The Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1864-11-12 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

DUKE, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.  tematural" powen. There must be a deal of business done arising on 1  THE FRENCH SHOEING HANDS !—lt WaR announced recently that the English fashion of shaking hands was to be introduced into French society, with all its British vigour and frequent observance. Tne Paris Figaro makes a lament at the absurdity of the custom, and pictures rather vividly the diffieultiees which recently befell two young lions who met on the Boulevards and "shnook hends." They held tight, and began to talk, each one in his turn; then both together, getting very red in the confusion of not knowing how to release hands, and fearing to draw away roughly, as it might be construed as an offence. With a full consciousness of their ridiculous poeitiou, each one wishes the other "elsewhere," till at length, upon the excuse of evading a jostle from a paper-boy, one disengages his hand, and both sigh, released from purgatory, and again internally wishing each ther at the above-mentioned thewnere, each ODO bows and bolts off with all speed.  LET WELL ALONE! ---An American paper men. tions that during the recent draught in a district of Vigo county, Indiana, a resident showed so much nervousness and susnienia BR manse after name was being drawn that the, Provost. Marshal eventually reqnested him, f.,r hi. greater satisfaction, to put his hand in the box himself and extract the unfortunate prxes. The first name he drew wius his own.  TRISTI SUBJECTS oF THE EMPEROR —By a curious coioeidenen the two met distinguished inhabitants of the city of Marseilles at this moment are Irishmen alihough suNects ,f the Emperor of the French. The bishop of the diocese ie Moneignor Patrick Cruice, and the military commandant of the district is General Patrick 0 Malley, lately returned from Algeria. The general is one of the moet die, tinguiehed infantry officers in the service of the Em. perm.. He received his promotion for special gallantry on the blo idy field of Magenta. The regiment of which he ha ri the commend was assigned a strategic post at the village of Buffalora, when it not only held its position under circumetances of imminent danger, hut also sum: eded in taking up another more favourable position in which it contributed to a great degree to secure victory for the arms of France. It Wa+ pro. bably owing to the bayonet charge of this regimen" on an Austrian brigade that the Emperor was prevented from being taken prisoner a circumstance which would have slightly altered the fortunes of the day. For this service O'Malley was made a general of brigade. He sitleveminutly served with distinction in China, having been present at the capture of Tientsin and the sacking of the Summer Palace of the Brother of the Sun. He is a Mayo man by origin, if not by birth, and in the son of •'t rebel of 1798.  • THE MURDFR OF A PRUSSIAN Pitorseson.—The Court cf Assizes of Berlin has just condemned to death three prisoners. Louis Grothe, a woman named La Quitiche, and the girl Marie Fischer, found guilty of having with premeditation murdered Professor pregy. That assassination, which was accomplished'last spring under mysterious circumstances, had caused great emotion at Berlin. In the evening of the 17th April last, Professor Gregy left his home, and although he generally returned at an early hour, was not seen throughout the night. The spprehension that something had happened to him was soon oinfirmed by facts. Two days after there was found under the arch of a bridge the body of a man sewed up in a straw mattrass. The head was leaning down on the chest and the legs were bent up. A rope was drawn tightly round the neck. The body was that of Professor Gregy, Numerous marks of violence found on the body Deemed to sh w that the unfortunate gentleman had fallen under the hands of several assailants. The head of the victim had no less than tin elve wounds on it, tuost of which had penetrated to the brain. The right hand was also covered with wounds, and two of the ,fiogers wore wanting. The police, at t,r long researches, din. covered that the murder had been committed in a cellar inhabited by the woman Quinche with her sone Louis and Hermann, the latter only twelve years of age, and by the girl Marie Fischer, the concubine of Letifti. The prisoners all made a full confession of their guilt.