The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-08-08 00:00:00

Miatitancous

HOME FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

ALkamiNo ACCIDENT.—One of the jockeys at
Goodwood, being of an impulsive temperament, after
riding a race sat down on the spur of the moment.
1-fi's feelings may be better imagined than described.—
Punch.

TIIE LOST STEAM:OIU "CITY OF BOSTON."—
New York papers of the 23rd of July received by the
Hamburg American steamer Hammon ia contains ac-
counts of the finding on the east coast of Florida of
what is accepted as a genuine relic of the Inman steam-
ship CO of Boston, which sailed from New York on
the 25th of January, 1870, and has never been heard
of since. It consists of a bottle containing a paper
plainly bearing the marks of time, on which was writ-
ten in ink these words :—" Steamship City of Boston.
To all whom this message may come, that I, the
undersigned, a passenger on this ship, wrote the fol-
lowing statement on Sunday night :—A heavy storm
arose. Twelve-thirty, increasing. One-twenty, all
hopes lost. Two o'clock, going down.—John Casewell,
London, England." The writing seemed to have
been suddenly broken off ; but in pencil on a piece of
wood was written, "We have now taken to the boats as
a last resort."

A DIBCREET HlNT.—Ma(ildo (star-gaz)ng).
"How I wish I could catch a falling star—Young
Dobbs (whose Picture has been so successful at the
Academy this year). "That's impossible, Miss
Matilda. But—a —might I suggest that you needn't
go far for a rising one ?"—Pleueb.
NEW LAW ON PERSON ATION."—A recent
celebrated trial has necessitated the passing of an Act of
Parliament, which has just been issued, to amend the
law relating to personation. It is now provided that
if any person shall falsely and deceitfully personate
any person, or the heir, executor, or administrator,
wife, widow, next of-kin, or any relation of any person,
with intent fraudulently to obtain any land, estate,
chattel, money, valuable security or property, he shall
be guilty of felony, and upon conviction shall be liable,
at the discretion of the Court by which he is convicted,
to be kept in penal servitude for life, or for any period
not less than five years, or to he imprisoned for any
term not exceeding two years, with or without hard
labour, and with or without solitary confinement
Nothing in the Act is to prevent any person from being
proceeded against and punished under any other Act
or at common law in respect of an offence punishable
as well cider this as under any other Act or at common
law. No offence against this Act is to be prosecuted
or tried at any Court of General or Quarter Sessions
of the Peace. It may be cited as the False Personation
Act, 1874.
EXTENT OF WOODH IN ENGLAN D.—lt seems
from the official statistics that of the whole surface of
England and Wales less than 4 per cent., or only
1,453,000 acres out of a total of 37,319,000 acres, is
occupied by woods, coppices, and plantations. Treat-
ing the three Ridings of Yorkshire WC separate counties,
Sussex is the only county which returns mere than
100,000 acres of wood, nearly 11 per cent. of its area
being thus clothed. The woods of Hampshire are next
in magnitude, embracing some 87,0(8) acres, but form-
ing only 8 per cent, of that county's area. Kent fol-
lows with iB,OOO acres of woodland, while the adjoin-
ing county of Surrey, although returning only some
48,000 acres of wood, shows almost as high a percent-
age as ita neighbour Sussex, since very nearly ouetvnth
of its whole area is thus employed. These four connties,
Hampshire, Kent. Surrey, and Sussex, appear to
possess a much larger extent of woodland relative to
their late than any other area in England.