The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-04-30 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

The Board of Trade have awarded a binocular glass to
Captain B Fauran, master of the French barque
Uly sse, of Marseilles, in recognition of his kindness and
humanity to 19 of the crews and passengers of the
British vessels Kapuuda and Ada Melmore after the
disastrous collision between those vessels on Jan. 20
last. _ _ _

The Irish Land Law Bill has beeta set down for Com-
mittee in the House of Lords kaThursday, the 12th
May.
Over 3000 French fishermen have (according to a
Reuter's telegram from Halifax) already arrived at St.
Pierre, Newfoundland, and are actively engaged in
prosecuting the cod fishery.
The annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Chapter
of Sussex Royal Arch Masons was held on Saturday,
at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, under the presidency
of the Most Excellent Companion Gerard Ford, Grand
Superintendent. At the tanquet which followed, and
which was also attended by Master Masons of the
Province, a testimonial, consisting of an address and
purse containing £7OO, was presented to Brother V. P.
Freeman, Provincial Grand Secretary and Provincial
Grand Scribe Ezra of Sussex.
Colonel Sam.derson was announced to address a
Conservative meeting in Rossendale on Saturday even-
ing, but was unable to attend through indisposition.
The meeting was held at Rawenstall, in the centre of
Lord Hartington's constituency, and was an imposing
demonstration. Lord Hartington's services were re-
peatelly referred to, and the mention of his name
elicited warm cheering.

The Mayor of Stamford having invited Lord Salis-
bury, w,th the other gentlemen now living who hays
represented Stamford in Par lament, to attend the
Mayoral banquet in October next, the Prime Minister
has replied declining the invitation, owing to numerous
and pressing engagements, though he states, "I am
very sorry it is so, for it would give me great pleasure
to be able to renew my acquaintance with the borough
with which I was so closely connected for so many
years."
It has just been decided that serjeants of the volun.
teer force who retire after 10 years' service in that
rank, and are specially recommended by their Com-
manding Officer, may be allowed under the authority
of general officers commanding districts to retain their
rank, and to wear the sergeant's uniform of their bat-
talion or corps, with the distinguishing mark as pro-
vided in the case of honorary members wearing the
uniform of privates.

Arrangements have been completed for the erection
of a fishery harbour at Portknockie, on the Banffshire
coast, in close proximity to the fishing ground in the
Moray Firth. The cost will be £lO,OOO. The Fishery
Board of Scotland has promised a grant of £6500
towards the scheme, and a sum of £2750 has been col-
lected in the district. Lady Seafielq, in addition to
contributing largely, will make a free grant of land
along the shore for the construction of the harbour.
The depth of the water will enable boats to enter at
any state of the tide, and the harbour will also form a
safe refuge for coasting vessels.
About 2000 small chain makers in the Oradley
Heath district turned out Saturday, in consequence of
the non-compliance of the employers with a demand,
for a four-shilling list. A large number of the opera-
tives have been on strike during the last thirty-seven
weeks, but owing to the unsatisfactory arrangements
made with the employers by those who have returned
to work, it has been decided that a general strike should
be declared.
While some workmen were opening a sewer in the
back cellar of the Ship Hotel, in Dublin, last week, a
pickaxe struck upon a curious box or casket covered
with rust, and very strongly locked. The box, which is
about 18 inches in length and 12 in height and width,
is heavily constructed of half-inch iron, and studded
with heavy clasps. The moment it was moved the
workmen gave a cry of joy, for there was the undoubted
clink of coin within. A locksmith prized open the
hasps with difficulty, and the mysterious chest was then
found to contain a collection of coins of the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries, principally copper. They
are in a good' state of preservation, and must have
been stowed away before 1810, when the Ship Hotel
was bui t.

' The Royal Commission upon Gold and Silver
Currency met on Tuesday for the first time since Mr.
Balfour's appointment to the Chief Secretaryship kr
Ireland. Lord Herschel], the newly-appointed chair.
mane presided, and there were also present Messrs.
Barbour, Birch, Chaplin, M.P., Courtney, M.P., Fre-
mantle, and Houldsworth, M.P., Sir Thomas Farrer,
and Sir John Lubbock, M.P. Mr. W. H. Gibbs, of the
Bank of England, gave evidence as to the gold coinage.
At Dudley on Tuesday, an adjourned inquest was
held on th. 3 bodies of Adam and James Bellingham,
aged 13 and six years respectively, two of the four
children who were fatally injured by a gunpowder
explosion at Oradley-heath. Elizabeth Bellingham,
sister of one of the boys, stated that she saw Millward,
the apprentice who attended to the magazine, shake
out several barrels which had previously held gun-
powder, and this he did in the yard where the children
were playing. This however, Millward denied. The
jury returned a verdict of death by " Misadventure "
in the case of Adam, and of "Accidental death" in
that of James Bellingham.

North-east Lancashire was visited by a heavy snow.
storm on Tuesday. The snowflakes were large, but
melted on the ground; the weather was bitte..ly cold.
The same evening snow fell at Shrewsbury for about
two hour, and at times the fall was very heavy. The
weather in Birmingham on Tuesday was intensely cold,
and shortly after noon snow commenced to fall heavily,
and continued without cessation for two hours. On
the roofs and in exposed places the snow lay, and gave
the town a wintry appearance.
A committee of the Privy Council ;met on Tuesday
in the Council Chan. ber, Whitehall, London, and passed
orders for a thanksgiving to be offered upon the occa-
sion of the completion of 50 years of her Majesty's
reign. There were present: The Archbishop of
Canterbury, the Lord President of the Council, the
Marquis of Lothian, the Bishop of London, and Mr. W.
H. Smith. Mr. Charles Lennox Peel, C. 8., *as in
attendance as Clerk of the Council The Archbishop
of York was unavoidably prevented from attending the
committee.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has added
the following gentlemen to the Organising Committee
of the Imperial Institute: Lord Thring, Sir Henry
Hussey Vivian, M.P., the Governor of the Bank of
England, Sir James Bain, of Glasgow, Mr. J. F.
Hutton, of BlLnchesten The late Governor of the
Bank of England (Mr. J. rattison Currie) has been re.
tamped on the Committee.
The Archbishop a Canterbury has appointed the
Rev. F. S. Dale to the important vicarage of Lydd. Mr.
Dale, who has been for 13 years vicar of Dartford,
Kent. was formerly a member of the Birmingham
School Board, and has a long and varied parochial
experience.
'Sir David Radcliffe, Chairman of the Liverpool
Royal Jubilee Exhibition, on Tuesday received an
intimation that Princess Louise and the Marquis of
Lorne would have much pleasure in accepting the
Invitation of the committee to visit Liverpool, and that
her Royal Highness would open the exhibition on
Monday. the 16th of May.

-
The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has
received a despatch from her Majesty's Consul at Riga
reporting that an advertiftllent has appeared in the
local newspapers to the effect that the municipality of
Wilna invite tenders for the concession of powers to
construct and work a tramway in the latter town; and
that the conditions of tender can be procured at the
office of the said municipality on application. Tenders,
enclosing the preliminary security of 5000 roubles, will
ho received up to the Ist (13th) of June.
Mr. Arthur Denman, of the Midland Circuit, has
been appointed Clerk of Assize of the South-Eastern
Circuit for the counties of Hertford, Essex, Kent,
surrey, and Sussex, in succession to the late Hon.
Richard Denman. Mr. Denman was called to the bar
of the Inner Temple in May, 1881.

The Colonial donference again met on Tuesday, Sir
H. Holland presiding. A full discussion was held con-
cerning the new Hebrides, and the question of Samoa
and the Governments of Germany and the United
States, and as to the coming conference at Washington.
Lord Salisbury fully explained the views end action of
the Government on the transportation of French
criminals to the Pacific and on the New Hebrides ques-
tion.

Mr. Justice Chitty delivered judgment on Tuesday
in Moseley v. Victoria Rubber Company." He held
that every objection to the plaintiff's patent had failed,
and he granted injunction with an inquiry as to
damages,
At the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday, Thomas
Leeky pleaded guilty to obtaining money by false pre.
tences from the Commicsioners of Customs. He had
for 35 years since his father's death drawn the pension
of £4O per annum which had been granted to his father.
He was sentenced to three months' imprisonment.
John Bl'Oarthy and Charles Coutty were convicted of
being in possession of dangerous weapons with intent
to commit a felony, and with feloniously wounding
Sergeant Rudge. They were sentenced to fifteen years'
penal servitude, and Sergeants Rudge and Drew were
ordered each a reward of £5.

The revenue received from the Ist to the 23rd inst.
amounts to £6,537,553, or £175,606 less than the.
£6,713,159 received in the corresponding period ending
April 24, 1886. The expenditure up to the 23rd inst.
was £7,865,402, being £80,227 more than the expendi-
ture for the similar period of 1886-7. The balances on
the 23rd inst. amounted to £3,550,587, and on April 24,
1886, to £4,549,434.
The Princess Louise was present on Tuesday at a
public meeting in support of the Recreation Evening
Schools Association, held in the London Mansion
House, the Lord Mayor presiding. Mr. Goschen, M.P.,in moving a resolution to support the work, said the
association had been useful not only in London but in
many other places in the kingdom. The resolution
was socouded by the Bishop of Bedford and adopted,
after Mr. Arnold White and Mr. E. N. Buxton had
spoken in its support.
Lord Kinnaird died on Tuesday morning at his reel.
deuce in Pall-mall, in his 73rd year. He is succeeded
by his son, the Hon. Arthur Fitzgerald, Master of
Kinnaird.
From the returns issued on Tuesday showing the i
pauperism which exists in England and Wales, t
appears that the total number of paupers in receipt of
relief on January 1 last was 822,215, being one out of
34 persons, or about 30 per cent, of the ponula-
etivoenry This number was larger than the number on the
same day in 11 out of the 12 preceding years, but not-
vtitiathn in he 7 yearsstantdinlgth
eia
from increase in population it was smaller
h
1858 to 1874, both inclusive.
The smallest number of paupers relieved on January 1
i
in any of the years comprised n the table was in 1877,
when there were 80,692, or 109 per cent, fewer paupers
in receipt of relief than in 1887; the highest number
so relieved was in 1863, when there were 320,409, or 39
per cent. more paupers than in 1887. It will be
olmerved that of late years the number of out-door
paupers has formed a much smaller proportion of the
total number relieved than formerly, but that there
was a greater number of this class on the Ist of
January, 1887, than on the same day in eight out of the
11 preceding years. The number of vagrants relieved
fluctuates considerably. Since the year 1858 the num-
ber of insane paupers has increalied from 20,975 to
10,239, and there has not been one year which has not
shown an increase.