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-------NOTES & NOTIONS. .

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NOTES & NOTIONS. TO NATURE. Reveal thyself in all thy love and sweetness, 0 mother mine, reveal thyself to me; Vouchsafe to bless me with thy wondrous pre-ence, Grant that my eyes thy lovelinens may see. Earth, sky, and sea are but the gloriaus vesture Or the grand temple of thy spirit blest; Help me to love all tilings I see around me, Then will my troubled soul in thee nnd rest. I shall in truth be one with- thee, great Nature, When I have learnt to read thy mighty scroll, And I have drank the wine of life thou givest To all who love thee with their heart and soul. H. P. W. Mr. Graham Vivian entertained at dinner, at his residence in Belgr ave-square, on the 12th inst., the Earl and Countess of Albemarle, the Countess of Leicester and Lady Mabel Coke, the Earl of Northbrook, the Countess De La Warr, Lord and Lady Barnard, Lady Conyers, Honble. A. Hood, Mr. H. and Lady Maude Vivian, Sir Francis and Mrs. Montefiore, Mrs. Murray, offoionaise. Mr. Petre, Mr.A. Farquhar, and the Honorable Odo Vivian. And on the 13th inst., The Dnchess of Roxburghe and Lady Sybil Janes Kerr, the Marchioness of Blandford, the Mar- chioness of Headfort, Isabella Countess of Wilton, Viscount Newport, Lord and Lady Brougham, Lord Suffield, Lady Vivian and Honble. Violet Vivian, Lord Vivian, Mr. G. Cavendish Bentinek, Captain Vandeleur and Honble. Odo Vivian. It is becoming more and more impossible to regard France as a civilised country. French- men, with the modesty that becomes them so well, still imagine that everyone shares their de- lusion that Paris is the Athens of the modern world, and that France is the home of refined taste and refined sentiment. We have learnt something in the last year or two of their sense of justice, toleration, and humanity. The latest mews gives fresh evidence that these are not the only virtues they have lost. We have our riots from time to time in other countries than France, but the stripping of a woman stark naked by rioters is eminently characteristic of a land where -the worship of lubricity has become the national cult, and shows that the "Loire marriages" would be perfectly possible if a new revolution were to occur to-day. And what is to be said of the disgusting spectacle to which the well-dressed flocked from all parts the other day and paid .high prices to witness—a wild beast contest such as the world fondly believed t had been for ever delivered from a good many centuries ago. When fine French ladies step down into the arena and clamour for the blood of a lion which had not shown the sport expected of him, it; o evident that the most degraded and rotten period of the dying Empire of Rome offers the only parallel to modern Franoe. It is sad to see a people, that was once great, giving so startling an exhibition -of profligate brutality. The German Emperor never oses an opportu- nity of trying to show friendliness to France, and -the telegram he sent the other day to President Loubet was assuredly an olive-branch of very generous proportions. A laudation of the French Navy was a safer thing to venture upon than any praise of its army, especially since France is just now by way of setting a good deal of store by her fighting strength on the sea. The Kaiser is a distinguished practitioner of the art of concilia- "tion by telegram—only occasionally the messages get sent to the wrong address. This time, how- ever, all is well, although it may be doubted whether even his latest wire" will make it quite possible for him to pay that visit to next year's Paris Exhibition which he is understood •to be anxious for. It is, no doubt, nearly a gene- ration sin 3e the events of 1870-71; but we fancy .quite another generation will be necessary before the official presence of a German Emperor will be possible in the French capital-short, of course, of some great European convulsion productive of alliances which at present seem impossible. The Times special report on the present con- dition of British crops for the year should be of great interest, not only to farmers, but to the whole British public. For, after all, agriculture remains our largest industry, and its prosperity or the reverse must react upon all other branches of the national trade. Unfortunately, the infor- mation contained in the report is far from cheer- ing as far as the immediate present is soncerned, though we are assured that considerable modifi- eations may still result from the weather of the next two or three months. At present, however, .all three of the cere il crops compare unfavour- ably with this lime last year, and this applies to every section of the island. Of the three crops wheat is nearest the normal, but even that is con- siderably in arrear, only eight counties being up to the average as against Z7 this time last year. Mr. A. J. Oborn, of the Swansea Borough Engineer's office, is amongst the few candidates selected for a personal interview ror an ap- pointment in the office of the Waterworks Engineer to the Liverpool Corporation. .The announcement that Mr. Philip Richard intends to sink collieiies in j the neighbourhood of Clyne Valley has excited considerable local interest. When the Light Railways Commission, presided over by Lord Jersey, visited Swansea in 1897 to deal with the application for powers to construct the much-talked of light railway into Gower, Mr. John Roberts gave evidence which might well be re-called just now. It was intended to run this railway through Clyne Valley, and along North Gower. According to Mr. Roberts the first six miles ran over the coal measures proper; the next mile or so over the carboni. ferious limestone the next two miles over old sandstone, and the remainder of the line over carboniferous limestone. For a distance of four miles the line would run parallel to the strike of the measures, and along the outcrops of several valuable seams of coal. The whole of the lower ironstone of Aberdare series of stone would be available to the proposed line." Mr. Roberts estimated a workable thickness of 33 feet, and a total available reserve of coal amounting to twenty-eight million tons. The quality of the coal would be bituminous, and well suited to the requirements of the various manufactories of the district, notably for gas producing, cooking, and other purposes. The area and quantity of lime- stone available to the line was enormous, and it ought to find a ready market, either as a fiux for blast furnaces, or for lime burning, and subse- quent use for agricultural and building purposes. The proposed line would afford the facilities so long needed for conveying anthracite coal to the lime-producing country, as well as for bringing the lime away for distribution to the various markets available to it. He was of opinion that for mining purposes the situation of the line would serve Gower throughout, and would, in faet, prove a great boon to the district. It would serve to open up an industry in mining, lime burning, and brick making, which would other- wise be neglected owing to the non-accessibility of the coal seams and other minerals available to the proposed liue." The Metropolitan Bank of England and Wales have recently 1st the contract for their new Wind-street Branch Bank to Messrs. J. and F. Weaver. The new premises will adjoin Messrs. Lloyd's Bank. This new building will form another improvement of architectural merit to Wind-street. On the ground floor will be a spacious banking chamber with strong room and manager's room adjoining with lavatories, etc., for the use of clerks. All these rooms will be fitted up with mahogany doors, windows, and dado, the floors being of mosaic and wood block flooring. On the first and second floor will be well-lighted offices with lavatories, etc., for their special use. The exterior will be built of stone and brick. The building has been designed by Messrs. Wilson and Moxham, architects, Swansea. In next week's issue of "Madame" there will appear the opening chapters of a new serial story by Ouida. It is a tale of Italian life, and the author thinks it one of her best Among the list of new magistrates for the county is the name of Mr. C. L. Bath, Swansea.. The copper statistics issued on Monday evening revealed an interesting change, for while the stocks showed an increase of 673 tons a fortnight ago, on Tuesday they indicated a decrease of 1,139 tons. During the fortnight the price of the metal has risen from £ 76 15s. per ton to JE77, which compares with L49 15s. a year ago. The total stocks on Saturday last stood at 28,515 tons compared with 29,004 tons at the end of June, and 29,281 tons a month ago. As the rise in the price of metal was only 5s. per ton in the fort- night despite the decrease in the supply, it is pretty clear that the American combine is not powerful enough to control the output and the price. No one who read in the early news from Manchester on Monday that Quaife, Fry, Ranji, and Maclaren ;vere out for 47, dared to hope for such a score as 372 for England. The credit is, of course, chiefly due to Hayward's superb innings of 130—the first century scored in a test match on the English side this year. He and Mr. Jackson were so successful in knocking the Australian bowlers off their length that the bats- men who followed were able to make invaluable additions to the total. No doubt the drying up of the dew on the grass made the ball come along a bit truer after the first hour's play. Young and Bradley, for the last wicket, knocked up 35 runs in 15 minutes. The Essex professional again showed that he is a batsman not to be altogether despised, and it is likely enough that in a year or two he will be a very fine all-round cricketer. At present he has no great wealth of stroke but he is clever on the leg-side and hits hard. I To-morrow (Saturday) week, July 29fch, an excursion will be made to Weobly, Gower, under the auspices of the Swansea Scientific Society. Brakes will leave the Royal Institution of South Wales at 1.30 p.m. The guides will be, archaeological, Col. Morgan and Mr. A. G. Moffat botanical, Rev. R. Jackett. This promises to be one of the most delightful excursions of the season, and those who intend taking part in it would do well to secure tickets at once. Application should be made to the hon. secretary, Mr. W. Terrill, St. George's-terrace, or to Mr. Evan Lewis at the Royal Institution. The present season and the forthcoming winter session of the Swansea Scientific Society promise to be hisrhly successful. The member- ship is being well mqintained, and the interest in the active work of the Society seems to be increasing. With the very valuable assistance of the zealous hon. secretary, Mr. W. Terrill, the committee have suggested several important alterations in, and additions to, the rules. When adopted-as no doubt they will be—they will allow of students joining the Society upon pay- ment of 2s. 6d. per annnm. It is to be hoped that, the students of Swansea and district will take full advantage of this rule, which we believe will have an important bearing upon the future of the Society. For the coming winter session a very attractive programme of short lectures is in course of preparation. Will those who feel disposed to prepare lectures—which must be brief-on archaeology, philology, geology, natural history, &c.. communicate at once with the hon. secretary, Mr. W. Terrill. To-morrow (Saturday) the second annual picnic of the South Wales and Monmouthshire Com- mercial Travellers' Association, will be held at Llantwit Major. The old church and monuments will be inspected under the guidance of the Rev. W. Wentworth Scott; Mr. Thomas Jones will give a brief historical sketch of the ancient hall and places of interest in the district the old castle of St. Donat's, the Colburgh Valley, the old ruins and tide-washed caverns, &c., will also be visited. Several prominent members of the Cambrian Archaeological Association are expected to accompany the party as guides. The programme is an attractive and ambitious one, and given fine weather a most enjoyable day should be spent. The arrangements are complete, and reflect credit upon the hon. secretaries, Mr. T. Edgar John, The Promenade, Swansea, and Mr. Hatton Evans, 20, Hickman-rcad. Penarth The Swansea section will lpave High-street (G.W.R.) at 9.40 a.m., and the Card:ff section will leave Riverside Station (Barry Railway) at 11.5. The refusal of the Home Secretary to recom- mend the Queen to commute the death sentence passed upon Mary Ansell will serve to dispel a popular illusion. So seldom is the extreme penalty of the law enforced in the case of female culprits that it has come to be accepted as an axiom that capital punishment has ceased in this country, so far as the weaker sex is concerned. The fate of Ansell is a reminder that this assumption is an unwarrantable one, and that both in theory and in practice the law is no respecter of persons. There is little doubt that the Royal clemency has been, over and over again, exercised to save an intended victim from the gallows, mainly, if not solely, on account of sex and the sentiment of the nation has generally approved the act of mercy. In the case of the wretched woman, however, to whom this boon was denied-if boon it be to exchange death for penal servitude for life—there does nof appear to have been the slightest ground upon which interference with the due course of the law would have been justified. An attempt was made, after the trial, to obtain for Mary Ansell a reprieve, on the score o insanity, but it utterly collapsed and that plea having gone we fail to see how the Home Secretary could have acted otherwise than he has done, so long as capital punishment remains on the Statute Book of the realm. His duty is not to make but to enforce the law. It is, perhaps, not a matter for surprise that, as a result of Sir Mathew White Ridley's decision in this case, there should be an outcry in some quarters against the execution of women under any circumstances, no matter how diabolical the crime of which they are proved guilty. We cannot believe, however, that the abolition of the death penalty, if and when it comes, will take any snch partial form as that. To have any hope of success, the would-be reformers must base their appeal upon higher grounds than the dis- tinction between the sexes, for Mary Ansell's case supplies abundant evidence, if such were needed, that an equally strong deterrent to the commis- sion of the gravest crime known to the law is necessary for some women as it unfortunately is for some members of the sterner sex. The decision of the Corporation not to "keep alive" the license of the Green Dragon public- house is very proper and dignified. We hold that no great governing authority should traffic in licenses, or even attempt to make profit out of one when that opportunity occurs, as it has oocurred by the acquirement of the premises on the Strand by the Cold Storage Company. There are too many houses of the "Green Dragon type in our midst, and the town would be the healthier and the stronger for their total extinction. The Corporation would cover itself with shame were it to assist in the maintenance of the present number of licenses for the sake of a few hundred pounds. Such a proceeding would be in direct opposition to the spirit of the licensing laws, and we are glad, therefore, that Dr. Rawlings and his friends carried their point at W edneaday 'a Council meeting. The Oystermouth Tennis Club is firmly established, and the hon. secretary (Mr. Smale) and hon. treasurer (Mr. Smith) are to bi congratulated upon its present position. Two very excellent court 8, in the charming grounds of the Langland Bay Hotel Company, have been rented for the season, and every evening several fames are played.

SWANSEA'S NEW LAW COURTS.

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WELSH NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD.

WATER POLO.

EDUCATIONAL