The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-12-10 00:00:00

The Liverpool Journal of Commerce says that 15
guineas have been paid to effect re-insurances on the Carbot
Castle, from New York for Calcutta, which is considered
overdue, having left New York on July 27.
The first London cab ever seen in the 'United States
Is attracting considerable attention in Chicago.

A band of about 500 French pilgrims, led by the
Vice!tad.? Damks, arrived- at Rpm en Monday for the
ti
pcpasion,,, the caonizatOn, of the four new saints, and
teiVeclally last of their cOuntrymari, the beatified Joseph
La re. it is said that the number of archbishops and bishops
already assembled in Rome exceeds 350.
Prince Bismarck has sent the following reply to an
Address from the Patriotic Society of Zeitz, Saxony,
expressing approval of the Chancellor's policy :—" I firmly
believe in the ultimate victory of the plans I have put
forward. I trust more to the convincing power of their
innate truth than to the effect of my personal efforts. A
yet longer struggle is necessary. I have little hope of
myself seeing the success of the proposed reforms."
The-house at St. Maio in which Chateauhriand was
born is condemned to destruction, but the furniture of the
:room and some other relics are Co be preserved in the Hotel
de Ville as the nucleus of a Chateaubriand museum.
- A number of silver coins of the reigns of Edward
IV. to Henry VII. (1475 to 1485) have been dug out from the
foundation of a house in High-street, Leighton Buzzard,
which is undergoing repairs. They were coutttined in a
small round earthern jar, In which is merely an aperture
large enough to allow of the coins heir," inserted:—

The following is the-number of Socialists expelled
from three important towns in Germany :Berlin, 155;
Hamburg and inviidna,lllls-ailvipziD ; total, 420. Most
of these have wive*, childreir and relations dependent upon
them for their bread. Tlixemajority have emigrated to
•
England or America.
. .
karty;On 'Tuesday morning the purifying louse- at
the Birkenhead Gasworks blew up. The building was com-
pletely wrecked, and the thfbris set on fire. The .police fire
brigade was promptly on the spot, and the tire was prevented
from spreading. No one was injured. The greatest alarm
prevailed, and hundreds of the inhabitants of this adjoining
houses amped out of bed and ran into the streets with
children in their arins, expecting other explosions to ollow.
Last week's receipts of cotton at all United,States
ports have been 215,000 bales, and since Ist September,
2,240.500 bales. Exports to Great Britain, 38,000 bales,
and to the Continent and Channel, 41,000 bales tots. Isince
Ist September, 1,060,800 bales. Stock at all ports, 923,000
bales.

The Duke of Edinburgh has presented a parcel of
books to the Bethnal-green Free Library (which is supported
entirely by voluntary contributions), "as a token cf his
Royal Highness's sympathy with the committee's efforts to
raise the number of books to 10,C00 volumes." This is the
fifth present that the institution has received from members
of the Royal Family.
In connection with the Royal Windsor Tapestry
Works, which are under the patronage of the Queen, and of
which Prince Leopold (Duke of Albany) is President, a
central hall and twelve cottages, intended as residences for
the employes, are about to be erected at a cost of £6,000 on
the Crown lauds opposite the factory at Old Windsor.

Mr. Grantham, M.P., speaking at Hayward's
Heath, rejected the notion of the return to protection, but
recommended a small import duty of Is. or 2s. a quarter
upon corn, which would be paid by growers, and not be felt
by consumers.
Mrs. Garfield has sent Mr. Furnivall a letter
acknowledging the receipt of the New Shakespeare Society's
resolutions of October 4, touching the death of President
Garfield, which were sent to her by his Royal Highness the
Duke of Albany :—" In my husband's name I thank the
members of this society for the honorary membership con-
ferred upon me, and I join with President Garfleld's mother
in gratitude to them for their sympathy with us in our
great bereavement.— Very truly yours,—LUCRILTIA
GARFIELD."
The Bolton Fine Art Exhibition, opened by Lord
Bradford on the sth of September, was closed on Saturday
evening. The total number of admissions since the opening
had been 77,108, of which 22,318 had been by season ticket-
holders, 60 by payment of 2s. 6d., 6,750 at is., 34,544 at 08.,
13,342 scholars at id., and 94 orphans free. The receipts
from all sources amounted to £2,376 15s. 11d., an average of
£3O a day. It is believed that after the payment of expenses
there will be a handsome balance in aid of the new infirmary.
Earl Manvers has remitted, for the third time, from.
20 to 25 per cent, off the rents of his tenants on the Not-
tinghamshire estates, and in addition has made a return to
them on account of stock losses.

On Monday an accident of a serious nature occurred
at the Phcenix Foundry, Dunfermline. Six men were stand-
ing on a temporary scaffold, 18 feet high, erected for the
purpose of taking down a brick wall which was damaged by
the late storm. The bricks were placed on the scaffold as
they were remeved, and the result was that owing to their
weight a cross support broke and the entire structure came
down with a terrific crash. Two of the men were buried
beneath the bricks, and were extricated with difficulty.
Three others fell in various directions among the debris.
All five were dreadfully injured.

On Monday last in the Nottingham Town Council,
a resolution was moved in favour of opening the Castle
Museum and Free Library on Sundays. Eight voted for the
motion and thirty-eight against it. In March, 1880, when
the same question was discussed, twenty-four voted for Sun-
day opening and thirty-two against. In March, 1879, on the
same question, the votes were twenty-five for Sunday open-
ing, twenty-eight against. The majwrities against Sunday
opening have thus increased from three in 1879 to thirty in
1881.

According to the returns of the Registrar-General,
the fatal cases of small-pox in London, which had been 13
and 20 in the two preceding weeks, further rose last week to
28, and exceeded the number returned in any week since
the middle of August last. Eighteen of the 28 persons dying
from small-pox had re-ided in the south, live in the east, and
five in the north groups of registration districts.
From the list of voters just made up, it appears that
the total number of municipal voters in the City of London
having the £lO qualification to vote for Common Councilmen
at the forthcoming election on St. Thomas's Day amounts to
22,691, against 223071 of last year, showing an increase of 620.
—City Press.

Early on Tuesday morning the churches of St. Peter
and Holy Trinity, Bournemouth, were broken into, and all
the alms-boxes were rifled of their contents. Entrance to
each place of worship was effected at a window. No valu-
ables were lying about, except a jewelled cross on the altar
•at St Peter's, which the thieves apparently overlooked. No
attempt was made to force the safes in which the Sacra-
mental plate was kept.
The marriage of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany,
will, it is understood, take place at St. George's Chapel,
Windsor, in March next.

In addressing a political gathering at Oldham, Mr.
Hibbert, M.P., said that although some might fear that
should there be a general election there would be a change
of Government, he had no such apprehension, for the coun-
try at large was still behind the Government and the
Liberal party. He charged the opponents of the Ministry
with lack of patriotism and with failing to recognise the
difficulties of the Administration in Ireland.
The smoke-curee of London, which is just now
under discussion, might be almost wholly avoided if people
would use anthracite coal, and if servants would light fires at
the top.—The World.

A monster devil-fish, or octopus, fully rivalling M.
Victor Hugo's fan.ous "pot Ape has beau caught off the
coast et _Newfoundland. It. 'assured 33ft. frau the tail to
the end of the long tentacles, and is the first fresh and un-
'mutilated specimen of such huge size ever landed.

Mr. H. Broadhurst, M.P., lectured at Leicester on
Tuesday night on Free Trade. He quoted Government re-
turns, showing that trade was improving, ana contended
that Free Trade, far from ruining the country, had increased
Its prosperity in every direction. The excess of imports over
exports showed that we were making good profits, and the
condition of the working classes had so improved that it was
absurd to suppose they would consent to return to the old
system of Protection.
It is stated that the Queen, besides purchasing a
drawing by the Queen's scholar at the Female School of Art,
has also purchased an old man's head in oil by the Queen's
Gold Medallist, Miss Mary Eliza Harding, and an oil group
of sunflowers by Miss Emily Rebecca Stones.
The numerous flower stalls which have hitherto
formed a characteristic feature of the streets of Paris are
about to disappear completely, The Prefect of Police has
given orders for their removal. Two reasons are alleged for
this action. The first is the encumbrance caused by the
stalls, and the second the loss of revenue caused to the
municipality by the comparatively neglected state of the
several public flower markets, owing to the conipetitien of
the street stallkeepers.
An historical picture has just been painted by Mr.
Frederick Cowie, the subject being " The Death of Lord
Beaconsfield." Those present, including the three medical
men—Drs. Bruce, Quain, and Kidd—have sat for their por-
traita. The scene is well and impressively depicted. Its
first appearance in public will be made at an art exhibition
In Lancashire.—Court Journal.
The Empress of Austria has introduced a coiffure
which is hkely to create a considerable sebsation this
winter. She wears her hair falling in wavy folds upon her
shoulders, fastened to the head by an agraffe of diamonds
la grecque, or bars of pearls. The Empress's hair is as
beautiful as can well be imagined, with its reflections of
gold and deep bronze as of topaza brulees. The Viennese
ladies are all alldwing their hair to fall down upon their
shoulders and backs (the ends being cut even) in imitation
of their imperial sovereign And the Archduchess Charles
Louis.—Court Journal.
The Anchor Line steamer Bolivia, Captain Donald-
son, from London to New York, 14 days out, put into Queens-
town on Saturday night in a damaged state. She had 61
cabin and 43 steerage passengers. She experienced severe
weather in the Atlantic, and during four days the seas
swept her decks. The funnel was carried away, four boats
were lost, the cabin skylight was smashed, and other damage
was done. The third engineer, David Eatson was killed, and
two firemen were scalded. The latter were stated to be
doing well. During the last ten days no fewer than nine
steamers have arrived at Queenstown in a disabled or
damaged condition, and several sailing ships have come into
port during the same time. This unusually large catalogue
of casualties attests the severity of the late gales.