The Principality

Iltutraa —: GKAMMASEG CYMKAEG, &e. (a Welsh Grammar, by JOHN RHYDDERCH. Shrewsbury, 1728. 12mo., pp. 192. A BOOK printed and published one hundred and twenty years ago, and since superseded by more complete works for the same purpose, must by this time have become scarce, and may or may not deserve especial notice in such a paper as the PRINCIPALITY. In the present instance we avow it is our opinion, without a moment's hesitancy, that twenty such articles us Ave can accord it would be but a most unworthy tribute to the memory of SIION ItHYDDERCH, and to the great value of the book before us. The history of grammars is, to no small extent, the history of learning; and authentic memoirs of their authors would be a very valuable contribution to the literature of a country. This we are now about to attempt to give—essaying at the same time to erect a small carnedd (Jcaini) on the grave of good, zealous, and patriotic JOHN UNYDDEBCLI. The title-page is well crowded. It is to this eflect A Welsh Grammar, containing the doerine of the vowels and consonants; a large analysis of the syllables, and their relations the eight parts of speech, and their properties; directions for correct writ- ing what is a noun, a pronoun, a verb. an adverb, gender, article, conjunction, five tenses of the moods, construction,&c., bardic institutes (literally, columns of vocal song), with the fully authoriseddcwtrineof the ancieutbards, in the poesy and bardism [of the isle of Britain] more completely explained than ever before. The exploits of DAFYDD IIANNOR, &c. The faults and blemishes of vocal song. Account of Eistedd- fodau, and the ancient manner of conducting them. The statute of GRUFFUDD AP CYNAN with many other things that a man should know before he presumes to be a poet, or even a correct writer. Compiled, studied, and printed by John Rhydderch, and sold by him at Shrewsbury, 1728." In those times the title-page answered the purpose of an index as well, and this will account for. the crowded title- pages of old books. Probably a book at that time with the bald title-page of this day—such as "A Welsh Grammar, by John Rhydderch,"—would in that circumstance alone be offensive enough to the reader to prevent his purchasing it. It seems to have been a mark of courtesy that the latter expected from the former that he should tell him on hisvery title-page not only what he was about, but also what he had to say upon his theme in its several bearings. And the old, author did amply gratify this desire. zo The book before us consists of 192 pages, 12mo., they are closely and crowdedly printed, and it is bound in strong leather, and bound strongly too, for it has been well thumbed for above a hundred years, and here it is a firm, manful, unabashed little fellow, fit for some service yet. It would probably sell at that time for Is. Gd. Think of Taffy going home from Shrewsbury fair to his residence in North Wales —some happy accident had led him into John Rhyddcrch's shop—John puts that book before him—he reads the whole title-page,—" Beth ydyw pris hum, syr f"—" What is the price of this?" "Eighteen pence." "Rhy ddrud! l'hy ddrud Too dear, too dear 11 Well, but just look and consider see how much it contains, how many pages there arc, how closely printed, and how well bound, &c." Bid sicr."—"To be sure, to be sure." ".Well, well," John says carelessly, there are not many copies on hand the book sells very freely—every market day I sell a good many." "I don't know, look you, what to CIO for, you see, I determined to spend no more than Is. 6d. for books at this fair, and I must take home two horn-books—one for little Elin, and another for Gri.1fith-while I should like very much, in my deed, to take this book home to our Llewellyn, who is to be a thorough scholar, I am determined. Shall I have the three for Is. 6d., Mr. Rhydderch tinivyl Well, as you come here every fair day, you may have them." Away goes the Cymro, especially delighted with his having the two horn- boohs into the bargain To return to the earliest Welsh grammarians—that is to say, the authors of the earliest printed books of that descrip- tion. The first was Dr. GRUFFYDD ROBERTS. His gram- mar was printed in Milan, in Italy! A.D. 1567. This work, according to our author, was a useful book, as laying down the foundations of the language, and its relations—caring little for poetry." This G. R. was educated at the Univer- sity of Sienna, under the patronage of Win. Herbert, Earl of Pembroke. Is it not strange that 282 years ago a TVelsh grammar should be printed in the heart of Italy P The second of these patriots was Dr. John David Rhys. TilÍs was a Welsh and Latin Grammar; and is still a work of great value. He was a physician, and was born in 1534. Reo was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, and afterwards was sent to Italy, at the expense of Sir Edward Stradling, of this county. This makes it highly probable that John David Rhys was a Glamorganshire man. He also studied at Sienna, and there took his degrees. Such a proficient was he in Italian that he was made moderator in the school of Pistoria, in Tuscany; and he left behind him an essay on the orthography and orthoepy of that language. lie died at Brecknock about the year 1609 TnUl comes Captain William Myddlcton, or in Welsh, G wily in Ganoldref. He published a small work, very curious of its size," says Shon Rhydderch, principally de- signed to assist the poet and the bard. He was of the fa- mily of Gwernynog, in Denbighshire, and lived between 156) and 1690. He served under Queen Elizabeth, and was a captain of a ship of war. He composed an entire metrical version, according to the severest Welsh metres. It is a re- markable circumstance that this work was completed at sea, off the West Indies, on the 24th of January, 1595. It was printed by Tho.nas Salesbury, in 1603. It is an interest.ing circumstance that this accomplished gentleman should, so far from home, an 1 engaged in such employments, continue to enioy such labours as the translation of the Psalms of David, and to court the muse of his native Snowdonian tongue, in (t downtrodden and abject Wales! About six-y years afterwards Dr. John Davies, of Mall- wyd, published'a Welsh and Latin Grammar. He was the son of a weaver, of Llan veres, in Denbighshire, and received his ear lies;- education in Rliuiiiyn school, which was com- pleted at Lincoln College, Oxford. He translated Father Parson's Christian Resolution, which he called Dyhewyd y Crisli m." He assisted Dr. Parry in the revision of the Welsh Bible. He was well versed, says Anthony Wood, in the history and antiquities of his own nation, in the Greek and Hebrew languages, a most exact cri.ie, an inde- n fatigable researcher into ancient scripts, and well acquainted with carious and rare authors." lie erected three bridges in the parish of Mall'.vyd at his own expense. He died in ,v.t L May, 16-14. In 1727 the Rev. William Gambold published his Welsh and English Grammar. This is now of little value, although at tint time it was a vast improvement on the former ones —raol in inirisic merits, far from it, but in the circumstance that it was in English and Welsh, not in Latin aud Welsh. The purpose was to aid the children of the Welsh aristocracy, a ad especially of such of them as were intended for-livings in the Church, to understand the language of the people. The author was son of the Rev. Wm. Gambold, rector of Puitcheston, ia Pembrokeshire and arter a learned and la- borious life, both as a scholar and a minister of the gospel, he died in the Moravian communion, at a good old age. n John Rhydderch, while giving all the foregoing due praise, very correctly observes, that to the mere Welshman, they were of no value whatever. To put one of them into the hands of a mono /lot (pray, let us follow the fashion) would be about as wise as is the conduct of those who insist upon Saxon inonogiots learning Latin by using a Latin Grain nar, and the equally sagacious conduct of many of our own countrymen as to their manner of teaching Welsh people English. John Rhydderch, long before our modern tab.)ies were born, understood the matter thus. "Though the above authors took vast pains to make known to other nations the excellence of the British tongue, they had but little success amongst strange nations while at home they did scarcely any good but among the learned for scarcely a com,non person understands Latin, and especially such, as are inspired by the muse, &c. I have therefore thought a Grammar thoroughly in Welsh was very necessary for them —for such as cherish and revere our mother tongue." All this we call good common sense. We must return to this-book again. It suggests sundry other topics, pregnant with historic and literary instruction; it especially invites us to inquire into the hisiory of the introduction of t; e printing press into Wale*, for an article on which we aie now preparing materials.

ENOItMOUS AMOUNT OF POOR 11ATES. Dr. Roberts observed, in reference to the county rate, levied on the parish of Bangor, that the rate-payers were much wronged. There were more than a hundred pounds of poor- rates annually remitted by the magistrates, assessed to them, on account of poverty. lie held in his hand a Scotch paper, from. which it appeared that the whole public burdens upon two farms in Dumfriesshire, one of E200 and the other £ 90 a-year, wcic lespectiveiy .;Lö its. m. dUÙ jeo ioo. ia. fi-uus, at similar rents, been situated in Beaumaris or Llaufairpwll- gwyngyll, the poor-rates alone, exclusive of tithes, county- rates, highway-rates, and church-rates, (amounting annually to at least fully one-half the amount of the poor-rates), would have been last year illo and £ 49 10s., and in Llanfair to no less than 11,57 10s. aiidiS2. That fact clearly explained the cause why Scotchmen never had prospered as agriculturists in North Wales, though he had always found, that both Scotch- men and Englishmen had invariably thrived amazingly as agents (great laughter).

OUT-DOOR BELIEF. A discussion arose on the Board being informed that the Relieving Officer had not complied with the order of the last Board, for the payment of out-cloor relief to a woman named Lewis. Dr. Roberts warmly reiterated his objections to the present practice of the Board, of refusing any assistance out of the house, when they could thereby save a considerable sum, as in the present instance. The Chairman.—Dr. Roberts must have been aware, when moving the order, that the rules of the commissioners prohib- ited the granting of out-door relief to bastard children, and consequently, that the relieving Officer could not pny the money. Dr. Roberts maintained that the Guardians had a right to manage their own affairs. The Clerk having read over the letter, observed that it was a standing order of this Board, besides being expressly laid down in the regulations of the Commissioners, not to grant any relief to paupers with illegitimate children. Dr. Roberts. — Why was not that order produced at the last meeting ? No mention had been then made of it; neither had he heard anything about referring the matter to the Poor-law Board. The Clerk.—He had explained at the last meeting, a* expli- citly as he could, that it was contrary to the Commis doners' rules to grant out-relief to paupers with illegitimate children. The relieving officer was perfectly justiiied in disobeying an il- legal order of the Board. Dr. Roberts would take every case upon its own merits The Commissioners had no power to issue any orders contrary to law. He would say, heedless of any orders they might make, that to compel a parish to pay from 9s. to 10s. a-week, when Is. 6d. would do, was contrary to both law and common sense. If the relieving officer refused to obey the order for the payment of Is. 6d., let the overseers of the parish pay it. He would state it, upon the authority of a case decided by Lord Denman, that the overseers were the parties who, by law, were entrusted with the administration of relief to paupers who were not in the house. In the White Chapel Union case, in deliver- ing judgment, the Court says, section 38 enacts that the Workhouses of such Unions shall be governed, and the relief of the poor in such Unions shall be administered, by the Board of Guardians, not the out-door relief, evidently giving to the Board the government of matters wherein the parishes have a common interest. The same section (evidently intending to place the justices upon the same footing as the rest of the Guardians) makes them ex-officio Guardians of the united or common workhouse, not of such union nor of such parish, and further provides that no ex-officio or other Guardian of any such Board shall act, except as a member, and at a meeting of such Board." The Chairman.—There were a great number of women with bastard children in the parish of Llanfihangel, who, if this woni,iii were allowed out-dcor relief, would also put in their claims for the same allowance; anl if refused, would consider it a great hardship, seeing that the allowance was made to some and refused to others. Dr. Roberts was not, as the chairman seemed to be, in the confidence of the parties, but it did seem to him very extraor- dinary that the rate-payers should be amerced for the misdeeds of others. As he had always said, if a woman violated the law, punish her they had no right to drown, nor to starve bastard children. The Clerk.—The mother, in this instance, could not be punished. Dr. Roberts regretted the absence of certain reverend gen- tlemen, who gen-rally happened, no doubt, by mere accident, when any job is to be perpe rited or upheld, to make thtir appearance; hi d anv of them been present, they could have exi laint-d to the cleik whit t e ecclesiastical law said on the sui ject, from w ich he wo dd hav J discovered that the ohence w- s a puii-ish. le one. Bes es, they se; med to hi n to be uncommonly chary in cases wneu the poorer classes were con- cern ed-whether it was for poaching or bastardy, the work- house seemed to be a very convenient method of saddling the rate-payers. There was a man at the door when he was coming in, who had a wife and four or five children in the house, and was obliged to come in himself. He had been in gaol for killing either a hare or a salmon, and when at that time his wife and children applied for 4s. weekly during his incarceration, they were offered the house, and so made a charge of 3s. 9d., or 3s. 10d. a week upon the parish, as one of the Guardians then present very honestly observed, to break up the establish- ment. The man recently only asked for 2s. a-week, and now he and his family were forced to become a charge upon the rate-payers of from 20s. to 25s. weekly. Was that consistent with either law or gospel? He assuredly thought not. Then, with respect to another case, there did not appear to exist that sensitiveness that was manifested in Lewis's case. In the one, certainly, the connexions of the party were in a lowly grade, whilst in the other, they happened to be among the higher classes. Only fancy a poor child brought to the Workhouse in a hired car, accompanied by two nurses, provided with suffi- cient clothes for a duchess's child, for at least two years, and a quantity of wheaten bread, that would have kept a whole family of paupers for a month (great laughter). Yet, such was the case, and because the Governor would not receive the child without a ticket from the relieving-ofiicer, one of the nurses waited upon that functionary, whilst the car was waiting at the Workhouse until a ticket was obtained. The Clerk thought the relief in this Union was extremely liberal.. I Dr. Roberts, with a nod and a wink, repeated the following popular old Welsh adage- "Gwyn y gwel y frim ei chiw, Er bod ci liw yn lowddu."—(Great laughter.) The Clerk.—The nurses were sent to take care of the child. Dr. Roberts.—Oh no doubt of it. He supposed then that it was no unusual thing to see poor people's children brought into the workhouse similarly attended and provided. b The Clerk said that this child had been sent for and removed from the house by its grandmother, who paid 7s. for its maintenance. Mr. Thomas Hughes would now say, in respect to Lewis's case, that it was understood at that Board that the parishes within that Union, when the settlement was clear, would re- ceive a pauper without the cost of removal. It would be very hard if Llanfihangel parish refused to receive the woman and her two children, without the expense of getting an order of removal. Dr. Roberts.—It would be much harder to make the rate- payers of that parish pay from 9s. to lis. a week, when only Is. 6d. was required. Mr. Pritchard said the woman was still in the house. Dr. Roberts.—Very well; the parish will not pay for her maintenance. The Chairman.—Then of course the matter will come to an issue.

BURIAL CHARGES. The Chairman directed attention to a bill from the curate of one of the parishes, for burying a pauper. He wished to have the sense of the meeting upon the subject, as there were two or three more on the books. Dr. Roberts felt bound upon principle to object to the pay- ment of any fees for reading the funeral service. The payment of such fees was contrary to canon law. It was very certain that they were contrary to the custom of North Wales. Three statutes were passed upon the subject, which were the 27 and 32 of Henry VIII., and the 2 & 3 Edward VI. When the godly and. virtuous monarch, generally known as Old Harry, became the Defender of the Faith and the worthy head of the Church in England, he, like his successors, took particular interest in the management of church property. By the two statutes re- ferred to, as well as by the statute of Ed. VI., the payments to the clergy were restricted to what they had accustomedly been heretofore. There being no fixed burial fees in Wales, but merely such offerings as the friends of the deceased might think proper voluntarily to place upon the altar, the demand of fees for reading the burial service was an illegal one. He was sorry to take the objection in the case before them, because the claimant was but a perpetual curate. He should have pre- ferred to have raised the question in Llanllechid, or some other parish where the parson was a rich pluralist. He would, therefore, move That the payment of funeral fees to clergy- men for reading the service is contrary to law and custom, and that for the future no such payments be allowed by the Board." Mr. Williams begged to second the resolution as proposed. Relieving Officer.-Ilow are the parsons to be paid? (Laughter.) Dr. Roberts.—What do they get the tithes for ? Why, the income of the clergy within this Union amounted, a few years ago, to more than the rates levied for the use of the now uuuw. «Yv»^ me iiiOTicjr ui ure rate- payers unnecessarily. After a good deal of desultory conversation the resolution was agreed to.

Is THE KOnfAL COLLEGE FOR WALES. "ACTION IS LIFE." The friends of the "Normal College for Wales prove them- selves to be possessed of the latter through the medium of the former. Everywhere they are up and doing. The people are with them, and, what is more important, the leaders of the people, with but few isolated exceptions, have their heart in the work. The ministers of Wales are determined to be free. As one in- stance in confirmation of this we may state that between thirty and forty of them have promptly consented to visit different localities in the coming spring, on behalf of the institution There are no less than five deputations now at their work, con- sisting of men of the right stamp. There is another of a simi- lar character about entering the field, consisting of the Revs. J. D. Williams, Independent minister, and J. P. Jones, Bap- tist minister of Bridgend. They intend visiting the following places in the following order :-IIengoed, March 12th Black- wood, 13th Tyiiewydd, 14th Beulah, loth Llanhiddel, 16th; St. Mellon's, 19th; Basalleg, 20th; Penywain, 21st; Cwm- brane, 22nd; Ebenezer, Pontnewyd I, 23rd New Inn, 26th; Caerleon, 27th; Chepstow, 28th; Caerwent, 29th; Llangwm, 30th; Usk, April 2nd Ragland, 3rd; Llanddewi, 4th; Han- over, 5th. We heartily wish the deputation great success, and rejoice to find young men of talent, zeal, and principle, coming out in the great cause of education, and devoting their energies so heartily and disinterestedly to the well-being of their coun- try. This speaks well of the tendency of the age, and inspires us with confidence respecting the future. CAMUHOS.—A public meeting was held at the above Inde- pendent Chapel, on Monday evening, the 19th inst., when the Revs. Evan Davies, Morriston, and John Stephens, Brychgoed, visited as a deputation on behalf of the institution. The chapel was comfortably filled, and all anxiously expecting to hear what the deputation had to say on the subject of education. A detailed account of the institution, and its proceedings since the first sitting of its committee, until the present time, was given, the nature of the institution, the education imparted therein, the necessity of a more competent race of teachers, to teach more efficiently the rising generation, the efficiency of the voluntary principle to obtain the ends desired and contemplated were given, with humorous, and impressive, and powerful il- lustrations, and the whole was heard with the greatest atten- tion. The congregation seemed highly pleased, and perfectly convinced of the propriety of making an unanimons effort to raise an Establishment for Wales, for training schoolmasters for the children of the poor in Wales. We understand that the deputation met some opposition from pro-Government men, but the obstructions were effectually removed wherever the principle was fully explained and advocated. We congratulate the committee on their selection of these gentljmen to advocate the claims of the institution. HIKWAUN.—On Monday, the 26th ultimo, a public meeting was held in the Wesleyan chapel, Hirwaun, to receive a depu- tation from the Normal College Committee. Mr. Dd. Wil- liams was voted to the chair, who opened the proceedings in a very ne,t speech, and then introduce Mr. Ihjmas, of Bwlch- newydd, one of the deputation. Air. Thomas took a general view of the proceedings of the committee from the commence- ment, explained the principles on which the institution should be conducted in future, and concluded by urging the friends of education to support the committee. He was followed by Mr. Thomas Price, Aberdare, the other members of the deputation, who showed the reason why the rich were so anxious to have the education of the poor paid out of the taxes rather than by voluntary subscription. At the close of the meeting a com- mittee was formed to carry out the objects of the deputation. The next day the deputation in calling upon friends met with every kindness, and very liberal promises of support. One friend in putting his name down for two guineas said that he should bj equally happy in contributing ten guineas, but that he thought the friends of the cause would not al10 IV him to d,) so. Abeutuue.—The same deputation attended a public m eting at At. e. dure, which wis held in the Methodist cluu cl, and pre- sided over by the Rev. W. Edwards, Ebenezer. Here also the meeting was quite in favour of the College. The people will work nobly. vTTfI^B0NT-~A Pul)lic meeting was holden at the Calvinistic methoaist chapel, at Talybont, on the 15th ult., when the loth ult., when the Rev. Evan Davies, Morriston, in the ab- sence of his companion, the Rev. John Stephens, Brychgoed, addressed the assembly. The arguments brought forward to illustrate the propriety of refusing Government aid, and the stirring appeals made to the heart of every lover of Walas to support this project were listened to with profound attention. On Friday evening following, a public meeting was holden at the Independent chapel, Aber, when the Revs. John Stephens and Evan Davies attended. The chapel was well filled. The audience heard with fixed attention the lengthened, argumenta- tive, and eloquent addresses delivered. Though the country »eemed ignorant to a great degree of the claims of this institu- and many have been led away by the plausible advantages of Government grants, yet these prejudices were removed.

LONDON CAMBRIAN LITERARY SOCIETY. The PRINCIPALITY of last week contained a short report of a meeting held at Crosby Hall, in connexion with the above institution. The following is a sketch of the lecture delivered by the Rev. J. Mills, author of the Welsh Gram- mar of &c., "On the Rise, Progress, and character of Welsh Music the Rev. J. W. Jenkyn, D. D., of Coward College, in the chair:— The eloquent lecturer commenced by stating that it is generally admitted, that there is not a more correct index to the character of a people than its music. This will appear evident, when we consider that music is nothing else than the art of expressing ideas and feelings by inarticulate sounds. Painting is the art of transferring to the canvass the mind of the painter, by means of colour. Sculpture again transfers it by means of the chisel. So with music; the composer conveys his feelings and ideas by means of sounds. Thus, any composition is a fair picture of mental conceptions and moral feelings of the author, at the time of composing and the general productions of the author are a fair picture of his general character and what is true of an individual is true of a nation. With these remarks in view, we shall take a retrospective survey of the music of the Cymry; and that we may do so with better advantage, we shall divide its his- tory into four periods :—the first period to comprehend the time preceding the Roman invasion the second, from the Roman invasion until the seventh century the third period, from the seventh century until the eleventh and the fourth period, from the eleventh until the sixteenth century. Here Mr. Mills commented largely upon the peculiar characteristics of each period (which we must not attempt to follow at present), when illustrations were given respectively, and he concluded his eloquent peroration dn the folio win "■ manner:— ° We have now laid before you very briefly the rise, progress, and character of Welsh secular music, not that we wish it to repossess its former standing, and have its former wonted influence upon the Welsh character—in this respect it has given way to our religious music, a music equally noble for its talents, wonderfully deep for its piety, and ever surpassing in its variety as a field for criticism. But we call your attention to it as a part, and a very important part of our national literature. The believer in the divine reva- lation of the Bible never thinks of studying classics that their morality may form his character; no, he is under the influence of a purer teaching still, there is much to be learnt from the depth of Tully, the grand sublimity of Plato, the beautiful morality of Socrates, and the heart- heaving inspirations of Homer. Just so with Welsh music, and that it deserves such a distinction, suffice it to say, that the greatest names that ever adorned the musical world have borne ample testimony to the superior character of our nati- onal airs. Handel, for example, the taste as well as the creative abilities of whom no one will doubt, considered some of our national melodies among the finest compositions the world possessed. Dr. Burney, the qualifications of whom to pronounce on such matters no musician will attempt to con- test, not only bears testimony to their excellency, but also to their high antiquity and Dr. Crotch, the acumen of whom is well known, gives his unqualified eulogies to the beauty, science, and antiquity of our national relics. Thus, disregarding all Welshmen's opinions, we see that the superiority of our music is fully, attested ■ and by Crotch, the prince of critics. Upon these three gi- gantic pillars it bravely stands, a most noble monument of departed genius, calmly smiling upon the strife and conten- tion of all pigmy critics. The rev. gentleman sat down amidst the most rapturous applause. On and near the platform, we observed the following mi- nisters and gentlemen :riie Revds. W. Williams (Caled- fryn), J. Turnbull, Edmund Evans (Wesleyan), Evan Jones (late of Tredegar), J. Thorsby (minister of Spa-fields chapel), D. C. Davies, B.A.: J. Jones, Esq., Cloudesley Square, llutr'h Owen, Esq., &c. Mr. Mills has been urged by several of the above gentle- men, as well as many of his friends, to publish the lecture, with which it is to be hoped he will readily comply, as there can be little doubt not only that there are thousands of Welshmen in London, as welias the Principality, that would read it with great delight, but that the result also would be most beneficial, for he has clearly shown to us that music not only shows the tendency of the public mind, but is also the great expounder of the people's character consequently, their national melodies are, in the strict sense of the word, their own (the people's) property. To feel this would, at once, tend strongly to remove the great prejudice that uni- n zn versally exists among us against our beautiful national in- strument (the harp), as well as our melodies, and would prove a stimulant towards cultivating that which, of all arts, is the most spiritual, and most conducive to moral refine- ment. As poetry is so nearly allied with, if not essential to the perpetuancy of the other, we shall write in hopes ot hearing that the committee of this institution will call ano- ther meeting, for the object of delivering another lecture on poetry by our much respected bard, the Rev. W. Williams ( Caledfryn), who is quite alive to the interest of the society. We are happy to find the prospects of this infant institution brightening and the fact that the committee are about to take premises sufficiently extensive to carry out their full views, the room held at present being already too small.— From a Correspondent.

BRECON. MILITARY REDUCTIONS.—We understand that in the course of this week the reductions ordered in the depot of the 15th Infantry, now quortered in Brecon barracks, will commence. The numbers to be discharged are 10 sergeants, 4 drummers, and 170 rank and file. In addition to these, 100 men will leave for Ceylon in the course of the spring. Several detachments will, however, be called in from the surrounding districts, which will bring the force at Brecon nearly up to its present standard. AURORA BOREALIS.—-The Silurian says that a very mag- nificent display of this phenomenon was witnessed from Brecon on Thursday night week. It was in its greatest brilliancy about eight o'clock, when the streamers of light assuming the shapes of bright clouds, intermingled with pillars and rays, extended from the north west to the north east, accompanied by the beautiful rosy hue peculiar to the Aurora. ENGLISH AND WELSH WORKMEN.—At a dinner recently given by Mr. Hodges, the enterprising ironmonger of Bre- con, to the foreman and working staff of drainers, who have Z, been employed for eight or nine months on his new pur- chased farm of Trostrey, one of the drainers, a Welshman, remarked, that from the kind treatment he had received from his English fellow-workmen, if at any future time any of them came in his way, there should never go without a bed and a dinner, if it lay in his power to give them; whereupon Mr. Thomas Williams, mayor of Brecon, observed that he heard the remarks with sincere pleasure. It showed that the jealousies which had long existed between the two coun- tries was fast dying away, and it was full time they did so. England and Wales were governed by the same laws, and were.separated only by imaginary boundaries.

tUiigiinm Mdligim THE REV. JAMES JAMES (IAGO EMLYN) has accepted the cor- dial invitation of the Independent Church assembling at Trinity Chapel, Cardiff, to become their pastor, and will enter upon his charge forthwith. LONDON WEISH AUXILIARY BIBLE SOCIETY.—The annual meeting of the South Association of this Society was beld on Tues- day, Feb. 20, 1819, at Guildford-street Chapel. The chair was oc- cupied by Mr. Evans, and able and effective addresses were deli- vered by Rev. Edward Roberts. Eldon-street; E. W. Richard Esq. Rev. Thomas Phillips, Hereford; Rev. Ellis, Brithdir, and the Rev. David Davies. BLAENWATJN, NEAR CARDIGAN.-On Wednesday, the 21st of -February, Mr. J. P. Williams, late of Pantycolyn, was recognised as the pastor of the Baptist Church at Blaenwaun. At ten o'clock the meeting was introduced by reading and prayer. Mr. N. Thomas, Cilfowir, delivered an address on the nature of a Christian Church; Mr. H. Davies, Langloffan, delivered the charge to the minister, and Mr. T. Thomas, Newcastle, that to the Church. At two, Mr. E. Roberts, Drefach, Mr. It. Lee, Newport, and Mr. T. Williams, Langloffan, preached. At six Mr. T. Griffiths, Llwyn- dofydd, Mr. R. Evans. Ferwig, and Mr. J. Morris, Bcthabara, preached. On the preceding evening Mr. D. Davies, Tabor, and Mr. T. Williams, Langloffan, preached. Mr. Williams has com- menced his labours in the Church and its several branches with pleasing prospects of usefulness. TKEFOIIEST.—1The opening of the new place of worship for the English Baptist Church under the pastorate of the Rev. W. Wil- liams took place on Lord's-day, Feb. 18. At half-past ten the Rev. E, Williams. M.A., of Mcrthyr, preached. At half-past two Mr. Williams, of Canton, preached in English, and the Rev. T. Price, of Aberdare, in Welsh. At half-past six the Rev. T. Price preached in Welsh, and the Rev. E. Williams, M.A., in English. The ser- mons were excellent and the attendance large. Weare requested to state that much praise is due to the members of the Society of Odd Fellows for the use of their hall on the Lord's-day and one night in the week, which has been granted for six shillings, although the place will contain 400 persons, and is unconnected with any public-house. OitniNATioN.—On the 4th instant, at the Bangor cathedral, by the Bishop of the diocese, George Lewis, Esq., B.A., Jesus College, Oxford, son of Henry Lewis, Esq., of Hendre, Carmarthenshire, was ordained deacon, and licensed to the curacy of Holyhead.