The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-09-05 00:00:00

Miscellaneous iltelligente.

HOME FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

NEW STATUE OF THE QUEEN—During the
previous few days workmen have been engaged in pre-
ring the pedestal for Mr. Noble's statue of the
Queen, to be placed in St. Thomas's Hospital, and on
Tuesday afternoon the statue was finally placed on
the pedestal under the fourth arch, on the right-hand
side of the main entrance to the hospital in Palace-
road. The statue, which is 6ft. fin, in height, was
sculptured out of a block of pure white Carrara marble,
weighing twelve tons, the depth of the block being
oft. fin., and its width 4ft. The statue, as it now
appears in its complete sculptured state, weighs live
tons. The Queen is represented as seated on a State
chair, in her full robes of State. holding the sceptre in
her right hand and the orb in the left hand. The left
arm rests upon an arm of the chair, the right hand
being brought forward and resting in the lap. The
feet rest upon a footstool, and are to some extent
hidden by drapery. The likeness of Her Majesty is
admitted to be excellent. The pedestal upon which
the statue stands is of Sicilian marble, beautifully
moulded and carved, with panels on each side. The
front portion of the pedestal has a circular projection,
and within the panel, immediately under the statue, is
the followlng inscription :- -" Her Majesty, Queen
Victoria. 'rhe gift of Sir John Musgrove, Bart.,
President, 1873." The delicate colour of the pedestal,
which is richly veined, is in striking contrast with the
pure white surface of the statue itself. The height of
the statue and pedestal combined is lift. fin.
POPULATION OF BRITISH POSSESSIONS—The
year's Colonial Statistical Abstract, which has been
issued by the Board of Trade, gives a statement of
the population of the British possessions abroad,
which may be condensed as follows :—British
190,663,623 ; Ceylon, Straits Settlements, and Labuan,
2,718,282; British North America, 3,748,857 ; Aus
tralia, with New Zealand, 1.978,748; the West Indies,
Honduras, and British Guiana, 1.280,268; the Cape
of Good Hope and Natal, 855,931; West African
Settlements—viz., Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, Gambia,
and Lagos, 5311,654; Mauritius, 318,584 ; Hongkong,
124,198; St. Helena, 6241; Bermuda, 12,121;
Falkland Islands, 811; Malta and Gibraltar, 141,918
and 16,454 respectively, exclusive of the military.
The total is 202,405,690; and in North America and
Australia there has been a substantial increase since
the census was taken.

OLD FRIENDS WITH A NEW NAME.—ISLE OF
WIG HT. —Nearsighted Tourist. "What a Lot of Blue-
bottles ! - -Never heard such a Buzzing in my Life! "
Waiter (indignantly). "Bluebottles, Sir ! "There
ain't such a Thing as a Bluebottle to be found in the
'ole Island ! "—Nearsighted Tourist. "Then what on
Earth are all these ! Waiter (whose Face is horribly
swollen, by the bye). "'Muskeeters,' Sir, Gents calls
'em. We used to call 'ens ' Gnats.' "—Punch.

BRITISH SHIPPING .—The number of registered
vessels on the registry of the British Empire at the
close of the year 183 was 36,825, with an aggregate
tonnage of 7,291,230 tons, and manned by 330,849 men.
The numbers were constituted as follows :—United
Kingdom, 24,873 vessels of 5,736,368 tone; Channel
Islands, 688 vessels of 68,794 tons; British Plantations,
11,264 vessels of 1,489,068 tons. The number of ships
is 11 fewer than in the preceding year, but the tonnage
shows an increase of 80,101 tons, and there are 1,414
snore men. Of the aggregate increase of 80,401 tons
54,405 belong to Great Britain and Ireland.

LOST IN THE BUSH. —The Melbourne Argus
says " There has been found, at Tauranga, a man,
who was lost in the bush for three weeks. He lived
during the time on roots and leaves. When found.
though a big man before, he was a mere skeleton,
weighing no more than a child four or five years old.
He is recovering fast."

SETTLED ESTATES.--By an Act of the late
Session, the powers of the Leases and Sales of Settled
Estates Act (10. and 20 Vie., c. 120) are extended.
Where under the recited Act the concurrence or con-
sent of any person to an application is required and
not obtained, notice is to be given and the Court may
dispense with such consent, and, when it is refused,
rant the application, having regard to the number and
interest of parties in the matter.

WHAT WE ARE COMING TO—Now that
a German Society in New York is actually about to
construct a chamber with the appliances necessary for
burning the dead, and their example is about to be
followed at Vienna and Dresden, we may expect to
see fire spreading in the cemetery as it is its nature to
spread, till in the end cremation will have everywhere
ousted interment, the undertaker's work will be
changed from committing earth to earth to reducing
ashes to ashes—and the old death-saw will have to be
re-set into ''lie mortn is nil nini— burn•cm."—Ptincb.

ENGLISH GIRLS IN PARIS.-111011Hrien were
wade into the condition of the English girls who came
to Paris in search either of education or employment.
It was found that they numbered over two thousand,
and were of all classes—from the lady-teacher to the
sempstress and servant. They were mostly alone in
this city of manifold temptations, drawn hither by
allurement,. The young governess came either to
teach English or to perfect herself in that sine qua non
of modern education, fluent Parisian French The
shop girl or sempstress to acquire that light and
elegant touch in millinery that Should ensure favour
with the fashionable and fantastic. The cook to strive
for that height on which the chef of the eui.sine dwells.
Some were drawn to the gay capital by less worthy
aims.—SandayXagazine.
LEGAL LEARNING AMONG THE BENGALEES.—
Recent legal examinations in Calcutta have yielded a
fund of new suggestions in jurisprudence from native
candidates with an original turn of mind (says the
Pioneer Mail). A very delicate problem, for instance,
"when may leading questions be asked," was solved
by one clear-headed Bengalee in a very simple and
straightforward manner. "They may be asked," he
said, "of deaf and dumb witnesses." Another point
was settled by a budding mooktear in an equally
trenchant way. The question put to him was: In con-
structing a will in what cases is extrinsic evidence ad-
missable ? Then, as Tennyson says, did the response
clearly fall : "Extrinsic evidence is admissable—lst,
when the testat..r is dead or cannot be found; 2nd,
when he has become incapable of giving evidence." If
the reader can digest any more legal maxims at one
sitting we may give him an answer relating to the dis-
tinction between void and voidable contracts; "Avoid
contract is a contract which is impossible—as if a man
agrees to marry a monkey, that is an impossible con-
tract, and it is therefore void."

IRASCIBLE KINGS.—II is said that George
when greatly offended by some remonstrances of his
Prime Minister, Walpole, kicked him out of his
Cabinet; and as his Majesty bad shon et such passion
before in the presence of several persons, Fielding took
up the idea of printing in his journal, Common Sena,
a "Dissertation on Kicks," which is not wanting in
many passages of clever satire. He remarks, that, at
the court of France, the sovereign would not disgrace
himself by using personal violence. This is too compli.
mentary. Fielding does not seem to have been aware that
the French kings liked, on occasion, to indulge their
temper in away very similar to the true Briton. Louis
XIII. declined to have noblemen for his gentlemen
of the bedchamber, because he could not beat them as
he liked, and gave a dozen hard blows to a valet who
disputed with the pages the honour of preadence.
His brother, Gaston d'Orlean's, threw a gentleman
into the canal at Fontainebloau, because he had not
shown him sufficient respect. Even LOUIS XIV.,
with aU his magnificence, so far forgot himself as to
raise his cane to the back of one of Ms servants ; and
on another occasion he threw the weapon out of the
window, lest he should yield to the temptation of
chastising Lauzun. The clever Louvois ran the same
risk, and had it nt been for the timely interference of
Madame de Maintenon, would have suffered by the
hand ot his royal master, —Chambers's Journal.