The Staffordshire and Potteries Examiner. — 1880-12-11 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

FIRST STAFFORDSHIRE ARTILLERY VOLUNTEERS.  ANNUAL DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZES. The yearly distribution of prises in connectiou with the above corps was held in the Town Hall, Hanley, on Thursday eveuing. The audience was very large. The officers present were : Lientenant•colonel Stria, Captain J. West-Jones, Captain Woobser, Captain ' Thompson, Lieutenant Caddiek, and Qaartermaster Junes. The total *meant given in cash was £5l 7s. and the value in goods .579 Is.  Sergeant-major Holloway was the largest prize winning a money prize of £2 17s. 61., • goods prize of the value of .61 45., and the prise (a silver mounted claret jug). In addition to the distribution of prizes, and the speeche e incidental to the occasion, there was • most interesting plogramme for the entertainment of , those present. The proeeedings oommenced by the band playing a font.is entitled•'The azure lake," following which Captain Thompson gave'a song. Sergeant,Nixon gave an amusing recital entitled " Courting newt' being encored, he gave " Clerk Mugging." After • relation played by the band entitled " Ihe Veetoria Cross," composed by Sergeant-major Dawson, master of the band, the prizes were distributed by the Mayor. Col. Strick then expressed his pleasure in seeing so many present on the occasion, and olipecially was he 'dossed to meet the Mayor, who was himself • mjitary volunteer belongi,g to the same company—(hear. hear).—Tb• Mayor said he had doable plc..° in being there that night. He w. pleased to see Revered of the men reach the highest position in the corps they could take without holding • commission. After aome more remarks, Col. Strick proposed a vote of thanks to the Mayor, which was enthustestically given, and the remainder of the programme was gone through. The band played 'Old King Cole." , Mrs. Weet-Jones delighted the audience with her song.. Sergeant Nixon gave a rein. tation " Getting a nest's lodging.," and was again encored. A very enjoyable Leon' .g was spent.  The Northumberland coroner ha, hem an inguen upon the body of Police Con.table Scott, who had been brutally 'abused by two poachers named Tait and myth, under circumstances which led to his' death. A verdict of " Wilful murder" watt n. turned againd them. - -  The Russian Minietry of Finance has formulated a proposal for reducing the salt tax by fifty per cent. of its present value. the salt tax has been found very oppressive, and the epidemics so frequent among Russian flocks and herds are attributed in a great measure to its excessive proportion.  The half-dozen rases of antiquities from Babylon which have recently arrived at the British Museum, and the poweasion of which la due to the excavations by Mr. Itaasam's ov,seer, serried On in the absence of his thief, compriae some 2,000 specimens, but very few of the number are entire tablets.  The cashier of a Berlin ban!:, who absconded SODA time ago with 190,000 marks, end has been sorely, " wanted " by the German police ever eince has been cleverly captured at Kiel, having betrayed bun. self in his endeavour to gnin possession of the pan. port and papera of a Hamburg correspondent._ ,;,14  I  , . , •?i • 11).•  MR.