County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser Abergavenny and Raglan Herald Usk and Pontypool Messenger and Chepstow Argus

CURRENT TOPICS. ARTILLERY SCIENCE. When Napoleon III wrote to Colonel Francis Duncan that the history of artillery is the history of progress in the sciences he expressed an undoubted truth. The improvements of weapons, and all the means of carrying on war, appear to go hand in hand with the progress of science, and no sooner does some distinguished scientist make a discovery than it is applied either to the purpose of destroying life, or to that of preserving life from the operation of some weapon previously invented. For example, France attaches a good deal of importance to submarine boats, and our own Admiralty appear to think that there is something in the idea that a warship may be torpedoed by one of those vessels without the crew exposing themselves to very much danger. Now the Rev J, M. Bacon has found that the presence of submarine boats can be asCrtained very easitÿftobl tHtnbblÍs, and probably it will not be very long before somebody else tells us how the boats, when they have been seen, may be sent to the bottom of the ocean. THE COTTON INDUSTRY. Sir A. L. Jones says that in twelve months we shall see very large supplies of cotton coming from West Africa, aud there seem* to be no reason why the| cultivation of cotton should not be encouraged in other parts of the British Empire. At present sixty per cent. of the world's supply of cotton is produced in the United States, and we have lately had cause to realise the dis- astrous results to our cotton industry, when from failure or shortage of the American crop, or other cause, the supply fails to reach the average. Seeing that we have possessions in every latitude there must certainly be some areas within the Empire where the growth of cotton could be under- taken with success, or largely increased in those countries where it is already in opera- tion, and whatever views people may hold on Imperial questions it is a development which would be approved by all. Moreover, it may be that when we find we can produce sufficient cotton within the Empire attention will then be drawn to the possi- bility of growing in our colonies some other articles, such as tobacco, for which we are at present dependent mainly upon foreign countries. CORONERS' JURIES. At an inquest held at Billericay, the jury returned a verdict of Found drowned," which the coroner remarked was against the weight of evidence. If it was it is not the first occasion by a great many that a coroner's jury has returned such a verdict. But the point is that in this case the coroner appears to have thought that the verdict should be one of suicide. Whatever may have been the merits of this particular case juries should be extremely careful to give the deceased personr perhaps one should say rather, his relatives-the benefit of any doubt which may exist. Many insurance companies insert a clause in the policy to the effect that if the iusured person commits suicide the friends are to receive nothing. When a man insures he is not told of this clause, which appears amongst a vast cumber of others in small print on the policy, and the probability is that he never notices it. During an attack of temporary insanity-which is quite as much a disease as typhoid fever, and even less preventible —he takes his own life, and his widow and orphans find that the money which has been paid to the insurance company is all thrown away. The insurance companies do not appear to act quite fairly in this respect, and if coroners' juries show a disinclination to return verdicts of suicide where there is the least shadow of doubt, the general public will not weigh their conduct in golden scales. They may be very sure that the company will look after itself, and that in the struggle between a rich corporation and a poor widow, the former will not suffer any inj ustice. A NOTED WAR CORRESPONDENT. I Journalists will always think kindly of the late Sir John Robinson, if for no other rea- son than because he was the first to discover the genius of Archibald Forbes, who was, with the exception of Sir W. Howard Russell, the most famous of war corre- spondents. Forbes went first to the Franco German War as the representative of another paper. but his connection therewith terminated abruptly, and he sought the editor of the Daily News, with the offer of an article. Mr Robinson had already remarked the ability of Forbes' writings, and had wished to secure his services. An arrangement was made between them, and from the time of Forbes' return to the seat of war the Daily News was easily first among all the papers of the world in its news of the campaign. He was equally successful in later wars. After riding 170 miles in 35 hours he reached Pietermaritzburg with the first news of the victory of Ulundi, aod his telegram to Sir Bartle Frere was read in the Poiise of Cofiaqipns a>o44 hearty cheers. He was again first with intelligence of the de- cisive battle at Skippa between the Russians and Turks. Riding all night without food or rest, he arrived at the Russian Imperial headquarters where he saw Ignatieff, who knew him, and introduced him to the Emperor.

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The Unemployed. The meeting at the Mansion House, in London, touched a question which will be very much before the public in the course of the winter—that of relief for the large number of families who are and will be suffering from the scarcity of employment. For some weeks it has been apparent that the subject is likely to be a grave one, and an ominous result of the appreciation of this fact was the meeting last week of the conference on the condition of the unem- ployed in London, whose functions had been in abeyance since 1885. The committee of this conference had prepared a scheme whereby men might be employed on farm colonies at Hadleigh and elsewhere, their families being provided for meanwhile at their homes, The Bishop of Stepney stated that all that had been arranged depended upon the question'whether there was acute and abnormal distress; but it is to be feared that very little doubt can be enter- tained on that point. Mr W. C. Steadman mentioned that in the building trade one union alone was paying £ 2,500 a week in unemployed allowances, and that the London County Council and Borough Councils were being asked to initiate as much work as possible. It is only too obvious that the distress in London is largely aggravated by the IMMIGRATION OF ALIENS, who help to increase rents by crowding into the slum tenements, which are one of the most fruitful causes of the degradation ( of the poorest classes. At intervals one hears of a movement for relieving the con- gestion by promoting emigration, and the result is that some of the best of our own people depart for Canada or some other colony where there is plenty of room. These men and their families might have con- tributed to the strength of the mother country, and one hopes that in their new home they meet that reward which their courage and industry deserve. But as they go out, more aliens-nearly all in a state of (lp-stitution-come in, so that the congestion is in no way relieved, and the problem of tHe unemployed continues to present itself as before. Another of the principle causes of distress is the migration of people from the country to the towns, and especially to London. So far as the capital city is con- cerned there exists in the minds of many in- habitants of the provinces a most un- fortunately exaggerated conception of the possibilities of life in the Metropolis. In East Anglia, and elsewhere, agricultural labourers say in effect that if only they could get to London their fortunes would be made, whereas they would only be ex- changing I A SMALL, BUT CERTAIN WAGE I for a position in which the vast majority of them would have to suffer penury during some part of the most inclement season. It is true there are some charities in London, but they cannot cope with a crisis like that with which the Metropolis is threatened at the present moment, and. besides, the dis- tribution of charity is limited almost in- variably to those who have been dwelling some time in London. That precaution is adopted by the conference which met last week, it being stated that men would only be employed on the farm colonies after strict inquiries as to their length of resi- dence, Another factor in the case is the presence of a large number of men who have no intention of working,and a perhaps still larger number who only seek an occasional job to supply them with the necessaries of life, among which the first place is given to beer. No treatment is too severe for these worthless fellows, and if they could be excluded from pat ticipation in charitable funds something would be gained.

w — In HM 90 yean, NORSETAMCVS ^SAFETY FEMALE PILLS, Gentle, Direct, Natural. Recommended by Mothers and Narses. 1/1 J, 2/9 & 4/6 per box, post free, from LLOYD, Chemist, MERTHYR.

I Markets. USK, CATTLB, Monday.—When the usual monthJy market opened to-day it was pouring with rain consequently, there was a rather poor 8tipply and attendance. However, there was a fair demand for the stock on offer. The following were the quotations:—Best quality beef 6d to 6ld per lb, seconds óld to 6d wether mutton 7d to 8d, ewe 6d to 7d per lb; cows and calves X15 to EIS, yearlings X6 to XII), two year olds Xll tojei4 sows and pigs £7 to £10, strong stores 3os to 45s each, three months old 20s to 23s. weaners 16. to 20s; heavy-weight porkers 9s a score, light ditto 9s 6d to I On, bacoders 9a a score.

AN ANTI- VACCI'iATIONIST.-At Cardiff Poliae Court on Monday a gentlemanly-dressed man applied for an exemption order on the ground that his baby had developed a rash which puzzled all the dootora. The application was refused.

Here's a Health unto His Majesty." 4 4 ALL LOYAL SUBJECTS will drink this Toast NEY KING!S ALE in a Bumper of. KINCSALE^ BUCHAN'S RHYMNEY ll|lr I KING'S ALE. A Pure Ale Brewed only from the Finest English Malt and Hops. AMAt-VSTT S REPORT. THE LABORATORY, DOCK STREET, NEWPORT, MON., March 11th, 1902. MESSRS. A. BUCHAN & Co., Dear Sirs-I hereby certify that I have analysed a sample of your BUCHAN'S RHYMNEY KING'S ALE," and beg to report to you as under:— It is a very delicate Pale Ale of sound constitution and good body, possessing a clear bright colour, and of excellent aroma. The results of my analysis are such that I am in a position to speak most highly of Its purity and general wholesomeness; I am of opinion that it is a pure product of Malt and Hops. It is free from acidity, and being clean and containing a good proportion of alcohol, its keeping properties are undoubtedly good. In flavour, appearance and general quality it will, in my opinion, bear favourable comparison with all first-class Pale Ales. I am, dear Sirs, yours faithfully, (Signed) GEORGE R. THOMPSON, Public Analyst for the County of Monmouth. SUPPLIED IN CASK OK BOTTLE. TERMS ON APPLICATION TO THE BREWERY. Here's a Health unto His Majesty." i

II! 1 t/U ipcersjii 81 LEAD BLACK. BEAUTIFUL IN SOLID at. OcIrs, on S;rOYE,OLISIIINCPASTE, IN RIAS.

Football. USK Y. NEWPORT IMPERIAL UNITED. The return match between these teams was played on the Marshes, Newport, on Saturday last. Usk were without W. A. Williams,but the homesters were at full strength, Newport won the toss, and A. J. Thomas kicked off. the ball going to touch inside the Imperial 25. From the first serum Usk tried pausing, bat failed to hold the greasy ball. The homesters obtained a free, which enabled them to get to neutral territory. Prothero got away with a fine dribble, and had hard lines in not scoring, kicking a little too hard. A minor resulted. After the drop out the homeaters invaded the Usk half thiough a miafield by one of the backs. From a kick across Roberts fielded, and running strongly he got over, but lost the ball. The homesters dribbled back to half way where Jenkins got in a splendid kick to touch, and the homesters' 26 was invaded through the grantinsr of a free kick. Prothero got the ball away, and Weare broke through well, but threw forward when tackled. Twining and Weare were prominent in a dribble, but kicked too hard, and a minor was the only result. Weare then got a mark in front of goal, and Prothero missed to kick a goal by inches only. Half time found nothing tangible scored on either side. The second half was for the most part played in semi-darkness, a fog rising from the river, aud this, added to the terrible state of t stround-whieh was virtually a quagmire—made play anything but pleasnrable or interesting, and the result was a pointless draw. Usk team :-Baole, R. Etheridgo; backs, J. Jenkins, F. M. Davies. J. H. Roberts, and A. Weare; t backs. D. Prothero and J. Knight; forwards, E. W. Waters, F. Morgan, G. Smith, H. Gibson, J. Stead, A. J. Thomas, H. Twi ning, and substitute. Usk played Pontypool Thursday, at Pontypool, on Thursday, and after having the best of the game for three-fourtbs of the time, lost by a try to nil, through a misunderstanding as to the boun- dary line. The visitors were a scratch team. =

Bishop of Llandaffs Ftind. I The Bishop of LlandaS presided over a a meeting of the council, held in the Diocesan Registry, Cardiff, on Thursday morning, when the following grants were voted :— £ 50 towards a building to be used as a Sunday school and parish room at Cwm, neaa Ebbw Vale; .£26 towards a mission ball at Treharris for parochial purposes and for Welsh services; f,25 towards a mission church in con. neotion with St David's Ogmore Vale; 9150 towards a new ehnrch at Cwmbran; 23t) towards a new mission church at Cwmff rwdoer,Pontmewynydd; FILUO towards the enlargement of St Martin's Church, Caerphilly: and £ 25 towards an iron mission church in the same parish.

AUSTRALIAN CRICKIT. Homesters Make a Bad Start,, But End Weil Sydney, Friday. The first of the test matches- between the M C.C. team, captained by Mr Pelham Warner, and a, picked Australian eleven began this morning, Australia going to, the wickets first. The start was sensational, the- first three wickets falling for twelver- runs, but at the close of play the Australians had scored 259 for, seven wickets. Score :— AUSTRALIA. R. A. Duff c Lilley, b Arnold. 3 V. Trumper, c R. E. Foster, b Arnold. 1 J. J. Kelly, c Lilley, b Hirst. 5 W. W. Armstrong, b B. J, T. Bosanquet 48 M. A. Noble (captain), not out 132 A. J. Hopkins, b Hirst 39 W. P. Howell, c Relf, b Arnold. 5 S. E. Giegory, b Bosanquet. 23 Extras. 3, Total (7) 259*

Gutted by Fire. A portion of OJ.antigh Towers^, Wye Mansion, belonging to Mr- Erie Drax, was gutted by fire this morning.

Dulwich and Lewisham Nominations. Dr Rutherfoord Harris (Con-- servative), and Mr Masterman. (Liberal), were nominated for" Dulwich division to-day. Major Coates (Conservative), and Mr Cleland (Liberal), were nomin ated for Lewisham division to- day.

He Would be Portreeve- The High Court to-day com- mitted John Jones to prison for contempt, in disobeying the order of the Court restraining him from acting as portreeve of Aberavon.

THE ROYAL SHOW. It was reported at the half yearly meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society in London on Thursday that a loss ef over 99,000 had been incurred on the first show at Park Royal, but the council deoided to hold aaother show there next year, with a reduced prize list.

FATATIITT BY FA.LLING ON A. TBAPOT.-Mr Roberts- Jones held an inquiry on Monday at the police station, Llanhilleth, into the cause of the death of a child named May Phillips, aged two years. Evi. denoe was given that on Saturday afternoon the child fell out of a ohair on to a teapot, which was full of tea, and resting on the fender iu front of the fire. The teapot was upset and the tea soalded the child so severely that she died the following day.- The jury returned a verdict of Accidental death." Printed anrt Published by "THB Com,.TY O!JSBaVB.. NEWSPAPER and PRINTINO COMPANY, Limited, by JAMBS HSNRY CLARK, at their Offices, ridgEt Street, Usk, in the County of Moamowth, Saturday Decomber 12th. 1903.

Fire at Sandrlngham. An alarming outbreak of occurred at S&adringham Bouse, where the Queen is in residence, on Thursday morning. A beam over II the fireplace in the room of the Hon. Miss Knollys (woman of the bedchamber to her j Majesty) was discovered to be on fire about sis o'clock, the beam being under the floor of her Majesty's bedroom. Miss Knollys was awakened by her bedroom being filled with smoke, and leaving it she immediately rushed to her Majesty's apartment. She aroused the Queen, and both, attired only in their dressing-gowns, rushed from the room, and not too soon, for the floor of her Majesty's bedroom almost immediately collapsed at. the spot where she had been sleeping. The house- hold fire brigade had by this time been alarmed, and within a very short space of time the hose was playing on the flames. The outbreak was confined to the two bedrooms, and was soon got under, though not before considerable damage had been doue both by fire and water. The outbreak, it appears, was due to the defective insulation of some electric light wires which were being installed. The fusing of these ignited a beam situated over the fireplace, which, in turn, spread to the ceiling, and thence through the Boor of her Majesty's apartment. The damage is estimated at some hundreds of pounds. — —-— — 11 .IIIrro. —I

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The Licensing Trade and Compensation. Speaking at a licensed victuallers' banquet at Bristol on Tuesday night, Sir Michael Hioks-Beach said there was a strong feeling in favour of reducing the number of licensed houses, and if renewals were to be refused on that ground compensation ought to be given. This would have to be provided by some tax in the trade. fie hoped it might be possible to devote a part of the extra war duties on beer and spirits to this purpose, and additional taxation should be levied on the larger houses and on new houses for the good of the compensation fund,

MAY SAVE YOUR CMLD S LIFE. An agfapoonftil of Virol la tbe feeding buttle strengthens the bone*. Bakes tbe fleab firmer, and the blood richer. Virol la used la over 300 Hospitals. An Idsal Food for Wasting Diaoasoa. VI. Is Mid In Jars. 118. 3/- & 4J6.

A CBNSU8 STOiay.-The following amusing incident happened in connection with the taking of the census in a certain Lancashire town. Two old women, not very well educated, consulted one another about filling up their papers. They managed to answer the questions correctly until they came to the last, which asked if they were infirm, insane, or imbecile. The question puzzled them exceedingly, and they debated upon it a long time. They knew they were neither insane nor infirm, but the word imbecile was beyond their comprehension. Finally one of them said." Well, we're bound to fill it up somehow. We know we're not insane or infirm, so I suppose we must be imbecile. We're bound to be the one thing or the other, surely," and so they wrote themselves down imbeciles.

The Workhouse and the Gaol., A disquieting fact is brought out by the recently published report of the Commis- sioners of Prisons. This is that many people prefer the gaol to the workhouse; so much so that they would rather be taken up as vagrants than go into the workhouse, while those who have taken shelter in the latter are guilty of some offence against the di;cipline of the establishment in order to be sent to prison, where they receive, according to the report, better treatment, greater kindness, better food, and more humane conditions." Whether this proves that our prisons are too good or our work- houses too bad for their occupants cannot be decided without personal knowledge of both. Possibly the fact that our prisons are under a central control, so that the conditions are the same in all, while those of our workhouses are more variable, according to the ideals which may prevail with the local authorities, may account for the preference. The man who goes to prison knows, after his first experience, just what to expect, while a new workhouse is more or less of an experiment. Severe management in the workhouse seems in- variably to I FILL THE PRISONS. The governor of one prison, much patronised by the vagrant class, thinks that the task of oakum picking, which the casual pauper is expected to do in the local workhouse, is an impossible task, even for an ex- perienced oakum-picker," and believes that many of those who refuse to perform it are "genuine working men looking for em- ployment." We do not, for our part, think that a conviction for vagrancy increases the genuine working man's chances of re- spectable employment, but, nevertheless, it is a pity that if a man is honest and respectable these qualities should be dis- couraged by too great harshness in the workhouse. We are told also that when a man who has refused to perform his task in the workhouse is sent to prison for con- tumacy, there is always the chance that the medical officer of the prison may certify that the prisoner is unfit for the labour, the refusal to perform which, at the workhouse, has resulted in imprisonment. There will always be found casual paupers ready to take that chance, but, in any case, it would be just that, before being imprisoned for not doing the work assigned to him, a pauper should be examined in order to make sure that he is I -1 I PHYSICALLY FIT FOR IT. Although he is not, he might be able to do some lighter work. There is surely a mean discoverable between over-work and idle- ness, aod our poor-law system should be sufficiently elastic to permit of paupers being classed, as to the work required of them, according to their strength and fitness. It would be worth while to strain a point to keep our poor from the temptation which seems now to surround them. When the prison is preferred to the workhouse, it tempts to the belief that honesty is not always the best policy. The Hospital.

MERRYWEATHER ON WATER SUPPLY AND FIRE PROTECTION of COUNTRY MANSIONS. EXPERTS SENT TO ALL PARTS TO Report on EXISTING Arrangements. WRITE FOR PAMPHLETS: MERRYWEATHER & SONS, 63, LONG ACRE, LONDON, W.C.

Will of the Late Ir. B. St. John A it wood- Mathews. The will, dated May llth, 1903, with a codicil of September 24th following, of Mr Benjamin St John Attwood-Mathews, J.P., D.L., of Pontrilas Court, Hereford, and Llanvihangel Court, Mon- mouth. founder of the Alpine Club, who died on October 4th, has been proved by Mra Florence Blakiston Attwood-Mathews, the widow, and Thomas Llanwarne, of Hereford, the value of the estate being £115,319, 12s 10d gross and £ 112,822 5s lOd net. The Ustator given £ 1,000 to Charles Wentwortb Walker; L500, the household furniture, and the use and enjoyment of Llanvihangel Court to his wife; £ 200 to Walter Holden Steward L500 to Thomas Llanwarne £400 each to the daughters of his uncle, Edward Mathews, and legacies to servants. All the rest and remainder of his estate and effects he left in trust to) pay the income of his wife for life, and subject thereto he gave £ 10,000 as she should sppoint; i5,00ii to the general funds of Cambridge University, X5,000 to Trinity College, Cambridge; X5000 to the Herefordshire General Hospital; X2,000 to his cousin, George Sidney Mathews; £2,000 to Francis Claughton Mathews, and Mary, his wife; £ 2,000 to Charles Edward Mathews.and £ 1,000 to his wife Elizabeth; £ 10,000 to his cousin Thomas Arthur Careless Attwood 12,oOO to Lewis Mathews; £ 100 each to the daughters of his uncle, Edward Mathews; S5,000 to Mary Barber £2,000 to the Marcbesa Florence Alli-Maccarni; £ 1.000 to Mra Enuna Leonora Payne; an annuity of £ 100 to Florence Perty Z6,000 to George Attwood, junr; £ 5,000 to Lieu. tenant Walter Mathews; £ 2.000 to Rosamund Attwood, and 18,000 to the Rev Edward Moore on condition that he takes the surname of Attwood." The residue of his property he gave to his cousins, Algernon Attwood, Thomas Arthur Careless Att- wood, Rosamund Shackell, and Lewis Mathews.

Accident to the Scotch. Express. While the Scotch Express from;, St. Pancras was passing Hendon early this morning, the side rod penetrated the boiler and there was an outrush of steam. Both the driver and fireman were badly scalded, but they brought the train to a standstill. They were afterwards taken back to London, and now lie in. hospital.

Madame Nordica Seeks a Divorce. New York, Friday. Madame Nordica is suing for- divorce.

Death of ex-M.P. The death is announced of Mr Adolphus Drucker, ex-M.P. for Northampton, in New York.

3 Stocks. Stocks quiet, heavy.