General News

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 130, 30 April 1892, Page 4

General News

A painful sensation was caused in Blackburn lately by the sudden death of the Rey. J. Ogmore Davies, pastor of the largest Congregational church in that town, and one of the best known ministers in^the.. .North ot England The deceased gentleman, who was a widower, was on the eve ot marriage tilth a Liverpool lady ot lar-re fortune. It is a strange coincidence th&t he died on the second anniversary of his wife's sudden death. He had suffered from aneurism, and died whilst eating his breakfast. If rumour is correct., the sums paid to Mrs Humphrey Ward lor her latest work," The History ot David Grieve, represent in the aggregate what is probably the largest amount ever paid for a single novel. I am told (says a London correspondent) that the money payment for the English issue alone exceeds the £10,000 paid for j Lord Beaconsfield's " Endymion by an amount that would in itself be regarded by most writers as a hanJsome payment and, in addition, there were further sums for the American copyright and Continental rights, which add 50 per cent, to the original amount, and bring the total to within measureable distance of £22,000. At half -past twelve o clock on f eb. 29 Giovanni Succi brought his attempt to fast lor 52 days, at the Westminster Aquarium, to an abrupt termination. During tbe last few days lie has suffered from violent sickness and constant irritation of the stomach, and after a broken night's rest the Italian, who appeared very ill and weak, decided to bring his attempt to an end. He found, on being weighed, that he had lost an additional- 18oz which brought up the total waste to 381 b Boz. After some little indecision in the matter Succi sent for Mr Josiah Ritchie, the managing director of the Aquarium, and announced his intention of stopping. Dr Trevor was present immediately afterward, and be agreed that it would be unwise in Suoci's critical condition to prolong the experiment. Accordingly some fruit was sent for, and at half-past twelve the fast cauio to an end, after having lasted 43 days 18 nours 45 minutes