The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-11-28 00:00:00

Miscellaneous ;4illtelliplft.

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

THE SERVANT-OIML QVESTION IN NEW YORK.
—One day's copy of the New York Herald recently
contained six and a half columns of advertisements
from servant-girls seeking situations, coining from
about 400 persons. Those who wanted fema:e help
were not a fourth of the above. The advertimments
from men who wanted places as domestics were,
the some day, about 10,1 in number, and, again,
those who wanted male domestics, only about 2.1 in
number.

------ ---
THE LICENSING Am—A Parliamentary paper
of 52 pages has been issued giving a good deal of infor-
mation as to drunkenness and licences granted since I
the operation of the Act of 1872. In the year ended
the 30th September, 1873, of victuallers in England
and \Vides 69,097 were licensed to retail spirits and
1,024 to sell beer only. The number of beer retailers
licensed to sell beer to be drunk on the premises was
40,898, and not to be drunk on the premises 3,133.
The number of retailers of table beer not to be drunk
on the premises was 272. There were besides 2,780
retailers of strong beer not to be drunk on the premises.
Of dealers in wine not to be consumed on the premises
the number was 2,272, and of keepers of refreshment
houses in which wine was consumed 3,024. It is
further shown that there were in the period 4,058 dealers
in spirits not to be consumed on the premises.
THE DEMAND FOR ENGLISH COAL.—The rela-
tive importance of the demand for English coal in
different parts of the world is shown by the following
I return of the exports for the month of September.
I The total of 1,297,739 tons was divided as under :
I France took 186,400 tons; India, 120,704; Germany,
101,013 ; Russia, 91,019 ; South America, 89,832;
Italy. 89,341; Denmark, 76,577; Africa, 71,099;
Prussia, 68,819; Sweden, 61.772; the Mediteranean
Islands, 59,915 ; Holland, 50,394; Norway 38,917;
Spain, 37,722; Turkey, 30,388; the Antilles, 25,700;
North America, 24,988; Belgium, 24.731; Portugal,
15,069; Austria, 10,009; the Channel Islands. 6,419;
Greece, 4,668; Australia, 4,356; the Maderia Islands,
3,024 ; other places, 1,810. Of the French ports
Dieppe took the largest amount, namely, 24,335 tons.
Of the total export of 1,297,739 tons, 622,943 came
from Northern ports; 125,693 from Yorkshire;
5,192 from London; 80,055 from Liverpool; 337,655
from the Bristol Channel; 146,190 from 'Scotland.

• -
DOMESTIC IGNORANCE. —Ladies often think it
beneath their dignity to know anything about a kitchen,
and yet the health and happiness of every household
depend more on cookery than on any other domestic
art. Refinement and delicacy of feeling may go, and
often do go, with the tenderest of all duties, in a sick
room; and if ladies can go through the practi .e of a
medical school, why not the work of a kitchen? No
lady is the less a lady if she can add to her other
accomplishments a knowledge of household manage-
ment. How many a young woman, well educated (as
the phrase goes), has commenced life with the happiest
and best of prospets ; and after spending the first few
months of her married life in all sorts of blunders and
mistakes and unpleasant differences with her servants,
has had to learn, with dear-bought experience and
sorrow, those things which ought to have been learned
before undertaking the duties and responsibilities of
married life.—Bucktnaster's Cookery.

THE VALUE OF SUNDAY SCHOOL EDUCATION.
—After laying the foundation-stone of a new Wes-
leyan Sunday school at Barnes, on Monday, Mr.
Alex. BPArthur, M.P., for Leicester, directed atten-
tion to the value of Sunday school education. They
were told, he said that education was now brought so
much within the reach of all clksses that Sunday
schools were not so necessary as formeily. Many
parents looked well after the temporal prosperity of
their children, but shut their eyes to their eternal
prosperty. The tendency, too, of recent legislation
was to limit the inAruction, imparted in day schools
to merely secular matters, and therefore Sunday
schools were not only quite as necessary as in. former
times, but much more so. More good might, it was
reasonable to expect, be done by them, as formerly
the teachers had to impart to their scholars the very
rudiments of education before they could give them in-
struction in the things which related to their best
interests. Now all this would be well done in the
day schools, and Sunday school teachers would be
able to confine themselves to imparting religious in.
stzuction.
SEAL Forrnm.—For some time negotations
have been in progress between the British, Norwegian,
and Swedish Governments with regard to observing a
, close time for the seal fishing. Among all interested,
there is a general feeling that such an arrangement
I should be refilled. The Board of Trade has taken the
matter up, and has been in communication with the
owners of the vessels engaged in the fishing. Nothing
short of an International law would be effectual. A
the view of ascertaining the opinions of those en
Board of Trade officer is to visit Dundee soon with
gaged
in the trade.

FRENCH AND ENGLISH RACING. Admiral
Roos has sent to The Times a corr spondence he has
had with Viscount Darn on the subject of reciprocity
between France and England in racing matters.
Admiral 'IOUs suggested to the French Jockey Club,
through Viscount Darn, that, as French horses were
free to run in England for every prize and sweepstake,
English horses should be entitled to similar rights in
France. Viso out Darn replied that there were legal
obstacles which prevented the adoption of such a
polity, but that he believed that by gradual measures
the desired end might be ultimately attained. Admiral
Rolm, in forwarding the correspondence, expresses his
regret that a motion is registered proposing to confine
certain races to foreign horses which have been trained
in England. 'This motion," he says, "will never be
carried; it is my great obstacle, for nothing is so in-
jurious to a friendly negotiation as anything in the
shape of a threat, especially to a Frenchman."

_—_—
ALLOPATIRY. —Paddy (he has brought a
scripnos to the Chemist, who iscarefully toughing a very
rinute portion of Calomel). "Oi big yer Pardon, Stir,
but y'are mighty oars wid that Mid'ciue ! And
(coaxingt,M—l may till ye—tie for a poor motherless
Child! ! "—Punch.
EMIGRATION FROM IRELAND.—A return issued
from the office of the Registrar General shows that the
number of emigrants— natives of Ireland—who left
the country during the first ten months of the present
yen. was 0,225, of whom 36,411 were males and 31,814
were females, as against 85,287 in the cerresponding
period of last year, of whom 48,798 were nudes and
36.489 were females. There was thus a net decrease
thiring the present year of 17,062. The total number
of emigrants from Ireland, from the Ist May, 1851, to
he 31st October, 1874, was 2,320,970.
FIJI AND TRADE PROSPECTS.—Taking IRO
full account their geographical position, natural pro-
ductions, astonishing fertility, and future prospects,
the acquisition of the Fiji Islands must be a matter of
great imp atance to C'. rent Britain and Australia (says
the Furniture Gazetts). The question of annexation
was first raised as long ago as IS4iO; but though the ad-
vantages of the group, politically and cominerlially,
had been clearly seen long before, especially by
Austradasians,_ its difficulties, constantly presented
by the internal condition of the island, always pro, ed
--added to the settled opposition id the anti annexe-
tioniats—insurmountable until now. Few, if any,
island groups are so favoured by nature. Cotton,
sugar, and coffee are among the stable products and
present accounts mention the fact that Fijian sugar
has commended £35 a ton, while Fijian cotton
frequently realise 15d. the pound.
ENCOURAGING ART !--An editorin New Jersey
had a little nephew, only six months old, and the
little nephew died. Some of the editor's friends con-
sidered that it would be a good thing to give to the
afflicted uncle a substantial expression of their sym-
pathy, so they contracted with a local sculptor for a
gravestone. The design consisted of an angel cam big
the little one in her arms and flying sway, while a
woman sat weeping upon the ground. It was executed
horribly. The tombstone was sent to the editor, with
a simple request that he would accept it. As he was
absent, the sub-editor determined to acknowledge it,
although he hadn't the slightest idea what it
meant. So next day he burst out in the paper with
the following remarks :—"ART Nnvi's.—We have re-
ceived from the hands of our eminent sculptor, a comic
bas-relief designed for an ornamental tire-board. It
represents an Irishman in his night-shirtruuning away
with the little god Cupid, while the Irishman's sweet-
heart hides her head indifferently in the corner.
Every true work of art tells its own story; and we
understand, as soon as we glance at this, that our
Irish friend has been coquetted with by the fair one
and is pretending to transfer his love to other quarters.
There is a lurking smile on the Irishman's lips, which
expresses his mischievous intentions perfectly. We
think it would have been better, however, to have
clothed him in something else than a night-shirt, and
to have smoothed down his hair. We have placed this
chef d'aurre beneath our kitchen mantelpiece, where it
will surely be admired by the friends of the artist when
they calL We are glad to encourage such progress in
local art."

_
WHAT'S Is NAME.—The head of the Rabun
family, of Georgia, is fond of long names (says the
Pictorial World). He has thirteen children, and he has
christened them thus :-
1 Mary Ann Elizabeth Ralinn.
2. Cornelia Ann Miranda Jane Rabun.
3, Effie Ann Savannah R imn.
4. Sarah Ann M.Risiio Vaudusan lanthice Rabun.
b. Brasilia Ann Francis Reefs Rabun.
S. (any Lucinda Eliza Willie Ann Alice Rabun.
7. Roza Ann Archiba Alargrate Amazon Rabin].
8. Mule Gerucla Ann Silvira Roblin.
O. Aiinginette Setrouie Martha Ann Erastus Rabun.
10. Eldora Matilda Louisa Ann Filcher Rabun.
11. (The only son) Filcher "joker Brinson Franklin Lee
Beauregard Jackson Swain Estes Rabun.
12, Ella Al.ll Ransil Virginia Theodosia !Manta Eugenia
Gibson Rabun.

11. Lovie Ann Esteßovine Caledonia Desaloud& Lucretia
Borgia Neal ltabun.
THE "DAILY NEWS" OP SAYURIDAY.—III
speaking of their issue of Saturday (the 21st), the
Daily News of Monday rays :—" This issue was, se far
as we know, in respect of breadth, length, and solid
contents the largest newspaper without a supplement
ever published. Its printed matter was nearly equal
to that contained in three numbers of the Cornhill or
the Gentleman's Magazine, was more than is contained
in the Edinburgh Review orthe Quarterly, and exceeded
the proportions of two volumes of the average noveL
The pieces of metal lying within the 64 columns were
1,044,000 in number. The paper on which it was
printed was rolled on cylinders a single one of which
holds four and a half miles in length; each copy was
delivered from the machine printed on both sides and
duly cut from the cylindrical web of paper; and the
whole edition was printed on five of the Walter ma-
chines at the rate of 50,000 copies an hour.

• •
U3OONSCIONA BLE. —Head if the Firm : "Want
a Holiday !? Why, you've just been at house 11l for
a Month ! "—Punch.
Russuas RAILWAYS.—The last number of the
St. Petershurgh Public Works Journal gives some in-
teresting information regarding the cost of Russian
railways. It would appear that the capital of all the
railway companies amounted to 1,506.792,921 roubles,
or £207,184,028. Ihe total length of line represented
by this capital was 19,837 versta, or 13,227 English
miles. This would make the cost about £15,600 per
mile. At the time of the construction of bloat of
these lines, however, it must he borne in mind that
the obligations and shares, instead f being nearly at
par, as they are now, stood at about 70, the real
amount expended in cash, therefore, probably did not
exceed £ll,OOO a mile. The above capital consisted
of £135,446,13 in bonds and £71,737,875 in shares.
No leas than £92,101,350 f the bonds and £9,(6:,,; 50
of the shares were held by the Government themselves ;
48 8-1), per cent of the whole railway property of the
country was, therefore, held by the Government.
Some of the lines are, besides, heavily.indebted
to ,he State for advance, payments on account of
guarantee, &c. By far the greatest defaulter in this
reapect is the Grand Sociale, who hold the St. Peters.
burg, Warsaw, and Eydt Kulimen line. This company
owed the Government £17,4.00,000, or snore than all
the other lines put together.