The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-11-19 00:00:00

TITR STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

THE INCREASED VALUE OF LAND.—That land is
the only safe and permanent investment is a very old
aphorism (says Land). Long before charity was orga-
nised as a compendious art to give employment to
those not poor, individual beneficence sunk its shaft in
the land, assured that there would spring up there-
from a perennial and bountiful blessing for the poor.
In 1687, one Hannah Scott gave the parish of Plum-
stead £lOO to be invested in land for the poor of that
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place, and with this £lOO three acres of land were
bought in 1600 at Logg's Hill, Bromley. When the
investment was changed in 1808, the three acres
realised £B4o—not a bad commentary on land values
outside the metropolis. This property is now said to
be valued at £2,700, with a building element in it.

•DISCOVERY OF OLD COINS.—The other day, as some
workmen were making repairs in the roof of a house
belonging to Mr. John Stevens, of Broughton-Astley,
near Lutterworth, LeicestQrshire, there was found
under a rafter a bag containing twenty-six coins—
crowns, half-crowns, shillings, and farthings. In
date they range from 1670 to 1710. There are
several crowns and half-crowns of the reigns of Charles
11. and William 111. The most recent is a coin of

Queen's Anne's, bearing date 1710. The coins are in
a state of good preservation. The house was formerly
the manor-house of the parish, where the family of
the Astleys, who have given the name to the parish,
lived. It is now a farmhouse and publichouse.
DREADFULNESS.— Another "constant subscriber,"

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writing to Mrs. J., wants to know whether a gentle-
man must not be in a state of great pecuniary dif-
ficulty when he pops the question, and furthermore
pled..qes his betrothed before even he is married. Mrs.
J. is ashamed of her "constant subscriber."—Judy.
A VALUABLE NUMISMATIC COLLECTION. —A Geneva
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telegram says that Madame Herzog, whose husband
died a short time ago in Aargau, has presented his
collection of works on numismatics, probably the most
complete of its kind in existence, to the Cantonal
Library of Aargau. The collection consists of 300
volumes, in addition to numerous pamphlets and serial
publications. Included in it are every work of im-
portance on medals, coins, and coinage that has been
published in Europe and America during the present
century, and copies of all treaties and public acts
bearing on the subject that have been adopted dux ing
the same period.

COMMERCIAL AGENTS.-It is estimated that there
tllo,ooo ..m.ercial travellers in the United
States. Each is supposed to go over his route five
times a year, and to carry during that time a ton of
baggage. This baggage be ng generally bulky it
would require 24,000 ten-ton cars to transport the
trunks and outfits of these mobilized gentlemen. The
commercial traveller is, therefore, a factor in the
transportation problem as well as the strictly com-
mercial transactions of the country.

A HINT ABOUT FARM HORSES.--The present being
a busy time with the farmers, we would make a sug-
gestion with regard to his horses (says the Graphic).
We know very well that when an animal has been in
the fields for live or six hours at a stretch, hunger and
thirst must predominate, and the horse on its return
will at once rush to the trough and imbibe a large
quantity of water, or get to the manger or hay-rick and
eat as fast as it can dry food of any kind or
nature to satisfy the natural cravings of the stomach.
This hasty consumption of dry food and water
is most injurious, and frequently leads to colic
and gripes. Now a horse does not work on the
land for four or five hours at a stretch with-

out being stopped for a short time to rest,
and why during such interv4l is not the nosebag put
on, as is the case with van horses in cities? It is a
physiological fact that the horse for its size has the
smallest stomach of any living animal, it must there-
fore stand to reason that it wants constant replenish-
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ing ; not allowed to get thorougly empty and then
overgorged. Farmers who would bear this in mind
would find their reward in the increased healthiness
of their horses, and their constantly augmented
capacity for work.
A STRAIGHT ANSWER WANTED.—One of the east.

bound trains coming into Detroit the other day was
heavily loaded (says the Detroit Free Press), and a
passenger who got on at Ypsilanti walked through
two cars and finally halted at a seat occupied by a
small man and a grab-bag and inquired: "Is this seat
occupied ? " "Of course this seat is occupied," was
the reply. Are both halves of this seat occupied?"
was the next query. "Of course both halves are
occupied." "Well, my friend," said the new arrival,
as he let go of his satchel, "I want to bother you with
one more query. Had you rather I would toss that
grab-bag out of the window and sit down with you,
or chuck you out and ride into Detroit with the grab-
bag ? " The grab-bag man got mad at that and
wouldn't ride anywhere else except on the wood box.
THE TIMBER TRADE OF CANADA.--In a report on
the forests of British Columbia, Professor Dawson, of
the Geological Survey of Canada, dwells upon the im-
portance of the timber trade of the Dominion. The
Douglas fir, or Oregon pine, is the most valuable tree
he refers to ' • it is often more than eight feet in
diameter and from 200 to 300 feet high, forming dense
forests. The western hemlock and red cedar are next
in importance, and also grow to a great size. The
timber as well as the mineral resources of the
Dominion will, no doubt, be much developed by the
construction of the Pacific Railway.
A NEW FOOD RESOIIRCE.—The Paris Correspon-
dent of the Daily News says ;—" A new alimentary
resource has been discovered in the crocodiles whicn
were sent as a present some weeks ago to M. Paul
Bert. This physiologist experimented at the Jardin
des Plantes' dissecting-room on the respiratory organs
of the animals in question. He gave their flash to the
minor employes of the menagerie, recommending them
to cook and eat it. Thy did so, and found that cro-
codile flesh is tender, delicate, appetising, and like
both salmon and lobster. It has, however, a slight
taste of musk."
A TERM OF THE 'WOODMAN'S CRAFT.—I never
heard (writes a correspondent of Notes and Queries),
scribe used as a verb until a few days ago, when I was
in company with an experienced woodman, to whom I
was pointing out arms and branches of trees that I
wished him to cut down. His assistant climbed into
the tree, and I directed the woodman's attention to a
certain bough; upon which he cailed out, "Scribe
it!" and the assistant cut a notch in it with his knife,
as a mark that the bough in question had to come
, down. This was repeated with each bough, and with
each the woodman called out, "Scribe it 1" Evidently
it is a term of woodman's craft. "To scribe" was
suggested as a verb that ought to come into general
use by a correspondent of Notes and Queries seven
years since:- and subsequent correspondents showed
that the term "to scribe " is used by timber mer-
chants when they mark timber with their private
mark, and by custom-house officers when they place
private marka on casks of wine, spirits, and tea. In
the instance that came under my own observation
it will be seen that there was a slight difference in
the meaning, and that the mark was an ordinary
notch.
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The follow-
ing are the average prices British corn for the week
ending Nov. 12, as received from the inspectors and
officer of Excise :—Wheat, 465. 3d. ; barley, 345. 9d. ;
oats, 20s. 7d. per imperial qr. Corresponding week
last year :—Wheat, 435. sd. ; barley, 31s. 7d. ; oats,
21s. sd.

THE "SALVATION ARMY."—In London, on Saturday
evening a detachment of the "Salvation Army " com-
menced to march from Mile-end-waste, where some of
their number had been preaching, towards their hall
in Whitecha,pel. In the middle of Whitechapel-road
they were met by a large body of young men ani lads,
numbering two or three hundred, who barred the way,
and one of whom carried a banner on which were the
words, "Opposition Salvation Army." The " Army "
endeavoured to force its way past, when a fight ensued,
which was only stopped by the appearance on the scene
of a number of constables who had been sent for from
an adjoining station.
MAXIMS THOUGHT OVER. Keep your tongue
between your teeth; but as an exception to this most
excellent rule, avoid doing so while taking your first
bicycle lesson., —Fortune knocks once, at least, at
every man's door; but it generally happens on the day
the man and his family have gone out for a holiday,
and there is nobody to answer the gentleman's knock.
Fun.

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FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT. --A fatal boat accident has
occurred at St. Bride's Quay, Cardiff. Four relations
named James, accompanied by another fisherman
named Russan,. went out in a small boat, when a squall
overtook them, and as they were trying to clear the
headland their small craft capsized. The four xela-
ti.ms struggled together in the water and were
drowned. Russan kept a firm hold on the keel, and
after hours of suspense he was sighted and rescued by
some local fishermen. Russan's sufferings were very
great. The news has caused consternation in the
district.
LOST IN THE RAPIDS.—From Montreal comes the
news of the terrible death in Lachine Rapids of two
Indians named Thomas Deer and Louis Rice. It ap-
pears that late in the evening they started to cross the
river to carry from Lachine some barrels dor' grape.
packing. None can tell what happened afterwards, but
a short time later a woman living on ..the bank nearly
opposite the terrible Saults or leaps of water, heard
some person calling for help. It was dark, and a
woman so old could not go to the rescue of the men.
Shoitly afterwards she heard men again calling for
help, and distinctly heard them shout in the Indian
tongue, "We've lost our oars." After a time the
cries
.grew more vigorous, doubtless as the poor fel-
lows realised that no help could come to them, and
that they were nearing the terrible jump from which
there could be none but a miraculous escape. At
length the cries ceased, and the old woman heard
nothing more save the monotonous roar of the rushing
waters.
THE EFFECT OF DROUGHT ON AMERICAN RivERS.
—The great drought of the past summer in th.) United
States has had a much more injurious effect upon the
traffic of the western rivers than has ever before been
known (says Iron). A case in point is the Ohio,
upon which stream there has been an almost total
suspension of navigation by steamboats. During
about two months of every year the river
generally dwindles down to a mere semblance
of its usual self, and the large steamers lie up,
while a smaller class of light draught vessels con-
tinue the business. During the present season, how-
ever, the river has been lower than for nearly 50 years,
and even the customary low-water packets have been
obliged to cease running, and the mails and passengers
are carried by a few tiny craft, drawing only from 12in.
to,lBin. with cargo aboard. On a larger portion of the
Upper Ohio no attempt to navigate the river is made.
Some very curious sights have recently been wit-
nessed at Cincinnati, whore there is, or was a couple of
weeks ago, but two feel of water in the channel,
and the small boys waded across at the levee
—which when the river is full is a bustling scene
of activity, with scores of steamers moored at; its
edge—and the unscruplous urchins on the Convington
shore, so we are told by an American contemporary,
"now toss stones through the deserted doors of the
great floating docks on the opposite side." Above the
city, dozens of large steamers are lying idie, among
them big 1,500 and 2,000 ton New Orleans packets—
a striking contrast to the brook-like stream they
barely float in. The novel spectacle of a steamboat
whistling for an ox team to "clear the track "—au
actual occurrence recently—a steamer's crew in the
yawl sounding for the deepest water, and other similar
incident, have made the harbour of Cincinnati a
very different scene from what it generally is.