The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-07-09 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

In spite of a lavish consumption of ice in the venti-
lating department, the temperature in the House of Com-
mons on Tuesday evening (the Daily News says) stood at 7'5
deg. In the Ladies' Gallery it was 82 deg.
Truth doubts whether the hard work is really telling
on Mr. Gladstone. "lie has so wondrous an amount of
intellectual eneray that what would prostrate most men is to
hint hut healthful exercise. When, the other day, he was
laid up, and ordered. by his medical advisers to remain in
perfect quiet, his idea of rest was to, take the new version of
the New Testament and to collate it with the Greek."

The question of constructing a canal between the
North Sea and the Baltic, which first arose after the conclu-
sion of the Danish war, is now again being considered by the
Prussian Government.

In the 11011,3 of Conamons, on Tnesday, Mr.
Stevenson presei,ed a petition in favour of Sunday elosintr,
which, lie said, was signed by 84,283 persons, anti was I,lod
yardi in length.

In New -11-(,rk the Brush Electric Light Company is
erecting, at its own expense, a pole 150 feet high in Union and
Madison squarer', each to have on the top six lights of
6,000-candle power each, as an experiment in lighting the city
from above. Three similar poles are to be put up in the
lower part of Central Park.
The Horseshoe Fall at Niagara is to be lighted up
by forty electric lamps of eight thousand candle-power. The
fall will make its own eiectricity, and it will be the first
time it has done a useful stroke of business.
A man who had been working in a field at
Grotto!), died on Tuesday from sunstroke. A fatal case of
sunstroke occurred also at Rugby, and another at letchworth,
near Reigate—in the latter case the man having been play-
ing at cricket when he had the stroke.
A meeting of the Liberal Eight Hundred was held
lii Birmingham On Tuesday evening, at which a resolution
was carried declaring that whoever prevented the passing
of the Land Bill would be responsible for a serious national
dangPr, and calling upon all Liberal constituencies to sup.
port the Government in their determination to secure the
passing of the measure.
The Crown Prince and Princess of Germany ancl
suite arrived at Queenborough from Flushing at eight
o'clock on Wednesday morning. The flagship fired a Royal
salute. A special train was in readiness at the Continental
Fier, and shortly afterwards their Royal highnesses left for
Windsor, on a visit to her Majesty the Queen.

Attention is drawn by the Registrar-Gr'eneral to the
fact that there were 52 deaths from small-pox in London
last week Eleven were of children under five years of age,
15 of persons aged bail eon 5 and 20, 14 between 20 and 40,
and 12 tv4ed upwards of 40. The number of small-pox
patients in the Metropolitan Asylum Rospitals, which had
declined from 1,644 to 1,578 in the preceding weeks, further
declined to 1,408 on Saturday last.
The Standard of Tuesday says :—" Though Mr.
Gladstone did not formally abandon the Bankruptcy Bill
yesterday it is now well understood that it will be impossible
to proceed with that measure this Mission. Several of the
mercantile members of the House are anxious that an effort
should be made to pass it, but we believe the Government
will not agn e to prolong the Session for such a time as
would be necessary for that purpose."
At the close of Midhat Pasha's trial it is reported
that he begged that his death might not be long
delayed,
adding, "1 am weary of life in so unjust a world," and,
turning to the audience, said, "I thank you for having
assisted at my condemnation, and now have only to ask you
to assist at my execution." It is expected in Constantinople
that the sentence of death passed upon Midhat Pasha and
the other prisoners will be commuted to fifteen yam' hard
labour.