The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-03-09 00:00:00

Nisallancous

HONE, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

WHISPER Tuts. —The American Government
persists. Jim ! We know the American advice
tendered to the 'jichburne Jury. Our Yankee friends
are smart. Can it—can it be that they mean to
"square the Arbitratore."—Pu
A BOUNCER !—A story is told of a man in
Germany who fell from the roof of a five-story building
to the sidewalk; but, an he struck on the thick soles
of his rubber-shoes, he bounded back within a quarter
of an inch of the roof, and so continued to bounce, de-
creasing by only a quarter of an inch each journey.
He subsisted on hash inclosed in rubber belle, which
he managed to catch on the bound, and at the end of
a month he was stopped and restored to his family.
DEATH OF AN ESCAPING MURDERER. —Th
Oaan, of Brest, states that a murder was committed a
few nights since in the commune of La.mbezellee, near
that plum, on the person of a widow named Balasman,
a landowner. The investigations set on foot traced the
crime to a man named Cormelon, at whose residence
were found many objects stolen from different houses
in the neighbourhood. The police, seeing him walking
near the parapet of the chateau, were about to arrant
him, when he took to flight and sprang over the wall,
falling from a height of 90 feet. When taken up, both
his legs and one of his arms were found to be fractured
and.his skull partly laid open, no that when carried to
the hospital he almost immediately expired.
SLIGHTLY CONFUSED.—Mrs. MaIaDFOD, on
Thankogiving Day, was charmed with the Common
Councilmen in their Magazine gowns. The same mis-
tress of the English language much admired the ap-
pearance of the soldiers, especially the Lancets, but
felt greatly disappointed that the Priuce's doctors were
not in the procession.—Psech.
OccasioNAL SERMONS.—Mr. Cowper-Temple's
Bill proposed to enact that "any person," although
not in holy orders of the Church of England, may, on
the invitation of the incumbent or officiating minister,
anti with the permission of the bishop of the diocese
or f the ordinary of any collegiate church or chapel
"limier his hand," preach an occasional sermon or
lecture in any church or chapelbelenging to the Church
of England. The preaching may take place either
after "ay of the services" in the Prayer book have
been read, or without the previous reading of such
services, as may seem beat to the incdmbent. The bill
is very short, and would be very clear if it were certain
what is an "occasional" sermon.
THE COUNTY COURTS.—An analysis of the
business of the County Courts of England (including
Wales) shows that in the year 1870 in every 1,000 of the
911,7:15 plaints entered there was more than one (1,304
in all) for a stun not exceeding Is. • 75 for sums exceed-
ing Is., but not exceeding es. ; 577 for SUMS exceeding
se, but not exceeding 40s. ; and 347 for sums exceeding
40s. An examination of the smaller plaints—the
plaints in the first three of these four classes—
viz., for sums not exceeding 40a—shows that the
great majority of them were for goods sold and
delivered, or money lent, or *here credit may
be inferred to have been given voluntarily— viz., 69 per
cent, of the first class (not exceeding Is.) ; 82 per cent.
of the next ; and 85 per cent, of the third of those
classes. There were in the year 179,895 executions
heeled against goods. Of every 1,000 of these there was
one (152 in all) furs sum not exceeding is. ; 55 for sums
exceeding Is. and not exceeding is. ; 609 for sums ex-
ceeding ss. and not exceeding 40s. ; and 331 for sums
exceeding 40s. Sales were made under the executione
in 0•6 per cent, of the first of these four classes—viz., in
one case for not more than Is. ; in 0•36 percent. of the
second class; in r 6 per cent, of the third class ; and in
4•8 per cent, of the fourth, the cases over 40s. 6,736
persons were sent to prison ; in 1,000 of these there
were nearly 55 (37 in all) whose default was iitzespect
of a sum exceeding ls.. but not exceeding ss. ; 5621
where it exceeded is. but did not exceed 405., and
432•8,where it exceeded 40s. No person was in:pd.
wined where the sum in respect of which default was
made did not exceed is. • and in 44 of the 59 circuits
no one was imprisoned where it did not exceed ss.
ALL THE WORLD IN TIIE PARK.—We live and
learn. Even those who are best acquainted with
London must realise bow little they know of ito vast-
ness, and especially of the immense area of its principal
park, when they read that "another of the four
quarters of the globe which surround the Albert
Memorial in Hyde Park has been placed in position."
Their feeling will be one of amazed incredulity, grail
they go on and find that "the subject is 'Asia,' and
the Sculptor, Mr. Foley, 11.A."—Puach.
As IT SHOULD BE !—The Dublin correspond-
ent of The Times writes
A general feeling of indignation has been excited here
by the report of the cowardly attempt to intimidate the
Queen. It is not confined to any sect or party, but is ex-
pressed on all aides, and is the more intense because the
person who committed the outrage beam an Irish name.
His nationality, however, Is repudiated, and Irishmen of
every class protest against any stigma being cast upon the
character of the country on account of the lolly or wicked-
ness of a lunatic or desperado with Whom it has no con-
nection or sympathy."
A SWISS HERMIT.—An extraordinary person
was buried, on Saturday, at Muotathal,. fourscore
years of age. This man, named J. L. Helmer, had
lived for more than 60 years a solitary life in a goat
stable, far removed from every human habitation.
His dormitory was carpeted with goat skins, and litter
for these small cattle, served him for a bed, and hie
nutriment consisted almost entirely of bread and
goate' milk, lie refused as superfluous the conveniences
of life which were offered to him on all sides in his
advanced old age, and up to his last breath he main-
tained the full use of his reasoning faculties, and, at
the same time, his mode of life more than frugal.
HARD Wolins.—Mrs. Malaprop read a para-
graph about shaving by aid of Direst& Wishthg to
intimate to a clergyman who wore a beard, her opinion
that he would look better without it, she told him
that she should recommend him an Exegesis. • Best of
it is, be didn't know the word. —Punch.
AMERICAN DRUOGISTS.—The New York Times
states that the report of the Commissioners of Phar-
macy, giving an account of their first six months, work
of examination exposes a lamentable amount of igno-
rance on the part of very many of those who make up
prescriptions. "Of about 728 applicants (many ot
them proprietors, and all of them claiming to be quali-
fied clerks) barely three persons could read at sight the
simplest schoolboy Latin., such as Virgil and Satinet.
A test prescription callmg for a certain quantity of
compound tincture of gentian, and also a certain other
proportion of infusion 'ejustlem' (of the same), was
given to an applicant to read. He puzzled over it for
some time, and finally handed it back, with the remark
that in no store where he had ever wotked did they
have infusion of ejusdem,' and, in fact, he had never
seen nor heard of the drug before, and was sure it was
not in the Pharmacopceia. Most of the aspitante are,
however, familiar with the Latin names of the medi•
eine* with which they have to deal, and, knowing of
onuree the weights and measures, can manage to scrub
along until some extra careful physician writes an
elaborate series of directions in Latin, when the posed
and puzzled clerk has to cry for assistance.. Pr.
Graham says that a prescription containfr
mentioned `ejuadem' once started in a
store, near Grand-street, and was taken
on both sides of the Broadway, no one
'ejusdern,' until, at het, it r
Everett-house, where the cabalistic
read by a man who hod been twenty y,
and the medicine put up, ids; haw
eightesn drug otorta: