The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-12-11 00:00:00

Alistellancous `4nicl4elltz,

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT AT DOWLAIS —A shock-
ing accident occurred on Monday at the Dowlais Iron
Di mpany's coal pits, Dowlais, by which two men
named William Long, forty-three, and William Dun-
atone, nineteen, lost their lives. The two men were
ascending the pit, which is about 4,000 yards deep, in
the usual way, and when they had ascended about 150
yards the rope snapped, and they were precipitated to
the bottom of the shaft, their bodies being literally
dashed to pieces, and they were afterward-I conveyed
to their homes in sacks. It was singular that the man
Long had only some abort time previously ascended
the shaft before, and having left a mandrill in the pit
he returned to fetch it, and 1,44 ascending again with
Dunstone when the frightful accident occurred.
A SUBSTITUTE FOR TGBACCO.—A correspondent
of a Calcutta paper makes a curious suggestion to
tobacco smokers. Alluding to the alleged discovery,
by a Pari,,ian chemist, that watercress is a perfect
antidote to nicotine, he says :

"It lately entered into my head to try how some of it
dried would smoke. To my great satisfaction I found that,
when put into my pipe, after a cuiple of days' drying in the
sun, it had all the flavour of the WA Cavendish without the
treacle, and it was even stronger than Cavendlelt. Here,
then, is a perfect substitute for tobacco, without the
deleterous and deadly pofs.m so freely contained in the
loiter; and it Is at the same time cheaper Watercress,
with its fine stalks and leaves, when dried, requires no
rutting to fit it or the pipe; and while a pound of cut
totJacco ranges from 2 rs to 4 re , here we have an article a
mipee's worth of which, when dried, would weigh more than
a couple of pounds.

A STRIKING CASE OF HONESTY.—We are re-
quested to state that the body, with over £6OO on it,
of the late Mr. Charles West Nichols, who w. 104
from the schooner Blue Jacket, which was wrecked at
Donna Nook, on the coast of Lincolnshire, on the 19th
October last, was found on the same coot near Skey-
ness, by T.iseph Moody, of that place, to whom the
Rev. F. Freshney, of Skidlirook, had the satisfaction
of handing £lO on behalf of Mr. West, a relative of
the late Mr. Nichols. It also appears that twenty-
five poor fellows lost their lives on the coast of Lincoln.
shire during the storms of October, and not thirteen as
previously stated.
DISSENT IN DANGER.—SOIIIO of the principal
Dons at Cambridge have just declared for the aboli-
tion of University Tests of creed : wisely for the inte-
rests of the Church. Were tests swept clean away
both at Oxford and Cambridge, Dissenters would send
their sons to the Universities, whence those men,
having received a liberal education, and especially
learned to construe Greek Testament, would return
indoctrinated, most of them, with a just appreciation
of Stiggins, and also of Manning.—Punch.
THE TRADE IN Fitoos.—We read in the Echo
de Lax, mbourg
- - - -

The exportation of frogs to France has for some time back
increased considerably. A certain dealer of Vance has within
the last three weeks despatched 200,000, and three days back
he sent off 30.000. They are principally directed to Rheims,
Nancy, and Paris, a thousand of them costing 13 fr. Their
entrance into France is free. The principal places from
which they come are Vance, Pouches, the borders of Semois,
and part of the province between Ration and Houffalise ; at
Rheims twenty-five pairs of legs, the only part eaten, sell for
lioc. Nevertheless, the frogs are exported entire"

- •
JEFFF,IIbO DAVIS Al' tiOMg.—The New York
Times writes :
li ff arson Davis has settled down again on his native heath
with as little notice as he received on his first lauding from
abroad He has gained the last finishing touch to the reali-
zation of his old wish to be " let alone.' Ile is as safe now
as any mole from public prosecution or private molestation.
The fact is all the more notable because oactirring at the
very time when the rev.dutionary leaders of Western Europe
are finding new barriers to their rehabilitation, and are
mule to taste new miseries in almost ever) form. It Is very
evident that if Davis had revolted in such style against any
other government, he would have met a worse fate tnan he
now meets. This difference is a credit to our people and in.
stitutions—to our people, as showing that their feelings are
In harmony with elevated Christian principle rather than
with the I,w, revengeful instinct of the savage ; to our in-
stitutions, as showing tint they repose so broady on moral
foundations that they can stand without the stern penalties
and intimidations which alone prop up the thrones of the
Old World.

A DELIGHTFUL PLACE TO LIVE De !—Perry
must be a delightful city for residents who delight in
rows. It contains about 12,000 Catholics and about
800 Protestants, but the minority make up in tradi-
tional audacity what they want in numbers. There
Are organised apprentice boys in Derry, and thi ir
weapon of offence is a triangular bludg.on with edges
notched like a saw. Hitherto the Protestants have
Always celebrated their anniversaries—mainly, the
shutting of the gates—by means f insulting mottee.,
insulting tunes, and cries offensive to the ears of the