The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-12-07 00:00:00

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HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

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TOO LATE. —Middk-Aged Customer: " Mr.
Bassbridge, my Musical Education has been utterly
neglected, but I've a strong desire to practise sorne
Instrument. What should you advise me to take
up?'— Cowrie atiaus Tradesman : ' Well, Sir, I ehould
recommend the Triangle—or—yes--1 think a Musical
Snuffbox, Sir, would be the best ! "—Punch.
INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION. A me tling
was held at Leeds, on Monday, to organise the York-
shire International Arbitration Association. Mr.
Dent, M.P., presided, and telegrams were received
from the Archbishop of York areeing to be president,
and from several M nsenting to bo vice preeie
dents. Mr. Forster, Mr Childers, and Sir H. Storks
wrote to express sympathy with the objects in view,
but declining to become vice-presidents.
ROBBERY OF INGOTS.—The Paris papers re-
porta robbery in the apartments of M. Almiot, a gold
refiner, at No. 1, Rue des BlaticseManteaux. He had
for some days poet received large consignments of gold
and silver from the Argentine Republic, and was in the
habit of placing the ingots in a room lighted only by a
round window, through which an entrance could be
effected from the adjoining houso. The precious metals
represented a sum of about '.loo,ooofr. The dealer
found that a number of the ingots bad been taken
away. A window-pane had been cut, and an ingress
so obtained. The loss is estimated at 80,000 fr.
THE thou LEVEL.—The Tight.rope.—Po nil.
LOOKING AT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.— Not a
bad story is told at the expense of a most distinguished
and estimable citizen of Scotia. It seems that a
dinner-party was in progress during a brilliant dis-
play of northern lights, and this gentleman stepping
out to cool his burning brow, was startled by the dis-
play. He stood perfectly amazed; then, turning to the
window, he saw within the wile of his bosom, sit-
ting with the ladies waiting for their liege lords to end
their claret and cigars. Pushing aside the lace
curtains, he beckoned to his wife Agnes to come out.
She complied, when he said to her, solemnly,
" \Vagnes, d'er see anything exstronory now ?" "Yes,
Dolly, I see you have been drinking too mach wine."
"No, nor that, \Vogues ; I mean exstronory phorno-
monums in atmosphere." "Why, where, Dolly ?"
"Up yonder, Wagnee." "Why, dear me, yea, I do,
indeed—the m•ist brilliant aurora I ever saw."
" Wagnes, are things a-i.hootin'?" " Yes, dear,"
"Au' a tlashin', Wagnes?" "Yes, Dolly." " An' a
sorter spreadin' and dancin', eh, Wagues ?" "All
that, me dear." "Ho !" much relieved; "do you
know, Wagnes—l mean Agnes—when'r I come out
an' saw the celestial phornomonums a-glowing' upper
yonder, bless me effer I didn't think I was in vie° 'eerie
—ass."

THE WEIGHT OF HUMAN NATURE.—Some-
body who has been "studying our weights" reports
that, upon the average, boys, at birth, weigh a little
more, and girls a little lees, than six pounds and a-half.
For the first twelve years the two sexes continue nearly
equal in weight, but beyond that time males acquire a
decided preponderance. Thus young men of twenty
average 143ibs. each, while young women of twenty
average 12011 e. Men reach their heaviest bulk at about
thirty-five, when their average is about 1521b5. ; but
women slowly ii,crease in weight until fifty, when their
average is about 1291b5. Taking men and women
together, their weight, at full growth, averages
about twenty times as heavy as they were on the
first day of their existence. Men range from 103 to
220113 e. (the Tichborue Claimant weighs about 36011 m. !)
and women from 88 to 2071bii. The actual weight of
human nature, taking the average of all ages and con-
ditions—nobles, clergy, tinkers, tailors, maidens, boys,
girls, and babies, all included—is very nearly 100Iba
These figures are given in avoirdupois weight; but the
advocates of the superiority of woman might make a
nice point by introducing the rule that women be
weighed by troy weight—like other jewels—and men
by avoirdupois. The figures would then stand—young
men of twenty, 1431b5. each; young women of twenty,
1601b5., and so on.

INHABITED Hot-SE D CITY. —Some months ago
a movement was inaugurated in the city of London,
the object of which is to get the occupiers of houses, in-
stitutions, and other establishments, occupied, or
partly occupied, for professional or other purposes in
the pursuit of any calling, and in which goods are nut
exposed for sale, placed on an equality as respects
house duty with tradesmen, hotel-keepers, and others
who now pay the low rate. A large nunilwr of p-titions
to Parliament has already been obtained, and the
movement is assuming an aspect which promises to
make the house-tax question under this phase one of
the questions of the day. A letter has been received by
the secretary, Mr. John Whorlow, coknowledging the
importance of the subject, and admitting that the ad-
vocates of this change can make out a very god case.
The question thus raised is intimately connected with
that so much discussed in Parliament, of a reduction
in the case of houses of business occupied at night only
by care-takers.

Tan Treneonng CAan.—ln consequence of
Lady Dcughty's critical condition, Mr. Bowen and
Mr. Pollard (the Assistant Solicitor to the Treasury)
attended atTichborne-house on Friday afterniii.n in last
week, for the purpose of taking her ladvship's dtposi-
tion. Mr. Serjeant Sleigh and Mr. Horace Brown,
accompanied by the Claimant's solicitor, alto arrived
from London, and it was expected that the examination
would take place at three o'clock. The preliminary
arrangements were made in the drawing room at
Tichhorne house by the learned counsel on both sides,
and the two county magistrates (Hr. Dutton and
Mr. Gunner had arranged to take the depodtion ? but
at the list moment Dr. Butter, of Winchester, who is
attending upon La ly Doughty, announced that a
alight change had taken place in his patient's con-
dition, which save& faint hope of her recovery if she were
not disturbed, and the members of the family there-
fore refused to allow theeranaination to take place, and
the learned counsel returned to London.
TAR POTATO CROP.—Much has been written
of late about the potato disease, and although the sub
ject seems exhausted, there yet remain a few facts to
be told. In Cambridgeshire, for instance, the kinds of
potato which have been least affected by the disease
are Myatt's aTh-leaf kidney and Riven's Royal ash.
leaf kidney. These have yielded crops containing full
90 per cent, of good sound potatoes and very hue
samples as to ore. The Nonpariel kidney has also
yielded satisfactorily, the crop being prolific and the
effect of the disease positively insignificant. Among
the round kind of potato the rock has produced good
crops, and with but only a email share of disease in
many instances. All other kinds of potatoes planted
for use in winter, whether kidney or round, have been
an utnr failure. Some crops have been deemed not
worth taking up. It has been found that in planting
potatoes trenching in the s is has been followed by
larger or fuller crops than when the sets are dibbled in
or ploughed in.
ARTIFICIAL Mu,.—The Boslon Jou rital of
Chemistry states that during the siege of Paris M..
Dubrunfaut devised an artificial milk, made by dis-
solving one ounce and • hall of sugar in a quart of
water, adding an ounce of dry Albumen (from white of
eggs), and fifteen to thirty grains of soda crystals, and
then making an emulsion of it from one ounce and a
half to two ounces of olive oil. As the war progressed
gelatins was substituted for the albumen, and then
slaughterhouse fats—purified by melting at 150 degs.,
and then projecting into them small quantities of
water—for the olive oil. One firm made in this latter
way 132,000 gallons of milk daily for Paris consump-
tion.

-
P 31738811 AND RANOVEII.—The Prussian grasp
on Hanover does not relax (remarks the Berlin cor-
respondent of the Daily News). The case of one
Gro"e is just now attracting much notice in the press,
and is characteristic of the state of affairs in the " an.
nexed " provinch. Grote is an evangelical pastor, was
a Court favourite with King George, and during his
reign received an annual allowance out of the rather
shallow Royal treasury. After the overthrow of the
Hanovarian Government he went into voluntary exile,
which the needs of • wife and eight children forced him
to abandon for some more prosaic occupation. There-
upon he returned to Hanover, and became alderman.
'he an
salary of alderman in Hanover bearing little proper.
tion to the necessities of his family often, he determined,
like all Germans who are in desperate circumstances
and cannot go to America, to publish an almanac
Thus, Grote's " Volkskalendar " appeared on the book-
shelves. Now this new "Poor Richard" had oon-
trived to put into hie book, in addition to • great many
! other valuable facts, the information that the present
, Government of Hanover is carried on by a despot, in
defiance of justice • sad he ventured on a printed sigh
for those austere riders of the country who now wander
in banishment. Alter this his fall was swift. He was
'arraigned for idae•lifitieste, convicted, and sent to gaol
for • year and • halL

--
WORK Fos Nazy Sissiow.—The iota num.
ber of private bEls for which plane have been dot.oeited
at the
-Board of Trade ia, this year, 187, as compared
with 206 twelve months ago. Of these 158 ale fir. rail-
War, RR against 138 last year; besidte 16 for railways
and other works connected wiili tidal llinucs,
gained 58 last year; and five for public vI As of •
miscellaneous charseter. Then there a-e bi epplica-
Lions for provisional ordere, being t reci.ely the same
number as last veer; of which 15 are for tram ways, 11
for gas and water-works, and 25 for nil lemons

purposi B.
THE MURTHLY C the ' lid of
Seseion, Edinburgh, on Tuesday, herd Di, - v. iftwod
an interlocutor in the Murthiy declaration ;,triage
case in favour of the pursuer. Ilial.. 71) Bar,
applying the law of Stiotland it at pre,. - Lists to
the evidence in the caee. the Lord 0.,- ice: it. s ultie
mately found himself quite ',hut up te the c elusion
that the late Major Stewart awl the I,u,
Robertson, were married persons, 6116h:end .., wife of
each other, and that their ,bill, th, deceas,
George Drummond Stewart, was their limit, e,n, and
if he had survived he would have hen the etr of the
Murthly estates. The present action d•es r.:t involve
the question of the euccesaion to thee lee and
valuable estates, but merely to the per, evilty or
: movable estete id the late Major St,w art, a! ,!, how-
ever comiderable, ie small co,eipaieti tde !t, of the
. .

unentailed retatre.

THE YOUNO EUPHEMIST:7: Aufit Mary.
_",What

is meant by declining n 3116, Ethel ?"—Ethel. " Politely
refusing, it, aunt dear."—Punch.
MURDER BY A SOLDISR. —A soldier Privato

.
Roddy, of the lot Battalion, 21st Fusileere. et Ban-
galore, low bee it found guilty of the murder Gf loporal
Allen, of the same regiment. There 110(1 heel, -'marked
animosity between the two men, and Bo isly, who
pleads that his life WM miserable from the ill iatment
of the corporal, and, as he thought, the msclo yof his
comrades, went drunk to a bungalow with di • o "ention
(he says) 41 firing into it, and no escaping t: jeers of
the men by imprisonment. Then the tb 1 ut ".
curred to him of awakening Corporal Allen t ;oat he
might see the fire, and, he adds, die rifle 5111014 and
the corporal was shot. The wounded rum r. ported
to have said a short time before his (loath, I wish to
God I would die, just to have Roddy hung.'

SHOOTING A BLACRFELLOW.—II is toported
from Western Angralia that a Mr. IsocLivr Clare
Burges, a gentleman of high social position. sas con.
victed on the 4th of September of the mni der of a
blackfellow in October, 1871. When Mr. Lorges was
camped out some strange natives stile a 55...11.3 from
him. He went after them and brought two. ick. One
of them tried to escape, and Mr. Barges shot him. The
principal witnsos was a blackfellow. As. ntence of
live years' penal servitude followed the verdict of
guilty.
Tu A COBRESPONDENT.—YoU must have been
strangely misinfot med. The name of the Winchester
Founder was William of W:ikehain, not Lick 'em.—
Punch.

- - -
G ICEMAN OPINION ABOUT ENGLAND.—The
Berlin Kladderadatsch gives a cartoon which in our
own experience pretty well expresses the feeling to-
wards Great Britain of the majority of Germans at
home or abroad, Protestants or Catholics. Tee cartoon
is headed "England's Vocation for Civilisation :" first,
in the Mediterranean (?), on the north comet of Africa(?),
the Engli:h must cars y on a euog little slave trade
(,ahleau, embarkinsnt or shackled slaves in a British
ship) : second, at Hong Kong the English must keep is
snug little gambling bank, &c. (to Itleau, a roulette
table). No. 3, the tableau shows an Englishman forcing
down the throat of a Chinese a cake of opium. The it
tableau refers to the distribution of bibles and tracts.
A FOREBODING.—The following note was in-
serted by Mr. Horace Greeley in the New York
' Tribune on the 20th ult., little more than a week
before his death :
" It.. Greeley's correspondents most excuse him if their
far Ore receive hes prompt attention than has been his
custom. Debts been seriously unwell since his wiles death,
from nervous prostration, resulting mainly from the severe
strain upon his nervous system, through want of rest and
sleep, during the last month of her illness. Nothing but his
remarkable strength of constitution has roalilud Liar te give
attention to his recent duties ; tent it may be ,stsly trusted
to restore him speedily to his usual vigorous he •It h."
SCIENCE AT SOUTH KEN SINGTON.—The fourth
of his course of lectutes at South Kensington Museum,
London' was delivered on Monday, by PI ofeesor Hum
can, on the subject of "Cosmogony and the World as
a Planets" The profess) T extended his observations on
various points touched upon in his previous lecture,
in reference to the stellar universe and the solar system.
He also discussed the question as to how far the
enormous space between the different planets may or
not be unoccupied, and said that, for all we know,
there may be enormous masses of smaller bodies—
acrolites or meteorolites—circulating between the
planets, just as between Mercury and the KUL Astrono.
mere, too, are beginning to assert the presence of a
universal atmosphere—that the spaces between the
planets and the sun are more or lees occupied by an ex.
tz eruely rare and flue atmosphere.
A GAME OF BALLS. —A Ball, danced on
Thursday last at Brighton, is understood in fashion-
able circles to have been the Ball of the Brighton
season. It was announced as the "County Croquet
Ball." Thus in Sussex it appears that the pastime of
Croquet comprisss one grand ball additional to the
ordinary number of Croquet balls. But in the case of
both them and it we perceive, of reflection, that the
ball is at the foot of the player. Mark you that.- -

Punch.
THE PRINTERS AND THE BOSTON FIRE.
Some of the Boston newspapers were severe sufferers
by the fire. The Boston Transcript but a few months
ago moved into a fine new building, which was entirely
destroyed, with nearly everything in it. The Satur-
day GozeUe, a paper issued on Sunday morning, had
its building also destroyed. Its printers got out their
last iinj rei.sion literally surrounded by fire, the ad-
joining buildings being enveloped in flames. They
were warned to leave the building, and hastily lock-
ing up the pages, took them elsewhere for the press
work, while the house soon afterwards was mined and
blown up. The Pilot, printed in a very fine build-
ing, was also thoroughly burnt out. The Boston Post
was both lucky and unlucky. Its office was sur-
rounded by fire and deluged with water; the houses on
both sides Ws-- destroyed; yet the Post came out on
Monday a half.sheet, humorously announcing The
Post is never put out." The office of the Boston
Traveller was mined, as it stood directly in the path of
the fire to State-street ; Intl ling* on both Fides were
blown up, and it was well shaken by explosions in the
neighbourhood, yet by a miracle it was raved. The
Boston Journal was in imminent risk of being burnt
oat for hours, and much of its material was removed.
None of these papers miwed their regular issue, though
all the Boston dailies show evidence of having been
crippled by the fire.
Tax RECEIPTS FROM HOUSE DOM—Some
interesting statistics with reference to house duty are
given in a Government return which has just been
publi.hed in accordance with a motion no .o in the
House of Commons, in April last, by Mr. L ulte-King.
The total number of houses assessed to house duty in
the year ending the sth April last in England and
Wales was 748.719, and the total amount received in
duty was £1,291.981. The number of houses in Scot-
land was 47,686. and the amount received £76,908,
making the total amount of inhabited house duty
assessed in the year in Great Britain on 796,405 houses
£1.968,889. In Birkenhead £5,931 was assessed on
3,785 houses, and in Liverpool £32,258 00 21,112 houses.
In Li, eipool there were 1,784 houses charged at £2O;
6,201 at above ittO and under £3O; 6,855 at I:30 and
under £5O; 4,464 at £5O and under £100; and 1,098 at
£lOO and under £l5O.
SCENE IN A Waist/ COURT. —During the hear-
ing of a case of assault, in the County Court of Port.
med.'s, on Saturday last, one of the witnesses, having
answered several questions in English, was asked bythe
Judge to continue to give his evidence in that language,
whereupon ant= in the body of the court loudly called
to the witneas to disregard the request. The Judge
said that if such interruptions were permitted, and if
bystanders were allowed to control the proceedings, it
would he impossible to c induct the business with de.
corum ; and he directed that the offender should be
imprisoned for his contempt in one of the adjacent
police cells mitil the rising of the Court. After deten-
tion for ab sit an hour, the prisoner asked to be allowed
to make as apology. He was then brongle back into
court, and expressed hie morrow for interrup log the
proceedings, and promised not to repeat Or- offence.
TheJtolge soil that no witness was ever or ex.
nested to give evidence in Er glish unless i, was appss
rent that he really was able to do so; Um cle sole
object of the committal was to vindicate the nucassarY
authority of the Court, and as the prisoner had made
his submission, he might be at once discharged.
COATING A POST-OFFICE ORDER ! A ti re-
liatle correapondent " (says the Court journi. 1 vouched
ror the truth of the following description ors scene
witnessed in a Scotch post- office :—" Enter in .nowily-
dressed young woman. Clerk (addres-ing or ). Well,
miss, what CIO you wish ? Young Woman. I want a
post-offish order—C. Well, where is it to g. ? W.
It's to go to the Highland., to be sure.—C. Ah ! but
what part of the Highlands ?—Y. W. (looking daggers)
Look your book and you'll saw. --C. You =rad tell me
the name of the place where your order is going ta.—
Y. W. She'll no. She's no right to tell an on and if
you'll no look in your hook for it, other pot offiahes
will. (lo ayes the office in wrath, but i,turns in
about an hour with a companion, who explains
that the money is to go to Tobermory.)—C. Well, I'll
give you an order on Tobermory. How mooh is it?
—Y. W. Ten shillings—C. Anti who is to p-o
W. My mother.—C. What's her name —Y. W. Mrs.
M`Tavish. —C. What's her Christian name . W.
(again looking wrathfully) My mother's Curistion
name? What you'll want with that? My mother
a good Christian woman, and goes to the Fra- :ham;
in 'fobermory evey Sabbath Day.—C, „„ not asking
what Church your mother belongs to, ats),,,,t is your
mother's Christian name—her fire..., „me W. my
mother's name is Mrs. M'"..smish, one she'd he that
since ever I ken 'd her, find I'll no tell any mall's born
anymore. Finally leaves the office in grckat,iedigua-
Von.
A MISER.— An inquest has ha. en held in Lon-
don, at the 'Bed House" Tavern. St. Joys wood,
on the body of Mr. George Frederik it Ito-, of 28,
North Bank. Dorothy Lloyd said that fo. she last
four-and-a-haff years she had born honaskeeoet to the
deceased, who lived in a miserly way. He 'as in the
habit of being up all Light, breakfasting at bare
and sitting at teu ano He never allowed he to go
into lis neon, and when else took up hie meal.. would
partially open the door and take them inside. It half-
past four on the Friday he ...mei worse, on.. witness
sent for Dr. Rugg The deseased expired at I. f-paso
two a.m. on the 23rd Mat. The keys of the dreesavi,
several hundreds in number, come of which c it'd not
have been used for years were then produced. Mr.
Henry Watson Rugg, IIL H C S., raid he was called to
the deceased on the morning of the 22nd inst., and
found him pnlgeleali and cold from Mod to foot. When
withers attended him, he resisted violently. but after.
ward'. became rainier, and raid he ho made no will,
but refused to tell anything about his money or valu-
ables. On the 24th they found a roll of sovereign'', and
soon after two more parcels. The post Branton ex-
amination showed that the cause of death was morti-
fication of the legs, but there was not an ounce of fat
on the whole of the body. The jury returned a verdict
In accordance with the medical evidence,

I'

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