The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-05-15 00:00:00

Nisallunenus nfellißentt,

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

PRACTICAL. Young Lady Visitor (reading the
parable of the Prodigal Son). " ' And he would fain
have eaten of the husks that the swine did eat. "'—
Small Boy Ito teacher). "Why did he not kill one of
the pigs? —{Young Lady Visitor much shaken].—
Judy.
THE FATHER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.—Mr.
Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot, M.P. and Lord-
Lieutenant of Wamorganshire, completed his 77th
.yeae. on Monday, having been borne on May 10,
'lBO3. Mr. Talbot has represented Glamorganshire in
the House of Commons, uninterruptedly, since 1830,
having thus been a member of Parliament for half a
century, and is the only member of that.body who
voted at the passing of the Reform Bill in 1332.
DISASTERS AT SEA.—There were 15 British and
foreign wrecks reported during the past week, making
a total of 550 for the present year, or a decrease of
104 as compared with the corresponding period of last
year. The approximate value of property lost was.
5.00,000, including British £480,000.
LES PREMIERS BEAUX JOURS.—She (newly-married,
and doing wonders in the housekeeping department).
"And do you know why the tea is so good? Because
I put a tiny pinch of soda in the pot. Pray, sir,
before you were married, did you ever put anything
in your tea ?—He. . "Yes; I used to put a little
brandy.—[Violence.]—Judy.
NIAGARA FALLS..—The annual report of the New
York State survey contains maps and plans of the
Canadian and American shores, and the intended
improvements in the latter, by which the present
unsightly buildings will be swept away and the ground
planted and beautified. The State Commissioners
propose to appropriate a strip of land along the
American shore from Port Day at the head of the
rapids to the upper suspension bridge, and this would
give a belt of public land a mile long, and widening
from 100 ft. at the head of the rapids to 800 ft. at the
Falls, where most room is required for visitors. Bath
Island and Goat Island would also be taken possession
of by the State, and by setting out plantations of
quick-growing trees, the landscape of the rapids would
in a few years be wonderfully altered for the better.
It is to be hoped that the Canadian Government will
also see its way to co-operate With the United States
authorities, and thus insure an harmonious imPr°Ye-
niont on both sides of the river. The report contains
an interesting map of the stream, showing the recess-
sion of the Falls from 1842 to 1875. Few Persr
are aware of the great geological changes
here cang
on, the Falls having receded no less than 35f t. in 33
act has
fi
years, while the centre of the Horseshoe cat
gone back about 160 ft. in the same period..errobaykr
there is no etlisr locality where of geologisai
waste ig go mil& the rate

A PORTABLE PRlNTER.—Portable printing-offices
belong to the latest novelties in the trade. A Berlin
engineer has constructed an apparatus for tram con-
ductors which, hung round the neck, completely
manufactures passenger tickets. They are made
before the eyes of the wondering public, and though
th.e apparatus is said to be of a somewhat complicated
construction, its manipulation is as simple and easy as
its working is correct, for, should the operator not
proceed in the way required by the mechanism, it will
not printall the figures and words wanted, but the
word "lalsch " (wrong), in the place where the fault
was committed. At the same time this portable
printer checks the number of tickets issued, to enable
the controlling officer at any given moment to oompsze
the money in the hands of the guide with the value of
the tickets printed and taken. This clever printing
-
office measures but 25 centimetres in height, 20 in
breadth, and 8 to 10 in thickness; it is of very little
little weight and easy to carry.--Printers' Register.
HOLIDAYS—AND.HOW TO ENJOY THEM.—In a leader
on holiday facilities the Standard makes the following
appropriate observations :—" Our holiday-seekers are
drawn from all classes, and no general advice can be
given to them, unless it be to let their holiday in all
its surroundings be as little as possible like the asso-
ciations of their daily life—a, truth, fortunately, which
is now well understood. . . . There is the sea voyage
—a holiday in itself • there is the-contrast between
Continental life and our own; there is the entire
change of scene and associations. The man who has
not seen Paris, Antwerp, and The Hague is like the
man who has never read Shakespeare, never attended
a Cathedral service, or heard a debate in the Com-
mons, or seen the sun rise in summer. The Con-
tinent, not so many years ago, was beyond the reach
of our fathev. The journey was long, difficult, and
costly. It is now practically cheaper to visit the
ruined cities of the Zuzder Zee than the Lakes
of Weetmoreland ,• and English, slowly and quietly
spoken, is everywhere sufficiently understood. For
the humbler holiday-makers, to whom a day in
the open air is in itself a change, the only
difficulty is to decide which way to turn. Go which
way they may, however, they will find the glories of
English scenery, with, let us hope, sunshine and fair
weather. Of late years there has been a", marked and
most happy change in the habits of excursionists of
this large class. The more thoughtful among them
have set an example which their fellows have not
generally been slow to follow. Every great holiday
the crowd seems better dressed, more orderly, and
less inclined to excess. It is inevitable that this
should be so' unless, indeed, education be altogether
useless. But the change is not on that account the
less welcome or gratifying
THE NEW VICEROY OF INDIA.—A deputation, con-
sisting of the mayor, aldermen, and several members
of the corporation of Ripon, waited upon the Marquis
of Ripon on Friday in last week, and presented him
with an address of congratulation on his appointment
to the office of Governor-General of India. The
deputation was introduced by M. Goschen. The
marquis, in reply, expressed deep regret at having to
be temporarily separated from those in whose midst
he had spent the greater portion of his life, and said
he was aware the position he had been appointed to
was one of great responsibility, and that his own
shortcomings were so great that he feared he could
not adequately discharge the duties of his office. He
could only do so by humble dependence on a higher
Power for guidance, and in this spirit he trusted it
would please God in His mercy to enable him to do
his duty.
A COURTIER'S DEVICE.—At the Court of Louis
XIV., at Versailles, the conversation turned one day
in the presence of his Majesty upon Italy. "What a
splendid seaport is Milan ! " cried one of the courtiers,
when the whole assembly burst into laughter. The
Zentleman, however, quite undisturbed by the etneral
hilarity, continued his ecstatic praises of thebbeauty
of the port of Milan, when the laughter at length
subsided, and the subject of conversation changed.
The King, however, did not lose sight of the gentleman
who had such extraordinary geographical ideas; and,
as soon as an opportunity offered approached him and
said "Do you know Italy, monsieur ? " "Yes, sire,"
replied the courtier, bowing, "I lived there ten years."
" Indeed ! and you have seen Milan?' "I remained
there two years, sire." "Two years! But then how
could you say it is a splendid seaport ? " "May your
Majesty pardon me! I said so because it was the only
means of causing myself to be remarked by my King,
and of enabling me to ask of him a favour which
otherwise I might have vainly solicited for a very long
time." The favour was granted.
GIFT OF A LIBRARY.—The city of Szegedin, on the
rebuilding of which hundreds of hands are employed,
has just received a splendid gift. Dr. Carl Somogyi,
Grand-Provost of the Cathedral Chapter of Gran, the
Priinatial see of Hungary, has presented the city with
a library of more than 7,000 volumes, including
literary and scientific works in all the European
languages. He has further settled an endowment,
-
amounting to 1,000 florins a year (2100), to procure
fresh books regularly. The municipality, on its side,
is required to provide a suitable building, to maintain
a librarian, and to give another 1,000 florins annually
for the purchase of new books.
CHINESE STEEL.—A considerable steel-making in-
dustry exists in the present • day in China, on the
Upper Yangtze, whence the steel is sent to Tient-sin
for shipment and distribution. It fetches much higher
prices than the Swedish steel imported into the
country. The Chinese metallurgists recognize three
kinsls of steel—namely, that which is produced by add-'
' unwrought to wrought iron while the mass is sub-
ject to the action of fire; pure iron many times sub-
jected to fire; and native steel, which is produced in
the south-west. The different names for steel are
twan kang, or ball steel, from its rounded form; kwan
kang, or sprinkled steel; wei tee, or false steel. The
Chinese, apparently, have known how to manufacture
steel from the very earliest ages, and in the time of
the Hau dynasty ironmasters were appointed in
several districts of the old Leangchou to superintend
the iron works.
COLLIERY ENTERPRISE.—The Cardiff and Swansea
Coal Company have succeeded in winning a vein of
steam coal at their Resolvep Colliery. The coal is a,
solid seam 3ft. 9in. thick, with a rock top, and of ex-
cellent quality. Owing to the rock top the coal will
be worked at a comparatively small cost, and as the
seam extends under 3,000 acres of the company's pro-
perty the quantity is not likely to be exhausted for
many generations.
AMERICAN AND CANADIAN FOOD.—The imports into
Liverpool during the past -week show a large increase
in the arrivals of live cattle and sheep. The Pem-
broke brought 275 head of cattle, 746 sheep, and 34
pigs; the Palestine, 261 cattle and 620 sheep; the
Bulgarian, 424 cattle and 1,512 quarters of beef; the
Lake Nepig,on, 280 cattle ; the Teutonia, 232 cattle
and 398 sheep; the Egypt, 52 cattle, 516 quarters of
beef, 200 carcases of mutton, and 100 carcases of pigs;
the Erin, 58 cattle; the Wyoming, 1,932 quarters of
beef and 650 carcases of mutton ; the British Crown,
1,015 quarters of beef; the City of Chester, 880
quarters of beef, 235 carcases of mutton, rt.nd 100 of
pip ; the Celtic, 623 quarters of beef and 200 carcases
of mutton. The totals for the week are 1,582 head o
cattle, 1,764 live sheep, 34 pigs, 7,195 quarters of beef
1,477 carcases of sheep, and 350 of pigs.
A STEEL PASSENGER STEAMSHIP. —The Barrow
Shipbuilding Company launched from their yard at
Barrow on Saturday the steel passenger paddle steam-
ship Adelaide; built by them for the Great Eastern
Railway Company, and intended for the passenger
traffic between Harwich and Rotterdam. This, the
first vessel built of steel at Barrow, is 260 ft. in length,
32ft. in brpadth, and 13ft. 3m. in depth of hold, her
gross tonnage being 960 tons. Her engines are 1,700-
horse power, and she is expected to steam 16 knots per
hour. She is elaborately fitted for 100 first-class and
30 second-class passengers.

PROPHETIC INSTINCT. The following remarkable
passage occurs in Dr. Norman Macleod's "Memorials
of John Maekinto.sh," among the extracts from the
diary :—" Read the news of Sir Robert Peel's death,
which made my heart beat and my eyes swim. What!
in the prime of life, and the only competent Prime
Minister at present for England. Some day, I sup-
pose, Gladstone will be Prime Minister' and then,
however England may be managed externally, she will
be thrown into internal Church broils, for which she
is already ripe, and some agencies which are at present
in the background will once more play an influential
part in the history of Europe. Russia, and England
are preparing the -ground for a tussle. The former
This was the sober. reflection of a student n 18°0.
has religious objects in view as well as political."
i
EDITORIAL RERUIREMENTs.—The duties and the
labours of the newspaper editor are seldom estimated
at their full. The editor of a New York paper has
been disabusing a young aSpirant on this point. This
young man wrote that he wanted to become an
editor, and this was the reply he get :—" Canst thou
draw up a leviathan with a hook thou lettest down?
Canst thou hook up great ideas from the depths of
thine intellect, and clean, scale, and fry them at five
minutes' notice? Canst thou write editorials as they
may be wanted—to measure? Canst thou write an
editorial to fit in a three-quarter column of the paper,
which shall be in length just twenty-two inches,
having three inches of fine sentiment four inches from
the beginning, and nine inches of humour in the
middle, and an outburst of maxim and precept nine
and three-quarter inches long at the close?
FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT.—Late on. Monday
night a
small yawl was upset near Anstruther, and the occu-
pant, named James Henderson, drowned. He had
gone out alone, accompanied by his dog. The boat,
which was seen carrying three sails, when about half a
mile from the shore suddenly disappeared. Several
boats immediately put off, but failed to effect 11, rescue.
The dog swain ashore. The accident was witnessed
by Mrs. Henderson, who was married to the deceased
only five months ago. Mr. Henderson was One of the
crew and part owner of the steamshiP Ann'
The American 'scone-
PROSPERITY IN AMERICA.--
spondent of 7
re advanced wages have
among lhbouring men to secure
enters of Philadelphia
The Times writes : "The_ movements
almost died out. .The P
ancelorn 2 dols. 75c. to 3 dols.
have struca.: for an adv have obtained it. The
oftiln se o per
per day, and most several shops 10 t 15
tailors haye also secured
nworkers' strikes have gene-
cent. advance. The Ir 9
„manse owing to declining prices of
rally ended in coral classes are mostly prosperous. ' In
-banks the deposits on January
saPnasati,(:)oo dols. m • than
the
iron.
New
The :rokr 20'kinff
more an the year
1, 1880, were
before."TT rg- OF A KITCHEN GARDEN. A kitchen
UIIE telly valuable to a man because it teaches
Farden ence
and philosophy and the highe'r virtues,
im patience to resignation (says the Daily Tele-
leadingin a leader). As a rule it is not valuable to
MP%
account of the produce it yields; for, in the
yy,—)ority of cases, vegetables and fruit can be bought
"ge-a,per and better than they can be grown. 'Yet,
such is the strength of conviction that most people
undertake a kitchen garden for the purpose of raising
edible vegetables, and not for iTscipline. They sow
cabbages and carrots under the impression that,
having done this, they will forthwith eommence to
eat those things more cheaply and of a better quality
than hitherto, quite regardless of the fact that vege-
tables are now falling in price every day, and that by
the time their own plants have come up, been pricked
out, and been daily weeded, watered, snailed, and
caterpillared for a number of weeks, their value will
have dropped to exactly its minimum, as the season
for them will be then just at its jafoight and all the
inetkett glutted with the 04110 erthgee,

THE SULTAN OF MOROCCO.—The tradition of cen.
tunes has established the inviolable usage that the
Sultan of Morocco appear on horseback at all solemn
audiences. The audiences are held in one of the open
squares within the Palace enclosure. The Sultan ridee
into the square on a fiery Arab, in full military equip-
ment, and with his sword drawn ; the person admitted
to audience presents his petition on his knees, for no
one is allowed to address the Sultan standing. The
petition is always previously submitted to His
Majesty, and etiquette has settled that when he pur-
poses granting its prayer he appears on a white horse;
a black one indicates a refusal. The reigning Sovereign..
Sidi-Mulay-Hassan, is a great sufferer from gout,
and during the last 18 months has been unable to sit
on horseback. But he will not depart from thd
traditional ceremonial, and has preferred to hold nd
solemn audiences rather than appear on foot or sit.
ting. But his subjects are not too well satisfied with
this abrogation of audiences.
BOOKS AND BELLS. Are rooks attracted to the
sound of bells? We know that they usually build in
trees that are near a .house, and will often break up
their establishment and remove elsewhere, when it is
left untenanted upon the death of the occupant.
What is it that they enjoy in the vicinity of our
dwellings? At the present moment there may be seen
here in London ten or twelve nests in the elm trees of •
the convent garden at Harley House, notwithstanding
the unceasing rattle of vehicles on the granite pave-
ment of the Marylebone-road, and this within a
hundred yards of Regent's Park and perfect quiet.
Is it the sound of the chapel bell that they like? A
lady who lives where there is a rookery between her
house and the village church, tells me that the birds
know Sunday as well as they do themselves.—P., ill
Land and Water.
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN:—The follow-
ing are the average prices of British corn for the week
ending May 8, as received from the inspectors and ,
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 465. ; barley, 335. 4d. ;
oats, 255. per imperial quarter. Corresponding week
last year :—Wheat, 40s. 9d.; barley, 30s. 9d. oats,
21s, sd.
AN ELEPHANT AT LARGE.—A large elephant escaped i
on Saturday last from a circus at Versailles, and n-
dulged in a short promenade through the streets, to
the dismay of the passers-by, who hastily took refuge
in the nearest houses. The animal walked into the
garden of the Hotel de France before steps could be
taken for his removal to the circus. But here the dif-
ficulty began. A whole body of police in vain tried
to coax the elephant from his retreat, and the voice "of
his tamer, who soon arrived on the scene, was equally
ineffective. The animal held firm to his determina-
tion to remain in the garden. At length it became
evident that force would have to be used. Accordingly
a number of stout ropes were fetched, and the elephant,
being firmly bound in them, was with a great deal of
trouble partly pulled and partly pushed to his stable
in the circus.

WEATHER FORECAST.—The following cable mes-
sage has been received at the London office of the
New York Herald, from the Herald Weather Bureau,
New York :—" A disturbance will arrive on the North
British and Norwegian coasts between May 10 and
12, attended by rains; south veering to north-west;
strong winds or gales; the Atlantic will be stormy
north of latitude 45deg."

THE FIVE GALLON MEASURE.—The London Gazette
of Friday night contains an Order in Council to the
effect that Her Majesty is pleased to approve of the
"five-gallon measure" as -a new denomination of
standgrd, and directs that the same shall be a Board
orprade standard in like manner as if it was men-
tioned in the second schedule to the Weights and
Measures Act, 1878.
A NEW MANUFACTURE.—Poets invariably claim for
one another that they are prophets and seers as well.
According to the Laureate, besides being born in " 3
golden clime," with "golden stars above," the poet
sees "through good and ill," and the future lies before
him in the shape of an "open scroll." Hence we maY
infer that Shakespeare had prescience of bonsilate
when he coupled the remains of Alexander with a
beer-barrel, and spoke of Imperial Csar, " dead and
turned to clay," being utilised to "keep the wind
away." Bonsilate, we learn, is. the name given by
an ingenious Transatlantic inventor to a substance
made from finely - ground bones, agglutinated
with silicate of soda, and it may be used in
manufactures instead of ivory and hard woods. Thus,
bonsilate canes, dominos, and clock cases are already
in the market, and, if only for the sake of fulfilling
the poet's prophecy, bottle-stoppers and vent-pegs
should be itiade of the material without delay. ln
future editions of the story of "Jack the Giant
Killer," the most gruesome idea in the narrative
might be altered with advantage, and the sensitive,
childish mind saved the pain of associating human
remains with the staff of life. The ogre, instoad of
being made to say of his selected victims, "I'll grind
your bones to make my bread," should have the
"bread" taken out of his mouth and "bonsilate
substituted in its place. —Daily Telegraph.

A BRIGHT IDEA FROM PRACTICAL LANCASHIRE.----'
How to get the most good out of the new Parliament.
Put it 'on Peace-Work.----Punch.

MEDICAL SCIENCE IN CHINA.--,The 11th annual
report of the directors of the hospital for Chinese
attached to the American episcopal mission at
Shanghai shows that medical science is making.: rapid
advances among the natives of China. In the outset
the institution was regarded with mistrust and sus-
picion. On the first day it was totally unattended;
on the second an old woman plucked up courage and
was prescribed for; and by the end of a week patients
began to flock in. Dr. Parker, the physician in charge,
now states that on most mornings there is a long line
of sedans extending far in every direction. During,
the year 1878, 20,260 persons, including 10.3
foreigners, were treated in the refuge, thus demon-
strating, in the language of the report, " hoW
widely spread is the impression OEf the beneficial effects
of the hospital." The authorities of the hospital dis-
tribute a vast amount of practical charity with verY
moderate means. The management now announces
that it needs more ample buildings to continue its
work efficiently, in view of the increasing demando
which are made upon its resources. Local subscrir
tions are already promised in support of the under'
taking.
PAUPERISM IN JANUARY.—A return issued
Monday as to paupers relieved on the Ist o
_January in the present year shows that the tots
number was 844,038, in 649 unions containing a popu
lation, according to the census of 1871, of 22,706,302
This gives a proportion of 3'7 per cent, of paupers o
the population. Of . the paupers relieved 194,651 wer.
in workhouses and 649,387 received out-door relief;
As compared with the number of paupers relieved o
the Ist of January last year, the return shows al
increase of 38,774, being a growth of 4'S per cent.
SALMON AND APPRENTICES.—I do not recollect o
ever hearing of a condition inserted in indentures o
apprenticeship that the apprentice should not bcj
obliged to eat salmon beyond a certain number o
times weekly. But in the early part of the preseTh
century it was, I believe, a stipulaticai invariabl
made by farm-servants at the hiring fairs in Twee
side, and indeed in the North of Scotland gen e
that they should not have salmon oftener than three
times a week. I have an impression that this is mew
tioned by Sir Walter Scott in a note to one of his
novels, but I have not, I confess, been able to find it-
I feel very sure, however, that I have seen the state-
ment in print, although of course it does not there-
fore follow that it is _ true. Possibly by suggesting
_ _ _ _

inquiry in the next number of Land and Water soma
of your numerous correspondents will be able to fur-
nish you with authority on the question.—E. M. K.
in Land and Water.

THE RAILWAY MILEAGE OP THE
.WORLD.—In
recently published technical work, a table is quo.-
from Professor Stiirmer, of Bromberg, which show'
the length of railway in several of the chief countrie
in the world, and its proportion to the population.,
The original table gives the length of line in kil,
meti es, and it may be as well to presetve this, as thel
proportion is the most interesting point in the tablei
In Europe it appears that on the average there are 4'91
kilometres of railway to every 10,000 inhabitants.]
Greece has the least proportion to the population,
having only 008 kilometre to every 10,000 of thq
population. Next comes Turkey with 16; Portugal,
23; Roumania, 2,1 • Russia, 28; Italy, 29; and so
on upward in the scale, France having 6.3; Germani,
71; Great Britain, 8.1 ; and Sweden heading this •
with 108, though its total mileage is not a fifth ofTia ,
of Great Britain. In Asia it appears that only 0.161
kilometre per mile is averaged to every 10,000 inhabit
the United States the proportion is heavy, 32.9 tO
every 10,000 of the people j
ants; and in Africa the proportion is only 017. In
has the average of 172, and in Australia the proporl
;'while the whole of Americol
tion is already 10.6. • 1
DROPPING ASHES.—Joining the Anti-tobaccO
Society.—Judy.
THE FRUIT CROP.—The prospect in respect of thf
fruit crop is not a very bright one. Neither is it vei.
dreary. The trees show more bloom than was ex.',,,
pected, but they appear to "set" badly, as though the]
or the wood that bears it, was deficient ol bff
oal
strength.nop may Still the case is not specially bad, and o
come in the end, even where it appear,
present to be almost hopeless to expect it. 1.1-11'1
fo rri°rt°tunicie ately there is needed ior the production of *I
crop of fruit a combination of two favourable seasonk
for if the wood growth is not well matured in th :
autumn the 'bloom in the subsequent spring will bsl
weak, and there will be s poor "set." In other word
the pollen will be deficient or the ovaries may refits°,
to be fertilised, and thus a substantial show of bloolni
may end in a ghostly show of fruit. In many placeO,:
this will e the characteristic of the presegt season'
but our observations in localities far apart inclinelOi
to look for a fair average crop, provided only that Nye
get through the spring without any serious breakdown
of the weather.—Goirdener's Magazine. -, ,
SOUNDING NIAGARA.—A party of United Stategi
engineers has recently taken soundings of the Niagarsi]
river below the falls. It was a work of great difficultY,,,
to approach the falls in a small boat. Great jets or
water were thrown out from the falls far into thc
stream, and the roar was so terrible that no other]
sound could be heard. The leadsman cast the line'
which gave 83 feet. This was near the shore. Furtherl
down stream a second cast of the lead told off 100ft.f.
deepening to 192 ft. at the inclined railway. The aver'
acfe depth of the Swift Drift, where the river suddenit
becomes narrow with a velocity too great to be
measured, was 153 ft. Immediately under the lower
bridge the whirlpool rapids set in. Here the depth
was computed to be 210 ft.

.• NEW MEXICAN VILLAGES.—An interesting accountA
is given in the Mining Record (U.S.) of an excursioN
by M. Vandermeer to Santa Fe, in the course of whlcy4
he visited the Indian village of Tosoque, the inhabil
tants of which claim a lineal descent from the Aztecs'
They are more industrious and civilized than the gelle.
rality of Redskins, and live in houses of two storia:
high, the communication between which and OA
rez-de-chaussee is a rude ladder. There are no doors,
and in ease of sudden alarm the ladder is drawn tit
and the dwelling converted into a fortress. Efte'l
house has three or four chambers, and the populati.9o4
of the whole village is nearly 200. The mining dis:i
trict of Santa Fe is not only very valuable, but full ot
interest, as many of the mines now being worked well
originally opened by the Spanish, but were abandon.o,,
after the revolt of the Indians in 1682. The distr.lcb'
of White Oak& in pariricular, line yielded very nal
filfOinoMA of Old,