Cymro a'r Celt Llundain

Notes and News. LONDON Welshmen achieved a great triumph on Monday at Cardiff. MR. MERLIN MORGAN'S Choir promises to be one of the chief features of the London Eisteddfod for 1909. MR. GWYNNE DAVIES rendered one of the Eisteddfod songs at Cardiff on Monday, and his fine voice was highly appreciated. HOLIDAY makers had exceptionally fine weather on Monday; consequently the many Eisteddfodau that were held in Wales turned out to be unusually successful. THE greatest event undoubtedly was the "semi-national" Eisteddfod at Cardiff, of which a full description appears in another column. CORWEN Eisteddfod is another popular event, and it was a record gathering on the present occasion. Llifon who was also a competitor and was the conductor, carried off the prize for a short poem. PARLIAMENT adjourned on Saturday last till October 12th. The large number of 159 Bills received Royal assent before the two Houses adjourned on Saturday. WELSH members have left town for their holidays. It is not expected that many of them will return before the end of October. Mr. Lloyd George will spend his vacation in Germany to study the old age pension scheme that is in existence in that country. SIR S. T. EVANS has accepted the presi- dency of the Welsh Society in Birmingham 41 Undeb y Brythoniaid." He will attend a gathering of Welshmen at that town some time in October to deliver his presidential address. MADAME HUGHES THOMAS'S Ladies' Choir have commenced a musical tour before leav- ing for America in October. Last Saturday they started on their series of concerts at Aberayron, Cardiganshire. The first concert Was a great success a large audience giving the touring party a warm welcome. On Sunday the choir gave a sacred concert at the Coliseum, Aberystwyth. "I AM AFRAID, said Mr. D. Jenkins, Mus. Bac., at Corwen Eisteddfod on Mon- day, "that there is a tendency among some of our religious people in Wales to discour- age choral singing, so that our singers find it difficult to get one evening out of the six in the week to practise music owing to the multiplicity of other meetings. I should be very sorry if religious enthusiasm inca- pacitated our people to enjoy singing about nature in its wonderful variety and beauty." ONLY two choirs appeared in the chief choral contest at Corwen Eisteddfod on Monday the celebrated English combina- tion of Talke, Staffordshire, under Mr. Whewall, and the Cefn Mawr choir. The prize of ^50 was divided. The two choirs met at Rhos Eisteddfod a month ago, when the Talke choir proved the winner. MABON," Conductor of the Cardiff Semi-National Eisteddfod. IN the Sunday at Home for August there is an interesting article on some famous singers. Mr. Ben Davies in reply to the oft-repeated question a Why do the Welsh sing so well ? says Because they cannot help it." That, in our opinion, is as correct an answer as one could give. MR. S. J. WARING, chairman of Waring & Gillow, Ltd has presented the committee of the Llangollen Eisteddfod with the carved oak bardic chair for the II awdl" winner in September next. The chair is a handsome, imposing, and characteristic piece of furni- ture, made from a special design supplied by Waring's studio. Mr. and Mrs. Waring have lived for some time in North Wales, and, he some time ago, was the high sheriff of Denbighshire. MANY London friends of the Rev. Wade Evans will be pleased to hear that he has another interesting and historical work ready for the press. This latest work will deal with the laws of Howel Dda, and no doubt coming from his scholarly pen, it will be a worthy contribution on the subject. Mr. Evans-who is at present in Cardiff—is, we understand, about to change the field of his labours. It is a pity that a comfortable living could not be offered to Mr. Evans in some Welsh parish where he could devote his leisure time to his favourite pursuits, Welsh historical studies. OUR South Wales correspondent writes :— The London Welsh Choir won fairly and squarely at Cardiff Eisteddfod on August Bank Holiday. As a rule the decisions of eisteddfodic adjudicators give rise to much criticism, but on Monday even the supporters of the vanquished choirs frankly admitted that the best choir had won. By the way, a curious feature of the Eisteddfod was the fact that 99 per cent. of the audience were people from the neighbouring district. Car- diffians were conspicuous by their absence. This fact shows that the Cardiff man is not an enthusiastic Eisteddfodwr. Two people were killed by the motor car in Wales on Bank Holiday, viz., a clergyman visitor at Towyn and a child at Mold. Alto- gether about a dozen people have been killed in Wales by motor cars this year up to the present. This is a matter for serious reflec- tion. The motors are also spoiling the pretty country roads, converting green hedges and trees into so many dusty avenues. AUGUST Bank Holiday has easily beaten the record at the Welsh holiday resorts. Whether it was Aberystwyth, Llandudno, Rhyl, Barmouth, or Llandrindod. They all related the same tale-the biggest influx of visitors ever seen. THE Territorials are certainly becoming popular in Wales. They are generally con- sidered an improvement upon the Volunteers. In a few years' time they will be exceedingly popular, the conditions of service being con- sidered to be very fair. But what about that Welsh division Mr. Haldane promised at Rhyl ?