The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-04-07 00:00:00

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HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

" LIEBE STANDS A POST."—Boy.—" No, yew be
go'an quoite wrong, Zia." Traveller.— "But the
Finger-post said this way." Boy.—"Ah, but that
theer Finger-poast was blowed down one noight, and
Chap as stook she up agen, 'e couldn' read, ye see I"
—Fun.

DEEPEST COAL MINES IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA.
- I he deepest shaft from which coal is raised is said to
be at Pendleton, near Idaliehester, being 535 yards, or
1,605 feet. The deepest coal mines in the United
States is the Pottsville, in Pennsylvania, of which the
shaft is 1,576 feet deep. The output is about 200 cars
of four tons each daily, or SOO tons, The Pendleton
production is about 600 tons daily. The galleries are
of considerable length, so that longer time is taken
in getting the coal to the surface than at Pottsville,
where each load of six tons (four of coal, two of
waggon) is lifted by steam in less than a minute and
a half.

THE MODEL " CAT."—A new regulation cat-'o•nine
tails has just been aiopted by the Prison Commis.
sioners, and has been sent to all the governors of the
principal gaols in the country for the especial use of
those prisoners who are convicted of 'robberies with
violence and sentenced to be flogged. The new
instrument is, it is said, not calculated ta inflict
anything like the severity of punishment which was
the result of the punishment by the old cat-so-nine-
tails.

COST OF WHEAT- GROWING IN THE STATES:- A

_
weekly journal published in Albany gives publicity to
correspondence showing at what rate wheat in some
States can be laid down in their home markets. A
perusal of these estimates gives an Englishman a fit
of the blues when he is assured and shown that wheat
Is raised at 39 cents per bushel or 13s. 3d. per quarter.
The object of the correspondence appears to have
been to discover whether the States can compete with
Dakota and Manitoba in wheat raising, and one
writer thinks if he can go on yearly at the above
figures he can successfully compete with the north-
west, Assuming that it costs ss. per quarter for
freight to Liverp,A, it certainly is not a pleasant
prospect for English farmers to contemplate. It does
n t follow, however, that any of the farmers in the
West will l e able to deliver wheat into Liverpool
much under 40.4. per quarter. Middlemen will step in,
and if any p ofit is to be got they and they alone will
get it ; so that the actual competition will not be so
keen as at first sight appears.

THE GREAT INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES EXHIBITION.
—The first of the foreign goods to a, rive for the above
Exhibition have been the Chinese, which were
delivered in the building, at South Kensington, on
Friday in last week accompanied by two Chinese car-
penters, in their national dress. The goods filled six
waggons. The decorations to be made in the Chinese
Section will be important and interesting, and
thoroughly national in character; and it is intended
to erect over one of the taks adjacent to the Chinese
Section a model of a pleasure-house and bridge. The
same tanks will also be filled with models of junks.

A BATTLE IN THE Ara.—A very sigular occurrence
is at the present moment, according to a Frankfort
paper, perplexing the wisest and most experienced
ornithologists. In the environs of that town, a short
time ago, the attention of pedestrians was attracted
by a desperate battle which was being waged above
their heads, the belligerents being a flock of rooks.
There were three distinct army corps and the
esgagement was a prolonged and sanguinary affair,
the combatants, which attacked each other,
methodically and in a spirited manner, being
apparently under the command of rook generals
imbued r:ith military genius. The result of the
battle was that forty rooks were killed, their
mangled remains being picked up by the spectators
as they fell to the ground, and conveyed as evidence
of the combat to the office of the paper which narrates
the occurrence. Both sexes and all ages were repre-
sented in the list of tho. e who fell fighting for some
cause whieh must necessarily remain a mystery. The
victorious rooks, after the day had been won, 7ere
observed to fly off in one direction, cawing trium-
phantly ; whilst what remained of their adversaries
went off in an opposite way, in a dejected, disheartened
manner, as though ashamed of their defeat. Rooks,
it is a well-known fact, are not in the habit of fight.
log, and it is this which lends interest to the incident.
—Evenin7 Standard.
OBITUA.Rit NOTICE.—The Month of Match expired
peaceiully last Saturday, the 31st, not in the least
regretted by anyone who had known him. After a
stormy career, hie end was lamblike. Sit; transit.
March past.—Panehe
How THE DOGS LOST THEIR SUPPERS.—A corre-
spondeqt of Land and Water says :—I have two f ox-
terriers which I had oceasion to shut up in a loose box
in which was a hunter. Tees° terriers were fed daily
on serape from the houle—i.e„ meat, bread, potatoes,
the meat scraps predominating. One evening, after
their dinner was put beside them and the etable shut
np, they began to bark furiously, and on going to see
what was the cause, I found the mare eating the doge'
scraps, meat, greasy water, and all, Since then she
has been frequently found at the same trick, so that I
have been obliged to have ehe dogs put elsewhere while
getting their supper. I have generally found horses
much ILS6IBB to anything greasy about their food or
drinking pails, and I should think that their eating
meat must be very uncommon,

LITERATURE IN TURKEL—The Salnameh," or
official almanack, of the. Ottoman empire for 1882
gives same returns of the books that appeared in
Turkey during the year (says the Academy). The
total number printed in Turkiati was 98, mostly his.
tory, science, and bet/ea-UWE,' ; in Greek, 56, mostly
romances and theological; Vim Armenian, 38 (not
including the work of the Armenian presses at Venice
and Paris) ; Bulgarian' 4; and Hebrew, 2. No books
in Arabic are recorded, but perhaps this may be
explained by the fact that Muhammadan theology
and Muhammadan poetry are always reproduced by
written copies.
CHICAGO PIG-PACKING.—This enormous business,
(parried out with the most elaborate mechanical con-
trivances, shows from returns lately published to have
greatly decreased in scale of late years ; for while in
1878. V no less than 7,480,000 hogs were
.killed and
packed, in 1881-2 only 5,700,000 were secured for the
business. These figures are for winter packing only.
The summer packing is somewhat less, the last returns
showing only 3,225,000 as against 5,323,000 in 1880.
As a natural result prices have gone up considerably.
GRATIPYING. Amateur artist (to the carrier) :
"Did you see my picture safely delivered at the Royal
Academy ? " Carrier: " Yessir, and mighty pleased
they seemed to be with it—least ways, if one may
jedge, Sir. They didn't say nothirf—but—Lor' how
they. did laugh I "—Punch.
EARLY AND LATE SEASONS.—When winter comes
in the month of March we may reckon on a late
spring (says the Gardener '8 Magazine). Tiie activity
of vegetation that was so notieeable before the wea her
-
cock turned its point to the north, has received a check
that is upon the whole salutary, but in many particular
cases is simply destructive. The vegetation we are the
most dependent on for sustenance and commercial ad-
vantage may be said to be rather the better than the
worse for the occurrence of a severe second winter
lhe lands that were spongy have become firm,
and all kinds of ground work have become
once more when it began to appear that the
season for seeds was gone. As a matter of
tact, we may consider that the present will prove a
good seeding season, and it is very comforting to ob-
serve the activity that prevails in all directions in the
endeavour to make up for lost time. We reported
lately that the crocuses in 1882 and 1883 were about
three weeks earlier than in 188,r and leBl. It is well
known that in the month of February more especially,
and in the month of March in some degree, seasonal
phenomena very greatly a., to the time of their occur-
rence ; bat the averages more nearly prevail through-
out the month of May. In other words, in early
seasons we gain but little, and in late seasons we do
nut lose much. Seasonal 'phenomena are more
constant on the first of May than on the first
of Mareh, for, as the year advances, die-
crepanoies are adjusted, and as the summer
approaches we find the state of affairs to be very
miarly the same from year to year, This shows the
inity:rtauca or following eitablisherl rules as regards
outdoor work, and of departing limn tltem only for
expe: imental pUr p0.,0R or to accommodai'e local cir"
cummtances r individnat requirements at he price of
eductoens:irate risks. 'rue vet y decided chana'e in the
weather has put a new lace .on things. Sevea:' fr"t
in the month of March is not an unmixed
certainly, but it is not the opposite of that exant;j,
and this time it is singularly beneficial, for it has; ,
made a dry seed bed, and we seem to be, as regards
the usual spring work, "right at last,"

CERTAIELY NOT I—" The last silly thitig cut," says
a weekly contemporary. "in New York fashions ia
the use, among those ladies who wish to be considered
'quite too too,' of perfumed gloves." Well, all Mrs.
J. can say ik that, although this fashion may be pro-
nounced "illy," no one can declare that in the ob-
servance of it there is a lack of scents.—Judy.
THE PAICE OV AIITOGRAPHB.—At a recent auction
sale of antoAriphs t L,ipsic the following prices were
obtained ;—A I,tter from Mary Queen of Scots to a
Ordinal, 323 marks ; Letters from Louis XIV. and
XVI., 130 and 213 marks repectlvely ; 21 lines from
Queen Marie Antoinette to the Princess de Lanaballe,
441 marks I a letter from Peter the Great to one of his
colonels, 111 marks; a letter from Wallenstein, dated
Prague (1625), 108 marks; another from General
Washington (1799), 116 marks; and letters from
Thorwaldsen, 90 marks; Nicolas %main 152 marks;;
Gluck, 200 marks ; Mozart, 330 marks ; Haydn,
81 marks; Bach, 175 marks; and Beethoven, 335
marks.

SEATS IN CHITRCH.-Mr. Albert Grey has intro-
duced a Bill for declaring and enacting the law as to
the rights of parishioners in respect of their parish
churches. The preamble of the Bill recites that " ac-
cording to the common law of this realm every parish
church in England and Wales is for the free use in com-
mon of all parishioners;' and that their rights have
for many years past been infringed in many parishes by
the appropriation of seats and pews to certain of the
parishioner,- to the exclusion of others, and especially of
the poorer classes. However, the Bill would not inter-
fere with the scales of pew-rents hitherto sanctioned ;
but it would for the future put an end to the prac-
tice of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners of keepieg
alive, by the system of nominal grants, the pew-
renting sections of the old Church Building Acts,
under which four-fifths of the seats may be let, and
thus restrict their powers with regard to the fixing of
ironies of pew-rents to those of the New Parishes Act of
1856, which secures the freedom of at least half the
seats. In the case of churches built under the Private
Patronage Act, scales of pew-rents might still be fixed
by the patrons or trustees, subject to the bishop's
approval. But this Act provides that one-third of the
seats at least must be free.

A STRANGE FTINERAL.—Mr. F. G. Stebbins, who
was for twenty years editor of the Cuba (N.Y.)
Patriot, has been buried in peculiar fashion. Mr.
Stebbins was what might be called an " Ingersollite,"
and prior to his death exacted from his family a pro-
mise that no minister of any denomination should be
allowed to hold religions servicei over his body. He
was a member of the Knights of Honour, and he de.
sired the knights when following his remains to the
grave to sing "Marching through Georgia," repeating
the words of the song as the earth fell upon the coffin.
Oa leaving the cemetery they were to sing "Good.
bye, my lover, good•loye." Twenty-eight knights in
full regalia attended the funeral, and his directions
were strictly carried out.
THE CHANNEL TIINNEL.—In noticing the discussion
on the Channel Tunnel in the Hoase of Commons on
Tuesday night, the Daily Nein remarks :—" The
opponents of the measure urged that the question was
one of policy, and shodd be decided by the Govern-
ment on its own authority. We are inclined to agree
with them. The sense of the country, we are con-
vinced, is clearly against the scheme. If it came
before the present House of Commons on its merits,
there can be no doubt that it would be rejected by a
great majority. The English people are resolved that
England shall remain an island, and shall not be con-
verted into a peninsula, and so annexed to the military
and political system of the Continent, with its offen-
sive and defenbive alliances, its frontier fortresses, its
swollen armaments, its wars, and rumours of war."

EMIGRATION TO QUERNi/LAND.—The ship Oban Bay
left Glasgow on March 80 for Townsville, Queensland,
the following numbers having embarked under the
authority of the Agent. General for that Colony :-126
single men, 48 single women, 51 married couples, 58
male children, 84 female children, seven male infants,
and fiva female infants—making a total of 332 souls,
equal to 826 statute adults.
DEATII FROM CitoxtNG.—An inquest has been held
in the Newington Intim ary, Walworth, on the body
of Margaret Long, aged 80, a spinster, and an inmate
of Newington Workhouse.—lt appeared from the evi-
dence of an inmate of the workhouse that on Monday
last the deceased, having nearly fieished her dinner,
which consisted of boiled mutton and vegetables, was
seen to drop her knife and fork, and appeared as if
choking. As she became black in the face, and could
not speak, a nurse was called, and she sent for the
medical superintendent, but the woman expired four
minutes at ter.—By the Coroner: rhe woman was in
the habit of eating her food ravenously and " bolting "
it. Witness had often warned her against it.—The
medical superintendent at the infirmary, said that he
was called to the dining ward, and found deceased
seated at the table in a choking condition. He inserted
his finger in her throat, and found a substance down
the gullet which he succeeded in withdrawing, when it
was found to be a large piece of mutton, weighing two
ounces. He then ti,.ed artificiat respiration, but it was
of no avail, as the woman was quite dead.---The jury
returned a verdict of "Accidental death."
STOOK AND MEAT IMPORTS.—During last week five
steamers with live stocit on board, and the same
number with fresh meat, arrived at Liverpool from
the United States and Canada. The shipments of
cattle were larger than in any previou4 week since the
beginning of the year; bu 4 of sheep, the total number
landed last week, although considerably in excess of
the preceding week, was only about the same as the
weekly supplies during the last few months. The con-
Bignmentii of fresh meat were very much smaller than
the previous week, but the totals are also quite as large
as those .on the average of any previous week this
sear.

COMING HIGH I'D:W.—From the 7th to the 11th
Inst. the astronomical combinations neoessary to pro-
duce especially high tides will take place, notably on
the afternoon of the 9th, when the height (at 3 h. 11
min.) at London Bridge is calculated to be 22ft. lin.,
or only one inch lower than the highest tide of the
current year, which took place on March 11.
THE ALBERT MEDAL.—On Monday the Earl of
Coventry presented at the Shire Hall, Worcester,
Police Superintendent 1E- nap with the Albert medal
of tee 2nd Class, which had been awarded to him by
Her Majesty in consideration of his bravery at a fire
at Halesuwen, when at the peril of his life he removed
from a burning house 50Ib. of gunpowder, which was
contained in a canister already scorched and blistered.
AVERAGE PRICES or Birrisu CORN.—The following
are the average pricee, of British corn for last week,
as received from the inspectors and officers of Ex-
cise :—Wheat, 42e. Od. ; barley, 335. id. : oats,
21s. 91 per imperial qr. Corresponding we -k last
year :—Wheat, 455. id.; barley, 30s. 11d. ; oats,
21s, 6d.
UTILISATION or DISEASED POTATOM—Referring
to the value of diseased potatoes as an article of food
for cattle, pigs, etc., and to the directions for prepar-
ing the same, Mr. G. W. Pascall writes to the Journal
of the Society of Arts as follows :—" Boil the diseased
tubers fast till done ; drain, and let them become per-
fect)y dry by spreading them out on eeives—a gravel
screen is the best. The tuber, when cooked, is free
from poison ; the water in which it is boiled is a very
strong poison, and will scour, if not kill, any animal
that partakes of it. When dry, ram tight into any
kind of dry cask (with salt), and keep in a cool place
till wanted. One copkertul can be dried and packed
while the next is cooking, so that a large quantity can
be cooked in one day. Every farmer should know
this, as it would save him suffering any loss, however
bad his crop might be."
A WONDERFUL FERN.—An extraordinary fern may
be seen at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Manchsster,
in the fernery, suspended from the roof. It is a plant
of Goniophlebium Subauriculatum, the finest of all
basket ferns, and has about 200 fronds ranging frt-na
seven,to ten feet in length and perfect in develop-
ment.

A PRACTICAL LESSON.—In the course of an inter.
view recently, Edison, it is said, gave the following
result of a long extended series of observations on the
ways of mankind :—" There is nothing succeeds in
this world unless it is awful, awful practical— so
practical that a mule can run it. I remember once
going into a printing office an seeing a case which
had been carefully distributed by a compositor. Some
of the boxes were heaped up too full—while others did
not seem to have enough in them. I thought I would
equalize the distribution ; but I soon found out what
a mess I had made of it and that my theory of
equalization was not in accordance with the practical
workings of a printing office. Since then I have been
very careful to keep my fingers out of other men's
oases."
- -

A NEW BLUN UTE, —The high price of straw in large
towns has brought forward a new kind of litter or
bedding for horses, known as peat or moss litter. In
London it is extensively used, and from many
inquiries is found to be both more economical than
the ordinary wheat straw, and what is of importance,
of more value as a ina,qire after it has left the stable.
The great feature of the peat is that it is absorbent,
and has the effect of confining the ammonia and pre-
venting the smell spreading over the stable. Large
quantities are now being sent down into Kent as
manure, and it is sold at ss. 6d. per ton, which must
he cheap, seeing how saturated it is with stable refuse.
It is likely to be very useful for fruit growing, espe-
cially with strawberries and the other soft kinds, and,
as it will have the effect of lighteningvthe soil, it should
also be very serviceable on heavy lands.
RENTS IN NEw YORK.—Attention has lately been
so much oirected to high rents and overcrowding in
the si wellings of the poor of .1")ndon that some interest
rimy be felt in the siadlar distress existing in New
Yolk. It is stated that the number of families in that
city who have an entire house to themselves is "very
email, probably not one in ten." The condition of the
poor, however' is not SO bad as this fact might at first
encourage us to believe, as the system of flats and
big tenement houses is greatly developed in New
York. For all that, their one kreat complaint is of
high rents. "The average wags paid in our manu-
factories," says the authority just quoted, "are 1.37 i
dol. (ss. 6d.) a day, and if they were not above the
averaee paid elsewhereAwo.uld be impossible to pay
our high rents.'
- - -

-
SNAKES AND WILD BEASTS IN INDIA.—A writer in
the current ti.rober of the Revue Saentifique has col-
lected a mass of interesting figures relating to the
above. He says that as many as
.20,000 deaths occur
annually in India from snakebites, and that since
1870 from 150,000 to 200,000 persons have perished in
this way. India possesses more deadly snakes than
any other country, and the bite of the cobra is
Of ten fatal within half.a.n hour. In the year 1880,
212,776 serpents of. all kinds were destroyed, and
rewards, amounting in all to 11,663 rupees, were paid
to their destroyers. In the North-west Provinces
and in Onde a body of Kanjars has been formed for
the especial purpose to killing off the venomous
reptiles of those distriets. The men rec -ice two
rupees per month, and if a man is so fortunate as to
destroy more than 2.1 snakes daring that petiod be is
paid the equivalent of about threepence per head for
all in excess of that number. In 1881 wild beasts
caused the death of 2,757 persons, as against 2810 in
1881, and the number of animals killed by them every
year is enormous. The leopards are, perhaps, the
farmers' worst foes; and the tigers rank next; but the
wolves are but little, less destructive. In 1881, 1,567
Opus and 3,397 leopards were killed,