The Cardiff Times

THB tATtr-r.ST FROMUETAltT „ FURMSHDNG ESTABLISHMENT C. NF THE WORLD, — X" /X 6S, 71, 7i. ESTABLISHED « 77, and 79 1848. /'HAMPSTEAP • rto.\» Tottenham Court-rd.) /1\*SY/ LONDON. All Carpets made up Free of Charge, and when prepaid sent All Carpets made up Free of Charge, and when prepaid sent Carriage Paid to any Railway Statier in England or Wales. ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE POST FBEE. 410C

I WORKMEN'S TOPICS. I BY MABON, M.P. Conditions of Labour in Great Britain. STATE INTERFERENCE WITH LABOUR CONTRACTS. Until very recently employers enjoyed the fullest freedom with regard to their con- tracts with workmen, and everyone deemed it his duty to buy his labour in the cheapest Market. But lately public opinion has changed, and now the State and all munici- pal bodies are setting an example to private I employers by paying good wages for the t possible hours of labour. The London School Board and the London County Council have decided to pay the wages re- quired by the Trades Unions, and to respect the working day fixed by the Unions. There 4re two Bills at present before the House of Commons proposing to limit the hours of labour to eight per day. The Bill to regu- late the hours for the underground work- men is proposed to be compulsory but in the general Eight Hours Bill the principle of trade option, giving power to the majority •°f the workmen in any trade to reject or :eto such a motion, is recognised. Sub- contracting is forbidden in all public works. j Protection of Women and Children. The first Factory Act, passed-in 1801, was Confined to cotton operatives. It was extended and amended in 1819, 1825. 1831, 1834, 1844, 1845, 1846, and 1847, so as to include all branches of the textile industry. 1847 the Ten Hours' Bill was passed, bleaching mills in 1860, and lace factories in 1861 were brought within the powers of the Act. In 1862 night work was forbidden. In 1878 all these laws were re-cast and eiabodied in the Factory and Workshop Act. This was followed by the Factory and Workshop Act of 1883, in certain unhealthy trades, and the Shop Hours' Regulation Act of 1886, which limits the hours of children &ld young persons in shops. The first sec- tion of the Act of 1878 treats of the sanitary eonditions of factories, the powers and i uties of inspectors the second section I is devoted to the precautions necessary to Prevent accidents and the third deals with tthe hours of labour for children, young Persons, and women. All women and young persons In textile ries are subject to the following I roles Work is to begin at 6 or 7 a.m., ijfcd continue till 6 or 7 p.m., with two "ours deducted for meals. On Saturday 1\>9rk is to stop at 12.30, 1, 1.30, or 2 p.m. Children are only to work in the morning or in the afternoon. They must not work tnOl'e than seven mornings or seven after- noons consecutively. Children, young persons, and women must not work more than 4%. hours consecutively without in- terval for food or rest. Secbvoa 13 regulates the labour of young Persons'aowt women in other factories beside those of textile manufacture. In factories here children or young persons and women are employed women arc subjected to the fcame rules as the young persons. Where Joinen only are employed they can work from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.. and on Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pauses of four hours °4 ordinary days and 2% hours on Saturday i Jnust be allowed for meals. Where juy industries are carried on at home by the members of one family, and Without the aid of machinery, the work- g hours for young persons are from 6a.m. to 9 p.m., deducting 4% hours for meals on Saturday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., with hours deducted. Children can be em- Ployed either in the morning or the after- ^oon, but not more than five hours ^Usecutively, nor for more than mornings or seven afternoons conse- j No meals may be taken the workroom (Section 17). Women, young persons or children who only work ?*ghfc hours daily can be employed the same epgth of time on Saturdays (Sec. 18). No child may be employed under 10 of age. Women, young persons, and children may not work on Sundays, and JUust have eight half-days, or four whole 'W holiday in the year. Half-timers IU-e obliged to attend school during that Part of the day in which they are not at ork, the employer being called upon to pay *he school fees, which he can deduct from j-he child's wages. Children of 13, who have satisfied the school examiners, are con- quered as young persons. .Employers 141tmt obtain a medical certificate for all Persons under 16 years of age, stating "tIàt they are strong enough for that *°*k. Section 38 contains resfcric- l°fi3 on the labour of children and young persons in unhealthy occupations, *Uoh. as lead or match factories. Jews may k on Sunday, provided that they do not work on Saturday. In certain cases ''here the articles of manufacture soon spoil, as preserved fruit, fish, or condensed women can work fourteen hours a but not more than five days a week. The Home Secretary is responsible for the on of these laws. He has, therefore, Inspector-in-Chief in London, five Super* jutending Inspectors in London, Manches- Glasgow, and Leeds, and 48 Sub- r^spfctors throughout the kingdom. The *^I>ectors are for the most part able and Jeiive men, and their task is by no means J,8hfc, for they have 132,000 factories, be- ^ea a large number of workshops, to jl'it, which necessitates continual travelling, rf* large factories it is generally found that the sanitary conditions, precautions against Occidents, hours of work, &c., are fairly iafactory, but the smaller factories are ot so, and require constant interference. Trades Unions watch the actions of ^spectors very closely. They demand that 4r' additional inspector should be appointed ^en any one inspector has more | i|ja& 2,000 factories under his care; and also desire the appointment of prac- I<5&1 workmen as Inspectors. So mis of th« Prilicipal Inspectors-notably, the Inspector- s-Chief himself—are now admitting that a Judicious increase of the present staff of napectors would not only be of service, but 18 necessary for the proper and efficient frying out of the duties of inspection in he very large districts and, undoubtedly, hough we have one of the ablest and ^ost pushing of all her Majesty's Inspectors n the South Wales district, yet it is so ex- ensive as to make it impossible for any one 1), however strenuous his efforts may be, do the work properly. And no one p^lises this fact more than the present •Rector does himself. DANGEROUS OR UNHEALTHY FACTORIES. English legislation in dangerous or un- ealthy factories is comprised in the laws on tnllle, those on the protection of women 4xkcl children, which have already been ex- Jfiinad, the laws on boiler explosions (45 nu 46 Vic., c. 32, 1882), on the fencing of Harries (50 and 51 Vic., c. 19, 1887), and Public Health Acts of 1875 (38 and 39 1., c. 55. These laws protect women f 11 d children, but seldom interfere with s labour. There are, however, some Ink8 which protect adult mala r these are ;-(1.) The Act of 1881 jj1 jlenucal Factories (Alkali, &e., Works ^gjation Acts, 44 and '45 Vic., c. 37), y ?ich directs manufacturers to condense Xious gases, and to t revent their escape v^^uch as possible. (2.) The Pollution of Act(39 and 40 Vic., c. 75, 1876). The execution of the Fisheries Act is en= trusted to the Local Government Board; The Shop Hours' Regulation Act pro- vides that young persons must not work in a shop more than 74 hours a week, meal- times included, and that anyone who has been employed in a factory must only work in It shop for the hours which he haS hob worked in the factory. The Shop Assistants' Half-Holiday Bill passed the second reading in the House of Commons last week, and it is to be hoped that it will become law very imn.

ST. DAVID'S DAY. It is now about 1300 years since St David died, and through these 1300 years he has had the enviable worship of a whole nation. Typical, indeed, of the people from whom he sprang was this pious old ec.clooiast-this ancient Archbishop who presided over the little diocese of Caerleon, and afterwards of Menevia, which has since taken his name. Earnest, virtuous, active, benevolent, his name upcalls all the host of virtues and there is one above all which must not be overlooked,—the patron Saint of Wales at least dwelt among his people. Some of these patron Saints, unhappily, knew little of the countries which they posthumously patronised. England has had to seek far and wide for her hierarch. It is doubtful whether he laboured in Capadocia it is uncertain whether he was an Arian or no but this at least is not open to argu- ment, that he was not an Englishman, and would have learnt with surprise that he would in days to come slay dragons and do other noble deeds in a country of whose existence, save through chance writers, he knew nothing. It is to be hoped that else- where he has followed subsequent history and naturalised himself by some spiritual ordinance; otherwise the Saxon has been figh t- ing beneath a mere shadow of a S int, a ghost of a patron who knows them not. And even as it is, the poor Englishman has to share his saint with another race, and de- pends upon the frail bonds of a legal statute to keep him to himself Now there is nothing of this absentee saintship about St. David. He lived and laboured in the land. There is a strict meaning in his title. He has an historical claim to the position he occupies. He stands chief amongst Celtic ecclesiasts for purity of life, for virtue, for holiness. He gave his life to the salvation of the people, working with a zeal which surrounded him with more than the halo of sanctity, and gave to his figure something of the commanding sta- ture of divinity. He found his country turbulent, unruly, in the throes of savage internecine -war, a slave to the rude barbar- ism of border feuds, and possessing little of that new spirit which first bare fruit—tan- gible fruit enough-on the hill of Glaston- bury. One might almost say that he left the people civilised and educated. To the arts of war, at least, he added those of peace. He sowed in the hearts of the Celt that spirit of religious fervour which doubtless was ready for the seed. For it required but the hand of a directing genius to force into the true course the unruly turbulence of the fiery Celtic nature. In such a patron Saint there j is some reality. The observance of his day has meaning and suggestiveness. In justice to the Welshman it might be said that St. David's Day is scarcely needed to rouse into patriotic flame the smouldering embers of patriotism. The Celt is always a Celt, and serves his Saint day by day. There throbs in bis veins the impetuous fire of intense love of country. His nationality is not a coat of arms or a flajunting flag. He .does not regard to-day as one for an snnual toll to be grudgingly paid to the meftiory of hig race. It is only the chief of many festivals, standing out in degree, but not in kind, from a host of willing observances. There are those who scoff. They do not feel the thrill of genuine patriotism; nor can they realise how man depends on some out- ward form for his deepest thoughts. An idea, like a disembodied spirit, seeks some habitation and a Patron Saint is but the point of focus of all that is sweetest and noblest in the national aspirations of a people. His dim personality gives all that is needed of that shadowy form which they require, and becomes the embodiment of otherwise vague and restless forces.—From Man About Town in South Wales Echo,

DIMINISHED RAIMENT. "Dat vos a bad cough you haf, Isaac?" Yah, I soldt a couple of pairs of dhose shoestrings from arount my neck, and dor cold vos settled in my chesd."

When a certain very innocent ladv, with grown-up daughters, was left by one of the latter at a raitway-station for an hour, she thought she would buy a book to while away the time (says ♦he Detroit Free Press). The book was one of Zola's, and when the daughter came back—she was a junior at Vassar, and knew a thing or two- she was horrified. "What on earth did you buy that for, mother ? she asked. I did not know there was anything wrong about it," said the mother; "is there?" "I should say yws,n'said the Vaasar girl; didn't you find it so ? "No," said mamma; but I was not interested in it. Is it very bad?" "No," said the daughter; "it's not the worst of his books; but it isn't good." "Contetotliinkof it," said mamma, "Inoticed when I picked it up that it was entered at the New Yerk Post Office as second-dase mattel" Hallo Where are yon ffoing; ? Don't go up there; its dangerous." "What is the mMter 1", They're going to Wast up in the quarry in.*a?j few minutes." Well, there isn't any dancer. Ym there is. Oh, no I don't think be is I sea a policeman up there and if there<- was any danger he wouldn't be there."

FARM AND CARDEN. I The Lambing Season. The lambing season is proceeding in all the early districts with, as usual, variable success. Where one flockmaster remarks that the lambs fall strong and well, and that the proportion of twins is large, others report that there is less than the average number of twins, and that the lambs are weak. That something depends upon the season is possible, but that much depends on the animal selected for breeding and upon the system of feeding pursued from mating time until yeaning is certain. In some of the largfe sheep-growing districts, the ordina.ry farmer is not a believer in the necessity for either cake or corn feeding before lambing, and it will be found in very many instances, if the necessary trouble is taken to ascsjrtain the fact, that where the ewes are fed upon a ration minus this kind of concentrated food the proportion of twins is oftsn small, although the lamb crop as a whole may be a strong one. It is proba.b!e that, on the other hand, really high feeding—the addition of a heavy allowance of cake-is deleterious. A careful analysis of the ordinary returns of flookmastera wiil show that the difference in the p,-reentage of ewes lost is very great. Surely this is a matter which is to some extent under the control of the owner. The use of carbolised oil, for example, is of the highest importance, many deaths having occurred which might have been prevented if the shepherd had taken the trouble-,tlways supposing that he knew of the preparation to use it. The Most Dreaded of Cattle Diseases. Foot-and-mouth occupies its position as the most dreaded of all forms of cattle disease, not because it is necessarily fatal, but because of its extraordinary power of extending itself by all kiuds of intermediaries—men, beasts, birds, flies, by tainted trucks, stations, and premises, which retain the power of infection for weeks, if not months. When the disease is once present in the country there is net security for anybody. It spreads as rapidly in the sweet air of a spring pasture as in the. close atmosphere of a town dairy. If it does not kill, it leaves all breeding ammals un- certain breeders afterwards, and doubles for years to come after an outbreak the uncertainty of in- crease in our flocks and herd3. From 1880 to 1886 the agricultural statistics show diminished herds and flocks because the foot-and-mouth disease was in the country. In January, 1886, we got quite clear of it after strenuous exertions by the authorities, and after paying heavy costs of the campaign. But the value of the riddance was speedily seen. The number of sheep and cattle, in spite of a brisk consumption going on, at once bagan to increase, for occupiers again took up breeding. When this plague is about, no one who can avoid it will have breeding stock about his premises; for no possible care and precaution suffices to ensure that any separate farm shall (except under very exceptional advantages of seclusion) long remain secure. The Fertilisers and Feeding-stuffs Bill. In the House of Commons lately, in answer to Mr Ohanning, Mr Chaplin said I do not pro- pose to re-introduce the Fertilisers and Feeding- stuffs Bill at present. The subject is so highly technical, I found so many difficulties in the preparation of the Bill, and so many objections were taken to the measur-s after it was prepared, that I propose to arrange for the investigation of the subject by a departmental committee before introducing a further measure on the subject. 11 Dairy Protue. Mt- Gilbert Murray, one of the best authorities on everything relating to dairying, gives the following report as to the current rates of milk, choese, and butter :—" Milk has been scarce dur- ing the winter. Accommodation milk has been making 10J to lid per imperial gallon. Farmers who can make good cheese in April, May, June, and July. and sell milk for the rest of the year, are in a batter position than those who sell milk for the whole of the yea.r. Goad cheese is worth 60s to 633 per cwt., and special makes up to 70s per 1201b. Best factory butter is selling whole- sale at Is 7d per lb, and farmhouse Is 4d to Is 5d. With all the advantages of institutes and the teaching of itinerant experts, farmhouse butter is not popular with the public." "r'. Vegetable Garden. Ground intended for Asparagus and Seakale should be got into good condition by deep cultivation and the free application of manure. Seakale is often left on the same ground too long when forced in the old way under heaps of manure, the stools getting weak and the growth poor. The best Seakale-crowns ara obtained by planting the throngs or side-roots cut from the crowns taken up for forcing. These. arousually cut into lengths of 4 inches, and laid thickly in damp sand or soil till March, and then planted with a dibble in rows, 15 inches to 18 inches apart, and 12 inches apart in tho rows. In this way roots with good crowns are obtained in one season. It is a good plan to raise all the asparagus plants likely to be required at home, so that when new beds are made for forcing or otherwise there may be plenty of strong, healthy plants with good fresh roots ready for the work. Seeds may be sown early in March. On light, early soils get the onions and parsnips in at the first opportunity. Give a good dressing of charred refuse on the surface of the onion bed; it will tend to encourage rapid growth, and if the summer should be dry the rich top dressings will act aa a mulch. The best dressing for the onion maggot is soot. It will be better to use it in small dressings several times during the growth of the plants, espeoially about the time of the appearance of the onion-fly. which is usually towards the end of May. Set out cauli- flowers under haadlights, or in any position, such as a trench along the front of a forcing houso, where shelter can easily be given. Of course, the balls of the plants will remain in the cold frames for the present. Now that the weather is becom- ing mor* menial, more air should be given to growing crops under glass. Pot off tomatoes and grow near the glass. Sow more seeds to raise plants for outside planting. Window Gardening. Keep Cinerarias and Calceolarias in the coolest room. Many market-growers use artificial stimu- lants to bring the plants up to a high state of perfection as speedily as possible, but these highly-fed specimens soon fade. A little weak stimulaut is very well, but it should not be over. done. The best way of applying stimulants to window plants so as not to caust. annoyance from unpleasant smells, is to use one of those inodorous powders which may be purchased at the s,,od shop and given in very small doses when reqnired. A funall t3.bJ,espooi)ful of gjandea's manure will be sufficiens for a 4-inch or 6-inch pot, and its cffect will be visible in the improved <^>nd{tionr pf time after the application but only those plants which are getting pot-bound and are forming bloom-buds will require a stimulant. Maiden- hair and other ferns may soon be repotted, and taking away as much of the old worn out soil as can be removed without injury to the roots. Messrs Wheeler and Sons, seed wers, Gloucester, have issued a richly illustrated seed catalogue in four parts—garden seeds, flower seeds, farm seeds, and seed ipotatoes. Itaims at being something more, for in add-on to containing many interesting parwcuiars of flower novelties, it includes a complete calendar of garden operations, useful alike to the-amateur ana professional gardener.

II.—MY HOME. My peaceful Cûttag home I love, Nor mourn isv humble state, For me the cot liatli charms above The mansions of the great Oh when my daily toil is o'er, What pleasure fills my breast, When I behold the cottage door That welcomes me to rest Tho' 'neath mv lowly roof there shine No gems of sculptured art, i- 1 have a precious gift divine- The angel of my heart— The sharer of my joy and woe, Through life's uneven way, j Whoso cheering, gentle accents flow Like music's melody. No costly paintings greet my sight With colours richly blent, But I have living pictures bright WHo smile with sweet content; Nor on my humble floor are seen, Soft carpets deftly wrought. But in that bookcase old, 1 Are richest gems of thought. Mv hands with labour's mark are spread, Of toil the workman's crest, 'Tis labour earns the sweetest bread: And yields the calmest rest; How many trained at learning's shrine, And versed in classic lore, Have wished that they could delve the mine, Or plough or tug the oar. What tho* I have no wide domains, I have the less of care, And I can range the hills and plains, And breathe the balmy air; The woodland minstrels' cheering song The trees with verdure crown'd, The crystal stream that glides along, Gresfc all with welcome sound. The. sun's bright beams will smile on Me, And shed his genial ray, As on earth's regal majesty Who holds the sceptred sway i And when the queenly orb of mght Illumes our earthly sphere, An share alike the heavenly light— The peasant and the peer. Tho' transient gloom may cause me pain. And cloud my humble way, I know the sun will shine again However dark the day If Health her blessings round me fling, To cheer my lowly lot, 1'11 be more happy than a king Within my little cot. Corry, Pennsylvania, U.S. Omrn JOSKS.

MADAME PATH IN THE UNITED STATES. Interviewed by a Welsh Journalist. Madame Patti, whose aversion to being inter- viewed by the ubiquitous pressman, is well- known, so far triumphed over her prejudice during her recent visit to Chicago as to grant the privilege of a conversation to a representative of the Welsh newspaper Columbia, published in that city. We quote the following from our Transatlantic contemporary's report of the inter- view I shall be delighted to see the representative of Coluf¡¡bi{1" was tho kind message the Queen of Song delivered to Mr G. H. Bowen, a Cymro glan frum Black Pill, Mumbles, Swan- sea, who had taken my card to the Diva. By the way, we were very pleased to find that Madame Patti had in her employment as private manager and guard, a genial and charm- ing Welsh gentleman, whose cheeks glow with the roses ot Cambria. Mr Bowen was exceedingly enthusiastic of the beauties of Craig-y-Nos, Swansea Bay, and of course, the lady "ef the castle. He very kindly alluded to the great in- terest felt in Wales pertaining to the Inter- national Eistetidvod of 1883. Wmp, enthusiasm, he said, was up to the boiling point, and would, doubtless, remain at this pitch unfit-the 5,000 dcllas-s hd the 1,000 dollar second prize, in-, eluding the gold batons, were carried cut of Chicago. Those choirs in South Wales mean business," he said. American choirs will please take note of that. This was the preliminary chat with Mr Bowen, as we ascended the grand marble stairway and bowed ourselves through the Auditorium parlours. As your representative was ushered into Madame Patti's parlours, bis eyes witnessed a perfect bower of the most exquisite roses, and into the midst of this bower of beauty caino the loveliest rosa of ail, greeting the visitor with the merriest musical tone that he ever has had the fortune to hear. There was no mistaking the hearty greeting, Madame Patti, as she extended her hand, and shaking mine with true Welsh "hwyl," saying, "I am very happy to see you, sir, and sec a Welsh gentleman that was born not far from Craig-y-Nos," at the same time leading me to a seat, and the Diva seating herself close by. "I love Craig-y-Nos and the Welsh people, sir," said the great songstress, her face beaming with delight as she thought and spoke of the ex- quisite spot in GwaJia. In my heart I thought how different many a spot in Chicago seemed to her. Craig-y-Nos Castle and the estate in its entirety, which includes about 8,000 acres, has Mr Bowen had dvscribed the theatre which has been lately added to the Castle, also tho memorable dramatic and musical opsning of the same. It was natural that the Diva should refer to that, and wax eloquent over the perfect structuro. I was invited to ask any question I wished, and describe what part in the World's Fair the Wfclsh people intended playing. This was my opportunity, and to the best of my ability it was used and enjoyed. The Diva listened with evi- deut delight", and wondered that there were so many Welsh people in the United States. Madame Patti very graciously said, I do not think, now, that I shall be in America, but if that should be the case, and at the time of the Inter- national Eisteddvod, I sahll only be too pleased tc sing for the Welsh jjeople." Chicago's reception to the Diva has always been of the heartiest kind, but this week's has eclipsed all the previous ones, the Auditorium has been actually too small, hundreds at each entertain- ment- failing to secure seats.

NEW PUBLICATIONS. Messrs Ward, Lock, Bowdon and Co., stand at the head of the list of publishers in this country who provide popular literature for the public in a cheap form. Their monthly serial issues now include no fewer than twenty different works, all of standard merit, and excellence. The most elaborate edition of Scott's novels issued is the Select edition, in which The Abbot is jost being concluded. Part 5 of Moore's Irish Melodies is also issued this month, which contains the celebrated symphonies and accompaniments of Sir John Stevenson and Sir Henry Bishop Our National Cathedrals, Part 17, de- scribes St Alban's Cathedral, and con- tains several fine engravings and tinted plates of St. Alban's and Durham Cathedrals. Two indispensable books for the nursery are the Illustrated Bible for the Younr, and tho Child's Instructor. Beeton's Cyclopedia is completed with Part 40, and the Universal Instructor is also neariag completion. People with a mechanical turn of mind will find all they desire to know in the popular re-issue of Amateur Work and the Industrial Self-Instructor. The other works issued in serial form by this house aro-Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, Bible Commentary, Hone's Table Book and Every Day Book, Curiosities of Literature, Motley's Rise of the Dutch Republic, Epochs and Èphodei of History, Forster's Life and Times of Goldsmith, Gibbon's Decline and Fat!, with Dean Milman's valuable notes, and D'Aubiffne's History of the Reformation. v" The World's Religions," of which the first Eirt is issued this month, is a re-issue of Ward ock's popular account of religions ancient and modern, which is as interesting and instructive as any book which has appeared for many yearp. The gifted author, Mr G. T. Bcttany, M.A., died only a few weeks ago. ♦ <■ The Leisure Hour for March is as bright and fresh as ever in readable articles and clever illus- trations. The more striking contents are an account of the London Daily JFeios, Russian statesmen, and tho Horse World of London. Its companion magazine. The Sunday at Home, contains an interesting account of religious life and thought in Holland, wanderings in the Holy Land, pages for the young, a aerial story, and an excellent coloured plate On the Lluguy, North Wales." The Religious Tract Society's other publications include Outdoor Games and Recreations, Part 11 Indoor Games and Recreations, Part 6 Girl's own Outdoor Book, Part 11; Girl's Indoor Book, Part 6; The Cottage and Artisan Child's Com pan ioo, Our Little Dots, Light in the Home. and Friendly Greetings, each and all fully illustrated. Card Tricks^-with' Apparatus," and Card*; Triø without Apparatus." are the titles of two arfcrafctivo ils manuals by Professor Ho$maun,and issued by Frederick Warns and Co., London. Trooks are written in Professor Hoffmanns blearest and best style, and aach voiome contains j a loug series of clever and astounding trick*, j They are jost the very thing to -prepare -an 1 «nt»rfca}irmertfor MY evening party.

SMALL CULTURE. -+- No. 10.—GEESE AND TURKEYS. BT W. J. Riley, Esq., (B(J;¿. Sec. of the Water Fowl Clul.) Geese cannot be kept to any advantage unless sufficient pasturage be given to them, for, unlike ducks, they eat an enormous quantity of grass. They cannot, therefore be recommended to those whose accommodation is of a jimited kind. There is, however, plenty of protit where geese can be properly kept and managed. TOCLODSE AXU KMBDEX GJEESE. At the present time geese keeping seems to be confined to certain districts, Norfolk being especially noted for them. A great many, too. are reared by the farmers in Cumberland, for which there is always a. ready sale at Christmas time. Irish geese are also well-known, but they are small and inferior to the English breeds. Now the point to consider in the production of geese is this The Toulouse and Embden ereese cost no more in food than the common cross-bred goose, yet they are twice as heavy! Not only this, by having pure breeds there is always the chance of getting a price higher than market price for extra good specimens; whilst those that are not suitable, through faulty plumage, for breeding from, are quite as good as the best when plucked and placed upon the market. TO OBTAIN GOOD RESULTS. Usually tha goose Jays two clutches of eggs. The first should always be given to hens to incu- bate, and the second she may take charge of herself, should she desire to do so. Some geese do not set about the work in a very business-like manner, so it is well to watch, and, if necessary, distribute the oggs amongst hens. Large hens should be chosen for the work, and four or five eggB given to each one. They cannot properly eover more. XIAISIKG GOSLINGS. The secret of raising fine goslings is warmth, quite fresh ground, fresh air, sound food, and pure water. They must be kept warm when very young, as, hke young ducks, they are susceptible to cramp. Let the food be given in vessels that can be kept elean, do not throw food on the ground, which is a wasteful way of feeding. When old enough the goslings can be turned out into the field, but they should always be brought in the strawyard at night for fear of foxes. We have not mentioned in this the value of the down and feathers. Where geese are reared in large numbers this, of course, means a con- siderable item. TCEKEYS. There is certainly more skill required in the rearing of turkeys than in the rearing of geese. Norfolk turkeys are well known iu the market. and that county seems to be the only one engaged to any extent in the trade. The largest variety of turkeys is known as the Mammoth American Bronze, and specimens have been produced to turn the scale at 45 pounds. This is the variety we should recommend you to adopt, or at least to use a "gobbler" of that variety in the breeding pen. It is never wise to keep a turkey coelc con- tinually with the bens, as by too frequent attention be is apt to cause them serious injury. Turkey hens make good mothers as a mle. and they can cover a great number of eggs. It never pays, we think, to let her sit two clutches of »ggs consecutively, although it is often done. The turkey hen is a stupid, good-natured sort of bird, and can be kept sitting for almost an indefinite period. Now of all stupid little things young turkeys are the wsrst, and it is well aftar the first week to add a few hen's eggs to the nest so that these may hatch at the same time as the others, and the chickens, which seem to know their way about as soon M 1tey are born, will show the young turkeys hoi to f OIelé,5 The turkey hen may be qoopid tf the weather be fine, under a orate such as is used for packing earthenware. If allowed liberty she is apt to travel a considerable distance from home, dragging the young ones after her, through wet grass. It seems a peculiar thing, but the fact remains that young turkeys cannot stand the rain until that period of their life arrives which is known as shooting the red therefore, until that period arrives they must be well looked after, to see that they are never overtaken by the rain. When the hen is cooped as described, you know exactly where to find the birds when you want them. When they are old enough, the males should be separated from the females. This will prevent bickering and fighting, and so tend to promote growth in birds. F3KDIXO. Feed them on good sound food. It never pays to use inferior stuff. To fatten turkeys for mar- ket they should be cooped, singly, in a quiet out- house, kept very clean, and fed chiefly on soft food prepared from barley meal, with grain once a day—such as wheat, oats, or barley. Do not forget a little green food and grit for them to pick amongst. A fortnight will be found quite sufficient time to fatten them properly. The Christmas market is, of course, the chief one for turkeys, and the demand ie always greater than the snpply at that season. The facts regarding heavy-weight geese apply in the same degree to turkeys. There is always the chance of breeding from pare stock to produce a bird that will bring a fancy price" for exhibition purposes—and this means extra protit. A PRACTICAL NOTE. A well-known authority (one who has reared thousands of turkeys) sends me the following no :—The flesh of the turkey fetches a higher price than any other meat which we produce on our farms. Young cocks which weigh from 201 bs to 251be realise from Is 2d to Is 4d per lb. Cocks over 161bs, Is Id per lb. and hens and smaller birds over 91bs in weight, Is per lb at least these are the prices we have generally been effered in London at Ohristnias time, and a bird which is worth 30s when only seven, or at the most eight months old, if judiciously fed, leaves a large profit. Turkeys pick up more of their own living than any sort of poultry we keep, and can bo driven from held to field like sheep by children, while a dozen men cannot drive fifty chickens a hundred yards. It is a great mistake to keep a small breed of turkeys, and it is not necessary to keep a turkey cock at all if there is a fine one in the neighbour- hood, an if a ben pays him a week's visit before she begins to lay all her egge will be fertile. Much the cheapest way to obtain a fine breed is to procure a few eggs and hatch them under a common ben. If the turkey hens are well fed in the winter they will begin to lay in February or March, and will lay from 15 to perhaps 25 eggs each. and as many should be set at one time as possible, as it is very little more trouble to feed and attend to 150 than to 50. Each turkey ben will hatch from 15 to 17, and a common hen will cover 9 or 10. They are beet and gentlest of mothers, and it is a pleasure to Attend to thing) They generally lay in the hedges, and their eggs shbifld be brought in any day, and as they will sit anywhere they should be set in a piaoe of safety. An et»p £ y »hed thpnld fee devoted to them which rats eaanst enter, and they can be set in rows, each under a light open wicker coop. These are lifted up every morning, and they are driven off to feed. Then the door of the shed is opened, and as each gets into a nest tHfe coops are put over them. We have had more than 20 sitting in this manner at one time, and one spring hatched 280. Unfortunately they are more affected by wet and cold weather than any birds we rear, even pheasants; and long-contmuad rains in June will always kill a good many but in fine weather, with care, nearly every bird can be reared, and taking one year with another, they bring in more money than any other soitof poultry. A farmer told me last winter that he bad received just £100 for 116 turkeys.

WHAT HE WAS THEKE FOR.—It is known to all our judges that a very large number of law cases that come on for argument are absolutely rotten. In th court of the late Sir George J easel cne of the able leaders at present at the Ckvomon-law Bar was arguing a point which he knew to be untenable, but it wae the only point he could possibly urge, and he felt bound to U* £ e something. What are you here for, Mr Blank V asked the Master of the Rolls in his uisjst marked manner. Thirty guineas and five, my lord," was the reply, "and cheap at the price. Sir George laughed ar his head, and the learned gentleman sat 4'1I. Fair Damsel (to OUT artist, who is explaining theba,&tllies)-Ch.t:.nnÏ1íg! Charming But; tob. Mr FiteMaddeor, what a delightful room this < woold befor judsnoe—with the musicians in the- gallery and «n the «a?e!s and' pictures cleared away t

MEN AND MOVEMENTS OF THE DAY. I a [flT SALE% J No. 3.-ISAAC PITMAN and Phonetic Shorthand. Thousand", of young men and won.on holding good positions to-day &re greatly iudebted to Isaac Pitman and the system of sound writing which he invented. To them, Phonography, or phonetic shorthand, was the golden key which unlooked the door leading to well remunerated positions and almost unlimited possibilities. Journalists, barrister?, preachers, lecturers, com- mercial men can testify to the great help in their professions which they have gained by a know- ledge of shorthand. Whether studied as a pastime, an accomplishment, or as a tool for daily work and occupation, phoueiie shorthand is a de- lightful possession, and well repays the trouble of learning it. During the last few years, tv, shorthand has become cne of the first necessities of the count, ing house, and a clerk stands a very poor chance indeed of promotion, or of even holding his place at all, if he does not possess a knowledge of shorthand. I There have been, and a.re still, several systems of shorthand in use, but phonography unques- tionably holds the field almost undisturbed. Its rules are based on scientific principles, and it bta been adopted as the universal system for the English language. It has been adapted, with success, to the French and German languages, Isaac Pitman was born at Trowbridge, Wiltshire, on the 4th January, 1813. He was the third chdd of & family of eleven, and received the rudiments of his education at the Grammar School in his native town. He left school at the age of 13. Isaac received some teaching at home and it is recorded of him that he was always a studious and pious youth. He be- came a junior clerk in the counting house i of the factory of which his father was mana- ge-i. He did a good deal of genera! read- ing in his leisure time, and worked hard at Lounies Grammar and Walker's Dictionary. His study of short- hand began in 1829. He borrowed from a cousin a copy of Harding's edition of I Taylor's system, and learned to write with facility sufficient to enable him to report a slow speaker. Isaac gave up his clerkship in 1831, and became a school teacher after being trained in the British and Foreign School and College, Borough-road, London. He took charge of a school at Barton- on-Humber, at the age of 19, and his salary was £ 70 a year, which was afterwards increased to L30. He remained at Barton till 1836, when he took another scholastic engagement at Wotton- under-Edge, Gloucestershire. Things went on smoothly with Isaac until his religious opinions underwent a change, and be became o member of the New Church, or a Swedenborgian. Notice of dismissal was his reward from the managers of the school, but that is more than half a century ago. It was while he was staying at Wotton that Isaac turned his attention to popularising shorthand. In those days shorthand was very little known and loss used. He prepared a cheap edition of Taylor's system, to be issued at 3d, and sought a"pubiisber. Mr Bagster (of Bagater's Bible fame) was to be the publisher, but before putting it on the market he showed it to a reporter, who returned the MSS. with a note J.he system Mr Pitman has sent you is already in thu market. If he will compile a new system, I think he will be more likely to succeed ia his object to popularise shorthand: there will be novelty about it." This Pitman did, and a 4d manual was issued, bearing the title, Steno- ¡ graphic Sound-hand, by Isaac This wa" the tirat step towards the beautiful and perfected system of Shorthand which we I have t;)..d'iY under the title of phonography, I or "PhonetiC Shorthand," and which is known the world over and practised by at least half a million people. Subsequently this was followed by an engraved plate, which conta-ined the system, impressions from which were sold at the price of one penny. This second edition of Mr Pitman's shorthand was introduced when the penny post came into operation on the 10th January, 1840. He also issued the Phonographic Journal and made several lecturing tours in the country to popularise IJis shorthand. TUB Pkono. graphic Journal was a small lithographed maga- zine, but to-day its successor, the Phonctir Journal, is printed from typas and engraved shorthand characters, and has a weekly circula- tion of 24,000 copies. Mr Pitman also intioduccd a system of phonetic spelling and printing, which he has propagated side by side with his short- hand. From the first issue of his system of shorthand his whole life has been devoted to popularising shorthand and phonetic spelling, and the success he has achieved is fittingly demon- strated by the hundreds of thousands who write his shorthand, by the magnificent Phonetic Institute be has raised at Bath, and by the literature which exists in printed shorthand. A good picture of Isaac Pitman has been drawn by one who knew him well. "We have amused ourselves with drawing comparisons between Isaac Pitman and John Wesley. Unlike Wesley, Pitman is tall; but, like him, he is spare and muscular, with briyht eyes. a keen face, and rapid motions. Like Wesley, his habits are reo guiar, and almost ascetic. He goes to bed early and rises early in summer and winter, and may almost invariably be found ported at his desk by six in the morning. Erccept for the progress of his work, he seems to li.re no carc in the world. He sees no company; ho seldom drives from home, or pays visits; and first in his office in the morning, he is last to leave it at night. He c1- lights in walking exercisr, and scampers over miles of country with the ease that his y. govs over paper. Like Wesley, he is very abste- mious; wine, beer. or spirits of any kind never pass his lips; nor fish, fiesh, nor fowl. For years he has been a strict vegetarian; and, but for a cold now and then, has enjoyed perfect health. As if his shorthand and phonetic printing were not enough to take a" his powers, he preaches twice each Sunday in a little chapel at Twerton, a village a short way from Bath," This brief sketch of the inventorcf phonetic short- hand may be fittingly concluded with two sen- tenc&s, which are given in shorthand below as an illustration of what Phonography is — '"Phonography has now been before the public for fifty-three years, and it is probably an under estimate to say that its practitioners iu this country, in America, and in the Colonies number half a million. Many a young barrister, jour- nalist, and litterateur has been indebted to it, not only as a source of income in his earlier struggles, bat as an instrument of training which has largely contributed to hia ultimate suoeess." eyaciMEx OF PHONOGRArar. NEXT WEEK (SEORGE HOWELL, U.P.. AND TRADES UNIONISM.

I SIX MONTHS AFTER. IS- (bitterly): If you ha.d baen frank in the arst place you might Lave avoided this unhsppi- ness. i 7-JC (ibinkinrj of unsueceszful rival) That's so. j Frank had a narrow escape.

Did it ever occur to you that no man can raise the devil" witbont lowering himself ?

GOSSIPS' CORNER. Mr T. E. Ellis, M.P., delivered a speech into a phonograph in London the other day, and it was re-delivered by the machine at Bala, to the great delight of the residents. The directors of Newport Infirmary have had t/s close one ward otving to want of the needful. They appeal for £ 300 additional donations, and have nrra-nged Sunday next as Hospital Sunday. Dr Sydenham Jones, of the South Wales Circuit, has accepted the invitation of the Isle oi Thanet Liberals to contest the seat at the next election against the sitting Conservative member, Mr J. W. Lowther. A marriage has beer, arranged between Mt Walter de Wintou, 1st Life Guards, of Miesllwch Castle, Radnorshire, and HyldR. daughter of General and Mrs Marshall, of Broadwater, God aiming. '• You may kiss me for 25 cents is, according to an American paper, the last device of the pretty girls in a certain. congregation in Michi- gan to raise money for desperate church emer- gencies. Sir Marieine and Lady Lloyd, with their daughter, Miss Nesta Lloyd, have left Bronwydd for London, for the purpose of having Miss Nesta's ankle treated. The young lady is a great favourite in the neighbourhood. Mi- D. A. Thomas, M.P.. and Prineipat Edwards (Pontypool) will address the Newport Cymmrodorion conversazione at the Phillips Memorial Hall on St. David's Day. The genial Dr Garrod Thomas, J.P., will preside. Nearly 400 tickets are taken up already. A well-known Cardiff footballer, Mr H. P. Joseph, celebrated his 6th birthday yesterday. This is not a joke, because he was born on the 29th of February. H. P. was captain of the Rovers' Football Club shortly after the attainment of his 5tb birthday. Mr Chamberlain's motion for a retnrn of justices of the peace exercising a jurisdiction in shipping ports, they being peoumarily interested in the shipping trade. does not indicate any inten- tion on his part to carry the matter further. The motion was drafted by Mr Piimsoll, and moved at": instance Mr Samuel Smith, the mover of this year's Welsh Disestablishment motion, is a wealthy Liverpool merchant. He has taken an aotivepart for years in philanthropic and social reform work. He was elected for Flintshire in 1886, and is 55 years of age. The advantages of the Children's Savings Bank have been urged very forcibly at the Merthyr School Board, and now, by order of that authority, the Clerk (Mr Stephens) has issued a special circular, in English and Welsh, to parents and children, in which he impresses upon them the desirability of thnfty habits. In the oourse of a few days we understand that Mr Robert Buchanan will publish the first of a series of cheap editions of Popular Ballads,01d and New," through f ohn Haddon and Co. The first volume will include an important ballad zu the Salvation Army, which it is believed willgiva rise to considerable controversy. A reunion of old Aberystwyth students is to be held on St Da vid's Day. The old students num- ber between SOD and 900, Of whoin SUire members of Parliament, 11 principal *ad t*rtars of colieg*, 3 newspaper editOrn. 53 solictors, 47 107 ministers, and 18 dwgymen. The meeting will be presided over by Mr T. E. Ellis, MP. -Air William Thomas, Cwmbach, one of the few Nonconformist magistrates in Carmarthen- hire, is lying s eriously indisposed at his residence in New-road, Llanelly. Mr Thomas is over 48b years of age, and is one of the most benevolenk and popular gentlemen in the whole county. He has for over 50 years been a pillar of strength to the Liberal cause in Carmarthenshire.. It is pretty well known that Mr E. Penllyn Jones is resigning the registrarship of the University College, Aberystwyth. A successor was to have been appointed at the last meet. ing of the Council in London, but there it was found out that the position was not even vacant. Mr E. P. Jones's resignation was sent in 112- course, but was mislaid and had never been accepted! When Mi' Smith spoke of the defects of the Welsh bishops, their ignorance of the Welab language, &c., the exception that proved the rule was the prelate who was listening to him in the Peers' Gallery. Dr Edwards, who is only 4,9, years old, speaks Welsh, and has preached aa eloquent sermon in that language in St. Pao2'« Cathedral. He is acquainted with the humblest people in his diocese, and seeks a knowledge their ways by travelling third class on the rail- ways. A correspondent who recently visited the House of Commons WAS very much surprised on seeing Welsh flannel peeping out underneath Mabon's coat-sleeves. He made enquiries and found that Mabon was the only two. me-,aiber tEli.-tt WOT* "cry" -Iwinatt Gvinru. The hen. member for the Rhondda gets an occasional suirt !uiade by Pejjgv Lewis," whose romantie association with the anti-Tithe agitation is still fresh in recollection. I Sir Edward Grey, a coming man with th* I Liberal party, recently paid a visit to Blaeoan Festinio-, where he addressed the quarrymen. H<; took away with him most agresable recollec- tions of the North Waliaus. III a letter to Mr Ellis Sir Edward Grey says Your C(1)- stituents overwhelmed me with liosourfc of which I was not worthy, but the Welsh eolip speeches, the enthusiasm, and ths torchUgan procession made up an evening which was wonderful." In the Welsh Disestablishment division one,of the most thoroughly Nonconformist constituen- cies in Wales, the Carmarthen Boroughs, was un- represented either by vote or pair. Sir Arthur Stepney is believed te be somewhere in the region between the Equator and the South Pole. Bat no una can speak positively as to the baronet's precise location. He h oertiuuly biyond the rt,ach of votes of censure. Prof. Silas Morris, of the North Wales Baptist College, distinguished himself while at POlltypO" College, and during his stay there matriculated at the University of London. Soon aftir lie became premier scholar of Bangor University, being entitled to :£50 a year for three years. Hot graduated B.A. with classical honours, and finally M.A. of London. During his stay a* Llangollen be has given himself to the study of the Oettte t, philosophy, am& Mr Lucy, in his "Faces and Places (Henry and Co.), says Sir Lyon Playfair has one of the most retentive meutwwo of any man is tfee House. At one time he always wrote his "lectur" before he delivered them to the House, sending the manuscript to the Times, and so accurate was his recitation that the editor bad only to sprinkle the lecture with Hear, bors and cheers to make the thing complete. Newport is to have a big Disestablishment day early in April, at which there will be ft morning conference, afternoon conference, and evening meeting. Sir Wm. Harcourt and Mr H. H. Fowler are to bo the principal evening speakers, and Mr D. A. Thomas. M.P., Mr Albert Spicer, and Baron Profnmo will be chair- men respectively at the three functions. Ml Llcyd-George, M.P., and others will be preaent. The secretaries are Revs Morris Thomas, Caer leon. and Caithc Davies, Abircarn. These wer* appointed at a representative meeting in Newport over which Rev Professor Edwards, of Fonty, pool, presided. A lovely Book of Hours ef the latter part of the thirteenth century, keowo at the Murthly Manuscript, now the pro- porty of the Marquis of Bute, has bound off with it twenty-three full-pare ministum ef Scripture subjects of an earlier date. Experts who have examined the little volirme oonside* that these miniatures were not later than 1220. One of these represents the soldiers watching oui Lord's fc>mb. They are four in number, clad ir< I knightly armour, apparently banded, and three el I their shields bear the following charges Gulat, two chevronels or; Azur-, a less between UI'œ I besanfcs; and Gules, a chevron between thrM besaats.

THE HOUSEHOLD. HKRRINGS (FRESH), To the heads and guts, cut off the tails, and Jay tnera m a dish sprmkle with pepper and over shem some finely-chopped garhc, p rsley, and thyme cover them with vmegar.juid a bay leaf, tic them over, and bake m asto^c £ en>for one hour. They make a very agreeable dish either hot or cold. INDIAN Syitur.-Pour a flon of boinng water on to two pounds andof loaf sugar and one ounce of citric acid. When cold add half a dram of essence of lemon and lialf as much of spirits of wine. Stir well and pour it into a bottle. Two tablespoonfuls in a glass of cold, water makes a refreshing snmraer anuk. HBAI>AOHR, toOstjux RBWEP FJJOH. -Mo»StW iJ acag with either sttlpbuno ether or sweet spirit of nitre, and lay it awtos& tbe forehead, covering it piece of oledsU^ to p^ant ewpc^ tion. It will be necessary to wst therag witfa,tb<H aether frequently. as its ects soopa.off HAIR WASH (RQIIØ.4ltT).POtrr Tsmhngswater* on to rosemary leaves, and add a piece of ammonia the size of a pigeon's egg let it stand for a few hours, when it will be ready for usa. This wash not only cleanses the hair, but acts as a stimulant to its growth. MUTTON CHOPS.—Prepare some nice, little rib chops by trimming off the outside fat and scraping the meat for about an inch or so of the end of the bone; wash them and wipe dry, grease the bars of the gridiron, and broil the chops over hot coals. When they are done, lay them on a hot dish, season with pepper and salt and a little I butter. Lay a slice of lemon on each chop just before they are sent to the tabic. The year is generally seasonable, and the promise of growing wheat is excellent. The spring sowings look like being more extensive than usual. Farmers' dissatisfaction is mainly directed to prices, which, during the month just closing, have pursued a very discouraging course, mainly in consequence of the large supply of American flour. The London average is 33s 2d, and shows 8d decline upon the week. The price of foreign wheat has declined 6d per qr, the sales being smaller than expected and Continental enquiry slackening, especially for France, where the fall of the Government has weakened the market by bringing to a standstill at once the schemes of the Protectionists for raising the duty and the designs of the War party to stock Eastern for- tresses with two years' provision". The spring corn trade shows a larger number of firm markets than of exchanges in buyers' favour. Fine samples of English and German malting barley are scarce and command attention, but grinding sorts are neglected. English barley averages 7s lOd per wt and oats 7s 2d. The latter is supported in value, though nominally much understood by maize. Beans firmer than peas, which have arrived much more freely than tho former.— Mark Lane Express.

Members for Swansea. [BY W. R. WITMAKS, SOLICITOR, TALmoNT.) Tho first mention of Swansea being represented at Westminster appears to have been when Matthew Davys, gentleman, was elected March 1604 for Cardiff (Cowbridge, Aberavon, Neath, Swansea, &c.) Borough, as it is stated in the Parliamentary returns." That Parliament was dissolved February 1611, and the member was probably a burgess of Cardiff. In Richard Cromwell's Parliament, which lastsd merely from January to April 1659, William Fox wist, Esq., was elected for Swansea Borough. He, a member of a. Cheshire family, was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn, and was appointed a justice of the great sessions (probably for the counties of Carnarvon, Montgomery, and Merioneth, for he resided at Carnarvon). He was a zealous partisan of Cromwell, and was elected member for Carnarvon January, 1647, in the place of the sitting member, Wmiam Thomas, who, being a Royalist, was disabled to sit by the vote of the House of Commons, and sat till April, 1653 from July, 1654, to January, 1655, he was one of the two members for Anglesey (his name being spelt Foxcroft), and as the Parliamentary party was very strong in Glamorganshire at tho time, it was considered a wise idea to get as many supporters from there as possible, and so Swansea was enfranchised January, 1659, to provide a seat fnr Mr Justice Foxwist. He is mentioned as having been present on the occasion of Cromwell's funeral, and in 1657 was appointed a Commissioner to raise money for the Protectorate in the Carnarvon district. He is probably the same man as Wil- liam Oxwich., of Coventry (or Oxwiste, of Cefn- yr-Onen), who was High ^Sheriff of Merioneth, 1629. The name of Swansea again disappears from the "Parliamentary Re- turns" for over 170 years, and during that period it was growing in population, and steadily increasing in commercial prosperity, so that when, in 1832, the Reform Act gave Swansea a member it was accorded as a right to a flourishing seaport, and no merely to be a temporary seat for a wandering politician and its member was a very different sort of man from his remote predecessor. Deoember, 1552. John Haiftry Vivian, o £ Singleton, was the second son of John Vivian, of Traro, Vice-Warden of the Stannaries of Corn- wall (brother to Lient. -General Sir Richard Hussey Vivian, Bart., M.P., G.C.B., G.C.H., G.C.M.G., who was created Lord Vivian 1841), was born August, 1785, married October, 1816, Sarah, eldest daughter of Arthur Jones, of Reigato Priory; Surrey, and having greatly aided in the extension and development of the trade of the port of Swansea, was elected its first member in 1832, and being re-elected January, 1835 July. 1837, July, 1841: July, 1847; and July. 1852, each time without a contest, held the sat till his death in February, 1855. He was Major of the Royal Stannary Militia, of Cornwall. His eldest son was created a Baronet as Sir Henry Hussey Vivian, 1882, and now represents Swansea Dis- trict, and his third son, Lieut.-Colonel Arthur Pendarves Vivian was M.P. for West Cornwall, 1868-85. February, 1855.—Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn, of Hendrefoilan, vice J. H. Vivian, deceased. Mr DiUwyn is the younger son of the late Lewis Weston Dillwyn, M.P. for the County 1832-7, was born at Swansea, 1814, educated at Bath, and married, 1848, the daughter and heiress of Sir Henry T. de la Beche, C.B. Ho is a J.P. and D.L. for the ccunty, and having been Lieut.- Colonel Commandaut of tht; 3rd Glamorgan Rifle Volunteers, is now Honorary Ctlonel of that Corps, and a director of the Great Western Rail- way Company and of the Glamorganshire Bank. ing Company. He was re-elected March, 1857 April, 1859; July, 1865; November, 1868 February, 1874; and April, 1880, each time without opposition, with the exception of 1874, when thefirst contest for Swansea took plnoe, and Mr Dillwyn, who holds very Radical views, easily defeated Mr Charles Bath, F.S.A., of Ffynone House, Swansea (Conservative), by 5,215 votes to 2, 108. Tbe boroulrh being divided into the two divisions of Swansea Town and Swansea District by the Act of 1885, Mr Dillwyn was returned for the former, and was re-elected in July, 1886. Thus, from 1832 to 1885, there were only two members for Swansea. The registered number of electors in 1832 was 1,307, which rose to 1,322 in 1835, to 1,447 in 1837, to 1,563 in 1841, to 1,694 in 1847, and to 1,901 in 1858, and in 1874 had in- creased to 6,880. The old freemen, who numbered 389 in 1858, had become reduced in 1874 to 41. The constituency comprised Swansea, Aberavon, Kenfig, Loughor, and Neath. SWANSEA TOW* Nov., 1885.-Les Llewelyn Dillwyn (R,), 3,660; W. H. Meredith (C.), 2.520 July, 1886.—L. L. Dillwyn, 3,040; A. J. Lam. bert (Unionist), 1,740. There were 8,48gelector8 on the register in 189L SWANSEA DISTRICT. Nov., 1885, and July, 1886.—Sir Henry Hussey Vivian, Bart., returned without opposition. (For particulais of his career, see "Members for Glamorgan.") The number of registered electors 1U 1891 amounted to 9,905, namely (part of), Swansea Borough, 5,147; Aberavon, 2,265; Kenfig, 114 Loughor, 417; and Neath, 1,962. (Ti» be concluded.)

of the fakirs, or faqueors, of India and Peraia, of simulating death are marvellous and alm incrediMe. Several suets in these countries regard the art of apparent death as a part of their religious ritual, and practise it assiduously. In their ancient books it is described as pwranayam or stopping the breath. Many cases in which these Indian fakirs have allowed themselves to be buried alive for long periods have been verified by British \>tficial3 in India, and attested by evi- dence which dispels all doubt of their truth. This impersonation of death continues for as long as six months, and even ten months. The way the fakirs go to work to produce this condi- tion is to have the little ligature onder he tongue cut, whereby they are enabled to stretch this organ out to a great length. Then they turn it back. inserting the end in the throat, and closing up at the same time the inner nasal aper- tures. The external aperturea of the nose and ears are oktsed with wax and the eyes covered to exclude the light. Long prehmmaay practice 18, however, needed in holding the breath, and a long course of fast- mg before burial. The fakir then sinks into a condition resembling death, and the body is wrapped in linen, plaoed in a box and buried. When the box is token up, at the expiration of the long-continued, death-hlce sleep, and opened, the fakir is found cold and stiff; no pulsation can •n A i!!Li 'he wrist, the temples, are still; the body is not cold as a corpse would be, but is edde* than that of other living men, ex- cept over the seat of the brain. All the s^cre- cept over the seat of the brain. All the secre- tions are fully stopped the wails, bair and beawjJ have ceased growth. q After being resuaitated the fakir feels great dizziness, and for a few fionrs- cannot stand up without support, but gradually*; he recovers strength and enjoys amazingly; the wonder hehas excated. f -Wife don't tfeu&I shall gefc-a new<bonuet*j tbismoirtb, but I shall have-my old one £ rmime £ oyen~-Husband:Btess you, my-dear.—Wifa^i' iDprftblesSrae. Give-me twenty^ve?<dfe«fe»-for« 'trimming.

WELSH GLEANINGS. I I By UofFwr. Dr Parker and the late Mr Spurgeon. As a leading exponent of Congregationalism opinion it was hardly to be. expected that the Tyst would take Dr Parker to task for his alln. Stons to Mr Spurgeon. As a matter of fact the communication which Dr Parker sent to the Times on the death cf the great preacher was one of the noblest offerings laid at. the shrine of that remarkable man. It was reserved for the Rev David Davies, of Brighton, after apparently microscopical examination, to discover in Dr Parker's tribute unlovely features which were certainly effectually concealed from the view of the pensive outsider. The embittered controversy wlúçh .ensued in the Times is much to be regretted it could serve no useful purpose, and seemed like the gratuitous introductiou of discordancc into the national sorrow over Nlr Spurgeon's death. The Tyst sides with the Rev David Davies, and declares that Dr Parker was at fault. However that may be, Mr Davies s last letter to tho Times was quite unnecessarily savage in its invective, for, after all, no one can doubt the truth of Dr Parker's saying: My motive was good. I j sought to honour a man from some of whose theological judgments I dissented, but whose faith and service I highly esteemed." Mr Balfour's Local Government Bill. The Bauer deals exhaustively with the Irish Local Government Bill, and alludes to its chilling reception by the House. While the measure provoked laughter from the Opposition, it was received with frigid coldness by Mr Balfour's own followers. The Tyst comments on the signific- ance of the division on Mr Sexton's amendment to the Address, and declares that the falling away of their majority to 21 cannot but be regarded as a deadly blow at the Government. As to the Irish Local Govern- ment Bill, on which so much expectation had been built, it was almost killed with con- tempt on the day of its introduction. Mr Bal. four's statesmanship is only a species of tinkering. —The Seren ridicules the Bill as being pitiful, ineffective, and weak. When the present Government dealt with coercion they were in their natural element, but they were completely at sea when they came to deal with local govern- ment.—Mr T. E. Ellis, M.P., in a Parliamentary letter contributed to Y Gemill Gyvircig, remarks that so far Mr Balfour's achievements as leader of the House have fallen far short of expectation. Over the Irish Local Government Bill he falsi- fied the hopes even of his friends. When all the details bad been unfolded of this measure, which was to heal the wounds of ages and to bring peace and abundance to Iceland, tha House was lost in unquenchable laughter. Death of Miss Clougl The death took place on Saturday of Mis3 Anne Jemima dough, Principal of Newnhaui College, Cambridge. Miss blough, the sister of the celebrated poet, came of an <sJd Welsh family. In 184? sfco great work of her life by keeping a school. many yeiWT at different places and in various wa^s she continued her efforts. Rat the chief and cfowchtg opportunity of her career came in 1871, when at the invitation of Professor Sidgwick she came to reside at Cambridge, and to take charge of fiv girl students. From this humble origin sprang Newnham College, whoso :1stonishinus has surpassedtha expectations of its warmest and most sanguine friends. Miss Clough was, of late, assisted by Miss Gladstone, Mr Gladstone's only unmarried daughter, and still more recently also by Miss Stephen, eldest daughter of the retired judge. But the management has been hers, and hers alone. She was a moat remarkable person. Simple and unpretending in manner, though per- fectly dignified, absolutely careless about bei- personal appearance, she would have seemed quite an ordinary common-place woman if it had not been for the wonderful keenness and bright- ness of her eyes. Anne Clough was with Arthur at his death. These who knew Miss Clough will always vividly remember, not only her strong in- dividuality of character, but her striking ap- pearance the keen dark eyes vividly contrasting with the hair, which turned white quite early in life; the determined, characteristic mouth, with its capacity both of sweetness and of humour. "Crimeless Cardigan." "Ap Siencyn" writesCardiganshire might appropriately be termed crimeless Cardigan, for none appears to have paid the full penalty of the law there within the last 60 years. But I believe I am correct m saying that previous to that two executions at least were carried out at Cardigan. I have often heard my grandmother relating how she, then a little girl of 13 or 14 years of age, had, in company with others, gone down to the town of Cardigan from the neighbouring village of Kilgerran to witness two executions (the first a double execution) which were carried out within N *w of thousands of spectators in the yard adjoining the prison. The first case was that of two men executed for murder about the years 1821 or 1822, and the last that of a man for horse- stealing about 12 months after. Bristol Cambrian Society, In their report for the Put year, the committee of the Bristol Cambrian Society thank the donors to the funds of the society for their continued support. The applications for assistance during the paet year have been rather numerous, no fewer than 108 cases having been relieved by the offi-ra of the society. The society has been able during the year to continue the monthly pay- ments to several natives of the Principality resi- dent in Bristol, and in some cases to increase the annuities. The committee hope that they will again receive the generous support which has been so freely accorded to them In the past. The thanks of the committee are again due to ex- Inspector John Davies for his work in investigat- ing: and relieving urgvut Callms- Justices of the Peace Blil. Seren Cymru laments the defeat of Mr Seale- Hayne's Justices of the PeOm Bill. There is no more crying need than that of the choice of magistrates by the People or their duly-elected representatives. In Wales the magisterial bonph, like th* rivers and the ganit, VI ftpWRaJlgi pr»<ecuwn4 fM the squirearchy. Although the Bill was defeated the principle sur- vives and must presently be adopted.—The Herald Cymraeg discusses the abuse of the present mode of appointing iuaBlfi^rates, especially in Walej. Et Cetera. Mr Murray Browne, &fwr a service of 17 years as the Local Government Board inspector in the North Wales poor-law uniD, has just been pro- moted to the inspectorship of the Oxford and Birmingham district. ldr Murray Browne, though a monoglot Englighlo", Was very popular with the Welsh guardians, and his removal is re- garded with much regret. Several uf the North Wales boards are about to. Petition the Local Government Board to appomt as Mr Murray Browne's successor a genan with a knowledge of the Wekh languagu The Ta-rian refers to 0012or3i Booth's visit to, Cardiff. As to the pers0*in^ of the procession the mine& organ declares SW it Wae easy to 8H that it was composed of the west 4ad most ignorant j section of the oscrmw* ^doubtedly, Gen. Booth and his army have done much good for this class of people but they tained in the Army not through any bowltØøe cf titeth but by perpetual excitement a»<* being:kept "on '"the-go.J Semationalisfli ™ ,°frrsat instrument nf tlw,Salvation Army- eaidall vthis thcv Xaria,«. wieheathe^Ari»3f Enoc Huws,5' work bf -the-. £ j'gif ted-anlhorof .Zt$VV. as, i ? a *aeriafr etory tlwoagbi*he ,( £ jAhe txtblisherf in rHThkagoi, ■

Andrew Fletcher, of Saltoun, in a, letter to the aiarquis of Montrose wrote I know a. very wise man that believed that if a. man were permitted to milke aU the ballads he need not eare who sIwttltL make the laws oi the nation."

THE MENAI BRIDGE. This wonder of the world constituted one of Stephenson's great engineering triumphs. Upon it depended the success of the Chester and Holy- head railway, it being absolutely necessary to cross the Menai Strait. The point selected was opposite the Britannia Rock, rising a few feet above the level of the water near the middle of the strait, which there was eleven hundred feet wide. It was resolved to construct gigantic tubes to serve as tunnels. These were formed of sheet iron rivetted together, being built up piece by piece on platforms ranged along the Carnarvon shore. Simultaneously a tower of masonry more than 200 feet high was erected on the rock, and when the tubes were ready the first was raised by a combination of chains, pulleys, hydraulic machine, and steam power inch by inch to the required height. This was effected in one longiday of 18 hours, but months of hard work were needed to perfect the line after adjusting the tubes end to end. All was ready by the beginning of March, 1850, and the 5th of the month was fixed for the supreme test. Three gigantic engines, adorned with the flags of every nation, were linked together and with Robert Stephenson as driver they entered the tunnel. Near the centre of the tube the dead weight of ninety tons was allowed to rest for a few minutes, both going and returning but the plates and rivets bore the test triumphantly, and alao other more severe .ones that were shortly after applied. The success of the tubular system of building was clearly de- monstrated by the Menai bridge, which was com- pleted in less than five years at a cost of very little over £ 600.000.