The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-02-10 00:00:00

Blisttilaneous ,?lintelligence

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

ANATOMY lEXTRAORDINARY.—MrB. Malaprop
says she Wgi once bled in the same place as Roger
Tichborne—in the temporary arterv.--Punch.

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A NOVELTY IN COURTSHIP. —(From a
A metralian Parsonage," by Mrs. Edward Minett :
An immigrant girl who had been telling me that her
admirer was "crazed for her at first sight," adduced in
proof of his condition that her acquaintance with him had
begun by his throwing a pig-melon at her, and that he con-
tinued to throw more melons whenever she entered the field
where he was at work. As a missive expressive of affection
I should have thought a cannon ball had been quite as senti-
mental ; hut the girl's experiences of courtship showed me
that the throwing of cucumbers and vegetable marrows over
the garden wall by Mrs. Nickleby's insane lover was more
true to nature than I had supposed.
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A CAPITAL WORKMAN. Spealing Of the
custom in Germany for the members of the Royal
Family to learn some handicraft, as part of their edu-
cation, The Times Correspondent writing from Berlin
says, "His reigning Majeety, if I am not mistaken, is
by trade a glazier." There must be some mistake
about the Emperor's trade, for none can doubt that he
has proved himself to be a "top-sawyer.'—Punch.
A GOOD Housnwira.—" Grace Greenwood,"
who has recently been on a tour in the far West of
America, gives an account of the wife of a member of
the Arizona Legislature, whose house, when her hus-
band was absent on his legislative duties, was attacked
by Indians. She shot six, and the next day wrote to
her husband, "Dear John—The Apaches attacked
the ranche. I have won the tight. You need not come
yourself, but send some more ammunition."
A LETTER FROM THE DIAMOND FIELDS.—The
following private letter appears in the Cape Argue, of
Dec, 19, to which it was sent for publication
" De Beer's Farm, Dec. 2, 1871.
"My Dear Friend,—l cannot possibly tell you how miser-
able and wretched I feel at present, although the fields did
not frown at me,—at least I have been rather lucky. I have
a collection 01 73 diamonds, amongst which are live of 21, 20,
27, 32, and 43 carats. The three first are perfect gems, hut
the last two are slightly off coloured. The weather is fright-
fully warm and the dust stifling. we have not much sickness
here, only at Du Toit's Pan the fever is raging with terrific
violence. Deaths occur daily; at Du Toil's Pan upwards of
thirty diggers breathe their last, on an average, a day, and
how soon, old fellow, I may share their lot is uncertain. The
diggers are all aglow to see the 1,045-carat diamond. But If
you ask my opinion, I think it to be all sham. You ought to
try and bring a waggon-load of onions down here, and I can
tell you, old boy, your pockets will be pretty well tilled after
you have disposed of it. We find diamotala by fours and
fives a day, and I would liketo stay a little longer, but I think
It would ne selfish in me to stay longer away from the old
people.—Baaar.-

GROWTH OF AN ISLAND—The Mobile Tribune,
giving for its authority a shipmaster, whom it names,
says :—" We learn of the partial formation of a new
island at the mouth of our harbour, and nearly oppo-
site Sand Island, which has grown some three miles in
length, and has had the effect of deepening the channel
over the outer bar. This island has already attained
such a height above the water as to be the resort of
birds and other se, residents, and should it continue to
increase, which is a consummation to be wished, it
may have the ultimate effect of giving a free, clear
passage up our bay to ships of the heaviest draft."
ESCAPE OF A CoNvicr.—A clever escape from
the Convict Prison at Portsea was effected during
Sunday night, Among the prisoners was a man
named William Smith, 36 years of age, who was
sentenced to penal servitude for a jewel robbery at
Liverpool. During the night the convict took up a
stone from his cell, and thence got into an air-shaft
beneath. Creeping along to the grating, he was unable
to raise it, but succeeded in removing a stone some-
what beyond it. He thus gained the kiarade-ground.
He next came to a high gate separating the prison
from Portsmouth Dockyard, but by means of a sheet
he scaled it, and thus escaped. Ile was, however,
captured at an early hour on Tuesday morning. A
man had stolen a loaf in the neighbourhood of Ports-
mouth, and the police were set on his track. They
traced him to ei barn at Harnbledon, where lie wa,
sleeping under some straw, wrapped in a sack. On
examination the man was found to be wearing some
of the clothes of the Convict Prison; and from this
and certain other marks, he was at once identified as
the escaped convict, and taken back to Portsmouth.
THE LUCK OF THE RoTHSCHILDS.—The luck
of the house of Rothschild is proverbial, and it was
pointed out as yet soother instance of that luck that
although the great bankers are very large owners of
house property in Paris, not a franc's worth of damage
had been done to them by the shells of either the
Prusaians, the Versailles troops, or the Communists.
But it seems that the luck of the Rothschild' does not
follow them into law courts, for they have just been
condemned to pay the trifle of 674,000 f. (228,000) for
stamp duties due on the shares of different companies
of which they are the agents, the said ram having
been a/ready paid to DI. Courbe, the finance delegate
under the Commune. It certainly does seem rather
bard that the State should refuse to accept the recesipt
of the Communal tax-gatherers As valid, for, as JL
Rothschikls lawyer pointed out, had his clients refused
to pay the Commune their establishment would have
at once been given up to
Pillage. lad all the valuable
property deposited there scattered to the winds.—
Smarm&

,„
AN EASY RIDDLE. —What rarnamentary
Elections are those which are always conducted apart
from the Public-hose? The elections for the Univer-
sities of Oxford and Cambridge, snd the Election of
the Speaker. --Punch..
LAMM EMPURATION TO AMERICA.—From the
returns of emigration from the Mersey for the past
month, it appears that during January there sailed
from Liverpool, under the Act, 25 ships to the United
States. These vessels bad on board 587 cabin, and
2,663 steerage passengers, of whom 2,095 were English,
38 Scotch, 266 Irish, and 852 foreigners, or 8,250 t,tal,
Of vessels not under the Act there sailed to the United
States 10, with 540_passengers ; to Victoria 1, with 25
pamengers • to the West Indies 3, with 36 passengers its
China 2, with 35 passengers to Africa 3, with 32 pas-
sengers ; and to South America 7, with 134 passengers;
or a total of 26 ships and 802 passengers. The gross
emigration for the pest month ehows an Increase of
1,148 over the corresponding month of last year- The
gross total for January. 1872, Is 4,092 passengers,
against 2,904 for January, 1871. The remarkable ie.
crease in the last month's emigration if said to be due
ins great measure to the departure of artisans to Chi-
cago, where the demand for skilled labour has been
' largely increased by the recent disaster.
AN IMPROMPTU RAM.—The Army and Navy
(Audit remarks :

The Lady if odehoum ought to be purchased at once by the
Admiralty, tor she hu proved herself a most efficient wor-
ship ! Here is this old Dublin pig-boat running into a nett
improved tremendous iron man-of.war rain, carrying away
her peril and boats, and mauling her so severely that Lord
John Hay is obliged to take his II ottpur into harbour foie-
pair damages, while the Lady Wade/tows, having crippled
the redoubtable ironclad, Nee= to have gone on her way re-
joicing, and, for all we know, the better for the "tightening
up" she has had. It Is fondly believed that if earthenware
collided with iron pots they would get the worst of it. This
" pleasing incident "reminds us of Stephenson's reply to one
who asked him as to the results of a collision between a COW
and a train. "It would be bad for the coo." Wash "ill
along of a Friday r

BIG GUNS AND Bto -BELLB.--It appears that
some time ago, Mr. NV. Eggers, of the Sough Austra-
lian
Zidung, on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran
Bethlehem community, forwarded to the Emperor of
Germany a photographic plan of the church being
erected in Flinder's-street. Adelaide, at the same time
requesting that, as a memento of the events Germany
had lately passed through, and a rernembrancer of his
Majesty and the Empress, one or two captured French
cannon might be sent for the purpose of being melted
and made into two bells, to be named respectively
"Wilhelm" and "Auguste." The sound of these bells
from the church tower, it was said, would bring to the
minds of future generations the unity whieh had
been brought about in the dear old Fatherland during
the Emperor's reign. In reply to this, Mr. Eggers re-
ceived a communication from Prince Bismarck, stating
that the Sovereign had acceded to the reaquest, and
that two gyps, weighing about 2,6001 be., would be
handed over immediately to any person deputed to re-
ceive them ; so that now those heralds of death and
destruction will ring out "peace and goodwill" at the
Antipodes.

SPEECH BY A JAPANESE PHINCE.—At San
Francisco, on the 17th ult., a serenade WB9 given to
the Japanese Embassy. Prince Iwakura, a member of
the Embassy, made a speech in Japanese, which, Wane-
fated, reads thus:—

'Citizens of San Francisco,—lt Is now a recognised fact
In Japan, since the conclusion of the treaty between She
United States and our country, that our true prosperity
has greatly Increased with our new commercial inter-
course. Our advancement in the arts and sciences of
Western natims we now consider a substantial benefit to
our nation, and desire that with every increase of
national intercourse there shall be an increase of inter-
national friendship. With a view of hastening those
results, and further facilitating the Instruction of our
people in the civilization of the Western nations, his Im-
perial Maksts of Japan has commissioned on to visit all
globe countries haling trestles with Japan, in the capacity of
Ambassadors Plenipotentiary, first visiting your country.
The warmth of our reception is unquestionable proof to us
of the friendship of America, and I assure you it is more
than echoed in the hearts of our people, rose expression
of feeling when announced to his Imperial Majesty will lie
known throughout Japan, and assist in cementing a mutual
friendship between our countries, which it is the wish of the
Japanese people should instantly increase, as by intercourse
we get to know each other better."
THE DOVTORte PARADISE. —Atli-ices if the
progrees of the Looshai Expedition report General
Brownlow as approaching "The Tookpillalls coon•
try." The Medical Profession are unanimous in their
opinion that the inhabitants of this country must be a
highly intelligent and civilised people, anti they hope
the General and his troops will put them to as litt!e
- —Punch.

inconvenience as possible.—.
MATRIMONIAL CHANCES ! (From the Man-
chester Examiner) :

'A young lady wishes to meet with a steady and affectionate
husband.—Address," Ac.—' A respectable young lady,
19, wishes to correspond with a respectable young gentleman,
with • view to matrimony—Address, with confidence," kg.
—"A gentleman (age 30), In comfortable circumstances,
and of good family, wishes to correspond with a lady, with
matrimonial views ; Mites exchanged, Ae"—" A gentle-
man, widower, 40, without family, with £lOO a year income,
£2OO ready cash, and other expectations, is desirous to meet
with an amiable lady with some cleans, with a view to matri-
mony.—Address," Ac.—" A Wesleyan, in a fair position,
desires a wife, a member of a Scriptural denomination ; money
Is not sought, but a cultivated mind, and a desire and taste
for home happiness ; the advertiser is of a sunny, cheerful,
confiding, and affectionate disposition, and would like his
wife to be the same.—Address," Ac.—" A gentleman, wider
30, most respectably connected, with about £4OO per annum.
wishes to correspond with a young lady of education, good
family, and personal attractions, with a view to matrimony.
This appeal is strictly honourable.—Address, within ten days
, of this dale," he,

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ADULTERATION.—The Principal of the Inland
Revenue Laboratory, Mr. G. Phillips, reports that 432
samples of tonere° were examined by him in 1870 for
the Excise Department, and 312 were found to be
adulterated; the adulterants being wheat and rice
sta. ches, sugar, liquorice, lampblack, catechu, and
colouring matter. The amount of adulteration ranged
UP to 4 per cent. starch, 40 per cent. sugar, and 53
per cent of liquorice. Almost all the samples found
adulterated with sugar and liquorice were "Caren-
410h ; " it is believed that it is smuggled into this coun-
try in small quantities by sailors. Two important seigurea
of tobacco, together exceeding 7,00016., were made
in the south of Ireland, the adulterants being in one
case wheat starch and in the other rice starch; these
are the only instances in which starch has been found
to be used as an adulterant since the spring of 1863.
Five samples of coffee were examined in 1870; one
WM found adulterated with 10 per cent, of sago starch.
There were 14 samples of beer and materials used in
brewing examined; nine were found adulterated, the
adulterants being sugar, treacle, ground rice, liquorice
powder, grains of Paradise, and in one instance tobacco.
Of lime and lemon juice, 561 samples were examined,
and 68 of them were rejected. In the Customs De.
partment several cases occurred in which articles
entered as "fruit essence," "hair dye," "naphtha,"
were found to contain a considerable quantity of
dutiable alcohoL

POLITICAL ENFRANCHISEMENT OF WOMEN.
On Monday night a paper was read at the rooms of the
Social Science Association, Adam-street, London, by
Mr. Arthur Arnold, on the above subject ; the chair
being occupied by Mr. Dederick, M.P. Mr. Arnold's
paper was not only argumentative, but eloquent and
impressive. He denied that women were unfit for
the franchise • that the franchise was unfit for women •
that women had nothing to gain by its possession, and
nothing to lose by its non-possession. He produced
numerous instances in which women had been cruelly
wronged by the present state of the law, and said that
he felt ashamed, as a man and an Englishman, that
such injustice should be no long tolerated in this coun-
try. At the conclusion of the paper an interesting,
though a very one-sided, discussion took place, in
which Mr. Pears, Mr. ochin, Mr. Jenkin, Mr.
Holland, Miss Smith, Professor S. Amos, Miss
Rhoda Garrett, Dr. Drysdale, and the chairman took
part. All the speakers took very much the view of
the opener Mr. Pears and Mr. Jenkin dissenting from
some of his incidental statements. A vote of thanks
to Mr. Arnold for his paper concluded the proceedings.
PISCATORY SCHOOLS.— The ninth Report of
the Inspector of Reformatory and Industrial Schools
of Ireland contains an important memorandum fur-
nished to the Inspector by Mr. T. F. Brady, Surveyor
of Fisheries in Ireland. 'This memorandum recites
that the fishing trade of that country has never re-
covered since the famine of 1847-48 and 1849, and "that
there is hardly a seaport town in Ireland now where
poor boys are not wandering about, idle, uneducated,
and half-fed, open to temptations of the worst kind,
and who might be made, with a little expenditure of
money and care, to provide supplies of that article of
food in which we are, from the CaAlseff mentioned in
our report, so miserably deficient in this country, as
proved by the large imports from Newfoundlan•l.
Norway, and Scotland." Air. Brady recommends the
establishment of training ships for fishermen, and re-
marks that the amount of food thus brought to the
market would soon repay the outlay. It is reported
that at St. Ives,rornwall, the smallest return amounted
last year to 200 per cent, on the outlay, and the
Inspector saw captured off that town in one seine alone
£lO,OOO worth of pilchards. All these fish visit tfie
south and south-west of Ireland before reaching the
Cornish coast. so that they might be in the markets at
Cork or Dublin before the St. Ives fishermen could
haves chance of catching or curing them.
•
A MONKEY DETECTIVE. —An Indian paper tells
the following story :
A Madrassee had a monkey which he was very fond of.
The man had occasion to go on a journey, and took with him
money and jewels, and his chum the monkey. some rogues
determined to rob him of everything he had; accordingly
they laid in wait for hint and murdered him. Having secured
the money and jewels, they threw the murderwl man into a
dry well, and having covered It up with twigs and dry leaves
they went home. The monkey, who was on the top of a
1 tree, saw the whole proceedings, and when the. murderers
departed he came down and made tracks for the tabslidar's
house, and by his cries and moans attracted the attention of
that functionary, inviting the tabsildar by dumb signs to
follow him, the monkey went to the well and pointed down-
wards. Talaildar thereupon got men to go down, and of
course the body was discovered. The monkey then led the
men to the place where the jewels and money were buried.
He then took them to the bazaars, and as he caught sight
of one of the nnirderers he ran after him, bit him In the leg,
and would not let him go till he was secured. In 'this way
all the murderers were caught. The men, it is said, have
confessed their crime, and they now stand committed for
trial before the Tellicherry Court at the ensuing session
That moukey, we think, ought to made an inspector of
THE 3EWS AND THE EDUCATION BILL
Jewish opinions on the education question were ex.
pressed it the synagogues in London, last Sunday.
The occasion was the distribution of prizes by the
Chief Babbi at the Borough Jewish schools, in Carter-
street, Walworth, The Baron Henry de Worms, who
presided, avowed hfinself in favour of compulsory edu-
cation, the benefits of which were seen in the orga-
nisation of Prussia. It would be difficult, he thought,
for the Jews to benefit by undenominational schools.
He contended that the State should assist religious
training rather than feel itself called upon to educate
Athei,ts ; and he suggested that certificates of pro-
ficiency in religious knowledge should be regarded as
indisnensable in the filling up of appointments. The
Chief Rabbi said he was, and always had been,
strongly in favour of compulsory education, and he
had upheld the principle many years ago when he
was taxed by his friends With bringing German notions
to England. He agreed at the same time with Baron
Henry de Worms that the Jews could not accept a
State grant at the expense of their religion and the
religion of their father.; and that this requiremen
was not to be satisfied by two or three hours of special
ad distinct teaching in the course el It week.