The South Wales Daily Post

HOW TiJ Llt'xHT A SHOP PROPERLY fc> XL ill LEGG'S NEW OUTSIDE LAMP. COSTS A'i ):JI ONE FARTHING PER HOUR FOR GAS. i, 17 & 18, NELSON-STREET. GEORGE HELLIER. I HAY AND CORN MERCHANT, THE CENTRAL STORES, RICHARDS' PLACE, SWANSEA. Branch—2Sa, ORCilARD STREET. JOG BISCUITS and all kinds of POULTRY FOOD. ENGLISH and IRISH HAY and STRAW of BEST QUALITY. Daily DeliveryiaTown and Neighbourhood. V*: TIlE SOUTH WALES HOP BITTER ALE, MADOC STREET, SWANSEA. Non-Intoxicating Hop Bitters in Casks of aJJ sbtes, and in Bottles. L'- TELEPHONE Ne.121. j_ pt SWANSEA DERATED WATER COMPANY, ORANGE STREET, T £ J-Ef UO,\ £ Xo.-tf. S W A N S JE A SWANSEA UNITED BREWERIES LIMITED BREWERS, WINE AND SPIRIT MERCHANTS, ALE AND PORTER BOTTLERS .,) SWANSEA. Telephone No. 85. LEARANCE S ALT71 OF SUMMER GOODS FOR XLi 21 DAYS ONL\ TROUSERS FROM 9/6. SI ITS J? 37 6. Pont buy Ready-Made Clothes while this Sale is on. CALL EARLY and secure some NR GOOD BARGAINS. JONES, TAILOR, I 223, HIGH STREET, SWANSEA. 1799 GROCERY .Aim PROVISIONS STREET. AT POPULAR I. PRICES. C. ROSS AND COMPANY, OPENING DAY 29, UNION FRIDAY NEXT. NO HOUSE EQUALS DOWN AND SON, FOR RELIABLE FURNITURE. WHY ? ( JJecjusc they arc Uie LARGEST MAKiifo BY MACHINERY IN WALES, Hate the MOST EXTENSIVE STOCK TO SELECT FKOM, and give the BEST POSSIBLE VALUE. |Y A VISIT WILL AT ONCE CONVINCE ONE OF THE FACT. 1ft FURNITURE TO SUIT COTTAGE OR MANSION. CARPETS MADE AND LAID FREE. ESTABLISHED NEARLY HALF A CENTURY. HIGH STREET AND MORRIS LANE, SWANSEA. MORGAN BEVAN.&SONS. GENERAL FURNISHING IRONMONGERS, 24, CASTLE STREET, B*1 to call Public Attention to their LARGE AND VARIED STOCK OF LAMPS, i, FROM oil', to .1;5 Gs. EACH. [170' SUPERIOR HALL LAMPS AT LOW PRICES. i HATS HATS HATS HATS HATS HATS TANK'S HATS HATS HATS VV HATS SPECIAL HATS H\TS HATS HATS HATS HATS H M HATS HATS I IS HATS ■ HATO VALUE HATS IIA1S HALB HATS HATS fy NT(^N STREET. HATS HATS HATS HATS 1 *1 HATS HATS NEW GOODS. B. EVANS A CO. ■' INVITE INSPECTION OF } EXTENSIVE RANGES IN New Dress Materials, I TAWE SERGES, '>,>, Ladies' & Children's drOlf & Holiday Capes. "ALSÓio A SPLENDID SELECTION OF THE NEWEST SHAPES IN Ladies' & Gentlemen's Waterproofs. t PRICES LADIES', 8/9 to 69/- GENTLEMEN'S, 21/- to 79/- ;a. ALL RELIABLE MAKES. TEMPLE STREET, SWANSEA. 7 John S. Brown HAS NOW IN STOCK THE ■■■; AND /<^0 ALL BEST SEL'CTED S>/TRADES STOCK EVER SEEN IN WALES. F — V.\40 J INS:ECTION ;.■'■■.vW £ RESPECTFULLY SOLICITED. — /JOHN S. BROWN, OXFORD STREET. .1 ■ SWANSEA. 1779 FROM CEYLON WE IMPORT Tlip SMALL SIFTED, TEA ..FROM THE BEST TEA GARDENS IN THE WOULD. PRICE Is. ID. PER POUND. EVERYBODY SHOULD USE THIS TEA. TAYLOR & COMPANY LIMITED. OXFORD STREET, 0 1« Close to National Schools S. — /^S STYLIS" MII.LINKEY AND AUU MX XOViiLTIKS /OTJK COliSETS, For S;>st Vaiuc 111 j/L^S AT 11 1 J- G EN K ItAL DR Al'Kli Y £ ? AJIT MUSLINS /A\ A-e Unrivalled. LACE CUKi'Al.NS /<V. AU Qualities m iSU AY i WATCH C2ETONNE8 SFKINGCOHSETS. L A* Our RED GLOVES at 1 (Unrivaled) /-> Are Best Value Ol talnable. /'V'/ TstY A PAIK- yr r < OXFORD STREET, yr. Oij Near National Schools. MOUTH WALES ViNEGAR, SAUCE. O AND PICKLE CO., Manufacturers of PURE MALT VINEGAR, PLYMOUTH ST., SWANSEA. SHIPPING SUPPLIED. Ma.de from M.iIV and guarantee:1. free from Mineral Ac d. Prices and terms on application 1659 JEFFKKY'S ARMs. FAMILY ASB .COMMKIXIAL U.TSL, Close lo tLo -Mai itst. Oxfoi*I-stwf. Witljin live niiviutoi th^G.W.H. ^11^1 L. & Visitor* toSv.r.nsea-vi;i lin.l all IXjmc Comforts ut is olU-tstiOlisLciA hostelry. C) i-t, ii il:i ry t'aily, cne o'clock T. C. SMALL, M.R.C.V.S., Proprietor. ri.D,-CaniH>,e8. Cabs. WltJ1;c¡¡did, and SiUdle Ilor^ej uii bite at liie »hoi'tt-sl n"tico. r Couveynh'te* lor the Qower Coast. 0. J _:{ ,=:"t- 1:- MILLIONS DRINK IT DAILY. RICH AND FRAGRANT. != & I I: I-H4 PER LB. r. #r4"r.v, j n 110 3053 ol 1 00,P'. INEST 1'HE WOULD CAN PRODUCE. 17 PER LB NO HIGHER PRICE This is a 'FAC-SIMILE of the GREAT DUTY CHEQUE, £$5M5 9s. 2d., paid by! LIPION, FOR his week's clearance ofica, AND represents over orie-Lalf the average weekly NAJ'MEIIT^ for Duty paid by THE entire Tea-Trade on the whole of the Tea imported into 4 Great Britain. LARGEST TEA SALE IN THE; WORLD. LIPTON, Tea Planter, CEYLON. LOCAL BRANCHES Swansea:-AR-CAVE BcriL-uxaS, I-ligli-street: Cardiff ST. MarySFTRKST (nest door lothft'tbentre Itoyal); aekd 7, High Stbeet Llanellv 9, Siepxsy Stkbrt BrUtol f2, ffix* S*BT. BLANCHES & AGENCIES > £ V £ RY WHERE. GROCERY AND PROVISIONS AT POPULAR PRICES. (VILOSS & CO., 29, UNION-STREET, OPENING DAY FRIDAY NEXT. F» • '• Pei l'ect :cn cf BI -iKltd Wliis '-Lan EXCELSIOR SCOTCH WHISKY. tx;vmii^d i.nalyti'-tiiiy this blend of Scotch Whi-ky, an.i find it to be unu-<u;il!y pure, o excellent flavour, muI well matured. Reconitnended wilb ci. ntideiRp asa PIlle and for t!if*ick H»ii couvaiesc«»nt. —1'ractitionei', i diicd y T. Lalui. BRUATON, M.D., LI..D., Ac. SOLE FUOFHIKTOUS— MARGRAVE BROS., LLANELLY. Agcnls for CARDIFF and PENABTH— MESSRS. STKANAGHAN AND STEPHENa EXCELSIOR SCOTCH WHISKY. "Recommended with confidence hs a Stimulant for Sick and Convalescent."—London Practitioner. i T. M. BEN8°K' I L ALEXANDRA ARCADE BCUAIMQS* SWANSEA. GENERAL COMMiaSlOy AOBMT. igentfor the National Tel«ph«M Cocap»J< igentfor the National ToloPhs" Cocap»J< I Agent fertile LondaiMP»fl> T«l4cht8> Sta,ined Glue for Cathedral M4 I, Doiue^tio Work, Vpent for EncMtstieTUew, Uosaio Work Md MaraiDecoration, iirMee^, I tbiimate#Vk«B. Sampletea View. Licensed Victtiail6rs' V'ain<Tr."Sti !«* "10; ii.t! ,1 f TRY IT. TRY IT. WILLIAMS' SEED AND SULTANA CAKE 4D. PER LB. Nothing in Town to equal this Cake at the price. Sold elsewhere at 6d. and 8d.per lb. E. A. EVANS, UNDERTAKER, FUNKKAL FURNISHER, &c., j 22, ALFRED STREET, NEATH. WEDDING AND FUNERAL COACHES, BliAKHS, HANSOM CABS, DOG-CARTS, WAGGONETTES, &C. kr Ten-Stall Stable and Lock-up Yard. Posting in all its Branches. Telegraphic Address: "Nvans.AMred-ttreet. [27 By. Royal Letters Patent. YENTANEASE VENTILATED WATERPROOFS. STICCIAL ADVANTAGNS. A perfect ventilation. Does not differ in appearance from an ordinary tailor-made garment. Is not .injurious to health. Suit- able for all climates. Applicable to all kinds of waterproof clothing. C. A. Pearson, Esc.. dilor uf Pearson's Weekly," Sc., writes: "Your 'Veutanese'patent: I think a most excellent one. The macintosh I have had froip you i» by far the most comfortable and pleasant trfear oionj; that' I bate ever worn." Ladies' Waterproofs from 7/6 Gents' it „ 21/- Patterns, designs, and price list, on application. C JJANSCHSSTEIl> WATERPROOF GARMENT MANU. FACTURER, 6, CASTLE STREET (Opposite General Post Office), Swansea. £5,000 TO BE GIVEN AWAY BYTHE MAYPOLE jQ AIRY CO ID. PER lb. GIVEN BACK To all Customers who purchase MARGARINE. Zliisreduces our noted Sixpenny Margarine to 5d. per lb. MAYPOLE BUTTER REDUCED TO ONE SHILLING PER LB. TELEPHONE No. 151

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1894. -rTS NOTES & COMMENTS The ranks of the probable candidates for the Swansea District Parliamentary seat are thinning. Mr. Lloyd George hav- ing induced his backers i.i tin Carnarvon BONr ghs to undertako tho payment of his auction expenses purposes now to Stay where. he lSj—that is unlesp, is is extremely pro"o,. a Unionist candidate will recapture the seat. In which event the man of blazing indis- cretions will roam abroad in search of another place. Mr. Leif Jones, son of the late Rev. Thomas Jones, has been selected to lead a forlorn hope in Leeds, and, there- fore, may be considered out of the running in Swansea district. Mr. Wynford Philipps has not received the encouragement which he doubtless expected to get, and, indeed, will probabljtseek long and vainly for the comfortable Welsh seat he wants in exchange for that in Lanarkshire. By this time he and Mrs. Philipps doubtless recognise that the welcome extended to those who give and expect nothing in return is not worth its face value. An instance ha& just occurred at Swan- sea of the kind of thing which must be always a matter of deep regret to true philanthropists, remarks a contemporary, w-w :h t1 e ) proceeds to explain why tl e coliap3e of the Harbour Trust superannua- tion fund must be a very serious thing If brought about by financial diffi- culties it would of course, be un- avoidable, but in this case it appears to have been caused entirely by internal dissensions of a paltry character. Under the circumstances, the Trust have nothing to do but divide tha money between the men, with interest up to date but the fact that a surplus of five to six thousand pounds remains over and abovo all demands, and that none of the men will participate in it, is sufficient comment on the fooUshooMi of tho men's proceeding. In cases the money will now, doubtl^, be squan- dered. The working men of ibis country, compared with thoso of the Continent, are generally declared to be very improvident, and this, latest instance from Swansea will by no means tsnd to remove the stigma. tin-plate makers are asking press representatives (according to a contom- porary) to redeem the promise recently- given of a rise of Gd. per box in the price of tin-plates. 19 this a joku of the heavy elephantine kind, or are we to conclude that the makt-rs know so little of their own business that they have permitted tl.emcelves to by deceived by a headline ? It is not as if the newspapers concealed the true purport of the news which mislead the sub-editorial mind in one or two offices. The paragiaph, stripped of its head-lines, was a matter-of-fact statement that at Birmingham the price of wasters had advanced sixpence per box. Surely this was not sufficient to convince the makers that the rise bad commenced in earnest. The present comparative stagnatiou is probably due to the fact that the middlemen, who are the real controllers of the trade, are waiting to see I how the cat is going to jurap after the 1st of October. The latter date is still a rtapectaole distance away, having regard to the fact that New York can be reached in seven or eight days. Both the incoming and the outgoing presidenta of the Welsh Baptist Union are I remarkable men, each in his own way. The Baptists are without giants at the present moment—in fact, the times do net appear to favour the growth of giants in Welsh Nonconformity—and there is a dead lovel of merit in ti^en- pukut most dcrvi-csaing to" contemplate.' If one ilivino m >rc tha;i an^thsi* hs-; su.-te'jdcd i in s.'t ar^tii:^ i.im ell .V t J it is the Rev. W. Jones, Fishguard, who a both an original thinker and an orator of parts. He has a large church on the shores of the Irish Sea where his person- ality is all but hidden, and his influence lost by reason of the remoteness of Fishguard from the great centres of population. His successor, Mr. D. Davies, of Merthyr, is one of the most "live men in Wales. Whether as a sectarian, poli- tician, or teetotaller, his energy is bound- less. AtMerthyr he is the visible standard- bearer of aggressive teetotallism, and his unquestionable earnestness redeems his work from much that would otherwise be offensive. He has all the unreasonableness of the extreme thinker, with convictions rather than views, and there is a rugged honesty in the man and a thoroughness which command the respect of even those who sym- pathise with him least. Taken all in all, the character of Councillor David Davies, of Glebeland, Merthyr, is of picturesque interest. Professionalism in the Rugby football of the North seems 'about bursting through the thin wrappings in which it has been the custom to enclose it. The Leigh club is at the present moment being court-martialled, and we in this part of the country have some little interest in the proceedings for the reason g that Leigh in the past has en- listed, or attempted to enlist, a number of Welsh players. Wilding, formerly of Cardiff, has just left L):gh to play for Bradford. We have no I desire to prejudice the result of the inves- tigations now being made, beyond expressing the opinion that the allegations I made against Leigh, whether tme or not, in so far as they refer to that particular club, could with absolute truth he made respecting half or more of the big clubs of the North. It is an open secret, even to the man in the street, that scarcely one of the big Yorkshire or Lancashire organisations could be kept going for a week if the laws affecting amateurism were observed in letter and in spirit. The English Union knows this, and the fact that professionalism is not boldly tackled is owing, no doubt, to the cer- tainty that any serious attempt made t > I penalise professionalism in the North would precipitate a collapse of the Union itself by the secession of Yorkshire and Lancashire. For our part, we think it would I be a prudent thing not to affect to carry out impossible regulations by winking at the violation of the more exacting of them, but to adapt the laws themselves to the altered circumstances. No good can come from ignoring the fact that the class of players has altogether changed, and also the conditions under which the game is being played. Not many years ago football was exclusively the pastime of young men who could afford to pay, and in most cases did pay, their own expenses. There were no big gates in those days, and consequently no danger of professionalism, since the latter implies the power to pay players. Now, however, clubs enjoy large incomes, and the players almost to a man are not of the class that can afford to lose work without compensa- tion. in these circumstances we con- sider that the football authorities should not permit themselves to be frightened by a name or a phrase, but,recognising the true condition of things, boldly sanction payment for "broken time," stringently providing, however, against tho abuse of such a concession. r

"POST" PRIZELE rs. I I READERS PLEASE NOTE. I A GUINEA FOR A DRINK. The overwhelming majority of the adult male population in the district covered by the Post are employed in occupations entailing great bodily exertion in intense heat. In the old expressive language they are Giceitkv.yr i-dn. A want severely felt, esp( cally in summer, is a drink that I quenches thirst, is agreeable to the taste, and is sustaining and non-injurious. With a. view of ascertaining whether such a drink is obtainable, and, if so, of making it widely known, we offer a prize of one guinea for information respecting the best drink known to our readers. We particu- larly invite workmen with practical experience to let us know what beverage they find most satisfactory. Where herb beer is mentioned the herbs I used should be stated. We purpose to I submit the information thus collected to a doctor of position, and ask him as to which drink, in his opinion, does the least harm and the most good. All that the competi- tor needs do is to fill in the coupon below ana forward it "1 o the Dcntu Post Office, Swansea, marked "Competition." This competition closes on the 15th September, and the award wiH be announced on the I 17 th Saptember. I' COUPON. II c iv my opinion FOR TIN-PLATE WORKMEN, IRON, STEM. II AND COi-PKR SHELTERS. ■' j The best dr'.nk is j (If a home-l>rewed beverage add Made j with (give ingredients)" Name ( I II Address _I I I, A GUINEA FOR A LOCAL ALLUSION. Readers oi standard books frequently alight on allusions to places, persons, and things in this district. For example, we have recently published references to Swansea, Noatn, and the Mumbles, by Carlyle, and Walter Savage Laudor. A collection of such allusions would be exceedingly interesting, and I to secure the co-operation of the readers of the Post in securing it we offer a guinea for the most interesting local allusion sent I to us on or before the 8Lh Sept. Tho I award will be announced on Monday lotli Sept. KoTicS.—AU leLters ui connection with the itUovo competition* should' have the word "Competition" written on the e..v.ufc»e.

OUR NOTEBOOK. "CHORAL SINGING IN WALES." [By "THS KBIT."] When the first band of jubilee lingers visited the United Kingdom some years ago to collect funds for Fisk College, which had been established for the education of the coloured race in North America, the quaint melodies they sang—melodies in which the sweetest airs were wedded to most, grotesque words—caught on like an epidemic, and for a time were the popular music of the home, the schoolroom, and the street. The weird plaintiveness of the songs seemed the vocal heritage of the days of bondage, and the gentleness and patient sufferings of the slave had apparently found expression in their singular tunefulness. The greater part of that music, invariably associated with sen- timents produced by heavenly hopes upon minds aglow with imagination but unguided by knowledge, was never composed in the strict sense of the term. It grew (as I heard an eloqnent American divine once declaro) out of intense religious fervour, and no known man cou!d say ef a song, That is my work," All that the practised musician did was to capture the soul-inspiring airs as they rose from the camp-gatherings of the negroes, and set out on paper these emanations from the emotional soul of an oppressed race. Probably, if the truth were known, this has been the case also with many of the old Welsh hymns, which have come down to us like vague voices of a past dead and gone. These have been adapted and altered by com- posers, but the spirit that breathes in them, that subtle charm which eludes description, is as much the gift of the ages as the coal that is being cut, or the traditions which link us to the story o" Celtic triumph and tribulation. The Cymric love of song is doubtless as old as the race itself, the fitiul glimpses which old-world history gives us of the Celt show him to have been ever a singer. It is, there- fore, no new passion which drives the Yvebh to cultivate the expression of feelings by music. In days of stress and strife, when passions have been aroused, and the nerves highly wrought,mosl people find that both relief and inspiration may come fion' music. There is not, for example, a 'more impressive episode vin histor\ tha.n that, of the whole German Arm: singing Luther's Hymn after tho surrender 0: Napoleon and his army at Sedan, nor indeed a more invigorating spectacle than that of tht manhood of Germany marching to meet the invaders, with thunderous renderings of the mournful Wacht am Rhein." Patriotism at whiteheatfinds ordinary language inadequate, and clothes its emotions in sons religion in its intensity must needs employ the same divine medium. The religious revival early in the century enriched beyond the range of estimate the hymnolc-y of Wales, produced music appro priate to the new faith which was firing the hearts of men, and, if 1 may venture to say so, embodied in the aongs of tkat period many a melody which in form more or less rouoh had come ringing down the long corridor ci time." For all practical purposes choral sirging, as we new know i1, began with that great movement. The Roman Catholic Church, which has been singularly succcsstui in enl?8t;ng art in ita service, did not en courage s ngiug in the general body of its followers; trained chous alone could be ex- pected to execute the long masses, and upon such choirs devolved the duty of worshipping God in song. But Nonconformity, taught to look with abhorrence on instrumental music and to regard a special choir as peculiarly a Papistical con- trivance, took to congregational singing almost as a matter of course. Circumstances since have gradually produced an arrange- ment which combines some of the advantages of both systems our congregations continue to join in tho singing, but it is with the guidance and support of experienced I voca.lists. I There has eeen a great advance in Welsh choral singing during the last ten years. I While the managers of Ksteddtodau selected I; adjudicators exclusively from Welsh musicians, and in the selection of test pieces showed a preference for choruses Bpeeiilly suitable for bringing out the then recognized characteristics of Welsh singing, it is clear that the latter was bound to perpetuate what- ever defects it had. The shutting in of a people within the high walls of priSJudiee is never other than mischievous, since nothing is good, bad, great or small except by com- parison. Happily the good sense of our musicians averted mischief in time. The glorious victory of Caradog and nis noble six J hundred at the Crystal Palac.e was a revela- tion to the Anglo-Saxon world. It called attention in an irresistible way to the superior quality of Welsh voieas, the musical aptitude of the Cymry, and their passionate devotion to singing. This was the effect outside Walea, in Wales it encouraged the belief that what- ever there was distinctively Welsh in the .-singing was of necessity praiseworthy, and as certain defects were deemed distinctively I Welsh by the less capable conductors, we stood in peril of halting in the march towards perfection. In other wo, ds, the choirs of the Principality seemed destined to go on repro- ducing and magnifying the blemished, while failing to attain the standard of excellence reached bv Caradog's great choir. It was at 1 this po nÚhat the National Eisteddfod justi- fied its mission by introducing a factor which I kept our choirs in fee path of progressive improvement. It bc;an to engage the ablest 0: living musicians as adjudicators. The I' turning-point seems to have been reached in iyg3 when of five choirs from E'onlh Wale* competing for the chie" prize at Cardiff not one kept in tune, and the Penrhyn comb'- naiion, under Dr. Rogers, won an easy victory. Llanelly n! ne of its rivals making a erc.Ut- ablo fight of it. Dr. Maefarren was the leading adjudicator, and the adjudica- tion sounded like the ei-u-k of doom to the old- ost.iblishcd idea that "lire" and enthusiasm ..vera the qualities to >H> first cor.s derod. The aood effect which followed upon the discom- fiture of the South Waled Choirs at Cardili was shown two jinn later at tho Al.ordure I EiKteddfod when thoDowlaisChair,conducted by Mr DaB Davies, overcame all rivals, and the L!anel!y Choir-—v, hichhad put it:.clf out of the reckoning by reason of an accident- won cicdit; dearie its misfortune. Caradog was deepiv impressed bv the singing on that occasion. He had bee;1 with the first in detecting where lay the weakness of chora; siivmg in the Hou.ii, aial I gatiicre-i from a chat with kin* that the old chieftain roeog- ni/od and welcomed the change wkich was coming over our choirs. The rendering of one of the te.t choruses at tha Aberdare National Eisteddfod — Sullivan's exquisite "Lcrlof the Golden Day," marked in his opinion a diotiuct advance in tho choral singing of W.-dei. Smco then the progress has been steadily maintained. There is less an:11ess slviung for to; ati; Welsh lire Wi; 1 made the forcing of voices almost ineviij and the increasing attention given to chor demanding nicety of expression and del. shading rather than sustained volar- sound is at once a cause and an indi at: -• f a better apprceiafou of the excellence quire] in a good choir. Aroun lu;. I l ore is ceaseless striving t< a. choral stugiog; during the sumnici nearlv evciy churcii ar.d chap'-l in trlet had its representatives at soni. v fistival or another. Everywhere j the passion burns steadily, and the standard of excellence yielding to pressure is con- stantly rising. The bracing mountain breezes ssera to give an added depth and richness to the human voice; the basses and tenors of the hills move the admiration and provoke the despair of vocalists whose homes are on the low-lying lands, where the atmosphere is charged with the brine of the sea. It has been stated, with what degree of truth I am not competent to say, that fish-eating people do not excel in singing. However that may be, it is unquestionably true that the choirs of Western Wales—those of Swansea and Llanelly may serve as an example-while abundantly supplied with contraltos and sopranos of exceptional purity and sweetness, fail to command that rare quality in the deeper voices which lend majesty and weight to the singing of choirs yn y mynyddau." I

NOTES FROM LONDON. — [FKOM OUR OWN CORRBSPONDBNT.] I LONDON, Wednedsday EVJEKISO. A SWANSIA BOY. Mr. Leif Jones, B.A., who haa been selected I as the Liberal candidate for Central Leeds in opposition to Mr. Gerald Balfour, is a son of the late -Rev. Thomas Jones, chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales in 1871, and brother to Mr, David Brynmor Jones. Mr. Leif Jones was himself a candidate in that year, trying conclusions with Mr. Burdett-Coutts in Westminster where he was beaten by 1,632. Mr. Leif Jones has been for years a tutor in the Earl of Carlisle a family. AN AFRICAN POTENTATE. Europe is to be honoured by the visit of another "dusky potentate." The Negus of I Abyssinia is about to travel in Europe, and will embark at Obok on board a French war- vessel, which will hoist the Abyssinian flag in his honour. His Abyssinian Majesty will go first to Paris, via Marseilles, and intends when there to inquire in Berlin and Vieuna whether a visit from him will be welcome. fie will also proceed to St. Petersburg, pro- bably t'ia Berlin and Vienna.; but he will go to Rome only after or in case the European Powers have recognized him as an indepen- dent Sovereign, as he hopes they will do. AN AJIISTOCRATXC ALLIANCE. The engagement of Lord Willoughby de iiircsby to Miss Muriel Wilson is really an important event. Everybody knows the lady lo be the daughter of Mr. Arthur Wilson of Tranby Croft, and the father of the future bridegroom is the Earl of Ancaater, who is Lord Great Chamberlain of England. The history ot the office, which is hereditary, is too iong and too intricate to tell in detail. It I originated in the time of King John, and has cw;ce lapsed and been revived in favour of the iemale, and is now vested in two great ladies whom their relation represents. humours OF THE register. Some men are born voters, some achieve votes, and others have votes thrust upon them. Among these last is a gentleman who I ives in Ilossotti Mansions at Chelsea. He went to the Revising Barrister yesterday and a^ked if the law eorapelled him to accept a vote which he did not want. The lease of the ■'at is made out in his wife's name, and the landlord pays the rates and taxes. None the less an intelligent overseer insisted on putting him on the register, and the poor gentleman was driven to object to himself. On the whole, we cannot pretend to think •ir.ich of this way of dodging a civic rcsponsi- bility. If a man dees not want a vote, he need not vote, although his name should be on the register. But- a. vote involves the lia- bility to serve on juries, and that, we make no doubt, is the reason of its bitterness in this gentleman's wrath. POST OFFICE THEFrS. As far as present experience goes, the chief outcome of registering letters appears to be the clearness with which the process points out to the Post Office thief the valuable pa.rt of the mail. The guileless public fondly trusts that registered letters are handed down from official to official, a. receipt being taken every time, and that the packages are cever lost sight of for a moment. But the reports of the robbery in to-days papers show thai the bags of registered letters are thrown in a lobby, and that it is possible for a discharged servant of the Post Office to pick them up and walk off with them under the eyes of St. Martin-le-Grand himself. Mr. Arnold Morley will have his work cut out to restore confluence in the registration de- partment. I STRIKE ON" THE SCEZ CAN'AL. Although no strike of important dimensions, I can ta'ie place in any country in Europe ¡ without exercising some influence upon trade in another, that of the dredgermen on the Suez Canal may fairly claim to be the first in which all countries have a direct interest. So long as the men confined themselves to a re- fusal to work unless their demands were complied with, the matter was of little con- sequence, as a cessation of dredging opera- tions for a few weeks made no appreciable difference in the depth of water through the canal. Brt now that they utti?r threats to" block the traffic altogether by sinking dredges in the Witter-way, tDe matter assumes in the Witter-way, the matter assumes another aspect altogether. Although the grca.t majority of the engineers on board the dredger3 are French, for once Lhe Egyptian Government can act with decision without fear of the usual outcry being raised in Franco, seeing that the sreat proportion of the shares of the canal are atiil held in that eouutiy, and any interruption of traffic would seriously aiiec.c the incomes of thousands of thrifty Frenchmen.

SUBSIDISING THE IRISH PARTY. LORD TWEEDMOCTH EXPLAINS. Mr. Michael Davjt.t, in a letter to the Free- maus Journal agrees with Mr. Justin McCarthy that it wouid bo stupid rudeness to return Mr. Gladstone's and Lord Tweed- J month's chcques ht which he sees no harm, The London cort espoudent of the Freeman gives an absolute contradiction to the state- niont that the circular wa.s sent to every wealthy Libcnd in England. Lord Tweed- inouth. in reply to an inquiry from an Irish Catholic, stated that tho circular was sei.t out as tho result of a conlercnce at West- minster Pa'a-je Hotel, ami was signed by Mr. .T. F. X. O'Brien, by whom as well as by Mr. Justin McCarthy and Mr. T. P. O'Connor, subscriptions were roce.vcd,

LLANSAMLET SCHOOL BOARD. I At the monthly meeting of the Llansamlet Higher School Bourdon Tuesday corrosion-j denee waI read, rem the following, whose applications were granted :—From 1\1r. 1: 11. Thomas, faoad master of Birchgrovo School.! for the use of a class-room for evening classes in the Government Continuation School; from Mr. Knetlc," Llansamlet. for a situation fcr his daughter U3 pupil teacher; from Giais Schools for tables, shelve etc, Mr. D. Yv\ Jenkins called attention to the fact that complaints were made by parents their children, who had to hriue their cr to school, wcic left out on the road in v gathers during dinner honra, and a re so- on was adopvcd that steps be taken to ,id such complaints. II

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