The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-05-02 00:00:00

REMARKS ON PASSING EVENTS.

The Abyssinian news woo not received with imieersal sat is-
faction by the Paris papers. The majority of those publishett
on Monday night speak in terms of high praise of the victools
of the English, hot sole of the night before appeared a little
disappointed. The Opinion Nationale, which had all along
prophesied evil of the expedition, found consolation in the
fact that, at all events, Theodore had fallen fighting to the
loot; and, with the 6,000 soldien left him, had Indield the
national nag of Aby,sinia! The Li/vete compared the Abys-
sinian Emperor with Tippo Sall., and wound up its account
of his defeat and death with a" Poor iheodorual"

The ram of Shepherd and the Vicar of From. (the Rev.
W. J. E. Bennett'. the application for a mandamus to the
Bishop of London, directing him to hear and determine.
against Mr. Bennett for the publication of alleged heretical
and unsound doctrines within the diocese of London wag
advanced a stage on Monday morning. A rule netli was
granted on tlw I;th of April. and the argument ou4he ques-
tion that the rule should be made absolute was appointed tar
this morning. Mr. Lee. the Bishop of London's legal secre-
tary, attended on behalf of the hiahop, but no counsel was
instructed. Mr. Stephens, Q.t.., applied that the rule might
be anode absolute, as no cause waa to be shown on the other
side. Mr. Justice Blackburn inquired whether all the
affidavits were ready. and whether the learned eminsel had
had communication with the other side. Mr. Stephens said
he certainly had, or Inc 611.10 d not have mentioned the
matter In that way. The rule was accordingly made abso-
lute The result of this IA that the Bishop is directed to.
: read and examine the books published by the defendant, and
tin n to exercise into discretion whether he will issue a
commission.

There was a remarkable gathering of veteran teetotallera
in London the other evening. Only those who have been
total abatainers for twenty years and upwards were admitted,
and each visitor had to awn a ticket, stating how long he or
she had been a member of the temperance cause. The result
was that 246 teetotallers attended, the aggregate number of
years they had abstained being U. 73, the axeragn to each
person being thus twenty-seven years. After tea, several
members of the company gave the results of titeir en-
perience " respecting teetotalism. The points upon whiot
most of the speakers laid stress were the benefits tti health
they personally had experienced in consequence of absti-
nence, and also the pecuniary saving effected by title mode
of life. Others told how they had seen the vicious life made
pare and the dishonest life made straightforward by reela-
mations from drunkenness.

At the next meeting of the Central Chamber Of Agricul-
ture, which will be held at the Salisbury Bidet, in .Londom
on Tuesday, May 5, the business to be transacted will in-
clude the consideration of the steps to he taken by the
COMIC With respect to County Financial Boards and the pro-
visions of Mr. Wild's Idll ; also the discussion of the foll.lW-
Mg resolutions submitted by the Sontersetshire Chamber—
! That the taxation now levied under the name of poor
rate,' to the extent of nearly X 10,000,000 annually, bears un-
fairly timm income arising from real property. 2 . That tho
exemption from the rate of income arising from personal
property is unjust, and therefore requires the early and
serious consideration if parliament." A resolutioa of the
North Cheshire Chamber, 111.111 equalising the attribution of
the Cattle Plague Compensation Fund, will also be received.

Advices from Ottawa inform us that the evidenee against
Whelan as the murderer of Thomas DArcy Nillee Is con-
stantly accumulating, and there Is said to be no longer any
doubt of his guilt. It appears that after shooting M'Gre be
ran into an unoccupied house on the opposite side of tho
street, which accounts for his sudden disappearance. Foot•
marks were found In the snow at the rear of this house cor-
responding exactly to the prints made by Whelbris hoots.
Public meetings are being held in all parts of Canada to Cc-
press indignation at the murder, stud to soudele with the
faintly of the deceased.

The general satisfaction occasioned by our victory id
Magdala will naturally be enhanced by the reflection that
the, heavy expenditure of the expedition will anon be
terminated. A correspondent at Antal.) writes;—" I will
give you a few examples id prices at this station. We pay
1.3. 6d. for every 91b, of flour brought in ; the same a dollar)
for 2211,. of salt; a dollar for every PM, of grain, and horses
are allowed 611. i, per diem; a dollar for every bib of black or
brown bread ; a dollar for 250th. of grass. The prices aro
about the same at all the numberless depots along the wholo

The first stone of Kahle College—the first college founded in
Oxford for more .han two centuries and a half—was on
Saturday laid by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the pre-
sence of a very large number of distinguished personages.
The ceremony was preceded by service in St. Mary's Church.
where the Bishop of Orford preached a sermon approm iota
to the occasion. Alter the laying of the stone there was a
large and trout enthusiastic meeting held in the Sheldonian
Theatre, the Archbishop in the chair, when speeches were
delivered by Lord Carnan'on, the Bishops of Oxford and
Lichfield, and Mr. Gathortie Hardy, who caused a profound
sensation by reading a home office telegram respecting the
attempt to assassinate the Duke of Edinburgh. The pro•
ceediugs were altogether most successful.

Two !namelad frigates, of considerable power and et the
most approved modes of construction, were launched on
Samrday upon the waters of the Thames. One of these, the
!OyuJoe, constructed by Hr. geed, for the British nen, isle
carry twelve gone of large calibre; soul a very diatingnishe.l
company. including Prince Arthur, assembled to witness the
ceremony of christening. The ether launch was that of the
Honig Wilhelm at the Thames Iron Shipbuilding Company's
works at Blackwall, the largest and strongest iron-clad afloat.
She was originally the Fatikh, laid down for the Turkiilt
Government, ant subse.quently purchased by Pruseia for tlm
North German navy. Lier armour is eight inches thick, amt
she carries twenty-seven Krupp's steel 500-pounders. The
Prince Adalbort, High Admiral of Pruasla, was present at the
ceremony.

The tax upon sheep-dogs appears to be disapproved ky the
agricultural interest as tieing hard upon shepherds. each of
whom has to keep two: one to drive the sheep afield, and liOs
other to bring them home. The Chancellpr of the Ex-
chequer replied the other night to Mir K 1111arn Stirling
Maxwell, Mr. Liddell, and Mr. McLaren, who remonstrated
with him on the onerous nature of the tax, that shepherds
are but servants, that although it may be hard to require,
them to pay a tax of 59. a piece for their dogs, there is
nothing unreasonal de in requiring that their employers nhall
pay it, and that it sheep-doits are exempted from taxation,
the result will be that ovary dog will be registered us a bhrep-
dog.

" ON TIIE Dautoc."—At the Guildhall Police-
court, in Loudon, on Wednesday, a man named Pea-
cock, of Norwich, was charged, on his own conft-4-
sion, with setting fire to the barrel of gunpowder
which blew down the wall of the Clerkenwell Hons.,
of Detention. The prisoner, when he gave himself
up, gave a circumstantial aceount of the whole busi-
ness, but it had been ascertained by the police that he
ail not in• London at the time of the explosion. He
said he had been " on the drunk" since last Friday.
and having been reading the accounts of the Fenian
trials in the newspapers he supposed they had got into
his head.—Alderman Gibbons gave him a good team,
for making such a fool of himself, and sent hint about
his business.