The Cardiff Times

HYARC jjGOLOEMPJTUSfiS 1 Facsimile of One-Ounce Packet. A aGoi,!le Kettirns L' The Perfection of ipe Tobacco. | "Gr :wrFt ANI> t RACRAJtt "VICHY NATURAL CELESTINS V MINERAL WATER. 7-ICHY tor CELESTINS. v rrOrT. GRAVEL TICHY KHKTTMATTRM, ltc. CELESTINS. LAX BE USliD with LIGHT WINKS, SPIRITS, (of MILK. I" !eAt!ent,; for the STATE SPRINGS OF VICHY 3i'Siavii ai,U i.oyio, Ltd.. London. Liverpool, and Bristol. t))all, Cliemiptn. Wine Aterettants. Stor", etc. 19643 0-inke ri3arefte L itis ics qood A "I^I"I)KTANT to Nfothsrs— Every mother valuing A r.eultli suit cleanliuess in her child uses Harrison's Nursery Pomvle. One application kills all nits and insect!,aauti'k'S nnd strengthens the hair, ronaoves 8Curf au,) duinlruff, inoinotes growth. Price 4id and 9d, sci, MKtngc Id. Sold by Ctvmffrt*.—Harrison's, Chemist, Beading. Insist on bavins Harrison's Pomade. 19828 .&=-8 LONDON OFFICES of the Cardiff Times ire at 11{\ Fleet-street, (two doors from Chancery- jnne) advertisements are received and • q ic-s (J 'If; n]vr inay tie obtained.

SArrjR-DAY, FEBRUARY 916. 1910. GETTING TO WORK. The country has returned a big majority against the action of the Lords, but the Imperialists still talk of the English majority in favour of the Unionist; party. rhe 11 Celtic fringe of Wales. Scotland, and Ireland is by these gre-it Unionists disregarded, and the composition of parties enables them to count on a majority in favour of the Commons beinn rendered impotent to do th", work which the majority have been sent to Westminster to accomplish. Liberals, Labour men, and ltish Nationalists have been returned for the specific purpose of limiting or destroying the power of, the Lords, who have dis- regarded Constitutional usage and arro- gated to themselves rights claimed only by the King, and used on the advice of his Ministers in the Commons. Too loug we have been a Peer-ridden nation," said Mr Chamberlain years ago, and the action of the Peers in frustrating Liberal legislation and interfering with Liberal finance has at last ren- dered the position intolerable. All the cant of partisanship is unavail- ing to hide the real position of the Peers or to justify its fiction. The political situation which has arisen is not one of fflrinciple but of procedure The Liberal supporters are determined to proceed at once against the arrogance of the Lords, whose action has reduced the represen- tative principle to a farce, and the only fault they find with Mr Asquith and his Cabinet is in the method of procedure. There mast be leaders and followers in any campaign, but in this case the rank and file desire to hasten the battle. Veto or Budget, or both together, with the Liberal supporters, aided by the Nationalists and the Labour men, clam- ouring for the Veto before aught BJse, Mr Asquith has made his poitison clear- there will be no delay, but the exigencies of the situation demand that the Budget shall be proceeded with, and the nation's finances put in order. It would be folly to endeavour to punish the Lords by refusing supplies to the Army and Navy and the Old Age Pensions, and Mr Chur- chill. speaking for the Cabinet on the sec- ond night of the debate on the Address, reminded the House that the refuse supplier, was no longer a lever against the Lord; especially when the Budget was so objectionable to the Lords. To refuse the Budget with its possibilities for social reform and its just taxation would be to please the Lords, to give them what they desired, and for what they took their unconstitutional action. The Govern- ment have considered the situation from every point of view, and upon that they stand. The only point of disagree- ment is the order of the procedure. The King's Speech mentions only one measure of reform of the House of Lords but finance must be proceeded with, and to sacrifice the Budget would be to give the Lords victory. The Government is pre- pared to stake its all on its proposals with regard to the Lords' Veto, and will produce them without delay. Liberals and Labour men favour the Budget, are extremely anxious to see it secure, and the Nationalists, while they have little to say for the Budget have little to gain from a defeat of the Government or by hampering the party seeking to restore to the representative House the rights they, possess. The situation is critical, but the outlook becomes clearer, and the necessity to secure the Budget and restore the country's finances to an ordered state again grows daily more imperative.

MARCH. With St. David's Day comes thefirst sign of spring. March as a rule is an un- ruly, boisterous month-at one moment the wind goes rushing through the city streets and oveer the country side, appar- ently enjoying itself immensely, whisking person's hats off, turning umbrellas inside out, uprooting trees, rattling slates and chimney pots down into the streets, and trying its best to make the existence of human beings almost, impossible then, with a sudden change of front, the wind drops to a gentle breeze, and the sun shines and brings back to the mind's eye the gentle days of spring and early summer. Despite the rough and chang- able nature of the month, some flowers come into bloom, and on the sunny banks and in the hedgerows the prim- roses can be seen turning their pale yellow flowers towards the sun that they may not lose the slightest part of his light and warmth. On the rough bare land the coltsfoot sends up silvery buds that burst into a golden glory and glitter and shine as the wind passes over them. In the shady dell the violet, far too coy to show itself boldly, makes its presence known by the delicate perfume it gives to the breeze. In the hedges and copses the hazel and sallow hang out their catkins laden with myriads of tiny golden pollen grains that are ready to fall in a yellow shower at the slightest touch. The bees now begin to venture abroad, and care- fully visit every flower, for the days are as yet short and the flowers few and far between. Later on the bees will become more particular, and only visit those blooms that suit their fancy. In the evening time, when the air is still, the gnats appear, and in a hazy cloud com- mence their merry summer dance. In the fields, that are as yet very bare, ex- cept for a few white daisy eyes and an occasional green shoot of grass, the young lambs totter on very weak and absurdly long legs besides their mothers, as though trying to shelter from the cold breezes that ruffle their white, curly wool. Their mournful and half- afraid little bleat, and the strong, re- assuring baa that answers them can be heard on every hand, sometimes pleas- ingly intermingled with the soft notes of the ringdove or the merry call of the chiff-chaff. In the ponds the frogs nervously dive for the bottom as one approaches, or sit on the warm mud staring upward with large, startled copper coloured eyes. A little later on, and the water will be filled with their spawn, floating about in jelly-like masses with little blac dots scattered about in it, or else in long strings that look like lengths of black worsted. At the end of the month comes the Easter holiday, with its promise of new life in the coming year.

There is each year a great Jaish for the honour of the Magistracy, but, generally, I a disinclination to accept the duties I which it should carry with a position on the Bench. The Royal Commission on the selection of Justices of the Peace held its first sitting on Tuesday, When the first witness, Sir Kenneth Muir-Mackenzie, the Clerk to the Crown, and Permanent secretary to the Lord Chancellor, told how magistrates are made. Usually the first communication respecting the ap- pointment came from the Lord Lieuten- ant. of the county. The Lord Chancellor appoints them. Then, as regards the boroughs, the Council and the member of Parliament suggest or otherwise pro- poses, and-there is a great excess of candidates over the successful number appointed. The qualification for the honour of writing J.P." after the name are various and peculiar, and it was admitted that the Lord Chancellor had no definite opportunity" of getting information on the suitability of candi- dates. There is no dearth of magistrates, only a shortage of those ready to fulfil their obligations, and Sir Kenneth ob- served that, "No doubt there were a great many magistrates who never went beyond writing J.P.' after their names." The Commission should provide some very, interesting information as it pro- ceeds, especially in regard to the allega- tions of political partisanship displayed in the selection of the members of the great Unpaid.

Questions of Church attendance occu- pied the speakers at the spring meetings of the East Glamorgan English Congre- gational Association, and generally an explanation was found in the modem craze for amusement. Sports were attacked, especially football, and one speaker expressed his disgust at the fact that six thousand people travelled from Cardiff to Newport to witness a football match. No doubt the pressure of modem life, the excitement and the rush of present day competition make one rush to amusement, and some relaxation is necessary, land of a kind which the churches cannot approve. The amuse- ments and the sports favoured may be exciting, frivolous, useless, but they appeal to tired people, and provide them I with ready-made amusement and recrea- tion. To denounce the craze" for amusement does not remove or counter- act the demand which the popularity ex- presses. The working conditions of a large section of the people leave them with little energy for rising on Sunday morning to attend service, and those who attack the amusements of the people should pay some regard to present day industrial conditions, and also ask them- selves whether the churches are made as attractive as they might be. The irre- ligious is not so prominent or so patent in popular amusements as ministers believe or declare, and if the churches are to counteract what they conceive to be an evil they will have to do something more than protest in occasional meetings.

We hear occasionally of some iaithfu horse, past its years of work, being quietly put into a park to end its days free from toil. This shows man at his best in relation to his dumb servants. But all horses do not receive this humane consideration, nor even the happy des- patch which prevents their misuse by hard taskmasters and thoughtless indi- viduals. At least 50,000 poor animals are sent each year to the Continent in a traffic which the Duke of Portland says is a foul stain on our good name." He denounces it as a disgrace to civilisation, and if the people of the British Isles realised its existence they would insist on its suppression, and demand legislation to enforce it. A campaign against this- un-English traffic has been commenced by Our Dumb Friends' League," in which Lord and Lady Llangattock are, taking active part.

Fifty Years Ago. FROM "CARDtFF TIMES," FEB. 25. 1860 The present shipping price of coal at the Cardiff Docks is :—Duffryn best steam, 9s per ton; Aberaman Merthyr hand-picked steam coal, 9s per ton Low Main gas coking and smith coal, 9s per ton small, 6s 6d per ton best locomotive coke, 15s per ton. Freights have had a downward tendency during the month :—India, E4 10. Lima, 13 15s to 14 5s West Coast of South America, ;£2 7s 6d; Brazil, 12 Monte Video, 40s; Rio Grande, 38s Rio Janeiro, 67s 6d to 70s Mes- sina, 21s (iron) Genoa, 25s Alicante, 22s Naples, 25s." The Hon. Godfrey Morgan, M-P., has been appointed deputy lieutenant of the county of Monmouth, and so also has the Rev. Thomas Protberoe." At the half-yearly meeting of the South Wales Railway Co., held in London on Wed- nesday, the half-yearly report for December, 1859, showed the receipts for the half-year to be E187,121 5s 2d, and the expenditure E173,667 12s 3d. Out of the balance the directors pro- posed to pay a dividend of 2i per centN" A meeting of the Aberdare Railway Co. was held at Bristol on Tuesday. Mr James Poole in the chair. The directors declared a dividend of 10 per cent., less property tax, and one shilling per share for sundry expenses." A part of the Swansea Valley Railway, from Swansea to Pon tarda we, was opened on Wednesday for passenger traffic." Lieutenant-Colonel Stuart, M.P. for Car- diff, in the House of Commons on Tuesday, presented three petitions from this town. One was from the Temperance Society of Cardiff, and one from the Principality Building Society against the extension of the hcence to sell wines to eating houses and coffee shops, and another was in favour of the proposals for the suppres- sion of vice." The third half-yearly meeting of the Uan- daff and Canton District Market Company was held on Thursday at the offices, Angel- street, Mr Wyndham Lewis in the chair. Mr Lewis Reece having resigned his position as 9 director, Mr Thomas Gtxldard, of St. Pagan's, was elected in his place. Parliamentary powers are being sought to enable the company to buy the pig market and the slaughterhouses of the Cardiff Corporation." J. On Wednesday last his Royal Highness ULc- Prince of Orange and suite arrived at Merthyr for the purpose of paying a visit to the Cyfarthfa Iron Works, arriving at the Taff Vale Station from Newport by special train in the morning. A crowd had assembled outside the railway station. and a feeble attempt hadttjeen made to decorate the streets through which his Royal Highness would pass on his way to Cyfarthfa to give him a kindly welcome* The Merthyr Royal Rifle Volunteers, had been requested to form a guard of honour at the station, bat their guns had not arrived, and not being able to present arms the proposal was abandoned, and the police did their best in keeping back the crowd. Carriages were in waiting on the arrival of the train, and his Royal Highness was soon on his way to Cyfarthfa. Here he visited all the departments* A hasty dejeuner was served in one of the offices, and the Prince subsequently drove to Llan over, where he was welcomed by Lord and Lady Llaaxjver.

NEW MINISTERS. The four new appointments which complete the Ministry were Mr W. Wedgwood Benn. Junior Lord of the Treasury Mr !Ernest J. Soares, Junior Lord o £ the Treasury"(unpaid) •, the Hon. E. S. Montagu, Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for India; and Captain Cecil I t < I Mr Wedgwood Benn, M.P. Norton, Assistant Postmaster-General. The Hon. E. S. Montagu and Captain Cecil Norton represent the Chesterton Division of Cam- bridgeshire and West Newington respectively. Mr Soares has represented Barnstable since 1900. He is one of the most capable represen- tatives of agriculture in the House of Com- mons. Mr Soares held. the office of Charity Commissioner in the last Parliament. Mr Wedgwood Benn is one of the youngest M.P.'s, being only 33. He is the son of Sir John Benn, the Progressive leader of-the London Coufttv Mr ElJIlest Soares, M.P. Council. After making a tour of the South and East African Colonics, he was elected in 1906 for the St. George's Division of the Tower Hamlets. On entering Parliament he became Parliamentary Secretary (unpaid) to Mr Reginald McKenna.

WHEN FOOD FAILS. With all the talk about diets and nourishing foods, one vital fact is entirely lost sight of, namely, the best food cannot be assimilated and is valueless unless the nerves continue to stimulate the secretion of digestive fluids. The very first thing that happens when people be- come excited, or upset by grief or other emo- tions, is loss of appetite, the nerves losing con- trol of the digestive functions. The plainest food will benefit abundantly when the nerve force is supplemented by Phosferine, as witness the statement of Miss .Tones, who says :—" I 'was nervous and lost my appetite, and could not walk a few yards without being exhausted, and standing to get my breath. After a few doses of Phosferine I felt myself again, and can do my work. The cure is lasting, for I feel better than ever. "-1136, Hadley Lodge, Hadley, Wellington, Salop.

A man. described as a labourer, named Daniel McCarthy (24), who had several con- victions recorded against him. was vesterdav sent to prison by the Swansea magistrates for two months with hard labotit- for behaving indecently.

State Opening of Parliament. The op-eninz of Parliament by the King at his Palace of Westminster is one of the most brilliant of all State Ceremonies, and on this occasion there was a larger attendance than usual to listen to the King's Speech. The King conducted the Queen to her throne, took his place-his plumed hat in his hand—upon his own, and then called upon the assembled Peers to be seated." The customary message was sent to the faithful Commons," summoning them to appear; and for five minutes, while the summons was awaiting an answer, their Majesties sat silent, while conversation, but in lower tones than before, was renewed. Sud- denly the hum of conversation ceased on the arrival of the Speaker, attended by Mr Asquith and Mr Birrell. At once the Lord Chancellor bowed low to the King, and presented him with the Speech." The King, remaining seated, at once commenced his task, speaking in a voice that was fresh and vigorous. —————————— H I e The King Making his Speech from the Throne. -.I "=_

MASTER TO BLAME. MANAGING OWNER ABSOLVED. The Stranding of a Cardiff Ship. QUESTION OF CHART ACCURACY We are of opinion the whole blame must- fall on the master," was Mr Justice Bigham's comment in the course of a, judgment given on Wednesday in connection with the strand- ing of a Cardiff steamer. The matter came before a Divisional Court of the Admiralty Division, consisting of the President (Sir John Bigham), Mr Justice Bar- grave Deane. and Trinity Masters, in the re- hearing—ordered under Section 475 of the Merchant Shipping Act-of the circumstances attending the stranding of the ss. Sarah Rad cliffe, of Cardiff, the managing owner being Mr Henry RadclifIe: Mr S. A. T. Rowlatt appeared for the Board of Trade, Mr D. Stephens for the managing owner, and Mr H. C. S. Dumas for Messrs Imray, whose chart of the Mediterra- nean was supplied to the master of the vessel. Sir John Bigham informed Mr Dumas there was no need for him to address the Court for Messrs Imray. Proceeding to give judgment, his Lordship said this was an appeal for a re-hearing of a Board of Trade inquiry which came before the court under the provisions of Section 475 of the Merchant Shipping Act. The tribunal below had found that the vessel was supplied with .Imray's blue back chart of the Mediterranean for 1905, with the accompanying sailing direc- tions, and that according- to this chart- the variation to be allowed on magnetic courses from the Straits of Gibraltar to Sabinal Light was 12 degrees 50 minutes West, but that, according to the Admiralty chart for 1907, the variation was 16 degrees 5 minutes West, thus making the variation 3 degrees 15 minutes more westerly. Farther, it, was stated that. this difference in the variation bad not been' corrected on the blue back chart, of 1905 used by the master, and was unknown to him, with the result that, he set, an improper course from Cape Europa, a course which was the primary cause of the stranding. The vessel was there- fore not supplied with a proper and suffident chart, and the tribunal imputed blame to the managing director in not having supplied the ship with a proper chart. Incorrect Finding. The Court, said his Lordship, was of opinion this finding was incorrect. The tribunal below did not appear to have taken into account the fact that on the Admiralty chart there was the following note :—" Magnetic variation in 1890 decreasing about six minutes annually. Now the blue back chart was made in 1890, and bore that. date. The tribunal below, in judging the efficiency of the chart in shaping a course, did not. appear to have given any effect to the words he had read on the Admiralty chart. If that, tribunal had done so it would not appear that the master, who was navigating the ship from the year 1890, was misled by a defective chart, if he took the trouble to read it properly. He did not read it properly, and therefore they thought it could not be said that, the stranding was primarily due to the fact that the master was supplied with an improper chart. He was supplied with a chart which, if he had read it in reference to the fact which had been pointed out in the sailing rules (No. 12.—" Change in variation must not be forgotten ")—if he had read the chart with reference to these matters the vessel would never have been upon a wrong course. Managing Owner Not At Fault. Therefore thev were of opinion that the whole blame of the disaster must fall upon the master, and it could not be said that the managing owner was in any way in fault. That part of the finding of the tribunal below must be reversed. Mr Justice Rargrave Deane, who was of the same opinion, said the blue back chart was on a considerably smaller scale than the Admir- alty chart, and it stood to reason that in steering a course they would be very much fiper than on the large chart. Mr Rowlatt mentioned that no rehearing was ordered so far as the master was concerned—it related only to the managing owner. Sir John Bigham I thought I was careful to deal with it in that way.

The Hon. Ivor Guest. MADE PAYMASTER-GENERAL. The King has approved of the appointment of the Hon. Ivor Guest to be Paymaster- General in succession to the Right Hon. R. K. Causton. The duties of the Paymaster-General, whose office dates from the Restoration, and was consolidated with several other offices in 1835 and 1848, are to make the payments required by the several departments of the Government out of sums placed to his account for that pur- pose by order of the Lords.of the Treasury and authorised by the Comptroller and Auditor- General. The office is unpaid, but the Assist- ant Paymaster-General receives JEl,100 per vear. The Hon. Ivor Churchill Guest is the eldest son of Lord Wimborne, and was born on January 16th, 1873. He was educated at Eton, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He served in the South African War as a captain in the Dorset Company of the Imperial Yeomanry. In 1898 he unsuccessfully contested Plymouth, but was returned unopposed in the Conserva- tive interest when Sir Edward Clarke resigned in 1900. The introduetionof the Tariff agitation made Mr Guest assert his adherence to Free Trade principles, and soon after Mr Chamberlain pro- pounded his policy Mr Guest, like his cousin, Mr Winston Churchill, and others, joined the Liberal party, and was elected for Cardiff in 1906, retiring at, the last election. Mr Guest is largely interested in the firm of Messrs Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds, Limited. His country house is at Ash by St. Leger, Northamptonshire, and he owns a large estate at Sully, and is a J.P. for Glamorgan. Mr Guest married in 1902 the Hon. Sybil Gros- venor, daughter of the second Baron Ebury, who is now one of the popular Liberal hostesses. _„«——i

MILKTRUST INDICTED. New York, Wednesday.—Eight directors of the Consolidated Milk Exchange have been indicted for participating in a combination in restraint of trade. -Reuter.

STRIKERS v SOLDIERS. Three Killed Several Wounded. Pointc-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe. Wednesday.— Three strikers have been killed and several wounded in an affray between strikers on the sugar plantations aud soldiers. More sugar plantations have been set on fire by the strikers, i J

MYTHICAL FORTUNE. Living in Style." THE CHARLESWORTHS' TRIAL. Sentences of Five Years. At Derbyshire Assizes at Derby on Wednes- day, before Mr Justice Darling, the trial was commenced of May. otherwise Violet, Charles- worth and her mother, Miriam Charlesworth, on charges of conspiracy, fraud, and false pre- tences. The allegation is that by these means the accused obtained JM01 from Mrs Martha '-n Smith, a widow, of Derby, and laige sums of money from Dr. Edward Hughes Jones, of Rhy.. The court was crowded, chiefly with ladies, and many who were anxious to listen to the proceedings were prevented by lack of accommodation. The prisoners, who had been unable to find the bail fixed by the magis- trates, had been incarcerated in Derby Prison. Mr Ryland Adkins, M.P., aad Mr A. Moresby White prosecuted on behalf of the Treasury, and the accused were defended by Mr H. Maddocks and Mr Leon Freedman. Upon the judge taking his st the prisoners entered the dock. Both were ghastly pale. Mrs Charlesworth, who is suffering from heart disease, breathed heavily and was in a half- fainting state. Violet was in an extremely depressed condition. They were allowed to be seated. Case for the Crown. Mr Ryland Adkins opened the case for the Crown. He explained that the Charlesworths lived in Derby about ten years e,w ere they were neighbours of Mrs Smith, Mr Charlesworth being a working, engineer. At that time Mi's Charlesworth told the local doctor that her daughter Violet, was coming into a fortune when she came of age. Later the story was told to Mrs Smith that the for- tune which bad been left amounted to E75,000, and that it had been bequeathed by a gentle- man who had died on the way from India and was buried in the Bay of Biscay. Violet, Mrs Charlesworth asserted, was looking forward to going to the Bay of Biscay and drop a wreath in the ocean as near as possible to the place where he was buried. Eventually on the strength of this story the prisoners got the E400 from Mrs Smith. Subse- quently the Charlesworths went to live near Rhyl and there they came into contact with Dr. Jones, to whom Violet, became engaged. Dr. Jones was told that Violet had been left a fortune of E150,000, which she was to get when she was 25 years of age, by a Mr Macdonald, whom she met at a dance in Scotland, and who was supposed to have been an admirer. She gave the name of thrustees of the estate, and the result of her representations to Dr. Jones was that she got from him over E5,000 in 18 months. Counsel went on to say that during this time Violet lived in style. She took a house in Wilt- shire at iCI80 a year, and a place in Scotland at S250 a year. She had also considerable opera- tions on the Stock Exchange. Eventually Violet told Dr. Jones that the actual fortune she would receive would be £ 200,000. She made reference to the happy day in January, 1909, when she would be 25, and the fortune became hers. "On the date of the happy birthday," proceeded Mr Adkins, she and her sister were motoring in North Wales, when Violet disappeared over a parapet on the road." After evidence from the London Bankruptcy Court, which showed that Violet's actual and contingent liabilities were now about k25,000, Mrs Martha Smith gave evidence. Violet's Love Letters. Evidence was then given by Dr. Edward Hughes Jones, of Rhyl, who stated that in De- cember, 1906. he attended Violet Charlesworth in his professional capacity. The whole family treated her with exceptional care and she was waited upon hand and foot by the others. He became en- gaged to her later, but before he knew the amount of the supposed' fortune. She asked him for the money to tide over her temporary difficulties until she became possessed of her fortune in January, 1909. Letters between witness and Violet were put in. Some of them were of an affectionate char- acter, and whilst they were being read Violet hung down her head and wept. In one of her letters to him from Scotland asking for money Violet wrote Ye ken, laddie, that all my fortune will be yours as well as mine." The total sum which witness dis- bursed to Violet was £ 5,430. The Judge What is your defence, Mr Mad- docks? Do you suggest, that Mr Macdonald or Mr Gordon exist ? Mr Maddocks I have 'not suggested that there is a Mr Gordon, but as to Mr Mac- donald, I cannot at present say. Miss Charlesworth Sobs. During the hearing of the evidence of Dr., Jones Miss Charlesworth sobbed bitterly. Evidence was called as to the bankruptcy proceedings. Mr Percival, of Messrs Fenton, Dale and Co., stefcbrokers, London, spoke as to the younger prisoner's transactions with their firm. They trusted her to the extent of EIOO.OOO. the girl gambling in American Rails. Mrs Charlesworth's Defence. The case for the prosecution having closed, Mrs Miriam Charlesworth then entered the witness-box to give evidence in her own de- fence. She said her daughter was in the habit of being away, and when she returned from Brighton witness told her daughter that she was in great trouble, as her husband had had a strokdk Violet replied that their trouble would soon be over, as she had met a gentleman named Macdonald, who had taken a liking to her, and was going to leave her £ 155,000. She thoroughly believed the story, as her daugh- ter had never told her an untruth in her life. The Judge: Did you not think it strange that a man should leave this large amount ? Witness I thought it was kind. The Judge And a Scotch gentleman, too (Laughter.) Mr Maddocks, addressing the jury for the defence, asked them to accept Mrs Charles- worth's statement that she had been innocently deceived by her daughter. Was it too much to expect, asked counsel, that a clever girl who could deceive stockbrokers and a lawyer could also deceive her mother ? Verdict and Sentence. The jury retired to consider their verdict at half-past seven, and returned twenty-five minutes later with a verdict of guilty" against both prisoners. His Lordship in passing sentence of five years' penal servitude upon each of the prisoners, said he could not differentiate be- tween them, believing that the mother orig- inated the plot, as evidenced by her statement to Dr. Bamett ten years ago, but. that Violet's remarkable ingenuity developed it. Both prisoners collapsed in the dock on hearing the sentences.

Owing to a large crack having developed at, its base, the monument of Peter the Great ait I St. Petersburg is in danger of collapsing.

I LOST SCHOOLMASTER TRAGEDY OF EX-BARRY MAN. Body in the Thames. Our Reading representative wired yesterday morning that the body of Mr D. J. Lewis, M.A., assistant master at the Kendrick High School, Reading, who has been missing since January 25th, had been discovered in the Thames on the Caversha.m. side early this morning. Since his disappearance all possible steps had been taken to try and discover his where- aboats. The Y.M.C.A. at Reading, together with the Boy Scouts for that place and other towns in the neighbourhood, had worked assiduously seeking a clue. Notwithstanding this, however, the matter has remained a pro- found mystery until yesterday. Naturally his parents, who are well-known at Barry, Penarth and Bridgend, have been distracted DAVID JOHN LEWIS. (Photo, by A. Gendrand.) ——————-—-—————————————— at the news. He was a most promising French student and the youngest Master of Arts in Wales. Profound sympathy has been manifested on all hands with the parents and family in their trial. Mr Lewis, who was 24 years of age. was the -■on of Mr and Mrs Samuel Lewis, Llangrallo House, Bari-y Dock, and had a brilliant '•holastic career, winning the scholarship •tiered-by the Franco-Britisli Society entitling iim to two years' residence and study in France. 0 ,was a eapahle philologist, and spent last Christinas in France. How he came to the river is stilt a mystery. 1.1 the night of Jan-jary 25th he left his lodg- ngs after supper to go for a walk, according to h:s usual habit, but never returned.

Women's Fight for Votes. SOUTH WALES LADIES' ADVOCACY. Fresh indisputable arguments in favour of the enfranchisement of women were urged at a large meeting at the Cory lIall, Cardiff, on Tuesday. It. was held under the auspices of the Cardiff and District Women's Suffrage Society, a Constitutional, non political society, which lays great stress on carrying on the campaign for the extension of the suf- frage free from paitv strife. The chief speakers were Lady McLaren and Miss Helen Frazer, but several well-known local ladies took a prominent part. The chair was occupied by Mrs Henry Lewis, Greenmeadow, who in a tactful speech made ont a strong case for granting women the vote. Ladies who did not personally wish the vote should not deter those who desired it from gett--ig it. Mrs D. A. Thomas, wife of the hon. member for Cardiff Boroughs, moved a resolution calling upon the House of Commons to pass into law a measure for the enfranchisement of women by granting to them the vote on the same ground as it is, or may be, granted to men. Lady McLaren, in seconding, delivered a brilliant speech, in which she enumerated some of the claims for the vote. "Sentimental Platitudes." Miss Helen Frazer, all official of the National Union of Women's Suffrage, who is conducting a week's mission in Cardiff, said there was not a question pronounced upon at the recent election which did not affect women very closely, and yet they had no vote whatever as a class. She shattered what she described as the dear old sentimental platitude that women's sphere is the home. "\Vhy," she said, the weekly wages bill of the women of this coontry, putting it at its lowest, is a million a week. Suppose all of them took that advice and went home ? There was a great, deal of trouble about making good a deficit of 14 millions on the country's Budget jnst now. What about the Budget which would ask you to provide 52 millions extra a year for home purposes only ? That was what that silly argument amounted to. (Loud ap- plause. ) The resolution was carried unanimously, and on the proposition of Mrs Lester Jones a hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mrs Henry Lewis for presiding and to the lady speakers.

On Second Thoughts. CHARLESWORTH SENTENCES REDUCED At the Derbyshire Assizes yesterday Mr Jus- tice Dai-ling reduced the sentences on Violet Charlesworth and her mother from five years to three years' penal servitude. Justice Darling had given instructions for Violet Charlesworth and her mother to be brought from prison and placed in the dock, but the latter was too ill to leave the gaol. Addressing Violet, who looked extremely haggard, he said when he passed sentence of five years' penal servitude on prisoners he gave directions that it should not be recorded. He had since considered the matter care- fully. He had refrained from passing sentence on the conspiracy indictment A point in prisoners' favour was that Vinlet had heightened her offence by going into the box and committing perjury, as was often done, though those offenders were seldom prosecuted. Then, again, much of the evidence iu the way of corroboration was supplied out of her own statements in bankruptcy. He re- duced her sentence tc three 3 ears' penal servi- tude, and the same-would apply to her mother, who would have to spend much of her time in the infirmary. As already announced, the London solicitors of the prisoners had entered notice of appeal against the sentence of five years' penal servi tude.

28 Men in the Water. DREDGER AND FIVE LIVES LOST. Five lives werc- lost as the result of a disaster to one of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners' dredgers at work in the Victoria Channel about 6 o'clock yesterday morning. The collision occurred almost at the en- trance to the Lough. After the impact the dredger, which was returning from sea, heeled over and foundered, the entire crew of 28 hands being thrown into the water. The ma- jority of the men were rescued by incoming cross-Channel steamers, but five were drowned —three deck hands, one winch man, and the cook. Twu of the bodies have not yet been recovered. The steamer Copeland sustained very little damage, and afterwards proceeded on her journey. Captain Rogers, of the steamer Cypress, which rescued the majority of the crew of the dredger, states that the weather was quite clear at the time. The Copeland struck the dredger on the port how and 40 seconds after- wards the vessel capsized. The mate of the dredger stated his ship was almost cut in two. One of the victims was sleeping at the time.

A DOUBLE MENAGE P John Henry Flower (32) was charged before the Cardiff Stipendiary (Mr T. W. Lewis) yester- day with neglecting to maintain his wife and four children now chargeable to the Guar- dians. Mr J. Pritchard, warrant officer, said on February 1st the wife and children came to him perfectly destitute. He found that defen- dant had left the city, and he was arrested at Birmingham. The wife had told him that for a long time past defendant had been em- ployed in the Rhondda Valley, where he was living with a young woman in lodgings as his wife. He had been sending his wife a certain amount every week. Mrs Flower said her husband had been liv- ing with j: le woman for two years. He sent her iEl every week until he lost his employ- ment. Defendant expressed his willingness to pro- vide a home for his wife and children, and he was ordered to do so and to pay the Guardians iEl a week and the expense incurred by them.

RUNAWAY DASHES INTO CAR. A horse attached to a cart belonging to Mr W. Treseder, florist, was frightened yesterday by a motor-car near Rawdon- place, Car- diff. Itbolted, and despite a plucky effort made by the driver, Henry Stephens, to avert an accident, it collided with a motor-car belonging to Dr. Chavc. which was standing near the Westgat.e Hotel. The near front wheel of the motor-car was damaged, the axle was bent, and the mudguard was broken, otherwise the car escaped damage, and nobody was hurt excepting Stephens, who sustained a slight cut, on the nose. Dr. Cln.ve at the time was visiting a patient.

-===-=.=-c SECOND EDITION IRISH MENACE. By-Election Attitude. GUARANTEES INSISTED UPON. The Standing Committee of the United Irish League of Great Britain met yesterday for the purpose of considering what action should be I taken in connection with the St. George's in I he East election, and they decided ;— That althougn we recognise in Mr Benn a sincere friend of Ireland, and outspoken t Home Ruler, we feel we cannot in the present, circumstances ask the Irish voters to support him as a member of the Government. Until we are assured that the Government intend, before the introduction of One Budget or any other legislation, to seek guarantees that they will be enabled to pass into law this year a measure limiting the veto of the House of Lords as a condition of retaining office, we cannot ask our countrymen to support a Government candidate. It is now obvious, says the Exchange Tele- graph Company, that if Sir Henry Dalziel pro- ceeds with his amendment to the Address on Monday )as there is every reason to believe will be the case), it will be supported by the Nationalists. First Test of Strength. After two days' debate on Mr Austen Cham- berlaitl's Tariff amendment to the Address, the House of Commons'fcame on Thursday to a divi- sion which furnished the first trial of strength betweeh the party forces. The Nationalists had announced their intention to abstain from the division, aiiri when allowance had also been made for absentees it was anticipated that the G ,mment would obtain a majority of a i ttle iver 30. i i.e actual figures of the division were :— For the amendment, 254 Against. 285 Government, majority against, 31 1 To-day's Parliamentary papers show thai la.s night's Tariff Reform division was cm str;cty party ines. Labour members, with few exceptions, voted with Ministerialists, nearly every member on both sides being accounted for. Defeat on Budget P The Telegraph Lobby correspondent says -Nationalist members expect the defeat of the Government to come on the second reading of the suspended Budget. The Red- moudites tssert that under no circumstances will they abstain from opposing it. The Brien- ites are too powerful to allow Mr Redmond to save the Government, whose driving power is utterly distroyed. So certain is the prospect of another election, that the Free Trade Union is already getting up a new fighting fund. Weish M.P.'s Speech Resented. '• The Times Parliamentary correspondent says that there is now a widespread feeling among Liberals that procedure on the veto question should bs by way of a Bill rather thaa than liy Parliamentary resolutions. There is a feeling of resentment also among moderate Liberals at some of the antagonistic speeches which have been delivered during the debate on the Address by Ministerialists,and especially at the speech of Mr Heinmet'de or Tuesday. Prepare for Election." The London correspondent of the Irish In- dependent says I hear that the word is being passed round to members of the Irish party topl'cp'tre for a General Election soon. Won t Be Dictated to. The Chrc,,)icle's Parliamentary corres- pondent (commenting on the situation) savs-.—The little scene when Sir Henry Dalziel questioned the Prime Minister yesterday showed that Mr Asquith is in no mood to be trifled with, and that people who think they can drive him into courses of which he does nolt approve may find their mistake out. It was quite evident the Premier does not relish this attempted interference with the plans of the Government at the present moment. This is hardly to be wondered at for nobody likes to be dictated to. Mr Asquith is leader, and as long as he holds that position is entitled to the confidence of bis followers.

MERCHANT'S STRANGE END. On the resumption of the inquest yesterday upon Mr J. Scott, the Bradford manufacturer who died as. the result of drinking eoffeer con- taining strychnine, Sergeant Mycock stMd he searched for the vessel which had contained the coffee and the pan in which it had been made, but the housekeeper, Mary Stalle- hrass, told him they had been washed out. She had poured the remainder down the sink a she though no one would want it. On Friday, the day the inquest was first opened, the housekeeper told witness they had bad some rat poison in the house,but it was not injurious to human beings. Stallebrass then said, How do von think I have gone on to-day ?" Witness replied. Ail right," and added, I suppose vou have found out what is the cause of Mr Scott's death ?" The Housekeesajd "W"hat?" in an anxious tone, and proceeded," That is your business not mine." She then questioned him twice as to whether anything had been discovered at the post rifortem examination, and he said he could4not tell her. On the same day the stud groom Burrows asked him if h» haa noticed how bright Polly .the housekeeper, was, and said he was surprised, as she was usually the other way. Burrows also told wit- ness that the housekeeper had told the coach- man that Mr Scott brought his will home the night before his death. Wm. Blakeley, chemist, from whom Burrows obtained the strychnine on February 5th, said ¡ Burrows presented a scrap, looking like a flat envelope, on which was written, Strikney to S. J. Scott." He was certain that it was spelt strikney and not spelt strychnine. Witness said he could not sell twopennyworth, and Burrows then said he wanted two shillings worth to poison magpies. A butcher named Buckley, whom witness knew well, then came forward and said Burrows was a friend of his, and Burrows was then supplied with one and a half drachms of strychnine hydrochlorate in the bottle produced. James Horner, gamekeeper, said someone went to his hut in the wood between the Saturday before Mr Scott died and the day of his death. That man was John Burrows. Wit- ness saw him standing up looking at a picture. After Mr Scott's death witness found in the hut the strychnine bottle that had been ob- tained from Birstall, the chemist. It was thrust in a corner under the thatch behind three other bottles. He searched the hut be- cause he wanted to find what caused his mat- ter's death. He denied that eithee Burrows or Mr Scott had given him poison to kill rooks.

OPEN VERDICT. The jury foimd that death was tbe result of strychnine poisoning, but there was not suffi- cient evidence to show by whom administered* A

Fresh Charge LAID AGAINST DR. W At TERI. Dr. A. Preece Walters, Pontypridd, who laet Friday was committed for trial at the Aesmat by the Merthyr magistrates for causing the death of a young woman at Dowtaus by per- forming an illegal operation, was brought up at. Merthyr yesteeday to answer a further charge of attempting to procure an abortion by using a certain instrument on a married woman at Pontvpridd on the 24th No last. Mr F. P. Charles prosecuted on behalf of the Public Prosecutor, and Mr Harold Lloyd, Car- diff, defended. The name of the woman was suppressed, but she was said to live at. Aber- cynon. For the prosecution Mr Charles said that on the 20th November the woman in question went from Abercynon to Pontypridd to see the prisoner, who gave her a bottle of medicine for which she paid 2s 6d. As, the medicine proved to have no effect, she went to see him again on the 24th November, and it was alleged that he then performed an operation. She be- came very ill, and Dr. Griffiths was sent for on the 29th. On Christmas Day, in consequence of what she ha.d read in the newspapers concemr ing the prisoner, she made a statement tc Dr. Griffiths. Evidence in corroboration was given by the woman. In croexarnination she said that she had had eleven children. The prisoner at one time was an assistant to Dr. Griffiths. Dr. Alexander Tames Griffiths, Abercynonv described the condition in which he found the woman. She remained under his treatment until the 5th January, and twice during that j time her condition was critical. In consequence f of a statement she made to him on the 25th December, he gave information to the police. P.S. Angus, Abercynon, spoke to arresting the prisoner, who in answer to the charge saicL You had better see my solicitor, Mr Harold Lloyd. I have nothing to say myself." Prisoner was sent for trial at the Assizes.

CATHEDRAL BELLS. A further step towards the completion oi Truro Cathedral has been reached with the de, livery of the peal of 10 hells which are to be placed in the Queen Alexandra Tower, specially designed for their accommodation. The cost of tlw bells and of hanging is £ 1.500, and the 10 bells weigh nearly eight tons. The tenor bell. which weighs 35cwt., and cost R220, was given by Mrs Hawkins, a second was subscribed for by the children of the diocese, and a third wa." given anonymously. The other donors weM the late Major Perkyn. Mr J. C. Daubuz, M. Moore, Mr John James, Mr S. M. Robius, and the Bolitlio family.