. In
Tangier last week, a Spanish newspaper states' a
negrefs of 17 was sold for 39 dols, ; one of 25 for
42 dols. ' • another, middle•aged, for 35 dole.; and a
girl of 11 for 37 dole.
The province of Galicia exports 25,000 head of cattle,
30,000 tons of pinewood, and whole cargoes of onions
and eggs every year to the United Kingdom.
The Asiatic Society of Bengal, which has done so
much to promote the study of the ancient literature,
history, and antiquities of India, has just celebrated
in Calcutta the completion of the hundredth year of
its existence.

Lord Randolph Churchill has given a conditional
promise to visit Belfast in the Easter Recess on the
invitation of the Ulster Constitutional Club.
A New York telegram says that the visible supply
of wheat on Feb. 8 was 32,800,000 bushels, as against
33 910 000 bushels the previous week. Visible supply
of ILdian corn 12,800,000 bushelkas against 11,600,000
bushels the previous week. The export clearances of
wheat for Europe during last week amounted to
1.220,000 bushels. The export clearances of Indian
corn for Europe during the week amounted to
650,000 bushels.
Last week's receipts of cotton at all United States
ports were 110,000 bales; since Ist September,
4,1157,000 bales. Week's exports to Great Britain,
87,600 bales; to the Continent, 24,000 bales. Total
pirce Ist September, 2,516,000 bales; stock at all ports,
1,050,000 bales.

A Paris telegram says that Marin Fenayron, the
notorious hero of the Le Pecq murders, is about to be
brought back to France from New Caledonia to give
evidence in relation to an action brought against him
',shortly before the murder took place.

The monument to Johann Sebastian Bach at Eise-
nach will be unveiled next June. Some of Bach'a
most important works will be produced on the occa.
%ion, under the direction of the violinist Joachim.
In Dublin a jury has awarded £B5O damages to John
O'Neill, a railway post office letter sorter, for personal
injuries received by him while travelling between
Omagh and Dublin by the night mail train on the 17th
October last, on the Great Northern of Ireland Rail-
way Company's line. The train was run into at Scary&
Junction by an engine,

The present commercial treaty between France and
Austria has been prolonged for another year, till Feb.
28, 1885. Meanwhile the negotiations for a new treaty
continue.

An explosion occurred at a barber's shop in Lan-
caster-street, Birmingham, on Saturday morning.
Toere was an escape of gas in the cellar, and some
one took a light to see where it was. A terrific
explosion took place, blowing out the whole of
the front of the shop, seriously injuring the barber
and a customer, who were conveyed to the hospital.
The traffic receipts of the railways in the United
Kingdom for the week ending Feb. 8, upon a mileage
of 16,8262, amount to £1,126,527, being equal to £69
19s, per mile. For the corresponding week of last
year the receipts were £1,158,880, the number of miles
open 16,642, or 269 13s. per mile. A comparison of
tie two weeks shows a decrease in the total receipts of
£32,p53, and an increase in the number of miles open
of 183,

In the last examination at the Inns of Court two
natives of India obtained prizes of £so—Mr. Baty.
endra Prasanna Sinha in jurisprudence, and Mr.
Ra tarnji Dhanjibhoy Sethna in the law of real and
personal property.

The Scotch Police Bill will be reintroduced in the
course of the prerrint session by the Lard Advocate, In
substance it will be the same as the bill of last year, but
there will be some modifications of detail. It is prob-
able that a proposal will be made to refer the measure
to a Select Committee.

The other day a construction train on the Chess.
peaks and Ohio Railway ran into the rear of another
train in Kentucky, containing railroad hands. Five
persons were killed, and fifteen injured.
The stringent liquor license law in Ohio appears to
be very successful in its operation. Governor Foster'
in his message to the State Legislature declares that
in twelve months 4500 liquor saloons had gone out of
existence, and that two million dollars were added to
the revenue.

The second reading of the bill which has been
brought in by the Irish Party for the amendment of
the Irish Land Act stands as the first Order for Wed-
ncEday, the sth March.
It has been decided to move an amendment on the
Franchise Bill, with the object of securing to women
the Parliamentary franchise on the same terms on
which it is granted to men.
Thr first caravan sent by King Menelik of Shoa to
A sivAb crossed the territory of the Sultan of Aussa
without inconvenience. The goods carried under the
direction of Abder-el•Ramou are valued at £20,C00
Con-Lting chiefly of ivory, copper, gum, feathers, &c.
On Saturday, at the Leeds Assizes, William Cad.
more, labourer, and Richard Priest, engine tender,
were found guilty of an assault and robbery at Sheffield.
They • re sentenced to nine months' imprisonment
each, dmore being further ordered to be twice
[logged, receiving eighteen lashes each time. The pro-
PG cutor was a Mr. Cavil], an engineer, who had been
filed a blow from behind and robbed of his gold
watch and guard.

A telegram from Constantinople announces the death
of Mr. Frank Ives Scudamore. He was well known
in this country in connection with the purchase of the
telegraphs by the Government, in the arrangements
for which he took a prominent part. For the eervicee
thus rendered he was created a C.B. He subsequently
wsnt to Constantinople for the purpose of reorganising
the Turkish postal system, and acted as superintendent
of the post-office there for some time.
paupers in the
Manchester
chi Re
s7toertuhenreionw. erlennleArolythle4,ooo
number had been re-
dce 80rve' This week the number stands at 4539.
At d
the to
rpool Assizes the Grand Jury ignored
u
the bill in the care against Thomas Hall, General
Manager of the Wigan Tramway Company, and
Joseph Sampson, driver in the employ of the Com-
pany, indicted on the Coroner's warrant for the
manslaughter of Mr. T. W. Barker, the late Coroner
of the West Derby Hundred, at Pemberton, near
Wigan, on December 29.
The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens,
Regent's-park, London, during the last week in-
cluded a Macaque monkey from India, presented by
Dr. Harrison Branthwaite,- a bonnet monkey from
G.
India, presented by Mr. E. F. Shortt ; a Quebec
marmot from Virginia. 17.5. A., presented by Mr. G
s. White; a long-eared owl from Germany, pre-
sented by Master Owen Dallmeyer; a water rail,
British, presented by Mr. T. E. Gunn; a python,
from West Africa, presented by Capt. J. Grant Elliott;
five European tree frogs from France, presented by
resented by Rev. J. S. Webber; a rhesus
Miss E. Brunton ; a European tree frog, South
allw European,
dfrom India, a common wolf, European, a
fallow deer, British, two chattering lories, from
monkeyo
Moluccas, two Vieillot's firetacks from Malacca, de-
posited; a Sykes's monkey, a grey-checked mangabey
from West Africa, two spatted hyasnas from South
Africa, a red-vented parrot from Brazil, a golden
eagle, a tawney eagle, a white.tailed eagle, a cinerous
vulture, seven knots, European, a Terminch'a
snapper, from North America, purchased, - 4