The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-09-18 00:00:00

,I,i istellantotts Intellipta.

ROME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

COMMA.NDING Vlrw.—A paper in the neighbour-
hood of Rochester, U. S. A., advertises a church pew
for sale, "commanding a beautiful view of nearly the
whole congregation."

METEOR- AT BUDA-PESTH.—The Pester Lloyd re-
ports :—About nine o'clock on the evening of Satur-
day (September 4) the persons in the neighbourhood
of the Grand Hotel Hungaris ' (in Buda-Pesth) were
startled by a crashing noise which seemed to come
from a great distance. It was immediately followed
by a brilliant stream of light which passed over the
city in the direction of the Royal Castle, accompanied
by a rushing sound. The meteor (probably a lumi-
nous body of large size) seemed to fall into the Danube,
and produced a hissing sound exactly like that which
would be caused by the dropping into water of a.great
mass of glowing iron. Immediately there sprang up
to a great height a mighty column of water. The sky
was quite clear all the time."
THE TRULY " GREAT ThIPAID."—The Irish Land-
ords.—Punch.

PEACH TREES IN POTS.—On her journey north
to Balmoral her Maiesty always breakfasts in the
Perth refreshment rooms—a suite of rooms being
specially prepared for her convenience. On the occasion
of her going north some days ago, Mr. Macdonald
had; by permission, some six large peach trees in
pots from the gardens of the Earl of Mansfield,
Scone Palace, ranged along the rooms, laden with
fruit. The difficulty of transit in safety had been
discounted by Mr. Halliday, who had each peach kept
in position by a neat black elastic band. The novelty
of the thing was a generally source of attraction, and
the quality of the fruit was such that her Majesty pre-
ferred them to those grown in the ordinary way and
served on dishes. The white Genoa figs from Scone
were also highly appreciated, being of excellent quality,
and the whole grown in the large orchard•hou.se.—
The Gardeners' Chronicle.

How's THAT, UMPIRE 7—lt is a very Strange, but
It is, nevertheless, an inoontrovertible fact that the
deepest dyed, reddest of red republicans has no objec-
tion to a good sovereign.--Judy.

GENERAL HANCOCK'S DAILY LIFE. General
Hancock, the Democratio candidate for the Presi-
dency of the United States, has been so pestered by
visitors since he accepted the candidature, that he
has been obliged to deny his followers ad,%.4 ttance
exoept on three days of the week. He dogg.dly re-
fuses to be " interviewed, " and devotes himself steadily
to his work as Commander of the Military Depart-
ment of the Atlantic, his home being on 'Governors'
Island, in New York Harbour. Caring little for
sodety, the General visits only amongst his official
neighbours, and prefers to spend his evenings in read-
ing, chiefly historical or statistical works. He rarely
travels far, but takes his holidays at some quiet coun-
try place, and in the summer evenings his favourite
recreation is cruising about the bay in a steam-launch.
As he rises at 6 a.m., his day's work is generally over
by 3 or 4 p.m., and he is said to transact as much
business as two clerks, taking in at a glance everything
to be done.

MARINO GAME OF HIM. —ln reply to "Constant
Subscriber," Mrs. J. begs to say that it would not be
correct to say that turnips and mangold wurzel are the
"roots of the hare."--Judy.

SUDDEN DEATH.—The Times of Tuesday says :
"Many of our readers, and especially present an'd
past members of Jesus College, Oxford, will be greatly
pained to learn that the respected porter of that
ancient society, Mr. William Way, dropped down
dead while returning from his garden in Holywell-
street yesterday morning. The deceased, who was in
good health yesterday morning, was 70 years of age,
and had held his important office for nearly 20 years.
He had previously been butler to Dr. Foulkes. This
makes the third sudden death within a short time at
Oxford, it being only the other day that the well-
known livery-stable keeper and contractor for Her
Majesty's mails, Mr. Edward Taylor, and Mr. Harry
Sanders, a talented artist and author, were taken off
suddenly."
THE HEAVY WHEAT CROP OF AMERICA.—There is a
general belief that the wheat crop of the United States
for 1880 will be the heaviest ever harvested. In 1878
and 1879 there were over 32,000,000 acres planted in
wheat, and the yield was 420,000,000 bushels in 1878
and nearly 449,000,000 bushels in 1879, while the sur-
plus of the crop exported as wheat or flour was equal
to 150,000,000 bushels of wheat for 1878 and 178,000? 000
bushels for 1879. This year the surface planted in
wheat is about 36,400,000 acres, and the crop is eeti-
mated at 475,000,000 bushels, and by some as high
as 500,000,000 bushels. There is expected to be an
average yield of 13i bushels to the acre. Discussion
of the crop naturally begets discussion of the probable
foreign demand. The home consumption of wheat is
estimated at. from 250 to 315 millions of bushels, the
larger amounts being probably more correct, as the
granaries are said to be quite bare, so that very little
of The last crop remains unsold. This will leave 160 to
180 millions of bushels surplus for the crop of 1880.
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for the week
ending Sept. 11, as received from the inspectors and
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 425. 2d.; barley, 355. id.;
oats, 21s. Bd.; per imperial qr. Corresponding week
last year : Wheat, 475. 11d. ; barley, 365. Bd. ; oats,
255. 7d.
THE HAIR HARVEST.—The hair harvest in France
is now in full activity, and dealers are attending the
different fairs, and persuading the fair ones to part
with their tresses. In' certain districts the girls
regularly cultivate their hair for the market, the crop
being ready for cutting every three years. The Nor-
man women's hair is the finest; the Bretonnes', on the
contrary, is the most coarse ; while the longest locks
come from Limousin. Hair in the north is bleached
by the sea-air, and in the mountainous districts it is
dark and curly. The Americans are the chief cus-
tomers for all kinds of colours; Germany takes tons
of fair hair; and much of the same hue is sent to Eng-
land.

REMINISCENCES OF MISS NEILSON.—Mr. Edward
Compton has written some interesting reminiscences
of the late Miss Neilson. The following will be read
with interest (says the Court Journal) :—" Two
coincidences I would wish to mention in connection
with her death, and then I have done with remi-
niscences. When leaving California she said to me on
the Wednesday before we started, How wonderful
our life is, and how we seem to be watched over and
guarded while we travel over thousands and thousands
of miles, and are safe, unhurt, and well when our desti-
nation is reached. For instance, to-day lam in Cali-
forn' ia next Wednesday I shall be sleeping on the
train, the third Wednesday I shall be in New York, the
fourth on the broad Atlantic, and the fifth enjoying
myself in Paris !' " All came true but the fifth,. She
was in Paris certainly, but under what ciroum-
stanoes ?—The other coincidence is, that, frequently
as she gave her autograph during her last tour, she
seldom wrote any quotations save two; and, in their
deep and solemn meaning, they seem to have gone
forth mournfully, and almost prophetically, from her
heart. They were—
'Farewell God knows when we shall meet again.'

(poor Juliet's words), and the well-known line from
the French, 'Tout lase, tout case, tout passe "
THE JUBILEE OF RAILWAYS IN ENGLAND.—It may
be interesting to note that it was exactly fifty years ago
on Wednesday since the first really grand work in shape
of an English railway was opened, and the first railway
accident upon record took place. The line in question
was between Liverpool and Manchester, 31 miles in
length, having been begun in 1826. The opening on
Sept. 15th, 1830, was attended by the Duke of Wel-
lington, Sir Robert Peel, Mr. Huskisson, and other
well known public men. The famous "Rocket "
engine was one of those used on the occasion, and it
was this machine which caused the death of Mr.
Huskisson.

"You MEN."—"What is the price of this bracelet?"
asked a tourist of an old trinket-seller in Brittany.
"Is it for your wife or your sweetheart?" she re-
sponded. "For my sweetheart." "It's 10 francs."
The tourist turned on his heel, when the old woman
said, "You've no sweetheart, or you'd have given
me the 10 francs without a word. You may have it
for three." "I'll take It! he he said, handing over the
money. "You haven't a wife, either," exclaimed the
old woman ,• "for if it had been for her, you'd have
beaten me down 2 francs, Oh, you men—you men ! "
CIVIL LIST PENSIONS.—The grant of a Civil List
pension of larger amount than usual may call atten-
tion to this class of pensions and their limitations (re.
marks The Times). They are granted under the Civil
List Act of 1 Victoria, c. 2, whereby it is provided
that there shall be paid quarterly out of the Consoli-
datea Fund such pensions, at the rate of £1,200 a
year for each year of Her Majesty's reign, as may be
granted by Her Majesty, chargeable on the Civil List
revenues. But the statute enacts that such pensions
"shall be granted to such persons only as have just
claims on the Royal beneficence, or who by their per-
sonal services to the Crown, by the
performance of
duties to the public, or by their useful discoveries in
science and attainments in literature and the arts,
have merited the gracious consideration of their Sove-
reign and the gratitude of their country." Forty-
three years have seen the list of these pensioners
very much thinned by death. The finance account
for 1879 showed that the total amount of the pensions
then payable was but £22,108, and the accounts for
1880 shows that there was not a net increase of £1,200
in the year, the total being still only £22,467.
THE CLOTH AND ITS CONNECTIONS.—Surplices,
ecclesiastical vestments, and other textile fabrics,
namely, sermons. These latter are often spun out too
long ; and, in some instances, they get worn thread-
bare,—Punch.
DISAPPEARANCE or
RAILWAY TRAIN, ---This
i which has spent,
A
curious casuality has actually happened in the United
States to the Kansasraciffire treilrwuanYa'way,
and ii4s
at
2,500 dols. n searchingo
About 400 nip
last given it up in despair. through a p
place west
of
was visited some t e ago by a
Kansas city, the line runs _im ace called
Monotony, which
and waterspout, over 600 feet of track
washed away. The adjacent neighbour-
Lervrible sterra
neighbour-
hood, been
which consists of huge rolling prairie, was eight
t
under water, and it is conjectured that the lace-
ti d waggons (it luckily not being A passenger
train),
n were carried away and buried under a landslip.
This is the second time of such an
occurrence aa
engine having
been lost in a quicksand at Kiown
Creek in 1878.
Tint BEST AUSTRALIAN Merr.—The gathering of
the Eleven at Kennington Oval—Punch.
ROMAN CATHOLICISM IN THE UNITED STATEEL—A
little more than a century ago there was not a single
Roman Catholic bishop in the whole of the 'United
States, all the members of that Chu.4.4 hoing unaer
the jurisdiction of Dr. Challoner, the Vicar-Apostolio
of London, One bishop was, however, appointed at
the beginning of the present century, which number
grew to five within the first decade, though the follow.
mg one only showed an increase of one. In 1830 the
dioceses had increased to u, and hi the next ten y
ere
to 16; while the twenty years from 1840 to 1.860 gays
an advance of 43 dioceses. The statisties of the
Church in the Statea show that at present there moll
archbishops, 46 bishop, with eight vicars-apostolic.
The Roman Catholic powlatioa throughout those
dioceses is estimated at 47g6,000.