The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-03-30 00:00:00

A USEFUL SOCIETY.

The Cologne Gazette gives an interesting account of the
Berlin Housewives' Union, now in its fifth year. It
has a newspaper for the treatment of all questions of
interest to housewives, household economy, health,
education, and food; a co-operative store which sup-
plies 4,000 families, turning over £28,630 per annum,
and making a profit all expenses paid, of £450; and,
to improve relations with domestic servants, a Free-
Place Agency, which has in four years supplied 16,000
persons with employment. Every year there is in
connexion with this agency a distribution of prizes for
length of service, the prize for having been five years
in the service of a member of the Union being a,
diploma and a brooch. The Union has al6o its bene-
volent fund for the assistance of poor members in the
education of their children and otherwise.

THE REASON WHY.—" Well, farmer, you told us
your wood was a good place for hunting. Now, we've
tramped through it for three hours, and found no
game." "Just co; well, I calculate, as a general
thing, the less game 'there is the more hunting you
have."

NAVAL and MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

An order was received at Chatham Dockyard on Satur-
day stating that the Lords of the Admiralty had renamed
the late Brazilian ironclad vessel Independencia the Nep-
tune.

For the first time for a great number of weeks past the
hands at Chatham dockyard ceased work at five o'clock last
Saturday afternoon, and quitted the yard. Instructions
have been receieved from the Admiralty directing that a
further entry of additional hands beyond the 300 already
ordered is to be made at this dockyard, providing the sum
of £lO,OOO already sanctioned by the Treasury as extra wages
is not exceeded.

The Triumph is to be fitted at Portsmouth with a couple
of 4•5 Gatling guns, which she will carry upon her quarters.
In torpedo warfare a battle not unlike that between armour-
plate and guns is being carried on. The ships of war are
provided with nets and special guns for the purpose of
enabling them to protect themselves against the attack of
torpedoes, and it is now proposed to protect the torpedo
boats with iron shields against thp attack of the guns and of
sharpshooters placed its the tops. As the hulls of the boats
can be pierced by rifle balls, it is intended to try a plan of
Lieut.-Col. Fosberry, who has suggested the expediency of
lining the torpedo launches with indiar-abber and gutta-
percha, which, though penetrable, will close up after pene-
tration and keep out the water.

The Earl de Grey, War Depardnent steam vessel, which
was ordered to take 3,000 barrels of gunpowder from Pur-
fleet to Ilarchwood, has had the order countermanded, and
was sent to the Royal Dockyard, Woolwich, to take on board
a cargo of torpedoes and other stores for Portsmouth. She
was also to take 30 tons of small-arm ammunition.

The steamship Sixty-six returned to the Royal Arsenal,
Woolwich, on Saturday lust, with upwards of 200 tons of
torpedo sinkers, which were landed at the Royal Arsenal
Wharf within six hours. They were despatched from the
3iidcUesbrough foundries in great haste.

A commencement has been made in laying down the
blocks for the new armour-plated torpedo ram at Chatham
Dockyard, but the keel of the vessel will not be laid down
for some little time.

Information has been received at Chatham garrison that
a large number of men, belonging to the 7th, 11th, and 57th
Regiments, have volunteered for service with the 2nd Bat-
talion sth Fusiliers, the first Regiment on the list for
foreign service, which is ordered to be brought up to its
full war strength. Each volunteer receives a guinea.

The news having reached America by telegraph that the
British Government has decided to increase the number of
horses for army purposes, several Canadian dealers have ex-
pressed to the Remount Committee their perfeet readiness to
put on board, at a few hours' notice, any number of horses,
should the Government find it necessary to make further
purchases in this direction.

Two hundred additional hands have been ordered to work
overtime at Devonport Dockyard.

It has been decided at the War Office that altogether seven
regiments of cavalry and twenty-one battalions of infantry
shall be equipped with the regimental transport, and thus be
rendered available for active service.

Transport and other warlike stores are being delivered by
contractors with such rapidity, and no demand for them
having yet been made at the Government stores, that the
accommodation provided by the different Government esta-
blishments had been pushed to its utmost. It is conse-
quently found necessary to engage storehouses at Victoria
Docks, and inquiries are being made for storing accommoda-
tion at other warehouses and wharves on the Thames.

It has been known for a fortnight past that the Govern-.
trent was in treaty wrth Sir William Armstrong for the pur-
chase of four 100-ton guns which are near completion at
Elswick, but it was considered prudent to keep the negotia-
tion secret, as there were other bidders for the monster
weapons in the European market. Arrangements are now
completed by which these four guns have become the pro-
perty of the British nation, and in the course of two or three
months they will be ready for mounting on board any ship
which is prepared to carry them. It is not likely, however,
that they will be placed on shipboard for some time to
come, for the Admiralty have made no provision for them.
neither does it appear that the present condition of naval
armaments shows any demand for such mighty ordnance.
The chief argument for their acquirement was the appre-
hension that they might become the property of another
Power, and so enable it to dominate the sea. At present,
although Italy has 100-ton guns for the two latest war
ships, and England has ready her 80-ton guns for Her Ma-
jesty 'a ship Inflexible, there is no armour afloat which
can resist the 35-ton and 38-ton "Woolwich infants." which
have during the last few years been produced at the Royal
gun factories in the .ttoyal Arsenal, Woolwich, and employed
in the national defences by land and sea. The subject has
fully engaged the attention of the Government, and the
desirability of manufacturing something heavier than the 80-
ton gun has been strongly advocated, but while foreign
nations plate their ships with anything less than 19i inches
of iron they are regarded as at the mercy of the 8001 b.
Palliser projectile tired by the 38-ton gun, and the authori-
ties have consequently hesitated about taking a step still
further in advance.

The Telegraph Construction Company have delivered in
one of the docks at the Dockyard, Woolwich, 250 miles of
electric cable for torpedo seiwice, and 100 miles of this was
the subject of a supplementary order given only a fortnight
back.

Two locomotives which the Government have purchased
for the use of the Store Department in the Royal Dockyard,
Woolwich, have been received, one being a small engine for
the narrow gauge line, and the other a powerful one, more
like an ordinary railway locomotive, and fitting the broad
gauge, on which it may hereafter be employed running
between the Royal Arsenal and Dockyard.

Notwithstanding the large number of 8001 b. Paliser shells
for the 38 ton guns which have been shipped at the Royal
Arsenal, Woolwich, for Portsmouth and Malta, there are
still an immente number on the wharf in readiness for ship-
ment.

An order for an additional number of horse boats has
been distributed among the boat builders during the past
fortnight, with a condition as to immediate delivery.
They are to be made rather smaller than those previously
obtained, being 331 t. long by about 10ft wide, and 4ift lu
depth. Each will be constructed to carry seven or eight
horses or a gun and gun-carriage. They are being built
of two thicknesses of one-inch timber, stopped with, putty,
and haviug brown paper between each thickness.

During the past few weeks an immense quantity of car-
tridges for the Martini-Henry rifles and other small arms
ammunition have been shipped from the landing-stage at
the powder magazines at Upnor Castle, opposite Chatham
Dockyard, and ,taken to the Royal Arsenal, where it has
been placed on board other vessels for conveyance to
Gibraltar, Malta, sand other stations.

The four 100-ton guns purchased by the Government
from Sir William Armstrong are intended to be used in the
laud defences until, at least, provision is made for them in
the Royal Navy, and therwill probably be mounted in the
fortifications at important stations either at home or
In the Mediterranean. It is not decided whether any
of them are to come to Woolwich, but there is thought to
be no necessity for the course of experiments usual with
a new gun, as the Government have the advantage of the
trial at Spezzia made with the first gun of this kind sent to
Italy. The Italians have five of these 100-ton gnus, including
the experimental one, and they paid Sir William Armstrong
more than £16,060 each for them. The price at which the
British Government has acquired the four now in hand is
understood to be somewhat below that figure.