The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-08-10 00:00:00

Rlisrcilancaus

TIME, FOREIGN, AND CCLONIM.

A Puts FOR OUR PREMlER.—Prosperity ad-
vances by leaps and bounds, does it What a pity it
is, rather, that Prosperity is not likely to be bound-
less ! -Punch.
- •

Tits HOXTONMUEDERS.—An inquest has been
held at Poplar, respecting, the death of Jemima Squire,
aged forty-two, a daughter of Mrs. Squire, who was
murdered in Hyde-road, If oxton, London. The de-
ceased cut her throat on the Sunday after the murder,
and lingersil until last week. She lived for some
time with a man, by whom she had two ehildren, but
he left her about four year ago' and she obtained her
living by sharing. She seems to have had a morbid
dread of being summoned to appear at the inquest, and
of having the history of her life disclosed. The wound
in her throat was not very deep, but she had after-
wards refused to take proper nourishment, and died of
exhaustion. l'he verdict of the jury WA$ 'That the
deceased died from the mortal effects of exhaustion, and
that such exhaustion arose from the deceased per-
sistently refusing food with a view and intent to deprive
herself of life, while of unsound mind."
•

LONDON COAL DUTY.—The gross produce of
the Londm coal tax of 1:1s1 per ton amounted in the
year 1871 to £351,716 ; but a drawback of £47,287 and
the expenses of management reduced the produce by
a 1,059. The gross duty on coals brought into the
port was £149,374; on coals brought by railway,
1:201,199 ;by inland navigation, 1:318 ;by road, £lB.l.
The net produce of the 91 duty was paidto the Thames
Embankment and Metropolis Improyennevt Fund ; the
City's 4d. duty was applied in payment of interest on
loans for the Holborn Valley and Cannon-street im•
provements._

PRINCE BMW:CR.B " SILVER WEDDINO."—
The Sunday before last Prince Bismarck celebrated at
Varzin his "silver wedding." Only a small number
of near relations and old friends were present on the
occasion, but every minute brought some testimony of
the interest, gratitude, and honour with which the
day was being remembered in all parts, and even be-
yond the bounds, of Germany. One hundred and ninety-
two telegrams, and a still greater number of written
congratulations had been received up till the following
day. Among them were messages from the Emperor,
the Empress, the Crown Prince and Princess, and
other members of the Imperial family, from the King
of Bavaria, from statesmen and generals, scholars and
artists, corporations and societies, from high and low,
old and young, known and unknown. Gifts and poem/
were also numerous. In the forenoon the family of the
Prince and the geeete attended church, and atter ser-
vice was over received under the old linden trees the
' felicitations of the pastors and office-bearers of the
Church.

SINGULAR POISONING CASE.—OR Saturday, an
inquest was held at Rouse, on the body of a farm
servant named Brunton, who had died late on the pre.
dons evening from the effects of drinking a quantity of
poisonous liquid used in the treatment of sheep suffer-
ing from foot rot. It appears that on Friday evening,
Mr. Patterson, farmer, of Rooee, near Barrow-in Fur-
ness, was applying the mixture in question to s number
of diseased animals, and, while he left the bottle eon-
taining it for a few minutes, Biunton drank a consider-
able quantity of it. He was found shortly afterwards,
in one corner of the sheep pen, almoat dead. He ex-
pired before medical attendance could be summoned.
It is supposed that Brunton, who was under the in-
fluence of drink, mistook the liquid for something more
palatable and less harmless than the sequel proved. A
I verdict in accordance with these facts was returned.

_
THE SurPUESSION or licrsmcsltANCE. The
followily letter has beer received by the Chairman of
the National Union for the Suppression of Intemper-
ance, from the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot, presi-
dent :
"Dear c,ngratulate you on our conference at the
Hanover-square Rooms, of which I see there is a good report
in The 7'intes of to-day. I promised youio towards our
working expenses, hut when I think over tile places we must
visit for our conferewes alld meetings, our printing. postage,
I Ac., I must make It £lOO. I will add I should not have
tin
creased my donation union had seen that the funds had
been properly audited, and the eXpCIIS.9 kept down to a
proper limit. Sincerely yours, SERI:WEPT:BY. I enclose a
check for £100."
PICKED UP AT STA.—The two Hindoos
picked up at se by the Gazelle, and brought to
Antwerp, have since la-en questioned by an interpreter.
One of them, named Lohatn, is aged $5, and is a native
of the Punjaub ; the other, Killshr, 43, is from he din
trict of Sonallah ; both are married, and have children;
the folrmer declare, himself to be an agricalturist, the
other a foreman of works. According to the a 'count
they give, they were travelling togethrr to Juggernaut,
to attend the religious ceremony there, %Inm, on
riving on the oomt, sit a Ehur t distance to the south ,
of that place, they hired a boat to catch shell-fish.
While they were thus engaged a storm arose, and
drove them to a distance of NCO miles from the shore,
near the Andaman Isles, where they were found by
the vessel which has brought them home.
A STRANGE CEREMONY—The Archdeacon of
the Isle of Man last week inducted the Rev. Francis
Pierpoint Burton Norman into the perpetual curacy of
St 'I. homaa's Church, Douglas. The Isle of Mon Times

nays:—
After reading several of the collects and reciting the
Lord's Prayer, the archdeacon read the official documents,
and thea every one had to go outside the west door of the
church." That door being locked, the archdeacon said, ' It is
my duty in virtue of my office to induct Mr. Norman, and to
put him in possession of this church.' lie then handed the
key to that gentleman, and told him to unlock the door, go
Inside, lock everybody out, and then to ring the bell as a
challenge to all new comers to dispute Ms right. These
orders were obeyed, and after the bell had been rung the
archdeacon said that, according to tradition, however many
times the new incumbent rang the bell, so many years ould
he keep the church If this Is true, the congregation of St.
Thomas may feel sure of their new pastor for eight years.
The necessary document having been signed and witnessed,
tile archdeacon announced that the ceremonies were finished,
and the large number of persons who had been attracted by
the outside proceedings dispersed."
Still's PROM CIIoLERA-AFFECTED PORTS.—On
Friday afternoon anxiety was felt on a report being
spread that the steamship Stirliolg, from Cronstadt,
was lying in T.eith roads with a yellow flag, indicative
of sickness, flying at her masthead. The owner, Mr.
It. Macgregor, lost no time in communicating with the
authorities, and the Officer of Public Health and a
doctor from the Hospital went out to the vessel. On
boarding they were informed that all in the ahip were
quite well, but that the captain had prudently, seeing
he had sailed from a cholera-affected port, hoisted the
yellow flag, and waited to ascertain whether there were
any objections to him entering the port. The vessel
was at once permitted to come into the dock. It was
intended to bring home for the Scotch market a cargo
of cattle from Russia, but as soon as the diseased cattle
which came from Cronstadt fact week were ordered to
be slaughtered, a telegram wan sent out forbidding the
captain to bring any animals home with him.
MR. SPURGEON ON A MINISTERS' STRIKE.—
Mr. Spurgeon was present on Monday afternoon at
the laying of the memorial etone of a new Baptist
' Chapel at Lordship lane, Dulwich, near London, and
in the course of an address be said he was thinking
about calling the ministers together and baying a
strike. (Laughter. ) Ile was quite sure that a very
large proportion of the ministers of all denominations
did not earn anything like no much as the men who laid
the stones of that building. There were many of his
own students—men who were doing good useful work

„
—who, if they earned as much per annum as an
ordinary labourer, would think themselves well off.
How was it possible to expect a minister to con-
tribute to the various works and to mingle as one
of themselves in society if he were not supported
adequately? (Hear, hear.) Furtheron, Mr. Spurgeon
alluded to the spirit of "caste,” which divided so many
classes of society. He hoped, he said, they were not re-
spectab.e. tLaughter ) There was nothing in the world
he bated so much asrespectability. The respectable sove-
reign never spoke to the respectable half-sovereign, the
respectable half sovereign utterly ignored the existence
of the half crown, the latter in its turn looked wan
contempt upon the sixpence, while silver had no
knowledge of its relation, copper. (Laughter.) There
was as much caste to be found in English society as ever
there was in Ifindostan, and what people termed
" respectability " was simply a dislike to mingle One
with the other. (Hear, hear.) He should like liberty,
equality, and fraternity, and to see people shake hands,
no mattir of what class, every Sunday.
MALAFROFIANA.— Mrs. Malaprop is making a
collection of butterflies, which she hopes may help her
to understand the theory of caterpillary attraction.
With a view to gain some foreign reformation en the
subject, she has been reading Mr. Wallace's delightful
book of travel in what she calls the Himmalayan
Archipelago. —Punch.
STORY OF A MISER.—A Turin paper says the
following scene occurred a few days ago at a railway
station
"On a bitter cold day a millionnaire applied at the ticket-
office for a third-class ticket. ' What l' exclaimed the official,
who knew him, ' you, sir, take a third-class on such a day as
this?' 'Why, I must,' was the cool reply, 'since there is no
fourth-class.' '1 beg your pardon,' answered the otlictal,
handing him a ticket, ' but there is—here Is one. The malt
of wealth hastily paid for It, and rushed forward to take his
place. On the doorkeeper asking to see his tick( t. the
traveller prodrced it, hut teas rather taken aback on lidng
told that the ticket would net do Ur him. Atli] wry mist?
he exclaimed. 'Why, sir, because it is a dog-ticket V
MORTALITY OF THE SIEGE OF PARlS.—Al-
though much has been written concerning, the mor-
tality of the civil population of Paris during the 28
weeks of the siege, there has been little that is either
accurate or complete (says the British Medical Jourlial.)
An elaborate research by Dr. Henry Sumer presents
for the first time these desirable qualities. Figures are
so little attractive that few people me probably even
yet aware that the siege cost upwards of 50,000 lives
of the civil population. He ascertains that 300,e00
Parisian: left Paris by rail before the investaurea ; hot
190,000 regular troops and 170,000 refugees from the
suburbs entered the city, to that the population
of Paris on the whole, was raised hone 1,890,000 to
about 2000,000, the excess consisting chiefly of
men between 20 and 40 years of age. The mean
mortality of the four preceding years and of the
following year for these 28 weeks was 20,923; that for
the 28 weeks of 1870-71 was 77,231—an excess of
52,303, this being apparently the toll which death der
manded, and the price which the Parisians paid, for
the gimp of resistance to Bismarck and Von-Moltke.
The mortality fell unevenly OP person-' of various sgt 3.
Between 15 and 23, at "vi. eiefold. The
general mortality wee triple(' The mortality lid,
least among men from 40 to 60; iney took m. peat in
active service, and had comparatively greater facilities
for resisting cold and privation. The 1.11,41,31.4 which
contributed chiefly to the inamense mortality seers eix
—small-pox, bronchitis, pneumonia, typhoid fever,
diarrheas, and dysentery.
GENUINE AMERICAN CLAIM.— There is
certainly one claim of immense amount which may be
advanced by the United States, and is incontestable ;
the claim of Mr. Stanley to have discovered Dr.
Livingstone. —P each.
THE HIGH PRICE OF MEAT.—An open-air
meeting of about 1,000 persons was held at Bradford on
Saturday evening to take measures with a view to the
reduction of the high price of meat. A working man,
named John 111ingworth, was called to the chair. The
general opinion of the meeting win that the present
high price of meat was caused by the limited supply of
cattle and sheep, and that means might be adopted to
remedy the evil. No blame was attached to the
butchers, who, it was said, would no doubt readily
co-operate in any efforts to increase the supply. It
was urged that some means ought to be at once
taken, in conjunction with other centres of population,
to increase the supply of meat, and if it were found,
for example, that the Government were unduly pro-
moting restrictive measures against the importation of
cattle and sheep, because such a course had the ten-
dency to favour the interest of those who produced
these commodities in this country, then steps ought to
be taken to put an end to it. Two resolutions were
unanimously passed. By the foot, the meeting re-
solved to advise all persons to refrain from the con-
sumption of beef for one month and from the constant).
tion of veal and lamb for twelve months ; anti by the
second it was ordered that the resolutions be placarded
through the town and the meeting be adjourned for one
week in order to a still larger ' demonstration " on
the question.
THE EMPRESS OF THE FRENCH ON BEN NEVIS.
—After attending chapel, on Sunday, in Fort William,
the services being conducted by the Bev. Mr. Mac-
donald, Glenalasiale, the ex-Empress of the French
and Prince Imperial drove up to Achnacarry Castle,
where they spent some time with Mr. Cameron of
Lochiel, MP. for the county of Inverness. They after-
wards visited Lord Abin,ger. The imperial party left
the " Lochiel Arms Hotel, Banavie, accompanied by
Lord Aleinger and a host of his gillies, to make the
ascent of Ben Nevis at nine on Monday morning. The
day was exceedingly warm, with a slight easterly
breeze. The first part of the journey up to the lake
was accomplished by the aid of ponies, and the rest of
the ascent, some 3,000 feet in height, had to he done
on foot. After partaking of luncheon at the spring
half way up, the arduous task was undertaken, and the
highest peak of the maintain was safely reached at
ft our o'clock. In this rather unique situation the
Empress, the Prince, Count Clary, and Lord Abinger
dined, several other parties who had made the ascent
along with them picnicking not far off. A splendid
view was obtained, there being not a cloud in the sky.
The whole party arrived at Banavie shortly before
nine pin., the Empress looking none the worse for her
mountaineering exertions.
FEARFUL FLOOD IN FRANCE. A terrible
flood, attended with loss of life, has just been caused
at Toulouse by the overflowing of the Garonne after
the heavy rains of the 30th and 31st July. The Water
rose to 13 feet above the summer level, and hurried
along with fearful rapidity, carrying down timber,
furniture, and household utensihe from the habitations
inundated. The floating baths moored off the quays
is the town were for a time secured by means of great
efforts, but the violence of the stream was such that on
the evening of the lit Met the planks around the
nbcletalirnutiehne-nihdctoi
,aputaa:ladtbS,,,evAsivootmemig
todisgnnwgitgaohSyltc;thb.aoyGo
ghwire:br were
,:ardkiwesoiusinttrto.filynovecdeisdepeebonyr.oft ttolitiee:
on board. The night was quite dark, and the rescue
of them appeared hopeless, and the more so that al.
most immediately afterwards the floating establish.
ment was carried with immense force against the
bridge, and was dashed to pieces; the mayor,
with the corps of firemen, were on the spot with
a detachment of soldiers, endeavouring by the light
of torches to save the fire persons, but some frag-
ments of wood were alone washed ashore, and all were
supposed to have perished. The next morning, however,
It was found that two of the number had been saved
from the wreck by some dredgers at the bridge of Blag-
nac, and that a third, the son of M. Gignoux, had
swam ashore. The remaining two, the attendants at
the bath, are still missing, and are, no doubt, both
drowned.