The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-02-27 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS:

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

It has been decided by the French Government that
the proposed exhibition of 1889 shall have an inter.
national character. Austria will, it is expected, partici-
pate in the scheme, and negotiations are on foot with
Germany to induce German subjects to send exhibits.
Early on Saturday morning the publishing premises
of the "Northern Daily Mail," in West Hartlepool,
were completely destroyed by fire. The damage is
estimated between &:2000 and £3OOO.
Considerable progress is being made with the scheme
for the deopening of the Eibble at Preston, the con-
struction of a 40 acre dock, and a diversion of a porfl
tion of the stream. The work up to the present has
been chiefly excavation, but the foundations of the
dock are being got out, and close upon 1000 men are at
work under Mr. Walker, who has had the Severn
Tunnel contract in hand. The corporation have
ordered dredgers, and they are being rapidly con-
structed.
In the Queen's Bench Division on Saturday a
domestic servant named Garner brought an action to
recover damages for injuries sustained by lesson of her
having been bitten in the arm by a dog which belonged
to her former employer, Mt. Drucker, a stockbroker,
residing at Twickenham. After some evidence had
been taken, it was arranged that the defendant should
pay the plaiwiff £2O as oompermation, but without
c - ^.ls.
Mr. Charles Pratt, manager of the Chippenham
Hotel, Paddington, was, at the Marylebone Pclice-
court on Saturday, fined for assaulting Mr. Joseph
Dean. The assault arose out of the fact that the
plaintiff, when in the hotel, had been handed a cigar
which exploded shortly after he had lighted it, injuring
his band and mouth. _ _

The Right Hon. G. Shaw-Lefevre has been appointed
chairman of the Commons Preservation Society, in the
place of Mr. J. Bryce, M.P., who resigned the office on
his appointment as Under-Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs. It may be added that Mr. Lefeyre
was the first chairman of the society, and acted in that
capacity for many years from its formation in 1865.
A new Ministry has been formed in Portugal, with
Senor Lucianno of Castro as Premier.

A splendid new paddle steamer has been launched
from the yard of the Shipbuilding Company, which, on
leaving the ways, was named Prince of Wales, by Mrs.
Armytage. The new steamer has been built to the
order of the Lancashire and Yorkshire and London and
North-Western Railway Companies, and is intended to
be placed on the Fleetwood and Belfast Royal mail
station. She is 307 feet in length, 35 feet beam and
151 i feet depth of hold. She will be fitted with two sets
of engines indicating 3800 horse power.
Sir Richard Cross intends to proceed with the bills,
which be prepared whilst Home Secretary, for facilitat-
ing the sale of glebe lands, and for amending the Coal
Mines Regulation Act of 1872.
The 69th anniversary of the birth of the King of
Holland was celebrated on Friday with great rejoicings
all through the Netherlands. All the high dignitaries
of the realm and the representatives of foreign Powers
were present at the State dinner at the Royal palace at
the Hague. The Queen gave the toast of the King, to
which his Majesty briefly replied. The young Crown
Princess Wilhelmire joined the company after dinner.
The re-election of the Prince of Wales as Grand
Master of English Freemasons will take place at Free-
masons' Hall, nest Wednesday week, and his re%installa-
tion on the 28th of April.
On Saturday the annual meeting of the Ladies'
Grand Council of the Primrose League was held at the
Marquis of Salisbury's London residence, under the
presidency of the Duke of Norfolk. A very distill.
guished company assembled. The report was adopted,
on the motion of Mr. Edward Stanhope, M.P., seconded
by Mr. Macdonald, the late Lord Advocate. The chair-
man, responding to a vote of thanks, expressed his
belief that many Catholics in Ireland would be glad to
support the cause of loyalty and order.
The Duke of Cambridge presided on Saturday even-
ing at a dinner given at the Hotel Metropole to the
Marquis de Casa Laiglesia, kipanish Minister, on the
occasion of his recall. The Duke of Cambridge, in a
touching speech, proposed the toast of the evening, to
which the Spanish Minister responded with much
feeling.
In the Chancery Division on Saturday Vice-Chan-
cellor Bacon heard a summons in re the Earl of Ayles-
ford's settlement, and directed that the expense of the
proceedings in the House of Lords to establish the
rights of the present Earl should be paid out of the
settled estates.

The "Official Gazette" has published a convention
signed by Italy, England, and Egypt for the suppression
of the slave trade on thA 1)^*1 goa.

li. • ,

A bill to amend the Coal Mines Regulation Act,1872
has been issued.

On Monday night a young woman, partially clad,
evidently in a state of somnambulism, was found
wandering in St. John-street-road, Olerkenwell, London.
She was conducted to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, but
it was some time before she recovered consciousness.

The Central News is responsible for the following:
"Mrs. Parnell, mother of the chief of the Irish Parlia-
mentary party, is in a nearly destitute condition, and
lives on the fourth floor of a malodorous tenement house.
She has been confined to her room for four months past
suffering from neuralgia and gout She says, howevert
that she is quite comfortable with good friends. She
hears from Charley ' often ; the letters are of an affec-
tionate character, never political. She thinks the people
=fleeted with the Parnell fund and Irish patriots have
treated her shabbily. If it were not for her friends she
would be without money, and would probably be evicted
from her lodgings."
A bill empowering the Prussian Government to con-
tract a loan of five millions sterling for the purchase of
estates from Polish proprietors with a view to
strengthen the German element in Posen and East
Prussia came on for consideration in the Prussian
House of Deputies. Prince Bismarck did not appear,
and left the defence of the measure to Dr. Lucius, the
Minister of Agriculture. Owing, however, to the way
in which the question was handled, the Polish
members attacked the bill most vehemently.
On Saturday afternoon an outbreak of fire occurred
at Wilmington, North Carolina, on board the river
steamer Bladen. A high m ind was blowing at the
time, which quickly swept the flames through blocks
filled with naval stores and buildibgs saturated with
turpentine. Two steamers were burnt, as well as a
sailing vessel. Three blocks of stores, many private
residences, two railway goods stations, two mills, a
cotton compress, a church, and other buildings were
completely destroyed. The loss is estimated at
1,500,000 dollars.
Fishermen have seen near Cape reins, in the Bay of
Biseay, a great number of casks of wine, cases, and
partly burnt planks. The bodies of a man and
of a well-dressed fair young woman have also been seen
floating, and it is, therefore supposed that a large vessel
has been burnt out at sea.
Mr. John Black, solicitor, of Nottingham, and clerk
to the Longeaton Local Board, while out rabbit shooting
on the wolds, Nottinghamshire, on Monday, acci-
dentally discharged his gun, and the contents passed
through his heart.
A Salvationist named Edwin B. Pearce was com-
mited for trial at Warmister, on Monday, charged with
the wilful murder of his wife, who was found dead in
bed on January 30. She had, it was stated, succumbed
to the effects of poisoning by arsenic and strychnine.
On Monday the anniversary of Washington's birthday
was celebrated by the United States Minister, who
held a reception, which was very numerously attended
both by American citizens and leading members of Eng-
lish society.
Instructions have been issued by the Admiralty that
dockyard apprentices during the fifth year of service
who are undergoing a special course of training for
examination for entry at the Royal Naval College at
Greenwich may be instructed in theoretic shipbuilding,
including laying off, or in the theory of engineering,
as the case may be.
The bill adopted by the French Senate in relation to
art frauds, has been placed on the table of the Chamber.
The measure imposes imprisonment for a term not ex-
ceeding five years, with a maximum fine of 3000 fr., upon
persons who shall place a fraudulent name to a paint-
ing, sculpture, drawing, engraving, or musical instru.
ment or composition with the intent to cheat a buyer.
A boy, named Carolan, has died in a Dublin hospital,
having undergone an:unsuccessful operation to remove a
threepenny-piece from his throat. He procured the
coin from his sister to show her a trick, threw it into
the air, and as it came down caught it in his mouth. It
entered his throat and caused him great suffering, and
all efforts to remove it was fruitless. _ _ _

Last week at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the
mean reading of the barometer was :9 85 in.; the
highest reading being 30.03 in. at the end of the week,
and the lowest 29.62 in. on Sunday morning. The mean
temperature of the air was 3.9 below the average in
the corresponding weeks of the 20 years ending 1868.
Rain fell on two days of the week, to the seLregate
amount of 0.07 of an inch. No bright sunshine was
registered in the week; the amount registeied at
Glynde-place,Lewes, was 3.9 hours.
Invitations to joia in the complimentary dinne - to
Lord Iddesleigh have been widely accepted, Liberals
vieing with Conservatives in readiness to testify to
their esteem for the late leader of the Opposition in
the House of Commons. The dinner R ill be held on
Monday week, at Willis's Rooms.
Mr. Donald Crawf ore, m.r., was, at a meeting held*
at Motherwell :on Monday night, appointed Hono-
rary President of the North - East Lanarkshire
Liberal Association. The election was made as a mark
of the confidence of the Association in Mr. Crawford
as an honourable, high-minded, straightforward gentle-
man.

The Emperor Kuang-Su, being now in his 15th year,
it has been decided to take the necessary steps for pro-
viding him with an Imperial Consort. Accordingly,
a selection of Manchu girls will shortly be made, and
from these the new Empress and the members of the
seraglio will be chosen. The procedure adopted in the
choice of an Empress Consort is a strange mixture of
tradition and superstition.
Mrs. Fred Burnaby is engaged to be married to Pro-
fessor J. F. Main. The marriage will take place in a
few weeks at Berne.

Lord Lansdowne,Governor•General of Canada, intends
to visit London during the summer.
Mr. Whistler is about to leave for the United States,
where, under the direction of Mr. D'Oyly Carte, he will
make a lecture tour, delivering in various towns his
"Ten o'clock."

The trial of Professor Nicol, of Glasgow University,
on the charge of being in the unlawful possession of a
weapon, took place at Naples on Tuesday. It will be
recollected that he was arrested a few days ago, just
after leaving a shop in which his daughter had acci-
dentally disclosed the fact that his walking stick had a
small sword concealed within it. He was acquitted
on the charge of carrying arms with a felonious
intent, but the Court ordered the sword-stick to be
confiscated. Throughout the hearing the defendant
was treated with the greatest courtesy.
A shocking disaster occurred on Monday at Aulnay
de Saintonge, in the Charante InUrieure. A fair was
being held, and upwards of 2000 oxen were drawn up in
a field, when a band of ruffians excited the animals and
they rushed furiously among the crowd. Three per-
sons were killed outright, forty were seriously injured,
while one hundred more were badly bruised. In the
meanwhile, the miscreants who had wrought the mis-
chief decamped with nearly 800 which they had pur-
loined.

The first attempt to " count-out " the Home since
the meeting of the new Parliament was made on
Tuesday night shortly after nine o'clock. Owing
mainly to the vigilance of the Parnellites, who were
interested in the topic under discussion at the time
the attempt was frustrated.
_

The eonimittee which has been appointed to examine
into the working of the Endowed Schools Acts will
consist of 17 members. The first meeting will be held
on Monday.
The pope had a slight fainting fit on Tuesday
morning, although he did not become insensible. It is
believed to have been due to great weakness, caused by
overwork and late hours. Although there is no cause
for alarm, some anxiety exists among the prelates in
immediate attendance upon Leo. XIII. A collective
and private protest of the English bishops against the
appointment of a Papal delegate to London has been
presented at the Vatican.
Madame Marie Schipek, conductor of the Viennese
Ladies' Orchestra, which has recently been performing
at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, received from
their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of
Wales, a handsome gold brooch with the Prince of
Wales's arms and his motto, "lob Dien," accompanied
by a few graceful lines of acknowledgment for the con-
cert given at Marlborough House.
The members of the London Municipal Reform
League held their fifth annual meeting at the Memorial
Hall, Farringdon•strect, on Tuesday evening, Mr. J. F.
13. Firth presiding. On the motion of Lord Hobhou ea'
seconded by Mr. Walter Shirley, Mr. Firth was re-
elected president.
The Council have appointed Mr. William Speed,
Q.C. Examiner in Equity, for the year ending January
10, 1887, in the place of Mr. W. W. Karalake, Q. 0., re-
signed.
The German Reichstag will probably begin the debate
on the Schnapps Monopoly Bill some time next week.
It is calculated that the passing of the measure would
produce a net revenue for the Government of 303
million marks (£15,150,000).
A contract has been concluded for the supply of the
first portion of a grant of 50,000 bushels of seed grain,
made by the Federal Government to the settlers in the
North-West Territory, who sustained lasses through
Riel's rebellion.
Mr. W. C. Leng, proprietor of the " Sheffield Daily
Telegraph," has been elected a member of the Carlton
Club.
Captain Verney-intends to move, as an amendment
to the motion of Mr. Labouchere regarding her(-ditary
legislators, that no Second Chamber of the Lep,islature
is consistent with the principles of representative
government other than a Chamber the members of
which derive their title to le;;islate mainly by virtue of
hereditary descent.
The Queen on Tuesday afternoon at Windsor Castle
decorated a number of noncommissioned officers and
soldiers who had distinguished themselves dune" the
recent campaign in the Soudan. The soldiers were
under the charge of Lieutenant Lord Rodney.
At the Staffordshire Assizes, on Tuesday, an action
was decided in which Mr. Frederick Greatrex, solicitor,
of Stafford, was ace ased of unprofessional conduct in
reference to a will case tried in London last year. It
was alleged that the defendant had been guilty of dis-
closing certain communications and documents en-
trusted to him by a former client named James. Another
count charged the defendant with slander agains# one
of the sons of the client in question. The jury found
for the plaintiff en the first count, with damages £l5O.
On the count charging him with slander they found for
the defendant.
Ask a meeting of members of the Edinburgh Philoso.
phical Institution held on Tuesday night, Mr. Froude
delivered the first of two lectures on the" Military and
Religious Orders of the 12th Century." He dealt prin-
cipally with the Order of Knights Templars, and the
part they played in the important events of the time in
which they flourished. They were warriors of the first
rank, and their fate was as undeserved as it was cruel.
In connection with the lecture Mr. Froude gave an in-
teresting account of the Temple Church in London.
A court martial assembled on board the Victory at
Portsmouth, on Tuesday, for the trial of Peter
Williams, able seaman, of the Malabar, on four charges
of refusing to obey the orders of Lieut. Caredy and Mr.
Harlow, the boatswain, and with threatening and
striking the latter. The prisoner, who bore an in-
different character, pleaded guilty, and was adjudged
to be imprisoned for two years, then to be dismissed
her Majesty's service.
A large number of friends of the late Mr. F. B.
Chatterton, including many members of the Savage
Club, were present at his funeral on Tuesday, at
Brompton Cemetery, London. The chief mourners
were Mr. F. A. Chatterton, Mr. E. B. Chatterton, Mr.
W. Percy Chatterton, Mr. Horace Chatterton, Mr.
Frederick ()Waterton, Mr. Van Tromp, Mr. F. 0.
Moojen, and Mr. John Coleman.

In the German Reichstag on Saturday the bill fog
the construction of a canal between the North Sea and
the Baltic came on for second reading, and the first
four paragraphs were adopted.
The Prince of Wales, accompanied by Prince
George, has left London for Cannes, via Paris. Prince
George goes to Malta from Cannes to join her Majesty's
ship Thun d rer.
On SundAy afternoon, at the Bow Cemetery, London
the remains of the late W. Perkins, the celebrated
pedestrian, were interred in the presence of a numerous
company of friends.
In "The Times" has appeared the following para-
graph, ithich is evidently inspired: "We are requested
to state that Franz Liszt during his forthcoming visit
to England can entertain no proposal for playing in
public. He writes ; I wish it to be understood that
come to London merely as a guest. My fingers are
75 years old, and Billow, St. Seem, Rubinstein, and
Walter Bache play my compositions much better than
my dilapidated self.'
The Apaches have made a raid on a ranch in Valencia
county, New Mexico, near the Arizona border, and
killed eight cowboys. The troops are pursuing them.
It is stated that the two largest distillers in Lom-
bardy have determined finally to close their distilleries,
because the increased tax upon alcohol and the
ma-
mense amount of organised smuggling render the
manufacture of spirits a losing business.
The Tammany Hall (New York) Irish Parliamentary
Fund has been closed; it amounted to 18,566d015.
The Pope has confirmed the election of the Vicar
Capitular, the Rev. Patrick McAllister,P.P., Ballycastle,
county Antrim, to the bishopric of Down and Connor,
vacant by the death of Bishop Dorrian. Bishop
McAllister, as well as the deceased bishop, was born at
Downpatrick.
The draft of the Treaty of Commerce between
Germany and Morocco concedes no exceptional privi-
leges to the former.
Dr. Gott, the dean-elect of Worcester, will resign the
vicarage of Leeds about Easter. The 25 trustees who
have the living in their gift announce that applications
for the appointment are to be made to the senior trustee.
The United States warship Galena has seized the
steamer City of Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico, which
is alleged to have been fitted up at New York for a
filibustering expedition to Honduras.
Six thousand proclamations, emanating from the
Terrorist party there, have been discovered in St.
Petersburg.
Notwithstanding the assertions recently made by
some journals, the Vatican has up to the present re-
ceived no communication from the British Govern-
ment regarding the establishment of diplomatic rela-
tions between England and the Holy See. The Vatican
would not be disposed to accept a British representa..
tive holding a merely semi-official position.
The collection of pictures in Blenheim Palace will,
under the authority of the Court of Chancery, be
offered for sale by auction in London in June.
Her Royal Highness the Princess Louise of Wales
attained her 19th birthday on Saturday, having bee:A
born on February 20th, 1867.
A marble tablet was on Saturday erected in the St.
George's Parish Church, Gravesend, by an inhabitant,
in memory of the late General Gordon. The tablet
bears the following inscription: "In memory of Major-
General C. G. Gordon, C. 8., Royal Engineers command-
ing Royal Engineers, Gravesend. Killed at Khartoum
26th January, 1885."
The two Siamese Princes, accompanied by Loid
Rosebery, visited the Queen at Windsor on Saturday.
A large amount of equine suffering is annually saved
by the sprinkling :of sand and gravel in the streets of
London, the Commission of Sewers expending about
10,000 a year for the purpose.
Contrary to her usual custom, the Queen will, it is
understood, return to Osborne at Easter, and remain in
the Isle of Wight for three weeks.
_ _

A dearth of officers for the volunteer force is being
experienced, due, it is stated, to the general depresbion
of the country. The two companies uf rifle volunteers.
in Canterbury have now but one officer between them,
and he is a lieutenant.

The British steamer Saxon, from St. Domingo fo:
New York, with colonial produces, was totally wrecked
at Oaycos, sth Feb. Two persons only saved.
An Amsterdam paper states that the British Govern.
ment proposes shortly entering into negotiations
with the Dutch authorities for the cession of territory
in New Guinea, situated to the westward of the Fly
River.

The death is announced of the Rev. Dr. Nathan
Brown, the Baptist missionary, in his 78th year. He
laboured the greater part of his life in India and
Japan, publishing many translations of religious works.,
Mr. Labouchere has obtained precedence on Friday
March 5, for a resolution declaring it to be " incone
sistent with the principles of representative government
that any member ,of either House of the Legislature
should derive his title to legislate by virtue of here-
ditary descent."
The funeral of George Cecil Weld l'orester, third
Baron Forester, Willey Hall, Shropshire, took place on
Saturday afternoon at Willey. The mourners included
Lord Bradford, Hon. Francis Bridgeman, M.P., Lord
Curzon, M.P., Hon. W. M. Jervis, and Hon. E. P.
Jervis. At Broseley a long procession was formed of
tenants an,t tradesmen. Wreaths were sent by the
Countess of Aix lie, Dowager Lady Forester, and
others.
There are 700 McCarthys, 1100 Murphys, and 130 G
Sallivans in the Boston City Directory. These three
names may be taken as an indication of the-Irish
element in the population of Boston; there are no
more of them in Boston, in proportion to other Irish
names, than elsewhere. As the names given are
usually the heads of families, exclusive of wives,
children, working women, &c., it is safe to multiply the
above figures by four or five to obtain a fair average
of the Sullivans, Murphys, and McCarthys of Boston.
Miss Eason, of London, has offered a free site and
£2OOO for a new church at Darlington.
The German Ambassador in London has officially
notified to the British Foreign Office, that the Marshall,
Brown and Providence Islands have been placed under
the protection of Germany.
A shocking accident occurred at the Pontglas Slate
Quarries, in the Vale of Llangollen, on Monday after-.
noon. It appears that while the men were quarrying a
heavy fall of roof took place, burying three of the men,
named George Griffith, Edward Lloyd, and Evan
Evans, who were killed instantaneously.
Complete silence was maintained on the Parnellite
benches in the House of Commons on Monday night
when Captain O'Shea advanced from the bar of the
House to take the oath. He was introduced by Colonel
Nolan and Mr. Blake, and not by the Irish Whips,
although it is understood that he will take his seat
along with the Nationalist members. Mr. Parnell was
not present. Before cementing to introduce Mr.
O'Shea, Mr. Blake required an assurance that his doing
so would not compromise his position with the National
Party.
A fire has occurred at Wilmington, North Carolina,
causing the destruction of several wharves, depots,
warehouses, and private buildings. The loss is esti-
mated at 1,500,000 dols.
A Queen's Bench Divisional Court on Monday refused,
on the ground of no jurisdiction, an application for an
order for attachment against the printer and publisher
of " Punch" for alleged contempt of court in publishing
a cartoon under the heading Sneaking Sedition,"
while the prosecution of Messrs. Burns, Champion,
Hyndman, end Williams is pending at Bow-street.
For being drunk and discharging a loaded pistol in
the street, a youth named Haynes was, at the London
Mansion House, fined 205., with the alternative of 14
days' imprisonment.
At the Worship.street Police-court, on Monday, the
Rev. C. Horlock, curate of St. Leonard's parish church,
Shoreditch, and his wife, were committed for trial ens
charge of having libelled Miss Mary Baskin, a dramatic
reader, and Miss Baskin was also committed for trial,
charged with libelling Mr. and Mrs. Horlock.
The Queen held an investiture of the Order of the
Garter at Windsor Castle on Monday, the Duke of
Northumberland, the Marquis of Abergavenny, and the
Duke of Norfolk being the new knights created.
There is no foundation for the report that the Egyp-
tian estimates for 1886 will show a deficit.