Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald and North and South Wales Independent

DEATH OF ME. DAViD DAVIES,! LLANDINAM, | EX-M.P. FOE CASDIG"ANSHIBE. 1 e ——— REMARKABLE CAREER.—WONDERFUL | SUCCESS.—PRINCELY GENEilOSIIY. Ij THIS sad event took placa on Sunday, after fI; somewhat prolonged illness. It tad beanS [manifest tor some time that Mr. Davies wasjf [gradually sinking, and his friends had not [without niiiiy signs of his departure. Auda [though no efforts were spared oa the part ofH I those neai'fSt and dearest to him, and in spite ofS the highest medical skill brought to bear up.mH the mysterious disease which, as was plainlyS seen for some time, wa3 wearing out his strengths he quietly succumbed at four o'clock on Sundays afternoon. The sad new3, though e::pected,H the highest medical skill brought to bear UpdD the mysterious disease which, as was plainlyS seen for some time, wa3 wearing cut his strengths he quietly succumbed at four o'clock on Sunday afternoon. The sad news, though e::pected,H cast a deep gloom over the neighbourhood, and grief was manifest in the faces of the KtfcendantsH at the various places of worship at LlaadinamS oa Sunday evening. K I The great celebrity and popularity .'which Mr.ji Davies had gained by his many and various of generosity, and by the wonderful activity ofl his life, which enabled him to be princoiv iu his munificence, will make the event of his death as sad one to a very wide circle. His active par- ticipation in the promotion and advancement of important works of public utility, the geniusa which, throughout his life, he displayed in amassing a vast fortune, and the sympathy, both wide and deep, he was ever ready to show I to every good and laudable object, and to his practical interest in education, religion, Pnd every philanthropic movement will preserve his memory for many generations to come. H His career has bean an exceptional cne III I many respects. He lived and died in the bourhood of his birth, and among his own people,! and retained deep and fervent sympathies with! those who labour and toil. Bora of humblej parentage, and burdened ia his youngec days! with the responsibilities of life, and the a-ain-| tenaace of a large family consisting of aj widowed motherand younger brothers and sisters! and retained deep and fervent sympathies with! those who labour and toil. Bora of humblej parentage, and burdened in his youngec daysg with the responsibilities of life, and the rrain-S tenaace of a large family consisting of aj widowed motherand younger brothers and sisters! a without the means at hand which so many enjoy! iiu the present time of obtaining ^advantages, he struggled against difficulties, aud| by arduous toil and indefatigable energy, he overcame them all. When once started on the road to success his advance wa3 steady and cer, Stain. By the promotion and construction olg irailwaysand other public works, he became a| awealtliy man, and the cwLer of extensive cottler- ies in the Rhoadda Valleys, -here with extra-* lordinary foresight and cautious working, hel ^developed one of the most flourishing of the! jlstaple industries of South Wales. As oca of the| Echief promoters of the row celebrated and suc-i jScessful Barry Dock and Railways, too, he main-| Stained his well-earned reputation for accuracy! 01 speculative prevision, for all hi3 predictions! and calculations are on the way to be realised.S sJust a yesr ago, July 18th, I88'J, he presided at! Rtlie opening ceremonies of tho great dock, he? ■being the vice-chairman of the directorate. IIe| Slived to see the realisation of his hopes, and his| Bwork on earth is done but the force of hisl Swonderful intellect will still abide in the great Sconcerns with jwhich he has been connected, and Sthe emotions of his warm heart will still be leftjj Spalsing through the gifts he bestowed upon soj many public institutions and philanthropic! a bjects. | 1 For years, Mr. Davies was a very large land-2 gowner in Montgomeryshire, and had a widel !I retinue of agricultural tenants. And a. a land-l owner he was, too, a wonderful exception to the! general rule. Did the same relationship esistJ between all ^landowners and theic tenants, esS that which obtained between Mr. Davies and! his, there would not have been any need oil reform of the land laws of our country, aad| every agitation in favour of more liberal terms! 'and easier conditions to the tenants w ju'.d dies at its birth. There has been no room for it| among those who have held land under Mr.! Davies. It is well known that ia many, if not| all, of his extensive purchases, he never realised! anything like a fair interest, indeed, r*nts ins some instances did not cover interest oa capital! expended by Mr. Davie3 himself iu buildinjJ and iu making improvements on the landj leaving out of consideration the purchase money.| So that his speculations in land did not prove tog be ia any degree remunerative to him, while tog the tenants, the fact of his being ownsr hac-| given them good, substantial, and handsome! residences and buildings, and at the same time secured for them a landlord whom they could! not but be proud to be under, with a certainty! I of fair and honourable treatment under al!| i circumstances. | In epite of so great a loss to the 15 whole of the Principality, it is some! 1 consolation to know that he leaves behind! a son who, by his business capacity, high principles, and active sympathy with moral, educational, and philanthropic agencies, has shewn himself equal to the task of carrying on | his father's noble work. | I Mr. David Davies was bora at a place called Draintewion, a small holding on the hill side, touching the mountain land on the eastern slope of the valley, just above the village of LlandinamJ on December 13th, 181S—"Three eighteens," as he has frequently been heard to say. He was the oldest son in a family of nine children. His parents had lived in the place for a number of years and in addition to the work of cultivating jjjthe portion of land in his holding, his father also adid a great deal of work in sawing the local Itimber and selling the same in planks, &c. Up ato about 11 years of age he attended the only Bschool in the neighbourhood, then held in the old ttPATish Church. This was the only educational training that he ever received, other than that of thou I thoughtful self-culture,and the practical training which the University of Observation gave him gtaodiawhichho to.)k not a mere "pass," but very high" honours." His playfellows and ■companions at school and the village lads of that time, now travelling down towards the bottom gof the hill of life, saw genius in him, and were Sail well acquainted with the traits of his ■character before they were unfolded in practical ■life. He was the winner in every game—at gjmarbles, or at the game of pins," or buttons,"j Bor pitch and toss," it was the almost invariable! Ecustom for him to turn up the T—take all.'a HwluJst the rest had to go bare. I:i this, us in alll Bother ami after matters, it was the rule of hiss ■conduct to carry out the precept—1" Whatsoever! Hthy hand f.ndeth to do, do it with all thy might, jl From Draintewion, the famii}- removed to as Slarger farm called Neuaddfach, the old house of| Swhich stood until very recently a field or two! Sabove the high road, leading towards Llanidloes,| ■about a mile L'om the village of Llandinaml ■ Here he worked and toiled both at farming ands ■-awing timber, which branch of occupation! gradually grew into more important dimensions,! gund with widening and increasing connections.! ■ Father and sons were employed in buyingjg ■timbers, avid sawing them into planks of various! Bsizes, for which the demand rapidly increased,! Sand they frequently send lots to Cardiganshire! Sand other parts. While they lived liere hi,-| Sfather died, leaving him the eldest son of ai ■family of four brothers, and four sisters, with al ■widowed mother, h* being only 20 years of nge.i |llere was afforded him the opportunity "tof iexerci.-e those grand and sterling qualities ia his| jcharacter which have subsequently so distinctly! imade aa impression, and given direction to hisl Iwbole career. One can imagine the young man,p Bwith strong constitution, healthy mind, and lirm^ rfsollltioll, fully occupied with laborious work, Jwith an unflagging energy and earnestness, l'rouii [early morn till late night, undertaking the re-1 [sponsible duties of maintaining and superin-S [tending the work of a large and orphaned! [family, each of whom looked at him for direc-H jtion. sustenance, protection. His keen per-S ceptioa and natural gifts stood him in goodS stead now that he had become ths sole propS and director of the whole household. But underH all the burden of his responsibilities his luck never forsook him, and every step heB took, though often laborious and arduous, wasB in the direction of success; and though hif specu-N dations during those years of his life wore con-i| diced within a small circle, he never allowed any|| [difficulty to obstruct his path, but with a strong§| {[and unconquerable will, a determined euerg>» jjand bold attack, he overcame them all, thus|f paying the foundation of those |\vhich, when fully developed in wider and|$ [weightier matters, have been so distinctlyp [marked in his 1-iter career. From tho first, itsji [must be observed, that religion and Spiety were at the root of, and interwoveniS ^throughout, all his actions. From the first, too,p ijthe practical outcome of deep and fervent re-S jtligious faith, loyalty of heart to God and His?| fcause, were manifest in the extraordinary, and.j^ |at that time somewhat unusual, liberality^ ^towards tiie maintenance and promotion ofj| ^Christian work. At one time, when c nitriiui-fe |tiocs were solicited towards the liquidation of a]| gdebt 011 a chapei, Mr. Davies proposed a goodgp ground sum, to the astonishment ot some of iiuthorities, and this was promised at a timeS Iwhen he did not know where the sum was top icomo from, and thuo tempting Providence to|f I throw her favours into his lap. He was able meet fully every obligation thus made, and frequently happened that supplies were broughtp to aim from a hidden source. This did a ake him satisfied with his lot, and he neve™ aaowed himself to take things easy; but lieS e-mtuiued to labour with increased diligence inj| the saaxe degree as his manhoud developed.|j| Not only did Mr. Davies bestow his gifts out offfij Shis fulness, but his liberality tog every goodj| I cause, and particularly to those bearng religious matters, when his resources wore paratively limiteJ, were exceptional, and showeds "the existence of a large heart and open whicii afterwards enabled him to render and substantial gifts to so many worthy After residing some years at Neuaddfach, inS whicii afterwards enabled him to render nobler and substantial gifts to so many worthy < After residing some years at Neuaddfach, in glhe year 1813 Mr. Davies rented a yet largerg Sfarm, called Tynymaeu, on the same side of [valley, and now forming the home farm of Plas-g gdiuam, at present the residence of Mr. |Davieg, his only son. As his resources land his experience widened, he subsequently, 11350, added another holding, Gwernerin, a laruifl beautifully situated on the opposite side of the river Severn, where he also went to live. An amusing incident is related of Mr. Davies. At the time of his removal to Gwernerin, it was necessary that be should largely increase his« stock, and for this purpose he attended aue auction where there were a good number ofl cows on sale, some of which he bad determined! to buy. Not being dressed like a wealthy man or a gentleman farmer, and persistently bidding! for every cow to which he nad taken a fancy,! having an excellent judgment inall such mutters, the auctioneer paused and expressed a stfonll doubt as to the purchases, and loudly asked him for his bail. Mr. Davies then drew out a long, well-worn and old-fashioned purse, and held it up, jingling the contents, and said, Here's my bail, man, go on 1" and from that time he couldj get all the cows he wanted. i In addition to the new extensive farmings work he still continued the sawing, as well asll the undertaking of road-making and other works, in which he employed a number of work- men. The first public work executed by him was the cutting of the road just below the beautiful church at Unndinam, and constructing the embankment over which the road passes, crossing the Severn at that point, and uccoss which the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway, I now passes at the Llandinam Station. This work was expeditiously carried out, and gavel such satisfaction that from that successful beginning Mr. Davies became a leading con- tractor for all county works, such as thel construction of roads and bridges. Soon after. he took the contract for the making of the| I Oswestry Smithfield, when he probably became! acquainted with} Mr. Thomas Savin, an ardentfi promoter of railways in the Principality, and| who was about that time developing into a railway contractor. 1 In ;the year 1851, Mr. Davies married Miss < Mirgaret Jones, the youngest daughter of Mr.G a Ed ward Jades, of Wern, Llanfaircaereinion, and isister to the Rev. Evan Jones, now of Bryn-B | halren, Llandinam, and for many years knownf | as the Calvinistic Methodist preacher of Tre-i [ wythen. Mrs. Davies has been throughout Mr.| [ Davies' manhood a true aud real help-meet, and! I has been the means of eucouraging Mr. Daviess 1 in all his liberality, and there is some reason to I believe that though Mr. Davies himself was pre- I eminently a philanthropist, and had a well- I spring of generosity in his own heart, yet, the a support which he obtained from his equally 1 generous and sympathetic wife had, probably, | more than assisted the inner tendencies of al | good heart to break out into practical acts ofl benevolence. | 9 Mr. Davies, in partnership with Mr. Thomas IJSavin, turned his mind to the great need of the| Kdistrict—the construction of railways. The firstl ^undertaking in ^'iis direction was the making of| lathe Llanidloes aud Newtown Railway, a line of| about thirteen miles in length. A remfirkablei fact ia connection with this railway is that it made from Llanidloes to Newtown, both jathese places being without a railway, and Llan-| gidloes more remote from any probable connec-| Stion, There was a canal to Newtown, and it| was along this that most of the heavy materials IS were carried into the district, but when the railsg | were fixed, the railway engines, four in number,! S together with several passenger coaches, wereb I carried on specially-constructed waggons along! the high road from Oswestry, a distance of over| thirty-six miles. | After a considerable portion of the Llanidloes! and Newtown Railway was finished, Messrs.! Davies and Savin undertook the construction of| the Vale of Clwyd Railway, from Rhyl tol Deabigh, and now forming a branch of thel London aud North-Western Rnilway system.! I This was opened in November, 18.58. They nowa | returned to the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway,| I the work? of which had been for some times | suspended, and this time was completed antj| g opened in 1350. The next operation of this tirmi g was the making of the Oswestry and Newtown! | Railway, and its continuation in the Newtownl I md Machynlleth branch, which was completed j in 1862. Another liae which this fit m, with a| i Mr. Ward joined to them, constructed was thel | Brecon b.nd Merthyr Company's Railway. Somei j[ time before the completion of the Newtown andj ffMachynlleth Railway (which was an original land independent company, though now merged into the Cambrian Railways Company, and which was finished by Mr. Davies alone, Mr. 1 Savin being employed on the construction and promotion of the coast section, the Aberystwytb and Welsh Coast Railway, now belonging to the I same company), the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Davies had no more to do with the Cambrian system, though he for some years was Ba director of the company. The keen and cautious eye of the safe speculator saw the danger ahead, and could not approve of the wild and extensive schemes propounded by his partner of building large hotels at Aberystwyth, Borth, Aberdovey, and the other watering places along the coast, and which subsequently brought about the most calamitous results in the case of the partner. | a Mr. Davies was subsequently engaged in gjpartnership with the late Mr. Ezra Roberts, of St. Asaph, in constructing the Pembroke and aTenby Railway, which was opened in 18()3. After- wards he constructed the part of the Manchester and Milford scheme, from Aberystwyth to Pen- cader. After this, Mr. Davies undertook the Hconstruction of a small railway from Caersws, on the Cumbrian system to the Van Mines. HThese mines having become of world-wide repu-| station, on account of the rich lode of lead found| there, it was necessary to connect them with the' outer and busy world. This was the last railway, Hundertaken by Mr. Davies. «j ja Not only as a railway contractor did Mr.| IjDuvies attain success and fame, but he was! Sequally successful and fortunate intheusualhi H risky field of mining speculation. The wealthy he had acquired through his earlier achieve-i Igments enabled him to purchase, in conjunction! fflwith other gentlemen, large tracts of laud in thel iSRhondcla Valley. Mining operations were com-s menced, and in the summer of I860 the pro-g moters discovered veins of coal, which in Equality and abundance could not be surpassed, |The magnitude and rapid growth of thesejl jgworks resulted in the formation of a limited! pliability company, which carried on the business! |funder the title of the Ocean Collieries Company.^ §Mr. Davies'interest in the new company extended! %to one-half of the whole capita!, which he Sup to hisdeath.Owing to the constant extension! jjof their operations the company found them-g |selves seriously hampered in their export trade byl |the action of the directors of the Tarf ale and theS iMarquis of Bute's Railways. This led to thes| ghstabiishment of the Barry Dock and Railways,! ia work which must bring Mr. Davies's nam el |into historic alliance with the history of the@ Sindustries of South Wales. The preliminary^ Sstaaesof this work, such as the purchase of |uecessary land, resulted in one of the most gsevere and prolonged legal struggles on record, 1 in which finally the opposition was <1efellted, Sand the Ocean Collieries Company obtained a billgi for the construction of the desired railway andl| dock3, at Barry. The result has been the trans-|| formation of a once desolate island in one of finest docks in the world, which can be safelyta entered in almost any state of tide and wind. The opening ceremony took place on July 18th,g 1889, when Mr. David Davies, as vice-chairmanta of the directorate, presided, and it is a singular coincidence that his death took place on JulyS j20th of the following year. The anxiety entailed in carrying out to a issue these stupendous projects, told severely tupon Mr. Davies's iron constitution, and ibably helped to sow the germs ot the di&ease toll which ue ultimately s iccumoed. I HIS VOLIVICAL CAMSEK. §| Mr. Davies's lirsL participation in political^ work on d ¡: own btJ:11 It was ia the general flection in July of 1S3-3, when he contested^ jCurdigansmro in tho Liberal interest. Tiie c r-i Jcuinsrtinces ot the election are somewhat^ |inte:esti(ig. Tiie sitting member at the time ofjj| jthe dissolution was Colonel Powell (Conserva-p stive), and Sir Thomas Lloyd was looked upon as|| the prooabie Liberal candidate. The latterfl 'gentleman, however, had given a pledge not top jopposu the sirring member, and rather thauf! Sallow Colonel 1'oweit co be returned unopposed.p {Mr. David Davios announced his |to offer himself as a Liberal candidate. The'% (result of i'lr. Davies's determfcied attitude wus| [that Mr. Powell, who WHS advanced in years,fjl (retired from the contest, whereupon Sir Thomas^' 3Lloyri, freed from the pleoga which hut jiutherto prevented his candidature, entered thei; S!i»ts against Mr. Davies. Tiie former represented^ Jthe H h'g section, and WHS supported by the|$ l.-vristocracy—notaoly the Gogerddan family;k jwhile tiie latter represented the in ore?! (advanced section of th« Liberal party. Tiie^ [result of die election was Lloyd, 14t>o ".Davies,$ |ll2i; majority, 3i'J. ia February oi £ { lbH, a deputation waited upon Mr.'jp I'Davies, inviting him to become the|§ Liberal candidate for the Cardigan lie acceded to their request, aud was returi;ed'(| junopposed. He contained to represent the coa-|| S.-tituency unopposed until 1685, when Mr| jVaughan Davies (Conservative) opposed him,fa [with the result that Mr. Davies was returned by|S |a majority of 2323. When ia 1836 Mr. Gladstone^ [announced his Home Rule proposals for Ireland,&! |Mr. Davies, who up to this time had been a|jj staunch supporter of the Liberal Government,! felt, himself compelled to sever his connection^ with the Gladstoaian section of the party. Hel had entertained the ifieit of resigning his seat,]! but being pressed by his friends to stand for constituency lie did so. He was opposed by Mr.8 Bowen Rowlands, Q.C. (Gladstonian eandidate), at the general election in July. Mr. Davies wasp then defeated by nine votes, and from that time he took no active interest in political work. Hel qualified as a Justice of the Peace for the county of Montgomery about the year 1873, aud was! returned unopposed in February, 188U to repre-i sent his native parish upon the Montgomeryshire! County Council. PUBLIC WOUK. 1 The deceased was one of the largest land-| owners, and one of the most generous in the treatment of his tenants, ia the couuty oil Montgomery. His property included (Jxtensive estates iu the parishes of Llandinam, Llanwuog.ffl and Kerry. Throughout his life he was a staunch Nonconformist, and a princely contributor to all! denominations, especially the CalvinisticS Methodists, of which body lie was a member upi fto tho time of his death. One of his latest actsW Sof generosity was a contribution of £ !00oi | towards the Jubilee fund of theWelsh Methodist Foreign Missionary Society. Tlieg temperance movement had in Mr. Davies consistent adherent and advocate of over hftyifi j years'standing and his example, as the employ erg loE many thousands of working men, mu.-t havf|| produced influences of the most helptui character. His contributions on behalf of the i University College of Aberystwyth amounted to ] several thousands, and amongst other work!- i may be mentioned the handsome school build | ings and master's residence at Llandimm, which were built at his sole expense. The exact amount of his contributions has not been ascer-g tained, but we may safely state that they | amounted to hundreds of thousands. § 1 The life and work of Mr. Davies have been f very remarkable in many respects, and present all striking contrast to many among the self-made men of Wales. His Christian character, deep re- 1 ligious convictions,stabitity and firmness of mindg j were noticeable throughout his whole life. From | youth toripeoge.be was the same—the samen I in kindliness of h*ai't, in purity of motive, in|f faithfulness to his convictions, fervent, piety.p and in the exercise, to so eminent a degree.|j .of the grace of beneficence. His succe.-s§ depended more upon those qualities, combined?! with a constant and careful vigilance ands cautious forethought than upon anything e:se.ii1 During his younger years, Mr. Davies was diligent worker, and throughout his life never shirked all,) laborious effort. Wheal I a young man, he was noted for diligentg application to the toil and labour of those! years, and so robust and healthy WIIS he that he was able to do with only four or fives hours' sleep out of the twenty-four. The restl lie would devote to assiduous work, and thisg whabit grew with him, so that he has been able,! | by his own example, to arouse the energies ofg his workmen to their full operation, and so he,| by degrees, iucreased his small capital. His^ openhandedness also marked him all along thei Igline of his life. I11 his youth, with no wealthy Ibut that, of the honest and sympathetic heart, at| the age of seventeen or eighteen it was an extra.-| ordinary feature in his character that he was anl exception to all ia the generosity and of his contributions to every good cause, and heS would at that time contribute and make P'"o-| mises ia the collections of the church he attended! such sums as would astonish his acquaintances.! He has overheard several times with suppressed! humour the quiet and sarcastic whisper passed^ from Jip to ear—" Wherever will he getit from ?"$j exception to all in the generosity and of his contributions to every good cause, and heS would at that time contribute and make P'"o-| mises ia the collections of the church he attended! such sums as would astonish his acquaintances.! He has overheard several times with suppressed! humour the quiet and sarcastic whisper passed^ from Jip to ear—" Wherever will he getit from ?"$j gSo also in latter years, it has beea calculated! j that during the one year, 1873—aa exceedingly! | prosperous oae in the commercial world—hel Ssgave to various religious aad other causes ins HWales no less than £ ti>,00<>. | 3 Besides all this Mr. Davies always maai-| Sfested aa unselfish and broad spirit; he 21 ever Jj jgdid a mean aad shabby thing to friend or foe.fj ■Whenever ho has met a person striving honestly! Sto succeed ho always held forth his helpinga hand, and was never known to kick the| gladder'' by which he himself climbed the hill of ^success. | H THK MEDICAID HISTOKY OF THE CASK. | 1 Though possessed of a remarkably strong con-1 stitution, Mr. Davies's health has been failings Sfor several years. About three years »go,| of diabetes appearing, he consulted! |§Dr. Parry, of London, under whose treatments diabetes, after some time, left him. At theg Slater stage Bright,'s disease of the kidney wasa ■supposed to be present, but this also yielded tol ^treatment. In February last he had an attacks gof influenza when in Cardiff, and since that She has been more or less of an invalid, his usuals gjrobust health failing and strength gradually! ^diminishing. After his return from Cardiff he| jgjwas treated by Dr. Ferguson, of Caersws, then* ■his ordiaary medical attendant. Dr. Burd. ofl gShrewsbury. saw him in conjunction with Dr. ■ Ferguson tour times between March and June. In April, Sir WillUm Roberts, late of Manchester Baud now of London, was called in, the patients ■then suffering from derangement of his digestivel Borgans. On June 24th, by the advice of Dr., ■Burd, Dr. Andrew, of Harley-street, London, wasfe ■sent for and prescribed for the case. Dr. James,! |a brother-in-law of tho patient, has frequently! ■been in attendance, and ia the beginning of Julys a Dr. Price, of Cardiff, saw him in conjunction with SDr. Gowan, Newtown. tie was then suffering! frnm digestive troubles, and accompanied by Bsickness and great weakness consequent thereon Has well as from ancemia. Oa Saturday, July 5th J Sir Aadrew Clark nad Sir William R>berts| visited him, along with Drs. James and Gowan. The two London specialists gave aa unfavourable! I opinion of his case, and held out ao hope of| | ultimate recovery. He was confined entirely tol $bed for the last fortnight, gradually getting! £ weaker, and was attended daily by Dr. Charlesfe I Gowan, of Newtown, up to the day of his death.! I THE FUNERAL. | j The remains of the late Mr. Davies were! j interred on Thursday afternoon in the parish! churchyard of Llandinam. The obsequies were! gattended by a large concourse of well-known! 1 public men and private friends of the departed! | gentleman. The village of Llandinam nestles! j in a head of the narrow valley through which! the upper reach of the Severn flows l'roini | ITmlimon to the Montgomeryshire plain. Thel passenger who takes the train at Moat Linei I Junction for Brecon will observe on the 3j before he goes very far an extremely pleasant! | stone mansion which forms a prominent but byffl |no means obtrusive landmark oa the hill side.8 iThisis Broneirioa, the residence of the late Mr.l |9avies;and not far away the substantiallyS Ibuilt Methodist manse, now occupied by the sonl jjof John Janes, Talysarn," may be seen. Fromfl |the lodge gate of Broneiricn, a short straight!? Iroad leads athwart the narrow valley and acrossfl atlie railway and river that run through it to thv|| $village of Llandinam. The features which catch St he stranger's eye are—first, Plas Llandinam, a|i j splendid residence ia which Air. E. Davies^ resides; next, the ancient parish church, dedi-fl cated to St. Llonio, standing conspicuously on al well-wooded knoll; aad lastly, the Calvinisticfl Methodist chapel, a handsome stoae structure^ built ia the Gothic style a short distance from|| the centre of the village. On Thursday, Llan-g dinam and the Upper Severn Valley were to be seen ia all the pride of their summeri glory. Bright sunshine alternated with genialll showers of short duration, and there was ail general air of calm sedateness. A believer in the eternal fitness of things would say that Mother Marthtook her child to her bosom in no sullengS humour, and that the heavens wept in sympathy with Cambria's tears.. jag The funeral was fixed to take place at two o'clock, and the exigencies of the situation madefl rpnnctuaJity a necessity. During the mornings Sthe ordinary and special trains conveyed an| ^extraordinary number of passengers to thef IjviJiage. It is estimated that the people from a'.i ^distance— mostly ministers, public men, deputa-S |tionsot employes, &c.—numbered considerably*! .j.ovfi- a thousand. H gj Amoug the ministers present we noticed:—| j$llevs. D, Rowlands, M.A, Bangor, moderator ofl sthe General Assembly of the Calviuisticg jjjMethodisiS; O. Thomas, D.D., Liverpool;! |G. Parry, D.D., Camo; Dickens Lewis,! pO.D., Shrewsbury; G. Ellis, M.A., Bootle ijtt. II. Morgan, M.A., Menai Bridge E. Parry J |M.A.„ Newtown; D. Lloyd Joaes, M.A.,| IjLlandinam M. Griffith, M.A., Llanidloes; R.| Morris, M.A. London; J. Cynddylaa Jones,! $D.D., Cardiff; N. Cynhafal Jones, D.D., Llan-i jjidloes W. James, M.A., Nantymoel; J. Hughes! ^Griffiths, M.A., Bangor; W. Williams, Diaasl f|vittwddwy; Ernest Jones, Rhayader; Eliasi IjJoHes, Taisarnau David Jones, Mold; J. SiliuS §Joai*s, i.lanidloes; Thomas Levi, Aberystwyth;! all, H. Morgan, Meaai Bridge; T. F. Roberts,! «• lemmes; T. E. Roberts, M.A., Oswestry; Ll.jjjj ^Edwar,is, Aberystwyth R Edwards, Llausiiia 90. L. Owen, Cymdy O. Jones, B.A., Liverpool ;| ^J. Owen, Aberdovey; T. J. Kees, Carno; T.| ^Heibert, Newtown; J. Evans, Llanfaircaereinion J ^J. Jones, Coed way R. Jones. Colwyn J.»ay T.| ja Thomas, Machynlleth E. Griffiths, Meifod W3..Jones, Gwersyilt.; O. E. Williams, Builth 0.| SHuj^hes, Llangefni J. Williams, Liaudrindod J 'MY. a. Evans. Llangurig D. B. Edwards. T:e-| wgynon W. Johns, Bridgend; W. Lewis, Pout- f Sypridd; D. Jones, Treteglwys; W. Evans,| aPembroke Dock T. Davies, Treorkey and li. E.i aMorris, Londou. | M There were numerous laymen prominentlyl ^connected with the Calvinistic Methodist^ ^Connexion present, among them being Messrs.| fflB. Griffith, Dolgelley; E. C. Evans, do.; R.g ^Rowlands, Pwllheli; J. Jones, Llanfyllin L. H.| ^Roberts, London; R. Thomas, Criccieth; Johnf 1 Ed wards, Daniel llowells, and iiichard Hum-| phreys, Llanbrynmair; Richard Jones, Aberan-I £ ;ell; Thomas Owen, Carno; Morris Evans andl A. B. Howell, Pennant; R. Evans, LlwyadyddodJ Llangarig; D. Jones, Machynlleth; ThomasS Owen, Llanidloes M. Davies, Trefeglwys Rhysf Davries, Merthyr; aud Captain Thomas, 2\ evin. 1 The Aberystwyth University College was re-| presented by Mr. Stephen Evans, London; Mr.i A. C. Humphreys-Owen, Professor Angu3, and! Davries, Merthyr; aud Captain Thomas, 2\ evin. 1 The Aberystwyth University College was re-| presented by Mr. Stephen Evans, London; Mr.i A. C. Humphreys-Owen, Professor Angu3, and! Ar. E. P. Jonea. [ The Cambrian Rail way repre- ^seated by Mr. Conacher, secretary aad general manager; Mr. G. Owen, engineer; and Mr. II. C, Corfield, solicitor. The Pembroke and Tenby Railway Company g was represented by Air. 1. Smedley, Pembroke I I! The Cambrian Railway Company was repre-j Dock. Lord Windsor was represented by Mr. Forrest, Cardiff. The Barry Dock Company was specially re- presented by Mr. Hughes and Mr. T. Foster Brown. ( The workmen and officials of the various works with which Mr. Davies was connected, and all the chapels at Treorkey, were also represented by deputations. Amongst other gentlemen present, we noticed, Major Godfrey, chief-constable of the county \tessra. J. Williams, Liverpool; E. R. James, Montgomery; J. Jehu. Liattinireaereiuion; D. g Gillatt, Machynlleth Councillor Davies, Liver-j pool; Messrs. Szlamper, Aberystwyth; Tobit S Hvana. Aberayron Owen Owen, AUt, Oswestry; |||lt. Williams, F.H.R.S., Newtown; D. Evans.* 0C., Cemmes; John Phillips, Newton; T.s Webb, Cardiff; R. E. Jones, C'efu Bryntalch;! and many others. Jj A large number of exquisitely beautiful floroi» wreaths had been sent by sympathising friends.0 The following is a list of the senders as far as it| could be compiled, several wreaths having been! received with no names attached. | Ocean Colliery, Cardiff; W. G. Partridge.! Cardiff; coal trimmers at Harry, other Barryl workmen, officials of Bairy Dock, staff of Oceanf Colliery, Cardiff: Air. and Mrs. Isanc Jmef-i Swansea; Airs. Williams, do M rs. CuthbertsonJ Pentre Mrs. T. Savij', Oswestry Mr. and Mrs.l Bebb, Liverpool; Airs. D. Rowlands and family | Mr. J. Aletcalfe, Aberystwyth servants ofl Rroneirion; employes of Exhaust injector Works,! Manchester; Air. and Mrs. Savill, do. Mr. R. and J. Morgan, do.; Air. Louisf Gueret, Cardiff; Mrs. Price, AJa^smawr Hall Mr. and Mrs. S. P. Hunt, Cardiff; Mrs. \Vei)b,f Broadwater; Mr. and Airs. Breeze, Gwerneria ,i Mr. E. Davies, Plasdinam; Mrs. D. Da vies.| Broneirion Air. J. Morgan, Cwmfare; D. audi Mrs, Gowan, Newtown; Rev. and Mrs. Jones,| Brynhafreu Rev. and Mrs. Lloyd Jones, Llan-S dinam; children of Plas Dinam Air. and Miss! Trewythern servants to W. Rinen, Plas Dinam Mr. S. W. Allen, Cardiff; workmen at Bryni eirion; Air. R. Jones and family, N.P. Bank.f Newtown; Mr. A. Evans, Brockley; Air. and| Mrs. Smedlej-, Pembroke Dock; Air. and Mrs.S O. Owen. Oswestry Air. and Airs. R. Williams,! Newtown; Afr, and AJiss Jones, Cwmbwrla -,| Calvinistic Church, Berriew Mr. and Mrs. D.j Swansea; Mrs. Williams, do M rs. CuthbertsonJ Pentre Mrs. T. Savij', Oswestry Mr. and Mrs.l Bebb, Liverpool; Airs. D. Rowlands and family | Mr. J. Aletcalfe, Aberystwyth servants ofl Rroneirion; employes of Exhaust injector Works,! Manchester; Air. and Mrs. Savill, do. Mr. R. and J. Morgan, do.; Air. Louisf Gueret, Cardiff; Mrs. Price, AJa^smawr Hall Mr. and Mrs. S. P. Hunt, Cardiff; Mrs. \Vei)b,f Broadwater; Mr. and Airs. Breeze, Gwerneria ,i Mr. E. Davies, Plasdinam; Mrs. D. Da vies.| Broneirion Air. J. Morgan, Cwmfare; D. audi Mrs, Gowan, Newtown; Rev. and Mrs. Jones,| Brynhafreu Rev. and Mrs. Lloyd Jones, Llan-S dinam; children of Plas Dinam Air. and Miss! Trewythern servants to W. Rinen, Plas Dinam Mr. S. W. Allen, Cardiff; workmen at Bryni eirion; Air. R. Jones and family, N.P. Bank.f Newtown; Mr. A. Evans, Brockley; Air. and| Mrs. Smedlej-, Pembroke Dock; Air. and Mrs.S O. Owen. Oswestry Air. and Airs. R. Williams,! Newtown; Afr, and AJiss Jones, Cwmbwrla -,| Calvinistic Church, Berriew Mr. and Mrs. D.j Howell, .Aberdovey Mr. and Aliss Jones, Lian-J ijfyllin Mr. and Airs. L. H. Roberts, Canonbury Spfiss Jones, Oswestry; Air. and Airs. Howell, Air. Szlamper, Aberystwyth Mrs. Hamer, Handinam the late Mr. Davies's San- ^day School class; Alessrs. Downing and Hancock, S Barry; Air. and Airs. T. 11. Evans; chairman! ^and directors of Barry Dock Airs. W. Jenkins.! |§The officers and workmen of each ot the seven] !i»collieries belonging to the deceased seat beautiful} wreaths. The cards attached to them were! written in Welsh, and as an indication of the] excellent feeling subsisting between Mr. Davie3j and his employes, some of the mottoes may be! quoted— Western "~Er] cof anwyl; Ladyj Windsor" — "Gorphwysed mewn heddweh ;"j M" Pare'—Coffadwriaeth y cyfiawn sudd fr.ndviA Ihdtr/; Dare Fan amlheir y cyjiaw'n, ?/ b 'obli a lawcnychant." s m On the terrace in front of the house a short |»servie9 was held prior to forming the procession! IStotbe churchyard, the officiating ministers being! jwthe Rev. W. 'James, 'AI.A., Nantymoel, aud the] |SRev. Thomas Davies, Treorkey. The procession! Jljwas then formed in the following order:—| Ministers, four abreast; medical men, Illagistratesï par.d county councillors, deacons and elders,( ^representatives of tiie Barry Dock, deputations! ^from the collieries, Llandinam School Boardi ||Llandinam school children, tenantry of the] Sestat.es of the deceased, the body, carried by aj lanumber of workmen, mourning coaches! conveying Mrs. Davies (widow), Rev. Evanj II Jones, Trewythern and Dr. 0. Thomas, Liver-j g pool; Air. Edward Davies (son), Master and the! || Misses Davies (grandchildren) |and Airs. Breeze | | The procession on reaching the churchyard*! went straight to the graveside, and the coffin I I was immediately interred. The spot selected! H for the resting place of the departed gentleman! |j i9 close to the graves of a number of relatives! I who had preceded him. The coffin was of] I polished oak, mounted with heavy brass fittings.! nj The inscription on the breastplate was simply :< a "David Davies, died July 20 th, 1890, aged 71 jj H years." j || The service cousisted of reading a portion of j I Scripture in Welsh by the Rev. W. Johns brief] I addresses in Welsh by the Revs. O. Jones and I Dr. Cynhafal Jones; and in English by the Revs. S Griffith Ellis, Daniel Rowlands, and Owen 1 Thomas; n prayer led by the Rev. W.Evans: Hand the singing of a hymn. j|l The Rev. O. Jones, in the address which he ggdelivered, dwelt on some of the admirable traits |§of Air. Davies's character, mentioning especially Shis Christian simplicity in his home ami in the Igcburcli. Igcburcli. H The Rev. G. Ellis spoke of Mr. Davies as one ||who loved his own branch of the Christian!! fflchurch intensely, but who was perfectly free] ||from bigotry and narrowness and members of] ffijevery branch of the Christian church united onjj ||that day to testify their respect for his memory. If Rev. Dr. Cynhafal Jones dwelt upon the keen intellectual gifts and the openness of heart which ^distinguished the departed gentleman. The ||yoang men of Wales never had a better friend in Ethe.ir endeavours to secure a higher education, |j Dr. Cynddylan Jones pointed out that Mr. I Davies, like John Wesley had changed the adt-ge from Strike the iron while it is hot" tol Strike the iron till it is hot." | The Rav. Daniel Rowlands said that he had! had the privilege of kaowing Afr. Davies fori many years. He honoured their departed friend! very much and loved him very deeply. He was! a man of boundless energy, and attained very! great success. He had had the privilege ofg extending a position of his prosperity tol thousaads of his countrymen. He was a n:an ofl perfect integrity of character—" he did justly. io" many years. He honoured their departed friend. very much and loved him very deeply. He was! a man of boundless energy, and attained very! great success. He had had the privilege ofg extending a position of his prosperity tol thousaads of his countrymen. He was a n:an ofl perfect integrity of character—" he did justly. a He was a mna of boundhss benevolence—"hel gloved mercy." Above all he received thel IKingdom of God as a little child—" he walked! Ijhumbly with God." The loss of such a man was! |j* loss to the country, aud to the world at large. | j| The Rev. Dr. 0. Thomas dwelt oa the conso-Sj gjlatioas afforded by the gospel to the bereaved! ^relatives. | | After singing the old Welsh hymn, Byddl imyrdd o ryi'eddodau," the great concourse dis-1 apersed. At the gate, a memorial card wass ghanded to everybody who attended the fuaeral.^ |On the flyleaf was printed the following passaged Swhich may be taken a3 the motto of Alr.i SDavies's life-work Whatsoever thy hand! ifindeth to do, do it with thy might, for there isi |no work, nor device, nor knowledge, n~r wisdomfj ■in the grave whither thoa goest." 1