The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-05-21 00:00:00

THE BURNING OF BUENAVENTURE,

Letters received by West India mail steamer de-
scribe a terrible fire, which destroyed a large part of
the city of Buenaventure. The conflagration com-
menced on April 12, and destroyed the whole of the
commercial centre. Strong winds were blowing, and
house after house caught, and soon struggles to save
property became struggles for life itself. Seven per.
sons are known to have been cut off by the flames and
perished. After the first few hours all attempts to
check the flames were abandoned, and the fire practi-
cally burnt itself out, the panic-stricken populace
only saving what little they could remove.—The fire,
it is said, commenced in the house of Dofia Anita
Arana, who, with her house and all her worldly goods
and chattels, fell a victim to the flames.

THE PRINCESS OF WALES AND THE
ENGLISH WOOLLEN TRADE.

The Princess of Wales has been presented with two
shawls by the Associated Chambers of Agriculture,
with a memorial urging her Royal Highness to adopt
the use of fabrics of home-grown wool, with the view
of thereby assisting the depressed state of agriculture,
especially in Yorkshire.
In reply, a letter has been received from Mr.
Holzmann, the Princess's secretary, stating that she
did not think the result aimed at was to be brought
about simply by her wearing articles of home-made
manufacture and growth, for in recent years she had
used woollen fabrics more largely than formerly. She
was inclined to believe that the present depression
proceeded from a variety of economic, commercial, and
other circumstances, many of them closely connected
with the conflicting questions of free trade and pro-
tesbim.

CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS.

A fashionable lady in New York, reading that the
Moue runnel cost nine hundred dollars a yard, declared
with emphgsis, that ,she'd "have A dress pattern off of that
piece, if her luYsVaild didift lay up a cent far the next two
years." .
An American country journal ete-..'s ,this indnce-
ment :—" All subscribers paying in advance will he entitled
to a first-class obituary notice in case of death."
A Yankee writes to a friend for four dollars, " be-
cause he is so terribly short," and gets in reply the heartless
response), "Do as I do—stand upon a chair."
A bzoyCe:tiVenpn waa held at Nunatine, lowa,
recently. Fifteen inoafort„Witn their little ones, were
present, and voted on the questi'n•of (lie prettiest. Baoh
baby got one vote, and no more. .Eveii Mother voted for
her own offspring.
A Virginian darkey gives the following reason
the coloured race is superior to the white :—" All men are
mads„of clay, and, like the meerschaum pipe, they are more
valuabn *lien highly coloured.
"Order your stat:tio" Mi!!yr#l yon die," is the newest
style of American advertising.
They have a petrified woman in Philadelptif. he
was petrified with astonishment at her .husband's bringing
her home a new dress which she had not asked for.

Californiam obituary it is stated that "the
deceased was a Devscn of. romantic nature. Be placed the
breech of his gun in the fire, a'Al li,olking down the muzzle,
departed hence spontaneously."
Judges at baby-shows in Kentucky wear maSle. It
saves unpleasantness after the prizes have been awarded.

A beautiful young actress is described by an Ame-
rican critic as having a face a painter might dwell upon.
V7hatC delightful residence 1
A resident a Kalatnatoo writes to a " school
boored " in Ohio that he filll ttlice a school as ho "has
tought 2 terms school and I attended I ellle,.4ge 4 years at
detroit, michigan and am 26 yrs avage."

"Why did General Washington cross the DelaWate
on the ice during the storm of an awful night?" asked a
teacher of her young class in history. "I reckon," piped a
small voice in answer, "it was because he wanted to get on
the oilier side
A young gentleman In New York lately made an
evening call upon a young lady, and gct rather shabbily
treated. It was getting along towards nine o'clock, when
the young lady inquired the time of evening. "Five minutes
to nine,' was the reply.—" How long will it take you to go
home ? "—" Five minutes, I should judge."—" Then," said
the young lady, "if you start now, you will get home at just
nine o'clock."