The Cardiff Times

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WELSH GLEANINGS. ( EV L'u^vr. i have had lying on my table for some time a number of Welsh books and pam- phlets awaiting attention. I do not know that I can do better than devote my Glean- ings for this week to short notices of them. Mr T. Evan Jacob's name is well known in connection with eisteddvodic competitions, a field in which he has for some years past figured prominently. Messrs Rushwin Brothers, London, are now bringing out one of his most important works, "The Life and Times of Bishop William Morgan, the Translator of the Bible into Welsh." This work is a prize com- position, though not an Eistedvodic one. It is evident from a perusal of the first part that the author has spared no pains in producing a work of real merit, and one worthy the occasion for which it was writted. The name of Bishop Morgan is, of course, sufficiently familiar to every Welshman, but I am afraid that nine tenths of my fellow countrymen know nothing more about him than that he translated the Bible into Welsh. Of the romance of his life, the hardships of his youth, and the persecutions of his manhood, as well as with the circumstances under which the Welsh Bible was produced, the ordinary Welshman is, I am sorry to say, ignorant. To those who can afford to procure T. Evan Jacob's new work this ignorance will be for the future as shameful as it has in the past been regrettable. w One gets in Mr Evan Jacob's book many interesting side lights on the conditions of Welsh life three hundred and fifty years ago. Much has been said, for instance, about the benefits the Act of Union con- ferred upon the Principality. But," says Mr Evan Jacob, The Act of Union excluded the Welsh language from the law courts and from the schools; it made the English language the medium of education, and the sole avenue to employment a.nd promotion in civil life, even in a country where it was not the language of the masses. On the first blush, this is not only a tyrannical, but a suicidal measure. Acts of Par- liament cannot kill a language, which is exempt from the jurisdiction of earthly monarchs, who so far from being able to command its extinc- tion, are not competent to alter the gender of a sing-Ie, noun. Languages have died, and languages will die, but the cause of death is to be, and will have to be, sought not in imperial edicts, but in the environment and constitutional dccay of those languages. # Wales has long been noted for its Non- conformity, but one would hardly expect to find the Welsh bards of the twelfth century sowing the seeds of the great Reformation of which Henry Till, has reaped the credit. Yet according to Mr Evan Jacob this is so. He says: The ideas of the Reformation were thrown on tn" inteileetual currents of the race many cen- turies before. They can be traced back to the poets and priests of Wales in the twelfth cen- tury. The Welsh poets of that period were very vigorous freethinkers, between whom and the monks there was no love lost. Kynddelw was a thorn in their side. They fulminated their excommunication against him. The bolt that brought an emperor barefooted through the snow to Canosga had no terrors for the Welsh poet. Kynddelw laughed at them with a righteous scorn; he ha.d reached higher levels of religion thun the professed theologians. He said in answer to the excommunication :— Of sacrament I'll not partake From monks who wanton togas spread, And curse the land But I will take the holy bread From God's own hand. When the Welsh poet declared that he was satis- fied with the justice of God, and when the English reformer declared that he wished for nothing more than to be judged "by rezoun in the daie of dome,' both were expressing religious opinions which were practically identical, which implied religious freedom and spiritual worship." But I must hold my hand, otherwise I might go on gleaning interesting items from the first part alone of Mr Evan Jacob's book enough to make not a sheaf but a whole bundle of sheaves of "Gleanings." I heartily congratulate Mr Evan Jacob on the work he is doing, and have no hesitation in saying that when the eight parts of which "The Life and Times of Bishop Morgan" is to consist are completed. they will make a handsome volume, fit to grace the choicest library in the land. JC It is, I am inclined to think, almost a pity that so much Welsh talent is not only allowed, but encouraged to run to waste, in poetical compositions. Not a newspaper but has it Poetical Column, not an Eisteddvod but places poetry in the forefront of the competitions. The time and talent thus frittered away would, if devoted to more serious literary work or mental culture, produce far more abiding, and certainly more valuable, results. I have now before me the third part of "CaneuonGumos." There is very much in this little shilling book which is deserving of praise, as those who know the author can )r' I readily believe. It was Michael Davitt who summed up the genius of Gurnos in a nut- shell when he described him as a combina- tion of Irish wit and Welsh eloquence." The little book before me is bright and sparkling, and will afford, no doubt, welcome material for many a Welsh entertainment. But why in the name of conscienee spoil the appear- ance of the work by the rough and inartistic woodcuts of the cow, the sheep, the plough, and the like ? Then, too, although this is the third book of the series, and is so called on the title-page, the head-line throughout designates it as the second." Carneddog, a Bard of Snowdonia, who displays some of the natural genius of Ceiriog, adds his quota to swell the endless stream of Welsh poetical effusions. His Ceinion y Cwm" are, for the most part rythmical, simple, and natural, dealing largely with home life. Many of the best' pieces have already appeared in Cyvaill yr Aelwyd," to which Carneddog is a, regular and always interesting contributor.

Samuel's Sentiments. SAMUEL ON INADEQUATE SALARIES. There is but little doubt that a very large_pel^ centage of the lower stratum of commercial Eng- land are underpaid. Men are worked long hours at starvation wages, and if they ask for an increase of salary they are told that 110 advance can be made in the rate of payment from the fact that plentv of men out of employment are quite ready to take their places sit even a lower rate of remuneration than they are receiving. INADEQUATELY PAID RESPECTABILITY. This may be, and probably i. perfectly true, but it does not alter one iota the fact that inade- quate salaries are paid bv thriving firms to men whose labours they must know perfectly well are morally and commer- cially worth considerably more money than they are paying for them. And this is not the case in one special line of business, but, so far as those whose position is below that of a head is a general thing in all trades and hi not a few of the professions. I venture to say that no small amount of the money amassed by some of the wealthy but plebian pillars of commercial England has been made at the expense of men who were paid in- adueqate salaries. The payment of salaries which are neither com- mensurate with the ability or j/osition of the recipient must, and has, a most demoralising effect upon those whose lot in life compels them to accept remuneration which they know full well is not what they should in fairness and jus- tice receive for the work they are employed to perform. Let us take a glance at some of the fatal results accruing from the payment of inade- quate salaries Take the case of a you);g man who is in the prime of life, and who has taken unto himself a wife, whose lot is cast in such conditions as her husband can provide for her. 1 ons The husband is employed in a good house of high standing in the world of commerce, and has, ri-I -e, perhaps, worked himself up from a lowly position in that firm's office to the post of an ordinary desk-tied clerk who does his monotonous routine work from nine o'clock in the morning until six o'clock in the evening. He is allowed one hour for his dinner, and if he be ten minutes late on his return from the frugal meal he is either severely frowned at by the head of his department, 9 or is told in a manner .highly suggestive of satire that be is not a punctual servant. He dare not reply to his superior officer, and has to grin and bear the rebuke with the inward thought that he has frequently to work long past the stipu- lated hours of his engage- ment, and that without either thanks or remuner- ation for his "overtime." For his work he is paid a miserable pittance and his only excuse for saddling himself with a wife and the consequent domestic re- sponsibilities is that he is certain to obtain a rise in position ere long. Fatal hope When he applies to his employers for an increase of salary on the double ground that he has been in their employ since he was a vouth and that he has a POORLY PAID G0Y«SKK2SS. wife to keep, he is again frowned upon and treated to a lecture on the lolly he has committed in letting his natural feelingil get the better of his common sense. To this is added a few words aa to the way in which the firm has raised him to the position he occupies, audit h> v«ry bro&Jiy hinted that the honour of connection with so highly- esteemed a house should be some recompense far the inadequate salary paid by the "highly esteemed house. So the clerk has to drudge on as best he can, and his wife and children have to bear the pain and degradation which are the salient features of life when it ii a daily and weekly struggle to make ends meet. I woader if some of these commercial magnates I BBAFS THE BENEFITS OF INADEQUATE SALARIES. ever think as they sit at their well appointed tables with their dinners of many course? in front of them, what life must mean to the under- lings who ill-paid labour enables them to make their for- tunes. I fancy not, or they would surely make some attempt to alleviate some of their sufferings. There are, however, worse cases to be found than that of the man with his wife and children dragging on a weary existence in a vain endeavour to keep up appearances. Many young men are not blessed with strength of will sufficient to resist the temptation* of their daily life, and it is to these that inadequate salaries are more than ordi- narily dangerous. There is, and always has been, much outcry against gambling in general, and among th« youths in the country in particular. Many reasons have been assigned as the cause of it, and I wonder that no one has ever suggested inadequate salaries as one of the great reasons for. and incentives to gambling, particularly in the direction of betting on horae. racing. Let me explain. A young man is in the receipt of a small salary. He has friends and acquaintances whose financial status is, fortunately for them, better than his. They are able to enjoy the pleasures of life fully, are not compelled, a* he is, to think twice before he spends once. To them a night's enjoyment or an extra, drink or two are of no importance. To him they may mean pinching and scraping for a week or a fortnight. Yet he is loth to give up the pleasure he loves so well, and can afford so ill. His friends or acquaintances are perchance of a sporting turn of mind, are lucky, and not unfrequently back a winner or two. All this is easily done and seems such a pleasant way of adding to a. limited income I' that the ill-paid member of the clique begins tie fancy he has only to back horses and he will straightway make a heap of money. Acting on the advice of his fr-ends, he pulv a modest amount on a horse, and wins. From that moment he is a doomed man. Horse-racing is to him the high road to fame and fortune his inade- quate salary trou- bles him no longer, for has be not found a per- petual panacea for all his ills. But there comes a day when the horses he backs do not win, and he loses all he ha.s made and more. He has gone so far that he cannot give it up, and even his limited income is used in the endeavour to retrieve himself. But bad luck lasts long, and he goes from bad to worse. At last he gets a big "tip," from a sporting acquaint- ance, who tells him ON THE DOWN LINE. it is certain to win. But he has no money to back the good thing with. Then comes the final fall. An open cash-drawer and an empty office offer opportunity, and with the certainty that he will be able to replace the money directly after the race, he helps himself to his employer's money. The horse loses, and he is discharged without a character, if he be not prosecuted for theft. And all the outcome of an inadequate salary. Had he been decently paid, the longing for pleasure would have been checked, the temptation would have been avoided, and he would have been a respected member of society. And so it rune on through the world of commerce. Many ill- paid w t-1 xien are made to suffer and sin, while their meters are amassing fortunes with no care as to their servants' welfare. SAMUEL: His SENTIMENTS.

Practical Dame How much are these fish ? Marketman Sixteen cents a pound, rviaaza. Practical Dame That seems v,sy high, but them I knew fishing is very hard on the constitution. Every time my husband goes he has an awful headache the next morning There is one thing that every man putil off frOK dav %o dav. and that ia hia necktie.

WORKMEN'S TOPICS. BY MABON, M.P. LABOUR QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT. Steam Engines and Boilers. th Thc engine and boilernien fraternity in e Principality, as well as those of other Parts of the United Kingdom, will be glad 0 know that a most excellent Bill is now {!? the House of Commons providing raise, secure, and protect a standard o "^Petency and excellency for this class oi and which will, if carried, secure safety for the travelling public, as e'l as those who toil in the bowels of the *arth. The bill, as usual, is brought in under the iUspices of the Trades Congress Parlia- I entary Committee, but in order to secure 0r it a more extensive sympathy when it is 'ea<* the second time, the names of tentlemen sitting on both sides of the House **e .found backing it up. It provides for rtificates to persons in charge of steam ingines and boilers on land where it is fond expedient that such engines should e Placed in charge of persons duly con- etsant from practical experience with their instruction and management. It is intended the act shall extend to the whole of the JJiUted Kingdom, but not to apply to used exclusively for domestic F^oses and where it is already j*Cumbenfc to have them under the halation and direction of the Board of and a boiler in the act will mean any °sed vessel used in *uiy trade, manufacture J" fining, or any other industrial employ- T^nt on land for the generation or use, j^der pressure, of steam for the production Motive power and an engine will mean J* 'Machinery used for a like purpose and orked by steam from a boiler. F CERTIFICATES OF SERVICE, jkj^wing parliamentary procedure this fie* the first place provides for granting r^fica,tes of service for all practical ex- ( ^etlenced men of a certain standing who J** not previously asked to possess such a ttificate. In this case every person ISoo before the first day of January, v. (that is, provided this bill is passed) had the practical control or manage- ^ent for a period not less than one year j. a steam engine exceeding five horse v&^er' or steam boiler, or any closed S8el for the generation of steam for such f J* e' any works, railway, or manu- &TCry in the United Kingdom, or on r*v<ir or coasting steamer of like power g Pressure, shall be entitled to a first, to or third class certificate of service he delivered to him by the Board of on satisfactory proof being given in has had five years' experience fo such practice or management a first class certificate of ci^Cei three years' experience for a second- s certificate of service, and one year's for a third-class certificate of Ce; and is a person of sobriety and !1 era} good conduct. 'he latter qualification, in my opinion, is for this class of workers as all fib) 6f8' ^or one cou^ scarcely find any other ployment where a man, who may be tj^srved from habits of intemperance, could >. the means of so much danger to life and as persons in charge of steam-engines toilers. The reason for the multi- Wicity of certificates of service is that ^*tain opponents of the bill, who, when it bought forward before, argued that five bla rs were unreasonably long—that one man &c Y acquire experience sooner than another, the'lT113^ be disarmed when it is before it-4 0use the next time. And, moreover, p,^ ^atly in favour of this bill that the } cnei° 6 ^nvo^ve(^ already accepted in nianagem.ent on sea, and also fecQTev.er previously the legislature has ^gnised the necessity of certificates in the §ement of industries or men on land. TVIT°°BTAI]S CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCY. to v certificates of competency, then, are pr °otained by examination in cases not the p ^or as fthove. It is provided that p tioard of Trade shall deliver to every i s°n who is reported by the examiners to Passed the examinations that will beheld 6vi ?factorily, and to have given satisfactory Cohd Ce oE his sobriety and general good 0v Uct, a certificate of competency. More- W certificates under the act are to be Serttf?1 35 first-class, and (b) second-class Ca^e.s' aud (c) first, second, and third- ly of service the first-class to dulv after examination by examiners aPP°inted by the Board of Trade the tioho t -class certificates by written applica- /Lcrih J° Board of Trade on a pre- »ecojf form the application to be "Dd fiPanIed hy testimonials as to character pers tness, signed by not less than" two tific °t-11S ° are holders of first-class cer- Und 6S unc^er the act but no person Certffi eighteen years of age shall hold a havin cate except only for the purpose of tlOt £ the control or charge of an engine of Illore than two-horse power. J, LOCOMOTIVE DRIVEBS. aC;evei;' in tlie case of locomotive and stokers employed on any rail- to/ m United Kingdom, the conditions fiCa(.^ranting first and second-class certi- wIll be somewhat different. The bill fir&t s that any of these desiring to secure a aiM- ss certificate shall make a written sljLl^tion to the Board of Trade, and for C' ai?y°ne of them satisfy that board that "he^i °f not less than five years up to f0|j of application he has continuously gj.p°We(i the occupation of a locomotive Sx or stoker, and satisfies the of ^ne-rs that he has practical knowledge loc e, construction and management of he active engines, and is of good character, t>f shall be entitled to a first-class certificate kjj C01npetency. The same practical of construction and management ejj, -1 year's continuous employment will Still a nian to a sec°nd-class certificate, pj ur,der this new act, no person shall b^ ^Ced in charge of any locomotive engine 5^^ '-n possession of a first-class of I Petency.^ COLLIERY ENGINEERS. very valuable provision is that 2olyQC*-ia° engine-drivers at mines or Ho ler^Cs- I"n accordance with this clause P0rs°n, unless in the possession of a first- piaSS certificate under this act, shall be 8teCe^ 'n charge of, or have control of any ICCM*11 engine used in connection with any in*1 °r ot^r mine, for the purpose of wind- fto" or workmen from such mines, 80 1 Sha11 any persons employed about I v °. niines have the control of any steam- [ th s> engines, or machinery other than of winding engines, who is in possession of a second-class under 8 act. Neither is any person in charge of [*'■ ly^inding-engine in connection with the ■yyL ng of any mine, under any pretext tha^ever' unlcss relieved by a person for tifi L lJUi'pose, and holding a first-class cer- ¥. a.te, to absent himself or cease to have I t "Vll"- d' ,'ell.i1nual supervision of such winding- s' th?llle during the time it is used in working I Vuhie. f Cr>|, ^'licants for first-class certificates as -*y enginemen will have to produce ill 1 eoce as to fitness by practical knowledge st construction and management of jj^ni-engines or steam-boilers, or • ^een the holders of second-class hcates for at least 12 months, thr ^Uring that period have had at least 'months' experience in assisting at a Sec engine. Moreover, applicants for cclliery enginemen's certifi- L es niust produce evidence that they will to witliiji a period of two years prior 111" the date of examination at least six ,ths' experience as assistants in the of engines or machinery used for cb-purposes. No person is to have of more than four steam boilers, ess he be in possession ot a first-class certificate of competency. And, in addition, to all this, applicants for first or second class certificates must give satisfactory proof that neither their hearing nor eyesight is defective. nor are they subject to any other mental or bodily infirmity likely to interfere with the efficient discharge of their duties. A very good and proper course this. IMPORTANCE OF THIS PROVISION. Too much care, competency, and general efficiency cannot be obtained and exercised where so many lives and so much property are dependent upon one man, as is the case with colliery enginemen. In many cases you may have a colliery engineman raising five or six hundred tons of coal a day, and also lowering and raising between three and four hundred persons in the same day and from the same shaft. To place a man of questionable ability, capacity, and want of nerve in such a responsible position would be to my mind nothing short of culpable negligence. Hence, the very good reason why such a provision as this should be readily accepted. This provision and precaution are pushed so far as to say that no steam crane at any wharf or manufactory, no steam tram or steam traction engine on any highway, or portable engines used for agricultural purposes shall be worked without the person in charge of the same being in possession of a first-class certificate under this act. The only exception is where, upon any works or establishment where there may be more than one Ir first motion; engine, it shall be sufficient if there be onq person constantly in charge who shall be the holder of a first-class certificate of compe- tency, and the others holders of certificates of service. OTHER PROVISIONS. There are other very necessary provisions in this valuable bill, such as the registration of certificates, the cancelling and suspending thereof in cases of misconduct, neglect, or incompetency. Also, there are penalties proposed on the owners and users of engines and boilers to the sum of not less than two pounds and not more than fifty pounds for any default in complying with the provisions of this Act-and on the other hand of not less than two pounds, and not more than twenty pounds, on any person undertaking the charge or control of steam engines or steam boilers contrary to the meaning of the Act. It is proposed that the Act come into operation on the first day of January next, and I am quite certain that all friends of the rights of labour, and all desirous of mini- mising the danger to life, limb, and property will unanimously say :-Be it so.

COAL DUST AND MINING EX- PLOSIONS. TO THE EDITOR. SlR,—Itl view of the coming to South Wales of the gazetted newly-appointed Royal Commission, under the chairmanship of the Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, M.P., to investigate the mystery in connection with fire-damp explosions in our coal mines, I would respectfully ask your readers who take any interest m this matter to co-operate, and give all facilities to the com- mission, so that the result may lead to the pre- vention of the dire calamities with which our country is visited from time to time by such explosions as Llanerch and Morfa. I kindly ask you to open your columns to letters bearing on this subject, so that a sifting of the question may assist the commission. In my own contribution I shall enlarge on my practical tests amongst accumulations of coal gas, fire-damp, or, as scientists know it, light car- buretted hydrogen," also on the question of liquid fire-damp and coaldust, &c., in coal work- ings. If I make niistakespl stand to be corrected, but in the matter of making harmless coal gas, fire-damp, and liquid fire-damp, I yield to no one, for my practical tests in the midst of it underground convince me that with different methods (surprising, but true) all firedamps can be made harmless and non-explosive, and ought to be grappled with by tests, not in a. laboratory above ground, but in the depth of the coal mine. I readily admit that what is wanted in a colliery is sufficient air to cope with fire-damp accumu- lations, but what has been our experience in the past ? I know for a fact that no better fan can be had than the one in operation at the Morfa, and yet we had a disastrous explosion there. I addressed meetings amongst the colliers of the hills, i.e., at Mountain Ash, Hirwain, Aber dare, and at other places some years ago, and some of my practical tests underground were highly appreciated. One colliery I entered in company with the person in charge and several interested. I found in this good air arranged colliery no less than five cubic yards of gas in a heading where three colliers were busy mala rig a hole for shot firing. Admitted that it would be wise on the part of the Commissioners to recom- mend the enforcement of a uniform introduction of the best flameless powder for shot firing, what would have been the result at the aforesaid bead- ing I visited ? It must be acknowledged that there is from the best hitherto proved flameless pewder a light emitted, or, indeed, sometimes large or small flames (vide yours of the 12th inst.), and therefore a source of danger. God forbid that I should attempt to say any- thing against the introducing to collieries of as much air as possible. My desire is to assist air to make harmless coal-gas—nothing more or less; and to do this there are several methods. In a working where several hundreds of men and horses are engaged, the natural heat of the earth, coal dust, etc., all combine to thicken the air, and here and there accumulations of fire-damp are the result. To enter these headings where these accumulations are and make them free from explosive gas is my object. That it can be done is certain. Those present, for instance, at the aforesaid five cubic yards of accumulation can swear that I made it barmless in as many minutes. Our test, when gas was present, was by the usual sign of flame on the gauze of our safety lamp, and at the lapse of a few minutes' testing not a vestige was there. "Facts speak louder than words." I shall thank you to insert this, and in case any colliery proprietor or others should like me to come to a colliery and convince them of the truth of what I write about, I shall be pleased to enter any colliery for tests providing my day's expenses are paid.-I am, &c., D. R. JENKINS. Llansamlet, Feb. 16, 1891.

MR THOMAS HUGHES, Q.C. The now veteran author of "Tom Brown's fechooldays" lias just revisited Rugby, where, at the invitation of the Head-master, he de- livered a lay sermon in the new school to the modern representatives of his old hero. Mr W. G, Sedgwick, in desrih- ing the scene in a letter to the Manchester Guardian, says that when the service com- menced tokens of the recent severe wea.ther were rather prevalent, but as the sermon went on every cough was still. "It was not," he continues, "the man's words — simple, direct, nervous, musical as they were — nor was it only the sympathetic, manly sweetness of his voice. It was the man himself, the old disciple, who told us what he had Been and known in the great days of old.- The veteran stood before us, such as Arnold had made him, such as we wished to be ourselves. Fifty years had taken the curves of youth from his cheeks and the brown locks from his crown, but not the fire from his eye nor the ring from his voice. The head-master had warned us that on that sacred day (it was Sunday) the cheers which ever greet Tom Hughes would not be meet. But we had a second hymn after the sermon. Everyone might sing, and as loud as he could. Every- one did. and when Onward, Christian soldiers,' rang through the hall with the vigour of five hundred boyish lungs.. Old Tom Hughes' knew that he had not spoken to deaf ears, and lat the heart of Rugby still thrilled at the words, the sight, and the voice of the Great Old Rugbeitin. Mr Hughes was born in 1C23, and educated at Rugby and Oxford. He was called to the bar in 1848, and sat as Radical M.P. for Lambeth from 1860 to 1865, and for Frome from 1865 to 1874. He was made Q.C. in 1869, and a county-court judge in 1882. Besides "Tom 5r°WIls„ LScl}oolday?" and "Tom Brown at Oxford, he has written The Scouring of the NVhite Horse," and, last year, a Life of Living- stone. He warmly supports. Co-operation and the Anti-Gambling Crusade.

AWFUL, INDEED 1—Mrs Kawler: I'm sorry that your husbajid was caught and sent to prison for his embezzlement of the bank's funds. Mrs Ab- Sconder: Yes, and the worst of it was that in court they put him right into the same pen with all the cheap, petty thieves. So degrading to a. man who stole 100,000 dollars. Reader Yes, I liked your new novel very-well;. but I observe the critics do not find your charac. ters natural. Novelist: I made those characters > i up out of my own head. Reader: All cutics-think they ard ratber woode»r

FACTS FOR FARMERS. Why is Not Land More Pro- ductive? Mr G. B. Morris' letter, which appeared in this column last week, implies that land is not made to produce what it ought to, and that with a better system of farming it would produce a great deal more than it does at present. This is cer- tainly true, and no one who knows anything of farming would deny the fact. Where, then, is the root of the evil ? It is without doubt in the uncertainty of the tenure under which farmers hold their land. The majority of Welsh farmers will admit that they do not for this reason take the same interest in their farms as they otherwise would—they do not know what a year will bring forth. They have cases constantly occurring before their eyes of tenants losing the fruits of many years' toil by this uncertainty of tenure. This acts as a check to a better state of cultivation, for they naturally hesitate storing their wealth in land which can at any time be taken away from them. The conse- quence is that they prefer the hand to mouth system of farming, which is a national loss. But great as is the loss, the blame cannot be fairly attached to the farmers; it should rather be placed at the doors of those who, by their selfish insistance upon maintaing the present unjust system of land tenure, cripple the agricultural industry of the country. Dogs or Men ? A correspondent sends me the following:—" As an illustration of the estimation in which some of our landlords hold their tenants, I beg te state a case which occurred in our valley during the pre- sent winter. Amongst the many poor buildings on the holdings in our district was one which has been for the last four or five years in danger of collapsing altogether. And it was the case especially with the house where the tenant and his family lived, and time after time he had urged his landlord to do something towards putting it in a safe condition to live in. Never a storm passed without the family being placed in con- stant dread of a catastrophe. At last, after many inspections by the landlord and his mun, seeing the walls parting and the whole house on the verge of tumbling down, this gentleman set his men to work in the autumn of last year to rebuild a part of it. The wall was first of all well propped, and then a part of it was taken down, in order to be wholly re- newed. At this stage of the work, however, the landlord called the workmen away. He found all at once that his dogs were without, as he thought, proper housing quarters; a new kennel must at once be built, and from that to the present time the tenant's house has been left in its unfinished state in fact, as stated, the only thing done was the propping up of a portion and the taking down of another, and in that condition it may be seen at the present moment, the family living as well as they can in the part not taken down. This, with our recent experience cf the severity of the weather, we can well credit is no enviable condition under which to live during the trying period through which we have just passed. This, however, is a small matter to the landlord. His dogs must have preference they must be properly quartered whatever became of the tenant and his family." Happily there are not many landlords so in- different to the welfare of their tenants as the foregoing. Cheap Popularity. Instances have often come within my ken illustrating how easy it is for landlords to gain the goodwill of their tenants, and how the latter appreciate any kindness shown to them by the former, even if his kindness only extends to permission to exercise their own rights. Occasionally on various estates in the Vale of Towy, the tenants have this winter requested permission of their landlords to have a day's coursing, and in most oases the request has been granted. These tenants, with a few invited friends, pass an enjoyable day, the credit for which is all given to the landlord. I was last week among the invited, and it was interesting to note the jealousy with which these tenants looked upon any dtigs that had any tendency to take a mean advantage of pussy in the running. 1 think if the landlord himself had been preseat he would have been tickled by the care his tenants were taking of what they thought to be his property. That evening his health was drunk with enthusiasm, and his every good action was extolled. There was no carping spirit present; everyone forgot or ignored the fact that the ground game belonged to the tenant as well as the landlord. I left the party more impressed than ever with th", cheap rate at which a land- lord can gain the goodwill of a Welsh tenant!

CROP AND STOCK PROSPECTS. The Times for Monday says :—The more settled weather and higher temperatures of the past fort- night have made farmers busy with tillage work, and ploughing and seeding are being i-apidly prosecuted. In some cases the arrears of wheat sowing are being rapidly picked up, though in the majority of cases the land unsown will be. kept over for wheat. Later reports confirm the earlier opinions that but little damage has been done to the growing wheat crops by the long frost, the exceptions being in those cases where the wheat was late sown and had no tvme to make a plant before the frost was upon it. The chief damage has been done to the roots, and swedes are reported as rotting all over the country, the damage done being in several cases chiefly to the purple-topped varieties. In a report from Denbighshire one farmer reports a loss of 50 per cent. of his crops. The stackyards are getting empty, and the prices of both oilcakes and other feeding materials rising, so that mild weather will be sadly needed to bring on the grass early. Live stock generally are doing well, the reports to hand from the lambing pens being exception- ally satisfactory. "The dry, cold weather," writes a Hampshire flockmaster, has apparently suited the Hampshire Down flocks, where a suffi- ciency of dry food was in hand, and the lambing time has been more than usually successful, the ewes being especially healthy." The Shire Horse Show, which will be held at Islington next week, is being prefaced by some excellent sales, the prices made at which are indicative of a healthy state of trade. On Thursday last 66 shire horses from the stud belonging to Mr P. A. Muntz, M.P., at Dunsmore, were sold for the high average of J3120 313 3d each, the total of the sale being no less than £7,927 10s. These figures show that breeding good heavy horses pays. The unsatisfactory feature of our live stock record is that pleuro-pneumonia is still amongst us, and as troublesome as ever. The outbreak at Castle Bromwich, where it was found in a herd of 57 head, will no doubt be promptly dealt with. The Veterinarian, however, prints some figures which show that the Board of Agriculture are gradually reducing the numbers of affected animals. During the first three weeks of January 41 cattle affected with pleuro-pneumonia were slaughtered, against 113 during the same period last year. The number of healthy animals slaughtered in the same period because they had been in contact with the disease was 422, against 296 in 1889. This looks as if the officers of the Board of Agriculture are doing their work in a more thorough manner than did the old county authorities. The Weather and the Crops. The Mark-lane Express of Monday says :— For the most part the past week has been seasonable, and some February wheat has been sown. With regard to trade, English wheat in London makes an average price of 33s 5d per quarter, and imperial average for the month of January was 328 8d, against 32s 3d in December, and 308 Id in January, 1890. Foreign wheat during the past week has hardened for finer sorts such as Australian and New Zealand; Californian is strong, but not quotably dearer on the week, while Azirna and GhIrka sorts of Russian are decidedly well held. Spring corn trade has been generally firm for maize, while oats have been moderately well held. Barley has been a rather irregular trade. Ireland has been a big buyer of Indian corn to make up for the deficiency m Eotatoes. Liverpool is now rather slack for maize, ut Hull and Bristol Q"L°te a slight advance, and London is firm with 27s 3d made for finest old Amencan, and 26s quoted for new crop. London average for English barley is 30s 5d, but there have been but small sales. Oats stationary at '18s 5d; beans and peas better.

What a curiosity a newspaper wonld 'be-that 'was editedby the paj^aya^awiipg j abotrt-the papsts^

In a Western court, a witness had been de- tailing with great minuteness certain conversa- tions which had occurred several years before. Again and again the witness testified to names and dates, and precise words, and it became neces- sary for his cross-examiner to break him up. This was done by a_Yery simple device. While the witness was glibly rattling off his testimony, the eross-exaininer handed him a law-book and 9aid, Read aloud a paragraph from that book. What for f inquired the witness. "I will tell you after you have read it," said the lawyer, and he witness accord- ingly read aloud a paragraph of most uninterest- ing material abolit lands, appurtenances, and hereditaments. J. hen the lawyer went on and asked him a few more questions about his memory, and the witness was positive that his memory was very Suddenly the lawyer said, By the way> w^yon please repeat that paragraph you just read about lands, appur- tenances, and hereditaments f' "Why, of course I could not do that," replied the witness. "You must have a queer memory," retorted the lawyer, since yon can repeat things that you say occurred years ago, and jyou cannot repeat what you read a moment ago. The witness was non-plussed. Employment Agent: Th* top o' th' mornin't' ye, Biddy Maloney. Oi ve found a place fur ye. Go to the strate an' number ye foind on this card." Domestic Sure, it's a noice neighbourhood, O'll .go. Agent: Wait a minute, Biddy. Take off • that French cap. It's not ^^Eiench. jnai^-»buttaB^ L bo

Strikes and Strikers. t BY MAJOR JONES. In the course of an address at the Town-hall, Mountain Ash, on Monday night, on labour problems and organizations, ancient and modern, Major JONES referred to the confusion of ideas in respect of trades unions and socialism. He gr ve a summary; of the views of the different schools of socialism traced the histery of the successive guilds which preceded modern trades unions, and continued asfollows:— Until comparatively recent years it was a criminal offence against the law for workmen to combine for the purpose of securing an increase of wages and improving their position. Dr Brentrano cites an instance in 1818, or 72 years ago, when bail to the amount ofj6200,andtwo suretiesforJBlOO each, was required for the appearance of a work- man at the next session to answer a charge of combining. John Stuart Mill speaks of these laws against combination of workpeople much stronger than I dare to do as exhibiting the in- fernal spirit of the slave master when to retain the working classes in avowed slavery has ceased to be practicable." Well, during the existence of these laws the men organised and met, when pos- sible, under the cloak of friendly benefit societies until finally the Combination Act was repealed in 1825. All the authorities, and all well-informed employers, heartily commend the organisation, the trades unions of workmen when wisely and fairly conducted, and I venture to assert that strikes and trade disturbances are least likely to occur where organisation is most complete. Some people even now talk of free labour as the panacea for all ills of the industrial world; and we again hear the old hackneyed arguments, the old terms of abuse applied to the leaders. To the men, free labour in its full significance means disorganisation, degradation, and the deplorable position of workmen during the worst period in the reign of George III. Without organisation the workmen have no adequate means for watching the international labour market, for ascertaining the price of the commodity which they produce for determining whether they are entitled to an advance of wages, and for making suitable representations to their employers asking for an advance. There is no equality of conditions between the employer c 'i!2? men aQd each individual of the 5,000 men. When the 5,000 men are united there is an approximation towards equality. The masters, being numerically fewer and financially stronger, are better able to combine than the workmen; complete organisation throughout the country in each trade is the only means for secuiing even terms. To prove by argument that their claim for more pay or less time of labour is just will avail nothing unless here is power in the form of organisation, and unanimity behind the argument. Want of proper organisation and officers of ability are prolific causes of strikes. these industrial conflicts are akin to war itself, and should be the very last desperate resort of workmen to advance their cause. Like an appeal to arms, a strike means a loss to the country and to those who are engaged in it. On the side of the masters it may mean heavy losses, and even bankruptcy itself. On the side of the men and their families it is attended by suffering and privation, by want, and even by death. A strike means all this, yet I am far from saying that a strike should never be resorted to. But the cause that is to be staked upon it should be carefully deliberated upon and pronounced worthy the chances of victory should be fairly ana dispassionately weighed the state of trade. the tune of year, and public opinion should all be taken into account. I look upon the engineers' strike at Newcastle-upon-Tyne for the reduction of the time of labour to nine hours a day as a model In every respect. Having deliberated and determined upou the step to be taken, the repre- sentatives of the men wrote a respectful letter to the masters asking them to consent to a reduction oi hours. The masters replied in a letter prepared by their solicitors declining their request. The next step taken by the men was to propose a meeting Oi six of the men and six of the masters to try and come to some understanding." The pro- posal was again declined through a firm of solicitors. The men next resolved to come out on strike, as soon as they had worked their legal notices and on the 24th of May, 1871. they came out accordingly. Ycu will observe that the men entered upon the campaign deliberately, having first made overtures to t, masters for a meeting of conciliation, and working their legal notice. I was living at Newcastle during the strike, which I watched carefully, and I am entitled to say that in every step they took the men never forfeited the approval of their own conscience, and they carried public opinion and sympathy with them from first to last. And after a struggle of 20 weeks they won the day, ^d returned to their work, having revolutionised the labour market of Britain. It is unwise, inju- dicious, it is criminal, to strike on a, falling market, when the snow is on the-giound, I with your organization incomplete nor should the initial step be taken at the sacrifice of self- ¡ respect, and the sympathy of the public. But being strong in the righteousness of your cause, ) and having exhausted all the means of concilia- tion and peace, having observed the conditions of success, stand firmly together and never say die." I am convinced that when organisations become universal on the part of employers and employed, and means are adopted for keeping masters and men in constant touch by sliaing- scale committees, or boards of conciliation, or other permanent bodies, strikes will disappear almost entirely from the industrial world. THE FOTOBE OF WORKMEN. We are all acquainted with those ancient- minded people who delight in harking back to our grandfathers' day for illustrations of better things than now obtain over the world, j^hey tell us of a time when the Patriarchal system held full sway: when men of wealth and station treated the people as dependents, objects of solicitude and affection, to be told what to do, and patted on the back; and from whom obedi- ence and obeisance were expected in return. But the picture is idealistic: here and there it existed, u Y?deed continues t«> exist, to a considerable but diminishing extent. The rich man was not always amiable and parental in his oiEces nor was the poor dependent ever childlike, obedient bland. With the elevation, enfranchisement, and education of the masses, a spirit of self-respect and self-reliance supersedes the old servility and hero-worship; and this will ,grow with the growth of intelligence and skill and manly qualities. I trust I am not misunderstood, or mismterpretating my own views and sen- timents. I desire t=- see the most cordial relationship existing. between wage earners and deserving men of high station. But the mere possession 0 of wealth is not sufficient reason for respect and homage. Men whr have lost their good name, their character, in the race ?u. th, deserve ni respect. Men like Lord r ^T, re w^° has dedicated bis life to the cause r'l0 ,P°°ple's education has now a lasting gi atitude and the homage of the Welsh race. The iii^ner our standard of intelligence, the more. IluJy shall wo appreciate and acknowledge the gOi..ù, deeds and noble, services of devoted patnots. But let us emerge entirely from the region and influence of dependence, and favours and almssfivings, and walk upright through the world, self-respecting, and yielding most willing gratitude to those, be they rich or poor, who have fairly won it. Education and organisation are Pprat emancipators of the people. With the completion of the circle of education, when all the necessary institutions of learning shall be made practically free from the bottom to the top—from the three R's to the University degree—the certain effect will be to level up the masses, to promote equality of opportunity and a general equahty of condition. Perfect equality among the children of men is the visionary's dream that can never be realised, but equality of advantage, equality of opportunity, equality before the law, is already on the eastern horizon, and is coming "with the process of the suns." (Loud cheers.)

THE ECONOMY OF HIGH PRICES. The price of coal is having-the effect of i causing consumers to look in fresh directions for fuel. The railway companies' dividends are seriously curtailed owing to the increase in this commodity, and the directors are anxiously seeking for a cheaper substitute than the black diamonds. Mr Holden, the locomotive superintendent of the Great Eastern Railway Company, has been busy- ing his brains with the matter, and has succeeded in inventing an "injector," for which he has taken out a patent, and which is now applied to about a dozen of the com- pany's engines. It is stated to be an un- doubted success. It consists of adding tarand a green oil from the works in which the tar is produced, to the coal, the cost being about three halfpence a gallon. Each train uses 12 lbs of coal and one gallon, or lllbs of fluid per train, as against 34 lbs of coal. The relative cost is Jess than the coal, but it is more so on gradients, when steam can be got up instantly by simply touching a tap. Besides this, it is stated that two well-known engineers have patented a system by which a ton of residual oil, cost- ing £3 10s, may be made to do the work of twenty times the amount of coal. High prices are evidently not without their value. We are very wasteful m our consumption of coal, and any means which will tend to stop this prodigality should be step tbxifo*

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.] SMALL CULTURE. No. 1.PROFITABLE GOAT KEEPING. By H. Stephen Holmes Pegler (Author of Goat Keeping for Amateurs, &c., &c.). Much has been done of late years to benefit the working classes chiefly in the direction of im- proving their dwellings, educating their children and generally making life more tolerable to them; but there is one point, and a most important one upon which much remains te be accomplished, that is supplying pure milk to their families. It is a singular fact that necessary as this article of food is held by all to be towards the healthy develope- ment of the young frame, there are thousands of children in country places who never taste milk pure as it comes from the cow, and many who rarely see it at all, not even skimmed. We are all familiar with the hackneyed phrase "three acres and a cow," and in a few instances the experiment of letting out cows to labourers has been tried successfully; but such cases are very rare, and after all it is not every labourer whe has the means and opportunity for cow keeping There is another animal, however, viz., the goat, or as it is aptly termed "the poor man scow," which is far better suited to these people and for which no pasturage in the sense of meadow land is needed. The British Goat Society which was started some ten years ago, under the auspices of the Baroness Burdett-Coutts, makes arrangements for supplying goats to cottagers on the hire system, receiving payment in monthly instalments of 5s. The system, although only carried out so far on a small scale, has given perfect satisfaction. A goat answers all the purposes of a cow, without its drawbacks, the risk being at the same time far less, and the outlay nominal. A good goat can keep an average family—say of five or six persons —supplied with milk for at least eight months in the year, whilst the quality of the yield cannot be equalled by the best Jersey. The object of the writer is to show how this may be accom- plished. SELECTING A GOAT. One of the first considerations towards achiev- ing success is to obtain the right sort of goat, for, whilst a good specimen means a small income, a bad one is more likely to result in a loss. There are few animals in respect of which such diversity exists in the way of quality. A good goat should yield when I in full profit two quarts a day; some may be met with giving three quarts, and even over this, but these are rare, and only to be ob- tained at lancy prices. On the other hand, there are plenty that do not yield one quart and go dry in six months. Such an animal only pays when it can obtain its own living entirely, as on a large common abounding in furze; but in any case it is not the kind I would recommend to the cottager. There are two varieties of goats common to this country, the short-haired or English goat proper, more or less crossed with foreign breeds, and the long-haired Irish or Welsh goat. These are met with at market towns in the summer months, having come in droves, chiefly from Ireland. They have long hair and upright pointed horns which they are somewhat prone to use when handled. Such goats can often be had very cheap by a little bargaining with the drover, but they require to be carefully examined, otherwise in nine cases out of ten the buyer will be taken in. He will naturally look for a large udder, and frequently get it, but let him beware that it is not a fleshy one, for if so it will give a com- paratively small yield of milk for its size. The udder of a good milker is thin in substance, and when empty can be crumpled up in the hand. EO to speak, whilst the fleshy bag is solid to the feel and appears nearly as full after milking as before. In buying a goat, it is generally ad- visable to see it milked twice in succession, in other words, morning and eveniner, but when bought out of a drove this cannot easily be done, the herd being in one place to-day and another to-morrow. Milking only once is but little guide as to the yield, as the milk drawn may be the accumulation of two days. The prices of these goats range from 25s to 30s, but it is hardly possible to get one worth having for much less than the latter figure. The goat that pays best to keep is the short-haired. One with a neat head, well rounded and deep frame, and long, level body. The kids from these will sell well, whilst those from the long-haired species cannot be got; rid of, as there is practically no demand for them. Short-haired goats cost, however, rather more to buy; and to obtain one yielding two quarts it may be necessary to pay from £2 to £2 10s, but it win fetch a correspondingly better price when sold, even if dry. THE GOAT HOUSE. This may be a very simple structure any shed will do that is weather-proof and fairly draught- proof. Even a large dog-kennel will answer should nothing better be available. What the animal itself prefers, however, is a shed or out- house in which a raised bench is provided, as it likes better a hard board above ground than the softest bed of straw available on the floor. The dimensions should be four feet wide by five feet long, at the least, for one goat, and double this width for two. A manger is not necessary what is recommended in preference is a nine-inch plank with a circular hele cut in it to admit a small pail being let down about halfway through. The pail being removable is easier kept clean than a manger, and can be used for food or water as desired without any fear of its being turned over. A small hayrack should be placed some distance above the feeding board. HOW TO FEED A GOAT. The goat is a somewhat peculiar animal to feed, for whilst it will eat a greater diversity of plants and fodder generally than any other ruminant, it is extremely particular on certain points, chiefly that of cleanliness, and likes a constant chango. This applies more to stall-fed goats, for those that are free to roam at pleasure get their own living and satisfy their castes for variety. Where a common abounds these animals, indeed, can keep themselves without any expense te their owner from April to October, and it is for this reason that they are so well suited to the cottagers. Even if there be no common, the hedgerows and grass lanes yield an unlimited supply of fodder which can be had for nothing. During late autumn and winter a goat requires to bo more or less stall-fed, but its food need cost but very little. It eats readily the w;.ste leaves and peels of all vegetables or roots, acorns, horse-chestnuts, and ivy. A little hay, even if it be of a course kind, alternately with oat straw, may with advantage be supplied, and if the goat is still milking-, a few oats will be a great assistance iu maintaining the yield. The cost need not in any case oxcced Id or l%d per day. If two or three goats are kept, and roots such as swedes or mangles are cheap, it pays to purchase half a ton, as they keep well through the winter These may be given whole or chopped into small squares or finger pieces, and are greatly relished. It is not safe to let goats roam at will amongst young trees, as they are particularly fond of strippinff off the bark, and when this is done all round it means death to the tree. In winter it is a good plan to give the goats the loppings of trees; they eat with great aridity the small twigs and entirely de- molish the peel of the larger branches. This costs practically nothing, and keeps the animals em- ployed in the stable. Goats require to be fed at least thrice a day when kept tied up, but the oftener the better, provided only a little is given at a time with as much variety as possible. To give a goat a lot of any kind of food with the idea that it will last for two meals is a great mistake. A eating a certain quantity with avidity they begin to pick about the rest and will not afterwards touch it unless kept a very long time without other food. Goats that are milking soon fall off in their yield nnder such treatment, so that is altogether bad policy. These creatures are very profitable if carefully fed and properly looked after, but they do not pay if neglected, unless, as already stated, they are left in the summer to roam about-at will and take care of themselves. GENERAL MANAGEMENT. A goat breeds generally speaking once a year. She comes in season from September to December and has her kids, one or two at a birth, between February and May. The earlier in the year after January the better, as it gives her a longer period for grazing, and the kids have the whole of spring «ad summer tc develop their, jMowth. These animals bring forth their young as a rule without aocident, and do not require anyspecial attention. A drink of tepid water should be offered them when their trouble is over, and a bran mnaVi is beneficial once daily for a few days afterwards. The kids may be left with the dam for six weeks, or the goat may be milked after three or four days, and the milk fed to the young ones by band, but the latter is a troublesome process though it is advantageous if- the milk is particu- larly wanted, as the kids may, after three weeks, be put on a more economical diet of milk and water or skim milk thickened with linseed, oat- meal or calf meal. Male kids, unless something very superior in breed, are best killed for the table at six weeks old, for they rarely pay to rear. At this age they are plump and make a delicious dish roasted whole or in halves like a loin of veal with layers of bacon tied over and stuffed with veal stuffing. About the same age female kids may be commenced to be weaned, a process that may be completed in abouteight weeks. The wean- ings is best done by separating the kids from the dam at night and milking her in the morn- ing, letting them run with her again during t the day. Some goats will continue milking for years if kept apart from the male, but as a rule, and this is the best practice, arrangements are made in the autumn for the animal to kid again the following spring. In such cases she ceases to give milk after eight or nine months from parturition. Milking should be performed twice daily, or I three times when the goat gives more than a quart at a meaL The strictest regularity must b- observed in carrying out this performance, as any departure from the usual time has a decidedly deteriorating effect upon the quantity supplied. It is better, too, that the goat be milked always by the same person, as they hold back their milk very often to a stranger. A child may easily learn to milk; in fact, it is only those who have begun early that are really good milkers. It is of the utmost importance, however, that every drop the udder contains should be drawn on each occasion, otherwise the goat will soon go dry. GOAT'S MILK. One great feature in goat keeping is the high nutritious value of the milk, as it contains less water and consequently more solids than cow's wilk, and goes much further for domestic purposes. When used in tea. or coffee it more resembles cream, and it therefore gives cakes and pud- dings a very rich flavour. It is a popular idea that goat's milk has a peculiarly objectionable taste, but this is quite a fallacy. It is only when the milk has been kept for some time that it developcs a goaty flavour. Tasted frvsh, except for its extra richness, it could not be detected by inexperienced persons from cow's milk. For in- fants brought up by hand, this i6 the best milk that can be given and it has to my own know- ledge been the means of saving the lives of many scores of babies. Its great quality in this respect is the ease with which it is digested, being often retained by the stomach when cow's milk has been rejected. For this purpose goat's milk often re- alises high prices. It never fetches less than 6d per quart, but many cases may be instanced where 2s 6d and 3s per quart has been willingly paid for it. In districts where doctors recommend it. a goat owner who is known as such may realise a very fair income from a couple of goats.

WELSH MEMBERS AND THE TITHE BILL. How They Voted. A study of the division lists during the passing of the Tithe Bill through committee and on the report stage reveals some interesting facts. A elsh Member in our issue of Saturday gave a general summary of the work which he and his colleagues had performed, but the following additional details, gleamed from a study of the division lists, will assist in forming an estimate of t he amount of attention paid to the calls or the Welsh whips. During the period occupied by the bill after the second reading no fewer than 33 divisions were taken, including the third reading. Of these 14 occurred in committee, and the table shows how the Welsh members acquitted them- selves during this important stage. The figures show respectively many times each member voted for and against the Government, and on how many occasions he was absent:— Estimated pop. of S. Wales, 1886, S45,893 X.i Wales, 4/0,610 Monmouthshire, 241,709. J County Electorate—S. Wales, 102,369 X. "S Wales, 3,330 Mon., 52,271. Borough Klec- § torate—S. Wales, 57,142 N. Wales, 14,938; i: £ s Mon., 6.80P. &, < < ABI.AH.OI, W.—Rhondda Division —, 13 1 IJAVIES, W.—Pembrokeshire —| 4 10 DiLLwyjf, L. LL.—Swansea Town —j 10 4 ELLIOT, sir G.—Monmouth District —, —' 14 ELLIS, T. £ .—Merionethshire {—\ —; 14 EVANS, S. T.—Mid-3iamorganshire '—{ 14; — HANBLRY-TUACV, F.—Montgomery District.. J—: 9 5 HILL, E. S.—South Bristol jl0: —! 4 Ksxvox, Hon. (J. X—Denbigh Boroughs. I—| — 14 LEWIS, T. P.—Angiesea —, 13 1 LLOYD-GEORGE, D.—Carnarvon Boroughs —' 14 — MAYNK, Ad.-Pembroke and Haverfordwest] SI 9 M.UTLAND, W. F.—Breconshire J—I 13. 1 MORGAN, Hon. F. C.—South Monmouthshire!—! — 14 MORGAN, G. O.— East Denbigh —j 13 1 MORGAN, W. PRITCEARD—MerthyrTydfil 14 — MORGAN", J. LLOYD—West Carmarthenshire!—i 14 — PRICE, T. P.—Xonh Monmouthshire —| 12 2 RANDELL, D.—Gower (Glamorganshire) .—J 14 — RATHBONE, W.—N. Carnarvonshire (Arvon)j—| 2 12 REED, Sir E. J.—Cardiff Boroughs LL 5 8 RENDEL, S.—Montgomeryshire —! 14 — ROBERTS, J. B.—South Carnarvonshire li 10, 3 ROBERTS, J.—Flint Boroughs —; 14; ROWLANDS, B., Q.C.—Cardiganshire — 14' — 8A.MUEL.SON, B.—Forest of Dean —1 6' 8 SMITH, S.—Flintshire —j —. 14 STEPNEY, Sir A. C.—Carmarthen District —j — 14 THOMAS, A.—Exst Glamorganshire I- 10' 4 THOMAS, ABEL—East Carmarthen '—'12' 2 THOMAS, p. A.—Merthyr Tydfil !—: 14 — VIVIAN, Sir H. H.—Swansea District —| 8 6 V\ ALSH, Hon. A. H.—Radnorshire 41 — 10 WARSIINGTON, C. M.—West Monmouthshirei— 9 5 W est, Col. W. C.—West Denbighshire Si 1 5 WILLIAMS, A. J., South Glamorganshire j—! 4 10 )291280 195 It will be remembered that so strong was the objection to the bill that the Welsh party adopted the somewhat unusual course of offering as great an opposition on the report as on the com- mittee stage, and the character of the opposition may be gathered from the fact that no fewer than 19 divisions were challenged after thelbill had passed the ordinary committee stage before it was allowed to be sent up to the House of Lords. Though a greater number of divisions were ta.ken than even on committee, there was a larger proportion of absentees, and consequently though the total votes cast against the bill during this stage is greater, and th^se for the bill less, the party as a whole does not show up so well. The following is a tabulated statement of the votes in this stage Estimated pop. of S. Wales, 1886, 945,893 X. Wales, 475,610 Monmouthshire, 241,709. County Electorate—S. Wales, 102,369 X. "S Wales, 3.330; Mon., 32,271. Borough Elec- £ g torate—S. Wales, 57,142 N. Wales, 14,939 £ gJ S Mon., 6,809. £ < < ABRAHAM, W.—Rhondda Division '— 19' — DAVIES, W.—Pembrokeshire J— ll 18 DILLWYN, L. LL.—Swansea Town — 16: 3 ELLIOT, Sir G.—Monmouth District — —I 19 ELLIS, T. E.—Merionethshire — — 19 EVANS. S. T.—Mid-Glamorganshirs —I 19 — HANBURY-TRACY, F.—Montgomery District.. —! 12 7 HILL, E. S.—South Bristol 13] — 6 KENYON, Hon. G. T.—Denbigh Boroughs. — —I 19 LEWIS, T. P.—Angiesea — 21 17 LLOYD-GEORGE, D.—CamarvonBoroughs —I 19' — MAYNE, Ad.—Pembroke aud Haverfordwest 9; — 10 MAITLAND, W. F.—Breconshire j—j 5! 14 MORGAN, Hon. F. C.—Soutb Monmouthshirei—; — 19 MORGAN, G. O.—East Denbigh. I—; 9 10 MORGAN, W. PRITCHARD.— Merthyr Tydfil 6 13 MORGAN, J. LLOYD.—West Carmarthenshire!—1 19 — PRICE, T. P.—Xorth Monmonthshir# |—\ 6 13 RANDELL, D.—Gower (Glamorganshire) |—: 19 — RATHBONE, W.—X'th Carnarvonshire (Arvon)—! 5 14 REED, Sir E. J.—Cardiff Boroughs !—j 13 6 RENDEL, S. —Montgomeryshire )— 19 — ROBERTS, J. B.—South Carnarvonshire —I 2 17 ROBERTS, J.—Flint Boroughs — 19 ROWLANDS, B., Q.C.—Cardiganshire — 17 2 SAMUELSON, B.—Forest of Dean — 4 15 SMITH, S.—Flintshire 19 STEPNEY. Sir A. C.—Carmarthen District —! — 19 THOMAS, A.—East Glamorganshire —j 1 18 THOMAS, ABEL—East Carmarthen — 9 10 THOMAS, D. A.—Merthyr Tydfil — 14 5 VIVIAN, Sir H. H.—Swansea District — 16 7 WALSH, Hon. A. H.—Radnorshire 2; — 15 WARMINGTON, C. M.—West Monmouthshire — 8 11 WEST, COL W. C.—West Denbighshire 1 — 18 WILLIAMS, A. J.—South Glamorganshire — 17 2 Total 25296(363 Inasmuch as Sir John Puleston aspires to supplant Mr Lloyd George in the representation of the Carnarvon boroughs, it may not be out of place to compare and contrast their votes on an occasion like this when the Principality felt that the one great question for them—the disestablish- ment and disendowment of the Church in Wales -was the real issue at stake. In committee Sir John Puleston voted with the Government nine times, being absent on the five other occasions. Mr Lloyd George attended the full number of times, and voted every time against the Govern- ment. On the report stage Sir J ehn felt so little interest in the proceedings that he only attended three times, taking care, however, to vrjte for the Welsh Coercion Bill every time hu attended. He was absent from 16 divisions at this stage. Mr Lloyd George again put in a full attendance, voting 19 times against the Government.

"Did your mother say nothing else when she sent you to bring back the tub ? "Oh, yes; she said if you offered me a bit of pie not to refuse it, for, mercy doa't JdU .aoybody with kmaneas."

———————————.— Welshmen at Oxford. I The Davydd ap Gwilym Society. [FROM OUR CORRESPONTJKNT. ] The fourth meeting of the Davydd ap Gwilym Society for the present term was held on Satur- day night, the 14th inst., in the rooms of the secretary (Mr Lewis J. Roberts), at Exeter College, when there was an exceptionally large attendance. There was an unusual number of guests, several members having brought friends with them who were anxious to attend a meeting of the society. The difficulty already anticipated is getting more and more obvious. There is so general and widespread a desire to join the society among Welshmen that it ;s cruel to per- sist in the policy of excluding all would-be mem- bers. No new member have been elected for the last year, as some of the prominent members believe that the intention of the foundation off the society—to have a weekly discussion on Welsh literature by a few enthusiastic Welshmen —will be frustrated. But already it is difficult to provide a private room where all can be ac- commodated. At this meeting, readings from Davydd ap Gwilym and Goronwy Owen were given by Mr Young Evans, B.A., and Mr Edward Anwyl, B.A., two first-cla.ss men, and who have been con- tributors to the Geninen." Another first-class man Mr A. E. Thomas, B.A., of Merton— gave something of a much lighter, though, per- haps, not less edifying, character, in singing a Welsh song, "Yn y Mor." These humorous I Welsh verses were composed especially, we be- lieve, for the society, and are not infrequently sung with great hwyl. They are full of Welsh humour, and consist of question and refrain, such as— 'Ble'nawr mae Cantre'r Gwaelod Yn y Mor Yn y Mor and sung to the old tune Twrgwyn with all the members taking up the refrain in different i parts, very good effect is produced. But the musical treat of the even- ing was the singing of Bro. William Davies, the well-known composer, who attended as a friend of the host. The composer of "Llwvbr yr Wyddva," "Ona bvddai'n haf o hyd," "Neges y Blodeuyn," "Myfanwy," Ar y Traeth," &c., &c., needs no words of praise, and his vocal powers are sufficiently recognised by the fact that he is now principal tenor at Magdalen College, Oxford. Mr Davies sang some new unpublished compositions of his own, and at the conclusion of the meeting led Hen Wind fv Nhadau," which was sung with much fervour over and over again, though the hours prescribed for music were long past. Mr W. Davies has several engagements in Wales as musical adjudi- cator, while the secretary of the Davydd ap Gwilym Society (who is a graduate and scholar of the Tonic Solfa College, London) frequently acts in this capacity, and has engagements during the next few months at Penrhyndeudraeth, Llandewi-brefi, Dowlais. &c. The Rev W. G. E. Rees, of Jesus (another guest), also rendered a song, and altogether the evening was pre- eminently a musical one. Davydd ap Gwilymites will soon have the pleasure of hearing Mrs Mary Davies, Mr Lucas Williams, and others in Oxford, for the president (Professor Rhys) and Mrs Rhys have kindly invited all the members as well as all Welshmen up at the 'Varsity to an At Home" at the Randolph Hotel on March 2nd, when these well-known singers will be present. Readings were a'so given by Mr S. Young and the Rev J. Rogers, and then followed the paper of the evening, which was contributed by Mr Owen M. Edwards, M. A." Fellow of Lincoln College. The paper was read from { proof-sheets, and will appear in the special St. David's Day number at the Geninen. Mr Edwards said that from the time of Richard Davies to that of Thom&s Charles a close con- nection had existed between Oxford and Wales. He then mentioned particulars about Dr John Davies (of Mallwyd), Vicar Prichard, and others who had been educated at Oxford. Here, t had been the fiery preachers of Welsh Puritan- ism—William Erbury, Walter Cradoc, Vavasor Pewell; and from here, too, Howell Harris (of Trevecca) hnd gone home to Wales and, finally, it was from here that Charles o r Bala entered his first curacy. All of these had had a grave in their native land. But in St. Michael's church, Oxford, I within a state's throw of where they were assembled that night, was buried a Welshman on whose grave Wales had never even cast a flower. Mr Edwards then proceeded to describe in detail the events of Edward Llwyd's life how in detail the events of Edward Llwyd's life how he was the illegitimate son of a gentleman near I Oswestry, and of a lady of the house of Gogerddan. Before he had been two years at Oxford he was made under-keeper of the now famous Ashmolean Museum, which had only just then been built, and it was through his labours that the treasures of that grand collection I. were arranged and numbered. In 1696 and 1697 he travelled widely through- out Wales, with eyes and ears keenly open to everything like a practised antiquarian. In 1699 he completed his first great work, his Lyihophy- lacturn JBritannicum. At the beginning of the century he was travelling through all Celtic lands, from Angle- sea to the highlands of Scotland, thencs to Ire- land, and he says that the Highlanders and the Irishmen were not the barbarians whom the English represented them to be. Then he went to Cornwall, where Dorothy Pentraeth was not yet dead, and heard Cornish spoken just when in its last gasp. In 170Lhe passed on to Brittany; but was as soon compelled to leave France, as war had broken out between England and France, and Marlborough had landed in the Low Countries. For the next seven years he was engaged in issuing his stupendous work, the Archaeologia Britannica," which consists of dictionaries and grammars in Welsh. Cornish, Breton, and Irish, as well as an immense mass of general information on the history and literatures of these countries. The book is a joy for ever to Celtic scholars, con- sisting as it does of solid facts and not of empty theories and traditions. In 1708 he was elected an F.R.S., and in thfc following year was appointed to a chair of Divinity in Oxford. But he did not live to enjoy this dignity long, for he died within a few months after his appointment, in June. 1709. He was buried in St. Michael's Church, Oxford, in the "Welsh wing," but there is neither stone nor name to mark his grave. Mr Edwards concluded by saying that in his desire to learn the early history of his country, in enlightened love for learning, in his indefatigable industry, Wales never had a life more wholly con- secrated to its service. He bad sacrifioed time, money, and comfort for the sake of his native lJhd. Dros airoedd a moroedd maith, Y buoch, a bywiog fyfyrwaith Mewn perigl er mwyn purwaith I'ch gwlad, a chariad -fch iaith." And his contemporaries thought while singing ttis praise in various languages, that posterity would do justice to his memory,— "ùen mil a ganmola, Yen llafur doeth a'ch Ilyfyr da. The next meeting of the society is to held in the rooms of Mr Owen M. Edwards, in Lincoln College, when a paper will be read by Principal Edwards, of Aberystwyth, who is to be the preacher at Mansfield College on the following day (Sunday). Principal Edwards was, as is well known, educated at Lincoln College, where he took a first class in classical finals and he will probably be the guest of his old pupil, Mr Owen Edwards, now raised to the proud position of fellow and tutor of the principal's old college. Mr Owen Edwards was, however, a Balliol man, where he took a first in history finals, and won the Stanhope Lothian, and Arnold University essay prizes.

ONLY ONE THING LACKING. Friend Gogson, how is your airship getting along? Inventor It is complete, with the exception of one little detail I have not yet perfected. I shall take that up next. "What is it ?' "A mere trifle that I can think out at any time. The principal feature of my invention is a safety net that will travel aJong under the airship to prevent fatal accidents. It will make navigat- ing the air absolutely free from danger. In the making of that net I have revolutionised the entire business." "But how is the net itself to be kept from fall- ing to the ground when anything happens to your airship?" "Thatis the little detail I have't worked out «et,"