The Cardiff Times

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WORKMEN'S TOPICS. BY MABON, M.P. J THE UNDERGROUND FIREMAN. I | His Authority, Duty, and I Responsibility. J Having been requested by some of the 3 officials of the newly-formed Undergroun i' Firemen's Union to write an article upon i the above, it becomes now my pleasurable to do so. f Firemen s Authority.—In the absence o the overman, and whenever he or some ■ other superior officer is not present, the fire- man of each district in a mine has power and authority over all persons employed in the district of the mine under his care. Every person in that district is under hIS charge, and he has power to strictly enforce upon all of them the observance of the pro- visions of the Mines Act, and the special *ules thereunder, and each and all of them toust obey his orders. His Duties.— Of these the examinations and inspections to be done under the Mines Act and special rules come foremost. It IS his duty to make the inspections and ex- aminations required by the fourth and seventh general rules. Those under the fourth general rule are divided into two parts (1) Within two hours and a hall before the commencement of each shift he is to inspect every part of the is trict under his charge, beyond the station, r and in which workmen are to work J Or pass during that shift, and must Ascertain the real condition of those parts And places with respect to gas, ventilation, toof, and sides, as well as their general safety. After each of these inspections it is his duty to report in full any accumulation ?r blower of gas, and any indication thereof the lamp, if not diluted and rendered harmless, and indicate where found and what defects, if any, there may be in roof or sides; Or a.ny other source of danger he may have °bserved. This report he is to make without delay in a book kept at the lnine for that purpose and it must be made in his own handwriting, signed by himself. (2nd) In a(T-il l0h to the examinations before the shift COtnmences, he is to examine every working Place in his district twice during every shift, Or oftener, if necessary, to ensure the safety of all persons working therein. But should the overman make an inspection of those traces during that same shift he is relieved making more than one of these addi- tIonal examinations. Neither is he com- pelled by the Act itself to rccord these fc*amination8 made during shifts, but in case of a mine working continuously during the *7 hours by a succession of shifts, the reP°*k one of such inspections is to be recorded, finally, it is his duty to examine daily edges of all old workings abutting on ^veiling roads or working places. Ventilation.—For the purpeses of venti- ^ion, so as to ensure the safety of the men \lnder his charge, it is his duty to be careful ,"at the airways and travelling roads are in thorough repair, and maintained to he required dimensions. Should any fall obstruct the airway or roadway, it is his duty to have the same immediately removed, every defect made good. In fact, it is duty, once in every week at least, to travel through the whole of the airways Accessary for the ventilation of his district in the mine, and maintain over them, and over the timbering, ventilation, and the lighting of his and things connected therewith a careful supervision. For this purpose also it is his duty to put SP' or cause to be put up, all stoppings, *>°orB, brattices, and other fittings neces- for proper ventilation, and shall see "at they are kept in good repair and order, for this purpose he is to frequently examine them all. He must be careful to ave all ventilating doors so erected that will close of themselves, and all main Q OOrs double. All ventilating doors in actual Se must always be kept closed, and all seless doors he must unhinge and place 8lde. As far as he possibly can he must that everyone in charge of a ventilating °or shall remain at the door in his charge working hours, and that no person ?hall leave a door in his charge till the end of lls shift. General Safety.—For the purpose of insuring the general safety of the district "nder his charge, he is every day, during forking hours, to examine the travelling °*ds in his district, properly fence oil all to any place not in actual course working, so as to prevent any person in- uvertently entering the same. Ho shall PJace cross timbers thus X at the entrance every working place which, upon examina- he may tind unsafe, and mark with date on the face of each of such P aces and on his return to the station he ''all caution all persons against entering such h nsafe places. He must cause all loose over- atiging stones or coal in the roofs and sides travelling roads to be removed or propped, *^d the roads to be made safe. He shall ?lrect and see that all timbers arc set in the est..manner in all places where they are paired shall require sprags or props to th used by the colliers wherever needed in e working places, in accordance with §eneral rule 22. He is also to direct that fliers and other persons employed in the lne shall properly stow away all rubbish their stalls and working places, remove all loose overhanging cJies or coal in the roof and sides, w li 111J necessary sprags, props, s< and gobbing to make their working ahlCeS sa^e- And he is to take all reason- e means to ensure that these duties are jiPPfrly fulfilled, and that any deficiency of obish requisite for making any collier's 0i"king-plaee safe shall be conveyed Jlet.eto, and properly stowed away. In ;^ition to all this, if he at any time finds V at the mine, or any part thereof, is, reason of noxious gases pre- ca. Ihng therein, or from any other j Us° whatever, dangerous, he must atllnediately suspend all operations all the mine or such part thereof, and remove th persons therefrom, and instantly report a e danger to a superior officer, and prevent y person again entering the mine or such P^tt thereof till the danger has been re- 0ved and the mine or such part thereof restored to safety. i •. uoh, then, are the duties and reepon&i- th 3tfGS c°Hiery firemen. The variety of e former and the enormity of the latter e such that no inexperienced, incompetent PCrS'>D .should ever be allowed to occupy this Serous pusition.

THE NEWSPAPERS OF THE WORLD. Industries says Printing industry is'liiofc "pnly important in itself, but aiso because of immense general influence. The depart- J"e»t in whicli this infiuerc; is greatest is hat of newspapers, the number of which P^bhshed in all countries is estimated at liOOO. (>f these 24,000 appear in Europe. xt'iTna.ny heads the list with 5,500; then ^°Hies France with 4,100, Britain with 'P00, Austria-Hungary with 3,500, Italy 1,400, Spain with 350, Russia with Switzerland with 450, Belgium and olland v.'ith 300 each, and the remainder J?1 the smaller countries. The United ITl the smaller countries. The United states have 12,500 newspapers, Canada has and Australia also 700. Out of the 300 ^urnals published in Asia, Japan alone has If this is any measure of progress, ^he latter country has progressed immensely, 0r 20 years ago it had no newspapers.

Apropos of Stanley's recent marriage, it is strange that no one remarked that the great eXplerer's desolate heart had found a. Tennant. Men blame women because they talk so much, but in their secret hearts the. women believe that that is only because th« men want a chance to talk themselves. t

FACTS FOR FARMERS. 4 Current Notes on Agriculture. By a Practical Farmer. A SEASONABLE WARNING. In course of the last three or four weeks a neighbour has lost several sheep from his valuable flock. His is not a solitary experience, as many have suffered in the same way, but injiis case the cause of their illness and dea»h perplexed the owner and his immediate neighbours, and to solve the matter he sent for the attendance of one of the most experienced veterinary surgeons of South Wales. The verdict of this gentleman, after examination, was that the cause of this mischief was a too liberal supply to the sheep of turnips during the severe weather. Whether in this instance this gentleman was right or not, it is a well-known fact that a too liberal use of roots during severe weather, without a relative quantity of dry food, is answerable for many of the ills which attack both our cattle and sheep. Turnips consist of nine-tenths of water, and it is calculated by authorities that a breeding sheep will consume daily one-fourth of its weight of turnips. Taking the weight of an average sheep to be 140 Ibs., at the foregoing rate it consumes 35 lbs. of turnips, which means about 32 lbj. of water. Taking into the body this excessive quantity, especially when this water is at freezing point, must injurious to the animal by lessen- ing the vitality. Animal life consists in the conflict of two rival pcwers-vitality and chemical affinity. The object of vitality is to sustain and increase the mass of the body, while chemical affinity is to lessen and destroy the bedy. The vitality of the animal system is dependent upon the warmth of the body when cold increases its power decreases, and when that decrease reaches a certain point death ensues. The natural result, therefore, when sheep a.nd cattle have a too liberal allowance of turnips in a. freezing state during the severe weather which we have of late experienced, cold within and cold without, is to lower or decrease the vitality of the animals that have so partaken. When sheep graze off frost-tmmd herbage, and in addition to this are allowed to eat at their will frosted roots without any dry food, the volume of water must absorb the heat, and reduce the temperature of their bodies. This unreasonable mode of feeding, which causes the loss of vitality whereby the animal is unable tc minister to the wants of the foetus, accounts for the many lambs that are born dead during some seasons. The same principle applies to cattle. A short- sighted policy is followed by many farmers of allowing their young cattle to lay out in fields without any shelter during winter time, and to find their food amongst the scanty frost-bound herbage, and they may be seen in the mornings shivering from the cold of the rude blasts. The only food supplied them besides the herbage is a quantity si swedes, thrown to them without any accompanying dry food, the owner, in his wisdom, helping to decrease the already reduced vitality of the animals. If no immediate evil results take place, such treatment surely lays the foundation of some debilitating disease. The Question of Railway Rates and Farmers. At the last meeting of the Somerset County Council, Mr George Gibbons moved that the council shsuld take all necessary measures for opposing in Parliament and otherwise the pro- posed increase of the railway rates, which, if carried, would be prejudicial to the commercial and agricultural interests of the county. He said the question was of the utmost importance to the farmers of Somerset, and to the dairy- man in particular, because if the proposed scale of rates submitted by the G. W.R. and L. and S.W.JEt, were adopted, it would practically put a stop to the sending of milk to London from Somerset. Two years ago com- plaints on the matter of the rates were so loud and numerous that Parliament decided to inter- vene, and asked the railway companies to draw out a revised rate. They did so, but instead of its turning out a blessing it proved a curse, for they proposed to add materially to the charges. The dd rate to London for milk was iy2d per gallon, and the new proposed rate 3%d as a maximum. A Board of Trade inquiry was ordered, and the figure was reduced to 3%d at the company's risk. There were 106,000 cows in Somerset, and, at the rate of 450 pallors per annum, at 6d per gallon, the value of tbo: milk was over £1,188,000. One-tenth of the amount which this sum represented was estimated tQ <;o to London, and, at the increased rate, would add an additional payment on milk sent to London alcne of £35,000, and a further sum for shorter distances of £20,000. For butter the proposed rate would bo prohibitive; the charsro tor sending 28 lb. to London would be 8s 8%d, or 3%d per lb. Any gentleman, how- ever heavy, wc-uld be taken at only 21f2d more. Cheese would be conveyed from New York to London cr Liverpool at 29 per cent. less than he could send the cheese to London. The value of land had decreased, compared with what it was once worth, but the railways were worth far in-re.—Mr Nicholetts seconded the motion, saying the proposed charges would be prohibitive. The railway companies had the best legal advice to guide them, and combined together, whereas the farmers were isolated.—Mr Thring observed that the expense of fighting would be very serious.—Eventually it wife agreed first that the council should memorialise the Board of Trade on the matter, and secondly that, "Failing a satisfactory issue to such memorial, it be left to th? discretion of the chairman, Mr Hobhouse, Mr Llewellyn, and Mr Gibbons to request the clerk of the council to take active measures ta oppose the bill in Parliament." The Weather and the Crops. The Mark-lane Express of Monday says:— Wheat, we believe, has suffered exceedingly little injury from the recent severe weather in this country, but it has been otherwise abroad, and much damage has been done to the lightly- sown autumn grain of Spain, Italy, and the more poorly-farmed areas of France. The effect of the thaw upon trade is that wheat, flour, barley, and maize markets are somewhat weaker, but for oats the situation is unchanged. Foreign wheat cannot be quoted lower on the week, but samples are harder to place. From Monday last Glasgow has admitted 6d decline on foreign flour, but the Southern markets have managed to resist the decline. The spring corn trade has not been greatly weakened by the thaw, though barley, which was previously ad- vancing rather decidedly for grinding sorts, has been subject to a slight decline. Oats in London are irregular in price, and quotations may be left with prudence for another week. In the country 17s 6d to 18s seems to command most of what is offered. This time last year 18s 6d to 19s was obtainable, but the heavy home yield was ex- pected to induce slight concessions on the part of farmers.

HELPING THE HEATHEN. He was a brisk little man with twinkling eyes, and as he stepped into the office of the hotel, wherein about twenty of us were lounging and smoking, he cheerily called out— Now, gentlemen, I want your attention for a moment. You have all heard of Africa? It is a country of heathens. The nigger in his natural state is a bad, bad man. He must be improved morally and religiously. I am interested in im- proving him." He took a watch from his handbag, and holding the face against his hand continued— "Now, then, you see this watch? It is not going. The hands are set to a certain figure. The man who guesses nearest to that figure gets tho watch. It is fifty cents per guess, ana every- thing over and above expenses goes .straight: to the heathen of Africa." How do you knew it will ?" inquired a doubting Thomas. "Because I shall leave the sum with the landlord to be handed to any local preacher he elects. v Eighteen of us at cnce laid down our halves and recorded our guesses, and when the last one was in the little man held up the watch and announced the winner. Then he continued Gentlemen, that watch cost two dollars and eighty cents at wholesale. I have received nine dollars. There appears to be a balance of six dollars and twenty cents in favour of U e dusky heathen who ache for religious comfort. But let us see. My railroad fare was four dollars and twenty cents; dinner and supper, one dollar and twenty-five cents two drinks, twenty cents; two games of billiards, forty cents, and a cigar, ten cents, making in all six dollars and fifteen cents. Landlord, here is a nickle, and I charge you, as you are an honest man, to see that it goes to buy tracts, for our fellowmen in Africa. Gentle. men, gwxtoigb*

WELSH GLEANINGS. By Lloffwr. Newcastle Emlyn has disappeared. No more shall it figure in the columns of the newspaper press, or upon the maps of the Principality. Any benighted traveller who, in the future, may seek Newcastle Emlyn will be doomed to disappointment. New- castle Emlyn will no more be found in the records of Gwalia, neither shall its place know it any more. From what appears in another column it will be seen that the inhabitants have decided upon changing its name, owing to the inconvenience they have suffered from the multiplicity of New castles. There are many Newcastles, but only one Emlyn, and to avoid in the future the troubles of the past the good folks of the good town have resolved to discard the Newcastle and to retain only the Emlyn. Under the circumstances few will be in- clined to blame them. Some may say that if it had not been for the Die Shon Davydd- ism which changed the Castellnewydd Emlyn to Newcastle Emlyn the difficulty of which the inhabitants now complain would not have arisen. But it should be remembered there are other Castelljiewydds than that of Emlyn in the Principality, so that there might still have remained some risk. However, the "inhabitants of Emlyn," as they style themselves, have, on the whole, made the best selection possible. They have chosen a nomenclature which is euphonious, easily pronounced even by the unwilling tongue of the Saxon, and, above all, distinctly and characteristically Welsh. In bidding a long farewell to Newcastle Emlyn," we greet the rising star of "Emlyn," and trust the prosperity of the re-baptized town will make it not the least among the princes of Gwalia. The twenty-fourth annual report of the Soar Welsh Congregational Church, Mer- thyr, which has just been issued, affords a striking proof of the hold Nonconformity has upon the masses, and of the success of the voluntary principle as applied to reli- gion. With a membership of four hundsed odd, the total contributions for the year amount to s nearly £1,200. As illustrating the practical Christianity of the Church, we may specify two items in the expendi- ture, the first being a sum of over £18 towards the Morfa Relief Fund, and the other of nearly the same amount in the form of temporary relief granted to poor members of the Church. With such evidence as this to produce—and every denomination and every county could probably afford similar instances—Welsh Nonconformists may well afford to laugh at the Bishop of ST. ASAPH'S fond dream of Nonconformity declining in Wales." THE Davydd 4P Gwilym Society con- tinues to exist, and even to flourish, notwithstanding the attacks to which it has been subjected. The report which appears in another column will be read with interest by many who can have no direct connection with the Society, mem- bership in which is restricted to past and present members of Oxford University. In view of the treat afforded by such papers as Professor Rhys favoured the society with on Saturday, many will regret that there are no means by which the public might directly participate in some of the advantages enjoyed by the members. The society has sounded the death-knell of mygedol," the coined word for honorary," preferring to use the term anrhydeddus," though the latter is now generally applied only to "honourable." No doubt this attempt at simplifying the native tongue will be met with that ridicule to which the Davydd ap Gwilymites have shown themselves so remarkably indifferent in the past. While Welsh Die-Shon-Davydds are trying to forget their native tongue, edu- cated Englishmen are trying to learn it. Mr DARLINGTON, Principal of Queen's College, Taunton, has just been showing not only what an Englishman can do in master- ing the Welsh language, but how an un- prejudiced Saxon can appreciate and honour what some degenerate Welshmen would fain ignore. The address which Mr DARLINGTON delivered before the Welsh National Society deserves to be studied by all who have at heart the true interests and educational advancement of the Principality. While Mr DARLINGTON would have Welshmen famil- iarize themselves with English, he would not have them rest content with "transferring "English culture into Welsh soil, but to aim at a national enlightenment of their "own, and the only hope to the nation "would be to develope on its own lines based upon the preservation of the Welsh language." This tribute from an English scholar should put to shame those who would make Welshmen and Welsh institu- tions weak imitation of Englishmen and English systems. In his educational policy, at all events, Mr DARLINGTON is in complete harmony with the more enlightened class of Welsh Nationalists—those who, while giving the English language its due, are determined also to give the native tongue of the people an honoured and useful position in the educational system of the country. Among the legislative ventures which Welsh members are prepared to launch few will be more popular in Wales than that to which Mr ABEL THOMAS stands sponsor. The member for East Carmarthen desires to see a law passed making acquaintance with the Welsh language a condition of appoint- ment to any post in connection with the administration of law in the Principality. If this bill becomes law every county- court judge, every stipendiary magis- trate, every county court registrar, and all the minor officials should have a competent knowledge of the tongue which is still, and will long be, the home language of Wales. The revelations which have from time to time been made of the manner in which Welsh witnesses, Welsh juries, and Welsh prisoners or defendants, have been treated in our law courts are more than sufficient to justify the demand now made for reform. Professor Lloyd is always happy in his selection of a topic for his popular lectures, and that of last week before the Cardiff Cymrodorion is no exception to the rule. It must, however, be admitted as somewhat re- markable that, with a few exceptions, other people value Welsh Folk-lore more highly than do the Welsh themselves. That the subject can be made attractive to the majority of Welshmen was abundantly proved by the delighted interest with which last night's audience listened to Pro- fessor LLOYD'S able paper. That there is, however, a revival of interest in the subject is proved by the attention which is now being paid to it by such men as Professor Rhys, Professor Lloyd, and others, who believe that some good can come even out of the Nazareth of Wales. One of the speakers at the meeting directed attention t", one of the most undesirable features of the Welsh press. Welsh news- papers have now long since followed the example of English journals in publishing serial tales, but instead of fostering native talent, the stories published are for the most part translations from the English, and from that class known as penny dread- fuls." If English fiction must be translated into Welsh, surely something far worthier of the Welsh press might be obtained than some of the stories which have figured in the columns of leading Welsh papers. But why go to English writers at all ? Why even select English subjects ? In tradition, in historic lore, in native customs, Wales surely possesses a sufficiently rich field from which native talent might draw enoughandto spare to supply the home press with all the action required.

THEY STRIKE TOO.—Small Boy: Ma, do clergy- men ever strike ?—Mother: They do, my son. When they are offered another place with a larger Salary they immediately strike -out for thai place.

DR. PARRY'S NEW WORK. We learn that during last Christmas holidays Dr. Parry completed a very novel and ambitious new work upon which he has been engaged since the summer of 1889. This work, like his great oratorio, Scenes in the Life of Paul, upon which he worked unflinchingly for fully four years, and completed three years ago, and many others from his pen are keeping company with each other until the time comes for their production. The present work is A TONE POEM, A Dream. in three parts :— I I.-Night, Religious Meditation, and Sleep. II.—Dream, Visions of Hell. III.—Dream, Visions of Heaven. For two choirs, full organ, full orchestra, and four brass bands. We learn that this work was conceived and worked out after a. careful study of Dante's Inferno," Letters from Hell," and Ellis Wynn's "Bardd Cwsg." The arrangements of all theforces are as follows 1. The first (large) choir to be in the usual place. 2. The second choir (small) close by the organ. 3. The orchestra in the usual place. 4. The first brass band of 12 instruments, at the left side of the organ this first band consists of 3 B flat cornets, 3 E flat French horns, 1 B flat euphonium, 1 E flat bass, 1 double B flat, and 3 trombones. 5. The second brass band on the right side of the organ, a band of 15, 3 B flat cornets, 4 E:flat horns, 2 French, 2 Saxhorns, 3 trombones, 1 B flat baritone, 1 euphonium, 2 E flat bass, 1 BB flat. 6. The third brass band of 12. at the left side cf the balcony, of (4- B flat cornets, 4 E flat Sax horns, 1 baritone, 1 euphonium, 2 E flat basses. 7. The fourth brass band, of 11 instruments, 2 B flat clarionets, 1 E flat clarionet, 2 B flat cornets, 2 E flat Sax horns, 1 euphonium, 1 baritone, 1 E flat bass 1 BB flat bass, to be placed on the right side on the balcony. This will be more clearly understood by the following diagram :— The conception and plan of this Tone Poem are as follows:— FIRST MOVEMENT. Night, religious meditation and sleep, for orchestra only this leads into the SECOND MOVEMENT. The Di-eam-Dream Visions of Hell. Inferno is gradually approached and depicted as follows:— 1.—Distant thunder. II.—Lucifer theme. III.—March of goblins. IV.-Moans of lost souls (male victims) Woe woe V.-Screams of foul birds. VI.—Louder thunder (here comes in the organ and the brass band No. 1, back left side of organ). VII.-Lightning showers. VIII.-Lucifer, march of goblins, and lightning showers. Here comes in brass band No. 2 back right side of organ, also brass band No. 1. IX.—Moans of lost souls (female victims). Woe woe! X.—The lower interior regions of Hell reached. Enter brass band No. 3 side left of balcony, also bands 1 and 2. XI.-Ths Devils' dance, combined vvith the victims* prayer The old tune "Bangor." Woe! O woe Enter here fourth brass band side right of balcony. Then following, as a grand climax of this terrible scene, all the full chorus wailing forth in the greatest agony their chorale "Bangor" to the hellish revelry of "The Devils'Dance" by the full orchestra, full organ, and all the full brass bands. XJI-—Gradually dying away of the moans of tHe lost souls. XIIL—Half-awakening, then comes the" Night's meditation theme" leading into the next movement, thus bringing this heartrending tone picture to a close. THIRD MOVEMENT. Dream Visions of Heaven. I.-The organ. II.—Small and large choirs of angels, and the blessed "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty" (Revelation, eh. v., v, 8). III. —March religisso, "Hosanna, Hosanna to God in the highest, Glory be to God in the highest." IV. Worthy art Theu, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory, the honour, and the power," by the elders, &c., male voice (Rev., ch. iv., v. 11). Enter the first brass band. Hosanna, &c." V.—We are they who came out of great tribulation, and have washed our robes, and are made white in the blood of the Lamb." Rev., ch. viii., v. 14). Full chorus. Enter second bra.ss band. "Hosanna, &c. first and second brass band, the orchestra being continually employed. VI.—The third brass band heralds full chorus of the heavenly choir. "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Worthy, worthy is the Lamb" (Rev., ch. v., v. 12-13). VII.—"Hallelujah Amen! worthy is the Lamb Hallelujah Amen (Enter the fourth brass band.) VIII. (grand finale).—"Hosanna to God in the highest! Glory to God in the highest!" (In one grand climax by the full chorus, organ, orchestra, and the four brass bands). IX. (coda).—"Holy holy Lord God Almighty Also Amen Amen very softly and devotionally, gradually and faintly dying away, accompanied by the "Tiight" theme, as awakening from this dream, A Tone JPoejn. As this work has been composed expressly for and is dedicated to the Cardiff Orchestral Society, there is hope that it may soen be produced, and that it will create that profound impression which the author, who holds deservedly the front position among Welsh composers, has striven for.

TROUBLE-AT THE-PEN NY-SHOW. T^r.HFHA'N'T Bw (to-manager,. outside): ¥«n'd better come in here, boss. Der two-headed ■gal'* fight in' wid herself again.

IT DIDN'T TAKH LONG.—A big man whaaooked as if he might be a sonator or a rich merchant, a retired banker cr something of that sort, walked down the street a few evenings ago, and, stop- ping under a. lamp post, looked intently upward A policeman saw him and stepped over to that side of the walk to see what it meant. The next man who happened along also stopped, and after catching what he thought was the proper range, began to look. Another man came up and did the same thing. pretty soon a young fellow and his girl caught sight of the starers, and they began to see what there was to be seen. Presently some one in the rapidly increasing party spoke up. What does all this mean ?" he asked the policeman. Git along wid yez," re- sponded that important official. Just then the big man turned around. ,My goodness!" he ex- claimed. "What on earth is this crowd here for V What are you looking ^at ?" asked one of the bystanders. "Lookingat- echoed the gentle- man "why, bless me, I was only absorbed in figures." "About what. It I was wonder- ing how long it would take me to block the side- walk by saymg nothing-" "Where are the most innocent men -to .*be found in the world ?" tots an exchange. In-state prisons. Askanyvprisoner aiwi^e».,

SMALL CULTURE. -+- No. 3.—PROFITABLE RABBtT FARMING. By Professor James Long, Late of the Royal Agricultural College (Author of The Book of the Pig "). [ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.] The idea that rabbits can be kept in confine- ment, and that their young can be reared and sold at a profit for the sake of their flesh, is generally ridiculed in England but the farmers and peasants of France and Belgium have long ago realised that this can be done, and send us every year an increasing number of tame rabbits. In fact, rabbits are as much part of their farming stock as cattle, sheep, and pigs. As much as 200 tons weight of imported rabbits are often sold in London in a single week, and are retailed at from 7d to 8d per lb., which is about the price of beef and muttm. At 6d per lb. they fetch £56 per ton, or nearly £12,000, and this sum we often pay in a week to foreigners for a hardy little animal which ourown cottagers can rear just as well. As rabbits thrive on very poor land, and will also live to a great extent on the refuse of a garden, anyone occupying a few fields or possess. ing a small garden, can rear a considerable num. her; but until quite lately in this country they have only been kept by rabbit fanciers, who feed their pets on costly food regardless of expense, or by boys, who often neglect and often half-starve them, and who are quite ignorant of the proper way of managing them. If their flesh is to cost much less than the food which produces it, they must, like sheep, live principally on grass or green food, and the best way to enable th^m to do this is to keep them in movable hutches with open wire-net bottoms. They can then graze the grass themselves, and it is only in this way that very large numbers can be kept together, as they taint the air and die of different diseases if kept in buildings. When this plan cannot be adopted, rabbits are kept in fixed hutches and their food is brought to them and it is because so many cottagers on the Continent each keep at least two or three does, and know how to feed and manage them, that they are able to send us millions, which leave them a good profit after paying the cost of the long journey and the middlemen's profits. From the Government returns for the ten months ending last 31st of October, it appears the value of the rabbits we imported is jB274,838 against JB257,987 in 1889. It would probably surprise a good many people to be told that a couple of doe rabbits weighing from 71bs. to 81bs. each will produce in a year a greater weight cf meat than a couple of ewes weighing from 601bs. to 701bs. each, but it is quite a common thing for the two does to rear 50 young in a year, which, if kept till they weigh 61bs. each, will weigh 3001bs., while the two ewes will be fortunate if they rear three lambs, which when a year old will weigh 701bs. each We had a doe once that reared a litter of 11 young, which weighed 601bs. when 14 wooks old, and they were sold at 3s 9d per couple. This doo and her young were fed almost entirely on grass and clover, having had in addition only sufficient oats and bran to keep them in health. It is quite ccmmon for does to rear eight cr ten young iJ¡. each litter. If a doe has less than six more than once, she should be got rid of. It 15 no more profitable to keep ddes which are bad breeders than cows which are bad milkers. We would strongly advise anyone who intends to try rabbit farming not to begin with more than three or four does the first year. When he finds that he can rear all the young tipt these produce, and that ho can sell them at a y ^vu^'tory price, he can very quickly add to the number. Wo had eight does on our farm in 1883, and in 1885 we had just 2,000 rabbits at one time in one lot of hutches. If there is no orchard or paddock available on which the movable hutches can be stood, the hutches should be constructed against the wall of some outbuilding, If this is facing tho south and can be lighted by a good-sized skylight, it will be an advantage. The larger they a.re made the more comfortable the rabbits will be; 6ft. long and 2ft. wida is a good sizo for a doe's hutch. About 18 inches should bo enclosed at one end, with a hole about four inches from the floor to admit tb"- doe, and in this enclosed spaco she will mako her nest. A door covered with one-inch wire net will form the front of the rsst of the hutch. Wher^ room is limited these hutches can be made like a chest of drawers, one above the other, but it is most important that the floors should be mad? perfectly watertight, and they should be painted with two or three coats cf paint, to prevent them from absorbing the liquid manure They should have a fall of from two to three inches at the back, and a slit 1%-inch wide should run tha whole length of the floor, opening into a zinc trough, and the ends of these troughs should stand over a tub or box partly filled with dry earth. It is on the proper of these floors that the health of the rabbits will principally depend, and on the amount of trouble that is'f taken to keep them as clean as possible. When- ever they are fed, all dirt should be pushed with a scraper into the zinc troughs, and these should be frequently emptied. Rabbits in a state of nature ^are the clcanest of animals, and though they are-so hardy that full- grown rabbits will often live a-long tune in almost as dirty a condition as pigs, young rabbits cannot constantly breathe foul air with impunity, and we believe that many of the diseases which young Itf~j3Uffer from' and which are attributed to the food they have eaten, are really caused by the impur&air which they are compelled to breathe, m buildmgs in which any considerable number are kept together. Wild rabbits do not suffer from these diseases, and since we adopted tho plan of keeping our tame ones in tho open air, in movable hutches, it is scarcely I/on exaggeration to state that every-doe has reared every yotrngjeno that has lived to run out of its nest. Rabbit fanciers quite understand the necessity of not over-crowding their rabbit houses, and of paying great attention to their ventilation, and it is seldom that more than fiv-tor six does and their -young ones are kept under one roof- When the young onts ar" old cn^gh to wean a considerable number may bo kept together. From 12 to 15 will liv<? in such a. place as the empty stall of a stable. Cut it seems absolutely necessary that each breeding doe should have a separate hutch. We once put 10 does in a large empty bullock shed, and found that they ran ill and out of each others Ticsts. and uncovered other's youncr, and scattered tbeID about soon afterthoy were born, and killed them all, and it ^?s'notseenuP°ssible toprevont thfi&nfrom domg^ Whenever a number of rabbits are kept running* doose in one building together it is a good plan to •cover the floor thickly with straw, d. ad leaves, -dried ferns, or bedding of some sort, and to add; some clean bedding every few days, and to put. up a few shelves for them to sit upon. Supposing a loft cf young rabbits, weaned at the age af six or seven weeks, to be put in such a place they should all be fit to kill in fiv o or six weeks. Thr. whole of the manure can then be removed a.nd the place thoroughly cleaned before another l<t is put in. The liquid manure sinks to the 6oot, and i3 ab.- sorbed by the straw, <%c., and the bedding gets trodden by the rabbits into a solid mass, and the ammonia cannot escapo. Manure ejected in this manner is very valuable. It is commonly believed that rabbits' manure is not only of n3- value, but is actually injurious, but wo have heavy ercps of hay cjn Selds whieh received no I dressing except what th? rabbits had deposited, when kept in movable hutches. If cne cr two shallow boxes half full cf earth are stood cn the floor of the building rabbits are confined in, they will use these to a great/extent, and thefioor will, be kept much drier. Where no outbuilding exists in which rabits can be kept, hutches fer a few can bi3 very cheaply erected against a wall, but it is better that the roof should project about a foot, and it is ab- solutely necessary that they should be furnished with shuttears to put. up in stormy weather. These can be tnado of roofing felt at a very small cost. Most cottagers who have a-gardunand a family of children would-find it greatljrto their ad- vantage two keep to or three does. A roof oHron. or wood, six feet long, will cover three hutches each 18 inches high and two feet broad, and each-of these should have, a partition which uw<tac^j^jped<in. and out, bottom hutch can be two feet from the ground, and under this green food can be stored, and all the floors must be perfectly watertight and should be furnished with troughs as before described. Rabbits are sometimes allowed to run out of a building, cr fixed hutch, into a wired-in enclosure, and enjoy their liberty immensely in fine weather but are miserable directly it rains, as* they seem not to have rh» sense to keep under shelter. They also quickly destroy the grass, as they eat into its roots, and the whole place becomes mud. We have made at a very trifling cost moveable runs, 6 feet by 6 feet, and 13 inches high, of wooden frame work, 1 inches by 1 inch, and covered top, bottom, and sides with 1% inch wire netting. A doe and her young, after they are a month old, or twenty growing young rabbits will be perfectly comfortable and happy in these, if placed on the grass in fine weather; and they can easily be carried under shelter at night, and when it rams. They thrive much better than if always in close buildings, and this plan of putting the rabbits cut to feed by day, and taking them in at night is very much adopted by the Belgians and French. These runs must not cost more than 5s each. Rabbits are as easily carried when sitting on wire netting of 11/2 inch mesh, as if they were sitting on beards. While poultry will struggle and flutter, and get their legs through, and try to break them, rabbits simply squat from a sense of insecurity, and arc eating the grass again directly they touch the ground. These movable runs are infinitely better than any fixed runs, as they can be put wherever there are grass or weeds for them to eat, and the ground never gets tainted. To avoid the-expense of procuring proper hutches, rabbits are very generally kept in hutches made of boxes laid on their sides, but it is impossible to keep these properly clean, and it is the exception for a doe to rear a good litter in them. It the young live they grow so slowly that they have probably eaten as much as they are worth before they are fit to lciil It is much better not to keep rabbits at all if they cannot be kept in cleanliness and comfort; a.nd we have found them to invariably thrive so much better in the movable hutches than in any form of fixed hutches, that whether we intended to keep one doe or 500, if we bad grass to stand thom on we should always use these hutches. After trying many sorts, the following is a description of the hutch we always use:- It is 6 feet long and 2 feet wide, 21 inches high in front, 13 inches high in the back. The roof is formed of a sheet of plain galvanised iron, fixed in a. iight frame of wood and hing-ed on tc tha back. This is much the best sort of roof, as dogs and foxes can break through felt, and wood is heavy and soon cracks in the sun. The back, the ends, and one foot at each end of the front is made of match boarding. Tho rest of the front is covered with one-inch wire netting. A movable shelf about a foot from the ground and a foot wide is fixed at each end of the hutch, and on them the rabbits sit, and are perfectly dry in the wettest weather. A partition, with a hole in it, four inches from the ground, separates the space under the shelf from the rest of the hutch, and it is under these shelves that the does make their nests. A wire net rack, 1%-inch mesh, runs, across the centre of the hutch to hold hay, &c., and a movable board can be slipped in under this rack, and divides the hutch into two compartments, when the young are old enough to be separated from their mother. The whole of the bottom is covered with lVs-inch wire netting. This lies flat on the ground, and the rabbits graze through it with perfect ease, and sit on it when the hutch, which has two projecting handles at each end, is lifted on to fresh ground. Of course all the manure, liquid and solid, falls through the netting, and simply moving the hutch feeds the rabbits aud places them on perfectly clean ground. It is necessary to put a movable floor on the wire net, under the shelf, before the doe is expected to have young, and to supply her with hay to make her nest of. The younp in these nests arc really placed just as the wild doe places hers in a hole in a bank and it is a pretty sight tc see them, when they are about three weeks old, come out and play about in the sun and nibble the fresh grass. They have all the advan- tages which wild rabbits possess, and none of the disadvantages, and it is only natural they should thrive. Foxes and stoats cannot injure them, and, as long as the hutches stand with their back to the wind, neither rain or snow affects them. In the winter of 1886- 87 we had more than 200 hutches buried one night in a severo snowstorm, and it was a matter of considerable difficulty in the morning te open the roofs and feed the rabbits. The snow did not thaw for a fortnight, during the whole of which time we could not move the hutches, but not a single rabbit died, or seemed injured in any way, and several of the dees had litters of young in their nests at the time. Since then we have never feared snow, but if is necessary to be care- ful in stormy weather not to 1st the hutches face wind, or they will be blown over, and to always keep the roofs securely fastened, tr the wind may open them, and the rabbits will get out. Much the simplest fastening is a wooden bolt, turning on a scrow and projecting over the front of the roof, and it is easy to see at a glance if they are turned the right way. All pegs are very likely to rattle out in windy weather. All hutches and buildings in which rabbits are confined should be furnished with racks to bold their hay and green food, to prevent them tread- ing on it and soiling it. They are easily made of IJ;2-inch wire netting. If the mesh is larger the young rabbits get through; if smaller, they cannot easily draw out the food. The best sort of trough is the common earthenware saucer used for flower pots. They are easily cleaned, and the rabbits cannot gnaw them. At least a dozen rabbits can feed comfortably round two of them. The cheapest way to obtain wood to make "hutches is to buy old boxes and knock them to pieces. Match boarding, which can be bought eady pianed at about 10s the hundred square feft, s draught proof, and can easily be made water- tight with putty and paint, for the floors. There is not much difference between the price of the fixed hutch and the movable hutch. One roof will cover three fixed hutches, but they each require a good wooden floor, while the wire floors of the movable hutch only cost 4d each. If the fixed hutches have backs, the floors can project a couple of inches, through the slits in the backs 1% inch wide, and a long wooden box with dry earth in it can stand under them, and then the zinc trays are not necessary. If these boxes a.re furnished with wheels they can be easily dragged away, and the manure can be buried in the garden. Hutches can be painted with the common black varnish at a cost of about one halfpenny each,and the iron roofs should he whitewashed or painted white, or; on very hot days the he-at will occasion- aU kill a. rabbit.

AN OPTIMISTIC VIEW. MBS O'ROTFCFKE (aghastnt-the crasbf: -Howly Moses, Jamesy, yez ha.ve smashed the looldn- glass wid yer bane-shooter! WeUI be afther havin' ba,d luck f-vr sivm yeMBt! Mr O'ROUBKE-: Whisht! If th!dom t'ing was-- thot- dangerous to us, it's well out av th' way.

We are in favour of the coinage bill, providing it will allow us to manu- facture our own coin, and then compel people to take it. That's free coinage that would help. fellow along in the world. Oklahoma is becoming ripe for Statehood. The fact that members of the Legistature had a rough and tumble the other day shows that she is not far behind the great Statetof-^fe$#gjfocnvattBble, <vwirtke«ao&to.Congxes&

Musical and Eisteddvod Notes. BY MAELGWYN. CARDIFF LATHES' CHOIR. Those who are unacquainted with the musical doinjs of Cardiff Day by Day," will be glad to learn tnat the Welsh Ladies Choir is t. coming a ¡ more powerful body of singers than ever. There are now something like twice as many voices as there were some months ago. And those who know her are satisfied that Mrs Cla.a Novello Davies wal not be happy until she has brought her choir to that proud position when it will be looked upon as one of the best choirs in the king- dom. Ladies' choirs are not by any means un- known in England, but poor Wales has been terribly behindhand in this matter. A HINT TO THE SWA>SKA EISTEDDVOD. Even now the eisteddvod -that popular educa- tor of the Cymry—is doing nothing to encourage I the movement which Mrs Davies has set on foot. Eisteddvod pru.noters are proverbially a conservative — not necessarily politically Conservative --class who wont take a new Conservative --class who wont take a new departure until practically the whole country demands it. It was so with instrumental, solo, and band competitions, and even a. vast number of eisteddvod directors look with disfavour upon a contralto solo contest. Just at present the Welsh people are paying great attention to their male voices, and very handsome prizes have been, and are being, offered for choirs composed only of "the he, male, man things," as a certain humorist has it. Why in the world should male voices be alone encouraged ? Surely female voices are equally important. Even from the financial point of view—for even eisteddvod promoters must not lose sight of all that is. conveyed by the magic symbols £ s. d.— ladies choirs ought to be encouraged. Just at-first the experiment might prove disap- pointing simply because female choirs are now all but unknown amongst us; but a little time-would produce a goodly number, and there can be no question that the ladies'-voice choral compe- tition would in a very short time become the most popular item on the eisteddvod programme. Where is the man, from Holyhead to Cardiff, who wcihld not attend an eisteddvod where six or eight of such choirs might be listened to and seen ? What do the Swansea Eisteddvod pro- moters say to the proposal ? They have, in many things, shown a praiseworthy display of enter- prise. Will they now go just another step, and include a competition for female voices in their programme ? There are a very considerable number of pieces that might be selected as tests, and the prize might be of the same value as tliat offered to male-voice choirs. It is certain that sooner or later such competitions will take place at our eisteddvod, and the only question is, Will the promoters of the National Eisteddvod (for the time being) be the first to recognise the justice of the ladies' claim or will the honour devolve upon the managers of the local gatherings?" THE CHOIR'S NEXT MOVE. But I have digressed. The Cardiff Ladies' Choir, as I before remarked, is now twice as numerous as it was a little time back. And Mrs Davies is determined that it shall continue to make a stir in the world. The second London concert will be held in St. James' Hall in the summer, when a new cantata, entitled "Gwladys; or. the Mountain Rose," will be performed. It will be remembered that last year the choir performed "Westward Ho." So pleased was the composer (Mr J. L. Rfleckel) with the performance, that he ex- pressed his intention of writing a cantata expressly for the choir. The result is Gwladys. As may be surmised, the cantata deals with life in Wales, though at what period I am (as yet) unable to -say. Mr Roeckel has been assured by competent critics that Gwladys is the best cantata he has yet written, and be himself does not dis- guise the fact that the music is far more difficult or shall I say more important?—than that of West ioard Ho! After the London performance, the choir will, I understand, give several repre- sentations of Ghvlactys in our neighbourhood. But of this—more anon.2 Meanwhile, let everyone who has the musical advancement of Gwalia at heart join me in wishing a long and glorious career to the Cardiff Ladies' Choir and its talented conductor. NEATH-PAST. The bandsmen of South Wales while not ques- tioning the injustice of the award in the brass band competition at tho l-ecent Neath Eisteddvod, are not satisfied. They want a full and detailed account of each performance from Messrs North and Docksey, the adjudicators. This is a very reasonable request and I hope the eisteddvod secretary will communicate with the gentlemen named. Men who have spent weeks, or possibly months, in learning the test piece given at an i .steddvod do not like the idea of being dismissed with a couple of words o f general purport. The competitors deserve bettier treatment than this, and I believe that in this case at least they will get it. Of course, nobody could reasonably have expected a full and detailed adjudication immediately on the conclusion »f the-competitian. The building was so densely packed and the difficulty of hearing all that was said was so great' that it is quite certain the audience would not have tolerated a long speech particularising the merits and demorits of six different bands. Yet the bandsmen ought not to suffer on this account, anditns to-be hoped the award will be published. NEATK—FUTURE. The promoters ef the Easter Monday-Eistedd- vod at Neath have been met at the outset with a very serious difficulty. In the chief choral com- petition £100 was offered for the best rendering of the double chorus, "The people shall hear and be afraid." Naturally enough the attendance of tho principal choirs in South Wales was counted upon, the double chorus not being l(he kind of thing that newly-formed choirs would be likely to commence their competitive career with. But seme of the people who shape the destinies of our big choirs made it known that all the energy cf the singers would be bent on achieving glory—and £ 200—at the Swansea National Eisteddvod. Hence, until the fate of that j3200 was decided, the local eisteddvodau might go to Pine Ridge for aught they cared. What were the Neath people to do ? Only two courses were open to them—the first was to abandon the eisteddvod altogether; the second was to change the test piece in the great choral competition. The latter course was very properly decided upon, and the old favourite, "Thanks be to God;" was selected. Of course the eisteddvod com- luitte? will beblAmed right and left"for ""con- tinually electing pieces that have done duty-for 20 years," &c., &c. There is no end of conductors in Wales ready to d§- "liotmce the selection of old pieces, but when new pieces are brought forward they keep out of the way until the next meeting of the local branch of this or that association, and then the enterprise of the eisteicivod promoters "is lauded to the skiet. Verily it is delightful to live in a ..orld where King Cant reigns supreme, CARDIFF POPULAR CONCERTS. The scanty liences which attended the first two or three concerts did not promise well for the success of this season's Saturday popular concerts at Cardiff, notwithstanding the extraordinary array of talent secured by Mr JacobDavrcs. Bat, fortunately, the last few weeks have put a different aspect on the venture, and its success is now looV ov? forward tc with confidence. Thera >s a capital audience at last Saturday's concert, and ae treat provided for them was a rich one. The Cardiff Choral Society, conducted by Mr Jacob Davies, were down on the programme for Gwilym Gwent's ocYr Hav," and Pinsuti's Good Night, Beloved!" Comet solos are new features at these concerts, but the two played by Mr James Livsey were much appreciated. The most suc- cessful cf the local artists was Miss Annie Davies, who4s looked upon not without reason as oneof the very best singers in Cardiff. Signor Foli was, of course, the great "<traw." He was down for three songs, but two-more had to b& added— so insatiable is the average conoert-goor. Mis Clara N. Davies was, as- usual, the tocompamst. For this week's concert the principal aztistas-j Miss AJice Gomer, abvayra great favourite-»ith Cardiff audienoes.

What man has the greatest)

I THE MERTHYR IRON TRADE. ¡ New Plymouth Works Company. (FROM A CORRESPON'nENT.] j The announcement, that a new company has j been registered to take over tlPlymouth Works; ¡' and Collieries is necessarily of great interest, and may be of immense importance to Merthyr. It cannot fail, moreover, to be regarded as of wel- come significance to Cardiff ancf the whole dis- trict concerned, if only as an indication of conn- dence still felt in ths possibilities of the South Wales iron and steel trades in the future. The project which, if all goes well, will shortly be placed before the public is in some meagre ai reconstruction scheme. The Hankeyt, who were partners with Mr Richard Fothergill and Mr Bateman, retained an interest in the propertv, ( and are the chief movers in the new company. Mr F. Alers Hankey, member for the Chertsev division of Surrey, who will be managing director, is the eldest son of the late Mr Thos. A. Hankey. and Mr N. F. Hankey is ene of the first sub- flcribers to shares. The capital is fixed at £250,000 iii £10 shares, which is the sum stated at the time to have been paid far the werks by Mr Fothergill s firm some 30 years ago. Until the prospectus is issued it is impossible to discuss the question as to the price to be paid for the estate as it stands; but it will probably occur to thnse familiar with the works at Plymouth and Pentrebacli, and with the altered condition of the iron industry in South Wales. that a quarter of a million is not a large capital with which to re-organise the old establishment, and adapt the. works to the production of steel and iron under circumstances of severe competition. What the Merthyr people are more concerned with, how- ever, is that, if the scheme recommends itself to the investing public, a serious effort will be made to erect plant for steel manufacture, thus follow- ing in the path of the neighboaring iron com- panies at Cyfarthfa, Dowlais, and Ebbw Vale. The history of the Plymouth Iron Works is peculiarly interesting, and its vicissitudes may be traced with especial fitness, and possibly with some profit, in view of the new enterprise of which it is proposed to make the once famous place the scene. Unlike the prosperous estab- lishments of Dowlais and Cyfarthfa, which have always been connected with the families of their founders, Plymouth has had a number of owners during the century and a quarter of its existence. It was about 1763 that Anthony Bacon, a wealthy London merchant, attracted doubtless by reports successful experiments of Guest and W ukinson at Dowlais, made his appearance in the pastoral and secluded Merthyr Valley. The shrewd city man must have been something of a geologist, or had special information ef the beds of ironstone under the sheep walks of the moun- tain side, since after "prospecting"' through the district from Hirwain on one side to Troedyrhiw on the other, he quickly took steps to secure leases of two large tracts of land in Merthyr, from the Talbots and Lord Plymouth, the latter family being now represented by Lord Windsor. There was no thought at that date, or for long after, of the valuable coal deposits which were subsequently to create a hundred fortunes and a world-wide fame. There was the ironstone in the bosom of the mountains and large forests all round. There was at once the ore and the fuel. For a long time the bills were denuded of their woods for charcoal and burrowed to their depths for ore. It is one of the traditions of old Merthyr that in the early days of ironmaking the men were employed three days a week at the furnaces, and three days in felling timber for the fires. Whether the first furnace was built at Plymouth or Cyfarthfa is a question rather of archaeological than present interest, inasmuch as in any case it was put up by Anthony Bacon, who appears to have mined his ore on the Cyfarthfa side and hauled it to Ply- mouth to smelt. It was not until the latter half of the century that coal was first used at Coal- brookdale for ironmaking, and it was still later before coal took the place of charcoal for the same 'I purpose in South Wales. Bacon was a man of rare energy, and had money at command. He soon constructed a furnace and forges, and in 1796 he was able to turn out 2,200 tons of pig iron, or within 600 tons of the product at the older works of John Guest. No doubt, his possession of capital, and his London connection, gave him great advantages. Under his close and active aupervision Plymouth and Cyfarthfa developed apace. He secured Government orders, and supplied the iron used for ordnance during the American War, though it was wickedly suggested that he was discovered to be supplying the Americans also, and for that reason was deprived of the Admiralty contract. He made a large fortune in a comparatively short time, and in due course retired, to become M.P. for Aylesbury. Cyfarthfa had already passed to the first of the Crawshays, and Plymouth was taken over by Richard Hill, the first of the Hills whose names have attached to the Plymouth Company ever since. Hill had gained experience as an iron manufacturer at Hirwain and Cyfarthfa; but he was not a moneyed man, and his efforts to extend the works were seriously hampered at first. In 1807 Messrs Myers and Strallet introduced capital into the firm, which was further strengthened on the technical side by the inclusion of Mr R. Hill, jun. Mr Hill the elder died in 1818, and Mr Strallet having been bought out previously, the partnerships were reconstituted, M Anthony Hill becoming manager at the works, and his brother removing to Cardiff to look after the business department. From that date the palmy days of Plymouth may be said to have begun. Competition was keener; Guest at Dowlais, and Crawshay at Cyfarthfa, were formidable rivals the Homfrays were building up the prosperity of Penydarreu, and the small works at Abernant were growing apace. But the trade was new, and was carrying all before it. Every year iron was being put to new uses, and far sighted ironmasters saw an iron era approaching with the iron trade which bad already been foreshadowed by Trevethick's engine "n the old Merthyr tram road. Anthony Hill was not only a far-sighted man. he was highly trained in the science of his craft. Chemist, mineralogist, geologist, he was head and shoulders c,bove his competitors in technical knowledge of iron manufacture. Under his hand more smelting works were erected, more rolling mills and puddling furnaces. The output of pig, which had been 7,800 tons in 1815, became 12,177 in 1830, and 35,198 in 1846. Coal had long since been utilised in the furnaces, and the ex-ten: sive coal measures on the estate developed for the benefit of an outside market. On a commercial journey to the North, Anthony Hill had the good fortune to hear of the discovery of hematite ore at Whitehaven, and the good sense to secure a long lease of the land. His fertile mind devised many ingenious improvements in the manufacture. He is accredited with a scheme for the conversion of pig into malleable iron by a method anticipating the Bessemer process and with another plan for the utilisation of black furnace slag, also carried out subsequently by later ingenious minds; though, why these designs were not perfected in his own works his biographers have never explained. Anthony Hill's talents and enterprise found abundant reward when the railway movement began. It was a good time for all the ironmasters who could not supply their custemers fast enough, but Plymouth rails were said to fetch 10s per ton more than other brands, and completely over- shadowed the former fame of Ebbw Vole. Mr Hill was getting old, and in 1839 he endeavoured to find capitalists to take the works off his hands. TJP attempt was unsuccessful, and he once more took up his task, and pursued it with renewed energy for nearly a score of ea"s longer. He died in 1862, leaving a cc n- siderable fortune, and one of the finest iron works and colliery properties in the district. It was then that Plymouth became tl;} property of Messrs Fothergill, Hankey, and Bateman. For same years the works and coalpits were main- tained at their full productive oapacity, and it was thought, with commensurately lucrative re- turns. Yet that can hardly have been the case, to judge by the eequ^J. Truly the old order was changing, giving place to new, and coiv -etition was sterner, orders not so plentiful, ar pnce." soffering a reaction, at th time Mr l cthergill brought his practical knowledge to the manage- ment-cf the vast undertaking. It was from no want-of assiduous attention to detail" on his part, while he was resident at Abernant or Ply- mouth* that the fortunes of the works seemed tc decline in the letter years. A more pertinent suggestion, perhaps, would be that the works themselves had fallen behind the times, and that to reconstruct them on moo" n lines, as was being done elsewhere, involved a cost greatlv beyond the capital at the command oi Mr Anthony Hill's successors.

THE NEWEST FAD.—The story goes that the newest fad of the fashionable women of Fifth- avenue is a rivalry in obtaining the handsomest bedstead. One which has roused the envy of all the competitors is of brass, and presents a gor- gecus appearance. On the top of the bedstead is a coronetcupported by a canopy. One side is enclosed in a massive brass rail, and upon this the owner's monogram is worked in brass and pearl. The whole, with the blankets, quilts, and linen cost more than the residences of hundreds of less fortunate women. Another remarkably handsonx*. brass bedstead seen in a swell Fifth- avenue mansion had the most elaborate ham- mered work on the entire top and sides. Gods and goddesses, little cupids, and all the birds of the air were represented in great numbers. This too, bore a crest and monogram, and cost the in- dulgent father d the owner a small fortune. Then there are bedsteads formed of various ex- pensive woods, richly inlaid with pearl and brass. In fact, there is no end to thevanety of styles, and furniture dealers are apparently giving most of their time and attention to this .new vdmud ^4bMKfrof>Mis8 Manhattan.

9 Samuel's Sentiments. -+- SAMUEL ON FANCY. One of die most curious, yet at the same time one of the most UT.porta.m. partf: of the human A PAX:STER*S ITAXCY. ovganisr^ton is fancy. It is doubtful. I sup- ]K>=e, whethtr it can be defined any more than Mind or Memory can yet it is part and par- cel of men and women, and has played sad havoc v th the lives of mo re t vn one of them this. t is always with ilS. ;mà plays its part in our lives day by day. We may change our habits, or change our names *,ve may re- 3uain at home or go abroa.d yet fancy, like finger of a clock. Runs the rregt circuit and is still at home." 0, You cannot get rici of it, and younsr and old. rich and poor, are alik*- the victims of its caprice. Fancy has, ere tliiv. made and marred the career of talented and popular men, and in not a few cs-ses ruin has fali'en upon the most brilliant llymbers of society as the result of a fancy for a fair but capricious d augh ter of Eve. Who does nut know the wretched story of a deserted wife, neglected children, and a divorce trial which have so often resulted from a. fancy of this nature? Few indeed, I ween. But leaving the unpleasant domestic results accruing from fancies feminine, let us see how fancy acts upon the. every-day life of men and women. I think there is little to choose between men and women in the matter of fancy, for the former have quiet as many fa.ne ies as the letter. Some men have a special fancy in the direction of curious pipes, and indulge their weakness to such an extent tha.*i they in time be- come possessed of n:c re pipes than they could smoke if they changed them every day, a thing hardly likely to oocui with a smoker, who, in whatever direction his fancy may take him in the way of curiosities, is pretty certain to have a fancy for one special pipe which he would rather smoke than any other in his collection, and, as likely as not it is a very ordinary clay. You see he fancies it, and such a strong power is fancy that you could not in- duce him to change it for the most ex- pensive pipe you could present to him. TO-FANCY. Without for a moment going so far as to expresiss any belief in what has of late become 'mown as* faith-heal- ing," I am certain, and riay ideas &je carried out by medical experience, tr .at fancy is a great and wonderful factor in cases of illness. So far does fancy rule a n indisposed person that it depends upon that po iver whether the medical man in attendance has a fair chance friven to him and his remedies by the } m.tient. Once let a patient say of his doctor "I don't fancy he is treating me properly," it is at once an aesured,fact that the medical man is going to have much trouble with the ] jatient whose own fancy will for a certainty retard his chances of recovery. In such a case the wise: ;t plan is to change the doctor at once. The most objectionable form of sick-bed fancy, A GENTLEMAN'S FANCY. one which gives more trouble to doctors than tangible symp- toms, is that which iuduoes the patient to imagine be or she is not going to get better. Not un- frequently such a fancy induces a state of melan- cholia which has ere this ao defied the treat- ment of the best doctors that the patient died, a,, died, if the truth were told, from the results of a morbid fancy. Patients not given to fancy at all, but who take things as they are, stand a far better chance of recov ery than do those who let fancy rule the roast to the exclusion of science and common sense. Fancv at its best is to be found in the labours and productions of the poets and the painters. Yet by a curious phase of paradox their fancies are perhaps the only ones which do not run riot in the mind untrammelled. Their fancies are sought for, and when they come, they come ia some form which has at once the aurroundings of training and restraint. They are not fancier which come we know not how, and which compel us to give rein to their caprice without thought to the good or evil they may bring in their train. No. they are moulded and formed almost ere they exist, as it were. Yet they are fancies. Strange as it may seem there is a direct fancy line of connection in the matter of the producer of pictures and the purchaser, more especially if the latter be a person more blessed with wealth than knowledge. In hit visits to studies and galleries such a buyer is guided entirely by fancy, and his collection of paintings teach a lesson in fancy which many would do well to learn if they desire to avoid the inartistic errors produced at intervals by fancy. It does not matter to this stamp of collector whether a picture has any artistic or technical merit if he bfit takes a fancy to it, and all at- tempts at criticism fall to the ground when he tells you that he does not doubt the truth of your remarks, but he fancies the pictures and does not care about their value as works of art so long &II. they please him. If hats and bonnets may be considered, as the.ir makers claim for them, works of art, fancy does indeed play a great part in art, for there is nothing in the world so subject to fancy as the head-gear of the maids and matron* of this our Isle of England. A -AFIY S tAfCY. A girl buys a hat or a bonnet, for whict, she pays a price which represents about four ot five times its intrinsic value, and she has perhaps not worn it more than a week before she discovers that she does not fancy it. There may be more reasons than meet the eye for this kind of fancy, and a change in the fashions or the sight of novelty on the head of a rival or friend may and does account for many fancies and changes in the matter of feminine head-gear. As each fancy crops up the head-gear is altered, and as a con- sequence the original disappears, and in its plae* is periodically to be found a new-fangled fancy. Whatever rhe actual and precise cause of fancy may be, it is both interesting and instructive ta note its effect upon life and living, and if it could be tested to the full, it would be lound tha# Enterprises of great pith and moment" have. We This, been the outcome of fancy. SAMUEL: His SENTIMENTS.

ASTORYOFJAT GOULD.—TIK O is a story of Jay Gould which we have i ver seen in print. It relates to the purchase oi Ae Missouri Pacific railroad which Gould bought of Garrison. The road was paying good dividends, and Garrison was not anxious to sell. Gould asked him what he would take for the property. Two and one. half million dollars," said he. "That is too much, and I can't giveitj" replied Gould. WtII, you dc-Jt need to take it if you don't wan't :0. but I can tell y the price will be three mil'ions to-morrow." Gould laughed and walked away. The next day he called a^atn and offered to give the two and one half millions for the road. You can't have it; the road is now worth three million," replied Garrison. "I won't give it," said Gould. "I am not anxious to sell; I don't care whether you take it or not, but by noon la* morrow the price will be three and e.u.baIt saltan, ".answered Gaaiaoii,