The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-01-09 00:00:00

RETREAT OF THE REBELS.

Ron, Tuesday Night.
The Fanfulla asserts that the English G-overnment,
before giving orders for the Red Sea blockade, sent a
friendly intimation to the Italian Foreign Office that
the blockade would not be extended to points
occupied by Italy. The Diritto declares its know-
ledge that no Power has seconded the complaints of
Turkey respecting the occupation of Massowah.
Amu, Jan. 4, 11.30 p.m.
The enemy are still retiring, anti there are none
this side of Kaibar. Returns found in the Arab
camp show that the rebels were nearly el-oven
thousand strong.
ABRI, Jan. 5.

Corning now to the working of the district boards
system, by which Lord Ripon proposed to anticipate
England in the application of representative institu-
tions to local self-government in the rural parts of
India we read that in Bengal the system still re-
mained in a condition of suspense. The bill to estab-
lish the new councils had, however, passed through
its preliminary stages, and been reported on by the
committee. The new system in Assam was "gene-
rally consolidated." Most of the money spent by the
local authorities has been upon reads, and "there is
some fear that education and other objects which
affect the native community more immediately than
the Europeans may be unduly neglected." The sys-
tem has not come into operation in the North-West
Provinces, but in the Punjauh it has been established
in 21 districts, and much interest was evinced in
the 14 cases in which elections took place. A good
deal of progress has been made in the applica-
tion of the representative system in the Central Pro-
vinces. No information is forthcoming on the subject
from the Presidency of Madras, and from Bombay
the only statement is that the necessary bill was
passed as the first Legislative Act of 1884.
The criminal statistics for the year hardly show im-
provement, taking India as a whole. In Bengal
complaints are still made of the unwillingness of
juries to couvict, but there is said to be an improve-
ment in this respect. Both in Bengal and Madras
there has been an increase in the number of offences
against the public health laws, This, in the latter
presidency, is attributed to the stricter sanitary
regulations which were enforced, owing to the
exceptional unhealthiness of the season. In Bombay
there is a diminution of serious crime, end a reduc-
tion in the number of charges of theft is said to
be due to the improved condition of the lower
classes. Infanticide continues to prevail in very
many districts ; "but it is clear that it is losing
and has lost force." One hundred and eighty-six
villages were, however, proclaimed for the crime
during the year, and the number of communities
to which this stigma attaches is not less
than 1951. They include collectively a popula-
tion of 242,979. Dacoity and cattle-lifting have con-
tinued to increase in British Burmah, as well as the
use of deadly weapons by the criminal classes, and
that notwithstanding the infliction of punishments of
greater severity. In connection with the punishment
of crime much credit is given to the honorary magis-
trates in various provinces, as distinguished -from the
salaried administrators of the law. In the North-
west Provinces and Oudh these gentlemen are said to
have rendered great assistance; the bench of honorary
magistrates at Lucknow alone disposed of more than
4000 cases. In the Cente al Provinces honorary
magistrates disposed of 25 per cent. of the criminal
eases to be tried, and in Burmah honorary benches
have been established in most of the principal towns.
Education, both primary and advanced, has, of
course, made greater progress in Bengal than in the
other provinces. Of the shildren of schcol age, one •
in four boys, but only one in 75 girls are in actual From the Viceroy, sth January.
" Foreign. Bernard reports that three Europeans,
attehdance. Thirty-five candidates took the degree
Walker, Calogreedy, and blaber, have been killed by
of M.A. at Calcutta University with honeure, and 205
Dacoits, at Palsit, 24 miles from Mandalay. Another,
out of 441 candidates passed for B.A. Thirty-one G
secondary schools were established during the year,ray, is in the Dacoits' hands. They were returning
with 5796 pupils. In the primary schools the increase to their timber work contrary to advice."
wes much greater—not less then 1165 schools, and From the Viceroy, sth January.
69,798 pupils. In Bombay the number of scholars
From
casualtiesdn action at Burmah : Lieut.
'
has risen in five years from 275,133 to 413,341. "Following
23rd Madras-Native Int v, killed, and
Lieut. Lye, 2nd Battalion Hee Regiment,
I Among. the indirect proofs of the spread of education
wounded at Ongdeeee N 3146, 7 eral John
are the increased circulation of newspapers, and the George-gole:nan,oyal Vfeee usiliers, Bedew, and' 208% Private ick Davy,
extension of the work of the Post Office. The ex-
saflAt `
eitement caused by the discusgions on the Ebert Bill Ist Batt en -R
gave a great impetus to the circulation of native 27th D14141-Pr*
--- -.....-
joarnalg, and 10 new vernacular papers were started • , s 4 s, ..
in Bengal, bringing up the total to 65. None of , TII*'I/OSTAL SERVICE OF THE
these organs, organs, however, has a larger circulation than ' e ' - UNITED STATES.
it),poo. It is evident., therefore, that, making '
alhavence for their great number, the proportion . It appears from the report of the First Aseistan
Postmaster-General of the United States that the
4,f newspaper readers to the population is yeti,.
very small. The Bengali press is said to havea'Whole number of post offices in the country on June
shown, on the whole, a marked increase in abilit
y.lf:gf.) last was 51,252, of which 2233 are subject to
"but the tone towards European residents underwent- appointment by the President. During the last
no improvement." The Ilbert Bill discussion led to postal year 11,203 appointments were made; of these
the establishment of 26 new vernacular papers in 6204 were on resignations and expired commissions,
Bombay, making the total 142. The controversy is and 810 on suspension and removal. The report re-
said to have been carried on with greater moderation commends that the free delivery system be extended
there than in Bengal. The operations of the Post to places of 10,000 inhabitants, where the post offices
Office in India are rapidly extending, and it is of have a gross revenue of 10,000do1s. each. The postal
interest to read that the natives have taken verailway service is managed on satisfactory busi-
ry
ness principles. The report of the seperintendent
kindly to post cards, which were only introduced in
1879. The number used last year exceeded 8
of the railway service for the past year shows
3
millions, or nine millions in excess of those posted the that in a total of 4,948,059,400 pieces of mail
matter handled, the errors chargeable to the clerks
previous year. There was an increase of 35,000 in
w
the number of Post Office Savings Bank accounts open, were only 887,704, or one error to each 5574 pieces
handled, being at the rate of 234 errors per clerk
and of these only 8410 were in the names of Europeans
or Eurasians. The telegraph system shows an eaten-
per annum. The average percentage of mail matter
sion of over 6000 miles of wire, but there has been a correctly distributed was 99.98. This is the highest
serious decline in the net receipts, partly owing to an rate attained since the establishment of the service.
actual decrease in the message revenue, and partly to Railway mails are distributed while the trains are
running at express speed, and every clerk must carry
an inc -ease in the working expenses. It seems, how-
in his memory the name of every post office reached
ever, that tn..- 4ovsrnmen 't
are not distressed at this
"to !nb. ordinate questions of from the route on which he travels, the State and
interest.' country in which it is located, its situation as to
result, as their pollc ._"1
railroads, &e., and he must deposit in the proper
........
..---•--. ,
remunerativeness to the putit,.!"-' m
--- .-Icr pouch every letter, however indistinctly or carelessly
A Boston man was taken ill out t. t'at• When directed.
asked if he wanted anything, he said: "Oh, ,;',.ve me p
anything made of beans." So the attending physic' . a Haye you been kept in again at school?" asked
gave him castor oil. an !ustin father of his son, who came slinking home
A young clothing clerk of Springfield, Mass., who just at ciZek. "Yes, sir. I didn't know m *o af
advertised for pleasant rooms, heated by steam, and ,o.k. -, ,. . ngr Y
lesson.' " G 0.33. heavens alive, boy, if you are kept
suitable for a ycung man who wants to be near the
city, received a letter the other day asking him to in that way now, a# . a little one horse school, when
call at 249, State-stree t. He sought out the number you go to the university at Austin, you won't gethome
promptly and found it was the ;all. once every two or three years,

,
A portion of the First Brigade has returned to
Kosheh. To-morrow the whole force will move
northwards.

gantry
Ampshire
LancCOrpo)
Friderii
~rined at