The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-12-19 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FORKGN.

Intelligence received at Liverpool states that the
yrtle. belonging to Greenock, wan sunk off the Irish coast
and nothing has been heard of her crew._
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A patent haa been taken out for the manufacture of
"artificial champagne "
-

The Mariontiette, a satirical paper, published at
Lyons, luei been sentenced to 2,000 t. line tor writing on poli-
tics without authorisation.

The late Lord Chancellor, before going out of office,
issued an order closing all the county court offices on Satur-
day', the day after Christmas Day, and on the following Mon.
day, thus giving the officials four clear days vacation.
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• -
"The Christmas dish the Greeks would like to con-
sume—Ttutey."—Judy.

Ou Friday: a girl named Elizabeth Thomas was taken
to the Chester infirmary with a severe gunshot Wollll,i in the
ankle, which rendered amputation necessary. Iler father
was lifting a gun barrel, when accidentally it fell on the
floor, and the contents were discharged.

The American papers announce that a pedestrian
named Weston has started on a great walk of 5,000

The inquest on the bodies of the colliers who were
killed in the !Malley-green explos'on was brought to a con-
clusion on Tuesday. After the evidence of the Government
Inspector had been taken, a verdict was returned to the
effect that 62 deceased had been killed by an expiation of
tire-damp, and that the cause of the explosion was unknown.
The jury recommended the disconsinuanee of tile use of
cunpowder, and an increase in the quantity of air sup-
plied to the workings.
The subscriptions to the Roebuck Testimonial Fund,
as published by the Sheffield Telegraph, amount to upwards
of £2,500.
- - •

Mr. Miall refugee to accept a pecuniary testimonial
from the Itraoford electors. Ws friends are going, there
fore, to give him a small library of historical and political
books.

Mr. Bright's constitnentshave offered to re-elect him
without his appealing amongst thom but the sight honour-
aide gentleman says he will iSit Birmingham to .tier ass
explanation of the reasons which induced him to accept
office.

Our Dublin correspondent telegraphs that the
memorial to the Queen prtQ log for the release of the Fenian
convicts was signet at a number of the Roman Catholic
chapels in Dublin on Sunday.

The Philadelphia school officers have resolved to
eliminate all reading-books from the public schools, and
substitute daily newspapers for the use of the schools. By
this means, they my, the rising ge• malice will he made
acquainted with "Congressional debates, state affairs, wars
and their causes, accidents, floods and fires, great public
improvements, dm., subjects upon which the youthful mind
will feed much more profitably than upon beautiful orations
or pathetic fancy writing."
•

" Sir Samuel Raymond Jarvis, Knight, deceased.—
The ltelatives ot this gentleman, and any person or persona
holding his will, or having any knowledge as to it, are
requested at once to earmnumeate with Messrs. Gregory,
Itowcliffes, and ttawle, Solicitors, 1, Bedford-row, Gordon."
—Advertisement in Daily TelerPork
" A nurse girl, eighteen years of age, while left in
charge of three children of the ll'etilloch family, near
Corning, N.V. last Wednesday, in a tit of rage at the
ymin est child being fretful, threw it upon the floor,
stamped upon it until it was almost lifeless, and then roasted
its halals on the hot stove. Mien its mother returned home
at night it was dead."—.lmorisaa Paper.

A German journal gives an account of a charitable
Institution which has existed at Brunswick for the last six
years. A benevolent individual lends to the in or, at the end
of October, blankets which are returned in May. Each
article hears a special stamp to prevent its being sold or
pawned. The whole stock goes to the wash in summer.
Hitherto no atm, of his kindness lies been reported.

During Saturday yaight last, some malicious persons
committed a most dastardly act upon three youte horses
belonginn to Mr. Robert Heiden, of Waladen, in at! enipting
to pull out their tongues. It does not apmar that any rn.
strutrunt had been used, although the tongues vv. re much
torn. One of the hems is a line-looking animal, which has
won several prizes during the summer at agricultural shows.
",No one who reads the Speech f the Emperor_of
Austria as Ring of Hungary at the closing of the II imearian
Diet can fail to perceive that the Austrian Empire list now
entered upon the right path. It deals not only in promise,
but performance ; there are not only declaratims by a
Sovereign in favour of freedom and constitutional govern-
ment, bu• a list of reforms of the first magnitude already
achieved by the Legislature and accepted by the Throne."—
Times.

Mr. S. G. Osborne has been appointed private seere-
.

tary to the Hight In. E l'arth,..ll, secretary of State and
31r. F. O. laithfull private secretary to Lord Northbrook,
ruder-Secretary of State of War.

The head of game got up this year by the Imperial
keepers at Cotupii:gne would not disgraoe Norfolk. On
Wednesday.iw last wrek, a party sho.t.for.threo lours ; and
"

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tea guns —killed 535; it Was a great ralldt day. llis Majesty
hairged 176 head; Count de Staekell.erg, 55; M. Rouher, 78:
Marshal Niel, 116; General Fleury, 155; Marquis In la
Vallette, 71; IL Behic, 96 ; Countste Niewerkerke, 143; M.
rietri, 48; and M. Leon Chevreau, 87.

. •
The Parliament of the Isle of Man has recently
passed a law punishing, by a fine of £5, any person found
taking or destroying any gull, or its nest or eggs ; and
another law punishing, by a smaller tine, any one found in
possession of a gull, its plumage, or eggs, fly gull is meant
all the gull tribe.

A terrible scene was witnessed in Douglas harbour,
Isle of Man, on Saturday night, news of which has only just
reached lig. The schooner Three Jaunt, being in danger, was
abandoned. The captain subsequently induced live harbour
men to accompany bin in a boat, with the view of towing
the vessel into safe anchorage, but a wave 5(55 I: the oars
from their hand, and, atter they had been tossing about for
nearly an hour in view of thousands of spectator,, another
wa,e overzurned the boat. All the six men were drowned.
A curious land-slip has occurred near Youghal,
winch the country people consider an earthquake. The
public road, which is now imparsable, sank for about tell
yards in length, to a depth of Soren feet, and several holes

.... .....
appear, beyond this space, for a diStallee of a quarter of a
mile, about one foot wide and six or seven feet deep. The
walls on either side of the road arc much shaken, and the
adjacent fields time in parts evidence of disturbance. It is
also stated that the sand of the river Itlackwate,, close to
the road, was thr, wn up in heaps.

It transpired durirF the hearint; of an appliati?n tr

declare the' custody of" George EraLis Trai to be illegal
miade in the Dublin Court of Exchequer aft, lila dellalture
from Queenstown,, that his release was due to a settlement
of the case with the Ebbw Vale Company for £i.so Train§
had skated, OH the other hand, to his counsel that the;
. .

-....—....-
-dWainWIZI-1;ee;;;-iiiZT-mi;,,vitilZir any set f lila or
paying any money."

After thirty-eight days' trial in the Lich Court of
Queen's Bench, a case, Wolin v. Dixon. between a. builder
and the Roman Catholic clergyman of Philmborough, near
Dublin, has terminated in a disagreement of the jury. The
judge who tried the snit Was Chief Baron Ptzot, and the
sun. claimed by the plaintiff, £11,500, is said to he exceeded
by the total of the legal costs on b ,th sties.

Shrewsbury magistrates have recently direc'ed
their energies to the putting down of had language in the
streets. During last week a large number of eonvictions
have been made, and fines and cods of xl 75. lii, infliited,
with the alternative of a fortnight's imprisonment. A re-
markable piece of evidence was given touching . lie of the
defendants, win., it was stated, hail eciitionet to curse and
swear w about cessation from half-past eleven at night till
two in the m..ruing

On Monday aiurdle race for ClOO a siie, exciting
much interesi ainong the officers .4 the 61.1,18 in garligiu
at Witol,or, was nor in the Home Park. It was between the
Hon. Captain Needham, Grenadier Guards, and lal,trin C.
Needham, let Life Guarda. The di•tance was 20 yards,
over twenty flights of hurdles. The lion. Captain Needham
took the lead, drew rapidly ahead, and won easily by two
hurdles, the thue occupied being forty seconds.

- -
Mr. Charles Bratllautch, one f the defeated candi-
dates for Northampton, has brought an action in the Court
of (peril's Bench against the proprietor of one of the comic
weeklies the Razor for IPsd. It was contained in an article
pul dished in August last, in which some uncomplimentary
references were made to Mr. Bradlaugh's antecedents, and
the Northampton electors were ironically congratulated ma
the advantages they would derive should the plaintiff win
his election. A verdict for a farthing damages was returned_
The Manchester Guardian reports that an outrageous
exhibition of party bigotry was witnmsed last Sunday in St.
Pidlip's Church, Salford. The Rev. F. Mains, of Wigan—a
elerg3man who ha of late come somewhat prominently
before the public nun supporter of Mr. Gladstone's measures
—was announced to preach a sermon in aid of the Additional
Curates' Fund. No interruption of any kind occurred during
the prayers. but as the rev, gentleman was about to enter
the pulpit some twenty or thirty pennons rose and left the
church, some of them on their way to the ch,or shouting
"No Popery." It is stated that the brawlers do not belong
to the congregation, and it is, therefore, believed that they
attended the church with the express intention of interrupt-
ing the service.

Mr. Isaac Holden, President of the Mechanics'
Institution and school of Art, at Keighiey, On Saturday laid
the ',diner stone of a new building, in which it is intended
to carry on the operations of that ins.itution. 'the cost of
the building will be £12,000, of which x 7,000 has been
already subscribed, very liberal amounts haying been riven
by the Duke of Devonshire, Messrs. Craven, Mr. Ridden,
Mr. Jas Lund, and other resident gentlemen, a grant of
Et* tialtipg alt,, been obtained from the educational depart-
ment of the Government.

M. Joseph Wrier, Regent of the Bank of France,
and hat surviving brother of M. Caaimir l'erier, althomh
eighty-two years of age, has just undergone an amputation of
the leg for an inourahn tumour. The operation was per-
formed by M. Huguier, Is. pre.. e of MM. Mtaton, hoes
Cloquet, Rieord, Tardieu, and other I lie, imuished medical
men, %ho had previously held a consultation on the case.
There are now great hopes of the patient'. recovery.