The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-05-07 00:00:00

Plisttliancous nttiligtnte,

Homr„ FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

A Romitx lirtivog.—The excavations that are
being to:tile in Rath for the construction of the new
Pump R eim Hotel have broneiht to light some very
uteri-sting Roman reenaine. The moot valuable rei4ults
are the d-termination of the south and west limits of
the great teim.l-, and the di.covery of some ornamei tal
stonework so eimilar in cletals to that a h appears
upon the temple of Jupiter S'ator at Rome as to sug-
gest the probable date of the Bath temple. The plan
of the forum and the course of its surrounding ways
may now be traced with sufficient accuracy to enable
the antiquary to construct a tolerably perfect plan of
Aquae Solis, at the time when it was the grand water-
ing-place of Boman Britain. A great many fragments
of flat eheets of Roman glass have been found, which
bear all the appearance of having been rolled or cast.
It seems impossible to doubt, with this evidence before
us, that the Romans employed glees for the purpose of
Ighting their halloos as well as in the construction of
drinking vessels. The Roman glass has a peculiar blue
tint, and is semi-opaque.
DeSTe OF • " '4S" Marc —On the 17th of
April • person called Duffy, a teacher of languages,
and formerly one of the leaders of the "Young Ire-
land 'party. died at Prague, where he had lived for
upwards of 20 years. A fortnight before his death he
was conveyed to an hospital, but as he did not seem
to be getting better, and feeling his end approaching,
he one day called for a cab and drove to the house of
a lawyer, where, at his request, one of the clerks took
a seat in the vehicle beside him, and drew up his last
will and testament. One hoer after his return to the
hospital the testator died. Though generally believed
to be very poor—a supposition which the wretched
furniture of his mean divelbng seemed to confirm—he
left at his decease 2,000 forms to the doctor who at-
tended him, 2,000 florins to the lawyer's clerk who
made his will, and whom he appointed has executor,
and 20,000 florins to a sister still living in Ireland. The
entire property was in Austrian Government Bonds.
On examining his dwelling after his death a number
of interesting letters were found in • mattress filled
with rotten straw that had served him as a bed, and
which was suspended, hammock-fashion, by means of
cords from rings fastened in the ceiling. Most of these
letters were from Smith O'Brien and the other
"Young Ireland" chiefs, but a few bore the signatures
of Mazzini and Garibaldi. One communication con-
tained the particulars of Smith O'Brien's arrest in 1848.
Duffy appears to have been sixty-three years of age at
the time of his death.
SHOCKING FATAL ACCIDENT TO A CHILD.—
On Monday a fatal accident occurred at Derby to an
interesting little child named Samuel Fryer, aged
three years. The unfortunate deceased was son of Mr.
Fryer an extensive builder and contractor, and on
Monday a man was engaged in rolling the lawn attached
to Mr. Fryer's residence with a large horse roller. The
little fellow was playing on the lawn, and amusing him-
self by running after the man who was leading the ,
horse. The child ran to the back of the roller, and
tried to touch it, when, by some means or other, he
was drawn round it. The child shrieked out loudly,
but before the man had time to stop the horse, the
roller had passed over the body of the deceased, mang-
ling it to a frightful extent, death resulting in-
stantaneously.
THE " ALABAMA" CLAIMS.—A. special telegram
from Philadelphia states that in the House of Repre-
sentatives on Monday Mr. Calkins (Republican), of
New York, brought forward a resolution declaring it
to be the sentiment of the American people that Imme-
diate reparation should be made by Great Britain
for the destruction of vessels belonging to ciCzens of
the United States by the piratical steamer Alabama
• and other steamers of • like character, requesting the
President to press the Alabama claims to an imme-
' diets eettlement, that the citizens may be promptly
remunerated for their losses, and the nation's honour
' maintained. The previous question was moved hut
, the House refused to eecond it by 40 to 75 votes. On
, the motion of General Banks, the resolution was re-
famed to the Committee on k oreign Affairs.

RATHER SHARP PRACTICE !—M. CeTTIUSChi, the
Italian banker who has been expelled from French
territory for subecribing 100,000 i. to the Anti•Pl4bie-
citary Fond, had lived in France for twenty years.
The S4cle say s that he has written in French one of the
most remarkable works on political economy published
of late years, and although a foreigner had worthily
al iptired the rights of citizmship by his long residence
in the country and his honourable labours. A protest
against his expulsion, which has been Wined by the
Committee of the Left, declares that the Government
is so accustomed to consider itself the nation that it
forgets foreigners are not its guests but those of France.
Mr. Cernuschi, it adds, did not violale the laws if the
country which had given him an asylum ; by assisting
it to recover its liberty he nobly recognised its hos-
pitality. This protest is signed by all the leading
members of the Oppoiition.
WALLS OF CONSTANTINOPLE.—A short time
back the attention of the Council of the Societyof Anti.
queries of London was called to the fact that the
walls of Constantinople were threstxned with destruc-
tion at the hands of the Turkish Government. A
memorial on the subject was at once drawn up by the
Council and communicated by Lord Stanhope, presi-
dent of the society. to Her Majesty's Foreign Secre-
tary, the Earl of Clarendon. It is mit,ter for sincere
congratulatim to find that the memorial has produced
the desired effect. In Lord Stanhope's annual sddress,
delivered on the 26i1l ult, before the Society of Anti.
queries, • letter was read from Mr. Hanamoi d staiing
on behalf of Lord Clsiendon, that the Tu-kisti
mernment had no intention of destroying the walls.
We trust, however, that both the society and the
Foreign Office will keep their eyes open in case the
Turkish Government should resume the work of
demolition.

GREAT FIRE IN HULL.—On Tuesday evening
a serious fire broke out in a saw mill adjoining the
Victoria Dock, Hull. For • considerable dis,ance
round the dock the ground is used as timber yards,
and the flames having set light to some of the stacks
of deals, presented a huge sheet of Home the country
for miles round being illumined. As this half-burnt
stacks fell the flames shot up with great power, ren-
dering the scene one of intense grandeur. Part of the
shipping-in dock ignited, but, fortunately, the damage
done to the vessels was not very extensive. For fear
of the fire extending it was deemed advisable to haul
the remainder of the shipping out of the dock, and
300 or 400 men were set to work to demolish the re-
maining stacks of timber and throw the planks into
the dock. During the confusion consequent on the
calamity, a youth was so seriously injured that he ex-
pired before he could receive medical advice. The
marines from H.M.S. Wyvern, who were called out
te assist in quelling the names, did good service, their
organisation and hearty glal proving of great ad-
vantage.
- - - -

A PROPER OBJECT OF MERCY !—The Belgian,
Lathaumers, who was recently convicted and sentenced
to death for the murder of Madame Lombard, in
whose service he was, and the attempted murder of a
fellow-servant, has received a remission of the capital
sentence, and was brought before the Criminal Court
that the commutation to forced laborr for life might
be formally announced to him. When the decree
sparing his life was read he evinced no emotion, but,
on the contrary, told the officers who guarded him that
hebad only one cause for regret, and that was that he had
failed to kill his fellow-servant, the cook, who was very
severely wounded by him.
THE RIGHT WAY OF TAKING IT.—TO liquor
up is the usual expression, but to liquor down would
seem to be the more correct one.—Punch.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE COTTON TRADE.—The
quarterly meeting of the Manchester Chamber of
Commerce was held on Monday. Mr. Bennett, the
president, in opening the proceedings, said he had con-
gratulated the Chamber three months ago on the im-
provement of trade, and he was glad to say the improve-
ment continued. There had been and was an enormous
import of cotton and an enormous consumption, with-
out much depreciation in price, The increased supply
of cotton from America was 40 per cent. but by the
falling off from Egypt. India, and Brazil, the total
increase was only I.:t p, cent. The trade in cotton
manufac•uree hod so for pretty well taken off the
supply, and he found by the official returns that the
exports of the last three months had been of the value
of £45,000,000 against £42 000,1-00 inthe corresponding
months of 1869 and £41,010,000 in 1868. The Presi-
dent was glad to find that manufacturers were making
some profit now, but regretted that there was a move-
ment so early in the revrvial of trade for an increase of
wages. There was no busineas of interest before the
meeting.
•

ConFoRTING rug R AMWAY TRAVELLERS !
How to alleviate most promptly the miseries and
soff -rings consequent upon railway accidents is a ques-
tion that bite long preoc miffed the spirits" of scien-
tific men and (lovernmert officials across the Cuannel.
Medicine chests—aptly called bit 'es de secoars "—are
kept in railway stations, and carried in luggage-vans on
most of the French lines ; and it is now proposed to
establish in the moires of all the rural communes
throughout the Empire ingeniously constructed re-
positories, containing medicaments of all sorts, and
bandages, splints, &a ,so that wounds or fractures may
be dish with readily and gratuitously in cases of
emergency.
FELosT Mt.—Mr. C. Forster's Felony Bill
has been amended by a Select Committee. Originally
the enacting part c insisting of only three lines, pro-
viding that hereafter no conviction of felony shall Canoe
a forfeiture of the lands and goods of the per sons coo.
victed. In our complicsted system of law very little
Is done in three lines. The fill now consists of 31
advert, and fills ten folio pages. Among the additions
are clauses providing that the Court may award to the
person aggrieved a tum not exceeding £lOO by way 14
compensation for lose of property through felony, the
sum to be deemed a j udgment debt, due from the convi
and the Court may condemn the felon to pay the costs
of the prosecution. During the imprisonment under the
sentence the convict is to be incapable of alienating
or charging his property, or maintaining any suit;
and the Crown may appoint an administrator. The
administrator may make compensation (each sum as to
him shall seem meet) mt, of the property to any person
alleged to have been ir jived by any alleged criminal or
fraudulent act of the convict, the claims to be investi-
gated in such manner as the administrator shall think
fit, and his decision therm to be binding. He may also
make allowances for the support of the family of the
convict. If no administrator is appointed, Justices
may appoint an interim curator of the property, with
a view to the benefit of the convict or his family, or to
the due and proper administration and management of
his property and aff airs.
DEATH OF PRINCE DKMIDoFF.—Prince Anatole
de Demidoff has just died in Paris, in his 60th year,
after a short illness from inflammation of the lungs
brought on by a cold. The Demidoffs were originally
of humble origin, the grandfather of the deceased
having been a smith at Tonle.. A goblet of iron re-
pousse, of remarkable execution, made by him, is still
shown in that town. The Czar remarked his talent,
and made him director of the iron works of Nigin-
Tagnil in Siberia. From that dates the commencement
of the family 'e fortune. The title of Prince VIM
obtained from the Pope. Prince Anatole married in
1841 the Princess Mathilde, daughter of Prince Jerome
I Bonaparte, and cousin of the present Fruperor of

France. The union was not, however, happy, and la
separation for incompatibility of temper Nees a t, w
years afterwards prononnced. A stipubrion in tato
marriage c,ltract, to the ittect that any eta Inn urn
should he brought op as Roman Catholic% and Lot
n the Greek Chur, h, had excited the anger of the

Emperor Nicholaii, and, so the Prince continued to
re4ide abroad without permiaaion, a ukaas was one day
issued to confiscate al his property in Ru.oia. The
. . .

Prince had, however, guarded *against that measure
by selling his states to his brother Paul for a yearly pen.
s ion of 1,500.0001. He had only retained hi•b•ear. S
Donato, with its artistic contents, which have ow list
been sold by suction. As the Prince dits intee ate,
his nephew, by whom the annual inrsorne had for &owe
years past been paid, succeeds to his property.

GOSSIP ABOUT MR. BRIGHT, M.P.—The Trolly
R.egister says :
There is good reason to believe that Mr. Bright will yet
again take any active part in the present Ado.iiiistrati•m.
Two mouths ago the right he. gentleman wrote to Mr.
Gladstone tendering his resignation of office, but was d
at the earnest request of the Premier to remain, so to epeak,
a sleeping partner of the firm for some time longer, knowing
that if he now separated himself from his collsaeues, the re.
sult would be a great falling off in the support given to the
Ministers by a large section of the Liberal party. Bat (hie
otlitial Inactivity cannot last much longer, and it is no hipster'
a secret that Mr. Bright will ere very long tender his resicia-
-11011 as President of the Board of Trade. It is true that :li-
health has siimething to do with the right hon. gentleman's
leaving the Ministry, bet ills not the only season. Mn ones
not approve of the irish Land Bill, nor 01 the Eii im Won hill,
and, least of all, of the lrieii Comelen Bill. In all probability
Mr lirghtk resignation will be officially annotioced Leine
the Whitsuntide holidays.
•• ^ •

A LOCAL Ass CiATION.—ThP common belief is
that the modern practice of cmiking b zee-ft esh for the
table was first introduced in France ; but it seems far
more probable that it originated in this conntry, at a
place called Stewpony.—Purreh.
RINGING THE CEIANGES.—At the Mansion
House, in London, James Harvey, 24 year. of age, de-
scribing himself as a gentleman, and who first refescd
his adilres", was charged, on remand, before the Lord
Mayor, with a robbery. About a month ago the psi.
Boner, who is a respectably-dressed man, entered the
shop of Messrs. Bewley, tobacconists, at 145, Cheep-
side, and purchased some cigarettes, which came to 51.
The assistant, Mr. Eikin, demurred to changing a
sovereign, which bad been tendered by the premier,
hut eventually handed him ahalf.sovereign, and 'Jr. 7d.
The prisoner then said he did not wish to inc tnvenieeee
the assistant by taking from him co much of his silver,
and proposed to return him the 9.3. 7d. with another
, 51.. if he could epare his a half-sovereign instead. The
I half -sovereign was at once given to the prisoner, who.
without returning the silver, asked that the original
sovereign might be handed back to him, he teen
placing on the counter one of the half-sovereigns and
the silver. Mr. Elkin returned him the sovereign, end
being put off his guard by the adroitness of the tran-
saction allowed the praoner to leave the shop. Al,out
a week ago he happened to be in another shop of
Messrs. Bewley, in the Strand, when the prisimer pre-
sented himself there. He immediately recognized himn
and caused him to be detained, upon which the pri-
soner alleged that his object in coming there had been
to return the half-sovereign that he had taken away in
mistake. He was given into custody, and on the way
to the station managed to escape from the policeomn,
but was recaptured. At the police station he sold Ie
had no intention of doing anything dishonest. II
first refused his addrese, but at length gave one so
Islington, where he had only been known a few weeks,
and where his conduct had been irregular aiol
suepicious. The defence was that the prisoner lind
taken the half-sovereign from the shire, unci neelously,
that he really ietendeo to return it, and that beim; re-
spectably connected, he had no occa-dm to obtain
money by such • device. The Lord Mayor said the
prisoner had evidently entered the shop for an un-
lawful purpose, and he sentenced him to elle month's
hard labour.

A RAILWAY Mt2IRDER.—A young man named
Guillaume Bayon has just been tried by the Cows
d'Assizea at Valence for the murder of M. Lubaueki,
a merchant at Marseilles. The accused and the de-
reseed were the sole occupants of a coy* in a rail cay
carriage which formed part of a railway train bovine
Marseilles on the 16th of March. On the arrival of
the train at Vienne, the am* WllOl found to lie un-
occupied, but there were evident signs of a f.stful
struggle, the cushions and drapery of the carriage bring
soaked with blood. Search was made, and the body of
M. Lubaneki was found on the line quite dead, and
bearing no lest; than 34 wounds inflicted with a darger
or knife. The accused was Pl,Oll afterwards captmed,
and upon being examined admitted that be had killed
M. Loubanski and thrown him from the carriage, from
which he himself subsequently leaped when the speed
was relaxed on entering the station. Be, however,
declared, and this defence was adhered to at the trial,
that a quarrel had suddenly sprung up respecting the
use of &cushion, and that being struck he had returned
the blow, which led to a fierce and, as it proved, a
fatal struggle. Although a valise which M. Lubanski
bad with him had been opened and the contents re-
moved, the accused denied that he had robbed the de-
' ceased, but evidence was adduced to prove his previous
I bad character, and that he had but recently been die.
charged from prilon in Corsica. The joy returned a
verdict of guilty witbout extenuating circumstances,
and the sentence of death was pronoutaed by the
Court.

A CENTENARIAIT.—A veritable centenarian has
just died in the Wand of Arran. Ebenez-r Bathe, as
to was named, was born in the pariek of Dalrymple,
Ayrshire, in the year 1767, and was a schoolfellow of
the poet Burnt,. o horn he remembered well, and of
whom be had Insley interesting stories te narrate. Ha
left Ayrehire for Arran when in his 20 h veer, an
though all the then inhalittante ef the Wand were
ignorant of Englieti, and he opt dlv ignorant, of Gaelic,
he managed to woo and win one of the fair nativee, by
whom he I ad a large fainily, cf whom one igirvives at
the mature age of 81. In ha 70th yeast. Baillie married
a second time, and by this marriage bad one daughter.
He was a weaver by trade, but hod a knack of turtitg
his band to m professions, and f,va country doctors
were more plulful in set, ing fractured bones or bleeding
a la Dr. Sangado. For a year or two back he has
been belridden, but to the last he retained full p see
cession of his mental faculties, and passed away quite
conscious of the presence of his friends. He had for
long been one of the curiosities of the island, and by
the aid of the parochial Board and the donations of
, charitable persons he was enabled to end his days in a
comparatively comfortable manner. His second wife,
who was much his junior, nursed him carefully and
faithfully to the end.

A NATURAL RiSFLECTION.—A policeman the
other night was overheard remarking, that before he
went to bed he thought of a good supper as hot arca
penstsc.—Punch.
SeTTLED ESTATEL—A bill is before the House
of Commons, introduced by Mr. Stapleton, for em-
powering the owners of settled estates to charge them
with the expense of building suitable mansions as resi-
dences for themselves. Such mansions are to be
deemed " improvements " within the meaning of the
Land Improvement Act of 1864. The sum charged
upon an estate under settlement, in respect of a man-
sion-house by any one landowner is not to exceed
three years' rental, after deducting public charges and
interest of debts affecting the inheritance, and tf the
house, though suitable to the estate, would not effect
an increased the yearly value exceeding the yearly
amount proposed to be charged upon the estate, the
charge, (if allowed) is not to take priority of mortgages
or other charges.
LADY FRANKLIN.—Among the passengers by
the Limena are Lady Franklin and niece, en route to
California (says the Panama Star.) Her ladyship
Isoks very well, and not at all the worse for her travels.
The late discoveries made by Captain Hall in the
Arctic regions leads her, we believe, to seek an inter-
view with him. The Weekly Standard of 871,11,11
, Ayres of February 16, announce,' her arrival On
I coast as follows :—" Lady Franklin, who arrived at
Monte Video from England in the Patagonia, is on her
way to Califonaia, from whence, it is said, she in-
, tend, to despatch further expl ring parties to the
I north, in the hope of encountering or obtaining a trace
of the remains of her late husband, the world-renowned
Arctic explorer." We are glad to be able to notice her
progress so far in good health.
Tlik CsllBlll3 oF 'Kt.—The total amouct re-
oMred for taking the census of England and Wales in
1871 is saeiniated at £120000; for the census of St.
land, £30,000 ; for the census of Ireland, £32,000. Only
a small part of these sums will have to be voted this
Session and the demand for the rest will be
spread over probably three or four leant. The last
census rendered an account of the population on the
7th of April, 1861. The 7th of April, 1871, will be
Good Friday. That is a time of year when there is a
temporary movement of population, which might
render the exact date inappropriate. The census of
1851 showed the population on the 30th of March
and the census of 1841 the population on the 7th of
Jun,

NLICADAMIIIRD RIADS.—On the authority of
Mr. C. B. Vignolles, president of the, Inetitutiou of
Civil Eogineere, we have 160,000 miles of meta'led
roads in the United Kingdom ; while France, with
nearly double the area, and nearly one-fourth morn
population, has only 100,060 milts of such roads.
However, the French engineers have not only copied
our Macadam principle of repairing, but they now
manage their roads far better than we do. They ketp
the best of their roscls clear from mud in winter arid
from dust in summer; and, where road inateride are
scarce and dear, they find &great economy in bestowing
ouch attention. We boast of being a mechanical
people, but our mode of forcing good horses and light
carriages to grind down broken stone is a disgrace to
the nation.—Chamber of Agriculture Journal.
GAMS LAWS AND GROUND GAllit,—A Norfolk
correaprindem., cal lin :c himself an "Old Rabbit Killer."
throws out the following hina on the vexed game
question
This much-vexed question, which seems to puzzle the minds
Of many surely cannot have been by them impartially weighed.
It appears to me a very just and simple Act might be passed
by Parbarn.t to protect the farmers' property from it Jury
by hares nod rabhits in the same manner as Ms property IS
protected from depredations by straying cattle. I am at a
loss to understand the difference between his neighbour's
cattle consuming his property and the landlords ground
game, all being saleable articles. True, there is this
difference—cattle must be 1,-pt at the expense of the Oauer
ground game DOI so. Let asiniple short act be passed compel-
ling the landlord at all times to pay the damage done by grand
game. Perhaps you will say it was not the landlord's hares
and rabbits that were doing the mischief, but the owner of
an adjoining property. Then I should say let the tenant
give his landlord notice of the mischief going on, .d claim
a right to kill them. If he refuses, hole equdly guilty with
the person that allows the depredation to be committed, and
ought justly to pay the damage.
THE TRAMWAIS COMM ITTEE.—The Tramways
Committe have reported their resolutions to the Home,
and also the Bill with various amendments. These
resolutions are to the effect that the Government Bill
in to extend to Scotland; that provisional orders for
/the construction of tramways are to be granted by the
Board of Trade and confirmed by Parliament ; that the
coneent of two-thirds of the municipal corporation or
other local authorities is to be reqiiired ; that the Board
of Trade may institute a local inquiry, that the Board
of Trade may proceed to grant a provisional order, not-
withstanding the obji-ction of the local authority ;that
the maximum tolls are to be fixed in the provisional
order. There are various other resolutions am to the
locus stanch: of certain parties, and am to the maximum
tolls.