The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-05-08 00:00:00

Ji isallantons al"ntelligienct.

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

THE EX-HOME SECRETARY.—At a recent meeting of
the Committee of the Howard Association the follow-
ing resolution was adopted—viz. "On the occasion of
the retirement of the Right Hon. Sir Richard Assheton
Cross, M.P., G.C.8., from the office of Home Secre-
tary, the Committee of the Howard Association desire
to place on record their grateful remembrance of the
uniform courtesy and attentive consideration which,
on the many occasions when they have had to com-
municate with him, they have experienced at his
hands. The Committee can bear their cordial testi-
mony to the ability and wisdom, the comprehensive
direction and the laborious oversight, also, of the
manifold details of varied official duty which have
characterised the six years' administration by the
right hon. gentleman of a department of State which,
more than perhaps any others is habitually exposed
to public observation and criticism. They believe,
further, that this is the general feeling of their fellow
countrymen, irrespective of party differences."

STANDING NO NONSENCE.—'AITy. "Phew I "—(the
weather was warm, and they had walked over from
'Ammersmith)—" Bring us a bottle o' champagne,
waiter." Waiter. " Yessir dry, Sir ? " 'Arry
('aughtily, to put a stop to this familiarity at once).
Never you mind whether we 're dry, or whether we
ain't !—bring the Wine ! "—Punch.
MINISTERS AT WINDSOR.—On Monday Her Ma-
jesty held a Council at Windsor Castle, at which
several of the new Ministers were present. Several
members of the late Government who did not go to
Windsor last week also went down to Windsor for the
purpose of having an audience of Her Majesty, to
deliver up their seals of office. These included Lord.
Hardwicke (Master of the Buckhounds), Lord Skel-
mersdale (Captain of the Body Guard of Yeomen of
the Guard), and Lord Yarmouth (Comptroller of the
Household). Among those who went were Mr. Glad-
stone, Lord Granville, Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Forster,
the Earl of Cork, Mr. Fawcett, Sir Charles Dilke, Lord
Sydney, and the Duke of Westminster. The Ministers
and ex-Ministers travelled by a special train from
London, leaving Paddington at 12 o'clock, and arrived
at Windsor at 12.40. About a hundred persons assem-
bled at the station heartily cheered Mr. Gladstone and
his colleagues. Seven Royal carriages were in waiting,
but only one was used, Mr. Gladstone and one or two
others riding, while the rest preferred to walk. The
Ministers and ex-Mihisters returned to London by
special train, leaving Windsor at 2.40.
_
- -

A DOMESTIC TRAGEDY.—On returning from the
theatre, the Thompsons find their housemaid in great
distress, with her arm bound up in her apron.—Mrs.
Thempson. "What is the matter, Ann? Have you
hurt your hand?" Ann. " W-w-w-worse that that,
ma'am ! " Mrs. Thompson. "Not broken your arm,
I trust?" Ann. " W-w-worse than that!" Mrs.
Thompson. "Good heavens !—what is it ? " Cook.
"The fact is, ma'am, the silly girl has been tryin'
on your new 'bracelet, and none of us knows how to
get it off again ! "—Punch.
THE VESUVIUS RAILWAY.—A letter from Naples,
written by one of the nine persons who made the ex-
perimental trip on the new railway to the crater of
Vesuvius, gives some particulars of the line and the
journey. The actual railroad is 800 metres long, and
terminates 200 metres short of the mouth of the crater.
The inclines are tremendous : Four in 10 for the first
136 metres ; 63 in 130 for the next 330 metres; then
56, 52, and finally 48 in the 100 for the remainder. The
carriages are drawn up by a steel rope of 49 strands,
which is coated with tar as a protection against rust.
An hour's drive from Naples takes the traveller
to the mountain observatory. An excellent new road,
nearly two miles long, has been built by the railway
company to the new observatory to the railway station,
The ascent on the railway was made in seven minutes,
but it can easily be made in five. The motion was
quite smooth, but the sensation on looking out is far
from pleasant, and a feeling akin to sea-sickness is said
to arise. The view from the summit repays all the
trouble. The writer says that at every step one feels
the proximity of the great storehouse of heat. He was
informed that great pillars of smoke frequently burst
up from the ground, close to the spot where the rail-
road ends, and great chasms open, swallowing up
everything which may be on the spot, so that the
exodition may sometimes not be wholly free from
dangge. It was intended to open the line for the
public at the beginning of May.

-
SUITABLE SONG FOR GLADSTONEITES.--" He's a jolly
good feller."—Funny Folks.
WEEKLY REVIEW OF THE CORN TRADE. —Bell's
Weekly Messenger says :—" The weather during the
past week has been bright and dry, but cold easterly
winds have prevailed and frosts at night have been re-
corded. Vegetation has, in consequence, made slow
progress, and the season is backward; but the agri-
cultural prospect is still regarded as satisfactory.
Rain appears to be needed for the later sown crops,
and especially for the pastures; but there are no cpm-
plaints, and there is no reason to believe that the
orchards have sustained any injury from the low.
temperature. There is in fact, every promise Pt
an abundant crop of fruit, the appearance o.f
.the
orchards being in most localities unusuallY PromlsTg*
The wheat plant also promises to yield
a 1 than
tory result. It has germinated more
treenpoverty
be
might have been expected from in a few days a
of last year's seed, and should we havP, atistac-
develop itself
genial fall of rain, vegetation wnwnheat trade, which
with considerable rapidity.
T
showed more steadiness when last wrote, owing to
wlested itself in the
q,uiet, and rather
the recovery which had eanonil e
United States, has
weak in tone. It again aCesercely be designated as
can •es of home-grown produce
depressed, as the delivde r
t'here is, in consequence, a
a
are very limited, 11
elc by week of foreign produce.
large absorption we
ith exteeme caution, yet, on the
Though millers buy are not such pressing sellers as the
other hand, holders
est prospects in the world would seem
favourable hary
to justify." mAy !--I think we ought to invite all
CHARMING
Never to my eyes has the country been
can be k
14-i-fain the first .week of May as it hi- to,-day—
the world to come and see what- an English spring
tio. beau.i
,„ this is a .dult'day, as it
,was lesterday..
get older, they see tin:i ,i. 0-that they
g("ratdobllb-nt'Oastic sA edrne!their young days; but it is certahey;
ifui n%ars
y since the foliage and blossoms of onr„trties,
rai,:vnaYtieeii so full and so perfect ; Life is quite worth.
rsing sl)4ll.4lie.s.et4eutbf:.the- ariinkrtt.reetviffT,A.i.
• • foil - thaixth thif.viticl 'hai"beetY 'exilcVtii:e s'iiil-1.
dtsmo' '
FiAine has been abundant and tbe.terOcreinrp perfect i
itedsgoapv4l4lr,. -forl ' , ''' ell-ifi .. •; ; 4 Orr,:
a., w otieinci -F.:- a , .t....:
~:‘
.: . . -
~. _ •r ,
6,61i'4 I
66-i.. 6
....isig 4ii,, .
Dra‘tand flobtiS I
.exi:*rietibbd in chhnof n. i . -gb f
ii 4e.
.. . t''.,..o'n.r4;what.is_c4,lled
a
.-iVta '
dry
~
.. . ~: . .:. • an. ' v4ii w: !),....,:;:. -:,. %
' ::, */*. • 'ht' - '.:
77. littp.,--1:
elttit,
cap tiottliejiii* . a
~ prft... .• - . ..... . ,„. ,
it
t
,sizi
Junetintr li s,ti
sifb . , -'' ifAV'e iiiitiOrtutritte';'... ~.
get'ttrex4 v4ll ..
. 6-#lolr to. the .pNaft&e.' .: ti
which this delightful spring has fostered...4MA'
Expltss.