The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-03-31 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

The Queen arrived at Florence on Saturday, March
24, and met with an enthusiastic reception from the
assembled spectators. Among those present to receive
her Majesty were the British Ambassador and consular
agents and representatives of King Humbert. The
town of Fiesole was illuminated the next night in
honour of her Majesty's arrival.
The Princess of Wales held a Drawing Room on the
afternoon of the 24th of March at Buckingham Palace
by command of the Queen. The diplomatic and general
circles were well attended.
The Prince of Wales attended a gathering, held at
Exeter Hall, on March 24, and promoted by various
German societies in London in memory of the late
German Emperor. A programme of music Was
rendered, and an oration was delivered by Professor
Max Muller, the whole of the proceedings being in
German. During the evening a telegram was sent to
the Emperor Frederick explaining the nature of the
meeting and expressing loyal wishes.
Latest accounts of the Emperor Frederick state that
his strength is increasing, and that the throat affection
is being relieved.
The annual meeting of the Royal National Lifeboat
Institution has been held at 'Willis's Room, in London,
under the presidency of the Duke of Northumberland.
The report stated that during the past year no less
than 59 new boats had been dispatched to the coast,
this number being nearly double that built in any Pre-
vious year; while in addition the boats belonging to 14
other stations had been improved so as to bring then'
up to the most modern requirements.
The Duke of Westminster presided over the Cheshire
Chamber of Agriculture, met to discuss the Govern-
ment scheme of technical dairy education in its bearing
upon the important dairy interests of Cheshire. Ills
grace, referring to the recent debate in the House of
Lords, said he thought that Lord Cranbrook's ann6unc3.
ment was hardly as encouraging as it might have been ;
still, there was a promise, and it amounted to this, that
if the people interested in agricultural education bellied
themselves the Government would help them. Mr'
Henry Tollemache, M.P., and Captain Cotton, M.P •
addressed the meeting. The latter urged that as
Cheshire was a great dairy county they should put for-
ward their claims to a district school. He strongly cony
plained that the colleges of Downton and Cirencester
were being pushed forward, whereas they did not meet
the necessities of the farmers at all. The chamber re-
quested the Duke of Westminster and a committee to
present a memorial to the Government, drawing atten-
tion to the extent of the Cheshire dairy industry, to the
work they were doing, and their claims to have a school
in their midst.
Mr. Whitmore, M.P., speaking at Oldham, supported
a resolution expressing confidence in the Government,
and viewing with satisfaction their statesmanlike
management of the affairs of the nation, in which they
had been patriotically assisted by the Liberal Unionists.
He said that, under the wise policy of Government,
England was at peace with all the world, and they had
settled oldstanding difficulties. In the Local Govern-
ment Bill the Government had introduced a measure as
courageous, as far-seeing, and as comprehensive as anY
former legislative exploits of the Liberal party, and. a 5
a Conservative member, he was glad of an early oppor-
tunity to state his absolute approval of that bill in its
entirety. He had spoken to many members on the
Conservative benches about it, and the bulk of than
would gladly have an autumn session, in order to Pass
that great measure in the present year.
A brutal murder was committed at East Lambrook,
.lear Ilminster, Somerset, on Friday night, March 23rd,
the victim being Martha Charles, aged 50, a char-
woman, living with her husband, who is old and feeble,
and a daughter. It transpired that on Friday night
Mrs. Charles was about to go to bed, when George Lye,
a single man, about 30, living alone, called at the house
for linen. She descended and took the linen to Lye.s
house. Not returning, her daughter went to Lye's
house for her, and the man replied that she had gone
away. Nothing was heard of her till next morning,
when Mr. Scott, a farmer, noticing the back door of
Lye's house open, entered, and found Mrs. Charles on
the floor dead, her head being fearfully mutilated. A
woodman's axe was lying near stained with blood. LYe
has disappeared.
At one o'clock on Saturday morning, March 24th,
Mr. Chesnutte Smyth, the Belfast manager of the
Equitable Life Assurance Company of New York, was
arrested on a charge of forgery preferred by the London
manager. This has been followed by the arrest of Mr'
Speers Orr, superintendent of agents, and other arrests
are expected. The charge against Mr. Orr is that ef
conspiracy with other persons in forging two medical
certificates regarding the duration of illness of a mart
named Wilson, who was insured in the society for
£2OOO.
The accountant's report giving the sales of the
associated firms in the North of England manufacturen
iron trade, and the average net selling price per ton
during the past two months, has been issued. The
total sales of rails, plates, bars, and angles SlMOUritea
to 46,740 tons, and the average price was £4 13s. id'
This is an advance of is. Id. on the previous two
months.
Mr. Davy, Local Government Board Inspector for
the South-Eastern District, has been paying official
visits to all the workhouses in Kent, and making
quiries intothe consumption of stimulants therein. ØI
states that, whereas in Yorkshire the cost is one pent')
per pauper, in Kent and Sussex it is £1 per pauper for
stimulants consumed.
The Right Rev. C. J. Abraham, formerly Bishop
.ef
Wellington, New Zealand, held a Confirmation Serve°
at Eton College Chapel the other day, when upwards of
170 noblemen and gentlemen who are being educated at
the school were confirmed. The service was attended 131
many parents and friends of the students.
Two hundred and twenty-five workmen, who have
been employed in connection with the Royal Alexandra
Victualling Yard at Haulbowline, received written
notices that their services would be dispensed with from
Easter. It is feared that much destitution und con'
sequent sufferings will ensue.
Between 15,000 and 16,000 persons paid for admis"
sion to Kennington Oval to witness the final tie ill
the Association Football Challenge Cup Competition.
The contending teams represented Preston North Enifl
and West Bromwich Albion, and the result of an exeiv-
ing game proved in favour of the latter by two goals to
one.
A gentleman residing at Queenstown has received a
letter from an American missionary in the province Of
Yunnan, China, giving an account of the recent earth-
quakes in that province, by which 15,000 lives were lost
and several towns destroyed. The greatest destruction
was caused in the interior department of Ching Cling'
where the shocks continued for four days. The cities
of Lamon and Yamen were reduced to masses of ruins.
more than 4000 persons being buried beneath the fail'
ing buildings. At So Chan, in Chuen, the face of the
country was completely changed, tracts of land being
swallowed up, and the surface changed to an immense
lake. More than 10,000 persons were drowned. Ti3er,
letter also states that the Imperial Commissionea
specially appointed to investigate the loss of life causf
by the Yellow River inundations has sent an °facia,
report to the Emperor of China, stating that the totai
number of persons drowned was over 100,000, and the
number of destitute people about 1,800,000.
William Arrowsmith, labourer, of Denton, M,ae;
chester, who was convicted at the recent Salop Assize,
of the murder of his uncle an old man of 80 year'
named Pickerill, made a full confession of his guilt'
The statement has been forwarded to the Home See.rei:
tary. Arrowsmith went to the lonely cottage in r
the old man lived, on Lord Hill's estate at Whi4
Shropshire, and butchered him terribly with a kni'
and crowbar, the object being plunder.
A daring robbery was perpetrated the other afternee.2
at the Bank of Ireland, Dublin. An old lady had dra'a`;
£2OO from the bank, and as it was all in notes she Wen
to the cash office with thirty of the notes to chan.gl
them for gold. Meanwhile, however, some tit.ll:a
abstracted the remainder from her bag, which she Li.
left on the counter, and decamped. d at
The Cunard steamer Etruria, which has arrive ~,t
Queenstown from New York, brings intelligence
a passenger named James Knowles, of Preston, E1`,70
land, committed suicide by jumping overboard from t:',
saloon deck of the Anchor Line steamer Furnessro
which had just arrived in New York bay fru
Glasgow.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has consented. tic°
address a public meeting at the Croydon Skating Bel
on Monday, April 18.
The trustees of Messrs. Greenway's estate has Mall:
a statement that the creditors will eventually be pa,"
dividend of 2s. in the pound. *it
In the Schiitt district of the Pressburg efernitet'
Hungary, a famine has broken out, and two thousae,
persons are being relieved, partly by the Government
partly by Count George Apponyi.
During the temporary absence of a manager
branch Post Office in Darwen, some person unknetb"e
entered the premises and stole postage stamps te
value of DO. oen
It is announced in the London Gazette that the Qe ‘,3
has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be Pass'd,
under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, Presi
ing for the division of the Island of Malta and its de.
pendencies into ten electoral districts, and malTi)::
further provision for the representation of those
of
tricts by the members of the Council of Government
the said island.
Mr. Ambrose, Q.C., M.P., has addressed the rnere.,b,e,ragi
of the Harrow Constitutional Club upon the
Outlook," and, speaking upon the Local GovernTill's,
Bill, said that, notwithstanding the chorus of aPPladed
with which the measure had been received, he regar
it with considerable misgiving. It meant a greato.i.f,
rooting of existing institutions, and was that upro two
necessarr.

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