The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-08-16 00:00:00

THE LADY .AND THE OCULIST.

Some time since • lady called upon a celebrated
foreign oculiet, in order to consult him on account of
her eyes, complaining that her power of vimion had of
Late considerably diminished (says the Court Journal).
At a glance the doctor saw she was a lady of rank and
wealth. He looked at her eyes, shook his bead, and
thought the treatment would require much time, as
there were reasons to fear aruaurome in her cape. He
must wlvise her, first of all, that, as she had informed
bin she wet rosiding a considerable distance in the
country, she must move into the city at once, and
thus enable him to sea her frequently, if powdble daily.
I.'ne lady Olen ranted an elegant mansion, moped boa
thd Lisy,_aud the physicists was punctual in Ills Attend.
atm. He prescribed this and than, anttbus days ran
Into weeks And weeks into Wens. The onre, bows
ever, was still coming. 1 he physlabus tried tomes's:ll
her. One day the patient bit- upon a carious schema,
and she waited not long to carry it ant. She pronred
for herself a very old and poser attire, pat • ho el of a
tremendous size upon her head, took an old umbrella
and market basket in her hand, and in thaw habill-

tante she visited her OTANI., for the par.
pAO • rainy day. She had so well ___ led in distort-
log and disguising herself that the eyes even of a lover
could scarcely have recognised her. She was obliged to
; wait along time in the ante-room of the physician with
, many others, who, like her, were seeking relief. At het
her turn came. "Well, my good woman, what have you
to complain of?" "Very bad eyes, doct,r," she an-
, steered. He took her to the light, looked into her
eyes, due-cincaeco rec.-arc6e CI patient. Shrugging
his shoulders, he said:—" Your eyes are well enough."
" Well ! " said she. " Ye. ; I know what lam saying."
"But I have b- en told that I was getting the a—l for-
get how it is called." " Amsuroeia" 'Ye., that le
it, doctor." "Don't you let me make you believe any
such nonsense. Your eyes are a little weak, but that
is all. Your physician is an ass ! " " An—? "
"Ye., an ems! Tell him boldly that I said so." The
lady now rose, and in her customary voice, said
"You are my physician; don't you know me?" The
face the sage counsellor made is easier to imagine than
describe. "Gracious madam," be commenced to
etsmnier an apology, but the lad_y would not listen to
him, and left him Indignantly. She never maw the gen-
tleman any more.

•-- selecting for
lEll°os-444rd 0

1 SHARK FISHING EXTRAORDINARY. —A Jersey
oorrespoodent writes:—" On Friday week a Jersey
fisherman, William Sherlock, whilst engaged ten
miles off the east coast of the island, fishing for
congor eel, caught a large male /hark of the blue•
bock species. It measured 71t. in length, and Mx
fin, in girth, and was taken to St. Hellen for pub-
lic exhibition. On Saturday last Sherlock was in
the same boat, in the sernsirmakr-7 .ow-..n0t".4.- 4h.
same occupation, when he hooked another shark, a
female' of the same species as the one previously
caught, but a little smaller in size. The presiunp
tion is that it was the companion if the earlier cap-
ture, and had been roaming disconsolately about the
locality in search of its mate till it was taken."

A oaseY RAlT.—Chinago papere recorded re-
cently the arrival of &raft containing 650,00011, of rough
logs, from Ludington, on the eastern shore of Lake Mi-
chigan, a distance of 160 miles. The raft was towed by a
steam tog, making the whole distance in 63 hours. The
raft was 1,1001 t. ling and 751 t. wide. The number of sec.
thus was 49 ; the number of logs in each section varied
from 15 to 20. An eight-inch screw-eye bolt was
screwed in each log, and as many logs as were aeons-
eery to make a section were fastened together by a
inch chain run through the eye-bolts and encircling the
outer logs. Two outer logs of each section were three
or four feet longer than the inner logs, and formed a
barrier, peotecting the inner logs from the outside waves
to some extent. The water inside the outer logs was
quite calm, the logs not giving it room to play its usual
capers. The outside logs of each *action were chained
together. The bow of the raft was furnished with a
cutwater made of two logs meeting in • point, and a
third log between them pert irming the useful functions
of a brace. On the end of this cutwater was a heavy
ring, to which the tow-line was attached. The logs
were securely connected by an immense length of
chain. The voyage was without accident. The raft
carried a lantern on each end, so that it might not be
run into. The value of the timber was about 25,000
dole. The cost of transportation from Luddington by
this raft was 500 dole. ; the cost of the transportation
in the old fashioned way would be about 2000 dole.

131.480NABLE OOCUaItENCS. The late hot
weather haa been attended with several cases of sun-
stroke, in one of which, that of a young lady, the
brain was unaffected, but the chignon took fire, the
sun'. ray's co-operating with internal heat to produce
what is erroneously called spontaneous combus-
tion. Considering the magnitude of the ricks which
girls continue to wear on their heads, the wonder is
that cases of this kind are not more frequent. —Punch
CHANGING TELL BItOAD GAUG It TO TIM NAIL-
ROw. —On Saturday morning the Bristol and South
Wales L'nlon Lice, about 12 miles in length, was
worked for the first time as a narrow gauge line, to
which it had been converted from the broad gauge
since half -paet ten o'clock on Thursday night. A large
staff, including 200 permanent way men, were, on
Thursday, draughted from the different districts of the
Great Western Railway Company, under whose en-
gineers the work was carried out, and the men, in
gangs of 20, took up their stations along the 12 milts of
broad gauge line precisely at half.paat ten o'clock on
Thursday night. 1 he width of the line bad to be reduced
from 7f , the broad gauge, to 4ft. 84 in., narrow gange. All
traff.c having been suspended, the work was commenced
simultaneously along the whale line, each gang taking
29 yards at a Hine. This was done along the whole
route, and they shifted the rail from the broad to the
narrow gauge and fixed it there. The men were allowed
the usual mealtimes, but during the 33 hours all their
meals had to be brought to them, and for that purpose
each gang of 20 had a man to attend upon them and to
cook their food. The whole of the works had been
completed in time for the half past seven o'clock train to
run over the narrow gauge line on Saturday morning,
and fortunately the men had fine weather each night
for their areluoua work.
Tug DIVORCIS CASE AGAnver BRIGHLM YOUNG.
—According to the latest American news, it is stated
that Brigham Young's seventeenth wife, who is 'tieing
the prophet for divorce and separate maintenance,
alleges in her petition, which hal been served upon
him, that she had two children by a former mar-
riage, and married the defendant in the year 1863.
He lived with her one year, and then almost entirely
deserted her, leaving her and her children to live on a
farm four suites away, where she had to do menial
work, and fare badly; that he visited her occasion-
ally, and never remained over an hour; that he tre4ted
her with eoorn and contempt, and exacted the earnings
of the farm; that the petitioner has called upon the
defendant frequently for maintenance; that she is in
feeble health, and under medical treatment; and that
she has been obliged to sell her furniture. The peti-
tioner sues for divorce on the ground of neglect and
bad treatment, and states that her husband has an
income of 400,000 dollars a month. The petitioner prays
for 200,000 dollars to be set aside from the defendant's
estate, and to be paid to her as alimony. Judge Emerson
will bold the court at which this remarkable case is to
be tried. The disclosures are looked forward to in New
York with great gusto.

A RAILWAY TO BC PRAIBID.—When I can
testify well f any public institution I always do so,
and I have great pleasure in recording the fact, that
the great Northern Railway of France is the moot
careful and economical railway in the world; not only
does it travel slowly where there is snow, but also
where there is not. The names of the stations are
so confidentially communicated, that nobody is tempted
to get out, by which means many socidenta are pre-
vented. As to space, there is not an inch wasted.
Eight people to eight places, and each of the eight
passengers may bring in any luggage less than a lady's
dress-box. There is communication between the car-
riages, consisting of a little window, against which •
bell handle tape all night lie a perpetual woodpecker,
and keeps not only the guards but the passengers on the
qui rive. As for warming the carriages, I can only say
that on the coldest night I have ever Nit, a first claw
carriage which I shared with seven slumbering—l may
add, snoring—Germans was as hot as the Black
Hole ! I congratulate the shareholders, and the pas-
sengers on having performed the journey—From
" Court and &vial Life in France under Napoleon ,'
by Whitehurst.

ROYALTY IN • Sroant.—The other day the
Queen of the Belgians, accompanied by the Princess
Louise, drove out from Spa to visit the cascade at Coo;
but near the village of La Gleiz a chunderstorm came
en, acid Her Majesty was obliged to seek the nearest
shelter. •che courier accordingly rang at the door of
an auberge, where the landlady, seeing the two ladies,
positively refused to admit such people into her house.
Fortunately a email farm•bouse stood not far off, and
the good dame not only admitted the ladies, but called
to her husband, who opened his barn for the carriage
and poniee. The storm c erne on with unwonted
violence,. and lasted for so long a time that
the Queen and Princess accepted the oiler of the
hostels' to occupy two beds, humble in appearance,
but scrupulously white and clean. On Her Majesty
intimating a wish that a message were sent to Spa, the
farmer offered to carry a note thither, and act out
through the storm. The household of the Queen at
Spa were much relieved from their anxiety on receipt
of Her Majesty's letter, and a °lose carriage was at
once despatched in which the Queen and Princess left
the farm at 3 a.m. Later in the day Her Majesty
drove out again to Gleize, and thanked her host and
hostess, not omitting to give a few gold pieces to the
servants.

A JOKE TC/RATED INTO REALITY !—A curious
coincidence lately happened at Leige. A foreign
merchant came to that town to look up some of his
debtors, and mf eting one of them in the street, observed
that he was looking for him, as be thought it high time
that the account between them should be settled. "I
should be only too glad," replied M. X., "but you
cannot draw blood from a stone." "Then," said the
creditor, "I ehall have ecourse to extreme measures'
"Now I think of it," cried X., "I shall soon
rexire an important legacy.. I will, therefore
give you • bill at three months for the whole
amount, and this I promise to meet." "Very well;
where shall I find you ?" inquired toe merchant. "At
No. 29, Rae Robermont." The bill having become
due, a clerk was sent by the creditor to the above
address. As No. 29 proved to be the cemetery, the
messenger suspected a joke, but, neverthelese, inquired
of the porter whether M. X. was within. " Certainly,"
replied the man, "he has been here since yesterday.'
"I run come about a bill." "A bill upon X. ! I tell
you he was buried yesterday." X. had only intended
to play an unworthy trick upon his creditor, but he
actually died a little before the expiration of the three
months, and, therefore, actually occupied the mournful
abode he bad named in jest.
A Pace OF Goon Luca.—The President of
the United States has, according to the Colorado
papers, had a lucky windfall. When he was in that
State, an enthusiastic admirer, in shaking hands with
him one night at his hotel, slipped into his hand a deed
conveying to Ulysses S. Grant an tuidivided half-
intereet in a silver mining lode, situated in Clear Creek
County. The President accepted it with his usual
courteey, and probably went home without having
given him new silver mine any very serious considers.
tion. But now it turns out that his partner—that is,
the, to him. unknown individual who owns the other
hall—has been digging in the mine and has struck
"an uncommonly paying lead." It is said that in
comparison with the owner ot this lead Dives was in
abject want, and the fellows in the "Thousand and
One Nights" were besgars. For fifty feet, as far as
It has been explored, the "pay wreak " is from taelve
inches to four feet in width, mostly of grey copper nod
brittle Weer, ant wonderfully rich. One assay showed
a coin value of 1,280 dollars to the ton, and the now.
bar of tone is supposed to be as the leaves in \ration.
brosa. There is a dear vein of wealth in sight, where
the President can put his hand on it, ant nobody
knows to what internal depths or widths the lead may
extend.

MR. BAIRD'S GIFT. —The objects contem-
plated by Mr. Baird, of Atichmedden, in presenting
half a million of money to the Church of Scotland
are enlightened and patriotic. The trust deed under
which " The Baird Trust," as it is termed, Is nonfat-
toted explains these with sufficient distinctness. The
generous donor is " impreesed with the extent to which
spiritual destitution prevails atnong the poor and work-
ing population of Scotland." He is convinced the
only effective means ef remedying the evil is by " pro- ,
perly organised and endowed parochial work." That
has been rendered all the more necessary now. "There
appears to be a tendency to a departure from the ,
truth, and to an ezcludon of religion in the tea b-
ing of the young, and that the means available
by law are insufficient to provide for the faithful
preaching and teaching of the Word of God."
One characteristic of the scheme, and a very
wise one, is that the trustees shall as much as
possible aid the existing agencies, but only on condition
that thee efficiency and usefulness have been put be-
yond doubt. In this way the energies of thou, at pre-
sent engaged in promoting the work of the Cbuich
will be stimulated, and there will be • motive to In-
creased liberality on the part of contributors to the
Church's funds, Mr. Baird has been lung known ace
public-spirited and liberal citizen, and when the S "nen
Ednoation Bill was before Parliament he did good
service IA helping to utamtnin the distbscdvely religions
character of Boots* educAtion. He seem, however, that
the Act leaves math tp be done to Mame the CORSltitl•
since of the reagents element, and that fresh pravision
mud be made for the wpm Detemileg at it does
on the will of the ratepayers, whose views necesearily
durtnate, the only security MP its permanence will
lie in providing for It by means of endowed organize.
dons.

"ME BETTER THE DAY," &C.— RU,Stit (to
Curate ~,ho dabbles in Photography). "I'd be Tureble
much Obliaed, Zur, if you 'd Map off my Pictur',
Zar, ! "—Curate. "W.ll, my Mao, I'a take your
Lakeoeue for you. When will you Come ?"—Raittc.
" Well, Zar, if you 're no 'bjectione, I be mosatly
Cleaned up and hay moaat Time o' Zunday Marnin's,
Zor ! ! "—Punch.

tit PoTh.ro rgiszeez.—A Corresporafent re-
cently wrote to us (The Times) as to the appearance of
the potatoe disease, and invited opinions as to. remedy.
"Rustic" writes The best known remedy is to
out off the haulm close to the ground as soon as it shows
symptoms of attack. By this means y oit preserve the
tabors sound, though they will not inure.° in sire
alter; but they will ripen perfectly, which ;Race.'
commehcee immediately upon being dep.Tived of the
haulm. The above is not my own experience only
but ales that of oae of our greatest horticulturists."

THE BRITISH Foltz; .—A return ordered
on the motion of Mr. Vernon Harcourt, M. P., shows
the number of regular forces mamteined for service in
the United Kingdom for sada ye-ir since 1800. The
century was commenced with 70 745 men of all arms, •
number which, decreasing t 50 000 odd in 1803, rose
from 101,000 in 1804 to 133 265 in 1808, the largest
number of men we have had on the books during the
peeizi over which the return extends. In 1831 the
number had sunk down to 42,915, but rose again to
about 00,000 in 1844, and to 68,659 in 1854, the year of
the outbreak of the Russian war. In 1857 we had
96,000 men ; in the following year, 64,000, below which
number we have never since gone. The number set
down for 1872 is 101,145; for this year, 98,719.
MEETLEG OF biliendia.— On Saturday about
3,000 miners assembled in a field near Seaham Harbour,
granted for the occasion by the Marquis of London-
(ferry. After about 1,800 had partaken of tea, Mr
Laverick, of Sunderland, addressed the assemblage.
He coniddered that the Miners' Union with Its vast
wealth, would not be perfect until they built alms.
houses for miners over 60 years of age. Supposing
they were building a place for the accommodation of
10,000, one of every 37 miners in Great Britain. A half.
penny upon each ton of coals raised in one year would
realize sufficient money for such an institute, and • simi-
lar amount paid annually would give to each et the
10,000 men £27. Mr. Patterson, of Durham, spoke at
length regarding co-operation. A colliery had been
purchased in Northumberland for the miners in that
county in shares of £5 each, and be hoped that each
man would contribute his 2a, per week, so that he
could have a share of the large profit. Then they
would have that power which they ought to possess;
they could come forward and demand manhood suf-
frage, which would result in sending of men to Perlis.
ment who would protest against such increase of income
as that just now awarded to the Duke of Ed nhurgh.
They would by co-operation soon be abh purchase
the whole of the collieries in England. it might be
asked what would they do with the present local
owners? Why they would pension them off. The
speakers were warmly applauded.
THE ROUP.—" Come awa now, come awa," he
cried, bustling about on the cart, and flourishing a
heavy yellow staff, with which he pointed to the
articles on sale or held up a portion of them for °biter.
vation ; 'come awa, gentlemen, there's a heap of
work to be done the-day, and not over much time to
Via through wi't ; so give me your bodes sharp, like
decent folk. Here's a fine set of cart harness—whet
do you say for them? Come AWL let's have •
beginning." "A note" (a pound), cried a voice "A
notel—havers ; you could not get the marrows of them
new for ten notes; and they are as good's new—
better, in fact, for they have been tried, and ye ken
what they can do. But there's somebody going to
give me a sensible bode—l see him." "Where—where
do you nee him?" queried a voice with an emphasis
which provoked • laugh on account of the auctioneer's
squint. The reply was prompt—" I see him where
yell never stand, billie—in the 'noon of an honest
man."—From "For Lack of Gold;" by Charles Gibbon.

11011 Z HONOUR.B.—Ihe Shah _ has conferred
on the Lord Mayor (who deserves all his distin tions)
the Order of the Lion and 8111). This sounds rather
like a public house sign, and perhaps it is not to be re-
gretted that we cannot return the compliment by in-
vesting the Grand Vizier with the Elephant and
Castle, or the George and Dragon. —Punch.
"NOT AFRAID to Dia !"—An association
formed for the purpose of advancing human knowledge
in cookery has sent us ite- circular. We are sure the
aesociatien will appreciate the following anecdote,
which we give fonts editication :—A venerable clergy-
man states that he was one of twa missionaries who
were once captured by cannibals, and were about to
be cooked and eaten. His companion was a man who
appreciated the good things of the table, and prided
himself upon his cookery. As the crisis of his fate ap-
proached his moanings were piteous. The other ex-
horted him to bear up, telling him that to die is gain,
and all that. "It ain't that, ' groaned the miesionary ;
" I'm not afraid to die, but it breaks my heart to
think that those savages don't know how to make a
decent gravy."