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No one ever impairs his eyesight by looking •>t the bright side of things. The latest convert to Welsh Industries is Mr. C. D. Phillips. whose white hat appears <m May 1 and disappears on October 1. He has now declared that henceforth he will only wear suits of Welsh tweed. Welsh weavers, please note. Mr. George Kerr, solicitor, who has been appointed chief magistrate of Middelburg, in South Africa, is a native of Newport. He went oat to South Africa a few years ago, and at the outbreak of hostilities enlisted in the Imperial Light Infantry, and became pay- master, with the rank of captain. In a note on the treasure-trove of sovereigns in an old mattress which came the way of some Cardiff schoolboys, the "Globe" says: — "The piquancy of this find is all the greater because a hawker had thought of using the straw staffing of the mattress as stable-litter, and didn't. The police, it is said. are hoping to unrave7 the mystery. The hawker, on the other hand. ia regretting that he did not Unravel the mattreslI." Mr. Wynford Philipps, the Liberal member for Pembrokeshire, has undertaken to repair at his own expense Roch Castle, which has long been in a ruinous condition. Roch Cattle, as the name implies, is situated on a. precipitous crag. and was erected to defend the desolate country between Haverfordwest and St. David's, which is inhabited by descen- dants of the Flemings, who still retain many of their national characteristics. It was once the home of the Walter family, one of whom —Lucy Walter—was a favourite of Charles II. Interest has been excited by the publication of "Romance of a Harem" by Messrs. Greening and Co. It is a true story of Turkish life. translated from the French. The original was published in Paris by Le Revue Blanche," and had this year a great success 1 in France and Turkey. It was on reading it that the Sultan lately issued his irade for- bidding the employment of European gover- nesses. The translation is by Mr. C. Forestier- Walker, who may be remembered as the author of a clever novel called "The Derelict and Tommy," which appeared last year. He is the brother of Sir George Forestier-Walker, Bart., and nephew of Lord Tredegar. Preachers have jokes of their own, which stand quite apart from the humour of the learned or of the masses. Here is a typical story. The Rev. J. Williamson and the Rev. John Morris, both of Cardiff, are excellent friends, and the latter finds friendly pleasure in jocular references to the other's partial baldness and the whiteness of the hair that remains, though Mr. Morris is the elder of the two. At an ordination service at Porthcawl this week Mr. Morris referred to Mr. William- son as "our grsat-grandfather," and when the laughter subsided he added: "People some- times ask why my whiskers are so long and grey, while my hair retains its natural colour. Perhaps it is because I talk a lot and think but little." A Newport gentleman pleads hard to get' another reference in this column to the meteor story, as it will help, he said, to clear the character of a respected family man up his way. "I wish, therefore, to say." he writes, "that the members of the Newport Cycling Club saw the meteor just after they left St. Mellons, where they stopped for refreshments. Unfortunately, a few who saw only the tail end of the meteor swore that it was a fire- works rocket, and that the call at the White Hart accounted for the supposition that it was a shooting star. The family man to whom I allude was much relieved when he read m your authentic column that it was really a meteor and not something else." As this paragraph really amounts to a "public notice," we have sent the gentleman con- cerned a bill for its insertion. In his book on "First Sermons" the Rev. J. ] J. Pool. B.D., gives the following account of the first sermon delivered by Christmas Evans. It was given when the great preacher was quite a youth, in a little cottage. The discourse, alas, was not his own. but was borrowed from the "Thesaurus Theologicus" of Beveridge! A farmer who heard the sermon was much impressed by it; but, lo and behold, when he got home he found it word for word in the aforesaid publication, and young Evans's repu- tatiop as a preacher seemed gone. "Still," flaid the kind-hearted farmer, "I have some hope for the poor lad. as the prayer was as; good as the sermon What would th<* speaker have thought if he had known, what the youtii afterwards confessed, that the prayer, too. wan taken verbatim from a collection of prayens by a well-known clergyman, Griffith Jones, cf Llanddowror. We ventured to say a couple of days ago that something more would be heard of t>ie fact that the Rev. Gomer Lewi* rode on a brewer's dray to the Poor-law Conference lat the Mumbles. It has now come in the shaipe Of poetry: A noted divine. Who doesn't drink wine, And is watery, grave, and quite proper, One day missed his train. And perspired in vain In frantio endeavours to stop her. When a dray he espied. And he asked for a ride, Which the driver so readily granted; But he looked with dismay When he found that the dray Was a brewer's—'twas not what he wani ed. But he went Though he scarcely could bless The brewer who owned the conveyanco; When self you consult, No matter your cult, Tour whims can be held in abeyance. There is a story connected with the present county gaol at Monmouth which is. little known. Before Calcraft was appointed "Jack Ketch" (they used to call the ha ngman "Gregory" in olden times) the post wa.s filled by a man who was a travelling tinker or some- thing of the sort. He was on excellent terms with the vagabond fraternity, his horrible pro- fession being no impediment to ..dmiuance to their drinking bouts. Once. however, a com- panion did taunt him respecting hi;3 trade. d exclaimed. 'If ever thou hangest me mind and give me plenty of rope!" "I will," said the hangman. Some time elapsed. and two or three men lay under sentence of ueath in Mon- mouth Gaol for murdering an old man had detected them in the act of stealing hi Is game- cock on the Skyrrid. The hangman was taken to the condemned cell. The door wan thrown open. and be started back with raised hands and staring eyes. There stood the boon com- panion who had mocked him. Burslting into tears the hangman cried. "Good henyens! and has it come to this? Well I—I—I—I'll keep my promise": and he did. and gave him a long rope. a good fall. and a short passage from this world. Emigrants had a poor time of it a hundred years ago. as witness this from a Biirmingahm paper of September 24, 1801:—The following is an extract of a letter from Philadelphia, dated the 3rd of August .—"I am astonished to see such crowds of poor Irish and Welsh people come to this country. I hawe this day taken from the coffee-house book an account of the numbers of those who died the voy- age on board the three ships which have lately wdved. which are as follows:—On board the •Vtp Stafford, from Londonderry, fifteen died OW, of 600. On board the Atlantio, from Lon- donderry, 70 died out of 450. OlD. board the « Adventure, from Liverpool, loaded with people. 53 died out of 102. ISesides which. many were landed sick, and have died since; and those who are still alive are in a most miserable condition, many of them being obliged to live in tents in the fieJcls, for whose maintenance we must pay. Thun, to gratify the avarice of a band. or rather a banditti, of land jobbers, we are burthened with thousands of poor wretches, who might have lived com- fortably at home, without hazarding their own lives or draining our purees. The whole number of people on board the three vessels above mentioned amounted to 1,152, out of which 273, very nearly a fourth of the whole, actually died on the voyage, and of the 102 composing one of the cargoes b3 died, that is upwards of one-half!" Another Welsh newspaper bas gone to its account—the "Brython Cymneig"—the last number of which was published yesterday at least for a while," as the editor, Mr. Tobit Evans, puts it in his vale- dictory address. The reason is not want of funds, but the failing health of the editor. Tobit's" career has been an eventful one. He commenced life as a school- master, then for some time resided in London. where he made the acquaintance of the late Mr. Parnell. That astute Irish leader was beginning just then to make a name for him- self. He soon discovered in Mr. Evans some <inalities which would soon prove serviceable to his party, and induced him to accept an invitation to contest an Irish seat. A severe illness, however, prevented ICr. Evans to carry oat the arrac gement. When the Home Rule war broke out in 1885 "Tobit" spent some weeks in Ireland studying the question on the spot, and. like many others, returned a con- vinced Unionist The late Ilr. David Davies, j of Llaaidinam, spotted him out, and secured Ms services in promoting his candidature during his memorable contest for Cardigan- shire in 1886. So successful was "Tobit" in that campaign that Mr. Davies recommended him to Colonel Hozier, the head of the Liberal Unionist Association in London, who appointed him organising agent for the party in Wales. "Tobit" is not only a good platform speaker, but also an English-Welsh writer who has few equals in the Principality. He once con- ducted a Welsh Unionist monthly, which ed the party well until he started the Urython." the discontinuance of which every (ood Welshman regTets. Germany now stands tliird as a coal-pro- ducing Power, mining 101 million tofts yearly. The Bishop of St. Asaf >h once spoke of his "younger and rasher" days." The composi- tors, of course, made ftjverish haste to turn "rasher" into "masher" Dairy farmers in Oan-marthen are to pay manufacturing ratesfor the corporation water. It is suggested that the milkmen should call a meeting; to protest against the insinuation. A correspondent to know how to find out which mushrooms are poisonous. The surest way is to watoh the effect on those who eat them. Judge Rumsey, Chairles the First's judge of the South Wales dist rict, was born at Llan- over. In old legal works he is called "the picklock of the law." A party of touristf; in Carnarvonshire were struck by a conjunct ion of notices which they saw on the national school of Waunfawr. One was "Feed my Lambs"; the other "Stick no Bills." Second thoughts frequently occur to the Cardiff School Bosjd. Six years ago it was decided to five £ Tj to any assistant teacher under the board who passed an examination at the University of Wales or the London University. Dr. XVallace is now moving to rescind that resolution. Among those w?ho will read papers at the St. Asaph Diocesan Conference at Colwyn Bay next week (Octobe r 8 and 9) is Mr. Stanley Wey- man, the noveli/it. His home is just outside Ruthin. The Ar chbishop of Canterbury will preach at the conference. The gallant orew of the Greek vessel with the fell ne-soun* (ing name, Miaoulis, who were at Cardiff lately, have just been entertained at a London nestaurant by a Greek, and there were many Gpeek guests. Not many places— exoept, perhaps, Cardiff—could beat this for its out-and-out, cosmopolitan tinge. It is nice to • get into a condition of thank-1 fulness for small mercies. The clerk told the Newport Gua-rdiana on Saturday that the audit had be en completed and the certificate received. "Any surcharges?" queried mem- bers all over the room. The clerk said "No," and there was quite a little gale of hear, hears. A curious fact came out in a discussion on the effect cf the new Education Act in the county of Denbigh. "It will close the night school at Ebos," said one speaker, "for there the ages of! the 250 scholars range from sixteen to 45. I kn ow of an instance where a lad and his father and his grandfather all won prizes on the same occasion." In China we are fighting for the open door. At the Tuberculosis Conference on Thursday we shall commence the Welsh campaign in favour of the open window. Fresh air is the enemy of consumption; close and stuffy rooms are its friends and benefactors. Let us hope that aftjfr Thursday there will be so many open windows in Wales that the air will barely go rotund." At the meeting of the committee of the Llanelly Free Library figures were read show- ing thart in the past month over 1,660 works of fictio n and about 30 on religion and morals had beon isaued. But." said the chairman, "there is a lot of religion in works of fiction nowaclays." "Is there no fiction in religious works?" asked a ribald committeeman. The chairman hastily read out the next item on the agenda. It is no easy matter to keep the small por- tion of the roadway at Newport opposite the collapsing building still allowed for public use free loiterers, but some of the police have a civil way which is exemplary. Going out to a small knot of spectators at the edge of the barricade, a policeman asked. "Do you play draughts?" One of the youths answered in the affirmative. "Then it's your turn to move." And a move was made with smiling face It is announced in the Aberpergwm parish magazine that the vicar will offer to the par ish church a suitable pulpit desk, of whfch it fitands in need. and that he wishes it to be rejrarded as a "humble tribute to the memory of that great and good man, the late Dean Vaughan, whose kindness and encouragement to himself personally the vicar will always gratefully remember, while sharing to the full th e gratitude of thousands for the inspiration of his writings." "With reference to the Roman camp at G ellygaer," writes a correspondent, "reference vras made last week in the Western Mail' to the intention of the Naturalist Society to i ;over up the camp. If a tesselated pavement 'had been opened to the air there would be some excuse for reclosing. as this soon perishes, but there is nothing at the camp that will be injured, and one might as well cover up Caerphilly Castle as veil the camp. Why not let it remain open as an object lesson, and in the summer time a small fee might be charged to visitors, which would make it well worth while for a. caretaker to I take it in chargo.' Mr. Tobit Evans has not only dropped the publication of "Y Brython," but has relin- quished his position as editor of "The Jour. nal" (Carmarthen). In many respects Mr. I Evans's views on the language question border on the extreme, and this seems to be justified by a perusal of a Welsh poster which he has just issued, advertising an auction sale of some of his effects in October. After detail- ing the stock, Ac., in Welsh he repeats the announcement in English—" Er mwyn y Saeson a Phaganiaid unieithog ac anwybodus ereill sydd yn ein gwlad." which, freely trans- lated, means: "For the sake of Englishmen and other monoglot and illiterate Pagans who are in our country." The compositor on a. down-line weekly puts the Lloyd-George squabble at Llanelly as fol- lows :— "The members of Calfaria. Chapel, Llanelly, have decided to grant Mr. Lloyd-George the use of their chapel for the purpose of holding a publio meeting. will be. it ifl considered, of immense value tr the members who are affiliated with the branch." The neatness of this is such that comment would be wholly superfluous. The oldest hop-picker in Great Britain is now I engaged in that occupation at Wrecclesham, Farnham. Isaac Dare's proud boast is that he has never missed a hopping season for eighty- one years, and despite of the fact that he is an octogenarian, says he hopes he may be spared to keep it up a bit longer. Dare was token by his parents from Pirbright to the Farnham hopping grounds in the first year of his existence, and has visited them annually ever since. He is a happy, contented old man, enjoys the work, and does it well. Congregations occasionally treat their pastors with great consideration. Last week the Rev. J. Irvon Davies. minister of the Eng- lish Congregational Church at Llandudno, and a native of Tredegar, buried his wife. and she was buried at Rhymney Cemetery. On the following day Mr. Davies received a letter from the secretary of his church at Llan- dudpo conveying a vote of sympathy from the church. The letter also informed him that the church desired him to take a rest and a sea voyage for the benefit of his health. Enclosed was a cheque for £100 from a few friends to defray the expenses. Ever since Harold Browne (Bishop of Ely. and subsequently of Winchester) published his "Thirty-nine Articles," which he wrote when vice-principal of St. David's College, the renown of Lampeter in the theological world has been high. Its reputation is well main- tained by the present staff. Methuen's "Book Gazette" for this autumn announces two very important theological works, both by Lam- peter professors Dr. G. W. Wade publishes "An Old Testament History," which has been drawn up from the Scripture records in accor- dance with the methods of historical criticism; a.nd Professor Tyrrell Green contributes to "The Churchman's Library" a book entitled The Church of Christ," a manual of dogmatic theology written for theological students. When readers send in to us for legal advice will they be good enough to select noms de plume which are not worn by people who may be well-known. Imagine the consternation of our gentle-souled poet "Idris" when he read in our legal answers on Saturday:—"Pay- ment of Rates.—'Idris.'—It is the duty of every debtor to take or send the amount of his debt to his creditor." Mr. Idris says he is now daily expecting this to be followed up with such information as the following:- 'Cochfarf.'— Restore the property at once, else it may go hard with you." Wales D. by D.'—Yes, you can be prosecuted for assault, and it seems to us that you deserve to be." 'J. M. S.'—If you wish to avoid legal pro- ceedings you should apologise immediately." 'Forward.'—If the warrant is out you may as well give yourself up." "The moral," remarks the poet very sorely. "is that correspondents seeking legal advice should exercise discretion in their selection of noms de plume." Just twenty-one years ago Mr. D. Myrddin Davies found a new thing in ferns, and sent it to the late Professor Thomas Moore, F.G.S., F.H.S.. curator of the Royal Botanical Society. In the "Gardener's Chronicle" for September, 1880, Professor Moore wrote:—"Mr. D. M. Davies, of Brynmawr, South Wales, sends us a scolopendrium found by him in that neigh- bourhood, and which, being distinct from others already known, may be called S. V. Daviesii. It is a finely-developed form of the crispum type, which a sagittate base and toothed margins—that is, the margins are extended into distinct pointed teeth-like coarse serratures; in some of the fronds the apex is multifldly lobed, Ac." The scolopendrium Vulgare Daviesii was found in the parish of Llanelly. in Breconshire. Mr. Davies has now found another variety of the scolopendrium, which he has again submitted to the Royal Botanical Society. It cannot (says the "Gar- dener's Chronicle") be compared with any of the species within the "Eoyal Botanical Gardens. Its fronds are toothed margins, with lines from the base to the points and multi- fidly, Ac. Thi« variety has been named the Scolopendrium Vulgare Marginatum Breconia, in honour of the county iJ1 which it was found. I Two million miners dig the world's coal; 690,000 are British and 401,000 are American. A Birmingham newspaper speaks of a dis- tinguished Welshman as Pudge Gwilym Wil- liams. We should like to hear that said in his honour's court. If Sir Thomas Lipton lifts the cup the Car- diff Docksmen are going to organise a demon- stration that will put "Mafeking Day" into the shade. We are afraid that Lipton's teas will not be used in the celebration. The Mayor of Cardiff has a ready wit. At the conference of drapers which his worship held last week in support of Welsh industries one successful Welshman mentioned that there was a time when he worked at a loom for Is. 3d. per week. "If anyone here," he added, "worked for less than that he deserves the prize." "Well," said the Mayor, "here are Lady Wyndham-Quin and Miss Mabel Hill working for us for nothing." There were no bars presented with the Volunteers' medals last week. The medal roll of the company has to be compared with the medal roll of the Welsh Regiment before these can be given, and inasmuch as the regiment is still in South Africa, the comparison cannot be made with despatch. When it is made, however, the Volunteers will receive four bars, namely, Diamond Hill, Belfast, Cape Colony, and Orange River Colony. The 3rd Welsh Active Service men took advantage of their reunion last week to hold a dinner. The menu, card—rations, it was called-was essentially South African and military, and included, amongst other things, "gyppo" (soup in soldiers' language), com- pressed vegetables (which brought up recollec- tions of something like boiled boot-laces), and "Michael a la Theorogers"—the favourite name given to unsavoury meat by the humorous man of the company. A sick parade "with blanket on the man" was ordered for eleven p.m. A delegate to the Presbyterian Conference at Merthyr brought a dog with him, and the animal showed its lively interest in the pro- ceedings at Hope Chapel by barking nearly every time the president rose to speak. Yes- terday a number of delegates waxed hot on the subject of truth and godliness, and the dog also had his say in the matter. "Will the owner of the dog kindly take it outside? asked the President. But every delegate remained silent; nobody would own the four- legged visitor. Some time afterwards the Rev. Rees Davies, of Talgarth, spoke about the danger of Christians remaining silent! Money placed in the Post Office Savings Bank is safe; indeed, if the owner happens to lose his book even he cannot get it out without a month's correspondence carried on on alter- nate days A young man we know lost his book, and nearly three weeks ago wrote ask- ing for a new one. He has not yet got it. Among the questions put to him were:—Where did you lose the book? Have you made any efforts to find it? What is your balance at the bank? What was the number? Why is your signature different now than it was when you opened the account? (three years ago), &c. It looks as if the postal authorities are going to make him earn his money again in answering letters. He is beginning to con- gratulate himself that he has not been arrested for attempting to defraud the Govern- ment. The Hon. C. S. Rolls, whose adventurous balloon ascent for the purpose of making photographic experiments at great altitudes has aroused such keen interest, is the third son of Lord Llangattock. lie is an enthu- siastic photographer, and has made use of the accomplishment to record his extensive travels in various parts of the world. While still a boy at Eton he set up an electric light instal- lation in his father's house in ivionmouthshire. and he afterwards went to sea for a time and qualified as a third engineer. When at Cam- bridge he was one of the 'Varsity cycling team, and he is now one of the fastest amateur motorists in England. He made some startling times in the tnousand miles motor trials last year, doing a measured mile at Welbeck Abbey in lmin. 35 3-5sec. His speed on the down grade was over 42 miles an hour. A handsome villa in Llansamlet recently built by Alderman John Jordan has moved the poetic soul of Mr. A. H. Thomas, J.P., Crymlyn, the South Wales Circuit Welsh interpreter, who has composed the following verses in its honour:- Dylwn ganu caniad lion I Barcyderi; Llawn cynhesrwydd yw fy mron At Barcyderi: Yn y pare mae i mi ddau 0 gyfeillion sy'n parhau. Cyfeillgarwch sy'n cryfblau Yn Mharcyderi. Boed l chwi, ddedwyddaf ddau, Yn Mharcyderi, Gael blyryddoedd i fwynhau Eich Parcyderi: Ffrwd o iechyd pura 'i ryw, Owen pob dyn a bendith Duw, Fo'n eich dilyn tra f'och byw Yn Mharcyderi. David Hughes, the Welsh engine-driver who received the Royal Victorian Medal, has his portrait and biography in the new number of the "Railway Magazine." Hughes was born in Flintshire, and entered the Great Western Railway service some forty years ago. A year or two back, when the company commenced running from London to Birmingham without a stop, Hughes was chosen for the responsible post on the locomotive, and he soon earned his reputation as one of the hardest running drivers on the line. It is his ambition to do the 1291 miles in 120 minutes, and he may succeed yet. When her Majesty passed over the Great Western for the last time her remains were entrusted to Hnghes, who drove the funeral train from Paddington to Wind- sor. In June last he received at the hands of the King the medal and insignia. of the Royal Victorian Order. May he leng wear them!

BOARDS OF GUARDIANS.

PARISH WITHOUT A CHURCH NEAR…

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FINANCES OF CARDIFF. ..

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COLLIERS AND THEIR WORK.

MORRISTON CONTRACTORS HEAVILY…

CARDIFF RECORDS.

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MERTHYR ASSESSMENTS.

TEACHERS' MEETINGS IN ,SOUTH…

BRASS BAND CONTEST AT THE…

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FRERMASONRY.

— EDUCATIONAL FliNANCE BARRY.…

SMUGGLING AT BARB*',

IFATALITY TO A CARDIFF pI

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FINANCES OF CARDIFF. ..