The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-03-02 00:00:00

'Miscellaneous lintelligente,

HOME, k'OREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

PAROCHIAL REPENTANCE. The Tints of
Monday, in a paragraph, says
Some time since we published, under the head of "An In-
vitation to small-pos," several letters from Mr. Heath rela-
tive to the proposed sale of the materials of a temporary
small-pox hospital erected in the Hackney-road, London.
lie pointed out that the inside of the building was of wood,
and th.it the distribution of the materials might be attended
with the most fearful consequences. The Vestry had
directed it to be sold for LEO, but rescinded their order, and
it has now been disposed of to the guardians of Biggleswade,
fortunately to be again used as a small-pos hospital. It is
stated that a short time since an offer of E. 35 was made for it
by aperson who wished to erect" booths for children's treats"
with the materials.
—• • •

Purrixo UP GIRLS FOR SALE.—Can it be
true what a native paper says about a small state in
in this presidency? According to this paper, there has
been a custom in the Vencatagiri zemindary to have
all the girls, high and low, put up for sale before being
united in marriage. They are bought by people of
their own caste, and, of course, the price varies accord-
ing to the beauty of the girl. The Rajah is having
this abuse removed, and quite time it was removed.
How was it that it has never been heard of before—
Madras Mail.
A GENIAL Nonow.—As the Waterside busi-
ness would be virtually suspended on Thanksgiving
Day, and the Banks (that is to say, banking-houses)
would be shut, the employes in the Custom House,
Colonel Bereeford was kind enough to suggest in the
House of Commons, should be allowed a holiday. This
benevolent proposal would doubtless have been acceded
to if the Government had only been certain that there
was no fear that, in the absence of Custom House
officers, any smuggling would go on in the river. And
then, because it might be believed that Thanksgiving
Day would be respected equally by smugglers and by
thieves, a holiday might also have been given to all the
Pulioesaan.—Punch.

RECRUITS AND DESERTERS. - The following
statement shows the number of recruits enlisted in the
United Kingdom and finally approved, and the number
of deserters from the army in ten years -In 1861 there
were 8,138 recruits approved, and there were 4,559
desertions; in 1862, 4,642 recruits and 2,895 deeer-
tions ; in 1863, 6,124 recruits and 2,071 desertions ;
in 1864, 11,234 recruits and fi,907 desertions; 111 1865,
10,444 recruits and 3,519 desertions in 1866, 10,663
reern,its and 3,583 desertions; in 1861, 13,941 recruits
and 3,441. desertions ; in 1868, 10.782 recruits and a,911
desertions ; in 1899, 8.183 recruits and 3,341 desertions;
in 1870, 14,927 recruits snd 3,171 desertions. The
total number of the recruits In the ten years was
90,878; and there were 33,378 desertlows, so that one
of every three recruits was needed to replace thtN4.
NEW TITIR FOR. OLD COUNTRY DANCE.-..
"Just like lloger---de Coverley."—Punek

A &RANGE Suictne.-111 the district of Lor-
raine, says the SlrisB Times, a husband has just put an
end to his life by hanging, for a very Inelgnificant
matter. He was charged by his wife to buy POMO
potatoes, which he did, but she complained that they
were much too large. This caused him to go to the
wood-house forthwith and hang himself. His wife,
which is still more extraordinary, witnessed the des-
perate act, and repeatedly besought her husband "not
to do so foolishly." Finding her remonstrances use-
less, she ran to fetch the inspector of the district, who
arrived, as might be supposed, too late to cut the fatal
cord.

-----
DRUMS AND FIFES.—Mr. Cardwell proposes,
in re.organising the Army, to unite all the forces of
the country in "one harmonious whole." Hitherto,
in military affairs, that description has only been ap-
plicable to some of the band.s.—Panch.
GOLD DIGGINGS OF Vnionts.—Last month's
Australian mail brought a statement that the largest
cake of gold ever seen was exhibited in Sandhurst and
Melbourne, the weight of which was 2,564 oil., with a
value of over £lO,OOO. That cake was the result of a
fortnight's work of the Great Extended Hustler's
Quartz Mining Company, Sandhurst; but the same
company, in their next fortnight's work, altogether
surpassed their previous success, and turned outs cake
weighing no less than 3,761 oz., and worth more than
L'15,000. The yield from quarta mines now exceeds
that from alluvial mines. It is stated that Die Stock-
yard Creek diggings, situated near Port Albert, and
close to the most southern point of the Australian con-
tinent, may be now classed among the permanent gold-
fields of the colony. These diggings, which were only
discovered some few months ago, are situated in a
part of the colony not previously found to be payable
as a goldfield, and it is thought that very shortly the
country between them and the next diggings, some 40
or 50 miles inland, will be all found to be of a more or
less gold-bearing character. At present the country
referred to is an almost impenetrable scrub, in which
it is next to impossible for travellers to penetrate; but
it is expected that tracks will soon be cut through it,
after which prospecting in it will no doubt be ener-
getically carried on. In December two nuggets, weigh-
ing respectively 21oz. and 320 z., were obtained in one
claim at Stockyard Creek.

CARRYING THE JOKE FAR ENOUGH !
Millaißl, the banker and newspaper speculator, who
died recently in Paris, and who founded the Paris
Petit Journal, which at one time had a daily circula-
tion of nearly half a million copies was an enthusias-
tic believer in the advantages of liberal advertising.
One day he had at his table nearly all the proprietors
of the leading Paris dailies. They conversed about
advertising. Millaud asserted that the most worth.
less articles could be sold in vast quantities, if liberally
advertised. Emile de GiraMin, of La Prase, who
was present, took issue with him on the subject.
"What will you bet," exclaimed Millaud, "that I
cannot sell in one weelc one hundred thousand francs'
worth of the most common cabbage seed under the
pretext that it will produce mammoth cabbage heads?
All I have to do is to advertise it at once in a whole-
page insertion of the daily papers of this city."
Girardin replied that he would give him a page in his
paper for nothing if he should win his wager. The
other newspaper publishers agreed to do the same
thing. At the expiration of the week they inquired
of Milland how the cabbage-seed had flourished, lie
showed them his books triumphantly, and satisfied
them that he had sold nearly twice as much 38 he pro-
mised, while orders were still pouring in ; but he said
the joke must stop there, and no further orders would
, be tilled.

THE AURORA AS SEEN IN NEW YOWL—The
New York Times of the sth inst. says :
There was a most remarkable display of aurora, or nothern
lights, last night attracting universal attention from those
who happened to be abroad. The North. western quarter of
the heavens was, about seven o'clock, overspread with
delicate emerald light. disposed in one great band of colour,
with the edges gradually softened down until merged In the
surrounding atmosphere. The most striking portion of the
display was, however, found in the south-eastern quarter,
which was magnificently illumed by heavy masses of red and
crimson colour, enlivened at short intervals by brief glints
of yallowish light. So intense was this Rumination that many
persons supposed that a great fire was raging back of Brooklyn.
Indeed, the brilliancy of the display IR that quarter had the
appearance of. vivid reflection front a conflagration, only
deeper, thus misleading the casual observer, though the
frequent lifting of the light and the remarkable changes soon
indicated Its precise character. Viewed from the deck elan
East River ferry-boat, the aurora afforded a rare spectacle,
the dark masses of shipping and storehousse lending addl-
..