The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian Glamorgan Monmouth and Brecon Gazette

LLANDAFF CATHEDRAL. Finis coronal opus. The keynote, to use the expression of the Bishop of Oxford, of the cele- bration of the restoration of Llandaff Cathedral, on Tuesday last, was "a completed work." That edifice, which the last generation looked upon as a ruin, which time had moulded into beauty, now stands in greater beauty still. The miracle which the cauldron of Medea failed to effect has been wrought -the miracle of youth renewed. The earnest efforts of loving restorers have repaired the ravages of time, and the stately fane upon which the destroyer had laid a gentle, but withal a ruthless hand, is now restored to all its former strength and beauty. The glory of the second temple surpasses even the traditionary glories of the first. And although we can hardly say that it has risen like a stately palm, without the noise of axe or hammer, still the progress of the restoration has been so uninterrupted and calm that the dwel- lers in the immediate neighbourhood have been scarcely conscious that so great a work has been going on. From time to time those whose hearts have been in the work have been called together to witness its progress, and each renewed visit to the shrine has resulted in an increase of hearty zeal. The impulse that has moved the crowds that have thronged to greet each step in advance, has been to go onward still, to think that nothing had been accomplished whilst aught remained undone. The gathering of Tuesday last was the supplement of all that had preceded it. There were some, doubtless, present who had bent their willing steps thitherward in answer to each successive call, and they doubtless cast their retrospective glances backward upon the various stages by which they had arrived at the crowning point of their hopes. There were some present to whom the dim suggestions of a possible restoration of the temple of their forefathers were many a long year ago faintly whispered, men upon whose minds were stamped the impressions of a feeble hope that what is now accomplished might possibly be done. It is not often that a generation serves to carry out so great a work. It is more frequently the result of the labours of many, and we cannot but echo the feelings of him to whom the com- pletion of it is mainly due, feelings which prompted him to say in words such as few but himself could utter, that Christian men who could give such a proof of their devotion to their Church were by no means a type of the members of a Church that is doomed to decay. The Dean of Llandaff could, none will doubt it, proudly and truthfully point to the restoration of Llandaff Cathedral, as an evidence of the vitality of the Church in Wales. It is no effete and exploded system that can achieve such a result as this. The "completed work," although completed was not a light one, and could not have been carried out by men who were half-hearted. Half-hearted, who that re- members the scene which occurred twelve years and more ago, can bring such a charge against the present generation of Churchmen in Wales. Who that remembers the day when the eloquence of the Dean of Llandaff thrilled like an electric spark through the hearts of those who met to celebrate the partial restoration of the Cathedral, can ever forget the outburst of enthusiastic zeal to which his words gave rise. The seed then sown has borne its full fruit, and it is with feelings of the greatest gratitude that we record the fact that he who sowed the seed has been permitted to witness the gathering in of the harvest.

THE WORKINC MEN AND THE IN.^MARY. WE observe with unfeigned pleasure the strenuous exertions which the waking men of Cardiff are making to liquidate tllgen.firmary Debt. They are carrying out their "eJea with a modesty and a thoroughness £ jXrving of the highest praise and worthy of the best success. The organization which they have devised seems perfect, and they need not one word of advice as to the mode of prosecut- ing their labours to the end. We are, howevej, desirous of impressing upon all within the orbit of the working men's operations, the propriety of re- sponding to their call, and of contributing their mite towards the furtherance of so righteous a cause. We would remind all housekeepers and lodgers of the necessity of being prepared for the visit of the collectors, so that no delay may be occasioned and no disappointment may follow. The collectors are all sturdy sons of toil, who after their ordinary labour of ten or eleven hours gird up their loins and go forth on their sacred mission. Those men in their several districts travel over miles of ground and make hundreds of calls. It behoves, therefore, all who intend to contribute towards the Working Men's Fund to facilitate in the best way they can the great efforts which the Committee are making. It would be unreasonable to expect that a second call should be made, that the same ground should be travelled over more than once, for the time devoted to the task is snatched from the rest or leisure which follows the collectors' ordinary labour. It is a source of regret that the very foremost Institution of Cardiff should be encumbered with a debt which seriously contracts, its sphere of usefulness in be- nefitting the poor. Here we have a building which is an ornament to the town—well constructed, spacious, and admirably adapted for its pur- pose. Here we have a refuge for the poor when stricken down by accident or disease, where their wants are alleviated by eminent surgical and medical skill and by disciplined attend- ance. It is a benevolent institution of the noblest kind, designed to assist in the sorest time of their need those who earn their bread by manual labour. Rightly taking this view of the pur- pose of the Infirmary, the working men of Cardiff are striving with all their might to collect such a ) sum as will clear away the debt, and thus enable the institution to extend its inestimable benefits to a greater number of people—to place it, in fact, upon as satisfactory a basis as that successful and admirable kindred institution, the Hamadryad Hospital Ship, is now and has been for some time. Cardiff is an exceptional town. We talk of its sixty or seventy thousand inhabitants, but un- fortunately nine-tenths are made up of the work- ing classes and the poor. The labourers are many, but the merchants are few. We have splendid Docks, but we have not the lines of quays and the numerous piles of warehouses which betoken wealth and a diffusion of riches. Whilst these manifestations of commercial prosperity are ab- sent, Cardiff, although growing, may be said to be poor. Nor will the mere exportation of iron and coal ever improve the condition of more than a comparative few. Some of these may make fortunes, but the great multitude must continue to live in a precarious condition, from hand to mouth, all the year round. Under these circum- stances, then, it is quite proper that a house-to- house visitation should be made for assistance in behalf of an institution upon which the claims are necessarily numerous throughout the year. We hope that all classes of Glamorganshire and Mon- mouthshire will open their hearts and their purses, so that the financial state of the Infirmary may soon be all that its best friends can desire. Silver and gold cannot be devoted to a cause more humane. Nothing, we believe, is more pleasing in the sight of the Great Physician than to keep in a flourishing state those institutions where the sick poor are comforted and relieved, where with His will and pleasure they are healed and made whole. "Glamorganshire and Monmouthshire Infirmary and Dispensary.—The Working Men's voluntary effort towards liquidating the present Debt of £ 1,192 19s. 2d. ■—It is with regret that many of us—working men of Cardiff and its suburbs—learn that the above in-I stitution is encumbered with so heavy a debt as £1,192198.2d" and feeling this to be a considerable hindrance to the benefit which may otherwise be dispensed to the many applicants for medical aid, we have formed ourselves into a committee for the purpose of raising funds, not only to liquidate the debt, but also permanently to increase the income of the institu- tion. As the Infirmary is open for the reception of patients from all parts of Glamorgan and Monmouth, and as a considerable number are admitted from places out of the town of Cardiff, we confidently appeal to you, the landowners, yeomen, commercial, and other gentlemen residing in these counties, to aid us in this enterprise. We beg to state that this effort, while originating entirely with ourselves, has received the hearty sanction of the Committee of the Infirmary. Having laid the above matter before you, and feeling the claims of the institution upon your sympathy and support to be very pressing, we are confident we have only to make this appeal in order to elicit your cordial co-operation. Donations and Subscriptions to be for- warded to the account of the Working Men's Com- mittee, West of England Bank or, if by Post-office order or stamps, to Mr. Robert Fear, 6, Crichton-street, Cardiff, which will be thankfully received and duly ac- knowledged."

THE MARQUIS OF BUTE AND ST. JOHN'S VICARAGE. OUR leading article of last week on the subject which stands at the head of the present one has been somewhat fruitful in consequences. Amongst other effects, to which we may presently allude, it has been the means of drawing upon us the animad- versions of the Western Mail, and has served to elicit the fact that a communication on the subject had been addressed to the Vicar, which until the publication of the article alluded to that gentleman did not conceive it to be his duty to make public. He, it appears, looked upon it as a private letter, and it is idle to suppose that he could have had any kind of motive in suppressing it, except that of kindly consideration towards those who penned it. The conductors of the Western Mail would have been perfectly justified in rushing to the rescue of their Noble Patron if we had in fact been guilty of slandering him, but we indignantly and emphati- cally deny that we have done anything of the kind, and we challenge the Western Mail to produce from the article that has given rise to the present con- troversy a single sentence which in the remotest degree justifies such an aspersion. It is true that we may appear to have spoken strongly of the want of tact exhibited by that nobleman's agents, but we have yet to learn that Lord Bute carries the principle of Love me, love my dog" to such an extreme as to apply our remarks upon the con- duct of those gentlemen to himself. We are, in short, just as guiltless of slandering Lord Bute as the Western Mail is guilty of slandering us. And it would be hard indeed to carry our disclaimer fur- ther than this. Of the many petty ebullitions of ill-feeling which the article in the Western Mail contains, we will only notice one or two. We are accused of making many small attempts to injure that paper. So far from this being the case, we can only say that we came to its succour in the hour of its deepest distress. The throes and ago- nies which accompanied its advent into the world must have been painfully obvious to all its read- ers. One of its sharpest pangs we were the means of alleviating. We came to the rescue when all hope of assistance from any other quarter was well nigh lost. And this is the return made for our kindness. The Western Mail is fond of apologues may we suggest for its consideration the fable of the man who brought home the frozen viper: and the return made to its bene- factor for his kindness to the venomous reptile is no inapt illustration of the conduct of the Western Mail to ourselves. And now as to the general question of Lord Bute's refusal to consent, as his agents phrase it, to the alienation of any portion of his property for the site of the new Vicarage- house. The aspect of Lord Bute's refusal is not to our mind changed in the slightest de- gree except for the worse by the letter to the Vicar of St. John's. It appears to us to be add- ing, A\i will not say insult, but a sting to the in- jurious effects of that refusal. We cannot conceive for a moment thai the Churchwardens in furnish- ing the particulars of their lbquest in answer to the letter of the 16th of June, could havs omitted to state that the Ecclesiastical Coi^n nissioners insisted on a conveyance of a freeJasid site as a condition of their grant. „ And tlen if the Churchwardens omitted to do so, we do not doubt but that those who transact the business of Lord Bute were well aware, or at all events ought to have been, that such is the usual con- dition upon which grants of the kind are made. Such being the case, the offer to lease is indeed the veritable proffer of a stone of adamantine hardness to suppliants for a morsel of bread. If the question at issue had bean one of church building, or even of church education, we could have understood the religious scruples of Lord Bute in not coming to the rescue but the selling of a site for a Vicarage-house in truth involved no religious question of any kind; and we cannot doubt that if the matter had been fully explained to Lord Bute he would have felt as little difficulty in consenting to the sale of land for a Vicarage-house as he appears to have done on a recent occasion to the sale of land for the enlargement of the Poorhouse of the Cardiff Union.

A THING NOT GENERALLY KNOWN. EVERYBODY has long known that there are Bishops in the House of Lords. But very few, we apprehend, understood before now that there is also an Irish Parish Clerk who has a seat in that august assembly. The name of the illus- trious functionary—who reflects lustre upon his parochial order— is Lord Viscount LIFFORD, and the way in which the nation has been made aware of his church calling is this: A few nights ago one of the clauses of the Irish Church Bill, referring to parish clerks, was under consideration, and Lord Lifford candidly remarked that he believed he was the only parish clerk who had the honour of a seat in their Lordships' House. (Laughter.) The fact was that the former clerk in the church which he attended was so intolerably useless that on a vacancy occurring he got himself appointed to the post. (Renewed laughter.)" One of the harsh and unjust features of the Bill is that no Irish Prelate shall sit in .Parliament after disestablishment has occurred. Happily for the Parish Clerk the notorious Bill cannot reach him.

THE GLAMORGANSHIRE ASSIZES.—The learned Judge is expected to arrive from Carmarthen by the up-Express on Saturday (this day). He will be met at the Station by the High Sheriff, the Mayor and Corporation, and the usual retinue, and shortly afterwards the Commission will be formally opened and the Court adjourned till Monday morning, when the charge to the grand jury will be delivered. It is understood that the learned Judge will go to St. John's Parish Church in state on Sunday morning, and that the assize sermon will be delivered by the Sheriff's Chaplain, the Rev. E. R Allen, an able and impressive preacher. The criminal calendar is unusually light, there being at the present time only 26 prisoners for trial, some of whom are out on bail. The cause list will include five or six Special Jury cases, and among them is one important case from the neighbourhood of Neath, in which the Earl of Jersey is the actual plaintiff. There is an action, too, against the Royal Hotel Company, by a commercial traveller, for an alleged robbery of money and the case of the young Jewess, which a short time ago gave rise to so much correspondence, will be the subject of in- quiry—the father of the lady being the plaintiff, and the Rev. Mr. Thomas the defendant.

local Jitirilijettcf. LLANDAFF CATHEDRAL. —Eighth Sunday after Trinity. —Morning Prayer at 11 a.m.: Venite, 4 Daily psalms, 98, 99 Te Deum, 161, 159; Benedictus, 117; Introit, 207; Kyrie, Wesley in F; Hymn, 139. Evening Prayer at 3.30p.m.: Daily psalms, 102, 103; Magniticat and Nunc Dimittis, Arnold in A; Anthem, "In Jewry," Clarke Whitfield; Hymn, 178. The Litany at 7 p.m.; Hymns, 179, 180, 11. Holy Communion after morning prayer. CARDIFF GOVERNMENT SAVINGS BANK.—Open every Saturday from 10 till 2 and on Saturday and Monday evenings from 7 till half-past 8. The gentlemen to be in attendance are on Saturday, Mr. George Hardess, and Mr. William Rose Harvey on Saturday evening, Mr. Pride on Monday evening, Mr. Whiffen. 0' GLAMORGANSHIRE AND MONMOUTHSHIRE INFIRMARY. —Remaining by last week, 34; admitted since, 9 discharged, 8 died, 0; remaining, 35. Number of out- patients on the book, 406. Medical officers for the week Physician, H. J. Paine, Esq., M.D. Surgeon, W. Taylor, Esq., M.D. Gentlemen visitors: Messrs. J. Bird, W. J. Gaskell, J. Cory, W. Vachell, and H. Bowen present, Messrs. J. Bird, W. Vachell, W. J Gaskell, and H. Evans.—A. P. Fiddian, M.B., house- surgeon. HAMADRYAD HOSPITAL SHIP, CARDIFF.—Report for the week ending the 15th day of July, 1869 Number of patients remaining last week, 19; admitted since, 4; discharged cured, 6; discharged relieved, 1 • died' 0 out-patients treated, 21; remaining on board, 16.— H. M. Dixon, medical superintendent. CARDIFF BATHS.—Number of bathers during the week ending 10th July, 1869: In the Turkish bath, 64; in the hot water baths, 119; in the SAvimming baths, 301. A CATECHISM.—A short and plain Catechism on the Evidence of Christianity, intended for the older children in schools of religious instruction, by a Clergyman of the Diocese of Llandaff, has just been published bv Longmans, of London. We may safely predict for the Catechism a permanent place amongst religious books of instruction. ANOTHER AFFRAY ON BOARD AN AMERICAN SHIP.— At the Cardiff Police Court on Monday Captain Watts of the Hendrick Kish, and F. Young and J. Frend, thi second and third mates of the vessel, were chargel with assaulting and wounding a seaman llamel Frederick William Schultz. The first mate of thi vessel was also charged with the same offence, but hi did not appear. Mr. Raby appeared for the prosecu- tion, and Mr. Ingledew defended the captain and thirl mate. It appeared, according to the evidence of thi prosecutor, that he was a seaman on board the vessel which, on the 1st of July, was off Nash Point, about three miles on the Welsh side coming on to Cardif. About 12 o'clock he was scraping the deck, when hs went up to the first mate (Hutchinson) and asked him i question. Hutchinson told him to go to his work, cr if nOli he would beat him, and soon afterwards he too: up a piece of board, about six feet long, and struck hin on the back Avith it. Prosecutor had a knife in hs hand which he threw away. Finding the blows comirg pretty thick and hot" he ran away, but Hutchinsoi followed him, beating him as he ran. Hutchinsol threw the board away, and took up a belaying pil, and hit him a blow with that. Prosecutor put up his arm to save his head, when the belaying pin came down with such force that his arm was broken by the blow. He then ran on the house amidships, where the second mate struck him, and the third mate and the captain came up, and both of them kicked him while on tie ground. He was kicked and beaten very severely. On the arrival of the vessel at Cardiff, he went tll shore, but the same eveniug he went on board again for his clothes, and to ascertain the names of the cap- tain and mates. The captain then refused to let him go, and with the assistance of the third mate pushed him into the cook's galley, and locked him up and he remained there sleeping on the boards, but at the sane time suffering severely from his broken arm. Tvo fellow-seamen were called as witnesses, and corrobori- ted to a great extent the evidence of the injurfed max Mr. Ingledew was about to address the Bench for tie defence, when Mr. Jones said he had determined ;o send the case for trial. Mr. Ingledew said the con- plainant had grossly exaggerated his statements, ard wished to call two witnesses for the defence. A ques- tion also arose as to the jurisdiction of the Bench, Mr. Ingledew stating that he should be able to prove tint the vessel was not where the prosecutor said she wis at the time the assault was committed. The case wis adjourned till Wednesday, to enable the position of tie vessel to be ascertained. Mr. Jones at first refused bail for any of the defendants, but finally consented M admit the captain to bail, on his finding a surety of JE500. A warrant was ordered for the apprehension of the first mate. On Wednesday the captain, the secord and third mates again appeared, when Mr. Raby stated that the prosecutor had been smuggled" away froai his boarding-house. He left the house on Wed- nesday morning and had not since that time re- turned. He was thought to have gone to Bristol, bit he must have been sent away, as he had no money about him. The evidence of the boarding-house keeper showed that the prosecutor was in the house at eleven o'clock on Tuesday night, but on Weduesday morning he was found to have left. Dr. Paine was next called and said he had examined Schultz's injuries. The bone of the fore arm was broken. He also complained of injuries in the back. There was also a severe bruise on the left arm, and another on the face. Mr. Jones was of opinion that as the prosecutor had been evidently sent away, the whole of the parties should be detained in custody, and the police sent after the prosecutor. The prosecutor must be brought back at all cost, and he requested Superintendent Stockdale to take steps at once to apprehend him. Mr. Ingledew again applied for bail for the captain, saying that he Avas instructed by the defendants that they had nothing whatever to do with the disappearance of theprosecutor! Mr. Jones refused for some time, but at length con- sented, find two sureties being found of £ 1000, in ad- ditiou to £500 on the part of the captain himself, he was liberated. On the court rising some infor- ination was conveyed to Superintendent Stockdale that Schultz had left for London. A telegram was sent to the police there, with a description of the man, and in a few hours the Superintendent received another telegram that the mau was in custody, having been taken at Paddinpton railway station. The same night Sergeaut Wall bridge was pent to bring him to Cardiff. It was said that the man received £30 to get out of the way. The case will again come before the magistrates on Friday. CANTON LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD.—The monthly meeting of the Board was held on Monday Mr. T. V. Yorath in the chair. There were also present Messrs. RN FONES' Bodington, and T. R. Davies. The Clerk said the amount iu the bank on the general ac- count was £102 14s. 8d., and on the private improve- ment account, £204 5s. 5d. The Clerk reported also J that he had received the mortgage deed from the Public W orks Loan Commissioners for the borrowing of the money required for carrying out the private improvements in Severn-road and, on the motion of Mr. Bodington, the seal of the Board was ordered to be affixed to it. Mr. E. Whiffen, one of the owners of property in Severn-road, attended the Board, and stated that, though he did not object to the pitching and paving the road, he objected to the proposed new sewer. Mr. Waring explained that the sewer in the lower part of Severn-road was useless. It was also mentioned that the upper part of the sewer would be retained, aud a new ono built for the lower part. Some cheques were signed, and the meeting separated. FOUND DROWNED.—The body of a seaman named Adolphus Botte, belonging to the ship Ville de Blair was found floating in the East Dock on Monday evening. He had been missing since Thursday last. INSPECTION OF THE LLANDAFF POLICE.—'Captain Edward Willis, the Government Inspector of the Police Force for Wales, attended at the Llandaff Police Court on Wednesday, and inspected the police force within that neighbourhood. Colonel Lindsay, the chief constable for the county, was present, as was also the deputy-chief constable, Mr. Thomas. There were on parade one inspector, two sergeants, and ten constables. At the close Captain Willis expressed himself greatly pleased with the appearance of the men. Their clothes were clean, and their general appearance highly satisfactory. It would give him great pleasure to make a very favourable report of them. POLICE INSPECTION AT CARDIFF.—On Wednesday evening Captain Edward Willis attended at the Town Hall to inspect the Police Force of the borough. The police were drawn up at the back, and Captain Willis on his arrival, accompanied by Superintendent Stockdale, walked through the ranks and carefully inspected the dress, &c., of the men. They were then put through a few infantry movements, and after being complimented for their efficiency were dis- missed. Captain Willis afterwards proaeeded to the police-station and examined the cells, the books at the office, &c., and said he was very much pleased at the orderly manner in which everything was kept. He complimented the superintendent in having the finest body of men under his command that he had inspected during the year. There were on parade one inspector, five sergeants, and thirty-five con- stables. Absent with leave one inspector, two sergeants, and nine constables. THS LATE STABBING CASE ON BOARD AN AMERI- CAN SHIP.— The four men charged with stabbing John Osborn on board the American ship Leucotbea, appeared at the Police Court on Monday, and were again remanded till Friday. The wounded man j Osborn still lies at the Hospital Ship in a very pre- carious state. SUDDEN DEATH.—An inquest was held on Thurs- day, at the Town Hall, before R. L. Reece, Esq., coroner, on the body of William Dainty, a brickmaker, living at Lower Grangetown. The deceased, who was a very steady man, and was about forty years of age, had for the last few days complained of ill-health, and on Sunday morning took some ordinary aperient medicine. On Wednesday moroinghis ",ifecalled himat six o'clock, as usual, to go to his work, when he sat up in the bed for a few minutes, fell back on the pillow, and very shortly afterwards expired. Mr. Milward was called in, and from the evideuce given by the wife at the in- quest, he expressed an opinion that her statement was quite compatible with death from natural causes. He supposed that death arose from disease of the heart. A verdict of death from natural causes was returned. GLAMORGANSHIRE.—Commissions signed by the Lord Lieutenant.—Royal Light Infantry Militia.- -G. F. Heyworth, Esq., late Lieutenant 5th Dragoon Guards, to be Captain, vice Tyler, resigned H. S. Gordon, Esq., late Ensign 44th Foot, to be Lieutenant. Memo- randum.—Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to accept the resignation of the commission held by Captain St. Vincent Tyler, in the Royal Glamorgan I Light Infantry Militia. WEST OF ENGLAND AND SOUTH WALES DISTRICT BANK.—The directors of this bank have declared a dividend for the half-year ending July 30, at the rate of 8 per cent. per annum, free of income-tax, payable on the 23rd inst. THE DUN RAVEN- COLLIERY AFFAIRS.—In the Court of Chancery, on Tuesday, before Vice-Chancellor James, an interim order was granted to restrain the Gloucester Wagon Company from seizing or selling the property of the Dunraven Collieries' Company, Limited. The Gloucester Company was in possession under afifa, being creditors for £9,000.. WHERE ARE THE SHAREHOLDERS ?—The meeting of the shareholders of the Penarth Steam Towing Com- pany, which was to have been held by adjournment at the Mount Stuart Hotel on Tuesday, was again ad- journed, the only shareholder present being Mr. S. Nash. THEATRE ROYAL CROCKHERBTOWN.—That clever actor, Mr. Gardiuer Coyne, who has been delighting the town during the week, takes his benefit to-night (Friday), and appears in two celebrated pieces, "The Colleen Bawn and "Handy Andy." We hope the friends of Mr, Coyne will give him a bumper on the occasion. A "grand monster performance" is adver- tised for to-morrow (Saturday) evening. THE SIAMESE TWINS.—On Thursday last these well known twins were exhibited in Cardiff, and attracted a fair number of visitors. They are now 58 years old, and are compelled by the pecuniary losses entailed by the American war to make a re- newed professional tour in this country. A giant and giantess were also shown. The former is nearly 8ft. high, and weighs 33 stone; and the latter 7ft. llin., and 30 stone in weight. This group of natural curiosities iscotupttimented with a Circassian lady of comely features and fine proportions, with thick frizzy hair. AN ABSCONDING STATIONMASTER.—The usually quiet town of Carmarthen was on Tuesday startled by the intelligence that the stationmaster at Abergwili, a small station on the Llandilo and Carmarthen Railway, about a mile from the town, was not to be found, Upon inquiry, the report was found to be correct, and his disappearance is traced to the following circum- stances :—It seems that the abstract of accounts for the month of June had not been sent in, and the suspi- cions of the traffic manager at Carmarthen being aroused thereby, inquiries were made of Rees (the stationmaster), who declared that it had been for- Avarded the previous day to the head office at Llanelly. A telegraphic despatch to Llanelly soon elicited the in- formation that no "abstract" had been received there, and Mr. Humphreys decided to relieve Recs of his duties on the following morning. But when Tuesday morning arrived the intelligence was received that Rees had gone, leaving the keys of the station on the platform, with not a trace to show his whereabouts. It has been already ascertained that about .£10 is miss- ing from the ticket account, while the money paid for the carriage of a quantity of coal and lime is also defi- cient. Rees is a married man, and has only been at Abergwili station for about three months, during that time, it is said, he managed to run pretty heavily in debt. He is a native of Pembrokeshire, and was for- merly at the telegraph box at Swansea, in the employ of the same company. He was seen in Carmarthen late on Monday night, and it is conjectured that he must have walked out to one of the small stations at some little distance from Carmarthen, in order the more effectually to conceal his departure. SUDDEN DEATHS AT CANTON.—Two inquests were held at the Atlas hotel, Canton, on Wednesday, before R. L. Reece, Esq., coroner, on the bodies of two children, who had died suddenly. The first was on the body of a girl seven years of age, named Mary Ann Carrel, the daughter of David Carrel, of Canton-square. It appeared from the evidence of Mr. Reginald Pearce, surgeon, of Canton, that the child had died from a rupture of some of the organs connected with the stomach. On Sunday the child was in its usual health and ate a hearty dinner, after which it ate some boiled cabbage, and this so disturbed the stomach, that the lower part of it became ruptured, and food falling into the cavity of the abdomen, caused almost instant death. The second inquest was on the body of an infant, the child of Charles Lisk, of No. G, Evans's-court, Canton Common. There could be little doubt in this ease that the child died from convulsions, and verdicts of death from natural causes were returned in both cases.

THE VICARAGE QUESTION. TO THE EDITOR OF THH "GUARDIAN." SIR,—Allow me, in the name of all my fellow-towns- men, to thank you for your sensible and straightforward remarks on the evil counsel given to the young Marquis of Bute, who might easily be as popular among us as his late lamented father, if he would only get himself oat of his leading-strings and look after us a bit here himself, instead of leaving us to be dealt with by a lot of agents and parties of that kind. I think you are on the wrong scent about the Wfstern Mail, which, how- ever much it may be paid for by the young Marquis's :noney, I think you will find is really in the hands of the parties above referred to, and who were no doubt at the bottom of the shameful attack upon you in that journal last Saturday. I should like to know, too, what those gentlemen know about a certain letter in that journal, signed a Liberal Churchman," and which certainly comes from somebody who knows a good deal about the Marquis's concerns. I should just like to ask Mr. "Liberal Churchman," Whose interest it is to keep the Marquis of Bute out of Cardiff? Not Mr. Howell's, and not the townspeople's, who would all be the better for his Lordship's being among us.—From yours respectfully, July 14. CARDIFF TRADESMAN. TO THE EDITOR OF THE GUARDIAN." SIR,—I don't know whether it might have occurred to you in the same light, but I and a good many other people have been a good deal puzzled to make out how the Editor of your contemporary, the Western Mail, managed to make out the real reason of Lord Bute's refusal to grant a site for St. John's ATicarage. Certainly there is nothing in either of Messrs. Luard and Sherley's three letters which couldhave toldhim, forlam sureyou will agree Avith me that those documents could hardly have been better worded if their particular object had been to show as plainly as possible that it was the vicarage-that was objected to and nothing else. Surely it is high time that his Lordship took the reins a little more into his own hands or, if he does not like to do that, taught his agents the necessity of representing his views a little more faithfully to the people of Cardiff, whose attachment to his house is very great, but who, it is impossible to deny, are being fast alienated by the light in which he is being put before them.—Yours truly, A PROTESTANT CONSERVATIVE. July H.

CLERICAL VACANCIES.—The vicarage of Misterton, Somerset, by the preferment of the Rev. J. M. Cox, M.A. worth £200 a year; patrons, the Dean and Canons of Winchester. The curacy of St. Lawrence Church, Bir- mingham worth £105 a year; patron, the Rev. J. T. Butlin, M.A. The curacy of St. Luke's Church, Bilston; worth £ 120 a year, with title for the Bishop of Lichfield's ordination; patron, the Rev. C. B. Twiss, M. A. The curacy of St. James-the-Less, Bethnal Green; worth JE120 a year, with title at the Bishop of London's Christ- mas ordination; patron, the Rev. W. J. Grundy, M.A. The curacy of Holy Trinity, South Shields; worth £12Ö a year; patron, the Rev. T. Dixon. The curacy of Plym- stock, near Plymouth; worth £100 a year, with title at Exeter ordination; patron, the Rev. T. Coulthard, M.A The vicarage of Werrington, near Launceston, by the death of the Rev. James Bryant Messenger, M.A. worth JE250 a year; in the gift of Mr. W. W. F. Duck. The vicarage of Ferry-Fryston, Yorkshire, by the death of the Rev. W. Bulmer, M.A. worth £250 a year patrons, the sub-chanter and vicar-choral of York Cathedral. A priest-vicarship in Wells Cathedral, by the death of the Rev. Frederick Showers Moberly, M.A. patrons, the Dean and Chapter. (Mr. Moberlv was Vice-Principal of the Diocesan Theological College.) The vicarage of Tresmere Cornwall, by the death of the Rev. W. A. Morgan, S.C.L. worth £ 120 a year; patron, the Lord Chancellor. I he rectory of Cosgrove, near Stony Strat- ford, by the death of the Rev. John Graham, M.A. worth £380 a year; patron, Mrs. H. Mansel. MARRIAGES IN HIGH LIFE.—The marriage of Viscount Downe with Lady Cecilia Molyneux was solemnised on Monday, at St. Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, London. The bridegroom arrived at eleven o'clock, shortly followed by the bride, accompanied by her mother the Dowager Countess of Sefton. The bride was attended at the altar by twelve young ladies, who acted as bridesmaids. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Mr. Hopwood, uncle to the bride, assisted by the Rev. R. Liddell. After the ceremony the wedding party adjourned to the residence of the Earl and Countess of Sefton, in Belgrave-square, where a splendid breakfast was laid for about 200 guests after which the newly-wedded pair left town for Lord William Compton's seat, near Berkhampstead, to spend the honeymoon. On the same morning, at Peter's Church, Eaton-square, the marriage of Viscount Cole with Miss Charlotte Marian Baird was celebrated. The fair bride was attended with nine bridesmaids. Viscount Valentia acted as best man to the bridegroom. The Rev. Wil- loughby. Balfour performed the marriage ceremony. After the service the bridal party adjourned to the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Baird (of Stichell), in Grosvenor-gardens, where a breakfast was provided for 60 persons. The newly-wedded pair left town in the afternoon for Hert- ford to spend the honeymoon. FIGHT BETWEEN COLLIERS— A serious disturbance be- tween unionist and non-unionist colliers has occurred at the Manor Castle pit, near Sheffield. The origin of the dis- turbance is not clear, but it is supposed to have commenced with an attack upon a non-unionist and his wife. Pistols were used a woman was injured in suoh a way that she is not likely to recover, and a man, also, was wounded. HORSE I? LESH. During the second quarter of the year 1869 the butchers of horse-meat have supplied the Paris market with 605 animals of the species, some asses and mules being included. This gives an average of 88,0001b. per month. TWENTY-ONE PERSONS DROWNED.—At Krenholm, near Narva, in Russia, a number of persons having col- lected on a. bridge, the parapet gave away. Sixty-five were preciDitated into the river, and twenty-one drowned.

LLANDAFF CATHEDRAL. *■ HISTORICAL NOTICE. The Episcopal See of Llandaff is generally considered to be one of the most ancient in Great Britain, and its history, like the history of its Cathedral, possesses many peculiarities which make it stand alone amid the other portions of the English Ecclesiastical History. The see was one of the most important in the district. From the character and learning of its bishops it rose to an eminence unequalled by those around, and then died away till its revenues were insufficient for the maintenance of parochial dignitaries and when it had slumbered a time it was again invigorated, and now takes the position it held in the earlier ages of Christi- anity. In like manner its cathedral rose from a small chapel to a stately building, unequalled for richness of detail by any other building in the Principality, it died away till it became a ruin, covered with ivy and totter- ing in decay, until now, when it 'has been again re- invigorated, the stately temple that adorned the architectural structures of the thirteenth century, exhibiting all the gorgeous details of the sacred archi- tecture at that period, takes the first position among the sacred edifices of the Principality. The early history of Llandaff Cathedral, like other buildings of a similar character, is involved in obscurity, principally from the fact that the documents relating to it, and which belonged to the Chapter of Llandaff, have been destroyed, and the allusions made to it by contemporary historians vary in date, and are evidently derived from tradition. As to the structure itself, the various styles of architecture found among the ruined portions before the work of restoration commenced, afford a tolerably safe guide to the dates of the several periods of its construction. Ft is evident that a building possessing specimens of Norman, early Eng- lish, first, second and third decorated periods, the perpendicular and the modern, must have been a work of many centuries. One peculiarity connected with Welsh cathedrals is, that while the English churches, especially those of the higher character, are to be found in the most densely populated parts of our great cities, the founders of the Welsh cathedrals appeared to have selected sites more attractive from their secluded situations than useful for active governments, the history of the Principality affording no reason for supposing that the cities of St. David's and Llandaff were ever much larger in extent and population than they are at present. The air of desolation, however, around the cathedral is felt much more at St. David's than at Llandaff, the beautiful scenery around the latter, and the close proximity of Cardiff, take away much of the solitary character of the spot Avhich was very striking during the last century, but which local. circumstances have now in a great measure changed. Tradition assigns to Dubritius the title of first Bishop of Llandaff. He was afterwards elevated to the Archbishopric of Caerlion in A.D. 516, but it is also said that he built a church at Llandaff before this period. Of this British Church but little is known, and nothing now remains, and the history of the church must be taken from the time of the Norman invasion, there being no existing ecclesiastical structures in Wales which can be referred to an earlier date. The com- piler of the Liber Landavensis speaks of having seen and inspected the early cathedral church at Llandaff himself, and he states that when Urban the earliest Bishop after the Norman Conquest was preparing to transfer to his own cathedral the relics of its canonised Prot-Episcopus, from the Isle of Bardsey, where he had retired from a love of religious solitude and died, he found the primitive church far too humble to afford a suitable receptacle for his remains. It was then nothing more than a small chapel twenty-eight feet in length, fifteen feet broad, and twenty feet high. It was said also to possess a semi-circular apse or porch, having a radius of twelve feet, and this increased the length of the entire building to about forty feet. This was the small beginning of the building, which was opened on Tues- day after its restoration, and which now has a length of 260 feet including the lady chapel, the length of the nave alone being 115 feet, and external breadth 75. It is generally belived that Bishop Urban left the little church standing, and commenced the erection of his cathedral to the west of it, the site of the little church being that on which the lady chapel now stands. No vestige, however, of this remains, and architecturally the history of the cathedral must be held to commence with the erection by Bishop Urban in the twelfth century. The original Norman cathedral is by some supposed to have been a structure of small size, though one possessing considerable amount of architectural ornament. The only remains of this church now standing is the massive Norman arch dividing the presbytery frem the lady chapel. The Norman doorways on the south and north fronts are of a later style, and are not believed to ha.ve formed a portion of the early Norman Church, the nave of which it is also believed did not ex- tend. so far westward, terminating one bay westward of the present arch into the presbytery, and con- sequently only about 75 feet in length. It is to the small size of Bishop Urban's church that much of the singularity of the present building is owing, for since this time the church has never been rebuilt. It has been lengthened, widened, and heightened, but the early Norman Church formed the nucleus around which the later additions arose. Urban's Church has been preserved, his nave and choir now forming the presbytery and lady chapel of the present building, while the main part of the nave and choir have been since built independently of it to the west. This is the opinion of Mr. Freeman, "Author of the History of Architecture." Others, however, believe that Bishop Urban's Church was intended to be a large edifice, but was only partially completed at his death in 1133. The west front is, by Mr. Freeman, attri- buted to the episcopate of William Saltmarsh, from 1185 to 1193 and the interior of the nave and chapter house to his successor, Henry, who held the see till 1219. The outer walls and the remainder of the nave and choir appear to have been completed a few years later. Very soon after the completion of the nave and choir the chapter house must have been added, its archi- tecture being considered a little more advanced, as its lancet windows have foliated heads. The next great work was the erection of the lady chapel, which presents a very beautiful specimen of early geometrical architec- ture. It is generally supposed that Bishop de Bruce or Braose was the founder of this part of the cathedral, and that it was built during his episcopacy, from 1265 to 1287. On the completion of the lady chapel, the presbytery was brought into its present form, and the aisles throughout the church reconstructed. The work appears to have been carried on very slowly, as it pre- sents great changes of detail in different parts. This portion of the building is ascribed to the successor of William de Bruce, John de Monmouth, who occupied the see from 1296 to 1323. The principal portion of the building in which the specimens of perpendicular architecture remains is the north-west tower. This tower, it is believed, was erected by Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, son of the widow of Henry V. after her marriage with Owen Tudor. The south-west tower, which now forms the principal feature, was of an earlier date, and is not believed to have possessed any of the gorgeous details which now embellish it. The cathedral may therefore be supposed to have been completed about the middle of the 15th century. For nearly three, centuries the country was at times the scene of violence and storm, and the cathedral at Llandaff, as well as many of its English contempora- ries, suffered more from the hand of man than from time. Slowly, for more than three hundred years, the cathedral had grown up piece by piece; and very soon after its completion it was allowed to fall into decay, and to drop away piece by piece as it had been erected. For more than two hundred years this, which was at the time the finest structure in the Principality, was allowed to crumble to a ruin—the ivy grew along the walls and around the windows, the roof fell in, and the nave became a complete wreck the grass grew in the interior of the building, services were discon- tinued in it, heaps of rubbish were thrown into the nave, till the pediments of the shafts were concealed and the grass grew up the columns. In this state the cathedral remained a ruined building similar to many abbeys scattered through various parts of the country but unlike other places at the same period, Llandaff Cathedral, as the parish church, always con- tinued as the place where divine service was held al- though as the building fell into decay those services were conducted in the more confined portions of the building, and latterly, no other part but the choir being sheltered from the weather, it was resolved to enclose the choir and leave the nave to fall to ruin as it might. It has been said that the history of our cathedrals is the history of the country, the ages in which they were built transferred their spirit into them, they reveal the struggles for national life, and discover to us in times when books were scarce and records few, the habits of the age in which they arose. If this be true the habits of the people of the 18th century would compare unfavourably with those who preceded them by three hundred years. The grand old building at Llandaff was a ruin, and it became necessary for the safety of the church, which maintained the position of a parish church, to restore it. In the early part of the 18th century some severe storms blew down the south western tower and carried with it a large portion of the western part of the nave. After some years the large sum of £7,000 was collected, and the services of a Mr. Wood, an architect at Bath, were secured, under whose direction the cathedral was turned into a build- ing resembling a town hall or a lecture-room. One half the nave was cut off by a new west front, and the eastern part was boxed ih and plastered, the arches on each side being filled up, and the beautiful range of lancet windows in the old clerestory gave way to others of a modern style. The interior of the choir was ceiled, the sides plastered and painted, and made to resemble I as much as possible a large room, and the cathedral was again opened in this new form. In 1835 and in 1836 the Rev. Henry Douglas, the precentor of Llandaff, placed his dividend at the service of the Dean and Chapter for the restoration of the building according to the original design. This formed the nucleus of the Restoration Fund." The idea entertained was not simply to reconstruct the cathedral but to restore Bishop Urban's Church, or one commenced by him and completed some centuries after his death. The first step in direction was to secure the services of an eminent architect to reside in the locality, and super- intend the work as it progressed piece by piece. The completion of the building has shown that no better selection could have been made, and in intrusting the work to Mr. Prichard, the Chapter has intrusted it to a gentleman who was fully equal to the task. It was indeed a task of great difficulty, but for- tunately, here and there amid the ruins of the old building, portions of the original design remained, aud, like a skilful anatomist, Mr. Prichard commenced the work of restoration by forming from these few re- mains a design of the original structure. In 1844 the work of restoration commenced by the insertion of the east window in the lady chapel, and the ultimate restoration of the entire interior, which now presents one of the finest specimens of geometrical architecture to be found in the Principality. Dean Bruce Knight, under whose auspices the work was commenced, died in 1845, but his successor, Dean Conybeare, took up the work in great earnest. Possessed of an extensive knowledge of architecture, he took the greatest inte- rest in remodelling as it were the original design, During the years intervening between 1846 and 1857 he made several appeals for help to carry on the work, and by that time more than the sum of £9,000 was ex- pended in the restoration of the lady chapel, the pres- hytery, in the rebuilding of the clerestory, in the new roofing of the choir and nave, in providing a stone pulpit of great beauty, a new reredos to supply the place of that erected by Bishop Marshall, a s$lilia richly carved in Caen stone, in fixing buttresses which were needed for the support of the building, and also to add to its beauty, in supplying the interior with seats of oak, and other work which was required in that portion of the building which still remained under cover. These things were completed in 1857, and that portion of the building was once more opened for public worship. It was felt that what was then wanted to give completeness to the work was the reconstruction of the roof of the side aisles, the laying of the floor with encaustic tiles, providing ail organ, a bishop's throne, stalls for the clergy and choir, the warming and light- ing of the building and when this was done the western portion of the building must still have been approached, as it had been for years, through the ruin of the western part of the nave. The effect of these restorations in the altered appearance of the restored parts of the building so filled with admiration the thousands of visitors who attended the re-opening of the cathedral, when the sermon was preached by the Bishop of Oxford, and at the luncheon which followed, the present Dean, who was then Archdeacon of Llan- daff, made a powerful appeal for assistance, that a very large number of gentlemen present, headed by J. Bruce Pryce, Esq., started a subscription for the entire restoration of the whole edifice, and the sum of £3,500 was promised at the meeting and a resolution was passed that the work should go on until the whole building had recovered once more its full measure of ancient beauty. The sum then raised was augmented by many very valuable gifts. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales gave flOO the Marquis of Bute, through his trustees, gave £ 1,000. These and other sums flowed in rapidly, and the restoration went on again under the care of the present Dean, who suc- ceeded Dean Conybeare in 1857, and who, as great a lover of architecture as his predecessor, entered with even greater zeal into the completion of the work which bad been so auspiciously begun and one of his greatest joys has been that he has lived to see the completion of the work on which he had worked with so much energy and zeal. By 1866 Mr. Wood's "new west front," which for more than a cen- tury had cut the nave in two, had been removed, the western front carefully restored, stone by stone the roofless walls of the western bays had been re- covered, the side aisles and the clerestory had been rebuilt. The arcade of arches had been restored, but they still exhibited the marks of the ivy which for centuries had grown on the walls. The whole of the western portion of the nave and the side aisles had been laid with encaustic tiles, the parapet had been completed from the eastern to the western end. A handsome teakwood door, with carved iron work, had been set up in the main entrance from the west. The chapter house has been thoroughly restored the upper floor has been completely remodelled, the lower part restored, several of the windows filled with stained class, and the floor has been also laid with encaustic tiles, and its lofty conical roof serves like a transept to break up the extreme length of the south front. Three pictures, painted by M. Rosetti, filled the reredos arches. A lectern, and other things had also been provided, to- gether with three stained glass -windows, by individual assistance. Again an appeal was made by the Dean. Vv hat was wanted, said the Dean, was the rebuilding of the south-west tower that was destroyed in 1722, as without that the unrivalled west front would remain incomplete the completion of the fleelie, and the re- storing of the battlements of the north-west tower. A subscription of £2,000, supplemented by a grant of £5,000 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, have enabled these wants to be supplied. The cost of this portion of the work has been about £8,000, and'with the £5(){) legacy of the late E. P. Richards, this large expenditure has been nearly met. The last and most important part of the work of restoration has been the repairing of the north-western tower, and the erection of the south-western one. The north-western tower has been simply restored, repaired where necessary, but the main features remain as they were at the time of its erection by Jasper Tudor. It has been surmounted by an elaborate lofty pierced battlement. Three of the angles are marked by turrets of open work of uniform design, and the fourth, which encloses the staircase, is of a larger proportion and terminates in a short spire. The greatest work of the whole is the erection of the south-west tower, the foundations of which were laid in 1858, but with not the least hope that the work would be accomplished in this generation. In the other portions of the cathedral the architect has closely fol- lowed the plan of the original building but of the south-western tower nothing remained which could guide him in its design, and he has therefore executed a tower of noble and majestic proportions, which, while quite in keeping with the rest of the build- ing, surpasses all others in the Principality for the beauty and richness of its details. The new tower is built externally of handsome wrought ashlar Avork of different descriptions of oolites, harder in their texture than that of the Bath quarries. The bulk of these stones came from the Dundry and Campden quarries, the latter stone from its golden tint imparting a cheerful and warm expression to the work. The lower part of the tower, internally up to ite groined ceiling, is lined with Bath stone, but from the first floor upwards it is lined throughout with strong flat bedded stones, from the valuable Radyr quarry, which is composed of conglomerate or red limestone. At intervals there are thick strong bond courses of this material, formed of huge stones dovetailed together with lead, and whether to this or the soundness of its construction generally, is to lie attributed the remark- able fact that there is not even a symptom of a settle- ment in a building, which, to be exact, has attained the height of 195ft, 7in. to the top of its vane, we know not. We have before mentioned that the lower stage of the tower is groined, and to resist this thrust, massive but handsome buttresses project at the west, south-west, and south-east angles, which, as soon- as they have discharged the duties required of them, ter- minate in open canopies, with pyramidal roofs 'each canopy contains a figure: that of the west, St. Peter; that of the south-west, St. Paul; and the south-east, Bishop Ollivant. The two former are the saints to whom the church is generally regarded as having been dedicated, while the latter marks the epoch of the structure. Im- mediately above the south aisle roof, against which this tower abuts, is a range of beautiful arches, filled with imagery, consisting of the four Apostles in a sitting posture, with their feet resting on their well-known insignia. At first sight this looks as if we are going to catch the architect tripping and indulging in a playful and picturesque freak, but a little closer examination reveals its meaning, and converts our sus- picions into admiration for the skill with which a great difficulty has been overcome. It seems that the original tower, the lines of which were followed, was a parallelogram. It became, there- fore, necessary to reduce it to a square in order to carry the octagonal spire hence this happy device of arches under a series of stone gablets," wnich die into a deep range of laminated courses. As soon as it leaves its buttresses the tower shoots up in a grand unbroken line, campanile-like, scarcely interrupted by its cor- nice until it ends in its pinnacles, which in their turn are fused with those of the spire but more of this presently. The tower, exclusive of the spire, is 104 feet to the top of its parapet, and is divided into three stages the first is within the church, and is hand- somely groined over, being lighted by two well-propor- tioned windows in its west and south faces. The second forms the ringing floor, and communicates with the passage in the triforium. This is lighted by very telling but simple two-light windows in its east, west, and south faces then above this comes the grand belfry stage, the conception of which is evidently bor- rowed with excellent taste from the west gable of the nave. It is recessed back within two broad piers at angles, forming a panel as it were, shelving up by laminated courses to the cells of the windows,, and again brought to the original face of the work over the windows by a singularly effective machicolated cor- nice. The windows themselves, which are in the four faces of the tour, consist of two lights, which are moulded and relieved by red and green columns in their jambs, which act also as mullions. These windows are flanked on either side by handsome niches under pointed arches, filled with sculptured figures represent- ing all Rations, resting on ornate pedestals, which die into the sloping laminated courses formmgthe sills, and surmounted by elegant canopies. Above the arohes of these windows, out of their spandrils as it were, pro- trude in watchful attitude the heads of those men who have most distinguished themselves in the conversion of the nations over the types of which they are placed. Above the machicolations runs a not over-developed cornice, which is nevertheless very telling, with its angles adorned by the common insignia acting as gurgoyles, and over the cornice comes a good arcaded parapet, and the manner in which this is fused and connected with the roof of the spire is deserving of all praise. It is clear that Mr. Prichard is not satisfied with the way in which English spires leave their towers; for, having used throughout an admirable English type, he boldly espouses a French form, to enable him to grapple with the difficulty of recon- ciling the tower with its spire, which is so seldom done well, even in the best of our old towers. Few can bear that crucial test of being seen on the diagonal line so well as this one. The continuous growth of