The Blackpool Herald. — 1889-01-04 (Blackpool, Lancashire, England)

HAPPY NEW YEAR."  total. 6415ti0.  As I have already stated, Mr. J. Howes is to give a lecture in the Alpine Hall, Bank Heystreet, on Monday evening. :' have no doubt Mr. Howes will have a large audience.  The Rev. G. Leighton is evidently a man of cheerfulness of spirit, besides being a firm believer in the efficacy of marriage. In speaking, last week, at the annual gathering of his parishioners, he bore testimony to the progress made in the parish during the year which has just passed away. And what do you suppose was the source of his grateful satisfaction? During 1887 there were no marriages at this old-fashioned, cosy village; but Cupid bestirred himself, set abolft the enchanting network of his fascinating allurements, and the hearts of four happy swains responded to the charm. Thus, during 1888 the parish ot Bispham progressed to the extent of two marriages!  A Yankee was bb.ng shown a lamp by an Eastern priest,which, the latter affirmed, had not been Ixtinguished for five centuries; he just gave a vigorous puff and remarked, " Wal, I guess its out now, anyways."  extinguished  California clamours for a legal system which will ensure the punishment of a criminal within six months of the commission of his crime, and which will compel the Supreme Court to give decisions promptly in case of appeals.  One of the chief compensations of a woman's life is found in the fact that she does not have "to go a courting." It must be confessed that, in these days, the modern belle does her share of the wooing, but she does not have to dress up in a stiff collar and a pair of boots two sizes too small for her, and walk up to the cannon's mouth of her inamorata's family, consisting of father and mother, and grandmother, and sisters, and inquire, in a trembling voice, "Is Miss Arabella at home  The Bishop of Manchester has arranged to hold confirmations in the various rural deaneries mentioned in the following months of 1889 : April, the Fylde ; May, Garstang ; June, Lancaster and Preston; November, Rowan School. No confirmations will be held on Saturdays.  The coolest French criminal ever known has just been executed at Blois. On the way to execution he minutely inspected the guillotine, and, examining the two baskets, remarked, " suppose the large one is for the body and the small one for the head?" M. Deibler, the executioner, had never seen a cooler murderer.  The new idea seems to be to do things on a gigantic style. One London tradesman has been exhibiting a pie weighing 5,0001 b. and a cheese of about the same weight; while a third seeks fame and favour by displaying a Christmas cake of 3,2581 b. in weight, and measuring 12ift. high and 181jt. circumference.  It is stated that Mr. T. W. Russell, M.P (South Tyrone), a popular speaker with Unionists in Blackpool, is to be one of the new Land Commissioners in Ireland.  It may be stated, as an illustration of the extraordinary mildness of the season, that primroses were in full bloom on Christmas Day in several gardens in the village of Single, on. There was a fine show of these pretty flowers in the garden belonging to Mr. Gorst, of the Miller Arms Inn, and in Mr. James Bagot's garden there was a similar display of polyaathuses.  It is officially stated that the number of members of the Primrose League throughout the country at the present time is 766,839, an increase of 116,085 for the year; and the number of habitations 1,959, an/increase of 134 on the year.  Local cigar vendors had better beware. Sir Richaid Webster, Attorney-General, having been asked for an opinion, has replied that the selling or exposing for sale of cigars so marked as to give a fictitious appearance of Spanish origin would be a clear breach of the Merchandise Marks Act, it being immaterial whether the cigars and boxes are made in England or other non Spanish speaking  country.