The Cambrian

THE GREAT "WESTERN RAILWAY. (From the Times.) The history of the Great Western Railway Company is a record of honourable, courageous, and, in the end successful perseverance against fortune. It tells a tale of mistakes creditably acknowledged and industriously re- paired, of wise accommodation of efforts to circum- stances and of means to ends. Few railway enterprises which escaped absolute bankruptcy had sunk at one i mi' so low or had drawn so perilously near the verge of the abv-s ft" the Great Western. It is unnecessary lo remind our readers that the ordinary stock of this company paid not so very long ago a melancholly dividend of per cent., and at the time there appeared to be little chance that the undertaking would retrieve its character and position. The once famous battle of the gauges is over, and the contest has been finally decided against the broad g.-uge of the Great Western system but, notwithstanding this defeat the railway which forms the backbone of that. system is now placed beyond all doubt in a hopeful and prosperous position. The half-yearly meeting of the company was held on Thursday, and' Sir Daniel Goocb was able to congratu- late the shareholders on a dividend of 51 per cen-t. It was. indeed, a remarkable improvement upon the divi- dend of per cent., which was so well remembered, and ten years lIf struggle and depression tbat followed nor can we feel surprised at the unanimity and cordiality whwh (lis: inguished tbe proceedings. There are evi- dences of health and soundness, too, in the position of this important railway which carry a conviction that the enterprise is not momentarily sharing in the fever- BlIsh of commercial activity and national prosperity, but is permanently established on a secure and healthy basis. The revenue of the company during the past half-year shows an increase upon the receipts of £1ti9,:258, of which £ 4(>,000 was derived from passenger traffic, and the rest from the carriage of minerals, mechandise, live stock, parcels, and mails. The largest item of augmentation in the goods traffic is that of £7f!,OUO earned by the increasing carriage of minerals but there is also an addition of £3:2,000 to the gains of the merchandise traffic. These figures, however, do not represent quite fully or fairly the development of the Great Western traffic during the past half-year, for we should take account of the unavoidable loss of about £23,000 occasioned by the temporary stoppage, three months ago, of the traffic between South Wales and Swindon while the line was being altered from the broad to the narrow gauge. This part of the system includes a most important section of the mining country, as well as a rapidly expanding line of passenger com- munication with Ireland; so that the actual loss during the period of enforced idleness was considerable, and the prospective gain to be counted upon is large indeed. The Great Western Company, like all the other passenger-carriage linei, was startled by the revolu- tionary change affecting the facilities of third-class communication which was initiated in April last by the Midland Railway; and the directors, though forced to follow the example of the Midland, appear as yet scarcely to comprehend the scope and meaning of the revolution in which they have borne a somewhat unwilling part. Sir Daniel Gooch drew attention to the diminution of revenue during the four months of the half-year which followed the extension of the third-class traffic. The Great, Western now carries third-class passengers by all trains except the two expresses—unmatched for speed and comfort—from Paddington to Bristol. The result has been that, while the half-year shows a normal in- crease of first-class traffic-m number 88,2-30, and in money £J,70,j-the second-class traffic has decreased to the extent of more than half a million passengers and £46,218 income. On the other hand, the third-class traffic has already increased by 2,377,574 passengers and £ 87,374 in the half-year, Of course, this branch of business his not bsen completely developed. During the four months the new system has been in operation it has been to a great extent unknown to the masses, who require time to learn how to avail themselves of its benefits, and it has taken in little or nothing of the present excursion season. Sir Daniel Gooch 0 hardly gave the experiment fair play when he stated as the result that the company had carried in all classes nearly two million additional passengers, at an additional gain in receipts of less than £4;),9°U. We have a con- fident belief that verv much richer harvests will be reaped by the Great Western and other English rad- ways by means of this third-class traffic, which they look upon with suspicion and dislike, than by a reliance on the old and mischievous policy of forcing third- class passengers into second-class carriages, and second- class passengers into first-class carriages. The increase in third-class traffic which has been already marked on all the lines which have adopted the policy of the Mid- land Company is but an earnest of what may be ac- complished when this branch of business is thoroughly worked. No doubt, the second-class traffic will go to the wall in the struggle between first-class and second- class, and ultimately, perhaps, we shall find the English railways abandoning this unremunerative element of expenditure. There is much sound sense in the pro- testation of a candid traveller who refused to travel second-class on the ground that he wanted to save either his money or his bones;" and, when third- class trains become universal, :• ?ond-elass carriages will very possibly disappear altogether. But as yet we are far from this point. Not many lines of railway would profit more largely than the Great Western by an expansion of the cheap passenger traffic. Both as a pleasure line and as a business line the railway which connects the great port of the West of England with the Metropolis ought to rely much on the working people who, for business or pleasure throng the third-class trains. If Sir Darnel Gooch and his colleagues cannot see this at present men so shrewd and so successful in grappling withreal difficulties cannot long remain blind to facts. They complain, with a sufficient show of reason, that the passenger duty, from which traffic by coaches and omnibusses has long been relieved, should be allowed to press upon the railways, which have taken the place of the roads as the arterial channels of national inter- communication; and they specially resent the deter- mination of Government to levy duty on the third-class passengers who are carried by fast trains because these do not fulfil the Parliamentary condition of stopping at every station. We do not affect to deny the justice of these remonstrances, and we hope that, fairly pressed upon the attention of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, t ey wi 1 receive liberal consideration in the next Budget. But whether Government act wisely or un- wisely in dealing with this onerous and unprofitable impost, we should be sorry to seethe Great Western adopt the course at whicu Sir Daniel Gooch hinted on Thursday. If the duty was to be levied, he said, the shareholder could not, m fairness bear the loss and therefore, either the third-class carriages should be withdrawn from some trains or the passenger dutv levied should be added to the third-class fares. The latter course, though objectionable enough,—and, we think, in a business point of view unwise,—is, at all events, many degrees more desirable than the former, to which Sir Daniel Gooch appeared to lean. Let the experiment of third-class traffic be tried fairly before it is discarded; if possible let it be tested without the dead weight of a passenger duty, which now falls upon it for the first time. When the masses have thoroughly appreciated its advantages they will not only prohibit its discontinuance, but will take care to free it from any unnecessary and inequitable burdens.

CAMBRIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. BRECOX, August 30. The twenty-seventh annual meeting or congress of the Cambrian Archaeologicd Association has been brought to a close to-day in a most satisfactory man. ner. There has been no hitch in the proceedings throughout, and it is agreed on all hands that this has been one of the best attended meetings since the establishment of the association. But to premise, the Crickhowell excursion yesterday was attended by about 150Ltdies and gentlemen, and the party leaving Brecon in the morning, in a long string of carriages, made quite an imposing procession. The route laiil down in the day s chart was to Pencelli Cistle, to Llanthetty Church, Penniarth, Llangottoc, and Llangattoc, and Crickhowell, Tretower Cwmdu, Llansaintfraed, Sceth- wv, Llanhamlach, and Peterstone, but some of the places intended to have been visited were passed by for want of time. As it was the party did not o-et back to head-quarters until nightfall. & The first stoppage was made at Pencelli Castle, where Mr. D. Rees, who officiated as the guide, philoso- pher, and friend of the party, give somo particulars of the place. The manor of Pencelli anciently formed one great lordship, and in the time of Edward was the property of Ro-er Mortimer. It was afterwards con- verted into five minor lordships. There is very little of the masonry of the castle now visible. A good deal of the stone has been used to build a minsion near belonging to the Herbert family. Llanthetty Church, not far distant, was next visited Here was pointed out a very ancient stone built into the wall of the church. A few of the party visited Llangattoc Church, and then the whole proceeded to Crickhowell. where an examination of the church and castle occupied some time. Mr. Rees was again the exponent, and read an ac- count of the castle and church. He said that Crick- howell was generally called in Welsh Cerre? Howel from a circumstance related in the Folio MSS. :37')' Another authority assigned the derivation of the name to an ancient fortress called Crug Hywel, about two miles distant from the town. In the time of William Rufus, Bernard Newmarch granted the manor of Crick- howell to Sir Humphrey de Baurignill, and it con- tinued in the possession of his family for some gene- rations, passing from them to the Turberville family. In 1172 the castle was stormed, and the garrison made prisoners by Sitsylt ap Ririd, a chieftain of Mon- mouthshire. From the Turbervilles the castle passed to the De Pauncefortes by marriage, in the reign of Edward 1. In the wars of the Roses, the Paunce- I fortes were strong adherents to the Lancastrians. Hugh de Paunceforte, in 1445, settled on Henry VI the reversion of this manor in failure of issue of his own family, and Edward IV., soon after his accession (1401), granted the manors of Crickhowell and Tre- tower to Sir \V. Herbert, of Raglan Castle (afterwards created Earl of Pembroke). It subsequently came by marriage to Charles Somerset, afterwards Earl of Worcester, and lineally descended to the present owner, the Duke of Beaufort. What is left of the Castle of Crickhowell are a few crumbling w ,11. The church of Crickhowell was erected in 1303. In 1795 the two side aisles were taken down and the materials applied to repair the rest of the building. It was then left cruciform in shape, con- sisting of nave, chancel, and two transepts, with a tower. A new aisle was built in 1830. The principal object of interest in the interior is a monument, erected in HiDO, of black and white marble, with an effiyry of Sir John Herbert, of Dan-y-Castell, who died in 1666, and his lady, Joan, who died a few years later. Sir Joseph Bailey and Lady Bailey entertained the excursionists, after inspecting the church, to a sump- tuous dvjeimcr at Glanusk Park. The hon. baronet afterwards coududed his guest to the park to examine the famous Ogham stone, which formerly stood on a farm near, but which has lately been removed to the park, where it has been stuck up endways. The in- scription is difficult to decipher, but the best authority C" Cliffe's South Wales") put it as follows:—" TVR- PILI 10 1 ACIT PVVEIU DvixocATt." From Glanusk the party proceeded to Tretowe, which Mr. Bloxam pro- nounced to be one of the best combinations of Norman and Eirly English architecture extant. All that is left now is a round tower and some ruined and ivy- mantled walls. The last object which the archaeolo- gists bad time to visit in this part of the country was the church of Llanhangel Cwmdu, which was founded in the early part of the 11th century. Some curious remains are preserved here. In a buttress on the north side of the church has been inserted an ancient stone, removed for fear of destruction from a brook over which it was a stepping stone. A brass plate in the same buttress records the fact. In the church- yard is an old stone about 3 ft by 10 in. which was once the sill of the chancel window. On one side is inserted a rude cross of the sixth, seventh, or eighth century, and a mutilated inscription. On a hill op- posite the church, called Pentir-hill, are the remains of a military post of considerable strength, which Mr. Rees considered to be of Roman origin but others regara it as British originally, but as subsequently occupied by the Romans. There are three farm- houses in this parish which go by the name of Gaer. Passing homewards a glance at Seethrog was taken. It was 8 o'clock when the tired excursionists reached Brecon. To-day was devoted to the general inspection of the temporary museum by the members of the Association. Up to this time they had been so much occupied with the daily excursions and, evening meetings that no leisure w 8 left for the purpose. The museum was got together through the unceasing exertion of a few resident gentlemen, and a capital collection has been the result, including paintings and drawings, a few specimens of statuary, a large collection of antiques, specimens of natural history, geological specimens, ancient MSS. and books, ancient arms and armour, pottery, porcelain, &c., and a valuable collection of Welsh county histories. Among the engravings were three old prints (published 1741) ot ruined castles in adjoining' counties of Brecon and Glamorgan-Mor- lais Castle, Crickhowell, or Crtig-howel Castle (which was visited yesterday), and Penkelly Castle. In the same category are drawings of six ancient fonts from the churches of St. John's Priory, Brecon, Llanthew D veynock Brecon, Llyswen and Llansaintfraed. These were all by the Rev. Longueville Jones, and con- tributed to the museum by the Rev. E. L. Barnwell, secretary to the Association. Some interest was excited in a little water-colour drawing by the ex-Emperor Napoleon—a sea-side view—presented by the artist to Mrs. Bailey. The collection of Welsh county his- tories, periodicals, journals, &0., belonging to Wales was a highly creditable one, and must have afforded unmixed gratification to the ardent admirers of the Cymry. Among the valuable books on view was a beautiful copy of the first edition of Shakespeare, the property of the hon. president of the society, Sir J. R. Bailey, M.P., with a portrait of the Bard, and on the fly-page facing it the following lines :— ''This figure, that thou here see'st put, It was for gentle Shakespeare cut; Wherein the Grauer had a strife With Nature to outdoo the life 0, could he but haue draune his wit As well in brasse as he hath hit His face the Print would then surpasse All that was euer writ iu brasse But, since he cannot, Reader, looke Not on his Picture, but his Book." Attached to the volume was a cutting from The Times of the 23rd of August, 18G9, reporting the sale of a copy of the same edition for.E338 to Mr. Quaritch, of Piccadilly, from the library of the late Mr. C. T. SwaHston, Q.O. Among the stone implements were some that, somehow, must have got into the wrong box," for they were marked, Gents' plain scarfs, 6s." With regard to the Shakespeare, Mr. Broughton made a few remarks, in the course of which he mentioned that since this first edition was published no less than 263 editions of Shakespeare's Plays had been issued, in addition to 650 publications of portions of his plays, about 1,000 works of other kinds relating to him. It was not until 1623 that his works were collected together, and his first edition was issued at £1. It contained 36 plays. Pericles was added to a third edition. He had gone through the work yesterday, leaf by leaf, and found it perfect. Mrs. Bailey, however, thought the title-page was not original. A few of the leaves were slightly wormed. It, however, was not the book sold ia 1869 for £338. It was not purchased through Mr. Quaritch. The rest of the morning was spent in visiting the churches of Brecon. At St. Mary's and Christ Church the Rev. Mr. Barnwell, secretary, quoted Mr. Freeman's description of the buildings from the Archmologia Cambrensis. These showed the original forms of the buildings; but St. Mary's has been restored" since, and is now unrecognizable by the description of a few years ago. This church is peculiar from having no chancel arch. It was erected in the 12th century, much altered in the 14th, ahd "restored" a few years affo. Christ Church is a far more interesting building, and what restorations have been effected have been executed with due regard to the original architecture. There is a modern built and handsome collegiate establishment here well endowed, and the choir and chancel of the old church are now appropriated as the College Chapel. The building was erected in the 13th century, and the nave is now open to the sky. In the choir (now the chapel) are 11 handsome lancet in nit} 0 v. sidp and four (in the chancel Z)OWon°thf sol A Kreat number of old monument slabs, dating back to 1400, are on the floor but "0 placed that .11 the touBo ,,«». over hem and the lettering will soon be entirely obliterated. Mr. Bloxam mentioned that a few years ago he took a rufe- bin^ of an incised slab on the floor of the choir of the date of about 1380. It was then far more perfect than it ia now. The priory church was also visi ed, and m the afternoon the party went by special tram to Aber- camlais, where they were entertained by the Rev. Garnons Williams, one of the local secretaries, and with this hospitable incident the congress ot lo/J was brought to a olose,

R!<;M-:W Oe L'llK COfÚV TRAhr, (Abridged from the Mark-la,ic Express.) Though thr week op.-ncd wif.u much rain :t rapidly cleared, and for the most: part continued fine till the close. Further gatherings have therefore been made successfully in the South, and the Narthern crops have been advancing fast. Most of the Wheat lately brought to market has been new, and by no means has improved upon acquaintance. The idea of a general deficiency and serious damage has, however, helped values, which for fine qualities have not given wav while old, from its scarcity and the necessity of its use for mixing, has gained Is. per qr., as well as good foreign on the last London market. Our hopes, however, that the potato disease would be very mate- rially checked by the change to dry weather have be<m quite overthrown by a more abundant lifting of the valuable tuber. The fact was, it was gone too far to admit of any remedy, and while extensive grower- will suffer severely by the loss of property, the public seem likelv to participate in the calamity, unless foreign supplies come in abundantly enough to fill the void. In France the value of Wheat has still been declining, in Paris Is. 6d. per qr., in sever d parts of the country oa to 48. (3d. At Nantes, as well as at Bordeaux, the inferiority of our new samples has made our importers buyers three steamers being loaded from the latter port on English account; hut as they have only moderate stocks there, we expect Bordeaux will soon be dearer While, therefore, some parts of France have opened an export trade, at Marseilles they are importers, with prices rather improved tW other- wise In Belgium the appearance of new Wheat, has occasioned a heavy fall, white old foreign has kept up its nrice Germany has little altered, but a continu- ance of supplies of new at Danzic leads some to expect lower rates, though last accounts note a rise in tine old In Russia but a trifling difference of valu* has taken place, several provinces finding but a poor yield. New York has risen 5 cents per bushel—Is. 6d. perqr., and Hungary of late, has been advancing, her growers turnin" speculators on a small scale, but enough so to drive large millers to the provinces direct, th.t they mav complete their orders for Flour, while the wants of I aly must make large demands upon France. We see, therefore, no prospect of low rates for Wheat up to next harvest. The London market has not stood so well upon th6 first liberal supplies of corn; inded, only a little while back almost every one expected a dtThee arrivals off 'ho coast since the 23rd of August were 62 cargoes, of which 27 cargoes were Wheat. 18 Maize, G Barlev, 7 Beans, and Rye. The sales of English Wheat noted last week were 27,172 qrs. at 60s.c3d., against 27,269 qrs. at o/s. 4d. m the London averages were 59s. 61. on 4,109 qrs. Ivinsdom for the weekending «•«* cwts, Flour. 3 i i Mo„div in Mark Lane opened on a moderate supply of English Wheat, but the foreign arrival* were fair, though not heavy. The show of samples durmg the morning was not large, though more abundant than of and consisted pi-meinally of new white the wh.,1 „ lirionihan on the previous Mondav. wtl 'fe m worse eoiiaitiou r and values were therefore noted as 1* to -s._ per qr. low. than then but good old supported its price. The inferiority of the new English occasioned a better demand for good old foreign, which realized an advance tall. Is per qr the sorts most in demand being Russian aricFAmerican red. ciu,te realized former rat™. On W l'dnesday there wpre *30 qrs. per coast, 19,800 qrs. foreign. The weather having again taken up fine, this was a quiet market f"r new English Wheat of inferior quality but every thing really fine, whether new or old, was fully as dear. Though foreign supplies were increaseo, there was no disposition on the part of fao or* to take less money, and sales were quietly made at Mondav s rates. Friday's return* were 870 q'_s coas wise, 42.740 qrs foreign. Business wa< steady on all fair samples of home-growth, at the full rates of Monday the previous new samples being cle red. Notwithstandm^r the large arrival of foreign, sales were made occasionally at an improvement of 6d. to IF1. per qr. There were very few tnglwh Beans on Monday, and not many foreign: Good old English, with a limited trade, maintainei their previous value. But foreign especially inferior Egyptian, were dull. The demand kept small for all sorts through the week. The entire supply of Pea" on Monday, including a mere sample of foreign, was very small. Fine old foreign white were in moderate demand, at fully former rates. Hog Peas underwent no change. No subsequent changeO of value was noted. With fine weather, ne-rlv unbroken, the country Wheat trade has rather tended downward in the value of new sorts, from their indifferent quality. Bngg and Melton Mowbray were down Is. per qr., Sleaford, Alford, and Louth quoting a decline of Is. to 2s.; but old has somewhat improved, as at Leeds Is. per qr,, Birmingham noting an advance of Is. to 2s., and till the whole harvest ia gathered values must be unsettled. Barley in some places has risen Is. per qr., and all spring1 corn bas been firm. At Edinburgh there was an advance on Wheat of Is. 6d. to 2a. per qr., Barley being Is. per qr. dearer. Oats and Beans were dull. Glasgow also was Is. per qr. higher for Wheat, and 6d. to Is. per sack for Flour. Old Irish grain at Dublin was dull, but new Oats were fair in demand, as also was foreign Wheat. Maize brought 28s. Gd. per rq.

THE NATIONALITY OF ME. STANLEY. (From the Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald.) To us it makes no sort of difference whether Stanley is a Welshman or an American by birth (we concede at once that he is an American citizen), or whether he was born at sea, and can claim no country as his fatherland. But his nationality having become the subject of so much dispute, we felt a desire to know the truth. To settle the question we determined to go at once to the fountain head—the lady who claims to be his mother. Our journey from Rhyl Station lay across the historic Rhuddlan Marsh (Morfa Rbuddlan). An hours ride brought us to the Cross Foxes Inn, at Glascoed, near St. Asaph. Having entered, we asked the landlady, whose present name is Mrs. Jones, if was the mother of Stanlev. She replied that she was, and that it would be impossible for her to deny it, even if she wished. She then showed us four photographic portraits of her son, taken at different times. The first was taken soon after he went to America, about fifteen years ago. It had been sent by him to his cousin, who lives at Denbigh, and on the back is an inscription in Stanley's own handwriting. The second represents him as an officer in the American navy, and was taken during the American war. The third was taken in Turkey, on his return from ^yssima. and it !ifS ^rabio characters on the back. ese three photographs are two copies in different sizes. This portrait was taken in Africa, and had also an Arabic inscription on the back. His African servant is also with him in this portrait. He has written something 0n the hack of all these portraits. These exactly correSn„nd with the portrait given of Mr. H. M. Stanley'Tthe tow York Herald, in the Illustrated London News for the week before last .and there can hia name (Stanley) Itamped on The scrap-book, and this contained his correspondence to the ^UssouH Democrat on General Hancock s Indian Expedition. Se ktw. are eut out .nd pa.ted m boot, and moat of them are signed btanley. there m interestiag 10 h'» °m ha,ld- writing. Mrs. Jone8 gave us many interesting particulars, a few of which we shall Ser SOn8 real "T* 18 John Rowlands. He if now thirty-two years of age. He went out to New Orleans about fifteen years ago. He was employed by a man of the name of Stanley and it was after him that he adopted the name of Stanley. We next find him acting as special corre- spondent to the Missouri Democrat- After this he joined the staff of the New York Herald. He has now been three times in Africa. He first went ont« cor respondent during the Abyssiman War. lie^ then came to London, and returned again to Africa. He came again to England, and visited his He next went to the Continent, and t^u^0[ c°yse' to Africa in search of Livingstone. Histam y eard nothing t.11 the new. came of his succei» «d ^turn. His her an<^ cousin went to meet • "EW-:II,'G>KSTBRHER "TO" B»C.r -RTS travelled with himTrom Dover to London. Lord Gran- ville's carriage met Mr. Stanley at the station, and it was there those who believed they were his Welsh relatives left him. Mrs. Jones says she going up to London to see \Tr Stanley soon. The neighbours saw a gentleman named Stanley when XP W ales about three Tears ago, and with them it is a settled fact that the Stanley of those Jays and the Stanley of the present is the man who ^povered Livingstone. Among these we may mention the Rector of Llanwyddan, and, we believe. Sir^ Hugh Williams also. Anyone who will take the troutjle to visit the Cross Foxes will return as we did shall we say in face of this week's corresponlence-convinced that Stanley" is the son of Mrs. Jones, that he was born at Denbigh, or that there must have be two Stanleys in the flesh. We were informed that he is too much engaged at present to pay any attention to the speculations on his nationality. Does he not say so in his letter to Mr. Ollivant ? But we were also told that there is no question but that he will in due time come out and declare that he is a native of Wales.

UROOK Xilii SWiALMEU. As sefer.il «>f our correspondents, in writing on the late attWIl t r-, swiio across the Channel, have referred to the exTnuni'in-iry ef-.t performed hv Brock t-hc hoacanian a; Yarmouth, we take from Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, of July, 1845, into whose pages it had been copifd from the Sporting Magazine, of July, 1839, the following ac- count of the man and his performance :— "Amongst the sons of labour, there are none more de serving of their hard earnings than that class of persons denominated beachmen, on the shores of this kingdom. To those unacquainted with maritime affairs it may be as well to observe that these men are bred to the sea from their earliest infancy, are employed in the summer months very frequently as regular sailors or fishermen, and during the autumn, winter and spring, when gales are most freouent on our coas*, m going oft. in boats to vessels in distress in all weathers, ai the imminent risk of their lives fishintr up lost iinchors and tables, and looking out for waifs (that is, anything abandoned or wrecked), which the winds and waves may cast in the:r way. In our seaports these per- sons are usually divided into companies, between whom the greatest rivalry exists in regard to the beauty and swiftness of their boats, and their dexterity in managing them this too often lends to feats of the great».-t dariuir, which the wiuow and the orphan have long to deplore. To one of those companies, known by the name of Lay- ton's whose rendezvous and look-out' is close to Yar- mouth Jetty, Brock belongs, and of liiin the following anecdote is recorded. "About one p.m. on th" 6th of October, 1835, a vessel was observed at sea from this station with a signal flying for a pilot, bearing east distant about twelve miles. In a space of time incredible to those who have not witnessed the launching of a large boat on a like occasion, the yawl Increase, 1R tons burden, belonging to Layton's gang, with ten men and a London branch pilot, was-mderwfigh steer- ing for the object of their enterprise. 'I was as near as possible being left on shore,' said Broc" to me for at the tiTlle the boat was getting down to the breakers I was look- ing at Manby's apparatus for saving the lives of persons 0n a wreek then practising, and but fur the "singinc out' of my messmates, which caught my car, should have been too late but I reached in time to jump in with wet feet.' About four o'clock they came up with the vessel, which proved to be the Spanish brig, Paquette de Bilboa, laden with a general cargo, and bound from Hamburg to Cadiz, leaky, and both pumps at work. After a great deal of chattering and haggeving in regard to the amount of salvage (always the ctse with foreigners) and some little altercation with part of the boat's crew as to which of them should stay with the vessel, T. Layton (a Gatt pilot), J. Woolsey, and George Darling, boatmen, were finally chosen to assist in pumping and piloting her into Yarmouth harbour. The remainder of the crew of the yawl were then sent away. T'le brij at this time was about five miles to the elstward of the Newarp Floating Light, off Winterton, on the Nor- folk coast, the weather looking squally. On passing the light in their homew ird course a signal was made for them to go along>ide, and they were requested to take on shure a sick man, and the poor fellow being comfortably placed upon some jackets and spare coats, they again shoved off and set all sai) (three lu<s); they had a fresh breeze from the west-south-west. And now again my readers shall have Brock's own words :—' There was little better than a pint of liquor in the boat, which the Spaniard had given us, and the bottle had passed once round, each man faking a mouthful, and about half of it was thus consumed. Most of us had got a bit of bread or biscuit in his hand. making a sort of light meal, and into the bargain I had hold of the main-sheet. We had passed the buoy of the Newarp a few minutes, and the light was about two miles astern; we bai tt.ke.i ..f our job :s, •. ur earnings), an hid iu-r <■ Ic'lhited r i t by Ten o'clock we should be a' Yarmouth.' This hope proved fallacious. Without the slightest not.ie. <If its approach, a territic squall from the northward took the yawl's "ads fiat aback, and the bal!:1st, which tiley had trinlllled to windward, being thus suddenly changed to leeward, she was upset in an instant. "This dreadful catastrophe plunged all who were on board the yawl 0)' boat into the sea. It was terrible,' .said Brock, to listen to the cries of the poor fellows, some of whom could swim, while others could not. Mixed with the hissing of the water and the bowlings of the storm, I beard shrieks for mercy, and some that had no meaning but what arose from fear. I struck out, to get clear of the crowd, and in a few minutps there was no noise, for most of the men hid sunk an on turning round, I saw the boat was still keeping from going down by the wind having got. under the sails. I then swam back to her, and assisted an old man to get hold of one of her spars. The boat's side was about three feet un^er water, and for a few minutes I stood upon her but I found she was gradually settlino- down. and when up to my chest, I again left her and swam away, and now for the first time began to think of my own awful condition. My companions were all drowned, at least I supposed so. Howling it was up to this period from the boat's capsizing I cannot exactly say; in such eases, sir, there i" no time but now I reflected that it was half-past six p.m. just before the accicient occurred that the nearest land at thR time was six miles distant; that it was dead low water, and the flood tide setting off the shore, making to the south ward; tbpre, should I ever reach the land, it would take me at least fifteen miles setting up with the flood before the ebb would assist me.' At this moment a rush horse collar covered with old netting, which had been used as one of the boat's fenders, floated close to him, which he laid hold of, and getting his knife out, he stripped it of the network, and by putting his left hand through it was supported till he had cut the waistband of his petticoat trousers, which then fell off. His striped frock, waistcoat, and neckcloth were also simi- larly got rid of; but he dared not try to free himself of his oiled trousers, drawers or shirt, fearing that his legs might become entangled in the attempt; he, therefore, returned his knife into the pocket of his trousers, and put the collar over his head, which, although it assisted in keeping him above watpr, retarded his swimming, and after a few mo- ment", thinking what was best to be done, he determined to abandon it. He now, to his great surprise, perceived one of his messIDRtes swimming ahead of hiin, but he did not hail him. The roaring of the hurricane was past; the cries of drowning men were no longer beard and the moon- bea.ms were casting their silvery light over the smooth sur- face of the deep, calm and silent as the grave over which he floated, and into which he saw this last of his com- panions descend without a struggle or a cry as he ap- proached within twenty yards of him. Up to this time Winterton Light had served, instead of a landmark, to direct his course; but the tide had now carried him out of sight of it, and in its stead a bright star stood over where' his hopes of safety rested. With his eVes steadfastly fixed upon it, he continued swimming on calculating the time when the tide would turn. But his trials were not yot past. As if to prove the power of human fortitude, the sky became suddenly overclouded, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.' He no longer knew his course, and he confessed that for a moment he was ftfraid yet he felt that fear is but the betraying of the succours which reason offereth and that which roused him to further exertion would have sealed the fate of almost any other human being—a sudden short cracking peal of thunder burst in stunning loudness just over his head, and the forked and flashing lightning at brief intervals threw its vivid fires around him. This, too, in its turn passed away, and left the wave once more calm and unruffled the moon (nearly full) again threw a more brilliant light upon the bosom of the sea, when the storm had gone over without waking from its slumbers. His next effort was to free himself from his heavy laced boots, which greatly encumbered him, and in which he succeeded by the aid of his knife. He now saw Lowestoft High Lighthouse, and could occasionally discern the tops of the cliffs beyond Gorlestone on the Suffolk coast. The swell of the sea drove him over the Cross-sand Ridge, and he thAn got sight of a buoy, which, although it told him his exact position, as he says, took him rather aback,' as he had hoped he was nearer the shore. It proved to be the chequered buoy of St. Nicholas Gatt, off Yarmouth, and opposite his own door, but distant from the land four miles. And now again he held council with himself, and the ener- gies of his mind seemed almost superhuman he had been five hours in the water, and here was something to hold by he could have even got upon the buoy, and some ves- sel might come near to pick hita up and the question was, could he yet hold out fer four miles ? But, as he says, I knew the night air would soon finish me, and had I stayed but a few minutes upon the buoy, and then altered my mind, how did I know that my limbs would again resume their office ?' He found the tide (to use a sea term) wis broke. It did not run so strong; so he abandoned the buoy and steered for the land, towards which, with the wind from the eastward, he found he was now fast ap- proaching. The last trial of his fortitude was now at hand, for which he was totally unprepared, and which he considers (sailors being not a little superstitious) the most difficult of any he had to combat. Soon after he left the buoy he heard just above his head a sort of whizzing sound, which his imagination conjured into the prelude to the 'rushing of a mighty wind,' and close to his ear there followed a smart splash in the water, and a sudden shriek that went through him, such as is heard When the lone sea-bird wakes its wildest cry.' The fact was, a large grey gull, mistaking him for a corpse, had made a dash at him, and its loud discordant scream in a moment brought a countless number of these formidable birds together, all prepared to contest for and share the spoil. These large and powerful foes he had now to scare from their intended prey, and by shouting and splashing with his hands and feet, in a few minutes they vanished from sight and hearing. He now caught sight of a vessel at anchor, but a great way off, and to get within hail of her he must swim over Cortoa Sands (the grave of thousands), the breakers at this time showing their angry white crests. As he approached the wind suddenly changed, the consequence of which was that the swell of the sea met him. And now again for his own description :— I got a great deal of water down my throat, which greatly weakened me, and I felt certain that, should this continue, it would soon be all over, and I prayed that the wind might change, or that God would take away my senses before I felt what it was to dro wn. In less time than I am telling you I had driven over the sands into smooth water, the wind and swell came again from the east- ward, and my strength returned to me as fresh as in the beginning.' He now felt assured that he could reach the shore but he considered it would be better to get within hail of the brig some distance to the southward of him, and the most' difficult task of the two, as the ebb tide was now cunning, which, although it carried him towards the land, set to the northward; and to gain the object of his choice would require much greater exertion. 'But,' said Brock, if I gained the shore, could I get out of the surf, which at this time was heavy on the beach ? And, sup- posing I succeeded in this point, should I be able to walk, climb the cliffs, and get to a house ? If not, there was little chance of life remaining long in me but if I could make ntyself heard on board the brig, then I should secure, immediate assistance. I get within two hundred yards of her, the nearest possible approach, and, sum- moning all my strength, I sung out as well as if I had been on shore.' Brock was fortunately answered from the deck, a boat was instantly lowered, and at half-past one a.m., having swam seven hours in an October night, he was safe on board the brig Betsy, of Sunderland, coal laden, at anchor in Gorton Roads, 14 miles from spot where the boat was capsized. "Once safe on board, Nature cried 'Enouf b he fainted, and continued insensible for some tiir AU that humanity coul<l suggest was done for him the cptam and his crew they had no spirits on bo, but they had bottled ale, which they made warm >1 by placing Brock before a good fire, rubbing him dr', and putting him in hot blankets, he was at length, wit! great difficulty, enabled to swallow a little of the ale tt it caused excruciating pain, as his throat was in a to of high inflammation from inhaling so long the sa/in arti- cles of sea and air, and it was now swollen very mch, and, as he says, he feared he should be suffocate He, however, after a little time, fell into a sleep, w < re. freshed and strengthened him. but he awoke to ense bodily suffering. Round his neck and chest he w per- fectly flayed; the soles of his feet, his hands, 11 his hamstrings were also excoriated. In this state, a o,mt nine a.m., the brig getting under weigh with t: ride, he was put on shore at Lowestoft, in Suffolk, wh 3 he immediately dispatched a messenger to Yarmouth- n-ith the sad tidings of the fate of the yawl and the re~ i her crew. "Being now safely housed under the roof of a r five, with good nursing and medical assistance, he was Med to walk back to Yarmouth in five days from the It" of tbeacodent. The knife, which he considers as tb .real ° ii saved, is preserved with gr° ••ire, bin .Ipsr.on 1pr°babihty will be shown a century by on,'hf*? I* is a cominon horn-handle „ife, is now rivetSd1lenaWut1five inches long. A piece W following insnrii f"' U1U-' .covers one side, on wlli. che £ -» thrr Rn/u* i "rown, .bmmerson, Nmr tsuaus, renn, Kusnmere. Rmiif j being Seven'and°a half hon>•■■■■ u th# Séa, tith Oct., 1&1G. -It was a curious thing, sir,' said Brock, a- was listeuing to his extraordinary narrative th • i.ad been without a knife for some time, and only p )sed this two days before it became so useful to i and having to make soui* boat's tholes, it was as s; as a razor.' I know not what phrenologists might say t■■ i ,ck's head, but I fancied, while studying his very I Nome face and expression of countenance, that the >uld see his heart. His hodily proportions, exceptii ht, are Herculean, standing 5 feet 5 inches nigh hi ,;ht, without any protuberance of body, is 14 stone It ;e at the time spoken of was 31 his manners are yet communicative; he tells his tale neither taint" • >m- bast nor any clap-trap to awaken the sympathies ,ose of the Wrexhill school' that have flocked all rim. In the honest manliness of his heart he thus a. r ssed me just before parting—' I always considereu ivwo.-rson a better swimmer than myself; but, poor fellow did not hold out long. I ought to be a good-living. sir for three times have I been saved by swimmino-. One trait more, which he did not tell me, T, bave done. A very good subscription was made for the M'OWS and children of BrocK's unfortunate companion- ,1 a fund being established for their relief, the sin was offered to him. This was his answer :—" I am t to yon, gentlemen, but, thank God, I can still ,1' wu living as well as ever, and I could not spend r aey that was given to the fatherless and the widow.' We may add that Brock still survives, are no means a stranger to the inhabitants of Yarmou its neighbourhood, or the numerous visitors who cut this part of the coast."

W ILLS AUD BEQUF.STS. — j.ue >viil of tile il:_ on. Lady Louisa Cornwallis, who died at her resi.. :?, < hark's-street. Berke'ey-«quare, ou the 18th ul 71, was proved in London on the 17th instant, und t00 personalty, by her nephew, the Kight Hon. Ch Tn. wallis, Baron Braybrooke, and the Hon. and 1;. iner Neville. M.A., the joint acting executors awl ees to each of whom there is a legacy of £ 300.—The will of Mr. Edward Walker, of Oxford-terrace, Hyde Park, and New-square, Lincolns-Inn, was proved inLondto.. ,,i, the 17th ult., under <-500.000person.dty, by his i ;-in- law, Mr George Lucas, Mr. John Goddard, "Life OtDce, and Thomas Lupton, in testator's olnce. ■ < .ves a legacy of jE200 free to each of his executors.—J <'ted London News. MESSAGE OF THE QPEEN TO MR. H. M. S V. The following letter from Lord Granville w.J-ed by Mr. H. M. Stanley, the special correspond the Nerv York Herald, accompanied by a magiu,. old snuffbox richly set in brilliants; "For..ice, August 27th,1872.ir,-1 have great sat:-(, M.OI in conveying to you, by command of the Queen, her Ji .it-ry'g high appreciation of the prudence and zeal whi. a you have displayed in opening a communication widi Dr. Livingstone, and so relieving her Majesty fr.r.u the anxiety which in common with her subjects, she had felt in regard to the fate of that distinguished traveller. The Queen desires me to express her thanks ''< the service you have thus rendered, together wi hei Ma- jesty's congratulations on your having so sin'c, siully carried out the mission which you so fearlessly uick rook. Her Majesty also desires me to request your acceptance of the memorial which accompanies this letter,—I am, sir. your most obedient, humble servant—GKA.N V ILI. FALSE HAIK.—M. Lindeman continues his in ve-iiga- tion of the parasitic bodies (Gregarinidæ) found the false tresses and chignons commonly worn bv ia lies. They are to be found at the extremity of the ban'- and form there little nodosities, visible, on careful na- tion, to the naked eye. Each of these nodosities re- presents a colony of about fifty psorosperm. Cach psorosperm is spherical; but, by the reciprocal pre -are of its neighbours, it is flattened, and become- di.-coid, Under the influence of heat and moisture it swi i its granular contents are transformed into little; spheres, and then into pseudo-naviceJlete—little ni-iiorm corpuscles, with a persistent external membrane, and enclosing one or tWI) nucclei. These pseu-!>>. -elite become free, float in the air, penetrate into the • f-ior of the human organism, reach the circulatory a))) .a! ,1 us, and produce, according to this author, various maladies —"cirdiac affections, especially valvular a, ons, Bright's disease, pulmonary affections." M. Limb-man calculates that, in a ball-room containing fifty lilies forty-five millionsot'navicellai are set free; and he con- cludes that it is necessary to abolish false hair. w hich, often proceeds from unclean persons.—British M,dical Journal. THE RAILWAYS, AND THEIR MINERAL TUU-IIO — Were proof required of the remarkable decree of activity which has characterised the staple trades of the United Kingdom during the past six mon; the dividends paid and payable to the shareholders of the principal lines of railway would be most conclun e. On some lines the increased dividends have not been so substantial as the shareholders anticipated, nor, pe haps, as they had the right to expect; but these line- were principally passenger lines, and the increased pc-ipts were largely diminished by the extraordinary hi^o rice of coals and the general advance in the wages > 'nose employed. The receipts upon the mineral mines nave, however, been steadily increasing, a.nd there can n.> no doubt that, properlv developed and with the requisite facilities granted, the iron and coal trades prove the "back-bone" of the railway system. Statistics p"ove to demonstration that a line of railway running through a good mineral district, and having good ports of dis- charge, or leading to large "nests" of manutac ures, must pay; and railway directors but ill advance thei>' own intorests and those of the shareholders when the ignore the claims which tbe iron and coal trades han. upon them. The TafF Yale Railway, a short mineral linf in Wales, will always be cited as one of the best raying lines in the whole kingdom, with its £100 shares worth some £140 or £l60, and paying its 10 per cent, dividend with a regularity quite enviable by other lines, be-ides laying by almost every half-year a considerable sum as a reverse fund to provide for any unforseen contir.eoncy. This line is not only one of the best paying lines in the kingdom, it is one of the best managed; its trains run with clock-like regularity, and the wants and .he re- quirementa of the colliery proprietors, the ironmasters, and the traders generally are not only met, but studied and promoted. Gladly, too, we acknowledge that of late years, and under the able management uj Sir Daniel Gooch, the Great Western is directing far more attention to the necessities of the colliery proprietors and promoting the interests of the traders than in years gone by; and, verily the increased dividends am! the extraction of the affairs of the company from the finan- cial complications which once surrounded them i" the reward. The line, as is well known, runs through the very vitals of the Principality, whilst its many arteries Itad to sources of wealth, which, if still promoted and fostered, will yield results in the shape of dividends, of which the most sanguine scarcely now venture to imagine. Can anyone doubt the expediency and policy of the Great Western in the last venture they made on behalf of the colliery proprietors and traders of Wales? Does not the last report of the directors conclusively prove the soundness, even financially considered, of the ex- penditure in lying down the narrow-gauge ? The golden harvest is at hand, and the present dividend is the highest paid for very many years pa.st. The London and North Western has also tasted the fruit of h« con- nection with the colliery districts, and its traffic > ce pts show an enormous increase as compared with t'oT of former years. The Midland is evidently so well sa- -iied with its alliance w.th the Hereford, Hay and Bacon system, that they naturally yearn for a closer connection, see powers wlaich will give them access inio the very interior of W ales. At the meeting of the Swansea Vale Kailway, held last week, it was stated licit an arrangement had been made by which the Midland should lease the line in perpetuity, guaranteeing o per cent, upon the original shares. The Swar.-Ea Vale is an essentially mineral line, and for many \ears never paid a shilling dividend but such is the wonderful ex- pansion of the staple trades of the district thai last half- vear at least 5i per cent, was legitimately earned. The Monmouth, the Neath and Brecon, the Llanelly, the the Rhymney and other lines have all more or iess ^Dared in the prosperity of the iron and coal districts, and there is every proof, therefore, that the div.d,.n,ls of railways, if not altogether governed by, is a-L least greatly dependent upon the activity or otherwise of the staple trades of the country. The Welsh lines have been principally cited in this article, because they afford the most striking illustration of the point wo arc endeavouring to prove and have ever maintained— that the interests of the railway directors and share- holders, and those of colliery proprietors and iron makers are very closely allied they go hand in hand together. And if the directors of our main or trunk lines would promote their own interests they would strain every nerve to develope the resouroM of new mineral districts and encourage the expansion • 'rade by every moans ia tlioir power,—lhe Mining JourmU