Welsh Gazette and West Wales Advertiser

Be as free, as liberal, as courageous as you will; but be religious because you are liberal, be devout z!77, because you are free, be pure because you are bold. DEAN STANLEY, We may not think our father's thought, Their creeds our lips may alter But in the faith they dearly bought Our hearts shall never falter. itwas faith in man, 'twas faith in God, Twas faith in truth and beauty. :In freedom's might, and reason's right, And all controlling duty. THOMAS HORNBLOWER GiLb.

Peace. There is no human heart that beats But has some hidden load of care; No eyes, but see sad winding-sheets. E'en when they gaze on scenes most fair; No laugh that rings out gay and clear But finds some echo in a moan; For every smile there is a tear, For every shout of joy-a groan. .oh1 give me peace. If this I have Enshrined within my aching breast, No fame nor riches will I crave. For perfect joy means perfect resk

The Lilac. See how the lilac's clustered spray Has kindled into bloom, Radiant as joy, o'er troubles past, m And whispering, Spring is come at last 1 Few blossoms add so much to the charms of the sweet spring-time of the year as the Lilac. Its delightful fragrance is redolent of the quiet vales of its native "land. The Lilac was first brought into this country from Persia by a German traveller early in the sixteenth century. Its name, which is also Persian, was pronounced layloc in the time of Elizabeth, a pronunciation which the word still holds in Wales. In some parts of Devon the Lilac is known as the May from the time of its flowering.

—* The Remembered Past. All minds, even the dullest, remember the days of their childhood but all cannot. bring back the indescribable brightness of that blessed season. They who would know what they once were, must not merely recollect, but they must imagine the hills and valleys-if any such there were-in which .their childhood played the torrents, the waterfalls, the lakes, the heather, the rocks, the heaven's imperial dome, the raven floating only a little lower than the eagle in the sky. To imagine what he then heard and saw, he must imagine his own nature. He must collect from many vanished hours the power of his untamed heart; and he .must, perhaps, transfuse also something of his maturer mind into those dreams of his former 'being, thus linking the past with the present by a continuous chain, which, though often invisible, is never broken. So is it, too, with the calmer affections that have grown within the shelter of a roof, we do not merely remember, we imagine, our father's house, the fireside, all his features then most living, now dead and buried; the very manner of his smile, every tone of his voice. We must combine, with all the passionate and plastic power of imagination, the spirit of a thousand happy hours into one moment; and we must invest with all that we ever felt to be venerable such an image as alone can fill our filial hearts. It is thus that imagination, which first aided the growth of all holiest and happiest affections, can preserve them .to us unimpaired— For she can bring us back the dead, Even in the loveliest looks they wore. WASHINGTON IRVING.

The Pursuit of Knowledge. If any young man have embarked his life in the pursit of knowledge, let him go on, never doubting or fearing the event. Let him not be intimidated bv the cheerless beginnings of knowledge, by the darkness from which she springs, by the difficulties which hover around her. by the wretched habita- tions in which she dwells, by the want and sorrow that sometimes journey in her train; but let him ever follow her as the angel which guards him, and .as the genius of his life. She will bring him out at last, and exhibit him to the light of day com- prehensive in acquirements, fertile in resources, rich in imagination, strong in reasoning, prudent and powerful above his fellows in all the offices and in all the relations of life. SYDNSY SMITH.

t Worthy Aims. There are few of you, perhaps, who could achieve distinction. Tli^re are none of you who need be satisfied without an achievement that is infinitely higher. You may make your lives beautiful and blessed. The poorest of you can afford to be kind; the least gifted amongst you can practise that loving wisdom which know the straightest road to human hearts. You may not be able to thrill senates with your eloquence, but you may see eyes sparkle and 'faces grow gladder when you appear. You may not astonish the listeners with your acquirements of varied scholarship, but you may dwell in some spirit; as a presence associated with all that is beautiful and holy; you may neither be a magnate nor a millionaire, but you may have truer honours than of earth and riches, which wax not old. You may not rise to patrician estate, nor come under that mysterious process by which the churl's blood is transformed into the nobleman's, but you may ennoble yourselves in a higher aristocracy than that of belted earl. UbC the opportunities yon have, make the best of your circumstances, however unpromising. Give your heart.; to God, and your lives to honest work aoo Inviw mirnose, and vou can never livo in vain. Men will feel your influence like the scent of a bank of violets, fragrant with the hidden sweet- netis of the spring, and men will miss you when vou cease from their communions, as if a calm, familiar star shot suddenly and brightly from their vision, and if there wave not at your funeral trappings of the world's gaudy woe, nor the pageantry of the world's surface—honour, eyes full of heart-break" shall gaze wistfully adown fhe path where you have departed, and, in the long after-time, hearts which you have helped to make happy shall recall your memory with gratitude and tears. PUNBHON'B LKCTURES.

Conscience and Inmortality. It is not presurnptous to say that man could have been better made if he is not to live after death. This one life of earth would be better if his moral nature were emptied of the greater part of its contents, and their place filled by instincts. A round of' utilitarian duties, of low prudences; and calculations covering the brief span of existence, would be the highest wisdom. If this life is all, • we elro over-freighted in our moral nature, like a ship with the greater part of its cargo in the bows, ever drenched v/ith the bitter waters of the sea, instead of floating freely and evenly upon them. If this life is all, there is no place for such a faculty as conscience, with its lash of remorse in one hand, and its peace like a river in the other. It is out of proportion to its relations. It is like setting a great engine to propel a pleasure-boat, or like building a great ship to sail across a little lake. A strong well-grounded instinct, that led us to seek the good and avoid the bad as animals avoid noxious food, would be a better endowment than -conscience, unless it has some more enduring field than this from. which to reap. The step from -instinct to freedom and conscience is a step from time to eternity. Conscience is not truly correlated to human life. The ethical implies the eternal. T. T. Munger.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—THURSDAY. RUSSIA IN CHINA. Mr. BRODRICK (Under-Secretary) for Foreign Affairs), replying to a question by Mr. Moore (U.. Shropshire, Ludlow), said her Majesty's Govern- ment had not been informed of the establishment of a competent police administration at Talienwan; neither had they heard of the establishment of a customs service there. TRANSVAAL DYNAMITE CONCESSION. Mr. CHAMBERLAIN, replying to Mr. Bryn Roberts (R., Carnarvonshire. Eifion), said the Government, in complaining of the Transvaal dynamite concession as a contravention of the London Convention, acted on the advice of the officers of the Crown. The concession granted in 1887 was cancelled in 1891. The present State monopoly dated from 1893. Papers would shortly be distributed giving the reason of the delay in protesting against; it. SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS. In putting a question to the Secretary to the Treasury as to the desirability of with-holding Government advertisements from seven-day news- papers. Mr. PIRIE (R., Aberdeen, N.) said the question no longer applied; to the Daily Mail," which had dropped its Sunday paper; but he asked if it were not the fact that the Sunday issue had seriously diminished the circulation of the Daily Tele- graph." The SPEAKER Order, order. That is not a question which can be put. Mr. HANBURY said the selection of papers for advertisements rested with the heads of depart- ments. RUSSIAN DEMANDS OF CHINA. Mr. BRODRICK, replying to Mr. Gretton (U., Derbyshire, S.), said the Government had not yet been able to ascertain what course was to be followed in regard to the recent Russian demand for further railway concessions in China. RIGHT OF PUBLIC MEETING IN IRELAND. fr. DAVITT (N., Mayo, N.) asked leave to move the adjournment of the House, in order to call attention to a definite matter of urgent public im- portance, namely, the suppression of a public meet- ing in the county of Mayo on Sunday last by a force of armed police. The hon. member obtained the requisite support by the whole of the opposition present, with the exception of the Front Bench, rising in their places, and proceeded with his motion. The meeting was promoted by the United Irish League, and if the aims and objects of the league were illegal, he called upon the Administration to prosecute him- self and others connected with the organisation. He insisted that it was a legal combination, and had as good a right to free speech and public meeting as the Primrose League. But if it was not legal, the Attorney-General was wanting in ilia duty. Mr. AMBROSE (N., Mayo, W.) seconded the motion. Mr. G. BALFOUR (Secretary for Ireland) said he was unaware that this subject was going to be raised, and he had not with him the papers relat- ing to this meeting. It appeared from statements in the press that the object of the meeting referred to was to invite people to boycott and intimidate certain individuals. He had no desire to proclaim meetings, but under certain circumstances it was his duty to do so, and, though the duty was un- pleasant, he discharged it. Mr. DILLON said if such proclamations were allowed to pass without protest the right of public meeting would be at the mercy of the right hon, gentlemen. This was a particularly gross case, because, as the right hon. gentleman had said, there had been 200 open-air meetings in the past twelve months, and they had led to no disturbance of the peace. Mr. G' BALFOUR said crime had increased in Mayo. Mr. DILLON denied that absolutely. At the last assizes Mayo was pronounced to be absolutely free from crime. Strong language might have been used at some of these meetings, but it would scarcely be wise and statesmanlike to be too critical of platform utterances, but rather to judge them by their result. They heard a good deal about the grievances of Uitlanders in the Transvaal, but it was the height of hypocrisy to denounce the oppression of the Uitlanders and claim for them the right of free meeting when they denied it to the peasantry of Mayo, who had infinitely greater grievances, and had not been recently engaged in an attempt to upset the Government in London. Mr. W. MOORE protested against the assump- tion by Nationalists that they represented the people of Ireland. He cordially supported the policy of the Chief Secretary. Mr. T. P, O'CONNOR (N., Liverpool, Scotland) congratulated the United Irish League on the many victories they had gained over the right hon. gentleman, and prophesied that they would gain many more. The House divided, and there voted—For the mation to adjourn, 107; against, 212; Government majority, 105.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FRIDAY, BRITISH SUBJECTS IN THE TRANSVAAL. Mr. ELLIS GRIFFITH asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he had received any communication or report from Sir Alfred Milner on the subject-matter of the petition recently de- spatched for presentation to Her Majesty by British subjects resident in the Transvaal; and if so whether he would lay upon the table such communication or report. Mr. CHAMBERLAIN: The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As to the second part, I must refer the hon. gentleman to my answer to the hon. member for Derby on the .21st of April. Mr. CHAMBERLAIN said he had recently in- structed Sir A. Milner on the subject of the dis- abilities of British Indian subjects in the Transvaal, and the matter would, no doubt, be discussed between him and President Kruger. Mr. G. WYNDHAM, replying to Mr. Dillon, said that since January, 1899, two battalions had been sent out to South Africa to take the place of two which had left the station and 776 warrant omcers non-commissioned officerss, and men had been sent out as drafts in the ordinary course to relieve time- expired men, and to fill up other casualties. THE AGED AND DESERVING POOR COMMITTEE. Mr. CHAPLIN, in reply to Sir C. Dalrymple, said his attention had been directed to numerous s paragraphs which had appeared in the Press with regard to the proceedings of the. Committee, and he was very glad to reply to the question of his hon. friend, for it was his intention, at tho unani- mous request of his colleagues on the Committee, to have taken some other means Of correcting the misapprehensions to which those statements would otherwise give rise. He had to say on their behalf that none of the statements referred to were autho- rised. They had all been made without the know- ledge or sanction of the Committee many of them were either inaccurate or misleading, and they were not to be taken as representing the decisions of the Committee (Hear, hear). THE VOTE FOR THE SIRDAB. Mr. A. BALFOUR announced that the vote for the grant to Lord Kitchener would be taken on Monday, the 5th of June. THE TRANSVAAL ARRESTS. In reply to Mr. Scott, Mr. CHAMBERLAIN said: I have no other information except that President Kruger stated to Mr. Greene that there was no proof that the persons arrested had been officers in the British army, and that in any case the incident would not be allowed to disturb friendly relations. I may add that the President of the South African League has publicly repudiated on behalf of the League any connection, direct or in- direct, with the enlistment of persons for any pur- pose whatever in any State or Colony. MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION. On the motion for the adjournment of the House for the Whitsuntide holidays (till Wednesday, the 31st of May). Mr. CHANNING complained of the postpone- ment, year by year, of the introduction of a Bill to amend the Agricultural Holdings AQt. Mr. A. BALFOUR declared that the pledge given by the Treasury to Scotland was to make up the 12s. per child necessary to secure free education. That pledge had been, and would be, kept. With regard to the promised Agricultural Holdings Bill there was not much prospect of dealing with it this Session. Mr. BRYN ROBERTS complained of the undue interference of the British Government in Trans- vaal affairs. It was complained that the Uitlanders had no voice in the election of the President of the Transvaal, nor had one any voice in the elec- tion of the supreme head of this realm. The mining Z, interest in the Transvaal was not taxed unduly, and was infinitely less highly taxed than in Rhod- esia, at the Cape, and in British Columbia. There was no country of equal importance in which min- ing taxes and royalties were less than they were in the Transvaal. This country ..had been seeking occasion to pick a quarrel with the Transvaal (No, no). Objection had been taken to the most trivial matters, such as a man killed in a street row, which would not have been deemed worth a paragraph here in London. He declared the metropolitan daily Press, with one or two exceptions, was under Rhodesian influence.

CROMWELL AND HIS CHARACTER. THE REV. J. GUINNESS ROGERS AT ABERYSTWYTH. The visit of such a well-known preacher as the Rev. J. Guinness Rogers, D.D., to Aber- ystwyth is sufficient to ensure the presence of large congregations to hear him; and when the subject is one so dear to the hearts of the people as that of Oliver Cromwell," a large attendance is made doubly certain. The English Congregational Chapel at Aber- ystwyth was, therefore, well filled on both occasions on Sunday, the evening congrega- tion being so large that the ordinary seating was not sufficient to accommodate it, and chairs and forms had to be requisitioned and placed in the aisles. At the evening service the Rev. J. Guiness Rogers began his sermon by saying that it was a very important thing that the tercen- tary of the birth of Oliver Cromwell should have awakened so much interest as it had done. He ventured to think that it was an unfortunate thing that that interest should have been fanned so largely by their Free Churches, for while Cromwell was undoubt- edly more in sympathy with the principles of the Free Churches, there was not to be found in the whole of history a more typical Englishman than the Great Protector. The great qualities which made the English nation conspicuous were those which were specially marked in this very distinguished ruler. But he was not going to speak of him as a ruler that night, except so far as the general principles of which he should speak applied to his government and his ad- ministration, as well as other parts of his life. The words on which he would speak, and which might perhaps indicate his line of observation, would be found in the Book of Nehemiah, the 5th chapter, and the 5th verse-" So did not I, because of the fear of God." If they were to search for a model which would really describe THE CROWNING FORCE in Cromwell's character and life, he did not think they could find one more appropriate than that in which the great Jewish patriot described the secret of his own policy and action. Fear of God ruled, guided, restrained, and governed him, and in that respect Oliver Cromwell was a second Nehemiah. He was a many-sided man. Most great men were many-sided, and it would be possible to occupy their time to some profit and interest to speak of several aspects of his character and life. A book had been pub- lished which described Cromwell as a general. Well, they were not particularly interested in that. He was not condemning Cromwell because he was a warior. If they were to enter upon the extraordinary idea that war was to be absolutely abjured by all right- minded people, then the result might be, and might be speedily, that the tyrant, and the unjust, and the unrighteous, and the oppressor might become the ruler. There were times when war was the lesser even of many evils. Don't imagine for a single moment that he thought or spoke lightly of the horrors of war, or that he believed war was to be rashly, recklessly entered into by the promptings of ambition or for the sake of gain. The most guilty party in any nation, in our nation as in others at the present moment, was the party which, to use the words of the Prime Minister, would grab at everything and fight everybody. But a nation could not renounce its liberty, and could not abandon its rights to walk accord- ing to the dictates of conscience, even if it were that in order to maintain them they had to resort to the terrible alternative of war. So he did not condemn Oliver Cromwell as a, soldier. He rejoiced rather that in the time of the great birth of liberty there was found such a soldier. He asked himself, if it had not been for Cromwell, what would have been the issue of that tremendous con- flict, and what would have been the position of England to-day. We did not pride our liberty sufficiently, because we had enjoyed it so long, and because it seemed to us so absolutely secure. We did not measure all its value, simply because of its very breadth and fulness. We had in this nation to-day, in its great national heart and thought, the religion of PURE PHOTESTAKISM, and we had it because of the gallant stand that was made by the Puritans of the Civil War, and most of all by Cromwell and his Ironsides. So wonderful was this untried and untrained man that a writer of the day, an expert, who was dealing with all the great generals, devoted one of his volumes to say how very great Cromwell was. It was not his (the speaker's) part either that night to deal with Cromwell as a great statesman; he wanted rather to look at Cromwell himself as a man of character, a Protestant, a Puritan, made what he was because of the fear of God. Any one who supposed that he was an ambitious man, who schemed, and intrigued, and plotted against the Established Government and the King and by force of that managed to thrust his own way upward until he attained to the highest place in England, knew nothing of the life of the man. He (the speaker) had wandered in the rich meailows down by St. Ives, where Cromwell's cattle used to feed, and where he lived as a sturdy yeoman and farmer, never dreaming of warfare and arms, and still less of a palace, and what was the equivalent to a throne. He was simply an honest Englishman, a Christian Englishman, doing his work day by day, and lie was taken away from it, and made a man of affairs, a great politician, a groat general, A great ruler. It was worth while studying such a character. The first thing they noticed about Cromwell was that he was a Christian man. They had a way of judging Cromwell which did not always occur to them. Carlyle helped them with that; he was the first to give them an extended col- lection of Cromwells letters. If they wanted to know a man, let them get at his private letters. The nature of a man was very largely known by what he wrote when he sat down and in perfect confidence, poured out his soul in its times of anguish and agony to his most beloved—not in the letters he wrote to be published. There were letters men wrote to the newspapers that hardly revealed themselves, and it was to be hoped many of them did not; when they did it MIGHT BE UNCONSCIOUS. But these were letters written not to be read by the public written to convey the impression he wished not like Tennyson's preacher, of whom the Northern farmer said, a said whot a owt to 'a said "—that was not it. If they wanted to know the depth of tenderness and Loving thought and affec- tion, and above all if they wanted to knOfiv how continually in all his ways—public and private—Cromwell acknowledged God, they would find it written in these letters. If he is in sorrow, it is in God that he finds con- solation if he has a mercy, it is from God that it proceeds. There was that wonder- fully touching piece in one of his letters in which he spoke of the loss of his son and of the agony of heart through which he passed, and of the comfort which he received and there was that other letter in which he spoke of the triumph of Dunbar. They might h:1, differences of opinion as to whether Cromwell was doing good or evil, fighting for the right or for the wrong, but no man c who read his letters could deny that he had a living, real, strong, and abiding faith in God in what he did in the State Chamber in the battle-field, or the House of Parlia- ment. What he did, he did, its George Her- bert said, under the Great Taskmaster's own eye. Plenty of men would say this was cant; they would say hymns sung that night were cant; that any expression of devoted sentiment or devoted feeling was cant. It was very easy indeed, but not much marked by tolerance or charity, to describe the ex- pressions of those differing from one's self as cant. Let them do credit to one bio- grapher of Cromwell, a man who did not agree with him in religious opinions, who had no sympathy with his theology, nor with CIY the piety based on that theology, but who nevertheless, was able honestly and fairly to look at the facts—he meant Mr. Frederick Harrison. What he said was this: "Men do not talk to each other in this style as they used to. I am not quite sure whether we have not carried that unwillingness to speak about our religion a great deal too far. I think it is quite possible that the utterances, plain, simple, strong—you may call them if yon like PIETISTIC UTTERANCES which our Puritan forefathers used might have been very thankful and very helpful even to-day. No doubt there is a danger of pious expressions of this kind becoming cant. But when the life is established in accordance with them, when a man acts as he talks, the whole thing assumes a different aspect, and then we see that it is not cant, and that as the heart feels so the mouth speaks. Andtliatwasthe case with Cromwell." At a very early age Cromwell passed through what he recognised as conversion. He had been careless, wayward, thoughtless—he turned. He had been a servant of the world-he turned, and became a servant of God. Was conversion gone out of date that we should say that that was a mere piece of cant? Was it a thing incredible that a man of great principles, and large heart, and wonderful power in every capacity in which he was called upon to do action, was it wonderful that this man should be con- verted. On what days had they fallen when even in the church of Christ there had come to be hesitation and uncertainty and doubt upon this point ? Our Lord said, Ye must be born again," and the real start of Oliver Cromwell's great life was that extraordinary passage, when, as he told them himself, he passed from death to life. He was a Puritan. His religion was the Puritan religion. What was Puritanism, and what were its great features? First, simplicity. The Puritan had an intense and earnest desire to get back to the simplicity that was in Christ. For centuries the Church had been led away in contrary direc- tions. Pomp and circumstances form and ceremony, rite and observance, had taken the place of the simple worship of Christ, and behind the ceremonies were the C, doctrines. The second characteristic of the Puritan religion was its reality. It insisted upon man being true to Christ and to his gospel, not to seem to be what they were not, not to make an outward show of religion. The Puritan religion consisted not in ceremonies or in rites, but in a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man. Out of this characteristic the great struggle came where Protestantism and Providence were writ large. He never blamed men who hesitated in their endeavour to reform the Church, who stumbled where we thought they ought to have been resolute, and turned back when they ought to have advanced. Men learned these things very slowly. The power of conservatism, of standing still, abiding by what is and be- lieving that whatever is, is right, was AN IMMENSE POWER -11 1 N- __L_ -J.. in me laiiu. DO wiieii men >vert? coining uuu of the darkness and bondage of centuries, in which the very light that had been was itself darkness, it was no wonder that they moved slowly. All honour to the men who moved, but for whom the cause of the Reformation would have been lost; men who never despaired, never turned back in the hour of danger. Many of them were very obscure men; heroes of the Church, in all its difficulties and trials, had been obscure men. The battle had to be fought against the priests. Of all the tyrannies that earth had ever seen there was none so terrible or crushing as that of the priests. They rather sported with the idea of the priest to-day,. because he had not that power; he was limited and restrained. But give him the power and there was no possible submission which he would not constrain; and he pursued his victim beyond the grave, and called in the powers of eternity to tighten his grasp upon him in life. It was against this power of the priesthood, ruthlessly employed, inflicting many and many a cruel wrong, condemning men to loss of property, to imprisonment, and loss of limb, to loss of life itself, it was against this tyranny that the gallant struggle of the Puritans was directed, and prominent in the struggle was Oliver Cromwell. He knew that if they were to do Godly work and Christian service, and to fight the battles of the Lord, they must have good men. What was the strength of the Ironside army, whose very name became a terror. How was it formed Said Cromwell: We have been fighting long enough with retired serving men, with the dregs of London coffeehouses and publichouses; what we want if we are to do real battle is this "-he was not using Cromwell's exact words—" we must contend against the gentlemen of England with the sons of God. I know good and true men who serve Christ and these are the men that I want." These were the men that became Ironsides—the men who FOUGHT AND PRAYED. the men who did not forget that the Bible was in their hearts because the sword was in their hands. To these men we owed our emancipation from the rule of the tyrant and the priest, to which England owed her constitutional liberty, and to whom under God we owed our privilege to meet as Free Churches and worship in accordance with the dictates of our conscience. They had had in the course of the recent celebrations many opinions as to what Cromwell would do if he were here, which were not very easy to reconcile with each other, and some of which were extremely difficult to reconcile with any principles lie ever professed. He was not going to undertake to say what Cromwell would have done if he had been living in the 19th century. He thought he knew some things that Cromwell would not ha.ve done. A far more important question was what were they to do who desired to follow Cromwell as Cromwell followed Christ, because that was the point. They had a wonderful book circulating amongst them— In His Steps or, What would Jesus do ? Well, he was not sufficiently familiar with the secret thoughts of the Master to under- take to say what he would do in every par- ticular contingency or emergency in which He might find Himself in this 19th century. That was not really what the writer quite intended. But he had put forward one of the most important thoughts that could be presented to the mind he had done some- tiling to rouse the sleeping conscience of many a Christian lie had reminded them of the fact that if they were to be His servants they must do His will. They must be Christ- like in spirit, in their mode of judging every question. The great lesson that he wanted to impress upon them was just that if they found any element of note in Cromwell, let them seek to copy it; if they found in him any true devotion to Christ and to humanity, let it inspire and stir them up. If they saw in him any of the true Christian heroism that never quailed in the presence of danger, that never refused sympathy to the weak and the suffering, that never hesitated to testify to the truth that was tha spirit to go upon. Might they have a like spirit; might they rise up against ignorance and darkness and selfishness and the spirit of the world. God grant that they and him might be as heroes in the fight. -■ 1 JA

WESLEYAN DISTRICT MEETINGS AT TRE'RDDOL. During the present week the District meetings of the South Wales Wesleyans have been held at Tre'rddol, and there were very large and repre- sentative gatherings. Tre'rddol is situated in one of the most delightful spots in the country, and commands a line view of the picturesque estuary of the Dovey. The Wesleyan Chapel at Tre'rddol is quite in keeping with its lovely surroundings. Few places of worship in the Principality are equal to it as regards style and situation. There ware a large number of delegates from all parts of South Wales, and every hospitality was extended to the visitors. The following is a list of delegates from the district :-Aberystwyth: Revs. John Hum- phreys, J. Rowlands (A), W. Morgan, Messrs. T. H, .Jones, Isaac Lloyd, H. L. Evans, Owen Owen, James Jones, G. R. Roberts. Aberayron: Rev. Ll. A. Jones, Messrs. J. M. Jones, David Evans, D. Evans. Lampeter: Revs. J, Rowlands (R), Ll. Morgan, Messrs. J. E. Jones, J. Williams, Jonathan Thomas. Ystumtuen: Revs. R. W. Jones, E. B. Roberts, Messrs. D. Jones, T. Owen, D. Davies, Enoch Jones. Machynlleth: Revs. R. W. Jones, E. B. Roberts, Messrs. J. Williams, J. Pugh. L. Williams, W. Evans, Rhys Owen, E. Rees, J.P., D. D. Williams, J.P., Owen Roberts. Monday was devoted to Committee work of the various activities in connection with the Denomina- tion. At eleven o'clock in the morning the Chapels Committee met; at three, the Foreign Missions Committee at six; the Temperance and the Local Preachers Committees. On Sunday services were held in the various chapels of the neighbourhood in connection wirh the Conference. At Aberystwyth the Rev. Rice Owen occupied the pulpit at St. Paul's. The Rev. D. C. Jones at Siloam. At Borth the Revs. T. Manuel, P. Jones, and T. Morgan preached. At Tre'rddol the Revs. T. J. Pritchard and J. Jones; and at Bontgoch the Revs. Ll. Morgan and D. Roberts. On Monday evening, at seven o'clock, services were held at Tre'rddol by the Revs. E. T. Davies, T. Rowlands, and E. B. Roberts at Borth by the Revs J. Lloyd, and D. C. Davies at Eglwys- fach by the Revs. W. T. Ellis and T. H. Williams; at Talybont by the Revs. G. 0. Roberts and J. D. Jones. On Tuesday evening the Rev. Hugh Jones, Birkenhead, occupied the pulpit at Tre'rddol, and delivered a powerful sermon to a crowded con- gregation. The service was commenced by the Rev. Ll. A. Jones. On Wednesday evening a large meeting was held to celebrate the centenary of Welsh Weslevanism, and to discuss the best means to promote the Twentieth Century Fund. The Rev. W. Morgan presided. The speakers were the Revs. D. Morgan, Hugh Jones, Robert Roberts, T. Manuel, Messrs. J. P. l'owell. D. Harris, T. Bevan. Delta Davies, Edward Rees, and D. Davies Williams. Mr. H. L. Evans, Aberystwyth, was unable to attend owing to illhealth. To-day the Seiat fawr will be held, at eight in the morning, when the Revs. T. Pritchard, R. Hughes, T. Jones, T. Morgan, Messrs. J. Ashton, Owen Roberts, John Evans and Lewis Williams will take part. At ten the Revs. D. Darley Davies, Rice Owen, and O. Roberts will conduct the English Services. >L--

NEW QUAY. FAREWELL MEETING.—A large number of the friends, admirers, and acquaintances of Mr. C. J. Hughes, B.A., late Master of the New Quay Grammar School assembled in Towyn Chapel, last Friday evening, at 8 p.m., to bid him and his family farewell on their departure to Aberaeron. Mr. Hughes being recently appointed Head Master of the Aberaeron Intermediate Grammar School. Rev. J. Jenkins occupied the chair. After singing, a hymn, Mr. Thomas, Brynarfor, read a portoin of the Scripture, and led the congregation in prayer. The Chairman then delivered an address in which he pointed out the enthusiasm with which the idea of publicly recognising the services of Ir. Hughes and his family had been taken up, as evidence of the high esteem and respect in which they were held by people generally, independent of party and sect. While recognising the loss sustained by New Quay and district, both socially and educationally, he begged to congratulate Mr. Hughes in his new sphere of labour. He then proceeded to read the beautifully illuminated and artistic address in the vernacular, which read thus:—" To C. J. Hughes, Esq., B.A. From the inhabitants of New Quay, Cardiganshire. We heartily congratulate you on your appointment to the Headinastership of the Aberaeron Intermediate School. We also avail ourselves of the occasion of your leaving our town to express our esteem and love towards you. Having enjoyed your society for many long years as a gentleman of high standing, in servieable responsible positions, we feel that this event in your history should not pass unheeded. You have for a long period served this town in the most important offices with constancy, faithfulness, and integrity. Every movement which tended to the general good found in you a hearty and strong supporter, your behaviour being at all times straightforward and conscientious in matters of education, morality, and religion. A large number of the students who have benefited by your instruction have to-day risen to prominent and influential stations in life, and are deeply indebted to you, not only for their temporal success, but also for the healthy influence of your excellent spirit and sterling character. We sincerely wish you, your wife. and your children, long years of the favours of God's Providence, and when your labours are ended, may you receive the glorjous salute, Thou good and faithful servant; enter into the happiness of thy Lord." Signed on behalf of our fellow-citizens, Joseph Jenkins, Methodist minister; William Griffiths, Congregational minister; Hugh Davies, Post-office; Jenkin Thomas, Park-street."— The Chairman called upon Mr. Joshua Jones, senior deacon, Towyn Chapel, to present tho handsome address to Mr. Hughes, which he did in vsry appropriate teriai.-Mrs. Thomas, Brynarfor, was afterwards called upon to present. Mrs. Hughes with a set of beautiful and expensive tea and coffee silver service. Mrs. Thomas gave a short address, and wished Mrs. Hughes and the family success in the future.—Captain Thomas also presented Mrs. Hughes with a purse of gold, and testified to the readiness and eagerness of all the subscribers to contribute handsomely to the testimonial fund.— Mr. Hughcg, on behalf of himself, his wife and family, expressed his deep gratitude to all his friends and acquaintances for their kind wishes, and for this public recognition of his services whilst in New Quay, and expressed his regret I that he had not worked more energetically in many respects, but trusted that this would be a stimulus for still greater exertion in the future. Capt. Jones, High Terrace, referred to the great loss the Towyn Church in particular, and the dis- trict generally would experience in the removal of Mr. H. and his family and trusted their places will be soon filled by others of equal merit. Mr. Hugh Davias, expressed his admiration of Mr. Hughes, and referred to certain incidents three years ago, which brought them into close contact and intimacy at the time when they started Bee- keeping—how they co-operated up to the present during their leisure hours. It was the means of giving him an insight into Mr. Hughes' character— his humility, strong sense of duty, as well as originality. Dr. Evans, bore witness to the quiet, per- sistent, faithful aud succossful efforts of Mr. Hughes, as a teacher for the past quarter of a century. He carried on the school with excellent results without any assistance, and gave free education to several who could not at the time afford to pay, and who have by his instruction and guidance re- ceived College and University training. He also testified to Mrs. Hughes' labour of love with the poor and with the sick, and felt indebted to her on several occasions for the valuable service in attending both poor and sick people. Capt. Thomas, Park-street, was next called upon to ad- dress the meeting, as one who had taken the most lively and active interest in the movement in the capacity of Secretary of the Testimonial Fund, and to whom the greatest credit is due for organ- ising the meeting. He spoke of the ignorance which prevailed in his young days when at school, and referred to the rapid strides of Education at present. He showed his appreciation of Mr. H., as a true and sincere friend and read Extracts of letters received from past Students, to show the high estimation in which they held their former master and alma mater. A vote of thanks to the committee being cordially given and the audience having wished well to IUr. Hughes and his family, the proceedings terminated with a hymn and the benediction.

I BARMOUTH. URBAN DISTRICT COU-NCIL-TUESDAY, MAY 16TH. Present: Rev. J. Gwynoro Davies (chairman), Capt. Richards, D. E. Davies, E, Williams, Hugh Evans, William Owen, Richard Roberts, John Richards, H. W. Williams, O. W, Morris, Robert Williams, with Mr William George (clerk), Mr. Owen Jones (assistant clerk), Mr. John Adams (surveyor), Mr. David Owen (collector), and Dr. Hughes (medical officer of health). A BREEZE. Matters arising from the minutes of last meeting. Mr, Hugh Evans: Has a meeting of the Main Roads Committee of the County Council been held since last meeting. If so did the deputation appointed by this Council attend ?—Mr. H. W. Williams: I did not attend, I could not.—Mr. D, E. Davies: A deputation was appointed by this Council Clerk The Clerk of the County Council was in- informed of our intention to send a deputation.— Mr. D. E, Davies Were the members appointed informed of the date? We have had enough of this. It appears in this case some of the members of the deputation had information and others not. —Mr. Hugh Evans Was it not duty of the Sur- veyor to notify us when the committee of the Main Roads was to meet ?—Mr. H. W. Williams and my- self were appointed as deputation to accompany the Surveyor, but I at all events heard nothing more of it since our appointment. We should not play with Zlg of the money of the ratepayers. This is not the first time for ommission of this kind to happen.—The Chairman: This matter came before the Committee of Works, and Mr. Evans being a member of the committee ought to have been present.—Mr. Evans: I have been a member of this Council for twelve months and have done my best to fulfill my duties. When taking the part of the ratepayers I have being charged of being anxious to be a member of a committee. That is the reason I abstain at present from attending committee meetings. I am told that I wanted to be the chairman of the Works Committe. Nothing of the kind, but I say this much that someone wants to direct its deliberation. Money is wasted.-Mr. H. W. Williams: I do not deem it worth while to make a reply.—Mr. D. E. Davies: I support what Mr, Hugh Evans has said.—Chair- man The Committees were appointed by the Council. D. E. Davies: I have also a complaint to make as to the appointment of Committees,—Chairman: Do you mean to say the appointment has been irregular. It was decided how many Committees there were to be, and who were to be the members of each Committee.—D. E. Davies I say they were cooked before, and things are not straightforward not in this matter only. I wish to ask who authorized the Surveyor to go to Eithinfvnydd for bricks and use them for his own purpose. Mattersare not carried on as they should be.—Mr. Williams I also support what has heen said by Mr. Evans and Mr. Davies. These Committees were cooked before the Council meeting.—Mr. Hugh Evans when the Committees were appointed at the annual meeting of the Council all was regular and every one contented with the exception of one or two who were the means of bringing the question for- ward a second time with what result we all are aware of. I have been on Committees for the last 40 years and have never witnessed such irregularity,—Chairman: One or two statements have been made during this discussion that I cannot ignore. One is that the Surveyor has been carrying bricks from Eithinfynydd for his own use. Outside the Council it has also been said that I have been the means of spending some hundreds of pounds of the money of the ratepayers in vain, that has been said by a member of the Council. I do not intend to bear such a charge. Empty as my pocket is I have spent a great deal for the benefit of the ratepayers. I have always been honest and straightforward in all my transactions, I cannot suffer to be charged of being the means to harm the circumstances of the ratepayers, I have as energetically advocated their rights as Messrs. Edward Williams, Hugh Evans, D. E. Davies, and William Owen. If they cannot agree with the majority it is their duty to resign. A clique of this kind is the destruction of every community. I am prepared even now to take the vote of the ratepayers —Mr. Edward Williams We say nothing against you.—Chairman I am the president of the Council and in all charges against the Council I am involved. When attacking the members you attack me.—Mr. D. E. Davies: I "brought no charge against Mr. Adams, I only asked who gave him authority to get the bi-icks.)Ir. H. W. Williams I did not as chairman of the Works Committee and the question is not worth answer- ing.- Chairman Is it not possible to start anew. One of us went last week to the bitterest enemy of this Council carrying all sorts of tales.—Mr. H. Evans Who was he ? We ought to know.—Mr. J. Richards This is unbearable, we are charged of spending the money of the ratepayers without giving an account of what we spend.—Chairman: When the proper time comes we shall consider these questions, let us go now to business. CORRESPONDENCE. In reply to a letter from Alderman John Lloyd Glantryweryd, it was resolved to inform Mr. Lloyd that the Council was not responsible for extra- ordinary plants. In answer to a communication from Sergeant Williams, Thursday next war..fixed as the date to take licences for hackney carriages. CHIMNEYS ON FIRE. It was resolved to inform the police that they need no instructions from the Council to prosecute in such cases, REPORT OF THE WORKS COMMITTEE. Llyndu Retaining Wall. It was recommended that subject to Mr. W. J. Morris undertaking to erect this wall to the satisfaction of the Surveyor, that the Council bear half the amount of Griffith Roberts's tender, viz £4 2s. 6d., for its erection. INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL. The new plans were submitted and approved. PARADE. It was recommended that the Surveyor be requested to employ three carts to complete the entrance to the Parade. ACCOUNTS. Resolved to pay the following bills:—The Pwll- heli Granite Co, £12; Peck & Co. £ 1 4s.; Robert Griffith, £ 2 9s. 4d.; Richard Pugh, £ 9 5s. 9d.; Jones and Williams water supply, £1 5s. In the proposition of Mr. D, E, Davies the report was adopted with the exception of the amount of £ 12 owing to the Pwllheli Granite Co., which was deferred. WATER, GAS AND SANITARY COMMITTEE. Recommended that the air valve at Ceilnant be' re-opened. A letter from Mr. Wvnford on the subject of water to the Gas Committee is recom- mended for discussion. Recommended that agree- mcnti be entered into with all parties having a supply of water for purposes other than domestic. The report was adopted. FINANCE COMMITTEE. The monthly sheet was examined and found correct. Vouchers for payment during the past month were examined and found in order. The following sums were recommonded for payment:— J. H. Peck, house refuse, £ 1 4s.; R. Griffith, P,2 9s. 4d.; R. Pugh, £9 5s. gel; Dr. Hughes £ 5 5s.; J. Adams, £ 6 17s.; Sergeant Williams. £ 1; Lancashire and Yorkshire Insurance Company,' £ 3 15s.; Owen Owens, Pl 10s. Mr. Owen Owen' claiming from the Council P,2 10s. in respect of yard, it is recommended to offer him the sum of £ 1 in full settlement, and to pay him from this date for the yard the sum of £2 per annum. The rate- collector submitted his monthly statement for the month of April, which was considered satisfactory. It was further recommended (1) that an application be made to 'the Local Government Board for an inquiry to sanction the borrowing of money for defraying the out-fall sewer accounts, completion Yi of waterworks, and other purposes. (2) That the various committees should proceed with the pre- paration of an estimate of moneys required to meet the expenses of the Council for the year ending 31st of Mrrch next. The report was adopted. WATERWORKS On the recommendation of Mr. Thomas Roberts (engineer), it was resolved to pay Messrs. Evan Williams and Co. the sum of iE40 in rcspeot of the boat-house at Bodlyn. SURVEYOR'S REPORT. The Surveyor stated with regard to the bricks mentioned by Mr E. D. Davies, that he had asked permission of the Council to procure the bricks, and obtained it on condition that John Thomas should count them—Mr. D E. Davis: Show me, Mr. Adams. such permission on the minute book. -Cantaia Richards I do not think we had a right to sell them to anyone. Chairman: If permission was given to Mr. Adams, I think it was a very ill- advised thing.—Surveyor; I am perfectly willing to pay.—Chairman: I do not think it is right fof the Council to sell anything to one of its servants. —The Surveyor reported that Mr. Allsop could not comply with his request as to the filling up of the vacant place near the steps, and the placing of the drinking trough on it. PANORAMA. On the proposition of the Chairman, seconded by Ir. H. M. Williams, it was resolved to let the panorama to the Selborne Society till the end of the season for the sum of £10. SURVEYOR. The appointment was adjourned for a week.

It was reported at the annual meeting on Thurs- day in connection with the Mission to Deep-sea Fishermen that an anonymous donor had given a sum of Z10,000 for the purpose of building a fully equipped hospital ship.

DEATH OF THE REV. ELIAS OWEN. The death took place on Saturday of the Rev. Elias Owen, vicar of Llanvblodwel, near Oswestry, in the diocese of St. Asaph. Mr. Owen recently had a rather serious illness, but although iio-j wholly recovered he appeared to be regaining strength, and his health permitted him to take part- in the annual meeting on Thursday evening of the Oswestry branch of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. His death occurred [unexpectedly on the following evening. Mr. Owen was one of the most widely known clergymen in Wales. He graduated at Trinity College, Dublin, in 1871, and was ordained in the same year. He was curate of Llanwnojr. Mont- gomeryshire. from 1871 to 1875, and of Holy Trinity, Oswestry, from 1875 to 1876, In the latter year he was appointed diocesan inspector of elementary schools in the diocese of St. Asaph, and he held the appointment up to 1893, when he was succeeded br the Rev. J. Hamer Lewis. Mr Owen was also rector of Efenechtyd. in Denbigh- shire, from 1881 to 1892, and in the latter year was appointed to the vicarage of Llanvblodwel. It was as diocesan inspector that Mr. Owen became so familiar a figure in North Wales. As an inspector he was popular throughout the diocese-he was an ardent advocate of religious instruction,—but he occasionally followed quaint and original methods of testing the children's knowledge. He rarely went to any parish without carrying away with him some archaeological fragment, and in this way he became a recognised authority on the subject. Besides contributing frequently to journals and magazines, he published a work on "The Old Stone Crosses in the Vale of Clwyd" (1835), Welsh Folk-lore (1891), a Glossary of Montgomery- shire for .the Powyslaed Collections (1891), and other works. In recognition of his labours in this field he was elected in 1870 a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. One of his sons, Mr. W. P. Owen, is a well-known solicitor at Aberystwyth.

WALES AT SEA. SIR,—Are there any means of ascertaining the sailor population of Wales ? Considering the large quota we furnish to pay the price of Admiralty," it would be exceedingly interesting to find out what proportion we form in John Bull's greatest glory-his seamen. My own impression, based on years of contact with the toilers of the sea, is that it will be found, in proportion to population, we head the list by a long way. MARCO POLO.

FARMERS AND FARMIN Sir,—May I be allowed a little space of your paper to set a few facts touching the above, before the public. The land question, I think, demands more serious attention than liiiherto has been given it, by neither farmers, landlords, nor parlia- ments. No honest man, who is acquainted with the subject can deny but that farmers and farming" in Wales are in a declining condition and unless Z, a remedy comes soon, our farmers will be driven face to face with general failure and ruined for their lives, under the present state of things the disaster is unavoidable. England is considered the wealthiest country in the world, and is the envy of all nations; it might have been so in the past. Rome and Greece held that position once, but their suns went down and their -glories departed long since and their fate is not impossible to our country. But whatever will become of our country in the future, one thing is a fact, farming is continually declining so that the financial con- ditions of our farmers are becoming more critical vear after year. About 50 and 60 years ago, it was the labourer that suffered, end got the worst share of it, but their condition has been improved of late, and now it is the farmer who suffers. Suffering and poverty are still rampant, and so long as any class of the community suffers, and any branch of industry be in a declining condition, the country as a whole, is not improving, nor is the nation gaining ground. We must have- all classes well treated and well paid for their labours in order to have a strong country, which, is not the case as regards our farmers at the present day. They arc on the downward grade; with but very poor prospects of a better time. The condition of the farmer and that of hie, children, is more like the condition of the slaves 40 ;1Tl 50 years ago than anything else men then were moved by the spirit of the religion of Jesus of Njznrot-h, and worked in time and out of time to down the slave trade and to gain liberty to t'je poor slave. In that they succeeded, the trade was condemned in Parliament and without. But tyranny was not killed nor the customs a-X'IV.iod, it only changed its clothes and exorcised its power and put its iron grip upon another class of men. It is the Welsh farmers that are the sIn. Vi"; of the latter part of the nineteenth century. Under the present system of land tenancy, the farmer and his children knows of no liberty, save liberty to work from the beginning to the end of the year, and t they hardly get enough to meet the necessities of life. The maiden servants get fr< .m 2,10 to P,15 a year wages, and the man servant; dll LZO to £25 a year, but the farmers' c«. ii-iren worK for nothing except their food and ra:rat-ins. As to education, his children are more backward than those of any other class, as 113 has no time, nor money to spare for them to-have school, he has to make them work on the far: It a that under the present system of children should be deprived of its benr tU, IS; reation helps industry and in depriving children ci education. farming as a whole suffers greatly. The land is fast running cut of cultivation, because farmers are not able to pay the high price for labour. I know of a farm where 13 small allotments used to be attached to it. and the tenants of all these allotments were gutting their livelihood from their small holding; and the work they were getting in the ih al ou. hfjod. But to day there is not a single allotment on it. The families were driven away to look for their living elsewhere, the buildings are lioddne: but a heap of ruins, the land is covered withtiiinies and briars, the produce of the land is less in oi;;r.aivy and the price of it is lower than ir. has because of foreign competition, which .pje-ees r.) ;.n us harder continually. To get the tiii ii pries our farmers had for their produce is ouo of the question. Butter, cheese, meat and corn, are coming here from different countries and coiuiueris with such facility, that we get them '1" vi A re v. iea as fresh and good as from our own K Jd. < r our diaries. It is not to that direction the farmer is to look for redemption. And the direction is, and a vital one it is, what can the farmer do. how lie to meet his financial demands, labour is up, taxes increase, landlords with few c-cepd. iis show no sympathy with him, he love id.; scat. He must have the same amount of ;i day as when the produce of the land was: (1¡lc-I higher than what it is to (lay, one thing he. knows and that is, that he is not able to meet Lis liabilities, and must go the bad sooner or la.er. Emlyn AP DAFYDD.

Sir James and Lady SVbirr mending the Whitsuntide at their Abery. enee. The House of Commons• h llstrious this session. While ther" v e "J < up to Easter, there have been 8G sir r 159 up to Whitsuntide, or 37 more ,¡: year. The at- tendance of members, as t-Le "'vision l,sts show, has been exceedingly c, Z.:1 unusually | good. Mr. VaugLan idv.i.v, 1' mes out on the top of the list: he havl; 1 votes. The Rev. Dr. Abel J. Parry, foHnevly of Cefn- mawr, sas taken up his resi "ie^ce at Rhyl. Dr. Parry has accepted the of d.V.aiion to the churches on behalf of the Welsh iapiist Forward Movement.

To Blossoms. Fair pledges of a fruitful tree, Why'do ye fall so fast L Your date is not so past. To blush and gently smile. And go at last. What were ye born to be An hour or half's delight. And so to bid good-night ? Twas pity Nature brought ye forth Merely to show your worth, And lose you quite. But you are lovely leaves, where we May read how soon things have Their end, though ne'er so brave And after they have shown their pride Like you, a while, they glide Into the grave. R. HERRICK. «^|l

MACHYNLLETH MARKETS. SIR.—I see from the Almanack that Wednesday is the market day at Machynlleth, but what puzzles one is where are the markets held ? I have made a few enquiries and find that some years ago a fine Town Hall and Market Hall was erected by a private company, in a convenient spot, and the Market Hall fitted up with stalls. &c. On market days the only things offered for sale at the Market y I Hall are meat, fish, and green grocery. The farmers do not patronise the market but take their produce to the grocers, in exchange for groceries, or hawk their butter, eggs, poultry, See., from door to door. The town is conveniently situated in an agricul- tural and well populated district, and ought to have good markets. If our Urban Councillors take the matter up, and either take the Market Hall on lease or buy it out- right, and frame Bye-laws for markets and fairs, they would find in a very short time that the markets would be a good source of revenue to the Council, and that they had improved the condition of both buyers and sellers. W Yours, &c. E. Q. K. .40.