Monmouthshire Merlin

ARIETTE. GIVE me thy heart, oh, -wandering Boy, And 1 will keep it in my bosom Like a wilful bird, And feed its life on rosy blossom Until tame and gentle grown, It learns a peaceful song of joy, • Sweeter than it ever heard From the singing of mine own. Though filled with love of land and sea, All careless o'er the world thou rovest, Thou hast not learned pleasure yet, For there is none, oh, soul, thou lovest, Cold of heart, though bright of brain; But come, and I shall girdle thee In such a little rosy net, Thou ne'er shalt wish to rove again. Come! trust me yet a little, come I long to touch what none has owned, Long to wake a silent spell Till, as a viol golden-toned. Stirs with its airy soul the strings Of one that lies untouched and dumb, With mine thy heart shall join its spell, And both shall blend their utterings.

LITTLE BELL. He prayeth well who loveth well Both man, and bird, and beast.—COLERIDGE. PIPED the Blackbird on the beechwood spray— il Pretty maid. slow wandering this way, 4< What's your name ?" quoth he— What's vour name ? Oh! stop and straight unfold, Fretty maid, with showery curls of gold." Little Bell," said she. Little Bell sat down beneath the rocks- Tossed aside her gleaming golden locks— "Bonnybifdl" quoth she— Sing me your finest song before I go." Here's the very finest song I know, Little Bell," said he. And the Blackbird piped—you never heard Half so gay a song from any bird— Full of quips and wiles, Now so round and rich, now soft and slow, All for love of that sweet face below, Dimpled o'er with smiles. And the while that bonny bird did pour His full heart out, freely, o'er and o'er, 'Neath the morning skies, In the littla childish heart below, All the sweetness seemed to grow and grow, And shine forth in happy overflow, From the blue bright eyes. Down the dell she tripped, and through the glade,- Peeped the Squirrel from the hazel shade, And from out the tree Swung, and leaped, and frolicked, void of fear— While both Blackbird piped, that all might hear— Little Bell!"—piped he. Little Bell sat down amid the fern— Squirrel, Squirrel, to your task return- Bring me nuts!" quoth she. Up, away the frisky Squirrel hies— Golden wood-lights glancing in his eyes,— And adown the tree, Great ripe nuts, kissed brown by July sun, In the little lap, dropt, one by one — Hark how Blackbird pipes to see the sun! Happy Bell!" pipes he. Little Bell looked up and down the glade.— Squirrel. Squirrel, from the nut-tree shade, Bonny Blackbird, if you're not afraid, Come and share with me!" Down came Squirrel, eager for his fare,— Down came bonny Blackbird, I declare. Ah the merry three And the while those frolic playmates twain Piped and frisked from bough to bough again, 'Neath the morning skies, In the little childish heart below, All the sweetness seemed to grow and grow, And shine out, in happy overflow, From her blue, bright eyes. By her snow white cot, at close of day, Knelt sweet Bell, with folded palms to pray- Very calm and clear Rose the praying voice to where, unseen In blue Heaven, an angel shape serene Paused awhile to hear. What good child is this," the angel said, That with happy heart beside her bed, Prays so lovingly?" Low and soft, oh very low and soft, Crooned the Blackbird in the orchard croft, "Bell, dear Bell!" crooned he. u Whom God's creatures love," the angel fair Murmured God doth bless with angel's care; Child, thy bed shall be Folded safe from harm—love, deep and kind, Shall watch around and leave good gifts behind, Little Bell, for thee." —Athentzum.

ARAGO. THE New York Quarterly relates an anecdote of the late astronomer, which will be new to many. It seems that during the Bourbon regime, dissatisfied with his provincial glories as deputy from little Perpignan, he aspired to re- present Paris itself in the Legislative Chamber, and al- though thwarted in every direction by the Court and the officers of Government, he canvassed Paris and harangued the people on subjects the most difficult to discuss, with ifaipunity. Though dogged on every side by in- formers, greedily watching for a word of disaffection or of democracy, which might be used as a means of his overthrow, imprisonment, or banishment, he still suc- ceeded, by his adroitness, in conveying ideas, without clothing them in language capable of being made avail- able against him, even before a Parisian tribunal. On one of these occasions, when his eloquence and power had worked the multitude into an excitement not easily quelled, an individual addressed him from the crowd and demanded of him that he should inform the assembly whether he would advocate a republican form of Govern- ment. Arago again ascended the tribune, and thus con- tinued:— "Would I advocate a republic? Before I can answer a question like that, you must be more explicit, and let me know what you mean by a republic. Do you mean a republic like Athens, great in all the arts of war and of peace, its Demos the most cultivated people of the earth, but subsisting, without labour, upon the toil of a class ground by oppression to the very dust; a republic, rich in letters and arts, but poor in morals and religion a re- public whose ingratitude embittered the lives and has- tened the death of her chief benefactors and patriots? If such be the kind of republic to which you alluded, no, I am not a Republican. Do you mean a republic like Rome, whose only glory was in carnage, whose only triumphs consisted in the subjugation and oppression of neighbouring and distant nations ? If so, I am not a Republican. Do you mean a republic like Venice, a far more perfect oligarchy than Athens, whose only glory was in wealth of commerce, without the refining influence of letters and arts ? Or one like Holland, of which the same may be said ? If so, I would scorn to be a Repub- lican. Do you mean a republic like the United States of Aiflerica, where liberty and education go hand in hand; where the Christian religion exerts its benignant in- fluences where merit is rewarded by the applause of a grateful nation, and the laws are rigorously executed, whoever the culprit ? A republic where men dare say all that they think, or thiuk all that they feel ? If so, you know that to express a favourable opinion, would be to sign a warrant for my own defeat and imprisonment; pub- licly to advocate such a republic, is proscribed by the sove- reign and narty whom I have here to-day been opposing, in every way their stringent laws allow and I appeal to the multitude before me, whether the individual who asks me such a question, and seeks to make me commit myself in public, is not a coward ?" An enthusiastic shout, which might have been heard at the distant Neuilly, was the reply. i

LORD MANSFIELD AND THE HORSE JOCKEY. When Lord Mansfield became Lord Chief Justice, he was desirous that his equipage should make a conspicuous figure, and endeavoured to procure a set of handsome horses, which were to be quite black without any admixture of white. After much trouble in making the necessary in- quiry, a handsome set ofborsos was found, his lordship ap- proved of them, and paid a very high price for them. In a short time, a star made its appearance in a pure white upon the front of one horse, a blaze in the face of another, a white fetlock upon a third, and some of the forbidden white appeared upon some part of all those horses that were expeeted by his lordship not to have had a single hair but what was black. Lord Mansfield, in a great rage, sent for the horse-dealer, reproved and threatened him with punishment for the fraud. The man repelled the charge with firmness, and asserted that if his lordship examined his bill and receipt, he would find that they were given for the horses that he had sold by their true description. This was done; when the learned judge discovered, that as- sisted by bad writing and worse orthography, the dealer had given him a receipt for the sum of-for- horses coloured black This was conclusive; but Snany g. horse dealer suffered for this imposition for during the whole time that Lord Mansfield sat upon the bench, when- ever a horse-cause was brought before him, if it was possi- ble there could be two interpretations put upon the case, his lordship always charged that to the jury which was most unfavourable to the jockey.—Sporting Magazine.

TURNER AND GIRTIN'S PICTURESQUE VIEWS, Sixty Years Since.—Edited by Thomas Miller.—Thirty En- gravings of the Olden Time. This work contains a collection of plates, engraved in the early and, technically-speaking, hard style, so different as scarcely to be recognised by amateurs, as being by the same art which produces the beautifully soft and delicate engravings in the works of Miller, Goodale, Cousins, Heath, and other of our eminent modern steel engravers: Jthe plates, as a collection of copies from the early productions of Turner's and Girtin's pencils, derive however, considerable interest from that fact, and enable us to see to some extent the nature of the matetials and course of practice and study, which qualified these great men, and more especially the former, to achieve the grand results of his latter years. We cannot but regret that a more complete biography of the modern Claude," was not introduced into the present work: it would have been most welcome and acceptable at this time, when the public are all agog respecting the merit of his various works, and anxious to know something more of a man who left as a legacy to the nation £ 100,000, and a few of his most esteemed pictures (unfortunately in a very deplo- rable condition). We say, a more complete account of the greatest of modern painters would have been a valuable boon to the admirers of the genius of J. M.W. Turner. None but the artist or profound connoisseur can possibly jndge fa- vourably of Turner by the examples, presented to us in the work under notice in fact, it must be admitted and understood, such is not the object of the book; it is rather to shew the early manner and style of Turner and his contemporary Girtin, men who have been justly said to be the originators of the present school of English landscape painters, pre-eminently the first in Europe. It will also assist the reader in tracing the source of the inspiration which time, reflection, and genius enabled Turner to throw into the works which will carry his name down to posterity; proving that patient study and unremitting close observation, were the means of laying the solid foundation of his success in the art. In reading the anecdotes occasionally introduced rela- tive to the penurious habits, and at times, grasping, avari- cious conduct of this great artist, we feel most sincerely for the weakness, and cannot but regret it, as casting a gloomy shade through the otherwise sunny and glorious atmosphere we revel in, when contemplating the genius ,of the man as shewn in his works. The book is very elegantly got up, and is on the whole a most welcome addition to any library or collection of works of art.

AUSTRALIAN LETTER FROM MR. LEWIS, LATE OF NEWPORT. "Dalton's Flat, Ballarat Diggings, November 19th, 1853. My dear Parents,—' Hope, long deferred, maketh the heart grow sick.' This adage I can most truly subscribe to, having waited so long and so anxiously for letters from you. The last I received, was in answer to mine from the Cape of Good Hope nearly three weeks elapsed be- tween the arrival of the Overland mail (from here April 5th), which arrived in England about June 18th, and the departure of the next, July 8th, by which I fully ex- pected to receive an answer to my letter, but was disap- pointed; and although several later mails have been re- ceived in the colony, yet I get no letter from you. I am fully aware that the post-office regulation^ jo **us colony are very defective, cqgl Itjkrgc numbers of lexers tfciver reach their owners, and I fear that I am to be one of the victims of the inefficiency of the post-office department: perhaps I shall receive half-a-dozen letters at one time. You will have perceived, from my former letters,* (if you have re- ceived them), that I am at these diggings since July 20th, but have only cleared my expenses, although we have worked hard all the time we have been here; but if we succeed in getting a claim through which the lode of gold runs, it will amply repay us for all the time we have hitherto lost, and we are determined to stick to it until we succeed; we stand the same chance as other men, and scarcely a week passes without our hearing of some one or other of our acquaintance at the diggings, leaving, to re- turn to England—being satisfied with the quantity of gold he has obtained, (perhaps, only out of one or two claims) but let no one suppose this to be easily got; the present diggings on Ballarat are the deepest in the colony, and consequently more difficult. I will give you a. description of one of the Ballarat holes :—A depth of from 100 to 145 feet—eight men in a party: the holes making a deal of water (salt), they require to be timbered or slabbed all the way down; consequently, the first operation is to proceed to the bush, select some good, straight-grained trees (which requires experience), fell, and split them into slabs, about four feet long, and haif-an-inch thick; then to adze them smooth and straight, fit them so that each four shall be of the same width, and bore holes in them with an augur, for pegs to be driven in to secure the slabs in their places. Having about 800 of these ready, then commence J sinking for some time, two by day and two by night—the other four being employed in preparing the slabs. When at the depth of about 60 feet, we strike a soft sand or drift, through which the water runs, as through a sieve. After this, it will require two men at the windlass, and one in the hole, which makes three for each watch and, remem- ber, the one who gets into the hole to sink, is wet through in about ten minutes after he goes down he works down for six hours, changes his clothes, and takes a hand at the windlass, in the place of one of the others, who goes down in his stead, until the other watch relieves them; so that the hole is always being worked, except at midnight and mid-day, for the respective watches to take their dinner or supper; and, perhaps, after sinking to the depth of 110 feet, and driving some 10 or 12 feet, you can get nothing that will pay for washing; while, perhaps, the next hole to yours will yield £ 1000 to each man, and, in many in- stances, during the past winter, more than that. Some of the holes have yielded from 800 lbs. to 1000 lbs. weight of go!d; and it is generally thought that this summer will open up ground far richer than anything ever yet known. I heartily hope that I shall be able to tell you this by word of mouth before this time twelvemonth; trust me, it will not be for want of trying, and that very hard. About five weeks ago, we all four worked 48 hours, with- out rest, to secure a piece of ground, and by thus working, we obtained about £45 per man, which is nearly all we have got since we have been here. My three mates" were fellow-passengers in the Clara Symes, and you will, perhaps, remember something of them when I say they belonged to berth No. 9. I have not received any letter from Alfred since I left town, although I have written to him three times—but the inland postage, especially, is very irregular, and it is not at all improbable that he has never received any of them; but I have heard of him seve- ral times, by fellow-passengers, who have seen him at Williamstown, and about a fortnight ago, two of my mates were in town, and saw Mr. David Morris, lithogra- pher, formerly of Newport, who told them that Alfred was quite well, and still with the builder; indeed, I am very thankful to Mr. Morris for the care he has taken with him, (although I would rather he was up here,) and put him in a way of earning good wages. It is not by any means a desirable place for one of his age." No such letters have been received. It is evident from from this remark, that letters and newspapers forwarded to him, as well as his letter home, are detained.

ANERCHIAD I EOS CYNLLWYD, GER LLANUWCHLLYN, Yr hwn a gwynai ei adaw yn unig yn y bymthogfed fiwyddyn a phedwar ugain o'i oedran. Ow fudo hen gyfoedion—hunasant Hen oeswyr gwych ddewrion Gwyr hyglod, Och, syndod son, Marw wnaent oil yn Heirion. Cefnent yn mrig y cyfnos—a gad'ent Y gwywedig Eos Yn fwyn un ar fin y nos, Egwan a neb yn agos. Druan ei hunan, roae heno-oes dyn Estynodd a heibio; Can' mlynedd fewn dyrnfedd do, Blynyddau blinion iddo. Cais hyn ar derfyn 'dyrfa—gwir 'adwaen GwaredwT yn Naddfa; Rhad drugaredd diwedd da Hwyr ydyw na hir oeda. Brynmawr. DAPYDD AB DEWI. YMOFYNIAD AM TUDUR PENLLYN, o Wergloeddgilfach, ger Llanuwchllyn. Dywedwch, nid da i wadu—on'd ydyw Hen Dudur yn llechu, Yn iach yn ei gilfalch gu Ogleddwr heb ei gladdu ? Brynmawr, Da £ AB DEWI.

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE. [ MAGISTRATES' OFFICE, HIGH-ST., NEWPORT. SATURDAY. Before the Rev. Thomas Pope, Rev. Chancellor Williams, and Thomas Gratrcx, Esq. "BONING" IRON. Thomas Crawley, an old offender, was charged with stealing some scraps of old waggon iron, the property of Mr. Collins, Duffryn farm. The prisoner was noticed by Sergeant Trewartha, carrying a bag full of what the officer suspected to be stolen goods. What have you got there?" asked Trewartha. "Bones," was the rejoinder. "Cap- size your bag," said Trewartha and on this being done, out tumbled the stolen iron, which was afterwards clearly traced by the officer, to have been carried off by the pri- soner from the Duffryn farm, on his late predatory visit to that place with the ostensible object of orange-selling.— Committed for trial at the sessions. A CANDIDATE FOR TEETOTALISM. Thomas David, St. Mellons, an aged farmer, was charged with a breach of the peace at Rumney, by fighting, and breaking the ribs of ThomasLlewellin. Mr. Owen defended. It did not clearly appear who commenced the disturbance —David or Llewellin, and the case was accordingly ad- journed for a fortnight, for the attendance of the latter the old man vowing he would turn teetotaller at once, and thus avoid all rows in future. THE WAY THE MONEY GOES. Thomas Daniel was ordered to pay 5s. and 8s. costs, for getting drunk at Marshfield. Sergeant Trewartha said he saw the defendant drunk three days last week, and believed he was also drunk the other three days; and although getting plenty of money, he allowed his aged mother to become chargeable to the parish. The magistrates, in sentencing him, severely reprehended his improper conduct. Edward Jones, for assaulting a little boy named David Edwards, at Machen, was ordered to pay 8s. 6d. costs. Mr. H. W. Webber, secretary to the Water Works Company, brought on 55 cases of non-payment of the water rate.— Orders for payment were made. NEWPORT TOWN HALL.—MONDAY. Present: Thomas Hughes and WIN. Evans, Esqrs. Dennis Murray, proved by P.C. Wilcox, to have stolen coal from one of Mr. Brown's trams, was committed to take his trial at the sessions. George Jordan was ordered to pay 4s. 6d. expenses, for having been concerned in a street disturbance at midnight. Mr. Champ defended. Mr. Knapp and Mr. Jordan, overseers of the parish of St. Woollos, were summoned for £624 quota of poor-rate due to the Board of Health. Mr. Woollett, town clerk, appeared for the Board, and stated that the order was made on the 24th of May, 1853, and not a farthing of the amount had been paid, although two calls, amounting to £1300, had been paid to the Union out of the rate in that time. Mr. Knapp said the fault lay with Mr. Benjamin Lewis, the collector. Mr. Lewis said that owing to having been engaged in getting up the appeal cases for the sessions, the bad weather, and the hard times, he had been prevented getting in the money, but he would do so very shortly. Mr. Evans said it was remarkable, that while the order for JS624 could not be paid, Mr. Lewis could raise enough money to pay more than double the amount for Union calls. A long conversation ensued on the matter, Mr. Knapp resting the blame entirely on the shoulders of Mr. Lewis, Mr. Lewis promising to get in the money at once, and the Bench condemning the collector for his neglect. An order was made on the overseers to pay the amount in a fortnight. Mr. Knapp then said he had been informed by Mr. Lewis that there was a large number of distress warrants for rates, in the hands of the police, which they would not enforce. P.C. Bath said the warrants were intrusted to him, and he had done as much as he could, and had got in JE40 for Mr. Lewis. Mr. Evans thought this was making a rate-collector of the police officer. The Superintendent said he had two men frequently engaged in serving Mr. Lewis's distress warrants—ninety of which had been given the officers at one time. This was not the case with either of the other collectors, who gave his men scarcely any trouble at all, though one (Mr, Pitt) had a much larger amount to collect. Mr. Lewis said that Mr. Baker and Mr. Pitt had not experienced the difficulties he had, in regard to the new assessment. Mr. Hughes wished to know if Mr. Lewis accompanied the officer, when the distraints were made. Mr. Lewis said he did not, and was not aware it was necessary he should do so. The Bench instructed him, that it was his especial duty to do so, and it was a duty he must perform in future. Mr. Lewis said it should be attended to. On the application of Mr. Baker, assistant overseer for the borough, Ann Ridout, a woman who presented two frightfully bruised and blackened eyes, was removed to St. Paul's parish, Bristol. John Thomas was charged with keeping open his beer- house, the Dock Gates, Fothergill-street, after hours. Defendant admitted the offence, but pleaded a long course of good conduct as a beerhouse-keeper.—To pay 8s. costs only. Henry Crawley pleaded guilty to keeping a disorderly publichouse (the Cornish and Devonshire House). Mr. Champ, who advised the defendant to plead guilty, said the house was situated in a bad locality, and being a new land- lord Crawley was somewhat unacquainted with the quartei. Sergeant Lloyd said the landlord was himself under the influence of drink at the time the bad characters were present, and disorderly conduct was going on. P.C. Jenkins found him fighting and disorderly himself. He had been cautioned several times.—Fined 5s. and 10s. 6d. costs. John Murray and Jeremiah Casey were charged with assaulting Patrick Walsh. The Bench bound over both defendants and complainant to keep the peace. Walsh was ordered to pay the costs. Mr. C. James, statuary and marble mason, was summoned for £1 6s. lOd. wages claimed by Joseph Bye. Mr. James said the amount due was but 7s. The case was ultimately arranged. James Howard and Thomas Morgan were charged with assaulting Jane Jones. Morgan was discharged; and Howard, who had drawn a knife in the assault, was fined 10s. and costs, or 21 days' imprisonment. The transfer of the license of the Ship and Custom House, Skinner-street, was applied for by Mr. Richard Pope, who said he had taken a twenty-one years' lease of the premises, and intended to place a respectable man there as his repre- sentative, while he himself carried on the wholesale trade. Mr. Hughes said the transfer could not be made to Mr. Pope, he not residing on the premises. This was the rule observed in regard to other such applications; and the rule could not be deviated from in this case.—Application refused. ANOTHER PERSON KILLED AT A RAILWAY CKUobl^llj, CORONER'S INQUIRY. On Friday morning last, shortly before eleven o'clock, Owen Evans, the mate of one of Mr. C. Webb's ships, the South Pictou, was killed at a crossing upon the Western Valleys Railway, Cardiff-road, at about the spot where within eighteen months, two other persons met violent and frightful deaths. Considerable excitement was occasioned by the report of this third lamentable occurrence; and many of the inha- bitants proceeded to the Salutation stables, where the mangled remains of the poor fellow were placed. The face of the corpse was drawn up into a contortion that gave sad indication of the violent nature of the death. His bowels were torn across, the right leg separated, and the left leg frightfully smashed: upon the whole, the spectacle was appalling. The district coroner, William Brewer, Esq., held as inquest on view of the body, on Saturday morning, at the Salutation Inn, before a respectable and intelligent jury; Mr. John Coslett, being foreman. The first witness called was Ann Williams, wife of Wm. Williams, George-street, labourer. She deposed as follows: On Friday forenoon, I was at Mr. Scard's, Courty-bella farm, where I saw the deceased, who was inquiring for the residence of Mr. Giddy, who lived, he said, in a house that projected on to the railway. I thought he meant one of the houses nearer the town, and took him down to the entrance to Mr. David Jones's house, not thinking of the crossing lower down, where Mr. Giddy lives. An engine (No. 14) was just then going down the line, and another (No. 7) coming up. The man went on the line, and was looking at No. 7 going down, and did not appear to notice No. 14 coming up. It struck him down, just as I was shouting out to him, to get out of the way. He screamed out, "Oh, God! oh, God!" and in a few minutes was picked up dead. John Barber, sworn: I am foreman in the locomotive department at Court-y-bella. Yesterday morning, a little before eleven, I was coming down on No. 7 engine, at the speed of seven miles an hour; and at that time, No. 14 engine was coming up from the Doek-stre: t terminus, to take in water at Court-y-bella. Its speed was about four miles the hour. At about 25 yards from the first entrance from the high road, leading to Mr. Jones's house, I got off No. 7, and stood there to get on No. 14, which was then slackening speed to pick me up. At this time, deceased came to the entrance, 25 yards down, and stood on the line watching No. 7 going down; and did not appear to see that No. 14 was about 20 yards below,jpoming towards him. No. 14 came within 10 yards of him, and still he did not notice her; and I then shouted to him to get off the line. He only moved up, on the centre of the line, towards me, the engine coming still closer on him, and I still shouting. The tender was foremost, so that the driver could not see the man, though he saw me, and seeing that both my hands were up, to stop, he shut off his steam, and reversed. This was not in time, however, for just then, the* tender struck the deceased, and pushed him on four or five yards. Ho raised his left arm to seize hold of the buffer; but not succeeding, fell, and then appeared to be caught by the leading wheel, which dragged him another yard, he being on the ground. Then he appeared suddenly twisted, and the wheels passed over him; the engine stop- ping just a yard from his body. I ran towards him. He just said, "Oh dear!" and expired. His right leg was dismembered, and lying two or three inches off the rail. His other leg was twisted round, and his whole body appeared doubled and turned about. The whole of this did not occupy more than two minutes. To a Juryman There was no watchman there—no one is stationed there; but there is one at the principal entrance from the turnpike road. There are four entrances, and only two watchmen, who should attend to all the crossings. The distance from the top entrance to where the accident took place, is about fifty yards. To the Coroner: Any person goes through the entrances, but the watchmen prohibit them. to A Juryman: Have the public a right to cross over at those entrances or not ? Witness The persons who live in the houses, have that right. Juryman: What are the instructions to the watchmen —to prevent all who do not reside in those houses, from crossing ? Witness Persons living there, have a right to cross. Juryman: And everybody else, no doubt. How can your watchmen tell who to prevent ? Witness The watchmen are not at all the crossings. Juryman Just so; and consequently there is nothing to prevent the public' at large using the crossings. Are not all the crossings situate at just the most crowded part of the line, ^here engines are continually running up and down, and trains are constantly passing ? Witness replied affirmatively. The Foreman There is no doubt, Mr. Coroner, that the man met with his death accidentally; but it really appears that greater attention should be paid to those dangerous crossings. The following is the verdict upon which I have resolved, and I have no doubt my brother jurymen will agree with it:—" That the jury find that the deceased Owen Evans, came to his death by accident upon the Western Valleys Railway; but inasmuch as this is the third fatal accident, the jury recommend that the Board of Trade be requested to send down an Inspector, to examine the crossing at the spot where deceased was killed, with a view to directing the Railway Company to stop up the crossing altogether, or appoint a watchman to prevent the recurrence of similar accidents in future." The jury were unanimous in their finding; and Mr. Coslett, the foreman, undertook to forward the evidence taken, and verdict, to the Board of Trade, and a copy of the verdict to Mr. Harrison, secretary of the company. The jury expressed themselves strongly as to the impro- priety of the dangerous crossings in the locality being left almost wholly unprotected; and expressed a hope to that precautions would at once be adopted bv the company, to avoid further loss of life. We understand that the deceased was a single man, and a native of North Wales. He was much esteemed by Mr. Webb, the captain, and the crew of his ship. NEWPORT TOWN COUNCIL MEETING. COUNCIL CHAMBER, TUESDAY. Present—James Brown, Esq., the mayor, in the chair and Messrs. Hughes, Iggulden, Townsend, Edwards, Lewis, Burton, Dowling, Knapp, Lyne, Williams, Batchelor, Rennie, Evans, Llewellin, and Jenkins. Mr. Handy read the minutes of the last watch committee meeting, and the police entries. Among the latter, mention was made of the fatal accident which took place last Friday on the Western Valleys Railway, near the town and the Superintendent stated that Mr. Burton, jun., had informed him of the intention of Captain Wynne, railway inspector under the Board of Trade, to visit the place, with a view to an official investigation. The Mayor said he should be very glad to meet Captain Wynne on the occasion. It was high time some proper precautionary steps should be taken. The engine of the passenger train, it appeared—which was driven by Foster —a very experienced and careful man—was delivered up to the charge of one man when the train arrived here at eleven o'clock, while Foster went to his dinner. This was the arrangement of the company—not of the driver. The engine was then taken up the line by the man in charge, who could not, while attending to the fire, &c., pay that attention which was necessary in running over the numer- ous and dangerous crossings on the Cardiff-road. Six times a-day, did the engine so run past the locality in question; and it was while so proceeding to Court-y-bella to take water, the unfortunate occurrence took place. It was, then, high time that a stop should bo put to so much risk of danger. The company were certainly turning their line into another direction now; but in the meantime, that which ought to have been done long ago, should be im- pressed by him (the Mayor) on the attention of Captain Wynne, namely, the necessity for a watchman at each of the crossings. (Hear, hear.) The Mayor then referred to the want of gas lights at the approaches to Park-place, and after a brief conversation between several gentlemen, the matter was referred to the lighting committee. The Mayor said that according to notice, he would now bring forward his motion for considering the propriety of increasing the wages of the police force. His Worship commenced by observing, that he did not think the price of provisions had anything at all to do with the remune- ration for labour. But, as all of the Board were aware, astonishing changes had taken place, and were still going on, which greatly affected the labour market. There had also been a continuous advance of everything: the pay- ment of every class of labour had been increasing—in some cases, to the extent of 25 per cent. Amidst all this, there had, in other places, also been an advance of wages to police forces. He had selected those towns which bore a fair comparison with Newport, and would give them the result of his inquiry as to wages paid policemen in such places. The forces were, the Cardiff, the Glamorganshire, the Southampton, and the Swansea. His Worship stated the various sums paid to the sergeants and men in those forces, and said that while their duties were about equal to those of the Newport force, their payment was better. He con- sidered that it was but fair, the Newport force should be better paid. Ho would attribute the increase of wages generally, to the large discoveries of gold in other countries, which had abstracted so much labour from England and this, he considered, would also go on in a corresponding ratio for some time hence. As a person who had had a very large experience with workmen, he would observe that it was more prudent to advance wages, wisely and discriminatingly, and thereby meet their just requirements, rather than have the sense of duty to do so, forced upon employers. With regard to the motion of which he had given notice, he thought it proper to state that he had not spoken to a single member of the Board upon it, nor asked any one's support. lie simply desired that the subject should be fairly considered, so that what was done, should be right and proper, as between themselves as employers, and the police force as the employed. The Town Clerk then read the terms of the Mayor's motion, as follows :—Two sergeants, now receiving 24s. 6d. per week, to receive 27s.; nine men, 20s., to have 22s.; three men, 18s., to have 20s.; and four men, 17s., to have 18s. The Mayor said he placed this motion before the meeting, irrespective of the question of increasing tho numerical force of the body, which subjectmightbe afterwards brought on and discussed. Mr. Lewis Have the men ever asked for an advance ? The Superintendent: They have frequently spoken to me about it; but I have always referred them to the Board. ,j Mr. Batchelor: The proposed increase would amount to £85 16s. per annum. Shall wc include the Superintendent, in the proposal for an increase of wages ? The Superintendent: I now get £ 100; but have the income-tax to pay out of it. Mr. Townsend: You took the situation with a;l charges upon it. What do you get from the Board of Guardians, for the Refuge ? The Superintendent: I am speaking now, of my salary as superintendent. Mr. Townsend: But what do you get ? Don't they give you £10? The Superintendent: No it is but £8, Mr. Jenkins Is the Mayor's motion fairly before the meeting ? The Mayor: It has not been seconded; and if no one seconds it, why it falls to the ground and we can proceed with the other business, of which there is much to be done. Mr. Hughea Then I beg to second it. Mr, Batchelor: And now, then, it is fairly launched. Let us proceed. Mr. Townsend, while sitting, proceeded to make some observations. The Mayor suggested that Mr. T. stand, while speaking. Mr. Townsend, rising, said he had not intended to make his general observations upon the motion at present. But he would now call attention to what he conceived to be an extravagant view of the case—with all deference to the views of the Mayor, who, perhaps, was better acquainted with a wages question, than anyone present. In dealing with labour, he (Mr. Townsend) thought the first thing to look to, was the quality of that labour. And as to the fourth-class of the force, he did not think they ought ° have any advance; the worth of their services, while serving, as it were, an apprenticeship to the duty, ,emS very small, as perhaps the superintendent would te em. The Superintendent said he had frequently occasion to discharge young hands from the fourth-class, from meill- Mr. Townsend would select Bath and in that city, the lowest class only received about 12s. per wee sidered it ,n esLvasant vie, (E class of men, who were already paid P f„port force. Indeed, tte whole ra.e of = force was excessive at present. -»-c tw;r obtain a reduction; and sn„ild take the earliest opportunity of trying to reverse to-day s decision. He did not say this threateningly but he eally thought they M'ould find, when the whole question came to be thoroughly investigated, that t1lc,V° ^as ^u% remunerated already. Or he «'ou l c™™t to ^ve the last class struck out altogether; seeking, however, mean. while, to increase the efficiency of the foiee for he did not consider the force was as as t ougat to be, at present. He was against paying the policemen more than was necessary or fair. Mr. Burton considered the present remuneration, inade- quate and thought an jncrea-e would be but fair. Mr Townsend said Mr. Burton could give his opinions on the subject by and by. He did not want to be inter- rupted by Mr. Burton and would call for the protection of the Chair. They had, at present, but very few first- rate men in the force. The superintendent did not work them as he ought —was too indulgent to tbem-did not do enough himself to make his force efficient. Mr. Williams Are the hours of duty the same 8n Sun- day, as on other days of the week ? The Superintendent: Yes; and (to Mr. Lyne) the hours of duty are—nine through the night, and twelve through the day. Mr. Evans advocated the motion, and said he did not consider the requirement for an advance of wages, to be ■ consequent upon the price of provisions, but on the creased demand for labour. The duties of the Newport force were very heavy—heavier than they were in Bath! and in that city, the population was of quite a differed character—not at all to be compared with the rough spirit of this seaport town. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Lyne said he was sorry to differ with the Mayor and Mr. Evans; but he was adverse to any increase of wages. There was, he observed, a difference in the return8 received by the Town Clerk, and those read by the Mayor or at least, as to Swansea and Manchester." The police of Newport were overpaid, in comparison with those placed The Mayor said he had only alluded to four places. lIe wished Mr. Lync to deal with the same. Mr. Lyne took Bath and there, he showed, the suItlS paid, were less than those paid here. It was the same as to Bristol and Manchester. At Southampton, Swansea, Car- marthen, Dover, and Exeter, he found the same result. 111 no place did the wages exceed those paid at Newport. AS to the duties being said to be more laborious here, the wages were also higher. The Town Clerk had said there was 6d. allowed per week for boots. He contended that this 6d. should be counted as wages. The duties were not hard, however, in Newport. If, however, they considered the question of increasing the numerical strength of the force, it would be more advantageous than discussing the question of an advance of wages. He did not consider the force competent for a town like Newport—he knew nothioS as to the^ efficiency of the men. He might say, though* that in the quarter in which he resided, (Victoria-place), policeman was seldom to be seen. Mr. Cairns and himself had recently waited to get a policeman there, one hour a half. He had seen the men standing three or fout together in one spot. He did not know whether this "as necessary, or not; but he considered it improper. As ø body, he thought the Newport force were most and well-conducted men but they ought not to together in groups in the street, and altogether neglect anY quarter for a hour and half. Under all the circumstanced considering the high rates and taxes now being paid bY the inhabitants, the general advance in the price of visions, &e., he did not think the Board would be in making an increase of wages to the force and he therefore move a counter proposition. Mr. Jenkins said he agreed with the Mayor, on the ge' neral principle; but not altogether w ith Air. Lyne; f°J while he considered it advisable to pay the sergeants first-class men high wages, to secure an efficient perforfl1' ance of duty, he did not think the third and fourth claSSeS —who were apprentices in the force—deserved an advance- As Mr. Townsend had observed—those classes had before them the certainty of rising into the first class, and obtain' ing higher wages, if they merited it. The real value the men was chiefly found, after they had acquired a kno^f' ledge of the duties in their preparatory state. He throw out the suggestion that the advance should not ef tend to the lower classes, rather than make any propositiot1 upon if. Mr. Batchelor concurred in the middle course rccoItl' mended by Mr. Jenkins. It must be recollected that the force had always been well paid. They had, however, been hard worked and the force was, numerically, small, COIN* pared with other towns. The principle was a fair oDC) that when, in great prosperity, an advance was made labour in one department, so it should be in another; that the police force should participate in the general 1#' crease of remuneration. (Hear.) He would, therefore, agree to advance the pay to the superintendent, the sef' geants, and the men of the first class but he agreed Mr. Jenkins that the remuneration was high enough to tbe other classes. If Mr. Jenkins would put it in the form & amendment to the motion, and Mr. Lyne take up the view, he (Mr. Batchelor) would second it; and he belief the Board generally would adopt that amendment. took this, however, merely as an advance with the times" a rise according to the demand for labour-and not permanently settled matter, which the Board could not se' aside, should the value of labour hereafter decrease. A general conversation ensued, in which Mr. Townsend, Mr. Williams, Mr. Edwards, and Mr. Evans took part. Mr. Edwards put the question—Why have all classes of trade their wages now advanced—was it not owing to tb6 advanced price of provisions ? Mr. Evans No; but because there is a scarcity of bour. Mr. Edwards: Well, according to that, is not there abundance of policemen ? (Laughter.)—Mr. Edwards conded 31 r. Lvne's amendment—"That, in the opinion this Board, the present pay of the police force is sufficient, Mr. Lewis said, though he could not go to the length ° the Mayor's motion, he would support the view of,1lV' Jenkins..t Mr. Dowling said, that in any money question, he though it right to ascertain the feelings of the constituency. had been spoken to by several of the inhabitants of b^ Ward, on the subject of the present motion, and had foutl ø that, generally speaking, an augmentation of wages to police force, would be objected to by the ratepayers. *jj had nothing to say against the character for efficiency good conduct, of the force. He believed the men were tive and competent in the discharge of their duties. his neighbours had now to meet large rates and any iJJ, I crease of their burdens at this time, would bo considered^ I great hardship. The Board, however, could j discretionary power in the case; and he was of opinion tb'jj 1 small general advance might be fairly and deservedly § of—say, Is. per man—to those in the probationary coI1I tion, as well as the superior class. If men acted ^itb and honest resolution to do their duty, and evinced capability! he did not see why they, although'in a minor class, bu with the same labours to perform as those in a higbe^, grade, should not be rewarded; and, on the other hand, they were defective, they should, of course, not be allo^v to remain in the force. Mr. Dowling moved, as an ment, that the pay of each member of the different of the Newport police, should be increased one shilling V* week. t, Mr. Iggulden agreed with the neccessity for some ad vance; for there had been a great rise in the price of p^ vision, and the labour market was badly supplied. had once tried cheap men, at 14s. per week; and ™ poor fellows got knocked up in a week or a fortnight. M Mr. Townsend: The lot we have now, will never knocked up through hard work. (A laugh.) Mr. Iggulden would, then, consent to some having especial regard however to economy, as consen_ tors of the public moneys. But he wished to see the rious propositions before the Board, amalgamated in so¡!ld manner, to avoid so much division. He would recomi#e,i however, that the supernumaries, or fourth class should have a share in the advance; for they should$ good men to begin with, to fill up their ranks—-(he hear) — and if no alteration was paid to that class, b<> could they expect to get good men trained from it, for chief class ? (Hear, hear.) When the labour market tered, however, he should be glad of the opportunity reduce the force, as to remuneration. The Mayor said he had a difficulty in his mind with gard to the lowest class of men, and would now adopt Jenkins's suggestion in his motion. ()' Mr. Hughes also consented, as the seconder of the JX1 tion. øS Mr. Dowling's amendment not being seconded, « withdrawn by that gentleman. Mr. Evans said he regretted that tho Mayor had i,rf drawn any portion of his resolution, for he had thereW burked the principle he had contended for (Hear, hear.) The Mayor had advocated the receiving an advance, on the ground of the scarcity labour, and increased demand for men. That j,} surely apply as much to young hands, as to ones. (Hear, hear.) He hoped the Mayor would all" his resolution to be put to the meeting in its entirety..ng The Mayor consented and no other member appear^ desirious of speaking on the motion, he rose to reply, what had been urged against it. In the first place, r* Worship stated that he was as much for economy, as 3 man at the Board; and as to the wages question, he a -j them to give him credit for sincerity, in saying that he acting in this public matter, exactly as he would act In private business. When the alteration in the scale made four years ago, no doubt the Board had acted w7sC(,V and with a just regard to economy. As to the of the police—they were as nice a looking body of and as efficient, as any he had seen in other towns. 5 men were all in the prime of life—able, stout fe^°, jSow, all must admit that good men, as servants, were «oming scarcer daily, from the greater demand. Mr- had referred to Bath but he (the Mayor) had dealt places nearer home, more likely to afford grounds of c°^ parison with Newport, where wages, rent, &c., &c., all higher, than in the places named by Mr. Lyne. be as Mr. Lync's comparison was with regard to Bath; went from bad to worse in selecting Dover for The Newport force had had onerous Jand laborious dd' 1 to perform—it was not merely nine hours per night, a¡¡s. twelve hours per day but on all extraordinary occ&^°^e they rendered full services regardless of times. As J? amendment of Mr. Jenkins, he (the Mayor) would here to advancing the 18s. to 20s.; but in reference t° lowest class, he had certainly felt they were paid V1' fairly. Mr. Evans had differed with him, as to that class stand as at present; and he would now lore submit his motion in its original shape. f f Mr. Lyne; Before you put the motion, Mr. J'tbYo' wish to make explanations in reply to you. The Mayor: It is irregular. is,! Mr. Lyne No, sir, it is not, I think though if 1t will sit down though I do not think you are right, .^g. The Mayor: I'll abide by the decision of the mee0^ If Mr. Lyne asked permission to speak, as an act of ° tesy on my part, I would have consented; but if be mands it as a matter of right, I shall not permit It, ed to Mr. Llewellin thought Mr. Lyne should be alio" make an observation in explanation. }!t. Mr. Dowling: By the ordinary course in such case Lyne is entitled to be heard in explanation. The Mayor said the subject had been regularly forward and discussed, and he had made his reply, co\lrSø was then his duty to put the motion. This was the .yelj he had intended following out. If Mr. Lyne, h° c0ultl merely wished to say something in explanation, he now do so. fjoJJ* Mr. Lyne said he only wished to make an explanlected The Mayor had represented that he (Mr. L.) had s gtjC^ some towns specially. He said No—he had done _ciei'k thiug—he had referred to all the towns on the list; and, on the whole, he found that Newp higher wages than any enumerated, excepting one- r The Mayor said he was quite satisfied -1- explanation. (The conclusion of tJF page.)