The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-04-10 00:00:00

(#ntelligente.

ROME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN DIAMOND FIELDS.—The follow-
ing is from the Natal Mercury :—" From the Diamond
Fields we regret to hear that three waggons have been
washed down the Vaal river at Barkly. The Modder
river had been very high, and quantities of fish had
been caught hi the mud by the overflow. The mine
at Dutoitspan has been sold for £6,500, the highest
price yet realized. The mine at Kimberley is now
worked to the depth of 291 feet. The Administrator
is taking steps to supply the mine with native labour.
The mine at Kimberley does not probably cover more
than 50 or 60 acres of superficial area, and yet that
small plot is assessed at a value of £1,650,000. The
estimate is, of course, more or less conjectural, as no
one can say how deep in the bowels of the earth the
diamondiferous deposit may sink. So far there is
no evidence of failing finds. The fact that a claim
has sold for £6,500 is sufficient proof of that, and this,
although the mine has all but touched a depth of 300
feet. Diamond digging, as far as Kimberley is con-
cerned, is a phrase of the past, the process being in
every sense of the term a mining operation. Next to
diamonds, potatoes seem to be the dearest things on
the Fields, £6 10s, having been given for a bag. It
might be worth while to cultivate that sort of precious
commodity along the fertile banks of the Vaal,"
THE EMBLEMS OF, PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY.—
It is not generally known what becomes of the parlia-
mentary " baubles " when, as at the present time there
is no Parliament. Any one who was in the House of
Commons on Weanesday afternoon would have noticed
that the Serjeant-at-Arms returned without the mace,
and that the attendants of the House were without
their badges of office. As soon as the prorogation is
formally complete all these insignia are collected by
some authority representing the crown and conveyed
to a place of safety. The mace of the House of Lords
is lodged in the Tower of London, but that of the
House of Commons is taken to St. James's Palace.
The Serjeant-at-Arms, though an officer appointed by
the crown, is not allowed to have charge of the emblem
of authority. The Commons' mace is the identical
" bauble " which Cromwell directed to be taken away.
It bears date 164; and it is a magnificent specimen of
,the goldsmith's art. The Lord Chancellor's rade() is a
very much newer affair, and it is not associated with ,
an historical incident of importance. - 1- i
. • t-"'"' "

FLOWER PAPlTEs."—These are now the favourite
fring entertainments in New York, where immense
sums are spent on every style of floral decoration.
Ladies carry splendid bouquets, while at 'a recent ball
each guest was presented with a horse-shoe basket filled
with sweet blossoms. Half-opened Japanese um-
brellas, planted with ferns and grasses, are suspended
from the ceilings; indeed, umbrellas are the latest
shape for glass hanging-baskets, the handle serving as
a loop. At a Surprise party, also, lately given to the
violinist, Ole Bull, on his seventieth birthday, the
chief present was a large violin made entirely of white
pinks, the screws being represented by tiny red roses.
A COOL SENTINEL —During the summer or fall of
1867, General G. A. Custer, U.S. Cavalry, was out
with his command on the frontier of Kansas, chasing
Indians. Volunteers were called for, and the battalion
designated the Eighteenth Kansas was organised and
sent out to scout the frontiers. One day General
Custer, having occasion to pass along the picket line,
came across a sentinel who was sitting on the prairie,
and who had taken his gun to pieces, and was trying
his best to clean it. The general remarked to the man,
"Sentinel, what are you doing?" The sentinel re-
plied, " Nothing—just giving this 'ere gun of mine a
sort of a clean." Then, looking up, he said, "If I
mayn't be too inquisitive, who are you !" Custer re-
plied, "I'm a sort of a General." Not in the least
put out, the sentinel said, "Well General, just sit
down and make yourself comfortable until I get this
darned gun together, and I'll give you a sort of a
salute ! "

THE UNIVERSITY OF BIIDA-PESTH.--This institution,
which was founded in 1635, intends to celebrate, on
May 13, the hundredth year since its revival and
development by Maria Theresa. The Universary
authorities at first proposed to hold a solemnity ex-
tending over three days. They have abandoned this
idea, and the celebration will be confined to one day.
There dill be a thanksgiving lservice in the morning
and a grand academical and civic procession through
the streets. An oration will be delivered, and an ode
recited, and there will be a banquet, to be followed by
a grand ball. In honour of the occasion medals will
be struck, honorary degrees will be conferred on dis-
tinguished men, and a work, by the Hungarian Minis-
ter of Justice, Pauler describing the work of the Uni-
versity during the last 100 years, will be published.
Foreign Universities will, it is hoped, be represented
at the festival.

A DOG DETECTIVE. —A notable dog recently died at
St. Joseph, America, and was mourned by the police
force. He was their pet detective, and was named
"Allen Pinkerton," after the great thief-catcher of the
north-west. He was a little black animal with white
hair around his neck, and a bushy tail that curled over
his back. He joined the police force of his own accord
about eight years ago, and followed the men about day
and night, first one member of the force and then an-
other. Many a dark night has he assisted the officers
in discovering the whereabouts of tramps who had con-
cealed themselves in empty barrels and boxes and his
terrifying bark has caused hundreds of petty thieves to
take to their heels. He
_prowled about.the darkest
corners in the alleys, and whenever an intoxicated
man was found, a yelp or two wag sufficient to bring
up the nearest officer to look into the matter. His
well-known voice was relied on with as much confidence
as the sound of a policeman's whistle, and it was al-
ways answered. At roll-call he was prompt as any of
the men, and on such occasions he was the'.pet of the
office. He had the most wonderful sagacity, and
appeared almost to understand the orders of the chief.

A ROYAL PHYSICIAN.—In a recent number of the
German official Gazette is recorded the interesting
announcement that Princd Charles Theodore of
Bavaria has qualified for and been duly admitted
to the right to practice as a medical man within the
limits of the German Empire. This notification in
the Reichsanzeiger is by no means a mere conventional
record of the conferment upon his Royal Highness of
a complimentary diploma. Prince Charles Theodore
has practised in Bavaria for some years past with con-
siderable success, especially in cases involving delicate
surgical operations, and has been at the disposal of his
many patients at all hours of the night and day. He
is a specialist of some renown in eye diseases. Alike
wealthy and generous, he relieves the necessities of
his poorer clients, besides curing their ailments; and,
as might be expected, his tenants upon the magnifi-
cent estate of Tegernsee, which he inherited from his
uncle godfather, Prince Charles of Bavaria, will not
hear of being attended by any other medical adviser
but he. Dr. Charles Theodore von Withelsbach is a
brother of those fair ladies the Empress of Austria, the
Queen of Naples and the Duchess of Alencon, and
upon his elder brother's death—Duke Louis William
having contracted a morganatic marriage—will be the
head of the Bavarian ducal line, formerly reigning over
the Palatinate, Deux-Ponts, and Birkenfeld. —Dail y
Telegraph.
SOME CURIOSITIES OF LONGEVITY.—As this matter
is now occupying some attention, not only in The
Times, but also in your very interesting paper, perhaps
the following notice by Dr. A. Cheveau in L' Union
Medical e may be interesting. He states that according
to ninety-four tombstone inscriptions collected by Dr.
Bertherand, of Algiers, in Constantine-and the neigh-
bourhood, of ninety-four Romans burnt or buried ages
ago on this conquered territory, eighteen had exceeded
eighty years of age. One of them declined to die
before he was 111 years old; another passed away at
the age of 105, and it was his father who engraved
upon his son's tomb this inscription, "Alexander the
younger died at the age of 105. Alexander the elder
raised this tomb te the memory of his well-beloved
son." It must be confessed that ph-e Alexander had
reached a fine age when he assisted at the funeral of
his boy, who died when 105 years oId.—BULBOUS
ROOTS, M.D., in Land and Water.
POSTAGE STAMPS.—The number of different kinds
of postage stamps which have been hitherto issued all
over the world is estimated, in round numbers, at
6,000. Among them are to be found the effigies of
five emperors, eighteen kings, three queens' one grand
duke, six princes, one princess, and a great number of
presidents, &c. Some of the stamps bear coats of
arms and other emblems, as crowns, the papal keys,
and tiara, anchors, eagles, lions, horses, stars, ser-
pents, railway trains, horsemen, messengers, &c. The
collection preserved in the Museum of the Berlin
Post-offices included, on July 1, 1879, 4,498 specimens
of different postage stamps. Of these 2,462 were from
Europe, 441 from Asia, 251 from Africa, 1,143 from
America, and 201 from Australia.
CURIOSITIES OF LOST VALTJABLES.—In the course of
conversation the two following curious stories were
told me :—A lady sent her bracelet, with a thin locket
attached, to a jeweller. The bracelet was returned
without the locket. The lady declared she had sent
the locket with the bracelet. The messenger, on
being asked about it, asserted that no locket had been
sent, and a new one was made. Some two years after-
wards the lady went to feed her favourite horse; sud-
denly something glittering among- the straw caught
her attention. On sweeping away the dust and straw,
lo and behold! it was the lost locket, Which had re-
mained firmly wedged between two bricks, trodden
upon by the horses and swept over many times, and
had never been seen. Another story :—A lady took
her family to the seaside and stayed in lodgings. A
valuable bracelet was suddenly missing, and every
possible search was made for it, but in vain. Twenty-
two years afterwards, one of the daughters, who had
been married and gone tc India, and had returned to
England, happened to go with her mother and stay at
the same lodgings. It immediately occurred to her
that she had been there before, and said. "If I am
right you will find a bracelet under the boards of the
floor," pointing to a particular place. She then ex-
plained that when four years old at her previous visit
to these lodgings, a carpenter had been working in the
room and had taken up a board, and she, childlike,
had placed the bracelet under the board, and there
the bracelet was found after the lapse of twenty-two
years.—FRANK BUCKLAND, in Land and If ater.

PROFESSOR NORDENSKJOLD IN PARIS. - A grand
banquet was given on Sunday night to Professor
Nordenskjeld at the Continental Hotel. Two hundred
persons were present, including Prince Oscar of
Sweden, who presided ; M. Sibben, Swedish Minister;
Colonel Staff, Military Attache ; M. de Moltke, the
Danish Minister ; and 30 ladies, among them Madame
Nilsson. In front of Prince Oscar was placed the
prow of the Vega, surmounted by the bust of Pro-
fessor NordenskjOld, executed by the eminent sculptor,
Runebert, son of the 'Finnish poet; and the room was
decorated with banners bearing the names of cele-
brated navigators, including those of Wood, Cabot,
and Palliser. Prince Oscar, in returning thanks for
the toast of his health, expressed his gratification at
attending the banquet, and pledged Professor Nor-
denskjOld and Captain Palander. Professor Nor-
denskjeld next drank to England, speaking of the
reception given him there and of the exploits of
English navigation.—Prince Oscar, who is himself a,
sailor, is much gratified at the reception given to Pro-
fessor Nordenskjold, both in England and. France, and
affirms that the saving of distance by this new route is
equal to one-third of the ordinary route. The banquet
terminated about midnight.

THE EXPOSURE OF HEADS ON TEMPLE BAR.—A COT-
respondent of Notes and Queries says :—" The first use
of Temple Bar for the exhibition of poor humanity's
deeta membra was in 1683, when one of the quarters
of Sir Thomas Armstrong—who was trepanned in
Holland and executed, without trial,, upon an out-
lawry, on a charge of being concerned in the notorious
Rye House plot—was spiked upon its leaden roof, the
wretched knight's head being similarly exposed on
the top of Westminster Hall. This, be it observed,
was twenty-eight years after Naseby fight. The first
head that reached this dishonourable elevation was
that of Sir William Parkins, executed with Sir John
Friend, the brewer, for complicity in the assassination
plot (temp. Gul. III.) in 1696. His colleague's quarters
kept his own and his head's company for some years.
I think, then, that I am justified in reasserting that
the idea of the possible exposure of heads upon Temple
Bar could not have occurred to the mind of a contem
porary delineator, expressing idiomatically the habits
and modes and forms of th%ught of 1645, and that
therefore in this instance the distinguished poet was
guilty of an indubitable anachronism."
TnE WALicrT TREE.—There is no tree grown in this
country so valuable, and we are sorry to say so
neglected, as the common walnut. Before the intro-
duction of mahogany the walnut was the cabinet-
maker's tree in Britain, and no tree was better adapted
for his purpose, being tough and strong in proportion
to its weight, beautifully variegated, admitting of a
fine polish, durable, and obtained of sizes sufficiently
large to be used solid or cut into veneers ; in fact,
there is no introduced tree that bears the climate so
well, that is so valuable to the manufacturer of fine
furniture. It is grown in immense quantities in the
East of France and South of Germany, and in Switzer-
land. There is hardly anT other timber tree in the
plains of Bergstrasse, which run parallel to the Rhine,
between the Neckar and Nayn ; and notwithstanding
its abundantie it is so prized by cabinetmakers
and manufacturers, of firearms for gun and pistol
stocks, for which it is preferred to all other woods,
that it fetches in our markets a much higher
price than mahogany. In sheltered situations and in
"good land it grows rapidly, and is, under ordinary cir-
cumstances, of a fit size for felling when from sixty to
seventy years—just about the age when other deciduous
trees are fit for use. We know a landowner who had
four trees blown down by a storm some years ago,
for which he received £lOO, being at the rate of Ezp
each. At the same time he sold, forty larch trees and
twenty spruce-fire trees of the same age as the walnut
for £lO5, being only a shade above one shilling per foot
for the larch, and a little' more than sixpence per foot
for the spruce.—Land and Water.

THE BRITISH MrSEITM AI,ZID THE ELECTRIC LIGHT.—
On Saturday morning orders were received to remove
all the lamps in the reading-room of the British
Museum and the approaches, which have been used
during the last three months in conveying the electric
light, and enabling readers to remain in the Museum
Library up to seven p.m. During the month of April,
therefore, the reading-room will be closed at six
o'clock every evening, to which hour the galleries will
also remain open. The electric light has, however,
been such an eminent success,as an experiment that
the temporary lamps will be substituted by permanent
ones, and these will be extended to all parts of the
Museum, so that during next winter the public can be
admitted up to six or seven o'clock every evening.

ANOTHER PLAGUE OF RATS.—The plague of rats,
which last year committed so much devastation in the
Dekkan that a committee was appointed to devise
means for their destruction, and the Bombay Govern-
ment paid large sums as rewards for the slain, to the
number of hundreds of thousands, has now (the
Calcutta Englishman learns) appeared in part of the
Kanhpur district. These Kanhpur rats appear ani-
mated more by a spirit of mischief than by the pangs
of hunger, for they gnaw down the unripe corn, strip
off the half formed grains, and, curiously enough, in
many insirances lay them symmetrically on the ground.
"But the prospects of the future harvest are seriously
affected by this pest, traces of which are plain enough
in nearly every field, either in compact blocks or in
paths intersecting the field in every direction. The
damage, so far, has been estimated at about two
annas in the rupee; but the rats have nearly a month
before the harvest, in which to double their average.
The cultivators, as usual, are helpless; fold their
hands, and look upon this last burden as incurable and
irremediable."

A TERRIBLE CYCLONE. —A terrible cyclone occurred
in New Caledonia and the Society Islands on the 24th
of January, resulting, so far as is known, in the loss of
fourteen vessels in the vicinity of Noumea and the death
of sixteen persons. In Noumea and its suburbs the
amount of damage done was incalculable. It was cer-
ti4ed by old colonists that there was never so severe a
hurricane in those regions or one which caused so much
loss. The plantations up the country were destroyed
and trees were uprooted or bereft of their branches.
In many parts of the town, especially near the wharf,
the eye was arrested in all directions by heaps of ruin.
During the storm the harbour was completely invisible
owing to the thick fog caused by the rain and the spray
of the waves being dashed about by the force of the
wind. All the small boats were wrenched from their
anchors and swept on to the piers. At sea the disasters
were numerous; no fewer than fourteen vessels either
sank or were thrown on some distant coast.—Sydney
Morning Herald.

A GRIM DISCOVERY.—A startling surprise, after the
fashion of the story of Ginevra, was experienced some
days ago by a party of Styrian wood-cutters in the
forest of Drommling, (says The Times.) They began to
fell a venerable oak, which they soon discovered to be
quite hollow. Being half decayed it speedily came to
the mound with a crash, disclosing a skeleton in execllent
preservation. Even the boots, which came above the
knee, were almost perfect. By its side was a powder-
horn, a porcelain pipe-bowl, and a silver watch on
which was engraved the name "H. von Krackowitz,
1812." The teeth were perfect. It would seem to be
the skeleton of a man between 30 and 40 years of age.
It is conjectured that, while engaged in hunting, he
Climbed the tree for some purpose, and slipped
incautiously into the hollow trunk, from which there
was no release, and he probably died of starva-
tion.

THE OLYMPIAN BRONZE RELIEF.—The celebrated
Greek scholar, Professor E. Curtius, has just published
a small illustrated pamphlet, which has been called
forth by the recent discovery of an ancient Greek
bronze relief in the course of • the excavations at
Olympia. The art of metallic relief among the
ancient Greeks, of which we knew nothing until this
discovery, is a new and important chapter in the
history of the fine arts, and all that is at present
known of it is expounded, in this little publica-
tion.

A MISSING WAR VESSEL.—A Reuter's Telegram
from Rio de Janeiro, dated March 18, says :—"The
Monitor Solimoens, which was despatched to sea on
the 11th inst. for practice, has been missing for four
days. On the 12th instant her engines were reported
to have broken down, and she is now supposed to be
drifting southwards. Several steamers are proceeding
in search of the missing vessel."
THE WRONG BOY IN THE WRONG PLACE.—Sir
Pompey Bedel, J.P. (on discovering that his eggshell
is an empty one turned upside down). "What—what
is the meaning of this? "—The New Page. " Fust o'
Hapril, sir !"—[Explodes, and is dismissed with a
month's wages.]—Punch.
THE VALUE OF MAGNETS IN GRAIN MILLS.—The
introduction of magnets into the great grain mills of
the West in the "United States has, it is stated, ful-
filled the highest exyectations of those who complained
of wire in wheat. Not only have the magnets captured
all the stray pieces of iron bands, and thus removed
the last and only objection urged against wire-banding
harvesters, but they have revealed the singular fact
that of the scraps of iron and steel which find their
way to the mills mixed with wheat fully one-half are
something besides pieces of wire, and a larger propor-
tion of these are of such a nature as to be even more
dangerous to mill machinery. The magnets gather
everything of the kind with unerring certainty, thus
rendering perfectly safe the use of self-binding har-
vesters and wire bands.—Pall Mall Gazette.

ROUMANIAN BATES.—Letters from Jassy state that
great efforts are being made at Szlanik, which lies
close to the Ojtoz Pass over the Carpathians, and not
far from the Moldavian capital, to place the mineral
paths there on a footing which will enable them to
compete with the best-arranged bathing places in
Europe. It is proposed to expend about 4,500,000 f.
(,C180,000) ; and the Hungarian paper Egyetertes states
that the directors of the establishment have offered
prizes of 3,000 f., 4,000 f., and 5,000 f. for competitive
plans. The same paper expresses its fears that these
improvements in the Roumanian bathing village will
draw people away from the Transylvanian baths at the
other side of the mountains, which are known to be
excellent, so far as their medicinal qiiilities are con-
cerned, but are allowed to remain in a most primitive
condition, wholly untouched by the hand of modern
reform.

GOLD OF SOUTH AFRICA.—The Natal Mercury
says :—" Rumours are afloat regarding the discovery of
gold in Zululand. It is quite true that a fine little
nugget, weighing one ounce, has been brought in from
the northern side of the Tugela, but it is quite prema-
ture as yet to say that a goldfield has been discovered.
As for the Transvaal, our own correspondent at
Pretoria writes under date February 21 There are
rumouirs of all kinds abroad as to large discoveries of
gold being made, but these must be taken at a large
discount. The fact appears to be established, how-
ever, that the old diggings at Spitzkop, &c., are
"looking up" again, for in one week 450 z. df gold
were taken out of the claim of Messrs. White and
King and 51oz. in the following week. It is said that
a far 'larger quantity has since been taken out of the
same spot. There is undoubtedly payable gold in the
Lydenburg district, but there is nothing as
,yet which
will warrant people at a distance " rushing ' into the
toilsome and uncertain life of gold-digging.'"

PUBLIC EDUCATION IN RUSSIA.—Sorne- very in-
teresting statistiCs concerning public instruction in
Russia have just been published. European Russia is
divided into three educational districts. First,
the forty-seven Governments of Russia proper;
second, the ten Western Governments ; third, the
Baltic provinces. The number of scholars in the.three
districts is 1,440,000. In the first district there are
seN'Tenteen per 1,000 inhabitants,; in the second, thirty-
one ; and in the third, seventy-nine. Of these the
towns furnish four times as many as the country.
SHOUTING AND FIGHTING.—.A correspondent of a
French military paper remarks that while watching
the instruction of the troops of the garrison of Stras-
burg he was particularly struck by the great trouble
taken to make the men of an attacking party
" hurrah " vigorously as they finally rushed forward to
close and cross bayonets with an imaginary enemy.
Even when 'no fault could be found with the manner
in which the attack had been carried out, troops were
often made to repeat the manceuvre over and
over again because they failed to shout with suffi-
cient life and energy, as they made their final rush
to seize the defender's position. The Austrians, the
writer adds, use the same cry as the Prussians, as do also
the English, although by Englishmen the word is
differently pronounced; but the French have no char-
acteristic cry to stimulate or excite their soldiers at
critical moments. Sometimes the French troups as
they charged have shouted " Vive le Roi !" or " Vive
l'Empereur ! " or " Vive la Rdpublique ! " or " Vive la
France!" and in the latest edition of the field exercise
book of the French army it is laid down that men as
they charge are to shout "En avant!" In actual
practice however, the troops never shout at all
when they charge home in their peace exercises, while
the Germans, bestowing infinite painsupon the prepar-
ation of their men for real warfare, insist not only that
the men should shout, as laid down in their regulations,
but that they should shout vigorously.—Pall Mall
Gazette.

AN UNEXPECTED FATE FOR A CANDIDATE.—T°
receive a warm reception at the Poll.—Fun.

Too ROUGH ON THE TlGElis.—The followinge
characteristic American story is taken from one of the
American papers :--L" The other eveningi at
laDenver,s
Col., after the performance of Chiarini's
etresiaL was
he
over, a young man called on Chiarini, and
veteran
wanted to see him on private business. The
took him into his oce, and received _
himwith his
from
Carson
usual politeness. '1 came up all the X
fha
Ns:id
to see the show, and I'd like to join, 'l the young' you are
man. 'Oh, / see,' said the circus
ilman,
fellow; and
a well-formed, healthy-looking
rou.' The youth's
t
I like to encourage such 8
chew,on3eer brigshntilkeex, c 0 p
drink, I hope ort
face brightened.
? ' 'Oh, unodr ah,
a, tear off these bad habits.
soda and beer.' must paralyse the nerves.
They weaken the innineg' , but your salary will not
You can soon stop drinr
he large, until you ove tome these tendencies. A little
leven o c oe morning, and
drink. Call at e do. You mustn't expect over
lemopai dektinaelrlretwhe performers
lemonade--circus
fifty dollars a w°F-lc,
_though, at first. we never pay
I will see what I can _
untit v e know just what a man can do.'
carsonite went away, and was on hand
high salaries
Chiarini took him to a tent where
nleense Beng,al tigers were caged. Handing
7and a Pair of shears, he remarked:
himttThh hre ee
neade
iexic
il
utli gi
nr
rh ; ecr clon 7
ni
'Your d.utiesNviellagbee comparatively
Curry he
peaurativtely ltiigghetreatdeufir,snt.evYeroy
au
will gi°ng'l,lt on the d
about once a week cut their claws; keep
d„,,,,n pretty short, so that when they attack
'em- own
the lion tamer, Mr, 'Wilson, they won't lacerate
i'll:in much. Sometimes, but not more than once a
month,, you may have occasion to file their teeth. You
just throw the animal on his back, and hold his head
bet our knees. If he acts rough, belt him in
the nose y
e afew times. Keep belting him till he quiets
down." Haven't you got a vacancy in the art depart-
ment ? ' asked the young man from Carson. 'ls art
in your line ? ' asked Chiarini. 'Yes,' drawled the
young man. 'ln the circuses I've always run with I
was employed to paint the stripes on zebras. I killed
so roily tigers keeping 'em straight that the boss
wouldn't let me handle 'em. He said I used 'era too
rough.' t Chiarini swears that the terror from Carson
shall have the first vacancy."

"I TOLLED You So. —The law relating to bicycles
with reference to turnpikes having now been settled in
favour of their exemption from toll we have a fresh
illustration of the proverb, "Where there's ae wheel
there's a way."—Fun.

A PRISONER IN HIS OWN PALACE.—According to a
correspondent of the Presse of Vienna, the Czar is
now to all intents and purposes a prisoner in his
own palace. Ten officers of the guard are charged
with the protection of the building, and their duty is
to keep watch over all its inhabitants and report their
doings at stated times. Special regulations are issued
for the surveillance of each floor of the palace. It is
ordered that the officers on guard at the floor where
the Emperor and Empress reside shall turn back
everyone who is found there without special authority
and does not belong to the Imperial family. Between
twelve at night and eight in the morning not even the
Czarewitch is admitted without a special pass, to be
obtained from the Court Marshal, Von Grote. This
regulation is so strictly carried out that Dr. Botkin,
the Empress's body physician, had to wait one night
for a pass before he was admitted to his patient, and
the medicine he had sent for was also kept back until
authority for its admission was obtained. The subter-
ranean apartments have all been bricked up, it having
been decided that they shall no longer he inhabited.
Pall Mall Gazette.
NEW COALFIELD IN AMERICA. —ln the State of
Colorado a large coalfield is now being worked. It
extends for 60 miles from the valley of the Rio Los
Pinos to the south-east end of Ute Mountain in the
county of La Plata. The coal is free from shale,
strongly bituminous, and exceedingly, rich in gaseous
products; and from the nature of the country it can
readily be obtained by means of levels instead of sink-
ing pits. The county of La Plata raises considerable
quantities of meat, vegetables, and grain, which, how-
ever, would lack a market were it not for the adjoining
county of San Juan in New Mexico.
CAN A MAN BE HIS OWN GRANDFATHER ?—This query
is answered in the affirmative, and it actually occurred
in the case of a boy a few years ago :—" There was a
widow and her daughter-in-law, and a man and his son.
The widow married the son, and the daughter the old
man; the widow was therefore mother to her husband's
father, consequently grandmother to her own husband.
They had a son, to whom she was great-grandmother;
now as the son of a great-grandmother must be either
a grandfather or great-uncle, this boy was therefore
his own grandfather."
ADDING INSULT TO INJURY.—Smith, hunting with
with the Dirtyshire and Somersault Fox-hounds, has
been thrown out and thrown off, lost his horse, and
got plastered with mud. Facetious Agriculturist to
him: "Ere, I say, you mister bring back my free-
hold ! "—[Delight of Smith.}—Fun.

DISASTERS AT SEA.—There were 24 British and
foreign wrecks reported during the past week, making
a total of 395 for the present year, or a decrease of
119 as compared with the corresponding period of last
year. The approximate value of property lost was
£510,000, including British £390,000.

A PLAGUE OF DOGS.—Cyprus is afflicted with a
plague of dogs, which, it is stated, are even more
numerous and useless than they are in Constantinople.
They infect the various towns and their outskirts,
and are at the present time a source not only of
annoyance, but of danger; for the cattle disease
which, although diminishing still prevails in the
island, is said to be propagated from village to village
by them. They scratch up and feast upon the buried
carcases of .the animals that have died of the disease
or have been slaughtered on account of it, and after-
wards drink at the troughs where the cattle are
watered. Dr. Heidenstam, the district medical
officer of Larnaca, who has lately been appointed
chief inspector of cattle disease for the island, in an
, elaborate report on the subject which he has issued,
alludes to this "dog difficulty." The dogs, he says,
should be carefully excluded from any stable in which
cattle affected by the disease liave been standing, and
the carcases of the animals should be buried in quick-
lime. All dogs in the country should be kept at home
and tied up.

THE OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN EUROPE.—M. Alphonse
Goovaerts, Communal Librarian of the City of Ant-
werp, has just published a biographical sketch of
Abraham Yerhoeven, "Le Premier Gazetier do
l'Europe." The contention of M. Goova,erts is that
the first newspaper printed in Europe appeared at
Antwerp in the year 1605, in the Netherlands tongue.

TRADE IN AUSTRALIA.—The following telegram has
been received from Sydney :—There is very little
doubt that we are on the eve of a decided improvement
in all branches of business, in which change the metal.
lurgical departments will inevitably participate.
Already importers and dealers have received larger
and more numerous orders, and are sending out more
iron wire, etc., than for some time past. Prices are
consequently firmer. The improvement is due,
doubtless, to higher figures realised for wool, copper,
and other Australian produce in England. A general
revival of trade is therefore confidently anticipated.—
Iron2nonger.

THE AMERICAN AND CANADIAN FOOD SUPPLY.--, -
The supply of American and Canadian food during ,
last week, from the United States and Canada, was 1
smaller as regards live cattle and larger as regards -'•• '
fresh meat, than the previous week. The steamers
conveying live cattle were the Canopus, with 395 •
cattle, and the Bulgarian, with 250 cattle. The
steamers bringing fresh meat were the Wyoming, with
1,900 quarters of beef and 745 carcases of mutton; the
Celtic, with 620 quarters of beef and 200 carcases of
mutton; the Indiana, with 927 quarters of beef and
724 carcases of mutton; the Bulgarian, with 776
quarters of beef and 797 carcases of mutton; and the
City of Chester, with 940 quarters of beef, 160 car-
cases of mutton, and 175 dead pigs; making the totals
645 cattle, 5,063 quarters of beef, 2,626 carcases of
mutton, and 175 dead pigs.
THE GENERAL STAFF OF THE FRENCH AR.—This
old historic corps has ceased to exist since March 25.
The law dissolving it and substituting another
arrangement directed that its members should be
distributed by lot among the various active
branches of the service, preserving, of course, their
titular rank. There were 42 colonels on the general •
staff; of these 19 have been assigned to the In-
fantry, nine to the Cavalry, nine to the Artillery, and
five to the Engineers. There were 41 lieutenant-
colonels, of whom 18 fell to the Infantry, 10 to the
Cavalry, nine to the Artillery, and four to the engi-
neers. There were 126 chefs d'escadron, 72 of whom
are sent to the Infantry, 22 to the Cavalry, 21 to the
Artillery, and 11 to the Engineers. Of the 236 cap-
tains on the staff, 144 go to the Infantry, 38 to the
Cavalry, 41 to the Artillery, and 13 to the Engineers;
while of the 61 lieutenants, 40 pass to the Infantry, 10
to the Cavalry, seven to the Artillery, and four to the
Engineers.
SCIENTIFIC Fmtmisza.—Sir John Astley, M.P., pre-
sided over a public meeting, held in the Corn Ex-
change, Lincoln, for the purpose of considering the -
plans of the Science and Art Department for teaching
the science of agriculture. After an address from Mr.
Buckmaster, Sir John Astley said when he first heard
of the proposal he was not favourably impressed with
it, because he could not see how it was to be carried
out in rural districts; but, after having heard what
Mr. Buckmaster had to say on the subject, he had
quite changed his opinion, and he thought the classes
proposed would be most valuable to farmer's sons
(hear, hear). He thought the landlords ought to take
the matter up. If a class were started in his parish he
should certainly do all he could to persuade the young
men to attend it. The difficulty which appeared to
him was the want of competent teachers. A. resollition
approving the object was unanimously carried
CO-OPERATIVE STORES —The new Custstns and
Revenue Act was issued on Monday, by which a pro-
vision in the Industrial and Provident Soci.stes Act
was altered. It is now enacted that a society regis-
tered under that Act shall be chargeable to the duties
of income tax under Schedule C and Schedule D in
case the society sells to persons who are not members
thereof, and the transfer of their shares is limited either
by its rules or practice.
WORKING OF THE BALLOT.—" A Presiding Officer"
states (says the Daily Telegraph) with reference to a
remark that "on the back of each ballot-paper is a
registered number which would of course identify the
voter with one or other of the political
_parties,' that
there can be no such identification. "The presiding
officer at each polling station is provided with ballot-
papers, made up into books, each containing a hun-
dred. Each ballot-paper is attached to a counterfoil,
and the ballot-papers, with their respective counter-
foils, are numbered consecutively from the beginning
of the first book to the end of the last. As the ballot.
papers are torn off consecutively, there is no connec-
tion whatever between tfie registered number of the
voter and the number •on the back of his ballot-
paper."