The Aberystwith Observer

Eoral INFOTMATIONI PETTY SESSIONS. On Tuesday last, at the Town Hall, before ROBERT EnwARn, Esq., Mayor, T. O. MORGAN, and THOMAS JONES, Esqrs. Several parties were summoned for non-payment of poor rates, and were ordered to pay forthwith. COMMISSIONERS' MEETING. The usual monthly meeting of the commissioners was held at the Town Hall: present—John Jenkins, Esq., in the chair, Messrs. J. Leon, J. Jones, D. Jenkins, Phiiip Williams, David Williams, Tho- mas Jones, Thomas Cleaton, Richard Morris, and Edward Rowland. The usual monthly bills were presented, examined, and passed. Mr. Holmesatteridcd to complain of the insuffici- ency of iights exhibited by the drainage works car- ried on at the bottom of Pier Street. He said the place was highly dangerous fit night for travellers entering the town, and going in that, direction. The surveyor was ordered to have the two yas lamps in the immediate neighbourhood of the works kept lit all night.' '¡ Col. Corbett, Mr. Trevor, and the Rev. Mr. Ro- berts attended to urge upon the commissioners the necessity of their at once proceeding to furnish the town with an extra supply of water. Col. Corbett stated that, last year, as everyone was aware, the supply of water was far from being adequate to the wants of the inhabitants. Certainly the last sum- mer was an extraordinary dry one, but. the year be- fore, which was not so, there was a great scarcity of water felt in the town. It was only a matter of ex- penditure, and no one would dispute the necessity. He suggested that the mining proprietors, who had stopped the natural supply of water to the town, should be made to make a compensation for the damage they had done.1 The Clerk said he was afraid it was too late for that, as the different mining proprietors had enjoyed the right, of throwing their refuse into the rivers for upwards of 20 years. The Rev. Mr. Roberts thought it very hard that the inhabitants of the Marine Terrace, paying the heavy rates they did, could not have the necessary supply 0f water. The Clerk said that the commissioners must at once proceed to get a targer supply of water for the town. The only question now was, where were they to get it from, and through whose land. The pro- ject of having water frornLlflnychaiarn had been knocked in the head, in consequence of Col. Powell not being' able to grant, the land to the commissioners longer than for the term of his own life; find how wherever they determined to get the water from, they must see that they get a proper title to the land through which it would have to run. Mr, George Green, who wns in attendance at the request, of some of the commissioners, s:iid t hat they all knew he had last year gone gratuitously to it great deal of-trouble-to ascertain from what source the town f-puid he best supplied with water; and he had been convinced that the best supply was to be had from the spring near Midway, from which water coulcl-bebrought to the town tar cheaper than from any other springs, and that water was far super- iorinquality to any he had tried. The probable cost, with a steam engine, &c.. complete, would be less than £ 1000. The cost of working the engine, which would be of about the same power as the one used at the Cambrian Foundry, would HE about 5s. per day.. After a lengthened discussion, in which Mr. Leon, Mr. Jones, Mr. Williams, the chairman, and others took part, it was resolved that Mr. Green should make plans of the mode in which he proposed to proceed, as well as an estimate of the expense, by the next meetins. Messrs. T. Cleaton, J. Jones, and R. Morris were appointed a committee to see the spring spoken of. After which the meeting WAS BKYITMLRWD. I'WW *4. CAROIGANSHIRE LENT QUARTER SESSIONS.—The Lent Quarter Sessions for this county was held on Tuesday last at the Sessions House, Aberayron. There was no business of public import transacted. John Hughes, Esq., of Morfa, took the necessary oaths on being appointed Justice of the Peace for the county. CHURCH RATES.—On the evening of the 30th ult., Capt. Pryse, M. P., presented 14 petitions in the House of Commons, from places in this neighbour- hood in favour of the abolition of church rates. FECUN "ITY.-In our obituary of this week we an- nounce the death of Mrs. Jane Theophilus, at the ripe age of 86 years. The deceased has left several children, ten grand children, upwards of eighty great grand children, and one great great grand child PRA YERMFETINGS.-Y esterday, the Calvinistic Methodists, throughout the county, held prayer meetings in relation to the weather. MARINERS' ,NEWB RooM.—We regret to have to state, that the Mariners' News Room at Penmaes- glas, in this town, is closed for want of funds. CAMBRIAN STEAM PACKET COMPANY.—At a meeting of the shareholders of the above company, held on Tuesday last, at the Town Hall, it was re- solved, That. steps be taken for the winding up of the company under the Limited Liabilities Act. The meeting was adjourned for a fortnight. ODHFEXI-OWSHIP.—On Wednesday evening last, beicg lodge night. Brother H. O. Holmes, V. G., who is indefatigable in his exertions to promote the interests of Oddfellowship, proposed Pryse Loveden, Esq., of Gogerddan, to be a member of the St. David's Lodge, of the Independent Order of Odd- fellows, in this town. His father, the late Pryse Loveden, Esq., M. P., had been a contributing member of the same lodge for many years. WELSH LITERARY SociETY.—The sixth compe- titive meeting of the above society was held yester- day, at the town-ball. Particulars of the proceed- ings shall appear in our next. NAVAL RESERVE.—On Thursday evening last, a public meeting was held at the Town Hall, Robert Edward, Esq., Mayor, in the chair, on the subject of the Nava) Reserve. The meeting was addressed by Capt. Tatham, R.N., commander of Her Majes- ty's Steam Ship Eagle," and others. The gun- boat Violet has arrive^n port, and will lie here for some time. THE WEATHER.—The weather, with the exception of the last few days, has been excessively cold, and consequently the growth of grass has been very much retarded. We are sorry to hear that from the inclemency of the weather and scarcity of fodder, a vast number of sheep and lambs on the mountains have perished. CORoN ER'S INQUEST.—On the4th inst.,an inquest was held before J. M. Davies, Esq., on the body of Catherine Lewis, aged b9 years, who had died sud- denly on Sunday last. Charles Lewis, being sworn, said deceased was an aunt of his; that they occupied the same house, she living up-stairs. On the even- ing of her death he was with her, when she seemed to be in her usual health. In a few minutes after he had left her, and gone into his own room, lie fancied he heard her fall, and on proceeding to her room found the door locked that he then entered through the window, and found her dead on the floor. The jury returned a verdict of—"Died by the visitation of God." THE VOLUNTEERS.—On Friday week last the corps inet as usual in the town-hall, and after a short drill in- doors, proceeded through the principal streets of the town, forming four-deep, two-deep; and subdivisions, on the march. On Tuesday they again paraded, and the list of fines for non-attendance at the general parades during the last month was read over. The commandant, directed that the fines should not be enforced, but that all cases of non-attendance should be rigidly fined for the future, unless notice of inability to attend be sent previous to parade to the sergeant-major. Members not present when the roll is called, although they may afterwards fall in, will, in future, be deemed absent,, as great incon- venience arises from an irregular attendance. After a short drill on the marsh, the corps marched to Llanbadarn, practising formations on the road. The next, general parade was held on Thursday, instead of Friday, in consequence of its being (iood-Friday. Mr. Stott the drill-instructor, has given lessons to a good many of the members in the manual and platoon exercise, and wishes the whole corps to ar- range themselves in small parties for the same pur- pose, so that when the rifles granted by government arrive the members will be ready to proceed with the rifle exercise at once. Mr. Stott is most indefati- gable in his endeavours to make the corps efficient; and, from his unremitting attention, civility, and good temper, has obtained the respect of every member of the corps. TALYBONT Vot-UNTfERf.—On Wednesday last, the above corps met for exercise and drill. About forty were present. Mr. Wall, of Welshpool, attended to measure the members for their uniform, which will be similar to that of the Aberystwith Corps. THE ANOI.ER IN W A i.Ec-Abery-,t with was for- inerly an excellent station for the angler, but not so now for since the lead mines have been in full work they pour their waste-waters into the rivers, and the poison from the lead has destroyed all the fish. Notwithstanding, I strongly recommend a visit being paid to Aberystwith for it is certainly one of the nicest watering places I know; and a sportsman, whether he is going left, or right, to North or South Wales, can very well take it in his way. with little or extra expense, and there are lakes in the neighbourhood where fishing may be had. Living is cheap there, the air is healthful, and the people very obliging and civil. The country around is lovely; and there are many walks and drives, well worth taking, in the neighbourhood. It has good hotels, libraries, billiard and assern bly, rooms, baths, schools, and an excellent market well supptied with butchers' meat and poultry. The bathing is well conducted; and the beach being of pebbles, the water is always clear. Various pebbles, amongst which are cornelians, agates, jaspers, moccos, &e., which are cornelians, agates, jaspers, moccos. &o., are found on the beach, and which are cut and po- lished by the lapidaries of the town. — Sporting Magazine. j,

STOCK BREEDING—CATTLE AND HORSES. The following, which is selected from a late number of the i Lon/lon Economist, we insert for the guidance of our farming readers in breeding stock. THERE are signs that stock breeding, as a branch of the art of husbandry, is being made the subject of more systematic attention than formerly. Numer- ons papers have appeared and lectures have been delivered of late wherein attempts are made to res- j cue the practice of stock breeding from the purely empirical condition it has hitherto held amongst us. Some very useful rules have been laid down by Mr. Griffith Evans, veterinary surgeon, of Bridgenorth, j in a lecture delivered by him at Much Wenlock, in Shropshire, On the principles that should guide the farmers in breeding stock," with more especial reference to horses. Mr. Evans says:—" Our fairs are overstocked with horses, but so shapeless that it is difficult to say for what purpose most of them are adapted. "If you breed horses of some sort, why not breed good ones?" Mr Evans tells them "that it would pay as well as anything to breed really good horses." In most districts one of the greatest eurses in horse breeding is, that there are but few good brood mares kept. He had no hesitation in saying that, as a general rule,and the only safe one to go by, the female has as much influence on the configuration of the progeny as the male has. The successful breeder never uses a middling mare to breed from, trusting to the exceHence of the male to make amends. If he has not a good female, he will not aftmpet to breed. Thus it is a mistake to assume that one sbape, i.e., thnt of the Uunter, is tbe only it standard for horses, and the race4ior8evi8»eBly^a finer, and the cart horse only a coarser animal of the same general contour. But Mr. Evans says that this is a very serious error. The riding horse should have oblique shoulders; the cart horse, hav- ing to pull heavy weights at a slow rate, must have upright shoulders, and be able to throw its whole weight into the collar. He should stand over his legs. Having made himsetf acquainted with the best form of animal he intends to breed, "IJ young breeder, by attending to the great Jaw of nature, that like produces like, may, by guarding against variations, by breeding from animals of thesame sort, generally attain success. The stock should always be tho- roughbred and free from hereditary evils. And by thoroughbred, Mr. Evans said, I do not confine the term thoroughbred to the race horse. It may be equally well applied to the cart horse, or hunter, or pony, or carriage horse. It means those whose pedigree for a considerable time back were of the same class, and adapted for the same purpose as themselves." By breeding exclusively from animals of the same shape, and therefore adapted for the same purposes, with careful attention to pedigree, you may easily establish a breed for any purpose whatever. At first, when originating the breed of hunters and carriage horses, we cannot avoid using crosses or half-bred animals, and such was the- ori- gin of the race horse. I should recommend you to breed from your own stock as long as you can find a better male than your own, and your own stock improves. I do not object to a cautious admixture of blood, but you must not cross the breed. I do not object to crossing to families, but those families must be of the same breed. By those of the same breed, I mean those of the same shape,and adapted for the same work, with good pedigree. For exam- ple, you must not breed between a thoroughbred draught horse and a thoroughbred hunter or racer. You would get a good-for-nothing mongrel, too weak for draught, too ugly for harness, and not the shape for the saddle." Yetour fairs are overstocked with such animals. There should be no crossing the breeds; the race horse, the hunter, the hackney, and the draught horse should each be thoroughbred, that is, bred from a line of ancestors of form, size, and action suited to the work the animal is required to perform. This is quite sound, and it is what every horse breeder who expects to breed profitably endeavours to accomplish. What do we seek for our well bred, roomy, and large limbed hunter brood mares, but a sire with corresponding form and qualities? And finding it, we are seldom disappointed in the re- sult. The mistake often made is, that a sire is roomy, and large limbed hunter brood mares, but a sire with corresponding form and qualities? And finding it, we are setdom disappointed in the re- sult. The mistake often made is, that a sire is chosen simply because he is thoroughbred, without regard to his fitness to produce the sort of horse re- quired. It confessedly requires judgement, patience, determination, and willingness to make needful out- lay. The breeders of race horses are the only horse breeders who do all this, and, though doubtless their failures are numerous enough, the many splen- did horses they produce testify to the importance of systematic horse breeding. Holloway's Pills.—Liver Complaints—-The virtue of these i" comparable Pills are fully appreciated in every part of the civ i- lised world, AS they act on the general system through the cir- culation, there are few diseases which they cannot cure; butthey are especially efficacious in all disorders of the liver. For these they are an indubitable specific. They possess unrivalled po- tency for good, while they cannot do harm. A child might physic itself with these pills. and without the slightest danger, except from such excess as would make the most wholesome ali- ment in the world an evil. By reducing the sttperfluons bile, regulating its due secretion, and giving tone to the stomaciv, ÜN!1 effect a perfect and permanent cure. -0- •

LITERARY NOTICES, o SAY AND SEAL; by the author of the "Wide, Wide World." London: Richard Bentley. But a few years ago works of fiction, or, as such works are usually called novels, were looked upon by a large portion of the reading world as improper, or at the least, as trash and to a great extent there is no doubt the judgement was a just one. Fafse pictures oflife, false sketches of character, and often, very questionable morality pervaded the works of fiction othatfa century ago, and there is little wonder that they got to be condemned by a certain straight- laced class of readers. A wonderful and a meet be- neficial change has, however, taken place and most of the novels of later davs contain true pic- tures of life, true sketches of character, and very ex- cellent morality—some to such an eminent degree, as to become as necessary and beneficial as worfescrf a purely devotional character. Of this class is the work under review, which although, as a book., is not free from faults, is so admirable as a whole that our most cordial and hearty recoinmendatiun is its due. There is very little of what can be called plot, in the tàle-in fact with modern writers gene- rally, "plots" are getting out of fashion—and there is very little which is not true to nature in its life- sketches. A highly educated young man of refined habits and tastes, during a probationary year in htis course of study for the ministry in America, accepts the office of schoolmaster in a small country town. It is evident from the commencement he is no ordi- nary man, and we are not surprised to find him al- most worshipped by his pupils. He is a complete home missionary, and never halts in "bis Master's Work." He combats successfully in many instances the dangerous doctrine held by some people that they are "not very bad," and points out that hone are so good, but that they may become better. The hero- ine is one of the daintiest bits of WOMANKIND ever drawn by pen or pencil. Pretty, pure Faith Der- rick, would that more of thy sisters resem bled thee! If the book has a fault, it is that ft 's drawn out to too great a length, the author being occasionally led, by a desire to be graphic and minute, into descriptions of scenes and circumstances which sometimes seem repetitions. One thing, however, is certain, no person can peruse the book wilhoutfeel- ing all the better for it, and there is no doubt that it deserves a place on the shelves of every library. TO every person with a taste for reading works of a I superior moral tone—works combining religious in- I fftruction witfh intellectual amusement we can most ■ confidently say—Read Say and Seal.

TO THE "FORGET-ME-NOT." SMALL, fragile weed, while thus I VIEW OJ Thy soften'D tint of constant blue, I pray, in life, whate'er my lot, May those love forget-me-not." When parting from the friends I loVd, My beating heart with anguish mov'd While from the shore the vessel shot,, They each exclaimed, "forget-me-not." They each exclaimed, "forget-me-not." When last, I left, my native plain, Perhaps ne'er to return again, Each tree and shrub, on that dear spot, ,1 Appear'd to say forget-me-not." Erotn this, thou little lonely weed, «, My love tor thee does all proceed; I' To gaze on thee will bring to thought, That those I love forget-me-not."

— Dratfts On the 28th ult., aged 20 months, William, youngest son of Mr. John Rowlands, Ship Agent and Broker, Custom-house, in this town. On the 3<JFH ult., aged 93 years, Mrs. Morgans, wife of Mr Henry Morgans, of Morfabyeban, near this town. On the lBt inst., suddenly, aged 60 years, Mrs. I Catherine Lewis, Queen Street, in this town. On the 1st inst., aged 77 years, Margaret, wife of Mr. John Evans, of Glenydd, near this town. On the 2nd inst., aged 75 years, Mrs. Catherine Morris, Trefechan, in this town. On the 1st inst., aged 86 years, Jane, wife &f JOHB-Tk4ophiiu&, PENFERWPYW^ fieer GOGSGRDDAU. ■ I