The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-12-06 00:00:00

aftisrtilantous flteiligenrt,

UNE, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

ONE CHUM MORI 7011. THI LiDIZB.-24r.
Punch offers his liesrty congratulstions to the Ladies
who been elected members of the School ILarde
—he wishes they were not so few—and takes leave ta
apprise them that they will find some most useful
scholastic information in a little publication (now
real), entitled Panch's Pocket .Book for 1874. —Punch

CuTJBTY RAVI& —According to the official
tablee just issued. the valuation for county assessments
In the jeer ended Michaelmas. 1872. WU £93,785,769,
and the police asaessomnt £62,953,565. The reason
why the police assessment is so much less than the
county assessment arises from the circumstance Out
the metropolis and several large towns Ruppert their
own force. Compared with the preceding year, the
difference was more last year by £1,637,323 in county
assessment, and £1,265,949 police. Last year the
receipts were £2 583,199, against £2,537,473 in 1871,
showing an Mere.° of £45,726. The expeediture last
year was £2 515 579, sod in 1871 £2,544,521, being a
decrease of £28,942 The amount of loans effected
upon the security of the rates. and outstanding at
lilichaelwaa, 1872, was RS 361,512.

• . •
Arrserrio biranita.—The domestic servant,
Zara &lag; erdo wag nearry mind-trial by her sweet-
heart, • young man named Isaac Shoebridge, in
eheffiel 3, on Sunday night, was in such • critical con-
dition that the Mayor and another magistrates took her
deposition at the public hospital, where she hoe heen
lying since the occurrence. The deposition set forth
that the girl, who was a domestic servant at Wesley-
cottage, had kept company with Shoebridge for some
months past, but eventually broke off the acquaintance,
They had a quarrel before they parted, and he threat-
ened to do her violence. At ten o'clock on Sunday
night the girl was going towards Wesley-cottage when
her lover sprang from a hedge non the side of the
road, and wising her by the shoulders, ran a knife into
her left side, saying, " swing for you." The girl
was taken to the hospital in a cab, and the pr sower
was apprehended The prisoner, who was presentwhile the above deposition was being taken, was asked
if he wished to ask any questions, and replied" Nona
at all."

A BABY 13Tosy.—The Court Journo/ narrates
the tAllowiair :
A lady took lath yotusged to a dootor's for
sad eat down In the ante-room. Prematly I:er=
another lady with a baby, and a friendly eoneenation
manned. At length the ne w wiser asked to, first to hold
her baby for a moment wird, she went into the air, as the
idea of basing her bsby vaorlnated made best feel faint. The
lady took the stranger's lathy. But the ithwitaw retained
not, and at length the lsdy was 1411111Ldod that she must 110.
in vain she protested that she had • baby too many. fthe
Sold that she could not May there, and was obliged it
length topeke her esoowd little charge with her. 10.0 w be-
same necessary to think of how beet to Moose of the an-
welcome little stranger. The workhouse woo Wad, but the
authorities refused to take It in. anti' inquiries could be
made. At length chance and • gifted legal student relieved
the good people of their trouble. The child wee mat out la
the oars of • gement, who, waildng In the vicinity of She
Middle recaps prdens, was adoosted by two law lialkila&
Would she let sham hold the baby I—the 7 I=ilielabd.
The servant girt ooyly refused. lint they NM
lialgisdantleat taut abs tole, eredi
run sierte
rel;B4la=
oormer, and was Wet to Vie viols of air astonished
while she ran oft with the 10011 Intelligence dud=
got rid of the " • lir& baby." Wild the student has dome with
Ch.rg• is hot stated ; but the bola of the case &ppm
to be wall known to all the barrialen of the Inn. They say ha
never before could matriculate.

Rcroz CrrT.—The City of London ii fore-
mod in deeds of hospitality, charity, and munificence,
but it is sadly behindhand in acts of gallantry. Alone,
of all the Metropolitan Constituencies, the CiLtil
not allow the Ladies to vote at the school
Electioo. The Corporation may tremble in their shoes
and boots. The energetic female will now be clam-
orous for reform. —Punch.

BIRMINGHAM AND THE JRWRI,I.IIII,y 'rl4Dl.-
" The jewellery trade," as,. kin J. Wright, in writing
upon the subj,ct, "furnishes a most interesting and
Important Illustration of a peculiarity which olame
Birmingham in favourable oonteeet with every other
large town and centre ef industry in the kingdom
namely the large number of small but independent
manufacturer, it nip . There are comparatively
few large manufactonles, most of the articles for which
it le noted being produced in shops where five to fifty
hands are employed. Probably nine out of every ten
of the master ewellers who Sr. now carrying on business
on &air own account were originally workmen. In one
instance, at beet, not fewer than twelve independent
concerns are now in entire operation, each employing
• number of hands, the principtls of these twelve con.
oerns having all been employed as apprentices or work-
men in • manufactory which itself ham been established
within twenty-five years. All that is needed for a
workman to start sks a roaster is • peculiarly-shaped
bench and • leather apron, one or two pound.' worth
of tools (including a blow-pips), and for materials a
few sovereigns and some ounces of copper and zinc.
His shop may be the top room of hie home, or a small
building over the witehhenee, at a rent of Is. or 2s. 6d.
per week, and the indispensable gas jet, which the gas
company will supply on credit With these apt
anoes, and • skilful hand, he may produoe mad - p
studs, links, rings, lockets, dm, for all of which he will
And a ready market on the Saturday, among the
numerous • factors' whose special bushier it is to
supply the shopkeepers throughout the country."
. _

- -
iiollBoLkTiolr.—llousema- id. "I'm sorrj to
hear you 'ye Loot year Uncle, hiary."—Kiwy. • Yes,
It was quite Sudden. But—ain't it a real Comfort as
I got that Black Dress, instead of the Green see you
wanted me to Boy ?" —Punch.
Tam Pantessa Loins' AT hivisAiT.—lt is
well known that her Royal Highness the Princess
Louise I. in the habit of vi•ithe the poor families on
the Argill rotated; in much the same way as her Royal
mother loves to do at Balmoral. The following nar-
rative we (CourS Jourual) have reason to believe is
strictly authentic :—A short time ago the Princess was
making her usual round of visits to some poor people
near Inverary, accompanied by her husband, when she
went into the house of an old bed-ridden women about
100 years of age. The Royal visitor " speared "of the
old dame whether she was in want of any assitmook
The "add wife" thereupon asked the Primes to help
her to a "wee drap o' tea" from the teapot which was
before the fire. The Royal lady got up to comply
with the request, but on lifting the teapot discovered
that there was no tea therein. Upon informing the
old woman of this, the latter requested her Rom'
visitor to "just put a wee drappie o' water intilt." This
only presented another difficulty—no water could be
found in the holes. Thereupon the Princess, with a
smile, called in the aid of her noble spouse, who at
once proceeded to the public well class by and procured
a supply of water, with which—when boiled—his
Royal helpmeet proceeded to "mask" a bran new cup
of hea,to the great delight of the old woman.

ALLZOID ADO Lint/MON Or SHBRILY.
" You rogue, bare 'm lima An this sack too."—Palagsf;
—Punch.

LITE IN BILAZIL.—A fair Idea of life in Branil
may be gained from the following statement, which
comes from • good source :—A young Brazilisn and
him wife, riding towards Forquilhas, were attacked by
• savage dog, which rushed at them from • hones.
The lady's mule becoming frightened, it threw her,
and she fell on her head with such force, that her skull
crashed like • nutshell. The unhappy hnaband drew
• pietol and killed the dog. The owner of the dog,
infuriated at his loan Weed a gun and shot the young
man dead, but was immediately slain by a ball from
the young man's peon, who had witnessed the catas-
trophe, and thus avenged his maater's death. The
peon was tried for murder, but the jury acquitted him
nom L. Fozam.—The prevailing colour in
Paris since Marshal MacM•hon'e re-election,
Magenta,—Punch.
TEM "LITTLE JOCEER " xy Counr.—ln the
vod old times in li.-ntncky, when "substantial
justice" was admini.tered in a log cabin, after a very
free and may manner, • snit was brought to recover
certain money of which it was alleged plaintiff had
been defrauded by the ingenioua operation known as
" thimble-rigging." In the course of the trial, plain.
tiff's counsel, who happened to be an "expert," under.
took to enlighten the court are to the masa opersedi
of the performance. Putting himself into position, he
produced the three cups and the "little jooker,"
and proceeded, suiting the action to the word
"Then, may it please the court, the defendant,
placing the cups on his knee um, began shifting
them so, tffering to bet that my client could not
tell under wnich cup was the "little j ,cker "—meaning
thereby, may it please the court, this ball—
with the intention of defrauding my client of the
sum thus wagered. For instance, when I raise the cup
so, your honour supposes that you see the balL" "Sup-
pose I see I" interrupted the judge, who had closely
watched the performance, and was sure that he had
detected the bail as one of the cups was accidentally
raised. "Why, any fool can see where it is, and bet
on it and sure to win. There ain't no defrauding Sher."
"Perhaps your honour would like to go • Von It?"
insinuated the counseL "Go •V' Yes, and double
it, too, and here's the rhino. It's under the middle
cup." "I'll go aV on that," said toe foreman of the
jury. "And I, and I," joined in the jurors one after
the other, until each one had invested his pile, "Up I
said his honour. "Up" it was, bet the "little jocker "
had mysteriously disappeared. Judge and jury were
enlightened, and found no difficulty in bringing in a
verdict in favour of the plaintiff on the ground that it
.was the "darneclat kind o' defraudin'. "

A BLACK DIAMOND DROP.—The beet news we
have heard of late is teat opals have Mien suddenly
three shillings • ton. Still eight-and thirty shillings
Is • terrible price for Wallsend—which is not really
Walleend, and indeed in many cases is hardly more
combustible than the stones or brick% and mortar
which its name seems to imply. With coals at such •
pria-, we are not surprised to see that "The Diamond
Fuel Company " has been started to supply us. We
never sit by our fireside now without thinking what
we pay for inch a precious luxury. Our black diamonds
are gems wellnigh too costly for combustion. Haply
we may live to see them set in necklacee and bracelets,
like other members of the brilliant family whence
sprang the Hoh-l-Hoor.—Pencn.
Liz FALL IR OciaL—On the recent fall in the
price of Coal, the Economist remarks :

filum Fridsy oole the price of coal on the London Coal
Exchange has li-orreduoed es. per ten and this fall occurring
it the =winging of winter, Is an u doubted sign that the
natural cans,. which were sure to =in s about a reducilon la
price are at length bestnning to tea. The business world
rover bad much doubt, whatever theortata might think, that
the price of coal had gone tr 3, 54 other noir mAterals had
gone up, and that the price. bans much Inflated beyond the
cost of production, would work It. own cure. As with other
articles, the result of the hiell price would to • rush to qv-
duce more and • contraction of &mod ; and at a certain
moment the combination of these causes would make the price
tall almoat as suddenly as it had gone up. All this has iota-
ally happened. The rush to open new pits and extend old
workings boa been very great during theta= two yeses, soda.
the d -mend all the while has been tending to &mint* the
Omer Anproximatb n of the price to the cost of production
begins. Much f the p, it alarm Is thus Mown to have been
superfluous It ISlut ,ot point to sponlanapn wholllsercosi
will again fill permatontly to Its old level, though, according
to all experience, It .1 likely to dose temporarily, but In any
eaa, the onion at lall will be to all appearance to • much
lower level than the prest no. The reduction in mai ought
be • cause of improved profits In many Israd,s daring the
next few yeses. . - _

ABS IMMIX T TO INOO3III-TA X. —An Inland
Revenue Ratner, recently issued, shows that the
amount of property and income assessed to incense-tax
In the Bnanci.l year 1871-72 exceeded the amount
for the precedirg year, chiefly in the item of income
from trades and profusion,. The amount assessed
tindr schedule A. in respect of lands, tene-
ments, dm, was £142.73,057, an increase of only
£744,738 over the preceding year. Under schedule
B. the amount assessed in reepect of the ecru-
pation .4 lands was £31,474,766 in England, and
£7,142 715 In Scotland and Ireland, the former
sum showing • decree... of £315,281, and the latter
an increase of £44 077 ; in respect of nurseries and
market gardens, £106,104, a decrease of £2,108. Under
schedule C, in respect of public dividends, annuities,
An., the amount assessed was £38,646,360, an increase
of £527,820. Schedule D presents • different account.
Toe amount assessed under that schedule, in the year
187172, in respect of the prefite of profeasioes, trade;
employments, railways, mines, Ironworks, and the like,
was £189,305,247, being no lees than £13.229,748 more
than in the preceding year, or 18 times the amount of
the increase of the other great schedule—namely,
Schedule A. Schedule E shows an eameamexte at
25 391.6.53 in respect of public office., an Increase of
£723,110.

i--A-nit—EINE 07 LITTLE A OCIDINTIL —A gerMan
artist in New York went to buy a pot of paint, and to
borrow a ladder. He got the paint and ladder, and
then tied the paint pot on the end of the ladder, and
_put the /adder on hie ebsaddee -7'..lse argtaar jtrair"
said, "Dee is the thing, des bit geschickt," and started
for his home. Pretty soon the artist saw • fellow
countryhaen he knew in • adore, and he turned round
to 'Truk to him, and drove one end of the ladder into
a millinery case, sad knocked the crown out of an
eighteen dollar bonnet Then he bsdred of in aright,
and knocked down two sewing machine agents With
the other end. Then be started to turn round, and an
old gentleman who was desperately endeavouring to
pull his wife on of danger, saw the peril, sad shouted
out, " Hi, there I you German artist,' But it was too
late. The pot Arndt against an awning Peel t' °a°
side, and the entire contents went over the aged couple.
This so startled the artist that he whirled completely
round, smashing in an entire stone front, friEtrang
een
• milkmen's team, and knocking over some t
of
the
persons who were actively cleAleg
d "3
gd"erJ He I.
way. Then he dropped the ulo-er, 112t1 ii,;dat ei 04
ing home to Germany to lecture On the sr