The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-03-26 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 18871

The Lords of the Admiralty have Rivet sanction for
Captain Lang, R.N., who has been chief naval adviser
to the Chinese Government for seven years to accepts
the command of the Chinese Fleet now being formed.
The French Government on Tuesday morning
decided on dissolving the Municipal Council of Mar.
seillec.

Tne inquiry into the charges of malversation brought
by -31 e. G. Howell, M.P., against the Corporation of
the City of London, was resumed on Tuesday before
the Select Committee of the House of Commons, when
Mr. Benjamin Scott, the City Chamberlain, was
further examined by Mr. Bradlaugh, with regard ti
the payment of various amounts from the Corporatior
funds.

Mr. Justice Mathew and Mr. Justice Cave, ti
Divisional Court of Queen's Bench on Tuesday, heard
the appeal from a decision of the justices at Stockton,
who had refused to convict the Stockton and Darling-
ton Steam Tramway Company under bye-laws under
the Highway Locometives Act, 1878, providing for the
granting ot .nnual licenses for locomotives used in the
county. The court dismissed the appeal, holding with
the justices that the section of the Act and the bye-
laws were not applicable to steam tramcars moving on
rails.
At the Middlesex Sessions, on Tuesday, G. R. Davis,
a lad, pleaded guilty to steeling a locket, coins, and
money, from his father, who said be had frequently
forgiven him. He was sentenced to eight months' hard
labour.
Another dispute has occurred in the South Stafford-
shire chain trade. In consequence of a number of the
employers having given notice of a reduction in wages,
the Ohainmakers' Association have decided to call the
operatives out on strike at all facrories where the
employers refuse to pay the revised list of prices.
John Burns alias Sonny Burns, was committed by
the Manchester stipendiary on Tuesday to the assizes
on the charge of being concerned in the murder of
Joseph Brady. Six other persons already stand com-
mitted on the same charge. The deceased was set upon
as he was standing on the doorstep of a house in a
street in a low part of Manchester by the prisoner and
his companions, without }mine given them any provo-
cation Some of the assailants used knives, and Brady
was stabbed several times in different parts of the body.
The serious occurrence at Wexall Colliery, Warwick-
shire, whereby 300 miners have been thrown out of
work through an influx of water into the shaft, has
now developed into a disaster of no ordinary character.
The water has extended to the workings, and is rapidly
rising. The management are doing their utmost to
overcome the difficulty, but it is feared some time musti
elapse before the coal getting can be resumed.
At Waterford Assizes on Tuesday, before Baron
Dowse. Serjeant Hemphill applied for an order
compelling Sir Thomas Esmonde, who was superseded
in the shrievalty of the county by Colonel Hillier, to
hand over to the latter's sub-sheriff, Mr. Hudson, the
grand and petty eiry panels, and all other books
pertaining to the office of Sheriff. Dr. Falconer, who
appeared for Sir Thomas Esmonde, and Mr. Strange,
who bad been appointed his sub-sheriff, resisted the
application. After a protracted legal argument, his
lordship said he would not make any ruling on the
application.
A Cabinet Council was held at one o'clock on Tues-
day in one of the private rooms of the House of
Commons, Lord Salisbury driving from Arlington.
street to attend.
Mr. Spurgeon spoke at the fifth anniversary of the
Metropolitan Tabernacle Blue Ribbon Total Abstinence
Society, and called attention to the transference of
brewing and distilling businesses into limited cons-
panics.
A correspondent in New York telegraphs that about
3000 persons attended a meeting held at the Cooper
Institute to protest against the adopt4on of coercive
measures towards Ireland, and that the proceedings
throughout were very enthusiastic.
Dr. Pankburst's suit against Colonel C. E. Hamilton,
M.P , for Rotherhithe, was brought to a close in the
Queen's Bench Division, on Tuesday, the plaintiff
being awarded 40s. damages for the slander and £6O for
the libel.

Writing to Father Sherlock, a Roman Catholic priest
in Birmingham, Mr. Bright says he has read the
speeches of the Irish Nationalist leaders for the past
seven years, and finds in them only hatred to England
and disloyalty to the Crown,. and he is unwilling to
entrust to their tender mercies any portion of the
population now under the government of the Imperial
Parliament. _ .

Early on Saturday morning a collision occurred on
the Midland Railway near Harringay Park Station,
North London, between a Midland workmen's train and
a Great Eastern engine and brake coming from an
opposite direction. All the passengers in the Midland
train, about 16 in number, were injured, but with one
or tNo exceptions, not seriously. The driver and fire-
man were also hurt.
J. G. Ell,ott, occupier of the Cadogan Club and
Darning Academy, Chelsea, London, was convicted at
the Westminster Police-court, on Saturday, of having
sold wine spirits, and beer without the requisite
licences, and was fined £6O.
A.Reuter's telegram from Calcutta announces that
an additional force of 4000 police is about to be raised
for service in Burmah.

According to a Reuter' s telegram from Toronto
negotiations are proceeding for the purchase by the
Canadian Government of more cruisers for the protec-
tion of the fisheries.

An Imperial ukase was promulgated on Saturday, at
St. Petersburg, ordering the expropriation of land for
the continuation of Transcaspian Railway as far as
Sarnarcand.

Dirs. Mary E. Osgood, who died recently at Chicopee
Falls. was a sister of the famous Tom Thumb. Her
maiden name was Mary E. Stratum.
Lord William recil, second son of the Marquis of
Salisbury, who has been licensed to a curacy at Great
Yarmouth, has arrived in the town, and is about to
labour in one of its poorest districts:
It is understood that in view of the representations
recently made to him, the Chancellor of the Exchequer
is disposed to recommend a subvention of £2OOO a year
to the Victoria University.
At a meeting of the London Flour Millers' Associa-
tion, it has been decided to ask the council of the
British and Irish Millers' Association to institute in-
quiries into the cause of the present depression in the
milling trade, and to consider whether it would not be
advisable to urge the imposition of a moderate duty
upon foreign flour.
The " Standard " believes that in order to meet the
views of the Government. modifications will be intro-
duced into Sir John Lubbock's Free Libraries Bill,
making the Local Boards the authorities under the
bill in place of the Boards of Guardians. The bill may
possibly be withdrawn for the purpose of remodelling
the provisions in this respect.
Japanese and Chinese sailors met and fought at
Tokie on tha 18th ult. In consequence differences
arose between th two countries. These have been
satisfactorily settled by the payment of indemnities
from the Governments of each country to the other
in respect of the killed and wounded on either side.
Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice has declared that Mr.
Gladstone is the only possible leader of the Liberal
party, and that his hold on the Irish people would
enable him to make a permanent settlement of the
Irish Question when anybody else would fail.
In response to a circular inviting an expression of
opinion on the part of members of the House of
Commons, in reference to the publication of deter
of divorce cases, 235 gentlemen have signified their
approval ot the action being taken in Parliament, with
a view to placing some restriction on such publication.
At Leeds, John Judge, secretary of the local branch
of the National Union of Operative Boot and Shoe
Rivetters and Finishers, hoe been oharged with intimi.
dating an employer by picketing his premises. The
stipendiary magistrate held that picketing was illegal,
and the defendant was fined £lO. Notice of appeal
was given.
Reunno Caulker, son of an African King, wha has
been educated at Dayton College, Ohio, sailed for home
last month. Interviewed, he said . "I go under the
auspices of the United Brothers' Board of Foreign
Missions, and will preach the Gospel to the heathen.
The Bible has never been translated into the Sherbio
tongue, but I hope to do it in time. It will be very
difficult, however, as we have no alphabet in our
country."
A Washington correspondent says: "If people
think that the President is not sociable in his official
prison life in the White House, they do not know him.
He is warm—hearted and companionable in his hours of
leisure from the routine drudgery of his high place.
He is fond of his friends, and always has a great deal
of company. As a bachelor, a friend or two to dinner
was a regular occurrence, to which he now often add 3
the friends of Mrs Cleveland."

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