The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-12-18 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

Thirty-eight persons have been dispatched from St.
Petersburg to form a war hospital in Montenegro, at an out-
lay of 10,000 roubles.
The death is announced as having taken place on
the 18th November, in battle, in Abyssinia, of Soren Adolph
Arendrup, Dani.h Captain of Artillery, Commander-in-
Chief of the late Egyptian expedition against the Abyssinians.

Marshal Mac-M—ahon, the President of the French
Republic, has graciously conferred upon Mr. Alderman
Stone, late Lord Mayor of London the rank and decoration
of a Commander of-the Legion of Honour.

Dr. Alfred 11111, the Medical Officer of Health for
Birmingham, in his report for the third quarter of the pre-
sent year, states that there were 95 cases of small-pox, of
which 83 had been vaccinated and 12 not vaccinated.

The King of Bavaria has bestowed the knighthood
of the Order of Maximilain on Pr.fessor Max Miller. This
oraer is confined to a limited number of men distinguished
In science and art. As in the case of the order pour lemerite
the right of election belongs to the knights themselves, but
their choice has to be confirmed by the Sovereign.

"The re;gn of falPe hair is over, and it is said that
Parisians are already arranging their own locks either in
plaited or twisted coils ronna the head, or in artistic curls
at the back of the nick. We may, therefore, soon hope to see
the heads of our fair ladies reduced to their natural size and
sh a pe. "—Graphic.

The u.ual religiou4 service MB held in the Mauso-
leum at Frogmore on Tuesday morning (the 14th), in com-
memoration of the fourteen h anniversary of the Prince
Consort's death. It was atteoued by her Majesty the Queen,
the Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh,
Prince Leopold, the Princess Lquise and the Marquis of
Lorne, and by the Princess Beat! ice,
A farmhouse at Bottwnog, near Pwllheli, took fire
early on Tuesday morning, The inmates escaped in their
nightdresses, but the landlady, about 80 years old, returned
to fetch something, and the roof tell in and crushed her to
death.

A meeting, estimated to have been attended by nearly
25,000 persons, took place on Saturday afternoon on Efac,kney
Downs, in opposition to some enclosures by the lord of the
manor, which resulted in the pulling down of all the ob-
noxious fences and their destruction by fire.

The authorities of the Home for Lost Dogs in Lon-
don have recently added, at the expense of £.400, a sufficient
number of new kennels to accommodate from 150 to 200
dogs. On an average about 400 dogs are well fed, supplied
freely with water, and carefully Uttered every day.
In reply to a deputation of 'l innevelly missionaries
the Prince of Wales expressed great satisfaction at finding
that they were offering to their Indian fellow subjects the
truths which formed the foundation of our social system at
home.

It is Phown by a Parliamentary Blue-book that in the
sevente,n years of the esiahlishment of the Divorce Court
5 922 petitions were filed, giving an average for each year of
348, exclusive of applications for the protection of property
s+rid for alimony. Last year the petitions were 611, against
464 in 1873. In 1874 there were 379 to dissolve marriage.

In the official "Army List" for the present month
are the names of about 150 soldiers who have died in the
service since 1865, leaving unclaimed property amounting in
the whole to over £l.OOO, varying in amount from £93 to a
few shillings, for which the next of kin axe invited to apply
to the Secretary of State for war.

On Monday the ShEffield Coal Company advanced
its prices by one shilling per ton.

The following are the average prices of British corn
for the week ending December 11, as reeeived from the in-
spectors and i.fficers of Excise :—Wheat, 465. Id. ; barley
355. 4d. ; oats, 245. 9d. per imperial quarter. Corresponding
week last year :—Wheat, 445. 10d. ; barley, 445. 3d. ; oats,
28s 10d.

Sir John Eardley Wilmot, M.P., speaking at an
education meeting in Leamington on Tuesday evening, Paid
he was convinced that the most suitable and proper edu-
cation would be obtained by throwing mere secular in-
struction aside, and basing instruction upon the Bible. With-
out the enlightening and purifying influence of Divine
truth, mere culture of the intellect or the highest secular
attainments would be valueless.

On Monday morning an inquiry was held at Orwell,
Camb idgeshire, touching the deaths of two boys named
Spacksman and Clarke, the one eight and the other nine
years old, who, it appears, met with their deaths while
sliding on the ice in a brickfleld. They had been cautioned
and driven off, but, in the absence of the workmen, returned.
Death took place before the bodies were pulled out. A ver-
dict of accidental death was in each case returned.
The Courrier cl. Oran (Algeria) relates that, a few
days since, myriads of wingeth ants passed over that town in
dense columns, moving towards the North, and coming from
the desert. When they had arrived at the border of the sea, a
certain confusion arose, and they collected together in close
masses, but alter a time, reformed their ranks and returned
southwards.
The Budget presented to the New South Wales
Assembly shows a clear surplus of £1,500,000 at the end of
this month. It is proposed to borrow three millions of
money, mainly for the extension of the railway system, in-
cluding a project for connecting the port of Sydney with
extensive coalfields about fifty miles off.

The Leeds Mercury understands that arrangements
are in progress for the formation of a British Is-Trade
Association—one of the principal objects of which`44ll be to
watch all parliamentary matters affecting the trade, and to
take special cognizance of trade Interests in connection with
foreign tariffs and treaties of commeree.
At the distribution of prizes on Tuesday at the
Doncaster Grammar School the Archbishop of York enforced
upon his hearers the importance of a study of modern lan-
guages and physical science, although at the same time he
did not discourage a study of the ancient tongues. Inci-
dentally the archbishop spoke of the religions difficulty, for
which he thought Parliament would soon have to find a
remedy.
A deputation waited upon the Home Secretary on
Tuesday, and complained of the way in which the Smoke
Nuisance Abatement Act was administered in the metropolis.
Mr. Cross, while net promising the repeal of the Act, said be
would take care that no cause of irritation should continue
where it could possibly be avoided.
Mr. J. Bright, M.P., in a letter apologising for not
being able to attend a puhlic meeting at Birmingham in
favour of the Association for Stopping the Sale of Intoxicating
Liquors on Sunday in Ireland, wishes success to the objects
of the organisation, and says that if the promoters of the
movement do not succeed in the House of Commons they
must blame the Government, and that their pressure must
be brought to bear upon the Government.
Instructions have been forwarded to the district
officers of the Board of Trade to visit the ports in their dis-
tricts, and instruct the surveyors to make arrangements to
obtain information of the arrival of every grain-laden vessel,
respecting which there are reasonable grounds for believing
that any of the provisions of section 3 of the Merchant
Shipping Act, 1373, have not been complied with; and to
survey the ship and her fittings before Unioadinpktand report
full particulars for the information of the Boar :31 Trade.

The Eastern Budget learns from Vienna that it is
not proposed to take any diplomatic steps with regard to the
purchase by England of the Stiz Canal shares. As to the
political consequences of the measure, it is, it says, expected
that France will now enter into closer relations with Russia ;
and as she cannot do this without keeping on good terms
with Germany, it is considered that the result will be still
further to guarantee the peace of Europe.
The christening of the infant daughter of the Duke
and Duchess of Edinburgh took place on Wednesday in the
private chapel at Windsor Castle, in the presence of the
Queen, the Duke and Duchess, the Princess of Wales, Prin-
cess Louise, Prince Leopold, and Princess Beatrice The
ceremony, which was quite private, was perfoimed by Dean
Stanley and the Dean of Windsor, the choir of her Majesty's
private chapel being in attendance. The Princess was named
Marie Alexandra Victoria. The bells -of the town churches
rang merrily in honour of the event.

The Windsor annual exhibition and sale of fat stock
was held on.. Monday. The entries were nurner,,us, and
among the exhioltors and recipients of prizes were Her
Mrtje,ty the Queen and Madame Van de Weyer. A prime
heifer, bred and fed by Mr. Josiah Smith, of Marlow, was
sold for £54. Several beasts fetched £37, while the average
was about £3l. Wether sheep averaged 755. Ricoh hogs
were sold for about £lO. Tots is the third annual sale of
Mr. Mason, of Windsor.
On Monday Lord Derby received a deputation re-
presenting Purkish bondholders, who submitted a scheme
havit g for its object a new settlement of the claims resulting
from the various financial transactions in which they are in.
terested, and by the adoption of which, they alleged, Turkey
would be relieved of a large amount of her gross debt. The
noble lord soggested that, in order that he should muter.
stand the views ut the deputati,m properly, they should put
them nu paper. Mr. llatnoud, M.P., who Introduced the
deputation, promised that this should be done.

The Railway Service Gazette states that a memorial
signed by railway men is to be presented to the Railway Ac-
cidents Commission praying them to recommend Parliament
to render the adoption of certain improvements compulsory
on the railway companies. The memorial will embrace nll
the suggestions which have been made by advocates of re-
form, with the view of rendering the avocation of railway
men less dangerous.

It aopeare from the annual report of Mr. Rolvrt
Hunt, Keeper ot the Mining Records, that the coal raised in
the UnitPd Kingdom last year ammnted in round numbers
to 125.000 000 tons, iron ore to 14 810,000 tone, copper
ore to 78 500 tons, tin ore, 14 000 tons, iron pyrites
to 56,000 toots, clays (porcelain and fire) 2,436,900 tons, and
salt 2 3 .6,500 tons. The total value of the ores was
£57,839,000, and of the metals derived from them £19,539,070.
This shows a net decrease in values of £2,888,079 as com-
pared with 1873, the falling off in coal being £1,782,000,
iron £1,581,367, and other metals £288,981. In the -
minerals there was an increase of £764,600.

, pig.
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