The Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard

At the last Church Stretton Petty Sessions two men were summoned for neglecting to support their father. Their defence was, that they did not know he was their father! The mother died, it seemed, when they were young, and for many years they did not see their father. One of them was ordered to pay eighteen-pence a week on the other, who was poor, no order was made.

Correspondence. J THE FUNERAL OF THE REV. HENRY BEES. Siia,-It is to be deplored that so sad an event as the burial of this much respected man should have been made the occasion of stating that which was untrue with re- gard to the funeral ceremony. There was no "interdiction" to singing at the grave, and it is deeply to be lamented that at the solemn time of consigning to its quiet resting place the body of their venerated preacher, over zealous persons, perhaps, should have circulated this report of an "interdiction," which has appeared in the local papers. Would it not have been more in accordance with his life's teaching, for the thoughts of all to have been turned to that bright land where strifes and conflicts cease, and where distinctions of creed are not? The beautiful service of the church was most impres- sively read by the rector of Llandysilio, marked by an earnestness befitting the sacred occasion of laying in its last earthly resting place the body of a Christian brother, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life. But if the divine truths, as set forth in the burial ser- vice of the Church of England, failed to give consola- tion and holy resignation to the heavenly Father's will, to the mourners, it could only be matter of deep sorrow to the minister who performed the last holy ordinance, he being unable to admit other forms or rites. It must be clear, therefore, to all people free from hatred to the church free from bigotry, and free from the want of "charity, which thinketh no evil," that any inadequacy in the sacred service our Nonconformist brethren may have felt, was not owing to the "meanness and intoler- ance" of the rector, as reported, nor yet to his being "impervious to a sentiment of natural sorrow," but rather to his performing the ordinances as a* minister of the church faithfully. Yours, &c., A. B. THE WELSH LANGUAGE. SIR,-The letter of Mr Rowlands can, certainly, excite no animosity;" for it is distinguished, as everything that he writes is, by good feeling and thoughtfulness. I think, however, that there is something to be said on the other side, and, perhaps, you will kindly allow me to try to say it. 1st—It is quite right that Welshmen should learn English, but it does not follow that they should forget Welsh. Bi-lingual peoples (i. e. peoples speaking two languages) are not uncommon in the world, and, I believe, they are always remarkable for intelligence. The use of two languages is, in itself, a great educator, both by exercising the faculty of comparison and by keeping constantly before the mind the oft-forgotten fact that words are not things, but only the signs of things. Not long ago I overheard a most interesting conversation between Welsh peasants upon the proper English and Welsh equivalents of differ- ent Welsh and English words, that displayed a refinement of intelligence that no Englishman of much higher rank would show on such a subject. 2nd—"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;" and there are qualities of delicate poetical expression and of majestic oratorical power in the Welsh language which are peculiar to it, and which would be a sensible loss to all who re- linquished them. 3rd—I speak in no profane spirit when I venture to remind Mr Rowlands that man doth not live by bread alone." Material progress, wealth, and the art of getting on in life," are very good things in their way; but it seems to me that in the year 1869 they are perfectly able to take care of themselves. No youth of this day needs urging to haste to get rich, any more than a cat needs to be exhorted to lap milk. What is wanted is every possible effort to preserve something of spiritual life and imagination amid the overwhelming and somewhat muddy torrent of our present mode of existence, and this is exactly what the theological, poetical, and metaphysical tendency of the Welsh, so intimately bound up with their language, does for them. I heard a Lancashire millowner, the other day, marvel- ling at the insanity of Welshmen who would sacrifice a day's wages to attend a Methodist camp meeting. I con- fess that to me the Welshmen seemed far nobler and wiser as regards everything that makes life precious and beautiful. 4. I question the wisdom of trying to produce and the possibility of producing uniformity of character among races of men. Each race represents some element of power or beauty which is specially its own, and which the world can ill spare— You cannot teach Either oak or beech, To be aught but a greenwood tree;" but you may stunt them in trying to teach them. I have seen mothers tie the left hands of left-handed chil- dren behind their backs to make them use their right hands, and the left hand has been made clumsy, but the right hand has not become dexterous. So you may take from the Welsh their grace, their gen- tleness, their sense of humour, and their acuteness, without giving them English vigour. Turks and Hindoos turned into sham Europeans are the greatest rascals on the face of the earth,—and it is the stupid though well-meant attempts of Englishmen to cut the character of other races after the English pattern that has made England the most detested of all countries in the world. It is far better to seek harmony in diversity than to produce discord through uniformity. Let the Welshman be the loyal and loving neighbour of the Englishman, ad- miring the virtues of his fellow-subject the Saxon, but preserving in his own person the diverse but not antagon- istic qualities of the Cymro. No nation has grander points in its character than the English, but it may be questioned whether it would be an unmixed gain to merge the qualities of the Welsh in that peculiar phase of civilization which has produced the com- mercial nwrality of our day, or to assimilate the Mor- wynion GlAn Meirionydd" to the Girl of the Period." Yours, truly, TYSILIO. CORWEN FISHING. SIR,-In reply to the letter from Diva" on the Dee Fisheries at Corwen, with reference to a report in one of your North Wales contemporaries of the 13th inst., of what took place at a recent meeting at Corwen on the above subject, I beg distinctly to state that the report in question was a fair, impartial, and correct statement of what took place at the meeting, and of the feeling of the general public on the matter. If Diva resides in Corwen (as he professes to do) he must know that very shortly after the old Glyndwr Association in such an unaccountable manner came to a collapse, an alarm was spread that the "gallant gentleman" "Diva" alludes to was actively at work with the object of procuring the right of fishing from the landowners in the old Associa- tion's preserves in the Dee near Corwen. It may be that the report was so far incorrect that the gallant gentle- man" was negotiating, not for himself but for the Berwyn Association, but that would not have much diminished the alarm of the Corwen residents, who are naturally zealous to encourage anglers and visitors to come to the neighbourhood by providing a well-kept fishing preserve at a moderate charge, and it is well-known that the Berwyn preserve tickets cost 23 3s. for the season, whilst those of the Glyndwr preserve cost only 21 Is. This is an object with many anglers who can only spare time to give evual and short visits, in their devotion to the "gentle art," away from the smoke and bustle of town life, to Edeirnion's salubrious vale. In an incredible short time requisitions on the subject were addressed to the Hon. C. H. Wynn and W. Wagstaff, Esq., signed by almost every resident in the town of Corwen, and it was in pursuance of these requisitions that the meeting was called at the re- quest of those two gentlemen. At that meeting a letter was read, in which it was distinctly stated that a certain owner of large property had let the fishing to the gallant gentleman, without mentioning anything of its being wanted for the Berwyn Association, and Mr Wynn and Mr Wagstaff kindly undertook the duty of waiting upon the owner, to state that a new association had been formed, and to endeavour (after explaining that the other owners of lands on the river had consented to give up their fishing to that association) to persuade the one in question to do the same. The correspondent of your contemporary and the gentlemen present at the meeting had not the least desire to damage the good fame and re- pute of a worthy and esteemed neighbour, but only to do justice to the inhabitants of Corwen; and by alluding to the gallant gentleman as "the gentleman from another parish," it did not follow that we did not recognise his landed interest, which does, I believe, extend from an- other parish to the parish of Corwen. It is not true that the alarm was "idle gossip," "a false creation, &c. of some busy scandalmonger" with a desire to damage the good fame and repute of a worthy and esteemed neigh- bour, and I shall leave the question with confidence to my fellow townsmen, as to whether or not the correspond- ent in question, or "Diva," with his mis-statements, richly merits an acquaintance with the waters of the sacred Dee." I heartily reciprocate "Diva's" desire of success to the new Glyndwr Association, and that the funds shall be devoted exclusively to river improvements; and however much I deprecate th6 appropriation of the old funds to- wards the bridge and town clock, as being unfair to the subscribers, and foreign to the objects of the association, and however much I do not admire the taste of the old association allowing itself to collapse without first con- sulting the landed proprietors (who had for so very many years rendered the association every assistance for the benefit of Corwen, causing Corwen to be the first-class fishing station it now is), and the public at large before it retired from office; yet in justice to the old association I may state that the river has been well watched under their guidance, and that subscriptions have from time to time been given out of the funds for improving the river, and encouraging the salmon to come up. But since the Salmon Fisheries Act, that branch of river preserving is taken out of the hands of local associations by government. I maintain that as to "Diva's" stating that the new church clock is in his opinion not useful, certainly not ornamen- tal," it is simply absurd and an untruth. A good public clock, such as this one in Corwen, by that eminent maker, Mr Haswell, of London, and costing as it did with all its fittings no less a sum than £66, is highly useful, as hun- dreds who daily look up to the clock on the old church tower can testify; and as to its not being- ornamental, that is purely a matter of taste; but I should much rather abide by the judgment of the gentlemen who selected the clock, and whose taste has been endorsed by the people of Corwen, than the Judgment of Diva" as given in his let- ter: As to the insinuated partiality by contributing to- wards the bridge connecting the houses of some of the old committee to farms on the! other side of the river, I dis- dain to notice it. I certainly anticipate an active and useful association with the new blood introduced by really practical anglers. Yours, &c., Corwen, 2nd March, 1869. PISCATOR.

Parliamentary. FRIDAY. In the House of Lords, the Bill for improving and ex- tending education in Scotland was read a second time. Earl Granville read a telegram received from the Governor of New Zealand, which stated that the main stronghold of the rebels had been stormed by the colonial forces with great loss to the Maoris, and the war was considered to be at an end. The Earl of Kimberley explained at some length the Government project for the more effectual sup- pression of crime, and the Bill on the subject was read a first time. In the House of Commons a great many questions were put to Ministers. Mr Cardwell had again to explain the relative positions of the War Secretary and the Comman- der-in-Chief. Mr C. Fortescue,fin reply to Mr Raikes, stated that the introducing of a Bill this session for the redistribution of seats in Ireland had not formed a part of the programme the Government had laid down for them- selves but he hinted that the election inquiries now going on might induce the House to consider whether some transference of political power was not necessary and de- sirable in the case of some of the constituencies. Mr Bright expressed an opinion, elicited by a question from Sir John Hay, that it would be inexpedient to alter the pre- sent rule of the road at sea without first obtaining the assent of other maritime nations. Replying to questions and remarks by several honourable members, Mr Childers explained that the reduction of the number of workmen employed at the dockyards commenced before the present Government came into power; that it was only a part of the general reduction that was going on in all the ship- building yards throughout the country; and that it was to this general reduction the present distress was attribut- able. With respect to Government promoting emigration of unemployed workmen, the question had been too re- cently mooted for them to come to a decision upon the subject, but his individual opinion was against the pro- posal. A motion by Mr Newdegate for a select commit- tee to inquire into the operation of Roman Catholic chari- ties was rejected. Leave was given to bring in several Bills, and amongst them a measure for amending the law for licencing beerhouses. MONDAY. THE IRISH CHURCH BILL. The intensity of the interest which was felt in the state- ment which Mr Gladstone had to make to the House of Commons was well illustrated by the proceedings of the other branch of the Legislature. The peers met at four o'clock instead of five; and their labours were confined to forwarding two or three private Bills a stage. That done, many of their lordships made their way to the Lower House, and took their places in the gallery appro- priated to their accommodation. Soon after four o'clock the Duke of Cambridge was seated over the clock, between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Duke of Argyll. On the bench behind was to observed the Lord Chan- cellor; and among other noble lords in the gallery were Lord Granville, Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, Lord Harrowby, and the Bishop of Peterborough. Dean Stanley sat beside the Lord Chancellor, and Mr Reverdy Johnson was not far off. There was a large attendance of members at prayers, nearly every place being occupied; but when once they had fulfilled the duty which entitled them to retain their places for the evening, many hon. gentlemen left the House, and crowded together in the lobby, discussing the probable character of the measure to be introduced, and the length of the speech to be de- livered by the Prime Minister. Towards half-past four o'clock, the hour at which public business commences, the benches began to fill, and when Mr Gladstone entered the House they were pretty well covered. The right hon. gentleman, who had met a most enthusiastic reception from the public assembled in Palace-yard, was warmly cheered as he took his seat. Almost the only notice of any importance was given by Mr Bruce, who fixed Thursday next as the day on which he would move for the Committee to enquire into the mode of conducting par- liamentary and municipal elections; and the enquiries addressed to Ministers failed to elicit any very interesting information. About ten minutes before five o'clock the House went into committee, and Mr Gladstone rose, amid loud cheers from his supporters, to move that the Chair- man should be instructed to move for leave to bring in a Bill to put an end to the establishment of the Church in Ireland." At that time there was scarcely a vacant seat in the body of the House, and the side galleries were also very full of members. Amongst the principal ministers on the Treasury Binch were Mr Bright, Mr Lowe, Mr Bruce, Mr Childers, and Mr Goschen, who were faced by Mr Disraeli, Lord Stanley, Mr Hardy, Sir S. Northcote, Lord J. Manners, and other leading members of the Opposition. The exordium of the Premier's address, which proved one of the finest which he has ever delivered in the House of Commons, was dignified and spirited. Putting aside as unnecessary all justification of the intro- duction of this measure from historical or political reasons, and relying upon the events of last Session, the result of the election, and the resignation of the late Ministry, as the best apology for' the course which he was now taking, he replied briefly but effectively, to the adverse arguments by which he might be met; and, having described in out- line what, in order to fulfil the declarations which were made, and to redeem the pledges which were given last year, must be the general characteristics of any measure upon this subject; he proceeded almost before it was anti- cipated by the House, to explain clearly but concisely the provisions of the particular Bill which he sought to bring in. These enactments apply to three several periods. Some of them will take effect immediately upon the passing of the Bill;, others after the 1st of January, 1871, or some other date to be fixed by Parliament; and the third class after that period, or after the completion of what Mr Gladstone described as "the winding up" of the Established Church of Ireland. As soon as the Act is passed, the existing Ecclesiastical Commission will be broken up, and a new one, the members of which will be named in the Bill, will be established, to endure for ten years. In it all the property of the church will be imme- diately vested, subject to existing life interests. Provision is made for appointments to spiritual offices, without giving the person appointed any right to the freehold, or any vested interest; all restrictions upon the action of the convocation of the Irish Church will be removed; and the Queen in Council will be authorized to recognize any new governing body which may be established for the Church, subject only to the condition that it shall repre- sent alike the bishops, the clergy, and the laity. On the 1st January, 1871, the union between the Churches of England and Ireland will be dis- solved, and the Church of Ireland will cease to be established. As a consequence of this action of the law, the Irish bishops will leave the House of Lords, all ecclesiastical corporatious in Ireland will be dissolved, the Ecclesiastical courts will lose their jurisdiction, and the ecclesiastical laws will be recognised only as the terms of a voluntary contract which will bind together the bishops, clergy, and laity, until, and unless, they shall be altered by the new governing body of the Church. By these means the work of disestablishing the Church will be com- pleted, as its technical disendowment will be accomplished immediately upon the passing of the Act by vesting all its property in the Commissioners. In order that the great launch thus contemplated may be affected smoothly, the Bill contains the following provisions for the protection of vested interests, private endowments, &c. The vested in- terests of incumbents and curates will be respected, and the income now received may be commuted for the value of a life annuity, at the rate of 3 per cent. The Church will be allowed to retain nothing that can be called mar- ketable property; but an exception will be made in favour of private endowments, received since the year 1660, amounting in value to about 2500,000. Churches in use may be taken by the new governing body, or be sold by the Commissioners and for the maintenance of twelve of these edifices, which are valuable as national monuments, grants may be made out of the church funds. The glebe houses will go with the churches, subject to certain pay- ments, and facilities will be given to the governing body to acquire small portions of glebe. Burial-grounds which are attached to churches will remain under church man- agement, subject to all rights which parliament has, or may confer upon the population* and those in which there are no churches will be placed under the management of the "uardians of the poor. The Regium Donum and the Maynooth Grant will be dealt with upon the same princi- ple-as the incomes of the incumbents and curates of the Established Church. That is, the annual sums payable will be capitalised at fourteen years' purchase, and com- muted for the sum so fixed and thus, as the Premier put it, all connection between the State and the Roman Catho- lics and Presbyterians will be wound up. The Bill coie tains clauses to facilitate the redemption by landlords of the tithe rent charge, and to deal with what are called perpetuity purchases and upon this part of the sub- ject it further provides that the new Ecclesiastical Com- missioners shall retain no land in their possession, and that in all sales a right of pre-emption shall be reserved to the tenants, with the additional advantage that they may leave three-fourths of the purchase money on mortgage, to be liquidated by instalments, making the whole repayable in twenty-two years. While Mr Gladstone was speaking of tithe rent-charges and perpetuities, the attention of the House somewhat languished; but this proposal for the benefit of the tenantry drew a warm cheer from the min- isterial benches below the gangway; and when the speaker announced that he had reached the financial part of the question, honourable members settled themselves afresh in their places, and seriously inclined their ears towards him. The income of the Irish Church Mr Glad- stone estimates at 2700,000 per annum. Its capital (omit- ting the details, which he gave briefly), he takes at 216,000,000; and the charges imposed or retained by this Bill at 98,650,000; leaving a balance of between seven and eight millions at the disposal of Parliament for other purposes. Assuming, as principles written in letters of iron," that this surplus must be applied to Irish purposes, and purposes not ecclesiastical, the Prime Minister dis- cussed and rejected the various proposals for its appropri- ation to religion, education, puMic works, railways, aDd the relief of the poor; and amid almost breathless atten- tion announced, by reading the preamble of the Bill, that- it was proposed to devote it "to- the relief of inevitable calamity and suffering." The feeling with which this an- nouncement was received appeared to be one of general surprise and disappointment; bat as the right hon. gentle- man dwelt upon the claims which lunatics, the deaf and uumD, the blind, idiots, &c., have upon the public for a larger measure of assistance and instruction than can be given under the Poor Law, and the suffer- ings which are occasioned to small oecupiers by the levying of the county cess for the maintenance, even, in an imper- fect form, of county asylums, infirmaries, industrial schools, and other similar institutions—the annual charge for which amounts to R311,000-more, sympathy seemed excited, for his proposal; and his earnest appeal for a full consideration of what he believed would prove a good plan was responded to by a hearty cheer. The peroration of Mr Gladstone's address (which occupied three hours and twenty minutes in delivery) was a fine specimen of lofty and manly eloquence, and was delivered in an animated and impressive manner, free from any tincture of pompo- sity or inappropriate solemnity. The enthusiastic cheers amid which the orator sat down spread to the gallery, and some of the strangers expressed their admiration by dap- ping their hands. When these cheers had subsided, Mr Disraeli rose, calm and suave and, after declaring that he was as much opposed as ever to disestablishment and disendowment, expressed his good pleasure to allow the in- troduction of the Bill, but asked that it might not be read a second time for three weeks. Mr Gladstone declined to fix this stage for a later date than Thursday, the 18th- in- stant; and, this compromise being accepted, the Bill' was brought in without further opposition. The other business done calls for no special attention, and soon afterwards the House adjourned. TUESDAY. In the House of Lords the Earl of Clarendon proposed the second reading of the Brazilian Slave Trade Bill. The object of the Bill is to repeal what is knowu as the Aberdeen Act," which was intended to remain in force- only so long as the Brazilian Government failed to carry out its obligations with regard to the slave trade. After a discussion, in which Lord Chelmsford, the Bishop of Oxford, Lord Cairns, Earl Grey, and Earl Granville took part, the second reading was agreed to, as was also the second reading of the Common Law Courts (Ireland) Bill. Their Lordships adjourned at 6'15 p.m. In reply to an absurd question put in the House of Commons by Sir T. Bateson, Mr Fortescue said there was no intention on the part of the Government to recom- mend the appointment of Cardinal Cullen as a Privy Councillor. A question which was on the paper, but which was not put, with reference to the vacant living of Valentia, in the county of Kerry, elicited from Mr Gladstone a brief statement as t6 the course which he deemed it advisable to adopt in such cases. Care would be taken that the spiritual wants of the people would not in be neglected in a parish where a vacancy occurred; but in the case of such places as Valentia, where only one- fortieth of the population belonged to the Established Church, he approved of temporary provision being made, rather than a new appointment, which would create a vested interest for life. Several other matters were then brought before the House, including notice of a Bill by Mr Forster for the regulation of the Cattle Trade. AGRICULTURE. Mr ACLAND moved for a Select Committee to inquire into the expediency of committing to some one depart- ment the duty of dealing with administrative and legisla- tive questions affecting agriculture. The great objects which Mr Acland professed to have in view were the re- moval of all obstacles to the employment of capital in agriculture, either in the law or its administration, the prevention of improvident works, and the diffusion of ac- curate information: and, among other subjects for this department, he indicated the transfer and improvement of land, including cottages; the internal communications of the country; the regulation of the cattle traffic; the water supply, both of town and country; and the appoint- ment of official arbitrators for valuing the interests of out- going tenants: Disclaiming strongly the creation of a separate Ministry of Agriculture, he preferred the refer- ence of these matters to a separate department in some existing public office, presided over by a permanent officer. And, after discussing the qualifications of the various offices suggested, such as the Home Office, Privy Council Office, Enclosure Commissioners, and so on, he leaned decidedly towards the Board of Trade, and created some merriment by assuring Mr Bright that at a farmers' Par- liament he had just attended, the strongest desire was ex- pressed by the farmers present to place themselves in his hands. Mr GOLDNEY rather scoffed at the immense range of multifarious subjects which Mr Acland had suggested for a committee, and preferred that each case of agricultural grievance should be dealt with as it was proved; but on the other hand, Sir S. NORTHCOTE, while guarding himself carefully against many of the views expressed by Mr Acland, thought he had made out a good prima facie case for an inquiry whether one department of the State should not be charged with all matters relating to agriculture. The motion for an inquiry was supported by Mr Pell, who thought the sewage question of itself justified it; by Lord Henley, who laid principal stress on the road ques- tion; and by Mr Corrance and Lord F. Cavendish; but Mr Newdegate, on the other hand, treated it as entirely unnecessary. Mr BRIGHT, in reply, pointed out that agriculture and trade were pretty much in the same condition of having their interests looked after by different offices. This was not a very defensible thing, but he doubted whether a committee would discover so satisfactory a remedy as a consultation of the heads of departments among them- selves. Agriculture, however, in Mr Bright's opinion, had never less to complain of, and the notion of agricul- turists applying to either the Board of Trade or to the House of Commons, reminded him of the lady who sent for the doctor, "because she felt so well she was sure something was going to happen to her." Sun and shower and industry would do more for agriculture than Govern- ment or Legislature, and his advice to farmers was to come as little as possible to any Government office. The Home Secretary was even now considering whether there could be any interchange of functions between the different offices; and if anything could be done in furtherance of the objects of the motion it should be carried out. Satisfied with this assurance, Mr Acland withdrew his motion. Mr H. B. Sheridan, member for Dudley, obtained leave to bring in a Bill for the repeal of the Ratepaying Clauses, Mr Gladstone observing that although Government had a scheme to attain the same end, there would be no disad- vantage in discussing an independent measure. The House adjourned shortly after nine o'clock. [For remainder of Parliamentary see next page.]

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY. A special meeting of the proprietors of this company was held at the offices, Paddington, on Wednesday week, Sir Daniel Gooch, M.P., in the chair. The CHAIRMAN, in the course of his address, said that the meeting had been called for the purpose of obtaining the assent of the shareholders to the provisions of a bill to be brought into Parliament during the present session, for conferring further powers on the Great Western Railway Company in relation to their own undertakings and the undertakings of other companies, and for other purposes," and he would shortly call their attention to those matters which would put the meeting in possession of the objects they had in view. The first clause sought for powers to be given to the company for constructing a siding into their Burrows Lodge property at Swansea, and so to connect it with their main line. The next was the expediency of the company being empowered to make a railway of two miles in length, near Dolgelley, to connect the Bala and Dolgelley undertaking with the branch line to Penmaenpool of the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast line of the Cambrian Railways Company. The little link between these lines had not been carried out, owing to a want of means and therefore it was proposed that the Great Western Company should step in, if the line was not constructed within the next few months, and com- plete the undertaking themselves at a cost not exceeding £ 14,000 or £ 15,000. The next clause was to acquire a small piece of land at Barmouth, whereon to erect an engine-house; and other clauses recited the expediency ot the Midland, the North-Western, and the Mid Wales companies being empowered to use the Great Western Barton Station at Hereford; the desirability of the com- pany being allowed to apply a. portion of its capital to the purposes of the Wenlock, the Vale of Llangollen, the Llangollen and Corwen, the Corwen and Bala, and the Bala and Dolgelley Railways, and the expediency of its being empowered to exercise borrowing powers in connec- tion with the Stourbridge, the Wellington and Severn Junction, the Wellington, the Nantwich, the Leominster and Kington, the East Somerset, the Corwen and Bala, the Vale of Llangollen, the Llangollen and Corwen, and the Bewdley Companies, respectively. All these latter companies, which formed part of the main system, had separate mortgages under their seals, for which the Great Western were responsible and, it was believed, by having them under the Great Western seal instead, a great ad- vantage would be conferred on the shareholders. MR" WOOD, deputy-chairman, seconded the motion, which was carried. Mr PARSONS inquired if the Shrewsbury and Chester preference stock would be affected in any way by clause 56, as, under the Act of 1867, the company had special powers to convert those preference shares into rent-charge stock. He wished for a distinct pledge to be given that such shares should not be interfered with. Mr YOUNG, solicitor to the company, said that the bill would not effect the slightest change in the property alluded to. Their rights would remain intact under th* bill of 1867.