The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-09-19 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

A French scientist claims to have discovered an insect
which makes its home in the middle of cigars.

Mr. Varley, the well-known engineer, has invented
a patent coupling for repairing Immediately and upon the
spot broken propeller shafts.

The Society of Arts offers twenty guineas for a suit-
able railway lamp. _ _ _

A young man hag died at Wakefield from hydro-
phobia. Deceased was bitten by a dog about seven months
ago, hut no symptoms lif the disease were manifested until
Sunday week, when his suffering, commenced.
The mountains in the Grisons seem to be the
favourite haunt of the chamois. The other day a troop of
these animals numbering 35 was seen near the Samadem

A suit of pure give; is to be worn by the King of
Burnish on his corning re-coronation.

It ie said that whoever is Duke of Westminster one
hundred years hence will have such a fortune as even story
books never before more than Muted at.

It is the intention of Itfainhalßazaine to reside ulti-
mately in Madrid, where his family have for a long
then lieen living.

An Englishman, haling forth in the evening in a
Scotch hotel to some friends and some strangers in the house
on the subject of cremation f bodies, in place of the present
mode of burial, wound up by declaring that he had abont
made up his mind to leave directions with his friends and
executors that, when he died, his body should be cremated.
A canny old Scotehman, who did not relish the innovation,
"set the table in a roar' by remarking, "Ye seem in a great
hurry, nut freen. A' that may possibly be ordained to be
dune, without any bother to your friends and executors, at
the Lord's guide time and pleasure"
• - - -

A novel exhibition is about t, be given at the Folies-
Bergeres, Paris, in the person of a man tattooed all over his
body. He is a Greek by birth and mimed Veins Con-
stantinos. At present aged forty-seven, a was when a
young man made a prisoner by a horde of Manehoux Tartan,
Who amused themselves by tattooing every part of his body
in various colours.

Mr. R. A. Croas, the Home Secretary, ha. been 1
visiting the hie of Man this week. In acknowledging an !
address which was presented to him, Mr. Cross said hi duty !
an Secretary of State would be comparatively easy if every
other portion of her Majesty's dominions gave him as little !
trouble as the Isle of Man.

A hint worthy of the attention of those in charge of
gunpowder, dtc., may be obtained In the enunciation of the
following explanation of how to obtain light instantly without
the use of matches and without the danger of setting things
on fire :—Take an oblong phial of the whitest and clearest
glass ; put into it • piece of phosphorus about the aim of a
pea, upon which pour some olive oil, heated to the boiling-
point, filling tne phial about one-third full, and then seal the
phial hermetically. To use it, remove the cork and allow
the air to enter the phial, and then recork it. The whole
empty space in the bottle will then become luminous, and
the light obtained will be equal to that of a lamp. As soon
as the light grows weak its power can be increased by open-
ing the phial and allowing a fresh supply of air to enter. In
winter it is sometimes necessary to heat the phial between
the hands to increase the fluidity of the oil. Thus prepared,
the phial may be used for six months. This contrivance hi
now used by the watchmen of Paris in all magazines where
explosive or inflammable materials are stored.