The Cardiff Times

ENGLAND, ITALY, & EGYPT. [CENTRAL NEWS TELEGRAM.] ROME, Monday.—I am enabled to emphatically deny the statement that there is any intention on the part of Italy to ally herself with France in order to protect their interests in Egypt. The Italian Government is firmly resolved to uphold as much as possible the European concert. The tone of the Italian journals generally is favourable to England, and they urge more de- cided action by that country. A few even men- tion the possibility of Italian troops restoring order in Egypt in conjunction with the British forces, but such a step would be contrary to the feeling of the majority.

EL MAHDI AND THE SULTAN. BERLIN, Saturday Evening.—According to the Berlin Post, an alliance is possible between the Sultan and the Mahdi. This opinion, however, is far from being endorsed in well-informed poli- tical circles.

THE FRENCH LABOUR MARKET. [CENTRAL NEWS TELEGRAM.] PARIS, Sunday Evening.—Tiie question of how to dispose of our unemployed labourers threatens to become a serious one for this city. At a meeting held to-duy by workmen out of work, a motion was proposed in due form, and accepted by the assembly, sanctioning the use of revolu- tionary nisana to secure an improvement in their condition. PARIS, Tuesday.—The Government is anxious that the construction of the Paris Metropolitan Railway should be begun as soon as possible, the project having already been approved by the Consul-General des Ponts et Chaussees. The object of the administration is to provide labour for the unemployed workmen of the capital, and so weaken the influence of the anarchist leaders. A service commemorative of the death of Napoleon III. was held this morning at the Church of St. Augustin.

GERMANY AND FRANCE. [CENTRAL NEWS TELEGRAM.] BERLIN, Saturday Eveniug.—Addressing a meeting of municipal electors here recently, Deputy Ranchhangst stated that he had been in- formed that the Crown Prince, on his return from Spain, informed the Emperor that a French war vessel had collided with his yacht off Valencia, and afterwards moved off without taking the least notice of the occurrence. The German Govern- ment thereupon sent to M. Ferry a note demand- ing an immediate apology, with the alternative of a declaration of war. The National Zeitung deems this absurd story worthy of notice, for to-day the editor of that journal, who accompanied the Crown Prince on his journey, solemnly declares that he never heard or saw anything of the inci- dent in question. Count Herbert Bismarck arrived here this evening from London.

CHURCH AND STATE IN GERMANY. BERLIN, Saturday Afternoon.—The Council of Ministers to-day discussed the advisability of im- mediately recalling the Bishop of Munster to his diocese. The result of the discussion, if any, has not yet transpired.

THE SITUATION IN RUSSIA. [CENTRAL NEWS TELEGRAM.] ST. PETERSBURG (via Insterburg). Saturday.— I learn from an authoritative souico that at the last meeting of tha Ministerial Committee, Count Tolstoi, the Minister of the Interior, proposed important modifications of the law of the state of siege calculated to greatly increase the severity of those already drastic measures. He also de- manded, in view of recent events, an extension of the prerogative of provincial governors, with the avowed object of enabling thoss officials fo exile persons suspected of Nihilist ideas without previously consulting the Central Government at St. Petersburg, In addition to these aaSASUreS, Couub Tolstoi proposed to trans- fer to tha military tribunals all crimes against the State and the Administration, a term sufficiently elastic to include almost every possible offence. It. is geuerally believed that Count Tolstoi will have his way, so that we are on the eve of a veritable reign of terror.

PRECAUTIONS AGAINST NIHILISTS. [CENTRAL NEWS TELEGRAM.] ST. PI-.TKRSBURG, via Insterburg, Saturday.— The Emperor and Empress to-day arrived here from Gutschina. During their stay in the capital the strictest possible vigilance will be exercised by the police, and the palace and its neighbourhood will be guarded with unusual care. Orders have been given for the use of the utmost discretion in granting admissions to court festi vities and ceremonials.

MARRIAGE LAWS IN"HUNGARY. [CENTRAL NEWS TELEGRAM,] BcDA-PEsrs, Saturday evening.—The Upper House to-day, after a long debate, rejected, by 200 votes to 191, the bill proposing to legalise marriages between Christians and Jews,

THE QUEBEC CABINET. [CENTRAL NEWS TELEGRAM.] QCEBEC, Monday Morning.—Mr Mason has declined the premiership of the Quebec Cabinet I on the ground of his ill-health. Dr. Ross has now been requested to form a Cabinet.

RUSSIAN DUTIES ON FOREIGN COAL. SERIOUS ROBBERIES. [CENTRAL NEWS TELEGRAM.] ST. PETERSBURG (via Insterburg), Sunday.— Tiie Municipality of Odessa has petitioned for the imposition of a duty on foreign coal. An extraordinary fraud has been discovered at the Petropaulovsky Convent, one of the richest in Little Russia. The convent possessed a large number of articles in gold and silver, and it has now been found that all these have been stolen and imitations in base metals substituted.—A. sum of 333,000 roubles has been stolen from a bank at Orenburg.

GREAT GALE IN CANADA. (REUTER'S TELEGRAM.) QUEBEC, Tuesday.—A violent gale passed over Comptoi), province of Quebec, to-day, destroying 60 buildings,

CANNABINK (AiLawoBTH's) IV Safe Cure,—Xh* VVORNS.— iuentt, ivq,, writes >- eminent dramatist, Paul painful corn •' .—"It completely cured a very painful corn •' .—"It completely cured a very nioiii# iong standing." Thousands of testi- No acids. No caustic. Harmless to the most tender skin. For medical a.nd other testimonials. see handbills. Beware of imitations. See that yon set Allsworth's "Cannahine." Price Is. Agents: M. Jones, chemist, 12 and 146, High-street, Swansea J. 1^1. Commercial-street, Newport Rode- rick Evans, chemist, Lampeter; J. p. Richards, chemist, Lammas-street, Carmarthen; or sent post f ■" -1.I- PrnnvSftf* 9i30. p, )

MR CHAMBERLAIN AT NEW- CASTLE. PROTECTION OF LIFE AT SEA. LIBERAL AND TORY POLICY CONTRASTED. SPEECHES ON SHIPPING LEGISLA- TION. Mr Chamberlain, President of the Board of Trade, had an enthusiastic reception at Newcastle on Tuesday night, when, in response to an invita- tion from the Newcastle Liberal Association, he delivered an address in the Circus. The right lion, gentleman, who is the guest of Dr. Robert Spence Watson, arrived at the Newcastle Station at a quarter past five o'clock, and was cheered by a crowd of some 3,000 or 4,000 persons, who had gathered at that point for the purpose of giving h:m a welcome to the north-eastern city. The meeting at the Circus was called for seven o'clock, but long before that hour every avadable s-^it in the building was occupied. Aft- Chamberlain was loudly cheered on taking his place upon the platform. The chair was taken by Dr. R. Spence Watson as president of the associ- ation, and among thl);;e by whom he was sup- ported on the platform were Mr J. •»!<ley, M.P., Mr J. C. Stevenson, M.P., f.nd »a number uf the leading Liberals of Newcastle. After an introductory speech by the Chairmen, in which Mr Chamberlain was ccurdcd a warm welcome to Newcastle, three a-:idrc-ises, one from J the Newcastle Liberal Assosiation, the see-j.id from the Northumberland Miners' Association, and the third from the miners of .Durham, were presented to the right hou. gentleman. Mr J. C. STEVKN.50N, M.P., then moved a resolution expressing tl.3 confidence of the meeting in Mr Chamberlain and ia the Govern- ment of which he was a member. Trie resolution was seconded by Mr Councillor RICHARDSON, and was carried by acclamation. Mr CHAMBERLAIN, who was greeted on rising with loud and prolonged cheering, expressed his gratitude to the people of Newcastle for the cor- dial reception given to him, and for the courtesy of the address just presented. Those addresses had not underrated h's desire to efficiently dis- charge his duties, and he was glad to recognise in them the same sentiment as prevailed in the great constituency he represented. Referring to his efforts to protect the rights and the lives of our seaman, he said the matter was one very near to hisheart. The loss of life at sea was appalling, 3,500 men Laving last year come to a premature end while performing their duties on the ocean. He had caused the strictest inquiries to be made as to the causes of these calamities and the circumstances under which they occurred, directing his investigations in every possible quarter, and he regretted to say that, as the re- sults ho heard fiom all sides, much of this loss was prevcntible. He invited the assistance and support of the people of Englaui generally, and especially those engaged in the shipping interest, to his endeavours to apply a remedy for this great evil. He acknowledged the heartiness of the support he had already received, and said it had helped to sustain him in the work he had to do. Alluding to the criticisms that had been directed against himself and the Government, he said^he had not come there to defend the Government against all the attacks to which it had been exposed, but he would ask the oldest Libeml present if he ever remembered. time when a Liberal Government was not charged with endeavouring to ruin the country ? Tory iu- vecti ve was, after all, only a proof that the Liberal Government were doing the duty they had been charged with on behalf of the people. It was, of course, impossible that with the best inten- tions mistakes should not be made; but he asked his audience whether the present Government were not honestly endeavour- ing to give effect to the national will. The Tories kept their own policy in the background, but, at the same time, did all they could to harass the Liberal Government, and render their task as difficult as possible. Turning to the state of Ireland, he reminded tho meeting of theextenttowhich crime and outrage had prevailed only a few years ago in Ireland, and asked whether the Government were not entitled to credit for the diminution that had been brought about in the crimes and outrages that had taken place in that country. If this were so, he hoped that country would recognise the efforts and the achievements of the Government, and give them credit for the good they had been able to effect. lIe contrasted the state of the tenantry of Ireland a short time since with the improved condition of things that had been brought about. This was the bright side of tiie picture, but there was unfortunately a darker side. He could not understand the motives of men who sought to widen the breach between the Government and the people, and who forgot the ordinary condi- tions of justice. He remarked that for the duties performed by Lord Spencer and the Irish execu- tive they were entitled to the sympathy and good wishes of the people, but the way in which they had been spoken of by a certain section of politi- cians was unfair, and like the poisoning of the wells or the firing of explosive bullets in actual warfare. He advised the Irish people to remember that the bulk of the English population were only animated by the warmest and best sentiments towards them. He deprecated the proceedings of the party in Ulster, who ought to have known better, but who seem to have been stimulated to sentiments of ferocity by the mild eloquence of the Tory leader. He assured the people, however, that the Government would steer between these difficulties with an even keel, and that they would not pause in their endeavours to secure for Irishmen ths same measure of justice as was meted out to Englishmen. They were told by Lord R. Churchill that the object of the Conser- vatives was to supplant the present Government by one that would have greater elements j of stability. For his part, he (Mr Chamberlain) doubted the staying powers of a Tory Government, whose past experience did not entitle them to be taken Oil trust. They had been distinguished throughout by a blind opposition to all reasonable reforms, and a. stupid obstinacy in urging coercion as the only remedy for the state of Ireland. Passing to another question, viz., that of Egypt, he declined to go back through the whole history of that subject, but stated that what hal happened fully justified the reluctance the present Government had evinced in the inter- vention they had undertaken. The Government had sought nothing for itself, but the fulfilment of its pledges had been delayed by unexpected cir- cumstances. If the Government were to accept the advice tendered to them by their opponents, he ventured to say that they would be lay- ing the foundation stone of a source of future dang-er. Tlw difficultv ill the Snudan was not, after all, a matter of absolute novelty, and it was to be hoped that the Egyptians would now be enabled to carry on the work of internal reform, for which the way hact so far been prepared. He did not think the problem put before us in Egypt was so hopeless as some politicians seemed to sup- pose. At any rate, the duty of the Government was clear. They must go forward with the work they had undertaken, but they must not withdraw any of the pledges and promises they hud given. He argued that the Tories had aggravated the difficulties of the situation in order to turn the attention of the people from home affairs. He for one sawncthing that could justify the Govern- ment in neglecting these home questions, one of which was that of the extension of the franchise. He denied that there was any apathy 011 the part of the people on this subject, and he challenged the Tory party to hold a meeting any where with a view of proving that there was any apathy "on the subject. If the people were tur- bulent, the Tories said they were. jjat fit- tha franchise if they wfere qiueC and orderly then they were said not to want it. He protested against the assumption of the Tories that redistri- bution and extension must necessarily be dealt with in the same session. In the counties of Northumberland and Durham the proportion of borough and county c electors was grossly unfair, being as one in eighteen against one in six. What, he asked, had the county householders done that they were to be excluded from the right given to borough householders, and conferred inAmeriea. aud at the Cape on negroes aud Kaffirs. The Tory argument was like that of the over- scrupulous debtor v/ho kept all his creditors' money in his pocket, because it was not convenient for him to pay 20s in the .6, and he was much too honourable to pay a penny less. Another stumbling-block in the way of the Tories was the question of Irelnnd". Ireland had the franchise given to it some time ago, but it had been in so grudging and parsi- monious a manner that it had been a cause of dis- content ever since. The Government were now asked to remove that discontent, and he did not believe that if they did so, and cauedalarger number of the people into the constitiui"ii, the character of the representation would be much changed. He did not believe that the Tories, had they to deal with the matter, would exclude Ire- land from the concession they would give to Eug- land and Scotland. What the Tories really wanted was to postpone the Government pro- posals with regard to England and Scotland, and he was afraid they asked for redistribution along with extension in orderthat both mightbe endangered. The general interest in politics grew every day, and the same expressed alarm at Liberal organisation, and denounced what they called the caucus as the machine. He was not surprised that the Tories should dislike the caucus, or that they should fail so miserably when they tried to imitated. For his part, he believed that the will of the people ought to be, and must be, supreme. The issue of this great question would soon bo in the people's hands. Government proposed, but the people decided, I and if they were as eager for liberty as their fore- fathers, who won for them the rights they now possessed, they in their turn would not rest nor falter till they had secured for their brethren in the counties the full privilege and gl ay of citizen- ship in this great and free empire, (Leud elisors.) A vote of thanks to the right hou. jvar.tleuian was proposed by Mr John Morlc.y, M,IJ,. aud carried with acclamation. NEWCASTLE, Wednesday.— To-day the Presi dent of the Board of Trade, Mr Chamberlain, was entertained at luncheon in the. County Hotel by j the Marine Association of the Rivers Tyne, Wear, and Tees, The chair was taken by Mr W, D. Stephens, president of the North of England Association, and amongst those present were Mr J. Morley, M.P., Mr Gourley, M.P., and Mr Stephenson, M.P. Mr CUAJIBERLAIN, in responding to the toast of Ins health, first thanked the meeting for the hearty welcome accorded to that hai h<»" —> ie.urtnt.mg #•»" uoo the greatest rsspect trie representatives of an industry iti which so much skill, ability, and enterprise were engaged, aud which had conferred so large an amount of glory on British commerce, he should not have been there as their guest, and he presumed that had they not confidence in his fair-mindedness and desire to do what was right, they would not have invited him to meet them. He wished to call attention to certain points resulting from recent discussions. He ) hoped they believed the BSard of Trade had no ;r>»-pi-<on to make any charge against the ship- ■ s 'L had carefully guarded himself against such general and unreasonable accusations. He had always 1 distinguished between the great majority of the shipping industry and the unscrupulous minority, and he hoped the sdiipo.vners would not from any mistaken esprit de. corps rdinw themsel\es to shelter the black sheep wbe must be found in all lar^e Wiies of the commit- nity. He invited their fullest criticism of the pro- posals of the Board of Trade, and to show that he had confidence in them he had asked for their assistance aud advice, in the belief that it was not only their duty but their interest to promote the success of all reasonable and just proposals. It certainly could not be to the interest of those con- ducting a great trade that they should be run off the Imes by run.crupnlo\1s competition. He had now got in the majority of the answers from.those interested in the shipping trade whom he had con- sulted, and he had given them careful considera- tion. They disclosed considerable differences of opinion boiween the shipowners and the Board of Trade, Mtd, at the same time equally important diverge..cies in the views of the shipowners them- selves. These differences were, however, chit-fly in mé:.t.teri3 of detail, find not in principle. He held it possible, after considering these criticisms, to propose legislation wbich, if not satisfactory to everybody, would, nevertheless, meet witil general approval. He was afraid from the general tone of the replies received that the shipowners were rather inclined to underrate the gravity of tho case. This assertion beinsr met with cries of I No, no," the right hon. gentleman said he hoped ho was wrong still he feared th"t many ship- owners were inclined to k..k on the Ius; of hie that took place, at sea r.s the inevitable incident of a dangerous profession. It tLereiore became necessary to see whether there was in this slate of necessary to see whether there was in Lhis slate of things a constitutional wrong tor WIJsh r. remedy was needed. He had said that the total loss of life at sea was appalling, and no 0.1-0 could deny the Ltet, But he had addod that a large propor- tion of that loss was preventable. This state- ment beinsr received with. cries of No, no," and question, the rigid, hon. gentleman went on to say that 113 was speaking to the question, and added that these two statements had been misapprehended in many quarters. It was said they amounted to a charge ot murder against the shipowners, a charge lie should n. t have been silly or unjust enough to make. He did not believe there existed a man so utterly lost to every sentiment of right as to bo capable of sending a ship to sea with the ddiLeräte i ltentiorl of drowning tiie sailors but he ù. j charge the minority of the shipowners with great neglect of precautions which the majority deemed necessary. This was not an invidious charge; it was one that was traceable in a great portion of the legis- lation of the country. In tho ease of the rail- ways, as also in those of the factories and work- shops in the country, and iti its mines, the legislature had felt it necessary to provide specific enactments for the protection of the passengers and workmen and the country generally had been benefitted thereby. As to the question— Was the loss of life at sea prevcntible ?— he referred his audience to Mr Dunlop, who in the pamphlet he had written on the subject, had excluded from consideration all cases of log- ex- cept from ships foundering and missing. lie (Mr Chamberlain) could not accept this view. it was not in his opinion a fact that losses by foundered and missing ships were the only ones due to pre- vcntible causes. Last year eleven hundred British lives were lost at sea in cases not duo to these causes, and many were undoubtedly pre- veutible. He would suppose a case in which the men of the watch were swept by a heavy sea from the deck of an overloaded vessel, or one in which a vessel was stranded through want of care in the selection of a captain or a ease in which I a collision ensued because the captain of a vessel was obeying orders to make a quick voyage, and, consequently, ran his ship at too great a speed during a fog. In all these instances the 1)8' would be due clearly to prevcntible causes. As to the foundering and missing class of losses at sea, Mr Dowson stated that they had increased from 33 to 51 per cant.; while lILr Rothery, chief of the Wreck Com- mission, had reported that one half of tho losses at sea were due to preventible causes. The object of the Government was to assist every shipowner who wished that the voyages of his ships should bo performed safely. It was not intended to alter that provision j which limited the shipowner's liability to £8 per ton, but it was intended to apply to shipping the provisions of the Employers' Liability Act. As to insurance, he should propose to assimilate the law regulating the marine with that of the land assurance but it was not intended that ship- owners should be prevented from insuring' the full amount of the loss they might sustain. It was also a part of his proposals to establish local marine courts, which scorned to meet with general acceptance. The right hon. gentleman defended the proposal to appoiui a Board of .Trade official as a necessary officer, 'and oue who, as the ship- owners would also be represented, could not fairly be objected to by them. If it were thought the tribunal should be strengthened, ha should be glad to give effect to that desire. It was further intended to establish a court of marine commis- sioners, but if his 1 reposal on this head were ob- jected to he would withdrawn. Beyond this he proposed to appoint a committee to ad visa the Board of Trade, and the bill in which those pro- posals would be ctabodied wüul1 bo presented at the earliest possible un ment. IIo should then ask the House of Commons to refer the bill to a grand committee, on which he hoped to see the shipowners largely represented. Some other toasts followed. Subsequently Mr Chamberlain, after making a tour of inspection of the Liberal Club premises in Pilgrim-street, declared the building open to the members. The chair during the ceremony was occupied by Mr J. Havelock. At the banquet given in the Town-hall in the evening, the Earl of Durham in the chair, Mr CHAMBERLAIN, in responding to the toast of his health, said the [position of the Government was never better. Tho members of the Ministry were thoroughly united ia the objects they had at heart, and the methods by which they hoped to carry them into effect. He belonged to that section of the party which was the most numerous, and, he believed, the most powerful but he should bo most ungrateful if he did not recognise the services of the representatives of tho: J great Whig families who had trusted the people and espoused their interests, a.nd who had on so many occasions led them to victory. Having paid a high compliment to Lord Durham, ho quoted from a speech in which the grandfather of the noble earl had said it was the duty of a wise statesman to examine the objects which the people had in view and were determined to obtain, and when satis- fied of their justice to concede them without being forced into their adoption. What he asked, was it that distinguished English politics from those on the Continent? It was that here the people never wanted leaders who occupied the highest position in the land, and that consequently there never had been those divisions among tho different sections of the com- munity which were found iucolllmental countries. There were, however, some who if they had their way would stop all this. They ware trying to teach the men of wealth and posi- tion that they could not be Radicals, and that it was inconsistent for men of rank to load the Liberal party. If they suc- ceeded, then lie thought there would be a real danger to social order a gulf between rich r-nd poor which it might bo difficult to bridge over. On one side the advocates of reform would spring from the lower orders, and if, on the other, the aristocracy banded together in resistance to the popular will, he would predict that when a change did come it would ba in the shape of revolution, and not in the peaceful guise of reform. (Cheers.) The Liberals, he said, had endeavoured to make property more scarce by depriving its possessors of invidious privileges, and trying to enforce obi "Cations which ought to rest on all who owned It. They sought to make is easy for every man to acquire property by i!i" own Cji,tT'i1i<i,.s. bti- Iieving that the multiplication of owners of the soil would add to the security of its possession. There were some Liberals who thought the ten- dency of this legislation dangerous. He would say to them, let them not bo deceived. When the Government represented only a class, and that class a privileged minority,lit was natural that all outsiders should look at its acts with suspicion, and should try to limit its authority and func- tions. But in proportion as it had represented the people at large, so might it bo trusted by the nation. In this case the Government would become the servant instead of the master of the people, and by this means the community could do for itself things impossible for individual units. The right hon. gentleman concluded by proposing Prosperity to the Newcastle Libaral Association." This was responded to by the Vice-president of the association, and the proceedings shortly afterwards terminated.

THROAT IRRITATION AND COCGH. — Soreness an;l dryness, tickling and irritation, iutlueing cough aJd affecting tile voice. For these synui- tonn USi) Kpps's Glycerine In}ubes, In contact with the glands at the moment they are ex- cited by the act ûf suckilil{, the Glycerine in these 8-gre.ealde confections becomes actively healing. Sold ollly in boxes, 7iand tins Is ljd, labelled James Ef.ps and Co., Homoeopathic Chemists, A letter received: Gentlemen,-It may, perhaps, interest yon to know that, after all extende¡! trial, I have found your Glycerine Jujubes of consider- able beneiit (with or without medical treatment) in almost all forms of throat disease. They soften and clear the voice.—Yours fatthfuiiy- Gordon Holmes, M.D., Senior Physician to the Municipal. Throat and Ear Infirmary."—In Cardiff Epps's Medicines are sold by W. Jones, 6, Duke-slreet; and Treiierne & Back Bute Docks. 10335—65^72 ADVICE TO MOTHERS !—Are you broken in your rest hy a sick child suffering with the pain of CHttine teeth ? Go at once to a chemist and get a bottle of MRS WINSI.OW'S SOOTHING SYJWP, It will relieve the poor sufferer immediately. It is perfectly harmless, anti plea.sant to taste, it produces natural quiet sleep by relieving the child frum pa.in, and the little cherub a wakes as bright as a. button.' It soothes thechttd, it softens the gnms, allaY3 rtU pain, relieves wind, regulates the bowels, and is the best-known remedy for dysentery and diarrhea, whether arising from teethingor other causes. 1'.11'8 Winslow's Soothing Syiup is sold by Medicines dealers everywhere at Is lAtl per bottle Kurops3-" denoi r^lcT^d to 33, Fa,rr!«2don-roa«l, hon don. "• 1470 VALUABLE DISCOVERY FOI; TITS HAIR.—IF your hair is turi'.ii'g ere/ or whit#, or falling off, use'-The Mexican Hair ilenewer." for it '■ will positively restore in every case grey or white hair" to its original colour, without Ie iving the disagreeable smell (If most res, torers. It makes the hair charmingly beautiful as wcU as promoting the growth of the hair 0:1 balil .spots where tile glands are not decaved. Ask your chemist for "Tne MEXICAN HAIR KEN-EWER.' Sold by chemists and perfumers at os 6d per bottle. Wholesale depot removed to 33, Farringdon-road, London. 165 W9 SCIATICA, Rheumatism, Tic-Doloreux, Tooth I ache, Pain? m the Jfaco'atjd Gums^are onjckly relieved by READK'S NERV £ PILLS', a'touic^mfdiciiio. actn- the nerves. The only care, to .<wus.«r.j ^nown aTviu* 'remedies have'failed. 13id and 2s Super box. lteade Bros, aud Co., Wolverhampton. A"ent for Cardiff—Mr Anthony Messrs Coleman and Co., Chemists, High-stieet; Mr Joy: and Mr Munday Duke-street. 231 28W A NEW DISCOVERY.No «ore Badly-fittm Artificial Teeth.—Artificial Teeth, modelled by the newly-discovered process, to be obtained only of tho i Inventor, at the following addresses :—The Bristol and West of England«Artificial Teeth Manufactory, 6, Clare-street, Bristo daily attendance; 18, New Bond- street, Bath, on Mondavs, Wednesdays, and Fridays 71, White Ladies-road, Clifton, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. O'd sets and badly-fitfcins cases re- modelled. Every case guaranteed by Mr WEAVER, Surgeon Dentist." A tooth from 5s new spring, 2s 6d extractions, Is. Repairs while WiifcUJg. Established i* "ic* /• 1L. —-

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE, It is announced that Mr Somerset, of Lorn, has consented to contest Glasgow in the Con- servative interest at the next general election. j Two men named Eustace and Keep quarrelled on Saturday night in some fields near Maiden- head about 2d. Keep stabbed Eustace, who lies in a precarious condition. The adjourned inquest on the bodies of the seven men killed by the falling of a bridge at Co; pull, near Wigan, on the 6th inst., concluded 011 Monday. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased were accidentally killed by the premature falling of the bridge. At Northampton on Monday, Charles Wood- ford, shoe manufacturer, was committed for trial on the charge of defrauding his creditors. After his arrest, som3 weeks since, prisoner cut his throat, and was only sufficiently recovered to be charged on Monday. At Darrow Colliery, near Barnsley, on Monday afternoon, Samuel Wilson, a collier, and his hurrier, named Croft, were making their way to I the shaft, after completing their day's work, when some cross bars supporting the roof gave way, and knocked them both down. Wilson was killed on the spoi", and Croft was injured. A comet was seen on Monday evening at Nev^gisse, about eight o'clock, by fishermen in the Eogfish Channel. One of them writes Its nucleus, which was occasionally obscured by dark clouds, appeared to be about the dimensiuns of one of the inferior planets. In its trajectory motion it would appear to b3 passing due north." Two women named Gray and Warren, and a man named Taif;in, were remanded at Liverpool, on Tuesday, on suspie'ou of causing the death of Richard Russell, naval pensioner, llusseil visited a house of iU-fams kept by the female prisoners, having £14 in his possession. lIe was afterwards found in the street, unconscious, and died from injuries to the head. All his money was gone. On Saturday night an alarming fire broke out at I Perry Hall, near Birmingham, the seat of the lIon. A. C. G. Calthorpe, brother of Lord Calthorpe, and at one time it threatened to destroy this very fine old hall. The fire broke out in the east wing, which is occupied by the servants, and the Aston lire brigade, who were sent for, found this part of the hail in flames. They managed to confine the flames tu that portion, but it was two hours before the flames were subdue. During a football match 0:1 Saturday afternoon, between the Walsall Swifts and the Smallheath Alliance (Birmingham), played oil the ground of the latter, a serious accident occurred to Arthur James, one of the Smallheath Alliance forwards, the young man bsiug knocked down and receiving dangerous internal injuries. Play was immedi- ately stopped. Twelve months since the unfortu- nate player met with a similar accident, from which his life was in danger for several days. At Banwell, near Weston-super-Mare, on Sun- day, two young men named Phillips and Richards hul an altercation in the street. Phillips wis removed by his friends, and Richards was driven by the crowd towards a millpond, iato which, it is alleged, l o WAS thrown. He reached a small island in die centre of the pond, where he was desired to remain until a boat was procured, but h3 proceeded to swim for the opposite bank, cot entangled in weeds, and was drowned. One young man has been apprehended. At a conference of the Lancashire cotton manu- facturers, held at Manchester, on Tuesday, it was resolved to continue the struggle with the weavers for a 5 per cent reduction in wages. A number of employers volunteered to reduce the wages who had not already done so, and others expressed their willingness to stop their looms. It is ex- pected that the result of Tuesday's decision will be the stoppage of about six thousand additional looms at Blackburn. A shocking accident happened on Saturday in the buildings in course of erection at Sheffield for the Gladstone Liberal Club. The steam crane was being worked by John Hudson when it got out of gear. Hudson immediately applied the brake, and caused such a jerk to the load being hoisted as to cause one of the stays of the crane to snap, and the whole machinery came toppling down. Hudson was caught between the crane and an iron girder. Both his legs were cut clean off. He died after removal to the hospital. The clerk ot" the works had a narrow escape. A largely-attended meeting of the creditors of Mr Morris Ranger, the cotton speculator, was held on Monday afternoon, to consider an offer of composition. The debtor offered to purchase the estate at a sum which would pay a composition of 6J in the £ A claim of £ 114-,000' by his brother was postponed, and another of £165,000, by a Mr Taylor, was disputed, these amounts being left out of the composition. After a long discussion, an amended offer was made of 9J in che £ —6d now avid 31 in 12 months, secured by the debtor's promissory i.oic. This offer was accepted, and it was resolved that the debtor should have his dis- charge on these terms. At a meeting of the committer of the Farmers.' Alliance, held in London on Monday, Mr Bor- laso, M.P., presiding, it was resolved that the many deficiencies in the Agricultural Holdings Act render further legislation imperatively neces- sary. A resolution was also P¡1.cÜ in favour of a measure granting the Privy Council ample powers to entirely prohibit the importation of foreign live animals 110111 countries where foot-and-mouth disease exists, and to amend the act of 1873 in other particulars. Mr Borlase, M.P., and Mr James Howard, M.P., were deputed to draft a bill. The annual diunei of the alliance was fixed for February 4th, at the Holborn Restaurant, London. On Saturday morning a fire broke out on board the steamer Clutha, of Grangemouth, at present lying in the Grangemouth Dock. A watchman observed smoke issuing from the mate's cabin in the fore part of the vessel, and immediately raised the alarm. The five was soon got under, but on entering the cabin the body of a man was found lying at the foot of the stair. It was found to be that of Denis M'Carthy, aged 30 years, a native of Sheemess, engaged as an able seaman on board the vessel. On going on board Oil Friday night he had lighted a lire, and the stove becoming over- healed, the woodwork of the cabin had been ignited. When found the body was charred almost beyond recognition. The damage to the steamer is slight. The coroner for South Bucks held an inquest on Monday at Bourne-end on the body of James Wise, aged 53. Deceased, a cowkeeper, lived in the house with his step-daughter, who is married to a paper-maker, named James Rose. The two men were upon bad terms, and on Saturday even- ing Rose, while drinking in a public-house, was told that Wise was making a disturbance at home. Rose took a heavy stick Iron) another man and left, saying he would see what the old man was made of. Shortly afterwards Mrs Wise heard a noise of quarrelling,und on going into the back pre- mises found her husband lying dead and Rose standing near him. Medical evidence showed that death was attributable to a violent blow be- hind the right ear.—The jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against Rose, and he was com- mitted for trial at the assizes. Henry Locke Upham, aged 21, was brought up on Saturday at the County Magistrates' Office, Bath, charged with the attempt to murder his father and brother on Thursday evening at Cor- ston Villa, near Bath.—From the evidence of P.C. Henry Mansfield, it appears that he was called at nine (.'clock in the evening to Corston Villa, the residence of Mr H. Upham, a gentle- man of independent means. He saw Mr Upham lying on a sofa bleeding from a ghastly wound of about two inches and a half long on the left side of the neck under the left ear. There was also a very severe cut 011 the right hand part of which wa.s hanging down, and one 011 the back of the head, and two cuts on the back .of the left hand. He was bleeding very much, and his coat and shirt were very much staioad. He took the caUar (prulHC?'!) from Iils 'neck. Mr Upham was engaged making his wilb From a com- munication he made witness went into the kitchen, where he saw his son, Benjamin, who was sitting in a chair. There was a cut about au inch and half long and three-quarters of au inch wide on the right side of his neck. There was also a wound under his cheek bone. He gave witness a razor (produced), which was very much stained with wet blood. Dr Terry, of Bath, and Dr Wig- more, of Tiverton, came while witness was there. He arrested the prisoner, who was sitting down quietly in a chair by the fireside. He seemed ex- cited, and his legs were covered with mud, and the breast, shoulder, and back of his coat with blood stains. There was blood upon his face and necktie and muffler. After he had been charged, he went quietly with witness to the police-station, Weston. He was handcuffed, and was in a faint- ing condition in the cart in which he took him. He had to be carried into the station. Major Allen remanded the prisoner. The outrage has caused great sensation at Bath and in the neighbourhood. On Monday afternoon an extraordinary scene was enacted in the Caledonian road, London, aud its neighbourhood, in connection with the funeral of an aged woman, named Mary Itobiuson, who was well known not only in Islington and St. Pancras, by the title of the "Queen of the Coster- iuongers," but throughout the metropolis. Mary Robinson, who had resided at 137, Bemerton- street, Caledonian-road, at one time used to have a stall in Somers Town, and of late years had been a vendor of cats'-nieat. Itis stated tliatshe amassed a great fortune, being worth IW less than £60,000, It was her custom to lend to coster- mongers money on Fridays and Saturdays to go to market with, they paying her for tho loan a shilling in the pound. The deceased was a most eccentric character. She paid, soma 20 years ago, to Mr Frank Sharman, of Caledonian-road, jS20 for her funeral expenses. Owing to the rumour that the deceased in her will had ordered that her remains should be carried to their last resting- place by four men wearing white smocks, and that 24 young women should follow wearing violet or purple dresses, Paisley shawls, hats with white feathers in them, and white aprons that there was to be £ 20 spent in drink at certain public- houses she named, by the costeriiiongers, and that there was to be a band of music in attendance, some thousands of persons congregated in Bemer- ton-street,, along the Caledonian-road, and the route the procession was to take to Finchley Cemetery. So great, indcei, was the concourse of people that it blocked the whole traffic for the time being, and in gpnie cases persons paid for windows to seo the" procession" pass by. The police, under the direction of Inspector Tucker, of the Y division, had a m'st difficult tasls to keep the space clear'so as to alloc the funeral proces- sion, when it did start, to r.long. The coffin, which was of handsome pushed oak, bore- a brass plate, with^the_ iusci.'otioi), JiMarv p/j!;iusoii, aged" Yl; died Jan. 1. 1884. It was reported that the corpse was dressed in white satin, and that round the head was a handsome wreath. A funeral car contained the coffin, which was completely covered with expensive wreaths and crosses. There were, besides the relatives and near friends of the deceased, who followed in the mourning carriages, a. great number of pony-carts, donkey-barrows, and cabs, aU being overfilled with costermongers, whilst hundreds followed on foot to the Finchley Cemetery, where the deceased was buried in her family grave. The scene, which was a strange one, caused a great deal of excitement. The deceased, it was said, left a sum of £10 to be spent in drink, and 10s for pipes and tobacco after the interment. The money was afterwards iu the uiaawer indicated by the deceased _>1 i. -r A fire broke out on Tuesday at the Auchwnrthy Pr.pcr Mills,Warkwich, Fife-shire, belonging to Ii. Tullis and Company, by which 600 tons of esparto grass, valued at between £4-,000 and £5,000, were destroyed by fire or spoiled by water. The inquest on the body of the young Orange- man, Gifiin, was concluded atOmagh 011 Tuesday. The jury returned a verdict of "Death from peritonitas, resulting from a wound inflicted by a policsman atDromore." An Alexandria telegram says —A serious accident has occurred in tho Suez Canal. An English steamer, the Mameluke, having touched one of the Imiks, has sunk near Elguiio, and the Canal will be completely blocked for several days. A train, composed of an engine and two carriages, ran off the line between Stokes Bay and Fareham on Tuesday, and ploughed up the permanent way for some distance. It ran into the bank. The engine driver and two passengers were injured. On Tuesday afternoon Sir Frederick and Lady Perkins were driving in their brougham up Fleet-street, when the horse suddenly fell. The coachman was thrown to the ground, but the occupants of the carriage escaped without injury, The Press Association is informed that the Government of India has bought up nearly the whole of the pottery and fine art specimens in the Calcutta exhibition in order to provide models [or schools of design, which it is intended to establish in all parts of India. A Liverpool solicitor having forwarded to her Majesty a copy of his lecture, entitled Queen Victori,I," ha" received tiie following, dated Osborne, January 12th :—" Sir Henry i'ousonby presents his compliments to Mr Pierce, and is commanded by the Queen to thank him for the c»py of his lecture upon Queen Victoria which lie has had the loudness to send to her Majesty." While demolishing some, old buildings in South- ampton-row, London, on Tuesday, some workmen discovered at the rear of No. 54, Devonshire-street two skulls and other bones, which the workmen think cannot have been buried more than two years, the quicklime being fresh on them. The occupant of the house named says she was not eware of the bones being buried there. The police are making inquiries. At the adjourned inquest, held 011 Tuesday, at Newton, on the body of Jessie Loveridge, aged twelve months, who was drowned by her mother in an old clay pit, a verdict of wilful murder against Mrs Loveridge was returned. The prisoner committed the deed after a quarrel with her bus- band, and also attempted to drown herself. She has been committed for trial by the magistrates. A dastardly outrage has been perpetrated on a labourer named Brooks. He went to Ireland a short time since and returned to Sheffield with £160 which bad been left him. It is believed he communicated this fact to some companions, who followed him into a quiet street, threw snuff in his eyes, and robbed him. Two men are ln custody. DUBLIN, Tuesday.—This morning Peter Wade, aged 22, was executed in Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, for the murder of an old man named Patrick Quinn. The weather was damp, and only about 50 persons assembled to watch the hoisting of the black fl.tg. The executioner was Binns, alld the press were not admitted. Wade walked firiniy to the scaffold, and died without a struggle. He was most devout. The scaffold was the same as that used for the Invincibles. On Tuesday afternoon a marble statue of William Wilberforce, the. Emancipator, was pre- sented to the Hull Corporation by Mr Henry Briggs, steamship owner, and formerly sheriff of the town. The ceremony took place at the Town hall in the presence of a large representative gathering. The statue was unveiled by Bishop Wilberforce, a grandson of the Liberator, who pointed out that the example of Wilberforce should animate them in struggling with the self- imposed slavery of the drink, which was worse than the slavery of the body. Reginald Slaughter, a painter, aged 21, was charged at West Ham police-court, on Wcdnes- daj', v.'ith shooting at Catherine Pole 021 Tuesday evening at Forest Gate. Miss Pole deposed that the prisoner had been keeping company with her, but that the engagement had been broken off on Monday. The prisoner met her outside Mary- land Point Station on Tuesday evening, and fol- lowed her, firing two shots from a revolver. Pri- soner, when searched at the police-station, had a note-book with the entry—" Kitty Pole has been a true lover to me. She was shot by me." There followed the date. Prisoner was remanded. At r.n inquest held in Birmingham, on Satur- day, respecting the death of Martha Lloyd, who was fatally stabbed in the abdo- men by her husband under circum- stances already reported, the coroner's jury returned a verdict of "Wilful murder." Upon the verdict being given the murdered woman's brother and several other friends rushed to the prisoner, and most affectionately embraced him, and expressed the deepest sympathy for him. Superintendent Sheppard removed the handcuffs from the prisoner's wrists immediately before the painful parting, and afterwards replaced the same. The accused stabbed his wife oa Sunday last through her not having kept an appointment with him, and afterwards surrendered stating that he had murdered the woman. A few minutes later he was in the deepest grief, and upon being taken to his house, shook hands with his wife and kissed her. On Thursday the woman stated to some friends that she expected to be well enough to attend before the magistrates on Monday, and ask them to allow her husband bail. BKADFOKD (Pennsylvania), Tuesday.- A shock- ing accident occurred to-day on the Bradford, Boruell, and Kinzua Railway. A stifiam of waste oil flowing from a tank across the railway track caught firo as a. passenger train ran into it, and the train was in a moment enveloped in fl-imes. The passenger car was filled with people, who made a rush for the doors at each end of th3 carriage. The heat from the burning oil was, however, so intense that they were driven back, and had to jump through the windows, landing fortunately in the snow. The train, in a mass of flame, ran on for some distance down the moun- tain side before it could be stopped, and by that time the fire had gained a complete hold on the carriages. Both the passenger coach and the baggage cars were eventually almost completely consumed. Though the majority of the passen- gers escaped, three women were burned to death, and sixteen people were injured, most of them from burns. Some are badly hurt. At the time of the accident the track was for a hundred yards covered with oil, and it is supposed that the gas emanating from it came into contact with the fire-box, the result being au explosion which ignited the oil. A largely attended meeting of commanding officers of volunteer regiments was held on Monday at the Horse Guards, summoned by General Higginson, commanding the Home District-, to communicate to them a letter he had received from H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge on the subjeet of the Easter Monday review. The proceedings were private, but the Press Associa- tion understands that the commander-in-chief conveyed in his letter his opinion that a volunteer force would derive more useful instruction if, in- stead of holding one large review at Brighton, the force were divided into three divisions of from 5.000 to 7,000 each, with their brigade-generals and staff, and that each division hold a review at Aldershot, Portsmouth, and Shornclilte, or Dover. Before, however, deciding on the subject, his Royal Highness desired that General Higginson should lay the subject before the officers commanding the metropolitan corps for their consideration, and report specially to him the result. The Duke had knowledge that volunteers looked forward to amusement and i holiday as well as a review on Easter. Monday. He hoped, in conclusion, the officers would not consider his remarks except in the light of sugges- tions. The volunteer oificers subsequently held a meeting to consider the matter, and the result will be communicated to General Higginson in few days. After a very eventful voyage from New York, extending over exactly a mouth, a day and a half only of which was performed under steam, the rest under canvas, aided by towing from the Irish coast, the White Star liner Celtic arrived safely in the Mersey at noon on Tuesday, along with the sister ship Britannic, which picked her up 500 miles from the Irish coast. The captain of the Celtic reports that when the steamer's shaft broke, she was 487 miles from Sandy Hook. There was no excitement among the passengers, and he made up his mind to ask any steamer to tow him back to New York. The Gellert which spoke to them on December 22nd, refused to do this, but offered to take off the passengers. This was impossible, owing to the increasing gale and snowstorms. Twenty-four hours after this they were driven south-east 100 miles, and on the 24tii found themselves in the middle of the Gulf Stream. The great object now was to get north again, so that they might either be picked up or reported. From December 16th to the 25th thoy knockcd about, making little progress. On the the 29th they encountered a terrible gale, and spoke a Cunard steamer, and subse- quently other vessels, till they were picked up by the Britannic 011 the morning of January 12th, 500 miles from Queenstown. The captain denies that the cabin passengers were forced t( take to salt provisions, there being plenty of fresh, even at the conclusion of the eventful voyage. During the time the steamer was under canvas she behaved admirably, and he emphatically denies the reported breaking a way of the vessel's sails. They carried her all through the stormy and eventful trip. A fire which took place in tha house of Mr Thomas Jackson, baker, in Great Ancoats-street, shortly before midnight, on Monday, resulted in the death of two children and serious injury to two other persons. The family lived in a room above the shop, and consisted of Mr Jackson and his wife, two children, and a servant girl named Tunbridge. The girl went upstairs shortly before midnight, and it is supposed was drawing off some benzine for a lamp, and, striking a match, the benzine took fire and set the girl's clothes in a blaze, and also set fire to the landing at the top of the stair, the entrance to the children's bedroom. Mr Jackson, hearing the girl's screams, rushed upstairs, and the girl, with her clothes on fire, fell into his arms, and in trying to put out the flames he himself was badly burnt, Meanwhile the fire had extended. The door of the children's room was in a blaze, and some clothes behind the door were 011 fire. The lire, however, did not reacty the bed, and if the children had remained in it they would have escaped unhurt, but they naturally became alarmed, aud tried to get out through the win- dow, and failing, it is supposed they attempted to pass through the burning doorway. They were afterwards taken out of the room by some men, when it was found that both were badly burned, All four sufferers were removed to the Manches- ter Royal Infirmary, and the fire was subdued bei"re much damage had been done to the build- ing. v AJ -the infirmary it was seen that the injuries of u.'I foUt, patients were serious, the children being tu? worst. About two o'clock on Tuesday morning tr»C *?irl died, and the boy suc- cumbed about eight Vo^ck. Mr Jackson and the servant remain at the iiUuiu^ryj both of them n a precarious condition. EUREKA EUREKA EUREKA -4 The cheapest house in the West of England and South Wales for Mouldings, Glass, Backboards, Oleographs, Prints, &c., is at Epstein's, 33, Broacl-street, Bristol, Wholesale and Hetail Picture and Show-card Frame Manufacturer. Trade price list sent free on apnlica- tion. Country orders punctually attended to. N.B.— Show tfvrds, pictures. &>| 99 frbe Sliorte,

THE CHILDREN'S HO UP, COLUMN FOR GIRLS AND BOYS. BY MAGGIE SYMINGTON. Between the dark and the daylight, When the night is ù3giulliu.s to lower, Cume8 a pause in the day's occupation, That is known as the Children's Hour. LotvjUUoi! AT AFTERNOON TEA—LOUT CLASSES TilE AIii;.>TLETOE DOUGH SCHOOf. COMPOSITIONS — ABOUT THE KU3IIXI2—A BLUE-fiiJAHD —MirfREFl'.KSKNTATIONS — SEI.IM'S UTTLE PAKT—EASTERN MAGNIFICENCE— PRINCE KHAN AND THE OLD NORFOLK WOMA.N' — NONSENSE CHAT—Till-: LKTTEE BuX—TAMING CANARIES—DRIED WILD FLO WE US —ACROSTIC ANSWERS—IJ111ZK HNIGMA. Good stories often tra-nsnira over afternoon tea. The other day I made one of a little party of ladies iil as pretty a drawing-room as you eouid see allY- where and, as the cup circuiated, many amusing incidents of village life crept out. The young ladies, having abundance of leisure, are accus- tomed to spend a great deal of it in trying to im- prove some of the village lads atid lasses. Amongst other plans of this kind, they hold, several times a week, what we familiarly term Lout Classes, in other words a night school for village hobbledehoys of sixteen years or so. Shortly before Christmas the story of "The Mistletoe jjoug-h" was told the boys at one of these classes by one of the young ladies, and then the lads had to write the story iu their own words from memory as au exercise in composition. One of these versions of the old story, read by the young lady, in the true Norfolk dialect, was inimitable. I do not know whether it will make you laugh as much as it did n:e. I give it you word for word as the lad wrote it :— It was Christmas night. It was a very old castle where the girl was married, and all sorts of games and feasting was going on, and the bride was tired of playing, so she said to her lover, Be sure you come and find me.' They looked and looked everywhere, so her husband said, She is gone she must be drowned or killed. Oh, my love where art thou ?' So the people sa d, Ah you thought you would get married young, and now you've lost your love.' And years rolled on, and they looked in a very old box of mIle, and there found his love, nothing but a skeleton, all wasted away to nothing but dust. She got in there and thought she could get out, but it done up with a spring, and she could not get out, and so she could neither scream out nor open the lid, and she got suffocated to death." After all, this is better than what passed as composition in a much higher school. The sub- ject given was The Ermine." Here is what two of the pupils wrote;- "The Ermine.—Iain not able to say exactly what this means; but, as I must write something about it, I think it means a King's cloak. We often hear it said that such and such a man was worthy to wear the ermine. Now, I think I will stop, as I have nothing more to say about it." The Ermine.—The ermine is not a common animal, because things made of ermine fur are generally expensive. But they must bi3 very beautiful creatures, with their pure white bodies dotted evenly with black spots. Some of them must grow to be very large, for their skin is made into cloaks and other garments. I once saw a play with a queen in it. It was by Wil- liam Shakespeare, the greatest writer of his day, and the Queen wore a long train all made of an ermine." Now, my pets, which of you can send me a truer and better account of the ermine than this? Be quick and correct in all, some of you. These facts (?) are worthy to be placed beside some stdl more amusing ones, communicated to me once by some ignorant little nieces, who declared that merino was a hard substance found in the Isle of Portland, and that maccaroni grew 011 trees in the East Indies. All, well! the best of us make mistakes sometimes. One of the most successful of our Christmas Holiday amusements has been a little burlesque Ji/is-repre.sehtation of Blue Beard, in three acts, for the entertainment of the village church choir —consisting of about forty girls, boys, young women, and young men. The amusing of them after the supper hospitably given to them by the vicar, was put into our hands. Things done in a hurry are not always the best, but for the assist- ance of other busy people I will tell you how very little trouble it cost us to give great pleasure. To burlesque anything is always easy, when a more serious performance would bo impossible III the time given. Our little play was only thought of on Monday, decided upon on Tuesday, learnt, rehearsed, with songs and choruses, practised, and performed on Friday night. The characters introduced were Blue Beard, Fatuua., Sister Anne, and Selim-the representative brother, who in this case was a pretty little girl of seven years; the incongiuity of seeing her rush. m at the last and despatch our tall Blue Beard with her drawn sw.rd was delicious. At the last of the rehearsals she did her little portion so capitally that mother said, Darling, only do it as well to-night, and I will give you a, penny." I'd rather do it for six- pence," promptly replied our mercenary little Selim. :Ollr Bine Beard, I must tell you, was an Eton schoolboy, whose natural disposition has not so much as a hair from the Blue Beard in it. We did our best to get him gruff and ferocious (I do wish it were as difficult a matter to get any boy to be rude and rough), but filially decided that an amiable and benignant Blue Beard would be in this case not only a change, but an improve- ment. Nothing could have been better than our Blue Beard in my estimation, and as soon as ever I can find time 1. mean to write a vindication of the character of Blue Beard, and clear it from the stain cast upon it by generations of nursery readers. What if he did decapitate his wives, surely he may have done it from benevolent motives and in a kindly manner. And if lie did haner up their heads by the hair in a row in a closet, as we showed them to our thrilled and eager audience, possibly he was moved by affec- tion and remorse to preserve them in that man- ner The resources of three establishments were ransacked to make up the costumes, and tb3 re- sult was & blaze and glitter of almost more than Eastern magnificence, which delighted the spec- tators equally as much as tha acting. Preceding this little play, we had a performance with the Turkish Dwarf, which, you know, is composed of two people, one being the head and feet, and the other the hands. The head is dressed to look as Turkish as possible, with jewelled scar- let and white turban, dark eyebrows, and droop- ing moustache, long earrings (two or three bangles looped within ea<:h other are effective), and all the jewellery in the way of brooches and necklets that can be procured and worn. The second person must be hidden by falling crim- son curtains; the hands only being seen, which are thrust through the sleeves of the embroidered white night-dress worn by the dwarf. Mustapha Bustapha Ali Khan, the name by which the dwarf may be introduced, is not supposed to speak, therefore he must have someone to speak for him and introduce him. Our showwoman was a lady who so utterly disguised herself as art old Norfolk woman that even her most intimate friends hardly recognised her until she spoke. She introduced her little Turkish proUg^, and put fortune-telling questions to him in the Norfolk dialect, which was most amusing. The more effective, showy, and absurd an impromptu enter- tainment of this kind can be made the better. You will think that I have nothing but non- sense talk for you this week, my pets; well, I shall have so many serious things to chat to you about by-and-by that we will take a little non- sens i and be glad of it while we can get it. THE LETTER BOX. Dear Madam,—Nov.' that the toys you so kindly sent are all distributed, I aui sure your young friends, who helped to give so much pleasure to our children. wilt be glad to hear how their efforts were appreciated. Theie were so many pretty things, I find some diffi- cully 10 selecting any for especIal notice, but a beauti- ful scrap book, made b Isabel Johnson, a<;ed fourteen, has been untversally admired, and I am keeping it to lend t.) some sick children, when occasion arises and they are in the infirmary. There was a doll also, which attracted much attention, and a set of furniture made of white kid, which is a marvel d n at work- manship. "t hope the contributor. who must have worked so haret to send us such a nice box of presents, will be repaid for all their trouble by the knowledge that they helped to make Christinas a v^ry haupy time to our little children. Again thanking yon very heartily, I remain, yonrs faithfully, M. 13EUKELEY. IJanstead, Kps- m. Dear Aunt Maggie,—I read the Children's Hour every week, and take gi'eat pleasure in it. I like read- ing about Dolly's cooking so much. It is not much like winter, for we have not had any suow to speak of yet, but still the little sparrows and robins come and beg for food, and I give them some bread every morning. We have a kitten whom we call Lily she is a tortoise- shell, and a great pet. She comes up to my room nearly every morning aud mews at the door till I let her in. We have two bird3, one a yellow canary, and the other a green one. I feed them every morning, but they are not at all tame, and if I put my hand 111 the cage they flutter a;.ollt. Is there any way to tame them ? Is hemp seed a good thing for them ? We have also a la;ge St Bernaid dog, called Juno she is very good- tempered. Can any of the readers of the Hour tell me why wo eat plum-pudding at Christmas ?—RED- RIDING-HOOD. Canaries are very fond of hempseed, but much of it is not good for them. A capital way to make them tamo is to take their g«sd pot away for a little while (say an hour or two), then coax them to take a few grains of hempseed, or any- thing else that they like much, from your fingers through the bars of the cage. It will soon get to know you if you persevere. Dear Aunt Maggie,—I have often thought of saving the Uour," so will commence this year. We heard about the Ice-palace last year from a friend in Canada she lived quite close to where it was built. Do you write to any paper in New Z aland ? We have a great many relations there. Would you tell me which, please, if any ? I think the story from the Prize doll is very good —BEATRICE A. KIUKPATRICK. Not any in New Zealand, but papers are sent out there by our readers. Yes, the same Maggie Symington. Dear Aunt Maggie,—I have made some of Dolly's sconcs, and I like them very much. I should advice some of my cousins to make some too. I always look forward t « tha "Hour." I collect wild flowers and drj them a: d f.iste.i them ill: a book I stitch them ÍI Will you toll me a better wa.y to put them in, for stitch- ing them ta::es such a long time. GWENDOLINE OWEN. I have just hoard of a little girl who saves tie gummed paper from postage stamps and uies that for the purpose she cuts it into narrow strips, which she sticks across the stems of the plants, so making them adhere to the paper. ¡. ANSWER TO PRIZE ACROSTIC No. 2. P—eac—H O-livi-A U-oa -M T- 01 L I-dl-E A— n — T Perfectly correct answers received from :— Kate Ann'Dunn, H. Perkins, Edward Christie, James Abbott, Pearl Madcap (No. 2) William Blackburn, H. S., Lucy Frost, Cecy uightfoot, Lucy, Ida Gertrude Bentley, Mag. Derrick, John Bowler, Johannes, Percy Eckerull, Lester L. Haselden, Lizzie Helen Barnes, Mtbel Arrow- smith, Harry Spurr, Pauline B. Bach Cara-Cara, Edith C. Williams, Margaret E. Wiliams, Edith Stanleigh, Willie Ashtou, C. K J.,Madcap (No. 1), Edith Sheppard, Clyne Crovden. Edwin Smythe, K. F. Cherry, and Little Dorrit. *Vrong il1 one or more of tha Lifhts :—Downie, Aluert-Abboit, 4-Jice Waddhgten, Mahdl, Florence i^ss, James Alex. Sephen, Beatrice Kirkpatrick, Az^lja, M. E. f Mamma a Pet, <1ud Agnes \VIÜte. Iu fa tfte p Jhshed last 'ï,=:c. an<w-»iM to pnz»s Acrostic N'J, 1 have been re- ceived from H. S. and Job,nines. Wrong in or,e or more of tiie Lights :—II. Perkins, Mabel Arrowsinith, Downie, Alice Wad- dingfcon, Edith Stanleigh, Lucy Frost, James Alex. Stephen, and George Holborn. PRIZM ACROSTIC.—No. 1. ORNITHOLOGICAL. The initials give the name of a naughty little bird who never will take tiro trouble to build a nest for itself, but always takes possession of some-birdy else's. 1. Tins bird feeds upon fishes, and spreads terror amongst them. 2. An African bird, very much like the stork. J 3. A carrion bird, who is always in mourning for somebody. 1. A lovely bird his little wife lays her eggs | seven in number, perfectly white, in a iiole ] in the river's bank. 5. This bird's wisdom is proverbial. 6, A beautiful little American bird, with VIti. of I.NiGMA. V> are y<jur servants, little ones, our name we will not teii, !>.it on the merry winter evos be sure you use us well. X' r el tea in ilio summer months wi:ii us vou loved to rove A"ross tiie van.Is, or o'er the hilis or through the I pleasant grovJ. We've wand-red over many laud*, we've sailed o'er many seas, We've crossed the desert's burning sands, and climbed the tall palm trees. vVe'vestood upon the mouataiu's brow whore man has never been, And deep within the darksome mine our traces may be seen. We've rested on the blooming rose, anduever bent her head, And 01 the dainty lily's cup we've made our fracrant bed. We are your servants, little ones, and we will serve you s>.» keep us dry and keep us warm and no w our name pray ts 1. A MOTHER. A MOTHER. AUNT MAGGIE. Address all communications to AUNT MAGGIE (Symington), AUNT MAGGIE (Symington), Ileacham, Norfolk.

GHAND FOOTBALL MATCH. I SCOTLAND V. WALES. Scotland defeated Wales, on Saturday, at IN e wport, by one drop goal and one try to one touch do wn. Such is the result of one of the best contested games played in S'utn Wales against a strong team of visitors. A little more remains to be said about the score. 1 he goal was dropped by A.G. Asher(FettesiauLorettonian), not far from the centre of the grout.d.areailv solendid kick which produced loud applause. The ball was kicked high up, and the spectators looked dreamily at its fignt, little thinking it would drop over the cross- bar. The try was got by Ainslie (Ediimrgh Institution, from a pass byA. Don-Wauchope (Vettesian Lorettoiiian), lhe ball was placed down just by tha corner flag-post, mdeed, some hme was consumed in fricnalv ar- gument before the referee gave it as a try, and certainly it was not o'oLained by a clsar run in. These were the oniy points scored by the hardy Scotchmen, and a defeat under such c rcumstances is next best to a y'c^0!fy> especially when the pood all-round play of the u elshmen be tali en into consideration. The match of Saturday proved one fact conclusively, and that is that the Welshmen are making rapid strides in the game of football, and are now formidable antagonists for any team tuat can be brought against them. This is amply eorroooratedby the resut of the match at Leeds, when a powerful English team only beat the Welshmen by a rather small score, and luck went sadly against tue latter, the ball striking the upright post above the Cioss-bar, a. Welshman slipped just before crossing the goal lino when all was cleav ahead. The French have it "That he who excussih himself accuseth him- self." but these two excuses art- given not fur the pur- pose of detiacting in the slignfcest decree from the English team and the victory achieved, but rather for the purpose of pointing out the splendid stand the Welshmen made against such skilled opponents. Fully au hour before the match commenced crowds of people could be seen winding their way to the field. Several la-iies acted with wisdom and discretion, and formed a hir~e proportion of the very early arrivals, accompanied by well-appointed gentlemen, in order to save the crush which occurred later on. The ground presented a very animated aopearance about 2.50 p.m. On all sales masses of people met the eye packed together like sardines in a box. To com- pute the number present would beadimf-uit: task— 7,000 was roughly stated, but some say 10,000, whilst more modest individuals put the number at 5,000. Suffice it to say the field was well lilled, aud it is to be sincerely hoped the Welsji Fostball Union will reap a flood sum for the fund, which they fully deserve, after getting such good teams in Wales, and giving devotees of the game such rare opportunities of witnessing the play of some ot the most skilled piayers in Kngland and Scotland. The rival teams arrived on the ground about 2.25, and were cheered as they made their way to the pavilion. The Scotchmen were a line, athletic-looking lot of men, with that light, elastic step which shows careful training, taciturn in disposition unless spoken to, and then they were all geniality, willing at once to converse on football, and contrast between liugby and Association, one promi- neun player giving it as his opinion that Associations a more uangerous game than Rugby. They evidently held the Welshmen in high reverence, and attached much importance to the excellent stand they made against the English at Leeds. Some of the visitors spotto with a very strons.Scotch accent, whilst others could not ba distinguished from Englishmen. Tiie fame of Don-W auchope had preceded hi;n although scarcely any one could "pronounce his name properly. He has no equal as a quarter back, and has secured more tries this season than any man in Scotland. He dodges in splendid style, and it was only by the careful attention he received at the hands of the Welshmen that he did not directly score. M'Lagan (London Scottish) has he en playing this season batter than ever, whilst McFarlaue is a splendid player. D. Somcrville has a tendency to disobey the "oil side" rule, but he and Ainsiie, both Institution players, are capital men. Peterkiii, Maitland, and Jameson have not shown extra good form midyear. Itcid, of Edinburgh, is a man of great strength, and played in rare form on Saturday. Walls is a player whQ has proved himself fit fov any good team. Referring to the match, about n. quarter to tIne3 tne ball was set ill motion the Welshmen made a capitai start, and before lo-ig compelled the sturdy Scots to actouthedefansive. This play roused the enthu iasm of the spectators to the highest pitch, and loud cheers were raised when the ball was sent over the goal line and the Scotchmen had to touch down. It was soon evident that the Welshmen were for the time a match for their opponents. After this the visitors played with greater energy, but could not/gain a single point. Ticht scrimmages became so frequent that the specta- tors were evid utly getting languid. Taylor (Uuabo:t), soon began to show some, fine play. The Scotchmen made some brilliant rushes backed up by dribbling. Taylor several times met the attack, and with the utmost coolness he would kick the ball flying back over the heads of the advancing Scotchmen. It mattered not whether he was sur- rounded by the full force of the forwards, as each time the ball came near him, back it would be sent. At one time, however, he was unable to kick forward, and with an adroitness that was comical, he stood facing the goal posts and kicked sideways into touch with- out moving his body this quite discoiiccrted the Scotchmen for the moment. Taylor was rather slow in picking up the ball, and evidently is an adept at the Association game rather than Rugby. Tiie same remark will apply to most of the Scotchmen, ft8 they driboled in good style, and at times kicked remarkably well. The passing of"the visitors wis not particularly noteworthy, except threo or four times in the second half-time. In the flrst half they showed little or no passing, and confined themselves to pack scrimmages and dribbling, relieved occasionally by some good punts and drop kicks. Don Waucliope made some magnificent runs, and slipped with the grace of an eel through his op- ponents. Iteid played a capital game, and worked very hard, whilst Asher was conspicuous for his driu. bling and running. Mcl'anane did about the most work for the Scotchmen. A11 sue, Summerfield, and Walls are worthy of especial mention. When it was seen that the Scotchmen had no immediate chance of scoring the excitement rose, and as the ban had more air it was kept well in the open, lhe voice of the Scotch captain could be heard urging his men on, and the visitors seemed disappointed at ¡101" scoring. At last Asher settled the matter, by cropping a splendid goal. The passing of the Welshmen was now very good, the hall getting through several hands, aud completely beating the Sco„wioien. W, II. Gwynn (Swansea made a couple of effective run-, and passed in splendid style, although tne ball was kept so much in scrimmage. He had not the same opportunities as at Leeds, however. His play was watched with interest after the well- deserved encomiums passed 011 him by the prtss in re- ference to his play in the last international match. At one time Gwynn ran clean through the Scotchman, and got quite near the goal line. All eyes were upen him, and when about being tlcklell he looked L'truu i for someone to relieve him of the ball. A -rom of despair arose from tne Mass of spectators "Leu it was scon that not a Singie W elsaman was withu p issing distance. A try was iOsfc, or at least an excellent op- portunity for scoring^ one. ine Welsh forwards plaved extremely well, and frequently broke clean through their opponents. Lyne, of Newport, deserves especial mention, without 1Il the least depreciating the play of his confreres., J o wards the close of the same the Scots warmed to than work, and showed they had jileiity of staying pewais. The Welshmen were forced into tceir quartets, and had hard work to keep the ball from going over. Don Wauchope, Asher, and Mc- Farlane tried haid to get in, but for a time the Welsh kept them out. As lUJiitioiied above, McFarlaue sot a try the place luck failed. Nothing was scored after this, and the Welshmen soon nut the ball well in neu- tral ground, and did not give the Scots any chance of scoring. The remainder of the game was v, ell and evenlycontest-d. The following are the chief paints of the gams :— Scotland kicked off, Newman partly returned it, and Simpson followed up, and Maitland kicked into touch. Some fast play by the Welsh forwards took the play into the Scotch quarters, and a scrimmage was formed near the 25 Jag-post. The Scotch forwards, by a rush and dribble, got through their opponents, until Taylor kicked bacli right in front of the Scots' goalposts, where a sciiminage was formed. When got out Gwynn passed to Savior, who kicked over the line, and the visitors had to touch down, amidst applause. From the drop out Anslie followed Ul). and made a short run. A tight scrimmage took place in central ground, and the Welsh forwards broke clean through. Lindsaygot possession and ran towards the Welsh 25, when he was collared. Allen made matters equal by a good punt, and then Don Wauciope opened his account, and cleared the Welsh forwards in capital style. This was followed up by some good dribbling on the part of the Scots. Again Taylor c imeto tho rescue, and sent the leather flying back. Neviman soon obtained it, and dribbled into the visitors'25. Several scrimmages followed, and then soue loose play ensued, by which Wales had the adfantage, and the Scots' goal was in danger. Wuichope relieved the pressure by a good drop, and tlen W. II. Gwynn picked up and passed to Taylor, wtio was soon held by Lindsay. Somerville made a Stiort run, and the ball was soon in central ground, vera a couple of tight scrimmagcs took place. When heeled out McFarlaue ran towards the Welsh territory, but was held before he could get in. Another scrimmage, and then a pass, left the leather in the hands of Taylor, who fell. Newman soon got it, and punted into the visitors' quarters. Borne capital dribbling, in which McFarlaue, Anslie, and Reid took a prominent part, completely beat the Welshmen, and took the play far into neutral ground. A pass was made by Gwynn to Allen, but the latter was soon tackled by the Scots who were well on the ball. T. B. Jones now made off; then Simpson got possession, and passed to N uwman, who ran and kicked into the Scots' 25, amidst applause, and for a short time they had to act on the defensive. It. Gould worked the leather very near the goal line, and then the'ever-active Wauchope obtained the ball, and dodged his opponents in fiae style, and got clean out when the Scots' goal was in danger. Some indifferent and>vild passing bythe".ilOme te:1In lost ground, and Reid ran along the touch line and kicked the ball well into neutral ground; a scrimmage was formed when heeled out, one of the Scotchmen being held before he couid get off. Taylor save a splendid punt to the full back. Veitch ran and kicked, but only gained about 15 yards. Some scrimmages were formedin) neutral ground, and nothing of note occurred for souie time, until the home forwards broke loose, and by a grand rush l»roke through the Scots. McFarlaue and M'Lagan stopped the rush, doabled back in admirable style, and took the ball well towards the Weh h quar- ters. Asher made a short run, and then the Scotch forwards got the ball between tliem and dribbled right into the home quarters and looked as if they were going over the line. Taylor, however, was equal to the occasion, andjilthou^lisurroundedby his opponents, aave a splendid kick, which removed danger at a critical time. After a few scrimlllages 'L lor led off with a run. Ilu passed to Allen, who transferred the leather to another Welshman, and the play became fast and loose. The Welsh forwards rushed towards the Scots' territory and passed in good style, Clapp and Simpson doing some effective work. Newman kicked just by the Scots' 25 ) post. Wauchope from a pass made another run, and cleared several Welshmen before being held. This wa.s well followed up hy the visitors dribbling ill grand style, I and the ball was taken into their opponents' 25. W. H. Gwynn made a run and passed to a Welshman, wj).9.rau WçHt a th^ b.i.i iii ce:iti.Jground. W. If. Gwyini po-sessiO^ andji.vset to 1 ay lor. '1 aylur ran, and beKir- iie w** helti, passed oat:k to Gwynn. Jhis was nri"t by m- tM the rushes on the part of the Scotch forwards, who dno0.e.1 111 excellent form. Taylor et the ;u-!i, and in tiie midst of the forwards he punted along the •jroumf- Gwynn obtained the ball near the touch liny and made a reaiiy •' tricky" run. Pretending to pass, uy ibi» deception, he • >t well towards the gaol line; no one was 111 a favourable position to receive the and » rare good chance for a try was missed. Half tim» Yfs so,9n the ball bene in the Scotch territory. gave a punt aud svme loose play lei- Waxes v'ith ail advantage. The Scots now slieweft some very fair passing, and made strenuous efiorts get ver, and t'ae Welsh had hard work to defend their goal line. 1'or a time it was worked to near central i ground, and then Asnor dropped :i magnificent goal* which was disputed by some of the ^Velshmon, but was given in favour of Scotland. i lie piay now became last. Wauchope made off and passeu to Asher, who was si .en brought down, but tit* former again coia;;ied :t, anil r.vi and kicked into tiM» home 20. Taylor fcioked into touch 11 ar the centre. AfwCt vho turow out aucnope, who was playing ill g^uid stylo, assed to a Scotchman, but Norusx" e.tu«lifc' the ball instead. Some good d.-ibbling by tli visitors' bested their opponents. -Vewman Rained :;ppiaase for some good collaring. A tight scrimmage ensued, and Andrews (of Swansea) came well to the front and head ;d a rush, but a Scotchman kicked the ball to V. I». Lewis, who ran and punted well back. One of the vis-tors obtained a free kick. Allen failed to 1 eturn, and C. P Lewis came to the rescue iie ore tho Scots were up, and punted. Wauchope ran and passed I to ^eterkin, who invaaed the Welsh territory, but tho Wesh lorwards soon not the ball between th-mi, ami rushed it out, but only for a minute, as the Scots pas- sed in goo 1 form, ami broke through the Welsh de- fence and got four yards from their goal line, where;* tight anll exciting serituiaag-! took place. Ainsde ran over and obtained a try just by the corner H.i"-posfc gio placed the ball for .McFarlaiie to take the place kick, which failed, the angle being a most difficult one. Soon after the ball was restarted, C. P. Lewis made off. but was tackled by Somerville. The Scots now played remarkably we'd" and showed sotne rare staying powers, evidently bei;i;x in iro >d condition, and the Welshmen^had a hard lime ot it. Norton re- lieved the pressure by an effective run, Reid took the ball into the Welsh 25 by a splendid drihblr, and then the backs exchanged drops. Walls followed with a dribble, and got ten yards from the Welsh g.ia! line, The Welsh had to act on the defensive, and then Lyne headed the forwards and got well ar-, but P.eid worked the leather back. The S.ts continued to play well to the call oi tins-, and showed much better form than m the n): t half time. Nothing of note occurred, and time was soon called. Che arrangements for the match were wvy ^ood, and much credit is due to Mr R. Mullock, the'hon. secre- tary, for the admirable manner in which everything passed off, as on him the brunt of the work fe'l. The weather was so delightful that ail felt that a happy afternoon had been spent in Newport. Result of last seasün's matches Wales v. Scutiand.—Scotland won by 3 goals to J. Wales v. England.—England w. n by 2 go.1s and tries to nil. SCOTLAND (Colours: Navy bine and thistle). Bp.ck: J. .1', Veitch (Edinburgh High School); half- backs: A. R Don-Wauehepe (Fettesiaii-Lorettonians), A. G. Grant-Asher (Fettesian-Lorettonia.is); three- quarterbacks: W, E. M'Lagan (London Scottish), D. J. McFarlaue (Fettesian-Lorettonians), W. C. Lindsay (P'ettesi-iii-Lorettonians) forward,: C. Keid (Edill- burgh Academicals), S. Ainslie W. Peterkio, )). Somer- ville, and R..Maitland (Edinburgh Institution), J. Todd (Edinburgh Watsonians), L. B. Brow.: and W. A. Walls (Glasgow Academicals', J. Jamieson (West of Scotland). WALES (Colours: Scarlet and plume). Back: C. P. Lewis (Llandovery Cullege) three-quar- terbacks: C, G. Tayl«r (Kuabon),, C. P. Afrji (Beau- maris), and W. 6. Norton half-backs: W. H. Gwynn (Swansea) and C. £ 1. Newman (:\e\lwrtl; for- ards: F. Andrews (Swansea), W. D. Phill ps (Cardiff), H. S. L; ne (Newport), R. Gould (Newport), II. J. Simpson (Cardiff), F. Margrave (Llanelly), T. J. S. Clapp (Newport), T. H. Jones (Newport), and S. L. ?i!0lTis (Swansea). l1eieree: James McLaren, president Rugby Union: umpire for Scotland: J. S. Gi\;ha:n, president Scotch Football Union; for Wal -s: G. F. Harding.

COMING OF AGE OF MR FRED, DA VIS, BRYNDER WEN. Our Pontypridd reporter writes:—Great expec- tations are entertained of the success of the cele- bration which will attend the coming of age of Mr Fred Davis, Brynderwen, Ferndale, at the end of this arcnth. Mr Davis is the only son of Mr Lewis Davis, Ferndalc, who, with his brother, Mr David Davis, MnesyrEynon, holds the vast collieries of Ferndale, Bodringallt, and Blaengwawr, which employ many thousands oi hands. Never anywhere were employers more universally loved and honoured than the Messrs Davis. Their great and broad benevolence, hearty and genuine affability, and sympathy with and promotion of all that has a bearing for good upon the welfare of their workmen and the working classes generally has, without any effort on their part, gained for theni a popularity well-nigh unprecedented near or far. '1'1:;>, Rhonddaite who reads the works of Charles Dickens might, knowing the Messrs Davis well, be pardoned for fancying that the wonderful fictionist limned the Brothers CheeryMe after a glimpse at the Ferndale proprietary. Here in the quiet, valley the din and strife of strikes and lock- outs. and the etceteras of conflict between Jabouc and capital are almost unknown. For the Fern- dale workmen have abiding faith in their master;? and the sentiment is largely reciprocated. They have a wages sii.ling-scale of their own—aud it operates well. Politically, as well as coinmer- j cialiy and socially, the concord holds equally j true—the masters and men are both Liberals and Nonconformists. With this reflex and recipro- city of faith and feeling, it is not surprising that the men should take a deep interest in the domes- tic felicities of their employer. It is indeed buS natural that this should be the case, and on this score the men and their families would all wish the young "Squire of Brynderweiv' all that i £ > well. But Mr Fred Davis, it appears, is per' sonaliy acceptable to all who know him. The interest in the date of his majority is thus intensi- fied, and the auspicious date when he will entef upon the complete rights and privileges of nun- hood will witness manifestations of good. will having about them all the sub* stance and ring of sincerity. On the 29th inst. there will be a magnificent banquet given, at which Mr Lewis Davis will probably preside. Oil the 30lh—"the day of majority"—there will be £ great procession and a plentiful supply of tea. and cake. Eminent vocalists will also take part in the auspicious proceedings of the two days. Six ot seven thousand workmen and their families will enjoy the bounty of the happy parents and pro- mising son, and the days are likely to be red letter days in the history of the Ferndale Valley.

BRISTOL AND WEST OF ENG- LAND BANK, LIMITED. The report to be submitted to the shareholder* at the next annual general meeting says :—TbO directors herewith submit to the shareholders lit statement of the accounts of the bank for t.bø twelve months ending 31st December, 1883- After payment of all chargcs and expenses, and making provision for bad and doubtful debts, th6f net profit for the year is £15,503 6s 9d, out 0* which an interim dividend at the rate of oper cent. per annum, amounting to £4-,500, was de* clarad in July last, leaving for present disposal £11,005 6, 9;1. The directors recommend that this balance should be appropriated^as follows? viz., £ 5,000 to reserve fund, raising the amount that account to j321,000 J34,500 to the of a dividend at the rate of 6 per cent. per anlluØl for the past half-year, free of income tax and £503 6s 9d to be carried forward to next account' Mr Christopher James Thomas, who had bceff associated with tha bank since its formation rendered valuable services, retired from tb8 board early last year owing to failing health, aut! the directors in pursuance of their powers elected Mr Joseph Benjamin Brain to fill the vacancy ItS their number, which appointment they will asjj the shareholders to confirm. Mr Williams a»d Mr Brain retire by rotation at this meeting, b«* are eligible, and offer themselves for re-electioOj The auditors, Messrs Turquand, Youngs, Co., and Messrs Tribe, Clarke, tire, and offer themselves for Resolutions will be submitted at the meeting for the purpose of fixing the remuneration of tb' directors and auditors for the current year.

RHONDDA HIGHER GRAD# SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS. THE SUCCESSFUL COMPETITORS A/I. YSTRAD. The following arc the successful candidates the scholarships at the Ystrad Higher School :— Standard 4: 1st, Morgan Williams. Bo.lrhigallt, 9s' 2nd, M. Jones, Pentre, 88: 3rd, A. M. Griffiths, To* 39; 4th, 3. Coleman, Bodringallt, 87; 5th, M. De' more. Eodringallt, 71. Standard b: 1st, S. JOJ1#; Ton, 10J ^nd. E. Evans, Tieorky, 102; 3rd, W. Aj drews, Toil, 89; 4th, II. Harries, Pentre, 83; Win. Thomas, Ton 6th, Thomas Lewis, Bodrinaal'l1, 78 7th, S. A. Tack, Ton, 77 8th, A. Jenkins, ringalh, 69. Standard 6: 1st, E. B. Thomas, Ferv dale, 108; 2nd, Henry Davies, Ferndale, 00; 3rd, E- jJ' Price, Treorky, 93 4th, D. J. Bell, Ferndale. 86; 6tj-' M. Williams, Pentre, S3; 6th, '1'. C. John, YnysW^v 81; 7th, Lavinia Harris, Dunraveu, 63; cith, Charles, Cvmclydach, 59. Standard 7; 1st, D. V Davies. Pentre, 94; 2nd, n. J. Jones, Treorkv, 94 31"" E. A. Pengeliy, Treorky, 56.

SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTJE# CONNECTION WITH WALES. In reply to a communication addressed to S* Stafford Northcote requesting him to become ? patron of the Aberayron Eisteddfod, to be he! next summer, the following autograph reply been received:— The Pynes, Exeter. Jan. 12. 1384. Dear Sir,—I heartily wish well to your propose" eisteddfod, and should be very happy to add my nani0 to the list of patrons had 1 any such connection WIt": Wales as would justify me. I am sorry that I have nO chance of being able to attend the gathering. • Having snid so much, 1 wi!llea ve the committee to usf my name if they please.—I remain, faithfully yours, STAFFORD H. NORTHCOTE. J. M. Howell, Esq.

FLORILTNE FOR THE TEETH AND BREATH. A few drops of the liquid Flori1ine," sprinkled Oll 9 wet tooth-brush, produces a pleasant lather, wind1 thoroughly clauses the teeth from all parasites or in1' purities hardens the gums, prevents tartar, stops ds' cay, tsives t.o the teeth a peculiar pearly whiteness, an* a delightful fragrance to the breath. It removes aJ*j unpleasant odour arising from decayed teeth ov tobacc" smoke. The Fragrant Floriline." being composed i** part of honey and sweet herbs, is delicious tothetastQ I and the greatest toilet discovery of the age. Price 2s b() of all Chemists and Perfumers. Wholesale depot reo ( moved to 33, Farringdon-road, Loudon. 4706—41 i CLIFTON, through John Cordeux, Sons, an* Were, is to be congratulated on the new stimulus th#* i well-known firm has given to trade, by announcing tWjj they deliver all goods over 1 lb. in weight carriage itt* f to any railway station in the United Kingdom. It j not be known to all our readers that John CordeiiJ Sous, and Were, of Clifton, are about the largeSJ drapers and fancy warehousemen in the West England—thwiv establishment being move after t)> style aud size of the largest co-operative stores London, whilst their motto is to sell all goods at tjj same, and in many instances less than the co-operaty price. M5:w ø t HOLI.OWAY'S PILLS.—Pure Blood.—When tj> blood is pure, its circniation calm and equable, and M*. nerves well strung, we are well. Thes? pills posses^^ marvellous power in securing these essentials of by purifying regulating, and strengthening the and solids. Hollow-ay's Pills can be con dently rec'JJL mended to all persons suffering from disordered diljjT tion, or worried by nervous fancies, or neuralgic pajjj They correct acidity and heart-burn, dispel sicfe ache, quicken the action of the liver, and act as aJjjJp atives aud gentle aperients. The weak and may take them without fear. Holloway's eminently serviceable t i invalids of irrPable colis'1?^ tion, as' they raise the action of every organ t° natural scan lard, and uniYersaJiy MWCise a calfV; t sedative hiflusjiv? t ,1

THE EGYPTIAN CRISIS. THE NEW MINISTRY. EVACUATION OF THE SOUDAN. ["OBSERVER" TELEGRAM.[ CAIRO, Saturday.—The accession of Nubar Pasha to the premiership has met with general approval. The change of Ministry is regarded as giving a more marked character to the action of the British Government. Colonel Moncrieff is expected to succeed Rousseau Bey as Under Secretary of the Public Works Department. Orders were despatched yesterday to the Soudan to commence the evacuation of the sweater portion of the country. [FIEUTE R's TELECTSAMS. ] CAIRO, Saturday. Several diplomatic agents have received telegrams from Constantinople, stating that a very sudden change has occurred in the relations between Egypt and the Porte, the latter manifesting a more friendly feeling towards the Khedive. ° Zebehr Pasha's troops will leave Suez to-day for Sua kirn, 111 order to assist in the relief oc Toklur and Sincat. Baker Pasha's whole expedition will subse. quently return to Cairo. PASIS, Saturday. A telegram received here from Cairo of to-day's date, states that orders have been given for the evacuation of Khartoum The guns are to be spiked AND the POWDS* dered useless'. »«sa- The despatch adds that it ¡.. Egyptian Government v- J believed that the efforts upon the D$>W concentrate all its r-a. ÔUIl¡I, ,.ITn,<(). ,,)1 ?h.3sowah and Suukiin. have received intelligence from Souakim to the effc ct that an understanding has been arrived at with several chiefs of the tribes hitherto hostile along the Berber route to Khartoum. CAIRO, Tuesday.—The committee appointed to j. consider the means of effecting retrenchments in expenditme recommends the discharge of 1,500 native officers. The Minister of War calculates that the evacuation of the Soudan will require a period of seven months, and entail an expenditure of one million pounds provided the ammunition stored in the Soudan be destroyed. The Governor of Balvi Glazal is reported to be at war with the inhabitants, who had risen against him. [CENTRAL NEWS TELEGRAM.] BERLIN, Tuesday Evening,—The Cross Gazelle considers the suggested European conference on Egyptian affairs simply a feeler thrown out by England. England desires Europe to take some part of the responsibility for the present state of alfairs, but the Powers will leave England to overcome the difficulties she has herself created in Egypt. VARNA, Wedrtesday.—It is stated heie that the English War Office authorities are collecting private information in certain localities respecting available transports for troops and supplies of food and forage. It is believed to indicate the pre- paration of some military expedition. CONSTANTINOPLE, Tuesday.—Tiie Minister of War to-clay officially contradicts the statements in the Vakit that his department was preparing to despatch a surgeon to Souakim. The Press Association 1 earns that bar Majesty's ship Decoy, of the Mediterranean fleet, has bit Tort Said for Suakim. The following is, according to the latest official advices, the disposition of the British fLet in the Red Sen :—Admiral Hewitt in Euryalus, together with the Ranger a-.id the Woudlark, at Suakim Sphinx and Coquette at .Mas sow ah. The Press Association Woolwich correspondent says that the display of energy at the arsenal leads to expectations that the Cabinet will, in the course of a few days, decide upon the despatch of reinforcements to Egypt,with a view to the pacifi- cation of that country. It is expected that the 7,000 British troops at present on Egyptian soil will be augmented by an Indian native contin- gent, or by other troops, to a force not exceeding 10,000 men. The activity mostly observable at Woolwich consists in the arrival there of immense quantities of commissariat stores and compressed hay, such as is required only by an army on the march. Though the War Office orders on the subject have not yet transpired, it is inferred that these heavy consignments are intended tor British troops ia Egypt. A seven- pounder mountain battery, with pack sadSes and harness for cameis, was shipped on Tuesday a.t the Royal Albert Docks for Egypt. The camel corps, for whose use the battery is being sent out, will consist of 200 men, including 72 gunners and 90 camel drivers. The camel corps, besides carrying the mountain battery, will convey a supply of tents and blankets. The mountain battery is being sent out ostensibly in accordance with the requirements of Sir Evelyn Wood's Egyptian army scheme but the general opinion prevails that it is intended for use against the forces of the Mahdi.