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THE AR C HIDIAC ON AL VERNAL…
THE AR C HIDIAC ON AL VERNAL VISITATION. The Vernal Visitation of the Venerable Archdeacon of Carmarthen, the Rev. E. W. James, took place at St. Mary's Pariah. Chujch, on Wednesday morning. Prayers were read at the Church at 11.30 a. m., when there was a goodly attendance of the C'ergy and Churchwardens Oi the Rural Deanery of Gower. The Rer. S.C. Morgan (vicar) read the prayers. Among those present we noticed, besides the Rev. Archdeacon James, the Revs. Canon Williams, E. J. Wolfe, (Sailor s Church) • Evan JenkinB, (Loughor); D. Jones, Bishopstone; Hugh Williams, Curate of St. Mary's; J. Davies, curate of Holy Trinity; — Davies; J. P. Lucas.; D. Evans, D. Mathias, D. Worthington. D. Evans, Evan Davies D. Jones, Uanguicke, W. R. Lloyd, W. Fulford, S. W. Jenkins, E. K. James, D. Jones, J. E. Jones, Penrice, B. G. Wood, Eli Clarke, J. F. Nathan: D. Roderick, D. Thomas, R. L. Morgan, T. J. Bowen, J. P. Morgan, D'. Walters, Llanelly, D. Davies, Llanelly; Messrs. W. Edmonds, Thomas Hall, J. Player, E. Evans, MJR.C.S.. J. Nettell, W. Monger, Mr. North, barrister, the Archdeacon's Registrar. &c. THE CHARGE. In the course of his lengthened charge, which was Tory full of naatter, the Archdeacon said, that thoagh 1 months had elapsed since his appointment he had not until now bad occasion to visit this deanery, and he could not refrain from referring to the men,ory of his predecessor in the high and holy office which he held. He late "Archdeacon Williams was well known, not only within his own Archdeaconry, but also throughout the whole diocease, inasmuch as for the extended period of 69 years he had played an important part in Church affairs; and had seen many marked changes and de- vetopements in the spiritual life and energy of Churchmen. In whatever position he was placed he filled it with uncommon ability. As head master of the Carmarthen Grammar School .he had trained great numbers of young people for the work of lifej as judge of the Cpurt none of his judgments was ever reversed; as a parish priest he was highly successful; and as archdeacon he did his duty well and in a genial and kindly manner. His name would long be remembered as a household word, and the speaker expressed the hope that by way of memorial to him, St. David's Welsh Church, Carmar- then, would soon be completed, and the cost of £ 1,300 de- frayed. He assured the clergy that when he was asked to succeed to the late Archdeacon Williams, he had at first gome mktgivings, but he felt that whatever his weak- ness he would have the hearty sympathy of the clergy and laity in his efforts to discharge the duties ot the office with honest _and earnest purpose. Quoting then from canonical laws_ and historical records, the archdea- con examined into the duties of the office of Archdeacon,, and concluded that-he was the deputy, vicar, or assistant of the Bishop, with power of periodical visitation to .see that churches were properly kept and services properly conducted, and to receive presentments on these subjects. In discharging these duties he must necessarily come into close relationship with the clergy and laity, and be- come cognizant of the state of the church in his district. Up to the present time he had visited 56 parishes, and he hoped before the close of the year to have visited the whole of-tbe parishes in his jurisdiction as ordinary. A* far as he had gone he was extremely gratified at the way In which he, and any suggestions be had thought fit to make, had been received. The bi-lingual difficulty still existed; the Welsh, were still too much sacrificed to the English; and this fact ought to be pressed more and more upon the attention of the Commissioners. No church was completely furnished without a font, and the font itself ought to be used, and not a basin as was some- times the case. He also recommended the strict keeping of a register of communicants. On matters of church finance, the Archdeacon deprecated the continuance of pew rents,'and the system o% subscriptions, and advocated Instead the adoption of free seats and an offertory-— though he decidedly said that the free system should only be introduced with the consent of the parishioners. The adoption of the free system in Swansea had resulted In raising the income, after all deductions, from £ 120 to £ 215. (Applause.) In reference to parochial schools, though tW copld nnly with difficulty be supported in the face of Board Schools, he said they ought not to allow one of them to be closed, because Sunday Schools and casual occasions were not sufficient for religious educa- tion, and he could not anticipate without dread the effect of education-without it. Reviewing Acts. of Parlia. ment, passed or prospective, he was glad to see that by the Christian feeling existing in this neighbourhood .the late had resulted in no unpleasantness. The proposed Church Patronage Bill, for restraining simony and the dealing with advpwsons wnaa move iathe right direction. On the other hand, the proposed Church Boards Bill, could not but be an evil, admitting as it would to the Board men of no faith or church at all. After passing a eulogium on the office of churchwarden- he recommended the employment of sidesmen. The first diosessarooaference was over and had been highly successful, thanks to the admirable tact of the Bishop who prextdei, and the speaker hoped to see some good fruit fr«m>Jt. After a reference to the Ecclesiastical courts, the Archdeacon concluded with some ardent hopes for increase of spiritual life and prosperity in the diocese. The various Churchwardens then went into the vestry and were formally admitted to their offices. At Two o'clock there was a luncheon at the Cameron Hotel, presided over by Archdeacon James, and there were about 40 persona present. After -the luncheon, the Ven. Archdeacon gave, the usual loyal and patriotio toasts, which were cordially received. There was much applause when it was stated that the Prince and Princess of Wales would visit Swansea to open the new docks. The Archdeacon,. in proposing the health of the Bishop, aid the prosperity of any institution depended largely on the character of the head of it. In this case the clergy could congratulate themselves upon having at their head the hardest woj-k^ng clergyman in the diocese. (Applause;) A* being Vicar of Abergwili, the Archdeacon said he eouldbearindubitable testimony to this fact. At the present time, the Bishop V the diocese was accessible to all! clergy and laity alike. VV herever he was, whatever he did, whether acting,as chairman of the Swansea Con- gress, or of the Diocesan Conference, as select lecturer at Cambridge, or as preacher to. the House of Lords; he was, always equal to the: aocasioni r and, could hold "his own with any bishop on the bench. (Applause.) — i The Rev. S. C. Morgan then gave the toast of the new Archdeacon of Carmarthen.; The comparative largeness of the gathering, to. day testified. to the appre- ciation iti which.he was-hald. The speaker alluded to the good"and earnest work he had already done, and their hopes for the future. The Archdeacon thanked the meeting for the kind welcome accorded to him. There were very different notions ibnad as to the duties of his office. He had once been congratulated upon hir promotion, because he would have nothing to-do bnt deliver a charge." Now the charge was perhaps the only thing that was not abso- lutely essential to the-fqlfilment of the Archidiaconate. Turning his attention to the Swansea district the speaker said there was great need for the erection of no leas than fire or six churches here. He did not undervalue the zood work which was being done by the Vicar and other clergy afi Swansea, but be had come to the conclusion that there was room and there was need for more workers. It would) be quite, easy to mark out five or six districts for new$hurohesi, and he believed that if one strong and mighty offortwere made—something like the Bishop of London's. fund-*it would result in a large measure of success in Swansea. (Applause.) The young people .0 from the country districts of necessity flocked to the works at Swansea to gain their livelihood, and therefore the cburehmen of the whole diocese ought to put their shoulders to the wheel to supply this want of ^Church accommodation in Swansea. The Rev. Canon Williams, of Llanelly, gave the health of the Churchwardens. The church could not prosper fully without the co-operation of the laity. He remem- bered when it was not thought necessary that a man need not be a churchman in order to fulfil that office but he hoped and believed no such question would ever be raised again, He did not know the qualifications of the church- wardens here to-day; but he ventured to point out that they ought to be members and communicants in the- church. He was glad to see that to-day churchwardens were much more active than were their predecessors 20 vaars aeo. They now- attended church twice on Sunday, ind aWo busied themselves in keeping order in the There need never be any real differences be« t^en ole^and wardens, if only there was a little s^avHy of Snner between them. He behevod m giving to the laity as much church work to do as possible. He coupled with the toast the name of Mr. Player. Mr. E. Player was surprised that so younga wardenas he should have his name associated with the During his term of office he had endeavoured t his power for the furtherance of ohurch work. parish church they had now been able to decl sittings free, so that rich and poor could now meet g- ther on an equality, and the result was that the at ances were now largely increased. True, some peoj) had objected to the action taken. Sir John ■' and some Others had opposed, but their opposition had been overcome, and the change had been effected. As to the Vicar of Swansea, he could heartily..way that ho one was more earnest ana hearty in his efforts to promote the welfare of the church.- ;He had heartily supported the churchwardens in the work they had taken in hand in renovating the church, and in freeing the pews. The whole church was now free. Some few persons indeed had set up claims to pew rents, but as soon as -they understood the state of affairs, they had abandoned their claims. The result of the action thus taken to make the church free to rich and poor alike had been entirely successful. (Applause.) The Archdeacon was sorry to see so many gentlemen obliged to leave by reason of their trains, but he ventured to call the attention of those who remained to the subject mentioned in the circular-naniely the best mode of conducting in future these Visitations. He was anxious to ascertain the opinions of the clergy and laity. He called upon Dr. Walters. Dr. Walters, of Llansamlet, was glad to> se«tbese visitations revived. He remembered the firs by Archdeacon Venables to Swansea, when the .Kev. v. Jones of Bishopston preached. He thought these gatherings were as a rule too formal. They afforded an opportunity of meeting and of promoting fraternal feelings, j' Distance lends enchantment to the view," but personal distance often contributed to prejudice and misunderstanding. The more the clergy and laity knew of each other, the better they would think of each other, and the better they would work to- gether He hoped the visitation would begin earlier in future! so as to allow longer time for discussion. The office of the churchwarden was one of an important ^ture; m. ware officers of the State as well as of the Church, with important duties. H« bad w 4mI» to see tie or prmlegM diminished. Tli. repeal of the Church Rate Act, had rendered the dutie of the churchwardens more valuable to the church, be. cause now much more tact was required than before in conducting the temporal affairs of the church. The chief object of the visitation was to consider the sufficiency and the ability of the olergy and other persons connected with the church. (Applause.) In conclusion the speaker pointed out that everything must be done with a view to the glory of GQd and the salvation of souls. The Rev. D. Jones, of Bisbopstone, said .that by the action of the Archbishop to-day, in remitting fees, some of the poorer clergy were benefitted, In doing that he hfi no doubt taken the advice of the Registrar, Mr. North, barrister. The speaker therefore proposed the health of Mr. North. (Applause.) Mr. North thanked the meeting for the kind manner in which his name had been received. The Rev. Mr. Lloyd, curate of Pontardawe, suggested for future conference the subjects of Sunday School management and the visitation of the sick. Such sub- ects would be of great interest to the younger clergy at least. (Hear.) Canon Williams approved of the suggestion, and hoped that such things would be adopted in future. The sys- tem would not be complete until subjects were begun in the ruri-deaconal meetings, continued in the archidia- conal-meetiogito-aud so carried up to the higher diocesan conference, in which clergy and laity could be repre- sented. The Vi. of.Swansea supported these suggestions. The Rev. Eli Clarke said it would be a good plan if- before these visitations-the clergy and laity A re al- lowed to propose such questions, as were of special and local interest. Such questions, if answered, would be of great valueto the districts visited. (Hear.) Mr. Clarke concluded by proposing the toast of the Press, which was duly responded to. In response to the Rev. Eli Clarke, the Venerable Archdeacon said such questions were constantly sent to hidi, and he was always glad to receive them, and to reply to tbem to: -the .best of his ability. Sometimes these questions were on delicate subjects, but he could always run down and confer with the Bishop himself. Dr. Walters; after commenting upon the value of the charge they had heard to-day, expressed his thanks to the Archdeacon (Applause.)—and expressed the hope that it would be printed in extenso and circulated. The meeting then broke up.
. REOPENING OF PWLL MAWR COLLIERY.
REOPENING OF PWLL MAWR COLLIERY. STARTING OF THE ENGINE BY LADY JERSEY. Monday afternoon witnessed a very gratifying cere- mony in connection with one of our most important local industries-the .coal trade; and the occasion was rendered all the more noteworthy from the fact that the principle of the cordial co-operation of landlord and tenant in the promotion of enterprise was loyally affirmed. The Pwll Mawr Colliery is situated on the eastern bank of the Tawe, almost opposite Morriston. The first pit of that name was sunk in 1810 by the predecessors of Mr. Charles Henry Smith, and from that time until about 1840 the coal was worked .to the rise of the pit from the 6ft. and 3/t. veins. The coal worked from this spot is highly bituminons, of excellent quality, fit for various manufacturing purposes, such as coking, gas producing, and smelting of all kinds. After the colliery had been abandoned for some years, the late Mr. Evan Mathew Richards, J.P. and Deputy-Lieutenant of the county, acquired it in 1872, and commenced pumping operations in October, 1877. With a view to securing better facilities for the delivery of the coal when it comes to the surface, the higher or the old coal shaft was transformed into the pumping shaft, and the lower or old pumping shaft was enlarged, well bricked in the oval form and fitted with capital winding gear, &c. The pump employed to drain the pit is an old one, having been built so far back as 1790, but is of large capacity and has been greatly renovated in its value, &c. Its size of chamber is-68 inches, inside stroke 7ft. 6in. and outside stroke 6ft. Sin. This pump, which is worked by a large and powerful engine, is fixed in a new and well-arranged ?2f«ne hi,UvfeVTwasuse1t0^ work 011 ^e 17th of August, 1878, and by March, 1880, after persistently contending with the old water and the natural feeder of the mine success was attained. On that date the coal was un: watered in the 6ft. and 3ft veins" to the rise," and the bottom of the pit was reached. The capacity of the pump is 40,000 gallons per hour, or in round figures a million gallons per day. Up to March, 1880, it is eati. mated the owners of the pit pumped out 550,000,000 gallons and by this time 950,000,000. The depth of the pit is 160 yards from the surface to the 6ft. vein. The sinking of the lower pit in its present form was com- menced in March, 1880, and the work was completed in the December of the same year. Since then it has been walled from the bottom, and drifts have been driven to communicate from one pit to another. The winding gear, and the guides to the cages, consist of wire ropes manufactured by Haggie Brothers, Gateshead, on Tyae, from their improved plough steel. Mr. F. S. Parker, their local representative, informs us that the rope in use at Pwll Mawr is 3 in. in circumference, weighs: 8A lbs. per fathom, the working load being 128 cwts., and the breaking strain 45 tons. The winding gear is worked by a fine pair of 25 inch engines, of 4ft. stroke, working a conical drum 12ft. in diameter. Within.the next few months the pit will yield 100 tons a day before the end of the year it is hoped they will be able to raise 250 tons a. day; and eventually the output will reach 800 to 1000 tons per day. Already a pair of powerful,, engines are being put down to work the coal to the dip of the pit in the 6ft. vein. The area of coal to be reached by this pit is estimated to last more than 100 yeats at the rate of 500. tons a day. The ground landlord is Lord Jersey; the xjolliejry proprietors are the Messrs. Richards; and the mining engineer ia Mr. Walter Lewini Among those present on ±he> occasion were—Lord and Lady Jersey, Mrs. Walters, the Misses, i Richards, and Messrs. W. F. Richards, A. Richards, L. Richards, Jno. Glasbrook, Thos. Glasbrook, R. Sill, — Ball, the Rev. Dr. Walters. — Dyke, W. J. Rees, — Ball, J. Freeman, Councillor Jno. Lewis, Walter Lewis, Dr. D. A. Davies, W. Hunter (Lord Jersey's chief agent), &c. The Countess started the-engine which wound up the first truck-of ooal,vamid the< shouts of the Vanra crowd who had assembled, cheers being given for the Countess, for Mr. Richards, and for Mr. W. Lewis, the engineer. After the works and the newly raised coal—which ap. peared to be of good quality—had been duly inspected, the party adjourned to an upper chamber in the Engine House, which had been properly decorAtOd for the occasion, and where table had been spread With a capital luncheon supplied by Mr. Thomas, of the Castle Hotel, Swansea. After due justice-had. been done to the generous provision, and while-the sound of shots and shouts told how the'orowd outside Were in jubilation, Mr. W. F. Rlbhgxds proposed" the health and happi- ness of the Earl and Countess of Jersey"—(cheers)—and called for a bumper. The speaker said bmp, would not attempt to utter an eulogy on the Earl and Countess, but, merely to express the great pleasure he felt, and which he' was sure was shared by all present, in seetog his lordship and her ladyship present amotog them on'this occasion. The prosperity of such a large manufacturing district as oura dependent upon? the coal supply, and the coal trado, like most others, was promoted or rvetarded by the style of relationship which existed- between the, landlord and tenant. Their interests were identical- with those.of the district.. If the tenant did well, the; landlord was bene-, fitted, and Vo was the whole district. After making brief allusion to the improvement which had taken place. in this particular property during the, l^st seventeen J ears, Mr..Richard? propose^ the toast,' which; was eartily received, with vociferous; jolly good fellowship' and three times three," with one for the Countess, and •, one more for the little Lady Margaret, Lord Jerfjey thanked Mr. Riohards and the company for the way. in which the Countess's name and his own had been received, and expressed the pleasure he felt in being present upon an occasion like this when an enter-. prising tenant arrived at last at the, ynd of a long-pursued work. The meeting together on occasious like this not only improved' the relations of landlord and tenant, but also tended to the promotion of good neighbourship—though his lordship' cpnfeased that he considered himself but a bad neighbour, (Cries of "no, no.") These occasiots affot'ded opportunities for becoming, .better, acquainted an"d of awaking and strengthening reciprocal esteem. As his lordship bad said before it wjas; a good thing for landlord and tenant to meet inbuch a Way SO this, and he assured the meeting that if it only rested with A landlord to assure the pros- perity of a district they'tdight feel certain that Swansea would be proi (Applause.) But instead of being due W the landlords, it was often in spite of the landlords, that, the prosperity of whole disfrict^had been won, by the energetic enterprise of such men as his lordship now saw around Mm, and who had^devoted ,tkpir talents and employed their money in making Swansea w'hat it ia. As far as his lordship was individually con* cerned, certainly he would always /eadeavotur to do hist part as a,landlord (loud applau')r-not.to pu't. any unfafr; or unjust restriction upon, them because he was wire ol this that, it i? moot necessary now that as loose a rein as possible should be give# to, British enterpifcft and Brt*- ■tisb manufactures just now, so as to leave to each ind* vidual mind the power of bringing its pwn conception*' to a successful issue.. If that were- done it would not result in any hum to 'the landlords,' and he waer certain • it wonld fee a great advantage, to the country at larger (Applause.),, His lordship oonld not upon an occasion like thi8^*°id saying one wordy and that was to express jL, regret that they missed a face which they would r?lv le here to-day—tb e face of one who would have gladly s completion to-day of a work upon rejoiced to see xne hi lord9bi alladed to the whitheiJaM RichardT (Hear,) No/coutd hi. lord- late Mr. B- M. R begt. tribute the Messrs. ship help i0 their late lamented fathey was by Richards could P»7 *o their 9auje 8piri<; afr bad following in hw vr: fordship had ascertained by a characterised him.. afternoon that Mr. J. chat he had had with ou„b this colliery bad been Glasbrook had no jealousy, g there was plenty of re-opened near his^ own, n and Lady Jersey ,oc„ for .11.. (Appl«n.M ,or ieettog his lordship hoped many Sim urosperity of the would present themselves, and that the prosp district would soon be much increaJ another, his sitting down, as one good turn dese friends lordship proposed the health and prosperity ofhwjnCTi^ the Messrs. Richards, wishing them success l » enterprises. (Applause — "jolly good fellow., "hip hurrah!") i "hip hurrah!") ded Mr. W. F. Richards briefly and suitably responded, and thanked Lord Jersey for the feeling terms iu wnicn he had referred to their late father, one of whose most earnest wishes it had been to see this work completed, His lordship and the ladies having left, other toasts were honoured, including Mr. John Glasbrook," the Visitors," responded to by Mr. R. Sill; "the engineer, Mr. Walter Lewis," &c.
[No title]
At the Leeds Assizes, on Friday, James Hall, a Shef- field cutler, was charged with the murder of his wife by beating out her brains with a hatchet. Prisoner, who admitted his guilt, was wnteaccd to death.
RAILWAY RATES.
RAILWAY RATES. The Select Committee of the House of Commons ap- pointed in February last, and nominated on March 3 to inquire into the rates and charges of the several railway companies, resumed this afternoon their sittings which the Easter recess had interrupted. The ComiDittee consists pf 27 members-namely, Mr. Ashley (the chairman), Mr. Barclay, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Bolton, Mr. Caine, Mr. Callan, Lord Raudolph Churchill, Mr. Craig, Mr. Cross, Mr. Dillwyn, Sir D. Gooch, Mr. Gregory, Sir Baldwin Leighton, Mr. Lowther, Mr. Monk, Mr. S. Morley, Mr. Mulholland, Mr. W. N. Nicholson, Mr. O'SulliTan, Mr. R. PAiet,, Mr. J. Pease, Mr. Pell, Mr. Phipps, Mr. Sam nelson, Mr. Sclater- Booth, Sir Henry Tyler, and Sir E. Watkin. On Thursday, the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Railway Rates resumed their sittings under the presidency of the Hon. Evelyn Ashley. A deputation from the Association of Trade Protec- tion Societies of the United Kingdom, consisting o7 Alderman Bennett, of Manchester, Mr. Butter, and Mr. Mellor, was beard. Mr. Bennett stated that the association numbered 39 societies, comprising over 25,000 members, who were bankers, merchants, manufacturers, and traders carry- ing on business in almost all parts of the United King- dom, and at the annual meeting, held at the West- minster Palace Hotel on Wednesday, the following resolution was adopted:—" That the present rates charged by railway companies for the carriage of goods are xery unequal anthill-adjusted, and Chat the com- mittee be requested to take such measures as bhey may find practicable to secure a fair adjustment of such rates. That it be a recommendation to endeavour to obtain the appointment of a staff of permanent Railway Com- missioners, and that a deputation from this association wait upon the Select Committee of the House of Com- mons on Railway Rates to ask that a clause should be inserted in the report of the Select Committee recom- mending that trade protection societies should be allowed to appear-and have a locus'stanai before the Railway Commissioners, which at present they have not." A memorial from the Bicycle Union was received, and ordered to be put upon the notes. Mr. John Taylor was examined by Lord Randolph Churchill. He said: I am a large retail grocer at Swan- sea. I think my business is larger than any other similar one in the town. I have four shops there and one at Ilfracombe. Have lived at Swansea 16 years. When I first stated there was only one railway the Great Western Railway-f-supplymg Swansea from London. Now there are three—the Great Western Railway, the London and North Western Railway, and the Midland Railway. When I came there was only one railway between Swansea and Liverpool. Now there are three. The rates for goods have en the whole increased, more especially with regard to smaller quantities. The gboda come quicker now than when we.had only one railway. There is a two-ton rate, by which if we order a two- ton load of goods all of the same sort, we get them at a less rate. These goods must be purchased at the same place and lying at the same wharf. If the two tons consisted of goods collected from different parts we should not enjoy the two-ton' rate. The rates are the same upon all three routes. The distance from Swansea to London by the Great Western Railway is 21& miles; by the Midland it is very much further; by the London, and North Western it is 60 or 60 miles further, and yet we pay exactly the same rate per Great Western Rail- way as per the others. This, applies also to Liverpool, which is about 200 miles from Swansea, The London and North Western is the shortest route to Liverpool. Don't know whether the rates charged are within the maximum. Once asked tio see the rate book of one of the Companies, hut was refused. The same remark applies to the other companies. For tea from London we pay 45s. rate, unless there is a ton in one consign- ment, and then we pay 35s. From London to JSxeter the rate for tea, I believe, is 33s. 4d., the distance being about the same as'to Swansea. The rates from London to Plymouth are 24s. 2d., and Plymouth is 40 or 50 miles further than Swansea. The best marwet is. un- questionably London for almost everything, and we buy as much there BB we -possibly can. Of buy sugar and soap in Bristol. Fruit also we often bay m Bristol. W. buy these in Bristol because the market happens to suit us for the time being, and because of the excessive London carriage Tata. This practically excludes us from the Ld'ndon market in the case of the goods I have meatiohed; Tbe-effect of this is that cus- tomers hare frequently to pay more for their goody than they otherwise, would have K>de. For instance; ( if a cargo of sugar'flrais imported into Bristol and^no.. ther into London we should have nb chance of-getting the London quotation because the excess of carnage Je 35s. per ton and a London merchant couldn t sell at 35s. a ton under (he-Bristol merchant. The rate on sugar from Bristol to Swansea is JOs. per ton; that from London to Swansea on the other hand is tiiJs. 6d. The distance from Bristol to Swansea, along the route the goods would have to travel, is 140 miles from London to Swansea, 216; so that for the extra distance of 76 miles there is an increased charge of 22s. t»a. J but in the case of lump sugar the increased charge is 358., because the rate on lump sugar is 45s. per to^ raw sugar the rate is 32s. 6d. That practically closes the London market. If the rates ,i*are mote proportionate, 'the London sugar market would be open to us. The difference is now that betweeen 10S. and 45s. per ton. Assuming that the rate of 10s. on raw sugar from Bristol to Swansea ie., a remunerative i one, I consider the rate from London decidedly out of all proportion. The Bristol market, to which alone we can now go, is very limited as compared with that of London, the latter being unlimited. < The only railway line for goods between Bristol and Swansea is itre Great Wes. tern. The Midland Company have a line, but I believe there is an understanding that no goods i»haU glover it between Bristol and Swansea. I remembet Wtenl ordered goods from Shepto% MaUet to ^i»e by the Midland they came by the firaat Western When I asked the reason t{ie officials said ihe G^eat Western Railway Company would have/the money if the Midland had brought them. There is communis, tion between Swansea and Bristol by sea, which com- petes with the railway. The rate of sea carriage ,8 about 2s. per ton leas than the rate by railway. 1 h# steamer goes only about two days a week. One reason why we do not get all goods by-sea "is because thec steamer does not go avery day. We get them as quick- by sea as by railway.v We like to keep #n aceountopen both with the steamer and with the railway. There are some classes of goods which we buy only in London —such as tea, coffee, seeds, arrowroot, .oranges, jams, mac^aroni, sago, and things of'that sort. Our goods are in fire classifications—clearing-house classifications I suppose. The first cliss is 32s. 6d., whi6h would in- clude such things as ale and porter, bath, bweks,. co^e{ colza oil, dog biscuits, saltpetre, linseed meal, syrup, Ac. The seeond class, of which the rate 111 368. 8d., in- cludes hiscuits, mineral waters, orangey ebneory, ehoco*. late and cocoa, bacon, nuts, sardines, and things of that; sort. The rate for ;the third class, is including serated waters, arrowroot, baking powder, carbonate of sdda, canary seed, semolina, tea, and lump sugar. The rate in the fouth class is 52s. and 6d., and this class in- eludes Jordan almondl,' French-plum*, maccaroni, nutmegs, tobacco, 8te. For the fifth cllte. the rate is 85s., including butter in crocks or earthenware pans, cigars, cinnamon, perfumery, &C. If a DO**8 8ent without any description it ire hanged in the n^tnvolasfl. The percentage of thesevrates upon the net cost of the articles is as follows :—On rice, 10 toloper pent • on sagar.ii^ percent { Ob: nuM>oroni, 10 -per «wit; on oatmeal, 13 to 15 per cent; jams, 81 per cent; hemp seed, 17j per cent; on oranges, from 10 to 20 per cent. J consider these to be excessive prre^n rage?. It arises from a defectfv)* cJa8Hiffcati|»fi. ^The • Beed iB a very*excefifivft affair "The aadrtion this makes" to the net cost of can-try seed is 221 per cent; on dojg biscuits, 11:1 percent; oq^Vump sugar, from London, 8 ptt cent-from Bristol, fconly 1 and two-thirds per ceftt: the difference being 6$per cent. They charge 8d. for carrying chicory, and on]) 32s. 6d. a ton fof Coffee. Saltpetre js abgu^ douhje tbe value of car-x Jbpnate of soda. ~Anyone ndfc knowing the trade would pcit «now the difference between them, and yet we haver to pay 45s. on carbonate of soda and 32M fid. on salt- petre—a by no means reasonable distinction. We sell large quantities of Mocking, which we get from London tbe charge iftMMvhich^ 365.8d: Wei buy it in casket and not by the ton,, the casks averaging about 6 or 7 cwt. each. We do not get Our blacking by railway-L. we get it to Liverpool first by steamer and then by steamer to Swansea. It goes all the way round because the railway charge is so high. The rates I have stated are for quantities over 5001bs. There fire very different rates under 5001bs. We buy mnfiy perishable good^ under SOOlbs., and goods, under 5001b3. are charged from 12 £ up to 75 per cent', additional over the ordinary1 rates upon all intermediate quantities. I have bills to show that. Take the first article-2 cases of paste. 2cwt. lqr. 141hs., at the rate of 36s. 8d., and the company make it come to 4s. 10d., whereas it really comes to 4s. 4d—that is, an increase of 12j. The next is a box of grocery weighing lqr. 21lbs., which was sent at the 45s. ra'e; they charged Is. 9d., whereas it should be Is., a difference of 75 per cent. Two cases of nutmegs, 2cwt. lqr. 18lbs—the rate is 52s. 6d.—the company make that come to 5s. 2d., whereas it really should come to 4s. 4d.—an overcharge of 20 per cent. These goods are all bad within the last day or two. The next is two cases of coffee, lewt. 2qrs. 141bs.; the rate is 32s. 6d., and they charge 3s. 2d., but it comes strictly to 2s 8d., shewing an overcharge of 17| per cent. The t is lewt. 2qrs. 211bs. scented Boap the rate is 45s., II the company charged 4s. 7d.; it ought to come to V < £ an Overcharge of 22| per cent. I have worked, V nrnner charges according to the rates. There making complaints to the Railway Company, k fW *iv« vou a printed form, saying this is our shewing what their charges are, and the charges agree with that sheet, and it is the same oa all the lines. The Committee then adjourned until THURSDAY. The committee again met this day and Mr. John Taylor, of Swansea, was recalled and examined By Mr. Phillips One of my principal objections is the unfair classification of goods, and another point is the scale put forth by the companies for small charges. I consider :-the price charged for small quantities under 5001bs. weight is out of all proportion to the charge for larger quantities. The prices charged include termi. nals;" only in paying a large, amount of money away, if you have to pay a percentage of 10, 20, and 30 per cent. higher than youneed do it tells very much against the public. The Scale increases by quantities of -14 lbs. We have articles in large quantities as well as small. I rave made application for station to station rates which do not include collection and delivery. In bringing original packages of goods we pay much more carriage than we do in bringing small parcels. If we buy a case of nutmegs for instance it comes to 52s. 6d. per ton, but if we buy i cwt. it is packed in a hamper, and comes down as a hamper of groceries at 45s. per ton, so that for a thing less liable to damage we pay the higher rate, although nutmegs are packed in-strong boxes. Examined by Mr. Bolton I do not think the Great Western Railway Company have given sufficient consider- ation, to the difference between rIOs. per ton from Bris- tol to Swansea as against 45s. from London to Swansea. I cannot explain the anomaly as to then practi- cally refusing the larger snm. Some time ago when the Bristol traffic was very small they gave a, low rate, but they do not seem to have given -the same consideration with regard to their London traffic, There is no steam communication between London and Swansea now. The steamer rates were about 20s. per ton including all charges. The steamer ceased to run because they could not get back cargoes. I have heard that tea costs less coming China to London than it does from London to Swansea, so that I am not surprised to hear that goods are carried from Liverpool to Calcutta at 3 a. per ton. The reason we paid 20s. per ton for goods from Liverpool to Swansea was that there was only one steamer running then and that was the rate the owner choose to charge. The smaller traders could not avail themselves of the steamer owing to it not running sufficiently fre- quent. I do not thilik it fair to have pay so much higher rate for the extra facilities. Mr. Taylor was then cress-examined at considerable length by Mr. Boltom as to the existing anomalies in rates, and the witness gave it as his opinion that matters of the kind referred to should be brought before the Board of Trade with a view to remedy. Cross-examined by Sir Edward Watkin: The reason why the steamer between Swansea and London did not get so well patronised as it should be, was that London is not really the market for Swansea as it should be. My opinion is that the trade between London and Swansea has been seriously diminished in amount because of the high railway charges. It is about three years since the SOOibs. scale was adopted. No doubt the ohargesfor par- cels under lewt. was reduced, hut the hulk of the traffic is in parcels from over lewt. and under 5001bs. Cross-examined by Mr. Dillwyh: I think the rates charged from London should be in wife same proportion as from Bristol. By the railway companies collecting the goods in London we are not able to take advantage of the ton rates in the same way we should if we made our own arrangements for collecting the goods. The steamers would take all the traffic between Swansea and Bristol unless the Great Western Railway cut down their rates very low. I think the London traffic would become very important in the event of lower rates. Examined by Mr. Slater Booth: As a matter of fact the Railway Companies all charge the same to Swansea, irrespective of distance. We have no advantage m the lowering of rates by having three companies, so that the one which has the shortest mileage get the bonus Examined by Mr. Barclay-: I have not examined whe- ther the Railway Companies are charging over their maximum rates. I was not aware that the Railway Companies have 84 acts fixing their rates. Certam goods are charged 85s. per ton from London to Swansea n- ^uding collection and delivery, in quantities of over SWlbs. for a mileage of 216 miles. Taking the distance of 114 miles from London to Gloucester the Great Wes- tern Railway are entitled to charge 3d*. ?on Per which comes to 28s. 6d., the balance of the journey from Gloucester to Swansea is 102 miles tiie maximum rate is 4d. per ton per mile that works to 34s. which added together is 62s. 6d. whereas they actually charge *»9-, which leaves 22s. 6d. per ton for collection and delivery. ■ I think the competion of the rail- from Bristol to Swansea has reduced the ■teamera'rtates. We have two lines of steamers which compete with each other. I think it desirable that the railway company should bd required to quote in their rate books»tne rates frpm station to station, as well, as the collection and delivery rates, because then we should :n°w what we are paying carriage and what for cart- If we were over-charged for. collection we could maket arrangements fee the.'OBlleCti6n of our own goods. In cross-examination by Sir Daniel Gooch, Mr. Taylor ■aia he had no desire tb see ^he railway rates from Bris- to Susansea increased^ bat if tbey were^ he would get. ihis goods- per, steamer. I should; like to see the railway J*tes fitom London redtfced to the same proportion as between Bristol «ad Swansea.. tte-examined, by Mrs Bolton: I did complain of the ratw from London to Swansea as being unfair, because goods are carried^ Plymouth at a lower rate, and I now •ay if goods are bring carried at a loss to Plymouth it is reason why we in Swansea should pay part of the yn?outh loss. If goods are carried at a profit to Ply- mouth then they can carry to Swansea at the same rate. Mr. Brown, of Newport, a retired coal and iron mas- ep> 'aid his attention ha$been, much directed to rail- ,Way rates on the Great Westerti Railway, and he had °. complain of. overcharges. He believed coal rates now^ were very Fair from' South Wales to Liverpool and ,r""ogham. He- h^d; cases to lay before the Oom- jnittee in regard to the tradSe of Newport, which was a ,§e port for coal and iron. Substantially there waa y th« Great Western Railway Company^running there. The rate charged from London to Newport, Ylolu(ling delivery, ra draperv and woollen goods, was or1' an<i the maximum rate'33s. 8d., or an excess of Per oent. A fair charge for collection and delivery be 4s. per ton. Heavy goods and^ hardware P^'mum rite 26s. 9d., but the charge was 23j per cent being 8s. 3d. more. Lace and silk was 70s., excess over the maximum rate being 31s. 4d. He the maximum rate-from the Acts There was an charge of 20 per cent, when goods were insured Jj. o4pany. flrom Manchester to Jpott fho dupery, haberdashery, and woollen goods raWVas 55s., ge *«aximum rate-being 4^ or 27 per cent, excess. Rood, and hardware were 43s. 4d., the maximum J611* 37s 6d., or 13 per celit. excess. Third-class |"°ds were 65s. charged and 42s. 6d. maximum, excess 6d., or 34 per cent. After some further evidence the oommittee again MJ««rned.
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'ftSot»TH WALES COAX, AWD laow EJUOBTS FOB APRIL, The coal sent to foreign ports during April from the cb&shippiig ports was not large, and that from South Wales ports was only just up to the average. »i«diff,l«t ibntMhipped tb foreign ports 430,011 tons « ooop0rt> 91.421 tons; Swansea, 65,388 tons; Llanelly, 4.ki For April, 1880, the shipments were—Cardiff; tenV » tons; Newport, 94,(334 tona; Swansea, 86,767 J™"?L Llandly, 9,644 tons. °6oast\Mse the shipments last were—Cardiff,-72,865 tons { Newport, 82,520 tons 18STL *>?,- *8,107 tons y Llanelly^ 9,228 tons. For April 'he coastwise shi6m&4t*' wei$—Cardiff, 75,285 t6n £ 'he coastwise shi6m&4t*' wei$—Cardiff, 75,285 t6n £ ^,756" tdh^Swansea, ^2^501-tons; Llanelly,, tonWi ShipMetots'«f iron la&t «KH)th were— tons; Newport, 8,678 tons Swansea 186 From Cardiff also 7,823 tons and from Swansea 1 tons of patent fuel were shipped. From Cardm tons of ^cie, Newport 240 tons, and from Swansea *>A48 t6ns. j .i i A» XJNABinm EMPIRE. — The Manchester Examiner says ;—1« Under the head of What the United Stat s tat^Z *orwitimporary .WM People, claims now to be one ot the Gr S; t» y»pi?y. thl- tet&ftoLondon h^donefo[hSpdo ffSs&^K?S £ ?&?SSt of wealth they destroy ^VAJhnamfflits.' Thte-a™ make necessary and the laWhi^agh ^6i!*atC?^e Work of production, is DroH? • withdraw .there be one service ^ther which a Republic like the Unit n to the .world and to all races of States can render ._en^allB> it this juncture, it is Wor^' v wtion of a Government without of. A- successful BOCi0ty which does not make a -niit service, the Nation claims m*°n' *J?ender ng The million of men tW ^ted Statea n0^^n if they undertook to 'dfi- ^»°nld have to maintain f y h they would PeOplef by 1 firing a shot, ^w probably in off years geids and workshops quarreHmg with somebody nd according to the are married to one million womeiu, Qf twQ children best calculated probabihties, the f the «ach, making tour millions °fix«oasand or seventy thm,o .?* ^appiness. The ^gtead of lounging in of sUflL^nff on promenades, or passing in cafes or taverns, or fiirtm?0 P high-trained intel- labonous nights and .days in 1°{ the destruction ofth«iP°WT m^«numbero7 human beings in the rf «»».«? j-sjssSS"Si J'j'fl?' "e «?^0' C'VlTo'? »»?«, M 50,000,000 has ever before presented it to the world, and there is in it more hope and help for the oppressed than in all the fleets or armies which now cover the waters or darken the land in any part of the world. No force, Lr,emarkVn the? could put to sea, could n0 nations of Europe diminish their make the groaning na quite certain that be- wmies by one 0f cheaper food than any forejmany years the steady offer th mainterf. heavilv-taxed people can raise wui a&ct of these euormoua hosts unendurable
dciterai Iittclligenxc.
dciterai Iittclligenxc. TIm PBN-Y-GBAIG COLLIEBT EXPLOSION.—The obser- vations by Mr. Thomas E. Wales, inspector of mines, with reference to the verdict of the jury at the coroner's in- quest in this case have been published as a Parliamentary paper. Mr. Wales concludes his observations asfollows Great care had been taken by the management to keep the colliery free from explosive gas, and, indeed, gas had only been met with on three or four occasions (all of which were properly and accurately entered in the daily report book), and then only in small quantities; and although in the cases mentioned the Act was not complied with, I do not consider such omissions or in- fringements conduced in the slightest degree to the ex- plosion, which I believe was due to a sudden outburst of gas, most probably ignited at one of the Clanny lamps, which were in general use in the colliery. I believe the only protection against explosions from sudden outbursts of gas (which unfortunately often occur in working the South Wales steam coals) will be found in the discovert of a safety lpmp which will not explode, but be dis- tinguisbedcon comiag into contact with an explosive cur- rent traveHing-at a velocity of six or seven milei an hour, or half that velocity if the lamp and current travel in op- posite directions." The distillation of spirits in the United Kingdom is one of our prime sources of revenue, and all the assaults made upon the drinking habits of the people-while there is ground for hope that they Are diminishing the excess which amounts to drunkenness-appear to have very little effect upon the total consumption' of spirits. At the instance of Mr. Boord, the distiller who* sits m the House of Commons for Greenwich, a return has been issued relating to the manufac- ture of and trade in spirits for the last two years. Omitting the figures below the millions, there were dis- tilled in the United Kingdom last year 36i millions of gallons, as compared with 37 £ in 1879. The quantity distilled was very nearly the same in;EngIand and Ire- land, and nearly double that quantity in Scotland; that is to say, the two former countries produced about one- quarter each of the total quantity, and Scotland nearly one-half. Of the total of 36t millions, 32i went into bond, making the total in the stores on Dec. 31,1880, nearly 47 millions, compared with 451 the year before. The duty, at the rate of 10s. per gallon, was paid on up- wards of 29 millions, and amounted to £14.,708,594. The consumption of spirits amounted to 28i million gallons; Ant1 1-.4_£11. ,,1. -& -1.'111 .1 ouu uere line proportions of the three Kingdoms, in re- spect to the manufacture, were reversed, for England consumed more than half the total, or nearly 17 millions, while Scotland took 6J, and Ireland just over 5 millions. The consumption had in the twelve months increased in England by 635,846 gallons, and in Scotland by 37,559 gallons, while it decreased in Ireland by 152,570 gallons, doubtless owing to the distress in the country. In round numbers the consumption in England was (assuming that the women were no parties to it) equal to about 3i gallons of spirits in the year by every adult male; while in Scotland it was-equal to 81 gallons per adult male, and m Ireland 5 gallons. TEn IORD CMMCHLLoia OK Ma. BBADLAUGH'S CASE.— The Rev. F. C. Hingston Randulph, rector of Ringmore, Devonshire, has received an answer to a letter which he addressed to the Lord Chancellor on the subject of Mr. Bradlaugh's admission to the House of Commons, asking whether Lord Selborne bad read Fruits of Philosophy," and if it were true that his lordship was opposed to the Government in the dreadful Bradlaugh business," but had given way, party proving stronger than principle," to the following effect:—" I was not aware that there were country and other newspapers which so far indulged their imaginations concerning myself as to make the 'entirely unfounded' statements that you quote. I have never had the slightest difference or tendency to differ- ence from my colleagues in the Government upon any questions relating to Parliamentary oaths or affirmations, whether connected or not with Mr. Bradlaugh's case. While I entirely share your feelings about Mr. Bradlaugh's publication and his professional opinions, it is part of my idea of Christianity that equal justice is due to Christian and infidel, and it does not appear to me to be just to assert against one particular man (however bad he may be) a power in the House of Commons to test the sincerity of an oath which he appears to take in the manner pre- scribed by law by an external evidence of his actual belief and disbelief. As no such power-has ever been asserted or used against any other man, though other professed and notorious unbelievers have sat in the Hotse of Commons, and perhaps may sit there still; and since the House of Commons has now chosen for the first time to assert for Itself and to exercise this power, I see no possibility of refnsiug to extend legislation to all who, for any excuse whatever, may scruple to take the pre- scribed Parliamentary oath, the same option to affirm which they now have under the Acts relating to evidence in courts of justice.. If there were any Diyine law making it wrong for a nation to admit any unbelievers to share in the power of civil government, our laws ought to be made practically efficacious for that purpose, which everyone knows they are not, and I cannot be persuaded that the cause of Christianity or of religion is likely to be advanced by making a martyr (even in a question of mere political franchï.e):-ofMí'»Bradlaaghor of any other such men. It appears to me to be rather to increase the power and influence of such men and of their opinions. I am happy to think that I share these opinions with some (like Sir George Grey) the sincerity of whose Christian faith no man who knows them can call in questioni <nd who, having left for ever the p6litical scene, can be under no temptation whatever to prefer party to principle." THOUGHT BBADBTO.—To profess to read one's thoughts is an accomplishment so unique that the person claiming to possess it ventures to present no inconsiderable draft on the credulity of his fellow men. Accordingly, when a party of distinguished scientific men were invited' to a private house in Bedford-square, London, on Monday night, to witness some of Mr. W- J. Bishop's powers in, that direction, the frfcme of mind in whieh they aocepted the invitation may be described as that of sceptical curiosity. Indeed, any other disposition towards*tne professor of the newest "psychological phenomenon" would have been impossible for they were invited singly to test Mr. Bishop's powef, and. if possible, aid him in explaining what is as yet only partially explicable. The company waf in every respects a representative one. Among those present were the Right Hon. Dr; Lyon Playfair, Sir John Lubbock, Mr. Francis Galton, Mr. MoncurerConway, Dr. Andrew Clark, Dr. Wilks, Dr. Tuke, Professor Burdon Sanderson,. Professor Kay Lankester, Professor Ghatlton Bastian, Professor Croom Robinson, Mr. Earnest Hart, Dr. Brydges, Dr. Fjalbermann, the Austro-Hugarian Consular-General, and a number of other gentleman of more or less eminence in literature and science. Mr. Earnest Hart introduced Mr. Bishop, a young American, resident for some time in this country, and professes not 'to haTe any other interest, save, a scientific one, in the experiment of which he ia the exponent. The first manifestion of his power was tried on his own countryman, Mr. Moncure Conway. If is essential to the success of the exnepmfot that the subject of it should form a vivid ^ctcre of some obj^t^r locality in his mind, and not really recollect the name of that object or place, 'or Mr Bistop p ^hat Jb a pwtonal, not the back of about. According, after ^row^^dioin,if hg Slow u°sntow8teli him-for w*aM abettor name^-left aiiow us to ao «erp p ■urreillance. punflg his absence Mr Cartway hid^ object. This done, Mr. Bishop was Mr. Conway m gearch now began. After taking led in blindfold pre8sed the back pf it to his Mr. Conway s i_ ,tber«; meanwhile dragging the ^t^wildb^und the room in search ,of/tbe owner of it Bjshop seemed to be in great excite- hidden obiect mr. vifjioI)u mushing m ^hiect under an apparantely uncontrollable im- jL &nproached the pfece Whtffd the tfbject (a bit 6T PMM>TS was concealed, "and finally disinterred it from be- hind a small box. The next experiment was conducted bv Dr. Lion Playfair, and was of a more complicated character. The Chairman of Committees, after Mr. Bishop had, as usual, stroked the back ,of his hand, and left the room in custody, hid a small object in one place, and immediately removed it to another spot at a consider- able distance, and in a locality not at all Ukely to be ans- pected, even were the. absent operator not blindfolded. On Mr. Bishop being led in, a scene similar to that in which Mr. Conway took part was enacted. Pressingitbe back of Dr. Play fair's left hand to his forehead, ai. Bishop Dragged him around the room as if searching for some ,.will ol the wisp, and all the time seemingly again in an Exhausting condition of mental ecstaoy. Finally, he ap- ^roached the place where the obterft had it&en fir** hid, and laid his finger within an inqn of the spot. A little- later he rooted out the object himself from its hiding place. Naturally such.manifwtatipns *eemed extr«ordi- nary, an< £ c^tic]sni g^p to #ve w^ rf net-to faith rft least to something nearly approaching sympathetic curiosity. Professor Ray Lankester ooj exDeriment. Think of some real or fanthed paan, and from a vivid continuous mental picture of the spot where the pain is, and I will fix on it." Such werethe mstruc- tfnna Acain Kointf through the hand-8trok{n| prelimi- nary,' and prMsing$heS>afek of tlfeJ*of«W'aleft hand to his forehead, Mr. Bishop searched over his ^rson, and soon laid his finger on the professor's cheek. He was richt the pain was a slight toothache. This experiment was again tried, but failed, it, like other more or less complete failuraa which succeeded, being attributed to the person experimented on not having kept his mind fixed on the object to read," or, in other words, not having formed a sufficiently vivid mental picture of it, or of "the locality." Dr. Playfair was again the subject of a succeaafwl experiment. Taking the medium in front of a row of cards, each with a letter of the alphabet on it, the right hon. gentleman thought of a word, which the medium, blindfolded, spelt out correctly. It was Speaker." However, thrice subsequently he failed in reading this kind of "thought," and it may be added, that the second parties to the experiment. were, stolid, unexciteable gentlemen—a fact not unworthy of note. It is needless describing the other experiments, either successful or attempted. They all depended seem- ingly on the hand contact with the medium s brow, and were conducted under the same conditions as those wnicn we have noticed. It is only fair to Mr. Bishop to say that though we witnessed no phenomena w ic y way deserved the name of thought rea ing, claims to be able to tell what the person he g that moment thinking of. But the experi e decidedly more of the nature of muscle reading" than of thought reading." Some of tbem weie sufficiently interesting, though Mr. Bishop's many failures seriously shook the faith of those who earlier in th^vemng weTe inclined to consider that a new force had been discovered Indeed the great impression on the highly-competent audience was, that Mr. Bishop's "phenomena' might be explained without having recourse to any such deus ex machina as afresh law of nature at present centered in himself.—Standard■ A SCHOOL BOARD DIFFICULTY.—The Llanidloes (Mont, gomeryshire) School Board has suspended payment umM the town council meet the precepts. At a meeting of tile Council on Monday the finance committee said they had no money, and a councillor said that the council had been insolvent for a long time. The bellman was ordered to go round, and warn defaulting ratepayers. The precepts were ordered to stand over in consequence, as a mezabtt said, of their inability to pay them. THE BRITISH AXD FOREZGIT SAILORS' SociETy.—Ok Monday the 48th annual meeting of the British aai Foreign Sailors' Society was held in the Saloon of tbo Mansion-house. The Lord Mayor, M.P., presided, there were present, among others, Biabop Claughton, Mfc. Hussey Vivian, M.P., the Rev. Dr. Moffat, Sir John Bea- nett, Mr. John Glover, Mr. Richard Lewis, tne Rev. Is. ]> Bevan, of New York, the Rev. Dr. Kennedy, Mr. J. J. Vickers, and others. The report, which was read by Kev. E. W. Matthews, the secretary, stated fhat tber* was invested in the shipping interest of this countrv aloMt the Sum of 100 millions, and 200,000 men were employee in it, 100.000 more in shipbuilding. The new laws regs- lating the shipping, paying, and lodging of aeameu woaM doubtless prove to them of great value, and the greater curse to the sailor-the advance note system -would be abolished from the 1st of August nixt. At sea the Society's Union of Christian shipmasters numpered SO- members; 2,921 ships had since 1865 been supplied with suitable libraries,included 286 last year. The Chart awd Compass, a magazine connected with the society, had m circulation of nearly 60,000." The society aimed at the moral and spiritual welfare of the sailors, and through its efforts and those of kindred societies much good in that direction had been effected. Bishop Claughtou mova4 and the Rev. L. D. Bevan seconded, the adoption of th* report, which was agreed to, and speeches in support cf the society were drarvered hy Mr. Hussey Vivian, M.P„ the Rev. Dr. Kennedy, and others, the meeting closing with a vote of thanks to the Lord Mayor for presiding. A ROMANTIC STOBT.AD adjourned inquest was beM on Monday at Holborn, on the body of a female chili. apparently about four or five months old, which dieji through suffocation on the 1st inst., whilst it was a the care of a young woman named Margaret Sullivam. Sullivan said that when selling flowers in Villiers.street. Strand, one evening in January last, she was accosted by a gentleman who asked her if she would take care of a child for 10s. per week. She consented to do so, and bs gave her Is. 6d. By appointment she met him at six p.:ra. ¡ the next day at Moorgate-street station, and they gafc into a train together, he travelled first and she thirS class. Arrived at a small station he beckoned her on*. Unable to read, she did not know the name of the station. He took "her to the door of a house, and told her to knock once and to inquire for Mrs. Wilson, but she warn to ask nothing more. She did as she was instructed and a woman, answering the name of Mrs. Wilsoa* brought down stairs a child, which she handed to the witness with the remark that it was "very delicate and required great care." She also gave her a panel. which was found te contain baby clothing, and a letter directing her to give the infant beef tea, &c. The gentle- man, who was waiting for her outside the house, acedm- companied her back to the station, having previously presented her with a sovereign. They returned to Moon* gate-street, where he left her, stating that he would call to see her within a few days. He took her address, bafc she had never seen him since. The child was nearly deal when she first received it, and she fed it with bread aid milk. On the first inst. she found it was dying by bev side in bed, and it soon afterwards expired." Dr. Tayh*w•' ^U who was called in, deposed that death resulted from suffocation. Detective-Sergeant Greet deposed to having accompanied Sullivan to various places on the Great Northern Railway with a view to discover the hoott where she received the child, but she had been unable to point out either the house or the locality to which she was taken. Some of her statements he had ascertained to be true. She denied receiving more than a sovereign- The jury returned an open verdict of "Death from suffocation." THE ELECTRIC LIGHT AT THE POST-OFFICIL-The ex- periments with the electric light which have lately bees made in the streets of the City have for the past few nights been extended to that portion of the POstfc- office devoted to the sorting out of newspapers and circu- lars preparatory to transmission to their various destina- tions. The room used for this purpose is extremely large, as may be imagined when it is- stated that from about 400 to 450 persons are daily at work in it. The; light used in this department, which is that patented by the Anglo-American Brush Electric Light Company, being in full working order, a visit was made to tiba Post-office on Tuesday evening by a number of gentlenws ':l interested in the question,'under the direction of Mr. >. John Scudamore Sellon, vice-chairman of the company, and Mr. Pamphilon of the Post-office, for the purpose it witnessing the effect, produced by it. This seemed to to all that could be desired, the room to all intentaamt purposes being as bright as day. One great improve- ment in the new system of lights is that it has dona away with the 400 gas jets with-which the room was jwa- vionsly lighted, 16 of the Brush lamps, each equal to 2,000 candles, being substituted. By this means tto temperature has been reduced to nearly ten degrees, xmM the reading of addresses by the employes much-fmis- tated. Indeed, the whole feeling of -the latter in Tqgavi < to the matter is greatly, in favour of the new lighting ap- paratus. The electric machine is driven by a Brothw- hood engine of 14 horse-power, supplied with steam fro* one of the great boilers. The experiment, on the whou. seems to have given complete satisfaction, the tuthocftiea at the Post-office being greatly pleased with the remit rf this innovation on the old system of lighting their premises. THE CONGREGATIONAL UNKMf.—Tht second serfs* the forty ninth anniversary of the Congregational TJsitm of England and Wales was held on Tuesday -morning m the Union Chapel, Islington, bunder the presidency ac the Chairman. The proceedings commenced with a short devotional service. The result of the ballot for tha electioa to the chairmanship of the Union was announced as 700 for the Rev. J. A. Macfayden, TM. A., and about 408 for;DiiTs&kei..tlii"former being, therefore, duly elected to the post. The Chairman then delivered his inaugural. address, and he chose as the topic of his discourse Cta»- grega.tionalism.After sodie formal business, including the announcement of the result of the ballot for the Com- mittee of the Union, as also the appointment of the r ference committee, and the introduction of visitors and delegates from other bodies, the Rev. Joshua Harrises rose to move the first resolution,' which was to the effect ( that the Assembly desired to recognise with devout thanlfr- 21 fulness the goodness of Almighty God in permitting tta- Union to enter on the fiftieth year of its existence, M* for the wisom and faithfulness which had guided,it« coup- u x sels—for the measure in which ite action and lPHaepca "had stimulated the churches associatedit, and boocg them together 4n closer <bond* es*x*n—aad jfor all it had bee# ablMo tkrdugb tto ^^aticsua churches of thi Und l* premqting tto moS^and spiritual welfare of the people, it w°«H solemnly record its deep sense of obligation .to the Dirvom Giver of iffl good-The Rev. Dr. Bees seconded the motion, which was adopted.—The Special Jubilee Fund Committee Hfen submitted a report stating that out off the seven different denominational objects from wtadh they had had to select they had resolved to recommend that only two be specified in the appeal to the churcbee- namely, the Church Aid Society, and the-project for-tto liquidation of the Church debts. Tfcte Committee, how- ever, further recommended that a cohunn. be o^esw ? snbscriptions specially destined for other denomwafaonaS. J objects than those recommended by the comtnittee, -to be named by the donors at the time of their subscriptions^—' r Mr. Hhmay moved the adoption of the report, and t- e, rs-lppointmezit of the coihraittee, which waS Carried, IOOS. after which the meeting adjourned till Friday, when the Assembly will meet in the Memorial 'Hall. LORD ABBRSARB ON EDUCATION. -The sennty-sixtlt annual general meeting of the British and Foreign School Society was held on Tuesday in the lecture-hall, Borougb- road. Lord Aberdare, the President of the British itofr Foreign School Society, in the chair*. AmongstIhose cm O' the platform were; Lord Arthur Russel, M.P. iBarl Fortescue, Mr. Geo. Palmer, M.P., Professor J. H. Glad- stone, Mr. 8. Fry, M. Pi, and osiers. ThfeSreport; as reMI by Mr. Bairne, the secretary, stated that the college were quite full, well reported of bv the Government. »aa in a "very prosperous cdq|3Jtion educationally. Brwfly sketching the work of the year, at five sets of elementary schools there were 1957 children under instruction, an average attendance of 1501. Of those which -■ recognised by lbe Education Department as British a* Board school, there were 4871. -with accommodation far 1,468,668, a roll of 1.427.949 names, and an average attendance of 1*012,264. The financial statement showed receipts tb the'amount5of £ 22.4/(l 3*- 2d., and an (ex- penditure of £ 25445 lis. 4d., being an excess of of £ 24 13s, lOd. With the addition of the money locally received api spentat Darlipgton, Swansea, and1 Baøge, J, the figures "became^—receipts. £31,063 lis. 7d.; expendi- ture, jMO.981 5s. Id.; je82 6s. 6d. Lord Aberdare fat moving the adoption of thfe Report abd fioaucial statemeDt^ mid that he was happy to see that the receipts of the present year had somewhat, although only to a small Bxtefit (£24) exceeded the expenditure. But he was sorry that did net represent the financial position of the society. He saw that there was still a sum of £1.723 doe to the bankers. It was clear, therefore, that if this society ha& a claim upon the support of the whole population of this country, which was needed support had a right to deroaatt „ it. He thought they would agree with him that tot tt,ry- report was in every other respect satisfactory. Comnigt to the great question of education, he did not mean to say that the British and Foreign Schools had superseded, either in the number of such schools, or in the number of the children attending them, the scbo<.h com>ect«I h with the denomilSatlonal system. But what he did say. was this that the board scboojs of this country had declared in favour of the system upon which the school* of the British and Foreign Society was institnted. Tb put it broadly, it might be said that out of a thousand boards established since the first fervour of the passing of the Act, all but 49 had adopted the British school system. Of these 49 a large number belonged to small districts in Wales, which had declared themselves is favour of secular education. The noble ehairman then remarked upon the arguments which were opposed to the establishment of the system adopted hy the British avit Foreign Society's system, and said tbat those who pre- ferred the secular system of the society's system consists of strong denominationalists, or by what might be called. uncompromising Nonconformists. The former were of opinion tbat religious teaching should be entirety. denominational or that there should be none at all. Tna arguments against the system of the society proceeded from two classes of men, whose opinions were entitled to, the greatest respect. They had, on the one hand,, that of, denominational education, amongst whom was such a man as Mr. Gladstone (cheers); on the other such a man as the late Mr Miall and Mr. Richard, who held that no system of religious teaching should be allowed in schools which were provided by the State.