The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-06-05 00:00:00

A Reuter's telegram from Ghent says that a terrible
explosion occurred on Saturday at a powder mill at Wet-
teren, near Ghent, When several persons were killed and n-
ured.

In London, last Sunday, the ceremony known as
"Churching the Judges" took place at St. Paul's Cathedral,
being the first Sunday after Trinity. The Lord Chancellor,
the Lord Chief Justice, and other judges attended, and the
proceoion was witnessed by a large number of persons.

On Friday in last week a disastrous storm inun-
dated Brackett, Texas. Twenty-five persons were drowned,
while other deaths are reported from the neighbouring
towns.

The Roumanian Administration has begun setting
out forests of young trees in the Dobrudja. Near Mejidie
14,000 trees have already been planted.

A correspondent at Stoke-on-Trent says that by-his
will the late Dr. Kenealy has left his magnificent library,
which is one of the richest private libraries in the country,
and includes many valuable and rare works in classics and
Oriental literature, to the British Museum and St. John's
College, Dublin, and has himself left instructions as to how
the library shall be divided between these two institutions.
—Daily _News.
The trustees of Sir Richard Watts's charity at
Rochester hare decided upon the erection of a hundred
model cottages for the working men of the city. This will
be a great boon, as nearly all the available land in the city
has been taken up for the erection of villas, and there is at
present much overcrowding amongst the working classes.

The great summer Flower Show at the Crystal
Palace took place last Saturday and attracted a large num-
ber of visitors. Although somewhat limited in numbers, the
show was of considerable excellence, the nurserymen's
classes for ruses, caleeolarias and orchids being especially
good.

Mr. J. R. Planche, "Somerset Herald," but more
Popularly known as a dramatist, died on Sunday morning,
after much suffering, in the eighty-fifth year of his age. Mr.
Planche commenced his literary career at an early age; and
in 1854 he obtained congenial employment at the Herald's
College, being made Rouge Croix Poursuivant at Arms, and
in 1868 Somerset Herald. Mr. Planche's health had been
gradually declining for the last twelve months. His last
attendance on duty at the Heralds' College was in Novem-
ber last, and he went out but once afterwards, in February.
To the last he was conscious and courteous, and died in an
armchair, to which he made an irresistible appeal to be
moved from his bed only a few minutes previously.

The Land Agents' Record says the advent of spring
has not been accompanied with any decided recovery Jr, the
demanded for landed estate. Although there is by no means
an absence of inquiries, yet the general characteristic of
those inquiries is the low price coupled with them. There
is, however, a growing tendency at present to believe that
the uncertainty of this market will not distinguish the
whole of the present season.

People have been a good deal puzzles by the name
of the Derby winner, for a knowledge of the mysteries of
heraldry has not as yet been included in the Board Schoo
curriculum. The " bend" is a tolerably prominent feature
of the heraldic shield on which it occurs. It is a broad
band extending diagonally from the right top to the left
bottom, or in heraldic phrase, "from the dexter chief to the
sinister base ;" and a " Bend " may either be "Or," or
"Argent." lence the name "Bend Or" which was, of
course, suggested by the Duke of Westminster's coat of
arms.

On the application of the Court of Quarter Sessions,
the Home Secretary has, under the provisions of *be Wild
Fowl Preservation Act, made an order varying the close
time for wild fowl in.the Parts of Holland, in the county of
Lincoln, so as to be from the 15th of March to the 31st of
August inclusive in each year.
The Union Steamship Company have forwarded to
the British and African Steam Navigation Company of
Liverpool £lOO to be distributed among the officers and
crew of their steamer Congo, as a reward for their kindness
to the 54 passengers and crew of the foundered steamer
American, whom they picked up and landed at Madeira. In
the communication the company state that they are pre-
paring a special gift for Captain Liversedge of the Congo.

On Monday, rather more than a quarter-of-an-inch
of rain (•264) was measured at the Royal Observatory at
Greenwich.

The Grand Hotel, Trafalgar-square London, was
formally opened on Saturday evening by the Lord Mayor of
London and sheriffs. The decorations of the hotel are very
elaborate, and the use of coloured marble in the vestibule
and other portioms of the building has a very striking effect.
The dining-room is a magnificent apartment, and will accom-
modate 300 guests. There is also a ladies' drawing-room,
very handsomely fitted, and a general reception and reading
room, and throughout the building all the latest appliances
of science to such establishments are provided. The Lord
Mayor, in an opening address, mentioned that the site of the
hotel was worth £300,000, and that more than £lOO,OOO had
been expended on the building.

Mr. H. Edwards, M.P., who was lately detained for
some weeks at St. Bartholomew s Hospital, London, in con-
sequence of a serious accident which he met with at the
Cannon-street Station, has sent a donation of £5OO to the
Hospital's Samaritan Fund, in acknowledgment of the atten-
tion he received.

The Bucharest correspondent of The Times says :
"Five hundred new buildings are now being erected in
Bucharest, and sixty of the number may be considered first-
class structures. From these figures some idea may be
formed of the amount of money left here by the Russians
during the recent campaign."

Last Sunday, before the evening service, the Bishop
of Bedford, the Suffragan Bishop of East London, preached
in the churchyard of St. Mathias, Poplar, to about a thou-
sand persons, more than half of whom belonged to the work-
ing class, taking for his text Isaiah xliv. 22. At the ordinary
service held in the church afterwards a number of the work-
ing class attended, and some had to go away from want of
room. Before the open-air meeting the Bishop addressed in
the vestry the body of lay helpers belonging to the church,
numbering nearly a hundred.

There were 17 British and foreign wrecks reported
during the past week, making the total for the present year
612, or a decrease of 98 as compared with the corresponding
period of last year. The approximate value of the property
lost was £.510,000, including British, £405,000.

The Main i Bhan, from Calcutta, arrived in the
River Thames, reports that at midnight on May 12, in lat.
38 N., long. 28 W., without any warning, she was struck by
what appeared to be a sort of whirlwind, which blew with
fearful fury from W.S.W., carrying away cross jack yard
and two topsails, while going dead before it 1 mainsail was
blown clean out of gear, maintop-sail split, and fore and
main topgallant sails blown to shreds. After continuing
about ten minutes, the wind began to travel right round
the compass as fast as she could be kept before it, and when
it got to N.N.W blew a terrific gale. The wind gradually
veered to NW., and then to northward, blowing out with
great fury when it reached there. During the gale the vessel
lost fore lower topsail and foresail.

The Duke of Connaught bade farewell at Aldershot
on Monday to the lst Battalion Rifle Brigade, which his
Royal Highness has commanded for some years.
-

A weeping willow from the Dean's Garden at
Windsor Castle is, it is believed, about to be sent to Zulu-
land, and will be planted near the spot where the late Prince
Imperial was killed.

Between Brading and Sandown, Isle of Wight, the
discovery of the well-preserved remains of a Roman villa
has been recently made. The tesselated flooring of several
apartments has been uncovered, and in the case of one of
the rooms the pavement bears traces of elaborate workman-
ship. Minute tesserre of different colours are worked up
into a variety of figures, including a representation of
Bacchus, with a Bacchante and a couple of panthers. A con-
siderable quantity of human bones have been exhumed,
amongst them being two skulls, and some deers' horns.
Several coins, too, have been brought to light of the reign of
the Emperor Gallienus.
In the course of a steeplechase on the race-course
near Berlin (says the Correspondent of The Times), open to
horses in the possession of officers in the standing army,
Lieutenant von Boddien, of the Uhlans, a splendid rider,
was nearly killed in taking a hedge about sft. high, backed
by a ditch nearly as wide. His horse landed rather short,
and while struggling to clear away, he was fallen upon and
knocked over by the Hereditary Prince zu Bentheira, a
captain in the Gardes du Corps.

A memorial to the Prime Minister has been signed
by over one hundred members of the House of Commons,
praying him to make such arrangements as will afford an
opportunity for the discussion of the Deceased Wife's Sister
(Marriage with) Bill. The memorial, which is still in course
of signature, sets forth that, although a majority of the
Members of the House of Commons are in favour of the Bill,
no opportunity for its discussion in the House has been
afforded for the past five years.
Captain Sturrock, of the Scotia Queen, from
Demerara, arrived at Queenstown, reports to Lloyd's that on
April 30, in about lat. 30 N., long. 60 W., he passed a raft,
which had apparently been made on board a man;of-war or
first-class steamer, as it was bolted together and isot lashed
with chain; and two days afterwards several dead bodies,
with white jumpers on. These bodies were much swollen.

In London on Monday the annual' meeting of the
Royal Geographical Society was held in the theatre of the
University of London. The Earl of Northbrook presided;
imd delivered an address "On the Progress of Geography
during the Past Year." The Royal medal for the encourage-
ment of geographical science and discovery was awarded to
Lieutenant Louis Palander, for his services as commander of
the Vega in the late Swedish Arctic Expedition. Lord
Aberdare was elected to succeed the Earl of Northbrook as
President of the Society for the ensuing year, and the new
Councillors included Captain Nares. The Duke of Edin-
burgh presided at the annual dinner held in the evening at
Willis's Rooms, and spoke of the distress in Ireland.
Three hon. members have just introduced a Bill to
amend the law as to the hours of marriage. It is proposed
that from the time of its enactment marriages may be solem-
nized at any time between the hours of eight of the clock in
the forenoon, and six of the clock in the afternoon ; hut no
parson, vicar, minister, or curate of the Church of England
shall be under any obligation to solemnize any marriage
after twelve o'clock (noon), although it shall be lawful for
any such parson, vicar, minister, or curate to do so, if he
think fit, up to six of the clock_

In the numerous changes of street names, which
occur periodically with every new administration at Paris,
there come to pass some very absurd things. Thus the Rue
de lOartoire-du-Roule became successively the Rue Bil-
lault, the Rue Jules-Favre, the Rue Garibaldi, and then took
again its former name, Billault, but held it only a few years,
and is to-day Rue Washington, or " Vassanktong," as every
true Parisian pronounces it. The tradesmen complain of
such changes and with reason. All tradesmen are obliged to
have a new address printed on all their cards, invoices, and
letter paper when their street assumes a new name. In the
case of the Rue Deamnr, it cost the merchants more than
200.000 fr. when that street was converted into the Rue du
Quatre-Septembre.—Court Jou ri2al.

The Rev. John Curwen, the originator of the Tonic
Sol Fa movement in England, died on Wednesday night in
last week, after a sl.ort illness. Mr. Curwen, who was in
his 64th year, was educated at Coward College and the
London University, and entered the ministry of the Inde-
pendent denomination in 183 s. In 1844 he became the pastor
of a congregation at Plaistow, where he developed and pro-
moted the Tonic Sol Fa system of teaching singing invented
by Miss Glover, of Norwich. In 1867 Mr.. Curwen retired
from the ministry owing to ill-health, and established a,
and publishbig, business in order to extend and pro-
m Prig ontet,itnlle Tonic
Sol movement. Ile also projected a Tonic
Sol /a College, towards which a considerable suns of money
has been raised
"An appeal onbelialf of the Oldest Man in Scot-
land • is made to us by Mr. Chalmers of Dunoon, who states
that Archibald 3PArthur is uow 103 years• of age, and has
never received parish relief. Though still in good health
and able to work in his garden, this centenarian needs sup-
port in his declining, years, and contributions will be reeelved
by Mr. Chalmers."—Graphic.
Last Saturday while the annual inspection of the
Ist Lanark Engineer Volunteers was taking place at North
Woodside, a boy named Macfarlane, was killed, and two
others injured. The drill•ground of the regiment is situated
on the north bank of the River Kelvin, and on the south
side there is an open space also available for manoeuvring.
The t regiment
in
t was divided into two portions and sham
one detachment attacking, and the other
defending. On the southern sloping embankment of the
river a large crowd of spectators had assembled. A mine
placed in the north bank was exploded by the defenders,
and a showeriof stones which was carried across the river
descended partly amongst the crowd. One about leartsen
pounds weight struck 31acfarlaue on the head, and in a few
minutes death resußed from the injury sustained. ,
At a meeting of the Truro City Council, Mr. Philip
P. Smith, the Mayor, read the following letter which he had
received from lir. Gladstone :—" Sir,—l have the honour
to propose•to you, with the sanction of Her Majesty, that
you receive the distinction of knighthood in recognition of
the services rendered by you as Mayor of Truro on the
occasion of the Prince of Wales's recent visit to that city,
and as a mark of the satisfaction of his Royal Highness. I have
the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant, W. E. GLAD-
STONE." The Mayor said he thought the oity and the entire
county might be congratulated upon the success which had.
attcmied the Royal visit. If lie accepted the honour pro-
posed to be conferred upon him it would be as one conferred
upon the city, and not upon himself personally. A reso-
lution was then passed unanimously by the council express-
ing their pleasure at the great nusrk a distinction proposed
ti be conferred upon Dir. Sinith, and hoping that he Wo'uld
accept the honour and that he might be long spared to enjoy
it.