The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-07-10 00:00:00

A CLEAR RECORD.

For the first time for over fifty years there was nol,
a single prisoner for trial at the borough quarter ses-
sions for Brighton on Monday. The Recorder (Mr.
P. C. Gates), on entering the court with the Mayor,
expressed his pleasure at the absence of prisoners, re-
marking that such a thing had not previously hap-
pened since the incorporation of the borough. Mr.
Gates was, in conformity with ancient custom, pre-
sented with a pair of white kid gloves by the Mayor.
The Court would at once have adjourned, but that it
was engaged some time in hearing an appeal by a fur-
niture dealer named Henry Dell against a sentence of
three months' imprisonment which had been passed
upon him by the magistrates for indecent conduct. ,

Secretary Chase was not originally a profane man.
Ile learned how to swear after he went into Lincoln's
Cabinet. One day, after he had delivered himself
rather vigorously, Lincoln said to him, "Mr. Chase,
are you an Episcopalian?" "Thy do you ask ?
was the somewhat surprised counter-question. "Oh,
just out of curiosity," replied Lincoln. "Seward is an
Episcopalian, and I had noticed that you and he
more in much the same manner."

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

The Princess Louise and the Marquis of Lorne opened
a bazaar in aid of the funds of the North London or
University College Hospital, Gowenstreet, in the
greunds of the college last Friday.
Early on Saturday morning the body of a female
child, wrapped in a daily paper of the 28th ult., was dis-
covered in a street in Hackney.
Charles William Oldham was convicted at the
Central Criminal Court for having obtained by fraud
and false pretences sums of money from the" Times"
newspaper, by supplying them with fictitious news, and
sentenced to six months' imprisonment. Charles
Fowler, who was indicted for attempting to obtain
money from the Press Association by similar means,
was acquitted.
It is stated that the Government contemplate the
extension of the Gunpowder Factory at Waltham
Abbey, and that negotiations have been opened for the
purchase of some land belonging to the Mayo Estate,
in the neighbourhood of Cheshunt.
Mr. W. L. Jackson, who on Friday was returned for
North Leeds, met with a rather serious carriage acci-
dent after the close of the poll. He was proceeding to
his residence about midnight when the shafts of his
carriage smashed and the vehicle was thrown over.
Two of the six occupants were conveyed to the in-
firmary. Mr. Jackson himself sustained a severe shock.
A man named William Jones was charged at the
Justice Room of the Mansion Hcuse, London, on
Saturday, with causing an obstruction by betting. It
was proved that, as he stood near a railway station a
number of men and boys went up to him and made
bets, and a betting book was found on him. He was
fined 40s.
The debate on the Address in the House of Deputies
of the Spanish Cortes has exhibited the determination
of the leading men on both sides of the House to sup-
port the regency of Queen Christina. The Address
was carried on Saturday night by 223 against 58; the
Extreme Republicans abstaining from voting.
On Sunday the French soldiers who have returned
from Tonquin made a triumphal entry into Paris. They
were met at the railway terminus by General Saussier,
who rode with his staff at their head to Vincennes,
where, after a review, they were entertained by the
municipality.
The "Railway Times " announces that Mr. Fred. G.
Saunders, who has been the Secretary of the Great
Western Railway Company for more than twenty-two
years, has retired from that office, and takes a seat at
the Board of Directors, in place of Mr. J. J. Bibby, who
has resigned. Mr. Saunders is succeeded as secretary
'by Mr. J. D. Higgins, who for many years has been an
assistant-secretary of the company.

The Prince Regent of Bavaria replied to the rekent
communication of the Ministers, in which they
announced their reslgnations, by requesting them to
remain in office.

In the French Chamber the bill imposing a surtax cn
cereals were declared urgent by 307 against 257 votes,
after an animated debate. . .

The mean reading of the barometer at the Royal
Observatory, Greenwich, last week, was 30.06 in. • the
lowest reading being 29.88 in., and the highest 3043 in.
The mean temperature of the air, 64.5, was 2 8 above
the average. No rain was measured during the week.
The duration of registered bright sunshine in the week
was 80.3 hours, against 65.5 hours at Glynde-place,
Lewes.

_
The revenue of New South Wales for the past year
amounted to £7,560,000, being an increase of £68,000
as compared with the preceding year. The Customs
receipts increased £lBO,OOO, but the land revenue de-
creased £280,000.
Serious floods have occurred in the Punjab and over
20 miles of the railroad track between Sharanpore and
Umbala have been washed away.
Orders have been issued for a regiment of Goorkhas
and regiments of the Bombay and Madras Infantry to
proceed to Burmah.
Two crimes arising from jealousy have to be added
to those who have recently been perpetrated in Paris.
A man named Boissel entered the apartment of his
mistress and killed her with three blows from a cutlass
A man named Pommercay, seeing a woman to whom he
was attached walking with a rival, fired two shots at
him and seriously wounded him.
The farmers of Cheshire are in excellent spirits over
the splendid change which has taken place in the
weather within the past few days. A larger acreage of
hay has been carried in this great pastoral county than
within living memory. Crops are looking splendid
throughout the district, and the season promises to be
abundantly successful.
A boy, named Rollason, was bathing on Tuesday
evening in a pond near Appleton, Lancashire, when he
stumbled and fell into the mud, from which he was
unable to extricate himself, and was drowned. He was
about eight years old.
According to the observations made at the Royal
Observatory, Greenwich, for the six hours ending three
p.m. on Tuesday, the highest temperature in the sun's
rays was 151.5 deg.; in the shade, 89.8 deg.; in the
South of London the readings were 83 deg. to 85 deg. in
the shade; at Yarmouth, 81 deg.; York, 73 deg.
There was recently discoveted, while digging the
foundations for gasworks at Brigg, Lincolnshire, a boat
hewn out of an oak tree, which is supposed to be 2000
years old. The owner of the soil, Mr. Elwes, claimed
it; and the Gas Company, who disinterred it, also
claimed the relic. Mr. Justice Chitty on Tuesday
decided that it belonged to Mr. Elwes.
A sadler in the Commercial-road, London, named
Watts, on his way to serve on the jury at the Old
Bailey, in November, 1884, slipped as he was getting
out of an omnibus of the London General Omnibus
Company, and sustain‘d such injuries to his knees that
he has now to walk with crutches. He brought an
action against the company in the Queen's Bench on
Tuesday for damages. The defence was that, after
leaving the omnibus, seeing another vehicle coming, he
seized the one he had left, and so caused the accident.
The jury fourd a verdict for the defendants.
The case was before the Bankruptcy Court on Tues-
day of a former merchant in the City, named G. A.
Thomson, who began business in King William-street
upon borrowed capital, and within three years by
speculations on the Stock Exchange, lost £2332.
The Registrex suspended his order of discharge for four
years.

Id. Meyer, the proprietor of the " Gaulois," has been
sentenced to pay a fine of 200 francs for unlawfully
wounding in a duel M. Drumont, the author of "La
France Juive."
The Earl of Roseberry presided on Saturday evening
at a banquet of the Imperial Federation League given
in the Freemason's Tavern. The Duke of Cambridge,
The Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Blanchester, the
Earl of Wemyss, the Earl of Dunraven, Viscount
Wolseley, Cardinal Manning, and a large number
of representative colonial gentlemen were among the
guekts.
The Duchess of Albany on Saturday afternoon laid
the corner stone of the new parish church of St.
Paul's, at Hammersmith, London, of which the late
Duke of Albany laid the first btone of the nave in July,
1882. The duchess afterwards received purses for the
building fund, and was loudly cheered by the people.
The Duke of Westminster presided on Saturday at
the annual general meeting of the Corporation of the
Royal College of Music. The report stated that the
number of paying students was increasing, 150 being
on the books at the end of April. A higher standard
of excellence than previously had been shown at the
recent examination for scholarships. The report and
I accounts were adopted, and hopes were expressed that
an increased amount of annual subscriptions would be
forthcoming.
The convention drawn up at the international con-
ference on the liquor traffic ire the North Sea abso-
lutely prohibits the sale of intoxicating liquors to the
fishermen, and with his object provides for a strict sur-
veillance to be exercised by the cruisers on the station.
Cardinal Jacobini on Saturday despatched a note to
Id. de Freycinet protesting against the treaty con-
cluded by the French Government with Corea as com-
pletely sacrificing the rights of missionaries and
Catholics in that country. This question has an inti-
mate connexion with that of the French protectorate,
and the Holy See now threatens to assume the pro.
tectorate itself.
An inquiry was concluded on Saturday into the
deaths, by drowning, of fivo persons off Beckton. The
occupants of a boat (six in number) had fastened their
craft to a steamer, which turned to go into dock with-
out noticing them. The boat was run down, only one
person being saved. A verdict of "Accidental death"
was returned.
Information was received on Saturday to the effect
that Sir W. Hart-Dyke had had a narrow escape. His
coachman drove the horses of the carriage in which he
W3S riding on to some rails. The horses cleared the
rails and dragged the vehicle with them, but were
fortunately brought to a standstill before the occupant
was injured.
Serious rioting took place on Saturday in Lyons. Seven
hundred glassmakers who are on strike surrounded a
manufactory and attempted to scale its walls. They
also threw a quantity of stones at the windows. The
men who were at work in the building barricaded
themselves without replying to the attack. The
mounted police on coming up were obliged to charge
the rioters in order to disperse them.
Disturbances occurred on Saturday at Marseilles near
the Church of St. Martin and in the neighbouring
streets on the termination of the religions ceremony of
the " Sacre Occur." Several arrests were made of
persons who uttered seditious cries, but quiet was ulti-
ma tel y restored.
Early on Sunday morning an exciting scene was wit.
nessed at a fire in Friamstreet, Blackfriars-road, on
the premises of Mr. G. Sherry, a grocer. The inmates
had to leap into the street to save their lives, and the
premises were gutted.
The report of the Commission of Inquiry into the
which has just been presented to the
Eyptian Government, accuses the Director or his
subordinates of substituting false letters for original
documents relative to land leases, the old leases having
been annulled and new leases granted to the former
ten nts at a reduction of 34 per cent. The report
reprimands the Controllers for their omission to avail
themselves of the powers conferred on them by the
law of liquidation, and recommends them to be more
vigilant in future, and finally condemns the director
and three of his employes for actions which the Com-
mission describes as inexcusable and unworthy of public
functionaries.
A mystery caused by the discovery of the limbs and
body of a woman at Brussels, which caused much sen-
sation has been cleared up. It turned out to be a joke
—rather a ghastly one—of some medical students with
a dissected body.
The Queensland revenue for the quarter ending June
30 amounted to £681,702, being an increase of £946 as
compared with the corresponding quarter of last year.
The revenue for the year amounts to £2,868,294,
showing an increase of £147,638 as compared with the
previous year. The expenditure for the quarter ending
June 30 amounted to £1,011,522, showing an increase
of £147,102 over the corresponding quarter of last
year. The expenditure for the year was £3,090,159,
being an increase of £270,306 over the previous year.
The Indian Government has reversed Lord Ripon's
policy regarding goal manufactures. Matters are to
continue on the former footing, and steam machinery
is still to be employed. Gaol manufactures are to be
restricted only when it is proved that they are injuring
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