The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-06-26 00:00:00

SATURDAY, JUN t 26, 1880

NEw-Mowx HAY.—The delightful scent of the hay-
fields, which seems to be the very breath of sweetness
and early summer, is chiefly due to the vernal grass,
the anthoxanth of our botanists (says the Graphic).
This grass has, when taken apart and dried, a strong
similarity in odour to the woodruff. Those unfor-
tunate persons who suffer from hay fever find the
scent of the new-mown hay peculiarly irritating, and
we suppose that there must reside in the delightful
odour of the vernal grass constituents which irritate
certain organisations exactly as they please the
majority of mankind.

SUBJECTED TO INSPECTION.— It is extraordinary
what an amount of "inspection" we are subject to
(says the Court Journal). One half the world seems
to be "inspecting" the other half. A return, for
example, is asked for as to the inspectors in various
departments. It turns out that there are inspectors
of factories, mines, salmon, and the local government,
of burial grounds, of constabulary, of prisons, of
reformatories, of public health, of cattle plague, of
oysters, of corn returns of steamships, of crew spaces,
of lights, of mortar and rocket apparatus, of railways,
of alkali works, of cables, of lime juice, of poor-law,
of schools, of science, of art, and of other things too
numerous to mention.
A CLEAN " CHEEK."—Examiner. "What is the
meaning of the verb 'prepare '? " Small Boy.
" Dunno, sir." Examiner. "What did you do before
you came up for examination? Small Boy, "Er—
washed my face ! "—Fun.

HORSE PLAGUE IN SIBERIA.—The Moscow Gazette
contains a paragraph from the official Semipalatinsk
Vedomosti stating
,that a terrible horse plague has
broken out in the province near the Chinese frontier.
In the Pavlodar and Karkaralin districts not a horse
remains alive. The officials are unable to collect in-
formation respecting the losses, because no horses are
left for them to ride upon. The postal service on the
post-roads has been stopped by the death of the post-
horses, and in the villages the peasants have had to
cease farming. The disease is believed to be the same
as that which has been raging in Chinese Mongolia
since 1875, and which has yearly been advancing
towards Russia.

MORE FRENCH BOUNTIES.—The Daily News is in-
formed that Messrs. Allan, of the well-known line
of Transtlantic steamers, have sent to several mem-
bers of Parliament a telegram which states that, from
advices they have received from their French corre-
spondents, they learn that the French Government
intend during the present week to propose a law pro-
viding for the payment of 1 fr. per ton on every ton
of new shippirig built in France for each thousand
miles traversed in voyages to and from France. This
would be equivalent to a bounty of about £2,000 for
voyages on the class of steamers the Messrs. Allan
employ between France and South America. It is
further stated that some of the large French shipping
companies have arranged to double their fleets as soon
as the new law is passed.

GAME PROSPECTS.—The prospects of a good shoot-
ing season are very favourable, and the young birds
already take the wing; the weather is all that could
be desired for them. There is no concealing the fact
that in the early spring there has been a good deal of
disease amongst the grouse in many planes, but the
accounts now generally agree that nothing of it has
been seen for the last month or six weeks, and that
the birds have assumed a fine fresh healthy appear-
ance, which in the earlier spring they had not. Any
mortality amongst them then will not materially affect
this season's shooting, as they have been so numerous
everywhere. Stag's were never in better condition,
and are fully three weeks or a month in advance of
what they usually are at this period.—" N.," in Land
and Water.

THE GENTLE ANSWER.—Have you got the rent
ready at last ?—No, sir, mother's gone out washing,
and forgot to put it out for you. Did she tell you
she'd forgotten? Yes, sir.—Judy.
WHY THE DEER WAS NOT KILLED .—A memoir of
the late Recorder Hackett, of New York, tells an
amusing story at the expense of an American judge,
Mr. Hoffman. The latter was very anxious to kill a,
deer, and he and Mr. Hackett started on a.i expedi-
tion along with an old hunter named Tobin. Early
one morning Tobin punched the judge in the ribs and.
told him to wake up. The judge got his gun, and fol-
lowed the guide several rods from camp. Tobin
stopped, and pointed at a noble buck that was
browsing almost within pistol-shot. The judge was
remarkable for his gratitude for any favour, however
slight ; and, turning round to Tobin, he said, "Now,
Tobin, my good fellow, you have done me the greatest
favour possible. I am extremely grateful to you. I
have never shot a deer in all my life, and it will be a
proud thing for me to exhibit this old fellow's antlers
as evidence of my skill. Tobin—" " Jedge," said
Tobin, " you'd better be shootin'." "I will, Tobin,"
was the Judge's reply, as he turned around. "But,
I say,, Tobin, my good fellow, where—where is the
deer ? ' "Oh," said Tobin, making for the camp, "if
he's goin' now as fast as he was when he started a
minute ago, he's got over the Rocky Mountains by
this time.

THE " KNOWSLEY HALL."—The following telegram
has been received at the Admiralty from Commodore
Wilson at Sydney, New South Wales, dated the 19th
June :—"Raleigh arrived. No shipwrecked people.
Amsterdam." Her Majesty's ship Raleigh sailed
from Simon's Bay on May 10th for Sydney, rid
Amsterdam Island, where it was supposed that some
shipwrecked people possibly from the Knowsley Hall,
had landed.

Tun NEW Inisn RELIEF BILL.—The Bill which
Mr. Parnell has introduced into the House of Com-
mons will purpose to set apart £200,000 (not £100,000)
from the Irish Church Surplus Fund to the relief of
distress in Ireland. It will be proposed to place the
distribution of the money in the hands of a Oommis-
sion which shall consist of the chairmen and hon.
secretaries of the existing associations for the relief of
distress—the Duchess of Marlborough's Fund, the
Dublin Mansion-house Fund, the Land League, and
the New York Fund.
THE SCOTTISH COVENANTERS. —On Sunday re.
ligious services were held in Edinburgh and other
parts of Scotland commemorative of the struggles
of the Covenanters in the 17th century and particu-
larly of the bicentenary of the declaration made at
Sanquhar on the 22nd of June 1680, by Richard
Cameron and a number of his followers in favour of
religious liberty. In Edinburgh the services were con-
ducted in the open air in Old Grayfriars churchyard,
in the afternoon by the Rev. Dr. Begg, and in the
evening by the Rev. J. Kerr, of Greenock. The
audience in the afternoon numbered between 8,000
and 10,000.
THIRSTY SOULS.—Doctor (who had just seen the
patient). " He's no worse, but " Igravely) "the
question will, no doubt, soon arise as to the advisa-
bility of tapping him!" Mother-in-Law. "Oh,
doctor, don't say that! Nothing was ever tapped in
this house that lasted over a week! ! "—Punch.

A TRIP TO SPITZBERGEN.—The steam yacht Eira,
belonging to Mr. Leigh Smith, and in command of
Captain Loppley, which has been fitted out for an ex-
ploring voyage to Spitzbergen, has called at Shetland
Islands to complete her crew. The owner and a
party of gentlemen are on board. The voyage is ex-
pected to extend over eighteen months. The yacht
is provisioned for two years.
ONE THOUSAND SHOTS A MINUTE.—The Gatling
gun, which was found so effective at the battle of
Ulundi, has been made by a recent improvement a
more fearfully destructive weapon than it was in its
original form. An American contemporary says that
this new Gatling gun. is capable of firing 1,000 shots
per minute, ranging in size from muBket-balls to half-
pounders, and by their use three men can do the work
of 300. The revolving barrel has ten compartments,
and ten shots are fired at each revolution of the
handle. "It is compact and simple, and will kill a
man or horse at a wide range."
TRANSPLANTING IN THE NIGHT. —A gentleman,
anxious to ascertain the effect of transplanting at
night instead of by day, made an experiment with the
following results, says the Graphic. He transplanted
ten cherry trees while in bloom commencing at four
o'cloek in the afternoon. Those transplanted during
the daylight shed their blossoms, producing little or
no fruit; while those transplanted in the dark fully
maintained their condition. He did the same with
one-third dwarf trees, after the fruit was o-third grown.
Those transplanted during the. daylight shed their
fruit; those transplanted during. the night per-
fected the crop, and showed no injury from being
removed. With all the trees he removed some earth
with the roots. Was this case merely coincidence?
At all events, if a few similar experiments should
produce similar results, it would be a strong argu-
ment for transplanting at night.

AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for the week
ending June 19th, as received from the inspectors
and officers of Excise :—Wheat, 455. 4d. ; barley,
30s. 9d.; oats, 265. 10d. per imperial qr. Correspond-
ing week last year :—Wheat, 41s. Bd.; barley,
255. lid.; oats, 235. sd.
SURVIVORS OF WATERLOO. —The London Stereo-
scopic Company have just published a photograph of
the last survivors in Chelsea Hospital of the battle of
Waterloo—Naish Hanney, 7th Hussars, aged 88; John
M'Kay, 42nd Regiment, aged 95; Benjamin Bum
stead, 73rd Regiment, aged 82; Robert Horton 34th
Regiment, aged 90; an t Sampson Webb, 3rd, Foot
Guards, aged 82. Hanney and M'Kay also served in
the Peninsula., the latter being wounded at Badajoz.
Norton served in Germany, Holland, and France.
THE GOOD LESSON. Youthful Londoner (who
hitherto has been to bed betimes). Oh, Inam„rrna,
look ! there's another sun over there. Mamma' I'l°'
dear, that's not the sun. Don't you know what
_it is
that gives light by night? Youthful Londoner. Gas.
—Judy.
A REASONING SHEEP.--A New York paper relates
the following story, which certainly goes far to prove
that a sheep can do some clo he summer, was
se thinking : "A. H
Clark has a sheep which, during t.
pastured with some calves in an apple orchard adjoin-
everal trees in the or
were s chard
ing the house. There
fruit,
etnhiengtreeirbeicngiaarkbouhteasridx
well loaded with earlY
inches in diameter. One evening
considerable noise in the
_r_ orchard, and, upon investi-
gation, found the sheep and calves quietly eating apples
under one of ten,
trees. In a few minutes all the
apples were eaten, when, to his surprise, he saw the
heep back off several yards and then butt the tree
s
with full force, bringing down a quantity of fruit.
als proceeded to eat as before, and when
This the anim
supply gave o,
out the sheep replenished it again.
the
.This was contumed at intervals.
SUITED TO A "T."—Advice to Pleasure-seekers:—
Go to Hampton, and, exchange Thames Smells for
Thames Smelts.—Punch.
ImEROVED LABOURERS' COTTAGES. —Several labourers'
cottages arranged on entirely new and improved prin-
ciples with regard to health, comfort, and cenvenience,
are now being erected on the Draycot property, near
Pewsey, Wilts. Each dwelling has an entrance porch,
staircase, living room, scullery, washhouse, coal and
woodhouse, pantry, and three bedrooms. The out-
buildings comprise piggeries, w.c.'s., and dust-bins to
each dwelling. Each house is provided with water,
and is thoroughly drained and ventilated, and replete
with all requisite fittings and conveniences. Similar
cottages are also being built at Palgrave in Norfolk,
at Clapham in Sussex, on the Potters Park Estate in
Surrey, and at Sunningdale in Berks, from the designs
of Mr. J. Birch, of John-street, Adelphi, London,
who gained the Society of Arts prize and medal for
such deSigns.

THE COMMERCE OF BRITISH INDIA.—A Aston:tent
of the trade of British India with British possessiont
and foreign countries for the five years 1874-75 tc
1878-79 has been issued. The figures recording the trade
of the year 1878-70 exhibit a reduction of considerable
importance in the extent of the trade as compared with
the two years immediately preceding. Though not
equal to the trade of these two years, the value was
greater than that recorded in any previous year ex-
cepting the years of the cotton famine, when Indian
cotton realised four times as much as it does now.
Much of the decrease in the trade of the year is due
to an enormous diminution in the imports of silver,
for though the imports and exports of merchandise
also fell, the decline under both these heads was not
equal to the diminution under the head of treasure.
THE FIRST LIFEBOAT.—The first lifeboat of which
there is any record was designed in 1784, by Mr.
Lukin, a coach-builder in London, and, strange to
say, a native of an inland town. He chiefly aimed
at making an unsinkable boat, or, as he termed it, an
" unimmergible " boat. This he accomplished by
attaching a considerable amount of cork outside the
boat above water, and by constructing inside the boat
a series of water-tight spaces, or compartments. The
volume to which water could find access, if a sea
broke over the boat, was thus reduced considerably,
and the buoyancy of the cork belt helped to keep the
boat afloat if she were thus swamped. An iron keel
was fitted to increase the stability. The plan of con-
struction was sound so far as it went, although far
inferior to that now adopted. and it is a matter for
regret that only one boat on ukin's plan was placed
on the coast.—Great Industries of Great Britain.
PARTS OF SPEECH.—Pa (who is on pleasure bent):
"If J. calls, say that I've gone to town on business.
—Daughter (timidly) : "But; pa, dear, won't that be
somethiug, like a ' crammer' ? —Pa (boldly) : "That's
what you've got to say! and don't you mind whether
it's like a ' grammar ' or not ! "—Fun.
THE AMERICAN AND CANADIAN FOOD SUPPLY.—
The supply of live stock and fresh meat from the
United States and Canada last week was considerably
below that of the previous week. The steamers con-
veying live stock were as follows :—The Iberian with
433 cattle; the Nestorian with 341 cattle- the Pem-
broke with 283 cattle and 789 sheep; the Lake Nepi-
gon with 280 cattle; and the City of Paris with 133
cattle and 1,123 sheep. The steamers conveying fresh
meat were :—The Iberian with 1,520 quarters of beef;
the Lord Gough, with 920 quarters of beef and 123
carcases of mutton; the England with 789 quarters of
beef and 200 carcases of mutton; the Britannia with
629 quarters of beef and 250 carcases of mutton; and
the City of Brussels with 520 quarters of beef,
75 carcases of mutton, and 130 pigs; making the
total, ,470 cattle; 1,914 sheep; 4,278 sheep; 648 car.
cases of mutton; and 130 pigs.

A NEW METHOD FOR MITIGATING SEA-SICKNESS.—
The New York Post describes an arrangement devised
by a steamship company with a view to mitigate, if
not to avert, the horrors of sea-sickness. The device
consists of the fitting up in steam vessels of self-level-
ling berths. The berths are of ordinary size. They
are attached both above and below to universal joints,
and are weighted underneath by crescent-shad
cylinders of iron. This arrangement is designed to
keep the berths perpetually level, no matter what
angle the vessel may take. To further maintain the
berths in their orbit, and prevent sudden changes of
position, they are provided with spiral springs.
COMMENCEMENT OF EUROPEAN CONCERT. - The
Identical Note.—Punch.

HE COULD NOT HAVE BOTH.—One day a party
of gentlemen were smoking together in a hotel some-
where in Connecticut. "Young men," said the in-
evitable social statistician who was present, "smoking
is an extravagant habit. Don't you think you should
give it up?" One of those addressed removed his
cigar from his lips and coolly replied on behalf of the
company that he" couldn't see it." "Well," returned
the statistical person, "I'll
,gilve you an example which
is within my own knowledge. Right here, in this
very town, lives a friend of mine who used to be a
great smoker. One day he determined to abandon
the habit and save the money which he would ether-
wise have spent for cigars. At the end of fifteen
years he bought a very nice house with the money
saved in this way. What io you think of that"
The spokesman of the smokers ought to have been
crushed, but he wasn't. "He has the house," said
he, "but you must admit that he hasn't had the
cigars."

THE DANGERS OF ' BEAUTIFUL WATER."—In
Avenham Park, at Prestem, there is a spring of
water as clear as crystal and for generations it has
had the reputation of being the best water procurable
anywhere. A few years ago a very handsome drink-
ing fountain was erected by the Corporation to make
the spring available to the public. The water flowed
into a large shell of white marble, through the mouth
of a dolphin sculptured in serpentine, and housewives
for half a mile round have been in the habit of sending
to the fountain for cansful of the water for tea, it was
"so much better" than the Longridge supply. But,
the Manchester Guardian says, the Sanitary Com-
mittee took it into their heads the other day to have
the water analysed, and it turns out that it contains
"90 parts of animal matter." They ordered th,e
spring to be diverted at once, and men are now
engaged in making the necessary arrangements for
supplying the fountain with Longridge water.

Mn. GLADSTONE AND THE BREWERS' 'LICENSES.—
The following letter has been received by Mr. Jacob
Bright from Mr. Gladstone :—" Dear Mr. Bright,— :
4
The way for a full and comprehensive consideration of
the points which the brewers desire to raise is that '
they should send them in the first instance to the -41
Board of Inland Revenue. The Board will then com-
municate with me, and if the brewers are dissatisfied J
with the conclusions at which I may arrive upon con- 41
ference with the Board, I will take care that there
shall be sufficient time before the Committee on the
Bill for further communications, and for meeting
together if necessary; but lam afraid I cannot '
undertake to receive separate deputations from the „
separate portions of the country and subdivisions of ,
the trade. I think it will be for their general cenves •
nience that, if you think fit, this note should be pubs '
lished.—l remain, faithfully yours, W. E. GLADSTONE'. "
June 21, 1880."
ARGUXIENTUM AD HOMINEM. Customer. But I i
thought moustachios were going out ?-:-Hairdresser. j
Oh, no, sir, they're the 'ite of fashion. I wear one 1
myself I—Funny Folks. 1
PAPER RAILWAY WHEELS.—Paper railway wheels ' I
appear to be getting on (says the Engineer). The
superintendent of the Delaware, Lackawanna, and
Western Railroad writes to the National Car Builder
that he considers them the best wheels in use so far -
as he can judge from an experience of 15 months with
them. The sleeping car "Syracuse," on his road has
been running with them eleven months, and has made
a mileage of 101,725 miles with scarcely any wear.
They will run another season without turning. The
road has four parlour and three sleeping ears equipped
with them, also the trucks of twelve locomotives, and
is putting them under engines when renewals are
made. The Michigan Central Road has but one pair
of these wheels in service as yet, but will have several
more of them running in a few days. The pair already
in use have been in continuous service for about a
year, and have run during that time 60,226 miles under
a passenger car, the tread wearing away about 1-16th
of an inch. The President of the Indianapolis, De-
c4li at u n
every r, and
wSapyr i
an g
success,fie l d R o saysaadnd th
at he a
ht
et hv
re 0 wheels
pde eul ss e areno .
other under new engines or any equipment.
TFIE BISHOP OF LINCOLN ON THE BURIALS BILL.—
Bishop Wordsworth has addressed a letter to Mr.
Powell, the general seretary of the Church of England
i Working Men's Society, n response to a vote o
thanks passed by the council of the society for his
Lordship's action relating to the Burials Bill. The
Bishop fears that the Bill, instead of .put4ving an end
to controversy, "will open a wide door to bitter and
interminable strife." He thinks that it will lead the
way to ulterior measures, affecting the welfare of the
Church as a national Establishment. He considers
that the Bill does dishonour to Almighty God, to
whom the churchyards have been dedicated by conse-
cration. "Whoever touches them takes hold on what
is His." The Bishop, however, takes comfort in
the thought that while "there are no promises in Holy
Scripture to nations if they dishonour God," on the
other hand, "there are promises to the Church if she
is true to Him." "We cannot," he continues, "sur-
render our churchyards; they are not ours but Ma:
but they may be taken from us." In that case he
and those who think with him must, he concludes
look upward for support.
THE BEER DUTY.—In the House of Commons on
Tuesday night, Mr. Biddell asked the Chancellor of
the Exchequer whether, under the 33rd clause of the
Customs and Inland Revenue Bill, a sniall farmer
living in a house of £8 or £lO annual value, and farm-
ing 30 or 40 acres of land, which, with his house, is of
more than £2O annual value, would be allowed to brew
without any duty being charged on his malt beer.—
Mr. Gladstone replied that the 33rd clause of the
Customs and Inland Revenue Bill was meant to imply,
and unsloubtedly does imply, that in the case of
persons to be exempted the value of the land should
be taken together with that of the house itself. I
confess I am very doubtful as to whether it would be
possible to give any other form to the enactment
without introducing a very great inequality into the
law.—Mr. Bidden wished to know whether the right
hon. gentleman was to be understood as saying that a.
small farmer would be liable to the duty, to which
Mr. Gladstone said: A farmer whose house and land
together are valued at above £2O would be liable to
make returns of the materials used by him in order
not to be inspected in his process, but to be charged
beer duty upon those materials.—Mr. Biddell : And
to pay it. (Laughter.)
SOMETHING LIKE A ONE.—Why is a man who
kicks out right and left like an ancient robber ?—Be-
cause, don't you see? he is a free-booter.—Judy.
THE SAVINGS BANKS.—Professor Leone Levi writes
to The Times to urge that the trustee savings banks
may be safely enabled to maintain the higher rate of
interest which they have hitherto paid. ' By 21 and
25 Vic. c. 38, trustees were empowered to invest their
trust funds in several parliamentary securities—
namely, Consols, Three per Cent. Annuities, New
Three per Cent. Annuities, Bank of England Stock,
East India Stock, Exchequer Bills, and £2 10s. An-
nuities, as well as in mortgages el freehold or copy-
hold estate in England and Wales. If similar powers
were granted to trustee savings banks, the produce of
the securities would amply suffice for the maintenance
of the present rate of interest. Foreign savings banks •
have great latitude of power in the mode of investing
their funds, and they do invest largely in real property,
mortgages, loans to municipalities, and the like."
"PASS, PANTHER ! "—A well-known field officer
was going his rounds, but unfortunately he had for-
gotten the countersign. Upon approaching a sentry
over a magazine the F. 0. was duly challenged, "Who.
comes there?" the sentry at the same time bringing
his rifle to the charge. The F.O. halted, but gave no.
answer. Again, "Who comes there?" rang out in
the stillness of the night, A muffled kind of reply
was given. "The what?" called out the sentry's
The F.O. being at his wit's end for art Answer, at Ust
said, "Hang it, man, don't you know Pm your own
Colonel?" " Begorra, sir, I knew it all along, but
my orders are not to allow any one to pass without
the word," and advancing a step or two nearer the
F.O. called out in a stage whisper, "Thry Panther,
yer banner." "Panther!" roared the Oolnnei•
"Fats, Panther, and all's well, sung out Pat,.