The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-10-10 00:00:00

mi,telhato,s

ROME FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL-

MOTTO OVER THE CONDUCTOR'S SEAT IN ONE
OF THE NEW NORMAL-PITCH ORCHESTRAs.—Toapora
inutalitur.—Punch.,

DEATH IN THE MAELSTROM.—The Christiana
correspondent of the Flam6urger Narbrichten writes
that a merchant set out recently to cross from Bodoe
to Moskoe in a small boat. The weather proving
unpropitious the crew endeavoured to make for Varoe,
but the boat was caught in the maelstrom and the
whole party lost. The accident wan witnessed from
Varoe, but there was, of course, no possibility of
rendering assistance.
ERICAN-INDIAN NAMES.—The Governor-
General of British North America, who has recently
been making a tour in the Dominion of Canada, went
as far west as Shebandowan, travelling along the
Dawson road; and the Toronto Globe reporter, who
followed him, takes the opportunity of saying
"People will be glad to be informed of the correct pro-
nunciation of the name of a lake whose name is des-
tined in the future to be in the mouths of people about
as much as Lake Ontario or Lake Erie is now. She-
bandowan, which is Indian for 'big wigwam,' is
variously pronounced even by those who are best
acquainted with the lake and have the most
frequent occasion to name it. Some, in analogy
with the pronunciation of English words which in
general have the strong accent on either the pen-
ultimate or the ante-penultimate, place the strong
accent on band ' and the secondary accent on 'wail.
Others put the primary accent on the third and
the secondary on the first syllable. Others again
strongly accentuate the first syllable and place the
secondary accent on the last. The latter mode of
pronouncing the word is the correct one. 'Manitoba'
is another name which is accentuated in different ways,
seine putting the greatest stress on the third and some
on the last syllable of the word. It may be etymo-
logically incorrect to accentuate the second syllable of
the name of the lake and the third syllable of the name
of the Province strongly, but it is a question whether in
the adoption of these 'lndian names into our language
we should not pronounce them in accordance with the
practice of the English tongue. Lake Shebandowan
19 a sheet of water said to be about 25 miles long, and
various widths of from two to ten or 12 miles. The
banks, as far as could be seen, were low and densely
u,..ded, and as far as could be judged from so cursory
an examination as could be made from the tug during
her short trip, the land is arable."

131110,01'0T1011 OP THE MU LEERRY.—MuIbeTry
trees were introduced into England, early in his reign,
by James 1., who spent 1.035 in planting them near
his palace ; and by royal edict, about the year 1605,
offered packets of Mulberry seeds to all who would
sow them, for the purpose of encouraging the wilt'', a
tionsof silkworms forth. or motion of silk n,oiuf.cture
in MI country. The royal patraca,ge rendered the
tree so popular that there is scarcely an obl garden ‘r
gentleman's seat, which had existed in the seventeenth
erntkkry, in which a Mulberry tree Ls not to be fund.
In 1600, Sieur de la Fo'ret, who had in France a nur-
sery .d 500,000 plants, travelled over the millan4, end
easftett dotfnties for theNsale of Mulberry
trees, and distributed not less than 160,000 trees.

A LADY'S RipuLE.—Which is the ugliest of
all trees' A plane tree.—Punch.

THE VIRTUES OF MINEREL WATERS.—A
Paris correspondent (says the Pictorial World) who
does not believe in the efficacy of mineral waters, tells
a good story anent Perlet, the well-known actor,
whose leanness he describes as " something pheno-
menal," and who therefore naturally desired to "get
some flesh on his bones." A well-known physician of
this city advised him to go to one of the bathing
places in the Pyrenees (writes the correspondent in
question). Perlet accordingly asked for a leave of
absence from his theatre, and went off to the pre-
scribed locality, where he drank sad bathed with the
utmost zeal and perseverance. But neitherdrinking nor
bathing seemed to have any effect upon him, and he
remained just as much a skeleton as before. 'Patience!'
urged the local doctor, in reply to his expressions of disap-
pointment; there isnothing like the water of our spring,s
for making people fat!' One day, when Perlet was
patiently soaking himself in a bath, in the hope of an
increase of weight which seemed in no haste to declare
itself, he heard a colloquy in the bathing-cabinet next
his own, between the local Esculapitis and a lady of
enormous obesity. Doctor,' remarked the lady,' 'I
am really losing heart and patience." Why so?' in-
quired the doctor. ' Because, though I have been
taking these waters regularly for two months am
not one ounce the lighter!' Patience, madam!'
cried the doctor, in his most persuasive tones; 'Mere
is nothing like the water of our springs for makingpeople
thin l'"

THE GERMAN TAILOR'S "DIPLOMA."—If Carl
or Fritz happens to be a good tailor, he has as fair a
chance of success in London as in either New York or
Melbourne, and far better than in Paris, where he is
far from being popular, and to London he comes in
eight instances out of twelve (remarks a "special re-
porter" who has been among the German tailors). He
seldom brings with him more than a couple of decent
suits of clothes, a few thalers, which he can easily
change for English gold, and his diploma. It may
not be generally known that in Germany a diploma is
as necessary to a tailor as one is here to a doct,r,
and that the diploma of the former is a trustworthy
guarantee that he knows his business thoroughly,
which is more than can be always said for that
of the latter. During his apprenticeship he is
taught every branch of his trade, for German tailors,
unlike English ones, are expected to be something
more than mere stitchers, or even coat, trousers, or
waistcoat "bands." On emerging from his apprentice-
ship he is called upon by the Tailors' Guild of his
native town to produoiNa " masterpiece " of his skill,
and he thereupon devotes the entire energies of his
nand and body to the production of one which shall
immortalize him in the annals of hisl craft. This
"masterpiece" is generally a suit of clothes for his own
wearing, which he must design, "cut," "baste,"
"fell," "stitch," "press," and "finish," without aid
or counsel from others. Should this " masterpiece "
meet with the appruval of the elders of his guild—to
whom he submits it, and by whom it is carefully and
solemnly inspected—he is awarded a diploma, which
enables him to take rank as a skilled tailor, or to start
in business as a master, if he has the means to do so.
MOTTO FOR THE LORD MAYOR ELECT,—
"Law ! "--Punch.

FRENCH ARTILLERY.—France will have at
the end of the year 1875, 494 batteries of six cannons
each of calibres 5 and 7, with iron carriages, the pieces
in bronze, breech-loading, on the lteffye system. The
results of them are excellent, and events may be
awaited without apprehension. But, from the begin-
ning of next year, the construction of bronze cannon
will be abandoned, and those in steel on the Lahitolle
system will be adopted. That metal is obtained at Le
Crensot, and the composition and make of it leave
nothing to be desired. —Journal de Paris.
INDIAN CORN AS A WINDOW PLANT.—The
Garden recommends maize as a window or balcony
plant. It says :—" Maize or Indian corn has much to
recommend it to the notice of window gardeners,
being easily grown and readily propagated. Its ap-
pe: ranee is quite distinct from that of anything else in
the way of window plants, and it will make a luxuriant
growth even in the most smoky and densely-populated
parts of London. If sown on a genial hotbed in
February, and potted on in rich well manured com-
post, young plants of it will be strong and vigorous,
and ready to place on a balcony or outside the window,
in May. As a central plant for a hanging basket or
rustic stand, maize is equal to a drateena in grace and
beauty of outline, besides being much more hardy. It
grows front two to three feet high, and its fresh green
wavy leaves hang gracefully over the sides of the pots
in which it is grown, and do much towards adding
variety of outline to the most formal arrangement.
There is a variegated variety, the foliage of which is
profusely striped with creamy white. This is an
effective addition to the centres of vases in which
bedding geraniums, nasturtiunis, and lobelias are
planted during the summer months."

"POT LUCK !"—A correspondent tells the fol-
lowing story :

'At Delmonico's, in New York, one can have a dinner
which cannot he surpassed in Paris ; and some New Yorkers
wishing to show soma Philadelphia friends of theirs how
well New Yorkers could dine, invited fifteen of them to a
dinner at Delinonico's. The entertainment was a great one,
and was supposed by the New Yorkers to be unsurpassably
fine. Soon afterwards, however, the New Yorkers were in-
vited to come to Philadelphia, and 'take pot luck' with their
friends. 'they went, expecting no great things, but they
were wondrously deceived. They sat down to dinner at six
p.m., and did not arise until six R.'s) The banquet consisted
of :seventeen distinct courses ; each course was a perfect
banquet in itself ; every course was accompanied by its own
appropriate wines." The dinner cost £lO a head, and some
of the wines were 150 years old.
NUTRITIOUS BREAD. The flour passing
through the finest silk cloth is the much-admired
"pastry whites," but it must be remarked that only
certain kinds of wheat yield this to perfection; pastry
flour, moreover, is no excessively starchy as to make
but inferior bread by the English process, a defect the
French and German bakers overcome in their "white
bread" by a totally different method, known in Vienna
as "aufrischen." A less snow white flour, passing
through a slightly coarser silk, is the material for
what the baker sells as "best bread," and the darker
and rather speckled flour from which this is bolted con-
stitutes the "seconds '." of this" household bread" is
baked. The finer and whiter the bread, the more
starchy and less fiesh•forming it roust be, and in even
a large proportion the deficiency of the phosphatic and
other salts is inevitable. It is true that many persons
prefer the delicate-looking and mild -flavoured white
bread, and it would be folly to declare that the
majority of the better classes perform bodily labour
or take so much exercise SS to require more nourish-
ment than white bread affords; but the very fact that
so many physicians have of late noticed in their
writings—namely, the much longer period required
for the digestion of fine bread—is a distinct and im-
portant objection to its use among the inactive and
sedentary.—Sanitary Record.

"FADED FLOWERS."—The Wall-flowers in a
London ball-room.—Punrh.

WOMAN'S WALK.—A humourons writer has
been dwelling on woman's walk. lie is o,bvionsly a
clove observer. "The changes in woman's gait are
more mysterious than the transformations in her gar-
ments," says be. "One year she walks a queen,
stately and graceful ; the next she frisks along pain-
fully, like a spring lamb or a playful kitten. Now she
bends forward, lets her limp hands dr,q, from the
wrists, and wriggles as if she wished to advertise the
fact that her boots are tight--a thing which is totally
unnecessary; anon she throws her shoulders back, and
goes bravely forward with long steps. The next change
must almost inevitably tend to show languishing
movements. No other style of locomotion will be
possible with the narrow skirts which are to be worn."
That remains to be seen. Fashion is all-powerfuL
Pictorial World.

THE DEATH RATE ABROAD.—DI Paris 721
deaths were returned in the week ending last Friday,
and the annual death-rate was equal to 20 per 1,000 of
the estimated population. In Brussels 75 deaths
occurred in the week ending the 19th instant, and the
rate was 21 per 1,000. During the same week 31
deaths were registered in the Hague, and 127 in
Amsterdam ; the rates were equal toll and 23 per 1,000
respectively. In Copenhagen the deaths returned
during the week ending 17th instant were 89, and the
rate WM 23 per 1,000. In Christiania 20 deaths were
returned during the week ending the 22d instant, and
the rate was 14 per 1,000. In Breslau 120 deaths were
returned during the week ending 12th instant, equal to
a rate of 28 per 1,000. In Munich the 89 deaths in the
week ending 19th instant were equal to an animal rate
of 26 per 1,000. In Vienna the 223 deaths in the same
week gave a rate of 18 per 1,000. In Rome 103 deaths
were registered in the week ending 13th instant, and
the rate was 22 per 1,000. In Turin the deaths re-
turned during the same week were 74, and the annual
death-rate was 18 per 1,000. In the oity of New York
604 deaths were registered in the week ending sth
September, and the equivalent annual rate of mortal-
ity was 30 per 1,000. In Brooklyn in the deaths during
the same week were 232, and the rate was 27 uer 1,000.
In Philadelphia 278 deaths were returned during the
same period and the rate was 19 per 1,0011.
"MAKING THE BEST OF IT."-FirSt Artisan:
" Been to the Sea-side this year, Bill ?"--,Secosel
Artisan: "No; it don't run to it, my boy. A Pint
of S'rimps and 'elf a pound o' Tidman's Sea-salt 11 be
about my form !”—Punch.

THE TREATMENT OF HYDROPHOBIA. Dr.
William Hammond, in speaking of this subject, re-
commends, as a preventive measure, excision of the
pert bitten on the plan practised by M. Roux—viz.,
that of cutting is piece of wood to the size of the
wound, inserting it into the wound, and then cutting
so as toextract the wood entirely, together with the
parts irycontact with it. He is inclined to think that
the most effectual method of treatment of the disease,
when established, would be the persistent application
of the primary galvanic current, one pole being placed
to the patient's head and the other to his feet, making
the current flow continuously all the time the disease
huffed. Dr. Hammond mentions a case reported by
Dr. Schivardi, who by that means maintained the life
of a patient for seven days, when he died without ap-
parent hydrophobic symptoms, but purely of exhaus-
tion. In addition, Dr. Hammond would apply ice
continuously to the whole length of the spine. He
states that he has used ice in the treatment of four
cases of tetanus in New York, and that all the cases
recovered. He is, then, disposed to rely partly upon
the continuous application of ins, but chiefly upon
galvanism; and as to the more effectual way in which
galvanism can be usea, he waits until he has more ex-
perience on the subject. He disposes of internal
remedies with the remark that those cases in which
they are reported to have been successively employed
were not authentic cases of hydrophobia.—Laneet.

THE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS.—On Monday
night the Baroness Burdett Condo personally dis-
tributed upwards ssf fifty money prizes—all her Own
gifta—to those carters, waggoners, and donkey drivers
who, at an exhibition in the afternoon, satisfied the
airtiners that their animals had been well cared for
and liumanely treated. The exhibitors and their
wirer were entgrtamed to tea., after which her lady-
ship addressesl them on the law of kindness to animals,
especially urging on the mothers present the impor
tame of instilling into the !Minh; sd the young a slue
regard for the. lives and wellbeing of all animals,
wnether the ham or cow, or the snore humble cat or
sparrow. fifty.four horses and 37 donkeys were
shown, all in good condition. One pony was 38 years
old, one donkey 31, and another 2t; years old.
YALTTABLR AND EXPENSIVE AIWICE. —A gen-
tleman who had the curiosity to spend a dime in
answering an advertisement which promised valuable
advice for that amount, received by mail the following
answer :—" Friend, for ten cents postage, please finsl
enclosed advice, which may be of great value to you.
As many persons are injured for weeks, months, and
years by the carelms use of a knife, therefore my
advice is, when you use a knife always whittle from
you.,,
HINTS FOR THE SLEEPLEss.—There are truly
physiclogical means of securing sleep, which should
ever be steadily tried ere forming the hypothesis that
sleep is unattainable without hypnotics. These are a
good, long walk, which will tire the muscles ; a light
and easily digestible supper, chiefly of farinaceous
material, with or without, but better with. some malt
liquor of fair body and in good, sound condition. Then
bed may be essayed with a better chance of success
than after the ordinary evening • if sleep hangs od
sotue alcohol, in a concentrated form, may be taken
just on getting into bed; and if the weather is cold
the alcohol may be rendered more efficient by giving
it in hot water. If the person be elderly, the bed
may even be warmed with advantage.— The Sanitary
Record.

STORAGE OF GUNPOWDER.—The A rtillerirti
Manna? gives the following rules for dealing with
gunpowder :
Ixplosion by lightning should be provided against by
providing the magazine with a lightninr conductor, and by
prohibiting the opening of a magazine during a thunder-
storm. . . With regard to the risk of accident from span
raucous ignition or explosion, this sho,ld be guarded against
by forbidding the storage of all articles but gunpowder in
the magazine, a prohibition which should extend to explo-
sives of every description of which the chymical stability or
purity has not been thoroughly established by long trial
and experience. Oiled rags, cotton waste, and similar
articles are liable to spontaneous ignition and should be
excluded. In fact, • gunpowder store should be used for
the storage of powder only. . . . The risk of explosion from
sparks can only be avoided by rigidly excluding iron and
steel from the magazine."

•
MONUMENT AT TORREs VEDRAS. - The Lisbon
correspondent id the Daily Nora, writing on the 26th
ult., says A large monolith will shortly be trans-
ported from the quarries of Pero Pinheiro to Alhandra
on the Tagus. The stone is destined to form part of a
monument to be erected on the ancient lines of Torres
Vedras to commemorate the famous stand made there by
the British and Portuguese forces under Wellington,
by which was frustrated the second French invasion
of Massena in 1810. The lines are still clearly trace-
able, from Alhandra on the 'fagus to Erieeira on the
Atlantic. The fosses are overgrown with vegetation,
and in some places filled up. Many of the forts are in
ruins, and others have been removed, but in some
the traverses for the guns made of the rough marble
of the country, and the embrasures, and other works,
are still in good preservation. The Marquis Sada
Bandeira, a veteran of the Peninsular war, originated
the idea of this monument some years ago, and Senor
Caacaes was charged with its construction in 1870.
The design, as traced by Senor Caacaes, is simple but
noble. It represents a column with a statue of
Hercules, clad in the lion skin, with club in hand.
On the pedestal is the inscription in Portuguese,
Lines of Torres Yearns,' and the Latin motto ' Ne
plus ultra.' I'he idea of Senor Cascara is no doubt
bailed upon the ancient legend that the pillars of
Hercules marked the limits of the world, there being
no paiiim.ge beyond. Ns plus ultra.'