The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-04-04 00:00:00

ISUOILLY \
4111411 e.

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.
Oxford and Cambridge Universities played their
return football match at Keauingkon Oval ou Mody. when
Oxford was victorious.

A conference of North Staffordshire representative
alai masters and men was held on Monday. The resale was
a compromise The masters undertook to recommend their
Association to limit the proposed reduction f twenty per
mut, to ten per rent and the men's delegates promised to
litlvise their constittleuta to accept that reduction._

The Sour states that upon the arrival at Paris of a
train from Lyons one of the officialt in examining the car-
riages after the passengers had alighted, found a gentleman
in one apparently asleep. Haring in vain, attempted to
awaken him, the officer at last discovered that the gentle-
man was dead. It was subsequently ascertained that the
deceased, who had died from heart disease, was an English-
man named Sherwood, a shipowner of London.

Ga.-light silks is the name given to some Parisian
novelties •a manufacture. Among these are &wine, or foam
green, azure and lndienne blue, pale rose. grill-perk, a tender
lilac with pinkish hue, and a new faint grey almost as blue as
the sky.
On Friday, in last week, a new telegraph cable was
laid in the Firth of Forth between liranton and Buintisland,
hi place of thc principal cable, which was destro)ed smile
time ago by a ship riding at anchor running foul of it The
new gable, which is of great strength, was made by the
Silvertown Cable Company.

It is officially notified that her Majesty's birthday
win be kept ,m Saturday, the 30th of May next, al: daya
later than the real anhiver.ea.ry . ' '

"The Princess of Wales has been most careful to
keep is the background since the Duchess of Edinburgh ar-
rived, in order that the bride might have all the popular up-
please to herself. Just now she certainly has plenty of it.
The favourite occupation of the Londoners is to throng the
ROW in the afternoon, in order to see 'the Edinburghs' drive
past '---the Duchess sometimes wrapped in those splendid lon
furs which her father gave her, and which rumour says are
worth £4,000. "—Court Journal.

The Glasgow Chamber of Commerce have resolved
that as. in the interests of free trade, the time has arrived for
the abolition of the duties on sugar, they should memorialise
Government to take the subject into serious consideration in
the preparation of the forthcoming Budget.

- -
The Army and Nary Gazette records that the late
lamented Major Baird entered the " Black Watch " an ensign
by purchate, November 17, 1854, becoming lieutenant in
March, 185'5. Ile left England in the following summer for
the Crimea, and was present at the aiege and fall of Sebas-
topol. lie returned home in 1e.513, and served with his regi-
ment in Great Britain until August, 1857, when he sailed for
India. Arriving in the East he was employed during the
campaign of IS.S7-:0, bring actively engaged in the actions of
Kudygunge and giumsabad, at the siege and fall of Luck-
now, attack on the forts of Winyah. the affair at A Ilygunge,
and the attack and capture ot Bareilly He wore the Crimean
and Indian Mutiny medals, each with a clasp

An Illinois paper, in referring to Mr. Wilkie
Collins' reception in America, spoke of him so "the eminent
French poet " . .

The whole production of the precious metals
throughout the world during 1873 6 estimated to haw been
worth nearl3• £41,000,000.

Three thousand joiners held a meeting at Glasgow
on Saturday, and resolved to come out on strike in April
unless the minders conceded their demand for an advance
from ld to ed. per hour.

. •
The Rev. Dr. }layman ham written to the papers to
say that, as he considers his character and conduct as a
entleman and as head-master of Rugby have been suffi-
ciently vindicated by the proceedings before Vice-Chancellor
Malins, he does not intend to appeal against the Vice-
Chancellor's decision.

By moral suasion the Sunday Rest Association has
closed 1,000 Sunday-trading shops and emancipated 4,000
persons from Sunday slavery. It circulated last year 304,700
tracts, handbills, and posters. It employs eight agents to
visit from shop to shop lii Sunday-trading districts, and must
engage more to prosecute the work vigorously.

all, and hopes that E.. P.
lell4;aB.oen forget'i ..FlllSTf"lt'e
iv'e:tiseitient in The Time*

According to an American paper, a building in San
Froncisco that has 600 rooms is to ace a clock with WO
dials—a dial tor each room. The dials will be operated
upon by condensed air, conducted in pipes all over the
building.

The lock-out of agricultural labourers in Cambridge-
shire continues, and the men are receiving 96 a-head a
week, but It is thought the funds will fad. The farmers
say the land is all planted with barley, benne labour can
be dispensed with for three months longer. Great excite-
ment prevails in the neighbourhood.

On the occasion of the jubilee meeting .of Vie
National Life-boat institution, Mrs. Somes placed at its dis-
posal £l,OOO to defray the cost of a life boat in memory of her
late husband, Mr. Joseph Stones.
The herring fishing season on the Fifeshire coast,
which has just terminated, has been unusually productive.
The entire catch at the various stations is estimated at 20,000
as against 9.800 crans last year The entire value of the fish-
ing is upwards of e. 19,000. The average price was 191. 6&
per cran, while bat year it was as high as 31e.
•• - - - .

The roll of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, just
printed by order of the House, begins with the Prince of
Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh. They are the only sons
o her Majesty who are peers of Parliament, for Prince
Arthur, although he became a Privy Councillor three years
ago, has not yet received a peerage ; and Prince Leopold will
not cease of age till April 7. The third name on the roll is
that of a dethroned King, her Mnjeotyu roushx the ex-King
id Hanover, who sits in the House of Lords as Duke of Cum-
berland and Tevlotdale. The Duke of Cambridge is the fourth
and lest member of the Royal family on the roll, and after
him follow the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord LI..
eellor. and the Archbishop of York. The Duke of Richmond
comes next, by virtue of his office as Lord President of the
'Council, though his proper place sue peer is tided among the
dukes. gter the Duke of Norfolk and the Duke of Somerset.
The Wall name is that of Lord Maimesbury, who holds that
position through his office of Lord Privy oat, as an earl he
stands 11511 t upon the run. Including the representsthe peas
for Ireland and Scotland, the total number of peers in Par-
liament is now 491, but there is a vacancy among the Irish
representative peers caused by the death of Lord Illayney.
Quits a sensation was produesd in the last sitting
of the Acacßtnie des Sciello46, Paris, by the exhibition of
photographs of Si tzhergen aceuery, sent by Prof. NordenskiOld.
One of these represented a mebeerfte nearly lb tons in weight.
Nothing better proves the growth and power of
India and her internal resources than the number 01 news-
papers now published in India. It is 470, showingan increase
of 48 for the year. Of the total 158 are -written in English,
VA in native languages, and 67 are compounds of Engliah
and the vernacular. Bombay leads with 118, while Bengal
produces sr.), find Madras 84.

•
The expenses incurred by Mr. Gladstone in the late
contest iwt Greenwich are officially returned as folluwe : Re-
turning bilkers expenses, £152 7s bd. clerka meseengses,
szti boardmen, F... 2821 10s. 84. . hill-posting and advertising,
£72 3s. 9d ; printing and statiosiery, £216 18534,; e
of erecting Misting's, hire of ground for meetings. and tare
committee rooms, £231 la 7d - poetarei 'tamps, £l2l 1T.14,
sundries, ineluding railway uni cah faros, and petty cash dis-,
burcements. £62 l• 94 . cad agents. £lB3 laa
MOM 15s. dd. Mr Liardet's expenses hays hewn officially
declared at £4,990 la 3d.

_
It II stated that the Rey. Mr. Allardice, one of the
paseengurs drowned in the Queen Elizabeth was • unanouary
prk-t ef the Sonety for the Propeaathin of the Gospel.
1.,..nd0n, and a young man of great prondee
. .

----
" A curiima illustration of the well-known fact-- of
which we are always tieing reminded—that the price of pro
visions " has increased, is increasing. and ought to be
islied," is to lie found in the announcement by the vr, tary
of • charitattle institution. fie states that in consequence of
the team eq.., of 'provisions the price of tiellete for the
annual dinner will he 25a. instead of the conventional guinea.
This is not altogether uncalled for, as the pro.prietom of the
hotels where such dinners are given have this year raised
their prices " Court Jennie