The Cardiff Times

GREAT BRITAIN'S LATEST AIRSHIP. ,The dirigible balloorf which has been built in France far the British Army, out of the pro- ceeds of the national fund started by a London newspaper, has made her trial flight of half an hour's duration at La Rocbe Guyon. The air- ship is of the semi-rigid type; and ia 103 metres long and 12 metres in diameter. It has a capa- city of 10(000 cubic metres, and is propelled by two wooden sc.-ews capable of giving it a speed of 80 kSoHxetzes an hour. After farther trial* the airship will. endeavour to lly across the Oboaaei to England.,

6REEK RESERVE CALLED OUT. I Sinister Intentions Disclaimed. Athens, Wednesday.—A decree is expected to be published in the official journal to-day calling out the reservists of 1907-8 classes in view of the approach of the customary grand" manoeuvres. The reservists are summoned to assemble on Oct. 5. With the view to divest this act of all alarming significance stress is laid in official circles here upon the fact that it is merely taken in pursuance of military regula- tions and in connection with the plan for re- organisation of the army, which has been put in force for some time past. In order to avoid any erroneous interpretation of the measure there will be no manoeuvres in Thessaly.— Reuter..

EGINA, FWYN PLODEUYN. Egina, fwyn flodeoyn, Yn chwa yr awel dlos V Ymestyn tua'r nefoedd— Trwy'r dydd a'r nos. Cynydda mewn gogoniant- Y ddaear rydd ei maeth, A'r huan fawr gySwyna Ei serchog saeth. Egina, hardd flodenyn, Ti ddenaist ein holl fryd— Yn dawel yn dv alhi— Sercbus a chlyd. Ammanford. —W. Roberts. Of a truth the telephone hath its uses. But who will describe as one of them the enter- prise of a West Wales lady. The telephone had but recently been installed in her hoose. Conscious, perhaps, of her new importance, the lady rang up a well-known emporium and asked for Mr the head of an important department. He was fetched with much diffi- culty and in due course acknowledged his identity with becoming deference. Oh, Mr said the lady, I just wanted to ask you the time of the next train to the Mumbles." He told her It may not be generally known that the light on the Mumbles Head is one of the very few on the British coasts that is not main- tained by. Trinity House* There is in Cardiff an old pilot, still at work, who remembers the Bristol Channel -when the Mumbles was the only light in it. How would modern mariner^ care for the task which this veteran used ta perform, of bringing vessels up the Channel, without accident, with but one light to guicU them ? Mr Harry Maskell, of Penylan, writing of th* autumnal equinoctial spring tides, says After careful atmospherical observations tending over a period of ten years I hav. noticed that both at the vernal and autumnal equinox, when the tides up this Channel (the Bristol) are far in excess of their ordinary height, an easterly or a north-easterly wind prevails, and so (what appears to me a providential work of Nature) the extraordin- ary tides are checked, and thus awful floods are prevented in Cardiff, Newport, and else- where in this vicinity. Cardiff's Lord Mayor, who was so signally honoured by the people of Risca last week, comes from Q., district of classic interest to lovers of Welsh poetry, for he was born alpiost in sight of Ishvyn's residence, and not far from the burial ground of Y Babell," viz., the Calvinistic Methodist Chapel with which one of Wales's sweetest singers was so long associated and where his dust is at rest. In his younger days Alderman Ohappell learned to read the Scriptures in Welsh at Sunday school, an exercise that he has retained to this day, and he has vowed that when next he ascends y Maen Chwyf he will -speak in the language of Dafydd ab Gwilym and Islwyn. Da iaWIlf Caerdydd. Father Hayde, whose retirement from St. Peter's, Cardiff, is announced, showed all the zeal that characterises a tnan who has a new object to love when he first became acquainted with the Welsh language. He vised to load himself every Friday night at his favourite newsagent's shop with all the available ver- nacular periodicals. Anxious to favour his genial customer's hobby, the newsagent gradually added to his list of Welsh publica- tions. The rev. gentleman is a r«odel of patience, hut ultimately he protested. Oh, dear, oh. dear." said he, Unless you have a donkey to lend me, Mr Blank, I think you had better not add to my burden of Welsh papers, if you please, or else there will be one donkey the less in the world." The hint proved effective, but no one who has the pleasure of knowing the rev. gentleman will confirm the implication at the end of his remarks.

ASS AND CO.'3 ALL AND MILD A LES, EEASON BREWINGS lk3 tiow be had ill Prime Condition, InCuka I; liottlea. ot pULTON, JQUNLOP. AND CO.. Cardiff, 114d

V SUNCLAD TOBACCO is THE BEST TRY IT.

I WORKMEN'S TOPICS. THE TRADE UNION CONGRESS. By MABON, M.P. Trade Union Congress of this year was at Sheffield. It has seldom met through- 1 the whole of its eventful history when a number of alarming events in the in- ^Jtrial world existed, and also loomed in the |J«tance. Shipbuilding and railways,cotton and j" Were either in a bad way in one direction or allot ,r,or were threatened with serious stop- ^o^es of work. On the other hand their power-^the political weapon—in which had come to repose increasing trust, has placed outside the pale of legality by the borne judgment. these matters the President of the Con- discussed with caution and firmness. Mr S^lam is one of our miners' leaders and Jjl^es those strong qualities which hav& ff**acterised the statesmanship of the Miners' jTJteration throughout. He spoke sym- S^re^'t>a^3r °f the scheme of the Labour Ex- —which later in the Congress came in a deal of abuse from some friends who that the Government is not cap- doing any good. The chairman [Sweated the ill-informed criticisms the whole j^oie has been exposed to from those quar- tv/ He spoke also of the great experiment in (j^faj&ce against unemployment which the K^^nment for sfime time now have been pre- 2**hg, and would,in my opinion, by now hare 2j?fted had it not been for the rejection of the I by the Lórds. tWr^KM1t attempting to criticise the history of Labour disputes now in progress in this jSj^ry I may l>e allowed to remind all and wit y Trade Unionists of the essential neces- wj for discipline in the ranks of Trade Union- ^7' The President, for himself and the whole Trade Unions Parliamentary Comrilittee, °t tu stronS1y on matter last week, and results that may happen in the n of weakening the power for conce- oarprainin^, for which work the Unions of1 specially existed. There is the experience Inost of our foreifjn fellow workers of Latin Pe, Italian, French, and Spanish, who by instinct, probably, and tradition as .indulged in the sectional, sudden, un- ^Si^ed ;0r, and oft-times Anarchical strikes on their part have missed the dis-ipline Of* has for many years been the mainstay o1U' strongest Trade Unions in Great Bri- The success of foreign workers under jk undisciplined regime has been relatively and their wages are still low. On the ^er hand, the workmen of Germany have in jw last two decades, generally speaking, j^tised even a stricter discipline than our leading Trade Unions in this country, have by those means develpped and also jjr'ceeded greatly in raising wages and shorten- < J*. the hours of labour far beyond what the' 10 races* have done. The German conces- ra,Ve t>een ipostly, though not altogether, oy negotiations. And when they have w* something by strikes, even then discipline maintained and notably exemplified. w* something by strikes, even then discipline Wel4 maintained and notably exemplified. The Cambrian Trouble. ugh my heart almost bleeds over the to I cannot pass by without referring I calamity this want of discipline is likely upon the South Wales coalfield. The of the Cambrian workmen in striking the decision of the conference of representatives at Cardiff last Satur- Cy and in their*flouting of the advice of the (k.lers and the extreme goodwill and diapo- Vw1 °* the great. majority of the delegates k*^rds them, has set the clock of organisation a full decade. 11e "South Wales Daily News declares kTj they have deprived their accredited of their highest power in negotiating for (fc^^nents—have placed the whole process of in jeopardy, and have immensely |3kened the instruments of collective bar- Hto1Qg so essential to the purposes and useful- of effective Trade Unionism itself." In no vw the coimtry, nor even in the world, has Vt ^solute need of discipline and loyalty been tIii Uy and more absolutely ignored than in Case of the Cambrian men rejecting—yea, tn to the winds—the advice of their old and friende and leaders, backed as it was by 8teat majority of Saturday's conference. The Osborne ifudgment. Haslam at the late Congress wisely re- h- from ex-cathedra pronouncements Presidential address, and gave an expres- the views of the Parliamentary Com- Still, on the Osborne judgment, he (for ) demanded the full rights of political and Parliamentary representation for ^rade Unions, and that—so far as can be ti^^red Up to the present—is likely to be the voice of the Trade Unions throughout COtmtry. President Haslam and Mr Arthur ephasi the extreme importance eeJiug with too sItuation created by that ent. .The Miners' Federation Attitude. *& a^ude of President HBfilam in the )C. of this judgment is worth special notice f tlte ooe remein^ers that he with all the (^5 tnembers of the Miners' Federation the Lancashire memlm) has only been WT^&ber of tbe Labour party lor less than a W' an<* that he took the final step in joining £ **?h^ter the adverse decision in the Court J ^^Peal—-and, if I remember correctly, after Vy ^«aae of Lords' judgment also; I may tbat all the leaders of the miners, *B £ 2jng Means Bart and Wilson, the latest as the largest accession to the Labour ranks, are as keen as any Trade Unicn upon this questaon. Nor is it surprising be so, because even if the miners fc^Ppfrove the particular method of Labonr —which we do not—they all Oow that the Osborne decision "goes a deal further,^ and bans any and every °f Labour reoresenta-tion for which CaionB levy upon their members. Of that vjjj* of representation our Miners' l&ejr**8 were the pioneers, and we now Ho* ,keenly as anybody the sudden illegalisa- practice in which our leaders have ^j^ed with the general and growing approval J^r members and the public for about forty vijjv8. Meanwhile it is for us, I suppose, in Unction with other Trade Unionists, to that the country as a whole does not b^Jeciate what has happened so clearly pro- Wy as we do ourselves, and also to try and Vwj case home to public opinion by the and proper methods. America's Representative. memorable feature of this Congress was | U^Pj^sence of the first Labour member of the t states House of Representatives. It is Ij^four years since Mr Wilson entered Cpnj He has now nine colleagues. It is not sur- America's Representative. memorable feature of this Congress was | U^Pj^sence of the first Labour member of the t states House of Representatives. It is Ij^four years since Mr Wilson entered Cpnj He has now nine colleagues. It is not sur- that there should have been this rapid of Labour representation with such a Jbjj —and a miners' leader by the way. In ?fance and style of speech Mr Wilson is 0«ct antithesis of the popular American JWjfer-the middle-aged man, broad-shonl- and a ruddy face, stamped by the deep of grave and thoughtful humanity. *ive typical American you expect expan- eloquence relieved by good and long But Mr Wilson held his audience spell- by another method. In his speech in 'i sequence he set forth, with no profes- trick of oratory, the story of Labour in ^jjiyaited States—how it is denied those "iJ of collective action which the Trusts rfi ^°r P"^Poses exploitation at the wink Judiciary. It was a terrible revelation impotence of Trade Unionimi under ^jj^ption, and the lesson went home without ^lous pointing.

MENACE OF THE TRUSTS. jState Defence Foreshadowed. Si* York, Wednesday.—Mr Samuel Unter- ^ho has been prominently engaged in 114; e-organisation of industrial and railroad federations, and who has also been one of the/ .strenuous opponents of corporate abases, a statement in which he declares is impossible to ignore the fact that *s a deep-seated and growing mistrust l^luVShout Europe and in England of the and financial stability of the United W • Mr TJntermycr.-adds that confidence 4ee,en destroyed by the manifest inability NtC1 ^ectively with corporate abuses, and he deprecates attacks upon trusts he legislation concerning them. Such i bon, he contends, should make the trusts "Public corporations, and should lead to from them what is best for the public their powers of oppression.—

^atin Dr. Svrn Hcdin deals with Savage Landor's claim to have dis- e ^wo Pr'n'Pal sources of the ^o^j^aputra, and declares that so far as the source is concerned Na in Singh dis- ^ifc in 1865. The two sources which Mr jje s Landor claims to have discovered are, 1i.da)s, only minor tributaries. He also con- fl c, tbat the problem of the true source of | "tlej ia stjii unsolved.

Fall From Express Train.! ..1 SOMNAMBULIST'S ESCAPE. On Wednesday a lad of 15, travelling from Paris to Calais ,by the Paris-London boat express, accompanied by his mother, was sleeping when he suddenly got up, walked into the corridor, opened the door and disap- peared. The alarm was given, and the train, which was travelling at 60 mi les an hour, was pulled up. To the surprise of everyone the boy was found hurrying along the permanent way in the direction of the train. He had no injuries except a few bruises on his knees and a cut on his forehead, and was able to continue the journey.. The accident was-due to the lad walking in his sleep.

Express Collision. AMERICAN MISHAP: FORTY KILLED. Fort Main, Indiana, Wednesday.—Upwards of 40 people have been Lid and many in- jured on the Wabash Valley traction line in a collision at Kingsland between a South bound limited express and a local train going North.—Renter.

FROLIC OF A PRINCE. Garman Army Camp Incident Berlin, Wednesday.—The Reichsbote publishes a story illustrating the genial humour of the Crown Prince. During manoeuvres of the Guards Corp3 his Imperial Highness commanded the first battalion of the First Foot Guards. One morning the battalion was bivouacking and a crowd gathered as usual to watch the soldiers preparing their meal. This time there was an unusual number of ladies attracted by the presence of the Prince. After the meal the men were allowed to amuse themselves in their \own way, the Prince participating in the fun. Seeing the ladies among the onlookers his Imperial High- ness proclaimed an impromptu beauty compe- tition, passed the assembled aspirations in review, and with impartial gallantry, awarded prizes to all. The prizes consisted of chocolate, and when the supply ran out cigarettes from the Prince's own case. The Prince was par- ticularly gracious to three young ladies who at his request took charge of his camp kitchen and cooked pancakes for the Prince and his officers, who highly appreciated the delicacies. —Reuter.

A NOTED DTPLOMATIST., I Few European diplomatists knew more of the intricacies and the subtleties of Near East- ern politics than M. Alexander de Nelidoff, who wa's bom in 1237, and entered the service of the R F Office in 1855. His mentor was Catmt Ignatwff, whom he accompanied when, alter the defeat of Plevna, that wily Russian statesman imposed the treaty of San Sbefano cm the vaxtqinahed Turks. M. de Nelidoff was one of the signatories to that document. From 1883 to 1897 M. de Nelidoff represented Russia at the Ottoman Court, and he played a very prominent part in removing the friction be- tween the two countries. The part he took duritHf the Armenian massacres was a praise- The late M. Nelidoff. worthy one, and he more than once dragged a defenceless Armenian out of the hands of his captors. M. de Nelidoff acted as president of the second peace conference at the Hague three years ago, and directed its labours' with abso- lute dignity, impartiality, and courtesy. M. de Nelidoff married the Princess Olga Khilk- off, and his son, who was a lieutenant on one of the ships in AdmirW Rodjestvensky's fleet, died at sea on the disastrous voyage which ended in the rout of the battle of Tsushima.

LAKE COMO TRAGEDY. New York, Wednesday.—Judge Blair, of Jersey City, to day ruled that he could not listen to evidence concerning thq insa,nity of Mr Charlton, for whose extradition the Italian Government is applying on the charge of mur- dering his wife ana sinking tbe body in Lake Corao. He had simply to decide whether the prisoner had probably committed murder in Italy and whether the Italian Government had made proper demand for his extradition. Despite the contention of Charlton's counsel that no proper application for extradition bad been made, Judge Blair admitted the dossier sent from Italy as evidence.—Reutefr.

WELSH COUNTRY HOMES. XLI.-Glanusk Park. Its Interests and Attractions. HOME OF A KEEN SPORTSMAN. ) Memories ef the Late Lord Glanusk. Search/where you will along the glorious banks of the river Usk and you shall "find no fairer stretch of valley than that which ex- tends in a westerly- direction from Crickhowell to Llangynidr. In the choicest portion of this stands the stately South Breconshire home of Lord Glanusk. The park, which is something like 170 acres in area, extends for a mile or two along the valley bottom, and to east and north for a considerable distance it is bounded by the river Usk, which winds like a streak of silver through the luxuriant verdure of theN vale. Most of the park is on the southof the river, and here the mansion is placed, but there I GLANUSK PARK—GENERAL VIEW OF THE MANSION. y I is also a considerable portion, known as the Deer Park on the northern side, and this is bounded by the main Brecon road. Points Abeut the Park. The Usk Valley is famous fqr the size and beauty of its trees, and nowhere, from Newport Bridge to Trecastle, will you find finer than those of Glanusk Park. Notable among them are the Spanish Chestnut, which here attain a size rarely seen in Great Britain. The group- ing of the trees in the park is very pleasing. There is plenty of variety in species, oak, elm, and beech, all flourish in this well-watered demesne, while here and there the toddy stems and dark foliage of Scots firs add colour and a certain element of wild beauty to the scene. If you approach the mansion from the road on the southern side of the river, you will ob- tain magnificient views across the valley to the northern side, where the luxuriance of the lower hills is backed by the bare slopes which totfer upwards well nigh a couple of thousand feet. Just north of east, the flat topped Table Mountain, the site of an early British camp, forms the sky line. Northward the moun- tain barrier is Pen Gloch-y-pibwr, and between these extremities there is a deep-set hollow in the hills. The park is pleasantly undulating, the slope being, of course, towards the river, and it is watered by many little. subsidiary rivulets which rattle down from the southern hills. Some Features of the Mansion. The mansion occupies an elevation some four hundred yards from the south bank of tha river, and fromits garden front, which is to the north-east, the terraces descend to the greensward of the park. The estate w.s bought by Mr Joseph Bailey (afterwards Sir Joseph Bailey, the first GLANUSK PARK—THE HALL. baronet, and the great-grandfather of the present Lord Glanusk) m 1825, and a year later the foundations of the house were begurt. The death of Mrs Bailey in 1827, however, re- sulted in a cessation of operations, and it was not until 1830 that the house was completed and Mr Bailey, who had prior to that time resided at Nan^ygio House, took up his resi- dence at Glanusk Park. It is somewhat diffi- cult to assign the architecture of the house to any one style, though it possesses' many Tudor characteristics. From w atever side it is viewed, a feature that demands notice is the number of slender cupola-crowned angle towers which are carried up several feet above the roof level. In passing it may be noted that the mansion at Glanusk and Maesllwch Castle, Captain Walter de Winton's fine house upon" the Wye at Glasbury, were built from the same plans, so far as the internal arrangement goes, though there are certain external differences which give them, to the casual observer, a very different impression. The house is of stone, much of which is now, however, covered with creepers, which the hand of autumn is turning to glowing tints of red and crimson. The drive approaches the mansion on its south western side, where a porte cochere gives access to the entrance. hall. The drive is bounded aJong' its northern side by a handsome stone parapet, which was erected by the late Lord Glanusk not many years ago and which extends round the gar- dens, dividing them from the park. £ »me Features of the Interior. From the entrance hall a turning on the left leads to the cosy room which is Lord Glanusk's favourite apartment and which he uses as study and smoking room. The entrance hall is hung with many interesting trophies, col- lected'in all parts of the world. Of these, some of the most notable are those which were amassed by a sailor member of the family, the late Captain John Crawshay Bailey R.N. Among these interesting relics is the figure- head of the Brazilian slave brig Paratenin, which was captured about 60 years ago with 102 slaves on board. Some of the details left by Captain Bailey present a vivid idea of the horrors of the slave trade, and they include an account of the capture of a slaver, which was only 50 feet long and of 11 feet beam, in which 73 children and 20 aduJts were conveyed from South Africa across the Atlantic. In such à small boat the journey was, of course, a long one. Some Mernorief of the, Slave Trade. The children were packed into the ship so tightly that they had to remain in a sitl ing position throughout the voyage., There was two feet of water ia the boat and many of them died. The dead bodies of the lat ter were not removed, but washed up against the ^.urvivors, and so terrible was the state of hings when they were at length rescued by a British ship, that those who remained alive had to be fished up from below with boat hooks The barbaric method of feeding these slaves while on board was by means of a pipe inserted through a hole in the deck above, and a couple of these pipes now hang with the figure-head of the slaver.. over the mantle piece of the entrance hall at Glanusk Park, as a grim reminder of the awful trade which Captain J. C. Bailey and other British naval officers of the day, laboured so hard and so successfully to suppress. • A Tale of the Sikh War. A circnlar shieid which came from one of the Sikh wars and which stands on the floor in a corner near by, has another tale to tell, and Lord Crlanusk, who, on the ocasion of our visit kindly showed us round his beautiful home, related the story that he has heard, which is to the effect that during one of the battles in which his uncle took part. an old- Sikh, who had this shield persistently refused to move. He was crouching down on the ground, and stayed there till he was slain. It was then dis- covered that the brav-e Sikh was protecting a little child behind the shield. Lord Glanusk's uncle took the child and bronght it up, and it lived to become his faithful servant. Lord Glanusk and C.I.V.s. Near hy is a trophy of arms which provides memories of Lord Glanusk's deeds during the South African campaign.. On the outbreak of the war, Lord^Glanusk (then the Hon. J. H. Russell Bailey}, was an officer in the Grena- dier Guards, and when the C.I.V.s were re- cruited he was selected to act as adjutant of London's crack volunteer service corps. In this capacity he had ample opportunity to -utilise his military knowledge, which he did with the greatest success. The trophy in question includes the hat which his Lordship wore throughout the campaign. and one of the camp flags. Above the mantlepiece in his study, hang a couple of original pen and ink sketches signed G. K. Jones the work of a clever Welshman in his corps, depicting one of the tightest -corners into which the C.I.V.s got, and in which, as Lord Glanusk remarks, the enemy, if they had been shooting well, might easily have cleared off pretty well all of the 70 of us who were there." A Treasured Possession. I One of the most treasured possessions of Lord Glanusk, is a manuscript book, to the preparation of which the late Lord Glanusk devoted much of the last four yfeaw of his life. The volume in question bears upon the first pape the words Compiled for his children by 1 Joseph Russell Bailey, First Baron Glanusk 1902. and on the second page appears the words from Isaiah LI Look* unto the rock whence ye are hewn." Then follows a history of the family, with interesting detaio ing its coming from Yorkshire to South Wales, its connection with the Crawshays, and subse- quent acquisition of iron works. The book is charmingly illustrated with water-colour sketches of the great iron masters of a century ago, and of some of the works, and there are also representations of the arms of members of the family. It contains details of the acqui- sition of the Glanusk Estate, the laying out of the park, and building of the mansion. The Work of the Late Lord Glanusk. All the work in this volume was done by the late Lord Glanusk himself, and it remains as a monument not only to his patience and indus- try but also to the high artistic qualities which he possessed. The writing is beautifully clear and neat, and every page is arranged with a skHl whir-h would have done credit to a pro- fessional illuminator. The mansion contains other examples of the extreme care and method which characterised the late Lord Glanusk. Another manuscript book of his work contains details relating to some of the pictures and other objects of interest which meet the eye on every side. His interest in archaeology and the history of the county of Brecon, is indi- cated by a large sketch map which he made showing the liine of the Roman roads, the Nornfbn castles, and many of the ancient British camps. Development of the Mansion. Before referring to the main apartments, a word should be said regarding the develop- ment of the house, which in several particu- lars differs from what it was when it was com- pleted eighty years ago. The late Lord Glanusk. who, as already stated, added the stone balustrade which enclosed the garden, also added to the billiard room, increasing its size by about one half and thereby greatly improving it. The past three years, however, have wit- nessed very considerable alterations, which have been carried out by the present Lord Glanusk, and which have very materially lightened the interior of the house. These im- provements include the removal of heavy marble pillars from the drawing room, and also from the main hall and, in the latter case, the puttipg in of lighter and far more graceful supportlJ. Another great improvement in the hall has been the cutting of a large window at the north-eastern end, which affords a charm- ing view across t.te park and the valley to the wild mountains beyond. On the staircase a large painted window which shed a light of the dim, religious character, has been re- placed by a larger window more in harmony with modern ideas of light and air. There have been also, very material improvements in the dining room, of which we shall speak pre- sently, while electric light has now been in- stalled all over the house. Features ef the Hall. A distinctive feature of the interior is the fine square hall which occupies the centre of the house and which is approached from the entrance hall. The photograph which we re- produce will give an idea of the beauty of the hall, the pillars of which support the. broad gallery which extends round it on the first floor, and which from the top pf the staircase gallery which extends round it on the first floor, and which from the top of the staircase gives access to the bedrooms. The pillars and I walls of the hall, which at first sight appear to be of white stone, arc of the' new material which has been utilised.to such excellent effee. t, I at the Ritz Hotel in London, and which is in reality crushed stone and cement. The treat- ment of the hall is in the Renaissance style, the decoration possessing much of the refine- ment of the late 18th century with which the brothers Adam are associated. The hall ex- tends the ftilllength of the house, and is lit by a glass dome. In the time of the late Lord Glanusk, a life-sized marble statue of the great Duke of Wellington occupied a position in the centre of the hall, but this being somewhat out of place there- when the alterations in the hall took place, has since been presented by Lord Glanusk to the Guards depot at Caterham. This statue was acquired by the great grandfather of the present Lord Glanusk, who was a great admirer of the Iron Duke, an oil painting of whom hangs in the gallery above the hall. The mantelpiece, which is to the right hand on entaring, is a beautiful example of wood carving with white marble panels. The staircase opens from the north-western side of the hall, and of this a very graceful feature is the delicately wrought iron balus- trading which is also carried round the edge of the gallery. The Drawing Room and Ceramics. The drawing room occupies the south- eastern corner of the house, and is an oblong well-proportioned apartment, simply but very effectively decorated. It con- tains a number of pleasing pictures, notably a fine example of Frans Hals, the famous 17th century portrait painter. At the far end of the room are two cases let into the wall and cun- ningly lit from above by electric light, con- taining some fine old Dresden and Wedgwood china. It may be noted in passing that the late Lord Glanusk was an enthusiastic col- ector, of ceramics and most of the fine china at Glanusk Park was acquired by him. The collection includes some Staffordshire pottery exquisitely modelled which occupies the ledge of the large window lighting the staircase. William Pitt and Kihg Koffee. The library opens out of the north end of the drawing room, and it contains several interest- ing pictures. These include a portrait of Pope Leo X. attributed to Velasquez, and over the mantelpiece a striking portrait of William Pitt the younger by Gainsborough. An interesting relic of the Ashantee war which was shown us by Lord Glanusk in the library was the cap which once covered the Royal head of King Koffee. It is a strange looking head-gear made of green leather adorned with gold, and its shape is almost exgfctjy that of the basin-shaped hats which crowti the heads of the jeunesse of to-day. D ining--Room and Billiard Room. The decoration, of the dining room, which Is in the most chaste Adams Style, fe ver"eauti- fuL. Here, over the mantelpiece, hangs a life- like portrait of the late Lord Glanusk. To the right hand is an oil-painting of the first Sir Joseph Bailey and, balancing it, upon the left of the fireplace, is a portrait of his second wife. An oil-painting of Queen Elizabeth in a characteristic ruff of large dimensions is at- tributed to Rubens. On passing out of the dining room at the opposite end one's attention is arrfsted by a fine late 18th century sideboard of Adams design. Over the billiard room mantelpiece is a large case containing old fire-arms, with exquisitely carved handles, a part of the collection of the late Capt. J. C. Bailey. In the recess on the right hand is the skull of an alligator, and on the left the skull of a young hippopotamus, the latter shot by Lord Glanusk's brother. Retracing our steps through the hall our attention is drawn to a 9.7 brass shell. This was brought home from Diamond Hill by Lord Glanusk and is now utilised as a gong. The Sardlns and Estate Buildings. Passing out of the house we are soon tread- ing the velvet turf of the lawns, and descending the terraces to where in the midst of a broad round, pool a slender fountain, fed by a rivulet from the hills above, makes perpetual ripple. Well ordered flower beds provide for this pleasing feature an -attractive setting. Not far away is a prettily designed water garden, and beyond this we turn westward to the extensive green-houses. A long border adjacent to these was on the occasion of our visit gay with pink and red pexistapnetas and yellow calceolarias, and red geraniums, lavender hued ageratum and blue lobelia, a combination of colour which looked singularly effective. Behind the greenhouses is the square and well-walled kibchen garden which is not only abundantly productive but reraarkably neat and clean. A great improvement effected by the present Lord Glanusk, and one in which as in every- thing else upon his estate he takes th keenest personal pride and interest, was the building of a new estate workshop and other offices. This was formerly situated nearer the house. The new buildings include sawmills, modern joinery machinery, smiths' shop, etc. The machinery is driven.by a coupVs of forty horse-power gas engines which also supply the electricity for lighting the mansion. Everybody a Cricketer. Lord Glanusk is a keen cricketer and believes in fostering the game in the Usk Valley. Just behind the stables is a well ordered cricket ground. Everybody who comes here," re- marked Lord Glanusk, must be a cricketer, or," he added with a smile, must say he is a cricketer whether he is or not I Practice at the nets every evening and a match on a week keeps a man fit." We pass onward to the stables which are at the western end of the mansion and which are approached through a handsome stone gate- way. In the old days the late Lord Glanusk used to keep twenty or more horses'there, and vehicles of every shape and size, but in these motor days the number of horses has been reduced to four, while the only remaining traps are packed away ir6 an unobtrusive corner. Three motors nowadays do all the work more expeditiously than did a score of horses. As a result there is plenty of spare stable room and this is now converted to other uses. One portion is now a fruit store room apd out of another part has been made a capital racquet court. Lord Glanusk as Sportsman. » There is no finer sportsman in the county than Lord Glanusk. In almost every branch he is an enthusiast. As a cricketer there is no one in the Usk Valley who is keener, while in the racquet court he yields to none of his family in skill and activity. The adjacent apartment is stocked with trout and salmon rods and waders adorn the walls. A mutual enthusiasm leads the conversation to the fly- fisher's art and Lord Glanusk frankly admits his preference, even on the broad Usk, for a light, whippy Bttle ten foot split cane trout rod, in preference to the fearsome double-handed fourteen-footers which so many Usk anglers affect. In the matter of trout flies his Lord- ship's views are somewhat unorthodox, for he pins his faith to the March Brown, adding I never use anything else." This may sound strange in the ears of some who sally forth with a whole museum of imitation lepidoptera in their fly books, but after all is not the proof of the pudding in the eating ? Lord Glanusk has in a few hours fishing taken with the fly in his water on the Usk as many as 42 trout with an aggregate weight of over 201bs. His heaviest Usk salmon scaled 2811bs., but he has taken one 41 the Wye of 301bs. and this spring in Norway he hooked and landed one of 32Jlbs. Lord Glanusk is as keen a devotee of the ride as he is of the rod. In sport as in other things he realises that wealth has its responsibilities. His attitude towards others is exemplified by his treatment of the Crickhowell golf club whom he allows, on payment of a peppercorn rent, to play upon links in his park on the undertaking that club members shall defray the cost of the upkeep of the course. Of the public work of Lord and Lady Glan- usk there is no need to speak here. In many useful directions they give a lead to the county of Brecon, and in this particular their beauti- ful Usk-side home is the centre of many activities which have for their object the best interest and welfare of the community. (Nov(i, wwk--RE=T V HALL.)

Blackmail by Turkey. FRENCH VIEW OF THE LOAN. Bourse Boycott Threat. Paris, Wednesday.—" Nothing less than blackmail against France on the part of Turkey." That, in a sentence, is the view the French Government takes of the agreement for a Turkish loan concluded with the Cassel group, as expressed to Reuter's representative in an authoritative official quarter. The Cassel agreement is provisional, and will only become definitive on the 1st prox., in the event of the negotiations with France being finally abandoned, but in the view of the French Government that agreement may already be regarded as definitive, for it will not abate one jot from the financial or political conditions which are essential for the success- ful conclusion of the negotiations for the float- ing of the loan on the French Market. We," said the informant, were not satisfied with the guarantees offered concerning the control of the Turkish finance and the other points, and we consequently considered a loan in these cir- cumstances not good paper. If British investors are satisfied with less that is their affair, but we shall use all our influence and allour power to- prvent a single scrap of that paper coming on the French market. If Great Britain is willing to help Turkey in joining hands with the Triple Alliance and enabling her to buy ships and guns from Germany, that also is her affair, but we will be no party to that transaction. To put the matter simply, the bargain is a bad one. Its conditional offer to England on less advantageous terms in order to bring France up to the scratch can only be regarded as blackmail, and the paper which we considered unsatisfactory will not be made good by coming back from London." The Temps says :—Sir Ernest Cassel has dreamed a fine dream. He wants to con- ciliate British interests and German ambition in the East. That could certainly not be done without sacrifice of the former and concessions to the latter.—Reuter. Sir E. Cassel's Terms. Paris, Wednesday.—It is generally stated and believed that before taking his departure the Grand Vizier provisionally accepted an offer on the part of or in the name of Sir Ernest Cassel to raise the loan in London and on the Continent by October 1st, if by that date the French Government had not decided to sanction the quotation of khe issue, for which the Credit Mobilier Syndicate had con- tracted with Djavid Bey. According to all accounts Sir Ernest Cassel has offered on the Turkish terms six millions sterling this year, and four or five millions next year. This loan would be secured on the Customs duties of the Vilayet of Constantinople.—" Times," per Press Association., Pointed German Comment. Berlin, Wednesday.-The failure of the Franco-Turkish loan negotiations has taken Germany by surprise and is the absorbing topic to-day, distracting attention from reports of the Emperor's doings in Vienna. The Berliner Tageblatt thinks Sir E. Cassel acted in understanding with the British Government, and says French statesmen, regarding Turkish affairs wholly through Russian spectacles, in a fit of nervousness for which the purchase of German warships by Turkey might have been responsible, demanded guarantees as to Turkey's future political attitude. Fears of a Turkish march into the camp of the Triple Alliance dictated these demands. French diplomacy here obviously suffered a fall which the London Government was able to avoid.-Reuter.

THE UNION PARLIAMENT. The most interesting fact of the election of the South African Union Parliament was the defeat ofGeneral Botba., the Union Premier and leader of the Nationalist Party, by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, the Ubionist. The net result of the election gives General Botha a majority of 13 over all parties. Sir Percy Fitzpatrick has long been a leading figure in South African politics. He was a member of Lord Randolph Sir Percy Fitzpatrick. I -I- Churchill's expedition to Maehonaland, and also of the famous Reform Committee, being tried and sentenced to imprisonment after the Jameson raid. His books, Through Mashona- land and Tbe Transvaal from Within," are well known. He was formally connected with the firm of Wernher, Beit and Co., but gave up finance for politics.

LABOUR PIONEER, AUTHOR, AND M.P. Mr George Howell, who has passed away in his 78th year, was one of the foremost men in the Labour movement a generation ago. A native of Somerset, his life had practically been spent in London, for at the age of 21 he went there as a bricklayer, and joined the Brick- layers' Society When the memorable strike and lock-out in the London building trades occurred in 1859-60, Mr Howell acquired a large amount of influence with his fellow-workmen. Through that influence he became secretary to the London Trades Council, and this position in turn prepared the way for his election to Parliament. Politically, he came to the front as secretary to the historic Reform League of 1864-69, that very strenuous body which brought about the famous Hyde Park riots of 1866. Mr Howell was then associated with Mr Edmund Beales, who was later made a county court judge, Colonel Dickson, Mr George Odger, and other of the foremost Trade unionists of Mr George Howell. I the time. That agitation was practically ended by the Reform Act of 1867. Mr Howell then became secretary to the Parliamentary Com- mittee of the Trades Congress, which was be- coming more and more political in its activities. In 1885 Mr Howell became a candidate for Bethnal Green North-East, and was returned by a large majority, as he was again in 1886 and 1892. In 1895 he was defeated. Mr Howell was a self-educated man. He collected an ex- cellent library, and wrote a well-known work on The Conflicts of Capital and Labour," also a Randy -Book,of the Labour Laws," and a volume on The Employers' Liaiblity Act. in addition to a large number of pamphlets and p contribtions to newspapers and magazines on labour questions.

FRENCH AFFRONT TO BRAZIL. A Curious Incident." Paris AWdnesday. -Telegrams from Cher- bourg give details of an incident in which the French and Brazilian officers were concerned at that port. Commander Pereird Souza,of the Brazilian cruiser Sao Paulo, had arrived at Cherbourg in connection with the visit of Marshal Da Fonseca, the Brazilian President- elect, and yesterday presented himself. accom- panied by several officers, at the Maritime Prefecture, in order to pay a visit to Admiral Cros. According to the account given of the incident, which has been the subject of much comment, the admiral sent the reply that he could hot receive Commander Souza for two reasons—because he was then presiding at a council of the directors, and because the Bra- zilian Commandant had permitted a delay of twenty four hours before presenting himself. The officers were compelled ..dthdraw.-Cen- tral News.

WELSH GLEANINGS. News and Views in Lighter Vein. The South Dock at Swansea celebrates ita fifty-first birthday this month. Fifteen magistrates put in an appearance at the Carnarvon Police Court last week, and when they came they found there were no cases to try. The Rev. Ben Da vies, the nwly-ordained pastor of Tabernacle Congregational Chapel, Trealaw, Pontypridd, was formerly a Council school teacher at Gwynfe, Carmarthenshire. The Rev. P. H. Griffiths, late pastor of Charing Cross Church, has intimated to the church that he has determined to permanently remain in Australia. Mr Griffiths went over for the benefit of his health, and as he has mu^ improved since he has been there he has dec wed not to return. At a Cardiff Sunday school yesterday a teacher who during the week had heard a bad report of little Johnny Jones, turned to him sadly and said. I am afraii, Johnny, I shan't meet you in the better land." "Why, what have you done now ? asked the irrepressible youngster. Mr Ernest Rhys, commenting upon the fact that not one "cnglyn" was declared prize- worthy at the National Eisteddfod, declare* that there must be something like nine thou- sand nine hundred and ninety-nine bad englynion extant in the Welsh magazines and newspapers of the last one hundred years. To-day's Great Thought.—Sir John Cock burn, who at one time contested West Mon- mouth, says :—" The man who diligently reads his daily paper is often better informed than if he goes to the British Museum and studies all that the fathers have written on every subject." Cardiff's oldest dry dock—that beside the canal, with an entrance from Loudoun-equaro —is being filled up. The original 99 yearn* lease expired about seven or eight years ago. Further along the canal, seaward, the other dry docks are still in use for the repair of pilot boats and other small craft; but the old single dock is now being filled-as was the Taa Vale wet dock some time ago. Trooper John Ford, 78 years of age, one of the most striking, in appearance, of CardifTs Crimean veterans, seemed to live over again at the Empire last week the memorable charge at Balaclava in which he participated. In his Hussar uniform, which he wore at Bala- clava, he looked, in spite of his advanced age, a dashing soldier, and the way he swung his sword whilst reciting the lines Flashed all their sabres bare," was intensely dramatic. A disappointed competitor at the National Eisteddfod writes to the Welsh newspapers a letter which casts serious reflection upon the method of adjudication. He sent in a libretto which should have been adjudicated upon by Mr Emlyn Evans and Mr L. J. Roberts, instead of which the competition found its way to the adjudicators of the crown poem, and by them was passed judgment upon with the rest N of the poems! There are 22 Chinese laundries in Cardiff, and here the names of the proprietors :—Sin Yan Chong and Co., Gong Lee, Lou Sing Lee, Chung Lung, Sam Tick, Chung Lee. Yoe Sien Wah, Low Sang, Leo, Tom Lee, Chung Lee, Sam Kee, Chung Lee, David Wing Lee, Chung Sang, War Long, Yoe Sing, Quong Lee. Sing Lee, Yuen Lee, Yuen Lee, and Hop Sing. Quite a euphonious lot, aren't they to David Wing Lee is, we presume, an Oriental tribute to the land we live in Mr Alfred Perceval Graves, writing in T.P.'s Weekly," says :—The Welshman has been paradoxically called the Teuton of the Celts. He certainly, unites the dreamer and the man of business much in the same way as the German does. Like the German, too, he is a man of eminently domestic tastes. He ia, moreover, seriously-minded, though on his religious side he is more Puritanical than the modern German. Even before Methodism captured the Principality and its upper and middle classes danced, drank, and adventured, he was daring, jovial, and engagingly festive. One of the prizes offered at the Colwyn Bay Eisteddfod was for the best translation of Hen Wlad fy Nhadau into English. Even the adjudicators discovered how difficult it was to turn into idiomatic singable English Ienan 801:1 lago's heartfelt lines. He tried to do it himself, and here is the result:— Old Land, that our fathers before us held dear, Land of heroes, song-lovers that sang away fear To-day call their fame from the grave where they stood For freedom and gave their heart-blood. Chorus Land, Land, Too fondly I love thee, dear Land, Till warring sea and shore be gone, Pray God let the old tongue live on. Old mounfain-buillt Cymru," the bardV Paradise, The farm inthecwm, the wild crag in the skiea, The river that winds have entwined tenderly With a love spell my spirit in me. Chorus Land, Land, &c. If the dnemy smote thee, dear Land, as they 'said, The old tongue hath risen, to speak from the dead Not a song could the traitor's hand hurt of tiiy mirth, Nor break the small-harp at thy hearth. Chorus Land, Land, Cymru," we call thee dear Land t Till warring sea and shore be gone, I Pray God let the old tongue live on.