The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-10-27 00:00:00

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44)Itt Nation earespittitt,

' • W. !lik,uott right to state that we do not at all timea tlenttb'
• ...de).,,E% with our cornapon•lent's opinion. I

The opinion appears to gain ground that we shall
next Session have a dissolution of Parliament For
myself, without the slightest means of knowing more
than we all know, and judging only from the &Teat
of the political world, I cannot but think that an ap-
peal to the country is highly probable. It was ru-
moured some little time since that Col. Taylon the
parliamentary secretary, had issued a circular to the
". COnservative agents warning them that an appeal to
the country would take place in the spring or summer.
It subsequently turned out that the rumour was
erroneouss but had such a circular been sent it would
bnly havelorecast a political probability. Without
entering on the niceties of party petition it may safely
be stated that at least two things ore probable—the
.intratfaction of a blinisterial Reform Bill and its
failure. In that case an appeal to the country would
appear to be almost a certain connequence. Ministers
could not conttnue to holdodicia withoutacknowledeing
their defeat, but, they might well acknowledge thew
• defeat and Sill hold office, appealing from Parliament
"to3ec,ounery.. This course would be all the more
le m, • te seeing that the present House of Commons
•;was hot elected under the auspices of Lord Derby, but
. „tattler those of 1-ordXalmerston.
' 'tie numerous trade outrages which have receatly
startled and pained the public have done somethintto
iujrire the position of the working classes in their
cfeinand for Reform. I mention this as a fact which
is forced upon you almost every day, but I contests I
.cannot see the slightest conneotion between such out.
vages and the demand for the suffrage. Another eftect
ti thine outrages has been to create in the priblitmind
generally, a dislike and a distrust of trades ,dnietse.
Vipiftrhag Jo far eAier to understand. Opinions,vitry
-"greatly ii to the value and eperations of these trip% de
organisations. I, for ow, having paid some earnest
attention to the matter of trade unions, have leng since
cbine to the conclusion that wage every trade union
ribblielied to-morrow, and Were all kinds of labour left

..,
to the free operation of the law of supply and demand,
neither masters nor men would gaffer, and that the i
-oldinges which. would , take place on such an event ,
occurring would not have any permanently Injurious
effect even on the lower and unskilled class of work. 1
j 3
men, while the higher and more skilful workman wo Id
haven greater chance of rising than he now has. t '
I refrain from using arguments in support of my Vie ,
setirki'arguments from much abler pates have tailed.
lint neither argument nor sophistry can exeunt even .
intimidation, far ltes outrage, and the worldng men gellw.
nil lyare doing well to repudiate any sympathy with ma
who have proved themselves the very worst enendies
of their class. The law which affects this subjecg is
clear enough, but it may be useful to remind 3, r
readers what-ate -1W exact Trovidona. The Ac 6
George IV., cap. 129, which repeals all former Alts,
and ,pow regulates trade combinations, presides tist
it shall be legal for any persons to meet together Ao
determine than*, of. wages for whieh they will w4:4,
and to enter into any verbal or written agreement)
ths t wages or home of employment; and the same Aro.
cess and privileges are stated to be legal with respect to
the masters. But the Act also mak ealt illegal to ender,
voila to force any journeyman, manufacturer, -. or
sve-P Innen, or other person to depart from his hirilp,
sum ayment, Rework or to return his work befor4, it
ii.fiuished.; or to endeavour to peevent any journey.
man, manufacturer, .1/4c., from hiring himself; or to
endeavour to force or induce any person to belong to
any cluli .or associatioa, or to contribute sir aby
common fund, or to pay any fine or penalty, or on
account of his refusing to comply with any rules, &c.;
or to endeavour to force any manufacturer, &c., to
make any alteration in his mode of - regulating, kc.,
his business. All this is clear enough, but there is
another Act, the latest on thesobject (22 Vict., car. '4,)'
which was passed to protect the working man, which
provides that no one shalt; by -reason of his entering
into any agreement with any workmen, Pre., to fix
deli' 'rite of wages, em.., or by reason of his en.
deavouring, peaceably and in a reasonable manner, to
persuade others to cease from work, shall be deemed
ghilt'y' of melestation or obstruction; but it is also
, provided that nothing in this Act shall authorise say
workmatxto break any contract, .or induce any other
workman to do so. Now I regari these to Acts, whieh
are virtually one, as perfectly fair to masters and men.
They authorise combinations and strikes on the
one hand, and locks.out on the other; employers and
employed are perfectly free to combine. But they
• ingrose a penalty of three months imprisonment
' with bi without hard libour for acts of intimidation
and outrage. In my opinion this penalty for such an
• outrage as that at Sheffield is got severe enough, and
./'suppose that the actual perrietrator of the outrage
'old be convicted under some other Act without any
reference to the crime being a trade outrage. Certain
it is that some very severe punishment is required to
satisfy the public feeling ivad indigpation.
. a
Pleasant it i+ to read the descriptions of the
Anglo-Belgian/eh-3 and rejoicings. Surely never were
British volunteers more honoured. It is almost- a
we nder that they have not been off their headiewith
praise and pleasure. There- is however d more im-
portant consideration than the mere hbliday.making
aed Welcoming. A stiorsier fraternal feeling than
ever between England and Belgium will thus be Pro.
muted, and this feeling will doubtless be still further
developed should the Belgian volunteers pay us a
return visit to Wimbledon next year. Apropos of this
expected visit it is to be hoped that it will not present
too much of a contrast to the hearty and profuse
hospitality that our volunteers have enjoyed in little
brave, free, and enlightened Belgium. ' Reacling the
"acebunts of the balls in Brussels, many a one has
perhaps recalled Byron'a beautiful lines— '
"There was a sound of reveh7 by night,
And Lehriums capital had gathered there
~ Her beauty and her ehlvelry, and bright
' The lamps shone o'er tan women and braes men;
A thousand hearts beat happily ; and when
Music arose, with its voluptuous swell,
, Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spaks. isgahi,
I And all went Merry as a marriage bell."
But how different the sequence of the revelry in
,Pelgirim's capital now and on the eve of'the battle of
Waterloo. May England and Belgium continue to be
as firmly united in peace, as they ever were anif,ed in
war.

' The only existing Jewish synagtigue that I know of
' in a very large district south of the Thames is a little
obscure building, the existence of which no one tat
the Jewish community appeals to be aware of, and
perhaps not one out of a hundred who pass its dark
and murky entrance notices a Hebrew inscription
over the door. Thk Jews are now, however, &beat to
' erect a large synakogue near Mr. Spurgeon's Taber-
nacle. Only 4,500/. have been required for the purpose,
and though the project has been on foot for many
months this small sum (for so rich a community) has
~ not yet been collected, But the greater portion of
~ it.b.as been promised, and there will be, I suppose, no
difficulty about the remainder. The fact of money
c,,,ing in so slowly for a synagogue is remarkable,
especially as tke jews are so liberal in the matter of
' ' hospitals, schools, and institutions which are not even
confined to their own persuasion. Add to this the
fact that no Jew is ever a burfen on the country, the
Jews supportin4 their own poor, and I think it most
be, wimitted that many of the, ignorant prejudioes
againA the Jews, which, by the Way, decietee
; tl,ilyl-are very unjust. But to whatare we to at
their ;extritordlindrily slow action in raja* aittira-
' gogue which surely is needed if the Jews yaltle public
worship at all? , ~ .
Extraordinary advertisements seeking the loan of a
small slim for a short period often appear, telt I doubt
whether any more startling than the following have
ever appeared :—" 14/. wanted. Any private party
advancing 14/. for three weeks may hold property
value SO/. as security. 19/. returned. Omega," &c.
'4O!. required for one month upon business of im-
portance. 101: "for accommodation and security for
, pg. deposited. Address by letter, Alpha," &c. If
.1 this be not the alpha and omega Id monet-hunting, I
know not what is. These
,words pre Ruggeetive of the
advertisements emanating from "the same "private
... party," but be this as it may the advertisements sway
- be genuine, and may emanate from different perdoae, '
lilt it is difficult to believe it. I can imagine circum-
stair ;.8 under which a man in business might want
Pecuniary accommodation so urgently that s few
poen Ipfor interest might be no object toffinir ; ot if
li there be disposable security Why do -not theie 4vr.
,' • tiseis resort to that friend in need whose alms are,4iose
of the Lombard merchants? Why does not Alplue or
Omega exclaim "Oh my prophetic soul, my uncle ! "
a'n,l pay 'a visit It his 'establishment through that con-
venient Bille.door, which ia open to all corners? Now
u,. and again I tear of people answering these advertise.
Is. ments and lending their money on the faith of sham
....
„duplicates °gable deeds, and of course they get yery
Attie pity from' their good-uatured friends at basing
beertLitten in this way. .

, The Standard Theatre, in Shoreditch, London, was
totally deetroyed by fire on Sunday morning. The Properties,
. wer.,lrebes, and dressing-rooms of the theatre were Seatrored ;
-and In addition to the total wreck of the large theatre, an.,
•." other building has fallen • prey to the tire. We understand
V.at the inilding is fully insures. Mr. grittain Wrgbt, the
acting 0 nage?, 0.11, however, be a great sufferer,- • he
hellion hut the whole of his dresses and properties destroyed,
Le.l oaf, members of the company wial also be severe
losers Tl.e manager states that he was on the stage at two
o'clo,kOtt honday morning, when all appeared We, tool
tre,r,en engaged Ct the theatre vade the 2b al insportimi
hq 406 g intaqukaa4r, tuAl itivimarki all kr be

glistellancous
lICIME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.
A LUNATIC ON A LOCOMOTIVE.—A htnatie
stole a locomotive with steam up at Centralia, Illinois,
one day recently, and ran it off down the track at a
Fearful rate of speed. The firemen and a brakeman
were asleep on board the engine when it started, and
after a desperate struggle with the maniac secured him
in tune to prevent any serious accident.
- -

A PBAYER, NOrc, RECEIVED WELL !—On Sunday
It a ptayer for the King Of Prussin and the 'loyal
family was offered for the first time in the various
churches of Frankfort. It is stated that when the
moment -for reading it came a great many persons left.
The prayer is couched in the following terms

Deign to shed the abundance of Thy grace upon the king
our master, upon the Queen his spouse, upon the Queen
Dowager, upon the Prince Royal his spouse, and upon
all the relations and kindred of the Royal family. Grant to
them a long life with Thy constant benediction, and make
them mode) Christians. Vouchsafe to cur:King a Lula and
Mitten government, wisdom of heart, Royal sentiments,
salutary counsel., just works, valiant courage, strong de-
fenders, intelligent and trustworthy advisers, victorious
armies, faithful servant., and obedient subjects; so that we
may long lead, muter his shield and protection, • calm and
trePtimiljials an 'piety and hohour."
PISAPPOIZITNINT!-A gentleman in Sanyl-
- llenelp-paper) recently received a letter
from a legal firm ui London, conveying to him the
gratifying itftellik•nce that a handsome legacy had
been left him. The giatitieation caused by the an-
nomesedient was, however, speedily dispelled'by the
succeeding clause in thel triter, which expressed the
regret of the writer that the funds bequeathed had
been deposited in one of the London banks which
had jus.bgcdJ inselvent.
-

-
THE WONDERFUL HORSE.—The List novelty
in the way of locomotion is to be among the many
wonders of the Great Exhibition. It consists in A
mechanicaltorser, Which trots, gallons,' or walks, as
may suit the pleasure of the rider. He even prances
after the most approved style, and neighs when that
sound is egreeable to its poesessor, sant, still mare.
wonderful th relate, can swim perfectly. This new
mode of locomotion cannot be recommended op, the
score of cheapness, Welt costs above 52,000 francs to
construct.. 'Tis true neither groom nor oats will be
required, aelitsoat nnt turn, peither will its
proprietdr have to cokplain of its being out of condi.

RAILWAY BARMAIDS.—.-The folloe;ing sketch of
these interesting damsels is from the Llnition Re-

Thous{ railway stations are of an order even above smiling.
Serene In the conscionaness of frizzled hair, and feeling that
you are DIMS or less at their mercy in reference to the train,
they help you with a deliberation which you could better
appro.:4.ft at any other moment The rallwity barmaid la
fearfully and wouderfullynarled. llow does she de It ? flow
does she go to bed with ? Does she charge the directors
for the labour spent over it, or is their barber retained on the
line, and are his expenses under the several heads taken out
of the travellers In the soup ? Then, again,
.whc ever saw a
railway barmaid in the making ? She comer to the work an
adept; there is no Vrentice Ur about her, no jejune cour-
teay or bashfulness In the manner of not giving you • sand-
wich until the very lut moment.

'Tug ANNIVERSARY OE TRAY.kLGAR. The
Stfindard in noting the anniversary of the great
Wale of Trafalgar (Oct. 21, 1805) says that inventors
have beached the old wooden wall beyond all hope of
reparation. The time has passed when the possessors
of landed estates solemnly enjoined their sons and
heirs never to cut down an oak except to contribute
towards the building a ship for his Majesty's navy.
Even the forests of Riga are only hewn to supply
meats for our merchantmen. We have cut down our
docks, and numerically diminished our broadsides; we
hive studied and tried as many inventions se ever
commanded the faith of the wildest believer in
balloon& We have experimented in forms and coat-
ings, and turrets, and gratings, and ploughshare rams,
and are still at sea; and a member of Parliament,
very eminent in connection with this subject, has said,
" The man who goes into action with a wooden vessel
Is a fool, and the man who sends him there is a
We are, as yet, too little taught to say so much con-
fidently—but wood, or iron, we can never forget
Tritfalgar, or allow its anniversary to be passed bv
without the word which, being translated, signifies
'the Nelson Monument."

•
POOR FELLOW !—The Austrian journals narrate
a melancholy case in which a young Lieuteaant of an
infantry regiment was shot a few days ago for
cowardice before the enemy. It appears that previous
to the late campaign he had Ststingiushed himself as a
sergeant, and had been advanced to the grade of
Lieutenant for special bravery and intelligence. In
the battle of Koniggratz, however' when his regiment
was put to flight, it seems thikt heithrew aside his
musket, and it *as for this act that he was condemned
to death. Ile died without any sign of fear, five
chasseurs firing at him together. The incident has
produced a painful sensation in Austria. Hundreds
of thousands of Austrian muskets were found by the
Prussians in the different battlefields, and it is thought
a cruel proceeding to select for death one man pre-
viously distinguished for his courage, and who did but
follow the example of a whole regiment.

Pnriqinrravr FOP. DanNsants.—A ,entlernan
writes to say that whilst residing in St. Petersburg,
he has frequently seen parties of most unhappy•look•
tog individuals sweeping the streets under the directions
of a guard with fixed bayoneta. Theeie are the tipsy
people of the previous day, lodged for the night at the
police-stations, and in the morning obliged to do
penance as cavengers,
ADMIRAL PERSANO.—, The Times" publishes
a letter from Admiral Persano, in which he says :

Ibsen Just been reaellug the !sliding article in / To/'o
of Saturday last, the 13th Inst., on the battle of Lissa. I
forbear to make any comment on your remarks on my con-
duct on that occasion, or t n the estimate you have formed
of the manner in which I performed the duties of Minister
of Marine. As to the former question, I rely with confidence
for my exculpation on the verdict of the Senate, when all the
facts shall have been investigated and, as to the latter. I
rely with equal confidence on the unLiamed judgment of my
country when time shall have dispelled the cloud of error
and prejudice which unhappily exists at present. I hope,
however, you will permit one to correct your misapprehetalon
of the drcumstanbee under which I was appointed Admiral of
the Italian Fleet. On my retirement from office In IS2, the
King, befog desirous to mark las apprecallou of my services,
was graciously pleased to nominate me to the post of
Admiral ; which la not a prerogative reserved for prieces of
the blood, and his Majdaty with his own hand signed the
decree of my appointments which was countenigned by
the President of the Ministry, without my being aware of
their gracious intention.

To WHAT GOOD END ?—Ono of the arguments
pleaded in favour of the useless Alp-climbing mania to
which so many lives are sacrificed is the vent afforded
by it. to the irrepressible Anglo Saxon enerew and
daring by which we Britishers flatter ourselves we are
specially distinguished. We are constantly boasting
that we are not Frenchmen, Italians,Spaniards, and
the like, flabby, timid, and sedentary, but a great deal
hardier, and more daring, and it is asserted that from
that difference our Alpine Club has sprung. The fact
that on the occasion of the last fatal attempt to ascend
Mont Blanc the party was joined by the hotel cook
and by a hackney coachman, who, like poor Captain
Arkwright, undertook the adventure of the mere brag
of the thing, ought in future to rob the Alps of much of
their romance. It is doubtless a perilous undertaking
to ascend them, but it is also a perfectly useless one,
and as any guide in Switzerland is willing to undertake
the job for the sake of earning a few pounds, its occa-
sional achievement by Englishmen affords no proof
whatever that they are more manly or daring than are
the rest of mankind.
Tug Isisu Cosmer SYSTEM.—Many suggestions
have been thrown out during the last three weeks as
to the future management of the Irish convict system,
amongst which is the formation of a hoard consisting
of a chairman and two sub-directors (we are quoting
from an Irish paper). Such an arrangement would,
no doubt, have been suitable at one time when our
convict class was numerous, but when we bear
in mind that our convict population has so dimi-
nished as to render necessary the closing of several
convict gaols, leaving the few existing ones almost
empty, it appears to um an injustice to saddle the
public treasury with the payment of prison officials for
whom there is no employment now. At no time, per-
haps, in the history of Ireland did our adult criminals
rate so low as at the present time and when we con-
sider the vast amount of money die country is called
upon to pay for directors, inspectors, governors super-
intendents, chaplains, doctors, schoolmasters, and
warders employed in the Irish convict service, it is
only common justice to appeal against any further ap-
pointments which can only be made for party pur-
pose&
Tug SNIDER SCANDAL.—EngIand is building
her hopes on Mr. Snider's invention for the conversion
of her Enfield rifles into breechloaders, and Lord
Malmesbury has comforted us by the news that 100,000
of them will be ready early next year (remarks the
London Review). This is good news. But how about
the inventor? He offered his invention to the govern-
ment seven years ago, and their first act of patronage
was to bring an action against him to recover 11. is. 2d.
for the powder and bullets used in testing it. Then,
when they satisfied themselves that his plan was a good
one, and when they had adopted it extensively, they
cut down his ektim for -expenditure, services, and in:
vention from 2,7001., at which he had stated it, to 1,0001.
Mr. Snider, being only an inventor, was in pecunktry
difficulties, took the reduced sum, and divided it
amongst his creditors. And Row, while England is
comforting herself with the assurance that she has
nething,to fear from needle-guns, Mr. Snider, accord-
ing to a statement in the Engiitar of last month, is
lying helpless and paralysed. though his invention is
being utilised as fast as possible. To call such conduct
" shabby" is absurd; it is infamous. ,
WOVE FOP. ;BE PassiDENT.,-,, The Times n
correePosident'says :
Ills Main that the President, if defeated upon his pre-
sent plan of the readmission of the South without condi-
tions, in order to maintain MI own position, must adopt •
new principle, and. being • Shrewd politician, tie appears to
be already calculating the methods by which a defeat may
be neutralized. Ile still labours hard at the work of turning
his enemies out of office, and Milting his friends in, and to
this course may be attributed much of the Radical bitter-
arse; each dismissed official being at ones converted into a
personal tee. To a resent visitor he said that he Spent
about sixteen hours a day in deciding the merits of office-
holder& and this ammo to be hie chief businesa. Bitterness
and absurdity, however, are not the characteriattes of the
Radical, only, for the Democrat. can make quite as severe
and bloodthirsty speeches.

Toe WitcoNG HORSE !--A most absurd mistake
occurred the other day to a member of the Paris
Jockey Clukg He went to a aell-known horse•dealer
to purchase a park pack. The proprietor. of the es-
tablishment, strongly recommended a remarkably fine
animal, which the gentleman fancied, the hotsc-dealer
saying at the same time, "Although I can answer for
the horse, the beet thing for you to do is to ride it for
an hear yourself." The animal was saddled, and the
gentleman 'daybed for the Bois de Boulogne. Ile
liked its paces, and, very much pleased with his ac-
quisition, went to the Restaurant de Madri for lun-
cheon. Having drunk a glass or two of Madeira, he
call.-d for his horse and rode back to the stable.
"How do you like him?" hp-I-tired the hoe,e-dealer.
" Extremely well, if I only wanted him to take me to
the Boos; but as I have a fancy for returning to Paris
after nay ride, be will not suit me at all. Ile went to
th, 1oi:1 all tight,
_IAA
I'ISIM 111414 tXisbi WAN

me," was the reply. "What catiisou mean?" When, r
after looking rather hard at the.animal, he said, " I
beg your pardon, air; but I•mounted you on a horse,
and you bring me back a ruffle." The rad was, the
groom or stable boy at the'. Madrid had saddled the
wrong animal. The right horse was found, and pur-
chased,
AN OLD ChnirrusiAN IN A DILEMMA !—Tho fol.
lowing anecdote is related of a celebrated Parisian
actress:—
Mollie. Sass resides at her country bonen ht Engheln, and
always manages to get back hy the late train. The other
night too encores were so frequent and the delays as great
that she had no tips to unoiress to get toAthe truth, end it
was a question °Maytag as a Mager ,loeenlnhercOitUrno of
the Africalne or not getting the train at all. She chose Ole
nigger alternative, and Just.reaghed the station in Uweto tly
Into a coolopio, and oil went OS tram. At Si. Dent's passenger
of a stately and sober nden entered, a Paris pith r, and
Millie. Sass, having flung off her Mantle awl hood in her
sleep, she appeared to him as • wild woman of the Irian's,
and he roared like a ball, f' Help ! help ! Ilerofla ii old
woman In the carriage, let me out V The officials ran ti the
carriage, as well as several passengers, and the poor man was
let out, when the whola of the myatificalion was exploded,
amidst general hilarity at the expense of the bourgeois, when
Mollie. Sass sand " I hail not time to change ley costume.
I am Mollie. sass, who played at the s leers this evening the
part of the Queen In " The tourgeoiB was not
to be comforted, but Jwclied into another,cardpge, where he
was Immediately addressed by a young lady. " Sly friend
Is of the Opera, lam of the Palate Royal Theatre. Ladies
play the devil there, „other. Is monstestr atglid el his
conepagnon de voyage r The old gentleman began to see
through it, and 'pulled„stown his travelling cotton cap over
Ma ears.
HARVEST MANI:SOWING .—A harvest home fes-
tival was celebrated on Sunday in the church of St.
Mary, Vincent-square, Westminster, London. The
church was decorated with fruit, corn, flowers, and
vegetables. A cross composed partly of corn was placed
over the altar, and sheaves of corn and grapes in the
other two panels of the reredos. The pulpit, font, and
lectern were tastefully decorated, and at the foot of the
altar was placed an offering of vegetOles and frOt.
The morning service' was held at'eleveh and,waii send-
choral and very heartily rendered. An appropriate
sermon was preached by the Rev. Abraham Boira-
della, of Christ Church, Oxford, incumbent for twenty-
live years, from Exodus via., 29; in which bespoke of
the duty of giving thanks for judgment's averted: at
least as much as for mercies received. In the even-
ing the service was at seven. The anthem, "In Jewry
is God known,lwan wellirendered, sod after the ser-
mon the hymn, "The stMin upraists,' was sung with
admirable effect, and the sermon was preached by the
Rev. T. Smith from Dent. xxvi., part of 10th and 11th
verse.

A .00ESTION Amen !—" A lanilownex, not
one of the 162" writes the following to The Times
Mr. Bright informed his audience at Glasgow that quo-
half of the landed property in England and Scotland wad in
the hands of 162 Individuals. Will he kindly furnishAhe
names of the fortunate proprietors, and the amennk of
acreage possessed by them? The question Is one of filets
and Ileum", and admits of no dispute. If his statement be
true, it is of great political significance; if he be mistaken,
it Is a reckless assertion that cannot be Justined even by Mr.
Bright's well-known prejudices against the landoWding
class.

-
AUSTRIAN ECCENTRICITY.—A young ad ex-
ceedingly wealthy. tstrian, Count--, went to re-
side lin the beautiful village of Omunden, in upper
Austria. He put up at the best hotel, and lived lot
only en prince, but like half-isdezen. At the end; of
three weeks he called for his bill, made a terrible ling
face at its sum total, and suddenly soon after disap-
peared. The landlord was so descspoir at the flight, of
the Count without paying, and sent in all directionsto
find him without avail. In the afternoon hie waiter
was taking off the tablecloth in the Count's room, %ten
he discovered the whole of the table watt pasted over
with bank-notes to considerably overthe amount of the
Count's bill,with the remark at the side, "All over for the
servants." It was impossible, however, to dstach the
notes without tearing them ; and, at the advisee of the
, chief official of the locality, the table was despatched to
the bank of Vienna, with a narrative of the circum-
stances, and the money was immediately paid.
WRITING lIIMSELF DOWN "AN Ass!"—The fpl-
lowing, under the head of "A Word to the Rican-
hone," is from Monday's Times :-- A '
As I was walking home on Thursday at 2 am. I met in
Fall Mall two damsels who . volunteered their company. I
repelled their atteLtions both by words .ml gestures, gut
they male • dead set at me, cau:ht hold of my arms, arid
only left me suddenly after a few moments' struggle. As I
proceeded on my way In the Mall I perceived my watchchain
discoing loose from my waistcoat buttonhole. The watch
was gone. I had both my coat and overcoat buttoned up
to th: chin, was wide awake and sober, and looked open rey•
self as an old stager, well up to the tricks of the t ism. 110 w
the feat was accomplished It would even now puzzle me to
explain ; but done it was, and, I am bound to confess. with
a neatness and skill highly creditable to my assailants Us/u-
-lna. Even in the act of doing this public justice to their In-
genuity, however, I think it my dUtY to warn any on who,
in similar circumstances, should feel inclined to imitate my
gentleness and forbearance of the tine they may have to pay
for showing mercy to the "unfortunate sisterhaol." !Isn4 I
shaken oif those importunate companions a little leas t n- .
owl), I might not now be In the cruel necessity of wnil,tng
m3seil down, as Ido Iron the bottom of my team N
ANS.
A LADY BURNT TO I)EATII.—The coroner nr
the borough of heading has just held an inquest at tine
Royal Berkshire Hospital in that town on the body of
a lady named Sarah Jones, aged :0 years, whose de,th
resulted from severe burns. The deceased, who was a
spinster, resided at Henley-on-Thames, with an ehloilly
female relative who was an invalid. One evening lest
week the invalid was seated by the tire in her sittilig-
room, when the deceased stood near her and enter I
into sonversationlibuing which her dress, extended y
crinoline, touched the bars of the grate andca be e
li
ignited. She rushed from the rooni into the street s*d
back again, in a dreadful state od fright and excitement
the Haines having rapidly ascended, and burnt the tippler
portion of her body very severely. A man vlnervbl
her rush from the house, and following her in, ail.
veloped her body in a rug, and ultimately succee4,l
in extinguishing the flumes. She was attended by a
,Inedical man, and then removed to the Becks Hospital
' where she lingereillor a short time, and then expired
from the injury caused by the burns. A verdict 4of
accidental death was returned. Miss Jones resided 'in
that part of Henley known as Fair Mile. 1
FAILURE OF A MATRIMONIAL SPECULATION.—
A New York correspondent writes :
Von cannot have forgotten the famous scheme of Mr
Mercer for taking out to Washington Territory a ship-lopil
of marriageable damsels to condo: t the hearts of the fort
bachelors there settled. I have last heard the, upshot of 17,
venture; for you know that Mr. Mercer did take around (lee
Cape one or two hundred women who entrusted themsellies
to his guidance. On arriving at Washington Territoty,
they found that the men whom they supposed they wdre
shout to marry were already provided with wives —bre•et
wives, aa they are termed—whom they had sel,ted from
the squaws already in the territory; and, since the expedite
I of maintaining them was less than that involved In suppott-
: tng one selected from Mr. Mercer's importation, they looked
j upon these damsels with very little. favour, instead of to-
calving them with open arms. The consequence was, that
most of the women returned to San Francisco, where, at
last accounts, they were trying to quit somettrig to do.

EXTRAORDINARY CONJUGAL AFFECTION !—A
cage of conjugal affection that well deserves the
"description extraordinary" has been discovered in
San Francisco. Mr. Miller is a broker, doing billintlss
In Sacramento-street. A year ago or more his wife
died, when the bereaved husband procured a metallic
coffin, and deposited therein the body of the wife, bill
instead of interring the corpse he placed it in a 'vim
on an upper floor. Twice a week the cpttin was taken
by Mr. 51iller to the garden in the rear of his nth.
deuce, the corpse removed, and a stream of water
directed upon it from a hosei After this process hitd
been continued for a (to the husband) satisfactoty
length of time, the corpse was on each occasion e-
placed in the coffin and returned to the house. Tim
horrible freak became known to the neighbours ; tin
fact, people residing in the locality almost immediatelY
found the offence intolerable. The civil authorities
were appealed to, the house was forcibly entered, abd
the corpse removed, Mr. Killer himself being takn
before • magistrate and pladed under bonds to appdar
for trial upon the charge of maintaining • nuisanue.
Mr. Miller's residence is in the most fashionable ptr-
tion of San Francisco, on the Fifth' Avenue of the
Californian capital. It needs no unusual exercise .of
the imagination to pictute out the effect of the '-
exampled performance above mentioned.
41. KIND•HEARTED BUTCHER.—A few' days ii.,..,,0
a poor man passing the butcher's shop of Mr. Har-
rison, West Hartlepool, as observed by the latter to
take from his stall a sheep's head, and walk away with
it. Mr. -Harrison followed him leisurely to his ho e,
and on entering inquired what had in'duced him to
commit the theft. The reply was as shocking as •
expected. The poor man, bursting into tears, direcfed
his pursuer's attention to a family of young child*,
, who were at that instant busily engaged gnawing tile
, head in its raw state; the explanation tendered was
that of "enraged hunger." Mr. Harrison thereuppn
bade tbe man retrace his steps to the shop, and there
sought to relieve his distress by'the gift of. a 54, .piece
(with which to purchase bread and potatoes) togetk er
with seven pounds of beef.
A 4 GIRL SHOT AT BIRMINGHAM ,—A :3110Cki 1,1
occurrend took place on 'Friday afternoon, whih
resulted in the immediate death of a girl named El n
Kempson, under the following circumstances : e
girl was in the employ of Mr. D. Millec, tailor d
draper, Islington, and win in due of tAb upstair roopis
when, it is supposed, stie 'accidentally'. d.scovore4 a
brace (4 pistols which had Wren put by solue.time al,
but unfortuately implied and loaded. It is ennui al
that she mu* have btbri handling the weapons in at
very careless manner, as one of them exploded and die
bullet entered her left side under the heart. As soon as
the report was heard she walked downstairs, and im
reaching the bottom fell to the ground. A eurgiton
was called in but life was extinct. :
ANGLING Fxat.—Mr. C. Robinson, Seal
House, ,11,exhiam, hooked a salmon at the "wafer
meetings," Kingshaw Green, Ilexham, on Friday,
the 12th instant, and after a short and exciting
struggle, brought the univill'ng captive 'be° beach,
nearly two hundred yards lowtr down the river, belly
up, when it wasgalted by his companion. This " kin "
of the pool was a fine male fish, 18in. in circuinfereflce
at the shouldist, 2:l!dri. round the middle, and weiglted
1511). The weight of Mr. Robinson's rod, with lite
brims end and fittings, is only Ilb. 4)02. A srorill
grilse fly was used, with six feet of single gut, and a
strong trout calling.line, all being home marle.'
Nothing was lost but a ring off the butt end of he 1
A DESPERATE 'MAN !—The :Puri 6 correspondent
of the Mar nig y•Stor tells the foHeWing story of a young';
fellow, who was his comrade at College :

- - -
A better heart than my friend had lever beat only he
had a strong objection to study. Ills father sold him he was
a hopeless idiot, upon which he enlisted. Utterly unsuited
to military lite, he became dilptsted, and one day au he was
crossing a bridge at Strasburg, In which city his regiment
was quartered, be threw leis gun and knapsack over the
parapet. Suddenly struck, by remorse, .iteoyalked, straight
op to his barracks, 104 with one hand In his ponket went
up to a sergeant and asked hint what Nis setilejacit would be,
"Corporal," for he had attained that rank, "you will he
degraded." Al he uttered thts wok my poor college irked
blew out his brains. The hand. concealed- In the pocket
grasped a pistol.
A. GENTLEMAN LOST ow. ma ALre—Another
fatal accident consequent upon the prevailing fashion
of combing the snow-clad peak,' of the Alps has to be
added to the already long list (says the Wotern
Morning lirewe). The victim on this occasion in Mr.
Iselin, a clerk in her Majesty's Dockyard, Ports-
mouth, and 3 young man of much promise. Mr,
balm was 11 kiJu of Me. .1, F. f.,,• bvvero,l ye c$
M èiwl 11.1114

Br end

•f*rAtiotiricr.

SATURDAY, OCT. 27, 186 k