The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-01-11 00:00:00

THE SWEDISH ARCTIC EXREDITION.—A telegram
from the Swedish consul at San Francisco to Copen-
hlgen leads to the belief that the expedition of Pro-
fessor Nordenskjold to the Arctic regions has been
successful. Some whalers recently arrived at the
Pacific seaport from Behring's Straits say that they
saw to the north of East Cape a steamer blocked in
the ice, which had all the appearance of having re-
solved to winter there. It may not have been forgotten
that the latest news of the celebrated explorer was
dated from the mouth of the Lena, where he had
arrived after having doubled Cape Tchelouskine. No
other obstacle than the lateness of the season seems to
have prevented him from arriving at the entrance of
Behring's Straits, where the ice accumulates early in
toe winter, a fact which would prevent the Swedish
expedition passing through them before spring.—
. .

Galignani. -
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The follow
ing are the average prices of British corn for the week
ending January 4, as received from the inspectors and
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 39. 7d. ; barley, 38s. 10d. ;
oats, 20s. 31. per imperial qr. Corresponding week
last year :—Wheat, 51s. Bd.; barley, 435. ; oats,
245. 53.

MUSIC IN ELEMENTARY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.—The
first step necessary to reform the present system of
" singing " by ear and substitute for it instruction in
"music" is the suppiy of competent teachers.
Lancashire is the first county to start this reform and
has just held a competition for free scholarships at
Owens College, Manchester, when ten Scholarships
were awarded to teachers in elementary schools, which
will enable them to obtain musical instruction with
examinations and prizes.
BABY SHOW AT BRIGHTO.N.—A novel distribution
was made at the Hippodrome, on Saturday, after the
performances, when prizes, consisting of a bassinet,
a box-wheel, perambulator, a silver knife, fork, and
spoon in case, half-a-sovereign, &c., were distributed
for the prettiest, fattest, finest, and smallest babies'
equal awards being given to the handsomest, tallest,
shortest and oldest mother. The competing babies
were under one year, and ranged in sections, about 90
being exhibited. Competent judges made the awards,
and in each instance the selections gave great satisfac-

tion to a ckowded audience. _ _
PROTECTION TO GERMAN INDUSTRY.—Prince Bis-
marck, in reply to a request on the part of the
German leather industry for the creation of a com-
mittee to inquire into the causes of its present distress,
has written a letter in which he says
:
"1 share your view that German industry has the first
and most natural claim in the German market, and that it

requires protection from the competition of tho'se countries
which, owing to more favourable circumstances, can outbid
and eventually drive out our own productions. lam there-
fore ready, as far as my personal influence can avail, to sup-
port your wishes. Meanwhile, the Commission for the
Revision of the Customs Tariff will be in a position to take
the questions raised by you into full consideration."
To BE PONDERED OVER.—The Week remarks :
" Clergymen complain more and more of the tendency
of the male portion of their flocks to absent chemselves
from church. This they attribute to want of

"spiritual mindedness," Whereas—painful as it is to
say so—it is largely owing to their own want of sin-
cerity or their incapacity. Men like Dean Stanley
in the church, or Mr. Spurgeon out of it, have never
lacked hearers. But men who cannot express what
they have to say so that another person can under-
stand it, who insult their hearers by repeating empty
platitudes and foolish commonplaces, who cannot even •
read a chapter out of the Bible distinctly, who make
mummeries of the prayers, who treat religion as a play-
thing, and whose first and last thought is to trick
themselves out in fine clothes so as to impress the
'silly women '—what right have such persons to ex-
pect rational men to place themselves under their
tuition? If religion suffers, is it not in two many cases
through the direct or indirect acts of miniaters of
religion? Men will not go to church-to listen to ser-
mons which are beneath the level of schoolboys'
exercises especially w the prayers are rendered un-
intelligible inea
by reason of elaborate accompaniments
and loud-mouthed choirs. This being the time of year
for sermons we should be glad if some of the preachers
would ponder over the foregoing short discourse."
UNSEEMLY INTERUTPTIONS.—Readers of Mayfair
will probably recollect the incident which eccurred a
few years ago when a eat disturbed the serenity of the
House of Commons by suddenly appearing in the hall, •
jumping over the benches and running through the
House. The Belgian Clamber of Deputies wan re-
cently the scene of a similar event. During the sit-
ting a dog, undaunted by the zules of the House, ran
into the hall, and secreted itself under the seats.
While a speaker was addressing the Chamber the
members present were startled by the dog interrupting
him with an occasional howl. The four-legged inter-
loper was expelled from the sacred precincts of the
Chamber after some trouble. The inottinetn; ie.:pert
noted the fact by insertit.g. in the speech in brackets
at the place where the Leterruption occurred 1,:" bark-
ing upon several benches !"] I wonder whether the
Deputies considered this a breach of privilege."—
Mayfair.
THE SLAVE TRADE. —A bulky volume of corre-
spondence with British representatives and agents
abroad and reports from naval officers relating to the
slave trade has been issued. In a report to the
Admiralty from Vice-Admiral Sir R. Macdonald, re-
garding the slave trade in the Red Sea and its vicinity,
a statement is made that during the year 1876 no less
than 3,000 slaves were said to have been landed at
Hodeidah from the African coast. The prices fixed
for the sale of slaves at Hodeidah were—for young
women from 100 to 150 dols. ; Abyssinian young
women, eOO to 300 dole.; boys, from 50 to 100 dole.
each ; men are of lees value. Jeddah is reported to
be still a large market for slaves. Up to 1874 a slave
market existed in the middle of the Bazaar, but on the
representation of her Majesty's Consul this was closed.
The slave trade is, however, now carried on to as great
an extent as ever, but in a more private manner.
A SHERE POSSIBILITY. —I t has been said by the
alarmist papers that the Ameer of Cabul, having
fled from his country, is not in a position to make
peace with us. Precisely. But if Shere All can't,
sorely his "ill-starred and wretched son" Yakoob
Khan !—Fun.
THE POLAR BEAR ENJOYING HlMSELF.—Amongall
living animals, whether biped or quadruped, who
enjoyed themselves on Christmas Day, the Polar Bear
at the Zoological Gardens had the happiest time of it
(says the Court Journal). His pond was quite frozen
over, and the snow falling through the bars of his den
had accumulated to a considerable thickness. In the
midst of the snow lay the polar bear on his back ; ever?
now and then he rolled himself round in the snow as
though very grateful for such an unaccustomed luxury,
then turning on his side he would toss about and play'
with great lumps of ice, teaching us how little chance
a seal would have if once within the pane of this
powerful brute ; every now and then he would lift his
head, and with open nostrils sniff the air in all direc-
tions as if to catch the scent of anything good for his
Christmas dinner. These polar bears have a wonaerful
power of scenting from very long distances—a faculty'
very often useful to him but sometimes very fatal tO
him, for when the Arctic whalers are boiling down
seal or whale blubber, the polar bears scent the savoury
odour from afar, and will follow the line for immense
distances, an expedition resulting in their losing their
own jackets. The polar bear at this time of year wears
the warmest greatcoat it is possible to conceive; it is
snowproof, and it is waterproof. A wonderful pro-
vision has been given to him to prevent him from
slipping when traversing the icebergs or icefloes.
Between the interspaces of the pads of his feet projet
fringes of hair which give him a firm foothold on the
ice, on the principle that the old woman binds a piece of
list flannel round her feet when the streets, are
slippery.
INTERESTING DISCOVERY. —The foundations of a large
Galla-Roman edifice have just been discovered in the
Rue des Ecoles, close to the College de France, Paris.
Eight to ten ancient houses, the last remains a the
old Rue Judas, have just been pulled down; the ground
they occupied, much above the level of the new street,
was sold, and, in making excavations for a new build-
ing, interesting remains were disclosed. They probably
belonged to one of those country residences which
were so much in favour with the Parisians of distinc-
tion in the time of the Emperor Julian, which were
pillaged and bum ed by the barbarians, and of which
the Merovingians made quarries for building their ow*
residences. In former times the favourite quarter for
those structures was called the Hill of Lencotitins,
but later took the name of Montagne Sainte-Gene.
vieve. The remains just brought to light probably
date from the fourth1 century.
MEDICAL EQUIVA ENT% —Bon vivant—bad liver.—
Punch.
SINGULAR CAUSE'. AND CURE OF EAR-ACHE. —The
Tagblatt of Vienne sieves some details of the singular
cause of a persi,tent and violent ear-ache, and the not
less singular manner in which the sufferer from it has
just been cured (remarks the Evening Standard). The
patient, a Viennese peasant, it appears had suffered
for many weeks from excruciating pains in the ear and
head, which all the remedies he successively applied
failed to alleviate. Ultimately his case was broueht
under the notice of Dr. Kaatzer, who, upon examina-
tion, discovered that the man's ear was literally
plugged up with maggots hatched from the eggs of a
c .mmon bluebottle fly. It was conjectured that these
eggs had been deposited in the patient's ear whilst
asleep, but so firmly were they fixed in the orifice that
neither the syringe, pincers, or other applications sue-
ceeded in dislodging the invaders. As a last reined'?
the medical attendant proposed that his patientehould
set a trap for the enemy. Upon retiring to rest a
morsel of strong-smelling cheese was carefully placed
over the ear. He kept this on the whole night and
woke on the morrow entirely free from pain. The
maggots, of which it is stated, there were something
like four hundred, smelt the cheese, and, preferring
that comestible to the patient's ear, were successfully'
lured from their stronghold.
LANDLORDS AND TENANTS—Owing to the depres-
sion in agriculture, the Earl of Beaconsfield has paid
the school and church rates of the tenants on his
estate at Hughenden' Bucks, for three years the stun
being equivalent to 10 per cent, on the lilrlf-yeaee
rent. Sir Harry Verney, of Claydon-park. Wie,sloses
Buckinghamshire, has just returned to his tenants 10
per cent of their rents, owing to the recent bad
seasons. Similar abatements have been made by the
Duke of Newcastle, the EArl Of Albemarle, Earl
Manyers, Mr. F. J. S. Foljarabe, M.P., Mr. S. B.
Bristowe, M.P., Earl Cowper, and the Hon, E. R.
Cent —Wednesday's Times.
"THE PROUD (POLICE-)MAN'S CONTUMELY."—Con'
stable (to Old Wiggins, who has come down on a piece
of orange-peel and a slide), "There now, I 'opes
you're satisfied I—Serves you jolly well right !—II I
catches you a elidin' on the pavement again, I'll run
you in—Sharp! "—Punch.
AMERICAN METHOD OF WARMING TRAMWAY CARS.
—A method of warming tramway cars is being tried
in America which might be adopted with advantage in
this country. Under the seats on each side of the car
is a reservoir, about three feet long, by sixteen inches
in diameter, thickly clothed with a non-conducting
composition, and communicating with an iron pipe
which runs round the car. Before starting the
reservoirs are supplied with water to a depth of two
ineh.s, and then steam is forced in until a pressure of
about 4001 b. is attained. A system of valves in the
pipes keeps the pressure uniform throughout, and the
heat is stated to be sufficient to warm the car, during
the rouneftrip, about eight miles. The reservoir being
clothed, the seats over them are no warmer than those
mother parts of the car and the expellee is said to be
only isde penny per day.