The Pontypridd Chronicle and Workman's News

YSTRADYFODWG LOCAL BOARD ELEUfIOX. On Monday an enthusiastic meeting was held in connection with the furthcoming Board of Health electinn. at the :-IUOI'JY ö trP: Hotel. The Rev. T. H. Wiiliam-o, home missionary, occupied the chair. Several gentlemen spoke in praise of Mr Edwin Wm. Le wis, one of the candidates. His kindness to the poor, hia high qualifications and experience, entitled him to warm support. It was mentioned, amid expressi ;>us» of approval, that tue Labour and Liberal Association had resolved not to interfere in the election. Means were resolved upon to 'secure the return of Mr Lewie.

THE 3-OAVER ELECTION. RErURN OF Alit RANDA.LL. The result of the -election in the Western Division of Giamorganshire, declared on Wednes- "day. was as follows:- Randall (Hbera!) 3961 I Llewelyn (Conservative) 3355 Liberal Majority 606

THE STliANGE HALLUCINATION AT PONTYPRIDI). It but fair to Dr. Little, tie medical officer of as Albion Colliery, to state, with reference to the paragraph which appeared 4 in lilH. week's issue, headed M Strange hallucination at Pontypridd," that he had not seen the woman foe upwards of six weeks prior to th" time referred to in the ac- count given. He had betn in attendance on tb) husband, but. it should Dot be icferied that the in- structions he gave as to the "turps" were given at the time when the woman suffered from delusions, nor did he see her up to the time she was taken away.

Y (SOLOFN GYMREIG. Fob gokebitip.thau Vw hanfon Vr Swyddfa. ANERCHIAD Ar gyflwyniad tvsteb i Mr James Cbiok, arweinydd y canu yn Pennet, Pontypridd, Mawrth, 1888. Hen arfer y heirddion yn mhob oes o'r byd Yw canu i feibion athrylith, Ac yn mhlith y cyfryw rwy'n credu bob pryd Fod Chick yn deilwng o'r fendith; Liaforiodd yn giled o foreu byd nawn Cyn cyraedd cerddorawl wybodaeth, A tbrwy ei yndreoniori fe ddringodd yn iawn Binaclau beirdd uohel oerddoriaeth. Dymob welodd bob rhwystrau a'i daliai yn ol Er idd.) gael ennill y goron, A methodd amheuaeth a'i hudo yn ol Rhlilg nyrbaedd ei uchel amcauion; Yn liatig penderfyniad yr I wyliodd o hyd Nes cyrhaedd i burt-Mttud ouwugrwydd, A rboddodd ei ameer a'i daient i gyd I'r eglwys yn ffyddlawn arweinydd. Arwyddnod yw'n ewrdd yn awr-reu goron Ar hen gain dirfawr; ¡ Y brawd gan rai er's tymawr Sy' wedi myn'd yn ffrynd n:awr. Nid hawdd o beth Iago baoh-yw gweled Hen gwlwm oyfeillach, 0 hyu wir dtw'th galon iach I deimlo ouriad ainlaob. ..Ifid twyll sy'n estyn i ti-y rhodd'hon 0 ryw ddall seboni, Na, dufn biaf o loewaf li Aowyldeb yw byn wel'di. .Haeddaw! drwy'r byd gyboedJi-mni gwron Mvg araul yw i ni, Eiu Iapo gawn i'n llywiVn gu l'r Ganaau draw drwy gan a. Mir nes, tair roes naturiol—iti I waeanaetnn'ih bobol, A'th hil anwyl ar dy ol A laawo'th le yn olynol. T. W. JOKES, Town Supply Stores. Pontypridd.

ETHOLIAD BYVRDD LLEOL YR YSTRAD. AT T GOLYGTDJ). Syr,—A waewffh chwi roddi i mi ychydig le i alw sylw at yr etholiad hWQ, ab i obeithio y oa Mr E. W. Lewis, Rhoodda Rise, pob cymorth genyin ni fel gweithwyr. Dengys y teimlad brwd, trydig o'i ochr yn yr ardal ei fod yn ddyn poblog. aidd, a gatlaf ddweyd fy hun ei fod yn deitwng o'n paroh a'n hedmygedd. Yr eiddoob, DA I B'OCH.

GOOD NEWS FOR TONYREFAIL. It is rumoured that the Glyn Colliery Company iatend putting up a Mrge number of ovens for the purpose of wltokwg coke of the purest qaality from the celebrated No. 3 Rhoudda Veiu. Crushing and washing machines will also be erected, so as to pro dace the beat article that caa be made, similar to (ha well-kuowa Glamorgan Coal Company's patent ooke.

LEYSaON AGAINST THE PONTY- PIUDO LOUAL BOARD. Owing to the length of the Judge's summing 11" io oonusBtion witb the abjve case, we are obtit:; w bold. ever cur rpport of the atuie until nexr me

POAJTiPalDO LOCAL BOARD K LECTION. The Domirntions for the election of the abJv,' board have boeu mxde, most of the. old Ri«moeis ibeiag returned unopposed. For the seat rendered ..110011.81. by thoretire-uont if Mr Henry llopluul;, theca-ndidatea are Jdetsrs H. S. D4Vitld and Jao;z iBraas. Mr doses Cule (an old member) is aiM oppaaed by Mr T. Taylor, contractor. Canvassing behalf of the goatiomt-a named is being brisk iy • cAtxied QD aad all partial ftrp ooafideat of iDwnn

f mis OPOIITO THEATRE FIRE. OVER lca PERSONS KILLED FURTHER PARTICULARS. OPORTO. The official report of the burning of the Baquefc Theatre will state that it was caused by the wings catching fire from a gas jet, whereby the whole of { the scenery 011 tho stage was almost immediately afterwards enveiuped in flames, the progress of which it was impossible to arrest. The Munici- pality has ordered the construction of a mausoleum for the reception of the unidentified remains of those who perished in the catastrophe. The inter- ment of the dead is being proceeded with. The British and Foreign consuls have opened subscrip- tions among their compatriots for the relief of the suti'erers. OroRTo. The Briquet Theatre, is a play-house run on French ¡¡uu{e line: and is always crowded, because it. is the only place of public amusement worth speaking of, and is very well managed so far as the entertainments go. No detailed list of the casualties is as yet furnished by the Municipality. It is said that some Americans and not a few Eng- litih must have lost, their lives, Oporto being a little England but on this point nothing positive is yet known. We hear of a hundred people being burnt. This is probably an under estimate. All the after- horrors of the Opera Comique are repeated here. The electric light has been laid on to enable the workmen to continue their search by night as well as by day. Bodies, some of which are charred and black, are being taken constantly out of the rubbish. I have seen those of many sailors, to judge by their y I clothes. The audience in the fashionable parts of thejjhouse seem to have escaped better than in the Opera Comique and Exeter Theatres. So far as can be ascertained, this disaster arose from an unprotected jet of gas being blown by a draught; against the scenery. A sceneshifter named Davis saw it, and tried to lower the curtain so as to shut :mt the flames from the auditorium, but as he was rushing forward some burning scenery fell down on the stage. The public became panic-stricken, and made a simultaneous and violent rush for the doors. there was a rough attendance of the nautical tide waiter and dock porter class in the second gallery, and these were pitiless in crashing down all those who were weaker than themselves. They used kheir fists, their shoes, their knives to cuff and kick ind slash to the front. Young girls, children, and women were literally butchered where they stood in the way of these brutes. The performance was 1 benefit one, and the programme very attractive, so that there was not an empty place in the house. All the actresses engaged in it wore their finest jewels for a grand procession. The clothes in the dressing-rooms were totally destroyed. MADRID. The Oporto Theatre was formerly a circus and was chiefly constructed of wood. The principal actress eaved her life by jumping out of a window. All the others escaped by the back doors. They describe the scene of panic as terrible when the flames issued from the stage near the footlights. It seetns that the gas went out suddenly, and that this aggravated the catastrophe in the narrow pas- sages, where hundreds of persons vainly sought to find egress, until the people outside forced an entrance by the windows with lanterns taken from the carriages outside. Many of those saved had blood issuing from their noses, ears, and mouths. The ipajonty of the victims were in the uppei galleries, and some in the boxes. The accounts received here state that more than a hundred per. sons were killed and many injured. The authori- ties are blamed for allowing performances in the theatre, us architects had declared it unfit for that purpose. Tho disaster is attributed to negli. gence in the construction of the stage. Agaspipe | exploded, it is said, and ignited the floor.

THE FLOODS IN HUNGARY. Most distressing reports continue to be received of the floods in the Theiss Valley. M. Baross, Minister of Public Works, has gone to visit the places where the danger is greatest, 11111 to per- sonally superintend the measures being taken to prevent the spread of the inundations. The water at several points has burst the dykes, whereby the towns of Csaba and Bekes escaped destruction, but enormous tracts of cultivated laud were laid Waste. Over 60 thousand acres are now submerged, and for miles the eye meets nothing but water, Railway communications is almost entirely inter- rupted. The bravery and humanity displayed by the soldiers in the work of rescue meets with I general praise.

MURDER~AND SUICIDE. An old couple, aged seventy-seven and eighty- two respectively, who had probably celebrated their golden wedding, might have been expected to end their days in peace and harmony but the Begues, living at Licheres, in the Department oi the Yonne, seem to have been of a different opinion. Their squabbles were frequent, and in a fit of exasperation, the husband threw his wife into the fire, finished her with a stab in the heart, and then cut his own throat.

I THE EFFECT OF GOSSIP. An inquest has been held at Leamington, on the body of Harry Spencer, a groom, of Kent House Stables. At the time of his death the facts were communicated to the coroner, who had not deemed an inquest necessary but a rumour got abroad that deceased had been poisoned. Further en- quiries were sot on foot, which resulted in the pre- sent enquiry. A verdict of "Death from syncope' was returned. The Coroner made some strong comments upon the statement made by a local tradesman, that the alleged poisoning had been common talk in the hotels of the town. He added that there was not the least ground for suspicion, but as long as people would talk, he supposed the county must, pay for it. There was not the slightest trace of poisoning. 0"

LOCAL MINERSAND THE NE W RULES. A meeting of miners has been lieU at the Grape* Hotel, West Bromwich, under the presidency oi Mr. D. Parkes, to consider the proposal for making some automatic arrangements to govern nliners wages, also the new special rules which attectod the Black Country. The following resolution was carried That this meeting begs to call special attention of contractors and yardage men tc clause 23 of the special rulos, as it, has ooino tc the knowledge of this meeting t hat some employers are endeavouring to compel the workmen to timbei their roads as far as -30 to lot) yards back. Titej therefore urged all contractors and masters in con ■ tract to timber their roals no farther back than the way ends." The engine-tenter;- they also urged not to work more than 12 hours a day, the ^anieas working miners. It was unanimously agreed tc support the Neatherseal miners, and to .subscribe for the purpose of obtaining counsel's opinion on the wages and allowance coal question.

| "a" STRANGE CAREER". 1- ) The death is announced in New York Hospital, of the French opera singer, Charles Richard. The deceased came down in the world very much, and ultimately became a washer of dishes in a restau- rant. His career is, however, chiefly remarkable for a somewhat romantic circumstance. He was captain of a company in the Franco-German war of io70, and had the ill (or croo(l) furtlllle to bo cap' tured by An ton Schot.t ,t hen a Prussian cavalry officer. Schott was practically his gaoler, but- he subse- quently became Richard's pupil, and began to learn to sing. It was. however, not until after Schott had studied under Mr. Blume, of London, that he ultimately became one of the leading tenors, first of the Carl )!osa troupe, and afterwards af Germany.

Adelina Patti is reported to be seriously occu- pied with her autobiography, the first edition of which will soon appear in London and Paris. A serious railway accident has occurred ab Craven Hurst, Ontario, owing to a collision be- tween a freight train and a snow plough. Seven persons were killed and five injured. all of them being railway employes. •

SCRAPS. There is a GOOD story told of the King of Bavaria- Ludwig one day met a soldier with a wooden-leg, and a«ked him when he lust liis own. "In t!ie war of was the answer, delivered ia rather a gruff lone. you know me?" said Wagner's patron. "No; ln>w should 1? "replied the disabled ami of Mars. You don't go to the wars, aud I don't gu tu tlte opera." Sir Robert Peel, having, while Irish Secretary, to inspect a national school, asked the elass pre- St-tttedt" him "Why Moses left Egypt." None of the class could answer the question, hut the si.euce was broken at last by a little lad at the other end of thuschooi. "1 kaow, your honour. Pla«e, your honour, lie shot, a peeier "—a holy and happy precedent, which a pious Irish youth was little iikeiy to forget. A Gentleman rode up to a public-house in the Country alii asked: "Who is the master of this house?" "liun. sir," replied the landlord; "my wife lJas been dead for three weeks." Bannister being at an auction in the Strand, where the auctioneer, who it appeared was selling his own goods, said "Ladies and gentlemen, I am not selling goods; I am giving them away." "Then." said Bannister, '-I will thank you for that Ua-um you have in your hand." "I ain't going to be called 'printer's devil' no longer—110 more 1 ain't! exclaimed our imp the other day, in a terrible pucker. •• Well, what shall we call you?" "Gall me typographical spirit of evil, if you please—that's all I" Two gentlemen were examining a ploughshare on a stall in a market-place. '•I'll bet you a guinea," said one, "you don't kthtwwhattinsisfor" Don. said the other "it is for sale." The money was paid. As a la ly was presiding at a tea-table, tho other evening, one of her sleeves got burnt a little from a spirit-lamp underneath a small urn. A young fop present, thinking to be witty Oil the accident, remarked with a drawl "I did not think Miss Alice so apt to take fire." Nor am I, sir," she answered, with great readi- ness, ,f frolU such sparks as you." Mr. Abernethy was one day descanting on the advantage of a public education for boys, when lie concluded by saying: And what thinii you of Eton ? I think I shall lIelllt lilY son there to learn manners." I- It w"ud have been as well, my dear," eaid his wife, "had you gone there too." That's a boss car," said an old man from the rural districts to his venerable spouse, at the same time pointing to all empty street-car. The old lady mounted the steps of the car, looked in searchinfjly. and said: f. Well, who'd ha' thought people would ever fix up a car so nice as that to ride bosses iti ? "Where are you going?" asked a little bjy of another who had slipped and fallen on the icy pave- ment. I; Going to get up was the blunt reply. A newspaper in Ohio was sent for nine years to a subscriber whenever paid a cent for it. The other day the newspaper was returned to the patient and long-suiferinir publisher, with the affecting pen- cil uotu oil its margin: "(ioae to the better world." The publisher is a very pious man, but it is re- ported that his faith is territdy shaken in regard to the accuracy or the information. A justice of the peace at New Hartford, Conn., married a couple the' other d.ty, and the groom asked him his terms after the knot was tied. ••Weil," said the justice, "thecodeaHowsme two do lars." tlievotiii,, iiiaii, I-liere's a (loll,-tr; that will make three." sii,l a policeman, "what are you sit- ting out here in the cold tor? Why don't you go in the house ? Have you b.st the key No replied the disconsolate citizen "I—hie— haven't. I've—hie—b>st tho keyhole II Where will your people go if our (rovernment refuses to receive them here ? was asked of the chief of the Chinese embassy at Washington. "To Ireland," was the quick reply, "for that is the only country in the world that the Irish do not rule." "One half of the world don't know how the other half live," exclaimed a gossiping woman.. Oh, well," said her neighbour, "don't worry about it; it isn't your fault if they don't know." A little girl not quite four years old came to me one day with a pink ribbon tied round her throat. "Why do you put on that silly bit of ribbon? To make me look pretty." A wedding-party at a restaurant: A maladroit waiter contrives to upset a tureen full of soup on- the satin dress of a lady guest, who takes en terri- bly and threatens hysterics. "Do not worry, madam," says the waiter kindly; u there's lots more soup in the kitchen." In a street car. Lady, in a shabby dreas, to ani. mated tailor's model standing in front of her: "Will you please ring the bell, sir?" Pawden, madam, I'm not the couductaw-ah." Indeed I What are you ? lie gives it up. In a Paris restaurant, a gentleman and a snob are seated at the same table. The snob is just finishing his dinner, the gentleman just beginning his. The snob lights a cigar and blows a cloui of smoke over his coffee. The gentleman rises and says ill the politest tone: "Excuse pie, sir-will it annoy you if I eat while you are smoking ?" A friend, in conversation with Rogers (the poet), said: '1 never put my razor in hot water, as 1 find it injures the temper of the blade." No doubt of it," said the poet; "show me the blade that would not be out of temper if plunged into hot water." A pastor being asked the meaning of the line in Scripture. "He was clothed with curses as with a" garment," replied: u It signifies that that individual had got a habit of swearing." I A letter bearing the direction, "My Son," ar- rived one day at the post-office of a seaport town. The difficulty ot the postal officials was great as to whom they should deliver the letter, until the per- plexity was solved by a sailor arriving and asking: "Is there a lelter from my mother?" It was a gracefnl compliment that Haydn the musician paid to a great female vocalist. Reynolds had painted her as Cecilia listening to celestial music. Looking at it, llaydn said: it is like her, hut there is a strange mistake. "What is it?" asked Reynolds. II \Vhy you have painted her listening to the angels when you ought to have represented the angels listening to her. Sheridan bal a very convenient formula for acknowledging all the new publications thai w r* constantly sent him. "Dear Sir,—1 have received your exquisite work, and 1 have no doubt 1 shall be highly delightod after 1 have read it." A lawyer, on being asked by a lady the meaning of the term "Fee simple," replied: Fee simple and a simple fee, And all the fees entail, Are nothing when compared to thee, The -at of fees, Female." It is a very uncomfortable thing for a man to get tight—in his boots. A Western editor in acknowledging the gift of a peck of onions from a subscriber, says: I- It is such kindnesses as these that always bring the tears to our eyes."

i THINGS WCLlTII KNOWING. MONn; PI PIET*.—This is all establishment at Rome, wllie:1 IIIIS existed ever since the year JOOJ. j It is certainly the greatest pawnbroker's shop in the world, and in its k nd one of tho noh'ust charities. Any person that brings a pawn may boriow fioni a s xpeuce to thirty crowns without paying any interest, hut all that is lent above that sunt pax s after the 1 ate of two percent, per annum, i At the end of the year, the borrower may renew, which is ti one without any expense; but, at the end of two years, if tlie pledge be not redeemed, nor inteivt-t of the iiione\ paid, the ple>ig is soid, and the overplus of the debt s laid by for the owner, who has it in his power to demand it within one hundred years. ilow TO AVOID FAMI:Y QUARKF.T.F.—Here is a recipe for avoiding family quarrels which nosy fairly claim credit for good sense and originaiit. It was given 11s bv an old man as invented a id practised by a couple he used to know. U Yull see," he sa 111, "llhY agreed between themselves that whenever he ca.ne 1 onie a little contrary a id out of temper, he wore his hat, on the back of his bead, and then sh" never sai l a word and if she came in a little cross and crooked, she thr-w her snawl over he." left shoulder, nod then he never said a word." Ii similar danger signals could he pretty largely used, h w many tin necessary coll sio is would be avoided, and bow many a long train of evil consequences would be safely shunted till the line was clear again. BIG lii.Asrs.—The mightiest of gunpowder blasts in connection with railway works, if not the very greatest htBiit ever exploded, was that by which bir William Cubdt blew away, with one charge of nineteen thousand pounds of gunpowder, the entire mass of the Round Down Cliff, which rose to the height of three hundred and fifty feet above the level of the sea within a few miles of Dover. This monster blast, fired hy galvanic electricity at several points instantaneously, at once heaved off front the cliffs a iijilss of more than a million tons of chalk, which rolled down upon the beach—the dislodged stuff covering a space of fifteen acres, which may still be seen ly Uie traveller the i-outh Eastern hailway, stretching towards the sea near t ie western base of ihe well-known Shake- spear's Clilf. By means of a similar blast on the Londonderry and Coleraina Hailway a hill Was thrown into the set hy a charged of three tli ntsand pounds of gunpowder, and thirty thollsalld tons of material were thus instantaneously removed from the line of the works. How j:icn.-A Danish superstition says: H yon would be rich, you must go out on Twelfth Night to a cross-road where live ways JIIeet, one of which leads to a church; allcl YOll must take with you in your hands a grejr calfskin and an axe. When you reach the cross-road you must sit down Oil the calfskin, the tail of which must be extended in the direction of the rOld which leads to the churchyard. Then you must look fixedly at the axe, which must be made sharp as possible. Towards mulnight the goblins will come in multitudes and put go!d in great heaps round you, to try and make you 100:' up, and they will chatter, gr mace, and grin at you. But when at length they have tailed in causing you to took aside, they will begin to take hold of the tail of the caitskiu and drag it away with you upon it. Then you will be fortunate if you can succeed in cutting off the tail with the axe without looking about you and without dumaging the ave. If you succeed, the goblins will vanish, and all ifiegol(i will remain by you. Otherwise, if you look about you or damage | the axe, it will be all up with you. LALOHKKB.—We may range the several kinds of laughers under the following heads. The dimplers, the smilers, the laughers, the grinners, the horse- laughers. The dimple is practised to give a grace to the features, and is frequently made a bait to entangle a gazing lover this was called by the ancients the Chianiaugh. The smile is for the most part confined to the fair sex and their male retinue. It expressed our satisfaction in a silent sort of approbation, doth not too much disorder the features, and is practised by lovers of the most delicate address. This tender notion of physiog- nomy tiie ancients called the Ionic laugh. The laugh among us is the common r/xus of the ancients. The grin, by writers of antiquity, is called the Sy ileitis ian and was then, as It is at this time, made use of to display It helluriful set 01 teeth The horse-laugh, or the sardonic, is made us- of with {•reat s-uccess in all kinds of disputation. The proficients in this kind, by a well-timed laugh, will bamethemostsotidargutuent. This upon all oc- casions supplies the want of reason; is always re- ceived with great applause in coffee-liouie disputes; and that side the laugh joins with is generally ob- served to gain the better of his an tagonist. ORIGIN OF FAIKS.—The origin of fairs, like that of many other ancient institutions, is involved in much obscurity, The almost universal belief is that they were associated with religious observance nr, as Prof. Morley poetically puts it, "ihe first iai s were formed by the gathering of worshippers and pilgrims about sacred places, aud especially wilhiu or aboUl the wal s of abbeys and cathedrals j au the feast days of the saints enshrined therein. The sacred building and its surroundings being too small to provide accommodation, tents were pitched, and as the resources of the district would no more suffice to victual than to lodge its throng of visitors, stalls were set up by provision dealers, and later these were turned to more general purposes of trade." Tliis incidental origin seems, in some cases, hardly sufficient to account for the results which followed but then it has ever been the genius of commerce to follow close upon the wants of the people. The establishment of fairs as a source of revenue to religious bouses was probably a later development. The Church has always been keenly alive to its temporal interests; and while it was one of its principal functions to administer hospi- I tality to the needy and decrepit, there was justice in drawing contributions from those who too soon might hare to rely upon its bounty. Certain it is that nearly all the early charters were shaped in I view of granting tolls and revenue to the purposes of religion and charity. GHEE.—The following is an extract from an i article that appeared in the St. Jam*it's Gazette, which, probably, will he of some interest to our readers. One often reads of the Indian Ghee, but i perhaps not many know how it is prepared "What is ghee? How is it used by the natives of India? I And why is its adulteration by cows' or pigs' fat so obilbxious to them? Clear answers to these questions will bring home to Englishmen the cause of the present agitati< n about ghee in India. '• Ghee is prepared by boiling fresh-drawn milk in eartherll pots for an hour or II ore, and adding, after it hat cooled, a little < urdtfd m Ik. The curdled mass it then churned for half rn hour, some hot water i: added, and the churning continued for halt an bout j longer, when the l utier forms- This butter ii then boiled until all the watery particles and curdt have been thr wii off iy repeated skimmings. The clear oil is poured into a vessel to cool, and the | granulated mass H us formed is ghee. It is kept in earthen (Hits, aud sold in bauyas' shops at th< rate of 2ib. to lb. for a rupee. "If well made, t ghee w 11 keep good for years, losing its flavoui son ewluit but not ts properties, which improve with age. In some old taiuil es you will find ghe< oTer a hundred years old buried under the earth ir earthen jars. Iustanc s a:e known of the preserva- tion of glkee, without taut, lor two hundred years, aud even longer. ■• Ail but the poorest classes ir India, whether Hindoos or Mahomniedans, useghet tot ordinary cooling j urposes. Where the English cook us s butter, suet, or iar l, the Indian use! ghee. In fryiog ptoat fa, in cooking dal, in mak- ing swe tinenis, 111 preparing tasteful dishes, the upper and m (Idle asses alwuys use ghee, which it al o rnl txj ov r ciiiilmtties, t'le flat flour-cakei serving lor bread, a ) t p.-u-vd over rice at the timt of ent i»if. •Mine of the secrets of the fine flavoui of Ind 111 n-made i-ori i s the use of good ghee Ami ne t er llin loos n"r Mahoiuuiedang will toucb n'y 00.1 t al is e -o c w tit gh.e which they believe to be adulterated I,y *tgs' or oows' lat." lilacking is f?r t ioe'iti n.ed in the th century. We liieii near o a pa o pumps with a cress cut at tije tiles f,,r (,of,,s no; nuc, unlet d, but* cleanly btakt. willi II t. ii i'i fthtu liy ) ke a s,toeing born." Blacking was biougtit tro o 1 aly for it is said that the s tnoi tbe !*■ ■ «j obian labors upon the Exchange its L< mion s1 .«■ With via xing, hoalle Jell II, 1:6 8li.< w iy remarks, that if Christian i.atK ,s>; w r«- a'iotis of Christians, ware Would be unknown aiiiOng them. < The smallest hair caa s a shadow; the most, trifling act has its .onSe. ueuces, if not here, at least hereaft r. Force yourself to refle r on what you read para- graph by paragraph. A wise man s an is firm in all extremities, and bears the lot of his humanity with a divine ten.n>e»-

FIlUU CITY CORRESPONDENTS. SiE JOHN LTTBHOCK finds it hard work to satisfy London shopkeepers about- his Early Closing Bid. i'he metropolitan mind hates compulsion. A surfe of census is to be taken on the bill, the second reading of which is fixed for the 2nd of May. I ar that Sir John will not find in London the iiera! approval of the measure that, lie is able to produce iroiii Liverpool. MT\ T. H. ISMAY and Mrs. Ismay have arrived in London after a most, enjoyable trip to Egypt and India. Their daughter accompanied them, nd they were all in perfect health and greatly pleas. (I with the excursion. They visited bo:h Northern and Southern India, and spent, eighty- six days in the country, and altogether had a most pleasurable time of it. FIFTY peers and 150 members of the House of Commons will attend the banquet to Mr. A. J. Balfour at St. James's Hall, Piccadilly, on Wednes- day, April 11. Among the peers present will be Lords Ashbourne, Cranbrook, Cadogan, Lothian, the Dukes of Abercorn, Leeds, and Northumber- land, and many members of the Government in lJOth houses of Parliament). THE sudden death of Mr. William Abbott, re- movesone of) !te most conspicuous figures in London financial circles. In addition to a splendid physique lie was gifted with oratory, and his aj> pen ranee at City meetings was always an occasion tor admiration, although it was not always comfort- able for the magnates of finance he was so fond of attacking. As a Stock Exchange operator he had few equals, but I doubt if lie has died rich. He aged rapidly in the last few years, and the re- cent death of his eldest son appears to have com- pletely broken him down. A SERVICE in commemoration of the tfbath of the rate German Emperor has been held at Exeter Hall, London, which was crowded with German residents in the metropolis. The Prince of V altm- also attended. An oration was delivered by Pro- fessor Max Mtiller. The follo\«ig telegram waa despatched to the Emperor Frederick:—"Three thousand London Germans, assembled in ExeLor Hall to do honour to the revered memory of your much beloved father, the lamented Emperor, are anxious to convey to the Emperor and his Consorb their heartfelt and loyal wishes for a long life and a happy reign." IT is difficult to say whether Mr. Irving's succeax is greater on this side of the Atlantic or on the other. In all probability he is even more popular in America than he is in his own country. At any rate, that is a fair inference to draw from his re- peated visits to the United States, though it intisft be confessed that it is hard to imagine more 3nthusiastic receptions than he gets from those audiences at the Lyceum Theatre who crowd every part of the house when there is an opportunity to see him. The New York Herald has just given m., glowing account of his tour in America, front which we gather that he has again won goldea- opinions from all sorts of people," in a double- sense. We are told that Mr. Irving's impersona- tions, in which he made so deep an impression ab,. his theatre here, have increased the fame which hth- already enjoyed in America, and we may be sure? that, the treasuries of the theatres at which he hae appeared during his visit have benefited great.ly by his etiort-i. A PARAGRAPH has appeared in various American- newspapers to the effect that the Baroness Burdott- Contts has established a fund for the provision of. institutions where poor London seamstresses cam., have the use of sewing machines. This system, might take t he form partly of charity or partly of t he payment of so much per day or week. Unforba. naiely, so far as the baroness is connected with lh. movement, I have information that the statements is incorrect. The baroness expressed her sympathy.* with some such plan when a conference on the- .subject was held a short time ago, but nothing practical or pecuniary has yet been done. M U., M'William, who originated the idea, is not likely to let the matter rest. The system would lttve,, s-everal advantages, not the least of which won be that it would take the poor women from their^ own stuffy rooms to do their work in a well- liLIited-I and well-ventilated apartment, and we shonbl beat,' less of the occasional injustice perpetrated undoes the present hire system.. j IF we are not soon sufficiently acquainted wibii]) Japanese art, it will not be the fault of the exhibit tors, for there is now Hllothereollection of paint-- ings and drawings by the leading artists of Japan* from the ninth to the nineteenth century, thie^ being shown in New Bond Street by the Fine Art Association. It might have been thought*} that interest; in this department of art had -tlnvMki been exhausted, but such a collection as this w oul<% appeal even to the jade I. Some of the earlier pictures, which date back to the ninth aud eleven, centuries, are curious rather than striking bofct when those of the Middle Ages are reached, then*, are some excellent specimens of animal painting A wild goose, some sparrows on a branch, and acaft^, all dating from the sixteenth century, are good ba- it is when one comes to the monkeys of Sosen tha." it is felt how true to nature is the best Japanese art. Among the figure pictures, a group of Chines** children and a mother and child are striking hooki the portrait of a Kioto lady, hard in outline aiuft altogether too bright in colour, would indicate ok decidd decadence in the present century. A M- trait. of a Japanese chief might easily pass for burlesque likeness of Mr. Irving; but the OIM^ consciously humorous touch in the collection iq* afforded by a couple of large sketches of the 17fcttt century, representing a man and woman with re- markable freedom of brush, and an indication character which may be called Hogarthian andK. the latter epithet is the less open to question boi cause Hogarth himself might have drawn tfiiQat woman, who in some respects looks quite EiraJr lish." AMID atmospheric and other surroundings by means enlivening, if not absolutely depressing, t forty-fifth annual contest between the rival crev«Q| of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge wafl$? decided on Saturday morning. For the third tun^ in succession the Cambridge boat ti-ill) I passed the winning post, having accomplished tbte distance in twenty minutes and forty-eight seeond&p^ and being six lengths ahead of her somen hat ditr^ heartened competitor. The result had been so unit* versally anticipated that the cheers which tOJ4 the achievement of the crew of the Light Blu«m were entirely complimentary, and in no way pressive of surprise. In point of time Saturday?^ race was performed in four seconds less than MW trial of the previous year, and on only three occitr». sions in the history of the Boat Race has tiie preK sent record been beaten. The result did not, *,Iq I have said, excite the least symptom of surprise, for through all the preliminary trials the Cambridge crew, notwithstanding the remarkable equality iw the aggregate of the rival weights, had manifested, such decided superiority in physique, discipline^ and action that the prospects of the Oxford boatfe. were held to be hopeless. In many other resixecttt, the circumstances of the race were not of a clwtrae*- ter to raise enthusiasm to the usual fever-heat. Ittc was an early fixture alike in the course of the yeasttr and of the day, and the weather, on which all oofe. <loor performances are dependent for brilliancy iQ success, exercised a decidedly depressing infiuenoKw A gloomy sky and a dreaiy light grey fog lowered* over the course, and from first to last obscured ttNf: view from every point. The conditions which rtlh I' tained on Saturday may possibly impart additioatlt force to the question whether the fixture depoon dent on the shifting periods of the UniveraUip* Term is a sensible practice to be maintained. the race is to be, as is doubtless intended, agennifembi t rial of strength and excellence the presuinaMlfe circumstances of weather are conditions not to Ifcfe wholly disregarded. Whenever the race ocarmw in the month of March the conditions of tUto weather are most frequently unfavourable to tttar full exercise of the physical exertions upon whicjfc it wholly depends. The considerations which tttm contest of Saturday will freely arouse are in thewH selves sufficient to induce the postponement of tHA race to a more suitable period of the year. 4

The tenants of Earl Fitzwilliam have decidett^Hai present Lady Fitzwilliam with her portrait, in ft"- on the occasion of their golden wedding in Septeiwh ber next

LOCAL & DISTRICT INTELLIGENCE TKEFORESR. ENTBRTAINMKNT.—On Tnesday evening a sue" oesrtful entfrtaiouierit was given at Calvary Baptist Chapel, Wood-road, Treforest, un or the presidency of Mr James Roberts, TalI Va.e House. A capital programme of vocal and instrumental music was gone through in the presence of a large and appre- ciative attendance of the public. Have yon tned HARRIS' NOTED TEA, at 2s PER POUND ? Try a sample quarter pound, 6d, and you will always use it.—HAKHIS, grocer, Taff Street, Pont- ypridd. LLANTWITFARDHE. THE EIJTKDDFOD.—We desire to draw attention to ttle annua! eisteddfod and concert to be held at, Salem, L',tr,ts*i: t'ardre, o" Good Friday. From the brillian" .issenibbiye of literary, bardic, and tonflical talent which will be present at. both gatherings, we have no herit itiou in predicting ra!ely enjoyable inteliefitual tieats to crowded audiences. One Penny Packet of EDWARDS' DESSICATED SOUP will make a basinful, which for flavour is urieq ii all Agent, HARKIB, grocer, TAFF Street, Pont- ypridd. TONYPANDY. THR CHILDREN'S CONCKRT.— It affords us great pleasure t Ktnto that the proceeds of the recent series of acb' f.I children's concerts have reached £50, stirn wiil be giv"n towads the Orphau-ge hrid Benevolent funds. WAXI ED a Bov over 13 years of age, ns appr>.«,- tice to the Printing tra.de. Apply at the O^ii i-, o! thia Paper. TAFFS WELL. FGLWYSIOAN SCHOOL BOARD.—At the monthly mee.i'.t; of the above Board, høld on Monday, Mr H. in the chair, the Clerk (Mr Ttioinns) stated that eleven tenders bad been received for the ernction of new schools and master's residence at Cilfynydd. The firml selection will be rnnde at a sp.(!).,tl meeting to be held on the 3rd of April next. SELLING OFF GREAT BOOT SALE. MEN'S NAILED lioors FROM 4s t),l.Vomen's and Children's EQUALLY AS OHxSAP at G. OLIVER'S, 85, TAI- STREET, PONTYPBIDD. Harris, 75, Taff Street, Pontypridd, is agent for Harris' (of Calne) noted SMOKED WILTSHIRE BACON; also WILKINSON'S NOTED CAM- BRIDGE SAUSAGES. PONTSHONORTON. COMPETITIVE MKKTING — I'he fourth of these meetings was 'eld at the Welsh Wealeyan Chapsl. Pontehonort<«n, on Thursday th". 22od inst. i'he couduotorship of the rn^^ting was efficiently carried out by Mr Jones, Pontypridd. The sing- iner was adjudicated by Mr W. T. Jones, Cilfynyd f. Prizes were taken by t ie foil iwmg—Messrs John Phillip", Mynyddog Fyohan, Edwird Ashton, Miss Reea, and a party from Cilfysiydd. 'The foUow\nn aUo took pa rt -Misses Rees, Morse, Evans and H irris Messrs Jones. Beere, Hugh o'r Gogtfdd.WiH o Machen, and Uwen. BUTTER BUTTER BUTTER Best Canadian Buttor, 10:1 per ID. Finest Itish ditto, la Choicest, from best dairies, Is 2d Margarine (selected), 6d and 8d per lb.—HARRIS, Taff Street, Poutypridd.

IB is now anticipated that France—the oniy Power which lias held back from assenting to the proposed abolition of the sugar bounties—will shortly return a favourable reply, in which case the bounties will be done away with. Lord Dufferin has issued a request for originals or copies of all letters from his mother, who was born Miss Helen Sheridan, and inherited much of all that was best in the gifts and graces of the most famous member of that family. The steam yacht Hiawatha, formerly the property of the late Earl Dalhousie which has been purchased by the Government for £ 6,000, has been delivered to the naval authorities at Sheerness, as a tender to the Nore flagship. In the Army Estinlates for the coming financial year provision is made for the formation of a Voluiv- teer Medical Staff Corps, to be raised entirely in Leeds. It will number 100 of all ranks. Similar corps only exist at five other places. A publican, named Place, was showing some firearms to a friend named Rowbottom, at the Col- lege Arms, Old Bethnal Green Road, one evening, when a revolver was fired—it is said, by accident— and RowboLloin fell dead. Place was taken into custody, and remanded. A woman withdrew X150 in notes from the Bank of Ireland, in Dublin, the other day and during her absence at the cash office where she was getting notes changed for gold, some thief abstracted Y-65 in notes from the bag she had left on the bank counter and escaped. I The Water Committee have accepted the tender of Messrs. Monk and Newall, contractors, Bootle, at nearly £20,000. to construct a tunnel under the Mersey, near Fidler's Ferry, for the conveyance of the double line of pipes in connection with the Yyrnwy scheme. According to a Berlin telegram, the total of the late Emperor William's savings does not exceed £ 2,500,000. The larger portion is left to increase the Crown Treasure," and the remainder will be divided between the Empress Augusta, the EJn- peror Frederick, and the Grand Duchess of Baden. We regret to announce the death in London of iJr. Doyne Courtenay Bell, assistant private secre- tary under Sir Henry Ponsonby. Mr. Bell has been for many years the permanent assistant of the Privy Purse. He was in the prime of life, and succumbed to a sudden pulmonary attack. A great destruction of lisli has been caused in the river Eden, at Carlisle, byo the bursting of a creosote tank at the goods yard of the Midland Railway. The creosote- ran into a small stream which is a tributary of the Eden, and the resulb was the poisoning of many tons of tish, including salmon and trout. The Right Rev. C. J. Abraham, formerly Bishop of Wellington, New Zealand, held a Confirmation Service at Eton College Chapel, when upwards of 170 noblemen and gentlemen who are being edu- cated at the school were confirmed. The service was attended by many parents and friends of the students. Mr. Davy, Local Government Board, Inapectot for the South-Eastern district, has been paying official visits to all the workhouses in Kent, and making enquiries into the consumption of stiAW lants therein. Ho states that, whereas in York- shire tho cost is one penny per pauper, in Kent and Sussex it is one pound per pauper for stimu lants consumed. Tho Queen has graciously intimated her con- sent to patronise the Royal Naval and Military Bazaar, which has for its object the establishment and maintenance of soldiers' and sailors' homes in various naval aud military stations ab home and abroad. The bazaar will be held for three days iV May next in the Whitehall Rooms of the ltotei Metropole. Timothy O'Rourke has been committed to the Liverpool Assizes for causing the death of his nephew, James Shaw. Prisoner, whilst in drink, had a dispute with his wife and also his sister. The la'.l, er armed herself with a poker, which O'Rourke wrenched from and then nung at her, striking her son, a boy 10 years old, on the head, from which blow he died shortly afterwards. The Athens correspondent of tIe Stamlartl tele- graphs A small brass statue has been discovered near tho Acropolis Museum. It is in a perfect state of preservation, and the figure represented bears, a close resemblance to the Apollo of C'anochos in the British Museum. This statue is the best specimen of workmanship in biAss that has yet come to light in the course of the excavations at the Acropolis Replying to a memorial thanking him for the action, he took at the Liverpool Assizes relative to the drink traffic, Mr. Justice Grantham admits that his remarks and action brought public opinion to bear more forcibly on one important aspect of the drink question. He hopes good will result I and adds that the abuse heaped upon him by some proves that he muat bav« touched a weak point in tbW armour.