The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-11-13 00:00:00

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A few days ago a piece of property in a central
tion of Glasgow, containing SOO square yards, was sot
£19.000, being at the rate of £23 per square yard.
The prefix "Her Majesty's" is to be discontinued
before vessels and ships belonging to the Indian Govern-
ment.
It appears from official returns that last year there
was a large increase in the number of prison punishments.
The total number inficted on males and females was 66,882,
being an increase of 2,602 on the previous year.
Last year there were 108,503 persons under sentence
of hard labour in England and Wales-80,356 males and
23,147 females—being an increase of 7,229 on the preceding
year.
"Blankets" of brown paper of a superior quality,
perforated rt such a manner as to permit a free passage to
the exhalations of the body, without diminishing the warmth
are advertised in London at 4d., 51, or 6d. each.

His Royal Highness Prince Leopold has presented
to the Shakespeare lidemorial Library, in connection with
the Cambridge Free Library, a copy of Daniel's "Romeo V
and Juliet," containing the parallel texts of the first two __
quartos. 11a0
"On the fence" is the American phrase to expres r,sagt
the position of politicians who are ready to go back or for- Xse
ward, to jump down this side or that, as circumstances sug-
gest. t
The Rev. David Thomas, M.A.., the leading Non- ,
conformist minister in Bristol, died suddenly of heart disease
on Sunday morning in his study while preparing his sermon. 'l6,
He had been forty years in Bristol, and since 1844 minister of .Ertoa
Highbury Chapel, Cotham.
Mr. J. G. M'Minnie-s, a Warrington magistrate,
has made a gift to the corporation of that town of a library
of 2,000 volumes, accumulated by an old Warrington member
of the Society of Friends.
An English steamer, the Charles Dickens stranded in
entering Boulogne on Saturday and struck against the pier.
Attempts were made, but without success, to get her off,
and ultimately she sank across the entrance of the harbour
effectually closing the port.
A reciprocal Extradition Treaty has just been con.
eluded between Russia, Austria, and Hungary, for the extra-
dition of persons accused of offences punishable with impri-
sonment for a period of twelve months and above, political
offenders to be excepted. The treaty, which is to enter into
force at once, has been concluded for an indefinite period.
Lord Derby on Tuesday received a deputation from
Yorkshire Chambers of Commerce which drew attention to
the duties that would probably be placed upon our goods
when a change is made in the tariffs of Austria and Italy.
His lordship, without going into detail, assured the deputa-
tion that the Foreign Office would continue to use its utmost
exertions in behalf of the great manufacturing interest re-
presented by the Chambers.
According to the Board of Trade returns for Octo-
ber there was a decrease of over is per cent. in the exports
compared with those of October, 1874. The total declared
value of the exports last month was L 18,474,744, against
£21,918,528 in October of Bust year, and £22,341,239 in Octo-
ber 1873. In the ten months ended October 31 the value of
the exports was £187,340,338, against £202,869,438 in the
corresponding period of 1874, and £216,016,769 in 1873 or a
decrease respectively of 7 and of nearly 13 per cent. The
total value of the imports last month was £29,196,220, which
was an increase of £1,28.1,869, or about 3i per cent., over
those of October, 1874, and a decrease of £2,451,495, or about
ei per cent., compared with those of October, 1873.
The Farmer states that the following circular has
just been issued from the Railway Clearing House:—" It has
been decided by all the railway companies in England and
Wales that, on and from the Ist of January, 187 e, all stock
and implements sent to agricultural societies sha.vs shall be
subject to the usual full charges for carriage both going to
and returning from the shows, excepting only such stock and
implements of hesbandry as remain unsold, and are returned
by goods train at owner's risk, which will be charged half
rates on the return journey, upon production of a certificate
from the secretary of the show that the stock of implements
as the case may be, are really unsold."
Some men were talking athletics in the smoking-
room of a Scarborough hotel the other night, and bragging
rather. One young fellow, in pat ticular, was evidently con-
ceited about his pugilistic prowess. "I put the gloves on
with a man two stone heavier than myself, last Tuesday," he
said; "not a bad sparer either, for he nearly won the
Queensberry cup for amateurs at Lillie Bridge; and,
curiously enough, I caught him on the nose with my left,
and sent him clean over on the broad of his back." A
middle-aged man, who was finishing his cigar and soda and
brandy in the corner, had hitherto made no remark. now
observed that he could well understand it • " for," said he,
"I knocked an elephant down last week." The young man
did not believe him: but he spoke the truth. He was an
auctioneer. —Once a Week.
It is to be hoped that the medicine-chest of the
Serapis is well stocked with antibilious drugs. The Bombay
Committee who have charge of the arrangements for wel-
coming the Prince of Wales have allowed for each guest at a
dinner to be given t 9 the sailors :—lb. mutton, lb. beef, a
large fowl, a large duck, lb, plum-Pudding with sauce, Vb.
bread, lb potatoes, vb. vegetables, 1 ounce cheese, 1 ounce
butter, radishes and salad, Vt. ham, 1 bottle (quart) beer, 1
gill brandy, 1 bottle soda, 1 bottle lemonade, Vb. tobacco,
&c. we are afraid that Jack, with all his capacity for com-
pact stowage, will find it difficult to get such a cargo on
board without deck-loading.