The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-07-03 00:00:00

THE ST^',TJRBRTDGE OBSERVER.

I:sedtEdSh; or PAUldißielt. A Parliamentary re-
tum shows in small compete the increase of pauperism
in England and Wales in the last 10 years. Taking tee
average number of persons reeeiving relief from the
rates to be approximately shown by the mean of the
numbers on the let of July and the let of January,
there was an increase of 1469 per cent, in the year
ending at Lady D ty, 1868. SS compared with the) ear
ending at Lady Day, 1859, being considerably more
than the increase of population ; the numbers are
865,446 in the former, and 992,640 in the latter year
The indoor paupers (wholly supported) increased 76
per cent ; the outdoor paupers (assisted) 1322 per
cent The year's expenditure for "relief of the poor
only" increaoel from £5,558,689 to £7,498,039, an in-
crease of 3489 per cent. Theexpenditure has increased
touch faster than the number of persons relieved. A
like return for the metropolis shows that the average
number of paupers increased from 68 826 in the year
1858-59, to 144,469 in the year 1867-68, an increase of
nearly 110 per cent.—viz , 8633 per cent, in the num-
ber of indoor poor, and 12091 in outdoor poor. This
shows an increase more than seven times as large as
that of England takeu as a whole. But the increase of
expenditure in the metropolis on poor relief was not so
much as double the increase for England as a whole,
being from £814,646 to £1,316,759, or 6163 per cent.
- -

•
THE QUEEN VISITING IN DIA.—A Madras Con-
temporary indulges in the pleasant little dream of a
visit to India from its Empress next cold weather.
Says the Hontrward Mail upon the subject:
Assuming, no doubt upon the slenderest foundation, that
her Niajeaty may vi.it Eppt is October. or shat extra-
ordinary interest would it he to her vast Indian Empire, if
she cold lie induced to take the route which we have hinted
her sou might have taken, and pay Ilindoostan a brief visit
during next cold season. Her Majesty, there can be no
doubt, would receive, in whatever p.odion of her Eastern &-
minions she visited, a rLht loyal welcome. Iler visit would
set all India, from the Himala3 as to Cape Coinorin, in a blase
riot of mutiny aid rapine. as we once expeiienced, but of
°jetty and entlualasni at fever beat.

A LONG R AILWAY JOURNEY.—A dispatch from
Sherman, Wyoming T rritory, "at the summit of
Black Hills, 8,285 ft. above the sea-level," dated June
7, seven p.m., runs as follow. :
The Pullman dining-car "international," the pioneer of its
class, over the Pacße Railroad, IA passing the summit. ac-
companied by two Pullina,, palace sleeping cars, f..rming
pant of a hrough trait, to Sacramento. It carries 1413 pas-
sengerA from the Edit. The dining car seats 41 at table at
once, is compact hut pleasant, has a kitchen and see • box,
and a provision cellar beneath. Dinner is now being served,
moving across the wilderness at the rate of SO miles an bout,
over an excellent vs ad, in cars free fno, dust arid thoroughly
ventilated, with deliciously soft mountain air, the party par-
taking of as luxurious a meal as ally first-class hotel can
affnril. The vote is WIIIIIIiLLII/118 that no railroad travel in
America or Europe equals this in comfort or pleasure for
men, WI men, or children.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY !—The Maygar
Po/gar relates a remarkable Roumanian superatitron.
At Buscum. a village a short distance from Zvlathea,
a woman eighty years of age died and was buried.
Two daughters and a son, who followed her to the
grave, were shortly after taken ill, and feared shut they
should die, as their mother hail made a sign that they
should rejoin her. 'this ,upet stition spread throughout
the village, and the inhabitants conceived the idea that
she was a witch. Headed by the cure, they went to
the c ,metery, and the priest at once otnimenced to
open her grave with a pitchfork. The violence of his
efforts caused the ground to upheave, on tiering which
the people cried, "She lives! she lives! Kid her !"
A soldier then advanced and fired two bullets into her
body. This satisfied the superstitious peasantry, and
they dispersed.
- - •- - • •

BRAVO, BISMARCK ! —John Bull used to laugh
to scorn the idea of a Prussian Navy, and chuckled
hugely when Punch chriatened it for him "The Fleet
of the Future." But 10, "the wheel of Time has
brought about his revenges." and the Fleet of the
Future is the Fleet of the Present ! Prussia has a
fleet— and no chaff ! A respectable force of steam
irort-clads, backed by a serviceable knot of unarmoured
sailing frigates and corvettes. with a first-class naval
arsenal and dockyard, lin the Jalide, is a very different
thing from the solitary 'gunboat on the Spree," which
we used to poke our fun at twenty yeas. ago.
Blitannia, through her Punch, rejoices to weave
among her naval azures a new shade—Prussian blue ;
ant will be glad, in all fair quarrels, to hail it along-
side the true blue of the British man-o'swar's-nuan.—
Punch.

THIS USE OF STIMULANTS.—K Nish, in his able
work on "The Philosophy of Drunkenness," gives an
account of the effects of different stimulants on the
system. Dr. Paris, in his " Pharmacologia," relates
some curious facts !elating to stimulants. Hobbes
drank some col.) water alien he was desirous of making
a meat intellectual effott. Newton smoked, Bona-
parte took snuff, Pope took strong coffee, Byron gin and
w der. Wrilderburne, the first Lord Ashburton,
always placed a blister on his chest when he had to
make a reat speech. The great Dorf Erskine took
large di ises of opium. On the trial of Queen Caroline,
Erskine, anxious to make a great speech, took an over-
dose of his favourite drug. The effect was striking ;
he dropped into the arms of Lord Stanhope, who sat
next to him.

DAMAOFS AGAINST A RAILWAY.—The plaintiff
in the case of " Warren v. the Great Northern Rail-
way Company," in the Court of Queen's Bench—a lady
who teaches dancing and calisthenics at Boston, in Lin-
colnshire—has brought an action to recover damages
for injuries sustained at the Spalding station in April.
1868, by catching her foot in a hole in the carpet of
the waiting-room. She fell upon her face on the sill of
the door, and received a concussion of the spine and a
laceration of the membrane of the stem tch, which her
medical man said would prevent her again pursuing
her calling. Since the accident she had b-en obliged
t leave her bueinese in the charge of others, and
income from it had decreased from £650 a year to
about 11127. The expeides she hat been put to in
living at Brighton and obtaining the beet medical ad.
vice amounted to a considerable sum. In court she was
accommodated with a chair, and appeared to be in a
very weak state f health. Only one wi• nese had been
examined for the defence when the parties c tine to an
arrangement under which a verdict was entered for
the plaintiff. Damages, £1,500.

SEVERITY' OF THE SEASON—The temperature
of the longest day in this year was considerably lower
than that of the shortest in last. The younger branches
of many families, during the past week, have been
suffering greatly from chilblains.—Panch.
A PHOPHET NOT IN ma OWN COUNTRY.—We

(Pall Mall Gazette) have no desire to comment upon
Mr. Guldwin Sniith's career in America if it is painful
to the feelings of his admirers, but we presume that
there is no profanity in quoting what the American
papers say on the subject. We observe, then, that
the Philadelphia Age remarks that it "always regarded
him as an ignorant, political charlatan "—language
which we totally disapprove—and expresses satisfac-
tion that he is at last finding his level among the
It silicate." The more decorous New York Times says:
—" We fear Mr. Smith's opinions of the beneficial
working of democracy in some directions will not be
strengthened by his personal experiences in this
country.'
MURDER OF A SERVANT GIRL.—A shocking
murder has been committed at a farm-house in London.
derry, A farmer named M'Erlarte, accompanied by
his wife, went out on Sonday morning to attend chapel,
leaving a servant girl, ELizsbeth nigher, in charge of
the house. Upon their return, about half-past one
o'clock, they fund the door shut and the girl Nocher
lying on the kitchen floor insensible, a part of her skull
blown away and the brain protruding. She never
spoke, and died at seven o'clock the same night. It
appears some person had entered the house, took down
a gun from above the fire-place, put on a cap, and dis-
charged the gun at the headof the poor defencelessgirl,
and then put up the gun where it had been taken from.
One man has been arrested on suspicion.
CALLING A SPALE A SPADE—A traveller in
Penns} lvania asked his landlord if he had had any
ca.ses of sunstroke in that town. 'No sir," said the
landlord; "if a man gets drunk here, we say he is
drunk, and never callit by any other name."—Anurican
Paper.

NOVEL QUFSTION.-A dseidedly novel question
in apprentice law and practice came up for settlement
last week, in the Glasgow Sheriff Court. An appren-
tice sent by his employers to Greenock refused to
travel by the third-class "stand-up" carriages and
WaR dismissed for disobeying order& He accordingly
brought an action against them for wrongful dis-
missal. Evidence was given to the effect that appren-
tices in similar establishments in Glasgow enjoyed the
luxury of third-class "with seats" when they were
sent to Greenock. The defendants also brought for-
ward evidence to show that their practice had invari-
ably been to send the boys in the " stand-up," except
in bad weather, and that they did so solely to save en-
pens: to the customers. The sheriff decided in favour
of the defendants.
LARGE SALE OF PROTERTY.—A very large sale
of freehold property has taken place at Nottingham,
when 4,180 acres of land, with numerous farm-houses
and other dwellings, were put up to auction. The
sale took place in the Temperance hell, which, with its
side galleries, was crowded. The admission was by pay-
ment of or the presentation of a plate and particu-
lars. The Lubbesthorpe Estate of 1,4345. Sr. 15p. was
knocked down to Mr. Charles Brisk, of Enderby-hall.
The timber was valued at £1 980, making the total pur-
chase £102,384. The Enaptoft Estate of 1,258 a. 3r.
34p was knocked down at £55 per acre to Mr. Mills,
the London banker. The timber was put dawn at
481, Making the total purchase £69.824. By far the
largest and most valliable portion of the estates was
comprised in the Aylestone and Rowley Fields pro-
perty, which was cut up into 76 lots. The total pro-
duce of the sale Was £363,000, including the lots with-
drawn, which were taken in at a sum of £12.350. Mr.
Nelson, who was one of the chief purchasers, is a
solicitor residing at Leeds, and he was buying on
behalf of tne trustees of the late Mr. Samuel Evres, of
Leeds. '1 he lots withdrawn hage since been sold at
full prices. The whole property is naw disposed of.
SUICIDE OF A CAPTAIN OF TOE M,TAL NAVY.—
Captain George Lowcay Norcock, committed suicide
at Southilea on Friday morning, in last week, by
cutting his throat. The deceased, who had for a long
time been mentally depressed by the fact that his pro-
motion had not been so rapid as bethought his services
entitled bins to, had latterly been attended by a
medical gentleman of the neighbourhood in which he
lived, and there was no reason to anticipate the gad
result, which was first discovered by one of the female
attendants at the house in which he lived, on Friday
morning. Captain LowcayNnrcock leaves a wife and
two children to mourn their loss. He entered the
navy on the 10th of Nlay, 1830 ; was made a lieutenant
on the 15th of March, 1841; a commander on the 27th
of August, 1841 ; and was created a captain on the
retired list on the 11th of November, 1.68.
CRIMINAL STAYMTICS.- —The number of criminal
offenders committed for trial in England and Wales in
1898 was 20 091 of which 15,033 terniinated in can-
victions and 5,015 in acquittals. In the previous year
the numbera were—committed, 18 971 ; convicted,
14,207; acquitted, 4,741. It would appear, therefore
that crime in England and Wales had increased in
1868. In Scotland. in 1858, the number of criminal
offenders committed for tiial was 3384. against
3,305 in 1867; the number convicted was 2,490,
against 2 310 in lfih7 ; the number acquitted was
297, agaiest 277 in the pre dons year. In Ire-
land the committals last year were 4,127, or 434
I less than in 1867; the convictions were 2,394, or

339 less than in 1867; and the acriuittals wer•
1 709. or 94 less than the previous year. In Ireland
there has been a considerable decrease in the number
of criminals committed and convicted. 'the mite- tire
numbers in different years were as follows :—ln 1856,
7.099 and 4,024 ; in 1858, 6,308 and 3,350 ; in 1860,
5.386 and 2,979; in 1862. 6,666 and 3 796 ; in 1864,
5,086 and 3,000; in 1866, 4,336 and 2,418. 'the cause
of this gradual diminution_ however, is apparent upon
reference to the returns of the p-pul rtion, which re-
cord a decrease of 429,566 souls in the thirteen years
1856-68.

EDUCATIONAL GRANTS.— The expenditure from
Parliamentary grants for primary school in Great
Britain in the year 1868 was £757,495—viz , for bullet-
ins, enlarging. repairing, and furnishing elementary
schools, £34,463; for augmenting salaries .4 certitiosted
schoolmasters and sohoolmistressea 1132 692; fur payiag
salaries of aseis!ant and probationary teachers, £3 835;
for paying stipends of pupil-teachers and grutulies for
their special i struction, £39320; annual grants to
training colleges, £72,045 ; grunts to reformatory. night,
and industrial schools. £596; for inspection, £56,354;
for sdmi&stration (office in London), £21,531; miscel-
laneous, £5,828; grants under the Revised Glde for
examination and attendance of scholars, 11490,831.
In 1867 the total amount expended from Parlia-
mentary grants was £682,201, allowing an increase in
1868 of £75,294.

QUITN: OUT OF He LlNF.—Perhapa the most
furious talc against the Irish Church Bill and Mr.
Gladstone has come from the Pour na Gardens, Man.
ehestxr. Rather hard this upon Pomona, who has
never before been accused of having anything to du
with the apple of discord.—Punch.

JUST Liicuc Mat ! "My dear," said Mr. B. to
his wife, while MA miling txrunteliance indicated the
consciousness of having done a good action, " I have
just had my life insiired for your benefit." " I
declare." said kir& 8., looking round upon her family
and friends with an expression of injured innocence,
just to think of the selfishness of men, and particu-
larly of hirsliands ! There, you have been and had
your life insured, while your poor wife may go without
any insurance on hers. just what 1 would expect
of you!" she fretfully exclaimed, and was only recalled
to a sense of her injustice and absurdity by hearing an
uncontrollable burst of laughter all around her.
Tua POPE ANA/ Dovross.—The Roman cor-
respondent of the Tablet writes :
. . .

The Morning Herald consecrates a leader to the discussion
of a paragraph which appeared first in the Nezione and then
Ira the English papers, regarding an imaginary prohllii ion
of tire Pope to the iordinal men at Rome trove attending any
person refusing the sacranieuts after thee data visiting
Your contemporary has been misinformed, as no order if
the seat has beer heatil of here try any doctor I have spoken
to. A Mid of Sixtus V. orders doctors, under pain I ex-
conimitnicalon, to warn the parish priest of the patient's
itsnzer, If, after three days he appears in peril of life; but
beyond that the doctor cahoot act, and continues his attend-
&nee to the last, irrespecUve of the patient's religious state
or tasposittons.
A New COFFIN FOR CASIMIR I—A curious dis-
covery was made at Cracow the other day, during the
renovation of the monument of King Casimir the
Great, the last member of the Piast dynasty, known in
Polieh history as " the King of the peasants and the
, Jews." One of the workmen having strut k the pedestal
, with his hammer in order to test its strength, several
bricks fell out, leaving an opening through which the
interior of the I.eileastal, which is hollow, was clearly
visible. On enlarging the opening it was munal that
Casimir's coffin, which rested on four iron bars, had
rotted away, and that the relining had fallen to the
ground. On the skull was a crown of gilt copper. in
the shape of a plain circlet surmounted by five lilies.
Near this was a silver-gilt sceptz, and close to his feet
a pair of large copper spurs. The body was covered
with a shroud of thick silk, which is still in tolerable
good condition. A subscription has been opened in
order to niake a new coffin for the remains of this cele-
brated Prnli,h hero, and offerings have already tare,. re-
ceived far this pimp sse from all parts of Itusnion, Prus-
sian, and Austrian Poland.

OFFENDED DIGNITY AND REVENGE. —An
attempted murder, remarkable for the tiieial cause
wiiich led to the oim-, has just taken
_place at the
military scnool of 8011. vsr, in Croatia. The Emperor
Francis Joseph, on visiting that establishment a short
time b irk. le it a sum of 200 &dins for the toys to have
a treat during the hummer. Tine file took place one
day last wet k, and an immense cake was made, which
was to be mrried to the colonel's wife for her to cut
and distribute. Two youths disputed the honour of
conveying it; tone claimed the precedence as son a
aptain, while the father of the wher was only a pri-
vate. The latter, however, ended the discussion by
snatching up the object of contention and running off
with it to the lady. The disappointed youth declared
that, he 'semis! take his vengeance, and during the
night he crept noiselessly wi in his glin into his school-
fellow's room and shot Lim in the abdomen, lie then
went back to bis bed, nnil was arrested asleep, two
home later. The life of the other is despaired of.
SOLDIER SFIOT.—An inquest has been held at
Fleetwood on the body of William Collins, a private
in the King's Dragoon Guards, who was accidentally
shot 111 the practice cround there. A isaly of the ones
stationed in the military quarters had, it appears, gone
to the target ground to prac ice info shooting. There
were two lines facing the target. Collins standing in the
former. Orders were given for them to load and htand at
ease. This was dune, and hhortly afterwards the car.
line of a man earned Dowecuater, who was standing
behind the deceased, went if. The carbine, which
seemed on subsequent exam nation to have some defect
in it, was loaded with a bullet, which struck Collins in
. the back and tame unit at the top of his left lung. As
: soon as he was hit with the bullet Gains cried out,
" 0 l my God, tarn shot; tiff at will my poor parents
sav lie was then carried into the hospital and
attended by one of the medical officers. TIIC wound
was a very severe one, and Collins died the same day.
Downeastei was quite sober when the accident cc-
curred. A verdict of "Accidental death" was re-
turned.

A CI:1111008 QUESTIOY.—The Royal Court of
Jersey has been occupied on a curious will case, in-
volving the point how far the sentence of the French
criminal law can be made obli4atory in Jersey. In 1847
a Frenchman named Jean Pierre Maign4 was tried and
sentenced at Rinses for an infamous crime. He
escaped from France and reached Jvrpey, where he
was joined by his wife, who died in 1860, and the hue.
band in 1862. Maigme, at the time of his death, harl
£2Ol 9s. 3d. deposited in the Jersey Savings Bank, and
£lO5 tis. Bd. in the Commercial Bank. These moneys
he bequeathed to the French pair in the Island.
Michael Pierre Bertel, brother of the wife of the testa-
tor, MaignO, styling himself principal heir to the col-
lateral succession ot his deceased sister, attempted to
have the wid Pet aside in his favour. According to the
French law, the sentence passed upon Maigne carried
wit, it civil death, and he could neither possess nor
. . •

bequeath property of any kind, and this law was
relief upon by the plaintiff. For the defence, it was
contended that the French law could not be made
executory in Jersey. The Court has not yet given
judgment.
A MONK KILLED BY LIGHTNING.— On Thursday
in last week, at the Trappist monastery of Scourrnont,
near tLiniay, Belgium, the monks were occupied in
the fielita when a violent thunder storm came on.
Brother Aloysius, who was managing a hay-making
machine drawn by two boring, le,l it to the timildary
fence which was formed of iron wire, and knelt down
beside it. Suddenly a violent clap was heard and the
electric fluid struck the monk, the horses taking fright
and starting off. The Tiappints seeing their com-
panion fall hastened to his assistance, but found him
dead, with his legs still bent in the attitude he had
assumed. On his body were found two large and deep
burns, one on each side of the chest, and under the
right arm-pit a white spot with a very distinct repre-
sentation of a tree in full foliage.
GALLANT CONDUCT REWARDED.—At Jersey,
silver medals have been presented, on behalf of the
Emperor of the French, to three seamen for gallant
conduct. On the 16th of November, 1867, about 30
French and English oyster vessels were lying in St.
Vsamt, taking shelter from a strong north east gale,
when intelligence was brought that a boat containing
two French sailors and a coastguardmian hail been
driven by the gale on to one of the email uninhabited
islands known as the "Iles de St. Mareonf," and that
they hail been there two days and nights, without
food Sr shelter. The Marine Prefect applied to several
of the masters for assistance but they all refused. At
length Captain Le Gros., of the cutter Seeusa, belong-
ing to Jersey, volunteered to attempt a rescue of the
three men. On nearing the island where they were,
Captain Le Gross and two of his crew, James Spren.
gate and George Witley, put out their small boat, and
though the sea was very rough, they reached the rocks
and rescued the half-fanniMed men, and took them
safely to St. Vaast. His Excellency Major.Gmeral
Grey, C. 8., Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey, made the
presentation to Captain Le Gross, arid the Baron de
Char tl, French Consul, to the two other recipients.
A COURAGEOUS Glam.—John Ryan, of Lysinol in ,
better known as "Wild Johnny," was nearly gored
to death by a bull that attacked and knocked him down
on Saturday, at Linnolin, county Tipperary. There
is no doubt the animal would have killed him but for a
courageous girl, named Bridget Healy, who ran to his
assistance, and struck the bull on the nose with a milk-
-. .

---
ing stool, Which turned him away from Ryan, who WWI
lying helpless on the ground, but, through his pre-
server's timely interference, was able to make for a
house, which, fortunately for both, was near at hand.
They were scarcely inside the door when the infuriated
animal rushed after them and it took four men to drive
him from the door.
ONE HUNDRED MILES ON A BICYCLE.—In these
days of velocipede wonders the following excursion may
he considered the greatest feat yet accomplished. On
Thursday morning last Mr. Noble, of Woodford.
bridge, mounted on one of Charles P. Button's lm.
proved Bicycles, and ace mpanied by Mr. Ksy.., also
of Woodford, started from the latter place at half -past
three o clock for Colchester (a dirt ance of about 49
miles), where they arrived about two o'clock, and in
order to make up the 100 miles, they rode in and
around the town about half an hour. After having
sufficiently rested, the velocipedists started on the re-
turn journey, and reached home about one in the morn-
ing, having been absent just 22 hours. Seven hours
were occupied in taking meals and rest, so that 15
hours were actually spent in the saddle, giving an
average of about seven miles an hour for the whole
journey.

STATISTICS OF INTEII P E RANCE. —A ccord 119 g to
the latest returns it appears that the number id deaths
in England in 1867 din ctly agenbed to atcohilism wag
743. In 1858, online years i-revinusly, the number wag
712; in 1864 it ieacheil 1,159, and in 186.5 he death.
were 1,049. Of 743 lives dgstroyed in 1867, 374 weie
exprga-ly referred to intemperance, 369 more viguidy
to ddtraten trement the ileathe from the two forma in
diseage in the tea years 1858 67 averaged 837 per /MUM.
The fatal effect of the perni. iaus habit 14 excessive
drinking begins to bhew itself at the age of 20-25, an,
continues to increase until the age 45-55, when it begins
gradually to decline. It is lamentable to note that 1,11;
Of 3,041 deaths in the three years 1864-6, no less than
626, or inc-fifth, were thee of fetnali a. The prop.,
titival.niimber death-, Lim in each of the
_ _

ytars 1853 67 to 1,000,000 of popmation was 37. 46. 39,
33, 35, 41, 52, 51, 44, and 35 respectively. In these
ten years the deaths registered amounted to 8.370—
viz., from intemperance, 3,527; and, from, ddirium
tremens, 4,843.