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that now Nonconformists and Liberal Churchmen will forsake their tried representatives in order to return some nominee of platitudinarianism in St. Mary-street, Cardiff? The thing is really too ridiculous to be seriously entertained for a moment. But where can men of equal worth and political experience be found ? Mr. Talbot is one of the largest landed proprietors in the county, while he is closely connected with commerce. Mr. Vivian is a large land-owner, and is the pro- prietor of one of the largest concerns in the country. The present members, therefore, repre- sent the landed and the great commercial interests of the county, and we happen to know as a fact that of the few Conservatives in the county there is no inconsiderable number who would be no party to an opposition which had for its object a change in our representation. From such a calamity we shall be spared, because Toryism really has no political power in the county of Glamorgan. Opposition to the re-election of the present sitting members will not be successful Until the Nonconformists of Glamorgan are con- verted into Churchmen. The progress of conver- sion is of slow growth, and as men read and think, the progress will become even slower than it is at present.
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OCR PUBLIC BATHS.—The public baths at Cardiff are to be closed. Such is the announcement in the Cardiff papers, and those in Swansea are in great jeopardy of fol- lowing suit, unless the corporation and the public come quickly to the rescue. We candidly confess that in the matter of public baths we have been sadly disappointed, not as to the great advantages derivable therefrom, but as to the measure of public patronage and support afforded thereto. We imagined that baths, once well fitted up and properly managed, would be self-supporting that the public generally would appreciate the boon and gladly patronise them. We have been disappointed. Some eighteen months since, Mr. James Rogers, surgeon, ob- tained (after considerable difficulty) a lease of the Assem- fcly-Rooms, at an annual rental of £75, subject to certain conditions, one of which was that he should maintain public baths at a price which would bring them within the means of the poorer classes. That Mr. Rogers has more than fulfilled his obligations must be apparent to all who have visited the establishment; but we regret to say that the public have hitherto disregarded the benefits which the baths confer, and ignored the claims which they tacitly undertook in their strong advocacy for the opening of such an institution. The outlay made by Mr. Rogers in fitting up the baths, &c., was nearly £1,000, in addition to which he took upon himself an expense of JB300 per annum. What has been the resuh ? The baths were publicly opened on the 27th of March, 1871, and from the last statistics which have been prepared, it appears that from that date up to the 5th of August last, there were 5,194 baths of all descriptions given, yielding £37tj 2s. 6d. The cost of maintenance during these 72 weeks was £602 thereby involving a positive loss of no less than JE225. Now, no private individual can be ex- pected. nor indeed is it fair that he should be expected, to suffer such heavy pecuniary loss, and therefore if our public baths are to be kept open, relief must come from some quarter. Either the baths must be far more liberally patronised by the public, or there must be a substantial reduction in the rent, or the Corporation must, take the baths under their own management, re- couping, of course, the present lessee for the heavy expenditure he has made in fitting up the establishment, or lastly, the baths must pass into the hands of a Limited Liability Company. We say again, knowiag the great boon which the baths have been—the benefits derived therefrom by scores who have come from other parts of the county for the expiess purpose of taking the Turkish baths that we should exceedingly regret to see them closed, but closed they must be unless a decided improve- ment shortly sets in. The Cardiff baths have been closed—shall such a reproach be cast upon Swansea? Where is the public spirit of the town? We hope our Corporation will do their duty by making a substantial reduction in the rent, and we hope the public will do their duty by more liberally patronising the baths, and, at all events, make them self-supporting.
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— i C VN'TERBURY Cathedral—in some respects the noblest and most interesting of all our great churches—has narrowly escaped destruction by fire. As it is, it has been seriously damaged, but the partial havoc which has been done is almost lost sight of in the deep sense of relief with which we reflict upon the irreparable loss which Las been averted. The fire broke out in the roof of the extreme eastern end. Workmen, it appears, have been employed in making repairs, and it is supposed that they allowed some ashes to fall on the woodwork. The flames appeared to have spread rapidly, and at one time It seemed, according to the telegraph messages which, Were sout over the country, as if the magnificent pile were lloomed. At first no water could be obtained but this deplorable want was soon supplied, and at eight o'clock the progref's of the fire was arrested. At one time the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket, together with that interesting portion of the edifice known as Becket's Crown and the tomb of the Black Prince, were in immi- nent danger of destruction, and the Cathedral authorities deemed it necessary to order the removal of the altar clotl1, the Communion rails, and all tuat could be readily ca.rried out of the, choir, even to the pulpit lining. Happily, however, the damage by fire was confined to a distance of some 50 feet. A special'' Te Deum" formed a feature in the afternoon service; and Archdeacon Harrison publicly thanked the military, who had given valuable assistance, for their aid. The moral of this disas- ter to builders and their men-might we add, to chapters a'so ?—is obvious. York Minister was unroofed along the nave thirty-two years ago through carelessness very similar to that to which the Canterbury fire is attri- buted.
Xoal itttettipiwie.
Xoal itttettipiwie. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE FOB WALES.—All the arrange- ments having been completed for opening this new Welsh collegiate institution, the first session will be commenced on the 10th of October. The Rev. T. E. Charles, M.A., of St. Alban, Oxford, has been appointed the first prin- cipal. OXFORD UNIVERSITY LOCAL EXAMINATION.—L. J. E. Potter (son of Mr. Fred. Potter, Bombay), pupil of St. Andrew s College (Head-master, Mr. G. G. Sutherland), cjpS suJ:cesstully passed the above Examination in the p .CO'id Division, having satisfied the examiners in Latin, jench, German, Scripture, the higher mathematics, and also the various branches of English. MARQUIS OF BUTE.—His lordship, we are sorry to learn, continues to suffer greatly, the knee, the arm, and the elbow still causing much pain. Mr. Evans, his lord- ship's medical attendant, from the subsidence of head- ache and the absence of brain-symptoms, sees no ground for anxiety. Lady Bute, who is now convalescent, has had to post;' 'ue her intended visit to Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute.— f'.ancet. RAILWAY T^AFFIC.—On reference to the past week's retvj, sl ot the railway traffic receipts published to-day, it "will be seen that the three principal companies—the Lon- don and Korth-Western, the Midland, and thp n Western—each show an increase _„ „.ieat pared with thp over 1:11,000, as com- responding week of last year. The question naturally suggests itself Whether, with this in- creasing prosperity, there is any necessity to raise the rates. ANNUAL MEETING OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND AND SOUTH WALES UNITAHIAN BOOK AND TRACT SOCIETY, IN SWANSEA, ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 26TH.-We have to refer our leaders to an advertisement appearing in our columns this day, of the annual meeting of this society, when the annual sermon will be preached. In 'the afternoon a collation will be held and in the evening a public meet- ing in the Music Hall, when addresses will be delivered, and a recognition will be given by the Swansea Congre- gation and Senior Minister, and by the neighbouring Chul elles, to Mr. Ransom, the newly-appointed co-pastor fct Swansea. LONGEVITY.—A little schooner called the "Busy Bee," of Bideford, carries on board her hive of industry two human bees, in the shape of master and mate, whose united ages amount to 138 years. Both men are natives of -AjipJeclore, are hale and active, and are now on the eve our port on another foreign voyage. May the Busy i>,es prosper, but one would think that it was most time that they had so honied their hives as to be a e to r' tire on the sweets of their industry. AUI;,YALS AT THE MUMBLES.—Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, IT ^r-smoor Mr. and Mrs. T. Middlesbro, at 2 Clare- jnont Villas; Miss.Thomas, from Redland Park, at The Croft Mrs. H. Maclean, at o, Castleton Mrs. Fisher and family, and Mrs. Taylor and family, at the Post- Office Irs. B. Hasluck and Son, at Roseland Villa • Mr. H. Campbell White and the Misses Camphell White' from Gloucester, at Beaufort-place; Mr. and Mrs. Powell' from Monmouth, at2, Lansdowne-place Mr.R. j. Waite' from Pontvpool; Miss Millar, at 3, Oommerciai-place • Mr. By the way and family, of Pontypool, at Unde.hill. YMSCEOWYN.—A terrific thunder-storm passed over this locality, between 12 and 3 on Tuesday night, and which lasted upwards of two hours, during the whole of whIch time it raged with unabated fury. The lightning ^as of the most vivid and dangerous character, and the rain :'t'H in torrents. R. D. Gough, Esq., had a valuable Oeifer killed by the electric fluid, which apparently struck on the right side of the neck, passed along the side of tb» iSprlne' passed the back near the hocks, thence down rem i an(l out at the inside of the hock. It is a foun fact, that not a single hair was singed. When Quil f.was lying in the open field in a perfectly tran- furthle:¡,nhon, as.thou.gh asleep. We have heard of no damage in this neighbourhood. bear irf! ^SUNDAY.—We hope the public generally will Pointed f,1 ,ac': ^*at Sunday next is the day ap- variouu r a simultaneous collection being made in the the Swan? ??aDd chftPels in the town on behalf of Rogation t,!a HosPltah It would be a work of super- lent charitv a w?r<i on behalf of such a truly excel- «verv oVvi s claims on the support and benevolence ^cerely tn,»+18 universally acknowledged, and we tCi, nD,Sunily next Practical proof will the increased hospital is greatly in need of funds, Penses; and provisions materially raising the ex- ^^forthcnoam^eM. ad^tional subscribers or Jonations their serious eon'™ will have to take into ih .conslderatIOn the advisabijity of curtailing ?*rd as nothing aiLI* fns' ain eTent *hich we should re- £ <*pital are not conWH ? CaHlamit7- The benefit, of the £ ived from ° Patients being re- benevolent m alw^T* ♦ kingdom, and weiope example towns and district*will follow behalf of^he annual collections < ,the f*nc«a. truly jipble and useful THE CASE OF MR. THOMAS KNEATH.—The Rev. G. P. Evans begs to acknowledge, through the Cambrian, the following subscriptions A Friend, through Admiral Stroud, X] Mr. Jenkins (Albion), 2s. 6d.; Mr. J. Betts. 5s Mr. N. Smith, C. E., 5s.; Mr. H. Chalk, 5s. left at the Cambrian -Office, 10s 22 17 c Subscriptions acknowledged. 27 6 6 Total. E30 4 0 THE CLOSING OF PUBUC-HOUSSS UXDRR THE N LW ACT.-The annual licensing day for the hundred of Swan sea was held in the Guildhall on Saturday last, Mr. John Dillwyn Llewelyn in the chair. The provisions of the new Licensing Act were considered at considerable length, more especially the 24th clause, which refer- to the nours of closing, and the Licensing Ju^t ces decided that all public-houses and beershups should cl 'se every day of the week at ten o'clock, and on Sundays, Good Friday, Christ- mas-day. and holidays, should be opened from half-past twelve to half-past two in the afternoon, and from six in the evening until ten at night. The cases of several houses reported during the pasl year for various breaches of their licenses were adjourned for furtherconsideration. It will be seen from our report of the Annual Licensing- day, for the borough, held yesterday, that the magis- trates decided that all public houses should l,e ;it eleven o'clock in the evening on week days and HT ten on Sundays, and that houses sli >u'd he o|>ei> on Sunday af- ternoons from one to three o'clock, instead of from half past twelve to half-past two as formerly a de ision which seemed to give much satisfaction ..•> >••> h parties. OUR STREETS.—There is a marked improvement in the condition of our str.-ets at mioni^; t .n'< quen upon the closing of the public houses at e'even o'clock, under the regulations of the new Licensing Act. This will be at once seen from the following circumstance — One of the staff employed on this paper left the office in Wind-street at 12 o'clock last evening. He proceeded through Castle-square, Caer-street, Oxford-s'reet. up Union-street, through Northampton-place, and nearly as far as the Presbyterian Church in St. HwlenWoad, thus traversing the principal streets for the distance of about half-a-mile. Every public-house and beer-shop-and they are legion-on the road was closed, and lights extin- guished. The following persons were met: three men. one of whom was tight," apparently rcelirg home- wards the others perfectly sober, and to all appearance having been la,wfully engaged. No boy, no girl, no woman, no bobby." The streets in fact presented a most desolate, but at the same time highly satisfactory appearance. THE CHELTENHAM AND SWANSEA RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND WAGON COMPANY, LIMITED (SHACKLEFORD AND CO.) -The following is the directors' report, adopted by the general meeting on Friday last: The directors, in issuing their present report, have to remind the shareholders of the resolutions passed at the extraordinary general meet- ing of 29th November last, authorising them either to issue preferential capital, in or,ler to carry on the business under what they considered improved auspices, or to sell and absolutely dispose of the properties of the company. The latter alternative was only avoided by a few of the shareholders, who were sanguine as to the advantages to be anticipated, coming forward to subscribe new capital, and thereby enabling the directors to accept orders, and virtually to re-open the works. Although there has only been about five months for the development of this altered state of affairs the trading account herewith, for the half-year ending 30th June, 1S72, shows a. disposable balance of J64704 13s. 3d., which is sufficient to allow of paying the preference interest, re-paying jB3000 to capital, and carrying forward £1030 to the credit of the current half-year's trading account, and this division your directors will recommend at the meeting. There is still a large quantity of work on order, at remunerative prices. The vacancies in the directorate caused by the retirement of Mr. Edward Jones, Mr. Samuel Bowly, and Mr. S. L. Foster, have been filled by the appointment of Mr. John Perry and Mr. H. B. O. Savile, of Clifton, and Mr. Marcus Moxham, of Swansea. LORD TEYNHAM IN SWANSEA.—We have received the following communication from the pastor of Fabian's Bay Chapel, in reference to a late visit of Lord Teynham to Swansea We have had many illustrious visitors in this town from time to time the last, not the least, was the gentleman above-named. His Lordship was anxiously expected, and some doubt existed whether he would actually come. We avail ourselves of this opportunity thus publicly to acknowledge his great kindness in coming over to help us, and for his services during his stay- services promptly, efficiently, and gratuitously rendered. Would that many more of those occupying such liiih positions in society, were meek and lowly in heart," were to delight themselves in the law of the Lord, and meditate therein day and night;" and were to consider it their highest privilege on earth to point their fellow- sini,ers to the Lamb of Clod which taketh away the sin of the world." This is,: evidently, the case with him to whom we have lately listened with so much pleasure and profit. As our own place of worship at Fabian's Bay w^s small, his Lordship was welcomed to the chapels at Castle-street, at Mount-pleasant, at the Burrows, and at Walter's-road. May the brethren in each place feel amply rewarded by the Master, because they so cordially received His servant among them, and because thereby they encouraged a younger sister-church in its struggles to rise. We are also under great obligations to Captain Ford and his lady, whose guest his Lordship was during his stay. They feel that they have entertained an angel unawares," and we have had ample opportunities to know how much at home the noble stranger felt at Woodland Villa. The kind services of other friends are not forgotten by us, nor are overlooked by Him who will say at last, "Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me.J.T. THE NEW LICENSING ACT.-It will be seen from our report of the proceedings which took place yesterday, being the general licensing day for the borough, that the magistrates determined to principally adhere to the hours of closing as specified by the new act. These hours are fixed for week days from six in the morning to eleven o'clock at night; on Sundays at ten at night, whilst during the afternoon the houses may be open from one to three o'clock in the afternoon, instead of from half-past twelve to half-past two as previously. In our opinion the Bench acted discreetly in this matter, and doubtless the new regulation will be accepted as a sort of com promise by all parties. There were five applications for spirit licenses, none of which however were yesterday granted. Now no one can insinuate that we desire to in- crease the number of hotels, or public-houses in the borough, but we think that Mr. Dowman, of St. Helen's, made out a strong case for a license being granted. His house was erected four years since for the express busi- ness of an hotel and lodging house, and a house of this description would be a great boon to persons coming down from Merthyr, Aberdare, and other parts for the benefit of sea bathing, and also as a house of accommo- dation to those who may come to town for the purpose of being near relatives or friends in the hospital. We have no personal knowledge whatever of the applicant, Mr. Dowman, but the fact that he was an hotel keeper for 21 years without a. single complaint against him, is a proof of his respectability, and a guarantee that +1 house will, in the event of the license bein" --c, well managed. The provisions of the ° granted, be strictly enforced, but the "lulu oe should not be ignored; and WAT- ..nents of the public that the house prone- „ .Jave no hesitation in stating would be a ,sed to be kept by Mr. Dowman TYW" o.eat boon to the whole locality. From the re- KS of Mr. Fowler we presume the license will be gran ted, should the officers and committee of the new hospital not give sufficient reasons for its rejection, and we think any objection to the license would be more imaginary than real, and that no possible harm can result from a properly conducted hotel and lodging house being opened in the important and rapidly growing district of St. Helen's. A GOOD JOKE. -The Birmingham Daily Post of yester- day says :-As a piece of Swansea news a Cardiff paper T T^NRA§E to publish the Allowing story-as ancient a Joe Miller as was ever retailed by that somewhat weak- minded of men, the anecdote-monger," who will insist in identifying himself with his stories :—A few davs since a gentleman called on one of the leading solicitors of Swansea, to consult him in reference to an action he contemplated bringing. He said that the previous day his wife was driving a phaeton along the public road from Swansea to the Mumbles, and about half-way she was met by a trap, containing three or four ladies, and driven by one of them. The driver of the trap, on passing the phaeton, hit the horse with her whip, and addressing the fair occupant as an old thing," asked why she did not leave more room. Under these circumstances he desired to know if he had a good cause of action against the owner of the other vehicle. The solicitor advised him that he had not, but that an assault in law had been commited for which the lady might be summoned. Well," said the client, I wish you to take out a summons against your wife." Very good, sir," replied the man of law, "the matter will receive immediate attention. I would thank you for six-and-eightpence." This professional noncha. hncc took the client somewhat by surprise, and before he left the lawyer's chambers the affair was amicably settled over a bottle of sherry but what the aggrieved lady may think of the arrangement has not transpired. FATAL CART ACCIDENT.-An inquest was held at the Dublin Arms, High-street, on We lues lay, before Mr. E. Stri k, coroner, into the circumstances of the death of Afri. Ann Lloyd, 73 years of age, wife of John Lloyd, Mill-street, labourer, who was accidentally killed on Sunday evening. Thomas Davies of Morriston, pickler, ►•aid that about half-past eight on Sunday evening he was smia1^1^ SwaDsea in a cart containing several per- ma on w f^en a young man named Evan Lewis, a came tn th f' I ^customed to horses. When they cart and led^h0^ bridge-street Lewis got out of the hofse walked ?,r8^by 'K head hill. The being frightened ^18': Part °f the hill, bu" beii)g f, ightened by some children started suddenly, and head and stopped the cart, '"aTth ^r gone over Lywis. He hownvw 1<; l all right, and witness then told him + a? sal(* was .nddUe fcwari. ,he° £ £ o" ""Vf' heard a person calling out that a woman had h« e v *e and the cart was not allowed to pass thr^fwJ1 u until a policeman had come up and taken the ^ga™ was very dark at the time. Evan Lewis eave a «Tm-i account of the accident, saying that the first he knew it was when he heard the people calling out after them Joseph Edwards of the Hafod said that he was Koine down Hiidge-street about half-past eight on Sunday evening, when he saw the cart referred to coming down the hill at a sharp pace. A man was running at the right hand side of the horse s head. After it had passed he heari a stream, and ran and picked fcup the deceased.- Mr. Joaepn Davies, surgeon, said that he was sent for to see the deceased. He found her on the pavement bleed- iuy from the mouth and nose.. She had a severe frac> ore of the »kull jast behind the right ear • it was such as might haVe been caused by her Ming knocked against a sharpish stone M the wall. Tbia thw whole of the <TMeBc<tamd the- juri: returned a verdict of accidental forth. SWANSEA CORPORATION MEETINGS. A special meeting of the Council of this town was held on Wednesday. There were present the Mayor (Mr. J. Glasbrook) in the chair; Aldermen T. Phillips P. Rogers, T. Ford, and J. J. Jenkins; Councillors C. R. Glover' J. Livingston, M. Moxham, T. Davies, J. Rogers J Bimp' W. Thomas, F. A. Yeo, E. R. Daniel, T. Glasbroo'k W.' Elford and L. Tulloch. There were also a considerable number of burgesses present, it being understood that a personal question between the Mayor and the borough Surveyor, arising out of certain remarks made by his Worship at the last meeting, and reported in The Cam- brian at the time, and which have since been the subiect of considerable comment in the town. would be brought before the Council for their consideration. THE MAYOR AND THE SURVEYOR. The Town Clerk read the minutes of the Works and Nuisances Removal Committee, which included the fol- lowing letter from the Surveyor :— TO THE wORKS AND NUISANCES REMOVAL COMMITTEE. "Swansea, 3rd Sept. 1872 Gentlemen, Expenditure for Works paid out of Rates "At the last meeting of the Corporation, as the Burial Board, the Mayor gave expression to remarks affecting my professional character, and stated that if you ha(i j f a competent surveyor the rates would have been in pound less than they were. ln tne So far as these remarks apply to myself. I may have to deal with them in another way but as the Mavor's statement of the wasteful expenditure affects every mem ber of the board, and especially the members of th Works and Nuisances Removal Committee, I think it mC duty to correct the statement of the Mayor, and inf you of the amount actually expended for works bvTh** board out of rates. This expenditure consists of lighting the public lamp- .scavenging of the district, the re pairs of streets and highways, the watering streets sani fcary and other works, and, under the direction of the Water and Sewers Committee, the waterworks staff and repairs to waterworks. 1 he cost of lighting the public lamps, and scavenging and removal of ashes are contracted for, and are conse- quently fixed amounts, over which I have no control These cost 8d. in the pound per annum. The repairs of streets and highways, watering streets sanitary and other works, including all labour, haulage' materials, and wages of my assistants, under the direction of your committee, averaged during the last eleven years 5id. in the pound per annum. The waterworks staff and repairs to waterworks averaged during the last eleven years a little under ljd. per annum. This includes some expensive repairs to the Lliw embankment, conduit, upper river crossing, &c. Leaving out the extraordinary repairs just named, the waterworks staff and ordinary repairs to w aterworks would average a little over fd. in the pound per annum. The total amount, therefore, expended for works out of rates is Is. 2jd. in the pound per annum. After deducting the amount paid for lighting the public lamps, aud scavenging and removal of ashes, would leave 6id. in the pound as the actual expenditure on works to which the Mayor's remarks could apply. I have no hesitation in saying that these works have been. car- ried out in as economical a manner as any similar works in the kingdom. "If you consider it necessary I should like a special committee of inquiry appointed to investigate the charges made against me by the Mayor. I am, Gentlemen, "Your obedient servant, "EDWARD COUSINS, Surveyor." On the motion of Mr. Buse, seconded by Mr. Livingston the minutes were adopted without discussion. WATER AND SEWERS COMMITTEE. Mr. Alderman Ford moved the adoption of the minutes of this committee. Mr. Elford seconded the motion. Mr. Livingston enquired how it was that the water was cut off so early in the day. (Hear. hear.) He had none after two o'clock in the afternoon. Mr. Elford said it was most inconvenient that the water should be cut off so early as two o'clock p.m. They paid enough for it and ought to have a better supply. Mr. Cousins (surveyor) said the reason why the water was cut off was that there was a deficiency in the reser- voir, anil it was necessary to husband it lest the supply should fall short. Mr. Alderman Rogers said if there was not so much waste in the houses of the town he was persuaded there would be 10 or 20 per cent more water to use. All heads of families ought to impress upon the minds of domestics and other the great necessity of preventing such waste. As it was, almost half the water which was supplied was wasted. Mr. Alderman Ford, in replying, said the reason why the water was turned off so soon simply was that the committee wished to save the pockets of the ratepayers. They did not w.mt again to have to pay a lot of money in order to get a sufficient supply to last them through the summer, as they had to do the year before last. It would be necessary in future—in order to obviate the necessity of the Board having to go to a.n increased expenditure- that every householder should provide himself with a place fir the storage of water, as the water could not be kept on constantly without enormous waste. The motion was then agreed to. PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE. Mr. Alderman Ford moved the adoption of the report of this committee. He said it was the final account of the monies expended in obtaining the recent Act of Par- liament. W en the bill was first brought forward it was expected that the cost would not exceed £ 400 or £ 500, but Mr. Essery had subsequently told them that in con' sequence of the opposition offered to it by Mr. Stansfeld it was probable that this estimate would be somewhat ex- ceeded. However, the total cost of obtaining an Act, which would save the town about a shilling rate every year, had only been JE694, and he thought the result would compare favourably with any parliamentary business in which they had ever been engaged. (Hear, hear.) The motion having been seconded. Mr. J. Rogers said he would take the opportunity of making a few remarks bearing on the question. He heartily approved of the bill which had been obtained, but it did not go far enough. Since the bill had been passed the Legislature had passed another Act, absorbing the powers of the Board of Health into the Corporation, —a subject which he (Mr. Rogers) bad brought before the Council on many former occasions. He very much re- gretted that the Council, when they went for this wat«if bill and for the extension of the time for the repay of monies, did not also go for an amalgam (>t powers &c of the two Boards, as tv WU' deal with the most lmporta^* 6 that borough was of questmn, and as r^garde( to the pound- ">ry ]ltfcle advantage. ie alludec He ,1" -0>, shillings and pence part of the question _Atl In his hand a copy of the Act, -an(j he believef that so far aa the surplus rfvpnue of the borough func was concern^ +h«v were lu & position now thai tuey were before. "Under the sy» P! ^ously in forc< the surplus of the borough fund might, V Wlnd. be applied to the relief of the ratepayers, by the T,ayn.len< therefrom of certain permanent works which would other- wise have to be paid for out of the rates but under the provisions of the new Act they would find themselves in a difficulty, and he greatly feared if they wished still to utilize the surplus funds of the Corporation in this way they would have to go to Parliament for another Act to enable them to do so. Mr. Livingston asked the Town Clerk whether it were the fact that the borough was deprived by the new Act of the power they had for some time past exercised of appropriating the surplus of the borough fund in the pay- ment for permanent works, &c. The Town Clerk said he was not prepared to say that the effect of the new Act was as stated. Mr. Rogers read the 16th section of the Act, which he contended bore out his statement of its general effect. The Town Clerk might be able to give a different con- struction of the words, but, at any rate, this must be said, that they would not in future be left uncontrolled —they would, according to the new law, have commis- sioners or inspectors sent down to inspect their accounts, and he feared they would find a difficulty in appropriating the surplus of the borough fund for the benefit of the ratepayers. He had now said his say and would sit down. He congratulated the Board on having got so much. and only regretted that they had not asked for—in which case they would probably have obtained—a little more. Mr. Livingston observed that nothing which the Coun- cil could have done or left undone would have prevented the Government from passing such an Act as they had. Mr. J. Rogers had not said—and did not wish to in- sinuate—that it would. He simply said that if they had asked for greater powers under the Act which they had recently promoted they would probably have got them. The Mayor said he had just placed an Act of Parlia- ment before the Town Clerk which, he believed, would have the desired effect and give them the power with re- gard to the appropriation of the surplus of the borough fund which they wished for. ° The Town Clerk, having glanced over the Act in ques. tion, was understood to give it as his opinion that it would not ha.ve the full effect which his worship supposed. Mr. Moxham said he understood, from some remarks made to him and others in conversation by the Town Clerk, that they would still be able to pay almost all the salar:.2S, &c., which they paid at present out of the borough fund. Was he correct in this ? The Town Clerk That is so. The motion was then agreed to. THE MAYOR AND THE SURVEYOR.—VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN MR. COUSINS. Mr. Alderman Phillips then rose to move the resolution, of which he had given notice, that during the long series of years he has occupied the position of town surveyor, Mr. Edward Cousins, C.E., has proved himself to be a most efficient and able officer, deserving the confidence of this Board." He said he felt very reluctant to bring for- ward the motion and he publicly to the Mayor—as he had appealed to him repeatedly in private —to perform that small act of courtesy which would at ■ once make it unnecessary. He would ask him to with- draw the remarks he had made with repsect to the-surveyor at the last meeting of the Council.. The Mayor said there was only one word in what he had then stated, as reported in the newspapers, which he was' able to retract. He did not intend^ to say that if Mr. Cousins had been a competent officer, "the rates would have been 5s. in the pound less than they were%" This 1 was plainly absurd; what he intended to say was that if Mr. Cousips_had been a competent officer the rates would not have amounted to. 5s. in the Jpiund.' He be- lieved he had a perfect justification for "this Btat^ntent. If they woiiia aflow Hie Towh Clerk to read a letter which he had received he thought they would 108 that he had justification. His Worship then handed to the Town Clerk the follow. i 19 letter from the Mayor of Cardiff with the compara. t.ve statement of accounts annexed :— [Copy.] "Cardiff, 31st August, 1872. "My dear Sir,— I herewith send you a copy of our Board of Health accounts, which will give you all the information you reo quire excepting the amount of rates, which for the year 'i xe p ending 1871 were Is. 7d. in the pound, and for this year they are Is. 8d. We divide our rates into half-yearly, so that we have two lOd. for this year. Any further information you may require I shall be happy to give you. I am, very truly yours, CHA. W. DAVID. J. Glasbrook, Esq." SALARIES CARDIFF. SWANSEA. Surveyor £ 110 0 0 Mr. E. Cousins, sur- Insuector'of Works 100 0 0 veyor £ 400 0 0 of Nuisances 7S 0 0 Mr. W. Cousins, his of Cabs 5 0 0 clerk 78 0 0 Mr. Brown, sur- veyor 150 0 0 Mr. Northcott, sur- veyor 62 8 0 Attending surveyor 50 0 0 Surveyor 150 0 0 Mr. Thomas,inspec- tor of ashes 62 8 0 £ 293 0 oj £ 952 16 0 Officer of Health 40 0 o| Officer of Health loo 0 o -J Materials for Street Repairs Granite and Lime Sygnite and Lime Stones 864 10 6 Stones 691 12 10 Gravel. 51 2 7 £915 13 1 4691 12 10 Mr Alderman Phillips said as the Mayor was not willin-' to retract his remarks, he (Mr. Phillips) had no course5 open but to move the resolution of which he had given notice. He might say that he had no other object in doing so but the vindication of the professional character of a gentleman whom he believed—and he said it emphatically—was the most efficient officer ever em- ployed by the Swansea Board of Health. (Hear.) He had bQ,l amnle opportunities—although not a surveyor himself—of witnessing the career of Mr. Cousins, having been a member of the Board during the long period that be (Mr. Cousins) had been one of the officers. During the vear that he (Mr. Phillips) had the honour of occu- nvin<r the chair, in which his worship now sat, he had itill hotter opportunities of forming a judgment, having been brought into almost daily contact with Mr. Cousins -and he could testify without hesitation that he had never known an officer pay greater attention to his duty or give more satisfaction by the manner m which he dis- chiVo-pd it He thought he could also say that since the time of Mr Cousins' appointment m the year 1854-18 Years a,o-up to 1871, every gentleman who had sat in that chair had, at the close of his year of office, paid a hiffh pomnliment to Mr. Cousins professional qualifica- tions Zdt™ valuable assistance which he had rendered —^compliment which he most justly deserved. (Hear, hear ) He was specially authorised by several of the gentlemen who had occupied the chair but who had no longer seats at the Board, to convey to the members their longer seats at tne flf Mr_ Cousins' character and abilities, and to say that they would have been glad of the oi.nortunitv of expressing that opinion publicly at the Ed thS the best way by which he could prove that Air. Cousins was an efficient officer would be by just referring to seme of the works which he had carried out to the full satisfaction of the Board. In the year 18o8 he was requested by the Board to report on the best means of applying Swansea with water. After considerable labour and thought he laid before the Board a scheme which was afterwards camel out by Mr. Rawlinson. He was more or less connected with the work from first to last, and was put to consider- able expense thereby, for which he had never received a farthing This work, as the members of that Board and the town at large well knew, had been carried out to the entire satisfaction of Mr. Rawlinson The Mayor It was I who found the water out, if you PlMr?'Alderman Phillips said he was quite willing and desirous to give his worship all the credit lie deserved. It was the Mayor who directed the attention of Mr. Cousins to the water but it was Mr. Cousins who de- signed the plans and who carried out the work in a man- ner which was highly satisfactory to the engineer-in- chief, Mr Rawlinson, the highest authority on such matters in England. Mr. Cousins also designed and car- ried out the whole of the distributing mains at a cost of £ 27,3-50. He also prepared designs for the drainage of the whole borough, and had carried out the greater part at a cost of £ 52,857. If these works had been done by an engineer at the usual commission the cost would have amounted to upwards of £ 4,000, which, of course, had been saved by Mr. Cousins having undertaken and ac- complished them. The Swansea sewage and drainage works had been examined by engineers from every part of the world, including Hong Kong, Madras, Jamaica, and other distant countries, who had been, he believed, sent by Mr. Rawlinson, the Governuient engineer, to see the perfection of the arrangements, and the original methods of ventilation, &c., successfully employed. He ( VIr. Phillips) thought all this could not but be very satis- factory to the public of Swansea. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Cousins had also acted as surveyor to the Burial Board from the commencement, having prepared all the plans and superintended the work-gratuitously of course he had also carried out the alteration of the market for the Cor- poration free of all charge, and without their having any claim upon him—he not being surveyor to the Corpora- tion but merely to the Board of Health. He had from time to time received offers of other situations-Qfteu with higher remuneration than he received in Swansea-- and within the last six months, as he (Mr. Phillips) was in a position to testify, he had refused ft situation of kl,000 a year as resident engineer in 041c of the most important engineering works which lv¥l ever been carried on in England. If he Mere not, stated in. c'ne resolu- tion, a "most efficient and ablo ajfioer-)v it was not at all likely he would have recyix^l si>-ch an offer as that. h.ear-.) He though fee l>d now brought forward sufficient evidence to <VWin»'e ev meinber of the Board U required, f^^ion, which he did not believe did—suffiqi^t h" j10ped even to convince the Mayor tliat Mr. wen deserved the vote of confidence M loved. (Hear, hear.) J 'A™ Jenkins seconded the motion. He said SW1 *r KOine decree of pleasure, because during y with soine <1^ f brought into very close of Mr. Cousim ability » i the service of the Board. (Hear, mpmupr thp 1 without fear of contradiction to eve y attended different committees, that when Mr. Cousins attended 1 those committees he never obtrude 1 anYthina 1 gested anything to add to the cost, • which to in'luoe them to invol™ the ™ Gre'i 11 x 1 ne=nme member of the committee. first all mooted by m-eat degree of confidence. He said Jus 0Vf the committee who.were amateur c.n when me, for carrying out works, they enters, designed w view of the question, came at hat to ask Mr, -erally designed the and he in his very able ttmtttier He believed correct thing for the Board to Mrry- out. that if Mr. Cousins's ability had been fully appreciates at the time of their carrying out the new water wurks (and it was entirely owing to his own modesty that it was n°t, aud that Mr. Rawlinson was called in), the ma&ter would have been left in his hands, and a large expenditure would thus have been saved to the town. Mr. Cousins designed the works, and if they would compare his plans with those of Mr. Rawlinson, they would find that they bad been carried out almost to the letter. He thought that to have an officer who could design such great works these in connection with the Council and the Local Board, was a verv great acquisition. Mr. Cousins de- voted a great deal of time to the carrying out of the new water works from Morriston to Swansea, and received no remuneration for it He worked very assiduously, kept » horse at his own expense, and on one occasion met with an accident which involved still greater loss for a,U which he received no reward, and he did all this for the nominal salary which he had received up to within the last few years. He had been asked to go to an im. portant town in England to a situation with a salary of £ '500 a year. He showed him (Mr. Jenkins) the letter, not with a view of obtaining an increase of salary, which he neither asked for nor received, but quite casually, and it contained the offer he had stated, made to him by People who understood what he had done in Swansea. There was one great thing m Mr Cousins that whenever be had made an estimate of work to be done either by the Corporation or the Local Board, that estimate had not in a single instance been exceeded-(hear, hear)--and to say that of a public officer was saying a great deal, and was highly creditable to him, especially considering that he had been carrying out works which had cost upwards of jMO 000 It could not be said that it was Mr- Cousins's fault that the rates were so heavy- he had only carried out works which were passed by members of the Council, and was not in any way responsible for the high rates, which did not come at- all under his con- trol. Mr. Cousins merely carried out the works for the benefit of the town and he (Mr. Jenkins) maintained that those works—the sewerage works of Swansea—were equal if not 8Ur(erior to those of most of the towns in the kingdom. He did not think they would be doing their duty to Mr. Cousins if they allowed any reflection to rest upon him, especially when he had done his duties so well as he had and he therefore cordially seconded the motion which Mr. Alderman Phillips had mide. Mr. Buse supported it, with the strong conviction that they would at all times find Mr. Cousins inclined to economise and to do all that was possible tor the well- being of the town. While sitting on committees, he (Mr. Buse) had a full opportunity of forming an opinion, and he had always found Mr. Cousins desirous of meeting; the wishes of the members, more especially in an economical point of view. He had been one of the nrst on all occa- sions to assist them in lessening the expenditure. With regard to his ability he felt confident that he was equal if not superior to any one in the locality, iWd that he was doing his duties earnestly, honestly, and efficiently. Mr. J. Rogers said he could not give a silent vote on the question. He felt very strongly theposition in which Mr. Cousins was placed. H e (Mr. Rogers) had served his time—sixteen years-under one tyrant; Mr. Cousins had served fifteen or aixteen yfcara under thousands of tyrants. (Laughter.) Whenever anything went wrong the fault was laid upon Mr: Cousins. If the roads were dirty, or out ol |it Was Cousins,; if the water supply was short, it was Cousins; in '*f'set he MAS the general scapegoat to receive the BinV ojf the people. But Mr. Cousins was a zealous nan, a kind man, an intelligent man, a man who knew his duty and was admirably fitted, to perform it, and if he were untrammelled things would present a very different appearance from want .they actually did. It had been his (Mr. Rogers') intention to propose the resolution now before the Board, but it was supposed that the rash temper which his mother gave him might tempt him to say something which would widen the breach which had occurred between the Mayor and Mr. Cousins. It was not his intention to do so J7ear' near)-but Mr. Cousins having been brought before WW onIy fair that he should say what he v,D f»vour- Let them look at a few of the man I/! were found with him. He saw one gentle he rPTnPnt^mem r u the GounC1l-then present whom said TwJCry TCv and Wh°' a few days a,o, had said, There must be somethirg wron^—either Mr Cousins does not know how to makf stree^'or the stre' of Swansea would not be as they are J.T. u VT the liberty of informing that gentleman, and any other of the burgesses who had the same feeling that it not Mr. Cousins' fault that the streets were in the d?" graceful condition they were. He could only carry out the orders of the Board, and anything he proposed for the welfare of the town had to be presented to a com- mittee who had to give directions, and to look to the ratepayers for the money. The public complained of th. rates, but he might tell them that if the streets of the town were put into a proper state they would have to pay a good deal more than they did it would cost a: least £50,000 to put them in a state of thorough and efficient repair, such as would be a credit to the place an a comfort to tender feet. With regard to the water works, complaint had been made there that day of the inconvenience caused by the early time at which the sup- ply was cut off. Of course it was a great inconvenience that they only had four hours' supply a day instead of 24; but Mr. Cousins was not responsible for it. He would take upon him to say that 5 or 6 out of every ten water taps in the town were out of order, and that con- sequently a vast amount of water was wasted. A great deal had been made of the difficulty of filling the Cwmdonkin distributing reservoir, but Mr. Cousins was not the party who was answerable for that fault. What ever Mr. Cousins proposed had. been carried out under the direction of Mr. Rawlinson, who was called in a" the great gun to carry the bill tlu-ough Parliament. The Mayor had said that the credit of the finding of the water and all the rest of it, was due to him. He was very welcome to take as much credit sis justly belonged to him. He (Mr. Rogers) was nut in the Council at the time, but he heard that the Mayor had gone out of the room when the matter was brought before the Hoard if so, he did not see how much credit could be due to him, but if there was, he was quite willing to give it. Frn, his own experience he could speak of the attentive and considerate manner in which Mr. Cousins had carried out his duties, and from all he had heard such was his in- variable custom whenever any inlrabitmt required any- thing to be done—even though it were something out of the ordinary course of his Aficial duty,—he was always willing to do it in the kindest manner possible. (Hear, hear.) He did not wish to place the Mayor in a humilia- ting position by making any further remarks, but he begged most cordially to support the proposition. Mr. Alderman Rogers also supported the proposition. He fully endorsed everything which had been said by previous speakers, and if anything more could be said iu Mr. Cousins' favour, he would cordially endorse it tiO. He had sat upon m iny committees and attended mmy meetings at which Mr. Cousins was present, and had always found him on the side of economy, and ready to support any suggestion which was calculated to save money. With regard to the water works he might remark that he had heard Mr. Rawlinson pay Mr. Cousins the highest compliment, and say publicly that he could find him a place worth £1,000 a year at any moment and he remembered the Mayor bw,ing- present and falling in heartily with all that Mr. Raw'inson said. Why so great a change had come over the spirit of his Worship's dream he could not imagine. Mr. Rawlinson had had all the henour and glory of the important improvements which had been made in the town, but Mr. Cousins had do:;e most of the work, and he did not believe that a more efficient man could be found in the country. Mr. T. Davies fully agreed with all which had been said in Mr. Cousins' favour. Everybody knew how kind and good-natured Mr. Cousins was the only question was as to his ability and he thought one of the strongest possible testimonies which could be given to this was the fact of his having received the offer of taking charge of the work of tunneling under the river Mersey. He thought it had also been fully proved by what had been said that day, and by the testimony which had been quoted of Mr. Rawlinson, the first water engineer in the country. The only fault he (Mr. Davies) had to find with Mr. Cousins if fault it were—was that he di i too much. He thought the district was too large for one man, and that it ought to be divided into several, each under a separate surveyor, and Mr. Cousins having the superin- tendence of the whole. As it was Mr. Cousins really took too much work upon himself, and in consequence of this it might possibly be that some things were left undone, lie was very sorry that anything should have cropped up to make such a resolution as had been pro- posed. necessary, but as it was, he thought it was only due to an old and faithful officer that they should express their continued satisfaction with, and full confidence in him. If he were inefficient in any way, it would reflect discredit upon every member of the Board, as they would be doing injustice to the ratepayers if they shielded an incompetent officer. He for one believed that Mr. Cousins was fully competent and most efficient. At the same time he hoped the conversation which had taken place that day would lead to a division of the distric and that efficient men would be placed under him to, have the oversight of the town. Mr. Livingston rose to make a suggestion. He was llot going to say how he should himself "ote on tbe question, and he did not know how Gthe;r. nwmbers were likely to vote; but he thought It could be gathered from the expressions of opinion already made that that every confidence was felt in Mr. Cousir.I.s as their surveyor. He did not know what kind of case his Worship was likely to bring forward. He wowld probably refer to the case of Cardiff or other tow us. where the expenditure and rates were less than in Swansea. This might very well come up as a separate question upon a motion for enquiry into the relative amounts paid, but he should be glad if they could see isheir way to withdraw the resolu- tion which had been moved, without asking the Mayor 1 to say more on the subject than he had done in the onset. He had already explained that what he had said had been misunderstood—that he had never intended to say I that but for Mt. Cousins the rates would have been less by 5s. in the pound, but simply that they would have been less than 5s. in the pound. He thought it would be sufficient if it were understood on the one hand that the Mayor had not made the exaggerated statement re- ported, and, on the other, that the Council were perfectly satisfied with their surveyor. The Mayor: I will do this, if it is agreeable to the meeting. I have been in Cardiff, and I find that they can do there for Is. 7d. in the pound what we cannot do here for 4s. Cardiff is as large a place as Swansea, and is well drained, and in very much the same circum- stances as Swansea why should our rates be so much more than theirs? Why don't we have our streets as clean and our pavements as good as they were at Car- diff ? We are taxed 4s. in the pound, and they never pay more than Is. 7d. or Is. 8d. Mr. J. Rogers If you are going into the question, Mr. Mayor, I shall c'aim the right to say something more. Mr. Alderman Phillips: I beg to say, if you, Mr. Mayor, will express yourself as Mr. Livingston suggests I shall be willing to withdraw the resolution. Mr. J. Rogers said that the Mayor had asked how it was that the rates in Cardiff were only Is. 7d. in the pound, while in Swansea they were 4s. He thought H," answer was plain enough. The docks 0> j" rated up to the hilt, while th° 0 v»rd*tf ,t( the Mayor r ^ansm .of which ..«oa trustee—were rated at a minimum—no. Worth ffig ftarne of rating. What he called an act of dishonesty had been practised on the ratepayers. 1'hê' Mayor They collected in Cardiff in one year £1:?,500 in rates, while we in the same time collected je23,000 from rates. How is it we have to pay £23000 for what they can do in Cardiff for £12,500. Mr. Livingston said thM might very properly be brought up as a separate motion, but the question before the Council at present was whetfeer or not they were satisfied with the efficiency of the surveyor. wKhb\u,Tbut0ll'«mhSiS Uti dooM YQU are satUfied wIth bun; but I alU not. 1\lr. J. Rogers: This seems t<1:be' a mere question of » personal chara.cter. The Mayor: Not at all; I have nothing against Mr Cousins personally, but I don't see why we should have to pay so much more than they pay in Cardiff. Mr. \eo said he thought the phrase-to which so much objection had been taken was simply the Mayor's wav of expressing his opinion that the surveyor was not perfect. He had clearly a right to his own opinion. He did not further S would be gained by Pushing fr.he matter further, Mr. Alderman Phillips said the general remarks which had been made by the Mayor reflected upon the pro- ssional character and capacity of the surveyor, and they all felt that this were included in the stigma which his worship had cast upen him. He had himself, before bringing forward the motion, begged the Mayor, in private and in public, to act the gentleman and say, I am sorry for what I said." 1 he Mayor I can never do that. Let Mr. Cousins bring the rates down to the same as they are in Cardiff and I shall go hand and heart with him. I have a right to my own opinion. Mr. Alderman Phillips sa;d he did not deny to the Mayor the ri-ht of having his own opinion; what he complained of was that he had expressed that opinion in public and thus branded the surveyor as incompetent. Mr. Elford: That is, in his opinion. Mr. Moxham said the only ground which the Mayor seemed to have for his charge of incompetency against Mr. Cousins was that they were not working the town so cheaply as Cardiff. Now the fact was they were working the town as cheaply as Cardiff. There could not be a doubt about it. In Cardiff there were no water works— (the Mayor: Yes) -or rather the Cardiff water works were not the property of the town. In Swansea thev were, and they cost the town about a rate and a half t year. If this were deducted it would leave about 2s 6d. in the pound, including the repayment of capital toward the public works. The rates over which Mr. Cousins had any control only amounted to one-eighth of the whole rates of the town. 4.1, Alderman Ford said that he had waited in hope that the Mayor would find some way of getting them out qjthe difficulty in which they were. As matters stood they were in this position, that unless the Mayor retracted what he had stated, it would leave all the members of the board under the charge of supporting an incompetent andinemcient officer; it would appear as though 'he Mayor were the only just person in the Council and that the other 23 were acting improperly and wasting the ratepayers' fmoney. The Mayor had said at the last meeting, and had repeated that day, that lie did1 not believe Mr. Cousins to be oonlpetent. to fulfil the duties of the position he held. The Mayor: I say so now. *lr. Alderman Ford It was the duty of the Mayoi •'ther to prove the statements which he had made or to withdrtfW thdra. He '(Mi% >Foird) %fid irthers bdlwMi the »tateneots to be erroneous^ and they bad good reaeona for their belief in the option, oi cmi^-iu engineer like Rawlmson and their own experience of Mr. Cousin's competency. StatementsaswddasthoseoftheMavor had been previously made against Mr. Cousins, but when- ever an investigation had been made he had always come clear out of them. (Hear, hear). He defied the Vlavor or any member of the Board to bring a specific charge against Mr. Cousins of wrong-doing. If he could, he was sure he would find the whole Board ready to assist him in investigating the matter. Failing that, he considered it was only right that the Mayor should retract the asper- sion he had cast upon all old "nd most valuable public servant..Hy so doing he would not in any way lower the true dignity of the office which he held. (Hear, hear). The Mayor I Laye nothing to retract at all. ^fter a little further discussion, the motion was put and curried byamajority of 13 to 2. the Mayor and Mr. hlford only voting against it. On the motion of Mr. Hogers, seconoed hy Mr. Buse, it was ordered that th-- voting be recorded on the minutes; and after some further routine business, ;nclu img a "'port from the Town-Clerk on the requirements conse- 'I'tent 011 the passing of the Public Health Act, 1872, the r'ioeeedings were brought to a close.
TMUiI;BL: s 1 "YfeTEK FAIR…
TMUiI;BL: s 1 "YfeTEK FAIR AND LriL F SMYA of ST. PARTRIDGE. OF Oil'1 ;} ir ,• 1. • 1 't Edmund Burke, that as wa* ;,f .i., ''He narrowed his mind, x -av'"l> -hat was meant for wan-and/ For. ,t 1- on'.>. ,.n h s principle that he could male such strange omission, regarding the characteristic productions of Nature in the respective months. Of them 1-, thus writes — Frore .LuJll.,ry. ll'H1er of the. year. MinceO-jii-.ts in van, aid calves' heads in the rear Dull February, in whose leaden train Mv mothtr bore a hard without a brain; March, various. fierce, and wild, with wind-.rack'd cheeks, Bv wilder "\iT elshrnea led, aid cruw1;'t1 with lrcki April with fools, and May with bastards bless'd June with white ruses 011 her renel breast; July to whom, the l.'og-star in htr train, Saint James gives oysters, and St. within rain." With the poet's enumeration it is unnecessary to proceed. He evidently accorded to some extent with the views of the Swtmsea oystermen. who delight to dredge for ovsters all the year lound. lime was when t.;i.,s precious bivalve was spared in the month of July, which was then con- sidered a part of the bieeding season. The unwritten taw of good old oyster fishermen permitted the most popular and nutricious of molluscs to be taken only in the months whose name contained an Rv—that ¡ ough consonant so abhoirent to i:.nglish tongues. Four months in twelve were thus allowed 'hem to recruit their deci- mated ranks. But LlJe cupi,cy of .some Swansea fish- mongers led them to set at defiance the traditions of the elders, and to pursue their p"ey when it was no better than carrion, and when in the destruction of a middle- aged mother they were destroying thousands of her embryo-progeny. At the time to which we refer this poor tenant of the deep was for a while secure against the depredations of every species of human land-shark. It might enjoy undisturbed its proper period of incuba- tion. and rejoice, as parents do, in beholding its offspring, float aw.>y frOlJl the home wherein they had been" born and bred," no longer protected by the paternal loaf, to face the duties and dangers of tl.e world on their own account. TO both parents and youngsters sufficient law" was then given and thle attack on them, when that came. was not the attack of pirates or poachers, on rhe defenceless, but of men pursuing an avocation which the laws of man and Nature like sanctioned. Accordingly at the most important centres for capturing spoil, thaday for commeueing operations was observed as a half-holiday, whereon a fair was held, and oysters and Cwrw, songs and sailors' yarns, fiddling and dancing, lovers' trysts and sometimes quarrels, concluded the proceedings. Notably was this the case on the fi, st of September at thG 1\1 um. bles but there was scarcely the usual amount of jollifi- cation on last Monday. The day was not very favourable for dredging, and the "take" was under an average. The new Licensing Act senr people sooner from hotels and public-houses. The Regatta Saturnalia had not long been concluded. The j rayers of the Clergy for th> good be- haviourof the men who were jus., commencing "the season'' had been heard or some 0, her causa interposed to make the dredgers as sedate as if they had been mutes eturning from a funeral. Hut what w()\ild else have b en a monotonous exhibition was enlivened by the ever popular Mr. l unch, uud.r the management of the accom. plished Mr. Ashby, accompanied with his intelligent dogs by itine ant venders "f ginger-bre.-d, iced creams, hot potatoes, and soda watcl; by a merry-go-round on whICh sedate ladies went round in carriages ami buxom wenches. on mettlesome chargers by a metal giant on whose paunch aspiring young pugilists were, invited to try the. weight of a blow by slwotillg gal1.¡¡¡jes whose fair at; ten lants were killing more game with their eyes than the patrons of Snider will ever do with their lines by. swings to teach us youth'' how fa? we can deviate from, a light line with s-ifi .y and by the inevitable "Cheap. John," whose era mum was as full of fun as his carriage was full of merchandise :ake way, there, militia, cried this Brummagem jokt.fi- to artillerists from the Fort, "make way for he r^ijurs to come up." How d'ye do, coachman?" to S-wan^ea cabby, wh$ee over- driven nag w is showing injore hones than blood, Yer- 'oss may have had. a good supper, but he must ave had a bad night's rest." Tv. business, ladles and, gen IDlen.. I'll be off to-morrow l'm agoing to Jeerusalsa. Here\ a book with a metallic, pencil. Instead of I.O.U., you can write in it U.O 1. if a neighbour owes. you £5.. you can write in it £ 10, an' if he pays, you'll be £ 5 a gainer by the transaction,if you avn't cash accounts to keep, it'll keep an acco-ant of yer sins. I met a. man up the road that would Vave give a shillin' to it—but he was blind the paper's white as milk, as soft as silk, and strong as parchment; in the cheapest shop in Hengland, it would cost you sixpence, but I don't offer it for six* uor five, nor three, but tuppence -d'ye want it? No hyers ? 'Ave it for one penny. Sold, upon my life thank ye. Sold again, upon my life, &c." This itinerant morsel of humanity had a capital audience who relished his discourse amayjBgly, and he robbed John Barleycorn of some of his oftents. Simi'ar effects would result from intellectual amusements elsewhere but we shall quit the subject after having once more put on re- cord what has been often urged in these columns, namely, that on such jovial oocasions as Monday last skiff-owners and skiff-workers would have more to rejoice over if they did not, in what ought to be close months, kill the goose for the golden egg. Fifteen years ago the take per boat was ten times greater than now, and oysters were more than ten tunea cheaper. Then they sold for 9s. per thousand, and within the memory of many living at half that price now 120s. are wanted for them Tiie wretched men whose palate longs for this sort of shell-fish may exclaim with a vengeance tempora mutantur, and sigh for a return of the days that are past. But we must not forget that the first of September is the festival of St. Partridge. As, however, it fell this year on a Sunday, there was no outward and visible sign of its presence beyond a few sly preparations in the evening to commence its observance early next morning in the stubbles. Dash and Tippo were in their best forr" the "Gardener" had given an extra r-<' Saturday had seen J- «hC fiaw'eS) case' canton cknlie.l Will j)Ut Jn per had gkftlliiilea the bag to be cer- ¡ tain tli<v$It Was Idoiiiy enough and secure, and, what » is Worse, the fervour several of sermons was lost on Sunday on aecount of it. The weather since Monday has not beea propitious in this part of the kingdom, nor is it thfit birds ate plentiful, at least -in Gower and the southern pOftJoW of the Principality. NeveK theless, what do exist :v1l1 be placed under heavy con- tribution for our game supply io .Swansea. Marksmen of all ages and accomplishments have their hearts fixed on sitting at the same table with some of them and though the atmosphere will be torn more than the birds and though many will fall to the leaden death" aimed at them, a goodly remuant will be spared to do like the partridges of Sheridan—"Remember the peppering they got for many a day."
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TESTIMONIAL.—On Saturday evening last, the coal- trimmers employed by the Duffryn Main Colliery Co. presented a magnificent gold pencil-case and pen-holder to Mr. Wm. Saph, shipper, on his leaving the Duffryn Bank, to represent the Neath Abbey Coal Co. at Briton- ferry. <fhe presentation was made at the Miners' Arms, Skewen, where a pleasant evening was spent, and expres- sions of good-wishes for the future were mutually ex- changed. THE KKCENT CHORAL COMPETITION AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.—At the meeting of the general committee of the South Wales Choral Union held on the 7th inst. at Aber- dare, it was resolved:—"That the most cordial thanks of the committee of the South Wales Choral Union be ten- dered to Brinley Richards, Esq., and to Stephen Evans Esq., for their patriotic and sympathetic conduct towards the Choral Union in sacrificing their valuable time and money for the purpose of giving such a hearty welcome to London' °n occaslou of its recent visit to -OnTT^d?vDEnNi> AT THE VlCTORIA RAILWAY STATION. pi T k ^er^0C)U inquest was held at the r>f* .1 .1 vr11' ^r- E. Strick, coroner, and a jury r. u 1 t» Knapman was ioremm, upon the body of I ornas Pugh, a night watchman in th* employ of the Swansea and Carmarthen Railway Company, who was accidentlaly killed at the Vict01 ia Railway S ation on 'he previous evening. Margaret Harris, wife of Wdliam Hariis of Clarenee-pla.ee, mate of a tug-boat, said that the deceased was 5''> years of age, was married, but had no family, and lived in Clarence couit. H« had been in the employ of the Swansea and Carmarthen Railway Company about 16 months, and was a steady man,—John Lewis, living in Bathurst-street, in the employ of the London and North-We,tern Railway Company, said that the deceased came in at 8.30 p. m. on Monday with a goods train, having two engines, ore of which he (witness) drove. After shunting the train into & siding, witue>s fetched some trucks from another siding with his engine. He sent deceased to hook the trucks together, and backed his engine to the trucks, but deceased did not hook all the trucks and sent him on ahead. He tho n backed to fetch the others, after having been signalled. The truck that he (witness) backed against wa* laden with timber. Ha backed cautiously, and felt his engine against those on the siuing. The breaksniau then called out that deceased was hurt, and witnefg left his engine in charge of the fireman, and went to the breaksman, who was holding the deceased. lIe. asked deceased several times vh re he wa" hurt, and he* said on the head. He got up. with &8- sistance, and walked a yard or two, and then fell. Four of them carried him to the station. He was bleeding at :he head and mouth, and witness believed he "as dead by the time they reached the station. He (witness after- wards went back to the place whare the accident occurred, and hy opinion was that the deceased must have been jammed between one of the trucks and the projectiag timber on the other. The tvidence of the last wituu was coV-roborated bT the fcr £ *k»mmji, and the jury returned a rerdict of Accidentally kUled,"