The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1876-11-18 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

LLP. for Birkenhead, speaking on Monday evening at the distribution of prizos to the Birkenhead Volunteer Companies, said that a few days ago the aspect of affairs in the East was warlike, and there was a probability that the volunteers would. be called upon to increase their numbers with a view to take part in the defence of the country, but thanks to the action of the Government of Lord Beaconsfield, that necessity seemed to have passed by. Great Britain would be reluctant to draw the sword, but in a righteous cause she was more able than at y other nation to conduct a war, and win in the long run. Sir Rutherford Alcock, president soefssitohne of that Geographical Society, opened the 47th organization on Ilionday evening. In his address he spoke of the Arctic Expedition, and expressed a conviction that Sound WAS impracticable, the result had c merely a although a further advance to the Nord been not Pole tby smith's negative one. The next beet thing to t i reaching nae believed, tel y maintained th hero P ol ee r e i 1 i y w by to show the impracticability of such an achievement, and so close the chapter of failures which had beeff attended with nanch loss of life, and years of serious suspense and anxiety. If French obi rY the tnoticesheory mayob another case against some that no human being ever lived to the age of 100 (says the Paris Corrospondent of the Daily News). The death is ua announced at the Beaujon Hospital in the Faubourg St. Honore, of Joseph Lerat, aged 105. He was an actor, and played at the Faydeau Theatre in 1797. Afterwards he became a shoemaker. He did not die apparently from old are. but fr,m a violent cold brought on by exceptionally keen north winds.  tcrhaart else charged and dy imprisoned The Secretary of State for War has replied to the representations from the Plymouth Town Council on a tried tyby acttivoiLmalughts; matter affecting local ratepayers everywhere. Soldiers fraudulent einnii2btoniragtharoer Secretary for War was memorialised to have such cases tried by court-martial, or that the expenses should be paid by the War Came. Mr. [lardy has declined either alternative, and pointed out that the fraud committed renders the offence a civil one, which may properly be dealt with by civil tribunals, and that the cost of such prosecutions should be paid from the ordinary civil funds. In the Court for the consideration of Crown rases Reserved, on Monday, the Lord Chief Justice delivered j idglatent in the case of the captain of the Franconia, Ipon which twelve of the other common law judges were e 4 tally divided in opinion. Remarking that the offence was A namitted on the high seas, his lordship held that whether or not the defendant might be amenable to the laws of his own country for the offence he had committed, he could not be tried and punished for it by the laws of England. The right now claimed by the Crown was utterly unknown to o ir law and had never before been exercised. It was put f award in 1699 by Grotius, and only rested upon the come wins of Jurists who had written from that time downward on the question of territonisa authority with,in the territorial zone. The cobviction., must therefore be quashed from want of :Jurisdiction. Crime in Paris continues to be rather prevalent this Selooll (says the Correspondent of the Standa"rd) To day everybocy is talking about a " mysterious effsir which has lust bee; discovered at St Chien. Some men at work in the slain drain fished out of the water a stranze•looking bundle, which on being opened was found to contain the upper half of a young W3l/111ea body. The hands were tied together, and the mouth stopped up with a handkerchief. The sewer was again dragged and another packet fished up. This con, tained the other half of the body; the legs were tightly bound together with rope. B )th packets had been carefully and loaded stones to prevent them floating. d after mntilat on had been steeped in sawdust, probably with the object of absorbing the blood. The remains are now exposed at the Morgue, where crowds flock from morn till night toenjoy the sight—the b'rench have a '4ecn, 'tarty morbid taste for deadbouse spectacles. The galena belief is that an atrocious murder has been committed, but I should not be al:prised if it turned out to be a freak of some hospital etudents, especially as it 111 sail the Intestines are missing.  , I  •