The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-05-15 00:00:00

It is reported that a----'-monkey recently robbed the
Commissioner's Office at Lucknow of a considerable number
of stamps, and successfully evaded'caPture !
Opportunely for Michael Angelo's centenary in the
coming Autumn, thirty-six documents throwing interesting
light upon his life and work have been discovered at Rome.
Berlin merchants are said to be signing an address
to the Emperor petitioning for au Exhibition of industry, to
be held at the German capital in 1878. Thea Exhibition, like
that of 1847, is to include only Gerinala manufactures.
A seaman belonging .to Abe. Ron jaylc,e, lately em-
ployed on the China station, ?las jttht,received from the
Japanese government the sum of £lo6ol,cOmpensation for
ill-treatment by the Japanese police. _ • "= '
-
A marble statue of theWirgin and* Child, supposed
to have been executed by the early French sculptor Justus
de Tours, has recently been discovered in a chateau near
Orleans, where it has lain unnoticed for years.
In consequence of the bad state of trade in Dundee,
there is a movement on foot for working the mills lour instead
of six days a week. It is anticipated, however, that the
mantifacturers will not be unanimous as to this, but will stop
portions'of their waiks as they find it necessary to do so.
In the course of -June a meeting of Mennonites
frem all parts of the World is to be held at Berlin. Delegates
from Eagland. RtiOia, and North and South America are ex-
peetato tikke Part in the piveeddings; )
The, Pglist Tori4an, !announces that the Comte do
Chambord,'Wholias neVer'liefore conferred any decoration,
has given the Crarof St. Louis, worn by Charles X., to his
godson, the Conde de 8ar41,2n account of his bravery at the
battle of Lacar.
The Agent-General for New Zealand has received
advices of the arrival in that colony of the following emigrant
ships :—Dallant Tower, .Fritzreuter, Baron Aberdare,
Timaru. William Davie, Edwin For, and Fernglen.
The offertory at Westminster Abbey, after the
Special Festival Service on Ascension Day, when the Duke
and Duchess of Edinburgh were present, amounted to
£238 ea. scL
Statistical tables show that there are in the whole
world about 164 cities with 100,000 inhabitants ; 9 with over
1,000,000; 12 with from 1,000,000 clown to 500,000; 20 with
from 300,000 to 400000; 33 with from 200,090 to 300,000 ;4x14
90 with from 100,000 to 200,000. The aggregate of the POPu
lation of these large cities comprise 50,000,000 inbabitants- ,
that is to say, the twenty-eighth part of the entire popula
tion of the globe.
In London, on Monday, the general meeting of the
British and Foreign School Society was presided over ones
more by Earl Russell, who delivered an impressive address,
in the course of which he regretted, amongst other evils
which has recently befallen us, the evil of a perversion of the
Scriptures. He was glad to say, however, that in their
society they had always kept to the words of the Bible, and
construed them in their plain sense, and he hoped that the
schools in connection with the society would continue to in-
crease.
On his arrival at Berlin the Emperor Alexander was
received by the German Emperor and all the royal princes,
attended by the field marshals and principal generals of the
army. The two sovereigns, having greeted each other, drove
together into the town, which was gaily decorated in honour
of the imperial visitor. The emperor first paid his respects
to the Empress AllgaSta at the royal palace, and then pro-
ceeded to the Russian Embassy.
At a mass meeting of railway servants belonging to
Preston and district the following resolution was passed :
" That this meeting is of opinion that ten hours per day and
six days per week is a fair basis of agreement for all classes
of railway men (excepting signalmen) with their employers.
and that in justice Sunday duty should be paid for as over-
time, or one day in the ensuing week should be granted in
lieu for rest ; and that time worked beyond ten hours each
day ought to be paid as overtime.
A dangerous poison has recently been discovered to
exist in the bamboo cane. The cavity at each joint contains
a quantity of small black fibrous matter, covered with an
almost imperceptible coating of tissue, which conceals the
poison. If swallowed, the filaments do not pass into the
stomach, but remain in the throat, produce violent inflam-
mation, and finally death. Juvenile smokers of the cane
ought, therefore, to be careful.
The increase in the exportation of fire arms and also
in gunpowder this year is remarkable. In the last four
months the value of arms was £178,220, and of gunpowder
£140,740. Last year the sums were respectively £108,464 and
£134,131.
The performance at the Paris Opera on Satur
night, for the benefit of the families of those who losttdi
lives by the ascent of the Zenith balloon, .was highly suc-
cessful, and is said to have produced 26,8001 r.
The Westminster committee of the Charity Organi-
sation Society have held a special meeting at Grosvenor
House, Sir Rutherford Alcock presiding, when it was resolved,
on the motion of Sir Baldwin Leighton, to appoint a sub-
committee to inquire into the best means of utilising exist-
ing charitable funds and institutions, to set on foot new
provident funds, and generally to promote provident habits.
The Italian newspapers announce the discovery the
other day at Pompeii of a painting said to be of more Im-
portance than any hitherto brought to light, It represents
Laocoon according to the description given by Virgil. Its
state of preservation is such as to warrant a hope that it
may be found possible to remove it to the museum.
A drawing-master who had been worrying a pupil
with contemptuous remarks about his deficiency of skill
In the use of the pencil, ended by saying, "If you were to
draw me, for example, tell me what part you would draw
first !" The pupil with a significant meaning 4 in his eye,
looked up in his master's face, and quietly said,
Your neck,
sir."
The number of dogs in Paris, calculated from the
tax returns, is ia round figures 70,000—that is to say, so
many pay the duty. But 10,000 more are supposed
to live
in the streets without home or master. The computation as
to the whole of the race in France has not as yet been made
accurately, but an approximate estimate gives a total of over
, million.