Weekly Mail

ggitil. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1910. THE" WEEKLY MAIL" is published on Fridays and Saturdays, and can be obtained from your local newsagent. If you find any difficulty in obtaining the paper, please communicate with the Manager, Weekly Mail Offices, Cardif. The "Weekly Mail" will be sent by post on payment of a subscription in advance on the following terms:- s. d. One Quarter 1 8 Half Year 3 3 One reof. 6 6

AGRICULTURAL CO-OPERATION. The West Glamorgan Farmers' Asso- ciation are to be heartily congratulated on the success which has attended their venture in co-operation. Unlike many other industrial and commercial organisa- tions which restrict their proceedings to debate and the exercise of moral pressure, the West Glamorgan Farmers' Associa- tion works. Six months ago it set up a trading department, which has been, as the president (Mr. W. J. Percy Player) remarked at the annual assembly at Swan- sea on Wednesday, of remarkable benefit to the farmers. It has established stores for feeding stuffs and other articles at Clvdach which has been of great service, and members have been able to buy at 15 per cent. cheaper prices goods of guaranteed quality." Another stores will, it is expected, soon be set up at Llangyfelach. As the result of the asso- ciation's work greater interest is taken in the cultivation of roots, and much heavier crops have resulted. These and other material advantages have been attained, and as the association seems to possess an abundant fund of driving power further enterprise is to be expected. The possible scope of opera- tions is large, as exemplified in the versa- tile enterprises of the Irish farmers' asso- ciations, the gradual extension of beet culture and beet sugar manufacture in this country, and the motor transport scheme just established for the benefit of I agriculture in Kent.

LONDON LETTER I -4 A COLUMN OF INTEREST TO ALL OUR READERS. LONDON, Thursday. It is probable that in the new House of Commons a prominent London mem- ber will introduce a Bill for the regula- tion of slate clubs. One of the main provisions of such a measure would be I the compulsory registration cf all slate clubs. This would ensure their being conducted in a businesslike way by responsible people, whereas at present in too many instances slate clubs are one- man shows. It is in the interest of every well-conducted slate club that the law should take definite cognisance of such institutions. The breakdown of a single I club when the paying-out period comes disturbs the public confidence in other clubs, and may conceiveably cause serious embarrassment. It is stated that London is peculiar in its proportion of unregis- tered slate clubs. No fewer than 99 per cent, of the, slate clubs in the Metro- politan area are supposed to be unregis- teied. This, if true, is a rather serious state of affairs. The only wonder is that under such conditions there are not more regrettable incidents." There is good reason to believe that if a Bill were intro- duced into Parliament on the lines I have indicated it would be very favourably received. MARRIAGE AND POLITICS. The suffragettes welcome the appear- ance in the field of Mrs. Winston Churchill as a political orator. Whether this will soften their feelings towards the Home Secretary remains to be seen. But they regard Mrs. Churchill's share in the Dundee election as a valuable argument in favour of the extension of the fran- chise to women. Some of them were under the impression that before her marriage Mrs. Churchill was not quite such an ardent Radical as she now appears to be, but that is another matter. Marriage does modify political convictions in the fair sex. When Mr. Herbert Gladstone, now Lord Gladstone, chose a wife his fancy alighted on an ornament of the Primrose League, who afterwards, as the wife of a Radical Minister, tbecame a successful and popu- lar Radical hostess. PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION. One effect of the present general elec- tion is that the Proportional Represen- tation Society is emerging once more into something like activitv. Experi- enced politicians can remember the cam- paign which was carried on in favour of proportional representation years ago, and in which Mr. Leonard Courtney, now Lord Courtney of Penwith, was the leading spirit. The British public could not be induced to take proportional representation very seriously. It was too perfect an abstraction for them to worry their minds about. But Lord Courtney still believes in it as a solvent for most political troubles, and in the recent debate in the House of Lords he pointed out, with his accustomed candour, that the House of Commons in no proper and equitable way represents the people. We all knew what he was getting at. Lord Courtney had propor- tional representation in his mind as the one and only means of ascertaining the real wishes of the country. The Propor- tional Representation Society has not been slow to take the hint, and it is fortified by the fact that the elections now going on pfford overwhelming evi- dence of the deficiencies of the existing system. Ordinary people think that a redistribution of seats would be a suffi- cient cure, but the Proportional Repre- sentation Society will not admit this. It, and it alone, can offer the one genuine specific in the market-place. KING MANOEL'S NEW HOME. Richmond people are rather pleased at the prospect of the exiled King Manoel of Portugal taking up his residence amongst them. They think that some of the old status of Richmond would be restored even with only an exiled Monarch living there. The pretty river- side town clings almost pathetically to its Royal associations and traditions. It still boasts many a pretty old-world spot where Tudor Princes and beauties used to disport themselves. Queen Elizabeth often retired to Richmond when wearied or disgusted with her London Court. When the Tecks lived at White Lodge, Richmond Park, the people of Richmond gava themselves airs. They felt that their town still hadfi Royal tone. Lately Richmond has rather been on the down- grade, but with a young and interesting I Royal exile on its hands it should pick up again. King Manoel, for his own sake. might do worse than go to Rich- mond. It is near enough to London for him to keep in touch with the great world without appearing to do so—always the safe thing for an exiled Monarch to do. WELCOMING THE NEW YEAR. The big West End hotels and restaurants are now actively making pre- parations for the Christmas and New Year festivities. The number of people who spend Christmas in town hotels is still comparatively small. It is a sort of violation of family life that makes them pause, and for some reason they feel much more comfortable in their con- sciences if they take their families down to Brighton or one of the other South Coast watering-places and participate in hotel festivities there. But the habit of spending New Year's Eve (and part of New Year's morning) in the festive atmosphere of a big West End hotel has now become fixed. People book their tables weeks and even months in advance, and so popular has this manner of seeing in the New Year become that at one well-known hotel a company of two thousand is assured. The New- Year's Eve menu is thought out long beforehand, and. the anxious .,gourmet may make himself acquainted with it when booking his table if -he wishes to. Presents are given away, crackers are let off, and there is an abundance of music and revelry. A GREAT CHURCHMAN. Churchmen, and Churchwomen, too, will regard the death of Archdeacon Emery as a personal loss. It is true that the father of the Church Congress could never again have been seen on a congress platform. He had become too feeble for that, but his hosts of friends and admirers liked to think of him reflecting in his closing days on the great work he had been ejigaged in. They conjured up a pretty picture of the venerable Church- man fighting his battles over again. Archdeacon Emery builded better than he knew. When he started the Church Congress its beginnings were small, and if it had depended upon encouragement from high ecclesiastical quarters its pro- gress might have been slow. We know that for a long time it was regarded with doubt and suspicion by people in high places, but it triumphantly won its way, and for that victory we are mainly indebted to Archdeacon Emery, who was never unduly disturbed by the lively differences that marked some of the con- gress meetings in days which have now almost passed out of memory. He was a man without violent prejudices, and thus he could always appreciate the points of view of other men, though cer- tainly he had his troubles with extrem- ists, one sort and another. LORDLY BLUEJACKETS. The American bluejackets who have been trying to see the sights of London for the last two or three weeks have been greatly disgusted with our English weather. For most of the time it has rained, and when the rain has not been falling the sky has been overcast with lowering clouds. Our visitors bore up for a while, but from day to day they have been becoming more and more desperate, and their comments on our weather have been of a kind to—well, to make it worse if language has any effect on meteoro- logical conditions. It has been almost pitiful to see them tramping backwards and forwards disconsolately between Ludgate Circus and Charing Cross. This is the area in which they have tried to I keep up their drooping spirits. The only ¡ wonder is that they have not been driven to wilder courses of dissipation. One thing they have succeeded in doing-they have filled" Tommy Atkins with wonder and envy with their tales of the lordly way in which the men who are to fight under the Stars and Stripes are cared for. By all accounts there are pianos and carpets on board for the ordi- nary bluejacket, and one of the common dishes at his table is excellently-cooked l chicken. On shore he is partial to wJraky-wsd-soda and bigcigaxs.

REMARKABLE DEMONSTRATION BY RHONDDA MINERS. I .L1IId. .d THE ASSEMBLY AT THE ROCKING STONE, PONTYPRIDD, WHEN 10,000 MEN WERE PRESENT. I DEMONSTRATION HUMOUR: A BANNER WITH A STRANGE DEVICE. [Photos, T. Forrest and Sons.

BABY'S DEATH AT NEWPORT DOCTOR'S DISCOVERY IN 1 SERVANT'S BEDROOM. Mr. Lyndon Cooper, the deputy-coroner, concluded the adjourned inquest at Newport on Tuesday concerning the death of the newly-born child of Amelia Gilbert, a young domestic servant. Mrs. Vaughan. wife of Mr. Clifford Vaughan, of 27, Stow Park-avenue, said she had had the girl Gilbert in her service for seven months, she having come from Pont- newydd with good references. On November 16 the girl complained of a chill, and remained in bed. On November 19 she refused to be examhied by Dr. Morrel Thomas, but it was apparent she had given birth to a child. The girl said the body was in her (Gilbert's) bedroom. Dr. Morrel Thomas said he found the body of a newly-born male child in the bottom drawer of a chest of drawers in the girl's bed- room. As a result of a post-mortem examina- tion he found no marks of violence, but there Was evidence that the child had not I received proper attention at birth. He could not say definitely whether the child had had II a separate existence or not. The jury returned an open verdict cf I "Found dead."

WEEKLY MAIL ALMANAC. With this issue is presented the Weekly Mail Almanac for 1911. Every reader should see that he gets one with his copy of the "Weekly Mail" this week.

Bromwich, of £ 126. Mr. Marsh was an iron- master, and Screen was in his service. Albutt carried on business as Albutt and Co. Mr. Marsh dealt to a great extent in scrap iron, some of which was delivered through the sidings of the London and North Western Railway Company. The J. H. Bailey mentioned was the son of a Mr. Samuel Bailey, who had been in the employ of the railway company, and it was said the son had access to his father's books, in which he entered the goods which came to the sidings. The matter with which the appel- lants were charged took place on July 12 last, when Mr. Marsh made out a cheque for JE126. That cheque was sent to Albutt and Co., and was for goods supposed to have been delivered to Mr. Marsh. It appeared that it was the practice of Screen to bring to his employee's notice "the invoices and monthly statements which had been sent in by various vendors. Screen would tick the various items, showing that they were satisfactory, and then Marsh, relying on Screen's honesty, would make out the necessary cheques. Mr. Marsh had reason, from matters which came to his notice, to become suspicious, and sending Screen for a holiday into South Wales made a close inspection of his books, with the result that he applied for a warrant for the man's arrest, and also for the arrest of Albutt and J. H. Bailey. The appeals were dismissed.

THE CHn^DREN^S^tONEY. PLAIN SPEAKTNG TO PONTYPOOL WIDOW. In the Pontypool County-court on-Wednes- day a young widow applied to his Honour Judge Hill Kelly for the payment of a lump sum of money out of the amount due to her in respect of her husband's death. His Honour inquired what the money was wanted for, and learned that L54 lls. 9d. was spent over the funeral of the deceased man. His Honour: This is the worst case I have come across of the way in which compensa- tion money is thrown about. You have had many things which were monstrously un- necessary, and you have squandered money which ought to have gone to your children, It is absolutely outrageous that dE14 should be spent upon a headstone, and it is atro- cious to spend the money of children left fa-therteas in that way. He flowed the applicant Ms.-per week to meet her current expenses; x

THE WORKERS' SAVINGS AND I LOSINGS. I That feature of social life which comes within the description of co-operative thrift continues to exhibit an expanding tendency. No fewer than 712 new organisations of the various categories which come within the purview of the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies were placed upon the register in the year 1909, for which period that functionary has just presented his report. Of these the Friendly Societies proper number 92, artisans' clubs 69, loan societies 48, and agricultural credit societies 10. The activities of the two temperance Orders were again very apparent, for between them the Rechabites and the Sons of Temperance registered 151 new branches. The collecting societies numbered 50, with a membership of six and a half millions; but only twenty out of the fifty were able to boast of the possession of £1 and upwards per member, a circumstance which appears to indicate a restricted range of usefulness and a relatively high cost of management. Once more a great increase is shown in the business of the co-operative societies, the total sales for the year being £110,619,570, about a million more than in the preceding year, while the profits came to JE:10,852,664, or about 10 per cent, of the gross revenue. Of the profits a sum of £ 86,230 was devoted to education. The Trades Unions also come within the purview of the Chief Registrar ot ¡ Friendly Societies, and in the returns under consideration the most salient fact appears to be the low standard of reserve II funds. It is stated that upon the average of all Trades Unions the accumulated funds are less than two years' income. Even in the case of the 48 large Unions the funds per member an only £3 12s. 5d. against an income of JEl 17s. 9d., a fact which shows that the important Unions are no better than the average. The seriousness of the fact sc far as it concerns the general com- munity lies in the absence of guarantees for the payment of the provident bene- fits. The-e is no legal guarantee, and the lowness of the reserves means that there is no guarantee of any other kind either. Even more serious is the fact that in the year under review the expenditure of the 48 large Trades Unions (taking them in the lump) exceeded the income, thus further deplet- ing the reserves, the income per member being £ 1 17s 9d. and the expenditure t2 3s. 6d.

A PRINCIPLE IN PERIL. The principle of collective bargaining has been subjected to such a strain by the futile proceedings connected with the boilermakers' strike that the news of the settlement will be welcomed with deep feelings of relief in many quarters. The principle of collective bargaining was imperilled in two ways-in the frequent and illegal sectional strikes which pre- ceded the general lock-out, and in the repeated rejection by the members of the Trades Union of the terms of settlement which their leaders had negotiated with the employers. Happily, the mischief has been surmounted—temporarily at least-in both respects, for the terms of settlement provide guarantees against irregular cessations of work, and the general body of members have at last endorsed the action of their leaders. There have been many conferences and quite a series of ballots, and the dispute has continued so long that the society's reserves have been consumed and other labour Unions have granted or lent considerable sums so that the boiler- makers might continue to hold out. It will take the society years to attain once more the position of financial credit which it enjoyed prior to the dispute. It is understood that the industry is indebted for the settlement mainly to the good offices of Mr. G. R. Askwith, K.C., of the Board of Trade, without whose assistance it was found almost impossible for the two parties to come to an agree- ment. Under the settlement which he advised, and which the men have at length approved by ballot, any questions in dispute have to be referred to a con- ciliation committee or arbitrators appointed by it, and where a breach of the agreement is established masters and men-as the case may be-have to be dealt with according to the rules of their respective societies. It remains to be seen whether the arrangement will be effective. Where a spirit of rebellion is manifested the most wisely-drawn agree- ment may be unavailing. It is to erood faith and to commonsense that peace is due, not to agreements. However, the fact that the men have agreed to return to work is a substantial gain from the public point of view, and the future must be left to take care of itself. The position of affairs in the South Wales coalfield is less encouraging. There has been no substantial approach to settlement with regard to the Rhondda dispute: indeed, the position is so desperate that the South Wales Miners' Federation have decided to invoke the assistance of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. The dispute has continued for some months, and the fact that the appeal to the general Federation is now to be made is indication of absence of hope for an earlv settlement. It is a contest of endurance, not as to physical strength, but as to cash resources.

HOLIDAY IN SOUTH WALES SEQUEL TO SENTENCES FOR CONSPIRACY. 1 Appeals against a conviction for conspiracy were made in the Court of Appeal on Mon- 1 day by Frederick Albutt and Fred Screen, who were sentenced at West Bromwich Sessions to six months' and eighteen months' hard labour respectively. I Counsel said the two men were charged with a man named John Hodgkiss Bailey— who had absconded-with conspiring together to defraud Mr. Walter Marsh, of West I

'NEW COLLEGE REGISTRAR APPOINTMENT OF MR. PERCY E. WATKINS. At a meeting of the Council of the University College of Wales at Cardiff on Wednesday Mr. Percy E. Watkins, director of [education of the West Riding of Yorkshire, was appointed registrar, in succession to Mr. Austin Jenkins. The following five gentlemen had been selected to appear before the council:— I Mr. R. D. Chalke, LL.D., headmaster of the Porth Pupil Teacher Centre. Mr. Howeil T. Evans. M.A., of the Cardiff Intermediate School. Mr. Caleb Rees, Y.A., Assistant Lecturer on Education at the University College. Mr. Wynn Ap Howel Thomas, LL.B., assistant Registrar of the Extension Move- ment of the University of London. Mr. Percy E. Watkins, Director of Educa- tion of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The voting resulted as follows:— First Second Third j Candidates. round, round, round. Chalke 4 — — Evans 9 10 — Rees 3 — — Thomas 16 16 21 Watkins 16 22 26 Mr. Watkins is a Welshman, having been born at Llanfyllin, Montgomeryshire, 39 years ago. He was educated at the High School, Oswestry, and on leaving school acted as an assistant to his father, an accountant as an assistant to his father, an accountant and auctioneer. During this period Mr. Watkins commenced his connection with educational work by being appointed clerk to the local school board. In 1897 he was appointed first clerk of the Central Welsh Board, an office which he held for seven years, when he was successful in obtaining the position of chief clerk to the West Riding of Yorkshire Education Com- mittee. This appointment he received just when the 1902 Education Act came into force in the West Riding, and, like in the Central Welsh Board, his work was of an initial character, as a new phase of educational organisation was being incepted. His whole career has thus been bound up with educational work, and, while in Wales Mr. PERCY E. WATKINS. I he had to meet the difficult and intricate problems incident to the setting up of a national system of secondary education, in the West Riding that knowledge was extended, for. in addition to secondary educa- tion. there were other phases of educational organisation, such as university education (in connection with the Leeds and Sheffield Universities), technical and continuative education, elementary education, arrange- ments for the training of teachers, the award of scholarships, &e. Mr. Watkins has an intimate knowledge of Wales, of the Welsh people and institutions, and speaks and reads the language. Apart from his professional work, Mr. Watkins is keenly interested in cricket, foot- ball, golf, eisteddfodau, and in the temper- ance movement.

PRISONER'S BAD RECORD. FALSE PRETENCES AND THEFT AT PENARTH. A case of false pretences arising out of the strike in the Rhondda waa investigated by the Penarth magistrates on Wednesday, when Sidney Hooper, labourer, of Union-street, Car- diff, was charged with obtaining sixpence by ineans of false pretences from Bronwen Lloyd, greengrocer's assistant, Windsor-road, Penarth, and also with stealing a pot of jam, v^lue eightpence, from Messrs. Lipton (Limited), Glebe-etreet, Penarth. Mr. G. l Kirkhouse Jenkins (Messre Bruce, Nicholas, and James, Pontypridd) prosecuted in the first charge. Dr. Howell Rees (chairman) said prisoner had a bad record. Since 1907 he had served a sentence of four months' imprisonment and two of a month each. Prisoner: It's all been through drink, sir. Sentence of one month's imprisonment was passed on each charge, the sentences to run concurrently.

A GAOLER'S GALLANTRY. COLUMBUS (GEORGIA), Sunday. While defending a negro prisoner against a mob of 200 would-be lynchers here to-day a gaoler wounded two of his assailants, and in spite of serious shot wounds in the breast held off the remainder until the arrival of the military.—Beuter. J

IGCLD MEDAL IN HIS POCKET VICAR'S STUDY RANSACKED AT NEWPORT. William Henry Coulter, of no fixed abode, was charged at Newport on Wednesday with burglariously entering St. Mark's Vicarage, Newport, and stealing a silver matchbox, su'iver cigarette case, and articles and food of the value of £ 20, the property of the Rev. T. LI. Lister, vi<iar. Detective-sergeant Caldicott said he went to St. Mark's Vicarage, Gold Tops, Newport, on the 6th inst., and found that the drawers in the study had been ransacked, and the whoie of the rooms on the ground floor were in a state of disorder. An entrance had been effected by breaking the catch of a window. He found prisoner in the Emlyn Arms, Emlyn-street, and when he turned his pockets out at the detective's request a gold medal was found, which had been reported as missing from the vicarage. The prisoner left a kit bag in the public- house, which was found to contain articles of clothing missed from the vicarage. He, Coulter, said the medal had been given to him by a man to hold for him. A pawnticket was found upon him relating to a silver matchbox which had been pledged at Cardiff. Prisoner said he could prove an alibi. The Bench remanded him for one week for inquiries to be made.

sa "WRONGFUL ACTION." DAMAGES FOR OBSTRUCTION OF PEMBROKE QUAY. A dispute in connection with Pembroke Quay came before his Honour Judge Lloyd Morgan at Pembroke Dock County-court, when Messrs. John Bacon (Limited, ship- owners, of Bristol and Milford Haven, sued Messrs. J. and A. Stephens, engineers, of Pembroke, for zC4 damages, caused by the obstruction of the quay by the defendants. Mr. R. D. Gilbertson appeared for the plain- i tiffs, and Mr. H. A. Jones Lloyd defended. The plaintiffs' case was that their steam barge Pennar, was obstructed by a vessel i being repaired on a gridiron alongside the quay, placed there by the defendants. In consequence of this obstruction, the captain was unable to berth the vessel alongside the yuay to discharge his cargo, and had to make arrangements on the other side, which cost E4. The Town-clerk of Pembroke (Mr. R. D. Lowless) said it was a free quay, but the town council claimed the right to re-impose tolls if they wished. Mr. Archibald Stephens, a member of the defendant firm, denied that the gridiron was fixed and that it obstructed the Penmar. His Honour said that this was a free quay for persons to discharge cargo and load vessels, but not for individuals to use for purposes of their own. He considered that defendants had committed an unauthorised and wrongful action in using corporation property in a way they were not entitled to. He gave judgment for the plaintiffs for the amount claimed.

= WELSH LADY ARTIST. WINS CHIEF HONOURS AT ROYAL I ACADEMY SCHOOL, Fresh honours have been won by Miss Maggie Lindsay Williams, daughter of Mr. S. A. Williams, of Barry, with whose bril- liant career as an artist the general public of South Wales are familiar At the winding up of the Royal Academy School year Miss Williams won the principal honours, for she took, in addition to the Creswick Prize of JB50 for landscape paints ing, the silver medai and prize of £ 25 for the cartoon, the first prize of L20 and medal for drawing from life, and the second Armitage Prize for a design in monochrome for a picture. This latter work of Miss Williams was generally admired. The male students cheered her again and again as she mounted the platform, and she has since been over- whelmed with the congratulations of her friends and Royal Academicians, among the first of the latter being Mr. Goscombe John. She took part in five of the six competi- tions open to her, and won four, and it is stated that several R.A.'s voted for her decoration, but in this she was not success- ful. She was honoured, however, by the immediate purchase of her decoration picture by the distinguished architect, Sir Aston Webb, K.C.B., R.A.

SALARIES INCREASED. BONUSES FOR COUNTY COUNCIL CLERKS. The extra work which fell on the accoun- tants' staff of the Glamorgan County Council between the decease of Mr. Fisher and the taking up of the work by Mr. Fox, the newly- appointed accountant, was recognised on Tuesday at the meeting of the county finance committee. Mr. T. J. Hughes, the chairman, reported that the sub-committee had made the following recommendations, which the committee assented to:—Mr. Row- lands, the deputy-accountant, to have hie salary raised from S220 per annum to zE300 by annual increments of £1.0, and, in addi- tion, is to receive a bonus of Y,40 for extra work; the chief clerk to have his salary raised from 919-5 to jB150 per annum, and thence by £10 annual increments to £ 200; the four first-class clerks to receive a bonus of R,7 10s. each; and Mr. Fox was handed L20 j to divide between the three junior clerks, at hie diecretion.

WEEK BY WEEK. LIGHTER SIDE OF CURRENT EVENTS. Lord and Lady LIangattock have left England for Egypt. In the little town of Caerleon there are no fewer than fifty old-age pensioners. A visitor to the Rbond da, remarked as he left that the streets were paved with mud. That glory is not confined to the Rhondda. This is the fifth time that Mr. Vaughan Davies has been elected M.P., and the seventh time for Mr. Abel Thomas. Practice makes master. Lord Mostyn says that, though Mr. Lloyd George is so down on the House of Peers, he may yet be found taking his seat there as Viscount Criccieth. Up at Aberystwyth the Welsh Congrega- tional Church are moving with the times. They have just decided to abolish the system of life deacons, and now all deacons are elected for a period of five years only. It seems that three hundred police trun- cheons were broken during the recent riots at Aberaman and the Rhondda. It may now be possible to estimate the number of heads which were sore the following morning. In the course of proceedings at Cardiff County-court the high bailiff called out. In the matter of Joshua Walters—deceased." and tho cry was taken up by the ushers and carried along the corridors: "Joshua Walters! Joshua. Walters!" There was no appearance. Porthcawl people complain because they have to serve on juries when the assizes are held at Swansea. So they are getting up a memorial in which they ask to serve at Car- diff, as the train service is far more con- venient. Pheasants were first introduced into Pem- brokeshire by Sir Thomas Perrott, of Harold- stone, in the reign of Henry VII. Sir Thomas took a. leading part in the great tournament given at Carew Castle by Sir Thomas ap Rhys on St. George's Day, 1507. Many years ago, when turnspits were in vogue, there was a dog at Werfa who had to work on the spit for a couple of hours at a stretch. It is on record that the intelligent animal would run away and hide whenever he saw preparations for roasting begun. This time forty years ago the late Charles Bradlaivgh was to have delivered two lectures at Aberdare. A pious old Christian offered up fervent prayers that the visit should be prevented, and, sure enough, Mr. Bradlaugh was taken ill, and could not keep his engage- ment. A choir from Aberdare sang beautifully in the streets of Whitchurch on Monday night to garner funds for the distressed families of the strikers. Their melody gave rise to a kindly human action, for a publi- can invited the whole choir into his house to supper. A young Merthyr man was asked the other night what the net result of the election was at that timar "What?" he asked, and the question was repeated. I don't know," was his reply; "they have shown several results, and they are putting some more out, but I don't know what the next is!" That distinguished Welshman Sir Hugh Myddleton, who first supplied London with water, for some years farmed the lead mines of Cardiganshire. he coined his silver into crowns, angels, &c., in the mint at Aber- ystwyth Castle, and so profitable were his ventures that from one mine alone, yielding 100 ounces of silver from one ton of lead, he derived a clear profit of £ 2,000 a month. The original portion of the old college buildings at Aberystwyth was a private house. It was known by two names—" Castle House," probably by reason of its proximity to the castle ruins, and "Lady Carolines House." Lady Caroline was the wife of Sir Uredale Price, the author of a book on The Picturesque." In some Aberystwyth homes nfay be still seen a model in china of the Castle House. In the Royal Institution of South Wales at Swansea is "the original contract of affiance between Edward, the first Prince of Wales, son of Edward I. of England and Madame Isabel, daughter of Philip IV. of France, dated at Paris May 20th, 1303." The State documents, of which this contract has been preserved, were left at Swansea Castle by the unfortunate King as he continued his flight to Neath Abbey. Candidates who stand for county consti- tuencies must envy their fellows in the towns. The latter get their work over with much expedition; but in the county the fight drags on long after the last borough contest has been settled. In some cases a successful borough candidate can take a short holiday in the South of France and come home in time to lend a hand to a friend fighting for a county seat. Tom Thomas. the sturdy Welshman who recently went under to "Jim Sullivan, the Ber- mondsey-born Irishman, for the middle- weight championship of Great Britain and Lord Lonsdale's belt. felt so confident of taking the belt back to Wales again (he had already won it once) that he had a splendid leather case manufactured for it. After the fight he tried to sell the case to his con- queror. The Government has played rather unkindly with Professor T. A. Levi. He was due to lecture in London before the King's Cross Welsh Literary Society on Saturday evening on "The Place of Wales in British Politics," but was obliged to cancel the engagement on account of the general elec- tion. Last January he was on the pro- gramme for a lecture on a similar subject, but a similar fate befell him then also.. Five hundred years ago a Welshman came from the Turkish wars to take up his abode at Cardiff. His name was Llewelyn ap Cadwgan, but no one could get him to talk of his relations. He was very well-to-do, gave freely to all in want, and built a house near the White Tower for the support of sick and infirm persons. Poor Llewelyn, however, fell on evil days, died of want. and no one would succour him—surely, a poor return for all his munificence. Dr. Fleure, of the University College of Wales, has been conducting an anthro- pological analysis of the people of Cardigan- shire. He says that the foundation of the population is the Iberian or Mediterranean type, characterised by great length and size of head, of dark colour, and very often with just a slight projection of, the upper jaw. The individuals were very rarely tall, though they were not uniformly short, and they had rather long legs. A unique feature of the application of the late Mr. Viriamu Jones, F.R.S., for the posi- tion of first principal of the South Wales University College was that he offered to take the chair of physics or of mathematics. He was appointed principal and professor of physics. His greatest achievement was to determine the resistance of the ohm in electrical measurements. The apparatus with which he did this is in the university college, and the Worshipful the Drapers' Company have put up at great cost a dupli- cate of it in the Finsbury Technical College, London. A Radical orator in West ,Wales has been describing the feeling of the country against Mr. Lloyd George and his Budget. It is like that of the negro who once went to church and telling his master when he went home that the preacher had told two big lies. You must not say that," said his master. "What did the preacher say?" "He did say," replied Sambo. that no man could serve two masters I serve you and Massa John. Dat's de first big lie. Then," con- tinued the honest negro, de preacher said. I will love one and hate de other,' and de Lord know I hate you both." Caerphilly Tunnel, on the Rhymney Rail- way, was completed this time forty years ago, the length being H mile. The work began in September. 1866, the contractors being Messrs. Griffiths and Thomas, of Newport, and afterwards Messrs. Logan and Hemingway. The engineer was Mr. E. Dawson. So perfect were the levels originally taken that the deviations from the direct course when the workmen met were only a few inches." The influx of water, however, was a great trouble. For some time a station seems to have existed on the Rhymney at Fairoak- road, and it would be a great public con- venience if a halt were established there. The Taff Vale Station at Merthyr was once the scene of a ludicrous incident, thus recorded in a, paper of the time -.—"As the clerk who delivers tickets was busily employed last Sabbath evening for the down train to Car- diff a man walked in and asked him the fol- lowing questions' What is your charge for taking a corpse to Cardiff?' The clerk replied It is according to the number of mourners that attend the funeral." The price of the fare was ta ked over. and the clerk, wishing to know when the corpse was to be brought, said, When ar^ you going to bring the corpse here?' The man looked up very coolly and answered. 'She is not dead yet; but I expect her to die every day!' Last week a youth picked up on the high- road near the Eagle Hotel, in Adamsdown, Cardiff, a large silver medal which had been offered for competition at the Brecon Eisteddfod, held on the 26th September, 1826. On one side the inscription reads:- Eisteddfod Aberhonddu, I Am Draethawd o Hanes Bro Esyllawg. Medi 26, 1826." On the other side there is an artistic design of a scroll with" the word Siluria engraved on it. The name of the winner does not appear for the simple reason that the prize was not awarded. The medal, therefore, belonged to the eisteddfod committee and to no one else In fact, no compositions were sent in for the prize. The' youth's father took the medal to the treasurer of the Cardiff Cymmrodorion, Mr. Thomas Lovell, at his office at the Docks. It is now in Mr. Lovell's possession, and in the course of a few days Mr. Lovell will hand it over to the National Museum.