The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-02-19 00:00:00

SATURDAY, FEB. 19, 1887.

The Trustees of the People's Palace for East London
have received the following letter from General Sir H.
Ponsonby, the Secretary to the Queen: "Osborne,
February 14, 1887.—Dear Sir Edmund Currie,—l am
commanded by the Queen to let you know that her
Majesty will be happy to open' The Queen's Hall' at
the People's Palace for East London on Saturday, the
14th of May.—Yours sincerely, HENRY F. PONSONBY."
Lord Balfour of Burleigh has been offered, and has
accepted, the Under. Secretaryship of State for the
Colonies, vacant by the resignation of the Earl of
Dunraven.

The Czar has decreed that a special Asiatic branch -
of the General Staff shall be formed, to which the
military districts of the Caucasus, Turkestan, Omsk,
Irkutsk, and the Amoor and Transcaspian territories
will be subordinated.
A Vienna correspondent reports that disquieting
tidings from Macedonia have recently come to hand.
Mr. Whitehouse, owner of an extensive tin-plate
manufactory at Abercarne, has issued a notice that if
the reduction of 10 per cent. in wages is not accepted
by his men, he will at once dispose of the works, which
may thus remain closed for an indefinite time.
An inquest was held on Tuesday at Kingsgate on
the bodies of the three men who were drowned in
putting off to a collier on Saturday. The evidence
showed that the men were advised not to put to sea, as
a strong east-north-east wind was blowing and a heavy
surf was running. When the boat capsized the anchor
kept the craft from wsshing ashore. The men were
injured by the boat or the rocks before they could get
within their depth. A. verdict of "Accidentally
drowned" through the boat overturning was returned,
and the jury said that great praise was due to the
coastguardsmen who attempted a rescue.
The Duke of Norfolk presided on Tuesday night at
the annual meeting of the Brighton Conservative Asso-
ciation. Referring to the Irish question, he deprecated
giving way to clamour raised by agitators who threat-
ened the recurrence of outrage and disturbance. He
did not think they could do better than take measures
to make the law respected. Mr. Marriott, M P., said
Englishmen were willing to grant Ireland every free-
dcm that they themselves possessed, and to see that
the country had all the privileges and liberties accorded
to it as to other parts of the Empire. Mr. Puleston, -
M.P., was amongst the other speakers.
Much rejoicing was ocaasioncd at Ilkestone on Tues. -
day by the receipt of the charter of incorporation. The
streets were gaily decorated with flags, bells rung, Ltd
business was suspended after noon. About 4000 school—
children, with bands, assembled in the market place,
where, from a p`atfi rm adjoining the Town Hall, the
Town Clerk read the charter. Special hymns we'e
sung by the children, who wore commemoration medals,
and who wine subsequently provided with refresh'
ments. The public buildings were illuminated in the
evening._

_
At Halesowen on Tuesday, Eli Colley, assistant over.
seer and rate collector at Hasbnry, was committed for
trial for embezzling various sums of money belonging j
to the ratepayers. It was shown that the prisoner
neglected to account for moneys he had received, that
he had overcharged some ratepayers, and had falsely 1
represented to the Government auditor that a large
aum had been left unpaid on an old rate. The defalca-
tions are estimated to amount to upwards of £lOO.
A beautiful display of the Aurora Borealis, or
Northern Lights, was witnessed at Kirkwall on Monday
night. The northern sky seemed to be in a blaze, with
one or two small black clouds in the centre. All at
once streamers shot forth in every direction, followed
by a bright flash like sheet lightning, rolling up over
the zenith. Later on the flashes were more frequent
and brighter, making people start as they flashed over. I
head with sheet-lightning rapidity.
At the Newcastle-on-Tyne Bankruptcy Court on •
Tuesday, Mr. John N. Maughan, until recently master 1
of foxhounds in Northumberland, was examined by the I
Official Receiver. His liabilities amounted only to
£1800; but in the course of examination the debtor
admitted that he had run through £22,000 ia four years.
Tete money had gone principally in extrAvagant living
and betting on the turf.
The salmon net fishing season on the Tweed opened
on Tuesday morning under more favourable circum-
stances than last year. Operations were begun at
about sixty stations on the river. Prices on Tuesday
were—salmon, is. 10d. per lb.; trout, is. 4d. Last year -9
salmon was 2.,and trout is. 6d.
The chemical Makers of the Tyne decided on Tuesday
to further restrict the production of soda crystals by an .1
additional 10 p r cent. It is expected that this will
stiffen and maintain the price.
A decision that the Glasgow Working Men's Provi- ;
dent Investment Building Society had power to deduct
7s. 6d. per pound in respect of fully paid up shares, to 4
be placed to a suspension account, has been reversed by
the House of Lords, who held that the majority of the
members of the society had no power to alter a
bargain entered into between the appellant and them-
selves.
An action for breach of promise, in which a Miss
Shaw was the plaintiff, and a man named Robinson the
defendant, came before the Under-Sheriff and a jury
at Leeds on Saturday, for the purpose of assessing
damages. The facts connected with the case were not
stated, and by arrangement a verdict was entered for
the plaintiff for £7O, including costs.
The game of "Petits Chevaux," at which so much -
money changes hands, was recently suppressed in the
Nice Casino; but the dissatisfaction in the town is so
great that the matter has been deliberated upon by the
French Cabinet. It is feared that unless the game is
permitted the town will lose a large number of the
foreigners who spend the season there.
A paper on "Our Art and;Onr Profession" was read
by Mr. H. 0 Banister before the National Society of
Professional Musicians on Saturday evening. He
urged his hearers to absorb the professor in the artisr,
and to endeavour to become all-round men in their art. -
In the musical profession there were very few all-round
men, but plenty of half-trained teachers.

The German barque Marie, which put into Ports-
mouth Sound on Sunday evening for provisions, re-
ported that on the 4th inst., when off the Shetland
Islands, one of the crew fell overboard from aloft. A
sailor immediately jumped overboard and caught hold
of the drowing man, but the water was so bitterly cold 1
that his hands became quickly benumbed and both men
sank before any assistance could be rendered.
At the first annual meeting of the Cheshire Dairy
Institute the result of the year's working was an-
nounced. Forty pupils had received instruction at the
Institute for varyilag periods, and had paid £5O in fees.
The cost of milk, rennet, annotto, and so on, has been
£605, while the cheese and butter made realised £675.
The working plant had cost £203, and there was a
total loss or depreciation of £9O.
Fifteen licensed victuallers in Pimlico and West-
minster were fined on Saturday, in sums varying from
£2O to £3O, for adulterating their beer. The adultera.
tion consisted of the mixture of water and sugar with
the beer; and four gallons aod six gallons of water
were mentioned in two cases, as the quantities intro. -,
dueed into 36-gallon casks.
At the Southwark Police•court, London, on Saturday,
it was stated that in possession of a man who was
arrested on a charge of theft the police found a number
of total abstinence pledges. The prisoner explained
that he took the pledge whenever he was asked, "to
avoid bother and to encourage others." For the larceny
he was sentenced to three months' imprisonment.
At the monthly meeting of the Council of the Royal -1
Agricultural Benevolent Institution, held at 26, 4
Charles-street, St. James's-street, London, the Right
Hon. the Earl of Northbrook in the chair, it was
resolved, "That at the next election, on the 15th June.
60 fresh pensioners should be added to the list of
annuitants viz., 10 married couples, 10 males, 20
females, and 10 octogenarians."
A child named Rosa Anna Brooker, aged six years,
fell off one of the groynes at Brighton into the sea on
Saturday. She was gallantly rescued by the Rev. Mr.
Thursby, of 25, Brunswick-terrace, who brought her to -
shore in a very exhausted condition.
A returned convict named Howbrigg, who WRS
arrested on Saturday at Leeds on a charge of uttering
base coin, attempted on the way to the station to stab
two detectives who had him in custody. One of them ,
named Hewitt felled the prisoner to the ground with '
a pair of handcuffs.
..
Tee British troops in India are to be armed with
the repeating rifle, the Martini-Henry rifles at present
in use being given to the Sepovs, whose Sniders will
be called in. This cannot be done immediately, but -
meanwhile the Sepoys will be provided with the reserve ,
stock of Martini's 1