The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-10-25 00:00:00

itlisctliantous

ROME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

Dome GOOD BY tirrevre.--There are, thank
goodness! even in this age of self seeking, no n who
delight to "do good by stealth," and who probably
would "blush to tind it fame," much as blushing has
gone out oh fashion (remarks the City Press). In one
day last week there were anuouncementa of no less
than twelve anonymous, donations of £l,OOO each to
charitable institutions, and In several instances the
gilt was not the first or the arscond ef the same cha-
racter. Initials only were sent, but thought they were
all different, it is shrewdly suspected that all the
money came from one or two generous donors. May
the number increase of those who enjoy the luxury of
doing good, and who do not trumpet it forth to the
world, remembering Pope's couplet—

Woo bonds a church to God, SW not to fame,
Wilt Lever mai k the outride with his nail,
Rut let any one who must have their good dei,de ad
vertisul be indulged rather than not give at all !

CANINE REFLECIION.—Dues that sagacious
animal, a dog, thiuk ? If o, what is it probable that
he thinks of the maeter who feeds twina from his plate
at table? No dug, that can help it, will share hie meal
with another. Perhaps the thought of the faithful
creature really is one of wonder what it can be that
makes his master give away atything goutl to eat.—
Peach.

SHORT TIME MOVEMENT.—Some time ago the
Sheffield steel manufactnrers arrived at the determina.
Con to chow their works three days per week, unless
the pries of fuel was reduced. A compromise having
for the most part besn then effected, the resolution Was
not carried out in its entirety, but only to the extent
of closing one day per week. Steam coal, Hack, and
coke now having again stiffened in price the principal
manufscturers in the various brarches at the steel
trade have resolved to make a further effort in order to
bring it down. To this end they wid, from this crate,
only run their establishments, or such parts of them SS
need fuel in large quantities, fun, days per week. In
one or two cases three days only will be worked. The
importance of this step may be estimated from the
fact that one firm alone will save over 200 tons of coke
weekly.
AMERICAN CHALLENGE TO THE UNIVERSITIES.
—lt is stated that Mr. James Gordon Bennett, pro-
prietor of the New Yurk Herald, has deterizinta upon
offering a handsome cup of the value of EI,OCO for
competition between the Ilarvard, Yale, and Cam-
bridge or Oxford boating crews, if any one or both of
the latter can be induced to go out to America and
try their skill against the American oarsmen. Whether
the offer will be accsptal remains to be seen, but
meanwhile an order has been given to the Mesprs,
llsn,ock and Co. for a massive cup of the latest pattern
M the trophy to be contended for. Considering the
difficulties experienced by Oxford in arranging for the
Harvard match • few years since, it seems improbable
that either University will take up the gauntlet.

„
Tait DISZABE AND ITS RZMZDY.—Dr. Shep
pard, of King's College, writes to The Time.
pro lainl-
- —what, we believe, was no secret to chemists—that
the worst mischiefs of alcohol arise frJrn the Nail oil
kft In it by over•his ty distillation, Sir Wilfrid
Lawson and his teetotal friends pay that if the disease
He in the ” fusil," the remedy lies in the refusal if
alcohol under all forma and disguises whaisiver.—
Punch.

MILK AND Pumrs.—ln reference to the agency
of milk in .preading the germs of dieewie, Dr. huff, the
me‘ncal officer of Newington, tow just iSPII.I a circular
to the dairymen ant milk vendors of that pariah, in
which he gays :

" Within the last three vets especially several severe and
fatal outbreaks of typhoid fever have been proeFd to origi-
nate from milk contaminated through the medium of pump
water which had been drawn from a well haying ac until..,
though hut slightly, with s4me .tralu or cempoal. There
was reason to believe that the extensive adulteration of
milk with such poisoned water was not absolutely necessary
to cause the diseaae, but that even welshing the cans without
thoroughly emptying the water away had been alone suf-
ficient "

Lie therefore considered it became his duty to direct
that all pumps in cowsheds and cowyards should be
henceforth discontinued, as, with every precaution on
the part of cowkeeptrs, carelessness (without intention)
on the part of persons in their employ might lead to
Very serious c insequences. Difficulties with reference
to the quantity of water had militated against their
immediate removal, but something might be done, and
be accordingly rcquired the cowkeispers to cairy out
following recommendation:

.• That no well or pump water or water from an under
ground tank too used for the purpose of washing or deeming
the calls, pails, or other Vuflet, used for the rtetptlon or
transmission of milk."

INCENDIARY FIRES IN AMERICA. Sonic
terrible incendiary firm are reported at Mount Vey non,
Weetchester County. Prompted by some diabolical
motive, the /Arabi says, some wretch deliberately an.
plied the Mich to an unoccupied building, which re-
milted in thy dsstructionpf property to the extent of
about 100,000 dole., and rendered many women and
children homelem. Shortly afterward, a fire broke
out in a large frame building in Morrisaiiia which
completely destroyed that and adjoining buildings.
The loss is estimated at 21,000 d 01... During the same
morning an unoccupird frame buililiog in the town of
West Farms wan fired and totally destroyed, the tom
being 6,000 dole.

A Cesz or 11rAL Dismrse.—The Tint, on
Tutletay, publisled the f Mowing letter

- -
I beg to cull ynt r attention, through the medium of your
paper, to. very real elm of distre., the details of which are
personally known to me. A lady by birlb nod edneation has,
through a series of misfortunes, been reduced to actual ...-
.Mon, and I am most SOIL,us to ask the asaietance of the
charitable in ralaing the sum ..1‘,50, which won! I enable her
to free herself from debt, and to start afresh in her effort, to
make her own liv..llhood. /dreary. Coutts have moh kindly
zonsented to remise subrcriptivni, payable to n.y acennt
with them. With many apologies for intruding on yair
valiudde spa a, I beg to remain, air yours faithfully, SUSAN
E SUERnoIiNE. Sherborne.park, Northltach.
TaIPLIL 3101tbalt AND SUICIDX. r— A letter
from Rion (Isendee) relates that the little commune of
Villonave Wall thrown into commotion a few nights
heel( by • dreadful crime. A man named Carriere, a
cartwright by trade, had in the evening a violent alter.
cation with hie wife. and at ',bent four in the m 'ruing
persone inhabiting the came house were awakene I by
piercing screams. On forcing an entrance tat, the
room whence the consul proceeded, they found the poor
woman, aged 38, and two children, one of six years
and the other of barely fifteen months, lying on their
beds with their throws cute. Two other children, who
elept in the wij iining chamber, terrified at the cries of
the mother, had made their escape through the window.
The criminal hinssalf was found at about 50 yards from
the house, bathed in his blood. He had made use of a
ran r,and destroyed himself as well as his victims.
SOUNDING AN ALARM.—The Chicago Tribune
says :—"The latent California papers bring the impore
tent intelligence from Australia Ma Honolulu, that the
Captain of Her British Majeety'a steamer Basil id has
taken poeseeeion of New Guinea in the name of the
Que.n. The pas-ession of this island, one of the largest
in the world, teeming with every variety of mineral
and vegetable iwoduct, occupied by three distinct rao. a
of men, numbering several millions, internecteal in
every direction by inavigabie Ham, sod having every
gradation of silimate, le of RIM"r than ordinary illl•
portance, as it virtually gives to England the command
of the South l'eclfie and the (3,itia Sees, awl must have
very ituportant italUelae in augmenting her eastern
esdninereo. The etaly countty which now hes is foot-
hold in that region is Spain, which holds the Philippine
lolanda."

ALTERATION IN THE Ci/T.—Modern mecha-
nical inventions are so rapidly superseding the old
fashioned implemeat, the scythe, that Time ought, to
future, to be represented with a Mowing Machine.—
Punch.

TRSTIMONIAL TO MR. P. C. ()wax. —ln
London, on Tuesday evening, at Willis's Rooms, a
testimonial was presonted to Mr. Philip Gunn& Owen,
the secretary to her Majesty's Royal Commission at
the Vienna Exhibition, iu recognition of the valuable
s.rvices which he rendered to the British exhibitors.
The testimonial consisted of a cheque for 1,300 guineas,
and a piece of plate, on which was inscribed :—" To
Philip Cunliffe Owen, Esq., this silver dessert service and
a purse of 1,300 guineas, are presented by 275 British
subscribers, at the Vienna Universal Exhibition, as a
small token of their esteem and regard, and in remem-
branc.e of bin unwearied exertions on their b?half,
whilst s.cretary to her Mejenty's Royal Commisiion.
October 21st, 1873." Mrs. Owen was also presented with
a case of jewellery, on which a similar inscription was
im ;raved.

IMPECUNIOUS ROYALTY.—A lady WU 3 few
days since seen shopping at the Vienna Exhibition,
accompanied by an Austrian officer. They reached
the Fmuch Annexe, and were much struck with some
of Droird'e statuette.. The officer was selecting some
for purchase, when the lady was heard to observe, in a
half whisper, " But we have spent all our money !"
"No matter," replied the French exhibitor, "kindly
give me your name and address, and I will send the
statuettes." The lady fumbled in her socket, but had
not a pencil in her popsesslon. The Frenchman lent
her one, and was agreeably surprised on finding the
name put d iwn to be "Olga, Raise dee Ifellenes."
The officer escorting her was the Crown Prince of
Hanover.
_

A NEW DEBATING CLUB !—A gentleman was
taking • walk one day in the vicinity of a lunatic
asylum near Edinburgh, when he was accosted by • man
of respectable appearance, and the asylum referred to
formed the topic of conversation. "It is a wonderful
place that," said the man. "Everything is in such ex-
cellent order--no agreeable, too. They have concerts
aod balls; and, more than that—what do you think?—
they have a debating society ! " "Indeed," said the
gentleman ; " • debating society " Yes; they
are debating just now, and, if you like," suggested
the man, "I wiU show you how they proneed. But
when they see you, take no particulcr notice. Should
they whines you, merely say, 'Let me not disturb
you, gentlemen ; I am daft.'" The lunatic—for
such he really was—condmited the gentleman into a
room of the asylum and left him, not io the presence
of lunatics, but with the Board of Directors, who
were just then sitting.
Tits Toesr OF TRUTH. At zany of the;
public dinners which abound during this Parliamen-
tary vacation time, amongst the various touts drunk
on those festive occasions, the health of "Ministers
and Clergy of all Denominations" is included. An
Emperor of China is said, whenever he fell ill, to have
used to call in all his doctors to prescribe for him, have
their prescriptions severally made up, and the whole of
the medicines so compounded apart then mixed
together; when he swallowed the lot, supposing that,
amongst them all, he must take the right one. A
similar idea may be supposed to be contemplated in
proposing the toast of the "Ministers and Clergy of
all Denominatimus "—Punch.

A RELIC OF SLR JOIII; FRANKLIN.—The New
York Herald of the 11th of October contains the state-
ment of a captain of • whaler who alleges that he
recovered some relics i.f the Franklin Expedition in
the Polar regions. His name is Potter, and he is
commander of the whaling barque Glacier. He left
New Bidford, Maasachnsetts, on the 18th of July,
1871, and was absent 28 months, most of which he
spent in the immediate vicinity of the spot where
ranklin and his party abandoned their vessels.
At Repulse Bay • party of the Esquimau: came
to trade with him. Ile was surpris,l to find that
in return for cooking utensils they offered him
silver spoons and Licks, which they stated belonged to
Franklin's party. The captain showed these articles
to the correspondent of the hew York Herald, at New
Bedford. They consist of two large table spoons, two
large four.tinid forks, one common tea spoon, and an
ordinsry Muse MP° in, all Of ancient pattern. One of
the large spoons and one of the large (mks had indite.
Coot outlines of Sir John Franklin's coat of arms.
The natives stated that after leaving their vessels Sir
John and his companions broke up into two parties,
one going in the direction of the Red River and the
other toward:ls the Hudson's Bay Company's territory.
They asserted that Sir John and ids party died of as.
turd causes, and Captain Potter believed the state.
meets.

JUDICIAL PENISIOneI AND COMPENSATIONS.
Acwrding t't the Finance Accounts recently printed,
the judicial pensions in Great Britain in the year ended
the 31st of Starch fart amounted to £47,763, nnd in
Ireland £l9 509. In the year potted the 3let of Marcii
lent the compensation for officers in the Court of
Clianerry amounted to £6337 ss. 8.1. The Rev.
Thomas Thurlow, as keeper or clerk of the Bumper,
has £46211, and in addition 2398 104. lid. compensation
as late prothonotary. Court of Piers., Durham ; and
1.7,52 14a. 61. as Patentee of Bankrudts, London.
There are 48 persons receiving annual compensations
for the abolished Comte of Reepte.te, amounting to
£6,643 9s. 41. ; one as much as £3,100 a year. The
amount raid in the finaucial year ended th • 31st of
Mardi as " compensations" toi iticers of the late Ec-
clesiastical Royal Peculints, and other Testamentary
Ccurta in England and Ireland (including £l2l 9s. paid
in Ireland), was 275.830 Os. 11d. Twelve officers of
the bite Marshal-ea Court receive in pension@ £1,482
Y.e.tr•

WASHINOTON TERRITOItY.— ReMOte in the
extreme north-west corner of the Uoited States,
Washincton Territory complains that it cannot get its
produce to market. In the south. eastern part of that
Territory lies the valley of Walla NValla, of which a
local paper, the Walla Walla Estate Record says
"Our average yield of wheat per acre this year, in-
cluding volunteer crops, will not fall short of 35 bushels.
The highest y it'd we have heard of in one field of 40 awes
producing 73 bushels per acre, while many other
farina have yielded from 45 to 66 bushels. The our.
plus of wheat alone in this valley thin year is estimated
variously at from 600,000 to 1,000,000 bmihels, Of rye
and oats we place the yield and surplus at one half that
of wheat. Ihe price paid for wheat in this city is 40c.
per bushel. Flour per barrel is 3 dole. Owing to lack
of facilities for transportation a large amount of grain
will be held over until next season." It is calculated
that if there were a railroad to Seattle, Puget Sound,
the above surplus crops would probably prove to be
not a hundredth part of the productive capacity of the
section of Eastern Washington and Oregon and
Northern Idaho, which would be tributary to the
road.

--- -
QUITE UNCALLED FOIL—Mrs. Malaprop &aye
she can't think what people mean by &eking for more
" adult echools " for the Working Classes. As if there
wasn't adulteration enough already among the Trades-
people without putting the Working Men up to It
Pu rich.
Wire McraDEß.—lu the year ending the 29th
of Septenib.r, 1872, it appears from the Criminal Sta-
tistics that out of the totsl number of 14 capital sen-
tences carried into execution, 10 were for the murder
by men of their wives and of women with whom they
had cohabited. Of the whole number of 20 murder@
ef wnich the perpetrators, being persons of the male
sex, w«re convicted, 12 were crimes, of the kind de-
scribed. In nine of the relies the victims were married
womer. In only three of the cases does infidelity or
the suepicion of it appear to have come into play, but
there was a case of another class in which the victim
had rejected the murderer's addresses. One of the mur.
derers had 14 children by the wife whom he destroyed
on quarrelling with her about his dinner; and most of
the offenders had paseed the period of life In which
strong passions are ordinarily looked for, their
agen being resprctively, 25, 42, 58, 60, 28, 43, 34;
31, 67. 39. In six of thtse cases we learn that drink
was alleged to have been the cause of the murderer's
conduct.

A SWEET TITLE—The Ceylon Observer sug-
ge,te that "the I'rince of Kandy would he a right
Royal title to bestow, say on the seconu son of the
Prince of Wales—the little Prince George." Our
cuidid opinion is, that the little Prince hitneelf (born
June 3rd, 1865) might prefer to be Prince of Sugar
Kandy.—Punch.

'run PCZALRD BISHOP.—A story Is told at
theex pease of one of our bishops whose usually retentive
memory is oc meionally a little treacherous in respect
of proper names. While visiting a certain town, some
time since, as he stood upon the platform waiting for a
train, a clergyman accosted the bishop, shook hands
warmly, and began numerous inquiries in regard to
numbers if his family and the good friends living at
Barcheeter. The bishop was puzzled ; the Ewe of his
cordial friend was quite honilisr, and be was evidently
no strong, r to himself or family, but to recall his
name was beyond any effort of the memcry. The bishop
joival in A lively conversation, disliking to make the
awkward inquiry, and hoping for some chance word
to reveal the name of his friend. But it came not, and,
AS the cenvereation went on, the ignorance became
mere and more embarransing. At loot a happy thought
come to the bishop; he would get it without asking.
So with an indifferent air he asked, " Let me see—l
forgot how you spell your name." But alas for the
expedient! With a Curious smile hi., friend replied,
"Well, usually I spell it J-o-rue e!" Just at that coo.
mint the bishop remembered the necessity of going into
the waiting-room to look after his travelling.bag,. The
inability to Buell '• Jones," or the suggestion that there
was more than one way of spellieg it, betrayed some-
thing certainly, and the bishop saw it,
THE REMARKABLE GROWTH OF BARROW-IN.
FURNESS.—The history of this town has ben .0 re- ,
ruarkable that scarcely anything which may be 6:il
is the way of future progress will be regarded with
more than ordinary wonder. A hamlet 20 years ago
with a population of some 70 or 80 inhabitant*, Barrow-
in,Farnees is now a town of great importance in a com-
mercial sense, and has a population at least of 35,000.
The canes of this remarkable growth was, in the first In-
stance, the large deposits of valuable iron ore in the dis-
trict, works for the smelting of which were established,
and subsequently large manufacturing establishments
for turning out steel railway and other material were
founded. Within the past three years the industries of
iron shipbuilding, railway rolling-stock manufacturing,
flax and jute, steel wirj, and timber and saw mills have
been added to the list of Barrow trades; and, in addi-
tion to this, a gigantic work has been commenced in the
shape of constructing additional wet-dock accommoda-
tion for a large fleet of ocean steamships, which are
bang built in the town for the development of the
port. Under such circumstances it will not be a matter
of surprise that there has been a great inadequacy of
house acoommodation for the increased number of
workmen coming to the town. It is computed that
from 1,000 to 1,500 houses have been built to accom-
modate workmen during the last three years, and
at least 500 nexa are in cannot trif erection. This
want of reestuirenslation has been the great drawback
tootle advancement of trade here. Capital has been
raised fir the commencement of several now manufac-
turing eetabliehments Se soon as house* can be built.
We (the l'ind's) are authoritatively informal that at
one end of the town alone works of Moll 1111 W RitUlle
ieee sprintrieg into existence AA to justify %amis.
Yt-ndoll and Hitchtti, vontrtiodorn, in building from
710 to Rot cottages uu 1011,0110 yards of land bought
frum the Duke of Devonshire. Ti,. work a been
I let, awl overatioas have bees ceaomeaced,