The London Welshman

Notes from South Wales. (From our Special Correspondent.) A Bad Commencement. Aberystwyth Town Council has commenced the new year badly, several of the councillors indulging in personalities of a most lively description at a recent meeting. Children! Children Mr. Dan Roberts. It is interesting to note that at the recent West Glamorgan Calvinistic Methodist monthly meeting, Mr. Dan Roberts, brother of the famous Evan Roberts, was accepted as candidate for the ministry. A Good Hit. Mr. Llewellyn Williams made a good hit, when, at a public meeting of the electors in Llanelly the other night, he observed that the Conservatives had brought out a candidate who could not even pronounce the name of Llanelly properly. Roars of laughter greeted this remark. Laughable. The Swansea Public Library Committee at their recent monthly meeting resolved that the Welsh Librarian be permitted to purchase any valuable Welsh book, and expend a sum on the Welsh books to the extent of £5 (five pounds); but not beyond that amount without the per- mission of the Book Purchasing Committee." No comment is necessary on the above. "Dafydd Ab Owilym." Dewi Vychan," one of the LONDON WELSH- MAN'S regular South Wales subscribers, delivered a capital paper on Dafydd Ab Gwilym at a recent meeting of the Cymru Caerdydd. There is a growing desire amongst Welshmen to know more about the Welsh Chaucer. Shakespeare and Wales. I don't know what Shakespeare would have done were it not for Wales. He drew largely upon Wales—as most of the English have done, and do. He borrowed Puck, and the scenery which adorns one. of his most beautiful plays, i.e., Midsummer Night's Dream, from us."— Rev. Sinclar Evans, Swansea. Curious Swansea Incident. There was a curious incident at Swansea last week. A Hindoo applied to the local magis- trates for an order to have the dead body of his brother burned or carried out to sea, in accord- ance with his religion. The Hindoo was greatly dismayed on hearing how much cremation would cost. The magistrates consequently made arrangements to have the body carried out to sea for interment. Petty Spite. Some time ago, an Aberystwyth weekly made some spiteful references to Mr. Llewellyn Williams, and the Tory Llanelly Guardian now reproduces one of them in order to try and damage Mr. Llewellyn Williams in the eyes of the Llanelly electors. The Guardian refers to the print alluded to as "a leading Radical Welsh weekly." This is quite erroneous, how- ever. The correct description would be "the leading Shon Bob Ochr and anti-Welsh weekly." Churchmen and the Election. It is a great mistake to think that every Church- man will vote for a Conservative candidate, as a matter of course. There are hundreds of Liberal Churchmen in South Wales. They do not talk much on politics, for reasons that are obvious, and they know that the ballot is secret. Two of the Liberal candidates, viz., Mr. Frank Edwards (Radnorshire) and Mr. Vaughan Davies (Cardiganshire), are good Churchmen there are at least six Liberal clergymen in South' Wales, whilst one Conservative newspaper, the Aberystwyth Observer, has advocated Disestab- lishment. A Broad View. The following extract from the leading columns of the well-known Church newspaper, the Church Times, is cordially approved of by a considerable section of Welsh Church people :— Churchmen will, of course, be invited in every place to vote for the Conservative candidate, as being the representative of the party which best serves the Church. Or rather, their votes will be reckoned by the party organizers as safe, and the invitation a mere formality. For the Con- servative party has come to believe that, in spite of legislation against the interests of the Church, in spite of all flouts and rebuffs while the party is in power, Churchmen will obediently come to the polling-booth and cast their votes for the Conservatives. They have always done so, and official Conservatism expects that they always will. But, at the coming election, if we mistake not, Churchmen will show a more independent spirit than usual. They will not have forgotten that the Church has gained little and suffered much at the hands of the late Government." A Pathetic Incident. There was a pathetic incident at the recent Christmas dinner to the inmates of Pontypridd Union Workhouse. At the conclusion of the repast one of the elderly inmates got up and read the following lines, which he had composed for the occasion Dydd Nadolig, dydd gwyl yn mhobman Dan Ymherodraeth Brenin Prydain, Ac yn Sefydliad Pontypridd darperir gwledd i'r truan. Am hyny. byddwn lawen, na fydded neb mewn angen. Mae'r byrddau'n llawn o fwyd yn iawn, a'r cwbl oil mewn trefn; Mae'r meistr hwyr a boreu, a'r matron ar eu goreu, Y porter a'r swyddogion oil a weithiant hyd yr eithaf. Wel, bellach, 'rwy'n terfynu, gair arall garwn nodi, Sef diolch i'r boneddwyr oil, ac hefyd i bob lady. Perhaps the lines are not of first-class quality, but the pathos of the incident will be recognised. A Friendly Criticism. A writer in the South Wales Press (Llanelly) makes some friendly criticism in reference to the LONDON WELSHMAN. The writer thinks that it is not a wise policy to devote so much space" to news in English. I beg to differ. The vast majority of the London Welsh people, as well as the South Walians, are bilinguists, and I am convinced that they prefer a bilingual paper. A London newspaper, for instance, bore out this statement when it remarked in a recent issue that the LONDON WELSHMAN had "a con- siderably larger circulation" than the entirely Welsh Celt Llundaiih which it supplanted. The writer in the South Wales Press also thinks that we should not give so much space to foot- ball. In reference to that criticism, it must be remembered that the LONDON WELSHMAN is a reflex of Welsh life in all its phases, and as football plays such a prominent part in our national life we cannot very well ignore the game. Moreover, our football space is limited 11 to a column, so that we do not overdo it.

SOUTH WALES BUSINESS NOTES. [in this column, it is our intention to bring before the notice of our numerous readers the features of various businesses calcttlatcd to prove of use and assistance to them. Proprietors of shops, hotels, &oc., desirous of such publicity should communicate with us.J PIONEER LIFE OFFICE.—Young Men in South Wales desiring a profitable business should apply for part-time terms.—Inspector, Pioneer, Gwent Chambers, Cardiff.

DEATH OF LORD GLANUSK We have to record the death of Lord Glanusk,- formerly, and, perhaps, better known, as Sir Joseph Bailey. The sad event took place on Saturday at his residence, Glanusk Park, Crick- howell. Deceased was 65 years of age. Lord Glanusk, son of the late Mr. Joseph Bailey (at one time Member of Parliament for Sudbury and Herefordshire), was born on April 7th, 1840. He was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford, and in 1858 succeeded his grandfather in the baronetcy, which was created in 1852, his Lordship's father having died before it became vacant. In 1861 he married Mary Anne Lucas, daughter of Mr. Henry Lucas, M.D., Glanyrafon, Breconshire, and had issue of several sons and daughters. He is succeeded by Colonel the Hon. J. H. Russell Bailey, of the Grenadier Guards. He was first returned to Parliament as one of the iVlembers for Herefordshire in 1865 in the Conservative interest. In 1875 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of the county of Brecon, suc-, ceeding Lord Tredegar, and in 1883 he was unanimously elected chairman of Quarter Sessions. Upon the redistribution of Parlia- mentary seats in 1885, he contested the Ross Division of Herefordshire, and was defeated by the Liberal candidate, Mr. M. Biddulph. In the following year he accepted an invitation to con- test Hereford city, and defeated Mr. Pulley, the Gladstonian Liberal candidate. He lost his seat in 1892, and did not again seek re-election to Parliament. During his Parliamentary career he was chairman of several important Com- mittees, including that of the Manchester Ship Canal. Lord Glanusk represented the Llangattock division on the Breconshire County Council since the establishment of that body, of which he had been an invaluable member. He was chairman of the Llangattock School Board for many years, for over 20 years he was chair- man of the Crickhowell Board of Guardians, and he was also a Justice of the Peace for the county of Radnor. Since his retirement from any active part in politics, he took great interest in all matters relating to the county. He was a popular landlord, and always heartily supported the Breconshire Agricultural Society, of which he was several times president. He was an Honorary Colonel of the 1st Volunteer Battalion South Wales Borderers, and in 1893 received the long service decoration. During the greater part of the year the family resided at Glanusk Park, a well situated mansion, near Crickhowell, where in 1890 the late Duke of Clarence was entertained during his visit to South Wales. The elevation to the dignity of the Peerage conferred upon his Lordship (then Sir Joseph Russeli Bailey, Bart.) was announced in the 1899 list of New Year's honours. In October, 1901, a movement to mark the event and to offer some recognition of his Lordship's services to the county was started, and his Lordship was pre- sented with a handsome album, containing an appreciative address, signatures of the subscribers, and photogravures of Glanusk Park and of picturesque spots in the county. On the same occasion a portrait of his Lordship, also the out- come of public subscription, was unveiled in the Council Chamber of the County Hall, Brecon.

SIR EDWARD REED AND LORD RANDOLPH. In the second volume of Mr. Winston Churchill's interesting book, particulars are given of Lord R. Churchill's memorable attack upon the Admiralty in 1887, which resulted in a battle royal taking place between eminent naval experts. Lord Randolph made serious charges in regard to the construction of certain cruisers • and Mr. Winston Churchill in his work says that the deceased statesman called in to his aid Sir Edward Reed, M.P. for Cardiff, who is described as a rival constructor to Sir Nathaniel Burnaby of great repute. Sir Edward confirmed, and even aggravated most of Lord Randolph's statements.