The London Kelt

Personal Notes. Miss Davies, sister-in-law of the Rev. J. E. Davies, M.A., the respected minister of New Jewin Chapel, has been appointed Head-mistress of the Llanelly Intermediate School. Mr. Lleufer Thomas-whose serious illness is causing great anxiety to his wide circle of friends in the metropolis at present-is a native of Talley near Llandilo. He had a most successful career as a student at the Bar, and his knowledge of the old laws and customs of Wales fittingly qualified him for the Secretaryship of the Welsh Land Commission. The Rev. Gwynoro Davies of Barmouth, is the first Calvinistic Methodist minister who has been made a county magistrate in Wales. Mr. Davies who has been elected chairman of the Barmouth District Council, was sworn in as a magistrate for Merionethshire at the quarter sessions held at Dol- gelley, on Wednesday the 2nd inst. Among the many tributes paid to the late Mr. Haydn Parry, note may me made of the one in the Times of the 2nd inst. Speaking of prominent musicians who died during 1894, our contemporary mentions" J. Haydn Parry," and refers to him as one whose future was of brilliant promise." Miss Adela Bona's London friends will be glad to hear that she held a very successful concert during the Christmas season at her native town of Carmar- then. The improvement she has shown of late will, no doubt create a demand for her at our next season's meetings and concerts, and place her among our front rank of lady artistes. The young tenor, Mr. D. J. Harries, of King's Cross, competed successfully at the Chester Christ- mas Eisteddfod. At our largest meetings in London he had already beaten all comers, and to succeed at Chester, which is a second national to the music world of north Wales, proves him to be a singer of great merit, and prospects a very successful career for him. Mr. Thomas Lewis, M.P. for Anglesey, who has been confined to his bed for some time past with a very severe illness, is now steadily improving in health. If the progress is maintained he will be able to leave his room in a few days.

aften boasts of her freedom, the mother country is after all the maintainer as well as the originator of rue liberty, and in placing on the village parliament tmen whose honour and integrity we feel proud of ies the foundation of a pure political administration, in all departments of our government. J?Yo TJQelshmen neod applg. The action of one of our leading Railway Com- panies in dismissing a number of old labourers and platelayers, because their knowledge of the English language was somewhat limited, has deservedly caused a great amount of uneasiness in the prin- cipality. Whether our future British labourer is to be a classical scholar is a point that will have to be seriously considered, and if any test is going to be applied to railway men's linguistic attainments, we think that it might with advantage, and comfort to travellers, be extended to our porters and station- masters all over this companys system. In no instance between Euston and Holyhead can a man be found that will pronounce the names of the stations in a manner understandable by the pas- sengers, and were we to import a band of Kaffirs for these posts, to call out the names in their native tongue, we should be just as wise and it would make our journeys quite as pleasant as it is under the present pronouncing capabilities. The hardship of this decision is however serious. Men that had for years, faithfully and honestly per- formed the onerous duties of the line, and knew thoroughly all the practical part of their work, are now-through a senseless act of officialism-cruelly thrown out of work to the mercy of the world. These rugged sons of the soil were good enough to do the hard and laborious work of establishing the system, and after contributing their humble share to make it a success they are cast aside with less ceremony and care than the old rails themselves. The feeling shown at the Cymru Fydd Conference at Cardiff a week ago, indicates that the matter is not to have a peaceful ending; and if this system of petty boycotting is to be carried out by the repres- entatives of the London and North Western Railway in Wales. We feel sure that at the finish our countrymen will not be the losers.