The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-02-13 00:00:00

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EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

A new coal bank has been discovered in Mont-
gomery county, Kentucky, that is said to be the largest in
the world. The vein measures thirteen feet in thickness at
one point.
In the Jersey States a bill for compulsory vaccina-
tion was thrown out, but an amendment, recommending
the practice on voluntary principles was carried by a ma-
jority of seven.
Bishop Gobat consecrated lately the new Arabic
Protestant church at Jerusalem. This is the third Pro-
testant church there. The other two are Christ Church on
Zion, and the German chapel on the Place of the Knights of
St. John.
The official return places the total acreage of culti-
vated land returned in 1874, for the United Kingdom, at
47,143,000 acres. There was an increase in cattle and sheep
over 1673, but a decrease in pigs.
The New Forest " Shakers " are still at Ashley
Arnewood, but they will have to leave their barn in a few
days. They still entertain a hope of being replaced in the
lodge-from which they were ejected.
Further restrictions have been placed upon elephant.
shooting in Ceylon. Owing to the indiscriminate slaughter
which has of late years been permitted, these valuable
animals are being rapidly improved off the island ; and
It is said that peremptory instructions have been re-
ceived from the Secretary of State to take steps for their
preservation.
A Washington correspondent of the New York
Trtbune, noticing the election of Mr. Andrew Johnson as
United States senator for Tennesse, says :—The election is
the subject of a comment everywhere, and not a few per-
diet that Mr. Johnson will be a lively member of the Senate,
annoying to his political opponents. He is the only ex-
president eyer elected to the Senate, and he is the only ex-
President now living.

Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice has given notice of his
Intention to move in the House of Commons on going into
Committee of Supply on the Education Estimates, "that no
grent of public money be given to any public elementary
school under voluntary management in which the subscrip-
tions do not amount to at least one-sixth of the total income
of the schooL"
The receipts on account of revenue from the Ist
1874, when there was a balance of £7,442,854, to the 6th
Inst. were £61,133,635, against £61,964,932 in the correspond-
ing pericd of the preceding financial year, which began
with a balance of £11,992,705. The net expenditure was
£63,681,489, against £66,324,322 to the same date in the
previous year. The* Treasury balance on the 6th inst.
amounted to £2,922,582, and at the same date in 1875 to
£3,010,828.
A Reuter's dispatch from the Gold Coast gives the
text of a proclamation by Governor Strahan relative to the
abolition of slavery, and of a memorial to the Queen by the
kings and chiefs of the Protectorate, dated December 30,
about a fortnight after the issue of the proclamation. The
latter declares it unlawful to sell, purchase, transfer, or
hold in pawn, any person as a slave. It also pronounces
void any contract for such purposes. The main ground of
the chiefs' memorial is that the action of Governor Strahan,
in absolutely abolishing slavery, goes beyond the proposal
which he made to them at the palaver in November.
For some time past the French press has been fre-
quently giving accounts of suicides, an epidemic not only
prevalent among the Civil population, but also in the Army.
The Commander-in-Chief a the 15th Corps d'ArruCe has is-
sued an Order condemning it in severe terms. "The
soldier," he says, "whe puts an end to his life is guilty of an
act of cowardice. His life belongs to God and to his
country." The general has decided that every soldier who
commits suicide shall be buried in the night without military
honours and without an escort.
Sir F. Peel, on behalf of the Railway Commis-
sioners, on Tuesday gave Judgment in the application of the
Midland Company to compel the Great Western Board to
fix equal rates and fares between competitive stations. The
equal rate for the first-class between London and Binning-
ham is to be lid. per mile of the Midland mileage, besides
the duty. As to Bristol and Bath traffic, the difference be-
tween the Midland's long mileage at lid. and the Great
Western's short mileage at 2d. was so small, that the Com-
missioners were of opinion that the first-class fare should
continue to be based upon the rate of 2d. per mile. Upon
the Gloucester and Cheltenham traffic the first-class fare
would be lid., and tile same between Birmingham and
Bristol, Gloucester, and Worcester.
According to the return of the Registrar-General,
2,535 births and 1,552 deaths were registered in London last
week. Allowing for increase of population, the births ex-
ceeded by 63, whereas the deaths were 109 below, the average
numbers in the corresponding week of the last ten years.
-The annual death-rate from all causes, which In the two pre-
, xicusiTieeka had been 24 end 25_per 1,000, de,eltnfd again last
week to 24. The-1,552 deaths ffilluded 2 film small-pox, 9
from measles, 43 from scarlet fever, 7 from diptheria, 47 from
whooping-cough, 27 from differenkforms of fever, and 9 from
diarrhcea ; thus to the seven principal diseases of the zymotic
class 144 deaths were referred, against 199, 180, and 171 in the
three preceding weeks.