The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-04-24 00:00:00

SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1880.

Visaltantzus Inftiligente,

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for the week
ending April 17, as received from the inspectors and
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 475. 11d. ; barley, 335. 8d..;
oats, 245. 6d. per imperial qr. Corresponding week
last year: Wheat, 41s. •2d.; barley, 308. lid.; oats,
20s. 7d.

A ROYAL ARTIST.—Her Royal Highness the Princess
Royal of England and Imperial Princess of Germany
has been enrolled a member of the Institute of Painters
in Water Colour; and among the works to be'exhibited
in the forthcoming summer show, which opens to the
public next Monday, will be found the illustrious
lady's "Roma," as her principal drawing, made in the
course of a recent visit to the City of the Seven Hills,
has been named in the catalogue. The Princesses of
the English Royal Family have all inherited a love of
art; and from time to time they manifest a cultivated
knowledge of drawing, painting, modelling, engraving,
and decorative design, by their contributions to public
galleries ; but it is only of late that they have broken
through the trammels of custom so far as to join
artistic bodies, with the implied promise of becoming
regular exhibitors. The accession ,of the Princess
Royal to the In§titute follows gracefully the election
of her sister, Princess Louise, to the ranks of the older
Society of Water Colour Painters.—Daily Telegraph.

A HINT.—TO VERY YOUNG HOUSEKEEPERS.—Never
weigh fish in their own scales ; you are sure to lose by
it.—Judy. _ _ _

A REMARKABLE PLOUGH. —A Chicago agricultural
journal gives an account of the largest plough ever
known W be made, which has been recently turned
out by an Illinois firm of agricultural machinery
makers for use on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and
Southern Railway. It is attached to a pjatform car
of a construction train in such a way a 4 to cut its
ditch a sufficient distance from the railway line. It
will make one mile of ditch 2ft. deep and 31t. wide
every four hours, thus doing the work of about 1,000
men. The beam is made of swamp oak, and is Bin. by
14in., the land side being made of bar iron Bin. wide
and 112 in. thick, which had to be forged expressly for
the purpose. Its total weight is 1,7001 b.

THE GAME LAWS IN NEW YORK STATE.—A Bill
has just recently been introduced into the Legislature
of the State of New York, has been read twice,. and
referred to the Game Law Committee, who have
reported favourably thereon. The new Act is in fact
an amendment of a section in the original Game Act
which was passed some years ago for the "preserva-
tion of moose wild deer, birds, fish, and other game."
By the new moose,
which is to take effect immediately,
any "owner or lessee of lands desiring to lay out or
devote the same for the purpose of a private park or
grounds for propagating or protecting fish, birds, or
game, shall publish, at least once a week for three
months, in a paper of general circulation printed in the
county or counties within which such lands are situated,
a notice describing the same, and that they will be
used for such purposes; and i,t shall be the duty of
' .such owner or lessee, within six months after the final
' publication of said notice, to post or put up notices or
sign-boards warning all persons against trespassing
upon said private grounds, which notices shall not be
less than a foot square, and placed not more than forty
rods apart, along the entire boundary of said grounds,
but when said lands shall be enclosed by fences not
less than six feet high, then such notices or sign-boards
shall be placed not more than one half-mile apart.
Whenever these requirements shall have been com-
plied with, all fish, birds, and game then or thereafter
within such boundhry shall be and become private
property."
A NOVEL SUBMARINE MACHINE.—A submarine
expedition to the North Pole is the latest project of
Arctic exploration, a Belgian inventor having planned
a singular craft, somewhat similar to tile vessel which
brought Cleopatra's Needle to England. It is a sheet- -
iron cylinder, 22 feet long, with a diameter of 8 feet,
clOsed by a hemisphere at the Stern and a cone at the
stem, thus bringing the total length to some 30 feet.
Two small deck-houses, with glass sides, are erected
on the upper part of the vessel, one being intended
for an electric light, and the other for the steersman,
while between the two is an opening to give access to
the interior, and which can be hermetically sealed at
will. The craft is to be of a specific gravity a little
less than that of water, and so can be submerged by
- the admission of water into specially contrived cham-
bers, rising again, if necessary, by expelling the water.
The crew of three men, including the inventor, M.
I Palmarts, will be supplied by fresh air by decompos-
ino• water by a galvanic current to produce oxygen,
and fixing the carbonic acid by means of caustic pot-
ash. Finally an electro-magnetic apparatus will
I furnish the necessary propelling power.
SCHOOL FOR FISH.—Mr. Seth Green, superintend-
ent of the New York State Fish Hatchery, says that
in the first pond at the hatchery there are 5,000 large
brook trout that were all captured with the fly in un-
frequented streams and lakes of the Adirondack
region. These trout, he says, have convinced him.
that fish have reasoning powers and memory. When
they were hooked and reeled slowly to the boats, they
I had time and opportunity to note the form and cha-
racter of the cackle that made them prisoners. They
have never forgotten that. They will follow Mr..
Green as he walks about the pond. Let him have a
walking-stick and a fishing-rod hidden behind his
back. If he reveals the former to the fish, biholding
it out over the water, they pay no attention to it.
But the moment he produces the rod with its tackle,
away they all scamper to distant parts of the pond.
Mr. Green says he will permit any one to cast a fly in
that pond to his heart's content, as he is satisfied that
not one-of the trout will come near it, so vividly do
they remember their enemy of five years ago. At a
recent meeting at New York Mr. Green stated that
he is trying to see if brook trout can be improved by
mixing different kinds, since it is known that constant
inter-breeding of animals deteriorates them in size and
intellect. Mr. Green rather amused the meeting by
maintaining that fish had reasoning powers, and that
lie' did not see why they could not be improved in
point of intellect. ''lf," said he, "we can breed a
trout that has sense enough to avoid the nets of the
poachers on Long Island, I am under the impression
that some clubs that I know of would be willing to
give somebody a chromo."—The Times.

APROPOS ANAGRAM.—WILLiAm E. GLADSTONE—
" As willing to lead on."—Punch.

CHILD CARRIED OFF BY AN EAGLE.—A strange in-
cident occurred recantly in Pearson county, North
Carolina. A three-year old child was sitting on a
stile feeding chickens, when a large eagle swooped
down at the chickens, scattering them in all directions.
As the child was moving off, the eagle made a second
swoop, catching the child in its talons. Wik it 4 prey
it rose in the air, but the child was too hegvy",•mid the
eagle managed to flutter a short distance to the limb
of a decayed gale: Its talons were so entangled in the
clothing of the child that it could not get loose, and the
weight soon made it come down to the ground, when
the father of the child came up and killed the eagle.
The child, save some deep scratches, was uninjured
TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR IDIOTS.—The special
school for idiots which has been in existence at the
Hague for now just a quarter of a century points, in
in its annual report, to very cheering results. From
May, 18.55, till March, 1880, the register of the Hague
School for Idiots has borne the names of 417 pupils,
of whom 148 vere boarding out. Of the entire number
43 have one directly into service or adopted a regular
trade, while 25, greatly restored to health, have been
discharged from the institution. The school has at
present TA pupils, of whom 43 are boarders; but the.
total number of minor idiots in Holland is estimated
at 3,000, one-third of whom are held to be capable of
education.

THE'-BARONESS BuRDETT-COUTTS..—This esteemed
and benevolent lady was born in Piccadilly, London,
on April'2l, 1814, and accordingly completed her 66th
year on Wednesday. Her ladyship is the youngest
daughter of the late Sir Francis Burdett, the fifth.
baronet, for many years M.P. for Westminster, by
his marriage with Sophia, youngest daughter of the
late Mr. Thomas Coutts, the London banker. She
succeeded o Mr. Coutts's property in 1837, under the
will of her grandfather's widow, Harrietta, Duchess
of St. Albans, and was created a peeress on June 9,
1871. Sir Robert Burdett, the present baronet, is a
brother of Lady Burdett-Coutts, and she has two
sisters living.
SPowrs.—Grandpapa. Well, Johnny„ have you
had any football lately at your school ?—Johnny. Oh,
I don't care to go in for it now. All our best men got
their legs broken last half, and till they're well again
we're nowhere.—Judy.

Mn. GLADSTONE AND THE CONGREGATIONALISTS.—
The Rev. G. Hunsworth, of Kidderminster, secretary
to the Worcestershire County Association of Con-
gregationalists, has received a letter from Mr. Glad-
stone, in reply to a resolution passed by the Associa-
tion at their annual meeting. The right hon. gentle-
man thanks Worcestershire for the signal mark of
confidence bestowed upon his son, , and adds :—" I
must give a wider scope to my acknowledgment, for I
can never receive any testimonial from the body
for
which you belong without feeling that it is rather for
me than for them to testify; and I am a debt
the and to other bodies in a position morenm. r debtor to
iileisis.
m
similar for the generous sympathy and u
the
ing steadiness and courage with which duaingthe last
few years they have maintained through
1 with the
Foster's w(h)ekit?sh,:
cause now stamped, upon a regular aPPe'
national approbation."
—The G oose.—
AN OUT OF THE " COM3ION 7 BIRD.
Fun.
-,- NT MEMBERS.—At- the
PRIVILEGES OF CITY OF J,ONDO:
t is customary for the
first sitting of a new Parliament
coiurt suits or in uniform,
four City membets to attend ir:
h front Treasury Benches,
and to take their seats, on t,
d vacate in favour of the
which seats they afterwairi; e,0,1 report a
honourable pe,sition is ac-
Ministry of the day.
attempted to arrest Hampden,
Tluence of the 'City of London
corded to them in copsai q
the ." five members" who flew to
leges of Parliament in the year
having saved the lorry.
kjlthlhe account of this will be found in
surdly termed "The Arrest of the
n and were sheltered there by
who were never arrested.' In that
we
entry of the proceeding as it
Itplifiri:::)ne,c,
..ANi
andN ,:ft'
yhe 1
ne
fnoi
3t
r:Cepsherraoeernstl
tee c
the Corporal!iona.b
journals of the Court of Common
illa°nnd there will also be found an account of the
t thanks of Parliament to the City of Lon-
rinn —City Press.
--yt,E,GING FROM BACK APPEARANCE.S.—SmaII boy
(rushing in front of ycung lady wearing rather large
ioke bonnet, and staring her full in the face). "You've
lost yer bet, Charlie; I told yer it warn't an old
work)l::leacciNtie n
woman. Judy.

THE BRITISH LAND FORCES. A War Office
circular, just promulgated to the army by direction of
the Secretary of State for War, and occupying forty-s
four pages of closely-printed tabular matter, sets forth
in detail the establishments which have been decided
upon for het Majesty's regular forasi«disembOdied
militia, yeomanry cavalry, and certain volunteer
corps for the next twelve months. An analysis of this
and a comparison with the circular issued in April of
last year shows many changes produced by the mili-
tary and other events of the past year. The grand
total establishment of the British regular and auxiliary
forccs'appear thus: Regular forces, 100,205; auxiliary
(militia), 139,112; auxiliary foremi (yegfutpxy), 14,511;
auxiliary (yoluntor), 245,165; t6tal, 589;013.

PLEASANT.—A philosophic lady of our acquaintance
has hazarded the following new dictum: "-People deft
not please because they are pretty; they are pretty
because they please.' —Funny Folks.
AMERICAN AND CANADIAN FOOD IMPORTS.—There
was a large increase in the imports, both of live stock
and of fresh meat, from the United States and Canada
during the past week. The totals are: 1,338 live
cattle, 892 sheep, and 340 pigs, and,8,016 quarters of
beef, 1,960 carcases of mutton, and 300 carcases a
pigs. ,
ANIMALS AND PLANTS.—There are certain plants%
which graminivorous animals will hardly touch, even;
when driven by hunger (says the Graphic). Most of these,
are evergreens, but not all. No animal will touch the
elder, and the willow is also distasteful to nearly every
creature which eats plants. Other leaves very ob-
noxious to animals are those of the ivy, rhododendron,
laurel, pine', fir and box. Yew is not so unpleasant
to them, nevertheless the eating of yew spiigs may be
regarded as a morbid taste.
OSTEND RABBITS.—Some idea of the of
=ohid ,
the trade done in Ostend rabbits may be gained &Pm
some statistics just published. From these we leaCil,
.e
that during the past five months no fewer than 22,21 ts
cases of rabbits have been shipped into this country
from Ostend. As each case contains on an average
six dozen rabbits, this gives a total snpply of 1,599,765
rabbits for five months. As, in addition to these,.
rabbits are sent frtrm Antwerp, Calais, and Flushing—
all of which are sold as Ostend—the actual supply for
the period must have been more than 2,000,000'
rabbits. The supply has been far below the average of
the past few years, the wet season of last year having'
killed large numbers of rabbits.
" WITH APOSTOLIC HORSES."—One Saturday in
February Bishop Moorhouse walked from Toongabbie
to Walhalla—?l miles over the mountains—preached
tWice the following day, lectured the day after,
walked back over the same road on Tuesday, and
preached the same evening.—Melbourne Argus.
LITHOGRAPHIC STONES.—There is a very large de-
mand for lithographic stone in the United States, andi
the supply has until recently been chiefly from Ger-
many. Now, however, Cianada will probably contri-
bute a considerable share in this trade, for the quarries
of Marmora yield a stone which is quite as suitable fur
lithographic purposes as that obtained from Germany'.
It has been tested by practical lithographers, who say'
that its closeness of grain and general adaptability or ~
the purpose will enable it to be used by lithographers 1
with complete success.
THIS HAS NOT YET APPEARED IN AN AMERICAN
PAPER.—The last new use for the phonograph sug- :1
gested is to fire the Fourth of 'July cannon into one, 1
and reproduce each year, without wear and tear to
the cannon or waste of powder! This is worthy of
a great mind! !—Judy.
AN IMPERIAL PRIZE.—An " aquarium " exhibitect
at Munich, which has been manuftictured by command
of the German Emperor, is intended for the first
prize at the approaching fishery exhibition at Berlin.
It consists of a large glass sphere, supported by three
Naiads. The space between the figures is filled with '-
flowers. The stand on which the whole rests is of '
hammered ironwork. Dolphins and sea plants wrought
in copper are intertwined in the work. The work was
designed by Professor von Miller, and is pronounced
to be a beautiful piece of art. ,
"GRANDMOTHER'S CLOCK."—Brown (with an eye to
a bargain) :—" Well, let us say thirty shillings for it '
as it's no use to you." Granny :—" Oh, yes, it is; it's
better than none." Brown : ' Well, it doesn't keep
proper time; it loses, you say." Granny :—" Eh !
so it may lose, but it doesn't lose like I should if I sold
it at that price."—fun. •
A NEW GUNBOAT.—The Magdeburg Gazette says :
The construction of the pivot gunboats in the Krupp
establishment may now be considered as accomplished.
They can be constructed ai armoured or unarmouied
boats, with or without sails, .and with one, two, or
more guns from medium to the heaviest calibre. ,Th e .
cost would also with an armament of-the heaviest guns
be in proportion to the cost of construction of.
heavy armoured frigates only as 1 in 10, or even .i,i
These boats constitute the first attempt carried out in
practice to create an opponent to the heavy armoured
ships, they being light and fast running vessels (no -
much as eighteen nautical miles anshour). As the pro- --:
bability. exists that they will prove superior to the
armoured frigates, a complete revolution in the con-
struction of armoured vessels may be brought about. -
, -.-:

THE AMERICAN " PAPER-LINEN " TRADE. The s
quantity of paper collars annually manufactured in
the United States is estimated at 150,000,000, the
sixth part being made at Springfield, Massachusetts.
Two factories in the latter town manufacture together
nearly 200,000 collars daily. The quantity of coarse '
light cotton fabric used in the manufacture in
America during the past year was about 8,000,000 •
yards, and the weight of the paper pulp was upwards
of 2,000 tons. .
THE JAVANESE IHIOTICON.—A Dutch judge in : 1
India, the editor of a Dutch-Indian law journal, has ,
collected no fewer than .16 Javanese words for the -
various phases of stealing, as used in Central Java. ,
" Ngiwat " is to abduct, to decoy; " mbedog " seems ...
to stand for poaching or cattle-lifting; "njoeling "
means organized brigandage; and "ngetjoe " a word
supposed to be derived from the name of the Chinese
pirate Keh Tjoe, clearly indicates garotting.
LOGEVITY.—At the religious ceremonial on Maun- .':j.
day Thursday at the Hofburg in Vienna, twelve oh! •-'-' 1
men were presented to the Emperor of Austria whose .
collective ages amounted to 1,082 years, giving an -:
average of 90 years and two months each. One of them :
was 102 years old, two were 93, one 91, ors 90, one 89,
two 88, and four 87. On the same occasion twelve old .
women were presented to the Empress, one of whom ,
was 92 years fof age, six were 89, and five 88 years, -,
giving a total of 1,066 years and an average age .of 88 '-.
years and ten months. On the same day, at the '
Cathedral of St. Stephen twelve old men were pre- ..
l
sented to the Cardinal Archbishop, one Of whom was
.1
89 years old, three were 87, one 86, four 84, one 83, one
82, and one 80. Their collective ages amounted to 4,
1,017 years, giving an average of 84 years and nine ?
months. The collective ages of the whole three groups 1
(36 persons) amounted to 3,165 years, giving an average - A
for each of 87 years and 11 months.
EDUCATION IN HUNGARY.—A report from the Edu-
cation Department for the kingdom of Hupgary in-
forms .us that during the years 1878 and 1879 there
were 15,675 public elementary schools in the 12,857
communes in the kingdom being at . the rdte of one
school for every 866 inhabitants. Of the juvenile
population within the legal age for being at school, 22
per cent. left this obligation unfulglled. There are 1;
68 establishments for training teachers for the schools; t
15 of them are for female teachers. The number of -
gymnasia, unier the inspection of the State is 68, only
29 of which are under lay management. There are
also 27 Realschulen. The number of pupils in the
gymnasia is 33,000, and in the Realschulen, only 5,749.
There is a University at Buda-Pesth with 2,757
students, and another at Klausenburg_(Transylvania), 1
with 447. There is also a polytechnic school at Buda- ,
Pesth with 516 pupils. There are 13 " academies " for ,
teaching law, but they do not seem to have much 1
vitality. -
.a.
DEATH FROM NERVOUS SHOCK. Frank Blunn,
aged 20, an engine-cleaner employed at the Great 1
Western Railway Works, Stafford-toad, Wolver-
hampton, has just died from a shock to the system
which he received through assisting in the removal to '
the "Bridge" Inn of the body of a railway brakes- -
1
man named Capp, who was killed at the Victoria
Basin a short time ago. Upon reaching home, after
the occurrence, Blunn complained of being unwell.
His speech and hearing left him, and he never again
rallied. ,

BROUGHT HOME TO HlM.—Ethel (to Unsuccessful
Candidate) : "Yes, pa, I'm glad to see you back; lut
—but I shall never like you so well again. It's such
cruel sport ! "—Papa: "Cruel sport, darling! What,
electioneering? "—Ethel : " Ah, you call it that to
deceive mamma; but / know. Tom read it in the
newspaper. It says you've been ratting !"—Funny
Folks.

A NEW BARONET.—The Queen has signified her in-
tention of conferring upon Mr. Henry Allsopp, of
Hindlip-hall, in the county of Worcester, late M.P.
for East Worcestershire, the rank and dignity. of a
baronet of the United Kingdom. Mr. Allsopp is the
rep,resentative of the ancient house of Alsop of Alsop-
le-Dale, being fifth in descent from Mr. Samuel
Allsopp, of Derby, son of Anthony Ahsop of Xsop-
le-Dale, whose pedigree -is entered in the Herald's
visitation of that county in 1664. Through his mother
Mr. Allsopp is descended from the old Staffordshire
family of Fowler of Pendeford, one of whom married
Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Hinton, LL.D., of
Lichfield, by Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert
Chester and Anne his wife, who was lineally descended
from Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, father of
Kings Edward IV. and Richard 111.
RAILWAY OMNIBUSES.—The London and North-
Western Railway are beginning a new and useful ex-
periment. They have provided small one-horse omni-
buses, capable of carrying six passengers inside and
two outside 4 together with luggage, to meet their
principal express trains arriving at Euston Station, to
convey family parties to any part of London. These
vehicles will also be sent to the hotels in the City and
West-end, as well as to private residences, to convey
passengers to Euston Station in time fig any of the
down trains on the London and North-Western line.
Applica.tions for the omnibuses may be made by letter
or telegram to the station-master at Euston Station.
The scale of charges will be is. per mile, with a
minimum charge of 3s. ; awl as the vehicles are nicely
fitted up and will supply a want much felt by th,e
travelling public, doubtless the experiment will meet
with support.
VERY EXTRAORDINARY.—It is very extraordinarily,
.remarkably curious, but nevertheless an incontroverti-
ble fact, that when a hirsute young gentleman is pay-
ing his addresses to a lady he invariably becomes
hirsuiter.—Judy.

THE WORLD IS HoNEsT.—A dozen men were loaf-
ing away the rainy hours in a business place near the
ferry dock at DeLoit, when the conversation turned .
upon the subject of general public rascality. A citizen
said he had given a boy a quarter to get changed and
had never seen him again; another said he wouldn't ,
trust his owx grandfather, and a third would give 100
dols. to see an honest morn. "I has%e not yet lost my •14
faith in human nature," finally remarked a man on a '
back seat. "Any of you may call in a stranger to us
all, and I will give him a five-dollar bill to go ana get
changed. If he fails to come back I lose the 7.-
1
money ;if he returns you will see how foolish '
your assertions are." Half a dozen men rushed .
to the door. A seedy gaunt, and evil-looking f
African was paddling by in the rain, and he was :-
selected to make the test. "Stranger," said the man,
who hadn't lost confidence, "take this five-dollar bill
round the corner and get it changed, and I will give
you ten cents." The black man departed without a
word, and for the next ten muptes the laugh was on
the man NVlio sent-hint - -It -dred-aszaorohowever, as
the African slouched in, hand4dPelt4l4l4lrili and said,
"I runned all ober an' nobody could change him."
He was given his ten cents, and the man who lost the
quarter by the boy said he could not have believed
such an- exhibition of honesty if he had not witnessed
it, and he was willing- to buy the cider for the crowd.
It was only after the cider had been destrOyed and
paid for that he leanied t zit the bill given the negro
wal a bate counterfeit which no one would Wept.