The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-02-20 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

Mr. Gladstone has declined to be put in nomination
for the Lord Rectorship of Aberdeen University.
Prince Louis Napoleon passed his examination and
left the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich on Tuesday.
He was seventh in proficiency of the cadets receiving com-
missions, and first in fencing and riding.
It is proposed to bring together a loan collection of
scientific apparatus for exhibition at the South Kensington
Museum, and at a meeting over which the Duke of Rich-
mond presided sub-committees were appointed to forward
the arrangements.
From the report of the Endowed Schools Commis-
sioners, just published, it appears that during the past year
52 schemes were approved by her Majesty without Parlia-
mentary intervention, and that six were laid before Parlia-
ment; of which three were opposed by the Lords. Altogether
235 schemes of the Commissioners have been passed, and
others are under consideration
,A return issued from the Veterinary Department of
the Privy Council, and published in Tuesday night's London
Gazette, states that during the month of January no less than
1,619 animals suffering from foot-and-mouth disease were
landed at English ports from the Continent. The number was
made up of 1,440 head of cattle, 91 sheep, and 88 pigs. The
animals were all slaughtered at the port of landing

0 wing to the slackness of trade and manufacture
and the severity of weather, the condition of the working
population of Berlin is represented as being most depressed,
employment being scarce and wages low. Whereas until
recently it was difficult to obtain sufficient men for
the public works on the streets at the rate of one thaler
a day, at the present time there are more applicants
than can be employed at two marks, which is one-third less

No fewer than 63 public bills have been introduced
in the House of Commons this session, of which ten are
Government measures on the following subjects :—Adultera-
tion of Food and Drugs, Artisans' Dwellings, Epping Forest,
Friendly Societies, International Copyright, Merchant Ship-
ping Acts Amendment, Public Health, Public Works Loan
Acts Amendment, Public Works Loan Acts Consolidation,
Regimental Exchanges. These, of course, do not include
the Government measures which have been introduced first
into the House of Lords.

The Board of Trade has taken in hand the prepara-
tion of a set of instructions respecting the measures to be
adopted for saving life from shipwreck, for the guidance of
lifeboats' crews, rcket brigades, and the coastguard gene-
rally. The Admiralty has selected an inspecting officer of the
coastguard to attend at the Board of Trade to assist in the
preparation of these regulations.
By a report of the trustees of the Peabody Fund, it
is shown that £380,284 has been expended on the objects of
the gift, and that £213,342 remains; and also that at the end
of last year there were 594 families, consisting of 3,815 per-
sons, residing in the various blocks of buildings erected as
dwellings for the poor.
Although the season does not properly begin till
after Easter, the town is well filled, and on fine days the
parks and streets bear evidence that our legislators, here-
ditary and elected, have come to London. The clubs last
week were just as they are in the middle of June.—Court
Journal.

A reply has been sent by the Russian Government
to the despatch of Lord Derby, in which it was announced
that the British Government would not take•part in the pro-
posed Conference at St. Petersburg on the usage of military
warfare. The reply is moderate in tone, and it points out
that England will be at liberty to adhere at any time to the
resolutions which the Conference may adopt.

In London, last week, 2,488 births, and 1,726 deaths
were registered. Allowing for increase of population, the
births were 31 below, whereas the deaths exceeded by 91,
the average numbers in the corresponding week of the last
ten years. The annual death-rate from all causes, which in
the two previous weeks had been equal to 25 and 24 per
1,000, rose last week, under the influence of the recent lower
temperature, to 26. The 1,726 deaths included one from
small-pox 11 from measles, 46 from scarlet fever, eight from
diphtheria, 62 from whooping cough, 23 from different forms
of fever, and 15 from diarrhcea ; thus to the seven principal
diseases of the zymotic class 166 deaths were referred, against
numbers declining from 199 to 144 in the four preceding
weeks.

„
Two elections took place on Tuesday. Mr. John
Mitchell was elected for • Tipperary without opposition.
Ms proposer and seconder were Mr. T. Cross of Garrana-
carry, and Mr. John Gorman, of Burrisbeg, farmers The
High Sheriff sat from eleven until one o'clock, I,nt no other.
candidate was nominated. Mr. P. J. Smyth; M.P., and other
friends of Mr. Mitchell took part in the nomination -
The other election was at Stoke-en-Trent, where Dr. Kenealy
was returned by a large majority. He polled 6,110 votes
against 4,168 given for Mr. Walton (L), and 8,901 recorded for
Mr. Davenport (C). •
At the meeting of the Bristol board of guardians on
'Friday, s letter was read announcing the. cleath „in the
Stapleton Workhouse of John Hill, Waterloo veteran, at the
age of 96. He had been through the Peninsular campaign
and the three days' engagement at Waterloo, where he was
wounded in the head by a fragment of a shell. To within
a few weeks of his death he retained his memory and
mild describe vividly the various engagements through
which he had passed. He had been an inmate of the work-
house sixteen years, paying the guardians 3s. 6d. a week out
of his pension, and saved sufficient to defray the expenses of
his funeral. The remainder of his money (18s.) he ordered to
be equally divided among the three nurses who attended him
during his last illness.