The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1875-02-13 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

EPITOME OF NEWS.  BRITISH AND FOREIGN.  A new coal bank has been discovered in Montgomery county, Kentucky, that is said to be the largest in the world. The vein measures thirteen feet in thickness at one point. In the Jersey States a bill for compulsory vaccination was thrown out, but an amendment, recommending the practice on voluntary principles was carried by a majority of seven. Bishop Gobat consecrated lately the new Arabic Protestant church at Jerusalem. This is the third Protestant church there. The other two are Christ Church on Zion, and the German chapel on the Place of the Knights of St. John. The official return places the total acreage of cultivated land returned in 1874, for the United Kingdom, at 47,143,000 acres. There was an increase in cattle and sheep over 1673, but a decrease in pigs. The New Forest " Shakers " are still at Ashley Arnewood, but they will have to leave their barn in a few days. They still entertain a hope of being replaced in the lodge-from which they were ejected. Further restrictions have been placed upon elephant. shooting in Ceylon. Owing to the indiscriminate slaughter which has of late years been permitted, these valuable animals are being rapidly improved off the island ; and It is said that peremptory instructions have been received from the Secretary of State to take steps for their preservation. A Washington correspondent of the New York Trtbune, noticing the election of Mr. Andrew Johnson as United States senator for Tennesse, says :—The election is the subject of a comment everywhere, and not a few perdiet that Mr. Johnson will be a lively member of the Senate, annoying to his political opponents. He is the only expresident eyer elected to the Senate, and he is the only exPresident now living.  Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice has given notice of his Intention to move in the House of Commons on going into Committee of Supply on the Education Estimates, "that no grent of public money be given to any public elementary school under voluntary management in which the subscriptions do not amount to at least one-sixth of the total income of the schooL" The receipts on account of revenue from the Ist 1874, when there was a balance of £7,442,854, to the 6th Inst. were £61,133,635, against £61,964,932 in the corresponding pericd of the preceding financial year, which began with a balance of £11,992,705. The net expenditure was £63,681,489, against £66,324,322 to the same date in the previous year. The* Treasury balance on the 6th inst. amounted to £2,922,582, and at the same date in 1875 to £3,010,828. A Reuter's dispatch from the Gold Coast gives the text of a proclamation by Governor Strahan relative to the abolition of slavery, and of a memorial to the Queen by the kings and chiefs of the Protectorate, dated December 30, about a fortnight after the issue of the proclamation. The latter declares it unlawful to sell, purchase, transfer, or hold in pawn, any person as a slave. It also pronounces void any contract for such purposes. The main ground of the chiefs' memorial is that the action of Governor Strahan, in absolutely abolishing slavery, goes beyond the proposal which he made to them at the palaver in November. For some time past the French press has been frequently giving accounts of suicides, an epidemic not only prevalent among the Civil population, but also in the Army. The Commander-in-Chief a the 15th Corps d'ArruCe has issued an Order condemning it in severe terms. "The soldier," he says, "whe puts an end to his life is guilty of an act of cowardice. His life belongs to God and to his country." The general has decided that every soldier who commits suicide shall be buried in the night without military honours and without an escort. Sir F. Peel, on behalf of the Railway Commissioners, on Tuesday gave Judgment in the application of the Midland Company to compel the Great Western Board to fix equal rates and fares between competitive stations. The equal rate for the first-class between London and Binningham is to be lid. per mile of the Midland mileage, besides the duty. As to Bristol and Bath traffic, the difference between the Midland's long mileage at lid. and the Great Western's short mileage at 2d. was so small, that the Commissioners were of opinion that the first-class fare should continue to be based upon the rate of 2d. per mile. Upon the Gloucester and Cheltenham traffic the first-class fare would be lid., and tile same between Birmingham and Bristol, Gloucester, and Worcester. According to the return of the Registrar-General, 2,535 births and 1,552 deaths were registered in London last week. Allowing for increase of population, the births exceeded by 63, whereas the deaths were 109 below, the average numbers in the corresponding week of the last ten years. -The annual death-rate from all causes, which In the two pre, xicusiTieeka had been 24 end 25_per 1,000, de,eltnfd again last week to 24. The-1,552 deaths ffilluded 2 film small-pox, 9 from measles, 43 from scarlet fever, 7 from diptheria, 47 from whooping-cough, 27 from differenkforms of fever, and 9 from diarrhcea ; thus to the seven principal diseases of the zymotic class 144 deaths were referred, against 199, 180, and 171 in the three preceding weeks.