The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1885-05-02 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

EPITOME OF NEWS.  BRITISH AND FOREIGN.  In the elections to the French Senate held on Sunday at Bordeaux, Niort, and Pru, a Republican candidate was elected at each place. The Duke Decazes and General Bourbaki were defeated.  The Queen and Princess Beatrice were present on Saturday at the confirmation of the Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse. Her Majesty also attended the christening of the infant child. of Princess Louis of Battenberg, and was one of the sponsors. While a stone weighing about six cwt. was being hoisted at Greenock new municipal buildings, by means of a steam crane, the shears from which the stone was slung gave way, and the stone fell on a man named Francis Gallagher, killing him instantly. _ The Duke of Cambridge on Tuesday presented her Majesty's commissions in the Royal tEngineers to the successful students of the Military Academy, Woolwich, under circumstances of a favourable character, and in the presence of a large and distinguished gathering% The reports of the examiners showed that. 51 cadets had competed, and that all had passed. His Royal Highness expressed the pleasure he felt at receiving such excellent reports. A fire broke out on Tuesday in the drawing-room, Bestwood Hall, Nottingham. The conflagration was speedily suppressed,,but not before a casket of jewellery and the famous picture of Nell Gwynne and other valuable paintings were destroyed. Thomas Brooks, woo murdered his sweetheart at Stoke Bruerne, on the 3rd of March, and then attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself, was dismissed as convalescent from the Northampton Infirmary on Saturday morning. He was at once removed 'to Towcester, where he was brought before a full Bench of magistrates, the Duke of Grafton being in the chair. The prisoner, who appeared in the dock with his head bound, but was apparently unconcerned although he watched the case with great interest, was further charged with attempting to murder his father, and Mrs. Webb, his father's housekeeper. Evidence was given by Ham Tite, father of the unfortunate girl, Mrs. Webb, the father cf the prisoner, and several other persons, one of whom stated that Brooks had once said he expected there would be a row at home, and he should knock the old man's (his father's) brains out. Prisoner was committed for trial on the charge of wilful murder. A diagram has been issued by the Canadian Govern. ment, illustrating the progress made with the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway up to the 31st of January last. It shows the portion of the line graded, the miles of track laid, and the total distance completed on that, date. Since then considerable progress has been made; only about forty miles remain to be completed on the section to the north of Lake Superior, and the work in the Rocky Mountains is so far advanced that it is expected that the railway will be in operation from Montreal to the Pacific coast in the coming autumn. The rapid construction of the railway has proved very useful to the Government in connection with the disturbances in the North-West Territories, and will be an important factor in the prompt suppression of the outbreak. The prevalent idea that Australia is destitute of rivers is erroneous. The Murray is larger than the Danube. It has a somewhat circuitous course, and is navigable as far as Albury, 1703 miles from the sea. Of this, 1116 miles are in New South Wales and 587 in South Australia. The Edwards and the Wakool tributaries of the Murray are together navigable for 400 miles; and the Murrumbidgee, another tributary, is navigable to Guddagai, 500 miles. The Darling is navigable for 1758 miles from Wentworth, where it joins the Murray, to Walgett in the north, making in all 3774 miles of inland navigable waters in this colony, and making the navigable water in one line from Walgett to Wentworth 1758 miles, thence to the sea 587, or in all 2345 miles, so that the Darling stands third amongst the rivers of the world, estimated by their navigable length. The principal tributaries of the Darlin range in length irom 350 to 750 miles.