The Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard

THE RUSSO-TURKISH WAR. THE BAYAZID BUTCHERIES. The Times correspondent with the Turkish army in Asia writes. Through the courtesy of Sir Arnold Kemball I have been placed in possession of some facts connected with the horrible massacres at Bayazid. It appears that on the 14th of June Lieutenant-General Faik Pacha, com- manding the Van Division of the Turkish army, having Organized his forces, which prior to the outbreak of war were much scattered, advanced from Pergi, on the eastern shore of the Van Lake, on Bayazid (which, as you may remember, was evacuated by Ahmed Nuri Bey on the 30th of May without resistance.) The Russian Commandant, leaving two companies in the citadel, an old massive masonry building, marched to Tapani, some 10 miles S.E. of the place, and gave battle to Faik's forces. Being much outnumbered he was worsted, and retired in some confusion into the town, occupying the citadel with his infantry, while the cavalry remained just outside its walls. With the aid of two field guns the officer managed to keep the Turks at bay but, Faik sending Munib Pacha with two battalions and three mountain guns to occupy a hill about 1,200 yards east of the castle, the Turks were en- abled to command the Russian position, and finally rendered it untenable. On the 2fttli June, their water supply having been cut off, the commandant of the garrison hoisted a white flag, and finally sent an officer out to arrange terms of capitulation. An officer of similar rank was deputed by Faik Pacha, and these two met in a house in the town and drew up the proposed treaty, which received the sanction of both the Russian and lurkish commandants. At 4 p.m. that afternoon all preliminaiies having been gone through, Faik Pacha betook himself to the three gun battery to the east of the town, and sent a company of infantry up to the citadel, over which the white fla" still flew, to line the road from the gates in order that the Russian prisoners of war might march between the ranks and so down to the camp prepared for them. At the appointed time the gates were thrown open, jyid the garrison, unarmed, filed out. Some 200 or more' had already parsed between the lines of Turkish soldiery, when suddenly a body of Kurds (of whom in a previous letter I have reported there were 8,000 in Faik's forces* rushed on the defenceless men, and commenced a wild massacre. In vain did the Turkish regular soldiery interpose it was all to no purpose. In vain did the Rus- sian officers appeal to their sense or honour, and cry that they were unarmed prisoners of war; demons let loose from hell could have shown no wùr,;e devilry. A party dashed on in rear of the column and endeavoured to cut off the Russian retreat back to the castle but, fortu- nately, some Russian soldiers, retaining their presence of mind", and saving their own at thj expense of their com- rades' lives, closed the gates and opened fire on the hell- hounds outside. It is stated, on Faik Pacha.s authority, that he opened fire on the^e miscreants from his own guns, and thus aided the Russian garrison to disperse them. Suffice it to say that, baulked of their prey in the Russian garrison, of whom it is said 236 were thus massacred, the Kurds unchecked rushed sword in hand into the city, and carried their work of butchery among the defenceless inhabitants. Mussulman and Christian, men and women, children and babes, alike fell victims to their lust of blood. In one church 200 bodies were found. Scarcely one house existed in which there were not two or more corpses-and, shame to Turkey, shame to the name of soldier, Faik Pacha, a lieutenant-general, at the head of six battalions of soldiers, heaven save the mark never moved a file into the town to check these bloodthirsty scoundrels in their work of slaughter on the contrary, he moved his personal camp to Tapasis Kui, retained the Kurds in his service, and re-opened fire on the citadel. The sufferings of the Russians, bad as they were prior to the massacre, when want of water, the direst want a gar- rison can feel, led them to offer to surrender, were now increased a thousand fold. To die of starvation, preserv- ing their honour, was preferable-far preferable to death at the hands of the murderous villains a. Turkish general permitted to remain in his army. In spite of the breach of faith of which men in his own command had been guilty, Faik Pacha showed no signs of remorse for an act at which all Europe will stand aghast in horror, no sign of shame at the infamy which must inevitably fall on his own head, no sign of pity for the gallant men inside the citadel, no sign of acknowledgment of the white flag, which still floated over the Russian garrison but gave orders for the continuance of the bombardment, and exult- ingly pointed out the accuracy of his own artillery prac- tice, boasted that night after night the stream from which alone the Russians could obtain their supply of water was watched, and that the forlorn hope, which ever and anon made desperate efforts to carry up some drops of the pre- cious liquid to their comrades, were attacked in their gal- lant mission, and nightly driven back with loss. For twenty-three days did this pitiless warfare continue for twenty-three days did this gallant band hold out, enduring all the horrors of a siege, enhanced by the far worse terrors of a death from thirst, until on the morning of the 10th of June, Tergukassof. by a feat which must stand on record as one of the most dashing feats of arms of modern times, with eight battalions, thirty-two guns, and seven regiments of cavalry, cut in between Ismail Pacha with twenty, and Faik Pacha with six battalions and 11,000 Regulars, relieved his beleaguered comrades, carried them off, sick and wounded, guns and munition of war, and then turning on Faik Pacha, signally defeated him, carrying off three guns and 800 prisoners. And what did the infuriated Kurds all this time—the fanatical 'Ghazis' -who were to carry death and destruction into Russia under their gallant leader Kurd Ismail Pacha, the heroic men who did not for a moment hesitate to throw them- selves on unarmed prisoners of war, on defenceless women and children ? No thought of facing that avenging army, no thought of fighting an armed foe. One glance at the steady advance of the Russian infantry, one look at the squadron of Dragoons sweeping round their rear, and then, casting aside their arms, they fled like sheep from the battle-field. I will not attempt to criticise the conduct of either Faik Pacha on this horrible occasion or of the Ottoman Government for employing such mercenaries. I will merely point out that this massacre occurred <m the 19th of June that Mukhtar Pacha has informed Sir Arnold Kemball that orders have been sent down to suspend Faik Pacha, and to try him by court-martial; that Kood Ismail Fakki Pacha has interceded for him and that he still commands the 1st Division of the right wing of the Turkish army."

TERRIBLE STRUGGLES IN THE SHIPKA PASS. Monday's Daily News says-Our special correspondent's long telegram printed this morning reveals, we may con- fidently say for the first time, the real nature and prob- able issue of the struggle for the Shipka Pass. It is not a natural trench guarded on each side with wajls of rock that the Russians are defending, but a ridge with valleys on each side, by which their position may be turned. So far from being an almost impregnable position, our corres- pondent denies that it is a strong one. In his judgment, unless strongly held with widely extending arms of de- fence, it is easy to be attacked and very difficult to be held with any security. The defect of the Shipka as a defensive position consists in this, that it cannot search with its fire the lateral valleys and reverse slopes which hem it in. A brigade of light infantry might mass in a hollow within one hundred yards of the Russian first po- sition without exposing itself to the artillery fire. The pass was held at first by not more than three thousand Russian troops. Now there are, as our correspondent com- putes, thirteen thousand. The attacking force he sets down at fifty thousand, but whereas the data for an estimate of the Russian strength were in his possession, the strength of the Turks can only be inferred. Supposing there were forty thousand Turks, the Russians would be outnumbered in the proportion of three to one. On Thurs- day, our Correspondent reports, the pass was considered as good as lost, and with it the army defending it; but when affairs were at their worst reinforcements arrived, and on the next day the Turks were driven from the posi- tions they had taken. This admirable defence must not, however, blind us to the dangers of the Russian position. The defenders are outnumbered, and may be out-flanked, when their communications would be cut off. On Thurs- lay the Russian cannon were for a time without ammuni- i tion and the soldiers without water, the road leading to both being under the fire of Turkish marksmen. The fighting was going on with terrible violence," as the Russian official report describes it, on Saturday. Suleiman Pacha, moreover, is said to claim the capture of two of the Russian forts. As he had not only a great numerical 1 superiority of numbers, but also eight siege guns, we ] cannot think this unlikelv but our CorresDondent states] that riding back from the Shipka Pass he passed masses of reinforcements, both of artillery and infantry, such as ought to secure the safety of the position. A despatch dated Russian Headquarters, Gorny Studen, Sunday Evening, describes Saturday's fighting in the Shipka Pass as having lasted from nine in the morning until ten in the evening, the troops maintaining all their positions. Thirty officers and 400 men were killed and wounded. The following is taken from the graphic description of a battle in the Pass seen by Mr. Forbes of the Daily News The fight was on the balance. The Russians as they stood could all but succeed, but not quite. It was an intensely exciting period, and Radetzky was equal to the occasion. I have mentioned that the Jitomer bat- talions had left two companies in reserve when they marched out from behind the peak. Radetzky realised that fortune was not unkind that she needed just a little more wooing. He himself took one of these companies; the Colonel of the Jitomer Regiment placed himself at the head of the other; and thus led, the two com- panies set forward to throw themselves into the fray. The soldiers of the Czar want no adventitious encourage- ment to stimulate in them the ardour for the fray. The Jitomers had been chafing at their inaction, but it was clear that the leadership of their chief thrilled them with increased zeal. Their ringing cheers rose high above the rattle of musketry as they dashed across the grassy slope at the head of the valley, and precipitated themselves into the wood. Fortune thus energetically wooed, yielded. There was a concentric rush on the peak. Its rude breastworks were surmounted; there was some hot bayonet work, and then a tremendous volley of Russian hurrahs told that the Turkish ridge was cleared and the position won. This was at two o'clock to the moment. The Turk, if unspeakable, is also irrepressible. All day he had fought with stubborn valour, and would not yet own himself beaten. He came on again out of the valley beyond his late ridge, and strove to retake it, but the Russian soldiers are not fond of relinquishing positions earned by the price of blood, and the Turks were repulsed. By three o'clock they had abandoned the effort for the day, and the fire had all but died out. Radetzky now came back to the peak of his first position, panting, but content. He had fought a good fight and won it. Now he determined to strike while the iron was hot, and recover the outlying positions in his front towards Shipka, on which the Turks had encroached on the first day of the fighting. The Podolsk Regiment was called up from re- serve, and went down to the attack under cover of a heavy fire of artillery from the Russian batteries around and beyond the position on Mount St. Nicolas. This attack also was successful, and Redetzky increased his elbow- room in front as well as on the flank. The Turkish troops engaged were nearly all Nizams, trained regulars, who fought admirably. Russian Headquarters, Gorny Studeni, Aug. 28. Since yesterday evening the musketry fire in the Shipka Pass has almost ceased. Early this morning all was quiet. Our troops maintain their positions. The Turks remain under cover behind the neighbouring heights, and out of the range of our batteries.

THE CAMPAIGN IN ASIA. From Asia a battle is reported; great as regards the number of troops engaged, but which seems to have ended without result. According to a report of a Corres- pondent on the spot, the Turkish right attacked the Russian left near Kuruk-Dara, on Saturday morning at daybreak, and the two armies fought without inter- mission till late in the afternoon in magnificent weather. Both armies put out their full strength. The Turks took Kazeill Tape at the beginning of the movement and kept it, but attempting to take Kuruk-Dara were completely defeated. There were heavy losses on both sides, and General Komaroff, a valuable Russianofficer, was wounded. The Russians appear to have taken no pains to recover the position they lost on the Black Lom last week. After defeating the Turkish attack on Ayaslar on the 23rd they were compelled on the following day by superior forces to fall back on Suctankoi. Ayaslar stands on the right bank of the Lom, which has until now formed the Russian line towards Eski-Djuma, and by its capture the right of the Russian position on the Lorn has been turned. The Grand Vizier has also assured Mr. Layard that he will issue instructions that every possible measure shall be taken" to prevent excesses on the part of the Circassians and other irregular troops. f A telegram from Belgrade states that on Sunday a Min- isterial Council was held in that city, under the presidency of Prince Milan, at which the co-operation of the Servian with the Russian army in Bulgaria was resolved on. This is a very serious statement, and not unlikely to L true but much remains to be done before the Servian Govern- ment could declare war against Turkey.

THE ALLEGED RUSSIAN ATROCITIES. The military correspondent of the Tiuws at Bucharest, writ- ing on the nth August, says-" Correspondents who have just arrived from the front, and who saw the fights at Jeni Saghra and Eski Saghra-, are full of indignation at the reports of Russian inhumanity. In the fight of the 31st of July, when the struggle surged to and fro, the Russian infantry, returning to positions from which they had been driven, found the wounded comrades whom they had left behind murdered, and, impelled by anger, they at first refused quarter; but their officers soon controlled them, and took as prisoners those who threw them- selves on their knees and begged for mercy. The command of the officers was, Leave their punishment to God.' The men of one Russian regiment adopted fourteen or fifteen Bulgarian orphans, and carried them during the retreat, driving with them a cow so as to have milk for the little ones."

BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. CONGRESS AT LLANGOLLEN. The thirty-fourth Congress of the British Archaeological Association was opened at Llangollen on Monday, Aug. 27. It may possibly be thought that a great Association like this ran some risk of failure in deciding to hold its In annual meeting in a comparatively remote and not very populous district. If, however, without setting an undue value on a numerous auditory and a large contribution to the coffers of the Society, they desired to visit a spot which is full of romantic and beautiful scenery at the same time that it is rich in historical associations and in memorials of the past, they could not have sought out a more fitting meeting place than Llangollen. This part of North Wales, with its sites and traditions of ancient feuds, and of ancient triumphs between the Celt and the Saxon, affords a most ample field of antiquarian research. The Prince of Wales has lent his name as patron of the Congress, although he has not honoured it with bis presence, and the Prince in Wales, Sir Watkin Wynn, has given prestige to the gathering by accepting the post of president. The vice- patrons are the Bishop of St. Asaph, the Lord-Lieutenants of Denbigh and Flintshire, Major Cornwallis West, and Mr. H. R. Hughes, and there is a long list of noblemen and gentlemen who have accepted the office of vice-presi- dents. An influential local committee, of which Mr. Theodore Martin, C.B., is the chairman, and Captain Best and Mr. Gregson Fell the hon. secretaries, was formed to make the necessary preparations for the reception of the Association, and to give it a fitting welcome. Apparently, the only cause for uneasiness as to the success of the Congress arose from the extremely inauspicious nature of the weather. On Monday the leaden sky was unrelieved by a single gleam of sunshine, or even a break in the clouds, and during the latter partjof the day the rain came down with a steady perseverance, which darkened the prospects of the mor- row. THE OPENING MEETING of the Congress was held a little before six o'clock at the County Hall, where the President was met by the principal residents and the Local Committee, whose Chairman gave an address of welcome to the President and Association. Amongst those present were Lord Harlech, Sir Robert Cunliffe, Bart., Mr. G. Osborne Morgan, M.P., Colonel Tottenham, Professor Hughes, Mr. W. W. E. Wynne, F.S.A., Lieut.-General Yorke, Mr. Simon Yorke, Rev. D. Howell, vicar of Wrexham, Mr. J. S. Tanqueray, Mr. M. H. Bloxam, F.S.A., Mr. G. G. Adams, F.S.A., Mr. Cecil Brent, F.S.A., Mr. W. H. Cope, Mr. R. Horman Fisher, Mr. Stephen J. Tucker (Roitqe Croix), Mr. E. P. L. Brock, Mr. Lamket, Mr. Merriman, the Rev. Moses Margoliouth, &c. A number of ladies were also present. Mr. THEODORE MARTIN said-Mr. President, ladies, and gentlemen. A very pleasant duty has devolved upon me, that of giving you a welcome to our locality. I give it most heartily. The residents of this neighbourhood have long looked forward with much anxiety to your selecting this as the scene of one of those pleasant and instructive gatherings you have organized for so many years, and the tidings that you had fixed upon the town of Llangollen as the centre of your operations for the week was received by all my friends, as well as bv mvself. with the liveliest satisfaction. (Cheers). I hope that the arrangements which the committee, whom I so very in- adequately represent, have made for your reception here will he found satisfactory. I could have wished that the weather had been kinder to you on the first day of your appearance here. Wales, like other froward beauties, has frowns and tears for her admirers, but, as smiles are sweeter after tears, so I hope you will have reason to be grateful for this little incident of the bad weather which has awaited you on your first visit to this part of the Prin- cipality. I see by the programme you have sketched out that you have a very busy week before you, in the course of which you will see much that is extremely beautiful, and much that is very interesting, and we who live in the locality expect much instruction from the result of your researches. For myself, I wish I were a good antiquarian. I confess it with some shame that I know much more of the antiquities of other countries than of my own. The scanty leisure for such researches which has been given to me, has been expended in very different directions. I cannot, therefore, address you with any words of instruc- tion, because most of you know much more about the sub- jects which will be canvassed in the course of this week than I myself do. We, however, who live here, shall look forward to reaping the benefit of those researches, and gaining instruction about many of the features of interest with the external features of which we are already fami- liar. There is here a fine old castle and also a magnificent ruin. There are numbers of relics of antiquity, about which, unfortunately, I have not been able to obtain much accurate information. I tr"st that after the able and learned researches of gentlemen here in reference to these antiquities, I shall for the future not be merely in the position of An idler in the land, Who can enjoy what others understand, but that I shall have a more accurate knowledge of those features of our district than I have hitherto been able to acquire. I see that in the course of the afternoon you are to pay a visit to a spot which at one time attracted no small amount of attention in England. In days when this region was not very easily reached, almost everybody of any distinction, whether male or female, was in the habit of making a pilgrimage to the abode of the old ladies known as the Maids of Llangollen. (Cheers.) Theywerere- markable women, and collected about them a great many remarkable things. I understand that many of the objects of more permanent value are still to be seen there, and under the guidance of General Yorke, you will, I doubt not, spent a pleasant time in that very interesting spot. I again, on behalf of my brethren of the Committee, and most strongly on behalf of myself, proffer you a most cordial welcome here. I hope that when you go away from us, you will carry with you associations which will enrich all your recollections of the beautiful locality traversed by the sacred Deva—(cheers)—and that even in after years you will think with pleasure of what the week now begun will have brought under your immediate notice. (Cheers.) Sir WATKIN WYNN, who was received with loud cheers, said-Ladies and gentlemen,—I have been requested to take the chair to-day. I am afraid I am not a good archaeologist, though in other ways I have had the advantage of seeing a great deal of this neighbour- hood. You will be curious to see different descrip- tions of fortresses which have sprung up in the earli- est times. There are to be found near here several ancient British stations. There is one belonging to my friend there, Lord Harlech, which you. will see close to Oswestry. You will also see a castle at Oswestry of later date. When you go to Chirk you will see a fortress which was very much injured in the wars of Cromwell, but is now restored, and changed from a place of war to a very comfortable gentleman's house. (Laughter.) As you start off for the source of the Dee, you will see the very old castle of Carndochan, under which was left a gold mine, of which I can show you some products and near which was found a gold torque, which unfortunately is at the South Kensington Museum, but I will try and have it sent here before you leave. You will also see Castell Dinas Bran, which is also a very early fortress, and Valle Crucis Abbey, which was founded in the 13th century by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor. Now Maelor is a very extraordinary place. It is a hundred of Flintshire, although separated eight or nine miles from any other part of the county. At Wattstay, near where I live, you will see the curious old Wats's Dyke. Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor was persuaded by the Cistercian Monks of the 13th century to build the Valle Crucis Abbey. An old friend of mine has told me that those Monks not only performed their religious duties, but also took good care of themselves. (Laughter.) They had possession of my lake of Bala, and when they could not get a sufficient supply of fish out of the river here, they got it from the lake. He also tells me that they were very remarkable for their love of Cwrw da." They had a great many songs, and in one of them each stanza ends with Come and drink the Abbot's ale." (Laughter.) When you go to Bangor Iscoed you will find there the site of one of the earliest monastic buildings. It is curious that although there are very few remains of the ancient build- ings,the names of port," of gates, are applied to certain farms there, thus showing where the gates of the town formerly stood. It is, I believe, supposed that 1,200 monks who lived there were murdered by the Saxons, The church which was formerly the monastic church has been altered and improved and restored, until hardly any of the old building is left. It is supposed that the monks all dwelt in small buildings round the church, which have been swept away by time. Round there, within a distance of two or three miles, are some old re- mains of British encampments, one called Castletown in Cheshire, another called the Old Castle, close to the boun- daries of Maelor and Cheshire, and a third called Bryn- v-pys. These ancient tumuli, are I am afraid more often visited for the purposes of sport than for the pursuit of the science of archteology. (Laughter.) I might also draw your attention to the supposed residences of Owain Glyndwr. I have always heard that he resided where a tumulus now is at Sycharth, on a farm of mine very near tho most southerly part of this county. There is close by it a small farm called Pentrecwn, and there, where the kennels are close by the side of the hill, the district all goes by the name of Park Sycharth. This tends to show that there was once a very fine house there but it is all swept away. Some of you, I believe, are going to Llangedwyn to see a house of the date of the beginning of the last century, an older mansion belonging to the Vaughans having been destroyed about that time. It is very near where Owain Glyndwr's castle was, and if any of you are inclined to see what remains there are I shall be, of course, happy to give you the facility of doing so. (Cheers.) With so many learned antiquarians before me, I shall not venture to enter upon the subject of arche- ology. I will only say that I trust that when you have arrived at the close of your visit to Llangollen, you will not regret having come here, but that you will find in the exploration of ancient places of this neighbourhood that which will repay you for the trouble you have taken. (Cheers.) Mr. THOMAS MORGAN, F.S.A., the hon. treasurer, then spoke a few words of acknowledgment on behalf of the members of the Association for the cordial welcome they had received. Mr. G. R. WRIGHT, F.S.A., the hon. Congress secretary, explained that through the kind invitation of their presi- dent, an additional day, Tuesday, the 4tli of September, had been fixed upon for a visit to Llangedwyn via Oswes- try. It was proposed that on their way they should, by permission of Lord Harlech, visit Old Oswestry, where there was an exceedingly fine British fort, with a triple vallum. VISIT TO PLAS NEWYDD. The members and visitors then proceeded to Plas Newydd, where lived the Ladies of Llangollen." General Yorke, the owner, most courteously showed the visitors over the house and grounds. These he has greatly im- proved, and he has also formed a very interesting museum which the visitors had the pleasure of inspecting. THE DINNER. At eight o'clock a public dinner, to which about eighty ladies and gentlemen sat down, was held in the Assembly Room, under the presidency of Sir Watkin Wynn. The room was very effectively decorated with flags and ban- ners, &c., and over the president's chair was hnng the sketch of Llangollen painted by a local artist for a drop scene." The dinner, a sumptuous and elegant repast, was provided by Mrs. Edwards, of the Hand Hotel. After dinner, The PRESIDENT, in proposing the toast of "The Queen," expressed a hope that her Majesty might ere long be induced to seek the benefit of mountain air with- out the fatigue of a long journey to Scotland, by paying visit to her loyal Welsh subjects. (Cheers.) In proposing the health of the Prince of Wales, as patron of that Congress, and of the Princess of Wales and the other members of the Royal Family, Sir WATKIN said he wished his Royal Highness had been amongst them, but all they could do was to regret his ab- sence. The PRESIDENT, in proposing the toast of the Army and Navy, coupled the toast with the name of General Yorke, who had so kindly received them that day, and said that he (Sir Watkin) ncollected having been taken when a child to see the "Ladies of Llangollen." General YORKE, in responding to the toast, referred to the quartering at Wrexham Barracks of that gallant regi- ment, the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusileers, and said that it was the achievements of that noble regiment in the Peninsular war which led him to make up his mind to join the army. Captain BEST was also called upon to respond to the toast on behalf of the Navy. Mr. OSBORNE MORGAN, M.P., in proposing the toast of Prosperity tothe British Archaeological Association, "said it was their privilege upon occasions like that to be able to throw politics to the wind, and he believed he was speaking the sentiments of his hon. friend and colleague as well as his own when he said that they wished to be liberal in their reception of that Society and conservative in their veneration for those ancient monuments, for the elucidation of which they looked to its members'. A Bill had been before the House of Commons in which he was sure they all took a deep interest-the Bill of his valued friend, Sir John Lubbock for the preservation of ancient monuments-for which he (Mr. Osborne IVforgan) was partly responsible, and which he hoped, if Mr! Parnell and Mr. Biggar would allow it, would next session become the law of the land. In the course of the debate upon that Bill he had the misfortune to hear a noble lord decry archaeology as a barren and useless study, and denounce their forefathers, the ancient Britons, as savages, who lived upon grain, and who went about dressed in a light airy costume of blue paint. (Laughter.) He believed that the answer to all these silly theories was that nothing which concerns the history of our own land, however re- mote, ought to be a matter of indifference to us. Those lines of Wordsworth, beginning "The child is father to the man," were quite as true of the nation as the individual. (Hear hear). He hoped he might congratulate them—he was sure he might congratulate Llangollen-upon the choice they had made in coming there. He believed they would find that neighbourhood a rich mine of archaeological wealth. Perhaps (continued Mr. Osborne Morgan) you will pardon me for saying that to us, the inhabitants of the land you are about to explore, this country has more- than an archaeological interest. We honour it as the home where our forefathers made their last stand against Saxon invasion. You are proud, justly proud, of your Anglo-Saxon descent. You are proud, justly proud, of the strength of will and the firmness of purpose which has enabled you to conquer and colonize one half of the civilized world. Allow us to be proud of our ancestors, the Ancient Britons, and of their virtues, though they were virtues of a somewhat sterner and ruder kind- a generous thirst for freedom, and an undying love for their country. (Cheers.) It may not be out of place to remind an assembly which is so largely composed of ladies, that the ancient Briton was a worshiper of the fair sex. (Cheers and laughter.) I do not mean to say that he appreciated women's rights in the iense in which Miss Lydia Becker would have us ap- preciate them. (Laughter.) But we have it on the highest authority—that of Tacitus—that the ancient Briton felt an almost mysterious reverence for female loveliness, a reverence which I could wish to see re- produced amongst some of his supposed descendants. After quoting some lines from an old poet on this subject, Mr. Osborne Morgan said he was sure he could appeal to it least one half of his audience in support of his conten- tion—that the men of whom such things could be said could lot be very far sunk in the social scale. (Cheers.) I lope (he continued), that when you visit some of the icenes in which our ancestors carried on their great struggle against your ancestors, we shall prove that ;here is some truth in that old Greek proverb that the iternest fees are those who make the best friends, and that ve shall be able to give you, though in an entirely lifferent sense, as warm a welcome as our ancestors gave rour ancestors en the heights of Castell Dinas Bran.. Cheers.) In conclusion, Mr. Osborne Morgan said he lad to couple the toast with the name of the distinguished md learned Treasurer of the Association, Mr. Thomas Vforgan. Mr. MORGAN having responded to the toast, Professor HUGHES, in a graceful and humorous speech, reposed the health of The Ladies." The toast of the "President" was then proposed by Mr. JSBOBNE MORGAN, and was enthusiastically received. Sir WATKIN having responded, the company separated oon after ten o'clock. TUESDAY. DINAS BRAN. The first item in the ample programme of Tuesday's pro- ceedings was a visit to Castell Dinas Bran, vulgarly called Crow Castle." This picturesque ruin is, as probably most of our readers well know, situated on the top of a lofty and steep conical hill, quite detached from the surrounding heights, and rising a thousand feet above the level of the sea, towers over the lovely valley of Llangollen. The weather on Tuesday was a decided improvement on that of the day before. To use Mr. Theodore Martin's meta- phor, the froward beauty smiled amidst her tears. Al- though the morning was stormy, a very strong wind blowing with occasional heavy showers of rain, a fair number of archaeologists, including ladies, were found courageous enough to climb to the top of the hill, and, archaeology apart were, we need not sav. fullv rewarded' by the magnificent prospect which spread itself with suffi- cient clearness before them. The effects of mingled storm and sunshine heightened the beauty of the scene, and the visitors as they ascended the hill stopped to admire the lovely rainbows which cast their magic hues on the slopes of the western hills. Soon after reaching the top the visitors assembled under the friendly shelter of a corner of the ruin to hear a very interesting and lucid paper on Dinas Bran Castle, by Mr. E. P. Loftus Brock, F.S.A., which we regret we cannot give in full. Mr. Brock began by saying The history of this castle cannot be considered except in relation to its local surroundings, since we find it is but one of a series which appear to have been always in close connection the one with the other. Chirk Castle, at the distance of but a few mlies, is evidently a supporting fortress to thie, while higher up the valley at Corwen is another fortified post remaining in its original condition, and not obliterated by a building of antiquity it is true, but of moderate age in relation to the original occupation of the site. There are also other old earth works of remote antiquity, which more or less support these more important fortifications of the valley of the Dee. It will be observed that the last two of these are on the Welsh side of the Dee, while Chirk Castle stands as an outpost at a certain distance on the south side of it. All, how- ever, have the peculiarity so common in similar places of strength in the Principality of commanding a view down the valleys, so important for defensive purposes. Very little is known of the founder. I am disposed to ascribe very high antiquity to the occupation of the site by an earthen or rude stone enclosing wall, with its external ditch, probably of but little larger area than that now occupied by the ruined castle which is of 13th century work. Is to be regretted that the ditch has never been cleaned out. Mr. Brock then referred to the memorials on record of the later owners of the Castle. It was the seat of the Lords of Yale, and the founder of Valle Crucis Abbey,. Gruffydd ap Madoc Maelor resided there. Before the invention of artillery this ascent must have been one of certain death, and there is no record of the Castle ever having been taken by an enemy. The approach, after passing through the entrance, which doubtless had its drawbridge across the moat, its portcullis and firmly- based gates, is a long passage, arched over with a barrel vault, which still stands firm, but rent and ragged with the storms of more than 800 years. The wall is pierced with there circular holes, which were doubtless for throw- ing deadly projectiles upon an enemy beneath, supposing that portcullis and castle had been forced. A deep hollow, very apparent on the site of the east of the enclosure, was probably the basement of some demolished building. We may add that at Dinas Bran Madog found a retreat from the infuriated Welsh when he took part with Henry III and Edward I in their endeavours to subjugate his countrymen. The mode (said Mr. Brock) of the construc- tion of the roof of the castle-slate stone with dressings of capital free stone—agrees almost exactly with that of Valle Crucis Abbey. It was reasonable to suppose that Maelor, either before or after the foundation of the con- vent, would have thought of rebuilding the castle. With his wars with the English, common prudence would sug- gest that his own castle should be as strong as skill could make it. Mr. Brock referred to the great difference of opinion which exists as to the signification of the word Bran. The theory that it was derived from a corruption of the name of Brennus, King of the Gauls, he dismissed as untenable, because incapable of proof, as was also the conjecture that it was taken from Bryn, a mountain. The supposition that it was derived from "Bran," a crow, was more plausible, but he was inclined to agree with the opinion that the name was derived from Bran, the mountain stream which runs at the foot of the northern slope of the hill. An earlier structure on the site is said to have been destroyed by fire in the tenth century, and Mr. Brock said he had noticed that much of the mortar of the walls now standing was mixed with small fragments of burnt slate. Were these, he suggested, the debris of the fire. In the course of his remarks, Mr. Brock referred to Pen- nant's record of fair Myvanwy Vecban and the beautiful poem composed by her despairing lover. WREXHAM CHURCH. After descending Dinas Bran, the party proceeded by the 12'30 train to Wrexham, where they arrived about half past one. They immediately went to the fine old parish church, where explanatory remarks were made by Mr. Brock, Mr. Bloxam, Mr. Wynne, of Peniarth, and the Rev. D. Howell, vicar of Wrexham. Mr. Wynne described a curious monument of Sir Richard Lloyd, of Esclusham, and of Dulasau, in Carnarvonshire, who was a judge and an ardent Royalist. He went into exile during the Commonwealth, and died in IG7G. A paper by Mr. B. Ferrey, F.S.A,, u.udev whose direction the work of restoration was carried on a few yeans ago, was read in his absence by Mr. G. G. Adams, F.S.A. In the course of the paper he stated that the church was1 dedicated to either St. Giles or St. Silas, and was rebuilt, with the exception of the tower, in the reign of Edward the Fourth. The plan consists of nave, north and south aides, and chancel, and is remarkable in having an apse, as there are very few examples of parish churches having cliaiieelq with apses in the perpendicular period. After describing the interior of the edifice, the paper went on to state that the clerestory arid the aisles are of later date than the arcade itself, the latter formed probably part of the earlier chan- cel, said to have been burnt in 1457, and in order to pro- mote the re-building of it an indulgence of forty days for five years was granted by the Pope. The corbels of the early church are still remaining on the spandrel walls of the nave beiow the stone brackets of the present roof, and the effect of the earlier church with the pointed roof must have been far superior to that of the present build- ing. Further improvements are said to have been made :in the time of Bishop Birkhead, 1513 to 1518. A subse- quent Bishop, Parfew of Wharton, resided much of his time here, and endeavoured to. procure a licence to remove his see or cathedral church to this place, of wbich Leland wrote about tie same time— Wrexham hath a goodlie church collegiate, and one of the fairest of North Wales, but there longeth no Prebewds to it. In Qaeen Elizabeth's reign the church was enlarged by the addition of the south aisle, the roof of which is said to ha-re been formed out of the timber of a gallery which ran along the north side. During the Com- monwealth it was desecrated by being made into a prison, according to Brown Willis, and into a stable according to others. A peal of ten: bells was set up in 1726. At the east end of the north aisle was the chapel of the Pulestons of Hafodywern, with its altar, niches, and piscina the last name still sur- vives. After referring to the chantry chapel of the family of Llwynonn, who were said to have been the first to respond to the call for re-building the chancel, and that their teams were reported to have carried the first lead of stone, the paper went on to say that there was nothing very remarkable in the architecture of the exterior of the body of the church, which was of the usual perpendicular type having roofs of low pitch, the clerestory and aisle walls surmounted by embattled parapets, separated by buttresses and pinnacles. The great feature of the Church was the Western Tower, justly celebrated for its beautiful proportions and details. It was styled one of the seven wonders of Wales, and when it was' commenced' was unknown; it was, however, completed in 1506. Among the numerous examples of grand perpendicular towers which abounded in Somersetshire, there was none to be compared with the tower of St. Giles, Wrexham, for massiveness and good proportions. Very few towers, also, could boast of such a number of niches still filled with un- mutilated figures.-Mr. Ferrey concluded his interesting paper by acknowledging his indebtedness to the- admirable History of the Diocese of St. Asaph/by the Rev. D. R. Thomas, for some of the historical information. Mr. Brock referred to a tradition in reference to the old 5agle lectern of brass, to the effect that it was abstracted from Valle Crucis Abbey. This tradition was dis- proved by the fact that the eagle was given by John ip Gryffydd, of Plas-y-Stewart in 1524. Many other traditions of a similar kind were equally inaccurate. Mr. Brock also called attention to the ohancel arch, with vhich the east end of the church terminated. When the apse vas added the work was left in an unfinished state. The :hurch formerly belonged to Valle Crucis Abbey, and it s probable that the work was in progress at the'frime of he dissolution of the Abbey, and was consequently left infinished. Bloxam then made some interesting observa- tions with regard to two effigies, one effigy of a Bishop. in the phancel, and the other of a knight in the porch. The effigy in the chancel is that of Bishop Bellot, who was successively Bishop of Bangor and Bishop of Chester, who was one of the translators of the English Bible, and who died in 1596. Mr. Bloxam referred to the celebrated vestarian controversy in the reign, of Queen Elizabeth,, and pointed it out as a curious circumstance that the Bishop was represented as partly wearing post Reformation vestments, and partly his academical robes. He believed that there were only two other in- stances of this throughout the country, one in the case of Archbishop Grindal, and the other of Bishop Carey, in Exeter Cathedral. With regard to the effigy of the knight, at the other end of the church, it was a curious peculiarity of the effigies of Welsh knights that they generally had the shield in front of the body, while in the effigies of Eng- lish knights the shields were on the left of the body. The shield of the knight is distinguished by a lion ram- pant and the legend" Hic jacet Keneverike ap Hovel. Mr. Bloxam said that when he last visited Wrexham he was gravely informed that it was the effigy of Owain Glyndwr. Inside the porch is a portion of a fresco attributed by Mr. Bloxam to the 15th century, illustrative of the Crucifixion, and above the door of the porch is still standing an image of the Virgin and child. GRESFORD CHURCH. After inspecting Wrexham Church the visitors proceeded to the Public Hall where luncheon was provided.. They afterwards went in carriages to Gresford church, the architecture and monuments of which were briefly described' by Mr. Brock, Mr. Bloxam, &c. This interest- ing church is said to have been founded by Ithyl son of Eunydd, son of Gwenllian daughter of Rhys ap' Marchan, styled' the heiress- of Dyffryn Clwyd." The architecture of the church is principally late perpendicular, but it contains some very interesting old monuments. One of these is the effigy of a warrior of the 14th century; with the legend on his shield of "Hie jacet Madoe ap Llewelin ap Griffiri." He died in 1331. The knight's armour differs remarkably from English armour. It appears to be composed of square-headed studs. The perpendicular tower of the church is of the date of 1507. There are two chantry chapels divided from the chancel and aisle by screens. THE ROMAN REMAINS AT CAERGWRLE. The- archaeologists afterwards drove to the Roman remains- at Caergwrle-, which were briefly described. The castle was, it is said, originally a Roman walled castrum, which in mediaeval times was repaired, added to, and otherwise adapted to the existing period. It was also designed to afford protection to the Roman town built in its immediate neighbourhood. There, as in other Roman castles, excavations are needed. The party returned to Wrexham for the train at 6-25, reaching Llangollen by the train due there at 7 p.m. An evening meeting was held in the Assembly Room, at which various papers were read.

BRIEF REPORT OF THE THREE YEARS WORK OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF TOWYN AND PEN-NAL. The Education Department having caused an inquiry to be made into the state of education and school accommo- dation available in the parishes of Towyn and Pennal, and having found the accommodation deficient both at Pennal and Bryncrug issued a final notice, dated 24th of May, 1874, requiring the deficiency in the accommodation to be provided, and proposing to form a united school district by uniting the parishes of Towyn and Pennal. The time granted in the notice having expired, and the accommoda- tion not having been provided, the Education Department issued a compulsory order, dated the 5th of September, 1874, for the formation of a united school district, to be called the School District of Towyn and Pennal, and direct- ing the clerk of Machynlleth Union to take proceedings for holding the election of a School Board conformably there- with.. The present Board were elected on the 24th of September, 1874, the members being Messrs. J. Webster, Aberdovey, C. F. Thruston, Talgarth Hall, J. Hughes Jones, Aberdovey, E. Newell, Esguan, and L. Lewis, Pontfathew. The first meeting of the Board was held on the 22nd of October, 1874, at which Mr. J. Webster was elected chair- man, and Mr. E. Newell, vice-chairman. Negotiations were at once entered into for the transfer of the Pennal and Bryncrug schools to the Board. The transfer of the latter caused considerable trouble. The deeds belonging to it were lost by the managers and much time was spent in tracing them. The Board had also to prepare rules and forms of resolutions for the guidance of the managers. The formal consent of the managers of the Pennal and Bryncrug Schools having been given to the arrangements for transfer, the same were submitted for the approval of the Education Department, and were sanctioned. The school buildings at Bryncrug were in a most dilapidated state, and totally unfit for educational pur- poses. The accommodation at Pennal had been pro- nounced inadequate, and the building was also much out of repair. The Board proceeded, without loss of time, to put the buildings in thorough good order, and in the shortest possible time at the least possible cost. Plans and specifications of the additions and alterations were prepared and submitted to the Education Department, who directed a class-room to be added to the Bryncrug School, and all the internal arrangements to be constructed according to their rules. The Board, with a view of lessen- ing the cost, pointed out to the Department the fact that Bryncrug was a mere agricultural hamlet, and that there was no available space for building, but all in vain; the Department insisted upon the rules being complied with. The Board, therefore, had no alternative but to convert the master's house to a class-room. The Department acted the same with regard to the Pennal School. Larger addi- tions were ordered to be done than had been contem- plated by the Board. Here again there was not an inch of ground at the disposal of the Board, but Mr. C. F. Thruston, of Talgarth Hall, made a free gift of sufficient land for the purpose of enlarging the school, thus saving the ratepayers a large amount of money and avoiding what must have otherwise caused a considerable delay. Tenders were advertised for and the contracts for en- larging and repairing the buildings were let, and in less than eight months from the fonnation of the Board the Bryncrug school was opened. and the enlargement of Pennal school soon afterwards completed. About this time the question of salaries engaged the serious attention o&he Board, and after much consider- ation it was resol-rod to offer such salaries as would be likely to secure the services of competent men. ihe results that have followed; and are hereinafter quoted, the Board consider have rully proved the wisdom of this resolution. • It was also resolved, after ascertaining the opinions of many ratepayers, to borsow a part of the money requisite for carrying out the woaks on the buildings, aril the sum of £ 400 was borrowed ii'om the-Public Works-Loau Com- missioners at 3'T per sent, interest, and th-s repayment spread over a term of twenty-five years. The Board met twenty-eight tunes for the transaction of business during the first year, the sittings frequently lasting four hours. With a view of securing regular attendance of children at the schools, by-laws were framed ia conformity with the power given to School Boards by the 33 and 34 Vict., c. 75, sec. 74, which were sanctioned by Her Majesty in Council on the 24th of March, 1876. The provisions of the Education Act, 1876, were published in Welsh and English all through the district, aiftl copies distributed to individuals. Hundreds of notices were served on parents. A special ce nsus of all the children in the district under thirteen years of age was prepared, and the masters of all the public Elementary Schools (and some of the private schools) furnish the Board with monthly returns of the attendance of the children at their schools, which are carefully perused and examined at the meetings, and the parents of those childre-n who do not attend a sufficient number of times are served with notices and visited by the officers of the Board and frequently by the members. By these means a fair attendance was secured, especially at Pennal and Bryncrug. The Towyn British School was transferred to the Board on the 22nd of September, 1875. The buildings were much out of repair and the school without books and apparatus., which were supplied at once. The Board Schools were examined for tbe first time ia May, 1876, and the Inspectors reported as fouows:- THE EXAMINATION OF BRYNCRUG SCHOOL, 187ft. 1 his IS the first inspection of Bryncrug School. In any case I should call the start mark, good, but consider- ing ihat the children are purely Welsh, and gathered from. niars and mountain, I think the word excellent' is not too strong. The infants are taught with unusual cara- and su icess. Amount of grant, £63 l'fe. 6d. REPORT FOR 1877. The discipline, attainments and intelligence of this, school reflect great credit on the industry 'and ability of the master. The infants seem very well taught Amount of grant, £ 76 Ss. Od. Increase since iast year, £ jo 17S The Bryncrug School had been without a'certifkated' master for twenty years,, and had been cloaed altogether for several years. All the children had to be put in the first standard when the school was opened June 1875. This fact well enable the public to judge of the process- made from that date to the time of the examination. ° TOWYN SCHOOL REPORT FOR 1876. The discipline and instruction are in all ways good.- A better supply of books, a few loose benches for square classes, a map of Wales, and a modulator for teaching music from notes are wanted. The singing an 1 needle- work deserve praise. It is much to be regretted that this school is rendered gloomy by semi-opaque glass." Amount of grant, 249 8s. ° REPORT FOR 1877. This school is in good order, and has passed a good examination. Arithmetic, however, has several failures, owing, probably, to want of variety in teaching and test- ing it. The other work is all satisfactory." Amount of grant, C45 3s. decrease, k4 5s. The cause of this decrease was a falling off in the attendance. There is very keen scholastic competition at Towyn,. and the Board School is the only one examined for the purpose of earning grants, and is probably obliged to ob- serve and abide by more stringent rules ins consequence a fact that is particularly distasteful to a great number'of parents. REPORT OF THE EXAMINATION OF PENNAL SCHOOL, MAY 1876. The addition made to this school has been a very great improvement. The reading and arithmetic of the second standards need improvement. In other respects the ele- mentary instruction is good. The master is doing his work well." Amount of grant, £ 39 2s. 6d. ° REPORT FOR 1877. This school has improved very much since last year, and may now be ranked among the good schools in the district. Amount of grant, k70 13s.; increase since last year, JE31 lis. In spite of the heavy expenses incurred in forming the Board, transferring, repairing, and furnishing the schools with apparatus and books, the amount of the contribu- tions from the district does not more than equal a rate of 3.2d. in the £ for every year the Board has been in exist- ence, and it is confidently believed that a much smaller rate will suffice for the future. The Board have, throughout their term of office, en. deavoured rather to induce, than compel, attendance at school, and have enquired into the circumstances of every case, and not abided by a hard and fast rule, and have by these means succeeded quite as well, if not better, than those Boards that have used much greater severity. Free education has been granted to all those children whose parents are unable through poverty to pay the school fees. I here, however, remains much to be done in the way of securing more regular attendance at school, more particu- larly at Towyn and Aberdovey. By order, P. H. HUGHES, Clerk. PORTHDINLLAEN NEW LIFEBOAT. i e Lifeboat Institution has just sent a new lifeboat to i orthdmllaen, Carnarvonshire, in lieu of the boat placed on that station some years since. The boat forwarded is » very tine one, 37 feet long and 9 feet wide it rows twelve oars. double banked It was built by Messrs. Woolfe and Son, of ?iTa r>we London. It had its harbour trial a few days since ill ?e^en s Can;il Dock, London, when the usual qualities of stability, self-righting, and self-ejecting of water were fully and satisfactorily tested. The water shipped, when the boat was live seconds1 nea 11 s a erane> was self-ejected in about twenty- The expense. of the new beat and equipment has been de- frayed by the employe of Messrs. Copestake, Hughes, OrarnD- h<X '( e Copestake, Moore, Crainpton, an^ Co.) they having contributed the sum of £ 500 to provide a life- boat to be called the George Moore," in memory of their late respected employer, the well known philanthropist. It may be the lifeboat now replaced was named the "Cotton bv thP T1^i<"1?+bee^,re8ent1ed ^the Lifeboat Institution y <-?tton bheppard. It had been instrumental altogether in rescuing thirty-three lives from different wrecks, besides assisting to save four small vessels and their crews numbering ten men, from destruction. It should be mentioned Institution is much indebted to the Rev. Owen T.I wuiiams for his valuable co-operation in the management of the JPorthdinlla«i and. Abersoch Lifeboat establishments. The National .Lifeboat Institution has now 266 boats under its management, thirty-one of which are stationed on the Welsh a winter passes without some of these boats ren- dering important servicein saving life from shipwreck. A large sum is needed annually to maintain them in a state of thorough efficiency Contributions in aid of their support will be gladly thei different bankers, the several local honorary Adelph? London y secretary the Institution, John-street, .c^espondent wriies^-The following is a brief history of the lifeboat services at Porthdinlleyn for thirteen years post On the 3rd Sept., 1863, during a heavy gale, no less than seven- teen vessels out of nineteen that were at anchor in Porthdin- lleyn bay, either parted, slipped, or dragged their anchors and came ashore, their crews being rescued by persons on shore, with the exception of one man, who belonged to the smack Bardsey, of Carnarvon, and never attempted to save himself. After this disaster meetings were held at Nevin, and petitions sent to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution to place a life- boat at this station. Through their instrumentality a very fine boat was presented to the station by the late Lady Cotton Shep- pard, and on the 24th. August 1864, she was publicly launched and named by Miss Hanmer, of Bodnod, the Cotton Sheppard. She has fortunately been the means of saving several lives and vessels, of which the following is a list 1866 March 24—Smack Jenny Jones, of Barmouth, vessel and five lives.. T ^(!Ptcml|er—Brigantine Columbia, of Carnarvon, five lives -loo/ Jan. 12 Smack Catherina, of Barmouth, vessel, and four lives. 1868-Jan. 24-Sebooner,. Denbighshire Lass, of Beaumaris" foUr lives.. » Schooner Sarah Caroline, of Girvor, N.B., five lives. „ Oct. 27—Flat William, of Carnarvon—assisted to save vessel and two lives. 1869-Oct. 16-Brigantine Gleaner, of Carnarvon, three lives. 1370—Jan. 14-Schooner Gronajit, of Carnarvon, three lives. Oct. 13—Smack Hopewell, of Barmouth, assisted to save vessel and two lives. 1876—Aug. 2—Fishing boat of Llanuchaiarn, two lives. 1877—Jan. 19—A boat of Porthdynlleyn and two lives. Jaflve3li7e!Ch0°ner Rebecca and Mary, of Carnarvon, and five lIves. The crew have frequently been assembled, but owing to various causes their services were fortunately not required^ On other occasions the boat has been out, and assisted in savin vessels and their crews, for which their services have been reo.. warden by their; owners. Many times during the "tormy nights of last winter, the coxswain and crew have remained at the boat- house all night, in case of the services of the boat being re- quired. On Saturday, the 25th Aug., the old boat was replaced by a magnificent boat presented by the employes of the late Mr. George Moore; of London, and the new boat was publiclv launched on Thursday, Aug. 30. y

THE CARBONIFEROUS LIMESTONE AND MILLSTONE GRIT AROUND LLANGOLLE. At the British Association last week, Mr. G. H. Morton, FjCr.S., read an interesting paper on The Carboniferous Lime- Millstone Grit around Llangollen, North Wales." The author described the carboniferous limestone exposed in the Eglwyseg Ridge, near Llangollen, North Wales, and pointed out that the finest section was exposed at Tynant Ravine, on the west of Cefn-y-Fedw, and that the country around must be con- sidered as the typical area of the lower carboniferous series of North Wales. The millstone grit, or Cefn-y-Fedwan. s one, which was exposed above the limestone in the district was also described. After giving an explanation of tna> succession and thickness of the entire series, Mr. Morton remarked that this section showed how the limestone dinumsnei1 in thickness with the rise of the Wenloek shale towards the-WU £ ji east. Between the Tynant ravine and Tan-y-Casteii it had' thinned out 200 feet, and at- Fron-y-CysyQte, four miles from the former place, the attenuation being not less tnan .>09 feet; Tftu ijg{; 0f fossils collected by the author contained seventy-seven species of which,fifty-eight occurred in the upper grey only eighteen in the. lower^tarown limeSl,one ff tjK, carboni. ferous limestone was simply into iipper :uwj lower Iime, stones, thirty-eight species Peculiar to the two upper sub- divisions, and' nineteen-to-tne two lower sub-divisions, twenty species being common to Howeyer, the species were by no means confined to> tne ^ovisionsin which they were found near Llangollen, for they occurred in differenkhornons in othen Professor W. Smj^h saicl that it was thirty years since he mapped f°r;°J'V'l\.™rvey the country described by Ml. Morton, llt;tle was known of the geology of the district, t y < -ttraction to the placa being the two famous niaiden that time railways had opened up the bare the rocks along many lines. Mr. l ;nv!>Jh',v v 6 dliistrated the changing character of geo- now studied °n' an^ greater detail in which beds were ..owJtii'11-1111 ,'[efeiTed to the Yoredala rocks of Phillips, as de- ,n Pendle and Wensleydale, and' compared theii with those described by Mr. Morton as Y'/redale-.

WELSH-SPEAKIXG CLERGY.-With the view of meeting the want of Welsh-speaking clergy in Wales, the Bishop and Dean, of Bangor propose a plan for enlistiug in the service of the Church native talea-t among the poorer- classes in Wales, and, by giving an eight years' education (four in the grammar school at Bangor and four at Oxford) they hope to supply educated clergy, familiar with the language of the people. The Dean and Mr. Trevor, the secretary of the new society, are about to bring this plan before the laity of the diocese at various centres, and they ask for £ 1,500, which, with economy, they think will be sufficient. HOLLOWAY'S PILLS.—The blood being the very essence of health and life, it. is most essential that it should be thoroughly purified before the depressing influences of winter display themselves. These Pills will accomplish. this purification in a safe and satisfactory maimer and, put the circulation in that desirable condition, which alone can rightly form flesh, bone,, muscle, nerve, and skin. Capricious appetites, weak dtgestions( torpid livers, and irregular bowels are correct by this potent medi- cine, which may be truly said to induce a sane mind in a sound body." Holloway's Pills possess the remarkable property of cleansing without weakening. I-V-hile puri- fying they are strengthening and adding to those enjoy, ments of life which health wl vigour can. alcme bestow.