The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-03-07 00:00:00

Diaellaatess aintligtat,

SOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

CONVICTION OF PICKPOCKETS.—In London, On
Tuesday, the four men so cleverly captured by the
police just as they had received a consignment of
stolen watches from Liverpool were tried at the Cen-
tral Criminal Court on one indictment relating to the
robbery of nineteen watches, &c., and there were four
other indictments of a similar nature. All this
plunder was the result of robberies from the person,
and not, as might have been supposed, the produce of
a wholesale operation at some watchmaker's establish-
ment. It was clearly proved that one of the prisoners
named Rogers sent off the box of watches from Liver-
pool, and the others, Hyatt. Irvine, and Johnson,
received them in London. Rogers was sentenced to
five and Byatt to ten years' penal servitude, and the
others to two years' hard labour each. The gentleman
of Liverpool may now therefore wear their watches in
peace and safety for some time to conic.
A PUFF ADVERTISEMENT.—A grocer in Quebec
advertises:—
The peculiar delicacies of the far-elf Ind, and the finely-
flavoured and humanisicg leaf of the still further Cathay;
the more exciting, though not less delicious berry of Brasil,
and the spices, sugars, and luscious fruits of the Antilles:
the sugared condiments and the blood-euriching wines of
the Mediterranean, and the salt-cured and brain-renewing
fish of our own stormy gull.
What he means to say is, that he sells tea, coffees,
and codfish, cheap for cash.
A NEW EAU DE COLOGNII.—M.
, principal of the wealthy banking-house of Cologne,
has just received the title of baron from the Pruesusia
government. A journal, in mentioning the fact,
states that a few years back a member of the same
firm, perhaps the one above referred to, was reading
the visiting card of a confrere who had added the name
of the town in which he was born, and then reduced
his own family appellation to the simple initiaL
"here is another banker who has made himself a
noble," he remarked with a smile; "I shall soon be
the only commoner in the business." " Why not fol-
low his example," observed a friend, "you have only
to put on your card, 0 de Cologne."
PARRICIDE IN FRANCE.—A young man named
Gendre, of Orcerette (Cantal), has just been tried for
parricide. The crime had its origin in sonic family
jealousy arising out of motives of interest The father,
a farmer, was in difficulties and wished his son to
marry, in order to himself receive the dowry of the
daughter-in-law, with which to pay sonic pressing
debts; the accused, however, declined to comply with
this arrangement, and declared that he would not
marry while his father was alive. The latter being
irritated at this refusal, made a will leaving that
portion of his property of which he had the disposal,
according to the I rench law on successions, to his son-
in-law. The son, in his turn, considered himself
aggrieved, and lying in wait at night for his father,
shot him dead. He is now condemned to hard labour
for life.
DUTIES ON WILLS AND BEQUESTS.—A Par-
liamentary return shows that in the financial year
1866-67 duty was paid in the United Kingdom on
42,173 probates of wills, letters of administration, and
testamentary inventories. The number of deaths in
the year may be taken as approaching 700,000, but
more than half would probably be deaths of minors.
It would appear, then, that about one in eight of the
adults dying must have left personal property worth
at least £loo—the point at which the duty commences;
and as the tax produced £1,735,868, the duty would
average more than £4l for each case. But this is the
" gross sum produced," and most probably be under-
stood as paid on an estimate of the property before
deducting for debts.
A SINGULAR BEQUEST.—The Will Of William
Barnes, which has been proved in the London court,
contains the following bequest:
1 give and bequest unto the Chancellor of the Exchequer
of Great Britain for the use of the nation all my estate and
effects, whatsoever and wheresoever, both real and personal,
after having paid all my lawful debts, and the three following
legacies of £lOO, £5O, and £4O to his servants free of duty, the
executor receiving full compensation for his trouble. Should
the Chancellor of the Eichequer refuse to accept the same,
then it shall revert to the executor, the Rev. Thomas SuelL
Independent minister, to be used by him as shall appear to
be most in harmony with the mind of the testator as
expressed by him.
A LADY VIOLINIST.—A lady :violinist lies just
presented herself at the popular concerts, and seems to
have turned the heads of the Parisians, who declare
her to be equal to Paginini. Her name is Madame
Norman Neruda, horn near Prague in 1840, and now
in her twenty-eighth year. She is married to a Swede,
was a pupil of Zangas, and studied at the Imperial
, Academy of Music at Vienna. When only seven
I years old she gave her first public concert She is
young, blonde, elegant, and has a dignified air—and
yet modest, if not shy, of her remarkable talent.
Applause does not disconcert her. It is only after
the brilliant execution of the most diflieult wore .aux
that her cheeks show a blush as she makes her bow.
FINE WRITING !—Mr. J. W. Forney, c!erk of
the United States Senate, gives a description of a party
lately given by a Senator of Michigan. The story tills
two columns of the Philadelphia Press. Mr. Forney
speaks of " parlours decorated with exotics of chaste
and highly original design." "Carriage after
carriage," he says. "rolled up and deposited their
contents." Miss Chandler is described as "a fair
brunette, with golden locks, which were slightly
awntrielwceith.tV vnetri.."er,Hie,
is,peenaikesnto9f, aealairrliyngswh:birwx
lets, and rings ; on her left breast was a bird composed
a the same rare jewels, and on her left shoulder a
square pin, fastened by a loop of green velvet, which
exhibited the colours of the rainbow as the diamonds
reflected the lights of the apartment"
DRUNKENNESS IN THE ARMY.—Sir C. E.
Trevelyan has written a thoughtful letter on the sub-
ject of drunkenness in the army, a vice which statistics
prove to be greatly on the increase. Sir Charles's re-
medy is to expel from the service all bad or incorrigi-
ble characters, and to attract to it a much higher class
of men, by throwing open to the private soldier a
portion of the military and nearly the whole nf the
, administrative promotion. He is justly severe in con-
demning "Sergeant Kite's malpractices. There is no
doubt that the recruiting sergeant in many instances
I accomplishes his object by pandering to that very
appetite for drink which ultimately leads the young
greenhorn who pockets the shilling to grave breaches
of military discipline. Besides, in garrison towns
there are too many facilities for intemperance.
WOOL IN REQUEST AT WASHINGTON.—A Con-
temporary's correspondent at Washington begins his
letter with the following observation :
"This has been a week of great cry and of very little wool."
Great cry in the political metropolis of the United
States is usual. But what of little wool? We suppose
that, of the many coloured gentlemen whom the
partiality of Congress must have attracted to Wash-
ington, an uncommonly few had been having their hair
cnt —Punch.
SIR DAVID BREWSTER AND THE PEACE SOCIETY.
—The Herald of Peace says that, unlike many much
smaller men, who, while prof esein g themselves friends of
I peace, think it necessary and becoming nevertheless to
I sneer at those who by organised and persevering effort
are doing their utmost to promote that cause. Sir David
I cordially recognised and encouraged the Peace Society,
acknowledged the value of its services, and publicly
associated himself with it on more than one occasion.
He did so especially and conspicuously when he became
President of the great Peace Congress held at Exeter
Hall in 1851. We remember well, when in company
with Mr. Cobden, we waited upon him to ask his ac-
ceptance of that office, the modest, lint ready and
cordial spirit in which he responded to our request
Shortly after the Congress of 1851, Sir David wrote a
long and elaborate article in the North British Review,
giving a full history of the rise and progress of the
Peace movement Ever after he retained a lively in-
terest in the question. It is with some pride we
remember that he was a constant reader of our little
periodical, and every now and then wrote to us, calling
our attention to something which he had met with in
the course of his readings, likely to interest us, as bear-
ing on the subject iif peace.
THE VELOCIPEDE NUJ SANCE.—The Paris corres-
pondent of the Daily Dltyraph writes :
get there is another and a serious nuisance horrible boys,
and detestable men, go running about the streets and roads
on machines which look like the ghosts of leparted spiders.
I think they call them G velocipedes." Their mission on this
earth is to run between the hones drawing the chariots of
dowagers, to their great alarm, and to the possible danger of
the pedestrian on wheels. As a rule, locomotion is charm.
ing, and propelling yourself in an invalid chair—you yourself
being quite well—is no doubt as exciting as fishing with a
float still, might not the disciples of this rapturous delight
be kept in by-ways? It is no business of mine, lint I saw the
ex-Princess of Nowhere—she has been here sonic time—clutch
her poor disinherited children to her breast as the infernal
machine ran between the legs of her two hays; while
Mademoiselle de L'Affaire Manqute was nearly a victim to
the alarm of the two creanGeoloured ponies which she
bought at Naples of the Duca della Vita per Carta, for a
Duke's rumen.
A GOOD TIME. FOR CORN-GROWERS. Mr.
Mechi, one of the few farmers who do not grumble,
admits that he has been doing a good trade at Tiptree
of late, in consequence of the high price which he has
been obtaining for his wheat. In 1865, when wheat
averaged 48s. 2d. per qr., he made a profit of t 238, or
11 per cent, upon the capital engaged; in 1866, with
wheat averaging 468. per qr., his profit rose to 6265, or
111 per cent., upon the capital engaged; and in 1867,
with wheat averaging 61s. Bd. per qr., his profit ex-
panded to ERA or 18 per cent., upon a capital of
£'2,571. This capital, it Amid be understood, is the
tenant's capital, not the landlord's capitaL
RELIGION FOR SAILORS.—The River Mersey
Missions for Seamen Society, at their annual meeting
at Liverpool on Monday, reported that during the
past year the chaplain visited 2,2:16 ships, held 676
services, and conversed with 29,000 men. On shore
the Scripture readers paid 6,898 visits, conversed with
16,000 men, and distributed 20,000 tracts. The society
was formed for bringing religion "home" to seamen,
either on ship-board or on shore; the results are des-
cribed as most satisfactory.
CHARLES DICKENS AT WASHINGTON. The
Boston Contnionsecalth says that during Dickens'
week's stay in Washington he walked all about the
city, saw the evidence of growth and improvement
since his former visit, twenty six years ago, called
upon the President, dined with Senator Sumnes,
visited a number of his friends, and read four tines to
an audience of something over a thousand, including
most of the chief men of the National Government
Of his qualities as a reader and actor it is needless to
speak. He that does not see in Dickens a power of
expression in his face alone superior to that which other
men possess in face and speech cannot be taught any-