The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-05-02 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

In the elections to the French Senate held on Sunday
at Bordeaux, Niort, and Pru, a Republican candidate
was elected at each place. The Duke Decazes and
General Bourbaki were defeated.

The Queen and Princess Beatrice were present on
Saturday at the confirmation of the Hereditary Grand
Duke of Hesse. Her Majesty also attended the
christening of the infant child. of Princess Louis of
Battenberg, and was one of the sponsors.
While a stone weighing about six cwt. was being
hoisted at Greenock new municipal buildings, by means
of a steam crane, the shears from which the stone was
slung gave way, and the stone fell on a man named
Francis Gallagher, killing him instantly. _
The Duke of Cambridge on Tuesday presented her
Majesty's commissions in the Royal tEngineers to the
successful students of the Military Academy, Woolwich,
under circumstances of a favourable character, and in
the presence of a large and distinguished gathering%
The reports of the examiners showed that. 51 cadets
had competed, and that all had passed. His Royal
Highness expressed the pleasure he felt at receiving
such excellent reports.
A fire broke out on Tuesday in the drawing-room,
Bestwood Hall, Nottingham. The conflagration was
speedily suppressed,,but not before a casket of jewellery
and the famous picture of Nell Gwynne and other
valuable paintings were destroyed.
Thomas Brooks, woo murdered his sweetheart at
Stoke Bruerne, on the 3rd of March, and then attempted
to commit suicide by shooting himself, was dismissed
as convalescent from the Northampton Infirmary on
Saturday morning. He was at once removed 'to
Towcester, where he was brought before a full Bench
of magistrates, the Duke of Grafton being in the chair.
The prisoner, who appeared in the dock with his head
bound, but was apparently unconcerned although he
watched the case with great interest, was further
charged with attempting to murder his father, and Mrs.
Webb, his father's housekeeper. Evidence was given
by Ham Tite, father of the unfortunate girl, Mrs.
Webb, the father cf the prisoner, and several other
persons, one of whom stated that Brooks had once said
he expected there would be a row at home, and he
should knock the old man's (his father's) brains out.
Prisoner was committed for trial on the charge of
wilful murder.
A diagram has been issued by the Canadian Govern.
ment, illustrating the progress made with the construc-
tion of the Canadian Pacific Railway up to the 31st of
January last. It shows the portion of the line graded,
the miles of track laid, and the total distance completed
on that, date. Since then considerable progress has
been made; only about forty miles remain to be com-
pleted on the section to the north of Lake Superior,
and the work in the Rocky Mountains is so far advanced
that it is expected that the railway will be in operation
from Montreal to the Pacific coast in the coming
autumn. The rapid construction of the railway has
proved very useful to the Government in connection
with the disturbances in the North-West Territories,
and will be an important factor in the prompt suppres-
sion of the outbreak.
The prevalent idea that Australia is destitute of rivers
is erroneous. The Murray is larger than the Danube.
It has a somewhat circuitous course, and is navigable as
far as Albury, 1703 miles from the sea. Of this, 1116
miles are in New South Wales and 587 in South
Australia. The Edwards and the Wakool tributaries
of the Murray are together navigable for 400 miles;
and the Murrumbidgee, another tributary, is navigable
to Guddagai, 500 miles. The Darling is navigable for
1758 miles from Wentworth, where it joins the Murray,
to Walgett in the north, making in all 3774 miles of
inland navigable waters in this colony, and making the
navigable water in one line from Walgett to Went-
worth 1758 miles, thence to the sea 587, or in all 2345
miles, so that the Darling stands third amongst the
rivers of the world, estimated by their navigable
length. The principal tributaries of the Darlin range
in length irom 350 to 750 miles.