The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-01-14 00:00:00

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

FIGURES Cur on ICE.— In the graceful displaye
which youth of both sexes have lat-ly been osicupied
w:th mak e.g on the frozen onde, Ahem been :marked
! that the " Grecian Bud" has tot been genera,' y so
' remarkable as tbe "Roman Fel" —Punch.
RAILWAY PASSENGERS. There are sixteen
• rail vay s in Great Britain each of which csrried tore'
; than five .1 passengers in the year 1869. Tic
Manche ter, Sheffield, and Lincelnahire line carried
6 991 371; the North British, 8 507,171 ; the Great
Northern, 8 733,764; the Caledonian, 9226.684 ; the
North-E setern, 11.944,315 ; the Great Eastern,
• 13,008,907 ; the S nit-Western. 13 140.453 ; tin
Chatham, 13,963,842; the 31i31an4, 15 567,454; the
Brighton, 16 560,431 ; the S inth-Eiwtern, 19,157 205:
tl e North London. 20,620,750; the Lancashire and
Yotkshire, 22 613.002; the Greet Western, 23,103 4'4;
the London and North-Westere. 2878,88 d ; and the
Metropolitan (noluding the "District," St. Jskess.
wood, and half the Hammersmith), no lets than
36 KM 791 These numbers ate below the actual ones,
as they do not include the holders of season or
periodical tickets; the number of journeys taken by
; these persons is not known, hut it his been eetimated
: at about 350 each. The Great Eastern had in the year
1869 4,199 holders of such tickets; the Great North, cc,
261; the Great Western, 4 300; the Lancashire and
! Yorkshire, 8,487; the le onion sn i North-Western,
: 11 299; the South-Western, 8,631; the Chit'
! 8,568; the Sheffield. 1,814; the North•Eas: ere, 4,928 ;
the Caledonian, 6,671 ; the North Britith, 6,918.

Hors h or CODIMONS' SITTINGS.- In the Sel,.ion
of 1870 the House of Commons, which met on tin- Bth of
February and was prorogued on tee 10th of Auguet, eat
120 days. An ofEial return which has Fein issueh etates
that the House sat for 73 M use in February, 105 h mire
in March, 118 in Anril (the Elmer holydays keening
the number low), 196 hours in May, 141 Mmete in Juhe
(in which ran to the Whiteun holydat e fell), 205 hours
in July, and 58 hours in August, makinz 986 bouts in
all. But these figures moot be received with a certain
qualification. When tt e Hou-e meets at two o'clock
business is suspended for at Meet two hours, from
seven to nine o'clock, hot there in no formal ittij turn-
ment for that period, and the otlici .1 return reokona
the House as still sitting during those two Lours.
though in fact it is not. Deductirg 41 hours on thie ac-
count, the hours of sitting are reduced to 945. and
the average length of a sitting is reduced from a tittle
over eight hours to a little under eight hones. There
were four "morning sittings" at 2 p.m. before
Easter, in consequence of the pressure of Mminets.
The regular morning eittingson Tuesdaysand Ftielats
began on the 17th of June. The House sat for nearly
131 hours after midnight ; in July alone for mote than
37 hours. The longest pitting was that which dears
the date of the 14th of Ju7y ; the House sat from 4
p.m. on that day to 5.15 a.m. on the 15th of July, and
finished the diacussion of the Elementary E iumetion
Bill in committee. The official return counts the
longest sitting 119 that of the 17th of Jour—viz., from
2 p.m. to 3.45 a.m . ; but on that occasion the Speaker
left the chair at 7 p.m., and the House was empty
until business was resumed at 9 p.m.

STATiETICS Or LONDON CNTIRCHEN.—The fol-
lowing particulan respeclieg the churches of London
and its ruhurhs, within a radins of 12 miles from the
General Post Oilier, are compiled from the sixth
annual edition of Mackreon's Guide (for 1871), pub-
lished under the Panction of the Biehops of London,
Winchester, and Rochester. The Guide mmtains in-
formation aa to 677 churches, but for statistiral pur-
poses the number is reduced to 651, corrections not
having been received on all the undermentioned points
from the clergy of the rem ,ining 16 churchee. There
is a weekly celebration of the Holy Communion at 184,
more than one fourth; daily celebration at 22; nearly
one-thirtieth ; early morning celebration at 210, one-
third; evening celebration at 130, one-filh ; afternoon
celelnation at five; choral eelebralion at 69, nearly
one-ninth ; Saints'-day services at 100, nearly one-
third; daily serviees at 135, nearly one•fifth ; no week
day service at 110, nearly onmeitth ; fully choral err.
vice at 146, more than one-fiith, and partly choral ser-
vices at 170, one-fonith—giving a proportion of nearly
half e here iii- Psalms are chanted; surpliced choirs
at 151, more than one-fifth; paid choirs at 101, nearly
one-seventh; voluntary choirs at 244, more than one
third. Gregorian tones are exclusively usi-d for chant.
in; at 44. one-fourteenth. The weekly ; ffertery i3the
rule at 156, more than one-fifth. There are free but
appropriated seats at 101, nearly one-sixth ; free and open
seats, 102, nearly on--eixth. The Euchszietic vi stmenta
are worn at 22, I e'olg one church in every 30; Li-
cense is used at seven, nne-nineteentli. The sur,dice
is wren in the pulpit at 180, more than one-fourth ;
and 26 churches are open dilly for privDte prayer.
Among other improvements in the new eltion of the
Guide 14 the addition of the name of the diocese in
which church is situated.
MATRIX rNIAL A DVERTIBEISIENTB —These ad.
vet t'semen. s appeared in a L niion paper
:
A clergyman, r gad twenty.eight, with Zllie, lying, ,2004
red Terre and we.l connected, wnhes to marry, and would
like to correspond with a young lady under thirty yers ot
age, and having some private property of her 0,410

•.I,'oA.secplerregyse,m,tr
n,,t
me isd ara
v,ko,,,thrtowm"eu.ldatzledikeat
c 40,,
retl,4ttnyd,
with a loveable lady, from twenty to thirty-dray ears at age
will, some means in hs r own risitlt lie at mild like to ex-
.
ehamte cart,s with '717 or 4101..

rer yw
A chrgyman of the Fatebliabed Church, aged trrenty•ah,
ttelhTtry nod d dg°°'illic:okuil"g hut with only £'oo annum, talus
oui like to cortaapoud with a young lady
good fewhy, &ming appearance, and coma good mean,.
These three cleryinen (remarks the Court Jow mai)
it will be noticed, are all tinier thirty years o', ,to •
two f them claim to be tall and handsome wb thethird has a nice living and is well conn:cteci.

A WORD UPON WAR.-1/1 the face of the im-
mense di•parity existing between the naval power of
this GovernmeLt and that of Great Britain, reticle(' die
timbers f the natonal peace would, for the to .ke of
heir own individnil ends, or for local advantage. i
volvet or people in a war where we of the we 1, t
all to lose and nothing to gain (remarks the Lt. tinge
Pr(os). l he damage which we could inflict. upo
Canada wood in no degree repay ne for the blockade
of our ports and the destruction of our commerce.
We sheuld find ourselves shut off from corm nnica-
tion with the outer world, aud would eider tbr same

41Vil consequences which were entailed upsn the Con.
fed, to States whsn bound in the jr n circles whieh
effectins'ly hi eta ed their ocean border. And it 111
upon the r ople of the wor ad ninth that all the
terribls cohsequenees of war vreuld fall. The eaat
wood he fr oid fr m the compe ition of foreign
markets with regard to the Salo of its prodrotions and
manufacture, and the p..rchase of the productions of
the west arid ural preclude would sink
in price became of the want 4 the foreign dem Ind to
absorb the nurplus. snot:ethics, and manufactured
articles would rse to fichubrot ricas he:ause •.f the in.
anhquaci) of ti.• supply for the thunind, the deficiency,
even in the faLe of a ruinous tariff, being now supplied
ly imPortation from foreign countries. The people
are beginning to understand three facts, and we to
an a iniinistration v to any party which reticles ly
and eorroptiv, raga's-lien; to n Atienal inter, at, would
entail upt u the ceunCry ail tie cans of an unnac,s-aty
war ii ord.rt, ac th, ohjccts of individual
amb•tion o: of pattisan purposa.

TIM ROYAL MAIM 90Y. Conbiderable pro-
Free. ta. ltttely been made in the preparation, for the
apt r tachiog marri .se ttt the Bonet-ea Louis. aud thu
Mart!u's 0: Lome. The Alban Mm. rial Chapel, e"
tht, easels erd of St. George's Citapel, its lentil pre
par.! for the ceremony by the employ, of the Board
of Works The stone pavement will be covered by
'startled fl ,orittz ; aid, with a view to bffordicg ens.
&lett witieunciodation for t't e di, inguistied p rams
who may be expect al ti attend the martiage, the
exact amount of &vomit', tdatiun in the chapel has been
excertaitted by the Coutt utlicials. The marriage, it is
expected, will take place early in March.

MIDLAND 111DMITRIF.6 AM) 'Mg WAR. —The
effr--cts of the war up-in the manufacturing industries
of Birmingham and the ailjacr-ut districis have ben
m ire in irked &nog the la.i few weeks than at any
previous period sine, hostilich s commenced. in
Birmingham the demand for urilitery gnaw and Ammu-
nition is prodigious. Tie Small Alms Fest Tv at
Smalhhestti, the 'arrest ed ita kind in the midland
metropolis, which in the rally port of the yetc w3l
only employing a small portion of Ito machinery, has
now its enormous producing power taxed to the utter.
moat, and the other grin factories in Birmingham are
no pressed with military orders that the local mer-
chants are actually sending to Belgium for a kupply of
"bitiiMg" nod other descriptions of sporting tire-seine.
Another extrusive factory for this production of
ntilitary goon similar to the one at Small-Leath is
being propoted by one or two leading kcal manm
fwespers. Orders for cartridges Low -Mite to p in
non the ',twine:vs, I.ut the auyely has ben
eiferahly
.v
We have
to believeil
t series
that
.71 . la
31111 i t
.
proportion of the orders fir il7eamis and ammunition
now in progrees is on account of the Home Goveniment;
hot the Board of Trade returas recently issuei AhoW
that then xport of small arms during November was
threefold greater than that of the corresponding period
of 1869.

Tam Ateuems Quzarfoz.—The great question
for us pow to ilecide is, do we waist to on to war on
this qui ation or nit? (rarnazks the Ntw York nines.)
Two years ago it was pointed out in three columns, by
a pen which we may be allow.' to any commauded
universal respect, that thin was the real issue on which
we ought to make up our minds. Are we inclited to
settle the disuute peaceably, or are w, reaolved that it
shall never be settled until there has been a' figh• ?"
A perfectly frank answer to the queation would
mathrially contribute to the settlement of the dispute.
We must admit that there is at ire.eut a real eanger
of our drifting into war. The next Spring will in all
prohahility see Great Briton plunged in a tremendous
stru,gle with RU.SiA. Such a war svould almost inevite
ably draw usin, were the Alabaster claims unsettled. And
what greater calamity could there ne to civilization aucl
Ctorietian progress than such a struggle between the
two leading Christiao Powers? The ativauce of morality
and true religion would be indefinitely thrown back;
the spread of flee institutions would be checked;
panperiam and suffering w. uld de,late the manufac.
Wring die ricks cf Etiglvdd ; English and AUleliedll
commerce world perish, and blood be rourA out on
every se fa, while Canada would he trampled and
desolated as France is now. That such horrers are
possible when arbitraticn might sells our disputes is a
tct repugnant to right feeling, and disheartening to
all who have any hope tht the future of the world's
history will be brighter than the past.
PurtT 131110fiE PARTS.—It iv a wonder that the
pious King of Prn,eria has not long ago allowed Paris
to be rewicthelled. S Christian a Sovereign, one
imagines, Wi ud naturally think that giving tin enemies
food and drink would be a method of heaping coals of
fire on their leadz more effectual than that of a bom-
bardment. —Punch.

THE MYSTERY OF inc SEA.—The fishing smsck
Vito, if Grinaby, S. Ci uainff, maater, arrivid in port
horn the Dogger Bank on Seta day uigtt. Tee
ureter repoiti that on the previ. us Wednesday, when
about 200 mile from Spurn, he sighted to the leeward
what at tint appeared t 3 be a small schooner in rids-
trees, but on bearing down to her found her to be a
f .fisized lif -boat, upwards of twenty feet beg, and.
frill if eater up to the crake. There was no name one
the boat, which had evidently belonged to some large
ship or steam, r. It was pWat dan it- both inside arid
oat, wits a brown streak round the rim. When edema
side, on closer exsminetian, three dead wailers were
perceived lyiug aft, huddled tagether, and a fiuith
athwatt in the bow, vat', his head hanging over the
rollocke. They seemed from their dress and general
appearance to be foreieners, shut the bodies had been
frightfully "washed about" bni were in a et .to ef
decompoeition, and had evidet tly been dead some
weeks. The water-logged waif defied on with tea
ghastly cargo and toe horrible ei.lt so shocked the,
crew f the Veto that aft, rwards they were almost too
unnerved to attend to their trawling, and the smack,
in cousiainence, returned to port 'Aida a comparatively
small catah, and sooner than expected.
Tets EvieRGRXES TRADE.— The evergreen trade
of New York has grown to enormous propottiama At
Christmas, 1869, there were in the markat about
113 000 trees and nearly 200,000 yards of evergreen
wreathing ; and there has been a meet remarkable in-
crease this Ccrietmaa The large trees, above lOft.,
are for churches and public inattntlona ; at, "rope'
er lie at tour to six cents per yard. There are alto
large muaae.r f stars, crones, and other devices It it
wed that Trinity parish expetda this Chriremas about
803 del". for the evergreens for its .alf-d'zen churches
and chapels, and that St. Tboruaa's Church, iu Filth
Avenue, expends nearly 500 d.ds.„ rood would probably
hove 'he most gorgeous display. St. George's expeneii
400 dl'. Tne evergreen endaelliehmeres are b«ing
rapidly adopted by other than Episcopal churches.
The scenes in the vicinity of ;be evergreen head-
oneaterei near Washington-market, two dais before
Christmas. were very remarkable. In places the
strata were piled with solid masses of trees, vines, and
bueLes, which looked like little ranges of hills. Ti's
side -walks were walled in by tall cypress and rear
clumps, which effectually exclnded tbe sutbaht, and
compelled the storekeepers to use gas. The tree.
sellers pay rent—sometimes 100 dole, for small space
r tan days— to these etorekeepors The profit of thiS
trade is meetly reaped ba the Hudson mountaineers,.
who cu their stock from wild valueless groard, freight
it by water routes at very low twee, and sell it fleas
the wharf of lauding. The evergreen "rope" is rraio
in the m iuntain districts by girls.
A HINT co An JENTL.RELS.—JerenIiah BP:iley,
a Mi 'marl matt, suffered the extri me penaltae of tile
law on the 13th ult., "at the old tow% of New
Madrid," in Eaatera Missouri. At the mate of 13 he
was adept enough to stab a man, awl at the age of 22
he was Lung la. etabbing aid killing aneit'aer. A local
paper naively remarks that it is no new Veing for amen
to be kill, d in that part of the Sate, and that it did
rot appear that public eeatiment war' much outraged.
It appears, however, that a convictiou is a very rare
thing, and Jeremiah Bailey felt it his duty to do his
part in preventing the ti o frtgaent recurrence of such
a mie,ortuce. On the scaffold he made a short speech
to the spectators, whom he catirteoualy addressed as
'Lan- sand Gentlemen," and to whom he said, "Mr.
Thatcher was *mployed, to defend me, and he attended
to my case fad-daily ; and now that I am about my
lan', I would advise all that have any similar cases so
take a Christian and dyitic men's advice to employ an
honeet man, which you will flail in the person of the
above. I put all confidence in him, and hope you will
take my advice."

C(JIIMUN 'CATION WITH PARTS.—The folloVar,
notice hoe been issued from the General Poet °lite,
1.-odlon, dated Jaktuary
In coor.equenee of a paragraph whPch recently appeared
In the newsp.pt re, relative to a secrtd means of communi-
cating with Parts, Inqu,ry has bseo made of the French Post
Office ty the Pottmatter-General whether I h's mode of com-
munication was available for letters potted in the United
Kingdom, and a reply has been received stating that at pre-
sent, the arrant:ft:mai is entirely exporimentat end is col -
fined to letters originating ii France. 11 any persons In tido
country desire to stall themselypi of It, they must het"l
thcr letters to kit agent In Freime, who will then post teas
letters according to the regulatlom published by the *Quiff
Pott Office."

eeow:
yng
,rryj :al ror
:1; !awe u abayc the iv
c—t
S. —Leu te
t. Mar.,”aret, New Flab-street, anclSfle
Crooked-lens, in conformity with due wpi of Mr,
chinaes, 4me er,
Henry Cloker, a late m tub to er of er; rot ,Tat caiai any.
one f which being th,e
reih4
The will is dated 1373. and contrair a wale biLguial
wardoun, and Caret of aasistar the n
eevoemr.panctieelpiarlolpactrttynciol::ne, • ~,,,:cees.raf
he
proceeds of which are ulna/
~,,r'oa'fraet.w,t;gat the eerrymen
Pre"ee'd on New Year'!'"47 in the afternoon, for
ell ttes, the
and the officers of the coor
any, and f,r purpoFes.
One of the ino-t ing .
tomes in the Mlle, that in
the event of the f gto ow,
out the varioup, ser '
qumta without Arming pufficient
reason, the pr,oir
Company. th.etYcoelincellui sibeent'oeffelL drerttre
to the •• Company read, tLe wii;, after which
the curitow ot e,
the
76.
y antiquated proceedinga terminate.
.N 1--The resolute Wits who, sticling at
1,4, desired to be alhoted to s.udy Surgery,
atomy, &c., inonr pulic liosf ita's metalling with
iumph of Giorgione's picture in the Hirai Academy
Exhibition of the Wofks of the Old Maitre—' • A
Lady Profemor of Bologna '—end anticipating that
glorious time when some one of the clever Scotch
portrait painters will exhibit "A Lady Professor of
Edinburgh.— Pt. NCII.
TIMMS fw hunt. In a recent issue we
(Madras Athetueum) noticei the alarniin; amount
mortality occurring yearly from the tit.s f snakes.
We have now to record a similar fait, though happily
in point of numbers not nearly so great, n.melv. that
311 'Anions 1. Fr,. their lives in the M./"ltie
in the )ear 1869, by wild beratr, or rather, we mhlut
say, by tin-re, for these are the anitrals which, as,na
or nf !eh,
upmr rilpoi
.macaniti.cAeds
be; iadae
singleo f ht..;
gfeera riftu
samaoat
(ti
that, in the D strict of Coimbatore a fenosk :Awn
eater," daring her career of several )ears, has car: ied
if no less than one hunch, d and fo.ty loop a Tee
dberuatteh whyaepOnisc:nti:;gdoesajtfraecttttr'ellYbal;;(ll'o7
who went in Fearch of her, succeed: d in di=covering
man, until very recently, when one a
her and in lodging a bullet in her heart, and thus awed
Iplinie,t7l,l%urrt
yrte:,
the career of till, ferocious brute, who) ad been a twee
to the neighbourhood in which she herboured for a
I umber of years.

immilli