The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-01-21 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS,

Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck, and the
Duke of Teck, with Princess Victoria and Princess
Adolphus and Francis, terminated their visit to the
Earl and Countess of Warwick, at Warwick Castle on
Saturday.
Several thousand persons attended Kennington Oval on
Saturday, when the ninth annual football match
between teams representing the North and South divi-
sions of the country was played, the Northerners win-
ning by three goals to one.
In the Court of Appeal, on Saturday, the defendants
in the action, " Millican v. Sullivan and others,"
sought to have discharged the injunction granted by
Mr. Justice Manisty restraining them from interfering
with the plaintiff in the discharge of his duties as
surgeon of the Queen's Jubilee Hospital. In the result,
the judgment referred to was reversed, with costs of
the appeal.
ID receiving the congratulations of the officers of the
Sofia garrison on New Year's Day (0.5.), Prince
Ferdinand said that events might soon force Bulgaria
to defend her rights, and added: "You will then see
that I can die for the defence of our country." It is
stated that the delay of the Powers to take concerted
action against Prince Ferdinand is due to the insist-
ance of the Porte to obtain an understanding as to the
ultimate settlement of Bulgarian affairs.
A Rome correspondent telegraphs that the Pope on
Sunday canonised ten saints in the "loggia" over the
portico of Saint Peter's, and afterwards celebrated mass
in the presence of 3000 persons, including some 400
archbishops and bishops.
The members of the Congress of the National Society
of French Teachers were formally received on Saturday,
after a week's work, by the Lord Mayor of London and
the Lady Mayoress, at the Mansion House. An address
was read, and the Lord Mayor, in reply, recommended
the society to secure efficiency among French teachers
by the issue of a diploma. The proceedings were con-
ducted in French. Light refreshments were served at
the close of the ceremony.
The ceremony of opening the Phccnix Club and In-
stitute for Working Men and Lads at Ratcliff was per-
formed on Saturday night by Mr. C. T. Ritchie, M.P.
There was a large gathering of ladies and gentlemen
present, and a resolution, moved by Lord Wolmer,
hoping that the club would be prosperous, was seconded
by the Bishop of Bedford, and carried.
The conference of the Teachers' Guild of Great
Britain and Ireland was concluded on Saturday at the
Society of Arts in London. Dr. T. D. Morse, Vice-
President of the Council, presided, and papers were
read by Dr. Wormell, head-master of the Middle Class
Schools, Cowper-street; Mr. C. Colbeck, M.A. ; Mr.
H. W. Eve, M.A., Dean of the College of Preceptors;
and Miss Hughes, Principal of the Cambridge Training
College.
All hope has been abandoned for the safety of the
steamship Darien, of Newcastle, which left Cardiff on
the 26th ult, with a cargo of coals for Leghorn, and has
not since been seen or heard of. She is 11 days over-
due, and it is feared that she has foundered in the Bay
of Biscay. She had a crew of 28 all told, many of
whom were Cardiff men.

Important additions to two large iron-producing
works in West Cumberland are about to be made, steel-
making plant being added. The Whitehaven Iron
Company are going to put down steel rail-producing
plant. The Lowca Engineering Company (Limited),
Parton, are adding £30,000 to their capital to establish
works for the manufacture of Siemens-Martin steel for
ingots and castings, and the rolling of steel sheets and
bars.

The Bolton police made an arrest at Bury on Satur-
day night, which it is thought will throw light on the
incendiarism at Bolton Theatre Royal. The man,
whose name is Preston, formerly worked at the theatre,
as also for the Bolton Billposting Company, on whose
premises he was found concealed on the night of the
fire. It is alleged that he made certain admissions to
the woman with whom he lodged, which are likely to
implicate him in the crime.
A powerful addition has been made to the effective
list of the Royal Navy by the completion, for foreign
service, of the new first-class cruiser Warspite, which
has been built at a cost of £560,000. The Warspite is
fitted with machinery of 10,000 horse-power, with a
speed ofl7 knots an hour. She is armed with four 22-ton
and several 6-inch guns, together with a strong equip-
ment of quick-firing guns and torpedoes.
On Saturday afternoon the inquest was concluded
regarding the death of Dr. Thomas K. Wheeler, of
Belfast. A good deal of evidence was given as to his
getting a lotion made containing some prussic acid,
and, on his assistant going to paper up the lotion bottle,
of his drinking the contents, from the effects of
which he died. The verdict was that the doctor com-
mitted suicide while in a state of temporary insanity.
Two goods trains came into collision at Rugeley,
Trent Valley Station, on Saturday. The engines were
greatly damaged, and the drivers had a very narrow
escape. The traffic was delayed for some time. The
signals were against one of the drivers, but he could not
stop his train in time to prevent the collision.
On Saturday, at Wolverhampton, Frank Royston,
acting manager of Messrs. Miller and Elliston's " My
Sweetheart" Musical Comedy Touring Company,
pleaded guilty to embezzling over £5, the money of his
employers, and was sentenced to two months' impriren-
meat with hard labour. It was stated that the prisoner
had been forgiven a like offence in October last involv-
ing a sum of £5O.
A blizzard has swept over the North-western States
of America, embracing a more extensive area than any
yet recorded. Many persons are reported to have
perished.
A fire has occurred in a wholesale establishment in
the neighbourhood of Indianopolis, by which property
to the estimated value of one-half to three-quarters of
a million dollars has been destroyed.
Thirty-five paupers who arrived at New York on
board the steamer Leerdam, were not allowed to land,
and have consequently returned to Europe.
The troubles in Manitoba resulting from the desire
of the Conservative party for a system of local govern-
ment, and also from their proposals for railways to the
United States boundary and Hudson Bay still con-
tinue. To these difficulties the retirement of Mr.
Norquay, the late Premier, was due, and on this
account Mr. D. E. Harrison, his successor, has now
also resigned. Mr. Crreenway (I.) has undertaken the
formation of a new Ministry, Mr. Norquay assuming
the leadership of the Opposition.
The form of the working men's memorial to the late
Rev. A. H. Mackonochie, to be erected on the spot
where he died, will be a cairn of stones, having a flat
stone in front, with a cross and suitable inscription.
The Bishop of Argyll and the Isles ha,: secured the per-
mission of the owner of the estate for the erection of
the memorial.

The Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland on Saturday hunted
with the County Down Staghounds. The meet was at
Drumbo, about ten miles from Belfast, and was very
largely attended by members of the hunt, visitors, and
tenant-farmers of the district, from all of whom his
Excellency had a most hearty reception.
A dower house is being erected for the Duchess of
Albany in the Claremont grounds at Esher. The
foundation-stone was laid by the young Duke of
Albany: and the mansion, which is to cost about
£7OOO, will be finished by his birthday, in July.
News from Bonny states that a British Protectorate
has been declared over the Oil Rivers from the right
bank of the Benin to the Rio del Rey. All the markets
of the interior have been thrown onen. _

The receipts on account of revenue from the Ist of
April, 1887, when there was a balance of £5,050,107,
to January 14, 1888, were £63,215,875, against
£64,172,857 in the corresponding period of the pre-
ceding financial year, which began with a balance of
£5,625,944. The net expenditure was £69,188,184,
against £71,828,048 to .the same date in the previous
year. The Treasury balances on January 14, 1888,
amounted to £1,514,160, and at the same date in 1887
to £1,683,072.
The death-rate of London rose last week to 23.6 per
thousand annually. The mortality from whooping-
cough is nearly double the average.
At the Westminster Police-court on Tuesday, a man
named Higgins, an organ grinder, was charged with
persistently annoying the Rev. Dr. Hiron, a clergyman,
by playing an organ in front of his house, and refusing
to leave when requested. The complainant stated that
he had been greatly annoyed by organ playing outside
his house, sometimes after he had gone to bed. The
magistrate said such an outrageous nuisance must be
stopped, and fined the prisoner ten shillings.
The Ramsgate Police-court was again crowded on
Tuesday, when Alan W. Richardson was for the third
time charged with unlawfully and maliciously wound-
ing Charles Pillow with a revolver, on Jan. 1. Mr. W.
A. Hubbard (Town Clerk) prosecuted, and said it
would be necessary for him to apply for another
remand. The condition of the three wounded men,
he was pleased to say, had somewhat improved during
the last few days, and although one was still in a pre-
carious state, hopes were now held out of the recovery
of the other two. He proposed simply to adduce
medical evidence as to the condition of the injured
men. Mr. J. H. Blakeney, house surgeon at the Rams-
gate Seamen's Infirmary, said that Pillow had much
improved lately, but he was not yet out of danger. The
Bench then granted a further remand.
An inquest was held at Chatham on Tuesday evening
on the bodies of two women, Horne and Turner, who
were burned to death in a fire at the house of Turner
on Monday morning. The Coroner's Court was
crowded, and much indignation was expressed at the
callous conduct of both men, Turner and Horne, who
saved themselves by jumping from the window of the
burning house, leaving the wife of the former and the
mother of the latter to their fate. From the evidence
it appeared that both men were intoxicated at the time
of the occurrence, Turner being described by the police
as "crying drunk" and Horne as "drunk." A verdict
of "Death by misadventure" was returned, and at the
request of the jury the two men were severely censured
by the Coroner for their unmanly conduct.
A staff of good divers, with the electric light, worked
incessantly all Monday night clearing the propeller of
the transport Himalaya, at Queenstown; and, after
much toil, succeeded in cutting the immense chain
which had got wound round the screw. Thorough
examination was again made on Tuesday morning in
daylight, and it was reported to Admiral Carpenter
that the propeller had sustained no injury. The Hima-
laya is only detained from proceeding to sea through
the prevailing easterly gale.
At a special meeting of the Wolverhampton Chamber
of Commerce on Tuesday a committee was appointed
further to consider the provisions of the Merchandise
Marks Acts as they affect the interests of merchants
and manufacturers engaged in hardware and other
trades of the district, and to draw up a resolution, or
series of resolutions, for the consideration of the
Associated Chambers at the forthcoming annual meeting.
The Local Government Board have sent to Sheffield
Dr. F. W. Barry, one of the inspectors of the Medical
Department, to institute an inquiry into the serious
epid9inic of smallpox which prevails in the borough.
Dr. Barry, who will spend some time in Sheffield, is
inquiring carefully into the circumstances which have
operated either to limit or to spread the disease, and
his report will be looked forward to with great
interest.

The lad Saunders who was charged with causing the
death of a boy named Thorpe at Danbury, near Chelms-
ford, on Sunday, has been brought before Mr. J.
Thomasin Foster, J.P., apd discharged. It was stated
that during a brief period of consciousness the deceased
admitted that the gun went off by accident. At the
inquest on the body (Mr. J. Harrison, jun., coroner),
a verdict of "Accidental death" was returned,