Weekly Mail

TIlE "NEWS OF THE WEEK." The Largest and Best Weekly Newspaper in the Country. I 72 LONG COLUMNS OF NEWS: LOCAL, GENERAL, AND FOREIGN ONE PENNY. SPECIAL COLUMN FOR THE WELSH, BY "IDRISWYN." The Best Paper in Existence to Send to Friends Abroad. WELSH NEvVS A SPECIALITY. I ONE PENNY. TO BE HAD OF ALL NEWSAGENTS t i ■

I We are officially informed that the North British Railway Company's accounts for the pivot year admit of a dividend at the rate of If per MBt. per annum on ordinary stock, carrying forward" JOOO. Three railway fatalities occurred in Rochester district within twelve hours on Monday. Patrick Gorman, gatekeeper at tjorstead Fort, was ktllod by a locomotive; John La. coal dealer's fore- man, was killed by an express; aiid another gate- keeper was killed at Sharnal. The once renowned "racing yacht Cambria rt the Mersey for the West Coast of Africa, whefS she is to become a palua oil" trader. Her race across the Atlantic with the American boat Sappho was one of world-wide interest and when the Cambria put in her appearance the first at New York gNat was the jubilation in Eng land. The Cambria is now the property of Messrs. P. and A. Swanzy, African merchants, of London. She has already done service in West Africa, the present being her second visit to the Coast. The induction of the Rev. T. J. Jones, M.A., the new rector of Gelligaer (late vicar of St. Tyfaelog, Pontlottyn), took placo on Tuesdiy afternoon, in the Parish Church, by the Bishop of Llandaff, at a public service. A great deal of interest was taken in the induction, the church being crowded, as the new rector is so well known throughout the parish, and will be welcomed by all. The living bccame vacant through the preferment of the Rev. J. L. Meredith, M.A., to the vacant living of All Stints', T-lanelly, Carmarthenshire

NOTES FROM NORTH WALES. [BY MEIRION.] It is too bad of the Goleuad depriving me of the honour attached to a conversation I had lately with Archdeacon Farrar. I am sure my old friend Morien is anxious to render unto Caesar the things that are Csesar's. I daresay the Goleuads mistake arose from the similarity there is between the two names, Morien" and "Meirion," henoe the confusion. Speaking of Archdeacon Farrar, I may state that he and one of his daughters bad to leave for London on Satur- day morning, leaving the rest of the family at Criccieth, For certain reasons the venerable archdeacon refused to preach during his stay in Wales. At present the Rev. Newman Hall is on a preaching tour in Wales. The other evening I went to hear him at one of the Merioneth- shire watering-places. He preached a thoroughly evangelical sermon. No one can charge him of being on the down-grade. He seemed quite strong, and time deals gently with him. a There is a great stir among the Calvinistio Methodists of North Wales. The question that agitates them at present is the introduc- tion of religious teaching into the day schools. Twenty years ago the late Dr. Edwards, of Bala, and Edward Morgan, Dyffryn, fought hard against throwing the Bible overboard, but to no purpose. The bulk of the people were opposed to them. However, at last they are ready to admit that the friends of the Bible were in the right. Strong resolutions have been passed by various monthly meet- ings throughout North Wales urging the different school boards in the Principality to introduce a course of religious teaching into the schools. The step has not been taken a moment too soon. The best men of the denomination believed in itall along. In walking down by the side of the Mawddaoh one day last week I came across two old friends, namely, Mabon," M.P., and Mr. Randall, iM.P., who were on a visit to Mr. Pritchard Morgan at Bryntirion. Unfor- tunately, I had only an hour or so of their oompany, as they were returning to Bryn- tirion before night. Mr. Thomas Ellis, M.P., has come to Wales once more. He called upon me on Friday, and I was very pleased to find him looking so well, his recent illness notwithstanding. He is not going to take any part whatever in public meetings for the next two months, as he is not yet quite out of danger. A most amusing incident took place at a certain chapel not long ago. For obvious reasons, the names are suppressed. The chapel I refer to is governed by what is known as pen blaenor. This pen blaenor has the highest opinion of himself, which opinion is not shared by all the members. One evening at the seiat the pen blaenor was giving an account of what had transpired at the monthly meeting'held the day before. Refer- ring to a debate on an important subject, he said The resolution proposed at the meeting was quite unconstitutional, but my amendment went along the constitutional broad gauge." This was more than one old fellow could stand, so he said, You going along a broad gauge, indeed 1 have seen you on nothing but a bioycle all your life, riding your own hobby." It is needless to say that after this the pen blaenor had to sit down, and he was more easily managed for some time after. Dr. Marcus Dods paid a visit to Oxford a few months ago, where he stayed for some time. The other day he was asking a young medical Welshman at Edinburgh if he knew Owen Edwards. The young man answered in the affirmative. Well," said the learned doctor, "I came across many an excellent man during a recent visit to Oxford, but I came across no one I think more highly of than that young Welshman. I expect much from him in years to come. Speaking of Mr. Owen Edwards, I paid Llanuwchllyn a visit last week, and found Mr. Edwards rambling along the liiver Twrch, which passes close to Coedyfry, where he lives. 1 a:n afraid he is working too hard, and unless he takes much more care of him- self than he does he will ruin his health in a few years, which would be a oalamity. Before these lines are read I hope to have had a chat with Mr. Ruskin at his own home, a great personal friend of his having given me a letter of introduction. Perhaps it is not generally known that Mr. Ruskin has a house at Barmouth, where he owns several houses besides.

FUNERAL OF CANON LIDDON. At St. Paul's Cathedral on Tuesday the remaiDS of the late Canon Liddon were laid to rest in tha crypt. They were rtmovrd in the early morning from the late canon's hOW3 in Amen-court to the north-west chapel of the Cathedral, where, at seven o'clock, Canon Gregory celebrated Holy Communion in tho presence of a number of mourners. The funeral ceremony was appointed for noon, but long before that hour the Cathedral was thronged with an orderly assembly, mostly clad in mourning, Many wreaths were sent to be laid on the coffin from,t<niongat others,the Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury, Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone, the Duke of Nericastle, the Hebrew Guild of Intercession, and Sisters of St. Margaret, East Grimstead. Amongst those present in the cithedral were the Bishops of Lichfield, Salisbury, Liucoln, St. Albans, Reading, and Truro, Bishop Barry. Dr. Smythies, Bishop of Central Africa; Lord Halifax, Mr. Ritchie, the Lord Mayor of London, Baroness Burdett-Coutts, and Mr. George Russell. A detachment of the City of London Rifle Brigade, of which deceased was chaplain, lined the nave along which the body was borne, preceded by the Cathedral clergy and choir. The chief mourners were the brothers of the deceased (Mr. John Liddon, Dr. Liddon, and Mr. M. Liddon). Canon Gregory read the lesson, Canon Scott Holland and the dean of the church reaoing the remainder of the service. Great Paut Was tolled before the funeral, and in the evening a muSed peal was -ung from the belfry.

A New Musical Invention. An invention of considerable interest and utility to musicians will, it is said, shortly bo bought before the English public. It is a c^v^rly designed mechanical arrange- ment wliisbj when fastened to the key- board of a piaso, gives a record of every note played, whether ort the bass or treble clef. The notes are said to be perfectly legible, evgn their value being recorded. The" instrument fflayf a London correspondent) may tiot- be of much benefit to the ordinary musical public, but for composers or for improvisation its value csnnofc be denied. Arrangements are boing made to exhibit the instrument publicly.

The Dover magistrates having, at the adjourned brewster sessions, held at Broadstairs, suppressed the licence of a public-house in the borough of Dover, it has been determiped to enter an appeal, which will be rnado a test case. The bouse in question belongs to a firm of brewers at leanter- ;ou I V.

"Qgmru yn:" NOTES AND QUERIES" relating to the pas history of Wales and the Border Counties. [Contributions intended for publication in this column should be addressed" Editor, Notes and Queries, WEEKLY MAII, Cardiff" Real namesand addresses must be given in confidence, and MSS. must be written leqibly on one side of the paper only.J WEEKLY MAIL," SEPTEMBER 20, 1890.

NOTES. PWKA 'R TRWYN. THE MONMOUTHSHIRE HOBGOBLIN. The following account of the celebrated Mon- mouthshire hobgoblin, Pwka 'r Twyn, is from the pen of the late Rev. D. R. Stephen:- Pwka (or Puck) is of the fairy tribe, and traces of him are to be found in many lands. Old tradi- tion records many of bia wonderful acts, while Sbakspeare has immortalised him in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream." [The Brecon people claim that Shakspeare derived his fairy mythology from the legend attached to the Cwm Pwen,' which is at the end of the Priory Walks in that town, but there is nothing to show that the poet was ever in that neighbourhood.j The Trwyn is a farm and farm- stead on the left hand side of the Valley of the Gwyddon as you ascend it from Abergwyddon (Abercarne), and very near the top of it. The bonse is in a hollow, and is scarcely seen at all until you are right down upon it; and must, some centuries ago, have been a capital place for all purposes of concealment; even now there are but few places equal to it in that respect in the parish of Mvnyddysllwyn. This place, although the scene of all our Pwka'a recorded feats, was not the place where he first made himself known; that was Pantygasseg, near Pontypool. Of his doings there we know little or nothing. But his departure thence is described in two ways. A servant girl came from the Trwyn to Pantygnsseg with a jug for barm, and the Pwka, with whose voice they were familiar, said, when she was served with it, 'The Pwka is going away now in this jug of barm, and he'll never come back,' and they never heard him again. Otherwise it is said that on a servant letting fall a ball of yarn over the ledge of the hill, whose base is washed by the two fish- ponds between Hafod-yr-ynys and rontypool, the Pwka said, 'I'm going in this ball, and I'll go to the Trwyn, and never come back'; and the ball was seen, not only rolling down the hill aide and crossing the valley, but actually ascending the hill on the other side, and trundling along briskly across Mynydd-Maen (the mountain whose summit is crowned by the mysterious tumulus of stones known as Twyn-Barihrm), on his way to his new abode. At the Trwyn he had a friend in Job, a confidential servant of the family. For him he would do anything. tIe had a heavy day's hedging; during the dinner hour his work went on, even as though he had been there. On other occasions Job found some hours' work had been done before his arrival, how early soever lie went to it,. Stakes or brushwood would be wanted; Job was told not to trouble himself, but got on with his hedging, and the stakes and withies and thorns would be there without any visible agency. If a good servant was going to the coppice for wood, the Pwka would say, I'll come with you,' and a double quantity of wood was brought home. On another occasion a servant had had a hard day's work, and his master, some- what inconsiderately, told him to go to the barn- yard, some little distance off, to feed the cattle, at an unusually early hour next morning. The Pwka, from the room above, said, • Stay you in bed to rest yourself in the morning, and the Pwka will see to the cattle.' The man, however, either not believing the Pwka's word or afraid of his master, went at the commanded time and fed the beasts, which the Pwka found done on his arrival at a later hour, and resented the man's want of confi- dence in him by upsetting the whole hayrick over the cattle and nearly killing the whole stock. Many similar stories are told of the Pwka 'r Trwyn, and were currently believed hero considerably less than a century ago, not merely by uneducated people, but by the pastor of one of the Dissenting chapel-. This was Mr. Edmund Jones, of the Tranch, Pontypool, Mr. Edmund Jones, of the Tranch, Pontypool, was for many years minister of Ebenezer Chapel at Pontnewynydd. He was a man of considerable local eminence in his day. lHe was known as the Prophet of the Tranch, because he, in obedience to a commandment in a dream, founded Ebenezer Chapel when there were no houses at PontnewVnydd-he prophesying that those who derided the act would live to see a numerous population at Pontnewynydd. J His Book of Apparitions (A Relation of Apj aritions of Spirits in the Countg of Monmouth and the Principality of Wales, by the Ray. Edmund Jones, of the Tranch; published at Newport in 1813), written in passably good En«li9b, and found now but seldom in a few old families, and probably never to be printed again, is a striking proof of the credulity of a good and earnest man; his very earnestness increasing his credulity, the very simplicity of his purpose only augmenting the easiness with which be receives and recorda tales which young children would nowadays see through, and easily account for. The following, relating to the Pwka, is an amusing specimen of his work "Here is an account of a spirit: which came to tie house of Job John Harry, living at the Trwyn, in this pariah, and stayed there from some time before Cnristmas until Easter Wednesday. At first it came knocking at the door, chiefly by night, which it continued to do for a length of time, by which they were often deceived by opening it. At last it spoke to one who opened the door, upon which they were much terrified, which being known, brought many of the neighbours to watch with the family. T. E. (Thomas Evans) foolishly brought a gun with him to shoot the spirit, as he said, and sat in the comer. As Job was coming home that night the spirit met him, and told h:n. that there was a man come to the house to shoot him,' but,' said he, thou Libalt see how I will beat him.' As soon as Job was come to the house stones were thrown at the man that brought the gun, from which he received severe blows. The company tried to defend him from the blows of the stones, which did strike him and no other person but it was in vain, so that he was obliged to go home that night, though it was very late; he had a great way to go. When the spirit spoke, which was not very often, it was mostly out of tb8 oven by the hearth's side. He would sometinice in the night make music with Harry Job's fiddle. One time it struck the cupboard with stones, the marks of which were to be seen, if they are not there still. Another time it gave Job a gentle stroke upon his toe when lie WAS going to bed, upon which Job said, Thou art curious in smiting,' to which the spirit answered, I can strite thee where I please.' They were at length grown fearless and held to speak to it, and its speeches and actings were a recreation to them, seeing it was a familiar kind of spirit which did not hurt them, and informed them of some things which they did not know. One old man, more bold than wise, on healing the spirit just by him, threatened to stick it with his knife, to which be received this answer, Thou fool, how cvn thou stick what thou cannot see with thine ayes P' Tbe spirit told them that be came from Pwll-y-Gasse^, i.e., Mare's Pit, a place so-cal'ed in the adjacent mountain, and that he knew them all before he came there. 0118 notable passage was tliie:-B. [Blanche], the wife of M.R. [Morris Roberts], of L desired one of the family to ask the spirit who it was that killed W.R. [William liehlyj. the Scotchman. As soon as came home be did so, and the spirit's answer was, • Who bid thee ask that question ?' to which he replied, HUebe. y-Byd i.e., worldly Blanche; by which namo lIbe was often called afterwards, who was a creditable, substantial woman, of no evil qualities, but that she was very industrious to gam the world* though still in an honest way; she would also do some charities. Seme of her posterity are virtuow, creditable, substantial people. On Easter Wed- nesday he [the Pwkal left the house and took l is farewell in these words:—'1 Dos yn iacb, Job,' i.e., Farewell, Job.' To which Jab said—1 Where goast thou ?• He was snswered, 4 Where God please# Doubtless this was one of those sort of apirtte which the Scriptures in several plaoss calls 4 Familiar Spirits.' It appears to me like a diabolished humaa spirit who bad lived in sin and died in a state of enmity to God. I had once an opportunity to speak with David Job, whom I several thsee saw at the aeeting at Peomaaa, who seemed to be a sober man. I asked him about the agencv of this spiftfr which was at hie father's house. He owned the sabjtance cj-^what was reported; he said that the caast of the spirit's cotimine there wae hi ferother Harry's making use of ser" tnagic spells, yet without a design of fcsing ng the spirit there, but for some other idle Horry Job was a scholar, and bro-h.- t i¡ie son to be a considerable scholar. He for some tim< kept school, and rose to be a clergyman in tb Church of England. I did not hear much com. mendation of him. He was a remarkably beautiful young man, had a most lovely complexion, and his countenance very attracting to the sight; it is not easy to see the like of him." A servant girl, who ate the bread and drank the milk which was usually deposited for the Pwka, felt herself seized by two substantial hands, which castigated her in the manner adopted by mother( when they lay their unruly youngsters across their knees. Once the servanis at the Trwyn werf comparing the sizes of their hands, when a voici over their heads said, N vD6 of you has so small and fair a hand as the Pwka." Let us see it ?" said one of the servants. Thereupon a delicate white hand, with a ring on one of the fingers, war thrust through a hole in the ceiling. Mr. Wirt Sykes, late American Consul at Cardiff, got bold of a copy of the Rev. Edmund Jones's largely drew upon it for his work on British Goblins." The Pwka bad a name, "Yt Arglwydd HyweJ," or II Lord Howel." Mr. Sykes suggests that some notable person named Howel was outlawed and hidden by the tenants at The Trwyn. As the Pwka performance took place about the time of the reign of Queen Anne, this Howel may have been a Jacobite who had made himself particularly obnoxious. W. H. GRBBNB. Newport.

SUPPOSED LOSS OF A LIVER- POOL SHIP. The worst fears are now entertained concemiag the fate of the fine Liverpool ship Lord Raglan. She was a magnificent vessel of 2,0?8 tons register, and only four yeazil old. She left San Francisco as far Hack as the 24th of February last for QucenstowD, where she was calling for orders, and since her departure nothing has been heard of her. The Lord Raglan has been just over 200 days on the passage, and other vessels which left San Francisco loug after her have arrived at their destination. The vessel had a large and valuable cargo of grain, and had a nume- rous crew. The captain had on board his wife and bwo children. The lady was the daughter of the owner of the ship.

FREE SALE AND EX- CHANGE COLUMN. -6 SALE OR EXCHANGE. — 4 ■ BOOKS.—For Sale, Vols. I., II., III., and IV. ol The Teacher's Aid," clean and unbound.—Apph "H." 97, Fforebaman-road, Aberdare. FOREIGN STAMPS.-100 Foreign Stamps; al different; post free, 9d.—" D." 42, Stacey-road Cardiff. FOREIGN STAMPS.—Approval Sheets, verj cheap, sent post free on application.—" D." 4$ Stacey-road, Cardiff. PARROT.—For Sale, handsome Green Parrot and Cago; warranted to speak several wcrds; price. 25s.; a bargain.—W. Jeukins, 2, MoBtpehor-terrace< Neath, MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.—For Sale, Piccolo D, MX keys, bushed holes, slide Itead, hp plate; in splendid condition, in case; price, 21s.; a bargaint —W. J. Clarke, Long-row, Pentrebach, Merthyr Tydfil. J MUSIC.—Forty old notation copies of Blod wen' (Di. J""t'ph Parry's Welsh opera) and nine sol-fa copil-s for sale at half-price good condition Reduction for the lot,-H, ROOKSBT, Stamfotfl House, Penarth-road, Cardiff. FOWLS.—Thirty prize and prize-bred bantam for sale, consisting of black-red game, black rosej combs, and Japanese. Also my first prize ani spedial cup bird. Will take 63s. for him. Gockere4 and pullets from 7s. 6 i., 10s. 6,1., 21s. each, t< clear.-Apply to H. SHELDON, Myrtle Villa Oswestry, Salop. EMIGRANT'S PASS.—For Sale, an American Pass. Fare paid from Liverpool to Pitteburg No reasonable offer refused.—Apply Starr, High- street, Dowlais. MUSIC.—Two shilling Violin Tutors, 135 Vioiis Solop, and a Chin rest. What offers ?-J, H. JONS4 Poet office, Cross Keys, Newport. RUNNING SHOES.- For sale, cheap, a pau of running shoes; good condition size q, Wbat offersp 8. SIMPSON, 47, Great Frederick-street, Cardiff. BOOKS.—For sale. Volumes 1 and 2, Public Characters 1801 to 1803 (inclusive); K imes1 Sketches of the History of Man 3 vols. (com- plete); "Dodridges Account of Wiiles" (1714); Aikin's Tour through Wales (1797); History of the Gwyddir Family," with "Letters from Snowdon" (attached) bv Sir John Wynne (1770yi "Cambrian Biography" by W. Owen, F.A.S, (1803); Practica Walliae" by Rice Vaughan (1672); Fragmenta Antfquilies, Antient Tenur^/ of Land and Jocular Customs of some Mannors," &c. (1697); "Cambrian Register," vols. 1 and i (1795—1796); "The Worthines of Wales." Poem by Thomas Churchard (1776); 11 The Siluffie. ton Amatory Poems" (1815); Essays on thf Institutions and Manners of the States of Antien) Greece by Henrv David Hill, D.D." (1819): ana OMPIIOY IAIll. Homeri Ilias" (1679). Offers. —EDWIN EDWARDS, Cadoxton, Neath. FOREIGN STAMPS.—Approval sheets, lists ol sets, &c. on I)pplication.-WEST, 53, Oakfield-etreet, Cardiff. FOREIGN STAMPS.—Any quantity or quality. Send on approvaL-WEST, 53, Oakfield-strceV Cardiff. DOGS.—For sale; excellent well-bred pojntel bitch, two years old; broken to gun last year; 12 10S.-JONN POWELL. Penpwllycalch, Llanvihangel- yetern-Llewern, near Monmoutb. •RLAYS.—Sixteen of Lacy's and Frcneh's play: and farces; all diffareat; suit amateurs; 2s 9c lot, free.—" VEHAX," Dorset House, Panteg, Ponty. pooL BICYCLE.—Splendid Rival safety bicycle, outU new from makers this season not ridden 80 iniiM« receipt can be seen for £ 19 10s 6d; porCeet order throughout; owner giving up riding through til health; complete with alarm hell, lamp, valise, tools and knickera (all new); ten guineas or exchange for piano.—6, Locke-street, Queen's Hill, Newport, Mon. SEWING MACHINE.—For sale, a Singer's fciesidie sewing machine, in splendid working order. Cost L8; will take t3 10s.—For further information apply to WILLIAM H. EVANS, Compton Bouse, Fishguard. DOG.—Handsome three-year-old black retrievei dog; good house guard and capital in water. Will sell cheap or exchange for young ^veil-bred fox 01 Bedlington terrier.-Apply J. PAYNE, Bee Bin Merthyr Vale R.S.O. WANTED. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.—Wanted, Doubt Bass Instrument, must be cheap, for Practice. J a little out of repair not objected to.-Appr T. J. A., 1, Tower-street, Crickhowell. BOUKS.-IL Sunday under Three Heads," b Timothy Sparks, paper covors, 1836; H Hfemoirs ( Joseph Grimaldi 2 volumes, 1838. Sui prices, &c.—" W. E. T. Dorset House, Poitypot Road.

A Novel Offence by A Telegraui Clerk. Herbert Wadeworth, assistant postmaster at Milnsbridge, was fined by the Huddersfield magis- trates on Tuesday 12 and costs in each of two cases for altering telegrams with intent to defraud His pl.m was when long telegrams wore received to condense them and pocket the difference. Ha pleaded guilty. The Post-office authorities, con- sidering that it was the first offence of the Mad known in the telegraph service, did not press for severe punishment. Prisoner had borne a good character during seven years' service.

Miss Terry's New Dresses. Miss Ellen Terry's gowns in the production Qf Ravenswood" at the Lyceum are to be CriumylU or art in so tar as the details of the period 8ft concerned. She is to wear four different oostmno in the play. One is a somewhat-quaintly-fashionc^ riding-habit of a pinkish shade of red, and wiuj this sue will don a three-cornered bat. Anotoft is a corsage and draperies of pink brocaa( lined with gray over a petticoat of pale green alft white. A third is a siitple little dress of pale bttT material, made as plain as a stage gown ever ill and in ail the greater contrast to the JaM govs which is of white brocade and satin. Miss Tatk has been rehearsing in these Queen Ann* creations for some weeks every erening, and she | still continually finding the necessity for soot alteration in them, ———.

Mr. Sarrtley's Return. Santley, who has been taking our Australia* coa&< captive with his voice, is expected back in England in a coople of months—rathur earbfcfj titan was anticipated. The reports whifh hwflf been reoeived of bD tour (says the London cone«l spondent of the Liverpool Post) indicate that hj has not only woh geMen opinions, but that he wul bring back with him much of tbe golden metat el tbe tipodN.

1 ax Little English Liver Pill, Keruick's VegetaWi pnit. Ka»* to»" W* *ery imttj. u. udTw 3«. M.per .xa. I