The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-12-25 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

Viscount Cranbrook in consideration of the agricul-
tural deprei ision, has permanently reduced the rents of
his farms in Kent by 30 per cent.
Speaking at Dover, Major Dickson, M.P., said he
believed that•before long a great Ministerial crisis must
occur, and that it would bring about another general
election.
Mr. Wynne E. Baxter, the newly-elected coroner foe
East Middlesex, has appointed Mr. George Collier his
deputy. Mr. Collier acted in the same capacity for the
late Sir J. Humphreys for nine years.
The Budget Committee of the German Reichstag has
voted 150,000 marks to be used for assisting scientific
enterprise in opening up Central Africa to civilisation.
Sir Philip Canliffe Owen was, on Saturday, at the
Indian and Colonial Exhibition, presented with a
magnificent gold tea and coffee service by the Com-
missioner?.
Mr. Gratiot Washburne, Sect etary of the General
Council of the American Exhibition to be held in
Lenden next year, is reported to have died of apoplexy
at Louisville.
Elizabeth Walmsley, the wife of a county bailiff at
Blackburn, while striking a match fell down and sot
fire to her clothing. Her husband threw buckets of
water over her and extinguished the flames but she
was so badly burned that her life is despaired of.
At the Westminster Police-Court, John Lee, 38, no
home, was committed for trial on a charge of stealing a
purse containing £5 in gold, e 5 Bank of England note,
and otter moneys from the person of Miss Jane
Crouch while on the platform at Victoria Station.
' The puree was cleverly abstracted from the prosecu-
trix's reticule while she was waiting for a train, and
j the prisoner admitted his guilt, saying that he had no
money and was sorely tempted.
The christening of the infant son of Prince and
Princess Henry of Battenburg took place on Saturday
afternoon at Windsor Castle, and was attended, by the
Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince and
Princess Christian, Prince Albert Victor, Princess
Louise, the Duchess of Albany, Prince Alexander of
Hesse, and others. The Dean of Windsor officiated.
The infant Prince was named Alexander Albert Victor
Henry.
The coroner's inquiry into the circumstances attend-
ing the death of Challon, the head gamekeeper on the
Ethridge estate, near Canterbury; who was shot by
poachers on the night of the 6th inst., was resumed on
Saturday. The jury returned a verdict of "Wilful
murder" against James Dawkins, who was committed
for trial on the coroner's warrant.
A murder was committed on Saturday afternoon at
Aspull, near Bolton, where a woman named France, the
wife of a collier, cut the throat of one of her children
with a common table-knife. She then fled, but in the
evening gave herself up to the police at West Hoagla.
ton, saying she had killed her child by cutting off its
head. When charged she admitted having committA
the act, and it is thought she is insane.
At a late hour cn Saturday night a fire, which proved
very destructive in its effects, broke out in a large
unoccupied mansion, 24, Grafton•street, W. The cone
fisgration raged for hours threatening the residence of
Lord Truro and St. hours,
Chapel, Atberrnarle-
street. During the progress of the flames two firemen
were injured y t-I,e fall of a stone staircase, and were
removed to the Middlesex Hospital.
The commission representing the Suez Canal Com-
pany concluded the arrangements with the Egyptian
Government for widening the canal. By this scheme
the width of the canal from Port said to the Bitter
Lakes is to be 44 metres, and thence to Suez 65
metres.
A large block of buildings La Napier (New Zealand)
• has been destroyed by fire. •
On Saturday the extrarodinary session of the French
Chambers were brought to a close.
A movement is being set on foot for presenting to the
Queen next year a personal JubEee offering from the
women and girls of the United Kingdom.
Al the Munster Assizes on Saturday, Tim Hurley,
charged with the possession of dynamite last October
on the occasion of his eviction, was acquitted. The
' Crown alleged that in the event of the eviction beinf,
successful the *teemed intended to blow up a mill
adjoining his house The defence was that the dyna-
mite was obtained for uprooting the stumps of trees.
The Marquis of Hartington nas arrtvea at ttome,
and it is believed that he intends passing the whater
there.
The Municipal Council of Paris has granted to the
Committee of the Jubilee of Railways the free use of
nine hun -.red acres of the most attractive portion of
the Bois de Vincennes, including the lakes, and that
the works will be commenced immediately.
Ths Lords of the Admiralty have returned 15 per
cent, of the rents of the tenants on the Alston•moor
estates, Cumberland. At previous rent audits their
lordships have allowed substantial abatements.
The death of Erastus Brooks removes the last of the
' old journalistic landmarks of New York. He was the
contemporary of Bryant, Webb, Greeley, the elder
13ennett and Raymond, when they were in their prime,
. and antedated some of them as a leading newspaper
man.
! Twenty North Carolina mimes are worth from
10,000 dols. to 30,000 dole. each. John McKee, a
Philadelphia negro, is worth 500,000 dole.' and owns
400 houses. The richest coloured woman of the South,
Amanda Eubanks, was left 400,000 dols. by the will of
her white father, and lives teat Augusta, Georgia.
Sir Massey Lopes has intimated to all his agricultural
tenants that in future he will pay one-half of all the
rates on his agricultural holdings, and also that he
in (ends for the future to add the tithe rent-charge to
the rent of each holding, and himself pay, in one sum,
the whole amount due to each clergyman.
The date has not yet been fixed for the International
Shorthand Congress, to be held next year, to com-
memorate at once the tercentenary of shorthand and
the 7ubilee of Mr. Pitman's system. The list of the
Congress Committee, however, is published, and in-
cludes not only the names of many shorthand writers,
but the names of men well known in science, literature,
and politics.
The reported arrest of a French spy in Germany seems
to be confirmed. It is stated that a young French
officer, named Lieutenant Letellior, was arrested at
Cailsruhe, where he had passed some six weeks, and
that not only sketches of the Fortress of Rastatt, but
al o a survey of the vicinity of Carlsruhe and particu-
larly of the passage across the Rhine near Mazan, were
found in his possession.
Mr. McEwan, M.P. addressing his constituents in
Edinburgh, said the Liberal Unionists were responsible
for the disquiet in Ireland, having by their insensate
folly and pigheadness thrown out Mr. Parnell's bill last
Session. He thought the Liberals were better without
some of the Dissentients, but he feared that this Parlia-
ment would not pass a Home Rule Bill satisfacto.y to
the Irish people.
The Lord Chancellor has appointed Mr. Edward
. Ridley, of the North-Eastern Circuit, an Official Referee
ef the Supreme Cismirt of Judicature. Mr. Ridley is the
seeond son of the late Sir Matthew White Ridley, and
bother to the present baronet. The appointment is
worth £l5OO a year.
' At the Liverpool City Sessions, two young ` men,
named Bowden, charged with falsely Pretending to be
owners of certain vessels, and thus fraudulently obtain.
ing investments of large sums of money from master
mariners by promising them commands were acquitted.
Damages to the amount of £3750 were, in the
Queen's Bench Division, awarded to Mr. Simon Elkan's
tobacco and cigar merchant, of London and Birming-
ham, who had brought an action against the Great
Northern,. Railway Company for compensation for
injuries sustained when travelling On their line, and for
expenses and loss of business.
A meeting of Unionist Liberals was held at Exeter
or the purpose of forming a Unionist Liberal Associa-.
tion for Devon, 'eareept that portion included in the
inceth and South Devon Liberal itssoeiation. A re.
solution determining to form an association was carried,
a numerous council was appointed, with Lord Clifford
as president.