The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-10-23 00:00:00

THE FATAL LANDSLIP AT NAINI
TAL.

The folloFing description of the disaster at Naini Tal con-
tained in a private letter from an eye-witness, dated the
21st of September, has been placed at our disposal (says The
Times of Tuesday)
"About 9.30 a.m on Saturday, after continued very
heavy rain, a/small slip of the hill-side occurred just
above the Victoria Hotel. A portion of the build-
ing was carried away, and a child and ayah and
some natives were buried. The people cleared out
at once, but a digging party was employed from the
barracks to exhume the bodies. At 1.30 a huge slip
carried away the whole of the hotel and every one
near it, dashed onwards, sweeping away Bell's shop
(formerly a racket-court) and the whole of the
assembly-rooms. There are millions of tons of debris,
so that most of the bodies will not, I fear, be re-
covered. The wave of water, mud, trees, and stones
has travelled a distance of about 700 yards, spreading
out in a fan shape to 300 yards. That portion which
fell into the lake caused a wave of perhaps 201 t. in
height, which travelled the whole length of the lake,
sweeping all before it on the road which bounds the
margin. At the far end it was most likely only 4ft.
high, but it washed a soldier and some natives down
the nullah, and their bodies are probably now in the
plains.
"We have recovered some native bodies, and yester-
day I attended the funeral of three Europeans, men
from Bell's shop. The women all escaped, one of
them being carried on the wave until its force was ex-
pended, when she got up and walked away. Captain
Haynes, R.E., was carried out of the hotel to Bell's
shop. We found the ruins of Bell's privata room, and
the very bed on which Captain Haynes was lying ;
but all our digging only brought us to a native. I
think I have seen the top of Mrs. Morphy's head—a
hood which was attached to it, and which we nulled
away, is recrgnised by a man who brought if from
England. Last night we blasted the tottering wall,
and to-day we hope to get at the body.
" Those still missing are :—Captain Balderston,
34th Regiment ; Mr. Sullivan, 73rd; Mr. Hackett,
Major and Mrs. Morphy and
73rd; Mr. Carmichael, 33rd; Mr. Robison, 33rd; the
40th Regiment ; Mr. Taylor,
Drys.
sister Mrs
ARh?sb. igrnnik;)ii
magistrate, Naini Tal ; Mr. Noa,d, police ; Mr.
Morgan, road . surveyor : five non - commissioned
officers, and ten soldiers of the depOt."

THE MARQUIS OF LORNE ON
CANADIAN AGRICULTURE.
The Marquis of Lorne formally opened the
Southern Counties Fair, at St. Thomhs, Canada, on
the 29th ult. His Excellency was presented with an
address from the County Council at Elgin, and in it
reference was made to the great agricultural resoinces
of the district and to the efforts which had been put
forth by his Excellency to promote the interests of the
agricultural classes. The Governor-General, in reply,
said that under any circumstances which could possibly
be )rought about English farmers would have so:ne
advantages over the Canadians in supplying their
own markets, but he urged them to use every care in
carrying out their work, and to endeavour, by pur-
chasing the best breeds of live stock and farming their
land intelligently, to increase their own wealth and
that of the country generally. He further expressed
the opinion that the evidence given before the Cana-
dian Agricultural Commission by Mr. Richard Hall,
cattle salesman, of Liverpool, should be printed and
circulated as widely as possible all over the country.

TIIE CENSUS.—The census of England.will be taken
by the Registrar-General, Sir Brydges P. Henniker,
assisted by Dr. W. Ogle, M.D., Mr. W. Clode, and
others. An office has been taken in Craig's-court,
hitaisp, 4,nd the c9pntyyill. be mappst out,
into 35,0D0 districts. Instructias-VillTheiiiep'ared
for over 30,000 officials, and some million schedules
issued.

41.W1