The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-07-31 00:00:00

SATtMDAY, 3ULV 31., 1880.

ErtmE.—She : "Of course you went to Mons_rietli
Renan's Lecture on Marcus Aurelius ? "—He:
didn't. Who's Marcus Aurelius ?"—She: "
Roman Emperor, to be sure, and a Stoic!
"Haw—what's a Stoic?"—She "A Stoic?
at all events, Marcus Aurelius was one—at least. 7,
didn't go so far as most Stoics."—He " Didn't b
How far do they go? "—She : "What a ridiculou'
question !" (Collapse of conversation.)—Punch. d
A CORRECT BAROMETER.—The most strange! $l/he
certainly the most correct barometer in Paris, "itttl
green frog, or reine, as it is called. Theee 1- :
animals live like gold-fish, in a glass bowl of water,;3o
ladder or some such means of climbing up is placea.
it, and the water kept clear. In tine weather tber
frog lurks at the bottom. If a storm or bad theweathe
impends, some twenty-four hours before it arrives f
little creature will climb up and thrust itsinose 014
the water, nor quit that position till its prognostic*
tion is fulfilled.
THE YOUNG WIFE AND THE OLD FRIEND.—
god
you seen my pipe, love ?"—" Do you mean
meerschaum, darling? Here it is, inside the fen;
It smelt so of that horrid tobacco, that I washed it
you! "—Punch.
to
TITLES OF NOBILITY IN ITALY.—According
statement made in the Italian Chamber of Depatlesor
few days since, the following are the amounts paiu,he
royal licences for bearing titles of nobility igo6f
Peninsula:— A prince has to pay no less than 30,
on assuming the distinction, a duke 25,000 fr.
quis 20,000 fr. and counts and barons are mnlctebt,4
the extent of 15,000 fr. and 10,000 fr. respectively. L-e,
all other titles or honorary prefixes to family Ivi,s
the duty required is 5,000 fr. An authorisation iv'
wearing any foreign decoration costs 90fr.
MIDNIGHT SUNSHINE.—The spectacle of the e?
shining at midnight attracts many foreigners !I
Swedish Lapland during the month of June. For sit
weeks there is scarcely any night in the nortl',4
Sweden ; the sun never sets, and the soil, constarl"a
heated, produces In a month and a half barley er,
other crops. At that time of the year the Laplarlbe,,
pen up their reindeers and move their huts towards t"1
cultivated fields. Being very hospitable, they greeo
53
with joy the arrival of tourists, who generally meet
Mount Gellaware, 148 kilometres from Lulea. .1r9_,..
that hill, which is 580 metres high, the beautiful
ta,cle of the "midnight sun" can be admired in bettef
conditions than from any other place. The 24th 8
June is the day selected for the accension ; it is,tl:o
longest day in the year, the sun being 22 hours lwv,"t
the horizon. This year the 24th of June was
favoured by fine weather, and owing to a cloudy BZ'
the sun was not visible at midnight, but the folio°
days travellers were well rewarded for their trouble+
the sun shining brightly at midnight.
be
ONE TO HIM.—" Contentment," said Jones, M... 4
placidly dropped the last solitary lump of sugar it',
his third tumbler of toddy, "is the true philosopile,',
stone."—" Yes," said Robinson, as he made a I"'et
over his sugarless grog; "because neither has )
been discovered."—Judy.
IV
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The fol
ing are the average prices of British corn for the
ending July 24, as received from the inspectors!".
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 435. 6d. ; barley, 275.
oats 265. 3d. per imperial qr. Corresponding NI
last year :—Wheat, 47s 7d_ barley, 20s. id.;
245. 4d.
ACCLIMATISING OYSTERS.—AR interesting eg!i,
ment is about to be made at Arcachon with the Dr7ij
ing of oysters (says a correspondent of Land aej
Water). In 1865 the administration of marine pr°,,lr
thatseysters bedded in the salt pools of the Meal
ranean would not breed, but the same experilbeelite
showed that these molluscs developed and grew til
with astonishing rapidity. The practical resulto
this operation induced a manufacturer to atten3l:lo
experiment of acclimatising oysters and bringlist/30
up in one of the basins of the port of Cette.
already sunk 300,000 oysters. The first lot laid d°,o
in the month of October have increased alreadj,,,ev
their exterior border nearly two centimetres.
oysters when bedded were four centimetres in size.
is calculated that at the end of the currant year the'
will have acquired sufficient size and flesh for consilePoi
tion. This promises to prove an important brallci.'
industry for this region.
STOCKHOLM GYMNASTIC CLUB.—Thirty-five iB
hers of the Stockholm Gymnastic and Fencing
who are officers of the Guards, of the Cavalry, ""ts
Line, engineers merchants, and gentlemen, stases
arrive in England on August 8. The King of SO' if
takes great interest in the Stockholm Club, and the
tire
objects in travelling abroad at their own expense
to see to what extent athletics and fencing have bee;
developed in England in the Army and OIL
amateurs, and to show what the celebrated Swerss
training in extension movements, leaping, swilsaluim'
fencing, bayonet and broadsword exercise is. • ts
DISTINGUISHED STRANGERS.—A visit was to
the House of Commons on Tuesday night bY-'
„ses
giants, Chang, a Chinese, BMt. in height, and 'ea
Brustad, a Norwegian, Bft. 4in. in height. They W
accompanied by Chee Alah, a Chinese dwarf, ab°Bo
2ft. in height. The three distinguished strangersltrs
shown into the Speaker's Gallery, where theY .00
mained for some little time listening to the discusso.is
raised by Colonel Berne. After leaving the
they attracted some attention in the lobby, leno
they were attended by Dr. Vincent Ambler, phYsles,"3
to the Persian Embassy. The O'Gormsn Mahon .
other members accompanied the party to the retcl,l,
room, library, and the terrace, and afterwards relr'ir,
ments were supplied in the smoke-room. On 4110
ing, Chang, in excellent French, expressed t° 141
O'Gorman Mahon the pleasure which the visit m
afforded them,
_

CARNARVON CASTLE.—A massive slate tablet bei9
ing the names of the nineteen Princes of 1113'
together with the dates of their birth, has been 01
in the -old castle near the chamber in which
11. is traditionally aported to have been born. r
expense has been defrayed by Mr. R. Sorton rs'rt]
who was High Sheriff of Carnarvonshire upon ,
occasion of the last visit of the Prince and Princes'
Wales to Carnarvon Castle.

I, fr,
INCREASE OF POLITENESS IN SCOTLAND.:—Mr.
Stewart, Inspector of Schools in the countiesafg,
Banff, Orkney, and Aberdeen, in his report for l'is
makes the following remarks :—I have pleasure.,‘
noting increasing cleanliness, tidiness, and politeo7o
The expressions, "Sir,"- "Thank you," "I beg losi
pardon," and "If you please," are coming mole
more into daily use, and not a day too soon, 1:010
ing or lifting of caps is also not quite unknown,
~sv
chief foe to the sooner introduction among the,
mon people of the forms of usual courtesy has hiviLo I
been a feeling which it is difficult to designate b 9 I
special name. As it is the worshipper of a stereotYnei
past It may be called fossilism. "Civility is It :
vility " is its mistaken motto, and all the little 4
tentions, acts cf politeness, and all congideratiorist'd I
the feelings of others are set down as a vain sh,°ool
hypocrisy. I attribute much of the distinct BO Aci I
in politeness to the enlightened influence of the '
and Code.
~ 4,04
A.NTIVITY OF NURSERY RHYMES.—Many 01 ..-riiii
productions have a very curious history, if
only be traced. Some of them probably nWP Pr 01
oriign to Dallies distinguished in our literatio!)
Oliver Goldsmith, for instance, is believed I" DP
. earlier days to have written such compositions. to
E. F. Rimbault gives us the following particulars of
to some well-known favourites :—" Sing a Sonic 4
Sixpence," is as old as the sixteenth century. " IPAS,
Blind Mice" is found in a music book dated
"The Frog and the Mouse " was licsr.sad in ln,
" Three Children Sliding on the Ice" dates from 1°"0-,
. "London Bridge is Broken Down" is of unfatho
able antiquity, "Girls and Boys conic out to Plit/k 1
is certainly as old as the reign of Charl@s fl
also "Lucy Locket lost her Pocket," to the turisi '
which the American song of "Yankee Doodle ' 00
writtten. "Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, where haejle,
been ?" is of the age of Queen Bess. " Little sci,
Homer" is older than the seventeenth eeutuol
"The Old Woman Tossed in a Blanket" is 121" ' •
reign of James 11., to whieh monarch it is supil
to allude.—Fireeide.
~ a.,
' ,- ....
IT MAKES THIS CHAP UNEASY."—Sniith PI"; P
"My wife, who has just read that 'lt t yebod
Japanese girl thirteen hours to dress for a par* 4,1
sent to Japan to know how she does it. ,She To
occupy more than four, for the life qf 1.t1.• 13•411/
BaWeerl /Pl 4 IPP, P 4 4P PP4r4444, i liQr.,6 AP .
not receive an answer:"—Judu.
A NEW GUN.—A gun which has 'fired 5,000 Fdia
in thirteen minutes, and could, were its feehdo
machinery extended, fire 500 shots a minute, he-g,
invented in Washington, It is called the., " 0-arc&iii
and has two barrels encased in brosa. Its calil;!:t36
45-100ths of an inch, and only requires the
cartridges which are used in ordinary rifle preo;.ol
The firing is effected by turning a crank in the re34lto
the gun, and it is fed through a flat-shaped bo): ;;„g
which the cartridges are placed in blocks hologn
twenty each. 'They fit down neatly into tyl.,'
17.-hioi holds 41)64 tifLy :4444,4; P*lld'4u.fo .I. -
/
orank is turnsd they drop down into ii. 011=111 Jge.
are carried forward to discharge, the empty cartri• "
being returned and dropped beneath.
A TRAVELLING SHOW.—A King on a tour.—Ps
fZev 1
NIAGARA FALLS DRY FOR A DAY.—The Right giolf
Bishop Fuller, of Niagara, having been taken t,P `Ol
for sa,ying in a public leptim that owiftg.,,.?rt
!.-"kl.a4tii4 of wa.g.4 keirtg diminished in flip aki oOi
Laver by the wiros dr,,lng v,p Lae V,rie, the PiLibit
Niagara were once dry for a whole day, he re.asser, os
statement, and says— 'That day was the 31st 0,6•T00t
March, 1848. I did not witness it myself, but
told of it the next day by my late brother-in-laW, th
Street, M.P. Happening th go out to his place 1,1 •
next day, be told me that his miller (fp,r ho losi Cy g ',
mill on the rapids abov;-.,, ths co,ils) khooke'd at hiS oil
ti
room door bout five o'clock in the morning el, OF
.day, and told him to get up, as there was no wan-e,
the mill race and no water in the great river outsi"
the race. He said that he was startled at the intelli'
and hurried out as soon as he could drep,l-„i rooo4, f
saw the river on the
,edgp Af wiiio re; h4hegifhol
‘foitr years llefote, f4y. After a hurried
and his yo;nage§t clilllghter align limner
clown 413014 three quarters of a mile to tne
itself, over which there was a little 'water 'r.
that, having provided himself with a strong poi(
started for Table Rock, and walked near the e`
the precipice about one-third of the way t0w0,rd,..,
Island, on the American shore, and ho,,vi:eo eine',i,
pole in a crevice of the Tosk, an Silos Street ha
tied hcr pocket hp-Oerchief 4n,nly on the top ef
pole, they returned. He said that hp had then .
his vie* towards the river below the fall., 41§§'
the water so shall* that ininienSp lf,,ggea incite i
up in such a 4ightflii Maiiner that he shuddered
he illorf.ght of ht having frequently passed over 1
in the Little Maid of the Mist (as I often had 41
He then turned towards home, and dro, g
Canada shore some half-wile town4a ci*
SUBViTAY UNDER THE ItTERBEE!--,A selept
of the fLouse of Commons has passed the
construction of a roadway under the 11i.
shall be availahle for the use of all kinds c...
between Liverpool and Birkenhead. The total -
will be one mile six furlongs six and a-half chain*. ,-b
the cost is estimated at £500,000, half of Will
guaranteed by the Birkenhead authorities suu
Great Western Railway. The Bill has now
the Committees of both Houses, who have .._,
seven years for its construction.. The engine',
Mr. John Fowler, of London, and Messrs. 1,"
Thomas, of Wrexham.

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