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1\e. Soil for Potting. wiij soon be here when all plants 315 jg pots will require to be re-potted. O* wirt. Veif. important operation in connec- ^lly^7 their culture, as, unless it is care- Property done, it is impossible that ^1X)W We^ and remain in health and ^iy KiSs- All other conditions necessary for arCCess may be available, but if the not in soil that agrees with them Y^tendfvideficiences will have to be is w^ii and failure will be the result, j^cb, ijyjj ™ W what kind of soil suits °5 P^t—some require peat; others hut ha 18 rarely obtainable like other ?etttair» to be bought in from oujrKf +lctf• It is not very expensive, it. TrfvaT,"? supplied to plants that re- best farm m°st generally required. the surface*# th'at wljicil is taken «oul<i be cut fa, °'d pasture field. It tJ^ck, and stored in111^8 a')ol't three inchcs grass side down^nvenient heap, v. ith If it has iicrt.8^55 cause the grass to field "is ^rS £ °S' Th/° that mritc 1 Very fiK surface of a grass 0$tSf* Plauts pots and it i» this SitXI W ft^5 bllt where Ubn tlT*\ be1 tl uoui a roads^lo have to be >wer" c Avoid' that ipk6 out-of-the-way °f weeds or any contains many not be too now iSl filth, and it ferity offers of to l»(.! ? eria'i secure it, as it may be stored 6, jj/f1 for several years. In putting it up in ] P put a layer of it at the bottom, then 5&iiner of Manure, more turf, and manure 80 till it has all been put up. ^Ut ^^ke it rich and fertilise, it well for Put gro",tng. If it contains many worms, it." the 3pt'lJlklillg of soot through it, as well t>liiats !riariure, as they are very injurious to ll> theji11 POt.<>. All who have either plants ^y^'her Wmvdcn^ or greenliouses, or in pots 'oil at oa^8 try and secure their potting 3^ Salt f°r Grass Land. Boverton Farm, In Te> lemarked to me lately on the J'-Prsssfcri 6 destroy moss in grass, and k °P^11^011 that salt destroyed it f °°e ofti,11110' know Mr. Thomas to t^eiv 7,le 1110 st practical and experienced ,Vti thf* u^h Wales, and tenant of a large » hi i.18 maDaoe<i admirably, I considei iP .A1 most valuable, and 1 has ^n ]10ut questioning its capabjfcties. Jim recommend it in many cases ?N. T+ is more readily obtainable by Un^°uhtedly a puritier, and all who ?^tro¥ it on their land know it will li kinds of pests, while it makes ■8>Sl0,1,wrb«8» very acceptable to stock. cheap, and the result of its use is Itofh? 111 a^e those who know it advocate Application. I do not think it has virtii ^^ted with killing moss, but a-lone will make it in great demand. ^jj^aaila8 as a Winter Flower. t CII.nn.a. is a. bulbous plant, with erect, & tb.e¡¡ wiiich attain a height of from two y^Hoe. ll10 best vaxieties come from T1^ foliage is green in some £ v PurP^e in othei's. It is bold They are generally rect»m- S* Plants that may be grown in open- W the summer time, when a tropioal-like aspect, and' they are a? ^OWn i11 P°ts to flower in green- be 8eason* I have not heard of v°€ ittuoh. grown as winter flowering h ^lf ?? ^^ntly saw a fine batch of them JlUjZ blossom in Mr. Ralph Crosslink's Penarth, South Wales. The ft? Dot Pr°duced on tall, erect spikes, and those of better-known are of all shades and br' Cfnan.^ wonderfully rich and striking. 0 assured me they had been in A?*Uties winter, and I am sure if their Wn a w^nter flower were better known be very geneinily grown at this jit ^«edinp Fruit Trees. tjv^ tiw Ql^stake to dig doivn to the roots of 5* injures the roots and checks bo^ roots and branches. The feeding them is to spread the ajJ?11 surfaoe of the soil round the °ver where the roots are. All its 1 will then be washed down to the tf. to they will also be induced to come to Sur^a€e where the manure is; and V th a<^vaatage> as they are then bene- •tiw1, forTi ^Sht and sunshine, which is much than being buried far from the fQ. j the trees are in an orchard or 4 yard11 the turf should be cut oif °r so round the tree and to a depth *0u an^ this should be filled up tow- ^Cd ^k In gardens where there is only L Oq stem, the manure need only be W this ^°w manure is the best R? ai purpose, and horse manure be used. Light stuff to tJiQ T,, 113 little manure is useless Supply^~P°se. Now is the best time ^°WtfQUre' 48 ■'t will benefit the blossom ofth^rOW^^ from the beginning. It latest assistants to the health VaJ^i&ds 7T?6?s ,°f the trees I know of, and w!" Von,; bruits should be treated in this but 1 jfeGS recently planted may not *ts 0j ones will soon show the good e»«Z' arL<^ efforts should be made to Very one of them. -Sfoad Beans. ^e,°ngst the earliest seed that can y, and open ground. They are very As first of them may be put in tifoil, buf J3, ^e' they aigree best with a class of soil is the wettest Nl cron 1 he best to avoid it for th«,t sow them in rather a light TW r°tam the moisture to caiv aitp°^ou^ should be well manured ^Ud th^a- °Peu drills about a yard inches deei>. Sow" the seed in a. double row along the bottom, but keep each seed apart about twoi or three inches. Place a thin layer of sand over the seed, and then cover over with the ordinary soil, which should be trodden down on the top and made very nrm. A thin layer of ashes may be put over all, as this hinders the snails from eating the young plants, and a look-out must be kept that mice do not eat the seed. Profitable Poultry-Duck Farming- I have received from Mr. J. H. Sutcliife, Felliscliffe, Ripley, via Leeds, a most useful Little book, named "Duck Farming: Or, How to Breed and Rear Ducks with Success in Confinement without Bathing Water." It is a. most useful little volume on all the most profitable ways of treating ducks, and all who wish to make ducks pay ought to possess this excellent book. Of late I have often received questions on the merits of Indian Runner lucks, and of these Mr. Sutcliffe remarks: — "The Indian Runner duck, which is rapidly jccoming much better known and appreciated, svas originally imported, as its name implies, from India, to Cumberland. In that and idjoining counties it has been kept to a limited extent since its introduction, some fifty years, igo, but it is only during the past half-dozen pears that its fame as a marvellous layer has spread, and) now specimens of tha breed, more 3r less pure, may be found in all parts of England. The demand, however, lor these Mrds has sprung up so quickly as to cause iiany crosses to be put on the market as pure. rhey are erect in carriage, with long and larrow bodies, well elevated in front, and closely feathered. The neck is long and slender, and the head rather flat. As the .1pper part of the skull and bill forms an liinost straight line, it gives the head the lppearance of a wedge. The bill is long and -)road. In colour the Indian Runner is of a :ight brown or fawn shade and grev, and should be even, and not broken in the mark- ing. Towards the base of the neck of the irake the fawn shade deepens somewhat. File hesid of the duck is a. greyish brown, the lead of the drake having a deeper and more jronzy green tinge. At the joining of the lead and bill there is a narrow band or rim of ivhite. When first hatched the bill is yellow, md gradually changes during the first year )f the duck's life to a dull green in the duck md a yellowish. green in the drake. The legs ire orange red. Indian Runners are very ictive in their habits, and have a running Whence the name) rather than a waddling motion in their movements. They are excel- lent foragers and marvellous layers, but as table birds in their pure state they cannot be recommended, being small, averaging in weight about four pounds. The flesh is od fine 0 quality and flavour, but they do not fatten well. They are hardy and easy to rear, and may be used with great advantage for crossing with heavier breeds to improve their laying qualities. They will lay till from six to eight years of age. Vegetable Seeds for 1897. "A Grower for Pleasure and Profit" writes: —"Several years ago* you advised me to pur- chase some kinds of vegetable seeds from Messrs. Webb, the well-known seedsmen, of Wordsley, Stourbridge. I did so, and they proved so genuine and) productive that I ex- tended my order to them the following year, and for several years past I have been wholly supplied by them. The excellent qualities I found in their seeds originally has never varied, and all the tilings I am now desirous of recommending to other growers are their varieties. Apart from the information you gave me, I have been told that this firm hajs gone to endless care and expense to attain the high position they now occupy amongst seed firms, and my experience induces me to say I think they fully merit it. But of the good things Webb's Kinver Mammoth broad bear: is the largest podded bean I have ever grown or seen. It is very prolific, and I have had the pods one and a half foot in length—truly a grand bean and an excellent sort for show. Ol Runner Beans Webb's Eclipse is a most prolific sort of fine quality. In beetroot Webb's Reliance is the best sort I have tried and in Brussels Sprouts Webb's Matchless is a capital sort for use all during the winter. Their winter and spring Broccoli are most useful in Standing severe weather and1 coming in for use at the times they state in their seed list. Amongst carrots Webb's Market Favourite is the finest I have seen, being 01 quick growth, thick and compact, and of a fine colour. Their new frame cucumber, Bountiful, is a grand sort for amateurs, being very hardy and easily grown to produce a long succession of fine fruit. For a glass house Webb's Improved Telegraph Cucumber is unsurpassed. The Old Telegraph is a well- known variety, and this improved form is an improvement on it. Webb's ^iainmoth Red Celery is very hardy, and goodi from Sep- tember till April. I prefer it to the white. The Fearless Cauliflower is a .little beauty, being so compact in growth and white in colour—indeed, a. perfect cauliflower for early rammw—while for midsummer and autumn the Monarch is a. ffood one. t have grown Webb's Emperor Cabbage for years, and never found any other heart so early, pro duce such fine heads, or give more satisfaction on the table. It is the only cabbage I grow. The Kinver Globe Savoy is one of the bast I have tried as a winter green, being so compact in growth and very liardy. The Colossal Leek is all that its name indicates, and fine for show or the table. Webb's Sunm-erhill Lettuce is an immense thing of excellent quality. I wel: remember at the present noment how mud) they were appreciated by all of us during the hot weather in the summer of 1896. Oh how crisp and cool they were I grow melons- only in frames, and succeed with them to my own satisfaction and that of my friends. Amongst Webb's varieties I am exceedingly partial to Beauty of Wordsley. It is eusih grown, fruits freely, and is of superb flavour, Webb's Improved Banbury Onion has beer widely known for many years, and anything I can say of it. will not add much to its popu- larity but I can safely assert that it is the best all-round onion in cultivation. All who are fond of radish should grow Webb's Crim son Globe and Improved Early Frame. Man; who read of early turnips gaining a usabk size in six weeks after sowing the seed have. like some of my Northern friends, their 'doot- about it,' but Webb's Early Six Weeks will accomplish this. Of Webbs tomatoes I an more than partial to Sensation. It is not their newest, but as a bearer of immense crop.1 of large, evenly-formed fruit of exquisiU flavour and attractive colour I have found none to equal it. It succeeds admirably ix the open air in the summer and autumn, and is the most handsome tomato grown. WebbV potatoes are, I can assert from experience, the very best to resist disease when that pest if-- prevalent, and they have other noted qualities in being extra prolific and of fine flavour wher; boiled which is always the test of a. perfect potato. The varieties Progress, Express Wordsley Pride, Renown, and Industry are my favourites. I mlliit close my remarks for the present, and will deal lastly with peas. The variety Wordsley Woi.der is not new. It has been in commerce for many years, and is the most prolific pea grown. It is a. first early sort. Kinw- Marrow follows m succes- sion, then -~W* Promotion, Chancellor, Senator, aiid Tansman, which axe all excellent peas, aa even in the dry weather of last summer, when so many complaints were heard of peas failing, my rows of the above from Webb's were luxuriant and prolific. Embden Geese. I beg to thank Mr. G. H. Webster, Wool- ton, Liverpool, for the following note, in which he says —"I noted at the late Liver- pool Poultry Show the advance made in the number of entries in the class provided foi Embden geese. When classed with their more bulky-looking relatives, the Toulouse geese, the encouragement they received at the hands of most judges was disappointing in the ex- treme. The superiority of this handsome variety, 'The Embden,' as a table bird is un- questionable. They are good layers, good breeders, and good sitters and mothers. Embdens should be pure white in colour, with a long, swan-like neck, broad, deep breast, with as little indication of keel as possible; body broad and thick, and as near round as possible. The head should be long and straight; the throat should be clean and) without the slightest indication of gullet. The tail should be carried close and straight out, the bill and kigs a rich orange colour, the carriage more sprightly and upright than the Toulouse, thus giving the bird a smart and defiant appearance. A well-matured Embden gander will turn the scale at 301b. and a goose at Ziilb. In breeding geese for table or market there is no necessity in the commencement to purchase geese that have been forced to an enormous size for show purposes, but it is desirable that suitable birds should be selected to produce the best results. These .can only be obtained by the use of strong, healthy parents, which should be of medium size and well matured. When preparing (geese for market early in the season they should be well led from the shell to about four months old, when they will be in the pink of condition. If allowed to get past this stage, they may weigh a few pounds heavier, but will not fetch so remunerative a price. Good, fat goslings are always in demand, so there can be no excuse for keeping them till Christmas. Farmers having stubble can profitably afford to run the goslings on to the festive season. Small keepers who have no stubble and' have nearly- all to buy for their birds must make the most of their goslings in the shortest time, or the balance will ba on the wromg sida

WELSH INDUS- TRIES. ANECDOTES AND SKETCHES OF THE IRON AGE. BY CHARLES WILKINS, F.G.S. EDWARD WILLIAMS. OF MIDDLES- BOROUGH. "Why Middleslborou.crh ?" some of my readers may ask, seeing that Edward Williams, one of the most prominent men in the Iron Age, was a native of Merthyr, a son of Talieein Williams, one of the most famous of schoolmasters, and a grandson of the still more renowned Iolo Morganwg." His grandfather's early days were passed in the pleasant Vale of Glamorgan, so renowned for its health and its beauty, just within reach of the rock-lined sea whidh is one of the great coal highways of the world—in fact, the greatest. More coal wealth has passed there, destined to near and remote ports, than can be claimed for any other river or channel in the world. The father's home after leaving the Vale was Swansea, then Merthyr Tydfil, and it was in the valley sacred to one of the saints of the house of Brychan, and where modern Tubal Cains afterwards played a dis- tinguished part. that our great ironmaster was bom and passed his youthful days. The father was a distinguished Welsh scholar, and a bard well known for his versatility and ingenious essays on Welsh lore. The mother was a superior woman, of strong common sense ability, and quite able to appreciate her husband's literary labours. Edward, the son, had no liking for bardic pursuits or Welsh lore, and, having gained a good education, which every scholar who was not dilatory was able to get at Taliesin Williams's school, felt a wish to be identified with some of the great ironworks of the neighbourhoods Unlike the present, there was then a girdre of works almost around him. Dowlais and Cyfarthfa were scenes of great labours and enterprise: Hill's Works at Plymouth greeted the eye of every traveller up the valley, and before Dowlais was reached there was the compact works at Penydarran, now brushed almost out of existence, the outskirts of its furnaces and the site of mills and engines being the re- treat of gipsies, those Bedouins of our land. It was the same tale wherever one wandered. Over the bills-Lhvydeoed, Hirwain, Gadlys, Aberiiant, and Aberaman. To the east— Rhymliey. Tredegar, Nantyglo, and Beaufort. Every conspicuous valley and mountain line had their ironworks, and over a wide tract the earth was troubled with the throb of engines and the beat of hammers, and the air filled with dense volumes of sulphurous clouds. No wor-der that youth, especially energetic, was impressed with the greatness of the industry around, and craved to be allied with it, rather than with the dull and monotonous drudgery of school life. Hence we find him, when still young, occupying a position in Dowlais Works, and very soon indicating to the shrewd agents and managers around him that he was a man who was of very different type to that of the potters clay man, and that he was certainly one who would make his mark in the world. Mr. Edward Williams, beginning at Dowlais, was of the stamp neces- sary to elaiborate the mental chara-cter, advan- cing from the mere mechanical duties of the office until he was brought into contact with the various branches of the great iron king- dom. It was said in after life that Mr. Williams was a "born" administrator, and knew well the manner of governing men. But it was his patient and intelligent observa- tion, and by mastering details, that the power of governing was acquired. He knew thoroughly how a thing should be properly done, and hence could readily detect incapa- city or inability in the doing. Men knew this, and his government was assured. Book knowledge, the knowledge of men, and the knowledge of ironmaking may be held as con- stituting the essentials for the post of iron- master, and, though the "rule of thumb" may have sufficed in the latter part of the last century and the beginning of this, the era of Mr. Williams's progress necessitated the three essentials I have named. It was an admission of his thorough competency his selection by Mr. Menelaus for the head of the Dowlais Company's office in London. No incompe- tent or irresolute man could fill such a posi- tion, for it ^required a man able to keep 'n touch with the financial minds oi the world. And here let me retrospect briefly, and >pen a page which may be a. novel one to many. The mere business of employing men, of making iron, and of selling it only forms a tithe of an ironmaster's duty. In the early days of iron rails the Craweihays and the Guests were reputed to have financed many a railway. The Cramshays have been reported as talcing payment for tlheir iron in railway stock, and at one time to have been fairly the owners of important lines. It is also stated that in Ottoman and other loans the Welsh ironmasters were largely interested, and several who died leaving great wealth, would, in the knowledge of agents, have died even wealthier men if they had not touched foreign railways, banks, or engineering specu- lations. This subject is, however, interesting a.s it is, taking one out ot the province of narrating the career of ironmasters. Enough that the connection between our magnates and the Rothschilds and other great financing celebrities has always been a close one. Into this arena of finance, and rail. and bar business went Air. Edward Williams, and it was soon felt that his marked capacity, tiii then only known locally, bad a broader field. and more than one of the master spirits in the iron trade expressed the wish to have such a powerful aid in his own establishment as a certain guarantee for success. Mr. Williams's position in the Metropolis, bringing him in direct contact with the lead- ing iron magnates of the country, soon had the result which his friends had throughout anticipated. He received the offer to manage the great establishment of Bolckow. Vaughan's, at Middlesborough, and his appearance there, entrusted with full power, marked one of the most important epochs of his life. How well he succeeded, how thoroughly he identified himself, not only with the ironmaking, but with the social and intellectual life of the great Yorkshire town, are now matters of history. His position in the iron life of the place at a critical moment, when steel was coming to the front,. is attested by the successful operations carried on at the huge works and the high status he raised it to amongst the greatest ironworks of this or any other country. And his success in other respects is shown by his being solicited to take the honoured post of mayor of Middlesborough. This was something for a. young Welshman to attain!—one who not many years before had been a 'prentice hand in the ironworks of his native district. And the honours gained, as all who knew him will affirm, were unsolicited and by the exer- cise of no back-stairs effort. He was rigidly honest to a fault, and would have scorned any- thing not worthily deserved. In all probabi- lity, the possession of such sterling qualities as this indicates, told forcibly amongst a congenial people, known the world over for bluif manners and for expressing bold opinions, heedless whether they suited or not, so long as they were tine. Edward Williams was endowed1 with more than ordinary mental activity, and conse- quently was every now and then employed in using his wisdom to excellent advantage. He had much to do in the early days of the "Iron Review." To him is due the founding of a prosperous society, that of the South Wales Institute of Engineers, of which he was first president. In many industrial speculations he took an active part, was connected with the Tredegar Works, with Treforest, in which his family still retain an interest, and to him, Sii W. T. Lewis, and the late William Jones, Cyfarthfa, is due the re-construction of Cyfarthfa upon the new steel lines, impera- tively needed by the changing condition of trie iron trade. To him. too. is due the selec- tion of the able man who was appointed to the Cyfarthfa. management at the beginning of its new era, and, as we shall show. achieved from the very first, by his indomitable vigour and capacity, unqualified success. Mr. William Evans,. the general manager of Cyfarthfa, had in his career at Dowlais Rhymney, Ebbw Vale, and the North of England been closely observed by Mr. Edward Williams, who was a thorough student of men. and when the Cyfarthfa Works woke from the ashes of the iron past into the light of a new life the only need was the man, and the man was found in Mr. William Evans. Mr Williams was one of the leading spirits of the Iron Institute, and in 1886 was awarded the valued distinction of the Bessemer medal. But there is a. limit to. human endurance. Iron men, steel men, men engaged m other great industries of the Avorld, in planning and carrying out great engineering achievements, come in time to regard themselves as excep- tional to the mass of men who drop off into the ceaseless stream of death, unite of the vast throng so well pictured by Addison as hurrying over the bridge dividing every-day life from the unknowable beyond. But the awakening conies sooner or later, and the great pump of the human system—the heart— ceases to throb the endi has been reached. Busy as the actor is, world famous in renown. 14iis "drama coiaes to its conclusion, and tha

VINOLIA SOAP d. CAUSES NO BLOTCHES. ———— Keeps the Complexion Beautiful & Clear

FILTH IN LATTER DAY NOVELS. STRONG ANIMADVERSIONS BY FATHER IGNATIUS. Seldom has the Park-hall, Cardiff, been so crowded as it was on Sunday evening, when Father Ignatius delivered his address upon Marie Corelli's book, "The Sorrows of Satan. Shortly after six o'clock, when the doors were opened, every- seat had been taken, and at seven o'clock, when the proceedings com- menced, the entrances had to be locked. It was estimated that from a thousand to fifteen hundred people were unable to obtain admit- tance. Father Ignatius, who based his remarks on the text, "\Ve know that the whole world lieth in the evil one (St. John I. v., 19), asked how it was that Satan was hardly ever mentioned in their churches and pulpits; how it was that the evil one seemed to have become a faded quantity in the theology of the professing Christian Churches during the last deoade. Was it because they did not believe it ? A Congregational minister a short time ago sent him a copy of a sermon in which be tried to prove that there was no Satan; but that was all humbug, and he could not understand men tolerating such misrepre- sentation in the pulpit. There was no doubt that they were getting in a bad state socially, morally, and politically, and it was a. pity that there were such few books like Mare Corelli's "Sorrows of Satan." When he read that book he wrote the authoress in grateful thanksgiving- lie had not had time to read many books of the present day, but after he had finished "The Sorrows of Satan" he decided upon reading some. He found them the most abominable, beastly, filthy trash that it was possible to conceive, and the worst feature about them was that some of them were written by English women. He remem. bered one especially, which was written by a wcrinan-he was not going to give its name, for he knew they would go and get it at once- but if ever the devil concocted a book in Hell he concocted that book, and how the authoress could look any English girl in the face he could not tell, unless she was so inspired by Satan that she had not any shame left. The way she talked to young men was so inex- pressibly vile and filthy that if tne thing was to spread a Christian woman would have to wear a thick veil m the street for fear of coming across one of her up-to-date sisters. The devil was getting a harvest out of the press and the literature of the day, and it was because their clergy had ceased to believe in Satan and people read Satanically pro- duced books. Continuing, Father Ignatius alluded to the rapid advance of spiritualism in the country, and said it was strange that materialism should advance at the same rate. In conclusion, he touched upon Swinburne, who, he said, positively loathed the minds of their daughters with the most supreme loathing filth, and how any woman who read Swinburne could look a honest man m the face lie he could not imagine.

ALLEGED THEFT OF A HAND-TRUCK AT CARDIFF. At Cardiff Police-court on Saturday (before Mr. Gooch and Dr. Mullin) Chal3. Brigps. 41 was brought up charged with stealing a nand- truck, value £ 3, the property of John Coles, from Mr. Couzera's yard, Wood-street, about the mid(Ue of September, 1896. Mr. Coles, who is a puilder, of 301* Cowbndge-road, identified the truck. On February 10 he saw it in Mr. Rees's yard in Tudor-road.—Mr. Thomas Rees, Tudor-road, said that he bought the truck for 8s. from the prisoner about the second week in September, and received from him the receipt produced.—The prisoner, who had only been released from prison on another charge earlier in the morning, pleaded that he had never seem the truck, and that the receipt was not his, and handed up to the bench a. specimen of his handwriting. — He was committed to take hia trial at the quarter sessions, being admitted to bail in his own recognisances. The Magistrates Fa-id they thought Mr. Rees had not exercised due care in purchasing a truck valued by its owner at 93 for 8s.—Mr. Rees replied that when he purchased the truck it-was all to pieces.

I "A SOVEREIGN KEMEDY" For Chafed Skin, Piles, Chapped Hands, Chilblains, Sore Eyes, Throat Colds. Earache. Neuralgic and Rheumatic Pains, Insect Bites, Scalds, Cuts, RiDg- wonn, and Skin Ailments genaraUv is QALTEET'S CARBOLIC OINTMENT, IAKGE POTS Is. lid. EACH AT CHEMISTS', &c., OR POST FREE FOR VALUE. W. C Fitzgerald, Chemist, Wellington, New Zealand, writes:—"It is, without exception, the beat healing Ointment I have ever used." Front Limassol, Cyprus.—I have never found any. thing to come iip to it fcr Neuraigio and liheumatic Pains." F. C. (^ALYEET AND CO MANCHESTER. AWARDED 75 MEDALS AJïD DIPLOMAS.

THE ANNUAL WAR OFFICE STATEMENT. In the Houee of Commons on Friday, Mr. BRODRrCK made the customary annual statement explanatory of the Army Estimate. He said that the number of men isked for was larger than had ever been voted by the House since 1815. except in one year of the Crimean War. In the last ten years there had been a steady increase in the number of the Army. During that time 16,000 men had been added to the Army and 40,000 to the Reserve, while improvements had been effected in every branch of the service. The expense of the Army had been swollen during this time by the fact that, while we haa now a short service Army, we had to pay a larger amount on account of pensione, which had accrued under the previous long service system. But, although the expen- diture on non-effective service was now £ 3,000,000, h'e thought he could assure the House that it had now reached its maximum. During the last year the V\ ar Uttioe had been engaged in the re-organieation of the cavalry. The sight hon. gentleman then entered with great minuteness into the details of the cavalry re-organisation. The changes made would in- volve some additional expenditure, because it had been necessary to purehaise some 500 houses, but the additional expenditure had in some instances been met by economies in others. During the year certain changes and improve- ments had been made in the positoon of the artillery officers, and steps had also been taken to meet the grievances of the medical service. The steps taken in "previous years to give any medical officers military titles and ranks had not proved entirely successful, And the subject was attended with some difficulty, but in this and other respects the degrees of the medical officers were receiving, and would receive, the careful attention of the Secretary for War, and no pains would be spared to make their position satisfactory. It had been arranged to give soldiers on discharge free con- veyance to their homes. (Hear, hear.) The Militia were suffering from scarcity of officers, and the War Office would like to see their way to providing a remedy. They wanted to attract the county men into the force, but it was thought that further inducements might be offered to line officers to take commissions in the Militia, so as to fill tho place of the subalterns who passed into the line. In conse- quence of the success which had attended the experiment at Aldershot last year, it was in- tended again to train a number of Militia battalions with the line. (Hear, hear.) The Government were blamed by some for not having taken further measures to strengthen tho artillery, but we had now got 45 batteries of field artillery, with 40 reserve guns and 60 horse artillery guns. They wouia be a complete equipment and reserve for three Army corps. Ihen it was said that we had no artillery for tn<? Volunteers, but there were 188 in the posses- sion of the Volunteers and 204 sruns of position. During the coining year the Government in- tended to form a siege train, and they had taken a considerable, sum for the provision of quick-firing guns and for guns for the defence of our harbours. We had, moreover, now a full equipment of small ammunition for all 'on classes of our troops and the Volunteers, and there was also a reserve store to meet the demands which would be made from other parts of the world in case of the breaking out of war. Sir J. COLOMB (U., Great Yarmouth) criticised the proposals of the Government with regard to the artillery officers, and urged that steps should be taiken to improve and strengthen the Militia. Sdr C- DILKg said that many of the pro- posals of the Government were admirable, but he believed that the Government would in future years be compelled to make a much larger addition to our field artillery than they now contemplated. Moreover, he did not believe that it would be impossible to create a Volunteer Field Artillerv. Mr. POWELL WILLIAMS stated that in respect of the proportion of guns per thousand troops we stood nearly in as favourable a cordition ns foreign countires, assuming, as he did, that our guns WPJl'e as good as they pos- sessed. Sir H. CAMPBELL-BANNERM AN thought it would be much better if the defence of the coaling stations was undertaken by the Navy. (Hear, hear.) The scheme for the re- organisation of the cavalry was, as far as he could judge, a step in the right. direction, but he should like to see tho details in print before saying much about it. Mr. LABOUCHERE (R., Northampton) said he represented the British taxpayer, who was obliged to pay for all these increases in the Army, and he protected against the addition of JB800,000 a year to the charge. Without diminishing the strength of the Empire, we might economise by reducing the number of places to which our soldiers were sent abroad, and one of these places from which he would recommend their withdrawal was Egypt. He moved to reduce the vote by 4,200 men. Mr DILLON seconded the amendment. Mr. BALFOUR quoted an opinion of Mr. Labouchere in favour of the absolute neoessity for this eountry to maintain paramount in- fluence over the Suez Canal, but observed that that was expressed some time ago. Egvpt paid, he said, the greater part of the expenses of the occupation, and it was not, therefore, to our expenditure, but to Egyptian expendi- ture, that the House objected, and that, he assumed, would scarcely be in order. (Laughter and "Hear, 'hear.") The Committee divided, and there were:- For the reduction 20 Against 134 Majority 114- T ■ reduction was then negatived. The vote was then agreed to, as were also £ 5,937,800 for pay allowances and other charges for the Army at. home and abroad, exclusive of India, and j3295,800 for pay of the inedioal establishment.

WESLEYAN DAY SCHOOLS. The Press Association says that the Rev. Dr. Waller, secretary of the Wesley an Educa- tion Committee, has furnished, at the request of the Education Department, an interim roport: showing the expenditure on the provi- sion, as distinguished from the maintenance, of Wesleyan day schools since 1870. The returns have been received from 331 out of a total of 470 school institutions, showing that there has been an expenditure on sites and tuildings of :£269,600 and on extensions and improvements an outlay of £ 166,180, making a total of £435,780. If the expenditure on the 139 schools from which returns have not yet been received should be in like proportion, it will bring up the total to £ 618, *31. No part of this large sum has passed through the current accounts of the schools as furnished to the Education Department in Form 9. The larger proportion of Wesleyan da;) schools were provided before 1870, and in respect of these only the amount spent on extensions and improvements subsequent to that date is included in the return. No account is taken of the schools which have been closed since 1870. In most cases the Wesleyan day school premises are also used for Sunday Schools, but the premises have been in every instance approved by the Government as suit- able for day school purposes.

MR. JOHN REDMOND, M.P., ON IRISH UNITY. Addressing a. demonstration in Cork on Satur- day night, Mr. John Redmond. alluding to the question of the unity of the rival sections in tlie Irish party, said it was impossible for him to say anything on the subject. He had spoken ou it again and again, and his views were well known. They wanted unity, but not for the sake of a man or a party; they wanted unity for a great principle. The Parnellites m their victorious march for tlio last five years had been only a party working for unity. He expected to see unity in Ireland, but it, would not come from the top. The unity that would come from the top would be worthless and a. fraud. When" unity came it would he from the bottom, coming from the people, and based upon ui.aniinity of will, of sentiment, oi policy, and of principles-of the people themselves. When that unity of principle arrived there would be very little delay in deciding who was to be the so-called leader for the time. The best way to promote unity was to follow rigidly the lines laid down by Mr. Parnell.

GOOD NEWS! Allcock's Porous Platers have now been reduced to 71d. EACH. That's tho price you should pay. There is no remedy like them for Lumbago, Rheu- matism, Sciatica. Colds, Coughs, and pains of every description, but be sure and get ALLCOCjv'S L1686—2

CARDIFF AND ITS PARKS. PRESERVATION OF LLANDAFF FIELDS. A letter from the Local Government Board with reierence to the proposed purcnase of the Llandaff Fields was read to the Cardin | ar*s Committee on Monday, v* lien the ma\ or (Aldei- man Ebenezer Beavan) presided. Betcre giving a decision on the application of the corpora- tion to borrow U69 ooo for the puicaase of I the fields, the Board desired to knew whether the county council had bfcn in communication, with the rural district council of Llandaff and Dinas Powis as to the acquisiton of the land held on lease by them, and used as a sewage farm for a part of the parish of Liaiiuaft, and if to, whether any agreement or understanding had been arrived at between the two authori- ties on the question of the disposal of the sewago after the expiration of the lea-se, in the event of the land becoming the property of the county council. It appeared to the Board that it was desirable that, u accordance with the ordinary practice in similar cases, the land which it is not proposed to ippropnaU for the purposes of the park, should be sold, instead of being let on lease, and the Board were desirous that this matter should teceive the further consideration of the county council They also asked to be informed of the value of the land (1) for pleasure grounds, (2) for roads, and (3) for a site for bathe. In reply, the borough engineer (Mr. Harpur) stated that the council had not been in commu- nication with the Rural District Council of Llandaif and Dinas Powis as regarded the acquisition of that part of the land, which is at present held on lease by the rural district council, and used by them as a sewage farm for part of the parish of Llandaif, but the council had under consideration a scheme for the extension of the borough boundaries, to include the whole of the parish of Llandaff, and if the proposal of the council were agreed to they would be ready to deal with the ques- tion. of the drainage and sewage disposal of Llandaff. Mr. Harpur further mentioned tliat, previous to the proposal to acquire the fields, the Ecclesiastical CbmnmssioneM and Mr. Insole had asked the council to extend the boundaries to include their land. With regard to the question of selling the surplus land, the council considered that such a proposal would not give them Ae full advantage of their purchase, and, further, would not give them complete control over the buildings to be erected facing the proposed park, especially if the land was not in the borough area, and they asked for the fullest possible benefits from the purchase, and for permission to lease a portion of the land instead of selling. More- over, it was a distinct agreement with the Com- missioners, and it was only on such permission being gmnted by the Local Government Board that the council would purchase the fields. The relative value of the various portions of the land was as follows:—(1) Pleasure grounds, £ 47,021 13s.; (2) reads, £ 8,134 9s. 9d.; (3) site for baths, £ 974- 18s. 3d.; and (4) surplus lands, £ 12,868 19e. The committee confirmed the reply sent to the Local government Board, and as no com- munication. had since been received fiom them no further progress could be made.

COLLECTION OF CARDIFF RATES. At a meeting of the finance committee of the Cardiff Board of Guardians, held at the union offices on Monday, under the presidency of the chairman. (Alderman Jacobs), the question re- specting the defalcation of Bennett, a, late collector of poor-rates for one of ihe Roath parish districts was under discussion.—Air. T. J otlham, one of the overseers of the parish, and Mr Hodgkinson, assistant overseer, were present for the purpose of consulting with the committee upon the matter. It trauepir^d tiiat up to the present afeout £ 250 had been found to be missing, and t hat the overseers could not expect to find out the wholo of the defalcations until after the end of March. The delinquent collector was insured' in a guarantee socitey for £ 1,000, and by the request of the society he had been formally asked to pay over the missing moneys, but had replied stating his inability to do so. The question then arose as to what should be done in the way of prosecuting the delinquent. The overseers stated that they disclaimed responsibility in that matter, assert- ing that, inasmuch as the guardians appoint the collectors, they should! be the prosecuting party. The guardians' finance committee, however, on the other hand, thought that the first steps in the (matter should be taken by the overseers, under whose supervision the collector carried out his duties. After a some- what protracted discussion, in the course of which it was stated that the delinquent col- lector was confined to his bed in the last stage of consumption, the committee resolved to recommend to the board that the question of taking proceedings in the matter be left in the hands of the overseers.

HOUSING OF CARDIFF WORKING CLASSES. A meeting of the housing of tho working classes committee appointed by the Cardiff Corporation was 'held on Monday, when Mr. E. Thomas presided.—The borough engineer produced a plan showing the property which the committee proposed to purchase. The pro- perty consists of 34 houses betwweu Mary Ann- street and Rodney-streot, with frontages to those streets and to Bute-terrace, and extending back as far as Tredegar-street. Replies giving terms had been received: from the owners of a majority of the houses, and the borough engi- neer was mstructed to continue the negotia- tions with. the view of purchasing the pro- perties.—In reply to a question, tfhe Chairman eta,tod that the council had only given the com- mittee power to provide does-housus, not arti- sans' dwellings.—Mr. Crossman t-upposed that the corporation would have to provide houses for those tenants who would be turned out by the purchase of the property for doss-houses. —The Borough Engineer 6aid that was in the hands of the local board: there wao nothing in the Housing of the Working Clashes Act calling upon the corporation to provide houses for those who would be dispossessed by the erection of doss-houses.

BARRY LIBERAL ASSOCIATION. The Barry Liberal and Radical Association rl held their fortnightly meeting on Saturday evening at Barry Docks, Mr. W. Graham, pre- sident, in the chair. There was a good attendance, the principal business being the election of delegates to represent the associa- tion on the South Glamorgan Liberal Five Hundred, Barry. under this head being entitled to nearly a fourth of the representation, and the majority of the delegates were selected.—A discussion took place on the question as to the consecration or dedication of the new C'nurch of England portion of the Merthyr Dovan Cemetery. The district council are prepared to dedicate, but the Secretary of State has drawn the attention of the local authority to the fact that, according to law, consecration is obligatory. The association, however, passed a resolution to the effect that, inasmuch as the ceremony of consecration would involve expensr to the general body of ratepayers, dedication should meet the necessities of the case. They. therefore, concurred in the action of the district council in the matter. A copy of the resolution was ordered to be sent to the Home Secretary and the district council.

PROPOSED INCORPORATION OF MERTHYR. A special meeting of the Merthyr Urban District Council was held on Wednesday for th° purpose of considering the question of the incor- poration of the parish. Mr. D. W. Jones, chairman, presided.—The Chairman, after pointing out the advantages of incorporation— financial as well as municipal—moved the fol- lowing resoI.ubion: -"Tha.t tihifi council do prasent a petition to her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council praying for a charter of incorporation for the urban district of Merthyr Tydfil."—Mr. Dan Thomas seconded. —Mr. T. Jenkins, J.P., moved, as an amend- ment, a direct negative, and Mr. W. Lewis seconded.—A division was taken. with the fol- lo,win,r result: —For: The Chairman, Mr. John Lowic, Mr. David Davies, Mr. Rees Price. Mr. V. A. Wills, and l^Ir. Dan Thomsr- 6. Against: Mr. T. Jenkins. J.P., Mr. J. LI. Atkins. Mr. William Lewis, Mr. John Harpur, and Mr. H. W. Martin—5.—Thp resolution was, therefore, declared carried.—The clerk was directed to prepare a draft petition, and it was decided to make ipplic-ation to the Local Government Board for their sanction to any expanse the council might be put to in the prose- cution of the scheme

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FOXES AT ROATH PARK. ALDERMAN JONES PROPOSED TERRIERS. The mayor (Alderman E. Beavan) presided at a. meetmg of the Cardiff Parks Committee on Monday, when the question of protecting the lake and botaneal garden from tho depreda- tions of foxes again came up for consideration. At a previous meeting it was decided to obtain tenderti for putting wire fencing around the railing of the two sections named. Lord Tredegar iiaving kindly offered to bear half the expense. lenders from local ironmongery r;s:gecl from J349 12s. to L53 58. lid. and Mr. Petti grew stated that the ccat of fixing would be about £ 5.—Alderman David Jones said that he was informed by a fox hunting friend that wire fencing would be useless in protecting the park, as the foxes «limb up the wire. What ito suggested was that the corporation should keep a couplo of terriers.—On the motion of Mr. J. H. Hallett, seconded by Alderman Kainsdale, it was resolved to defer the con- sideration of the question.—Mr. Ramsdale stated that a large Indian duck worth £3 had been killed recently by a. fox. Mr. J. M. Gerhold introduced to the com- mittee a deputation consisting of Mr. Burrows (chairman), and Mr. R. Harries (secretary) of the Cardiff Piscatorial Society, Mr. Gerhold stated that last year there had been a whole. sale destruction of fish which went up the stream from the lake for spawning purposes. Lime or something else had been put into the stream, and a large number of young fish. had been killed. A lot of trout also found their way down the stream, and some of his friends had gob better baskets and finer specimens outside the boundaries of the park than inside.—Mr- Burrows stated that above the lake a lot of fitsh had been taken by farm labourers with pikes and nets and by groping with the hand. Ha suggested that gratings sliould be placed across the stream at the northern and southern boundaries of the park to prevent the fish escaping. In amswer to Alderman David Jones, Mr. Burrows stated that the Roath Brook was under the jurisdiction of the Rumney Board of Conservators, but they "did nothing to protect the fish.-Alderman Jones questioned whether the corporation had power to stop the fish going up or down the stream, and Mr. Pettigrew stated that above the lake they would only have about 150 yards for spawning.—The Borough Engineer stated that if gratings with bars close enough to prevent the fish escaping were put across the stream they would on the occasion of the autumn floods become choked, and flood the land above. He also stated that the fish that came out of the lake at the southern end were netted and put back.—Mr. Pettigrew said that not more than half-a-dozen Loch Leven trout had been found below the lake. The others had come up stream.—Mr. Burrows further stated that the boats interfered very seriously with anglers, and suggested that they should not be allowed to use the shallow water around the islands.—The Mayor and Alderman David Jones strongly objected to any such restriction, the latter stating that between the islands was the most interesting part of the lake. Those who used the boats might very reasonably complain of the dangers they ran through fly-fishing.—Eventually, on the motion of Mr. Robert Hughes, seconded by Mr. J. H. Hailett, the deputation were asked to set down t#eir applications in writing and submit them to the next meeting.

FISHING RIGHTS AT LLANELLY. LORD OF THE LAYERAGE AND HIS PRIVILEGES. At Llaneiiy County-court on Monday (before his Honour Judge Bishop) a case was heard involving local fishing rights. The plaintiff was Morgan Humphreys, living at Bwlchy- gwynt, Lianelly, and the defendants were W, J. Wilson, agent to the Stepney Estate; Thomas" Jioues, surveyor to the eatarte; and Henry Powell. The plaintiff claimed £4 damage for the destruction of certain nets and poles which he had fixed in the Burry estuary. Mr. Howell represented the plaintiff, and Mr. E. North- more Jones (instructed by Mr. W. W. Brodie) appeared for the defendants.—It appeared from Mr. Howell's opening statement that the three defendants came down to the plaintiff's nets and destroyed them without any sort of explanation. T.hey cama down in considerable force, Mr. Wilson being armed with a hatchet, and had the plaintiff or any other fisherman offered any resistance a. free fight must have ensued. The plaintiff, in his evidence, said be had been fishing in this spot for over eighteen years, and no cne had ever interfered with him._Mr. Northmore Jones, in opening the case for the defence, endeavoured to show that Sir Arthur Stepney had the right of fishing at the spot in question. The commission tha.t sat in 1865, be said, gave Sir Arthur's predecessor in title the right to 'use "a privileged engine" for fishing in that place, and they granted a certificate to that effect.—His Honour, however, said that was not material at all. The right to use "a privi. leged engine" did not give a right over the fish- ing.—Mr. Northmore Jones argued that it did, and proceeded to urge that Sir Arthur Stepney owned the fishing in his capacity as lord of the laverage of Loughor, by which all ships coming into Lianelly Harbour paid a certain due to him; and called witnesses to prove that he had been receiving rents for fishing rights. —Ultimately, the caee was adjourned for a month..

BUTE DOCKS COMPANY. APPROVAL OF THE NEW BILL. The twenty-first ordinary general meeting of the Bute IDockj; Company wae held at the com- pany's offices, Westminster, on Friday. The proceedings were private.—The report by the directors and statement of accounts for the hatf- vear to December 31. 1896. was submitted, from which it appeared that the balance avail. able for dividend amounted to £ 72,784 16s. 2d., and that after providing for interest on deben- ture stock and dividends on four per cent. preference shares and preferred ordinary stof-ic- ttoere remained a balance of J325,451 19a. 6d. -—The report was approved and adopted, and a dividend for the half-year at the rate of 3 per cent, per annum on the ordinary shares, payable on the 15th of February, was declared, leaving a. balance of £ 2,201 19s. &d. to be carried forward —A special meeting of the com- pnay was afterwards held, when the following BIM was submitted and approved, viz.;— Bill for empowering the Bute Docks Company to construct certain railways, for conferring upon that company certain running powers, for sanctioning in certain events the transfer to the company of certain powerg conferred on the Taff Vale Company by the Taff Vale Railway Acts. 1890 and 1896, for empowering the Bute Docks Company to construct a low-water pier, and to make a diversion of the River Taff, for changing the name of the company, and for authorising the company to raise additional capital, and for other purposes

WELSH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY Tlie Astronomical Society of Wales held a) meeting on Fridav night at the Higher Grade School, Cardiff, when there was a good atten- dance, over which the Rev. Geo- St. Clair, F.G.S., presided. Mr. C. T. Whitmell, M.A., H.M.I.S. (president of the «x*ety), read a. paper on "Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. and gave a most lucid and comprehensive decryption of these bodies and their phenomena. At the close ihe Chairman expressed deep regret at the forth- coming removal of Mr. Whitmell. Mr. Arthur Mee, F.R.A.S. (ex-president) moved a vote of thanks to Mr Whitmell, which was seconded by Mr. N. Lattev (secretary) and supported by Mr. Geo. A. S. Atkinson, F.R.A.S. (librarian), md Miss Rule, all the speakers testifying to the high merits of the Paper and to the grave loss the society and the town were suffering by the removal of the president. Mr. Whitmell having feelingly replied. it was revived, on the motion of Mr. Lattey. that the president and secretary bign a memorial (submitted to the society by the corporation1) in favour of the locating at Cardiff of the offices of the University of Wales. Mr. Atkinson reported an interesting truncation of the terminator of Venus, and also showed a photograph of the Orion nebula, secured by himself. Next Friday night will take place the second of the series of educational lectures on elementary astronomy.

For BURNS. CUTS, BRUISES, BRONCHITIS and SORE THROAT, ACHES, PAINS. and STRAINS, USE HOMOCEA that TOUCHES THE SPOT iUld soothes the aching part. LI687—2

curtain falls. When it arises upon new scenes, new men are to tlie front! And so it came to the honoured subject of my biography. Compressing the work of several men's lives in one that, unhappily; was not of more than ordinary span, he, from a vigorous individuality, ceased to be. I:> THE END OF THE IRON AGE. Nature often tells us in its picturesque way of th0 beginning and of the ending—the. young green leaf unrolling itself to meet for the first time the breath of the south wind and the caress of the sun, and then its life, until, ere long, yellowed and withered, it lies prone on mother earth. So, too, man, with his eaxiy efforts, his .successes, no matter how great or lasting, there comes the ending. I started my description of the Iron Age with Penydarran. and return to it for my closing review. Nowhere is the spectacle of desolation more complete than it is there. You may tramp the mountains and find the ruins of many an old works, which used to be like beacon towers along the heights; but at Penydarran the cry will soon be that no two stones are standing upon one another. The gpeat rock, from which it takes its name, jutted out like a head- land above the Morlais River, and the banks were fields of the small liedge-enclosed type that are common upon the mountains. On the headland there were also small farms, one still remaining, Cae Mary Dwn, and the mountain track behind was the sheep walk, extending to the W&un Mountain. Visit oJd Penydarran now, remembering the part it played in iron history, its cables, its bars, its rails, famous and world known. The half- razed furnaces are the resort of innumerable rooks and jackdaws, and at the rear finely- chiselled limestone from the mills and fitting shops help to make up cottage gardens and greet you even from pigstyes and humble stables. It is like a picture from the Far East, where from buried mounds in the Delta relics are yielded of an olden civilisation hidden under the tent of the Arab. In Wales, too, we have Roman bricks built up in the garden walls of the Gellygaer colliers and corbels from Norman castles in farm buildings, and stones from monasteries blending m modern tenements, and strangest of transfor- mations is at Builth: fragments of the o.d castle, figuring in the "gate" house. Happily, the simile cannot be completed. The old hie of the East will remain, very likely, subject matter of classic history; the Roman will tramp no more the Welsh mountains; no Norman castle frowns except upon pleasant pic-nics; the monk is a relic of the P^' men then groping upwards to the pure light, ol a brighter day, while from the point to which Iron declined Steel has taken up the story, and its deeds are part of our nation's history- Early notices of steel in our next.