The Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard

1 MEETING AT WELSHPOOL. In compliance with an influentially signed requisition the Mayor of Welshpool, Mr Thomas Morris, convened a meeting, which was held in the Town Hall on Friday evening, October 25th, at six o'clock, to take into cotwidera* tion the desirability of promoting a railway from Welsh- pool to Llanfair. The Mayor presided, and there were present Mr C. Howelltz, Mr Thomas Bowen, Mr E. Jones, Mr W. Withv, Mr E. Rider, Mr J. Hickman, Mr Joseph Davies, Mr John Jones, the Depository Mr W. W. Rogers, Mr William Baxter, Mr J. Whitehall, Mr T. Kemble Williams, Mr W. T. Parker, Mr A. Agnew, Mr W. Rogers, &c. After the Town Clerk had read the rtquisition, The MAYOR said that next day a meeting was to be held at Llanfair about making a railway, and it was ftlt that some steps should be taken to have Welshpool represented at that meetintf. If a line of railway were made from Llanfair to-Liansaintffraid or Four Crosses, it would injure the ttade of Welshpool very seriously, as the people would then go to Oswestry or Shrewsbury instead of to Welshpool. A considerable portion of the business of Welshpool depended upon Llanfair and the neighbour- hoo&, and he was strongly of opinion that someone should be at the Llanfair meeting, to let the people there know Wh:&t the wishes of the Welshpool people were, and see if something could not be done to bring the line to Welsh- pool, which was undoubtedly the proper place for it to come to. (Applause.) Mr WILLIAM BAXTER mcvcd a resolution to the effect that the project of a railffa^ from Welshpool to Llanfair was deserving of the utmost support of the inhabitants of Pool, and said the inhabitants of Llanfair were determined to have a line either to Llansaintffraid, Four Crosses, or Welshpool, and of -coars-, there could be no question as to which of the route-i it was their interest to promote. He was of opinion that 'm of the people of Liantsir were in favour of the line to Welshpool. If, VioweveT. the line was made to Fo-nr Crosses or Llansaintffraid the people would go either to fihre wsbury or Oswestry, anft-they would never see their iates in Welshpool. (Cheet sl Mr seconded the motion, and said that the mat- ter practically resolved itself into the ^qnestiirtfi of the land- owners' consent. They could do nothing against the land- owners, and he thought the best thino, to ds was to ascer- tain their feeling as to the proposed rtilvtyt. (Hear, hear.) The motion was carried unanimously. MT BoVrfeS said it would be a very SERIOUS l-SS to Welsh- pool if the railway was made to arrV ether place, and he moved that Mr C. Howells, who Was going to Llanfair next flay, should lay before fcte meeting there the re3olu- tions and proceedings of that meeting. „ Mr PARKER seconded this, and-suggested that the toe should be broad gauge.. „ jlr:E. D. HARRISON suggested that-some one in addition i to Mr Howells should go to tlaiifair,to express the opanion | of Welshpool, and said if the line were made to LlarEmint-: ftraM-or Four Crosses, tks people would have to travel' fifteen miles instead of nine or ten. Of course they could; do't.f) thing without the ooncurrttice of the landowners, j He believed some of them were*favourable, and he knew that Mr Pryce, of Cyfreaydd, dW'^iot object.^ (Applause.), Ultimately it was agreed that the following gentlemen should attend the Llanfair meeting:—Mr Charles Howells, Mr J. Jones, Mr A. Agnew, Mr R. D. Harrison. Mr Pa.rker, Mr W. Humphreys, Mr Baxter, and Mr Rider. The surveys for the Une were all made some years -age, and are now available. Thef route would be, ftocording to those pl.ms, from Welshpool past Lord Powis's -saW feriKs, through Dysserth Bingle, past the Pwll Trefnant, '-and Waterloo to Castle Caereiiiifcc, and Dolarddyx, and 'cisng the south bank of the Verniew, to Llanfair. The line would be seven roles aii.,Jl a, quarter in length, and the-nar- row gauge would 'cost i538,000, and the broad £ auge 260,000. -—

THE PROPOSED RAILWAY TO LDAXGYN OG-. IffEETl-Me AT OSWESW. On Monday, Octoberi28th, a town's nseetingj Ccnvened by the Mayer, in compliance with a wanrerouSjy-signed requisition, was held' in the Guildhall, for the purpose of considering what steps should be tak«R in the matter of the projected line of railway between Osw"try-and Llan- gynog, and how the interests of the town 'c&ulQ best be protected. The Mayor (C. G. Bayley, q) ocanpied the chair, and -the attendance included Messrs T. Hill, C-1 Minshall, T. MinsheAl, E. Shaw, ffshn MOFPIS, W. H. I Spaull, J dIm Phillip- R. H. Venafeles, Henry Davies (Town Clerk), E."Woodall, John T'fcomas,;E. Whitfield; T. Whitfield, E. "Thomas, D. C. Baviss, D.-Vsughan, smd others. The TeWK having read the reqaiiitioa, to which 101 signatures were appended, The M&yo-r said be had coavenefi the meeting in ordoer that the inhabitants of the town mhthave an opportu- nity,of cxpresgirtr -,their opinions as torth<i line of railway; which it was proposed to cop-strud lbetweer, Oswestry and Llangyeeg, and tc learn whether-tke town was in favour | of, and .prepared t» support, that pr<jj«ct. He pointed <wt j the advantages1: the town had engoy-ed fror-, its connection with the Cambrian Railways—how its trade had received considerable impetus, and its population increased nearly one-thi?rL arked that -in the present scheme there ? was HO intentici: or wish to DIG are "the Cambrian iiae in; the least degree, but OD. the C(rntrary, -,a desire to go han<f-i»-hand"'wfeh them. There was a large strip df country, neaFly twenty miiee dn ileng tb, between Oswe-øbry: and iLlatigynag, a district rich 4u minorals, with tflate, qutrries, lead mines, and other works "which were unde- veloped owinh the want ef railway oaniKiunication wità f the «cter -wdrld. Oswestry was oleatly the natural outlet for that district, and in promoting-aucka liwe they might lookfor,! assistau--e,frointhe owners of thec names; End other works. S: It had ooan. originally intended that the proposed r<-»ste shoRM fee by-way of the Lawnt, but this ^iad been ssbse- qwently abaftrioned, because ■it had been -ascertained that "if' carried oat, it would entail ver^-heavy««f;t, because of the engineering cKSculties. They re; rlsit-ous of Beeping; the wiShes of the LIansilin and iLlanrhaiadr peoplem ev: way they could, but they wanted to oeastruct the Mee by' tàe shortest, cheapest, a»d «aost^irect -roate. He wjtieed by the morning papers that ether districte were taking Ttp the snljject of railway ooeemunieationiaid extensioa. At Llanfair Ctrereinion a meeting ksd been held, with the obj-set «f. constructing a line between that town and IF-oui Cresses, thraugh the Meitod valfey. itvwas also statelm Ule prs that the Welehpeel people were prepared to come 4iowQ-v."fch the handsome sum- ef -416,000 "towards malring a line-between their t« wn and .Llaxfair. He treated that ti-e matter would also be tafeon «p in the same liberal spirit by the town of Oswestry. Mr T. E. MTNSHALL said (there was more than one route, wikiek «»ight be taken, but in feis opimoK the one which would <be8tserve the interests of Oswestry, would be ikat] owHrmtmeing with a junction of the Cambrian Railway, and pamiagaiear Morda, Trefooea, Vitntmxwr go eitherw$>the Sychtyai orSjrecarth valley, as soar .UarrfiJin aa possible, thenee by Lloran-issa to near Llanrhaiadr, from which point the eourcye of the river would be followed to Llan-: gyaog. Sf this coute was adopted, 801 junction could be; foroaed with-the Shrewsbury and Potteries line at a near SlatEtma'WXf <and with the Caaibniariltailway, at XTu± Tree Wharf. It would be well for the meeting to deeide which way the line shookl go, up the HEychtyn or the SyoeaffBh .valley. There was another-scheme which had been brought forwa.-d for making a:line.fr«m Llanfyliin to LLuigyjaqg, and this had beee tafeet up with-.csuch enterprise j and euerxy by the people cf IHaofynin;but in his opirfioii the Oswestry aaS Llangynog line would sfee the best to acconanaodate the._general interest8«f:the-c«Kntry, beeaese the Llan^iiin, and Llangyaeg liae wottld leave a vast j distri-et entirely. untouched. Mr Jqxv THQJ3i.« thought that a line attaining by Kant- mawr, Peniiiiw, .and up the Syeearth valley would have j the best piesenger traffic, becsuuse the Sychtyn valley was j such a barren district. By ruMsang ju,p -the Syccarfch: valley they would foe able to tap the Tzmt valley die- trict. Mr ShaTSF nqkod whether the eagsneer ^AS prepared to offer any estimate of the cost of construction? Mr T. E. thought that if constructed on the ordinary gassge, the system which be would most strongly recommend, the cost would bs about £ 6»00G per mile; if constructed as a narrow gauge line, the cost wculd be about £ 4,000 per mile.. After further reuiathfi from Messrs D. C. iEivies and John jThomas, ,r ri It was revived, ..osi the motion cf MR E. SHAW, ssconded by Mr T. MINSHALL—" Tnat tiiis meeting, ^having heard fwm Mr T. E. Minshall, C.E,,i teat a good and practicable line of railway can be constriieted between Oswestry, Llaneilin, Islaarhaiadr, and L^angynof;, forming ar tnetion with the hrewsbury and Potteries Railway, and aleo with the Cambrian tfiailway, is of opinion • triat such hue 18 best calculated -to accommodate the district, and undertakes to support it-to the utmost of its power:" A committee, consisting of the Mayor, Messrs John Thomas, J. Phillips, R. fi.JEughes, E.Shaw, i0>. C.sBavies, J ohr. Jones (Aahlands), W.F. Rogers, and Hemsy'Davies (Towp Clerk), was appointed to confer with the engineer, and .canvass the town for subscriptions. Mr H. VENABLES proposed, and Mr RILL eecocfed, a vofce of thanks to the Mayor for presiding.

SHROPSHIRE AND THE POOR LAWS. j It is a cem irk able fact that ttbs only recent practical! contributieiic of much yalue to the solution of the difficult ;1 question of Pauperism are suppled by neighbouring:1 Unions in the county of Salop. In his reccnt charges at' Shrewsbury and Oswestry Mr KEi'SON referred to the conspicuous decrease that has taken place in the number r of vagrants, and rightly attributed it, in large measure, to ti-O adoption of what is now known as the Oswestry Tramp System, which was invented by Mr FufXHER and first tried in the workhouse where he is Master, Of the sys- tem, and the sound piiuciples on which it is based, we have written on previous oceasions: of its results it is scarcely necegmry to s peak; and our present purpose is to deal with the successful experiment made at Atcham under the guidance of one of the ablest administrators of Union and County business the country ever possessed, the late Sir BALDWIN LEIGHTON. Cassell's Magazine for the present month contains an article by Professor FAWCETT on The Poor Law and the Poor," in which Sir BALDWIN LEIGHTOK'S system is used as the aptest illustration the writer could find to enforce the principles which he lays down with characteristic force and perspicuity. Professor FAWCBTT seewa to confound the present baronet with his father, but it is a njisteke that cannot be woi^red at, when we know how Sir a*I;.PWYN his identified himself with the practical discission of the question and made known to the world kte Chairman of i Atebag) Boar4» It is to be hoped that every intelligent poor-law Guardian will take the trouble to obtain the magazine we have mentioned and to read Mr FAWCETT'S convincing paper, for the example of Atcham is sufficient to show how much may be done in the way of diminishing paupsiism, even in the present defective state of the law. A reform of the law, of course, is the object at which we must aim, and, as far as the discussion has yet proceeded, it is something like a return to the spirit of former Acts, rather than any legislative novelty, that appears to be needed. In a word, a more rigid application of the "workhouse test" is the only measure yet suggested that promises to deal effectually with the evil; and Professor FAWCETT'S paper may ba called an historical defence of that measure. In a rapid but singularly eomprehensive history of the Poor-law, he shows how the use of the workhouse test has always re suited in th decrease of pauperism, and the abolition or relaxation ot tne test, in a corresponding increase, coining can ba more marked thanjthe way in which the number of paupers keeps pace with the amount of out-door relief administered, and it must be accepted as an indisputable f<;t that the wtrkhouse test is the great corrective of pauperism. In 1815, by the passing of East's Act; the test Was entirely abolished, and from that time the condition of the labouring classes rapidly became worse; and Professor FAWCSTT shows how the system then,and to far too great an extent still, administered injuriously affects the labour market, keeps prices down, and produces an un- natural condition otsociety which has v/retched results both for the labourer aril the ratepayer. The wages of the able-bodied labourers were almost universally ekefi out by allowances from tho rates, and thus employers were enabled to put their hands into the pockets of their neighbours, in order to provide the wages of their ployéil. The system appeared to be devised with the object of encouraging improvidence and indoknee. If a wan were lazy and would not work, he knew that he would receive in the form of p&rreh relief a large* einount than he Could earn as wages. Such a thing as laying by for a rtir-y day was of course entirely out of the question, as a marri could in case of sickness always obtain from the parish Itruch more than he would ever be able to-save. The more children a man had, the greater was the weekly su'n that was allotted to him from the parish. Some of the facts that were brought -out by the commission appointed, in ".1$-2 to enquire into the operation of the poor-law are most startling. It was found that in my places laud "had dropped out of cultivation «,ludgeth £ r, because the cost of Maintaining the pampers consumed more than the entire rental. In one plaoe in Berkshire the iTDoor-rate was -so hSstvy a charge, that the land was offered to the assembled paupers in exchange for the weekly grant of which they •were in receipt; btt they wisely reftasscl the offer, sing they preferred the old system. Otlier'facts as asto;urding were revealed by the commission. Thus it was shown that grants made to paupers who consented to work weto con- siderably in advsaice'Of l6he ctirrent,wages of the district; the paupers, for instance, receiving-sbcteen shillings a week where indepeadbeilt labourers received twelve shillings. It was thus brought home to every workman that "the best thing he couMdo tn improve his-position was to^become a pauper, whiileat ,the "same time he was assured that no disgrace was involved in the 1 receipt of parochial relief. Pauperism has always a tendency to become tereditary, and it was &s"und!in some instances that three-generations of the saaaae family were simultaneously in receipt of relief; in a case -of this &ind, quoted by the commissioners, one family attase had'fceen for many years in receipt of weekly grants from th&pfcrish amounting to the unmal vslue of a hundred pout-.ds., That is only a somewhat "oUaggerated pifeture of many unions i3. th-el present day, «aid it brings- forcibly home to the la&afiurer and the ratepayer the necessity for reform. Ia the^ecoftdsjskrt'of his peper, the writer, passing from his hftStorio&l summary, d"ls with thet of the ques- tion which immediately presents itself to us to-day. He shows that in lreland, where the workhouse test has been maintained, though '(¡ --wealth of; the country is only (represented by an annual income of five pounds per head while in,land it is thirteen pounds/ihe proportion of pauperism -is one in twenty, instead of -one in seventy-four as withes. A sketttk of the systemetid out at Atcham fc8k>W9,-bot need not-lbeteproduceci here, because we have ■€o often described it. We may 'p<mft;<^jain, however, to the extraordinary results which be followed the dis- ■csuragement of out-door relief, amd cforithat purpose qltøte flowing paragraph 141936. 1«56. 1870. Population = ITSE5 1988C 19,314 Paupers -1$?5 293 or 8 per-cent. orlt--per.emL orlipereent. The <expendita[rd t<M- poor relief .has been reduced more ihair" 160 per ceat. 'but the most noteworthy fact is that an entire reversal has taken place in the relations of out- door te in-door reilief. Of the lv39s>-paupers in 1836, only 196 were in the bosse 1,199 were in receipt of out-door relief. In 1810 aoaore- fakan one-ilialfoftbe total number of paupers were ia >the vrorkhoude, there being 154 in-door and 189 out-door paupers." Professor FAWCUEII antacipates hections that may be urged, first, against'the necessity ofar-y reform, wheR such excaBent reautu may 4e obtained. uaOer the present law. and -second, against the applioa-biorl-of the workhevtse test on the ground of: hazshness. -He ahows that what may look like, or reary- be, iarshneas now oad for the oompara- tivejj few, will <fce the most genuine kindness in the long run,«for the caany. Ke proves, as -v.'e have already inti- mated, that a lax *cknsmstratkii> -,of -rceief is an injury (to: ithe whole dass of agoicultural Jiibocirers as well ae to the ratefayers, &ad in one of the eaoet convincing passages-of his Taper be points ,ezt how am alteration of the ordinary systam would aweuit iin money (passing into the hands -of the indepenciemt and oon-respecting,labourer instead of the useless and degMdedpauper. We-eamiot do better than give extracts frOai those portioM df -the paper wtaoh dftl vrith the poiints we have inentiosed: Perhaps som« of the readers <xf^heserpages may imagine, flJQlII. the instanoesJuoted, that norreform is Keededia the ooor-law, feeing the-t under its idfiae«ce such beneficial results can be iPduoed. But it MKtSt-be remembered that ths success of Sir iBjddwyn Leighton in Shropshire, and cff Mios Octavia HiU, wh« has worked -sifceh wondere in the same direction ie some of the poarest parts of Marylebone, is due not to ttihe pcor-law system. ifeut to the personal, energy and strong -senKe which tliey hare devoted 60 ithe work. The good they have effected Aaa been netfeenin' spite of the poor-taw- system than by 1&e aid of tt. If every country iiDiou.aud every Cnedon parish had it -Sir Baidwyn Leigltea, at a Miss Hill to adnanister the poor- law, there w«^d he IOO Zood cawtse ofortalarm, even if the? .poor-law were ±wieeias. hed as it ww iq for it wooid be safe to assume that these indefatigable workers and dear thinkers would fead ojii some plaaoS counteracting the evil effects of the system they wese called upon to «d-! minister. The IfQOOler,, fer instasaee, has .adopted ia his! union the plan of affording relief te merabers of benefit: societies, with ,the object of rewarding and encouratiml, tprcvident habits. this plan, he says, eomes into collision witbthe rule of the poor-law it "eaanotvbe considered altogether satisfaotery.; fit is, in fact, •aHoffCther iltegr* (pageiS). The aeeeesity of adopting come plan as a pie- aller which is "altogether illegal" is a fine,satire on oar present poor-law «yeterrj. ? 5t i?> however, aliaost needless to peiat out that the resplta achieved iatGese two in- stances, being proclaced;bypwsonal work, eertainly do not affoe, any proof that the,reor-law needs no rise form. It should also be remembered, iiiat Sir BilJwyn Leighton and Miss ]gill are amongst the,i&ost earnest suppcrters of a eomplete reversal of itshe present policy of the.poor-law. And even if this were not the case, it would be the most .childish folly to rely on a supply of persons of the administrative ahSEty Baldwryn Lesghton and Atiss Hill, who are also willing to devote their lives to the laborious, gratuitous, asd generally thankless ta of re- fornaing the administration ef the poor-law. What they have donft, the poor-law affieiaic throughout the eatntry ebauld (ac far as possibie,) be compelled to do by Act of paclial11ent that is to eay, ttey.should be forbidden to afford out-daor relief to the alble-b-adied and thus, fiT,, the compulsory Application of the wctikhouse test to all appli- cants for relief except the inticrnand the aged, the way would be opened gradually to,abolish altogether the system of out-door jselief. It may, perhaps seem very cruel.to look forward to a time wheethe wcrkhouse test shall be made of universal application, even to the aged and the sick. It must, however, be remembered that sickness, old age, and death^re not unforeseen or iy:expected calamities; afi persons dependent for their livelihood on what they" are able to earp. should, therefore., make provision against those infirmitieg that flesh is heir-tcr.* The knowledge that the system of out-door relief renders them indepen- dent of the insurance they would otherwise have to make, naturally tends to prevent the laibouricg classes from making it. The present poor-law system punishes the members of provident societies and benefit clubs by ren- dering them ineligible for out-door relief; thus the strongest inducements are held out to the pcor to make no provision for inevitable misfortunes. The effect of the Qtit-relief system is accordingly, especially in the agricul- tural districts, to depress wages. The wagmof the agri- cultural labourers in many counties are fixecl by what is considered the lowest sum on which a man with a family can live. In making a calculation of what tbisjsuai is, it is not, of course, overlooked that the labourer will be attended in sickness by the parish doctor, will eat parish bread '!l he is cut of wonl, and that his wife and chil- dren will be supported by the parish in case of his death. In an article on the agricultural labourers' strike in War- wickshire, the Times referred to this fact in order, ap- parently, to prove how very satisfactory the condition of the labourer is. His wages, it is trae, were admitted to 1M low; but then the public were asked to take into considera- tion how much assistance he obtained from the rates. If out-door relief wer.e abolished, the diminution of the poor- rate would be so considerable that the farmers would be no losers by a large increase in wages; they would not suffer; there would be a transfer of money formerly required for rates into wages. Instead of giving the money indirectly to the labourers through the cumbrous machinery of the poor-law, part of the sum, at any rate, would be given to the labourers as wages. The economic benefit that would be derived from this transfer is aa obvious as Its good moral effect. No money would be lost in the process of transmission to the labourer, as must now inevitably bAt the cise with poor relief, and no moral degradation and slavish dependence would be engendered." Wg qeeg net foUow the writer further, mgre jally as we hope many of our readers who feel an interest in ifete most important subject will carefully study the whole paper, which is short and full of interest. The subject touches our social life at several points, and will command all the more attention lbecaase of its bearings npen the wages of the agricultural labourer. That is an aspect in which, we fancy, many persons havenot considered it, but, for all kinds of reasons, some of which will readily suggest themselves, it deserves seriouiJ and.immediate attention. Whatever may be thought of unions and strikes," there cannot be the shadow of a doubt that it is radically unsound to interfere by any legislative apparatus like the prtsent poor-law to keep the labourer's wages artificially low. Possibly there are old-fashioned farmers who would fight against the reform even of a self-evident abuse like this; but the sense of the country would be all against them, and the question has only to be kept before the public in the strong light which Professor FAWCETT has cast upon it to ensure an early settlement.

RUABON. A NOBLE GRT.-A beautiful volume ef the Holy Scriptures ras just been presented to the members of the Working Men's Association at Ruabun. The fly-leaf bears the following inscription: Presented to the Ruabon Working Men's Association by Louise Alexandra and Mary Nesta Williams Wynn, October, 1872," written in a clear, bold. hand by Miss Williams Wynn. The members have decided to present an address to their kind and youthful donors, acknowledging their valuable gift. POPULAR EIFRAKSLAFIFSIENTS. — At a meeting of the Ruabon Working Men's Association, held on Monday evening, October 21st, and presided over by the Rev.. J. Morgan, it was resolved to resume the popular entertain- ments in connection with the institution and a snb-com- mittee, consisting of the Rev. J. Michael, Mr P. Middle- ton, and Mr C. H. Lloyd was formed to conduct them throughout the season. SCHOOL BOARD.—A meeting of this Board was held on Wednesday afternoon, October 23rd. Present: Messrs Edward Morris, Thomson, Pullar, Ll. Owen, D. Roberts, and the Rev. A. L. Taylor, The question of the sites was 4he subject which chiefly occupied the attention of the Board. A letter was read from the architect of the Board, Mr Sherwin, which stated that he had inspected the three proposed sites at Cefn, in company with Sir W. W. Wynn, and was in favour of the one in the pottery field, fami. ng the tramway. A letter was also read from Mr 0. Wynn, Sir Watkin's agent, stating that the price would be, Cor the upper site in the pottery field at the rate of ;£300 per acre, reserving minerals, and the two lower sites -per acre, reset ving minerals. It was agreed that the upper site should be applied for. A letter was also read stating that Mr West, Ruthin, was unwilling to sell the site at .Ponkey, and the subject was referred to the Rhos site committee.

I WREXHAM. FIRE.-On Saturday, October 26th, a hay stack, belong- ing to Mr Thomas, of Pontvffrwd, Mtrchv. iel, was burnt, and the tire was supposed to be the wo. k of an incerdiary. EARLY CLOSING IJP PUBLIC-HOUSES^On and after Friday next, Nov. lEt, the public-lious s in the borough of Wrexbam will be closed at ten o'clock on five evenings of the week, at half-past ten on Saturday evening, and nine o'clock on Sunday evening. THE MINING INTEREST.—The great prosperity which set in some tirae ago in this locality has met with a tem- porary check by:the flooding out of a number of mines, as was manifest by the diminished numbers that visited Wrexham on Saturday evening,"Oct. 26th. The drowning out of tire Wrexham Colliery 'has been followed by that of the Gwcrsyllt Colliery, belonging to Mr Clayton, the water being backed up from- the former to the latter. The great Minera lead mine, where about £3,000 per month was paid in wages, is also flooded, but this is causcd chiefiy by surface water iti way into the mice, and if the present wet weather-should cease it would soon be pimped out. There are also other mines in the same I pitiable condition. BAND OF HOPE UNTOK.—The annual tea meeting and conference of members «f the Band of Hope was held in the Wesleyan School-room, on Wednesday evening, October 23rd. The chair was occupied by the Rev. Joshua Priestly. The att-endance was not large. The annual report was read by the secretary, Mr Charles Rocke, and reports were read from the Bands of Hope at the different schools in the town. The speakers were Mr William Thomas, the Rev. -IS. Jerman, Mr Charles R-ocke, Mr J. M. Jones, Mr NV., H. Tilstone, Mr E. E. Wright, MT F. Francis, Mr Phennah, Mr T. E. Minshall, and Mr J. Pryse Jones. SCHOOL Bokpr).-A meeting of the School Board was held on WednesSay, October 23rd. Messrs Charles Hughes (Chairman), John Jones, C. Eocks, and J. Lewis, were present. ML Lindop, the visiting officer, presented his report. The Allowing summary shows the result of hig finnuirifkfl Nunber of boys between six and thirteen 506 Nunabesrattendingschool .467 49 Number of girls between x and thirteen 522 Number attending school- 449 73 It was ::resolved that the DSCt part of the'visiting officer's 00 duty should be to visit the several schools in the t)wn, to test'th«P accuracy of his house to house enquiry, and make a further report to the Boerd. BOROUGH MAGISTRATES' COURlT, MONDAY, OCT. 28?E.-Before the Mayor (.J. B. Murleee), T. C. Jones, E. Tench, and T. Painter, Esq. A Nice Couple.-Ptter Capper, of the Moss (about two miles from Wrexham), and his wife, -Ann, were sum- moned for being drunk and disorderly in the street on Thursday, October 17tk. The husband-waa so drunk that he had to be taken to a place of safety. The wife only appeared, and she admitted the offence;—The Bench im- posed a fine of Is., and costs, in each case, which amounted in -all to 19s. posed a fine of Is., andcosts, in each case, which amounted in -all to 19s. Amult.-Andrew McDermott, a swart-looking youne man, was summonedl by Kate Roderick for an assault, alleged to have been committed while they were coming out of the theatre one eveaing. There was miko a cross-summons, inmich the latter was summoned by the former for an assault. The whote affair appeared to*-be rather a medley, and "eventually the Bench, considerHtg the charge against McDermott proved, fined him 2s. 6d., and costs.—The case against Kate Roderick was dismissed. OmeUy to a Her-ce--Willism Roberts, the proprietor of a stage cart plying between Rhosllanerchrugog and Wrex- 'hana, was summoned for working a horse when in an unfit state for work. Mr Lamb, the Inspector of the Wrexham branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to ■•'Animals, proved that there were three bad wouods upon the iiorse, and he had him examined toy Mr Kennedy, veterinary surgeon, who pronounced -the animal to be quite veterinary surgeon, who pronouRoed 1ibe animal to be quite unEt for work-—Inspector Nadin gave corroborative ,evidRuce.-The defendant, who did net ;appear, was fined ^SOa., and costs, this being the -second conviction of the kind. 3B€>ARD OF GUARDIANS, TSOASDAAR, OCTOBER 24TH. —Present: Captain Griffith (Chairman), Mr S. T. Baugh {'Vice-chairman), the Rev. R. O. Burton, Messrs A. W. Edwards, Win. Lester, J. Bcrton, J, Daniel, J. M. Jones, F. Biggin3, Robert Jones, J. Rogers, B. Davies, J. D. Beard, B. S. Roberts, and T. P. Jones-Parry, and Gr. 'H. Whalley, M.P., ex-offioio. Stalks Wanted.—Mr Whalley having spoken of the in- esnvenience to which the Guardians were ,put who rode to ,the meetings, in consequence ofifekere-being no place where their horses could be put temporarily, it was agreed that 1Mr "Whalley sheuld go over the house with the master to -see ifamy place could be found. jRvsi-sl Sanitary Authority.—Tbejfollowing were present at this meeting :-Captaia Griffith (Chairman), Mr G. H. Whalley, M.P., Mr T. P. Jones-(Fairy, Mr J. Rogers, Mr ■Hen^r Humphreys, Mr B. Davies, Mr S. Daniel, Mr Robert Jones, and Mr W. Leffter.-The -four candidates for the office of Inspector, who had heen noeiinated at the last. meeting attended, and after seme questions had been put te them, Mr Lester proposed Mn Farmer, and Mr •Jones-Parry seconded this BminatÏoGn. Mr Hugh Davies was. proposed by Mr Whaliey, and-seconded by Mr Daniel, and the latter gentleman was -dlectod -by a majority of three. W^EEXHAM WATER WORKS,, COMPANY. .■Arv-extraordinary meeting of the Wrexham Waterworks coulpany was held at the Wynnsfcay1 Arms Hotel, on Moad&y, October 28th, for the purpose of considering a scheme of the Directors for the amaig-amation-of the com- pany with the Cefn and Rhosymedre Waterworks. The Chaioaian of the company Mr W., Overtoo) presided, andithere were about twenty-five other sharehelders pre- sent. The Chairman said that the, question of obtaining -an iaddilional supply of water had osctpied the attention .,of the Directors for sevie time. They might make Adiditieeal storage by going higher up the present .stream, but by so doing they would probably •incur fthe same opposition, or perhaps,greater opposition ttkan thsg- had when they first obtained their Bill. In the iGefa waterworks, with which they .proposed to amalga- mate,, they had quantity and quality—da fact the quality coald .not be surpassed and the high level- from w-!iieh it came would enable them to supply portions of the ciistrict which at present they were notable to sqpply. -,Mr Mur- less 1 bought they were going sadly out of their way for an addttional supply, when they had the pipes of two other water companies much nearer to thein. He should sug- ;gest that thay should consider whether they could not get water from the Brymbo or the Ruabo.n company.—Mr Lew.issaid tfcat all the meeting -Povild do was either to Mcept or ifpject the proposal erf the Directors. The (icalihy of the Brymbo water, he seid, was. bad, on account of its peatyrcharacter, and there were complaints of the Ruahon water. Besides that, it would cost £ 3,000 to get water Jzom the Ruabon Company— £ 7,91fi to get it from the Brymbo Company—whereas the scfcetK-e proposed would not caste £ 2,740, and it would become their own per- manent .property.—Mr Booth Mason differed with regard to the iCoat. JSe said that the distance to the.Cefn .works was four miles odd, or 7.040 yards, the cost of which, at I 5s. per yard, wojild be £ 1,760; and it would cost. £ 3,240 to construct -an additional reservoir for the Cefn works, which they mast kave ifz-.tbey were to have a sufficient supply. Then the distance to Brymbo was 4,007 -yards, the cost of converting tliepipeaie. which would be £1,.tfJl;. The distance to the Ruabon pipes was 550 yards, and tho cost of converting s- the pipes would be 10s.—After a good deal of discus- sion, the Chasrman purposed that the terms of the pro- visional arraagement entered into by the iDirectcrsith 4he Cefa and Khosyjnedre water works for uniting the W.70 companies be .confirmed—Mr Edowes seconded the motion.—The oaetion was carried by 16 to lt-A number of proxies were then putia, the result of which was .8,7 -lor,.tlie motion, aja< £ 203 gga/nst it.—Mr Booth Mason de- manded a poll, but be afterwards withdrew his demand.- The ^proposal for AEaalgaci^on was, therefore, carried.— By the terms of the arrangement Mr Whalley wiilj become a pevmanent Director of therconcpany. monthly MEETING OF THE TOWN COUNCIL. At the usual monthly meeting of the'Town Council, feeld on Tuesday, there were present the Mayor (J. B. Murleee). Aldermen. Walker, T. Jones, and Beirne; Councilkafs Beale, Strashan, Manley, Hugh Davies, Williams, Coaaoe, Lloyd, T. Eyton Jones. The ballot was referred to, and it was stated that the erection of booths would cost about £1fJ. The Surveyor reported that a portion of the footpath ia Regent-street would cost £ 515s. to repair, although it had only just been done.—Mr Hugh Davies .differed with the surveyor, and a ccene highly discreditable to the parties who took part in it then ensued. Mir Hutfh Davies seemed to think that Mr Alderman Walker and Mr Williams had attacked him; and the Mayor told Mr Hugh Davies his language was not parliamentary. That gentlemac expressed his perfect indifference as to whether he was parliamen- tary or not, and after a good deal of foolish talk the squabble, which had its rise about the lowering of the road, ceased.—The Town Clerk read the attendances of members during the year, Mr Hugh Davies being the highest, having attended fourteen Council meetings .find forty-nine committee meetings. THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION. From a Correspondent. Jit is fifteen yasrs since the town of Wrexham was in- <j»>jrpor»tedr and although year after year attempts have to effort what is termed a compromise b^twssa ".1 -> the two contending parties, go as to avoid the turmoil of J an election, not a Mugle year has yet passed without a contest, and this j e-ir is to be no exception to the rule. The retiring msmbers all belong to the White party, and they are ths last remnant of the parly left in the Council, namely, Mr Low, C.E, Kos'neath; ilrT. Eyton Jomw, surgeon Mr T. William", wine iiier-liint and Mr T' Kowl ind, The Grove. As usual, the Red party has been this year first in the field, thtir candidate b ing Mr Francis, chemist; Mr Sherra:t, solioittr; Mr E. Suiith, draper; and Mr Sc-'cher, jeweler. These four had the benefit of about a fortnight's can before their opponents made known their intentions, hiving a larl.-c committed sitting every evening to organze their forces, with Mr Peter Walker as chair- man. Friday morning, however, brought four more into the field-Dr Davies, Mr J. M. Jones (of the firm of Jones and Rocke), Mr Gittin?, ironmonger, and Mr Shone, civil engineer. But Mr Shone afterwards declined, on account of the quantity of railway work he has on hand for the next session of Parliament. Oa Friday evening Mr Griffiths, auctioneer, created some surprise by issuing an address solicitingthe support of the burgesses as a candi- date for municipal honour". Red and White in Wrexham, if it has meant auything since these colours have been hoisted, has meant a struggle between the publicans and that portion of the public who do not patronise publicans, and the last named body see in the White list candidates this year a trio whom they have set down as black as ebony"—a lot on mischief b whose appearance as candi- dates, like the appea ance of H .mlft's ghost, i i a p: e. curse of fierce events." Thus penetrated with these views, the Red party have declared war to the knife, but in doing so they find themselves on the horns of a dilemma. It has been the custom with this party to secure on their list of candidates the name of someone who by his every-day associations belonged to the other side, as a sort of make-weight. This year they went so far as to place a Good Templar in this h moarable position, in the fond hope that a peace offering of EO magnanimous a char- acter would at once silence all opposition. But they have been doomed to disappointment; and, from the aspect that the struggle has assumed, they find that thegentlemau whom they intended as a make-weight is more likely to pr ve a "Jonabus" tience there is a serious division as to whether they ought not to throw him overboard, and adnpt Mr Grif- fitl;" in Ms stead. OR the other hand, the White party look cool at the gentleman became he has fraternized with publicans and sinners, and between the two stools there is danger of his falling to the ground. A perusal of the addresses of the eight candidates is calculated to afford a capital Inures amusement. There are always many lawyer- in Wrexham but from the reading- of these addresses, one would suppose the whole oi the inhabitants had suddenly become solicitors, for every candidate comes out as the result of a visit from crowds of urgent solicitors. The only distinction in Wrexham is a colour all disclaim it, yet many go out of their way to adopt it; forgetting that Englishmen are not born red but J white. Th y are all goin» to reduce the taxes; yet ever since Wrexham, wo 1he day, was a borough, the taxes have gone, and are going up. One gentleman seems to have a very confused notion of the objects of expenditure. By his trade he has a speciality in sanitary matters. In capital letters he tells the people he is going in f.,r greater economy in the expenditure on general and sanitary improvements, forgetful that there are other objects of great expenditure besides these demanding his vigilance. Possibly if he were more of a literary expert he would have told the people he is desirous of economizing the ex- penditure and giving greater efficiency to the sanitary application of it. They are all going to please the working classes if they get in, and one promises to vote exactly as the people wish him; consenting to put in abeyance for the time that which he calls his mind." But the greatest literary curiosity of all is the address of the man, who, par excel- lence, is supposed to belong to a learned profession. He has published many addresses and aeems to have extra- ordinary facility in throwing them off, and no wonder, to judge from his style. He says, Having been induced by a deputation of a very large and influential body of the burgesses to put myself in nomination," &c. Query now, whether he was induced by a very large and influential de- putation or a deputation of a very large and influential body of the burgesses'? Possibly either as the one is as likely as the other. He says further—If elected, every effort shall be exerted (he does not say by whom) in eco- nomizing the finances and reducing rates and taxes the interests of the working classes cared for and wrongs re- dressed" (by me, understood). If brevity is the soul of wit it is also sometimes the soul of confusion. The school- master has been evidently very far abroad when this was written, and so we are left in great uncertainty as to the subject and the predicate and the nominative and accusa- tive cases. It is my wish to act independently, consistent with the burgesses' wishes." Sowe s-hall now see the difficulty solved as to how a man shall please himself and please everybody else also. Here is a man who would have thrown him CT.r the bridge in despair. He is "opposed to the expenditure of large sums of money without an expression of the ratepayers' sentiments." He possibly means without the ratepayers' consent, which is not quite the same thing. We have not space to comment or. other features of the contest. It every day assumes some new phase,, and Friday is looked forward to with great interest, because of the great experiment of the ballot. There will be three polling places. The Mayor will preside at the Guildhall, the Town Clerk «t the Savings Bank, and Mr J. C. Owen at the Town Hzll. On Tuesday eight additional candidates were nominated on the White side:—Mr Snape, Lion House; Mr J. Jones, solicitor:: Mr Bradley, publisher; Mr J. F. Edisbury, chemist; Mr Turner, late borough surveyor; Mr McDermott, iron-founder Mr Howson, post-master and Mr Manners, Regent-street.

RHOS. GOOD TEmPLLm.On October 24th, a meeting to ex. plain the nature and principles of Good Templarism was held at the Big Chapel, Rhos, when the chair was filled by the Rev. John Foulkes. The follov-ing gentlemen addressed the meeting zt some length Messrs Lewis, J. M. Jones, Francis, and J. Pryce Jones, Wrexham. The following subscribed their names to a document for powers to institute a lodge at Rhos:—William Owen, Board School, Williaas Savage, Benjamin Williams, Josiah Jones, John Owens, R. Edwards, Joseph Powell, Peter Edwards, William Jones, near the Sbw Inn, and the Rev. John Foulkes. The next meeting will be held en Thursday, the 31st October.

CEFN. BAZAAR.—A bazaar was held in the Cefn Market Hall on Monday and Tuesday evenings, Oct. 21st and 2'too, in aid of the f&nds for building a new chapel at the Vron, for the Welsh Baptists to worship in. Most of the things exhibited we the surplus articles froqj the bazaar held atj&ing William's Tower, several of them being the gift of Mrs Osborne Morgan. The bazaar was but poorly patrenised. •CfiFtf IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY-.—A public meeting in con- nection with this society was held in the Welsh Calvinistie Chapel, Well-street Gli Tuesday evening, Oct. 22nd. Mr Evan Hitghes.. presided. The Secretary (tnlr Bryoiq) pro. posed that Mr George Garside should be asked to act as president, and Mr T. C. Jones seconded the proposition, &n<t the .secretary promised to see him on the subject. The secretary read the rules constituting the society, which were approved of, and after a deal of discussion on the best course of proceeding to cap Y out the objects of the society Mr Bryon proposed that the executive committee meet and decide upon some course of action in order to deal with the excessive amount of drunkenness in the district. Mr Chester seconded the proposition,) which was carried unani- mously. ENTERTAINMENT.—Ths first of a swies of entertainments was given in the 2ion Welsh Baptist Chapel on Wednes- day, Oct. 23rd, the proceed* being devoted for the purpose of defraying the expenses that will be incurred at the eisteddfod which ill to be held at the same place on Christ- «*s Day. The Rsv. W. Williams, of Garth Trevor, pre- adaqL The entertainment consisted of readier recita- tions., jwngii, and glees, most of which were in Welsh. The attendance was good, and the audience seemed de- JigbtejJ jyiih the programme. The meeting slvted with h»arty vote of tL&nksto the chairman and performers. | E«' enterUir,in -iit is fixt-d for Nov. 6th. -*Vnj;^al TEA MKHTIXG-. — fhe English Indepen3^E £ >sl*>uBL th<jir annual tea meeting on Monday, Octobe? Slat, amm rill.-street < hape!, when a considerable nimW -mtt tn Vt* I;>. the tuning aP iblic m-etiog was 1>WH » iir ittharurl Buckley, M.P., occupied the chair- a b ief addiess, the chairman called upon the hk. gentlemen to address the meeting The Rev. T ffee- quoine, Oswestry, the Rev. J. Kou'kes, Rh. tfee- J. A. Morns, Cefn, Messrs E. Mori is, Ruabca, J. Brecon College, J. Garside, and R Roberts. Dtorssssr evening tome members of the Cefn Chor&l Uanxt. r,gx- following i,itues remarkably well uThe CstaUhtise plume. Up, quit thy bower," Memory of t)-t and Love at home." The Sunday scholars hitri Si given to them ou the following day. DOUT LUX GOES- TO CHAPEU There is an Improvement Society in the Ctfs* aiw;4a course there is plenty for it to do. It is not" tamr Improvement Society, however, that I have t& i)v, k* time. Will you cnme with me to our ebapel," ask-t--i s of mine, the other Sunday morning, "uad hear in English by a layman?" Dout Lux-He is what is known as a local," J srrjrc* and goes about preaching for the love of the cinse- Friend Perhaps be loves t'e cause, but he is "O" amp- mindful of himself, and we have to pay hil- ?.- biir; services. Dout L-ix--Do the "locals" get paid for preach*rjy ¥ Friend-Oh, yessoma of them make a good thJCS "t 3-t- Of course, the Methodist" lnca.)s never tret then you see we are not Methodists, and our lneaf. rtIt: paid for their sermons, even if the amount is ac small. Dout Lux—What do you call piy? There n £ yw^r number of small villages in the district, and do yMa JK.-saas. that the locals are paid for preaching at tnew places ? Fiien l Yes perhaps the lowest sum ever .d iv 2s. 6d. fur two ser nons; but, of course, some get asBcSs more than that. We give more than that Dout Lux -Wel, I daresay it is aU right, thti j £ not seem so to me. I can understand that a m'tn up the chance of making a fortune in trails to 4: himself to the ministry, ought to be secur ri fp im -w,- ■^tjr as to his daily bread, and I have no patience wicfe sie-sag people who believe in starving parsons. The nly is whether there is the requi-ite devotion to tlx- v-esi. J cannot understand a man who is making a &ac trade or profession going about on Sandays makiii-r by pte-aching. That is one of the signs of the taiit to me accounts for the utter nselessness of iW However, as I said before, perhaps it is all right, & ife. is right to sell church livings, and right to £ 15,000 a year, it may be right for the diss nthtg iaeai obtain five shillings or half-a-crown, the case may be, for a day's preaching whenever bua at, chance. Friend—The labourer is worthy of his hire, you ksrair_ Dout Lux—Very true, but it is not always nohWxx,- what is due to you to the last farthing, and in a pes of this kind I am strongly in favour of the M local preacher, who works without any pecuniary 7 ration. Let us go and hear this amateur parson of and I will tell you what I think of him as we tap dinner. The sermon was a good one of its sort, and was cfeJn»?7<Bi§ in a way that made me feel the preacher had prezc-i it- pretty frequently before. There was a good Sens iC theology in it, and more descriptions of autumn taa^ars-'a&i* of comfort for struggling souls. Altogether the iro made on my mind was that God had given one &irit s*-sfc in England a revelation of His exact will on agreat xesav of points, and left all the rest of the world to etnas eternal perdition in the densest "sible ignorance- Jst-Sawr we came out we sang a hymn, containing these wa de- And sit and sing herself away To everlasting bliss. Fnend—Well, what do you think of him ? Dout Lux—I am wondering what those two. Sam*r meant that we sang, about a soul sitting and sing.Bs §&dE away to everlasting bliss. I could have laughed f,-uzz-Imt the parson and people seemed so that they were doing anything absurd. Friend—I.don't see anything very absurd in th* famoL- That hymn is ona of our favourites. Dout Lux — I suppose the preacher is one c4 t*of favourities too. Friend- He costs us a good deal, and we rike- fesos- What did you think of his sermon ? Dout Lux—I thought that many a third-rate nt' tiajf I have read was much truer to life than his -nr-ir in^ platitudes, and I should not have been sorry if he wdli have sent himself away to everlasting bliss. Friend—What was the fault of his sermon? Dout Lux—The sermon to my mind was all favdv- JI; was merely the rattle of a few dead theological bomew.- am& had no response, and appealed to no feeling in the of those present. Friend It was orthodox. Dout Lux-So were the sects that put the founder Christian religion to death. Was he orthodox ? Friend—I would rather not argue that point wits. TTSSS. What was wrong with the hymn that you have referpw?; it Dout Lux-Well, it seemed to me like asking for & imil at euthanasia for the soul, which we are told is to. Emt ever. The thing that struck me most was the a £ *easee»«f the lower ciass of people. Don't you think the c tion was eminently respectable ? Friend-And was that a fault! Dout Lux-Not if you can show me either people go somewhere else, or that the parsons g& tw ttgr,. people. Friend—It seems tome that you do not agree -wit& Ttrrr thing that was done, and I should like to know wbm& akbe.. ation you would suggest. Dout Lux-You asked me to go with you, and w-we came out you asked me for my opinion, so I scarcity :âi8ik: suggestions for improvement ought to be expeebitj humi. me. One thing is clear to me, that sermons pointisgcUtar way to heaven are not worth much if they cannot beoig, without they are paid for, and on the other. band tk* may to heaven is not much sought after if a whole mngregztimw cannot raise more than five shillings to have it pointed« £ to them twice. Friend-Do you object to paid ministers ? Dout Lux-No, but I object to men who are T'tTny" a living in trade taking money for preaching. Tfess* Sf, supposed to be a surrender of probable wealth aDd p—nrr ble fame when a man gives himself entirely to the xaisda^j-^ but these outsiders make a clear addition to their banmy by a system which I think has robbed a sectieo of 1ia- Church of its spirituality, and therefore of its power Sm.. good. Of course, let every man act as he thinb but I am not compelled to admire him. I think it jmW- be truly said that what these preachers give i& "SWSSBSB^; to nobody." Friend-I don't think many people will agrsa ma-ft you. Dout Lux — No, perhaps not; but a great 1 "u absent themselves and that is not a good sigiiu DOUT X^x.

CHIRK Rifle CONTEST.—A rifle contest took place ~krB& mm- Monday, October 28th. The following are the sencss- First competition.—Sir Watkin's prize of C5, 2GO yaaaSm and 500 yards, five shots at each. Result: Private T Le. 31; Corporals. Edwards, 24; Corporal S. Battsnu Sergeant T. Evans, 22 Lieutenant Pattison, TS ^rk^aT John Harris, 16; Private Job Roberts, 16; poral J. Clarke, 15.—Second competition, for the ealM medal; 200, 400, and 500 yards, five ahD, at exui iii,, tance: T. Lewis, 42; Sergeant T. Evans, 40 Car S.Edwards, 35; Corporal S. Hatton, 31; T Pattison, 30 Lance-Corporal J. Clarke, 28.—Third —r pe'ition. Prize given by Mr George Evans, silvezsantik. Oswestry—30s. in jewellery—in two prizes 2^ and 10s second prize seven shots at 500 yards i. f" fiLU** Sergeant J. Phoenix, 22; Lance-Corporal J. Oiarki, 22 Private T. Lewis, 21; Private J. Harris. 19 Y- Evans, 18; Lieutenant Pattison, 13.—Sweepstakes ef aT each, with 5s. added by Lieutenant Pattison; thfti at 500 yards: Private J. Harris, 9; Colour-Serge Phoenix, 8; Private T. Lewis, 8 Sergeant T. °r~ —Recruits five shots at 150 yards Private W. Ls>«.-V.- •* Private W. Bird, 5; Private F. Vaughan, 4 T?^ — Ctirk Castle, feJX

N ANT MAWR. CARVER'S Apus. -On Tuesday week, October 3Lrkh. aw, excellent dinner was partaken of at the abonf-Maswi; place, by the friends and well-wishers of Mr* I he chair was occupied by Mr Lloyd, Moelydd and the vice-chair by Mr Morris, Tyisaf, Several toasts were proposed and drunk with and the following persons sang some good songs D. Jones, J. Bromley, Lloyd, Beale, and Morris, meeting was kept up in harmony and glee until « IUW hour.

LLANRHAIADR. THEOLOGICAL EXAMINATION.—-The friends of th* -»■ Hugh Jones the pastor of the CalvLnistic Methodist C^Sb; will be gratified to understand that out of tb« tweaSj seven candidates examined at Portmadoc by the theology (decretal and biblical criticism and exercises, ecclesiastical history r«s?aS,SJw Scriptoe'Mr 9L,rB ANNIVERSART.-The Sons of Japheth club feast at the Sun Inn, on Tuesday, Oct. 22. at two p.m. to the number of 130, when the formed, and,^ headed by the Llangynog Berwvx Fsr Band, peran-buiaUd the village, and afterward" the Independent Chapel, where a very suitable « delivered by the Rev. J. Morns. Service being iff procession marched to a very commodious back of the Sun Inn, where a most excellent diss^ prodded by Mr and Mrs Humphrevs. We noticed LtlS* table Mr Evans, medical officer, the Rev J" A Evans, T^rmaes, Mr Thomas' j £ £ Tan^ t £ Foulkei, Glynog, Mr Thomas Rogers, GausimTrv Dinner bemg over, Mr Thomas Jones,' Pentr^S retary, read the annual statement of accounts, showed that the receipts during last year amounted fHT a *c?a\ Slck members, pensioners, fonera^ >> l oown 'j ^eavinS a balance of £ 53 12s. 4d.r value, £ 378 4s. 5d.; this year's value, £ 43116g, an increase of £ 53 12s. 4d. over last year. The ouif^ir' seema to be in a very flourishing condition and crcat^^ra is due to the officers for their good management. ThTrm^ ceedings were enlivened by the playing of the the evening was spent very pleasantly till ten p.a,. the company broka up.

The Rev James Martineau has resigned the effieeT LondS ° Uiu £ ama Chapel, Little 13 octii London.

n-- Captain MYTroy—Being very well acquaint with that part sf the country through which it is proposed this line shall pass, I rise with much pleasure to second the motion. I am not so well acquainted with the immediate neighbour- hood of Llanfair, but having often shot over that part ot the country extending from the Four Crosses as fat- as Penvlan, I know that district pretty well. It has often occurred to me that a railway could be very easily con- structed along the proposed route, because there will be very few embankments or de^p cuttings needed. 1 here are a few level crossings and a peat bog to get over, but I think the engineering difficulties will not be very great, and the line, in my opinion, can be very easily and in- expensively coni;tructed- (hear, hear)—and will prove a good paying concern. (Applause.) The motion was tLen put by the Chairman, and carried almost unanimously, a number of Poolonians being the sole dientient8. The f^HAlRMAJT said that as the route had been decided rrnon he had next to invite discussion as to the gauge, Whether thev wnuld have the regular gauge of the country J £ in for the small gauge of two feet,or two feet three inches If they could afford it, there was nothing like Sing in for the ordinary gauge, but the? must see whether thev w-re equal to the expenditure. The ordinary gauge would cost double ths amount necessary for a narrow- *au-e line, and the working expenses and coat of mainteu- fnce would also be double. In these days it was possible ™ construct railways for very rfcwh less than what the Welsh lines had cost. The cheapest railway which had ever been constructed in the coftfttrv was, he believed, the Van Railway, running from C&«w< up to the Van Mm«, distance of abottt six miles. Mr David Davies, of Llatt- j- a rrent'eman well known and esteemed in the ronntr'v was the contractor, and the money he was paiu was only £ 1,659 per mile. That was an unusually cheap to pay and things had been so carefully managed that the whele cost of t*.e line, which was an ordinary eau^e did not exceed &,000 per mile. As regartied the Acb°o'f Parliament, if the landowners would give their consent, It -asqu- 'eOL $*hie to make the line without waitliilz f,), the Act. The Van Railway had been open some months. and up "to the present time they had no Act. The Dl&ns of the proposed line would have to fee deposited £ 5™. the end of November, and as the tttue for pre- liminaries was so very short, they might go in for an Act nert v^r and this, unopposed, would be a Very inexpen- ^ocess. To *-ny case he hoped the lanfiowners would i rnodera'e in their demands—(hear, heart—and take the value of their latif. in shares. It was not always possible fora landowVitfr todothK as the property might be tied UD • but if th^ could not take the valne-of their land in cteat boon to the company. (Hear tecar ) At all events Koped none of them would demand cash down for their land, i)eemuse*tbey must remember thftt the value of their •nronei tv vAnild be greatly enhanced *y the introduction ?f a railway into the district (Hear, hear.) There was a heShS much pleasure in asking -VEr George Owen to ad- dress the meeting. (Applause.) Mr GEORGE OWEX—Gentlemen, as your chairman, Captain Pryce, is aware, I had tbe horour to accompany the roval commission, formed of a'deputation of scientific. mt>n from the Governments of "Russia and of India, over »L7' £ rS.«tr? directed V ticutariy was aTe aware is only one foot, eW^nd three quarter inches 1n width, but is commonly CS»theT»<qfootg«,e. Many and -"JWi mente were ma le on this linens to weight of load^ height of speed to be obtained, and other matters which ■ftre rarK hardly necessary to be explained to this mect- Sf Suffice it to say that m the expenments were «m- nefitly successful, and proved the adaptability and ■practiw- bility of lines of this gauge for districts which on accBunt of sparseness of population, -or the nat UT such districts, or otheT reasons, do not demaaa raiWRys of the lareer gauge. Fcrr myself, I must say iVio not think the two feet gauge quite the proper width and on Snsultin- withloco^otiv^ -eEgineers, they agree With tne consulting wuu ,vTee to two feet six wo*ld be'better, that from two f-e art~rP f f^e better arrangement as it would But the m<rreasfc width of the y.orl^^P^mall m t0 ma^e but little difference in • the CTroemse^'f construction. It may be that some -of those Seaenf not having seen this line in workmg, may think that such a little line would be unsafe for any ^at amount, of speed. This is not the case, for when it was pe*sed bv Captain Tvler, the "Governmentinspector, hego_t ft maxi- mum sreed of thirty miles an hour out of it. JHra, ot course, is excessive, and would not b« attempted m actual working, 'bnt I assure you from Experience that there is n0 TCcre danger on this than on anv other line. I have gone up and come 'down it at all rates of speed, and in all sorts of carnages, especially in one called "The Bo at;" and if any gentleman present should ever visitthafmilway I would recotrnnendhrmto en- deavour to obtain a seafc in that carriage, and Pthmk that liter a ride in that, any prejudice that the narrow ga«W passenger line* for many Jea«'aSZot r«n^le accident has happened,^and it has which WfactrncUo be oversea, rata a better dividend to its shareholders than the ordinary lines. I do not attempt to set up the Testimog and its success as an example or precedent in all-cases, but I am many localities in which ltnmight be copw^thflttvant^e, and I think that this district is TA Je to ,™ «. c a. iSS, 'S StP rtteb but all other -material, -such as coal for fhe^uames and geneS merchandise for fee use of, ^eigtohood, has to ascend, and no-difficulty is e^er experienced. Timber is also triken up «nd down on carnages constructed on the "bogie"" principle, and cattle have been coRveyed, so really, as lhafve said't^fore, there is no practical diffi- culty. The Cambrian Gorrrpany have lately made* direct and physical 5 unction with ftiem at a place^ll^ Mtnfordd, near Portmadoc, trad we-now exchan-ge- with hem without rr any trouble. Passengers-will, of conwe, ritways dweharge themselves; but tfhe ^oMs^ch various apparatus, designed by Mr Tes' tiniog Companfe engineer, from the large into the small tracks withthe greatestfacSity. If yon^arry th« pro- iected railway, I -woilld-certainly rewmmerifr the small S* as affording ^^er che.P«e,e ta wards in maintenance, (nea^ ii j ohivone of difficulties are, I thieve, n<eth ny vfrrveasilv any moment at the canal,-and this, I bebev?^ can veiy^asily be got over. Captain Mytton has referrea 'to a peat or moss bog which will %aveto?fe3 crossed- I was concerned in the crossing of a very large one, whieh, rt wa» said, we • should never be able to «et over fent we mana^d to succeed at last, «nd that portion of the <^«f the best we have «pon onr-system. aSTI*ecom- all the sooner before a narrow ^auge line «u<Jh aS irecom ,.merid you to adort. Tha nrlirnifi* fiaid fee 'bad received >a -very prac- ticIr ietSr from the ^1 ^f Powis, ij^h his lorfehip suggested that the CJambriaii Bailway Owrpany <sWfl let the Llanfair traffic run free- te Llanymyneck, imtood of being stopped at Four Crosses, because there would, be at Llauymynech greatfr facilities for transhipment. The €HAIRMAW then ftook'the. opinion of KhenBeetinrqpon th^ question of the gauge. The numbers *» ordinary s.nd narrow gauge being about eqoM, *he Ghai^ thouuht it would be visile-tovwaait and see how tfa» »iib .SripSiV^ne in, leaving .thesbattle of g««g^fco -be fought out at a subseqaent jperwa. Ou the wotion of the CHAlBKi.N, seconded -by Mr £ EVANS, the following pre visional committee wag -neniiaet(Ki •to assist in maturing ^e ^heme: — Capta»a Pryee, vCyfronydd; Mr C. W. W. Major Davww, Brynglas; Meew J. C. Biyard, «wernyod;- p n Goueh Aberhafesp Hall; tllodgkmsoti,■ Sioke.on- ^TrAnf Slater,' Knutsford; S. "Dewhurst, Manchester- Beech,' MaccUafield Swind.,1'1, Maod.iafield Con- Messrs Brx>itil«y Jones, Penfare • 1- StHrkoy l^ifol. Richards, Hall; Nickhn, Dolgaed; Stephens, Bir- miu/fham S. Ev-ans, Llanfair; iae Rev.. E. Jones, year of Tlartfair • Canon Jenkins, Llasgytniw, Messrs Rtehards, MMWal Jelw, Llanfair Mill; H. Eiiis, Llanfair- J. TTiire-Bhrevs Llaufeir Joues,Gaer?.Owftij; Upper Hall, Llan- BronTOwth; Mr'E. Mete, Welshpool; Mr MaclHtonh, LUnectyi, u Mr S. Ellia, Gittinft, Uanodwa:; Mr J. 'c 0ffiee Llanfair:; Mr Vaiigiiin, Havod, l the Rer' Mr Vanghan, Tynaawr; Mt Jone>, Bryr.ti T U Jacob Llanfair; Mr Inde, Cynanfc:, Mr Obarleg Evans Heniarth; Mr Chas. Evans, LUnsymew r Jones' Tallan Mr iPickmere, Mount; Mr ans, Garth- hillen'- Mr Jones, Gwernandu Mr R. Jones, awernundu, Mr Tones Coed fret; the Rev. Canon R. W. Edwards, Meifod • Mr Jones, ithosglascoed Mr Griffiths, Dyffryn the Rev' M. Thomas^ iflttle Penylan; the Rev- E. Robin- Ln Dytheur Mr Keippster, Llandysilio; Mr [kempster, M-v'rdy • and Mr Manterd, Llwyn. Captain Harrison and Mr'E S. R. Trevor wer<? also nominated., but AS they are both interested in .the Penvlan property they .declined t0 Canon JENKINS proposed a vote of thank« to C&pfein Pryce for his services in the ehalr. The Rev E JoSES, in seconding the resolution, &X- cressed the obligatioa the meeting was under to Mr Hturkey Mr George Owen, and other gentlemen who had Ksfed themselves m the uKaertakmg He hoP^ th*t that meeting was not th3 ghost of that which had been Viol<4 at llanfair seven years before, but that it would be pS«ctP,e of beneficial mult,, .nd th.^y wbtel. would «oon be sounuing at Llanfair.. (Applaus .) The CHAIRMAN having acknowledged the compliment, the proecedingg, which had been ml-ul with great enthu- siasm, terminated. The line, as projected, will be about r fe2jinT the Cambrian Rulwsy at iour orossea station, it will "take a south-westerly direction, near the Maray. Penrhoa, and Trefnaunef. Crossing the Welshpool and Llanfyllin turnpike road v"rniew valley of the Cwm, falling into the valley of tie Verniew at Meifod. It will then continue up the valley by New- bridge, and cross the river VernieW. n^r Brondwyggwyn. ft mil then cross the Shrewsbury and Welshpool turnpike oad a short distance iy>rth of Pontsycthoed, near which r>loce it aeain crosses to the southern bank of theyer- fclmd continues up th« valley to Llanfair, The line will traverse a tolerably level district, there being no for- midable cuttings or embankments, and the only engineering works ot any importance will be the crossing of the canal near the *f«dy, and the two crossings over the Verniew, but in no instance does any difficult job present itsolf. The lando Ilr y^derstpod tq be generplly in favour of the (obemt,