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

SATURDAY, SEPT. 18, 1880.

SEVERE Warr= IN AUSTRALIA.—Among the items
of Australian news weather of unusual severity, is re•
ported, and especially in New South Wales. Hall
wow had fallen on the 20th of July in the Braidvrool
district, lying at least 2ft. deep on the roads, anti
causing great destruction in flocks. In the Ooonla
district one squatter lost 500 sheep. In South Aue•
tralia the cold is reported to be intense, and the fall of
snow cu the Flinders Range the heaviest experienced
for the last 20 years.
INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY IN ITALY.—The Minister of
the Interior, Signor Depretis, lately issued a circular
to all the prefects of the kingdom, calling their atten-
tion to the extraordinary number of arrests made by
the police which were not followed by a conviction.
The Minister justly says that this fact cannot but
injure the prestige of justice and the dignity of the
authorities. The criminal statistics show that, on au
average a thousand persons ara arrested daily, which
means 365,000 criminals in the year. But the judicial
authoritiegfrdeny that these criminals really exist, ae
of the. 365,000 persons arrested, 240,000, or two-thirds,
are released at the first interrogatory. Thus eve/
day 660 innocent individuals are imprisoned throng"
caprice, abuse, or on empty ovetext. There is, no
doubt, more ignorance than malice at the bottorn
of these mistakes by the police, and it will require
better training as to the fundamental laws of civil
rights before these abuses by public officials can be got
rid of.
BURSTING OF A WATERSEOUT.—A telegram in the
Frcnioe, from Le Puy, says a waterspout bunt over
that town on Wednesday morning. The Fau
St. Jean was inundated by the water, which occasionedlri
great damage, three houses being so weakened by the
flood that they fell down in a heap of ruins. The ap-
pearance presented by the populous neighbourhood In
question is desolate in the extreme, and great excite-
ment prevails in the whole city. Up to the present,
however, only one life is known to have been lost,
though it is feared that further inquiries will show
that this does not represent the real number.
WITH A DIFFERENCE. —The figure gentlemen most
admire is the " figure "at the bankers. The figure
ladies most admire is—their own.—Judy.

A Scsnorry or ICE.—The long and exceptionallY
hot summer has exhausted all the ice houses In Paris,
notwithstanding the large stores which the severs
winter had permitted to be accumulated. The manu-
factory of artificial ice at Auteuil and the apparatus
belonging to private individuals are consequently 9it
work without interruption. The Municipal Adminb• -
tration is already adopting measures for the renewal
of the stock in the coming winter, and has invited
tenders for the right to collect ice from the Ouroq,
Denis and St. Martin canals, as well as from the
basins and fountains in the interior of Paris, exceßte
ing those in the Tuileries, Luxembeurg, and Palate'
Royal Gardens, which belong to the State. The
Seine, being also a navigable river, forms part of the
domain. The municipal ice houses proper are suP'
plied from the lakes in the Bois de Boulogne and Vim.
c,ennes, and the riverlets which run through those
grounds. The wells are at Passy and Charenton.---
Galignani.
AN OLD REGIMENT.—The oldest infantry regiment
in the Austrian Army celebrated on the 21st of last
month the 250th anniversary of its enrolment. It
bears the name of "Prince George of Saxony, No. 1L"
and was raised in Bohemia in 1630, during the Thirti
Years' War. The regiment is at present quartered hi
Herzegovina. The day was celebrated by a grand
banquet given by the officer; while the soldiers had a,
sort of historical masquerade illustrating the career of
the regiment.

RAILWAYS AND TELEGRAPHS. —A late official German
report gives the total length of railway lines in °parr
tion in Germany at (in round numbers) 32,000 kilo-
metres, and of telegraph lines at 59,900. Austria has
18,887 k. and 48,700 k. respectively. The British Islea
are credited with 27,892 k. and 40,000 k.; France wit"
23,300 k. and 57,100 k. • Italy with B,oook. and
24,000 k. • Spain with 6,200 k. and 13,600 k.; Russia
with 22,000 k. and 94,000 k.; the Netherlands, 1,900 k.
and 12,866 k. • Belgium, 2,789 k. and 5,200 k. ; Swede
5,220 k. and 9,013 k. The United States are se do
at 133,600 kilometres of railways and 152,400 kilo'
metres of telegraph lines.

QUESTION, QUESTION !—Can haughty culture be
said to be "high training" ?—Can a railway accident
be described as a "pignal failure" 2—Can your meal'
cal man be properly spoken of as a "man of VP'
tients," however great a hurry he may be in?—Can a
glass of bitter beer be said to be "a Bass relief"!-
(an the really best of all bread source be said to he
—work ?—Can a bad attack of indigestion be easill
disposed of by calling it all "stuff" ?—Judy.
A GOLDEN VlLLAGE.—American papers report that
about 30 miles from Santa Fe, the capital city of the
Territory of New Mexico, the soil on which the village
of Placitas stands has been found to be strongly ins'
pregnated with gold. The public authorities of the
Territory have commissioned some experienced
engineers to report on the case. Some spots have
been found very rich in the precious metal, and the
soil ("dirt ") has been sold at the rate of three dollars
a pound weight.
FASHIONABLE ORNAMENTS.—Tiny gold and saver
moons are the fashionable talismans in Paris at pre'
sent, rice the miniature pig which lately has beer;
suspended to nearly every bracelet or watchchain, atLa
is now only used for a shoe-buckle. Necklets of BRIO
crescents are supposed to aver the eye evil and bring
good luck—an old Roman superstition. The cock
also a favourite emblem, and large fans are painted VI t_rjj
Chanticleer's head in natural colours, the Eng.liao
salutation "Good morning" flowing from the beak.
THE SEAL FISH/MT.—From the report of the ,fleb
commissioners of Washington Territory it appearstas
the total number of seals taken on the west coast
Vancouver Island and off the coast of Washingtegl
Territory during the season of this year is in the neigh:
bonrhood of 20,000, of which the average value is abet*,
180,000 dollars. The Indians at Cape Flattery alone
caught and sold 4,669, for uhich they received 42,224'
dollars. be business is a most profitable one to tide
tribe.
A HEAVY POST.—Last week, in one day alone, a
leading City house sent to the Post Office two tone
18 cwt. of circulars, paying postage thereon to the
amount of £.583 (says The Citizen). The house in quo'
tion jias thirty-three departments, but these circulare
were sent out from only twenty of them. No inore
striking instance than this can be given of the energi
and enormous business of London warehousemen.
OIL FIRES IN AMERICA.—At Bradford, Pene_.,.:
sylvania, on the 28th ult, a tank, containing 25,yuv,
barrels of oil, was struck by lightning, and ignite'
causing an alarming conflagration. Fears were enter'
tamed as to twenty other tanks in close proximitP
and trenches were being dug around the busnitti
liquid. The flames lighted up the whole vale'''.
which contained about 1,800,000 barrels of oil. Latset
advices report that the efforts to keep the fire from the
adjacent tanks had been successful, but that 26,000
barrels of oil, as well as other property, had heeo
destroyed.
CODEPARISONS ARB--ODIOUS !—Hostess: And_rcl
have really eaten Gorilla, Dr. Manchausen? Wbsi
is it like2—Dootor : Well, when properly cooked,
your ladyship would hardly know it from
Funny Folks.

AN UNOSTENTATIOUS FUNERA.L.—With the quiet
simplicity which marks the observances of tb.
Society of Friends, the burial took place at Luton, 00
Saturday afternoon, of Mr. Henry Brown, aged 84
of the firm of Brown and Son, timber merchan_te,
man who for more than half a century has ne"".,_
closely identified with the educational progress of t4ll
town. Following the oourse of his mother, who fire"
introduced the Lancastrian system to Luton, he wea
the chief supporter of the British Schools till suPe;
seded by the Board Schools, and largely promote°
an adult Sabbath school; in which hundreds of groell
up men and women have learnt to reati, Vrite, nn,."
cipher. Beginning life as moister, 49 years ago
became teetotaller, relinquished the business sr"
turned timber merchant, and has built up a 1941
trade. The Corporation, Temperance Society, en,
many tradesmen followed. The coffin was earrie"
direct to a plain grave in the earth, and the 0.1
words spoken were a brief address on the examPl a
afforded by the life of the departed.
DESTRUCTION OF A LIGHTHOUSE.—A Lloyd's ter
gram, dated September 8, from the officer command'
ing the naval forces in the Dutch Indies, announce
that the stone lighthouse on First Point Tanjing KO'
long, west coast of Java, has been thrown down by I
violent earthquake. This lighthouse was complete°
in 1877. The light was of the first class, and was fer
the guidance of vessels entering Prince's Strait in the
Straits of Sunda.

THE VALUE OF RABBITS AND SREEP.—A. contxl;
bntor of thirty years' experience in the breeding 06
tame rabbits sends the following comparative caleuill'
tion to The Farmer. If wild rabbits are to bec°112..41
extinct—as some prophesy--it will prove increasinFi
valuable. Tame rabbit breeding: 1,000 doe rabbits
will breed 25 young ones each in 52 weeks worth ,10•
6d. each at 14 weeks old in the London markets. 25,0 w
rabbits at is. Bd. each, £1,875; the outlay for rabbits
at 2s. each doe, £100; hutches, at 2s. each, £10(1.,1
Total outlay, £2OO. Sheep breeding: 12.5 ewes
breed 150 lambs in 52 weeks, worth £2 ss. each at wig
weeks old; 150 lambs at £255., £337 108. ; wool, £9,1
total psoduce, £367 10s. The outlay for sheep at X°
ss. each ewe, £2Bl ss. • hurdles and stakes, ; 74
outlay, £286 50. Food: one ewe and her lamb vi ALL'
vnsume the same quantity of food as eight does an"
their young ones, so that the cost of food amounts t°
the same. Take £367 10s. from £1,875 and there re"
mains £1,507 103. balance in favour of rabbits. Vtg
information I would give to anyone who would
to try it on a small scale, having had thirty years' 0'
perience.

FATAL LIFT ACCIDENT.--Herr Moritz Fontbelo2'
confidential clerk in the office of Messrs. Jan!!
Brothers and Co., merchants, Dundee, met with hr,
death under dreadful circumstances on Saturtlll7
afternoon. Mr. Fontheim was about to step on toll!
elevation to descend from one flat to another of It;
budding, when he missed his footing and fall to t'"
bottom. He was fearfully injured, and before there
was time to render him assistance, the elevation callinna
down and crushed him to death. Deceased wail
years of age and a native of Hamburg.
A LONG SLREF,.—Tlaere is a young lady at tbf.e
present moment sleeping at Grambke, near breme, .
Ila.nover, who has been slumbering almost =inter'
ruptedly since the first days of January. Her sleB_l:,.
or lethargy supervened after an illness, and •accordw;
to what is said by the Hanoverian journals it seelllt
likely to last an undetermined time yet. The Weer',
is the daughter of the Mayor of Granalake, and donuts'
the eight months she has been in this trance
nourishment given has been of the lightest descriptio9'
but just enough to save her from dying of inanitio%
Periodically, abont once every six weeks,
wakes, and remains conscious during a few bawl.
When ahe seems to be in entire possession of 0100
faculties. She is aware that she is not in 2d
normal condition, and alludes to her trance, but I.Tho
unable to form any estimate of its duration. VII/
asleep she is tranquil and -immobile, the only Rtr;
ceptible movement•observed being a faint trerobu .
of the eyelids. When awake she converses tgith ea
n".
and teLls her pareuts that whilst in a lethargic ta
dition she hears nothing of what is passing arolr,„t
her. The patient is watched by medical men,
0
science seems powerless to cope with the 021
malady of torpori which she is suffering from. Po
life is not, it s conjectured, in any danger, vu,z..41
opinion can be formed as to when this rolooe-
iriocl of lethargy may ad.—Evening


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