The Cardiff Times

LLANTRISSANT. GAS COMPANY.—A public meeting of the shareholders of the above company was held at the Town-hall, Llan- trisant, on Friday evening, when the following gentle- men were chosen as directors :—Messrs. W. Prichard, T. Evans, J. Lewis, M. T. Jones, R. Cooke, R. Evans, and D. Evans. Application has been made for plans, and specifications for the works, and there is every pro- bability that it will be carried out well and speedily.

CAERPHILLY. PETTY SESSIONS.—On Tuesday last these sessions were held at the Castle inn, before J. Davies, D. Davis, and H. Williams, Esqs. The constables for the different parishes were appointed, and several cases of assault were tried which were of no public interest. THE LATE ACCIDENT AT REDBROOK COLLIERY.—The jury at the coroner's inquest, held at Machen, on the body of Alfred Lewton, whose death was reported in this paper a fortnight ago, returned a verdict of manslaughter against the engineer of the company. That gentleman resides at Bristol, and when he heard of the verdict be came over to Newport and surrendered himself, and was admitted to bail. Mr. Brough, the Government In- spector, was present. It appears that the company had no guards at the mouth of the pit. The deceased is said to have had two wives living, both of whom claim some damages of the company. STREET PREACHING.—Some time ago Mrs. Bell and aaother person paid a visit to this place and last week a minister of the Primitive Methodists has been hold- ing forth here in the streets. On Saturday evening a navvy" entered into an argument with the preacher, which caused some interruption. We have no doubt that the object of the street preachers is .to do good, but we don't think that it is a judicious thing to hold meet- ings in the open air, when there are plenty of places of worship in the place. It gives people opportunity to scoff and not to pray. THE LATE MRS. WATKINS, OF NELSON.—The above estimable lady died last week, at the residence of Dr. Leigh, her son-in-law. She was the widow of the late Rev. Wr. Watkins, of Bedwas. She was a most charit- able and benevolent lady. During the many long years she resided in the neighbourhaod she spent the greatest part of her time in visiting the poor, the sick, and the aged, and administering to their comfort. She was buried on Friday at Bedwas, in the same grave as her I husband.

AKEE MONTHS IX QUEENSLAND. kfcllTEX EXPEESSLV FOR THE CARDIFF TD;:¡:3."] lat )Tail from Brisbane we have received the conclusion e sketeh-" Three months in Queensland," the tirst pur- Ij vf whkh, it will be recollected, appeared in this journal oVculLer and December last. Th» sketch is full 0; i: and proves that Facts are stranger than Fiction.) J was all stir and bustle, and with a pe- CbtJ,ra(;tcri"tic of the Scotch people, our skipper insisted it_ d £ fer °f the Bible being read before \\c again took to tyil u were plenty of Bibles amongst us and the wish lij le<i with, so after a frugal breakfast we wore ready, and tle>"as> lav°urable, we pushed oil' through the channel rejj bir. About hall'-an-hour's rowing brought us to the .of the ocean, or as the blacks call it the big fella fej..r a vain, yet desperate effort, where the lives of all the attempt had to be given np; drenched and red We retraced our way to the old anchoring ground, tile fi !l t! res' ot *,ne ^aJ"' alu1 cussing with the next on* if* ^aze of a splendid summer morning, commenced Qj "Uge and heavily laden boat tjrouu'h the narrow separate Bribies Island from the mainland. The a most disheartening one we had only now just nii,-n the boat, whereas when we came down, rather in a week belore, our spell at the oars was two hours at lkrvvVe to make up our minds for a whole day of it 11 "•tin. With the patient, dull monotony of ma- trough the hours of sunshine, and night had set ''fi6 ourselves anchored about the same place rst saw Johni, ford, when we went in quest of water. fyr arjit' en-and we betook ourselves to the shore again, c:esh ourselves with a pannikin of hot tea. Precious I1:¡Pare is the solace of China's wondrous herb, in such as ces. This over, and each of us with as hirgo a vessel Jon c'°uld carry, we got back to the boat. We were ad- dipper to sieep if we could,—for myself, I was fiom liL ,e far beyond sleep, but I made the attempt, as \'¡ that in another four hours we would be called upon kg again; but it would not do, and sitting up I found my 81ea1 rnueh in the same humour. So a song took the ep, and as near its we could judge about two o'clock llJg, under aiiiooi, we stood south to round lity of Bribies. Wieen we once more got the full sweep j ay upon our canvas, we speedily gave up the oar with the rising sun. and for the first time tot the heavens seemed gathering for a storm and we f r sea. pp; -Lreù sailor-man has, when wanted, a rare faculty h h e can take to it at a minute's notice, and can, when he PHw^ce. go round the twelve hours of the clcck. Our fcjjJv in the few hours rest we had just had. were asleep pit Blept soundly till we called them. As I said we slept Ptj^^that the strain was over, nature asserted itself, and PUj .st')]-m that now commenced to blow and roar around cit» a Perfect tornado of rain, I fell fast asleep. When ratjJ!as as near as I could judge about ten o'clock—the ^'om us about eight or ten miles and thoroughly 1tIti: s as the situation, for I was drenched to the skin, lit L.r°^zzlnig rain was still falling, I felt all tke better for rest—passed though they were on a wet bag of I!o¡¡ e \Vords of our great poet came then with striking 0 tne, 0partial Ieep, that giv'st thy sweet repose l)oor sea hoy in an hour so rude, £ >(2 et. with all appliances and aids to boot, ftaatlfcSt U to a 1% W as I write, a Shakespeare near me, and these may WW^ct words, but the sense is there. About an hour ?e and the boat's canvas strained to the very utmost. It i1 th j distance Bribie bar, and even where we were, "tkt itten miles distant, we could distinctly hear the '•i»V ^fe!u'*u' surt as it hissed and gurgled on the bank, "Qy' ^ore on the rain ceased, but the wind blew strongly k^th the more to us, for the angry water tossed us '^veriest bauble on its surface two of us were nearly AiV-.ePt baling, for the sea broke in and over us several JM ""lute. Except the discomfort of being continually *4 convinced at last of the thoroughly sea-worthv Ol), tlle boat, this tossing about had in it a strange Ae a craft so small as ours. We obeyed the rise and a^er as a part of itself. I could not help at the time jIJ!' position to what many years ago, I have seen at Jj'ks Hl1' on a Whit-Monday, when Cockncydom ventured Jjfli those horrid swings, the very sight of which made St*11* down life we passed ever a hundred miles of coa:'t, and as afternoon had now set in upon us, kWi1'' anxious about our destination, as neither of our n the place before. We felt assured as we reached eheads of Point Raper that we had at length come 8trak, but that was at length reached and passed only far away to northward, the heads of Nuesa, r taw S°uthern shore of Laguna bay. Here for the first t Salt °°k 01 foo<* thai day—a little bit of damper well satu- h^&ll vu'^er, washed down with a draught of fresh. It was V,{ that; and passing the pipe round, we ventured at c a8 though we were in our own skin again; and as the Sor!|S'("'eia'M- fallen, we drew closer to the shore. Now t aniongst us even ventured a remark, till, bit by Eoi»y if n°t merry, and, as a matter of course, tal, criticising the performance of our boat with as Hj3 apparent knowledge as e'er r iordiii.g who may a candidate for Epsom and the Derby;" in OKr running on fore-and-aft rig, iateen sails, *1^ ai'd heaven knows what else. *8ht i 'ordly entrance to the Bav of Laguna, composed, alj °m the few glances I had of it in passing, of basalt, ?«!(. forcibly —rising out of the ocean with asprouu „ it, „r| j t>churgh Castle. We had just sufficient time to Sitt passed into the quiet- haven iu Laguna Bay. lit t 1.4" sttr hour of brisk sailing, and steering at the time been ore, we heard the peculiar coo-ey of the aboriginal. LI¡. Heen, and shortly afterwards we could hear the ,rom hill to hill, as with a maddened cry of exul- 110 wonder, for the camp, as we afterwards found, iljj, of hunger. It may, perhaps, be thought that the JVJ strong one let me tell you, however, that flour or RK laOt been seen by them for several days, that all the (11) for them was now and then a cockatoo or a parrot, ■J?1 a camp of nearly twenty men. The sun was throw- iy>g shadows of tree and mountain when we cast an- yards from the shore. The sea was now as calm as 5 btU 11 strange, silent, stealthy-looking wave SiH. e heach, thus a nearer approach to land was impos- e never yet seen anything like this wave. Silently, ards from the beach it first rose, a great volume of every moment as it neared the shore; the eye V,its straight unbroken line for at least two miles. 'oJ| o the height of 8 or 10 feet, it fell all the length of tH in a mass of foam, and with a fury that nothing 8o»(4'elilave resisted- opposite to where we lay was a large party of 1^% h sexes, but grouped apart; the men smoking, "and ?' th us' breaking stones and throwing them into women in a circle, engaged, as we afterwards J 'trusting two or three young damsels of the tribe eries ol womanhood, one of tho few forms of reli- ponies that they possess. After this ceremony they H i^ame of Jins, and are marriageable. This ceremony long, and the camp broke up; a few we after- [ Hi were located in the place; but tho gi'eater part were and a most picturesque sight it was. The men Jk0ti e stick (they go nowhere without one) and foliow- ^1,-upa narrow defile, some in shirts, and some with- f °f the forest^6^1 women' they were soon lost in the in- of!UC*lor *his beautiful bay we hud hoped that Natin„ ,L'vere 1111 cn<t- found, however, from e Nuesa blacks, that we still had a few more miles to Sid havr r?Ver- here the camps of w hites were placed. Was a en °f little use in itself, but the entrance to if^'ater .^ar<^et? hy a bar which was only covered by 15 I! ebbtide. Even from where we lay, we couldhear !tit, otonous sound of the breakers as they broke over Of it:3 _'Iforrniition altered the plans of some amongst us, the night in the boat. Reid, a young farmer *4 ei"shire, swore by all that was ghos:tly, that he ^^h of bars, and for that reason he jumped out o«a 4t once. He went souse over the head. Certain it '° hiR ?ev'er have reached the shore had the natives not n»!>,Htarit assistance. He was safely dragged to land, X irfdst the laughter of all on board, completely de- hf Of ever, by his freak, a silver watch which he wore. Party, Ross, a talented young English engineer, ^.he youngest amongst us, had the good fortune vS v.i n°tice of Que(;n Rosa, the favourite Queen of the 1^*0}, 3 hy the bribe of a stick of tobacco he got the njJJuldei'H, and thus seated and swimming erect in the (to ihigh and dry on the shore. It is not every one i^ed upon a Queen's shoulders. These first e caiup that same night, not, however, without 'o (.fri ,uet with difficulties. They did not anticipate an^ then recross a creek, which took them up e kn rest of us remained in the boat for the 'ovj we were safe from thieves and wreck, and o (1 midnight the wind rose, and the heavens again at* 8e °' ra-iu>we all slept soundly till morning. 6 ^ad sunrise the next day, which was wet and miser- tle ? Party of blacks down upon us, who had been sent rs son to help us along; they were four fine stal- Ve au0 of them in particular gracefully and handsomely ■y (i Noticed the superior caste of face and form pos- Illd 18 tribe over the blacks of Bribie. Coming as near as irj,011 the beach towards where we lay, they plunged the surf, and swimming out they were in a few %ly llgst us in the boat. A bit of tobacco made them n ti(jec°ntented, and as we had another hour or so to wait we indulged in breakfast, which consisted of n "e. i 4Of the tide on this beach is so singular from any- -q Wh yet seeu, that I here notice it. The distance and low water mark upon thj sand is not, I should -tit than ten or twelve feet, and yet the depth of water ^hich' from fifteen inches at low water, rises from Ihi?h tide. One other particular we could not S —the perfectly steep rise of tho beach, so steep, (Ajti every yard of ground gave apparently about three j* bk ,°f water. Our time, however, for starting had come; 6, ?ks took an oar each, and bent their backs to their '♦;U,!ec* gaily on over the water, and yet evidently v >o r strength for the task that awaited them. •J "»h a mental resolve that henceforth my acquaintance uj 'Uid be as limited as possible, and being now in the j f- a haere spectator, I thought I might as well see what n as otherwise. So seated on a flour bag, I set my j Hc^.tern, and looked on. "JK as we did from the sea, we had the reverse of the 6 Passed through at Bribie-there we had it in our 1 would have the full force of the wave behind us. H 'fa ^ed the previous night that in regular succession afd seventh wave rose higher than the rest. The f* l,°Usly watched the tumult of roaring surf, and entered ¡ aOj{ of th0 seventh wave-with an energy that did p. w? they pulled the oars, as though they would have f- had almost kept pace with the advancing water, i tr'»e- Were now placed, was simply some hundreds of ^Dg, hissing foam, and the sight, as I looked on, al- iS. rt,e feel that Reid, on the previous night, had displayed 't °f valour by his jump into the sea,rather than be that bar. One wave broke, and fell short of us; d we just caught the spray, an it seemed to hiss in it could not reach us. Number three comes— s {t}' defiant. I could but too well sec what we had to (•tJf more yards and danger was at an end: but there it ^lic Jject towering crest of water, that took away from foment all thoughts but that of impending doom. I IBtinctly calling out to Bruce to hold on," for as 1; Mip Q at the rudder his back was towards the impending fti Wor<l8 could not have been spoken a moment too y- f y next impression was a violent jerk, which thrust or six feet from where I sat—a deluge of what I j';<! '°lr—a noise that to me seemed like a falling moun- lj«! ^otnething of a sharp cry that came from the blacks, i Ji, ^Ta, wirra, wirra "-and then all was still. I picked a I best could, and we were then on water as smooth at on which I write, and the bar many yards be- ''t ^as 9uite as mUf,h as he can manage in himself ^s but little of the Samaritan to be found. Amidst V1'5 d laughter of the black fellas, who alone had kept put in an appearance one by one. Bruce had been v 11 severely clean away a couple of yards from the %i'4f<vfV''y bruised his head in the fall. My perch on the «^%bad given place to some dark den amongst the rats v$l|' when pulled out of the water, with which the boat up to the very gunwale, imploringly asked what ■ !»(■(, "by not let him lay and get drowned quietly at once. ^4 °f however, had to be done, and in a short Gripped ourselves &U but the uethet garmests, and after about an hour's rowing we came in sight 01 the white en- C¡c1;;PIl1CUt. As we neared the place a loud shout greeted u, and in a few minutes we passed into a lagoon, in which we let go our anchor and lor that day our rowing m-,ts at an end. We had scarcely time to look round us when the whole camp, black and white, were wading through the water making towards the I-oat. We were speedily eased ef our cargo—flour, sugar, tea, bul- lock chains, clothes, our own swags,—in fact everything was cleared out as if by magic. They were all very sharp set that morning. A note, however, was taken of the stores as they were land-d by the owner's son, and from him they were then carried to the eaillP-ahout quarter of a mile distant. Young B- (our employer's son) was speedily on the ground,—and opened a bag of Sour in a trice, sen:ug- out, as a treat from himself, about a pound of tlour to each man. The damper was soon ready, and some gallons of hot tea having been already prepared, we sat down, and, you may rest assured, made a very hearty meal. We had hitherto had very few questions asked of u, but now that nature had been a little quieted, our future comrades had many a grin and many a look at us, "thenew chums." W e soon found out, at least quite near enough, what tilled us with the roost painful apprehensions; we had been regularly entrapped, the men there working—what between loss of time waiting for rations, then the carrying of them at times twenty to thirty miles, and many other causes of delay—were all deeply in debt, theyiwere ragged and shoeless, gaunt from hunger and privation, and" looked upon us as a lot of precious green ones, to IN taken in by the soft palaver of our Brisbane employer. When I ventured to inquire about the house that was to be built, and mentioned my own terms of agreement, the remark was greeted by a guffaw of laughter, so thoroughly derisive that I soon crept into my shell again. The oldest resident there, however, had heard something about it. and lie took as to where the site was said to be—the brow oi a Ltili still covered v, ith the primeval forest. Bit by bit the whole truth oozed out, it was simply a scheme to get men upon the ground, and then bv a careful manipulation of accounts and stores, to get them in to debt, after which the greater part, for the mere chance or lations, were fain to stop. This was our introduction, to life in the uusn. This is a sample of that boasted Queensland, that for the tas\ fc ye;:rs has been turning the heads of so many at home. I went to the employer's son, to see what he had tc say about it. I was toid beforehand the answer I was likely to get and I got it "He was not responsible," he said, for his father's doings;" and he added, "you had better take out some stores for yourself and your mates, and we will see by and by what is to be done." We did so, and here we made a great mistake. If we had insisted on being taken back again by the whaleboat to Brisbane, we would have done wisely as it was, we took rations along with the others at the distribution in the afternoon and next morning our coullJauy of three.. and about a dozen men, had our separate lots iu the boat again, to start for our future place of labour, and that labour the felling and squaring of cedar for the Brisbane market. If anything had been needed further to disgust us with our prospects, it was the experience of the one night we passed at that camp. To celebrate the airival of the boat, a grand corro- boree was held by the old hands when it became dark, and lan- guage more vile, or obscenity more thoroughly disgusting, never proceeded out of the lowest purlieus of New York or London. This was kept up the greater part of the night, for, though most of us had retired to seek what sleep and rest- we could, the old hands had it out, and morning dawned erfe they had. the last pipe.. When we started the following day we were led to believe that it was only the distance of a few miles from our present rendez- vous. We had a large party of blacks with us, for every com- pany of three or four have one or two black fellows. These they keep and feed their knowledge of the country, their guidance to find some fresh spot, their complete at-homeness in a track- less and pathless wilderness, is surprising. For this, then, they got an allowance of flour and tobacco daily and when vou come to know the value of these articles in the bush, you will sav that they had the fat of the land. Let me, in a few words, tell you of the way the stores are made to pay themselves, and more than pay; for a considerable profit is made out of them. The flour, for which 3M. had been paid at Brisbane, was sold to us at Gd.; the sugar, about 21d., cost us 8d; and tobacco, a chest of which, of colonial growth and manu- facture, our employer had bought at Brisbane at Is. 9d. a pound, was retailed to us at 12s. a pound. Is it to be wondered at, then, that men get, and keep, in debt, with such a tariff as this ? Our allowance for the time being was 'iolbs. of flour to each man, and a proportionate allowance of tea, sugar, and tobacco,— even if you do not use this latter there is no getting (I: with a black fella without it-it is to him like current ccin, and better, and the amount of service about to be rendered, can, by an old hand, be ticked off in so many inches of the weed. We had proceeded about twenty miles—the sun coming out with all his grand old fury,—the rain of the previous dav had renovated earfh and trees,—the air was gay with birds of the brightest plumage, and sparkling with a radiancy as if but that very morning they had come fresh from the hand of their Maker. At every turn of the creek fresh beauties called for cur admira- tion, and the shrill scream of the parrots overhead, aud the still shriiler chirp of thousands of ciccados—an insect of the grass- hopper kind-made it seem as if all animate nature was bent on a holiday. The fears and doubts of the previous night gave way to hope, and the expectation that affairs, after all, might not prove so bud as we had been told. Even the rakes of a few hours ago seemed to feel the glory and purity of the morniag, and al- most became human under its influence. Emerging out oi the creek, we entered a large lagoon, or lake, above twenty miles or so from N. to S., and about five or six miles wide,—on every side the same dense forest and scrnb. As the tide was now low, great sand banks cropped up here and there out of the lake, upon which thousands of pelicans were basking in the sun. There was no way of getting along but by keeping closely in the channel of deep water, which runs in a very aer- pentine manner through the lake. When about half way through, we descried a young black swan making his way before us: we pulled briskly to come within distance, not only from the mere love of sport—but we saw in our game the chance of a very relishing breakfast. We had with us guns, powder, and shot,— bang they went, and the bird was ours. A little further oil we had the same luck with a second; and getting out at the northern end of the lagoon, and entering another creek, it was at once re- solved to get ashore and have breakfast. We felt that we had earned it, and being in clover in the way of flour, tea, and sugar, and, above all. having this windfall in the way of two great birds, which, when plucked and cleaned, might weigh about fifteen or sixteen pounds each—good humour ran high. The blacks were, of course, our guides as to the. exact spot of taiiding. Fresh water was now all we wanted. We pitched our camp as directed, and the water was found within a few yards of us. The swans were cut up in pieces, and in less than a quarter of an hour from the time of our leaving the boat, the birds were cleaned and cut, a roaring fire made, water brought, and the Johnny cakes ready for the ashes. A few years of this sort of lift, and some amongst us had been at it from boyhood, makes your bushman a very handy fellow-to a degree even in the routine of daily living that is really surprising. From the most unlikely tmterials he will improvise for you a house and it3 furniture,—make, in short, arrangements for living, sleeping, and other animal comforts, that completely astonish the uninitiated. In proper time the breakfast was ready, and received ample justice irom us all: the water was poured off the fowls, and the whole emptied on a great sheet of bark, the cakes placed in a heap, and the rule is then—help yourself. The only deviation from this law of courtesy is with the black fellas: we have to help them. As he has not in his own nature the most remote glimmering of their being anybody in the world hungry or thirsty besides him- self, they have their share allotted to them by one ef ourselves. This stops all altercation. The tea was pronounced excellent, I the flour as of the finest braud,-and the coarse, rimdd, fishy swans as, "Beautiful, by Jove!" Tobacco, of course, wound up the ball. But all human enjoyments have an end, and so had our al- fresco meal; and as it now drops out that we have yet a consi- derable distance to go, we soon got to the boat again and hove off up the creek, from which we speedily passed out, and into another lake of much greater dimension's than the first—some would have it that it was 50 miles in length, but from 35 to 40 is probably nearer the mark. This lake is placed much like the smaller one, lying north and south. Away, then, to the N.W. corner of this our course was laid; and now, out in the open, we had wind enough to dispense with the oars. The lake was alive with wild fowl, the breeze was cool and refreshing, and with the prospect of adding more to our larder, we gave ourselves up to the enjoyment of the hour. We had soon work enough upon our hands. In about turee hours we had killed fourteen great swans. So thus far our pros- pects were rathyr encouraging. As we neared the further snore, and the entrance to the next creek could be seen, we had a fcI,e" cimen of the aboriginal way of swan killing, which for a short time gave us no small amusement. The bird was lvv-ilaiiiing stately along, apparently making for the shore, when one of our black fellows, putting two waddies in his mouth, was overboard in a trice, and after the bird; after swimming a considerable way, he disappeared wholly under the water and re-appeared at but a short distance from his (fame. Keeping himself erect by the action of his feet and his disengaged hand, he threw his weapon, at a distance of twenty yards, so surely, that the crea- ture was hit on the neck stunned, not killed. He now made hot haste for the shore, and the black fellow with his se- cond waddy in his mouth after him. The fellow swam beauti- fully; as the bird was a young one, he could not rise tcfly clear of the water, so it was more of a skip over it. As the black Alined unon him, he stood again, and flung his second weapon; ♦Cnnnr brute, struck again, halted for a moment, but the next was off, as his keen instinct told him he had yet a chance of Ufe Tn the deep swamps that came down to the very edge of the water- the black also saw it, for he .warn as I never oi tne waiei 1 d ,as gaining rapidly upon the dis- saw man swnn betoie, anu e o r ] ablerf bird We kept in their wake, and, it may De imagined, aoiea on a. vvc nep sharp shout, as if from vexa- excited enough, to see the issue, -i s I vesebed the tion, burst from the disappointed black ™ ^nt en mgh shore-it escaped. As we, however, had for the, piesent enougu and to spare, and in consideration of ^he sport b us, we unanimously agreed to let them have two n„e_ for their supper, to do as they liked with. This 1<. ments, above all things, pleased them. We then took the biacK on board again, chagrined and exhausted from his purhi .1 (To be continued in our next.)

THE IRON TRADE AND THE EMPLOYMENT OF CHILDREN. A deputation of representatives of the Iron Trade had an interview on Monday with Mr. Walpole, the Secre- tary of State for the Home Department, in reference to the proposed extension of the Factory Acts. They were accompanied by the Right Hon. C. P. Villiers, the Right Hon. C. B. Adderley, Mr. W. O.Foster, Mr. H.J. Foley, Mr. Leveson Gower. and other members of parliament. Mr. Villiers, in introducing them, stated that, a, be was advised, the Factory Acts Extension Bill was not suitable in its present form to the iron and tin-plate trades: but that with certain modifications it might be made suit- able. He suggested, on behalf of the deputation, that the bill should be sent to a select committee. Mr. Mathews contended that it was extremely objectionable to legislate upon such evidence as had been collected by the Children's Employment Commission, and published in their report. Many of the statements made in the report were incorrect, not so much frcm intention, pro- bably, as from the want of proper means of interpreta- tion, and ought not to be acted upon. The bill, if passed into a jaw, would most likely have the effect of dispen- sing with juvenile labour altogether. He condemned the proposed Saturday balf-holiday, inasmuch as in the majority of instances Monday is already a complete holiday to the bulk of the persons employed in the iron trade. Mr. Gilbertson explained the objections enter- tained by the tin-plate trade against the bill, after which Mr. W. H. Sparrow went carefully through the details ot the measure, and explained to Mr. Walpole its probable eS-ct upon the iron trade, as regards both employers and workpeople. Mr. Walter Williams, jun., banded to Mr. Walpole the modifications proposed by the iron trade, and also called attention to the extent and im- portance of the industry to which the bill applied,—the number of iron-workers being returned at not less than 2:30,000 in the census of 18fil. He also expressed a decided apprehension that the projected restrictions would tend to increase the cost of production in the l manufacture of iron, and would thus re-act prejudicially upon the interests of masters and workmen alike. Mr. Walpole said that he would carefully consider the state- ments submitted to him; but he could not say positively when the bill would go into Cwuzaittee,

MEUiTIYH. BOARD OF OUARDIANS.—The members of the above Board held their meeting on Saturday last. The usual business was gone through, bat nothing of pubic inte- rest was brought on. RAILWAY TO LIVERPOOL.—Saturday, the 27th u!t., wiil be a memorable day in the future history of Merthyr, as the first time for the Merthyr and Brecon line to be opened. We here that a truck of iron came from Liver- pool right into Cyfarthfa Works. The above line must in many instances afford greater facilities for the convey- ance of iron, and will douotless ere long be doing an extensive trad. FATAL ACCIDENT AT DOWLAIS.—On Friday, 2fith ult., a shocking accident happened to a man named David Williams, while blasting at the Winchf'awr pit. It ap- pears deceased was in the act of driving in a wire to effect a communication with the powder, when by some means the powder exploded, and the poor fellow was dashed against the siding. At the same time his fel- low-workman was rendered insensible by the shock, but soon recovered, and at once obtained assistance, but the unfortunate man died in two hours. A verdict of "Accidental death" was returned at the inquest. FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE PLYMOUTH RAILWAY.—On the 20th ult., at the Glamorgan Arms, an inquest was held on the body of a youth 16 years of age, named Wil- liam Roderick. It appeared from the evidence given that deceased was running along the Plymouth line, before an engine, and by some means he fell down, and consequently was run over and killed on the spot. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death."

DOWLAIS. ACCIDENT.- John Howells, overman of the No. 2 Vochriew Pit, met with a fatal accident at the bottom of the pit on Wednesday week. This pit is 500 yards deep, and when the empty tram came to the bottom, John Howells, being in a hurry to get to the top of the pit, pushed the tram out and jumped in. He had not time, however, before the engine started for the return. His body was on the carriage, and his legs were hanging over when they came in contact with some arching, which almost severed his legs from his body. There was another person in the carriage at the time, and the un- fortunate man said, I don't know whether my legs are fast to my body or not." He died six hours after the accident happened. TERRIBLE EXPLOSION.- On Monday afternoon the lower part of High-street was the scene of a dreadful explosion by gunpowder. A person entered the iron- monger's shop at the front ot the Welsh Wesleyan chapel, and asked for a small cask of gunpowder. Ac- cordingly, Mrs. Thomas, the keeper of the shop, went to fetch it. In some mysterious manner, which cannot be explained, tbe gunpowder ignited and blew up the whole of the roofing of the shop into the air. Such a terrible wreck by one small barrel of gunpowder can scarcely be conceived, except by the beholders. The unfortunate woman was fatally injured, and died the following morn- ing at three o'clock. Her husband, although standing in the shop at the time, escaped uninjured. It is to be hoped that both the house and goods were insured. An inquest was held on the above case on Wednesday, before the coroner, G. Overton, Esq., when satisfactory evi- dence was produced, showing that the accident occurred by treading with nailed beots on some of the powder, which bad been previously spilled, and thus causing it to explode. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental death." The sad accident is made still more melancholy, as the unfortunate woman had been married only a few months. SINGULAR DISCOVERY AT THE OLD MORLAIS CASTLE. —Much excitement was created in this town on Sunday last. It appears that two puddlers, passing an unfre- quented spot, saw a man in the act of digging a grave. Before, however, they could approach him, he discovered them coming, and speedily made off, since which time he has not been seen. Near the grave, which was seven feet long and four feet aeep, they found a pickaxe, a spade, and a lantern. Hundreds of people have since visited the place. Whether the strange work was deli- berately designed, as the only place to hide some one who was to fall a victim to foul play, or simply the work of some zealous antiquary, in the hope of finding some long-lost treasure—a Roman relic or deposit of Plutus- seems bard to conjecture.

ABERDARE. PBESENTATIOH.—An interesting meeting took place at the Crown IOD, on Monday evening last. Those present were chiefly servants and officials of the Vale of Neath Railway who had resolved on conferring a small token of their regard and esteem towards the late station-master, Mr. W. J. Brown, on the occasion of his leaving Aberdate. An exoellent dinner was provided. The usual pre- liminaries over, the presentation, which consisted of a handsome gold watch, value twenty guineas, was then made. A piece of jewellery, worth five guineas was pre- sented to Mrs. Brown at the same time. In a neat and appropriate speech, Mr. Brown expressed his apprecia- tion of the kindnesss manifested towards him and Mrs. Brown, and returned the donors his hearty thanks. SANITARY PRECAUTIONS.—We are triad to see that the authorities in this union are determined to enforce the law with regard to vaccination, and have published bills to that effect. Vaccination is still greatly neglected among the working classes and when small-pox visits our town, tbe results are always mournful to contemplate. The fearful disease has broken ont in many parts of the country, and we hope no effort will be spared to enforce attention to that simple operation, by which its attacks are rendered almost harmless.

RHONDDA VALLEY. TREHERJGERT.—FEVEB.—This little town has been visited by a dreadful fever, which has carried off many victims during the last two months, and is still raging. It ul a species of typhus fever called typhoid, and is called "low" fever. Man, woman and child have fallen victims to this deadly fever, which has destroyed more lives than the cholera did las-t year. It is strange that these diseases should attack this village before visiting the others in the valley. The cholera appeared first in Treherbert, and at the present time the other villages are Iree from typhoid. We are afraid that the sanatary condition of the place is bad, owing to the imperfect drainage and the fearful overcrowding of the houses. Many of the dwellings containing only two bed-rooms, are occupied by fourteen individuals, and in a few in- stances by more than fourteen. At the back of the ou&es near the bridge in this village lies a stiriking pool of stgnant water, which has been designated by a public medical officer" a hot bed of fever" and it is a noted fact that the inhabitants of the dwellings near this dan- gerous pool have suffered considerably from fever. One of the tradesmen residing near this stagnant water lost his wife last week from fever, and others in the same house have suffered through the same malady.—A Board of Health is urgently required for this prosperous little town, and the earlier it is formed the better it will be for the population. It has been stated that the guar- lans of the parish have sufficient power to manage the sanatory affairs of their district, and that a board is not necessary; but little or nothing has beea done, and a dangerous fever is carrying off the inhabitants. We ope toe rate-payers of Treherbert will have a thorough investigation made of the condition of the village. More i °i?SK-8TARE WANTEC'> better drainage is required, and the GENERALLY should be more temperate in their cleanliness ^AVE dwellings in a better state of b TEORKY,-COLLIERY SCILOOL.-This school, which r. \Tn-o°?^ne<* so recently, has been examined by ( ti £ s y 8 Inspector, J. Bowstead, Esq., who made tb uP°n": This school has com- melf /if wrl vigorously, and holds out every pros- PeC untLrflra°enj success. The premises and fittings ar6' v,™™ ho1? ?Uate for the population, and no time s „ °8jlproviding suitable buildings." We trust that thIs oclal cail will meet with a hearty re- sponse! e inhabitants, whose energies, if only exerted, successful in raising a good building for educational purpose8 even before 1867 closes. DINAS.—BCALDED To DEATH.-On Monday, the 22nd ult"11". 80Q ?f Henry Wakely, collier, acci- dentally fe 1 .Pan,0^ boiling water, which had been !EFT ,01! .U ,HE FLOAR. WAS S° severely scalded that his sufferings terminated fatally on the Fri- day following. A ec)rorier, iQQUEst wa3 held on the Verdict^A^ddental death.°D «"> 29th ultimo. PIGEON MATCH.-On Friday last a pigeon match came off on uelligaled Field Heolfach) when the following sweepstakes were contested for :_Thre0 birds each; entrance, <s. Od. each; 1st prize, ±5 2nd Dri7e £ "> 10<v 3rd, £ 2 10s. 23 entrances. The ftii • »hl ine following were the OFR. M TTDERT:T,N CRL"' Wriaht, of Neath < m Je^1D'i?,?-merciat Hotel, Heolfach 3rd, Mr. Meiford, of Caerphilly The shoo^ th h. out was not very good, although the weather p?oved very favourable. Some outstanoer by shooting at the escaped pigeon wounded some dozen persons, and one bad an awful charge in the eye. MAINDY COLLIERY. Last week, in the explorations of the sinking of tne above pit, they came on a seam of coal, G feet 9 inches deep, of the six-foot vein, which on further excavation, proved to be one of the best veins in the valley. The coal appears to be very bright and free from stone. This colliery is also worked in the 2 feet nine vein on a large scale, and the latter vein is generally 5 feet G inches thick hence it is anticipated that this | coal will be one of the most productive in the valley.

¡ TROEDYRHIAV. PENNY READINGS.—On Thursday evening the last of the Troedyrhiw Penny Readings and musical entertain- ments took place in the Notional Schoolroom, before a numerous and attentive audience, and the following was the programme :-Pianofflrte duet, the Misses Scale and Harvey; cornet solo, Mr. J. Harris; Welsh reading, Mr. W.Jones; part song, Pontyrhun Church Choir; song, Mr. Knox, with piauo accompaniment by Miss S-ale reading, Rev. W. Lewis song (Welsh). Mr. E. Davis reading, Mr. D. Lloyd part song. Mr. Howe and party duet, concertina and tlute, Mr. T. John and friend duet, Miss M. Williams and Mr. T. Davis; Welsh reading, Mr. J. Jenkins; Welsh trio, Mr. Morgan and party; pianoforte solo, Miss Scale; reading, Mr. Knox; part song, by the Pontyrhun Church Choir; song, Miss M. Williams, accompanied by Mis" Scale Welsh part song, Mr. T. Morgan and party; reading, Mr. J. Reed; comic song, Master Morgan Welsh song. Mr. T. Davies comic song, Mr. Reynolds; recitation, Mr. D. Evans; National Anthem. The chair was occupied by J. Ward, Lsq., whs, on behalf of the committee, thanked those who bad so kirdly assisted and acknowledged the great as- sistance rendered by the loan of the piano during the season. The valuable services of Miss Scale and Miss Harvey on frequent occasions, deserve special praise al-o the active exertions of the secretary, the Rev. W. Lewis. The attendance and order during the season has been very good, and the entertainments generally have given complete satisfaction.

BRIDGEND. BOARD OF GUARDIANS.—There was a remarkably full attendance of guardians on Saturday. This day week having been fixed for the appointment of an inspector, or inspectors of nuisances for the various outlying districts of the Union, it occurred to some present that Cowbridge fair might interfere with the attendance of many guar- dians; and finally it was resolved that the appointment be postponed to May 11th, when the subject, also, ef a road to the House" would be discussed. The inmates were reported to be 105; admitted, 3; discharged, 8; born, 1; vagrants, 85; school-children, 35. The Assess- ment Committee appointed Friday, the 10th of May, at eleven a.m., for their next meeting. HIGHWAY BOARD.-The Bridgend] District High- way Board met at the Union Workhouse on Saturday. Present: J. C. Nicboll, Esq., R. Leysbon, Esq., Rev. C. LI. Llewellin, and Messrs. Wm. Powell, R. Daniel, W. Morgan, J. Cooke, D. Llewellin, iitid Grooow John. The Chairman (J. C. Nicholl, Esq.) and the Vice-Chairman (Mr. Robert Leysbon) oflast year, were unanimously re- elected. The new list of guardians forming the Board was prodnced by the Clerk. A conversation took place on the state of Ewtnny bridge, hut no resolution was passed. The minutes of last meeting were read, and a cheque for it) signed to the Surveyor, to be expended in the parishes of Bettws, St. Brides, and Eweonv, PETTY SESSIONS.—SATURDAY. (Before R. FRANKLEN, Esq., W. LLEWELLY.V, Esq., and the Rev. C. R. KNIGHT). W AOES. Thomas Bedford, of Taibach, was charged with non-payment of nine .dars' wages, at Ys. 6d. per day. Francis Svveeny, the complainant, stated that a fellow workman, doing the same work, was paid at 2s. 6d. per dav, and he claimed the same. Defendant urged that 2s. per day the company paid their labourers, and denied that Sweeny did the same work as the other labourer. Defendant was ordered to pay at the rate of 2s. 4d. per day, and costs 12s. lOd. DRUNK.-J ohn Underhill, labourer, Newcastle, was charged with being drunk and guilty of indecent conduct in the street. Defendant did not appear. On being served with the summons, he threw it into the river. Having been convicted already seven times, he was now fined X2 and 9s. 2d. costs, or one month's imprisonment. THEFT.-Charles Jones was charged with having watches in his possession supposed to be stolen. In appeared, from the evidence of Inspector Adams, that yesterday evening he saw the prisoner at the railway station carrying a suspicioun- looking parcel, and having examined it he found one new watch and two old ones. He thereupon apprehended the prisoner, having received information of two watches being stolen from Neath. The officer asked for a remand to Thurs- day, till an answer had been reoeievd from Neath, Swansea, and Cardiff, respecting the watches and some pawnbroker's tickets which he had also found on the defendant. Re. manded. ILLEGAL HOLT RS.Nlr. Robert Loosmore, of the Buteher's Arms, Bridgend, was fined S I including costs, for selling beer at 11.30 p.m., on Good Friday. From the evidence of Inspector Adams, it appeared that there was a large com- pany, a German band playing, and dancing and drinking going on.Mr. Rees Hopkins, of the Greyhound, Maestog, was lined including costs 10s. 6d, for opening at 11.30. a.m. on Good Friday. DRUNK, AND RIOTOUS.-Evan Spencer, George Jones, Evan Griffiths, and James Price were charged by I'.C. Fred. H. Sawsom, with being drunk and fighting in Commercial- street, Maesteg. The charge was proved, and Spencer being an old offender was fined £ L, the rest 9s. each. ASSAULT.—Alice Evans, a married woman, of Cefn, was charged -A ita assaulting Maria Wilcox by throwing broken bricks at her. She was fined £ 1 including costs.

ST. FAGANS. CRICKET CRX^.—This club will commence the season *'ith a gf-reral meeting and a Home and Home" match on Wednesday next. The stumps will be pitched at two o'clock.

GRANGE TOWN. NATIONAL SCHOOLS.—The annual inspection of these schools took place on Thursday, the 25tii ult. The attendance of children was large, numbering 163, but many could not be presented to the inspector for exa- mination, owing to their not having made the required number of attendances in the past year. This is due to the iluctuating state of the inhabitants of Grangetown. Taking this into consideration, the Inspector paid Mr Kiddle, the master, a high compliment for his industry and skill. The clergymen of the district, the Rev. V. Saulez and the Rev. T. H. Lewis, showed the deep inte- rest they take in the education of the children, by their presence on the occasion.

COWBRIDGE. FARMERS' CLUB.—A special meeting of this club will be held on Tuesday next, to take into consideration the subject of offering a competition for mowing machines. COWBRIDGE GRAMMAR Scifour. ATHLETIC SPORTS.— The annual sports in connection with the Cowbridse Grammar School took place on Wednesday week. Although the weather was very unpropitious, the inha- bitants of the town and neighbourhood congregated toge. tber in large numbers, to witness the various contested feat,, among which were flat races, throwing cricket ball, high jump. long jump, pole jump, hurdle race, steeple chuse, donkey races, Ac. The prizes were given away at ).80 p.m. by Mrs. Williams, assisted by several other iadies who manifested the liveliest interest in the pro- ceedings. The dinner was served up at the Bear Inn at six p.m., when about thirty-six gentlemen sat down. The Rev. Thomas Williams occupied the chair, the Rev. T. Edmondes the vice-chair. The speeches were of a first class character, and some capital songs were sung by Messrs. Williams, Smith, Lewis, &c. POLICE NEWS.—At the county magistrates' meeting, Evan Pbillips, of Penlline, summoned Rees Davies, ol the same place, for an assault. The case was dismissed on payment of costs.—At the borough police-court, before the Mayor, R. C. N. Carne, Esq., William Preece, of Cowbridge, blacksmith, summoned William Jennings, a workman in his employment for misconduct. The Mayor ordered the defendant to pay costs and forfeit four days' wages, at iis. 8d. a day.

DEPREDATIONS IN ROATH ROAD. S tit,-The depredations performed constantly by some party unknown, by the tearing up of fancy trees and standard roses from the front of the ditferent villas in Roath-road, besides the pulling of the flowers through the rails, loudly call for the vigilance of the police who are rarely seen in this district. Surely the amount of taxation paid by the class of houses in Roath-road, demands something in return to pre- vent the wholesale destruction of property in this district. The general cry is, when did you see a policeman ? When I was last by the Police-station.—Yours, &c., Roath-road. W. LEWI £

BLAENLLECHE, RHOXDDA VACH. SIR,-In your columns of last Saturday a letter appeared signed Fair Play," recapitulating and denouncing the truth of the article which is cited by him. Being the writer of the same article, having it on the table before me, and on perusing it, I find that I particularised on the state of Blaen- Ileche and Pontygwaith, together with the demeanor of the populace of both places, and stated that they were visited and resorted to by some of the roughest and the most degraded class of persons, and that a bratal assault was committed on the police by an inebriated party from Blaenlieche, whom the police secured in spite of resistance, and the offenders, aft r an adjournment on the application of the latter for the pre- duction of witBesses, were convicted, and in default of pay- ment, underwent imprisonment. One of the delinquents was fined X20, thus showing clearly that the police displayed some heroic conduct on the occasion, but as to the probable attainment of any superior position in the force for the ex- ploits the police performed, I have nothing to do. Fai 1 Play" assumes the authority of some high and influential functionary, however. He has the audacity to flatter himself that he was the means of the discontinuance of the visits of the police to that peaceful locality, and at the same time he doubts that such visits were ever made. Consequently, it is evident that he has been labouring under some delusion about the matter, and such induced me to make extra en- quiries, when, lo! Mild behold'. I was informed that there was no such high funtionary pertaining to the place as a resident. I am aware that the truth is mighty and will prevail, and taking" Fair Play's flattery, audacity, and assumption, it gives me great pleasure to state that I adhered to the truth, and nothing but the truth, and to bear me out in this, I must make some remarks on the state ot the place now and three months ago. This will account for the quietness of the place since then. Meeting a person in business there, 1 entered into a short conversation, enquiring about trade, and his reply was, very slow, the trade is in a very depressed state, and has been for the last t«»o months and upwards." In fact, he said, I do not take 4s. now, or during the latter time, to every one pound I took previously; and since Christmas time persons from Blaenlieche have been compelled to live very hard, indeed, some were actually begging from want of proper sustenance; but it moves a little now." Such were the remarks that passed, and this will be borne out by others. I shall wind up, trusting, Mr. Editor, you will pardon my taking up so much space, but I feel grieved that I should be accused of stating a lie for no purpose whatever, when the truth was said in my former communication. The other part of" Fair Play's letter gives an account of the progress of the place, &c., which must be very gratifying to all con- cerned.—Yours, &c. EXPARTE. Rhondda Valley, 30th April, 1867.

MUSIC AT ST. JOHN'S CHURCH. Sip.The perusal of the latter portion of your report, in last week's paper, cf the vestry meeting at St. John's Church, led me into a series of cogitations upon congregational sing. ing generally, and particularly into reflections upon the musical services at the above Church. It requires no course of mathematical reasoning to prove thejfact, that to beard a lion in his den necessitates no small amount of courage to be summoned up on the part of the aggressor, and, further, that it is an operation that is at times attended with serious skin-scratching consequences. Figuratively speaking, the vestry meeting at St. John's was the scene of an encounter of a belligerent nature between a parishioner and one of the lions of the Church, to wit, the organist, who, by the bye, is one of not unformidable propor- tions. Praiseworthy as was the conduct of the parishioner in thus attacking the lion single-handed, he was, in a mea- sure, indiscreet in venturing upon a combat in which the two were unequally mated, and where, in the event of his being worsted, he was not likely to receive any succour or assistance from those who were looking on. It is, however, the lot of pioneers to fight their own battles single-handed so in this particular, Mr. Langley was not an exception to the general rule. That the musical part of the service at St. John's is of a peculiarly unattractive na- ture is a fact that has long been established in the minds of a great number of those who visit the Church, and therefore Mr. Langley was only giving mouth to the sentiments of a great number of its well-wishers when he stated, in the presence of an august conclave, that something should be done in the shape of reform. The testy organist, though, couldn't see the force of his remarks, so, summoning up all the indignation that his nature was capable of, gave vent to the words-" I consider the singing (why did he leave out playing?) at the Sunday evening services perfect." Perfect, indeed Ha! ha! (By the bye, your correspou- dent, when reading this, went off into such a fit of laughter that he came near to bursting his sides, and I verily believe would have done so, had he not reflected that the operation might have been attended with serious personal inconve- niences). Go to St. John's Church to hear perfection in music, where one of the finest organs in Wales is wilfully and wofully neglected, and where the organist, careless of one portion of his duties (that is, weekly running over his organ), contents himself with making use of the diapasons almost exclusively 1 No, indeed If i wanted to hear some- thing decent in the shape of music. I w oulxl go to a place where the choir know how to chant the Psalms properly, where each individual member knows how to accommodate him or herself to the change from a major to a relative minor, and yicc versa; where they do not persistently sing major thirds in minor chants and where the organist does not prostitute his instrument, and insult the ears of the congregation by accompanying cbants in unison. Do not for a moment infer from what I have just said that I object to Psalms being chanted on the contrary, in my opinion, there is nothing more in keeping with the ritual of the Church, and the right and proper worshipping of God, than chanting the Psalms. And now to the subject of congregational singing. I am aware that it was an expressed wish on the part of the Rev. D. Howell when he first came to the town that the singing in the chutches under his care should be made purely of a congregational nature. Even be it so then. But how are people to sing if they don't know what they have to sing? Of the thousands of persons who visit churches Sunday after Sunday, there are but a few in each congregation who, either from their acquaintance with the laws ot harmony, and thorough bass, or from the possession of a quick ear, are able to put in or improvise their own distinctive part. It would appear from this that the singing- in the bodies of congrega- tions is confined to a few, and it is an undeniable fact. that it is so; but this might be remedied, and the thing made more general, by church-going people being requested to provide themselves with books in which each psalm or hymn has the music of its own particular time printed above it, as there are hundreds frequenting churches who can read music when it is set before them, but who are uncertain when trying to sing without a copy, and as a consequence remain silent while the choir sings. I venture upon the above as a sug- gestion to our worthy vicar, but wish at the same time to adJ to my suggestions that in the event of a hymn-book being fixed upon, it should be one in which the musical por- tion of the work is arranged in any other way than the dis- gustingly flippant style of" Monk's Modern Hymns." I suppose I must conclude my letter according to the hacknied fashion of apologising for having so transgressed on your valuable space," and by saying that I am, sir,- Yours, die., J,

THE FENIAN TRIALS. The trial of the Fenian prisoners in Dublin, com- menced on Friday. When Thomas Burke and Pa'rick Doran had been placed in the dock, the Attorney-General (Mr. Chattertcn) proceeded to open the case. He ob- served that, as regarded the prisoners, it was unneces- sary to say the result of a verdict against them would entail the direst and greatest punishment known to the law. Their crime could not be exaggerated. If was an attempt upon he life of society, and might have beer. the means of causing a multitude of mu'ders. After the prosecutions at the Special Commission of there had been a Fenian lull, but only fora short period. In the autumn of ltsbti a number of fceigners arrived in thi- coun ry. In last October it was discussed in. America whether Ireland or Canada should be at'acked. Burke. the prisoner, and Colonel Kelly, took part in 'hose discussions. In the same month a man came Ie New York who afterwards played an impor:ant part in the conspiracy he had served in the Confederate armv, and had been made a Fenian in Texas. This was Patrick Condon, who took the name of Godfrey Massev. Along with Gleeson, Kelly, Halpin (afterwards charged with the command of the outbreak in Dublin;, James Stephens, and seventeen or eigh'een militiry oScers cf high standing, he arranged what was subsequen:!y carried out. Reports of an encouraging kind being re- ceived from Ireland, the con-pirators resolved on a rising _1_- »"U ,4-- T 4.V. „ 1- £ T1. eariy iu liic jjicocul jvtu. .1.1.1 Llle lllVlldl "1 JJecemüer a number of them sailed for Liverpool. Massev did. nor leave New York until the 11th of January, when he sailed for Liverpool with T550 in gold to pay the officers of the Fenian army. He at once repaired to Lonjon, where Colonel Kelly, O'Beirne, Harrison, and Dominick Mahony were before him. On 'he 11th of February, in Colonel Kelly's lodgings in Regent-square, a council was held. Several other meetings oc,-u,recl there at which these persons cons'itu'ed themselves a civil direc- tory, their spheres of operation being Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and other southern dis'ric's. When they started ultimately for Ireland they were supplied wi,h.t:;Io each in gold. Burke was sent to Tipperary, Missey came to Dublin, he:d a meeting of centres, lca-ned that the muster of Dublin Fenians might be counted upon as 18,000 men, for whom there were 3,000 stand of arms of one kind or another. He then went through the country holding mee'ings, and rcc"nnoitering for mili- tary purposes, after which he returned to London, saw Kelly, and agreed that the rising should occur on the 5th of March. Massey instantly came back to Dublin, had another meeting of centres at Po-tebello, in its vicinity, went from thence to Cork to confer with Mahony, who had been placed there, and on the 4th of March, on his return journey from that city. was ar- retted at the Limerick Junction on special information that had been given to the Government. His a'rest, said the Attorney-General, saved the country from being deluged with blood. It was his duty to introduce to the notice of the jury another very remarkab'e in- former," named Corydon, a lieutenant of Morgan's guerillas during the American war. Corydon was a principal member of the conspiracy, and had the task committed to him of carrying despatches be'ween Eng- land and America. It was owing to information com- municated by him that the attack on Chester Castle- organized by M CafFertyr and Flood-was averted and Massey's arre-t was also due to Corydon. The prisoner Doran was a less important person than Burke, but he helped to seize the police at Stepaside, acting under the command of a man named Lennon, and carrying a rifle. Burl e, having received the money from Massey, went through Tipperary organizing his forces, and s opping at the principal hotels. He collected a band, took arms from farmers' houses, pressed young men into his ranks, and when the Danish fort of Ballyhurst was seized by the military, Burke, who was mounted, slid off his horse, and escaped f'om the fire of two soldiers, but was im- mediately afterwards arrested, and found to have upon his person a bookjeontainin? the Fenian oath, a map of the country in which he was operating, and a plan of Dublin Castle. The Attorney- General having concluded, The first witness was a cabinet maker named Keogh. Patrick Condon. or Godfrey Massey. was the next witness called. He is a tall man, ef about eight and twen'y, with black hair and eyebrows, military appear- ance. wearing a heavy moustache. and having nc whiskers. He was self possessed, and bore his examina- tion and cross-examination coolly. He had been a Colonel in the Confederate army He distinctly identi- fied Burke as being one of those whom he had met at the Fenian central office, 19, Chatham street, New York. Burke was then known as Colonel Thomas F. Burke; he subsequently met him at Colonel Kelly's lodgings in London, in January last; he ( Massey) there handed Burke a sum of money, the precise amount of which he could not recollect. somewhere about zC20, and immediately on receiving it Burke said he would start the same night for Ireland. The numerical strength of the Fenians in Cork, as reported to him (Massey) by th& several centres convened in a house at the outskirts of the city 8f Cork, was above 20,000, and the war material consisted of 1,500 stand of arms, the chief portion being pikes. The witness also stated that he went through the country to Mullingsr, Castlebar, Westport, Limerick Junction, and elsewhere, for military purposes, and that it was a direction to him from Colonel Kelly that the plan of campaign should be to seize on all the railway centres, such as the Limerick Junction, and, if they could not be held by the insurgents, to destroy them. He further added that he was ordered to mass or mobi- lize" the insurgents at the Limerick Junction, and there to await the arrival of the commander-in-chief, General Cluseret, who would appoint to the various subordinate district commands. Massey also stated that Colonel Kelly was the deputy of Stephens, and that a guerilla warfare was to be carried on. Massey in his cross-examination further deposed that he would not have given information against the Feninns had he not been betrayed himself; that be had no idea of informing until some days after he bad been placed in Kilmainham gaol; that he then sent for the Crown. solicitor, but even after that wavered, and was only in- duced to complete his informations by the entreaties of his wife. He wished that when he swooned at the Limerick Junction he had never recovered. He met General Cluseret, the intended commander-in-chief of the rising, in London, at Colonel Kelly's, but did not know whether General Cluseret bad ever been in Ire- land. Corydon stated in evidence that it was he who gave information of the intended attack on Choster Castle, which was arranged the night before at a meeting of American officers in Edgar-street, Liverpool. The Fenian leaders, suspecting treachery, countermanded the enterprise.

ANTI-RITUALISTIC OCTRA&ES.—A night or two since the doors of the parish church at Claydon, Suffolk, the Rev. G. Drury, rector, having been inadvertently left open, a party of villagers proceeded to ransack the church. A large cross, about four feet high, two flower vases, and four wax candles were taken from the altar. The candles were broken up, and the cross was smashed and carried in fragments about the village. A criminal prosecution will, it is stated, be the upshot of the-ie lawless proceedings. ROBBERY AND RECOVERY.—A tradesman and his wife left their house in Dublin on Thursday to attend a suburban horse-race, and on their return at night they found that a deal box, in which all the 'money they possessed was usually kept, had been broken open, and JE240 in gold abstracted. On the information of the servant girl, Mary Mullins, two men named Murphy and Farrell were arrested; and subsequently, from information received," the police went ta a house in Pembroke-road, in the front garden of which, buried close to one of the shrubs, the police foitnd £ 235 of the stolen money. ALLEGED MURDEROUS ASSAULT BY A GAMEKEEPER ON AN OLD MAN.—At Chesterfield, on Monday afternoon last, a case of great importance occurred. An old man, named Clarke, was walking across a field with a grev- hound dog. when he was stopped by a gamekeeper named Kiddy, who charged him with poaching, and took him into custody. Some time after the gamekeeper con- veyed the man in a cart to the Goesterfield and North Derbyshire Hospital, his aged prisoner being perfectly unconscious, and labouring either under concussion of the brain or apoplexy. There was alè uglv bruise on his forehead, and the wife of the unfortunate man charges the gamekeeper with having knocked the old man down. Up to yesterday noon the old man was totally insensible. and it was the opinion of the surgeons that be would die whilst in that state, and would not become conscious at all. The keeper is under police surveillance, and a magistrate will examine the dying man if be should be. come sensible. Tbe wife asserts that she can produce two witnesses who saw the keeper knock the old man down, whilst the keeper denies doing so, and says the old man fell down himself. INTERESTING TO LADIES.—At this season of tbe year, the important process of bleaching ar.d dressing Laces and Linens for Spring and Summer wear commences, we would therefore particularly call the attention of our fair readers to the GLENFIELD STARCH, an article of ptimaty importance in the getting up of these articles. Ttle GLEN FIELI) S'FARCII is specially manufactured for family use, and such is its ex- cellence that it is now exclusively used in the Royal Laundry, and Her Majesty's Laundress pronounces it to be the finest Starch she ever used. Her Majesty's Lace Dresser says it is the best she has tried, and it was awarded two Prize Meduls tor its superiority. The manufacturers have much pleasure in stating that they have been appointed Starch Purveyors to H R.H. the Princess of Wales. The GLENFIELD STARCH: j is Sold in packets only, by all Grocsw, Chandlers, &c., &c.