The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-07-17 00:00:00

isallanant4 4nttliigente,
ROME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

Mn. FORSTER'S BILL—We understand that Lady
Burdett-Coutts, who has been for some in treaty for
an estate in Ireland, has relinquished her intention in
consequence of the unsatisfactory relations between
landlord and tenant likely to arise from the legislation
as to tenure of property in Ireland now under the con-
sideration of Parliament.—Tuesday's Time&
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The follow-
ing are the average prices of British corr.: for the week
ending July 10, as received from the inspectors and
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 438. 9d.; barley, 288.
10d. ; oats, 265. 13dr_per imperial qr. Corresponding
week last year :—Wheat, 435. 4d. ; barley, 248. Od. ;
oats, 21s.

" DONKEYS HAVE EARS."-Emily (playing at Lawn.
Tennis with the new Curate) : "What's the game
now, Mr. Miniver?" Curate: "Forty—love."
Irreverent Gardener (overhearing) "Did y'ever hear
such imperence ! Love,' indeed! And him not
been in the parish above a week! Just like them
parsons ! "—Punch.

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL CENTENARY.—Sir Charles
Reed, M.P., addressed a meeting of all denominations
of Sunday school teachers held at Sheffield on Monday
evening to celebrate the centenary. Alluding to the
fact that Sunday schools were now relieved of the
duty of providing secular education, he contended
that denominations were not entitled to hold them
xmless they made them distinctly religious. In
answer to the objection that the spread of education
had done away with the necessity for Sunday schools,
he said it was not the children of the poor who most
needed instruction in Scriptural subjects.—There are
in Sheffield about 8,000 teachers, and more than
50,000 scholars.
WEATHER FORECAST.—The following cable message
has been received at the London office of the New York
Herald, from the Herald weather bureau, New York:
—" A disturbance will arrive on the Norwegian and
North British coasts between the 15th and 17th, at-
tended by thunderstorms, extending southward to the
English Channel; possibly gales in the north."

A MAGIC LETTER.—The letter "g" is capable of
turning cards into hares and rabbits. It changes the
round game into ground game.--Funny Folk&

A NOVEL POSTAL ABRANGEMENT.—So engrossing is
the partiality of the domestic cat for its home—so
vehement its yearning to return thither when circum-
stances over which it has no control have resulted in
its transfer to unfamiliar localities—that certain
Dutch naturalists have come to the sage conclusion
that Grimalkin may be utilised as a letter-carrier with
considerable advantages to public interests. These
worthies propose to organise a service of post-cats, and
are at present engaged by a series of ingenious experi-
ments, in testing pussy's capacities for delivering the
mails. Selecting Luik for their headquarters, they
I thence despatch a number of cats, securely tied
up in woollen bags, to the neighbouring villages,
wnere they are freed from confinement and
turned loose, with neat packets of letters firrnq,
strapped to their backs. At once their domestic
instincts come into full play, and they swiftly flee
homewards with unswerving directness. Of thirty-
seven cats, thus constrained to serve their country,
not one has hitherto failed to fulfil its postal function
with excellent
punctuality. It is feared, however,
that when a double service shall be arranged, difficul-
ties and delays may arise from the meetings of post-
cats on the high road. If the feline postmen can be
inspired with a high sense of duty, overriding per-
sonal impulse, all will be well. Failing this, we appre-
hend that irregularities in delivery will take place.—
Daik Telegraph.
A YOUNG TURK.—Governess. "How dare you,
Tommy? I shall tell your Mamma!' Tommy.
"Oh, I don't care what Mamma says! She's too
young ! "—Punch.
"GROUND GAME."—These words have been inter-
preted as meaning all game that does not fly, asfeather.
th,
m b
a,
Saturday Review puts it, " fur as against
That such a view is not uncommon may t e seen in
Pad as o whetherqueries addressed to country
foxes are touched by the new GryouldadGeampeubßliicll.
as
sttilol
stranger is the query recent
eaLoorAsaresulnchelllddoeudbtsundareer
whether the red deer of Ex
the heading "ground game.
current it may be as well to state that in the mind and
diction of Sir William flarcouTt " ground game"
means hares and rabbits, and nothing more.
SUITABLE.—why should the letter "t" be supremely
prized by cloth manufacturers ?—Because ?.—Because it makes
T CANARY.—I was staying lately
weedsA
F ino
stToEt:pe eAdits;N
in a house where were kept many canaries. In one
part of the cage, which had three divisions, lived three
ones just beaten off by their parents, who were
YbucasYngviith another brood. Next to these orphans
lived an old bachelor canary, or he may have been a
widower. At all events, he had never had a family
of his own, and, as is often the case under such cir-
cumstances, he greatly resented any attempts at
making friends on the part of the young ones rushing
angrily at them if they fluttered against his bars; but
after a while a kind heart seemed to get the better of
a bad temper—he took compassion on their forlorn
'condition, and began to feed them. His kindly
occupation grew on him until he spent all his time in
satisfying their voracious appetites. When I saw
him his foster-children were bigger than himself, so
thin had he grown from attending so devotedly to
them. I was not aware canaries collected a quantity
of food at once to feed the young ones with, something
in the fashion of pigeons, as this one did; and whilst
he was getting it ready they were busy picking up for
themselves; but he was quite oblivitius cif fhb fact.—
" F. D.," in hand and Maar.

Au, THERE, —Milliner (with little account owing):
"Is your mamma at home, dear ? " Intelligent lio4g
Girl: " No-n-no, she is not." Milliner: "When wi
she be at home ? " I. L. G.: "I don't know,
I'll go and ask her."—Judy.
JAI of
RAT ATTACKING A CHILD.—About the miuuie -
last week, in a house very near the site of old,CreMOTllet
most savage attack was made by a rat on quite a young
baby. The mother, landlady of the house, left the
child upstairs on the bed for about ten minutes; re'
turning to the bedroom, and hearing the little babY
crying, she rushed into the room, when she found:)
large rat, which had eaten off three of the baby
fingers, and was with great difficulty got rid
L. E. T. (Junior United Service Club) in Land o°'
Water.
MEAN TIME. —A very small Bill, introduced
the House of Commons by Dr. Cameron, proposes "-
provide that, "whenever any expression of time °cense
in any Act of Parliament, deed, or other legal instrir
ment, the time referred [to] shali, unless it is other
wise specifically stated, be held, in the case of Great'
Britain, to be Greenwich mean time, and in the case
of Ireland, Dublin mean time. We do not see wht
Scotland should not have been allowed an Edinburgb`
mean time, but as regards England the change
posed would probably be convenient. Railway tune'
is now the time by which we keep our clocks, and
railway time is Greenwich time.—Solicitors' Journal.
A LITTLE JESUIT. —Son and heir. "Ma', I wish yoll
wouldn't leave me alone with baby, 'cause I have to
eat all the jam, an' oranges, an' cakes an' things t°
amuse her! ! "—Punch.

FATAL ACCIDENT.—The Turquze reports a shocking
accident at Adrianople. For some time past a large
barrack has been in course of construction, and spine
old buildings being were pulled down for the sake
of the materials. Among these was a large warehouse
near the railway station, which has been for a long,
time used for storing corn. On June 23 a company el
soldiers was sent to pull this down. Thirty mai
climbed on to the roof to strip off the tiles, while
other groups were engaged within the building. Sucl'
denly the whole building fell in with a mighty craP,
burying the workmen in the ruins. When the rubbish
was cleared away, a major and three soldiers were
found to have been killed, and a captain and 2$
soldiers wounded more or less severely.
A NEW SCENE IN THE " RAMS" PROGRESS.—Tbe
Sunday School Centenary.—Fun.
THE HARVEST IN RUSSIA.-offiCial reports
published respecting the harvest prospects state
in upwards of forty districts of Russia the yield
evidently be below the average. In many province!
the prospects are very serious. In some districts 01
the south the crops have altogether failed owing to the
ravages of insects. Kharkoff has ten districts
desolated. Ten thousand tchetverts were destroyed,
collected in two districts. In the Bakhmut district of
the Ekaterinoslaff Government the population 11,„e5
abandoned the task in despair, after collecting 1,5.uu
tchetverts, estimated at six hundred millions of or
sects.

THE "FROG TRADE" IN AMERICA.—The Cana&
Globe states that quite a trade has sprung up betweel
Kingston, Albany, and New York in the sale and,
exportation of frogs. Nearly every day the hfaua
takes to Cape Vincent a quantity of dressed frogs, for
which there is a good demand on the American side:
The frogs are captured at Sharbott Lake and prepare'
there for shipment.

AN STHETIC MIDDAY MEAL—At the luncheon
hour, Jellaby Postlethwaite enters agpastrycook's and
calls for a glass of water, into which he puts a freshly.
cut lily, and loses himself in contemplation thereof.---
Waiter. "Shall I bring you anything else, sir?"
Jellaby Postlethwaite. "Thanks, no! I have all
require, and shall soon have done ! "—Punch.

THE TEA TRADE.—The quantity of tea imported
into this country during the first six months of tile
present year amounted to about 54,000,0001b5. This
is an increase of about 17,000,0001b5. on the quantity'
imported during the corresponding six months of last
year. The great bulk of tea has, however, been ira-
ported in the last six months of the year, as will be
seen from the fact that the total importations last
year amounted to 198,000,0001b5. This quantity was
less by 5,000,0001b5. than the importations of the pre-
vious year, but we believe that the year 1878 is the
only one during which the importations of tea ex-
ceeded 200,000,0001bs.—Globe.
A LOG TRAMWAY.—A log tramway has been intro-
duced by a Truckee (Nevada) lumber mill. Logs ten
inches or a foot in diameter are hewn round and
smooth, and their ends are coupled together by iroe
bands. These logs, laid side by side upon graded
ground for a distance of perhaps three miles, form the
track. Of course the road looks quite like an ordinari
railroad track, except that logs are used instead of
rails, and that the ties are at much greater intervals.
The wheels of the engine and the cars are concave oo
their outer surface, and fit the curve of the logs.--
Engineering.
THE VOYAGE OF THE "LITTLE WESTERN."—The
Bulgarian, steamer, which has arrived at Liverpool
from Boston, U.S., reports as follows :—"At noon on
28th ult., in lat. 52.40 N., long. 57 W. s, the
little boat Little lireetern, of New Yori frog'
Gloucester, U.S., for London, which repo,
all well, except that their timepiece had br
the day before. The two men seemed in g,
and spirits; they would not come on
not require anything except a clock, but
spare one. They reported that they had
time since leaving, and had passed a large
icebergs, some a mile long and from 300
high. We took a letter from them and gav,
position, and parted company from the
after exchanging three cheers."

boaird,

had

COAL IN SOUTHERN RUSSIA.-Mr.
and Mr. Wayne MacVeigh, of Pennsylr.
panied by several engineers, have sailed
York for Russia, at the invitation of
Goverment, who have accorded to Mr.
sole right of opening the Donetz coalfiel(
the Sea of Azov, with the privilege of buil(
way 200 miles north, to the immense gra
which now needs aR outlet. The magniti
undertaking is indicated by the fact that A
expects to employ a capital of eight million
prosecuting the work. Should the mission
tion prove successful, other American capii
be invited to participate in the underf -
Russian coalfields are said to be of great

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grain

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