The Cardiff Times

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WORKMEN'S TOPICS. 't BY MABON, M.P. PARLIAMENT AND FACTORY LABOUR. the Government Sneaking out of the Berlin Conference Recommendations. fk ^r*nce Bismarck's letter of invitation 00 fe Berlin Conference the objects of that Ian rence were very clearly stated. The It guage was very explicit and remarkable. I as follows 1 °f l 6 comPetition of nations in the trade hit world, and the community of »tixerests Proceeding therefrom, makes it v £ ibLe create successful institutions 6on benefit working men of one without curtailing that country of the »tixerests proceeding therefrom, makes it v £ ibLe to create successful institutions 6on benefit working men of one without curtailing that country of the of competing with other countries. 1 /institutions can only be established on adopted in common in all countries ^settled. The working classes of the *f n?nt coun^ries have, in due appreciation His fact, established international rela tj 118 aiming at improvement of their condi- Uta!' efforts in this direction cannot Jftta *ith success unless the governments rested endeavour to come to an ^ee»ient on the more important questions Ceming the welfare of the working means of international discus- discussion took place at Berlin last trand Lord Salisbury, in announcing in c tfouse of Lords that England had ac- Pted the invitation of the German Em- w gave this reason for doing so :—" Our llaarklng population has now for many years t been working at a great disadvantage in M j^°^Pure commercial competition by reason W Careand precautions which Parliament to Properly taken in their highest interests. better, nor truer, could any man tjjVe said. It was this very fact that made Con^ei"ence of such interest and linport- ,VjeCe to us. Still, all its labours will have in vain if each nation does not do its t0ar? in carrying out the recommendations ■ t|.„ 'ich the conference, as a whole, gave ts a<lhesion. I -W THB OBJECTS OF THE CONFERENCE. *uK-0W' let us see what were the special fe Jects for the consideration of that con- fo\e~Ce :—(1) Regulation of work in mines, jj Sunday labour, (3) work of children, .)¡ J work of young persons, (5) work of °Hen. t)] ? all these questions, and bearing in nd what the object of the conference IItsl there can be no shadow of doubt that the countries in the world none has a interest than England in doing it can to perpetuate the influence iia the conference certainly acquired its deliberations over individual iio and in upholding the moral obliga- V uP°n each of the countries represented lt to make an effort to carry out its re- emendations. ^HERE THE GOVERNMENT IS TENDING. natural result of our not doing our l ,wi^ be that all other nations (being ^HERE THE GOVERNMENT IS TENDING. Pa. e natural result of our not doing our l will be that all other nations (being hr Vnterested than ourselves) will most J \jjg hly decline to do theirs. Consequently I unequal competition from which, as I fori ^isbury said, our population is suf- 1 nnder our factory laws, as compared 1 our Continental neighbours, will con- 1 For it must be observed that if the • fcu 1,86 of Commons confirms the decision of ■ "standing committee, that act will represent I 11 ething more than mere apathy or ■ th It will be a positive refusal to 9 ^°Ve even a hair's-breadth in response to i^e made at Berlin. Such will be taken throughout Europe as a from England that the resolutions at Berlin are in no case binding, and refore may be totally disregarded. So the Grand Committee is concerned, I "as already been the result. ENGLAND DOES NOT LEAD. fof eover) it will be such a stupid mistake to^to make, for we have such a very little and such a great deal to gain by j^ing the Berlin standard. It is in one a(j t only that we are asked to make this viz., in the minimum age at which tow are allowed to go to work in fac- j and workshops. On this point, we are, tosorry to say, behind the majority of other to l'opean nations. Out of the twelve other a ntries represented at Berlin the minimum at which children are allowed to begin tnetory. work in no less than eight of tIQ. In. is already higher than our own in ijj ee the age is the same as our own, and only is it below. Here are the par- 4)le.ars — Switzerland, 14 years *> 14; Germany, 12 Belgium, 12Netherlands, 12; Luxembourg, t^ra Sweden, 12 Denmark, 12 ..ttalnce, 10 Hungary, 10; Spain, 10; and tbe Y, 9 years. Now, the age fixed upon by vet conference was 12, and there are in ?ood reasons to think that both c* ranee and Hungary legislation in c0ll,°rrnity with this recommendation is &cc eQlPiated, even if it be not already ij^0lnplished. The Commissioners were 13 °vrm^ that probably France would go to the 6ars' Therefore the proposal made to 8ta.nding committee to raise the age in pia Counti*y to 12, if adopted, would only a,id tkUs on a Par wifch other large nations, iS'ea proposal to only raise the age to 11 le^S' which was also defeated, would still Q0 ns below the nations of the t}w lnent, and also below the standard oonf English delegates set up at the erence. Obviously, then, to adopt bo s standard would be neither very heroic is Very dangerous legislation. Still, this wi than our present Tory Government, f°t ,,ail its professions of love and regard workmen's interest, is prepared to to en assist in accomplishing, and it declines ^tSei'form its duty in furthering this neces- and Pleasure towards elevating the moral Sen 80cial standard of the coming Juration. Lord Salisbury personally Uti^ admit that our working popu- ijj niay be placed at a commercial cat Vantage ^7 reason of the very e and precautions which Parliament has 4:¡erly taken in their higher interests. rince Bismarck and the German Em- p^0.1'niay candidly confess that it is im- to create successful institutions for t fcei of working men without such c0 8 established on a basis adopted in cini°n in all countries concerned, and that Cannot be successfully accomplished d4.eSS the Governments interested en- fjj VeUr to come to an agreement upon intSe important questions by means of ^national dis ;ussion, etc. Yea, even it is admitted that the efforts of the lng men themselves to establish inter- 0*al relationship aiming at the improve- S(, t of their own condition cannot be tioC^fui without governmental co-opera- 15^' and when the discussions and under- necessary to that end have been d/ertaken, the Government of the day 1to stand by and see the whole pro- and much-needed fabric fall to jj. ?°s rather than assist in, much less to upon, carrying out the common agree- j* i*? t come t" by the representatives of the tb IOns at Berlin—a basis so essential to Co e Welfare of the workmen of our own 11ntry in particular. 10 Aroreover, as I have already hinted, the to us in the adoption of this recom- w^ation is to trifling that when the js to ad^pt it on that account 'Ua ProPerly understood, the action considered to be almost o lnsuit to a conference to which we a 8elves sent representatives. I am Ii Ce 1.1.red that it would only affect two per th of the whole of our workers, and that be Wages involved in each caso would not niore than 2s a week at the cutside. Caile payment of school fees by the State, plated over the eight years of a child's J fli- bfe at 10s per annum, would more L^1 c-rmpensate parents who might » the loss of 2s weekly for about I*' r months ir: each of the two I'^rs their children may be at work if the age was raised to 12 years, the stan- dard agreed to at the conference. No man with any grain of sincerity can maintain that this trilling sum is too large a contri- bution for us to offer as our quota towards supporting the moral authority of the Berlin Conference. With your permission, Mr Editor, I shall return to this subject next week, and will try to show how much we should gain by carrying out the Berlin programme.

FACTS FOR FARMERS. Current Notes on Agriculture. By a Practical Farmer. HARDY STOCK. High breeding and feeding of our animals has resulted in weakened constitutions. The live stock of the British farmer of to-day is much less hardy than those of their ancestors. This un- desirable state is the outcome of the system of management which has prevailed for many years. The present economy of the rearer is early maturity, and every means is used to gain that end; but by this system of forcing, the old robust constitution, which was characteristic of the stock of these isles, has been lost, and in its place we have stock less hardy and more liable to diseases. Our larger varieties of sheep have become notable for their delicate con- stitution and unfitness to resist the attacks of different diseases. To the many merits possessed by our stock that of the points to study will be to regain the hardiness which they have lost. Tenderness of constitution in cattle can be better managed than when it occurs in sheep. In the latter housing would be impracticable, and under the present conditions of farm- ing would be im profitable, therefore, in order to be able to withstand the effects of our variable climate hardiness of constitution must be cultivated. This merit they are at present far from possessing. Complaints of diseases and mortality amongst sheep are rife from one end of the country to the other. Foot rot is now so prevalent amongst flocks that it is almost the rule and not the exception. On this malady I have received the following letter from an expert, whoso contribution will, I am sure, be warmly welcomed by my readers.

FOOT-ROT IN SHEEP. (BY W. WILLIAMS, M.B.C.V.S., VETERINARY SURGEON, LLANDILO.) Seeing the large percentage of sheep almost throughout the country affected with this trouble- some and vexatious source of loss, I purpose giving through your columns a few remarks on the nature and prevention of the malady. Con- cerning the symptoms of this affection very little need be said flock-masters are too well acquainted with them, and thoir disastrous and ruinous consequences render it a matter of doubt as to whether sheep can be profitably kept at least on land predisposed to the production of this disease. THE NATURE OF FOOT EOT. Difference opinion exists as to the causes and nature of this complaint. I have made every inquiry for the last three years of men accus- tomed to sheep. Some state that it is as infectious as the plague, for, if sound sheep are pastured with lame ones, they all become subject to the disease. But in the cases referred to, as in most others which have come under my notice, the healthy sheep weile taken from a healthy soil and were put on pasture favourable to the pro- duction of foot rot. Such is generally the case, and this fact lessens the value of the evidence advanced in support of its infectious nature. If there is a predisposition to the disease, or the soil favours it, that which gives it to one will give it to hundreds. Some authorities argue that it is contagious, and refer to the" virus" of foot rot, the animal poisoh supposed to induce the disease by contact. The existence of a virus must be determined by experiment. Sheep have been inoculated with matter from a diseased foot to the healthy foot by puncture through the horn, and this has produced foot rot in some cases just as any other irritant would. Several of the experiments in inoculation failed, probably because there was not sufficient of the gritty material to set up the destructive process. I think we may consistently deduce the conclu- sion that "foot rot" is primarily consequent upon such a derangement of the horny structure as permits the introduction of foreign particles. which ultimately sets up irritation, followed by excessive secretion. Diseased sheep may without fear of infection be allowed to mix with healthy ones on dry land. THK CAUSE. Foot rot is manifected in two ways. First— those pastured on gravelly or sandy farms wear away, particularly in long-continued wet weather, the sole of their hoofs, so that it forms an im- perfect protection to ihe sensitive parts within inflammation is set up and fungoid growths appear on the exposed surface. The other form is the commonest by far, and is expressed by inflammation in the inter-digital tissue. This tissue soon suppurates and discharges a foetid ichorous fluid, the sensitive parts loso their cohesion, and th-> horny wall hangs loose except at the coronary edge of the foot. Although it is stated that the tendency to foot- rot may be hereditary, and the progeny of some sheep of all breeds are more liable to it than others on the same farm, it must be confessed that the great cause is wet causing softening of the horn. The grass, when long, insinuates itself between the claws, the inner and upper thin part of the wall being the first to give way, then separating in a backward and forward direction. When the grass is short and mossy the solar part is invariably the first to suffer. Whichever way it is manifested, it is due to wet (rain or heavy dews), and fvr its preven- tion this fact must be borne in mind. PREVENTION OF FOOT ROT. From what has been said above it will be understood that removal from a wet to a dry sound pasture is of pre-eminent importance, and from a luxuriant to a shorter kind of grass. In highly cultivated farms removal from a luxuriant pasturage is often a matter of impossibility. In such cases experiments have been triad to harden ths hoofs so that they might resist the action of moisture, and some of these seem to have been to some extent successful. Occasional Notes. PREPARING LAND FOR ROOTS. The present issue of The Agricultural Economist on this subject says :— Although it is not desirable, in view of the sub- stitutes that have lately come into vogue for roots, notably silage, to encourage the extended growth of this class of green food, there can cer- tainly be no objection raised to growing those which continue to be used as inexpensively as possible. One of the chief objections to root crops is the enormous expense which it has hitherto seemed necessary to incur to produce them, a considerable proportion of which has been absorbed in the many ploughings, cross ploughings, cultivatings, dragging, harrow- ings, and rolling of the land. It is now con- tended on good authority that a great deal of this complicated cultivation is unnecessary, and that land which is by nature suitable fcr root crops, such as turnips and swedes, may safely be left unplougrhed through the winter, and only sub- jected to one deep ploughing in the spring, in place of the three or four to which it has hitherto been the rule to subject it. Experienced farmers who have adopted this simple practice express themselves as perfectly satisfied with the results, and this being so it seems very unwise for anyone not to fellow their example, but to con- tinue in the old-fashioned and expensive pro- cesses of the past. One good ploughing in the spring, followed by a thorough cross-shaking by means of a properly constructed imple- ment is quite enough to secure a good tilth, provided of course that the stubble is clean and tolerably free from twitch and other weeds. This makes a vast difference in the expense, and if it answers the purpose equally well, what more is required ? Nothing and there is, moreover, one very great point in favour of the simpler and less expensive process which seems to have been quite overlooked by those who have been discussing it. One effect of frequently working the soil about in the spring for the purpose of securing an extra fine tilth for the roots is to drive all the moisture out of it, with the fatal consequence in very hot dry seasons that it never comes back again, and that the seed is entirely dependent on artificial stimulants to start its growth. The result often is that the seed does not vegetate at all, for all the artificial stimulants in the world are not equal to a. good supply of natural moisture in the soil. To retain this natural moisture should be an object of the greatest solicitude to the farmer who is dependent on root crops, and the best way of doing so is to. «s £ >ve the grgyad abovit little aa possible.

MUSIC IN WALES. BY DR JOSEPH PARRY, University College, Cardiff. THE CAERPHILLY EISTEDDVOD has come and gone. The weather proved un- favourable, and no doubt the morning clouds kept thousands away, yet by the afternoon meeting the many thousands scattered here and there over the old castle rains, with the sun in splendour spread- ing its golden light over all, made a picture that was beautiful to behold. From 2 till 8.30 p, m. is really too much of a good thing for an eisteddvod meeting, and that without a morsel of food of any kind, and about an hour and a half of one's feet upon a grassy carpet and a planky sofa, listening to seven brass bands playing a selection of nine Welsh airs, thus seven times over was a stiff musical dose even for a Welsh musician who adores his country's airs. The playing of the various bands was good, and showed the progress of brass band playing in Wales. THE PIANOFORTE COMPETITION. May wehopeforsomething higher, and partaking more of the character of test pieces for eistedd- vodic competitions in future. Once more I desire to impress the importance of leading our children to the higher artistic spheres of good masters than some shallow school-girlish arrangements and transcriptions, for there is such an abundant wealth of pianoforte music that our young should be well fed upon. This leads me again to recom- mend AN EISTEDDVOD COMPETITIVE CODE. All who wish real progress must agree with me that' our old eisteddvod could be made a much grander educational medium than it is as yet. I have before drafted out a scheme of competition that will guide the efforts of our numerous competitors through a progressive, systematic course of study and of competitions. A list of piano pieces and songs could thus be arranged, and our competitions or examinations should be upon the same educational lines as all other examinations by coupling theoretical knowledge with the practical. This would indeed be a sound contest as compared to the sad, shallow, and empty manner now carried on by us. Our love for genuine progress and desire that those in Wales be fully equal to those in other countries, prompts me to reiterate an ardent hope for much reform in our competi- tive scheme. The points of detail need not be here repeated. THE COMMITTEE worked well and deserved success. They are loyal Nationalists, for the judicial bench consisted of three true Welshmen, and those three practised throughout the day that harmony which they profess, without any of that contrapuntal friction which a lack of unison and discord creates. Mr T. Price, of Merthyr, who is one of our too few promising men of tho future, did and worked well and judiciously, and our srenial and more experienced co-adjutor, John Thomas, Llanwrtyd, was the same ever modest and agreeable co- worker, so that throughout the whole day we formed a happy trio. Consequently the often unpleasant duties of adjudicating were done in a most pleasant manner. An Orchestra at a GymanvaGanu. Gwarchod pawb our Dowlais chapel friends are guilty of doing what all our cathedrals at their festivals, such as Hereford, Gloucester, Worcester, St. Paul's, and Westminster Abbey are in the habit of doing — introducing the orchestra into their place of worship. No doubt, it was very wicked of old Bach and Handel, Haydn and Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelssohn, to ill-use ink, paper, and pen to arrange and com- pose sacred music for fiddles, trombone, yr hen glarinett annuwiol, &c. And now the unfortu- nates of our Merthyr and Dowlais friends are guilty of the same low, undevotional, andunartisic idea, and bringing them i'r capel a'r gymanva ganu." And I learn that our Zoar friends at Merthyr have a Zoar Chapel orchestra. Yn sicr y mae y rhagolygon yn dra difrifol am dyfodol cerddorion a cherddoriaeth Cymru. Dyn, dyn, what next

The Census of 1891. A GLANCE AT THE SOUTH WALES RETURNS. The forecast of census results of South Wales and Monmouthshire given in these columns a few weeks ago has, so far as can be judged by pub- lished detail, proved on the whole proximately accurate. At the same time it is well to remem- ber that the returns are lamentably incomplete, notably with respect to the rural districts. The bucolic pen, like the bucolic mind, moves slowly, and it will be many weeks before the statisticians our country parishes will have ended their de- cennial toil. To this extent all present calcula- tions must be sensibly affected. Then, again, the refusal of many thousands of Welsh-speaking citizens to sign census papers printed in the language of the Saxon further invalidates the position, and the recent decree from the chief registration office impressing upon enumerators the inviolable secrecy of their undertaking makes the fabric of inference still more insecure. Under these circumstances it will be best to leave the field cf hypothesis untouched, and simply glance at the comparative or contrastive features of the declared census enumerations of 1891 and 1881. Naturally enough, we commence with Cardiff— the commercial metropolis of the principality— and here we are at once confronted by startling figures. In ten years the population of the parliamentary borough has increased from 82,761 to 155,000, exclusive of the floating population, which, it is estimated, has shot up from 3,000 to 5,000 and building extensions are still going on, and the influx of population is ceaselessly multi- plying. Barry has rIsen, and. Cadoxton has striven but Cardiff continues to maintain its pre-eminent position as a commercial emporium. These younger towns are a necessity of the position which has been created by Cardiff enterprise and speculation. Nearer home still, we have Roath and Canton constantly extending their frontiers, and on the East Moors a fresh nucleus of living activity has, within the last few months, been founded. The prospects of this new colony are decidedly remarkable, for if other companies follow the example of the Dowlais Company, and change the venae of their establishments to.the seaboard, the Moors will speedily become "greatest Cardiff" just as the large circum- ference which lies outside the small confines which not long since marked the limitation of the municipality have now become the "greater Cardiff." This possibility is by no means pre- sumptuous, as readers of our "finance" column will have noted. Even English manufacturers have been casting sidelong glances of affection at the conveniences of Cardiff as an import and export town, and it would be more than usually perilous to prophesy what may happen betwixt this census-taking and the next. Passing on to Barry and Cadoxton we are faced by a stupendous transformation, for since last census the population of these districts has mounted from a meagre 500 to 13,000, an increase of nearly 3,000 per cent. Penarth has not done badly with its growth, from a population of 4,963 to 8,000; but Barry, as will have been seen, without any angling after patronage in virtue of its marme charms, has left Penarth leagues in the rear. It is needless to delve into the reason why; to retell the tale of how commerce dis- covered a citadel in these pastoral haunts. No port in the kingdom exhibits a more marvellously thriving record, or views the future with more confidence than this latest protege of fortune. The sequence of connection is preserved if we turn from the coal-exporting centres to the coal- producing districts, and at Pontypridd we are 011 their very threshold. Beyond this point lie the rich coal seams which have contributed to fabulous fortunes in the Rhondda, and Aberdare, and Merthyr valleys. Pontypridd itself overlaps two or three parishes; Jjlantwit Vardre and Eglwys. ilan are amongst the number, and at each of these places the population haa received large acces- sions, and, what perhaps strikes the visitor with more force, numbers of the men who used to woo luck at the plough tail now tap the ored earth for its mineral at isolated spots. Another Pontypridd parish which abuts more directly on the coalfield (Llanwrmno) has increased since 1F81 from 18,000 to 30,000. The celebrated Great Western Colliery comes within this parochial circuit. Thousands of hands are employed there, and a large proportion of their number live at Pontypridd. This partially accounts for the increase of the Pontypridd urban district over a hundred per cent.—11,000 t^ 23,000 in the decade. Just below Pontypridd, in the: clirection of Aberdare Junction, is another town- ship (Cilfynydd^undreamed of by the statistician of 1881. Its population, numbering thousands, < depend upon the new collieries adjacent—in oon nection with which Mr Ebenezer Lewis and Mr Henry Lewis have done-such yeoman service—for -thwf liveKtiood. These qtisKaw of yesterday are now incorporated with the Pontypridd figures More than ordinary interest attaches to the Rhondda Valley returns, for this district takes premier place now in the Welsh coal-field, and its advances have been cumulative and incessant since Mardy and Mid-Rhondda have come into prominence. What Dowlais is to the steel trade-what Cyfarthfa was to the iron trade— that and even more Rhondda is in these days to the coal trade of the Kingdom. And Ystrady- fodwg is to all intents and purposes Rhondda, so that Ystrad records figure forth the develop- ments of the Rhondda coal-fields. Exact details, however, are not forthcoming we have only the bold fact that Ystradyfodwg has in the ten years increased 38,680, i.e, for 44,000 to 82,000. But these figures to the financier are more eloquent than all elocution. Llantrissant sends a considerable population to work in the Rhondda coalfield they trudge there each morn. ing, and walk back the six intervening miles at night. Were it not for this industrial resource Llantrissant would by this time have become as depopulated as Pompeii, for the ancient farming vocation "did not pay." As it is, Llantrissant parish has increased in population from 8*000 to 12,000. New collieries at Penrhiwceiber and Ynysybwl have in like fashion made Mountain Ash records agreeable reading. The population in that district has increaced from 10,295 to 17,774 and the valley has magnificent prospects with its wealth of coal-seams, only just tapped. Quite as reassuring is the statistical table for Merthyr and Aberdare Valleys. In the former district the population has increased from 48,857 in 1881 to 58,080, whilst in Aberdare the figures are 40,905 against 35,514. These results are really remarkable when it is recalled that Aber- dare has now to rely almost entirely on its collieries and Merthyr is much more dependent on the same resource than it ever was before. In the one place the ironworks which once lit up the landscape and local prospects are merely a tradi- tion ana in the other they are "a departed glory." But commercial elasticity has proved potent to cope with these reverses — the energy of business men has been diverted to one object — and so the coal trade has splendidly redeemed the falling fortunes of the two great towns which were at times still lingering in man's memory, known as the capitals of the Iron King's colliery openings account too for the increase in the population of the con- tiguous Gellygaer parish to 12,754 from 11,592, and of Vaynor parish from 2,851 to 3,057. The -e net increase in Merthyr union of population at the close of 10 years has been 15,774. Identically similar forces have given a population 3,035 to New Tredegar ("over the hills" Rhymneywards), and its pendant of Cwmsyfiog; and from the same causes we discover the population of Black- wood-also in the Monmouthshire Valleys—in- creasing in the decade from 2,477 to 3,325. At the other extreme of this county—Blaenavon statistics show little change, the increase in ten years has only been 1,576—8.286 to 9,862. There is not apparently as much flux in colliery move- ment here as elsewhere. Pining spinsters will learn with grateful gratification that there are 814 more of the male than of the female sex in these busy but secluded latitudes. The returns for Brynmawr, Nantyglo, Risca, Abercarne, Abertillery and Tredegar, Blaina, and Ebbw Vale have not been disclosed, and without these we possess but a hazy glimpse into the industrial life of Monmouthshire. The immense areas which skirt the Caerphilly line hint at an epoch of activity when lands which now are barren will yield gigantic treasure. But these are not of the actual facts of to-day. The popu- lation of Newport borough is surmised to be about 60,000. In 1881 the record, without Maindee, was 35,313. Until more certain particulars are furnished, comment on the con- ditions of this somewhat strangely circumstanced district had better be withheld. Abergavenny has increased 523-10,652 against 10,129. Harking back to Glamorganshire, we pass from Cardiff to Bridgend. There the population has increased in the decade from 4,153 to 4,891. probably due to the influx of men who have found this delightfully-situated town and its picturesque suburbs a charming and convenient place in which to spend the latter years of life. Neath has increased 565-10,973 against 10,409. The suspension of the dock work has scattered large masses of workmen elsewhere. Aberavon shews an increase of population of 25 per cent. (6,047, against 4,859). But Briton Ferry shows a decreased population since 1881 of 275 (5,876, against 6,061) Industrial movement in this neighbourhood has languished, but a revival has set in, and the place is being rapidly re-populated. Swansea municipal borough is figured conjecturally at 109,000, against 71,624 persons in 1881. Here once more it would be un- safe to generalise on an inexact premiss. The published statistics for the lower and Welsh counties present an almost unbroken and decidedly depressing record, Llanelly (Carmar- thenshire) alone excepted. Llanelly appears to have extraordinary recuperative powers, ana nas changed with the changing times so readily and thoroughly that so far from exhibiting a decrease in population, it shews the huge increase of 7,529 -52,012 against 44,483. Its command- ing position in the tin-plate trade accounts for much of this prestige. But it Jhas other substantial commercial auxiliaries. This is the one heartening instance of a progressive population in these southern districts--alter Llanelly the deluge." In Lampeter Union the population has fallen from 10,078 in 1891to 9,684 in 1881; at Haverfordwest, 6,598 to 6,166 New Quay (Cardiganshire), 1,325 to 1,284 Aber- ayron Union, 6,574 to 6,003 Fishguard, 1,99" to 1,878. In Cardigan Union (district numbers 1 and 3) the decrease is 436 in Newport (Pembrokeshire) 3i2 in Tenby, about 250 in St. David s (Pem- brokeshire), about 450; and Brecen reveals a reduced population of over 9 per cent. Progressiveabandonment of agriculture may again be roughly accepted as the reason for tnese diminishing rural populations. Men and women cannot live on the starvation yield of the land where, under more propitious conditions, their forefathers existed. So they drift to the ports, migrate to the coal districts, and excuan^ fortune for better fortune. will throw more light on these and other interest- ing social problems.

HOW WOULD OUR PUBLICANS LIKE THIS? fil Cape Colony a most important new Liquor Bill has been introduced into the Colonial Legis- lature by the Government. The principal interest centres in the thirteenth section, which proposes to establish the principle of Local Option with regard to new and existing licences. Sub-section 1 proposes that it shall not be lawful for the licensing courts to grant an application for a new licence unless there shall be lodged with the resi- dent registrar of the district a memorial signed by a majority of two-thirds of the voters registered for the election of members of Parliament within the limits of the district, municipality, ward, or village at which the premises proposed to be licensed are situated, approving of the issue of the said licence. Sub-section 2 provides^that it shall not be lawful for the licensing court to grant an application for the renewal of an exist- ing licence in case there shall have been similarly lodged a memorial signed by a majority of two-thirds of the voters referred to, objecting to the renewal, provided six weeks' notice of the intention to oppose has been given to the licence- holder. The bill makes some other important changes in the colonial licensing law, the princi- pal ones being directed to define the bottle trade —requiring the bottles to be corked and sealed, capsuled, or wired;" no sales to be made on Sunday, Christmas Day, and Good Friday; and on other days between eight in the morning and six at night unless the licensing court fixes other hours between six a.m. and nine p.m. Wages are not to be paid on licensed premises certain selected houses, on payment of higher fees, are to be allowed to sell on Sundays between three and nve and in areas (to be defined by the governor by proclamation) in the neighbourhood of mines, manufactories, or other centres of labour, all drink shops are to be closed at noon on Saturday, or on such other day of the w«k as the governor may determine.

BRUTAL j r MRS BONFANT II Mr. Guyerre, paid me a •charming compliment to-night. He said I didn't look a single day over twenty-five." MR BONFANT Yoa donb't. You -look thou-f -sands." '¡

WHERE HE WAs.-Artist Here is a very suitable picture, Mr Gibbs. It represents the Rev Mr Goss, the missionary, in group of cannibals. -Deaoon Gibbs: I ,th& cannibals, Mr Turps, but where is-the raissi < —Artist: Didn't I just tell-you thftt he jviw in.the; • ceotre-of ,the catxjbals-?

WELSH GLEANINGS. [ By Lloffwr. It is very seldom indeed that I indulge in personalities. And yet I fear those who read my Gleanings for this week will declare I have been very personal indeed. It may, however, be a treat to many to have a whole sheaf of personal Gleanings, such as that which I place before my readers this week. "I- The name of Dr John Williams, of London, has been in everybodv's mouth in Wales during the past few weeks. A para- graph has been going the round of the papers, and I insert it here as it has ap- peared elsewhere, errors and all ntvm th r? who was in attendance r*ftlDVChr °f Flfe at confinement, is •• uccouchcu? o of the day, and is obstetrician to the Royal Frvinily. ^nnc3SS Beatrice hasalso been professionally attended by ul' J?ht\Wllbams is a Welshman from W °f Cardiff> and is now between iL n SLh 'S ? quiet, cool, collected roan, if thl £ °wfrfuI' clean-shaven face, and is A ffht. He first came to London 1 J- yea^'s back, and lodged in the west d,inS those early days of lad rip? ame' ascent up the professional S til t' T a«f t0ld' be«n made less laborious TL««! f,?d °r ces of hie friend, Sir William Snwresidence in Brook-street Snwresidence in Brook-street is now occupied by Mr Williams. He is reported to make an income considerably larger than the emoluments of a Lord Chancellor. The above paragraph first of all appeared in a London daily, and was forthwith copied into almost every English paper in Wales. And yet no one has taken the trouble to correct it. Cardiff is too fond of taking credit to itself for things to which it has no claim. Dr John Williams has no more con- nection with Cardiff than with the man in the moon. He has, however, tender associations with its great rival Swansea, where he first practised, and where he met, wooed, and won his wife. Mrs Williams is, like her talented husband, Welsh to the finger tips. She is the daughter of Mr R. Hughes, Ynystawe, Morriston, and is perhaps better known by her bardic name Morvydd Glan Tawe. In the days of her maidenhood she was a prominent and always welcome figure at concerts and eisteddvodau, where her appearance with her harp was always the signal for enthu- siastic applause. Though practising purely as an amateur, her playing on the harp would have done credit to the most care- fully trained professionals. Many a chari- table and religious cause has had occa- sion to thank Morvydd Glan Tawe for ready and valuable assistance in time of need. Dr Williams himself is a native of Gwynve, in the heart of Carmarthenshire. He is the son of a well-known Noncon- miniS^er' Rev. David Williams, Bethlehem. Dr Williams himself at one time had an inclination towards the minis- try, and was strongly urged by the church authorities to seriously contemplate a pulpit career. Fortunately, wiser counsels pre- vailed, and a poor preacher has been spoiled in making a first-rate doctor, standing at the very head of his profession. One of the pleasantest traits of his character is that though he is Dr Williams, accoucheur to the Royal Family while in London, when he comes down to Wales im lf\i once plain John Williams, Jj.laenllynant, who delights in chatting with his old friends the village smith and the farm labourers as though he had never left his native hamlet. I might fill several sheafs of gleanings with characteristic stories of his boyhood and his youth which his neigh- bours and erstwhile schoolmates are never tired of repeating. But for the present I refrain. Some day, perhaps-but there. 4- Dealing with Carmarthenshire reminds me of a letter I have just received from the United States from another Carmarthen- shire man, a constant reader—and, as lie says, a great admirer-Af my gleanings. The Rev David Rhys James, B.D., of Berlin Heights, Ohio, is about to return to his native land for a short visit. With that generosity which marks Nonconformity his church has granted him a three months';holi- day, and he hopes to spend July, August, and September, in his old home. I have no doubt that many will be glad of this opportunity of hearing him preach. His college career at Oberlin was a brilliant one, and he is among the most promising young preachers of his denomination. Though his ministry has been exclusively English, he is as good a Cymro as his brother, Mr William James, the General Secretary of the Swan- sea National Eisteddvod. His late pastor, the Rev T. Thomas, Llanwrda, R.S.O., Carmarthenshire^ has undertaken to arrange for pulpit engagements for Mr James during his stay in this country. From South to North at a bound, and from Carmarthenshire to Carnarvon at a leap. I am glad to find that Mr David Edwards, the editor of the Genedl Gymreig and its associated papers, has been accorded a well-merited distinction. He has just been appointed managing editor of the Nottingham Daily Express, Nottingham Evening Neivs, and Nottingham Weeldy Express. Commencing life as an apprentice in the Herald Office, Carnarvon, Mr Edwards has worked his way onwards and upwards with untiring perseverance and indomitable energy. The post he has just vacated at Carnarvon had admirably fitted him for the wider sphere to which he I has now been called and in which I have no doubt he will make his mark. As was right and proper, his departure from Carnarvon was marked with numerous tokens of the universal respect in which he was held. In common with all his friends I wish him a successful and happy career, and repeat the hope expressed in one cf the addresses pre- sented him on leaving Carnarvon, that you will ever hold dear the land of your fathers, Cymru lân, gwlad y gan." This is how the British Weekly refers to Principal Edwards and his proposed depar- ture for Bala The news that after long and anxious delibera- tio^Principal Edwards has decided to accept the headship of Bala Theological College will be received with profound satisfaction wherever his name is known. No decision, we verily believe, was ever come to with a more slmple and earnest desire to walk the path of duty, and II it is one which has involved great sacrifice. We believe that the future will nobly vindicate it, and that Dr Edwards will have a rich reward in seeing a quickened life in the Principality, as well as in guidinf and stimulating theological thought wherever the English language is spoken. His great genius, his lofty and affectionate nature, his power of organisation, and his vast acquirements rarely fit him for the work he has undertaken but love to Christ and love to Wales are more outstanding characteristics even than these. Referring to the same topic, the Rev .James Williams, Chester, sends the follow- -ing interesting letter to the Goleuad We have never forgotten one-summer's day in the year 1833. We rose early in the morning in very great sorrow. That day Lewis Edwards, -home missionary at Laugharne, was to leave for .Edinburgh. He had received us to-the society, and for nearly two years we had spent much time together. His kindness to.as.was very great, a.nd as he instructed a few ^pupils we had the privilege of being among. 'them very often. The eventful day above '/mentioned, we waJked ^fivo nriles))the dwelling; of hia hosom friend, Mr Lloyd, P^towyn. When we said adieu, Mr Lloyd and myself were deeply affected. Someone in the company remarked, Here he is going to Scotland, and perhaps he may bo tempted to leave the old Methodists." "No, no," said he with tears in his eyes, if the Lord spare me to get a little learning, by His help it shall be employed to the utmost of my power in serving the dear old Corph." When we read last week the decision of Principal Edwards to come to Bala, we cried out, not in English or French, but in real Welsh, "0 diolch byth!" here is a worthy son of a worthy father, and the father now a glorified saint in heaven, greatly approves of his son's decision." As might have been anticipated, the election of Dr Herber Evans to the chair of the Congregational Union of England and I Wales has been hailed with universal satis- faction. Of course all the Welsh papers are loud in his praise, and this is how a London weekly speaks of it :— Another son and servant of the Principality has received well-merited honour. The Congre- gational Union did a wise and worthy thing in calling Dr Herber Evans, at the close of twenty- five years of a ministry as laborious and fruitful as almost any in our time, to its highest place. Those who have heard Dr Evans at best know that in sheer over- whelming subduing eloquence he is surpassed by no living preacher. No man carries more sun- shine with him. None has stood more loyally, in the midst of continual temptations, by his own church and people. We hope he will be able during his year of office to preach much it Eng- land, and that the period will be marked by increased interest in the great questions that will soon place Wales where Ireland is—in the fore- front of politics. With one more gleaning I must give over for this week, deferring until next week another sheaf quite as interesting :-— The centripetal movement by which London has been recently enriched with promising young Welsh preachers has bad its effect in depleting the Welsh pulpit of some of its best talent. Still, there are plenty of able and eloquent men left in the principality, who have the heroism in their vigorous manhood to echo the cry of Barzillai the Aged, Let me live in my own laud, and die in mine own city, by the grave ot my father and mother." Prominent among these honourable men stands the comely figure of the subject of this sketch. Mr Emlyn Jones is one of those Welshmen who seem to have no hankering for the loaves and fishes of a London pastorate. He abides among his own people and is content. Indeed, he may well be so, for he is doing a great wcrk, and occupies a unique position. His church is one of the strongest in the Principality; the chapel is the handsomest Nonconformist place of worship in Wales, well deserving of its familiar title, "Morriston Cathedral and with 900 members, and a congregation approaching 2,000, he need not hanker after any sphere of influence more con- genial and rewarding than this, which he has so acceptably occupied for 20 years. A fluent bilinguist, he can preach almost equally well in English as in Welsh, and is a useful link between the Welsh and the struggling English churches that are manfully endeavouring, against sore odds of poverty and neglect, to fulfil an important function in South Wales. On the platform he has the tongue of a ready speaker, and seldom fails to speak forcibly and to the point. Mr Jones is an ardent politician, in hearty sympathy with the Radical programme of the tinplate men and smelters, among whom he ministers; he leads them well, and sometimes restrains their headlong enthusiasm within reasonable bounds. In his pastoral work, his engaging manner and ready sympathy speedily set his people at their ease, and they trust and love him for his upright and earnest spirit.. As a musician of no mean order, he fulfils an important function among Welsh Cor.gregationalists by taking the lead in the musical festivals that are growing popular in the Principality. The-Welsh pulpit has theologians more pro- found, orators more eloquent, and preachers of more copious mental resources, but has few, if any, men who combine so many useful and practical qualities, or who fulfih their varied ministerial duties with more grace and efficiency. He is still in the prime of life, and has presum- ably many years of active service before him yet, among an attached and growing people.—British Weekly.

PROSECUTIONS UNDER THE MINES ACT. Among the Blue Books just issued is one containing a return of prosecutions under the Coal Mines Regulation Act of 1887. Particulars are given of over 130 cases in the county of Glamorgan alone. Judging their relative importance by the amount of penalty inflicted, we find they range from the trifling charge of carrying matches into a fiery mine, endangering the lives of hun- dreds of people, to the heinous crime of having a weighing-machine too far from the pit's mouth. It is true that most people would reverse this order, and consider an act which endangers life far more criminal than one which only affects the pocket. But according to this return, while twopence was the total penalty imposed upon a miner who had matches in his pocket in the mine, a fine of £12 was inflicted for having the weighing machine too far from the pit's mouth. We are far from saying that the penalty in the last-named case was too high. Tho interests of the men must be pro- tected, and owners cannot be permitted to override with impunity regulations laid down in the men's interest. But we do pro- test against a penalty of twopence being imposed upon a man for an act which might have had the most disastrous consequences. In other cases of the same kind the guilty person was let off on paying the costs, and even a person convicted of taking ex- plosive substance into the mine" satisfied justice with a shilling fine in addition to the costs. For" unramming a hole charged with explosive "—an act attended with great personal danger, the culprit got two- pence change out of the shilling he paid in full satisfaction of all claims against him. The amount of culpability evidently depends upon the persons before whom the case is heard, for while we find 2d, 6d, Is 6d, and the like satisfying justice at Pontypridd for endangering the lives of fellow-workingmen, a sum of Sl 8s lOd appears to be demanded at Bridgend. Now, we would strongly protest against teaching colliers to suppose j that to take matches into a fieiy mine is a practical joke which will, if detected, only cost them a few pence. The penalty imposed on conviction should in every case be a substantial one, such as may be expected to act as a deterrent for the future. To impose such paltry penalties as those we have indicated is really only an inducement to commit the same offence again. Our remarks would apply with hardly less force to the cases of ill-treating colliery horses. We have often directed attention to this subject. In the present; return we find eight cases of hauliers prosecuted for not taking proper care of a horse." In three of these cases a penalty of 6d only was inflicted. In one the culprit had to pay 7s in two others the amount of the penalty was raised to j31, and in the remaining two cases it reached £2. Now while there may have been varying degrees of cruelty, accounting for a sliding scale of penalties, we cannot help thinking that in any case if a conviction was obtained a penalty of sixpence would hardly tend to impress the hauliers with the importance of kindness to the brute creation. Taken altogether, this return is a very instructive one.

A little Cardiff boy, Tommy Knickerbocker, whose father is a prominent club man, was study- ing his lesson not long since. The little boy was very much puzzled over his lessons, and finally asked his pa, "Pa, what does the word pre- text' mean?" "Don't bother me," said his father, who was reading a newspaper, but his mother spoke up and said sweetly, When your father says he has to go to the club on important business, that is a jiretext to get a way from his family." Tommy jotted down the definition, and read it out in school, thereby causing a sen- sation. At a parochial examination the minister asked a sort of half-crazy woman what love was. What's love, Nanny ?" Hoot, fye, sir," says Nanny, "dinna speir sic daft-like questions as that, when I'm "1.1re ye ken that love's joost' an unco fykiness i' mind an' what mair can me or any other body ken about it ?" Parson Program Cheer up, Brother Bangs The loss of your wife is indeed a sad affliction, but remember this parting is but temporal. Think of the joy and satisfaction of meeting all our loved ones again Brother Bangs (violently ? affected): That's just it. parson her first husband mayTiow-be enjoying his re-union. He.: What did your father say when you told himthat'We-'Were engaged ?—She Oh, Augustus, XDn inurt'iotrasVine to repeat such language X

Welshmen at Oxford. [FKCM OUR CORRESPONDENT. I The list of successful candidates in classical moderations, which was published at the begin- ning of this term, was of exceptional interest to Welshmen, and the representatives of the Principality did unusually well, two of the candi- dates being placed in the first class, viz., Mr F. D. Evans, of Brasenose (who was educated pre- viously at Christ College, Brecon), and Mr E. Tudor-Owen, of Christ Church, an old Shrews- bury School man. Mr C. J. Haurette, of Queen's (formerly of the College School, Lam- peter, and Carmarthen Grammar School), and Mr J. D, Jones, also of Queen's (an old Llandovery man), were placed in the second class, while in the third class appear the names of Mr R. E. Owen, ot Jesus (formerly of the University College of Wales, and of Lampeter), and of Mr A. Pope. of Jesus (who I was previously educated at the University College of Wales, where he obtained his London B. A. in the first division three years ago). Such a list is I eminently satisfactory and encouraging, and the increasing number of Welshmen who appear year after year on the honours lists is a hopeful sign for "Cymru Fydd." The scholarships recently awarded at Jesus College prove, too, that the Uni- versity College of Wales, together with St. David's College, Lampeter, are preparing more and more men for Oxford; and the authorities now are evidently bent on sending their best men up to the ancient universities, for the students who have distinguished themselves by taking the first place in honours in London almost invariably proceed to Oxford. In the present list at Jesus there is an M.A. of London, and another candidate took the first place, first class honours, in that university, while a B.A. of London has also been awarded a minor exhibition of £ 20. Yet, when it is remem- bered that half the scholarships at Jesus are confined to Welshmen, it is to be wondered that the university colleges do not make even more strenuous exertions to secure these scholar- ships, which were in time past almost monopolised by Llandovery and Brecon. At the recens J examination at Jesus only one candidate came forward for the scholarship offered in one subject, and this seems like a sheer throwing away of the opportunities which lie before the promising youths of Wales. In a few years' time, however, when the intermediate schools will bear fruit, and when there will be a complete educational ladder from the elementary schools, through the inter- mediate school, and the University College, there will doubtless be much keener competition and wv can confidently look forward to the time when Welshmen will win not only the close scholarships at Jesus, but will be even more suc- cessful than they are now in winning "open" scholarships and exhibitions at the various colleges of the University. Even now, as the moderations' list shows, they manage to hold their own, when they have received adequate training before coming up. The Dafydd apGwilym Society is more vigorous than ever this term, and the members are utterly oblivious to the petty and anonymous attacks which it is reported continue to be made upon them by would-be members or their friends, in small and insignificant magazines and newspapers. Of the three meetings held this term the most interesting was that held last week in the room of Mr Owen M. Edwards, M.A.. Fellow of Lincoln College, when the chief event of the evening was the reading of a paper "in Car- diganshire Welsh," (Cymrae^ Shir Aberteifi," as the reader said) by Dr Emrys Jones, the popular president of the Manchester Welsh National Society, perhaps the most vigorous and flourishing of the many Welsh national societies which now exist in England. The reader chose a very congenial subject, The Advantages derivable from National Societies," and referred in forcible terms to their influences in healing the petty divisions and strifes which still'are^ and ever have been, the bane of Welsh life. These societies had been the means of drawing together the many Welshmen who were scattered together niewn gwlad ddicithr. Common love for their native country made them forget the frivolous differences which assumed such alarming proportions in their native land. Meet- ing and knowing each other better, their sym- pathies were widened, and Churchman and Nonconformist, Liberal and Conservative, united under a wide and magnanimous nation- alism, which is above the eternal wrangling, bickering, and squabbling which has been such a source of weakness to Welshmen in the past. No attempt is made here to srive a summary of the paper, as it is to be published in full in the Ge-ninen,at the request of the enterprising editor of that periodical. A discussion subsequently took place, in which Mr G wenogfryn Evans, M.A. (who is an old schoolmate of Dr Emrys Jones), and Mr O. M. Edwards, as well as several junior members, took part. Then followed renderings of songs, mostly from the national airs of Wales, which in distant lands have gladdened our paths like a home-guiding star." Dr Emrys J ones has been spending a week in Oxford as the guest of his old schoolfellow and his contagious fervour has strengthened that nationalism which lias of late years 4iecn so characteristic of most Oxford Welshmen. At the next meeting of the society the Rev C. Plummer, M.A., Fellow and ¡ Dean of Corpus, will read a paper on "Some Political Theories of the Middle Ages" (with special reference to Wales), a subject on which he is an acknowledged authority while at the fol- lowing meetings papers will be read by the Presi- dent (Professor Rhys), en Welsh Folk Lore; and by Mr Edward Amvyl, B.A., on "Penillion Cymreig." being the paper recently read by him before the Cymmrodorion Society. On Sunday night week the Bishop of On Sunday night week the Bishop of Bangor—who, singularly enough, is a native of the same parish as Dr Emrys Jones— gave an address to the members of the Oxford University Welsh Church Defence Society. Bishop Lloyd is an enthusiastic Welshman, if ever there was one, and elicited loud cheers from Churchmen and Nonconformists alike by his frequent allusions to the vitality of the Welsh language, which he hoped would continue to flourish for ages. The address—which contained numerous Welsh quota- tions, to the mystification of many Englishmen who were present—was singularly fair-minded. and the many Nonconformists who listened to it came out with feelings unwounded by any offen- sive remark. As is well-known, Cymru Fydd. the periodical which did so much for Welsh nationalism within its few years' existence, ceased to exist iast month by mutual agreement between the editors, Mr 0, M. Edwards and the Rev. R. H. Morgan. As was announced, however, in the An Revoir" of Mr Edwards to his readers, it will be practically revived under a new name—Cymru—and will consist exclusively of articles in the Welsh language, though it is not improbable that musical compositions will be introduced occasionallly. The new venture will be pnbhshed (the first number being expected to appaar in a few days hence) about the middle of each month, by Mr D. Edwards, the publisher of F Genedl and Y Wcrin, Carnarvon, and its whole object will be "godi rhen vvlad yn ei hoi." Tiie two Welsh palaeographers, Professor Rhys and Mr Gwenogfryn Evans, are drawing towards the end of what is the most laborious and uninteresting work they have as yet under- and uninteresting work they have as yet under- taken. The}7 are preparing- a complete edition of the Liber Landavensis, which is meant to supersede the present standard text—that of Ab Ithel" in the Rolls Series. The MS. in their hands is a copy oi the original record of tho cathedral and diocese of Llandafr, between the thirteenth and the fourteenth centuries. A part from its historical and topographical value, the Llandaff book is interesting philologic- ally, as it is said to contain fragments of the oldest Welsh extant. The work will be out before the end of the year. Professor Ithys's book on the Arthurian Legend," published (price 12s 6d) by 'the Clarendon Press, has received most favourable notices from the press, not only of Wales, but of England and France; and was eagerly expected by Celtic scholars and philo-Celts all the world over. Mr E. Burne-Jones, A.R.A., the eminent painter, was anxiously waiting for its appearance, as he hoped to obtain a subject from it which might inspire his ardent Celtic-sympathies. The Saturday Review had a very appreciative notice of the book, and thus concluded:—"Mr Rhys's derivation of the origin of the Grail from various Celtic magical vessels is very much more plausible. His identification of knightly names in Mallory with Celtic heroic names is often satisfactory. His defence of the share of the Celtic character, genius, and legend in English literature is patriotic, and is also successful, Arthur has been far more to us than Dares Phrygius, or the Charlemagne or Alexander sa<jas. Our literature has been more akin to the Celtic than the Teutonic type, Beownlf has been nearly valueless to us. Arthur has deserved all that the preface to Mallory's book says in his praise."

TEMPERANCE JOTTINGS. Total abstainers are increasing among the English troops in India they now number 16,576. The two great religions of India—Induism and Mahommedanism—prohibit the use of alcoholic drink in every shape and form. To what do you attribute your great age 7" was a question to which Von Moltke replied* "The grace of God and temperate habits." Fully 60 per cent. of the cases treated at the Royal Infirmary and at the Eye Hospisal, except- ing accidents, can be traced directly or indirectly to the use of alcohol. Louis Cyr, the Canadian athlete, who secured the title of strongest man in the world" at the Paris Exhibition, told a Montreal reporter re- cently that the secret of his strength was total abstinence from intoxicating drinks. At Brecon, recently, at the presentation of Service Medals, Colonel Paton, district command- ing officer, before leaving the men, addressed himself to the recruits, and advised them to keep out of trouble, and above all away from the drink. The colonel said that drink led to all the evils in the service out of every 100 cases of serious crime committed iz; .^Sha _;r€^3HieBt,-99 cises were by driak.R

Notes, on the Caerphilly Eisteddvod. BY MAELGWYN. I A PEACE OFFERING. I have received a polite note to the effect that I did not refer to the Caerphilly Eisteddvod in the issue of this journal published immediately before that event. The explanation is a very simple one, and when I made it to Mr David Williams, the eisteddvod secretary, he was good enough to say I had acted rightly. It is thus. Almost at at the last moment one of the choirs that had en- tered for the chief choral competition—namely, the Dowlais Harmonic Society—resolved not to put in an appearance. I am asked to make it known that this decision was in no way due to a want of confidence in the adjudicators, but simply to the fact that after winning the j6100 at Neath the choir split into fragments, one of the members competing suc- cessfully as a conductor in a second-rate eis- teddvod, a.nd of course being followed by a number of his friends. This action (and others) had the effect of making the choir un- prepared to compete at Caerphilly, and very wisely they decided to stop at home. But to return to Caerphilly. As the entries in the musical section did not close until the Saturday before Whitsun it was impossible to get anything like a complete list of intending competitors, and the list of entries furnished me by the secretary some days before the Saturday was a very poor one indeed. To publish these facts would have been to seriously damage the prospects of the eisteddvod, hence I delisted and I have now the satisfaction of knowing that if I did nothing to promote the success of the gathering, I at leastx did nothing to ensure a failure. A WAIL. Oh, that eisteddvod How shall I speak of it ? Even now my hand shivers as I rec all some of the incidents. A frowning sky weeping copiously a wind like those that blow over the desolation of Spitzbergen ;\n eisteddvod held in the open air seven or eight hours of misery at a stable placed full in the teeth of the Arctic blast; a hand that, attempting ti write, produced only hideous hieroglyphics, even more inelegant than the signature of our old friend Ally Sloper." Gentle reader think of these things when thou hearest men envy the reporters, and if at times these same reporters cause thee pain or offeolce,let thy pity and not thy wrath be kindled against them. Was it not the mighty Teufelsdrockh, who taught us ihat pity is divine ? Nor was it the weather alone that made poor Maelgwyn miserable. All his old friends were absent—those kindly faces which had made the Bridgend deluge only a slightly unpleasant episode, and whose buoyant spirits added so much to the enjoyment of the two last eisteddvodau at Neath-all, with one exception, were seeking pleasure elsewhere, and even he, the genial Rhondda friend, who bas so often "run" im- portant eisteddvodau on his own account, was "out of sorts "-even his vivacity was withered ¡ by the stinging blast. THE HEROES OF CYMRt". People talk of the heroism of the defenders of Thermopyice, of those who fought on old Pla- teea's day," and of the mighty kingmaker who at one time owned the ca stle of Caerphilly. But the heroism of these people was kindled only with the breath of excitement. When there was no excitement there was no recorded exhibition of heroism. Not so the Cymry of to-day. For long- long hours did scores of them stand on the soaking turf (which ere Jeng developed into a quagmire) exposed to the drizzling rain and the pitiless blast, with nought to cover them but frail umbrellas. Ask me not if they were enjoying themselves. I could but sit shivering on that platform and admire the glorious, but dreary picture of heroic misery. During the morning meeting only a few hundreds came to the eisteddvod ground—the bleak, un- covered, soaking expanse in which people were asked to enjoy themselves. Of THE COMPETITION'S very little need be said. A few were magnifi- cent, but the majority did not rise above mediocrity. The pianoforte solo contest was spoiled by the weather. It was painful to see a number of little children sit down before the instrument, and with shivering hands en- deavoured to play the test piece. Every child did his or her best, but what avails a child's best when pitted against the fury of the east wind ? Dr Parry referred, as indeed he could not help referring, to the serious disad- vantages under which the children laboured. The soprano solo contest, was, as Mr Tom Price, another adjudicator, pointed out, an unsatis- factory affair. One girl only was chosen to sing on the platform, and she received the prize. If I mistake not, this was the same little lady who sang first at the Easter eisteddvod at Neath. Be thus as it may, it would not be fair to criticise her performance at Caerphilly—like so many other competitors, she had to bow down before rude Boreas." Apart from this, however, Miss Morris will do well to put herself in training at onee. She possesses an excellent voice, and it will be her own fault if eisteddvod prizes go to inferior singers. The tenor solo competition was again decided in favour of Mr Sam Rees (ApRhys), of Treorky, the victor I at the Neath Eisteddvod last Christmas. Mr Rees was justly praised by the adjudicators, and unless I am much mistaken, he has a brilliant career before him. He has a beautiful voice, which he knows well how to manage, and his performance was in all respects a masterly one. The CONTRALTO SOLO competition was in reality no competition at all. It was simply a very easy walk over for Miss Ceinwen Jones, of Penrhiwceiber, the same young lady who created such a sensation at Neath at Christmas. Despite the bitter cold which pre- vailed, the "Star of the Cynon," in a manner which cannot be too highly praised, simply walked I away with the prjze. If the number of her opponents was greater at Neath, her victory was equally complete at both places. Since, qhristmas f-he seems to have received some training, and, though her voico was the same, her performanee at Caerphilly was far more artistic than at Neath, The enunciation was pure, the phrasing was exceedingly good, and there was a refined charm: about the whole performance which of itself I virtually shut out any other competitor's chances of success. My good Rhondda. friend muttered several times •'Beautiful! beautiful!" and the audience endorsed this opinion by raising one of the heartiest cheers heard during the day. Mr John Thomas, in awarding the prize to Miss Jones, waxed quite enthusiastic in her praise. liHVM AND FIFE BANDS. The Mountain Ash played with their usual vigour, but their refinement was more pronounced than at Neath. The Dowlais Band did not come up to expectation, nor am I informed was the performance at Caerphilly one quarter as good as it had been at the rehearsal on the previous Satur- day. The younger boys, of whom there were a very large pro}JOrtion, could not or would not keep down the "hwyl." A few bars only of The Men of Harlech were played when the little ones lost their Jheads and indulged in too much over-blowing. Knowing the difficulty the boys would cause the conductor, the latter instructed them to play Morva RhuddlaJI" much faster than it ought to have been taken. This put the band out of the com- petition. The last band (Merthyr High-street) I' played with a degree of refinement which cannot hp too highly spoken of. The performance of "Morva Rhuddlan was, perhaps, among the best ever heard at our eisteddvod. The marches, however, lacked vigour, and very properly the prize was divided bNwe;>nMerthyr and Mountain I Ash. THE MALE VOICE COMPETITION. This contest, taken early in the afternoon, wae an excitinc one. The voices in all three choir.? I were magnificent, but none of thetll were equal to the task of keeping in tune. The devotional movement as sung by the second choir was really a marvellous performance, and, notwithstanding some errors made by the singers, it secured to them one-half the prize. But with the exception of the passage referred to, and the general excellence oJ: the voices, it cannot in fairness be said that the contest Wil-8 so good a" that held at Neath on Boxing Day. THE CHIEF CnoRAL COMPETITION. This compBtition was taken after I had left the eisteddvod, hence any remarks I might offer would be useless. The long hours spent at that freezing post Oil the platform had made me only too anxious to quit the place, and I hurried towards the station with the knowledge of. having spent a truly miserable day. TWE EISTEDDVOD AND BACCHUS. It has been said that the afternoon trains brought into Caerphilly some thousands of men principally from the Rhondda, whose drunken conduct and foul language horrified the inhabitants of the quiet little town. So far as I saw nothing of the kind happened. That thousands of drunken men wore brought isto the "town mayor ioayaot beboto,bu3i« ig^setiaia that in the Castle grounds the devotees of Bacchus were conspicuous by their absence I afterwards learned that the drunkards were men and boys who had come to Caerphilly not to listen to the eisteddvod contests, but to be spec tators at, and betters on. the disgusting brutality of a coursing match. It is no fauit of the eistedd- vod that the precious" match was held on tile same day. But many of us would have been delighted to find that the police had arrested the entire gang of rowdies. THE £ S. D. OF THE VENTURE. It is said that a lc-s of money, estimated at between jS50 to JS70, will be shown on the balance-sheet of the eisteddvod when that docu- ment comes to be compiled. This is deeply to be regretted, but it conveys a stern lesson to the promoters of the gathering. That lesson is: Provide something at least approaching accom- modation for the people." Even the Cymrv will not as a whole throw away their shilling* rhe very doubtful honour of standing ankh ;> in mud for a number of hours, with a pierc.ng, pitiless wind blowing its icy breath over them the whole time.

Samuel's Sentiments. Samuel on Circumstances. It is a popular notion that man is the creature of circumstances, and that his life and actions are dependent upon those accidental and unforeseen combinations of life of which circumstances exist. This may or may not be the case. The late Earl of Beaconsfield, who had much knowledge of life, said '"Man is not the creature of circum- stances circumstances are the creatures of men. We are free agents, and man is more powerful than matter." Yet men are not unfrequently ruled by circum- stances. The difficulty about circumstances that they are, for the most part, an unknown quantity, and turn up when least expected, and in some form not anticipated by those they most concern. They are things to be taken advantage of by someone, and prove to the full the truth of the old adage that what is one man's meat is another ma.n's poison." DON'T BELIEVE CIRCUMSTANCES ALTEr. CASES. The circumstance which raises one man to wealth may be the means of reducing some other man to poverty. There is no reiving upon cir- cumstances they are as erratic as the weather. The idea of man being the victim of circum- stances may be dismissed on the grounds that circumstances are very often made of me** such as affect the world of commerce. Take for in- tance the case of a man who has heavy dealing in stocks and shares. His slightest ac- tion may so alter the circumstance^ of the market that thousands of pounds may be lost in an incredi- bly tihort space of time. It is his action that rules circumstances, and not circum- stances which rule his action. So with thr politician who attains eminence. He pulls the strings of office, and the circum- stances of the political world are changed at, once, and war or peace may at times result from the circumstances his action pro- duces. If a man IN GOOD CIKCUMSTAJfOSS. finds the circumstances surrounding hiix about to change he at once plans his affairs so that ha makes them fit in with the change, and thus, as it were manipulates the circumstances to sun his own requirements. These are the men who do not become what are known as the "victims of circumstances. Anyone who becomes entitled to the appellation named above has generally his own want of aptitude to thank for any reverses he meets witb Circumstances are things which require grasping and dealing with in much the same way as do opportunities. The far-seeing man may often forsee a change in circumstances before it comes, and he is thus enabled to grapple with them when they come into such prominence that they affect his well- being, or such places and schemes as he may have in hand at the time. All men who have reached any position in life have generally been able to govern circum- stances, and to turn them to the fullest advantage for their own benefit. How many men have lifted themselves from poor circumstances" to prosperity by the mere fact that they watched surrounding circumstan- ces and made the most of the opportunities they provided. The man who is popu- larly said to have "had his chance" and taken it has done nothing more than utilised such circum- stances as he saw lent IN BAD CIRCUMSTANCES. themselves to his own advantage. If people generally would give up the habit ot thinking that men are governed by circumstances there would be fewer failures in the world and fewer complaints from men that circumstances were against tFem." In whatever form they come circumstances can be manipulated if those they concern will only look them sensibly in the A VICTIM OF CIUCCM STANCES. face, and make the best of them instead of letting them slide and then sitting down and bemoaning their fates. SAMUEL: His SENTIMENTS.

"If ever you marry," said a Roman consul to his son, let it be a woman who has judgment isnough to superintend the getting of a ira-al of victuals, taste enough to dress herself, v-ride enough to wash before breakfast, and sense enough to hold her tongue when she has nothing to say." When Curran challenged Egan to a duei, the latter complained that, owing toCurran's extreme thinness, be might as well fire at a razor's edge. Curran thereupon proposed that his size should be chalked out- on E.rati's side, and that every shot wriicb hit outside that mark should co for nothing. AN UNFORTUNATE ADMISSION.—"Mr Glan- ders," said that gentleman's wife, rather severely, "I want you to give that typewriter of yours the sack."—"It's very thoughtful of you." replied Glanders, "but I gave her a seal skin two week. ago."—" What V'—" O—er—that is yes. I'll discharge her to-morrow." When a man's temper gets the best of bin, (I reveals the woret of him.