The Cardiff Times

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(BY MABON, M.P. THE HOURS OF LABOUR BEFORE PARLIAMENT. I Parliament having again re-assembled, | fche myriad sons of toiliu the United King- dom will be proud to know that one of the great labour questions of the day—railway overtime—has had an innings already. The question of the excessive hours of labour forked by railway men, raised upon Mr Channing's motion was only thrown out by the exceedingly small majority of Seventeen. The debate throughout was a great consolation to all railwaymen, espe- cially those whose sympathies have been Raised by the recent exposures in Scotiano. 9.nd Wales. The resolution described the Present condition of things as "a grave Social injustice and there was certainly a general agreement that the hours of labour worked by the railwaymen in general were far too long, and that such fact Jfas disastrous not only to the economy of *ife, but also to the public safety. Still, tnip-ht has once more carried against right, although in so doing—while the Scotch rail- way men are struggling to shorten their hours of labour, even by enormous Orifices, and their employers are con- fronting them with dogged resistance the ^jority in this case will have given the fiends who seek to shorten the hours K ()f labour by legislation a power- ful additional argument, and will nave greatly tended to disarm the friends tha.t are favouring the proposal to reduce the hours by mutual conferences of erHployers and workmen. Moreover, it is too late to say that the Government interfere in this matter. Sir JJichael Hicks-Beach, from his place in the jlouse, one night in the first week in ^ecennber last, distinctly stated that the Act left it open to the j^°ard of Trade to name the limitation of £ °Urs for railway statistical purposes. That being so, dear Sir Michael, why then not "elp the men so much and name ten hours at once. It is true that the exhaustive 'cWacter of the duties of railway-men vary j^Hsiderably, but it is also equally true that hours is a sufficiently long period for the lightest of them. I cannot see, either, why e Board of Trade should no com- municate with the Amalgamated and kindred bodies, as well as with pe companies, on this subject. To say the east 6f it, there are two sides to this as to ^ost other questions, and Parliament should s^ar and know both. It is high time that rasters should bear in mind that the State J? ftot to be an institution to be worked for e special benefit of those who least need aid.

THE CONSPIRACY LAW AMEND- MENT BILL. fcThe recent decision of the Recorder of 'ywiouth, Mr Bompas, Q.C., in the case gainst one of the secretaries of the Sea- men's Union, in which, in the opinion of trades' unionists of the country, the ecisions of the judges on intimidation 1 bUlce the statute was repealed in 1875 has eea reversed, has given fresh impetus the desire to press forward in Parlia- tbent a bill to amend the law relating to c°nspiraCy and intimidation. By the Conspiracy ?nd Protection of Property Act, 1875, it is provided (section "an agreement or combination by *o or more persons to do, or procure to be °ne, any act in contemplation or further- ance of a trade dispute between employers and Workmen shall not be indictable as a con- spiracy if such act committed by one person *ould not be punishable as a crime." 1> The object of the above bill, now before parliament, and which has been prepared y Mr Edmund Robertson, and backed vy Messrs Shaw Lefevre, Broad- Urst, and Hunter, and which j^also under the auspices of the Parliamen- eaty Committee, is to make the foregoing J^ctment general by omitting the words ^tten in italics. The other provisions of 3 of the Conspiracy and Protection Oi ^r°Perty Act, 1875, are reproduced in ~JanSe 3 Qf the bill, with some alterations, most important of which is the intro- duction of certain additional; excep- viz., conspiracies to bring Se accusations, conspiracies to pervert conspiracies to defile women, CQnspiracies to defraud, and conspiracies to ei'ent by force the collection of rates and aXes, The clause, if passed, will thus edare the law of criminal conspiracy sub- stantially in the terms proposed by the ^ounal Code Bill Commissioners (Lord ^*>lackburn, Lord Justice Barry, the late i. °rd Justice Lush, and Mr Justice Stephen) j11 1879. The commissioners reported as allows on the provisions relating to this in e draft code appended to their report :— have taken the responsibility of reconimending that crimes should no longer indictable at common law, but only under provisions of the draft code of seme her Act in force for the time being. ection 5 will have the effect of preventing tments at common law of conspiracies. e sections of the draft code which with this subject comprise Reasonable conspiracies, seditious con- 5Plracies, conspiracies to bring false ic°Usations, conspiracies to pervert justice, ^onspipacies to defile women, conspiracies to t Urder, conspiracies to defraud, conspiracies °. commit indictable offences, and con- T'U'acies to prevent by force the collection rates and taxes." a There is not, perhaps, any distinct ^thority for the proposition that there are c°nimon law any criminal conspiracies her than those referred to but some e|?ree 0f obscurity exists on the An agreement to do an 'awful act has been said to a conspii-acy, but as no definations had fuf11 ^een f°und of what constitutes unlaw- thaess' 't seems to us unsatisfactory that W'hte should be any indictable offence of lch the elements should be left in uncer- and doubt." Robertson's Bill comes direct to the ?iUV; and provides—"that subject to e provision of this Act an agree- ment Cr combination Vy two or ro°re persons to do, or procure 0 be done, any act shall no be punishable "s a conspiracy if such act committed by one person would not be punishable as a crime and the fourth clause is directly pointed to CSfrect such flagrant unwarranted decisions as that of the Recorder of Plymouth, -uid provides that f»r the purpese of tri° seventh section of the Con- •^Piraey anci Protection of Property Act, intimidation shall mean and include only such intimidation as would justify a t Justice of the peace, on a complaint made to k to bind over the persons so intimi- datlng to keep the peace." the Parliamentary Committee of the Irac\es Union Congress require the favour ■ c'* ^eing furnished with particulars of cases 1-led under the provisions of the present act, 1. ttoy. with your consent, Mr Editor, return s "0 cftis subject.

Mj. Younghusband (who is the possessor of a p cuak and is showing a set of pictures to an a friend. One is cf himself and wife in an ji'enieiy loving attitude) Here is one, old man, ar» proud of. I wouldn't part with it for •irlds;.—Sir Hugh (bored, but anxious to say AJ'iiething) Aw, yes! Very, good of Mrs ^utighusband, but (innocently) who is the man? e sadly need to be touched by the power of a STeat spiritual regeneration this common life is ^yoted upen two great and radical errors from •-h we can find no refuge except in the spirit ot the Gospel of Christ. These are that enjoy- ment of some kind is the true end of life, and second aie belief that pain and suffering are life's greatest And when we attempt to construct a ;heory 0{ or a pian 0f society upon the basis s these miata' s we see nothipg but iaexpticabia f inanaoR Jl,.nd dismay.

FACTS FOR FARMERS. Current Notes on Agriculture. By a Practical Farmer. CHEAP ENSILAGE. We profit by the experience of others, and through the medium ef the far-reaching Press, experiments and their results soon become public property. During some of the immediate past years much has been written in the agricultural papers in connection with ensilage making. But these articles have been received by the general run of tenant farmers in Wales with a good deal of apathy, as if the making of ensilage was only a fad of^the rich, and that it wouldjnever practically proved a farmer's friend by helping him to pay the rent. Perhaps some of this apathy is accounted for by the great expense to which the makers of this class of fodder were at first put in producing it, in building silos, &c. Now, when it is better understood, the ;item of expense has been reduced to a par with haymaking, and some aver much less. Last summer I men- tioned that the increased number of tenant farmers had taken to ensilage making and by invitation last week I went to inspect the ensilage made by several of them, and I was surprised, as well as pleased, to find that in every case it had turned out a perfect success. Their mode of making was the stack system, with the requisite pressure. One of the places I visited was princi- pally a dairy farm, the milk being sent off by train every morning. To secure the quantity of milk he had contracted for during the winter months necessitated the farmer feeing his cows better than it is the general custom to do. On my enquiring if he was satisfied with his venture in connection with ensilage he replied "Perfectly. Next year I shall make twice as much. I had misgivings about it before it was cut, but now I believe in it thoroughly. My milk cows eat it greedily, and it acts very bene- ficially in producing a liberal supply of milk, with a much lesser allowance of meal. For the month of January this year, when u=-ing silage, my bill for meal is a deal under haU what it was the corresponding month last year without silage, for the same number of cows, while the flow of milk is equal, if not more, than then." In reply to my question as to cost he said:— Ensilage can be made in weather that would be unfit for haymaking which affects the labour, and unless the weather be very favourable for the latter, ensilage can be made much cheaper than the hay. There is another view to be taken of the matter, and that is the conversion into wholesome food of much material which exists on every farm, I have much of such material in my ensilage stack, and this is now all eaten greedily, though it would be worthless as fsdder if put in the haystack. Herbage preserved in a green state has a nutritive effect very different from that produced by dried fodder, in fact closely resembling the feeding properties of grass when consumed in the summer months. Agricultural Education. Mr William Whitehead Cousins, writing in the last issue of the Agricultural Gazette on the much discussed question of agricultural education, says :—Why is the farmer being advised, bullied, pitied, preached and laughed at, and taught his business, simply because he has failed to make agriculture in this country a success ? If he had money he would not be told what to grow by every city merchant at school treats and other assemblies of outsiders. Give them the chance and they are on their legs to air their opinion acquired by a visit t'.) a fruit show, a walk through Covent Gorden market, the hasty perusal of a 2s* hand- book, and a seedsman's catalogue. Men who have been farmers all cheir lives are not presump- tuous enough to suppose they could teach other trades; it is otherwise with men in business. The possession of two currant bushes, a couple of hens, and the fact of having grown mustard and cress upon apiece ofliannel at school, qualifies them as teachers of agriculture at once. Nothing succeeds like success. The British farmer, is compelled by circumstances to live (and all connected with him) up to a higher standard than his competitors abroad, who are able to place their produce upon his markets as cheaply as he, without paying the taxes he does. In consequenco of this he has not been a bright success, and like the poor relation of the family comes in for all the good advice. The average farmer does not make a good living at farming, therefore must require scientific education, and is blamed for not taking advantage of the opportunity to acquire a knowledge of his business from men who, however great their scientific attainments, have not proved the ability h get a living upon the land, and who would probably give a practical man a shock at their ignorance of some of the smaller practical details upon a farm. Could one professor of agriculture in a dozen get his living as a farmer ? If a practical farmer who made a success of his business could be got upon his legs, we should find that science had very little to do with his success and although possessed of unbounded admiration and respect for scientific teaching, until I see a farm managed by a professor pay better than one run by a hard-headed and working practical man brought up on the soil, I shall, for one, place practice before science. I dare bet that there is not a professor that could load a wagon with cabbages so that it would travel to Covent Garden intact, or even tie a roll of celery, yet we are told by every slop-shop keeper to go in for producing vegetables and listen to the voice of science. The voice of science will not keep the jackdaws off your podding peas in June, neither will it wake you to see that the boy you employ is there to do it. It requires more than science to make a farm pay in 1891. Agricultural professors wisely state that farms run by them to afford light to benighted cultivators must not be expected to pay. This remark is superfluous; the benighted ones do not expect it. I know in this district the men getting the most from the land are those who are practically acquainted with the neighbour- hood, who, brought up on the land from boyhood, have acquired their knowledge by practical ex- perience and observation. I can produce to the editor a balance-sheet of a farm for the year 1890, run by a man who does not know what scientific education means, that will, I guarantee, knock spots out of any run by a scientific enthusiast. I have every respect for scientific agricultural teaching, but it will not do away with Saturday night, alter the weather, make American beef, New Zealand mutton, Dutch onions, &c., dearer, or reduce railway rates. Everyone outside the farmer is to work less and get more pay, everything ho requires will consequently be dearer most of his competitors are as poor as he, are shut out by hostile tariffs from sending to other markets, so must send here as long as the stuff sells, have in many cases awfully cheap labour, and in others the system of farming does not require much. The only thing the farmer has to do is to study science, and produce cheaper, we are told by our friends, and then good bye to foreign competition. Farmers are not enterpris- ing, do not combine, are not intelligent, in fact, want every quality that makes men successful in other businesses. This fact has been discovered since the depression in agriculture began when the present race of blockheads die out a race of scientific geniuses will take their place, and the voice of the licensed grumbler will no more be heard in the land. The Weather and the Crops. The Mark-lane Express of Monday says :—■ The wheat revealed to sight by the thaw is very green and regular, and not at all too forward for the beginning of February, but is evidently well- rooted and nourished. The soil is not fit for spring sowings, but there is yet plenty cf timo in this respect. Wheat, without being dear, is not exactly depressed, but the value of barley is seriously reduced on the twelve months. There has been 6d decline on the London wheat average during the past week, but a slight improvement in the average quality has saved Mark-lane from general depression in barley, which marked an improvement of 2d on the week. The trade for imported staples has not been vigorous, but Liverpool, for wheat on Friday, was firm, and London resisted any quotation of decline. The trade in imported descriptions of spring corn, &c., has been firm for oats, beans, and maize, in- animate for barley, rye, and peas, and depressed for oil seeds. Barley on passage is a full average expectation. Calcutta linseed realised 41s 3d, compared with 41s 9d a. week ago, and rapeseed marked a similar tendency in buyers' favour.

The-chains of habit a.re generally toe-small to are too stronc^to be broken.

I WELSH GLEANINGS. I By Lloffwr. I When an Englishman unacquainted with Wales and Welsh customs attempts to pose as a critic of Welsh institutions he only succeeds in making himself appear ridiculous. During the past week we have had two instances of this in the columns of two daily papers circulating in the Princi- pality. In each case the writer took upon himself to critisise the Welsh National Eisteddvod, betraying in so doing a want of acquaintance with the subject that should have been sufficient to deter them from inviting public attention. One of them questions the fitness of Glanlfrwd as an adjudicator, oblivious to the fact that the celebrated bard is dead, and will never more be called upon to adjudi- cate. In another place our critic declaims against the selection of adjudi- cators for a subject before he could possibly have known who those adjudicators were. Indeed, it is hardly too much to say that the whole article from beginning to end does little more than prove the absolute unfitness of the writer for his self-elected task of critic of the eisteddvod. Another writer condemns the eisteddvod committee for giving English compositions among the com- petitions, apparently ignoring the fact that Welshmen require to practise English com- position even if "English poetry requires no subsidy from Wales." While thanking these well-meaning friends for the interest they take in our affairs, we, as Welshmen, will feel inclined to advise them to learn a little more about us before they attempt to criticise us. -x- The third Conference of the Joint Educa- tion Committees which was held at Shrewsbury on Friday found itself absolutely unable to cope with the mass of business awaiting its notice. Another meeting will have to be summoned, and when it meets will find itself in precisely the same fix. All this points in the same direction. There is only one solution for the difficulty. A perman- ent Central Educational Authority for the whole of the Principality must be created. Let it be strictly representative, and let it be invested with pswer to deal with all questions of common interest to every Joint Education Committee. Thus, and only thus, can the Joint Committees hope to overtake the work awaiting them. No one can be more satisfied of this than those members who have already sacrificed so much in attending these highly important conferences at Shrewsbury. Involved by the shadow of a great national loss- firr the death of "DEWI WYN o ESSYLLT leaves no less a void—I may well be excused from analytic criticism of his wjirl- We are, moreover, too corporate a part of the age in which he wrought to be able to weigh his merits with perfectly balanced judgment. The contemporaries cf any man of note, be his sphere of action what it may, are rarely endued with the tempered discernment necessary to pro- nounce impartial verdict upon his public worth. We move in the same cycle, and are subject to all the eccentric variations and disturbances of the hour. If this may be accepted as a general truth, it becomes relatively yet more true when we have to deal with the literary character, and especially with the personality of a Welsh poet. We have in Wales more than a superfluity of literary coteries, and there is a singular proneness to mistake mere jingling felicities of rhythm for inspiration. Our horizon needs extend- ing, and our ideals perfecting. A great Welsh critical school is as yet unborn. All that we can do is to work and wait with confidence that our hopes will not be in vain. Many of the dyspeptic divinities in our Welsh Valhalla will under these new condi- tions, of course, and as a consequence, vanish. But we shall gain in value what we may have to miss in volume. We shall not have to submit to humiliating confusion of the gifted with the giftless. When this principle of "selec- tion" has been applied to Welsh literature, DEWI WY-N o ESSYLLT" will still be found to occupy a large and permanent place. His genius as a poet has long since received the homage of a people who have never ceased to love the song even when they may not have been enamoured of the singer. DEWI WvN possessed an acutely reflective mind and Wordsworthian perception of the organic harmony, which, as the master singer has taught us, enters imto the we b and woof of events—changeless amid all change. His best verses strike lofty notes, and have not only charmed the reader by their seductive beauty and grace of form, but have compelled him to think for himself. In this respect DEWI WYN influenced the literary mind of Wales to an extent which will be acknowledged with fulness of gratitude. The bard also cherishes that abounding and absorbing love of external nature which is as the breath of life to the poet. His compositions are penetrated and interpenetrated by this spirit. His speech is the speech of the landscape, and again and again we have glim- mering through his pages I radiant "Hints That nature lives." Welsh Nationalism and Cymru Vydd have often been laughed at as the foolish dream of narrow-minded enthusiasts. We commend the sensible address delivered by Dr. EMRYS JoNES from the presidential chair of the Welsh National Society at Manchester to the earnest attention of those who believe that Welsh Nationalism is either the vain dream of visionaries or the abnormal birth of narrowness and bigotry. Successful and practical professional men like Dr. EMRYS JONES, of Manchestor, and hard-headed, clear-sighted business men like Major E. ROWLAND JONES, of Cardiff, will hardly be regarded as bigots, dreamers, or visionaries. And yet these represent the class of men who have placed themselves at the helm of the social movement in Welsh Nationalism, and who have success- fully conducted societies so similarly situated as regards surrounding influences as, for instance, the National Society of Manchester and the Cymrodorion Society of Cardiff. In their presidential addresses both have em- phasized the importance of conduct as an element of influence in national as in per- sonal affairs. There is in these addresses a breadth of thought utterly at variance with the "narrowmmdedness" with which they are generally credited. There is placed before these societies an ideal so elevated as to be worthy of the most self- had made in human nature. Therq was only one proof that would satisfy those who did not believe in the divinity of the Ohristian religion, and that one.proof was this. They must exhibit in their life the doctrines of Christianity, they must exhibit doctrines that they were heayen-born. Of what use was this profession if it was true of the man that there was no difference between him on the Stock Exchange, or in his office, on the quay, and the man in whom there was not. one spark of Christian life ?" Archdeacon GBXHTIXHS has so long -been known as the Rector of Neath that his translation to,Hanover wiU, for actjjno^at least, make it difficult for the masses with whom he is so deservedly popular to bring themselves to give him his new title. Having been identified with the same parish for 37 years, he and his parishioners must feel keenly the separation which the new appointment entails. Some have said that the good Archdeacon deserves and needs the comparative rest which Llanover will give him. That he deserves the best the Church has to give him will be generally admitted but if jby say- ing that he needs a rest is meant that failing physical powers demand it, few will be prepared to acknowledge. A man is to himself as old as he feels, and to others as old as he looks. Archdeacon GRIFFITHS is a man whom no one can conceive as feel- ing old. His heart is as young and his spirit as elastic as when, more than a generation ago, he entered upon his trying duties at Neath. The work he has performed during the long years he spent at Castellnedd will stand as a lasting monument to his zeal, enthusiasm, and untiring activity. Had those who have in their hands the highest ecclesiastical preferments always selected for the more important appointments men of the calibre and power of the Venerable Archdeacon of LLANDAFF, the Church in Wales, notwithstanding the deep-rooted love for Nonconformity in the country, would not have been the object of contempt and hostility she now too often is. In the interests of the Church we skould have welcomed for the Rector of Neath a higher preferment than that to the living of Llanover.

8nI:1I A QUESTION FOR WELSH SCHOOL BOARDS. A correspondent in another column directs attention to a matter which should receive the earnest consideration of the. Welsh Utilization Society. Indeed, the question raised is one in which even more important interests than those of that society are involved. Assuming our corres- pondent to be correctly informed, the ques- tion which has to be decided is not merely whether Welsh shall, or shall not, be taught in any particular school, but whether it is the inspector or the school board which has the ris/ht to decide what subjects, within the limits of the education code, may, or may not, be included in the school time-table. Everybody knows there are certain compulsory subjects which every school must teach, while there are other optional subjects which the managers of each school are at liberty to include or not, as they see fit. It will, however, be news to the country to be informed that an inspector has the right to veto any particular subject, be it Welsh or any d,her, which is permitted by the Code. We direct the attention of the Utilization Society to this case, inasmuch as it is the subject they hwe now under their special care which an inspector is now stated to have interdicted. If this be true, then all the past efforts of the society have been in vain. It is true they have on their side all the weight of educational authority and of public opinion in Wales, and that they have converted the Education Department to their views it is true, too, that they have had their schemes formally sanctioned in the Code, and that Sir WILLIAM HART-DYKE, as the official head of the educational system of the country, in his now historical letter to Sir JOHN PULESTON, declared that if the Code did not bear the construction which the society had placed upon it it should be made to bear that construction. All this may be true, but if the inspectors are to be allowed to be a law unto themselves then all this labour has gone for naught. V'e, however, hesitate to accept the story. It appears to us to be incredible that any inspector would take upon himself thus to override the formal decision of the depart- ment of which he is the servant. Still, the Utilization Society cannot afford the matter to be left in doubt. The very fact that it should have been deemed possible for their past efforts to be thus made abortive would in itself necessitate their taking immediate steps to phcc the matter quite beyond question. If the statement proves to be true, then we think the Society would be backed up by every School Board in tho country, in whatever steps they might take to ensure the proper administration of the Code, and to prevent the possibility of any individual official riding roughshod over its provisions.

BILLY FAIRPLA Y" CON- DEMNED. The colliers of South Wales have just scored another and important victory. In the Court of Queen's Bench, on Friday, Baron Pollock and Mr Justice Charles upheld the decision given by Judge Owen at the Newport County Court in the Billy-Fairplay case. Our readers will remember that that case turned upon the question of whether the colliers had a right to be paid for small as well as for large coal. Judge Owen de- cided they had the eoalowners would not accept the decision, and appealed the appeal 008 now gone against them, and they are mulcted in costs. The matter is even not yet ended, for the coal- owners have decided to make a further appeal to a still higher authority, in the hope that the decisions of the county-court and the Queen's Bench may yet be reversed. Baron Pollock, in delivering judgment, did not hold out much hope of success, for he quoted the opinion of the House of Lords in an appeal case of a similar nature which appeared to be applicable word for word to the present case. Mr W. Abraham (Mabon), M.P., gave some time since in the Cardiff Times an exhaustive review of judgments already delivered in cases of this nature, and predicted that the appeals in the present case would only serve to strengthen the men's case. That prediction has now been verified. The Court of Queen's Bench holds that colliers must be paid upon the actual weight of the mineral ''contracted to be gotten, and that the mineral contracted to be gotten includes "small as well as large coal." The Attorney-General, who appeared for the colliery owners, contended that the owners were empowered to make deductions for "stones and substances other than the mineral contracted to be gotten," and on this clause held that small coal would be included. Baron Pollock, however, quoted from the judgment of the law lords in the celebrated Netherseal case, that other substances meant in the case of a coal mine, substances other than coal, such as ironstone, shale, and clay," Lord Herschell emphasizing this by adding that mineral contracted to be gotten must be coal, not "necessarily large, but of all sizes." Seldom indeed has there been a more emphatic judgment given, and the colliers may well be pardoned for feeling elated at so important a decision having been given in their favour.

The illness of Iiord Chief Justice Coleridge calls to mind, in Chicago* this incident, which occurred during his visit to America :—The late Fw&r-y Storrs was then oæ of the leading Chicago law- yers, and he gave to Lord Coleridge and his party a. sumptuous dinner at the Leland Hotel. The dinner had been much noised about, and a bill-collector, named Prolan, who held some unpaid bills of Mr Storrs, determined to levy on the viands for the aioo1111^ of his clients claim. Having secured an attachment, he was preparing to enforce it, when some friends of the Chicago lawyer paid the bill, and the dinner proceeded, Lord Coleridge little knowing how narrowly he escaped having his terrapin seized on by the deputy-sheriffs. One of the best preparations for a. valuable life is the vivid recollections of a happy childhood. Those who can look back the toils and cares of maturity to a youth fun of sunshine and joy have within them not only a fund of pleasant memories but a safeguard against depression and despair. Whatever their present trials, they can never be utterly despondent or lose their faith in happinggs -wtile^itsiiuejp^^iresh^vei^rin

Musical Literature in Wales. BY DR JOSEPH PARRY, University College, Cardiff. One of the numerous good signs of the times in our little oountry is the literature connected with Welsh tonal art. Not very Ion? ago we had our musical literature in the hands only ,of a few of our able cerddorion pregethwrol. In the early stages of our art, the old monks did noble services for our art and the Church, for they wire the only musicians prepared in these good old days. But all this has ages ago passed away; our art, fortunately, has nursed her own disciples and apostles, who have raised their noble art to a high standard, and that in all countries. They developed our chorales and anthems, masses and oratorios, operas and sym- phonies and cur success also is to come from the same professional and life-devoted source in our music and our literature. We now have a fair band of young literary musicians, who advocate our cause and contribute more or less to our national art progress. One of the life-long secrets of a musical journal is to abstain from personal abuse en the cne hand, and selfishness on the other. To devote pages to either of these evils is suicidal, and arc but premature tombstones foreshadowing their doom and downfall, and shall yet mark their graves. We mention this because we have read things:wbich created a blush, and areused pity for those who in their egotistically weak and selfish moments so intoxicated their minds as to cause them to run wild. It will indeed be a truly sad thing to have such black tombstones to tell their mute and indefinite tales. Generosity, good will, and love are indeed the best companions of life, and shall guard them like a group of angel-like white carved marble. Byw fyth fyddo y dduwies Cariad. OUR MUSICAL JOURNALS. Y Cerddoiy Cerddor y Cymry," "Y Solffaydd." The former is in its third year, and contains much that is commendable, and will do great service in promoting our progress. It is quite Iach yn y fydd re our just national claim for the first seat in our national institutions, eisteddvod, &c. Cerddor y Cymry appears in a new suit of clothes, and restarts its career like a young man with renewed vigour. Our contempoarary and friend, Alaw Ddu, who has consecrated a whole life, yes, and a faithful one too, at the altar of the music of history, deserves well from us all. Y Solffaydd is published at Pontardulais, and intended for those who hold the faith of the new notation. The initial number promises well, and if this be a fair index of its future numbers, it also has a future of much usefulness. I shall read these as regularly and faithfully as I do the weekly and monthly English journals, which have become a necessity of my life. And my advice to all my young Welsh musicians is to read them you cannot know too much, nor become txx. broad-minded, generous, and con- versant with the musical world at large, with the composers, conductors, vocalists, instrumentalists, teachers, styles, &c., of the different nations. Darllenwch a bernwch drostoch eich hunain. SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN'S NEW OPEKA "iVANHOE." This greatest modern English musical genius commands success in every step. I learn that for the 500 or so reserved seats f «.• the first night's performance, the applications reached the number of 15,000, such is his popularity and the appreciati-n for opera among the English people. Mr Gladstone also shows his sympathies to the stage and drama, and has renewed his annual jBlO 10s subscription to the stage funds for their poor and aged. Da iawn yr hen ddyn O na bai rhagor o'ch bath yng Nghymru. My wife and son who were the? bear testimony of its remarkable- merit. You>j& friends, read the London dailies upon it, also gç., see, and hear it, as I hope to very soon. BRAVO MR BEN VA VIES. The little boy from Swansea. has grown to be the Samson of the opera, and of this opera company. Our hearts' bells chime with joy. We have not yet forgotten the memorable Cardiff witk of Arianiven and Blodioen, when my fellow- countrymen showed me the same encouragement for my single-handed efforts in Welsh opera. Byddwch dawel, y mae rhagor i ddod. Deuparth (pob) gwaith yw (ei) ddechreu. Y mae genyf hyder yn eich cymeradwyaeth.

THE WELSH TITHE WAR. Mr Peterson, the distraining agent acting for the ecclesiastical tithe-owners in Pembrokeshire, very conclusively proved on Friday last that as is the agent so is the crowd," or, in other words, that it rests entirely with the distraining agent whether the crowd shall be peaceable or riotous, jovial or angry. All the reports which have as yet appeared of Friday's proceedings prove that the crowd was not only good- tempered, but even inclined to approve Mr PETERSON'S actions until he himself changed the current of their feelings. They even applauded his plucky and plainly showed they bore him no ill-will. Presuming apparently on this perhaps unexpected display of friendliness, he ventured upon repeating an attempt which had on previous occasions aroused the ire of the people—-proceeding to do what they considered, and what he knew they considered, an act of trespass. Unde- terred, apparently, by the warning shouts of the people, he persisted in his attempt, with the result that, as on the previous occasions, he brought himself into direct collision with the crowd. Our cor- respondent, who was present during the whole of the proceedings, and who describes this little scene, and who, it may be safely said, has shown n, bias in his re- ports, characterises the day as "the pleasantest day of the campaign." Not- withstanding this, we are informed that the agent has now applied for police protection. We are at a loss to understand the ground on which he makes tho application. It is true that half a dozen buxom lasses em- braced and even kissed his companion, the youthful and perhaps bashful Mr GIRDLE- STONE, but he must be very peculiarly con- stituted if he demands police protection from the kisses of the handsome Pembroke- shire lasses. It may be said that the crowd had no right to interfere with the agent when he proceeded to what rightly or wrongly they regarded as an act of tres- pass, inasmuch as the tenant had his remedy at law. But this argument cuts both ways, and it might be tirged with equal force that Mr PETERSON also had his remedy at law if he acted within his rights. The question daes not appear to have been definitely de- cided whether a distraining agent is entitled to perform an act which in any other person would be an undoubted act of tres- pass. It is evident enough that the people regard it as a trespass, and resent it as a recourse on the agent's part to an illegal action. And if their contention is right, then surely the agent cannot claim police protection in the performance of an illegal act. The people and the tenants distrained upon have their rights as well as the restraining agents, and it is absurd to claim the help of the police for the on& as against the other. Mr Peterson proved that the Pembrokeshire men applauded him so long as he kept within the strict bounds of his acknowledged rights, and that it was only when he exceeded those bounds that they interfered with him. In the face of this we trust the Joint Police Committee will hesitate before adding to the burdens of the ratepayers the unnecessary cost or a large police escort for a man who has proved that he can at will win either the approval or the anger of the crowd.

COMPLETELY EXONERATED.—Mrs Peterby: What were you and your cousin Frank talking about on the stairs ? Fanny Just think of it. He grabbed me by the wrists so I could not get away, and tried to kiss me on my cheek. I hope you did not permit him V "Why, ma., what makes you talk that way ? I tho'ight you had a better opinion of ma than that." Well, what did you do to prevent him from kissing you on the cheek 7" Held up my mouth." WHAT WE ALL ARE AJ?TER.—Judge What induced you to break inti that bank? Burglar: The money there was in,it; What yer spose Think I didifciorjdarar?. r Aiat4ha<whai,we aU -areaftrer.?"

SMALL CULTURE. -+- By Professor James Long, Late of the Royal Agricultural College (Author of The Book of the Pig "). No. 4.PROFITABLE PIG KEEPING. Of the various methods of pig keeping which are practised in this country, there are at least three which are worthy of our consideration. These are— 1.—Breeding for the sale of weaners. 2.-Breeding for porkers and small bacon. 3.—Breeding and sale of yearling gilts. In times past the breeding and feeding of pigs for s large bacon was a more important branch of swine husbandry than it is to-day. The system is not followed to any appreciable extent as a business, although it is still a very common practice among the poorer classes who produce bacon for them- selves, and among farmers who board their men. The feeling of adult pigs for bacon is not an economical practice, hence it is not one which we can recommend. Up to a certain period the food that is consumed is amply covered by the meat produced, but as the age ef the pig and the period of fattening is increased, the quality of food necessary te make each pound increases, until at last the food consumed costs more than the meat it produces is worth. Ther", is no comparison as reg-ards economical results between the eld system of feeding for bacon and the modern system of feeding for pork, or, if we choose to call it so, bacon; for althaugh young' fat pigs up to 1401b are called porkers, they make the finest of bacon, and factors in somi cases decrease their price per stone when this or a similar weight is exceeded. We need only refer to the business of breeding pigs of pure blood for sale for stock purposes ii1 order to point out tha,t, although in some cases it pays well, it can only da so in a limited number of instances. Swine are so prolific and are produced with such rapidity that very levs breeders suffice to supply the wants cf the remainder. Hence in a paper of this kind we prefer to deal with the ordinary and not the extraordinary part ft the subject. lu starting a piggery the breeder should doeide upon the line h" will frllow, if he possibly can, in spite of the fact that the maintenauceof a particular line is rendered more difficult by the fall which has been experienced in consequence of the large imperts of pig meat, and the increase of home production. At the moment at which we write young pigs which used to make a guinea each young pigs which used to make a guinea each realize no more them 10s to lis, a sum which leaves the feeder who buys his food no profit at all, and the farmer who grows it but little, if any- thing, more than the manure. The swine in the country in 1690 numbered 2,773,609, against 2;510,803 in 1889, anu there 11a,. been a consistent increase for some years. Again, while we con- sumed 542 millions of pounds of home-produced pig meat in 1890, iv, iiii)oi:tel 545 million pounds. In a word, the imports increase enormously, and to a large extent the imported pork has been im- proved by British pigs. These figures show that pig breeders must not expect great things of an occupation in which foreign competition is keener than in any other branch of live stock. Whether the black breed or the white brec-dis selected will depend very much upon the custom of the locality. In the south blacks are fashionable. We do not, however, counsel the breeder to obtain pure bred pigs of necessity. For the production of ivtaners or porkers nothing answers better than a large, 1 oilp'-bo>3led, decp-sjded sow, with large hams, abundant silky hair, head and ears of a little more than medium length, short legs, wide loins, small neck or collar, and twelve teats. Short-headed pigs are fashionable among; the white breeds, but they display an aptitude to lay on too much fat. They also develop a tendency to decrease in size. They do not rear their young so well, and they are not so lusty in constitution as pigs with longer snouts. It is often remarked that the short or snub-nosed pig is the poor man's pig. It is, however, of great value for crossing if of sufficient size. Such a sow as we have described should breed twice yearly, pro- ducing large sti :ng litters of hardy quick-growing pigs, if put to a pure bred large white boar of good quality, or even to a first-rate Berkshire or Red Tamworth boar. Small pig owners who do not keep a boar are not often able to make choice of a sire, and yet nothing is of greater importance, especially if the pigs are to be reared. The great proportion of inferior pigs often seen in litters is usually to be attributed to faults in breeding, and it is this proportion which reduces the prices of the whole, and by the time the animals are fit for sale as year old gilts about ts produce their first litter the reduction in ,alue may amount to £ 2 a head. Well-Lred and well-reared gilts should easily realise £ 5 at this age, whftii so many obtain no more than £ 3, while the difference in value in weaners at 10 to 12 weeks old often amounts to 5s a head. The large white breed kept by persons whose means enable them to select high-class stock whenever they need a cross cannot perhaps be excelled, while the middle- bred white—if large In type—is also an excellent animal, and if not kept too close to the show type will well repay attention. Berkshires of the largest size and best quality are hard tc beat, and no better bacon is made than that from the Tamworths. Tru" though all this is, the cross- bred sow put to the pure-bred boar will pay the little breeder the best in the hug run. In the production of weaners, once an excellent business, breeders are sometimes in difficulties ill severe winters, when the youngsters born rather late fail to grow, become cramped, and die off. It is, therefore, a. good plan to obtain the first litter early in the year, from the 20th of February to the 5th of March. In this way the litter may be weaned about the 5th to the 10th of May. The sow will take service again in a week, and the second litter will fall about the middle of Sep- t-ember, the actual period of pregnancy being 112 days, giving time for rearing to a good size before the severe weather scis in. In practice it will be found that little pigs born in January and f February will withstand the cold better than those born in November, which is an extremely bad month. Regularity in breeding is absolutely essential, as it is too easy to protract th0 period of littering, when the pigs will fall during the very worst months. A simplo calculation will show that, allowing two periods of pregnancy of 16 weeks each and two periods of nine weeks each before the pigs are weaned, we have only 15 days remaining in the year, and these will have to suffice for the twe periods—between weaning and service. A knowledge of the management of pigs is essential to success, but it is soon gained, for so many persons in all classes of life are acquainted with the habits of the "gentleman that doesn't pay the rint." A sow farrows almost to a day, wt had almost said an hour. The first indication is the swelling of the udder, next the animal will be feund carrying mouthfuls of litter to a chosen spot, and making her bed. She should then be watched, and, unless her habits are known, a low rail should be fixed eight or nine inches from the wall and at a height of nine inches, in order to prevent the young pigs being laid upon. Some sows resent interference, others allows their young to be removed into a basket as they are born, and kept warm until she is littered afresh, fed, and ready to receive and suckl-3 them, for the little chaps are quite at home in the world after a few minutes' introduction. Young pigs never require too large a quantity of straw in their beds, and the straw should be wheat or oat, certainly 'I not barley straw. The bed should be on a, dry floor, preferably a wooden bench over brick or I concrete, but brick or hard earth floors over a chalk foundation will do very well if the brickis grouted in cement, and either are kept thoroughly clean. A sow should never be allowed to get poor in condition before farrowing, as the pigs suffer in size and constitution. Without being fat, her condition should be good, and this may be main- tained in well bred stock by very small rations. Grazing and a few handfuls of beans or oats daily in summer, or a few swedes or mangels with house-wash daily, and three pocks of middlings, randan or fine sharps to last a week in winter. There are many plans of breeding, but the object should be to maintain condition on the cheapest ration. While many feeders prefer middlings as a general food for sows, other believe that a mixture of barley meal and bra.n answers the purpose as well, and costs less money. W« prefer the former food as being alike.suitable under all conditions for breeding sows, and especially ^^dtoJU^ws^tiltJULtters ofj?igs. ^^hi^theo, which should form the staple ration after farrowing I and until weaning. The pigs will do well upon it, it is a good milk producer, and as they learn to eat it it does not in the least disagree with them, and they may be weaned upon it. Some, feeders mix middlings with skimmed milk for both sow and and pig's, this pushes them on very fast and if it is continued after weaning, supposing it is intended to make porkers, barley meal or maize meal, when maize is below a guinea a quarter, may be gradually introduced, until the food is entirely composed of milk and barley or maize. The great secret of success in feeding is cleanliness, regu- larity, suitable food and abundance of it from first to last. There should never be a check, as it costs a great deal more to recover weight that has been lost than it originally cost to make it. The pigs should never, however, have food by them. Pigs do better on ample meals cleared up at stated hours than upon food constantly in the trough for them to run to. It is the custom with many good feeders to separate the sexes after weaning, although this separation may be deferred for some weeks accord- ing to circumstances. If all are to be sold soon after weaning, steps should be taked to preveat the weaker pigs being robbed ef their share of the j food if for porkers, the boar pigs will have been castrated before leaving the sow, and the litter may be divided the strongest pigs being kept together and killed for market first. If the gilts are intended for stock, although they need not be fed as well as the cut pigs or hogs, they should be encouraged to grow in every possible way, the food being slightly different in composition. The food for pork making, consisting chiefly of barley meal or maize meal, will be more fattening In its nature, as i contains more starch whertias for producing l;irge-framed sows, less starch and more muscle or lean, and bone making material may be given. This will be found in those foods which, like middlings, pollard, oats. pea meal, and skim milk, contain less flour or its equivalent, and more flesh formers and mineral matter. For more expeditious feeding it isby no means an uncommon practice to "spay'' gilts intended for pork. but we do not recommend it r there is some risk, while the advantage gained is hardly commensurate. It will be found necessary to ring all pigs kept on, especially, if they are let out to graze in summer and autumn, as they should be. Stye feeding is quite artificial, a^d unfitted for breeding stock. Pigs are graziers, and no domestic animals pay better for grass feeding. Sows daily let out to grass grow larger, improve in constitution, and throw better and stronger litters, while little pig, will often recover from dangerous' ailments result- ing from confinement and stye feeding, even in winter, by being given their freedom. Where it is impossible to let pigs run loose, great benefit will be found from feeding them ,ith green food in spring and summer the best kinds being vetche-. clover, lucerne, sanfoin, and grass. Either of these foods will provide a sufficient ration for a boar or in-pig sows and young gilts. Gilts should be mated with the boar at abem eight months old, eo that Slaving been born at ;< right season of the year their young will aho fali at a convenient season. As a rule, gilts intended for stock should be selected from the spring i tters, which have much better opportunities for growth than autumn litters. The average num- ber of pigs at a litter among gilts of a good strain is seven to eight, while sows average nine to eleven—perhaps ten may be considered a fair number. Well-fed pigs of good type will be ready for the market a" porkers in from 15 to 17 weeks, when they wiil scale from eight to ten stones but with tiu large white Yorkshires these weights art- greatly exceeded by f'jeders who feed for the show pen. Pigs continue to grow for a considerable period, and cases have been known in which they have reached very nearly half a ton in weight. Great size, however, is not requisite in old pigs, as the meat is inferior. Size is, nevertheless, valuable in the breeding stock, inasmuch, as the weaners pro- duced realise much mure money thsn those ef the same age bred from pigs of email breeds, while stock pigs are also saleable at much larger sum- Buyers of young pigs will always give more for size, even though small pic- contain less bone in proportion and more meat. It is. however, possi- ble to have too much bone, as in common pigs oi the continent of Europe, which are lanky, pro- vided with snouts and cars of excessive length, flat sided, narrow across the back and loin, deficient in the ham, bad feeders, bristly in th hair, and indeed of that primitive type which is accustomed to find its own living and run to market. We have such pigs in England, which have been aptly compared to the "razor-tacked hog of Texas," but our improved breeds have corrected many of these faults and produced a much more economical pig. K 0 domestic animal used for food carries so little offal as the pig. While fnr oxen cavry at the outside 70 to 73 per cent. of carcase to their live weight, pigs carry from 80 to 90, although the latter figure is seldom reached. A feeder can. however, generally tell very nearly what an animal is worth per stone by weighing it alive. An excessively fat animal of good breed may be placed at 85 per cent., a very fat pig at 80 per cent., while porkers varying- in fatness will weigh from 70 to 75 per cent. A few weighings alive and dead will soon enable a person t" judge within a little of the value of a live animal when he has placed it upon the scale. It is important to note this, as buyers, especi- ally butchers, having much more experience than a feeder of a few pigs, invariably get the best of a bargain when the scales are not used to decide the value. In selling fat pigs buyers arc- guided much by the quality they give lower prices per stone or per score where the ani- mals are excessively fat, as the consumer will not take more than a certain quantity of fat, and the balance proves a loss, as it must be pared oil the joint. For curing bacon buyers sometimes restrict their customers to thickness of fat as wdl as to weight. Again, where the loin or the ham is weak, or the collar too heavy, a loss of quality is shown. The collar ef the pig is the fare-end of the side or flitch, and this is the most inferior portion, selling at 31,fd or 411zd per pound cured. It is, therefore, essential to breed light collars, which, by the way, the chubby-faced pigs seldom possess. We have already insisted upon condition in pigs. There is, however, another reason why it should be maintained. Buyers of pigs for stock, who naturally expect to pay more per head than buyers for feeding, are greatly influenced by ap- pearances. A well-bred pig in high condition looks much superior to a well-bred pig in poor condition. We do not advocate actual fatness in breeding stock, but we have found that among our own stock at the farm, as among the best stock in the country, when acting as judge at the Royal Society's and other shows, condition always makes a good pig look better, while it very materially improves a bad one. Again, pigs which are well managed and fleshy are not so liable to loss from those accidents and diseases to which half-starved animals so often faU victims. The profits of pork making, supposing that an economical kind of pig is kept, vary with the prices of pork in the great markets, and with the price of food. When milk or whey is used in larire quantities, the pipr is utilized in the service of the dairy, and what profit he returns is generally placed te its credit; when, however, the offal corn grown on a farm is consumed, it is only fair to charge it at market price just as though it were purchased from the miller in the form of meal. Maize, except in the Tiear season, and it is dearer at this moment than it has been for a very Long time, can be purchased at JBl a quarter of 4801bs., or about 93s 6d a ton; barley meal at 125s per ton, and middlings at £5, No food exceeds maize in its capacity to make pork with rapidity, butof itself it produces too much fat and is better mixed either with skimmed milk or middlings at £5 a ton; such a mixture we believe to be preferable to barley meal and it certainly costs loss per ton at almost any season unless the cheapest grinding barleys are used, when it comes to much the same thing, as a larger quantity is necessary to bring a pig to the same weight. At half-a-crown a bushel, maize costs one halfpenny per pound, but to &;low for the rise in the mar- kets and the addition of another food such' as middlings we will assume that a bushel costs 3s, so that 51bs, which it has been repeatedly shown is capable of producing lib of live pig, would cost 3d. Assuming young wall-fed pork to sell at 6d a pound carcase weight, or about 4^d live weight, there is a distinct margin profit over and abuve t!|e manure, which is a considerable item to any occupier of land. For bacon pi^s the benefit will not be found so large, inasmuch as more food is required to produce each pound of live jwatght, while bacon factors do not give more I In pig feeding it is important that the animals should be kept warm and comfortable; exposure will necessitate a loss in weight, inasmuch as in the maintenance of the animal heat, constituents of food which should be utilised in the manu- facture <A fat, are used up in combustion. In an experiment made to test the loss by exposure, full details of which I have given in the "Bock of the Pig," it was found that each pound of pork made in the warm pens (19deg. to 42deg. F.) cost 4'9 pounds of maize, whereas in the cold pens (2deg. F. to 31dez. F. during 10 weeks) each pound cost 5*7 pounds lbs. Further, during the most severe weather each pound of pork produced in the warm pens cost 6 "05 lbs. of maize, but in the cold pens the cost was no less than 22'42 lbs. Sir Jno. Lawos, who found that 500 ot barley meal was capable of producing 100 lbs of increase in pigs under given conditions, shows that 73^ lbs. went to supply increase, 70 lbs. to manure, and 276 lbs. to respiration. The importance therefore of correctly estimating the natural requirements of pigs can- not be too highly valued. Pig keeping cannot be conducted without a stye, J but no fact in connectipn with pig breeding is better understood than that success does not de- pend upon buildings which are either costly or elaborate. A pig-stye should be dry, well venti- lated, free from draughts, well protected from rain and sun, accessible from inside and out. and pro- vided with a court which should preferably be covered. Thatched ro^fs are perhaps the best of all roofs, being warm in winter and cool in sum- mcr. A docr should be provided between the stye or sleeping-placi, and the court or yard outside. The inside walls should be psriodically limed, and the floors occa- sionally cleaned with water to which carbolic acid has been a.&ded if. however, the flocr is -ir?t hard, lime sprinkled jver it and covered with litter will answer tho purpose. There should be no drains or cesspools. the liquid manure being either absorbed by litter m carried away by a surface gutter. Tht trough should ¡. e of metal or stone- ware glazed within, and fixed under a flap door hanging upen a pair of hinges above it, so th.it the food can be poured in from outride without theinterft -enceof the swine within, a bolt rla^ed at the bottom keeping the door in its place either befoie or behind the trough as orvcaéùn Illay re- quire. Some persons provide cisterns for swill or wash, to which they add the meal and allow it to ferment. The place is an unnecessary one, and it does not contribute to the cleanliness or sweet- ness of the place. Nor do we think cocking is of any greater value, although it is also frequently practised. Under some conditions it may answer to boil potatoes, but swine thrive upon than when given in a raw condition and wherj a quantity are grown, the small and unsaleable tubers will prove a valuable addition tc the feeding material. During at least nine menths of the year it it possibit: to provide pig- with green or .-ncculent food. which should be grown uprn the breeder's own land, if he jxisses^ps any, aud w here it i" possible to make provision of this sort pigs may be kept much cheaper than under any other circumstances. Beginning with winter vetchcs, cabbage, and giant kale in May, we have vetches, clover, comfrey. rye grass, lucerne, and gariff-iii ill June and July, with second creps of one or the other in August and September, these beinjr supplemented with cabbage, turnip*, and spring vetches. In October potatoes, carrots, and arti- chokes come in, succeeded by swedes, which last up to February, and mangeK which we haye kept until the following August. Twenty-fhv t*ns af | mangels may be grown upon half an acre of land a. similar acreage will grow fli,, tons of lucerne i it. four cut", one of the best of all food-, « r ten to twenty tons of comfrey in four cuts. The turnip or potato land may be utilised for growing winter vetches at trifoliunr and both swedes and turnips may be grown after winter vetches, green rye. and rrifolium. We have no hesitation in statin? our belief that much as the profits of pig feeding have decreased, they may lie maintained by a judicious plan of cropping on a small acreage, and our choice of foods where we were limited would be between mangels, swedes, vetches, and lucerne, with a paddock for grazing. The diseases of pigs is too large a subject to be treated in the. space at our command but we cannot refrain from cautioning the breeder against swin* fever, Never go near the premises where the disease is present, and never permit any person who has been upon infected premises to walk, if you can prevent it, within twenty yards of your piggery. When the disease is prevalent u-e lime freely, keep the piggery under lock and key, and allow none to enter but your- self.

SINGULAR ADVENTURE OF A MAiL BAG. Much disappointment was aroused at Sitting- bourne through the non-arrival on Saturday morn- ing of a mail bag, which had mysteriously dis- appeared. The bag was one of the largest size used tor the conveyance of correspondence.and it isesti- mated to have contained between 600 and 700 let- ters, in addition to a number of packets consigned at letter rate. It seems that two bags were made up at the General Post Office for Sit- tingbourne. One of these contained newspapers and the other was filled with letters. The two bags were conveyed to the Holborn terminus of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway Company, and should have left by the twenty minutes past seven train, reaching fit- tingbourne at about half-past nine, in time for the second delivery. Oti the arrival of the tra,in, however, only one mail-bag was handed out by the guard, and when questioned about the second one he replied that only one bag had been placed in his keeping. The station-master at Sittingbourne telegraphed to Faversham to ask the guard to make a further examination of 'n his van. This was done, but still no trace could be found of the missing bag. Telegrams then passed between Mr J. L. Viney, the postmaster at Sittingbourne, and the authorities at head- quarters. All that could be ascertained was that the Sittingbourne bags had been placed in the care of the railway authorities. Meanwhile much annoyance was occasioned. Correspondence from the north and west of Eng- land, as well as the metropolis, is conveyed by this mail, ond business with most of the larger firms at Sittingbourne was, for the time being, dislocated by the disappearance of the bag of letters. For several hours no clue c juld be dis- covered. During yesterday forenoon information reached Sittingbourne to the effect that the lost bag had been carried to the Continent, and after an eventful journey of some 36 hours' duration all apprehension was allayed by the safe arrival of the mail-bag at Sittingbourne last evening.

THOUGHT HE WAS ON HORSEBACK. RECENT LADY ACQUAINTANCE (anxiously): "Oh, I hope you are not hurt, Mr Wheeler How did it happen ? MR WHEELER (who has just taken a header in the act of raising his cap) No, I thank you. My wheel took fright at your turn-out. It's a little new, you know."

SOMI: OBSERVATIONS.—A new story is told about the sharpness and briskness of the captains of transatlantic steamships. On a recent voyage of one of the well known vessels plying between here and Europe, one of the passengers, a woman, pestered the captain to death with unnecessary questions. Some heavy weather set in, and, owintr to the fog and rain, the ship's officers were unable to make their usual observations. When the captain came down to dinner on that after- noon Ins persecutor was waiting for him. Rough weather, captain," she said. "Somewhat." "A good deal of rain." "A good deal. "Pretty heavy fog." Yes, it is." "So heavy, I under- stand, that you could not make your observa- tions." Yes; but not heavy enough to prevent making yours. was the grufi reply.

Samuel's S^Atiments. SAMUEL ON STRiKES. This is an age- of strikes, and the wonder to me is that the masters have not followed the example of the men and struck too. The following are some of the phases of strikes which have struck me of late. At the present day there seems to be Striking, striking, everywhere Vet lots; ox work to do." Which is left undone by the men best aole to do it, for the mere reason that they fancy it is better HOK."T: IKli:. to starveas. strikers than live comfort- ably on reasonable wages. J should be the last one in world to suggest t h a t workmen .iwuid not look a ACT their just rights, but I think that the modern mania for strik- ing is doing more harm than good, for it h driving rhe trade out of the country, and embittering the the feelmir ex- isting bewteen employer* and their servants. The only men who benefit at every turn and corner when the strike fiend is abroad are the paid agitators, who by mean? of inflammatory speeches stir up discontent among men who, not un- frequently. prior t:) the appeanmce of the in- sidious agira>tor. were satisfied a ad content with their lot. But when the agitating orat >r comes un the scene he puts thing* in q iitf a different light. He tells them that her are trampled on and are working too long hours and receiving toe little pay, that thev art* enrich- ing their bloated employers it the eypense Of themselves and their wives antf children. He i ell" tlwlI that Ilabo. ur j, of more value in the world of com- merce than capital, and that as it is the motive power pnducé" tbe lliODe" that the masters put by c» squander year after i- is high tityie it srooa up for its right?: I and demanded that more of the money it enables jts employer to amass should come in its direction. All this is carefully oil I the pill principle, with a coating of capita} and labour in its must attractive form, so as to show the masters a-- tyrants and the "wcrk- nien as- slaves. The re- suit is that little bv EPFCATLONAL STRIKER. little the mind of the workman is poisoned by the principles preached by the agitator, and he comes to look up<cn hi-- empV-.y-r a-> unjust, and himself and his fellows ill-useci. himself and his fellows ill-useci. Onoe this is the case the rest -s easy. Someone begins to compia: n of the hours or the rate of wages, and a deputation is sent to see the masters with an idea of re.nedviiig the new-found grievance. For reasons best known to himself the master may not be abie to see his way to make the advance at the time, or perhaps not at all, and he points out to the men that they are fairly paid for the work they do. I MATCHLESS STRIKEK. but tiie seeds o; mistrust nave taken root, and the men are bound to be guided by the agitator who, on hearing the report of the deputation says "strike." They do as they are told, and follow their leader much m the same blind manner that sheep do. In many cases a percentage of the workmen nave no idea what they have struck for, and would be glad to return to their places at the old wages. All they know is that they have been told to strike, and not being blessed with too much thinking power. they procoed to play the game of follow-the-leader in the vain hope that they will be rewarded by increased pay and shorter hours. And what are the results ? In many cases the cause is won, after a long and tedious fight, but won at a terrible cost. Manv a mother could tell sad tales of strikes and their consequences. Could tell how she and her little one' had to exist or starve on the beggarly allowance meted out to the waiting and hoping workmen, who, led on to strike by the paid and relentless agitators, are utterly power- less to return to their labours and provide their wives and children with the means of subsistence. Once on strike the most reluctant striker has to remain out until his leaders tell him he may return to work. So far is this principle carried out that men are stationed at all points near the works at which strikes occur, to see that none of their fellows betray "the cause," and strive to get into ti.e work-, again at the old wages and hours. With wealthy firms who feel that they am paying fair wages to their workmen, and who decline to be bullied by either Unions or their repre- sentatives, the struggle is usually long and terrible, for strike yay is totally in- adequate to provide for the necessities of those receiv- ing it, and is usually n o equivalent for the wages paid to the men HARMLESS STRIKER. when in their situations. It is indeed a curious remedy for the disease. Yet the workmen of to-day seem to have no idea of striving to eradicate such remedies, and week after week they come out on strike at the bidding of the paid agitators of the Unions. Not only do these people bring men out on strike, but they prevent others who are perfectly willing-to work for reasonable wages from doing so. If the working man would look the question in the face he would, I fancy, find that, whatever good the Unions and their emissaries may be doing him, they are also doing them harm by repeated strikes, for they lessen the public sym- pathy by the pig-headed way in which they preach the principle of the who!e loaf or nothing. They stagnate trade, and in many cases they have shut up a thriving business and sent it bag and baggage to another country, with the result that hundreds, if not thousauds, of poor men and women have been thrown out of employment. Striking in reason and with just cause may help to remedy labour evils, but striking with no intention to give in until the end, fair or unfair, be gained cannot but bring want and misery in its train, and damage to no small extent th6 future of the British workman. SAMUEL: His SENTIMENTS.

A LADY'S VISIT TO ALGIERS. 0, A decided fraud is the final word of « lady correspondent in a private letter describing her visit to Algiers, where she is now sojourning in quest of health and recreation. Here, says a correspondent, after a vivid description of the terrors .f a night at her hotel in Mustapha Superieur, during the successive shocks 1 earthquake on the 18th January, vuu can have frost and snow, heat and drought, earthquake and sunstroke, pleurisy and fever, all within a few days of each other. To-day it is freezing. It is a lovely moonlight night, and everything looks most romantic. But the snow is a. fool deep, and the cold is intense. Nearly every- body is ill just now, and if it doesn't warm up soon some will die. I write this with my dressing-gown over my warmest dress, three shawls over that, and mv fur cloak on the top ok all! WTe can't have a fire, for our chimney doesn't draw.' I have even resorted x,o Mr T 's panacea, brandy, but it's all no g3od; I'm as cold as ever." The earthquake shocks appear to have been very severe. The writ'sr adds One villa here was so much injured thaB the people have had to leave it for the preseat, and in the town there has been a good deal of property destroyed. Some people were ki; w4 in a village near by, and a great many per^nm n various parts have been injured. In Chtrc^iti. J houses are in ruins."

My husband is the handiest man in the world," said Mrs Jones; "I ask him to do a thing, and it's done and the best of it is, when I need his services he is always sure to b" at hand." My husband is different," said Mrs Smith, when I don't need him to do anything for me, he's always hanging around the house in the way of everybody. Then when I do want his assis- tance, and want it bad, he can't be found any- i,where." But that's not strange, my dear," iiud Mrs .Jones, jroui hu&bwd 1a a policeman."