The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-09-10 00:00:00

MMI!

SATURDAY, SEPT. 10, 1881.

A USEFUL AND BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION.—One of
the latest developments of benevolence—and we may
add one of the most satisfactory (remarks the Daily
News)—is the establishment in the beautiful neigh-
bourhood of Babbacombe, Devon, of a "House of
Rest," intended for women in business who find it
necessary to recruit their powers by a temporary
sojourn in pure air by the sea-side. Admission to the
house is by subscriber's tickets, or for those who can
afford it, by a moderate weekly payment, which we
are reminded "tends to make the house more self-
supporting.' The latter class, we are glad to learn,
showed a considerable increase last year, when alto-
gether 143 visitors were rteei.ted. The classes who
avail themselves of the Rest are, it appears, milliners,
dressmakers, shopwomen, post-office clerks, &c.
TOUCHING SELF-SiCRIFICE.—Edwin.— My knife
Angelina ! Good gracious, whatever for? Angelina:
—You looked so tired, dearest, with this long journeys
I thought if I could cut off some of my buttons we
might have a game of draughts on the plaid 1--Funny
Folks.

_
A SPLENDID BRIDAL VEIL.—The bridal veil, SE6.I
for the Princess Victoria of Baden, who is about to be
married to the Crown Prince of Sweden, is being
made at Wechselmann's lace factory at Hirschberg.
The articles include a veil, a pcckethandkerchief, and
a fan. The ends of the veil display alternately the
arms of Sweden and Baden; the general design is
composed of oranges and myrtles, the borders repre-
senting wreaths of various flowers. Every bit of the
work, even the foundation, has been done with the
needle. The length of the veil is 5i metres (six yards).
The handkerchief and the fan also show a design
representing the Swedish and Baden arms, and this
design has been carried through the little lace lappets
attached to the fan.

SNOW ON THE ST. GOTHARD.--A letter from Lucerne
states that there has been heavy snow all along the
northern face of the St. Gothard. On August 28 the
snow was a foot deep at Andermatt. The streams
were so swollen that in several places the road was im-
passable, and temporary bridges had to be thrown
across. The post from Italy had been interrupted for
two days. The heaviest tall of snow and rain was at
Amsteg.
VINTAGE PROSPECTS.—The latest reports of thf3
vintage in France are not favourable. It is estimated
that the crop will not exceed twenty million
hectolitres, which is twenty million hectolitres below
the average. What it lacks in quantity, however, it
is expected to make up for in quality. The wines in
the Champagne country are reported to be exception-
ally abundant, but inferior in quality. This year the
Burgundy district will yield a small but rich vintage.
The same may be said of the Bordeaux valley.

VALUABLE BRICKS.—One hundred little boxes were
conveyed along the streets of Philadelphia in express
wagons the other day. Each box contained a brick—
considerably larger than a common brick and a great
deal heavier. The average weight of each, after the
wooden casing and heavy paper wrappings were
removed, was about 220 pounds, and if it were possible
for a man to go around with a brick like this in his
hat he would be very willing to do so. Almost any
one, indeed, would be willing to take one of the
packages home .for it. Each brick was of solid gold,
from the assayer's office in New York, and the con-
signment was sent to the mint at Philadelphia. The
entire weight of the 100 bricks was 266,760.78 ounces
Troy, or over eleven tons. The actual net weight
valuation was 5,104,466 31. dols. Each brick was worth
over 51,000 dole.
MR. DARWIN ON MOSQUITOES.—A scienttific gentle-
man of South Kensington, observing the numerous
reports of the appearance of mosquitoes in England
duriug the summer, wrote to Mr. Darwin, asking
him whetherhe thoughtthese insects were all imported,
and whether the professor thought that an excep-
tionally hot month might not have developed the
English gnat into the mosquito. Professor Darwin
replied :—" The Tipulidce, or gnat family, is a very
difficult one and not well known. No trustworthy
_evidence has been advanced of the introduction or
appearance in this country of a new species; but it
seems to me probable that some English species have
lately increased in number.—Dear Sir, your faithful*,
C. DARWIN."

GOOD FOR FLIES !—" Say, do you know what's good
for flies ?" queried a Woodward avenue butcher as he
entered a drug store the other day. "I guess I can
put you up something for about a quarter," was the
reply. When the dose was ready the butcher was told
to pour it out on plates and set them on the counter,
and he hurried away to give it a trial. In about an
hour he seat for the druggist to come over. The
10,000 flies in the shop before the dose was fixed had
been multiplied by four. "Great lands ! but I'm
being carried off by flies!" exclaimed the butcher as
he waved a long knife around his head. "Well, why
don't you get something to kill 'em off!" "Didn't I,
but it hasn't killed a one." "Of course it hasn't.
You wanted something good for flies and I gave you
clarified syrup! It's the best stuff to draw flies and
keep 'em contented I ever heard of. Why didn't you
tell me you wanted a fly-killer ?"—Detroit Free Press.
THE "FAIR TRADE LEAGUE."—A meeting of pro-
minent merchants and manufacturers was held at
Sheffield on Tuesday evening, at which resolutions
were passed in favour of establishing a branch of the
National Fair Trade League in that town. Officers
were appointed, and a public meeting will shortly be
held to discuss the subject. A desire was expressed
that the question should t)e kept clear of party
politics, it being one affecting the commercial pros-
perity of the nation.

_ _
ACCIDENT ON BOARD SHIP.—On Monday momin
the Morna' from Leith, belonging to the Edinburgh
and Leith Steam Shipping Company, .arrived at Her-
mitage Wharf, London and began to discharge. Of
her cargo a large portion was whisky. About half.
past three o'clock, before daylight, the stevedores and
men were raising a puncheon of whisky by the steam
crane, when the chain suddenly slipped and the cask
fell with a crash, breaking in the staves and bursting
the hoops. The spirit came in contact with the lamp
the men were using, and was, of course, at once in a
blaze. There were ten or twelve men working below
at the time, and two of them, named George Saite,
aged between thirty and forty, married, and. Joseph
Turner, somewhat younger, single, were seriously
burnt. They were removed to the London Hospital,
where but faint hopes are entertained of their re-
covery. Four other men were badly burnt. Some
eight or ten of the puncheons are much charred.
Had they exploded, the consequences would have been
disastrous.
THE "BISMARCK SCALE."—Prince Bismarck is very
anxious to grow thinner. Every year when taking the
waters at Kissingen he is carefully weighed, and the
record of his condition for the past seven summers, as
shown by the "Bismarck scale," may be seen in a
small kiosk on the Upper Salinen promenade. On the
walls hang two portraits of the Chancellor—one
depicting him in early youth, with a remarkably
small waist, the other representing him in the robust..
ness of later years. The Prince was • heaviest in 1879,
and last year had lost 101bs., but the latest report is
not yet visible, the result of the season's " Kur " being
invariably kept secret until some time after his
departure. When the Prinoe lately left Kissengen a
mass of admirers assembled at the railway to bid him
goodbye. His luggage duly arrived, but after long
waiting the disgusted crowd found that he himself
had quietly gone on to the next station to avoid their
greetings.
ADVENTURE WITH A WHALE.—A strange adventure
with a large whale is reported from Walls Island,
Orkney, where it was the other day stranded on the
outlying point of the coast. Men, women, and chil-
dren rushed to the spot with knives, and pitchforks,
and mcre primitive weapons, and cut the monster in
a fearful manner until it was supposed life was ex-
tinct. Ropes were afterwards procured and fastened
to the whale, the boats proceeding to tow, it into har-
bour. With the rising tide the whale floated; but as
the boats were sailing in triumph with the prize, the
whale suddenly took a fresh lease of life and started
seawards, towing the boats. It was only after being
dragged over three. miles that the men succeeded in
cutting the ropes and escaping.
THE LABOUR MARKET.—There has been a cheerful
feeling in the iron trade during the past week. The
engineering trade at Manchester is brisk. The cotton
trade has been somewhat disturbed by an application
from the weavers for an advance of wages. The manu-
facturers, after due consideration, refused the demand,
stating that business was not in a condition to allow
of an advance at the present time. The various in-
dustries in the Midland counties are fairly busy, and
orders for the winter are well in hand. The boot and
shoe trade in the different centres is good, and the
workmen in all branches are well employed. Owing
to the "Fashion and Trade" movement, the woollen
industries of Yorkshire have greatly improved, and
the workpeople are rejoicing in the prospect of a busy
season. In the West of England the building trade is
once more showing signs of activity, and masons and
carpenters are more busy than they have been for the
past two y ears. There is a decided improvement in
the demand for timber. The leather business, which
has been in a languishing condition throughout Vie
wet weather, is now a trifle better, but the clothtng
factories have maintained their activity throughout.
Bristol is developing more than ever a large ex-
port trade in clothing, and good workpeople in all
branches are wante,,. Very large orders have been
executed for the Cape during the past month, while
the home demand has continued good. In the cabinet
trade the factories are very busy, and in several of the
larger ones the men are making overtime every week,
but the demand for workmen is hardly in excess of
the supply. At Leeds the engine branches keep brisk,
while the machine and tool trades are quiet. Most of
the boot and shoe firms are fully employed as well as
the leather branches. The chemical works are full up
with orders, and the same may be said of the felt
millB, but the cloth mills are quieter, as also are
cabinetmakers and upholsterers.
THE INHABITED HOUSE DUTY.—The annual value
of property charged with the inhabited house duty in
Great Britain is now estimated at upwards of fifty-
five millions sterling, the duty onl which for the last
official year of the returns amounts to £1,845,170.
These figures, however, are far from indicating the
total value of houses and buildings, since the houses
not liable to duty by reason of their low rental, or
from their not being used as dwelling-houses, together
with hospitals, schools, workhouses, Royal palaces,
and houses occupied by foreign Ambassadors, which
are also exempt, are estimated at over fifty-seven mil-
lions; or more than half the entire value of our house
property.
AN ITALIAN PROPHECY.—And now an old Italian
prophecy has been raked up and this little globe is to
be relieved from further duty on the 15th of November
next (says the Detroit Free Press). The prophecy was
uttered in the fourteenth century by Leonardo Aretino,
who, it is claimed, was the " boss " prophet of the
country at that time. The course of destruction will
last for fifteen days; on the first day the sea will
overflow its boundaries, and on the second will pene-
trate even to the centre of the earth. On the third
day all river creatures, on the fourth all sea
creatures will perish. On the fifth day the
birds will die, on the sixth the houses will fall in,
on the seventh the rocks will be cleft, on the eighth
there will be a great earthquake, on the ninth all the
mountains will fall in, on the tenth all men will
become dumb, on the eleventh the graves will be
opened, on the twelfth it will rain stars, on the thir-
teenth all men will die, on the fourteenth Heaven and
earth will be burned, and finally on the fifteenth, will
follow the resurrection and the day of judgment.