The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-01-24 00:00:00

Etifiallarazus ntllictntt
UOMS, FOREIGN, AND COLGAILL.

WHO WILL INHABIT IT P—Victor Hugo has just t• t
chased, for 337,365 f., a piece of land near liis Preeel;,
residence, for the purpose of building a house, to
designed by himself,
THE LATE Da. Smrrit.—As a memorial to the late
Dr. Angus Smith, his library, consisting of 35°°
volumes, has been purchased by subscription, and Pre"
sented to Owens College, Manchester.
CIIRIODS PRonuenox.—A unique contribution is
about to be made to French literature. The greater
writers of France are each to contribute an unpublished
work to a little volume which is to be sold for the

Pur"

relief of the unemployed of Paris.—
A FORGOTTEN DRAMATIST.—M. Saint Arnaud, a lon6f4i
fergotten dramatic author, has just died in Paris, agThe
85. His principal work, produced in 1823, was
"Auberge des Adrets," but his celebrity was
eclipsed by the fame of Frederick Lemaitre in the lead-

ing -part, Robert Macaire.
RECOGNITION OF CHARITY. Madame
Nilsso). lias just been decorated by the King of SPain
with a First-class Cross of the Royal and Civil Ora!
of Beneficence. This distinction has been confere
in recognition of numerous deeds of charity and
artistic gratitude on the part of Madame Niiss°ll"
Madrid.
LIBRARY FOR COLONISTS.—The German colonies in
Africa are being so carefully fostered in every InS,"
that even the recreations of the colonists are considered.
Thus a library is to be established at Angra Pecluel
and the public have been asked to contribute books

_
newspapers, which will be conveyed free.
A GERMAN OENTENARIA.N.—The " Leipziger
blatt " announces the death of a centenarian!
German farmer, of the name of Sennewald, of Ennongi"
near Zerbat (Saxony), who died on the last day of the
old year, at the age of 109. He left behind him five
children, 27 grandchildren, and 45 great grandchildre%
A son-in-law, still living, is 82 years of age,
end th
eldest of the great grandsons is in his 24th
Calcyear. for
utta
TRE TRADE OF CaLco-rrA.—The trade of
the year 1883-84 amounted to the very considerabie,,
value of 828.403,353 rupees, or nominally more than
millions sterling. This shows an increase in value In
tbe
two years of nearly eight millions sterling, although
bulk had only progressed at about half the same rete•
The cotton trade was in a more favourable condition
than it had been in for some time, and freights were se
low at Calcutta as to enable that port to compete en
advantageous terms with Bombay. But the dealings nit
cotton piece goods have been unfavourable, as the get,
consuming markets of China and Japan have take:,
nothing like the quantities they were expected
and to
absorb. Jute reports are also unfavourable,
alone can be termed highly satisfactory; but thel
again the competition of Ceylon tea is COLerv"
likely to affects its prospects adversely.
A POET'S ACKNOWLEDGMENT.—Whittier .“as iust
passed his 77th birthday, amid the congratulations cl
many friends. The most unique present that reacheu
ISid
him was a basket of 77 rare roses from the junior els°,
of the Girls' High School of Boston. The poet
delighted with the present, and wrote the following
acknowledgment:
" The_sun of life is sinking low,
_ _

Without a winter's falhg snOw ;
Within your summer roses fall.
The heart of age your offering cheers;
You count in flowers my many years,
God bless you, me, and all."
" ANTI-DEISTS."—A new sect, the members of vr/11—.°_sb
call themselves the Anti-Deists, has just been founrU"'
in Paris. Its object is to suppress the name of the
Deity in all the languages of the world, its motto being'
"Dieu, vial l'ennemi." Even the word" adieu " is
discarded. A book of hymns is to be published for el
new sect, and the " Anti-Deists" propose to parodY
religious ordinances and christenings and weddings:.
The members also pledge themselves to attend
-dying beds of their colleagues, to keep them from bei,nb
shaken in their convictions, or being persuaded by re'v
Lions to accept religious cousolations.
A CITY ENCYCLOPEDIA.—The attempt of She 1146 i
sians to convert their city into an encyclopredin ,°er
history in which every street is to become a char`,..
proceeds apace. The two latest additions to its contell'e
are two commemorative plaques at the corner of till
Rues Valois and St. Honor& They bear respective 1
the following incriptions : "In this place the playhouse
of the Palais Cardinal was opened in 1641. It vvas4;
cupied Moliere's troupe from 1661 to 1673, and '
the Comenle Royale of Music from 1673 to the eonls
gration in 1763'.' "In this place stood the 11°Y;0
Academy of Music, built from 1763-1770 by Pierre-101:4
Moreau, Chief Architect of Public Builaings, It
destroyed by fire on June 8, 1780."
AN Eli; Nnsrr NORWEGIAN.—The death is annonn- 1,
at Christiania, of Peter Acbjornsen, the assiduous
lector of Norwegian fairy tales. The 'deceased vi_sa
nearly 73 years of age, having been born on Janinul
15, 1812. He studied natural science, especially bats's?.
and zoology, but was at the same time an ardent n‘W
lector of folklore and fairy tales. Having devoted tvr°.
years (from 1856 to 1858) to the study of forests)? a:
the Tharand Academy, he received an appolntoio"
frora the Norwegian Government as inspector of forestis'
and in that capacity had to travel over the v7ll° et
country. In his journeyings he came much in conts,
with country folk, from whose lips he received nu'
traditions and tales. In conjunction with Moe, 11
publ!shed the " Norske Folke Eventyr " (Fairy Tale
of the Norwegian People), which established his MO'
tation abroad, especially in Germany and England.
RUSSIAN PnisoNEns.—According to official reP°l"t
tke number of prisoners in the prisons of the -iluss'aj)
Empire—with the exception of Caucasus and Saghalien,
g
on Jan 1, 1883, amounted to above 97,000. The
of convicts sentenced to hard labour was 12Piber
,
whom 3500 were at Saghalien and 3027 in the gold el'
• der
ploitations of the Transt,aikalian region, the rano°
being in the mines of Nertchinsk, and in ten spec'
aS
prisons. It has, however, been decided that as soo
Possible all the convicts will be concentrated at Tagb4
lien and in Transbaikalia. The exiles of all categnssst'y
in Governments of Tomsk and.Yeniseisk nuniber 20,uuYi;
The resources of the country being inadequate in tbed
wants, 10,000 have departed with tickets-of-leave, An.,
7500 have escaped. It is not a regular colonisati°'''
but a state of organised vagabondage, and the Peniteril
tiary Administration have, in consequence,. declaro
themselves strenuously against the abuse of exPtasieof
decreed by the communes or parishes. They ar„.°
opinion that these latter, while exiling their rnenw"
should be compelled to insure their maintenance fa,,
least two years. The expenses for the transport of tiiir
exiles from European Russia to Siberia amount anntia
to 1 million roubles.
Tux INVENTIONS EXIIIBITION.—The Council of tre
Society of Arts announce that they will aware ,ter,
following gold medals in connection with the
national Inventions Exhibition: Under the Joint Stec f
ust, one gold medal for the best application
0°I)
photography to a permanent printing process;
_glbs
XXVI., class 1 0; group XXIX.' class 159. Una 6
Howard Trust, five gold medals for the best expl`'i,g
(corning within the terms of the trust) in the follow' e
classes: One for the best exhibit in group IV., "Prirsr
Msvers," class 26—steam engines and boilers; one -if
the best exhibit in group IV., class 27—gas anaes3
engines; one for the best exhibit in group IV., elao's,l3e
Means of Utilising Natural Forces ;" one for w
best exhibit in group X 1.," Hydraulic Machines,"
classes 59 to 62; one for the best exhibit in gr°o3
XIII., "Electricity," class 72—" Distribution I'd.,
Utilisation of Power." Under the Fothergill ,Tsn.o
one gold medal for the most novel and best exhibita
group XXVIII., "Philosophical InstrumentS irir
Apparatus," Classes 148 to 158. Under the
Davis Trust three gold medals to be awarded in Di°,l to
11. of the Exhibition (Music) groups XXX"e' so
XXXIV., classes 166 to 180. The Council pis:4ll,6r
ask the juries in each class to recommend for :joy
consideration either two or three exhibits which peer
might consider deserving a prize. It will not be '11`"
sary for any special application to be made in resrseise
of these prizes. The medals are each of the /

of £2o_