Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills

A DREAM. "For a dream cometh through the multitude of busities s. —ECCLCSIASTES. The rain is rattling on the pane, the wind is sweeping by, Now with discordant shriek, anon with melancholy cry. The other elerks have gone a>ray, their daily labour o'er' And here I write and calculate until my eyes are sore| The figures fade, the room grows dim and somehow dis- appears, And in its stead old scenes come back across the "waste of years And set in fr,Lme of golden hair, a fair young face I see, Whose two soft eyes of deepest blue look wistfully on me. Once, on a memorable eve, when heart and hope were young, Those liMninous eyes upon my life a sudden glory flung. As she was then I see her now, my first, my only choice, The brightness on her sunny brow, the music in her voice. One question, and but one I ask, then for an answer wait: My very heart is motionless, expectant of its fate. A wondrous light-the light of Love—glows in the teaùer eyes, llsr breath is warm upon my face-O sweetest of re- plies! But, bless inv heart the driving rain is coming in, I fear, Or is that shining little drop upon the page a tear ? Well, who would think an old grey head could be so soft as ;his, When mor. than thirty years have fled since that fond, fo- ish kiss And still ti e rain beats on the pane, still wearily wails th wind, And still t re grinding cares of life press on the jaded mjld; yet when Scial cares are thick, when they should reign su; reme, A dream w d oft unbidden come that is not all a dream. J. SCOTT.

TINTERN ABBEY BY MOONLIGHT. The harvest moon is shining o'er Tintern's stately pile, Gilding wit. rarest beauty each richly-sculptur'd aisle, Filt'ring through twining ivy where it swingeth to and fro Casting fan, astic shadows on the pavement far below. Soft'ning e ich rugged outline, touching with tender gT<- -:e Where Tin. j's defacing fingers mar the beauty of a face. Wrapp'd in a sombre mantle of grandeur and decay, Thou speak'st to us of the storied past ere thy glory pass'd away. This banquet hall is no longer void, or silent, dark, and cold See a gorgeous canopy stretches there of crimson, green, and gold; And a mitr'd Abbot sits enthron'd to receive his noble guest— Earl Strongbow comes with a princely train from his conquests in the West. The lights flash back from the glitt'ring mail, from shield and falchion bright, And falls on the plumes and golden spurs of many a valiant knight; A red deer s haunch on the groaning board gives promise of goodly cheer, Flank'(1 with bright tankards of Rhenish wine and the Abbot's old brown beer, With pasties, cutlets, and salmon rare from the waters of the Wye; By my balidame 'tis a kingly feast," the Earl and his knights did cry The toast, the jest, and the wine pass'dround, and many a tale was told Of brave deeds done for my ladye fayre in those gal- latH days of old. 'Twas only a dream or a phantasy neath the moon- light's witching ray,- ""is enchanted ground, and Romrnce rules with sweet, resistless sway; She waves her wand, and the rushing wind that sweeps through the rocky vales Is the martial tread of Strongbow's host from the rugged hilla of W ales The soft night wind is a mournful chant, or sad sweet vesper song, Rising and falling and dying away the dark deep woods among. Fair Tintern, e'er leaving thy hallow'd aisles our thoughts are uplifted to God above,— The moonlight grows dim as we picture the light that shines from the throne of eternal love. "wmbra.n, Sept., 1879. JULIA M. HIGHLEY.

NDO VON HOCHSTEIN. "SGEND OF .THE JRHIXE. BY H. L. S. -,included fiom our last.) .ate that the preparations bad been made iie most glorious style, would be but faintly to express the grandeur of the scene. Kouud three sides of the vast dancing chamber ran balconies, frum which hung variegated peunons and ban- ners glistening with devices in gold, silver, and jewels of great value. Above the heads of the dancers the walls were hung with tapestry of Gobelin, relieved at intervals with the polished insignia of sport and battle, burnished suits of armour, axes, pikes, and partizans, arranged in graceful composition. At one end of the room was a raised dais or throne of gilded oak and claret velvet destined for the bride and bride- groom, and beside this another for the accom- modation of the worthy Abbot, who, we firmly believe, but for the complicated nature of his attire would have gladly resigned it for a more congenial position amongst the dancers. In the opposite gallery was stationrd a band of musicians, stout in arm and lung, 1191-til haut- boy?, violins, and trumpet-, in readiness for the signal. From the walls, ceilings, and balconies, branched perfumed caudles and cressets, which threw a brilliant light Upon the rich and ele- gant costumes, giviog- to the whole scene the appearance of a huge jewel sparkling under the rays of the midday sun. As the Baron and his lady, wonderfully at- tired and preceded by the Abbot, entered the chamber, the band struck up a triumphal strain, and the company, as was the custom, retired with backward steps to the sides of the room making courteous obeisances. Then Uolando, executing with the countess a graceful sara- band, the ball was opened and danciug began. Ah," said Rolando, conversing from his dais in undert( tie with the Abbot, the hour wears close, bul; y'r lady! we shall win the day. What say ùl1, good Father?" With fail," answered the Abbot. With the aid o vhat I carry in the phial, none such as he shail oppress us. But thou lookest a trifle pale, my son." "By St. Bertha!" replied Rolando, with a short laugh, "one may look pale at such a time as this. But, courage I may wisely warn them now. It wants but little of the quarter." So saying, he caused a bell to be sounded from the foot of the dais, whereupon the dancing ceased, and the company stood in as- tonished groups to see what should then happen. My friends," said the Baron, clasping the band of his timid lady, it grieves me thus to mar for a time this entertainment with the dis- course of grave matter, but such at this time is oiach needed for our comfort and support. I have but few words to say but to them give tt a good ear. Understand, then, that to-night, at tho hour of twelve, there will stand among us one whose being is not of earth, a spirit of great and evil power. I see ye know of whom I speak. But fear Dot our reverend Father, skilled in all practice of evil spirits and the quelling of wicked ghosts, is with us this night for our safety and solace. Therefore, let each diaw his sword, standing round in a circle, and have care of the ladies that they be in no manner terrified. The time is brief. Hasten, if ye would be safe." At these words the noble lords and knights, each drawing sword, formed a great circle from each side of the dais round the room, the iadies standing without, in much terror and alarm. But at the words of the good Abbot their fear was losseued, aud they looked with curiosity, as the', says the chronicle," at the device of some pleasant sport of masking or other such pastime. ,l Let us sing," cried Rolaudo, greatly excited; all,1 he began the old war song of his ancestors, in which the guests all took a part, till the pennons seemed to wave with the echoing chorus. But as they sang, a strange and sudden gloom fell upon all assembled, a chill feeling of appreheusion paralyzed the voicesof the singers; a cold blast swept round the room, and all eyes were fixed upon a strange form which, without visible entrance by door, chimney, or casement, etood silently in their midst,his features distorted with a grotesque expression of malignant tri- umph. At this dire sight many ladies fainted, and even the boldest knight could not forbear a shndder. "Thou art mine," said the figure, pointing with a long finger towards Rolando. No sooner were these words spoken, says the chronicle, than the young Rolando, to the amaze of all present, was not seen of any to be with them in that chamber. Stay quoth the Abbot, sternly advancing with a small phial of holy water in his hand. Wherefore art thoti here." At the sight of the phial the spirit shrunk back, and scowled with great malignity. "I am here," answered the fiend in angry accents, u to claim my lawful due. Nouo can prevent me. Begone, vain priest, else thy profession eluLl not save thee." The Abbot sprinkled a few drops from the phial on the ground. Again the spirit shrank back, and again he scowled in a manner quite awful to behold. Begone he roared. The Abbot smiled. Begone he roared. The Abbot laughed. Begone he roared and at this moment the turret clock atrnck twelve o » 0 o Owing to the fact that everybody at this point of the proceedings went off into a sudden and harmonious faint, the Abbot excepted, we are unable to give an authoritative account of the termination of this wild scene. In the course of time report subsided into several rival varieties, and, as is generally the case in such matters, there were not wanting those whose great pride it was to be considered authorities upon the subject. By some it is asserted that his Majesty find- ing himself thus foiled in his design, gave vent to the most dreadful display of passion—that, losing in a moment all the wonted dignity of his deportment, he broke loose into a can- can diabolique" of impotent fury,on the comple- tion of which he launched himself in a pyro- technic condition through the painted window above the gallery with a concussion so great as to shoot the peasantry out of their beds for miles around. Others add, as a rider, that on his exit all the bells in the castle set up a peal like that of many cathedrals all chiming their loudest in concert while one grave person, the proprietor of a small "bier" house, obtained for a time much increase of custom by the narration of a special and personal edition,to the effect that the big bell in the turret exerted itself to such a de- gree that, owing to the evolution of latent heat, or some other cause of like nature, it became red-hot, and fiually melted. But however thismay be, it is certain that on the recovery of the guests to their senses, Ro- lando was found among them, smiling and un- injured. From that time forth the Abbot became a fre- quent guest at the castle, and a practised chris- tener of the Hochstein progeny and when at length he died, in the height of ghostly com- fort and mellow rubicundity,the Baron, his wife and family, were chief mourners at the funeral. Here ends all authentic chronicle of the deeds of the House of Hochstein. It is to be presumed that our hero having once had such bitter expe- rience of the ill effects of dissipation, thought it high time to amend the error of his ways, and ever after walked in the rigid path of individual virtue and domestic duty. Should the curious reader be disposed to ques- tion the veracity of the incidents before-narra- ted let him visit, in person, the ruins of the ven- erable castle and behold, as we have done, the remains of the shattered window, still regarded with superstitious awe by the enlightened peasantry of the surrounding country. From this window, on a bright morning, looking east, may be obtained a view of the Rhine in its grandest aspect, bowered, as far as the eye can follow, with fertile vineyards sloping to the water's edge and hard by, just at the foot of the mountain, stands the little monastery of St. Bertha, flourishing now as in the good old times when its honest Abbot, by the aid of his holy water, with perhaps a taste of something more potent, defeated the machi- nations of the wicked one, to the salvation of the house of Hochstein and his own lasting credit and renown. THE END.

DOWN A BELGIAN COAL-PIT. How many among the millions, who from time to time have been moved by tales of mining ex- plosions, or who have given their compassion in a distant sort of way to the hardships which pitmen undergo, have had the curiosity to go down a mine ? Sheridan once remarked that he should like to per- form this feat simply to boast of having done it. I To which his high-minded sire replied, Can't you J Ytz been down a mine without going- ?" The probabilities are, however, that if Sheridan -,diit the p"r..mt al3.clvice into practice he would ) have been detected in his romancing, for a coal-pit ) is one of those things that must be seen to be realised. The present writer, in the course of a I holiday ramble through Hamulit, lately went down one of the pits of the Levant du Flenu, in the Bo- I rinage of Mons. The Borinage is the Black Country of Belgium, yet not perhaps so black—morally speaking, at least-as the Bassin of Charleroi, for to the latter place resort discharged convicts, re- fugees from France, fugitive vagabonds from Hol- land and Germany; and crime is frequent in the place. But the miners of the Borinage form an honest and tranquil population, who through the long and trying period of commercial depression through which Belgium has been passing have borne their privations with the utmost resignation. p 11 In the years of plenty, 1873-3-4-5, wages in the Borinage averaged ten francs a day for eyery pit- man after that they gradually fell, till now there are some men who are only drawing two francs a day for twelve hours of hard labour. No signs of a trade revival have come yet; and as the pitmen, improvident like children, spent all their money as fast as they earned it in the good times, they have now nothing to fall back upon. This makes their general orderliness of conduct the more praise- worthy. At the present time a band of Socialist agitators are scouring the Borinage and trying to make the pitmen strike. It is feared that they will succeed, and that soon all the pits from Mons to Charleroi will have stopped work for a time, which cannot be long, however, for the masters are too impoverished to grant the demands made from them, while the pitmen are too destitute to con- tinue an uphill struggle long. In any case, if the miners of the Borinage strike it will be because they will have been deluded by fond day dreams, and not because they are a people prone to idle- ness or mischief. There has not been a murder among them for years; and at Mons householders on the outer boulevards sleep securely at night with their street-doors unlocked, never apprehend- ing that any gang will come in from the Black Country to commit burglaries. This said, let us relate how we dived down Pit 15, and what we saw there. First as to the village of Flenu. There are mounds of grey cinders about it in every direction and the dust in the roadways of its three or four streets is of the colour of soot. The once-red tiles of the cottages are black, and the church looks as if it had been built by sweeps, who had powdered it afterwards with charcoal. Passing the church, we come to lines of rail, on which trucks heaped high with coal are rumbling, and see beyond a forest of tall chimneys, amid which are situated the offices of the Company of the Levant du Flenu. M. F. Cornet, the chief en- gineer, receives us, and courteously places at our disposal three of his assistant engineers, who are to do us the honours of the dark depths. As we were three visitors, we now form a party of six, who make our way to a brick building, where we are to divest ourselves of our ordinary attire and don the clothes of miners. We look queer figures enough when we have been equipped for the de- scent. Each man of us -has been provided with a blue check shirt, cottpn socks, highlows, a canvas jacket and trousers, .arnoilskin cap to cover the hair, a waterproof overcoat; and a stiff tarpauline hat which is securely tied under the chin, A summary inspection of ourselves in a foot-square mirror suggests the reflection that we look rather like brigands than like pitmen, but as there are no [ladies at fia.1 to criticise our appear- ance, we stride forth as proudly &s may be to the building which covers the pit's mouth. Here xe are presented with safety lamps, which we hook to our button holes, and with tallow candles in iron candlesticks, jyhjch we hold in our hands. Two powerful engines are at work, the one hoisting and lowering at a startling pace and with a thundering noise suiall trucks full of c ')al the other lifting and lowering the cages by which the miners ascend and descend. Miners are strictly forbidden to go down or come up by the coal trucks, but as these move much faster than the others the prohibition is disregard-- <fd whenever possible, and thus accidents arise. The carelessness of the miners exceeds belief. Just as we bad entered the building one of these men, who had not noticed that we were accompanied by engineers (who are the officers of the place), coolly seized one of the chains of a truck in potion, and hoisted himself into the truck, which was going to j the sifting-rooms upstairs, simply that he might .save himself the trouble of ascending a short flight of twenty steps. A fine of fivepence was inflicted in this case because the offence was so palpable but as a rule the engineej* dislike to impose fines at a time when wages are so low. jQur party had not long to wait for a cage that was going dow u, i/ut those of us who had expected to be lowered in a lift like iih.¡se at grand hotels, were rather dis- mayed to find that cuf vehicles were to be dirty coal boxes, that could only iiid f01r persons apiece with a good deal of squeezing. ilhe iniiiexs, of course, manage to pile themselves to the num- ber of five or six in each box, and as the cao-e consists of five boxes superposed and strung toge- ther by powerful chains, about thirty men can be lowered at one journey. It being work time to pitmen were going down, but we were joined by a chief porion, or foreman, who was to be our guide, and our party separated, three getting into one box and four into another. Then we were lowered jit a j'ute of about six wjlea aa hour, and the seu- sation was truly like going down into Tartarus. Pitch darkness around us, and the brick walls of the shafts streaming with water, which fell upon us in showers, and would soon have soaked us through if we had not been protected with water- proof. Our lamps and candles showed us the slime on the bricks, and now and then revealed large numbers which flew past us, indicating the dis- tances which we performed. It took us about five minutes to reach our destination, 476 metres below our starting point; but we felt as if we had been a quarter of an hour, and descended ever so many miles. All the way down we exchanged remarks about the possibility of accidents, and had the gratification of hearing that although there was a patented contrivance, which was warranted to stop the cages of a sudden if a chain snapped, the said contrivance did not work well, and could not be relied on. Besides," explains the chief porion, "it is not good to trust to these inventions. It .makes the men less self-reliant and less careful about their chains. The chains are examined twice a day; and when everything depends on them the inspection is well done. However, at times the chains do break, through nobody's fault, and then there is a smash." On alighting from the cage we were much sur- prised to see some miners, black as negroes, smoking their pipes. We had imagined that no such thing as a pipe was permitted in the mines, but we were told that in this pit there was no fire- damp and never could be. The scientific reasons urged in support of this theory may be sound, but they do not alter the fact that it is a most perni- cious thing to allow miners to smoke below. A pitman who has been accustomed to work in a pit where there is no fire-damp gets transferred to a pit which is dangerous, and he carries with him his careless habits, which corrupt his comrades and lead to awful accidents. However, it seems use- less to preach on this point, for even the engineers set a bad example. Those who were with us con- fessed that they often smoked in this Pit 15,for when on duty there they had no other means of killing time. Life in a coal-pit is certainly not cheerful. Long dark lodes which wander about in curious zigzags; seedy horses, fated never again to see the light of day, dragging trucks along tram lines; parties of 3 or 4 miners whom one meets here and there, and who look like ghosts wandering in a wilderness. These are the only sights which at first greet one below. There were more than twelve hundred miners working in the Exploitation" of Pit 15, but the mine is so large that one never met any considerable gang of them. After walking about half a mile on foot down lodes which were sometimes so low that we had to stoop in going along them, we came to a spot where M. F. 'Cor- net's new compressed air machine was working. It is a machine for drawing trucks by means of pulleys, and has saved the company large sums in horseflesh and other expenses. A row of empty trucks was at hand, about to start to some far-off part of the mine to fetch coals, and we were di- rected to get into this train, and keep our mouths shut for fear of biting off our tongues. The caution was not superfluous, for the jolting of the empty trucks proved to be awful, and we were all shaken like potatoes in sacks. Our journey lasted ten mi- nutes, and in that time we cleared about two miles. On getting out we saw nothing much more curious than we had seen as yet, except that here were some men at work forcing open new lodes. The process consists of introducing a metal tube full of gunpowder into a hole which it takes half an hour to bore, then lighting a match and retreating to a safe distance while it fires the powder. There is always some peril in these explosions, for some- times the powder goes off too soon, or it may chance that its effects are (through some atmos- pheric cause) much more powerful than had been counted upon, so that tons of coal will be shot like rubbish in all directions, burying miners who had fancied themselves out of reach. Again, when anew lode has been opened accidents often arise in clear- ing away the masses of coal, for some big lump that has been half detached will come down of a sudden and crush the excavator working on his back. Women are allowed to work in these Belgian coal mines. We saw more than twenty pretty Wal- loon girls, in costumes even scantier than an acro- bat's, engaged in filling trucks. They are paid less than men, but do their work just as well, and have the additional merit of not striking. From one of these damsels we heard an account of the terrible accident which took place at a neighbouring pit, that of Frameries, a few months ago, when above a hundred miners perished. The girl herself was in the pit at the time, and narrowly escaped dea th; but one is glad to say that she is now in the receipt of a pension of X 12 a year for having lost her fa- tlier ,P-,l ir, tbi, T.fco -tbcv, •( younger brother, and two small sisters, are all. ji. i ployed above ground, ':ad we saw them on 01P re- turn to the daylight after a trip which we would not have missed for a great deal. Altogether we spent three hours below, and on our return ii took us half an hour to wash ourselves. Happily Lhere was no lack of water soft soap, and the chief porion's wife had thoughtfully provided for us some coffee, which was excollent.-Daily News.

THE SALVATION ARMY. "Captain" Maycock, the leader ofithe Leamington Salvation Army, recently liberated from Warwick gaol on payment of the fine and costs imposed upon him by the Leamington magistrates for obstructing the streets with his followers, gave his promised re- velations on Sunday night at the circus. He first declared he did not, as asserted, go into the streets of Leamington in defiance of the local authorities, but because duty to God compelled him, and he was pledged to "Captain" Booth to go into the streets and preach every night throughout the year. Like Paul, he was constrained to obey the laws of God, not the laws of man. No policeman or any cne else had ever said to him, "You are obstructing the streets, move on," or he should have obeyed. He had never before suffered the scoffs, sneers, and rough usage he had had to endure in Leamington, and all because he desired simply to save sinners. He said that at the gaol he was supplied with ill-fitting clothes, like a bricklayer's labourer's suit. Whilst in gaol he never heard but one kind word—when the governor tapped him on the b?ck and said, Cheer up; you'll get out." The food he described as being enough to choke the prisoners, but he chiefly used the incidents which occurred as illustrating what would eventually befall impenitent sinners. As an example, he men- tioned that when ready for the bath, the warder said, "Now, be off and he asked whether at the last great day the devil would say to any among them, pointing to tho burning lake, "Off you go!" This and some other similes provoked an occasional laugh, but the address throughout was listened to attentively by an audience approaching 2,000, whilst crowds could not obtain admission. .-0:

COMPRESSED SMALL COAL FUEL. The system of utilisation of small coal which has been so long known in France is about to be iutroduced into the Durham coal trade on a large scale. At one of the large collieries of the Marquis of Londonderry briquette machines are being erected by a Leeds firm for the manu- facture of briquettes, or compressed fuel of small coal. It is stated that, at a cost for pre- paring, mixing, and making of about Is per ton, an excellent fuel can be obtained from the waste or small coal. In France the use of briquettes so made is on a large scale-one company alone producing 300,000 tons yearly but the system has not up to the present been largely adopted in England. It is probable, however, that if the attempt now being made at the Londonderry collieries proves successful, it will soon be fol- lowed extensively in the north.

SIR H. JAMES ON OVER-SPECULATION. Sir Henry James, speaking at a friendly so- ciety's meeting, said There was a period of some years prior to 1874 during which the trade of this country advanced, as Mr Gladstone hap- pily said, by leaps and bounds. Much of that trade was genuine, but a portion of it was spu- rious and artificial, perhaps deserving a more condemnatory epithet. It was a trade created by financial schemers for the purpose of entrap- ping their dupes. Schemes to the amount of X385,000,000 were placed before the British public in three years. In most of these high rates of interest were, for a time, paid, and, while investors were thus enabled to increase their expenditure, we were lending large sums to foreign States, and, like all other money- lenders, compelled them to take part of the loan in goods. Railways aud public works were to be constructed or promised, and subscribers to the loans were delighted at the means of still further investing, But now the sad harvest had codic companies were boiug wound up and call3 made instead of dividends being paid. For '.ui^uqftnous extent were in d&- fau Another der>crip4ioi»«-of evil trading in this CVuLry arÜF, frbm tho excess of unem- ployeti o$pit{tl, artj the facility with which it was advaSer'il for £ :poculativo trade. He feared ;.that.ih'tf.-y-figigal cJL trade must, be diff- counted very considerably on this ground. One satisfactory featury was that increased means of communication had opened to us new mar- kets, and it was unlikely that we should ever experience those extreme fluctuations in the price of food which had hitherto affected us. He advised combination among the working classes, not to restrict labour, but to advance it; not to fight capital, but to make alliance with it.

Mr. W. ( cricketer, 6as been elected tjf Guardians as medical office. St. It is stated Office authorities are thinking of arfirient of sixpenny It el, grams wit) idius of St. Martin's- le-Grand. Licenses to tjaow1 issued at the re- duced charge remainder of the season. All will exnire on the 5th of April. A Dlr. Frith, R < cg^picture of a sitting of the Central < .wich the City Press says, we may e House aext May. At the last 1 H, William Biggs, who had been employ office of that city for a peiiod of nmc } guilty to three charges oi stealing letters money orders and postage stamps. It was 'efencc, that he had pre- viously borne a iter, and. that he had to support a wife ar ildren on only nineteen shillings a week, entenced to five years' penal servitude, Throe provish o been summoned to the Marylebonc Pol ndon, for selling as but- ter a substance jfly of ".animal fat"— "bullocks' fat,' lefendants admitted it to ii r lC8C substanccs should bo sold for what tl a not described as either butter or « bu A latter term being verv misleading.—IJ of the defendants £10 and costs, and the f icr sum, he not having such a profitable bu e others. iioLLowAY s ,'evision.-As autumn treads on winter, slei ate, and "pale-faced youths become listless and debilitated, unless an alterative, com1 some tonic, be administered to quicken the; :d organs. This precise re- quirement is s r, these noted Pills, which can and will accon that is wanted, provided the printed instruc qribundii3g them meet with scrupulous atte -Holloway's Pills are especially adapted to suj" ihp medical wants of youth, be- cause his medi acts gently, though surely, as a purifier, re- gulf alterative, tonic, and mild aperient. A very few do; s of tese Pills will convince any dis- couraged invalid that his cure lies in his own hands, and a little perseveraiice only is demanded for its completion.

BLAENAVON LOCAL BOARD. The ordinary meeting of this Board was held on Friday, 31st ult. Present—T. Hemming, Esq., chair- man Messrs E. L. Harris, T. Edwards, W. Edwards, II. C. Steel, T. Hubball, W. B. Lawrence, A. Morgan, W. Burgoyne. Also Dr Quick and officers. FINANCE COMMITTEE. Adverse balance, 30th October < £ 17 5 11 To-night's payments. 37 9 3 Outstanding rates 1013 6 9 Amount collected during the month 220 3 0 0 The outstanding rates included void property as well as the amount owing by the Blaenavon Co., for which the Board would have to take a composition. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. MEDICAL OFFICER'S REPORTS. Blaenavon Surgery, Oct. 30, 1879. Gentlemen,—I beg to lay before you the vital statis- tics of the Blaenavon Urban Sanitary District for the September quarter of 1879. The death rate was very low during the quarter, only 27 deaths from all causes being registered. This is at the rate of9.9 per 1000 per annum of the estimated population. Of these two were inquest cases. Three cases of scarlet fever occurred in the district during the first month of the quarter, and three cases in the last month. The disease was of a very mild type, and did not spread. One case of simple con- tinued fever occurred during the September -month. Diarrhoea was very prevalent during a portion of the quarter. Proper sanitary precautions were taken in all the above cases, viz., the abundant use of disinfectants, burying of all execretse, and isolation of the affected per- sons as far as possible. I consider that the health of the district was very satisfactory during the past quarter. The different ages at which death occurred is shown by the annexed table Under 1 year, 8; under 5 years. 2; between 10 and 50 years, 5; over 50 years, 10; over 80 years, 2 total, 27 by which it will be seen that only five deaths occurred between the ages of 10 and 50 years. I am, &c., MARTIN QUIRK, M.D. Blaenavon Surgery, Oct. 31, 1879. Gentlemen,-During the month of October 17 deaths were registered in the Blaenavon Urban Sanitary Dis- trict. This is at the rate of 18.6 per 1000 per annum of the estimated population. Of these one was an inquest case six were under 1 year, two between 1 and 5 years, five between 5 and 60 years, and four were over 60 years, of which one was 82 years.There is a case of typhoid fever in Shepherd's Square at present, which is progressing very favourably. Proper sanitary precautions have been taken in all cases. I am, yours, &c., MARTIN QUIRK, M.D. SURVEYOR'S REPORT. Blaenavon, Oct. 31,1879. Gentlemen,—I beg to report to you as follows :-The covering of Ton Mawr culvert has been completed. Eleven yards of draining have been done in King St., and the road repaired from Mr J. Lewis's shop beyond the Rising Sun Inn. Cross St. has been repaired and two gratings fixed therein; also a grating has been fixed in Ellick St. During the month I have had eighteen loads of broken stones from the Guardians of Aberga- venny Union, but the sandstones were not properly broken.—I am, &c., J. PRITCHARD, Surveyor. LIGHTING THE PUBLIC LAMPS. The question of the extra expenditure in lighting the streets was thoroughly gone into, and it was found, after making due allowances for all void pro- perty and rates that could not be got in, the Board would have enough money to meet the current ex- penses and the extra expense that would be incurred by lighting. Mr A. Morgan, in answer to the question as to what the feeling of the place was, stated he had seen most of the tradespeople in Broad-st., and they,with one or ¡ two exceptions, were all in favour of lighting. Mr Harris (to the Clerk) Supposing we take the Gas Company's lowest tender, what would it cost us up to next March ? Clerk: It would cost us X39 18s for the three months, if we had the lamps lighted till eleven o'clock ordinary nights and twelve o'clock Saturday nights. For the six months it would cost us X79 16s. Chairman Suppose someone goes round and gets the feeling of the place ? Mr Steel: This matter was put off last meeting until to-night, as there were so few non-share- holders of the Gas Company present, but I am glad to see there are more here this evening. Mr Harris The funds will cover the extra expense. Mr W. B. Lawrence: I strongly object to our sending anyone round the place. We, as a Board, have the power to light or not, as we may think fit; and as we can afford to have the streets lighted, I would certainly have it done. We are not under the people's feet, and should use our own discretion in the matter. Chairman I propose we have the streets lighted until eleven o'clock ordinary nights, and twelve o'clock on Saturdays. We have funds to meet it. Mr A. Morgan I second that proposition. On this being put to the meeting, all the members present, five in number, who were not interested in the Gas Company voted in its favour, and the propo- sition was therefore carried the streets to be lighted from the third proximo for six months at the terms of the Gas Company's tender. Mr W. B. Lawrence asked the Clerk what had been done about the complaint made by Mr Moses Witchell of the nuisance of boys congregating round his shop and doing a lot of mischief by breaking his windows. Mr W. Edwards The nuisance has not abated in the least, and I think some steps should be taken in the matter. The Clerk stated he handed Mr Witchell's letter to Sergt. James for him to attend to. It was resolved that the Clerk should write a letter to the Sergeant, calling his attention to the nuisance, and requesting him to take some steps towards putting a stop to it. Mr Steel: What about the hydrants that were to have been repaired ? Have you seen to the matter, Mr Surveyor ? The Surveyor, in reply, stated that he understood I it rested with the captain of the fire brigade. After a little discussion, it was resolved that the Surveyor should see that the instructions of the Board i I were carried out. The Surveyor was instructed accordingly, and the meeting terminated. ———

PROSECUTION UNDER THE MINES REGU. LATION ACT. CADMAN V. JORDAN. This was an information preferred before the magistrates at Tredegar on Tuesday, by Mr Cadman, Her Majesty's Inspector of Mines for the district, against Mr Jordan, certificated manager under the Ebbw Vale Company, for a breach of the seventh special rule, in force at the colliery-the rule stating that main doors should be double or treble if necessary. Mr Plews appeared on the part of the prosecution, and Mr WardÏor the defendant. Mr Plews, in opening the case, said that the infor- mation was preferred by direction of the Home Office, for a breach of the rule above-mentioned, which caused an explosion at the Waun Llwyd Colliery, on the 22nd September last, whereby three men and 16 horses were killed. There was only one door on the main heading, and from Saturday, the 20th Sept., till the following morning, the door was left wide open. The consequence of this was, that the whole of the workings-which depended upon this door being kept properly closed-were left unventilated, and a large quantity of gas had accumulated therein. If there had been double doors, as provided by the rules, this would have been prevented. In the morn- ing the fireman found the door open and closed it, which restored the ventilation and swept the accumu- lation of gas from the workings to the upcast shaft. and there coming into contact with the furnace at the bottom of the shaft caused the explosion. Mr Ward,.on behalf of the defendant, admitted the l ofttsnce, 4ud said the facta were to a great extent in accordance with what Mr Plews had stated. The de- fendant had some time previously given orders to the overman to have a second door put up; but such orders had not been obeyed as promptly as might have been, the excuse being that there was a difficulty with respect to there being insufficient room in the heading to put up a second door, and that they were driving a heading in another portion of the works, which would ventilate the workings where the gas had accumulated without a second door. Mr Ward urged that the defendant was desirous of fully com- plying with the rules of the colliery at all times, the chief reason why double doors had not been put up being the overman's want of promptitude, as before mentioned, and his believing that he should ventilate the workings by the course he was then adopting. The Bench came to the conclusion that there had been negligence, and inflicted a penalty of Y,5 and costs. Cadman v. Kelsbaw.This was an information against the overman at the Waun Llwyd Colliery, and the facts were the same as have been detailed above. The defendant admitted the offence, and was fined £1, and costs.

STEEL MAIL STEAMER.—On Monday afternoon there was launched from Messrs Elder's ship- building yard, Glasgow, a steamer for the Cape Mail fleet of Messrs Donald Currie and Company. She was named the Kinfauns Castle, is 371 feet long, has a tonnage of 3,600, and is entirely of steel. The vessel is expected to attain great speed, and is the first ocean mail steamer ever built of steel. EPPS'S COCOA.—GRATEFUL AND COMFORTING.— By a thorough knowledge of the natural laws which govern the operations of digestion and nutrition, and by a careful application of the fine properties of well, selected ooooa, Mr Epps has provided our breakfast tables with'a delifiately:flavoured beverage which may save us many heavy doctors' bills. It is by the judicious use of such articles of diet that a constitution may bo gradually built up until strong enough to resist every tendency to disease, Hundreds of subtle maladies are floating around us ready to attack wherever there is a weak point. We may escape many a fatal shaft by keeping ourselves well fortified with pure blood and a properly nourished frame."—Civil Scrvice Gazette.— Sold only in packets labelled "James Epps & Co,, Homoeopathic Chemists, London."

THE ATTACK ON LOWESTOFT FISHERMEN. The difficulty which aroso in consequence cf the outrage committed by the crow of the French fishing brigantine (bisquine) Alsace-Lorraine upon the men and nets of the Jessamine, of Lowestoft, has assumed a new phase. Upon her arrival at Boulogne the Alsace-Lorraine was, in obedience to orders sent from Paris by the Minister of Marine, boarded by the Gendarmerie Maritime, and the five men and one boy composing its crew were conveyed to the gaol in the Upper Town, where they are now awaiting their trial. The examination of the men and preliminary inquiry have been placed in the hands of the Judge d'Instruction of the Boulogne Tribunal. The boat waj committed to the custody of an official watchman, and will be detained in the wet dock until the Boulogne judges have adjudicated upon the case, unless its owners, who come from Trouville, obtain its release, under adequate security, during the present season.

ALLEGED ATROCITIES IN A GAOL. The Milwaukee Sentinel of the 23rd ult., contains an account of horrible atrocities in-Ithe Milwaukee House of Correction. This institution is used at the discretion of the court as a state prison. An intelli- gent convict, just released, whose character for veracity is vouched for by prominent persons who know him intimately, states that he has been an in- mate for two years. All that time he was not allowed to write to his counsel, friends, or family, who sup- posed him dead. He says the bread furnished to the convicts is made from damaged cow feed, and cannot be baked, and that this stuff is paid for by the coun- try at the rate of six dollars per barrel. During his confinement embryo calves, dogs, and glandered horses have been furnished as meat, and he brings the bones, which are now in possession of the editor of the Sentinel, to prove it. The details in this respect are horrible beyond description. Of the brutalities of the keepers he says the prisoners were beaten and confined in the black hole, which is a filthy dog kennel of five feet four inches by five feet. A man cannot lie at length in this kennel, nor is there any ventilation to it. The floor is covered with indis- cribable filth. Men are placed there for twenty days at a time, and two, to his knowledge, have died from the effects described. There is a chair factory connected with the institution, and it is charged that the police are in collusion with the superintendent t. kidnap men to work at chairmaking. The whole story is the most startling and revolting ever pub- lished in this country, and it is claimed that the charges can all be verified.

A WARNING TO ENGLISH GOVERNESSES. The Rev. C. Forbes, D. D., the English chaplain at Paris writes:-A young lady, aged nineteen, the daughter of a widow,' obtained through an office in London the address of a French school where she could be taken on moderate terms. She was to give an hour of her time daily as an English governess and to pay £ 12 per quarter, the mistress promising her the advantage of "tros bons professeurs," with fournitures classiques, adding that all her pupils belonged to des families fort distinguees.' The poor young lady came to Paris, paid the quarter in advance, and found herself alone with he s o i aistant school-mistress in two small rooms in a low quarter of this city,-—no ochociL. j; "tt&pilsf not-eveq. it servant. At the end' of fiife ^'W' d^ys, on the last of which shy httd-te~Tjar<i-itw ^jTiomefrom a restaurant alone, and to sit on the staircase for som e hours until the return of the mistress with the key at half-past ten, she came to my house in utter despair* We placed her in our "Governess Home and found her a suitable school, and are endeavouring to re- cover some of the money out of wh\¡:h she has been swindled. From the above case it will be seen that the greatest care is needed-and I speak after twenty years' experience-in answering advertisements through French or English bureaux. As numerous applications are made to me from ladies de- sirous of finding some opening or position in Paris, whether in French families or schools, it may be as well to state for their information that there arc at least ten applications for one such opening.

A meeting of rivetmakeijs was held on Monday at Black Heath. The speakers condemned the conduct of the employers in refusing to meet the men in a conciliatory manner,"and it was unanimously resolved to play op. A telegram received here from Risa, in the Tyrol, reports that some men concealed behind a bush at* tempted to shoot the Major of the 8th Austrian In- fantry Regiment, uttering as they fired cries of hatred against Austria. The officer escaped unhurt. me liisnop or -London, in delivering his charge to stTSc%dY?sA °uclergy>undcr thedomcof n,;i ? Cathedral, dealt more cspccially with the urnamcnts Rubric, the competition between Board and voluntary schools, the Burials question, and some minor matters of controversy now occupying attention within and without the Established Church. The Mayor of Sheffield (Mr. D. Ward) has declined the request of the secretary of the South Yorkshire Miners Association that he would interpose in a trade dispute. Mr. Ward says he has had considerable ex. pericncc of trade unions, and he has come to the con- clusion that the distress they are the picahs of pro- ducing can never be compensated lby any imaginary gain which the members hope tp realise by being ponnected with them, 0 Professor Erasmus Wilson has offered to the direc- tors of the Margate Sea -bathing Infirmary (for scrofula) to erect at his sole cost a new wing containing wards for nearly 70 patients, a tepid sea-water swimming bath, and a chapcl containing seats for 300 people A resolution accepting with tho warmest irratitiirf* this "large-hearted" act of benevolence, the cost of which will probably exceed X20,000, was passed by the court.

A STORY OF THE SALE OF A LIVING. The Archbishop of York told the following story it the York Diocesan Conference: What happened .n this diocese in one case was this A living was bought and the presentation was sent down to him, with a great number of papers. Amongst the rest was a letter wLich was opened like the rest, having apparently been sent with them for his (the arch- bishop's) secretary to read. It was a very curious letter. It said, Dear Dick,—I have bought the living and paid for it. You go as quickly as possible and get instituted, before the thing is much talked about and there is an end of it." (Laughter). He directed his secretary to ask an explanation of this very short letter. There was a pause of three weeks, and at the end of it a solicitor wrote back to beg that he might be furnished with the letter. In these latitudes, however, they did not part with original documents—(laughter)—and they told him so. A fortnight elapsed, and the same solicitor wrote for a copy of the letter, which, they rejoined, after the explanations would be given him. It was by a pure accident that this matter was found out, and, if the gentleman had burnt the letter instead of sending it, they would have known nothing about the plan. lie prevented the transaction, as a matter of course. The waiter in the York refreshment room, two days before the man was to be instituted, was the witness of that deed and between the glass of sherry the living was to be bought, and before the end of the week the man was to be in it. This was the kind of action that brought scandal on the Church. (Applause.)

EXTRAORDINARY CASE. At the Watford Petty Sessions, on Saturday, Mrs. Amy Teape, wife of Mr. Charles Teape, a gentle- man of considerable means, residing at Risinghoime, Bushey, appeared on remand to answer a charge of having obtained, by means of false pretences, a sum of X890 from Mr. Thomas Harrold, an architect and surveyor in business at Hinckley, in Leicestershire. The matter was before the Bench, and the complain- ant's case, which waa supported by Mr. J. Treeve Edgcombe, barrister, was that in 1872 Mr. Harrold visited Bournemouth, and met the defendant on the pier there. He conversed with her, met her several times by appointment, and ultimately became very much attached to her. He gave her his name and address, and asked to be allowed to correspond with her. She consented, and requested him to address his letters to "Amy Ellis, Post Office, Bournemouth." He then believed her to be unmarried, but he did not pointedly ask her the question. On returning to Hinckley he wrote to her, and received a reply signed "Amy Ellis." The correspondence continued, and defendant informed him that she was a widow, that her husband had been in the navy, and that her only child had died as well as he. She asked him to address her as "Mrs. Teape," but his next letter to her miscarried, and he did not hear anything more of her until February 26, 1873, when she again wrote sign- ing the letter "Amy Teape." On the 24th of the following March she informed him by letter that a captain had fallen in love with her, but that she dis- liked him, and that her brother had given him a thrashing. In consequence of a letter received from her on April 5th, 1873, witness saw her again at Bournemouth and asked her to accept him as a suiter. She consented and said she would be true to him. She also said that her father's name was Short, that he was a clergyman of the Church of England, and had a living at Ringwood, Hants. He believed these representations and left Bournemouth with the distinct understanding that she was to be his wife. He consequently took apartments for her at Yar- borough and introduced his sister to her, and they treated her as the lady to whom he was engaged. On the understanding that she was to be his wife, md that she was possessed of considerable means and would repay him, he let her have various sums of money, amounting in all to £ 890; but he sub- sequently found that her husband was still living, md hence these proceedings. Mr. Warner Sleigh, for the defence, urged, on the first occasion, that it wi s nothing but a cruel and wanton prosecution for the purpose of extorting money, and mentioned that in 1876 the complainant brought an action in the Court of Exchequer with reference to this very sum af £ 890., which the defendant was represented as obtaining by false pretences in 1872 and 1873. That iction, however, was abandoned. On the case being :aLed on a day or two since, Mr. Grain (who then ap- peared with Mr. Edgcombe) asked to be allowed to withdraw it, but Mr. Warner Sleigh submitted that the defendant was entitled to a dismissal of the sum- mons with costs against the complainant, who, he isserted, had been aware that Mrs. Teape was a married woman. Mr. Pryor (the chairman) said tle Bench would dismiss the summons and allow -A the 2 osts they could.

THE STATE OF BURMAH—AN INTERVIEW WITH THE KING. A Standard telegram from Theyetmya, says.It is understood that the object of the Burmese Embassy is to endeavour to re-establish diplomatic relations with the British Government. Woondouk, on being luestioned whether the King would be willing to re- ceive a British Embassy in return, replied that he was not empowered to go so far as to give a direct answer to the question, but, speaking for himself, he thought that such a proposal would be agreeable to the King. A later telegram from the same correspondent adds: A European lady, who has been permitted to see the apartments of the King and Queen, was favoured with an iiterview by the King. His Majesty in- formed her that if the British attacked his dominion he intended to defend the frontier, as in duty bound. If he were beaten there he should offer no further defence, but disband his army and await results. The King maintains the opinion that the Treaty con- eluded with his father is still in force. He says he is asked to review the provisions of the Treaty, but this he declines to do, preferring to wait for a time. owing to his inexperience in matters of this kind. lie affirrap that the English are too impatient. For his part, he is willing, when the proper time comes, to reconsider the terms of the Treaty, and to agree to such alterations as may prove beneficial to both countries. With regard to our claim that he should dispense with the ceremony of taking off the shoes on entering his presence, the King declares that he will never yield compliance to such a demand.

ALARMING OUTBREAK OF RABIES, At the Taunton Police Court, on Saturday, the super- tntendent made an alarming statement. Some time ago a mad dog was seen on the Wellington Road, where it bit another dog, and then disappeared. It afterwards made its appearance at Holloway, where it attacked a number of pigs, one of which had since died from hydrophobic madness. It then made its way to Stoke St. Mary, where it seriously bit a child, and then attacked a child belonging to Major Patton one of the magistrates of the division. The child bitten at this place was taken to an apothecary to have the wound cauterised, and it was then found that a woman and child had been to receive treatment for wounds inflicted by the same animal. The super- intendent stated that undoubtedly many dogehad been bitten by this dog and that the bitten dogs w¡¡ still atlarge,and he wished the instructioua Othe Bench with regard to this serious matter. %'he Bench found that where a dog was declared in evidence to be at large to the danger of the public the magistrates had p power to order it to be shut up, and in default that, to be shot. In this case, however, they caused a private request to be sent to the owners of the bitten dogs to destroy them.

His Royal Highness Prince Christian has signified his will ng less to become the president of a working men s clulJat Windsor. From Cannes it is announced that the visit of the Czar to the Russian Empress at the noted health resort has been arranged to take clace at the end of November. 'NEVER dispair' is the motto for married people, THE business of rag gathering is picking up. I THE ages of vain old people, though undeniable their own, are never owned by them. BOGGS says the times are so dull that it is difficult for him to collect even his ideas. rin^'nCIn ^0(vTY'i~^je 8ucA,^r hand before mar* "ago, jind hey ha,nd sewed for him after. A-HE most disinterestedly good—Those who are Rood {or nothing. ° What is better than a head full of notions F-A heart full of grace. To get choap dancing lessons, let the servant girJ drop a flat-iron on your bunion. PONTYPOOL. Printed by HUGHES & SON, at their General Printing Offices, for the Proprietor and Publisher, HENRY HUGHES, Junior, of Penygariii in the parish of Trevethin, and published at the FREE PRESS Office,Market St.—November 8,1879

A PERILOUS RIDE. The JJauy News says:—As the passengers were waiting at the Sutton station for the 8.39. up-train on Saturday morning they observed a horse ridden by a man in shirt sleeves, and without saddle or bridle, dashing along between the down metals at headlong speed towards the station. A train waa standing on the down line in the station, and was just on the poijit of starting, The animal, quite out of the man's control, seemed to make straight for the engine. Upon arriving within a few yards of it, however, by a sudden swerve, the horse galloped on to the up line, right through the station, in the direction of Carshalton. The horse and rider had hardly reached the end of the platform when the man observed a train approaching on the up line. The animal did not in the least shaken its pace, but to the consternation of the powerless on-lookers made direct for the advancing train. Great excitement and horror was caused until, arriving within only few feet of the engine, the mar; with remarkable courage and presence of mind threw himself from the horse on to the six-feet way, just escaping the train; and the horse also, by a timely effort, swerved from the track, and likewise escaped. It appeared that the horse had become unmanageable at Cheam after having been shod at a blacksmith's near the line and had run away with the man.

THE CASE OF MISS EDWARDS. The following further details have transpired with reference to Miss Edwards. She states that on the day she left her father's home on September 3rd, she departed early in the morning, and not at three in the afternoon as has been generally reported. This therefore may be considered in answer to those who have urged that from three to seven was too brief a period for the girl tp have been drugged, illtreated, and taken to the railway station. Having transacted some business, she was journeying to the house of a friend, and having alighted from the omnibus was proceeding from Stafford Street when she became very unwell. She recollects a gentleman accosting her and offering her assistance. She then asked him to call a cab to take her to her father's residence. It is intimated the man got into the cab with her, under the pretence of seeing her safe home but when she was in a fainting state drove her to a house in the neighbourhood of Blandford Street. The supposi- tion then is that, actuated mainly by fear at again returning to her friends, she was induced to accom- pany the man to the railway station, where he told h er he would take through tickets for both to London, He put her into a carriage, but left her under sorfte pretext just before the train started. She got out ) al Shrewsbury to s.ee if she could meet him, but not 1 finding him in any of the carriages, resolved on staying in Shrewsbury during the night, and ob- tained a bed in a respectable house. In great distress of mind she resumed her journey to London next day, and endeavoured to obtain a situation through an employment agency office, but did not succeed. Eventually she met a young lady, to whom she con- tided the greater part of her story, and an arrange- ment was made by which they should share apartments in the house of an elderly lady at lirompton. The lady states that, to the best of her belief, the two lodgers had obtained some day employment, as they went out together in the morning and regularly came home at meal times. Miss Edwards, however, in the meantime, is. sup- posed to have suffered considerable privations, as she had to part with a valuable ring, a silver necklet, and other jewellery, in order to support herself. Miss Lizzie Pickford, who met Miss Edwards in London, and took her to live with her at Brompton has furnished to the Central News a narrative, from which we make the following extracts:—"I first met Miss Edwards on the 20th 11 September, in Hyde Park. In the course of a conversation she said she had no parents and no employment, but that she had been trying to get a barmaid's situation. and would like to go on the stage if she could find an opeping; I advised her not to think of going on the stage, as she would find it very hard, up-hill work. After this interchange of speech, she became more com- municative and talked about her affairs. She told me she was staying in Queen's Road, Bayswater, in a respectable place. I asked her when she had any food last, as I noticed she was very pale, and as if she were in absolute want. She said she had had nothing to cat since the morning before, but I afterwards learned that she had really par- taken of no food for two days. I at once asked her to come home with me and have some dinner. After some persuasion she consented to come, and I took her to my apartments at Stamford Street. After dinner, i uilk,;¡d her if she would like to stay with me until she got something to do. She seemed verv pleased, and said she should like to very much. She said she was always called Cissyathome. She further stated that her surname was Elliot, and that sho came from Liverpool. I asked why she left Liver- pool and she told me she had been living with an Old I^dy who was unkind to her, as she was trying to force her to marry an old map. That was the reason which led her to leaving Liverpool. Sh$ stated that she left her house, "at Fairfield, in the afternoon, with the intention of coming to London, and met some chapel acquaintances* in the omnibus, but she merely nodded to them. I think she told me she got out of the Fairfield omnibus at the Monument in London Road. She then went to a pawnshop and pawned her ring. Directly afterwards she crossed fp Birkenhead, where she took a ticket for Shrews- bury, Sb.1 arriyod there late at night. On the fol- lowing day she left ior London, and got out of the train at W lllesden Junction. She was very much surprised, she told me, when she got there, as she thought she should find herself in the heart 01 Lonaon. one asked a woman the direction in which London lay. She was directed, and 6.1 te? walking some distance got into a Bays- water omnious. She told me she stayed in the • lueen s Road, Payswater. We then arranged that she should fetch the few things she had in Bays water, and come and live with me. 0 This she did, tnd we spn became on the most affectionate terms." We stayed at M^nford Street about a week, and then lett for Brighton for a holiday. I paid all thp ex- penses on this occasion, as I had grown very fqnd of my new companion, and I also bought her a fishwife dress and a few other articles of clothing. We stayed at Brighton ten days, and while there a gentleman on the pier one evening asked us if we had heard of the I Li.i-erl)ool mystery.' He turned to Cissy, and said, 'And I believe you are the very girl.' -Miss Ldwards made no answer. After a few more remarks be leifr UB. Xhjs wag the first time I had ever hearcj anything about the Liverpool mystery.' On Monday morning I got the papers, and read the account, and from the description of the dress it seemed to fit my companion. When I read the account I said, It is you, Cissy.' She said it could not be her, because she had no parents. I said no more, but suspected it was her." Miss Pickford also fays—"Miss Edwards never mentioned anything which would lead anyone to suppose that she earn" to London otherwise tlan of her own accord, or that any means were used to in- duce her to leave her home. Had she been drugged or outraged, I feel positive her story would have been entrusted to me."

MR. POTTER, M.P., ON FREE TRADE. Mr. Potter, M.P., who is at present travelling in America, has been entertained at the Boston Com- mercial Club by the members. In response to a toast in his honour, Mr. Potter, after express- ing his gratification at the kind reception extended to him, said that even if he was in a land wheie the people were no kindred of his, he should still be cosmopolitan but Americans were simply English- men living on this side of the Atlantic. Referring to the enormous power of the English-speaking race, as manifested in that country alone, he said that, eonsidcred in its world-wide extent, it was simply irresistible. Turning his Wention to the formation of the Cobden Club,of whiclir perhaps, he is the most influential member, he said its motto was" Free Trade, peace, and goodwill among nations," adding the suggestion that the American tariff might be modi- fied with great advantage, not only to themselves, but to the world in general. You have, said he, the power of setting a great example, and therefore when America consents to a freer interchange foreign nations will speedily give up the old policy of pro- tection. He found especial ground for encourage- ment in a recent declaration of the French Journal des Debuts, that the commercial relations between France and America would soon cease to be on a war footing. In this may be found a profound meaning, for the free interchange of commodities is sure to bring peace. He then read a letter which he had received from an illiterate constituent of his in Rochdale, a labourer, appealing for aid for the dis- tressed population of England, who are on the verge of the grave through hunger. Now, said Mr. Potter, no nation likes fair play better than the Americans, but to place a burdensome duty on the goods which these suffering labourers produce seems scarcely fair play.

ASSESSING THE DAMAGES. In a recent number of the St. Petersburg lVieào- mosti is reported the following quaint episode from a police court of the Russian capital: On the 18th mama twe persons appeared before the magistrate of Ihe Court in question, one of whom, a civilian, was enveloped from head to foot in bandages, while the other wore the gay uniform of a UU,lrd officer. "How i often," laconically inquired the magistrate, addressing the bandaged individuals. "Who can count them up ?" replied the latter, in scarcely articulate accents, "My lower jaw is dislocated, my nose turn, one eye knocked out, my skull fractured, one whisker as good is gone, my left ear mangled, and my arm lamed," Well, but about how often P" urged the magistrate. First he hit me about seven times on the nose; that was the beginning. Then he twisted his hands in my beard, and tore out one whole whisker. Then he struck me on the ear with his fist. Then he hit me about fifty times in the face." That is to say, he admi- nistered fifty cuffs to you?" "There or there- ibouts." "At two copecks a cuff," observed the i magistrate making a calculation on the paper before aim, "that makes exactly one rouble." "But for pity's sake, what about my skull, and my whisker, md my jaw ? My arm, too, is disabled for at least iwo months to come "Don't excite yourself; I'll reckon it all up in due time. Let me see; four iopecks for the skull, one copeck and a half for the whisker, thirty copecks for the arm. After a brief pause, "Is there anything else?" And my eye." "Ah, yes, quite right; I forgot the eye; Let us say seven copecks for the eye. The total will be one rouble forty-two copecks anda half." Then, turning gravely towards the defendant in uniform, the magistrate pronounced sentence. For molesting this man and doing him grevious bodily harm you will have to pay one rouble forty-two and a half copecks, or go to prison two days and a half." Pulling out his purse, the officer handed two roubles notes to the magistrate, exclaiming "There is no need to talk about prison. There are two roubles; you can give the change to the usher of the court for a dram. If "-addressing the plaintiff-" I had known what it cost, you hound, I would have given you something to howl about!" Excuse me," interposed the magistrate, "I fine you ten roubles for making use of such expressions in my presence." With a grimace of dissatisfaction the officer laid down a ten-rouble note on the magistrato-o les4, and left the court; whereupon the latter doled out one rouble forty-two copecks and a half to the complainant, put the rest in his pocket, and observed, The proceedings in this suit are terminated. Usher, jail the next case!"