The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-08-10 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS,

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

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During the reign of her present Majesty, Parliament
has passed no fewer than 4,000 Acts.
The potatoe disease has appeared to an alarming ex-
tent in the Vale of Severn and other parts of the country.
The Sindian states no rain has fallen at Kurrachee
tor the past two years:
A 10.000 dollar opera house was won in a raffle by
• small etreet boy of Milwaukee on the 4th ult.
The Fifeshire miners on Monday resolved to demand
an advance of wages at the rate of is. 9,1. per day.
It is Stated that during the trial of Stokes the
murderer of James risk, jun., the hair of the prisoner's
father turned from iron grey to the purest white.
L Jules Janin last week pronounced Chateau.
Wand to be the most illuatrioun of poets in the whole
world. [ the world of Paris, per hap.']
Dr. Livingstone has given to one of the lakes which
he liad explored a name- dear to all Americans—that of
Lincoln.
William Ten chapel at Uri is in such a ruinous
condition that the attention of the authorities has been
called to It, and steps will be taken to rebuild it.
The Daily Telegraph calls last Monday (the Bank
Holiday).. St. Lubbock'. Day," in honour of Sir John Lubbock,
who procured the passing of the bill.
Nearly 43,000 persons visited the Bethnal-green
, Museum last week. The total Dumber admitted shies the
opening of the institution has been 370,e03.
At Leeds Assizes, Joseph Law, of Sheffield, slater,
was sentenced to ten years' penal servitude for a murderous
assault on Mary Baites, with whom he cohabited.
A Paris Correspondent contradicts the report tha
the Due d'Aumale intends to retire from public life in canoe
quence of the death of his sun the Due de Gail°.
Hard wok continues to be the order of the day at
Geneva, and it is hoped that very soon results, in the form of
Important decisions, will accrue therefrom.
From April Ist to the 3rd instant the Exchequer
receipts amounted to £23,761,202, as compared with
122.331,806 in the corresponning period of last year. The ex-
penditure has bees £37,399,30.. in Saturday lost the balance
In the hank of England was £3,333,798.
, A Brussel correspondent writes :—The strike of
the weavers at Turnhout is nearly over. The disgraceful
riots of the men when out on strike, which necessitated the
intervention of the armed force, contrast unfavourably with
the quiet, orderly behaviour of the colliers when on strike.
A salmon cable from Berwiek-npon-Tweed,, contain-
ing seven men, was overact, and six edits occupants instantly
'drowned. The seventh contrived to ding to an oar, and
was happily rescued.
A parliamentary return issued on Tuesday, shows
that there are 207,021 dogs registered In Ireland, and that
the Government received during last year on account of
licences for them £16,702 2.5.
The Times (on Tuesday) said that the statement
published by a contemporary yesterday that Lord liatherley
had placed his resignation of the Great Seal in the hands of
Sir. Gladstone is absolutely inaccurate.
The Royal Engineer field printing equipment is
again to be employed during the autumn maineuvrea, and
non-commissioned officers will he sent fic m the School of
Military Engineering in charge of the equipment.
The Americans are getting uneasy about their wood-
staves, which hitherto have been regarded as inexhaustible.
A report, drawn up by the National Agricultural Society of
America, proves that those fears are well grounded.
The Czar, and also the Grand Ducal Heir to the
Imperial Throne, intend visiting Berlin in the beginning of
September. borings portion of their stay the Emperor of
Austria is likely to he also the guest of the Emperor William.
At a fashionable wedding in London last week, an
obi custom was revived, and copies of a "prothalamion "
printed on white satin—the production of a well-known poet
—were handed round to the guests.
The total number of Government measures brought
In during the present session is 114. Of these flfty-two have
already received the Royal assent, and twenty-live have been
withdrawn.
- - -

Trouville, on the coast of Normandy, where M.
Thins is now staying, was about forty years ago an obscure
fishing v,llaee, and wan first brought into notice by the
sketches of 11. Morin, a marine painter.
The official return of acreage under flax in Ireland
lnoi just been lamed—For this year, 121,610 acres last year,
156,670 acres; decrease, 34,800 acres, showing in comparison
a decrease, this year as compared with the last, of 27 per
cent.
The wife of Mr. William Heron, shipowner, residing
at Birkenhead, was severely burnt on Sunday afternoon, by
her muslin dress being ignited at the kitchen fire. Captain
Heron and his brother-in-law with difficulty extinguished
the flames, but Mrs. Huron is not expected to live.
"Umbrella found.— 0 wner can have the same by
giving description and paying expense of advertisement, ttc.
Address," &us. How many hundred thousands will apply
It is shard thing to awaken thus the serrowing recollections
of the million to end in di/appointment.
One of the cyclones which periodically sweep across
the Bay of Bengal hen committed devastation among the
local ,hipping. The Omaha, of Liverpool, was drive n ashore
on Sanger Built, not far fr. in Calcutta. All the light-ships
In the llooghley were carried away, and the station of Bala-
sore, over which the storm broke with great fury, has been
entirely wrecked.
The Bank Holidays Act was hardly observed in
Liverpool. Except the hanks, cotton mid share markets.
the news rooms, very few commercial houses and shops
were closed: and, owing to the very unpleasant weather
whicfi prevailed, the excursi, Mats who thranged the river
steamers had not a very enjoyable "outing." The Custom
House was open as usual.
A Spanish correspondent says that Botija, one of the
SISSICWW seized in the Calle del Arenal, very nearly succeeded
last week 111 setting fire ts the door of his prison with a straw
mattress. It would appear from the depositions of the
prisoners generally that none of their band had been ac-
quainted with theprineipals of the conspiracy except the one
man who was killed in the affray.
Here is an idea for the teetotallers :—" The number
of deaths of horses in New York is equal at the present
moment to the number of deaths of the male populatif M. As
the horses to not drink whisky, it is not w hisky that kills
the male population which goes in heartily for it. The
philosopher why pennad this rullection was a New York
citizens--a great thinker.
The characteristic of the umbrella is its power of
changing shapes. Yon may leave a bran new silk with an
ivory and rosewood handle at any public gathering, and w ith.
in three hours it will transform itself into light blue or faded
brown cotton' somewhat less in size than a circus tent, with
a handle line like a telegraph pole and five fractured ribs.
The vexed question of the mode of making advances
and redu.lions in the wages of workmen in the South Staf-
fordshire iron trade was settled fai Monday, the Connell of
Copciliation deciding that the law, 'Ouch in the several
works governs ativancm, shall SW govern reductioes, cense-
quer tip a reduction of • given denomination will not repro.
sent more than an advance of the same denomination.
Earl Granville inn Tuesday received a deputation,
whose members nrged the Goveniment to tak e active TM mures
for suppressing the slave trade in E istern Africa. His lord-
ship stated that the Cabinet FAS in communication with
several foreign Power= for the mirpose of t ffecting the object
which his hearers had in view, and that favourable responses
to suggestions for co-operation had been received.
According to the return of the Registrar General,
the mean temperature of the air at the Royal Observatory,
Greenwich which had averaged to degs. tacos., and a daily
excess of 7 degs. secs. during the eleven days ending Mon-
day, 29th 711 t , showed a remarkable fall &nine the last five
Or)! affect week, v-non the mean a.a a hie legs. S recs.
and :y ite.gi. below the u.asraga for ;ifts •arrrspondMg period
in Ye years. • .

yrere . ganeral roripensioir ot in the,
Metropolis on Monday, owing to the observance of the day
e flack ff ofidev The numbers leaving town by excursion
be,,vor, did not come ar. to the expeetrtions of the
railway comaanies, and me this the wretched weather was
lii s great deer, nmsponslble.
A brilliant reception was accorded to M. niers on
Monday at Tronville, the place where lie intends to spend
his well-earned Imildays. Although but few preparations
hail been made officially to make the occasion a festive
one, It appears that the impulses of the people themselves
led to a very gratifying spontaneous display of good
feeling.
Mr. James Brooks, in his recent book of travels,
thus describes a Japanese theatre " I went to the theatre,
the other night. in K angels a--a big institution with no seats,
but with rails to lean OIL We all squat. The natives leave
their penny and twopenny straw shoes at the door, near the
ticket-box, and take tickets for them, an we take tickets for
our hats or coats. It was a very funny sight to are four or
live hundred shoes ticketed with wooden straps attached to
them, the straps written over in Japanese characters."
The Paris Figarn has given publicity to a fearful
prediction, which M Plantamour, a Swiss savant, has niede
public. 'the earth was to have been destroyed last Monday,
at half an hour after noon ! The valise prerlieted was the
contact of a comet, which was travelling towards the earth
at an incredibly rapid rate. At noon the heat woe, accord-
ing to the prediction, to have been flO unbearable that the
seas would boil, anti half an hour later the world was to be
destroyed.
A lad sixteen years of age, named George Wail, re-
siding with his widowed mother, at Stoke, was drowned on
Saturday afternoon whilst bathing in Stonehouse lake, near
the Military Hospital. lie had learnt to swim last summic
and in his last and fatal bathe he swam from one side of the
lake to the other. In returning he is supposed to have been
seized with cramp, and souk before assistance could he rem
• dereil him. The body was recovered on Saturday night, a
quarter of smile from the spot where the accident occurred.
It had previously been dragged for by ...end policemen with-
out success.
- •

---- •
In a criminal case which was to have been tried the
other day before the Assize Court of Versailles, M. Jules
Fevre was retained front of the prisonem, a woman accused
with a male companion of "holding intelligence with the
enemy" during the war Sonic of the into, however, stated
that they felt such an antipathy towards M. Jules Fevre mat
they did not think they could divest their mines of a pi e-
jnilice Inman* any prisoner defended by him. The judge.
eoneeniuently decided that the case must stand over.
At the halfpenny meeting of the Birmingham
Chember of Commerce, the council reported that they had
under consideration the establishment of a local board of
arbitration in connection with the various industries of the
town. The syatem upon which the boards at Nottingham
and Darlington ais based had been carefully examined, but
as these hoards dealt with two special industries, it was
found that in dealing with Birmingham trades a more com-
prehensixe system would he necessary. The council were
engaged collecting further information on the wank et, and
requested the co-operation of manufacturers and workmen
The lamented prince, the Due de Guise, who was the
last child to die out of eight of the Duke d'Aninale's children,
was to inherit .eSin,ooo from his mother. This inheritance
will now revert upon his grandmother, the venerable Pon-
cess of Salerno, thence to be divided amongst the Imperial
family of Austri 4 and some members of the Heyal d'Orh'i.nns
and Sicily families, Louis Philippe's Ipleen, Marie-Amthe,
haying been the sister of the late Prince 01 Salerno. The
Due de Guise seemed himself to have all idea of a short life,
as among his study papers was a letter addressed to his
father, beggiing he would present his valet, an old lidel e, with
. 1 ,0001 in case of his death. The letter was no sooner read
than acted upon.
A terrific collision took place on Saturchy on the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway near Manchester. Owing
to tome mistake in the signalling a coal train emerged from
a aiding just in time to rush into the Southport express,
which was travelling at the rate of x 0 milee an hour. The
collision wan tulle, The costae was utterly wrecked, and
the tender thrown off the line. Three carriages filed with
passengers were knocked over and broken to pieces. The
latent accounts report four persons killed, and there era 10.
sides eight or ten seriously Injured.
lOn Monday, at the Norfolk Amizes, the High
Sheriff's carriage wee net in attendance at the Judge',
lodgings at a sufficient 'yearly hearts the morning to convey
Mr. Justi,aa Keating to Court, and his lordship accordingly
t took a cab to the Shire Hall, and on taking hts seat fined the
• High Sheriff £5O. Later In the day the High Sheriff expressed
his regret for what was in reality an unfortunate inad-
vertence, and said he was anxious to treat her Majesty's re-
preaentative with all posaible respect. The fine was, upon
this apologetic statement, remitted.
Whenever a large sum of money is mentioned, some
absurd person, wino never had such alum, reckons up what
it would weigh and what time it would take to count. Here
is what one of the gentlemen lays about the French loon of
120 millions. With foriyaix sovereigns to the pound troy,
this loan in gold would weigh about 1,100 tons; and told
tlm t,
e andh hrdiron w..wwi when
every
h ee ry w:scoh old
d
eli
forth coin by coin, at the rate of a pound sterling every
second, four years art uld be cOnsanied in counting It all
down. As it has been subscribed for some fourteen times
enou to be trusted with a sovereign—say ten—we are
golyader, if
to think had
nkthattobycotuhne time
of his without sleep, except he counted in his slaep)—
we should bear no more of him and his valuable services to
humanity.