The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-11-06 00:00:00

Mistellanerms ittcUicnt,

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

A HINT ABOUT FLOWERS*. —Flowers nearly
always begin to fade and droop after being kept for
24 hours in water; a few may be revived by sub-
stituting fresh, but all may be restored by the use of
hot water. For this purpose place the flowers in scald-
ing water, deep enough to cover about one-third of the
length of the stems. By the time this is cold the
flowers will have become erect and fresh. Then cut
off the shrunken ends of the stems and put them into
cold water. .rf
AN ARTISAN'S WATERINGPLAcB. —The Sanitary
Record gays: A project is on foot Lo establishing at
Salt Dean, near Brighton, a seaside village of houses
suitable for the resort of artisans, clerks, and others of
small means. The houses to be built and the estate
laid on the best sanitary principles, and suites of rooms
or small cottages, to be let at rents commencing at five
shillings a week. Cheap holidays at the seaside are at
least as desirable for the working classes of all kinds as
for richer people, and cheap trains to the seaside are
generally so well filled as to show that the million fully
appreciate a sea breeze. It may also be doubted, how-
ever, whether a cheap seaside village will prove very
attractive to them. Gay equipages and brilliant
costumes, and the other bright sights of some fashion-
able watering places, are attractive to those who can-
not indulge in the luxuries of possession. This out-
door spectacle would be missing, and mayhap such a
village would be rather dreary and disconsolate.
IN DIAN STATISTICS. —A Parliamentary Blue-
book has just . been printed, containing a statistical
abstract relating to British: India, which is of interest
at the present time. Under British administration
there are 907,086 square miles, of 50 divisions and 235
districts, with 37,041,259 inhabited houses, containing
a population of 190,563,048. The Feudatory States
extend over 546,695 square miles, with a population of
48,267,910, making an area in square miles of 1,453,781,
with a population of 238,850,058. Of the population
in British India 139,248,568 are Hindoos, 1,174,436
Sikhs 40,882,537 Mahomedans, 2,832.851 Buddhists
and tiani5,,890,658 Christians, and ‘.'otliers" 5,102,823;
and, tdmake-np the number 190,563,048, it is stated
that of 425,175 the religion is not known.

THRIFT IN OXFORDSHIRE.— On Saturday last
an influential meeting was held at the Assize Court,
Oxford, the Earl of Jersey in the chair, to consider the
work of the Oxfordshire Branch of the Provident
Knowledge Society. It appeared that during the last
six months 22 new penny banks, depositing their
money with the Post Office, had been started, and
were in active operation in. as many villages, schools,
and workshops throughout the county. It was un-,
animously resolved to prosecute the work in the hope
of eventually having a penny bank in every school and
village in the county, and to appeal to the landed
proprietors for aid towards defraying the necessary
cost.
A PLAGUE OF RATS. —A plague of rata:is
ravaging the French cavalry camp at Rocquencon'rt.
These rats have increased with such rapidity as tO
form a veritable army, daring and cunning, and fear-
ing neither light nor noise. Every morning some un-
fortunate soldier finds either the harness of his horse
gnawed into morsels, or discovers the buttons left as
the sole relics of his trousers. To keep their bread
safe for breakfast, the troopers are obliged during the
night to hang their loaves over their beds by a string,
and-are then often awakened by the bread falling on
them, a rat having gnawed the cord in two. A price
is set on the head of each single rat, but the depre-
dators give battle, generally successfully, to the
fiercest dogs. _ _

• •
QUESTION AND ANSWER. —The Revue 111ustree
des Deux Mendes relates, on the occasion of the recent
journey of the German Emperor to Italy, a piquant
anecdote, the event having occurred in 1864, when
William 1., then King of Prussia, was trairelling
incognito in Hungary. In the neighbourhood of
Treplitz he met a judge leisurely walking on the high
road, smoking a porcelain pipe. His Majesty accosted
the functionary with his usual freedom :—" Who are
YolOnY "Judge in the district law court,"
replied the magistrate, a little surprised. "Are you
satisfied with your position ?" "Certainly." "Then
I'congratulate, you." The King was moving off, when
the' judge 'detained him by saying, "And you, my
man,, ' he asked, "who are you?" The Sovereign made
a start of surprise, then, expecting to confound his
questioner, he answered, "I am the King of Prussia."
The 'Hungarian remained impassible. "Are you sada-
fied with your condition?" continued be. " qertainly,"
iekclaithed William, disturbed by the indiffm* qf AAis
interlocutor. "Then I congratulate you,' -said the
Magyar, saluting his Majesty with an air of good
fellowship, and continuing his promenade. The stale
was soon told throughout Germany, but not by King
William.