The Cardiff Times

WORKMEN'S TOPICS. BY MABON, M.P. THE NEW EMPLOYERS' LIABILITY ACT. EFFECT UPON WORKMEN. The next matter we shall consider is what tffect the act has had upon the workmen whose welfare and safety it was passed to secure. In one sense, and apart from the question of safety, this has already been demonstrated. It has. transferred a considerable sum of money from the pockets of the employers to those of the injured workmen by way of compensation. However, this is by no means the primary object of the law, nor the reason why the leaders of the working classes so tenaciously support it. The evidence of several of the leaders, before Lord Brassey's committee, brings out this point very clearly. Mi- Edward Cowey, of Yorkshire, in answer to a question put to him by Mr Bradlaugh, whether the men thought the Employers' Liability Act insured greater safety for the workmen, said "I do not think that at any meeting that I have attended at any time I have heard an opinion expressed as regards compensation. It is a matter of increased safety;" and when again asked by the same gentleman, That is the men whom you represent regard the question of safety of life and limb rather than the question of compensation," he said, Much more so." And I find that this sentiment was again and again echoed throughout the whole of the evidence. And I am certain, from my own experience at home, and from the facts presented by numberless friends throughout the county, that it is entirely to this aspect of the question, the necessity for increasing safety to life and limb, why any increasing of the provisions of the Act, whe- ther voluntary or otherwise, by the third clause of the present Government's amend- ing bill is so strenuously opposed by leaders of working men, and if the bill that the Government is in honour bound to bring forward in the coming Session contains the same, or a similar clause, the labour M.P.'s and their friends will do all they possibly can to prevent such a measure becoming law. Other workmen from various trades gave evidence before Lord Brassey's committee in addition to Mr Cowey and other miners, who avowed themselves certain that the Act of 1880 had decreased the accidents in the various trades they were connected with, especially when it first came into force. This view was also supported by Mr Redgrave, her Majesty's Chief Factory Inspector, and the effect upon working men can be summed up in a few lines. It has resulted in giving them an increased safety for life and limb, and, where this has been neglected, in giving them, when injured, compensation-minus the lawyer's bills-to the tune of close approaching, by this time, upon £200,000 per annum. The most important resolutions embodying the recommendations of the committee re- ferred to above for the alteration and extinc- tion of the act are Nos. 2 and 3 in Mr Redgrave's report, and which were acted upon in the bill introduced by the present Government a year or so ago. No. 2.—No contract or agreement made or entered into with a workman shall be a bar, or constitute any defence to an action for the recovery under this act of compensa- tion for any injury unless, on entering into or making such contract or agreement, there was other considerations than that of such workman being taken into or continued in the employment of the defendant. No. 3. Such other considerations shall be (a) That the employer shall have con- tributed to an insurance fund for the benefit of such workmen against every accident arising out of such employment. (b) That it has been certified by a com- petent authority that the employers' con- tributions to such fund bears a full proportion to the contribution of such workmen, and that the benefit to be received by such workman from such fund is fully adequate, having regard amongst other things to the amount recover- able under the act," provided always that if any amounts payable by such society or fund shall not be paid in accordance with the rules, the employer shall be liable to make good any deficiency so arising. THE EFFECT OF THE COMPROMISE. The above, I find, are the result of a compromise upon a question that was again raised in the debates upon the bill proposed by the Government two years ago. The effect of them is, according to the Home Secretary, to prevent contracting out of the act, except oil certain conditions, which are as follows 1. The employer to contribute to an in- surance fund against all accidents arising from the employment. 2. This contribution to be certified by a competent authority as bearing a full pro- portion to that of the workmen. 3. The workmen's benefit to be adequate, having regard, amongst other things, to compensation under the act. 4.* The employer to be personally liable for the insolvency of the accident fund. The exact meaning of the second and third of these conditions is somewhat obscure, and it is extremely difficult to see how they are to be carried out. Indeed, the provisions in the last bill proposed by the Government were such that no person with any knowledge of the difficulties in getting adequate compensation allowed, such as was the case even with a jury of supposed independent and imperative gentle- men at Llandilo the other day, where the evidence of neglect on behalf of the colliery officials was so palpable, would never think of agreeing with, much less of allowing the amount to be settled upon, precedents that may have happened in another part of the country where that accident, if such they may be called, may have been caused by different agencies. It will be observed that the basis of all payment is the payment made by the workman himself, and that with the view of compensation being paid upon all kind of accidents, but the em- ployers liability, on the whole, will only amount to that which he would have to pay in compensation for neglect had he not contracted out of the Act. By reference to any insurance company the employer can pretty nearly measure the cash value of his liability under the Act), ana except iium the charitable employer, it is obvious that those anxious to contract themselves out of the Act, will not give more. Hence the practice if ever this provision is allowed to become law, will be, that the employer s cuntributions will invariably be fixed by the beforementioned rule with the result that instead of being appropriated to a special fund to meet his legal liabilities, it will be transferred to a general accident fund, the adequacy of which will depend simply on the amount subscribed per man amongst rr~.rV.men themselves. Where this is done it is pivnuoti at the employer shouiti be made personally liable for the insolvency of the fund. And I have heard loud com- plaints being made against placing the sfiiployer in this (as it was termed) unreasonable position. But when it is considered that the employers for taking this trifling case, and one which to them is an easy matter, have the pri-I vilege of contracting out of the liabilities of the act, to bo; freecl from exercising any more extra care than if the act had not been in force not be called up before judge or, a jury for the inadequacy and inefficiency of machinery, plant, nor management;, indeed the power of making the act an actual dead letter, their position is cheaply bought WHAT WORKMEN REQUIRE. I have seen it urged by certain authorities that the sole end of the extensions proposed to the Employers' Liability Act, by what- ever pretexts it is supported, is compensation for injury pure ar..1 simple, nparfc altogether U- from the question of increased safety for the workmen—that the object, in plain words, is to make provision for those who have the misfortune of being injured in the course of their employment, and are without the means of supporting themselves during the incapacity for work occasioned thereby, at the employer's expense, whether the injury arose from his negligence or not, Philanthropic and charitable as such an object may be, still it is a libel on truth to say that such is the object of the workmen themselves and those that represent them in the matter. No had that been our object we would not have opposed the passing of the third clause in the bill introduced by the present Government, and wrecking the whole measure on that account. Neither would their action have been approved of and upheld by the work- men themselves had that been the case. No, what we are solely aiming at is increased safety to the workman's life and limb while following his occupation. Monetary compensation is a poor consolation, indeed, to the widow and the fatherless. No cash compensation can ever adequately compensate a family for the loss of its bread-winner. No, could we succeed in obtaining our object and effecting the pur- pose desired, we would gladly forego all pecuniary compensation, and place penal legislation against the actual offenders as well as those who, either from negligence or parsimony, would allow the lives of their workmen to be at the mercy of incompetent supervisors and inefficient plant.

A NATIONAL WELSH CONGRE-, GATIONAL TUNE-BOOK. "A National Welsh Congregational Tune- book" (a companion to Mr Gee's "National Hymn-book"), by Dr Joseph Parry, University College, Cardiff. Part III. Published by D. M. Parry, 23, Plymouth-road, Penarth. We have already had the privilege and pleasure of reviewing thlil earlier parts of this work, and now we have the same pleasure in the third part. There are in this part, as in the others, tunes brimful of Welsh fire and of that spirit of worship which kindled the great revival among our fore- fathers in the last century. This part consists of 16 tunes, together with a happy setting of the Te Deum." The one-half of these are written in the minor and the other half in the major mode, and naturally we antici- pate, as they are the work of a composer whose productions are already so popular in Wales, that they must necessarily be of a higher standard than the tunes of many others of our Welsh com- posers, although many of these are really good. In this respect we are not disappointed. The author is to be commended on the originality of his tunes, and he does not follow any particular school, but rather asserts considerable independence. The first two tunes are in the keys of B minor zind E minor respectively, set to the metres 7-6-D and 8-7-D, or, according to S. R.'s naming, metres 9 and 10. Of these two tones Calfary and Cardiff, it may be said that they are full of feeling, entirely suited to the words, and betraying a master-hand both in melody and harmonic colouring. There is no doubt but that they will become exceedingly popular in a short time. The two recited-tunes that follow are written after the style of a chant, and are remarkably simple. They differ a little from the regular choral-chant, as the reader may see, inasmuch as the first three sections are alike in structure, while the last section ends in the conventional manner. The next two tunes are remarkably easy and pliable in their melodies, one of them, "Disgwylfa in E major, the other in C sharp. Following these is Aberystwyth," which has already appeared in other collections and has acquired great popu- larity. Aberystwyth" is a grand tune, inspiration (awen) and pathos. "The Good Shepherd" (Y Bugail Du) and "The Day of Judgment" (Dydd y Farn) are two very desirable tunes, entirely different in style. Tenderness is the characteristic of the former, while a thought- ful seriousness pervades the latter. We now come to "Watchfulness" (Gwyliadwriaeth), the words of which are a happy translation, by Tafolog, of Charlotte Elliott's beautiful hymn, Watch and Pray." This is a good tune, aptly set to the words, and easily read. The same may be said of "Benedictus" (Bendithrad), which fallows. Of the two following tunes, "Ths Risurreotion (Yr Adgyfodiad) and "Dies Irae," it may be remarked that these also are peculiarly appropriate to the words. Both are written in B minor, and the styles of both are somewhat similar. A peculiarity of these tunes is the manner in which the composer uses unisonant phrases. The same thing is peculiar to Nos. 41 and 50. "Holiness" (Sancterdrwyd) is the next in order, written in B flat major. This is a remarkably sweet tune. imbued with the same grave solemnity that characterises the words. The harmony is simple, though appro- priate, and the 'c a • • comPoaer is abundantly exempli- fied m this tune. The same remarks are applic- able to the tune Morwriaeth," and the free translation by Tafolog of the English words is very good. We have now arrived at the last tune in the book, viz., Guidance" (Arweiniad). Much music has been composed to these words of Car- dinal Newman, "Lead, kindly light," and pro- bably much more will yet b. written. The well- known tunes of Sullivan, Dykes, Stainer, and others in England s«.rve as examples; and doubt- less many a Welsh musician has exercised himself in a similar way, the outcome merely awaiting publication. But here is one now before the country which I don't doubt will equal those of any of the aforementioned composers. Nay, it does equal them and undoubtedly it will stand its ground. This is a noble tune, and one likely soon to become most popular. The Welsh words are a fine translation by the late Rev Dr Rees, Swansea, of Cardinal Manning's celebrated hymn: We do not intend spending much time over the" l'e Demn," which serves as an appen- dix to the whole. All we have to say is that this production is in every respect worthy of the 1 earned doctor, and our musicians are likely to derive much pleasure from its performance. As to the printing of the book it is understood that there are a few errors scattered here and there, which will be corrected in the next impres- sion, though the present edition contains a list of errata attached to the last page, We have only to hope that our fellow-countrymen will support the Doctor by purchasing his book in order to recoup his losses in his undertaking; and by introducing the tunes to the choral festivals in an honourable manner, viz., by purchasing them and not by printing them in their programme of tunes oftentimes without as much as the consent of the composer. ISALAW.

A MODEST DEMAND. APPLICANT I understand, sir, that you require the services of a commercial traveller." MERCHANT What salary would you expect ? APPLICANT Two thousand a. year and a ten thousand insurance policy. A man can't risk his life on the railways f)r nothing nowadays."

[ALL RIGHTS IZFSICIIVZD. 3 PRINCES AMONG PREACHERS. CARDINAL MANNINGS -B" (From a photograph by Russell and Sons, 17, Baker Street, Wi) No. 6.CARDINAL MANNING. II It is within a few months of 40 years since the then Archdeacon of Chichester passed over from the Church of England to the Church of Rome. Of the comparatively few readers of this notice who can remember the outcry occasioned by what was stigmatised as an act of treacherous apostacy, no one will say that he ever expected to see the time when the man so denounced would be the most influential ecclesiastic in the country. Yet this is what has come to pass. "The Cardinal," as he was familiarly called, even while a yet greater wearer of the biretta was still amongst us, is now never spoken of without respect, except when he is spoken of with reverence; he never speaks on any question of general ooncem, but his words are caught up and borne from one end of the land to the other. His influence is limited to no sect or party. It evens transcends the bounds of class. There are none too rich, and none too poor, to do him reverence. He commands the deference of the great ones of the earth; he enjoys the love and trust of those of low estate. When Parliament, to avail itself of his great knowledge of social problems, gives him a seat on a Royal Commission, the name which has only to be mentioned at gatherings of the "residuum to excite unbounded enthusiasm, s, with virtually unanimous consent, placed next after that of the Prince of Wales, and above those of the proudest nobles. Yet this is the man who, less than 40 years ago, or twenty, was believed by many to have been animated by nothing higher than ambition when he cut himself off from the Church in which he had been nurtured, and to which he had given years of loyal service. Those who harboured the unworthy suspicion were, without knowing it, sitting in judgment upon themselves. They were showing that they could neither appreciate the meaning of plain facts, nor enter by imagination into the pain and deprivation which such a severance must necessarily involve. They forgot that he whom they aspersed had been chosen Select Preacher of his university, where before taking orders he was Fellow of Merton; that within six years of his appointment to his first rectory he was preferred to an archdeaconry; and that his published sermons were high in favour with that party in the Church which had the promise of the future. His great gifts of mind and soul-his power as a preacher, his scholar- ship, his rare aptitude for administration, his transparent piety-could not go without recogni- tion, even in those stormy days, from some at least of those who had no sympathy with his theo- logical tendencies. Thus Julius Hare, Archdeacon of Lewes, writing to his brother Marcus in 1841, tells him that the Bishop has just besUwed "a great blessing on the diocese" by appointing Manning Archdeacon of Chichester. It is about the most perfect appointment that ever was made, he proceeds. Sterling knows him, and knows how much practical wisdom he has. He is holy, zealous, devoted, gentle." The man whose great qualities had enabled him to make such an impression on his more generous opponents, and to win no mean distinction in the English Church when he was only a little more than 30 years of age, could hardly have failed to rise much higher. He was at least as likely to become Archbishop of Canterbury by remaining in the Church of his youth as to become Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster by going over to a Church which, while ready to profit by the zeal of its proselytes, is not always quick to re- ward it. As a preacher, Cardinal Manning has of course passed his prime. He is now in his eighty-third year, having been born on the 15th of July, 1808, at Totteridge, near High Barnet. But, in spite of his great age, he is often to be seen in the pulpit, and what is yet more remarkable, has still enough self-possession and command over his memory to be able to preach without MS. Few men have had to spend so much of their lives in disputation. His contributions to the polemics of the age are preserved in a long series of publications. But in these later year- although his sermons are sometimes controversial, he has given a larger measure of his attention to those matters of life and duty which, peradventure, are not less important than attacks upon the Via Media or defences of Papal Infallibility. His enunciation is still distinct; his voice, though some of its power has gone, is still clear and musical. Gesture there is none, and probably his Eminence pre- ferred to dispense with it, even in days when he was not glad to frequently lean forward on the front of the pulpit fer support. Nor, with such admirable emphasis, is action needed to add force to his words, supported as they are by a long life of ascetic yet genial sanctity, and by a singularly impressive presence. The tall, thin figure, despite the weight of years which it has to bear, is as straight as a poplar; the emaciated face, fleshless and bloodless, proclaims the triumph of the spiritual over the physical. It is the face of a born ecclesiastic, but an ecclesiastic of the highest type. The delicate chiselling of the features tells of superiority to mean delights and low modes of thought; the deep, strong lines indicate the organising and governing faculty the kindly glint of the keen blue eyes assures us that we have to do with one who, though he has renounced many simple, human joys, does not despise them who, if he has set up for himself the loftiest of standards, will, in his dealings with others, bethink him of the infirmities of human nature, and remember that charity is not less the chiefest of duties than the greatest of graces. Among his Eminence's recent appearances in the pulpit, the most memorable was at the requiem mass for the repose of the soul of Cardinal Newman in the Brompton Oratory, Impressive, as was the ceremonial, especially to the many Protestants present, it was clear that the chief attraction to the thousands who crowded the spacious building was the pros- peot of hearing what the Cardinal had to say about the departed friend whose course had been so like his own. As he slowly ascended the pulpit stairs, his trembling steps making a confession of weakness which his bearing disdained, numbers rose from their seats, and would have remained standing throughout the sermon had he not irently waved them down. The occasion was a trying one for the aged priest. He was evidently labouring under strong emotion, which at times almost passed from under his control, and it was well that ho had taken the precaution to commit his thoughts to writing. Even so,, it was only with great difficulty that he was able to get through his task; and but little of the address could have reached the greater number of his eager listeners. l Those who could hear might well be affected by the simple pathos to this tribute to the memory of an almost; %-long friend from one who had, himself nearly reached the mysterious bourne. There was one touching reference to himself. I am not come to prosnounce orations or panegyrics," he said, I could not if I would, I would not if I could. The memories of an affectionate friend- ship, as I have said, of more than sixty years, and the weight of old age, put it beyond my power." And among many passages which will not soon fade from the memory was the one in which he spoke of the change of feeling towards his brother cardinal as evidencing the fairness of mind of their fellow countrymen. If this,' he said, is a noble testimony to a great Chris- tiad life, it is as noble a proof of the justice, equity, and uprightness of the English people. In venerating John Henry Newman, it has un- consciously venerated itself." It is interesting to recall a very similar sen- tence in the- address from the same lips at the requiem of -Cardinal Wiseman five-and-twenty years ago. He has fallen asleep," it was re- marked, "in the midst of the generous, kindly, just, noble-h earted sympathy of the people, of the public men, of the public voices of England- a great people, strong and bold in its warfare, but human-a, chivalrous, and Christian to the antagonists- who are worthy to contend with it." The sentiment is highly characteristic, and is indicative oi a rare generosity of spirit, for it shows that :neither the deep gulf fixed between the English nation as a whole and the Church to which his Eminence has given his life, nor years of misconception and obloquy, have availed to quench the fire of his patriotism. Though a prince of a Church -which is of no nation, he has never ceased to be a> true Englishman and indeed his solicitude for all that affects the Empire in its remoter intere sts is a standing rebuke to some whe boast theÜ freedom from the narrowing in- fluence of cret'ds and sects. Yet this is no more than might ha ve been expected of a nature that has always beisa eager to recognise the highest and largest claims upon its devotion. It was so while he was u member of the Church of his fathers. While I was in the Church of Eng- land," he once said, "I honoured the Church of England, and remained loyal to her. Would you believe," he added, "I never once said a 'Hail, Mary until I had gone before a notary public and resigned my position in the Church of England ? I did this in the City, and then I crossed Blaclcfriars Bridge to St. George's, South- wark, and said my first Hail, Mary We have ispoken of Cardinal Manning's singular influence. But it is necessary to add that he is only the most influential of eccl- siastics becauas he is so much more than an ecclesiastic. Had he confined himself to the immediate work of his Church, he would still have been a groat priest but he would not now be the trusted counsellor and friend of all men. A great deal of kis later work has had no direct connection with the Roman Church, nor even with religion, but has been simply the response of a humane and compassionate nature to the cry of destitution and misery. His services to the cause of temperance have been beyond computation there is scarcely a single philanthropic or social movement of the age into which he has not thrown himself. His intervention in the great dock strike will not soon be forgotten, and his perseverance in the mission when one of his co arbitrators had for the time retired in something like disgust brings into relief his superiority to mere considerations of personal dignity. In view of his emphatic expressions of sympathy with the lower grades of toilers, prompted by what he has himself seen of the dire effects, moral as well as physical, of extreme poverty, and enforced by much strenuous endeavour to bring about a better state of things, it is not strange that he should have the confidence and affection of the poor. Nor is it difficult, on the other hand, to account for the homage he receives in palaces and man- sions. His high rank in a Church which has never failed to teach the duty of obedience would of itself save him from the suspicion of counte nancing schemes subversive of order. But be- yond this, though the severest of ascetics in his personal habits, he has moved freely in society and who that has had speech with him has been able to resist the spell of his sweetness and piety ? If there ever was such a one, it was certainly not the author cf Lothair" and "Endymion," whose full-length portraits of the Cardinal were evidently drawn con a more. "Nothing," he writes in the former work of Cardinal Grandison, his alias for Cardinal Man- ning, nothing could exceed the simple suavity with which the Cardinal appeared, approached, and greeted them. He must have heard of them all before, or read their characters in their countenances. In a few minutes they were all listening to his Eminence with enchanted ease, as, sitting on the sofa by his hostess, he described to them the ambassadors who had just arrived from Japan. Much might be ex- pected from the Mikado, evidently a man of singular penetration and elevated views; and his Eminence looked as if the mission to Yokohama would speedily end in episcopal see; but he knew where he was, and studiously avoided all controversial matter. Afterall, the Mikado himself was not more remarkable than this Prince- of the Church in a Tyburnian draw- ing-room, habited in his pink cassock and oape, and waving, as he spoke, with careless grace, his pink biretta." This is a fascinating picture, the work of a great artist, yet is it equal in charm tc the less finished one of a recent writer who knows the Cardinal well, and presents him to us as the loving-hearted old man who, when his heart is filled with ecstacy after a meditation on the life and the love of our Lord, feels impelled to go forth among the crowds of children playing in the London parks and silently blesses them ? Where are we to find a parallel to this, unless we recall the tradition of the beloved disciple—that when he was grown too aged to walk, or even to stand, he would have himself borne into the presence of his converts, and there repeat again and again the new commandment, Little chil- dren, love one another ?" NEXT WEEK ABOHDEACON FARRAR.

BETR.AYED BY A SHADOW." If the obi ect of a sensation story be to seize the reader's iitf merest on the first page and maintain it to the very last, Mr Raven Dean, tho author of the above shilling novel, has succeeded. It is the story of tfne unravelling of a mysterious crime, told in tIf a dramatic style which has made Wilkie Collins 1 so popular as a writer. A detectivo comes d -own from Scotland Yard to track the supposec ( criminal, and he writes a scries of reports, somewhat ideal in style, of course, in the course of which the whole affair is brought to light. The art of the writer is shown in the sugper, se in which he contrives to keep the reador throug h chapter after chapter. Wo go about with x he detective, we see him find clue after clue, we viti itch- the suspicion shaping itself gradually in his mind, first against this character, then a.galI.1 st that; we have the same oppor- tunities of judging as he has, and thus arct. led on without a moment's pause to the stadling close of a dark and exciting tragedy. The interest of the book will be heightened to Ca.rdiffians from the fact that the author has dv idently visited this town at somo time or other, and causes his mouthpiece, the detective, to do tiae same, in the course of his search for the missing criminal. Several places in Cardiff are -referred to, and on the whole a gratifying tribute is paid to the metropolis of Wales. However, it is not on that account that the perusal of the work can be recommended, but because of its intrinsic merits as an exceptionally well and dramatically told story, full of interest from the first page te the last. We are pleased to announce that a serial story from the same pen, the scere A which is laid entirely in this district, ha.s already been secured for the Cardiff Times, in which it will be commenced shortly. [' Betrayed by a Shadow; by Raven Dean. London: Griffith, Farran and Co.]

THB TAILOR-MADK GIRL.To-day the tailor- made girl stands as the selection, the survival of the best ideas in dress of the last half of the nine- teenth century. Her dress is neat, solid, com- pact, useful, convenient, and adaptable. It stands for service and the absence of superfluity, for roadmess in an emergency, and propriety every- where. It is the universal high school and college dress, the best travelling dress, the city waing dress, and it stamps the wearer as an intelligent and cultivated woman (says the Woman's Cycle). It is expensive because g,od workmanship and good materials are put into it; but it never breaks out and never wears out; it has to be given away or cut up to get rid of it. It has done more for the health of American women than all the medi- cine in existence. It has re-constructed them and built up an upright, vigorous, well-built, healthy young womanhood out of the shreds and patches, which were about -an that was left of the woman that had been.

FACTS FOR FARMERS. Current Notes on Agriculture. By a Practical Farmer. FARMERS AND THE GOVERN- MENT. Mr S. Nicholis has addressed a circular to the secretaries and farmer members of the Provincial Chambers of Agriculture and the farmers of Great Britain. The first part deals with the incompet- ency of those in power in the Government Board of Agriculture. Severe strictures are made on the Central Chamber of Agriculture that the true interests of the farmers of this country are shame- fully neglected through the inexperience in agri- cultural matters of those who have been placed to guide and look after those interests. Mr Nicholls then submits the following scheme which he predicts would mnder British agriculture a success. (1) We must make every parish a self-con- tained centre of industry a bank must be set up to enable farmers to draw against value in and upon their farms, to pay rents, taxes, and other demands promptly, without so much waste of valuable time, or being exposed to the tricks of roguish money-lenders, or from being compelled to suffer heavy losses through forced sales to obtain ready cash. (2) A kind of home manufactory and trading institution must be set up in every parish, with the bank at its head, managed by properly paid, well trained, and widely experienced, enterpris- ing, honest men, where all the implements, engines, and machinery must be made, and repairs done together with slaughter-houses and properly constructed hot and cold rooms and appliances for curing, preserving, pickling, and dairying; also mills to grind all the corn grown in the parish, for its various purposes and uses, making flour into bread, cakes, pastry or other articles of dietary for universal daily con- sumption. g. (3) There must be a department Tor the manufacture of specially neat, useful and attrac- tive boxes, baskets, bags, or other packag-js for the proper package and protection of produce, convenient for carriage, and for the circumstances of the consumers. (4) All consignments, purchases, or sales must be done by or through the parish institution, for the convenience and security of the bank, through which all monies should be paid, which would materially advance the interests and secure great success both of the farmers and their workpeople. This procedure would, at the same time, ensure a regu- lar daily output of produce from every parish, a cardinal point in the farmers' favour, as well as to meet the daily wants of consumers, and cheapen- ing the cost of carriage. (5) "All -,lie letting QF selling farms, and collecting or paying rents, tithes, rates or taxes, should lie conducted by and through the Parish Institution, and all disputes or differences should be referred to the same institution for settlement. (6) All the buying or selling required to bo done bv farmers should be done by or through the Parish Institution." It may be observed that 1 have used the word "-must" in its strongest sense, as it will be manifest to all experienced men that no real, per- manent good can result from any proposal for establishing agriculture upon a sound, profitable basis, except by making the parish a self-contained centre of industry and commerce. The parish must have its "emporium." and the sooner it is established the better it will be for everybody. The following is what 1 want to show will bo gained by farmers doing their business through a parish emporium By tho lowest computation, upwards of 91,000,000,000 sterling could be easily added to the present yearly incomes of the farming classes, and could they but understand and appreciate the immense benefits that would accrue in other respects, I am sure no efforts on their part would be wanting to establish parish emporiums at once. I do sincerely hope, however, some wise, far- seeing capitalists or philanthropists will set up a bank in the parish in which he or they may be located, and followed by buildings, appliances, and means for conducting the farming business completely at home. I care not how smaller crude the beginning may be at first, for, with care, it will soon grow to such proportions, and show such large profits, as will astonish both the j banker and farmer. This is the proper kind of business to be taken in hand and carried to a successful issue by the chambers of agriculture, instead of humbugging valuable time and wealth away over trashery political jobs, and misrepresenting the charming and profitable nature of British agriculture. We can, upon the united ipsi dixit of a party of farmers, proceed at once to add one or two hundred millions sterling yearly to the income of the British farmer, upon his present yield and out- put even, simply by doing things well at home, and establishing a receiving and selling ayency of his own in London and other large cities. I have had placed before me splendid properties for the purpose, and old-established, wealthy gentlemen, long well-known for their enterprise and great success, are willing to give financial aid and the power and influence of their firms, to establish a great, convenient, and successful means to help the British farmer out of his difficulties, and make him feel like a happy, independent gentle- man-as he ought to feel. In conclusion, permit me to say that I have kept in my mind's eye, all along, the shameful 'I and ruinous difficulty constantly dinged into my ears when visiting farming friends—it matters not in whatever part of the country they may be situated — to get anything like fair value returned for their produce sent to London and other markets, and in thousands of instances yearly, farmers are robbed of the lot. I To these, we must add the prodigious losses sus- tained by the neglect to treat all productions completely, for universal comsumption in the parishes in which it may have been produced, to arrive at the hundreds of millions sterling, colossal fortunes in fact, which go to swell the awful leakages of the farmers' wealth and earn- ings. Whilst this continues, mind, neither land- owners nor farmers can have the ghost of an excuse for continuing in their present unhappy condition and circumstances. The Parish Emporium" will do all your busi- ness for you in a splendid manner, without troubling your minds or wasting a moment of your valuable time going to market, or from being imposed upon by the shoals of sharks who dog the farmers' heels. Again, when I return to London, and calling on pro- vision shopkeepers, I find their customers imploring for nice pieces of "English Bacon," but it is not to be had not one shop in three hundred keeps it, simply because it is not to be had for love or money. 'j'h same terrible demand exists amengst the upper classes on the con- tinent, and indeed, all over the world. Merchantsl tell me they could export any quantity if they I could get it, and the price of English well-cured bacon is very high, in many cases lOd to Is 2d per I lb. for best parts. Contrast this with your unhappy complaints that you can make nothing of barley glad to give it away for doubtful artificial manures. You have a gold mine in you barley but shocking as it may appear, you don't see it. Ten to fifteen millions worth of bacon is consumed in London alone yearly, nearly air foreign yet you have not work, you say, to employ sufficient hands regularly. Don't you know that working people are your constituents ? The larger the number, and the larger their incomes, the more happy and prosperous farmers and their beloved wives and children become. I am asked, because of my agricultural training and long and wide ex- periences, to deal with this matter with a strong and powerful will. The plan of the Parish Em- pcrium and Farmers' Receiving and Selling Agencies in towns would enable villagers or cottagers to become as ingenious, scientific, and in- dustrious as towns-folk, and I should bo much surprised if they were not a good deal more so at any rate, men working under proper plans and suprrintendence in farming districts ouvht to' errn a good deal, even double in the aggregate of a good London mechanic. Farmers, now oven, starve and poison their land and live stock in a most astonishing fashion, which no sane fGllah" can possibly under- stand. They don't keep pigs in anything like proper numbers, and those they do keep are managed in such a way as to negative humane or profitable procedure and any good result. Pigs are very liberal in makinjr snlendid manure full of sugar, fat, and marrow pro- ducing qualities. Certainly thirty to fifty millions more pigs ought to be on the carefully- managed and scientifically cured go in this country. The demand for our best pig produc- tions at home and abroad is unlimited, at fortune-making prices, and the beauty of it is the pig produce of no other country in the wcrlcl can equal it, nor ever could, by a long way. Then the millions of poultry, eggs, &c., would follow with a like result. I have said enough for the present, even to show you, my dear friends, what must be done, and I am pleased to say that my experiences and views of what ought to be our present and future operandi, to stop all further leakages of farmers' wealth and hard earnings, and make our commer- cial system of doing business perfect, accords with the opinions entertained by the good honest old school of farmers. Complete this first, then we could approach our children and children's chiidren, ourselves as masters of the situation, with many happy and promising facts to point to and put before them, to stimulate their little minds and whet their little appetites for greater things, to attain times of prosperity and happi- nesses never heretofore enjoyed by their anxious and loving parents, and without imposing on taxpayers at all. The decision of the Knighton justices in the Inland Revenue case reported in another column should not be allowed to pass un- challenged. If their ruling is correct then farmers will be deprived of a privilege they have, rightly or wrongly, long enjoyed. Welsh farmers have certainly been in the habit of believing that no licence was i-equired for a gun used solely for shooting crows and rabbits. The Knighton magistrates now tell us that any farmer carrying a gun for the purpose of shooting rabbits, even on his own land, is liable to be heavily fined. In face of the fact that the opinion to which we have referred prevails so generally, we cannot but regard the fine inflicted in this case— £ 3 7s —as out of all proportion to the offence. Benches of magistrates are not as a rule so very favourably inclined to Inland Revenue officers as this fine seems to suggest. We do not know how the Knighton bench is con- stituted, but looking at this disproportionate penalty we trust they are not landowners, and certainly not landowners vrho preserve game on their estates. The Weather and the Crops. The Mark-lane Express of Monday says :— The season which has become wintry in Eastern Europe, and has been marked by drought in Spain, has continued mild in Great Britain and also in Franco and Germany. The wheat sowings in our own country have been proceedinf, briskly, and the October sown corn is well up, looking exceedingly strong and healthy, but also rather dangerously forward. Threshings have also been carried on with freedom. The price of English wheat has been wdl supported for fine white sorts, and no regular decline can be quoted on secondary descriptions. Sales have, however, been slower th:111 they were at earlier jjeriods of the month. The financial crisis was declared last Monday to have been weathered, but the recovery of tone which was expected to follow has not been apparent. With regard to foreign wheat, Russian sorts are occasionally, and American generally, 6d cheaper but other descriptions are not much altered, whilst Indian and New Zealand are firm. Trade in spring corn shows firmness for grinding barley, beans, and linseed, and quietude for malting barley, rye, peas, and rape seed. Maize at Liverpool on Friday was 5d per ton dearer for American, but lOd cheaper for La Plate, whilst European sorts were unchanged.

COAL EXPORTS TO NORTH AND SOUTH. The Colliery G-uardian states that Russia, Denmark and Germany especially have re- duced their imports of coal from us. In the first 10 months of last year we exported to Russia some 1,676,000 tons of coal, whereas in the first 10 months of the present year we shipped to her only 1,407,000 tons—a difference of a quarter of a million tons. Similarly compared we have this year sent about 100,000 tons less to Denmark, and about 130,000 tons less to Germany. On the other hand, France and Italy have taken very considerably-increased quantities, the exports to France showing an increase or not much short of 900,000 tons for the 10 months. To Malta and Gibraltar less has been sent but when the total has been ascertained it is seen that, whilst a year ago we had shipped 24,000,000 tons in the ten months in the present year, the exports in the same pei iod rose to 35,200,000 tons. This is, of course, in addition to the shipment for steamers engaged in the foreign trade which have taken bunker coal at our ports but it in- cludes a slight export of coke in both years. It shows that though the details vary from pericd to period, the total of the exports of coal continues to grow—though it will be some time before official figures will enable us to determine whether the growth is con- current with that in the output of coal in the United Kingdom. The increase in the exports is largely due to the increase in the shipments of European countries to the south, and this is only partly checked by the decrease that has taken place in the exports to northern European countries. Possibly part of the decrease may be due to the increased duties that Russia has put on imported coal, and it may also be attributable in some degree to the determination of Germany to supply more fuel from its own collieries but what- ever the cause, the facts are there. It is, of course, to be recognised that the first and best customer for our coal is our own country. The exports as we have seen for the present year are averaging about 2,500, OOOtons monthly, and to that is to be added a ship- ment at our ports for the use of steamers engaged in the foreign trade, about 680,000 tons monthly. Still, if the total of the exports and the quantity shipped, as we have said, is taken for the yc-ar at about 37,000,000 tons for the whole twelve months, it will be not far short and that total represents a little more than a fifth of the total produc- tion of the country, unless the increase in the output is much larger than is expected. Thus the great bulk of the coal that is raised here in our own land, and the proportion that is exported, is still comparatively small, but the growth of the exports over a considerable period is steady. Looking, however, to the fact that we are barely maintaining our exports to some of the countries that now produce coal in part for their own wants, and that seem determined to handi- cap our coal at their ports in order to allow the home produce full liberty of growth, it is well worth the consideration of coal- owners whether more attention should not be given to the trade with the countries which are not yet coal producers, and to the supply of which we have the great advan- tage of cheap freight and frequent commu- nication by sea.

I see," said a man, entering a caterer's establishment, that you advertise weddings furnished?" "Yes, sir," replied the caterer briskly. "I wish you'd send a couple to my house right away. I've two daughters I'd like to get off my hands." PREPARING FOB BLACK MONDAY.—Paterfamilias (reading school report): Ah, my boy, this isn't so good as it might be. Latin indifferent," French poor," "arithmetic nothing."—Tommy: Ah, but look down here, papa Health excel- lent." POWER OF HABIT.—" My dearyounf lady, you must not press so hard on the pedal when you play."—" But I can't help it, because I have been running a sewing machine fcr the whole year." A VEGETABLE SUPERSTITION.- Some weeks since a lady purchased from an old coloured woman in the market some parsley, says the Washington Stav, and then asked the vendor to bring her some roots of the herb next market day. "Parsley root!" exclaimed the old woman. Parsley root Why, ma'am, I wouldn't give you a piece of parsley root f :r five dollars. "Why not ? Is it as dear as all that ? "No ma'am," was the answer but you can't get me to sell or give you any parsley root. Don't you know if I brought you a piece there would be a death in one of our families in less than a month ?" A lady who heard the conversation remarked to the ap- plicant for the root: "I don't btlieve in that stuff, and if you will send to my place you all the parsley roots you want." The appli- cant for roots took the lady's address and sent for them, and in less than a month the lady who gave the parsley roots died. This circumstance is not calculated to cure superstition.

Samuel's Sentiments. SAMUEL ON EXPLORERS. If the average schoolboy were asked to write & description of an explorer he would, in all probability, write as follows :—" An explorer is a man who goes a long way to see things, and then comes back home again and writes about them." And, taken as a broad definition, it would not be a bad one. I STANLKY. Of late, explorers and their ways have been much en evidence, and it is to be regretted that some exposition of their modus operandi have been placed before the public. Few, if any, public idols are perfect when the curtain is drawn aside, and the petty details of their lives are shown in all their nakedness. Public idols should be taken, as are many other things in this world-on faith and unless the public desires to dispel a popu- lar illusion, no attempt should be made to reveal the how and why of their actions. Heroes should always be considered as im- maculate as poor humanity can be, else they will cease to hold their place of pride in the eyes of the populace. So long as a valuable work of art remains perfect it is a source of pleasure and a cause of admiration. But once it gets in any way defaced or its beauty fades it is relegated to the oblivion of the lumber room. And it is the same with heroes and hero worship? The explorer and the burglar are always safest when they work single-handed, for in both cases the absence of comrades ensures an immunity from detection which is of considerable value. It has long been recognised as a curious phase ef human nature that no two persons seeing the same occurrence describe exactly alike. Why this is, or should be, I could never quite see, but in spite of all argument the fact remains that it is so. Now this being so, it is hardly a matter for surprise that when an explorer goes out on his travels accompanied by other people he and thfly often get at variance as to the details of their work and discoveries. Whereas if an explorer gees out to a strange land single- handed he comes back and tells his tales of adventures with no fear of contradiction or controversy. When a scientist stated to a class of students that the sun was a certain distance from the earth he added for the benefit of any sceptics present, If you don't believe it you can count it fcr yourselves." The scientist and the single-handed explorer sail in the same boat as far as unbelievers are concerned, It cannot but be annoying to aman who has been out on an exploring expedition, and "J ho has eudured many trials and hardships to be told by a stay- at-home lot of cynics that they doubt his tale as written in the the inevitable 2 vols. 8vo. Such treatment is apt to produce an impression that the game is hardly worth the candle. And, indeed, were it not for other more sordid considerations than the geographical and scientific one usually adduced, the trouble would cer- tainly not be worth taking. MA.TOR PJAIITTET.OT. When explorers are accompanied by an escort and have with them a staff of officers, the result is generally a series of stories which do not coincide in detail, and which occasionally vary all to actual fact. We have before us at the present ti me a sad and regrettable instance of this in the discussion occupying the attention of world, rc Mr H. M. Stanley and the late Major Barttelot, While Mr Stanley brings the gravest a.nd most revolting charges against his late officer, others refute in- dignantly his statements. As with others, so it it with explorers. Huma.n nature is the same all the world over, and jealousy is as likely to crop up during an exploring expedition as anywhere else. When this is the case it is hardly to be wondered at that men differ in their opinions and statements as to what occurred under certain cir- cumstances. LIVINGSTONE. Jealousy and spite appear to.me to be the cause of all the bother in theStanley- Barttelot scandal, tnd it is a great pity that the relatives of the unfortunate offi- cer stirred the matter up at all. They are certainly getting the worst of the fight, and are doing much harm to the memory of their departed kinsman. Old World explorers and latter day investigators ap- pear to be built upon different liner --and the advance of civilisation hat certainly not ad- vanced in thorough- ness and honesty ot purpose. Fancy Columbur taking part in suet a controversy as the one hrst.nameci. The old explorers went out with a mission foi for the jjocd of humanity, and no motives beyond scientific research and the welfare of their follow., prompted their labours. Self-glorification they dreamt not of, and more than one of thm had paId the penalty of hit mission, and lies unprayed for and unknown in his silent srrave in a. far lone land. No desire for persenal fame surrounded the labours of Marco Polo, Sir John Mandeville, DiM Vasco de Gama, Jacques Cartier, Sir Waltei Raleigh, William Barenz, or Martin Frobishcr. They went on their voyages at much risk and with but little or no help. They had no Relief Committees or public funds to back them up, and when they set out upon an expedition they know the odds were against their evef .returning. No banquets, no freedoms of cities, and no degrees awaited them at every turn and corner were they lucky enough to return alive. They were the pioneers of discovery, anij if some of the more recent of their dis- ciples have done more work in less time they have not done it with a better heart or with more thoroughness or earn- estness. While we are lav- ishing our praise and presents on the ex- plorers of to-day who go out to thrash and slaughter the savage equipped with all the trappings of war, let us not forget the men who, in the most primitive fashion, opened out the un- known corners of the world to the rest of their fellows. SIR RICHARD BCRTON. It is so easy to forget, and in the midst of tht triumphs of the present the records of the past are apt to fall into the shade, and to be relegated to the oblivion of forgetfulness. SAMUEL His SENTIMKNTS.

TOO MUCH STYLE. MR RATTE I'm going down to the chib awntie. Don't sit up fer me." AUNTIE RATTE Grey, if you knew how much I despise a dude, you'd use your appendage to steer by, not to walk with."

-n_ DIDN'T QUIT" UNDERSTAND.-Citizen of New York: From tri" newspaper reports it would seem that what you people need most of any- thing is a law and order society. Citizen of Long Island City Law and order I What's that 1

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Old Pete Robinson, who lived at Worsham Va., is a pious negro, who jogged along with his "life for many years, naming a new baby every year until seventeen unbleached olive branches bore Scriptural names. Then came a surprise. One morning the. Presbyterian minister, while taking his constitutional, met Pete. Good- mornmg, Peter. You seem to be very much pleased with something." "Yes, sail, I is. You j see, de olo 'ornan 'creased du family las' night." Ah, indeed "Yes, sah, dar's two mo' little lam's ov de Lord." "Indeed! And what will ycu name them ?" Gwine nam<* 'em both arter de Lord; gwine call 'em Messiah and Halloway Messiah and Halloway Where do you get that name Halloway?" Hi, man Don't de Lord's pra'r say Halloway be Thy nami ?' A SURE REMEDY.—The following little story is told of Secretary Rusk and a young "man of society." The young man, in the course of a con- versation on certain table dishes, expressed a treat preference for beefstoak and onions. But, don't you know, Mr Secretary," he said. "i seldom enjoy my favourite dish. A fellow can't eat onions and go into society. His breath, you know-well, it's not quite what he wants fur the drawing-room. The girls, you see—" My young friend," interrupted Secretary Rusk, let me tell you how you can have your beefsteak and onions, and go to see the girls too. You go up to Chamberlain's and order your beefsteak and onions. They know how to cook them there. I When you get your bill. it will just take your breath away."

WHAT BECOMES OFTHE MACEP What became of Cromwell's Bauble is still unsettled but what, it may be asked, becomes of the existing mace when Parliament is out of session ? Everybody is aware that it is borne in front of the Speaker to the House of Lords on the day of prorogation, but it is not so generally known that it is left in the charge of the Lord Great Chamberlain until the Houses meet again. Then one of the principal messengers, armed with the authority of the Speaker, reclaims possession I of it, so that it may once more be carried in front of the First Commoner, when he goes to hear the Queen's Speech delivered by the Lord Chan" ceflor "in her Majesty's ownwords."

I WELSH GLEANINGS. I By Uoffwr. ) Welsh music is regarded as deserving the I, honour of a leading article in the Daily. Telegraph. It says Welsh music, with which the Cornish melodies are said to have I much in common, is undeniably more artistic than that of the Scotch or the Irish, and on that account, according to Pencerdd Gwalia, one of the most eminent of living Cymric bards, it may appear more modern to the superficial observer. To those, however, who are acquainted with the national instru- ment of Wales, with its perfect diatonic scale, this apparent inconsistency dis- appears. Another great musical authority, the late Dr Crotch was of opinion that British and Welsh music might be cousidered as one, since the original British music, with its composers and executants alike, was driven into Wales. 'It must be acknow- ledged,' added this learned writer, that the regular measure and diatonic scale of the Welsh music is more congenial to the English taste in general, and appears at first more natural to experienced musicians than those of the Irish and Scotch. II Welsh music not only solicits an accompaniment, but, being chiefly com- posed for the harp, is usually found with one and, indeed, in harp tunes there are often solo passages for the bass as well as for the treble. It often resembles the scientific music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and there is no pro- bability that this degree of refinement was an introduction of later times.' In the principality itself, there appears to be a con- sensus of opinion respecting the community of origin of British and Welsh music." "It is difficult to form a conjecture with j regard to the exact antiquity of the more primitive Welsh melodies still extant, except- ing when history and tradition coincide, as in I the case of the plaintive air, Morva Rhudd- lan,' composed by King Caradoc's court minstrel immediately after the battle of Rhuddlan Marsh, in which the Welsh forces suffered a crushing defeat, and their Royal commander was left dead upon the field. This tune, which was written in the year 795, and is in the nature of a lament,' claims to be the oldest Welsh air in exist- ence, and its right of seniority is generally recognised by Cambrian musical authorities. Several of the Welsh songs that are most popular at the present day date from the 11th century, when the bardic craft was at its zenith, and Gryffudd ap Cynan, King of North Wales, held a congress of music masters in the Isle of Anglesey, for the purpose of reforming the Order of the Welsh Bards,' and invited members of the fraternity to assist in carrying out the contemplated in- novations. The most important of the re- forms instituted by this venerable assem- blage, convoked just 25 years before the Norman Conquest, appers to have been- according to Mr John Thomas, the Queen's harpist-the separation of the professions of bard and minstrel in other words, of poetry and music, the practice of which had theretofore been united in one and the same person. The congress of 1040 also thoroughly revised and amended the rules previously laid down for the composition and per- formance of vocal and instrumental music." • • A striking proof of the vitality of the Welsh language is afforded in the increased vigour and enterprise shown on the con- ductors of the native journals. Some time since the Baner, the leading Welsh news- paper, was considerably enlai-ged. That example has now been followed by two other Welsh papers which claim a large and increasing circulation. These are the Herald Cymraeg and the Genedl Gym- reig, the former an advanced Liberal, and the latter a pronounced Nationalist. Among the attractions offered in the enlarged issue of the former is one thoroughly characteristic 9 of Welsh thought and tastes in literature—a translation of Mr GLADSTONE'S recently published articles on the Bible. The latter promises its readers a treat hardly less valued in the form of a weekly Parliamentary letter specially contributed by Mr LLOYD GEORGE, the popular young member for the Carnarvon Boroughs. THE Tarian had during last Session a weekly instalment of Parliamentary Notes, evidently inspired if not actually contributed by a Welsh member, and the Genedl pub- lished at the same time a series of letters I contributed by Mr THOMAS LEWIS, the member for Anglesey. Since the death of the well-known GOHBEYDD, whose Par- liamentary letters were one of the most attractive features of the Baner, the Welsh press has never done justice to special Parliamentary reporting. With Mr LLOYD GEORGE'S "special in the Genedl, with a similar weekly letter supplied to the Herald by another member whose name has not yet transpired, and with the continua- tion of the Tarian Parliamentary notes, the Welsh papers now seem determined to make up for the deficiencies of the past. It is of course known that the Herald and the Genedl are rivals, and until the public see the promised new issues it will be difficult to decide between their res- pective claims, both as regards the quality and the quantity of the matter. While the Herald., on the one hand declares its enlarged issue will contain ten columns more matter than any other Welsh paper, the Grnedl on on the other hand throws down the bold challenge that its new issue will be the largest of any paper, Welsh or English, published in the Principality. This is a bold statement, and the Cardiff Timesv which at present holds that proud distinc- tion, will probably have something to say. However, we welcome this fresh energy au.d enterprise as evidencing alike the vitality of the natiye language and the popularity of the Nationalist principles which both papers advocate. MR GWENOGPRYN EVANS-has ABREACFY done the cause of Welsh literature invaluable seryice by his admirable series of reprints. He now advocates the founding of Welsh Chairs at Aberystwyth and Bang;or-— a pro- posal whicli certainly deserves the most favourable consideration of the authorities of those colleges. AS MrEv ANS poi, Its out, it is certainly somewliat remarkal >le thati the two institutions named, which cdaim to be not only "national colleger," but to be more Welsh than the sister institu- tion at Cardiff, should remain satisfied with "lectureships" instead i of professor- ships of Welsb. When the -new Welsh Intermediate Schools are in full working order, it may be that the.remand for what Mr GWENOGFRYN EVANS now urgtjs will be- come so great that, ar all <sosts, the authorities at Aberystwy^tHWwi F;angor will have to listen to it. a'' '.1 MR KUNO MEyER, at! T-fterp. Doi, and Mr C. PLUMMER, at Oxford, jam stiriking iUus- 0 trations of how enllllent! scholars of other I nations value that which Welshmen have too long neglected. The address delivered by tbae former 1 before the Manchester Welsh. National Society, and the letter written b-y the lafcter to the Secretary of the Davydd ap Gwilym Society, are interesting, thse firsfc as showing "the value which the learrfed Gwerman attaches to the native literature of the r Principality, and the second as indicating how English scholars master with compara- tively little effort what are generally con- sidered to be the difficulties of the Welsh language. It is a grave reflection upon the gentry of Cymru that their sons when they enter the universities, find themselves the object of a certain amount of merited con- tempt because they have neglected to acquire I the language which the best scholars of the day regard with ever-increasing favour. I I am pleased to find the Welsh Univer- sity Colleges displaying such commendable energy in establishing libraries which may lay claim to the title of national. Cardiff commenced with the purchase of the famous and probably unequalled collection known as the Salesbury Library. Principal EDWARDS has been making strong efforts to found at Aberystwyth a library worthy of the University College of Wales. Now the authorities at Bangor have purchased the well-known collection belonging to Mr E. I WATKIN, of Manchester. The friendly rivalry shown by the three institutions in this direction must result in securing for the Principality better and more valuable col- lections of books relating to Wales than would a short time ago have appeared possible.

BY DR JOSEPH PARRY, University College, Cardiff. MADAME PATTl AT CARDIFF. Last Friday night's, concert was one long- to be remembered in the history of Cardiff. The town and district are indebted to the secretary of the Cardiff Orchestral Society for bringing this and district are indebted to the secretary of the Cardiff Orchestral Society for bringing this world's greatest vc/canst and her party to the town. Our country h?;s been a remarkable one for its constellation of rare vocalists, and our female artistes have sh one brilliantly in the concert and upon the operatic stage. Italy, France, Ger- many, Amenca, Swpden, and England have each nursed artistes of world-wide ability. AMERICAN ARTISTS. It is astonishing the number of great vocalists our young country has already furnished. Louise Cary, who -was born in Wayne, Maine, in 1842, f was a magnificent contralto. I may name also Madame A ntoinette Sterling (an old fellow col- legiate of mane) from the same state also Minnie Harrel, boi.-n at New York in 1852, a truly great j operatic stager; and we must not forget the i charming and brilliant Miss Clara Louise Kellog, born in South Carolina in 1842. Our CardifHan favourite,, Mxlme. Nordica, is also a Yankee, bora in the State of Maine. Many of our leading male artistes are Americans, including Mrs Osgood, a Bostaaian, and Patti's only rival Madame Alban-i was born in Canada in 1851, and adopted the nsimeof Albani from the city of Albany, New York, .where she first appeared the operatic stage and < jur present heroine, Madame Patti, though born at Madrid, went with her parents to America as a child, where she first studied and first appeared in opera. There are still renowned singen yet to name in this century- Madame Christine Nilsson, born in 184-3 (the same year as Patti) in Sweden, the same country as Jenny Lind. Who can and would forget the ang, lic pathos of Nilsson in her Margliarette and ,ar othur impersonations The histriorsc. Madame Tit iens is another famous artist. Ono can ever see, hear, and feel her as Fidelia, Donna Anna, Zui \rezia, and many other operas. Her dramatic paver was as soul-stirring as she was excellent,in her bravura school. Mesdames Vi&rdo Garcia I and Malibran, my old tethers gifted sisters, also won for themselves a Corner in our art's tempo ¡' of song. Also Mesdames Gerster and Murska with her flute-like notes up in FraAlt. our Dolby, Sherrington, Clara, and Sabil.ls, Novello, the famous Sontag, Jenny Lind, and many others whom I could name, have seen a- ttd heard, are too numerous to dwell upon. MADAME ADELINA J •ATTI. Sbe herself stands as the cpjeen of all living vocalists, and the audience that she drew last Friday night was such thaJa the hall and its audience was as a dream picture. Our orchestra opened the concert punctual y at eight, and ths programme went on, each su ajessive artist doing their excellent best, and wi1;] i justice can I state that our noble and won ianly Welsh artist, Miss Eleanor Rees, of T Ntcath, who forms one of the Patti c( meert party, did her part with increase d honour to her name, her art, and her nati ve country, and quite roused her audience. Ah the precious moment has at last come when all the vast and beautiful- looking audience were br aathlessly watching her appearance, and on came our heroine; her little figure WAS as charming and as fascinating as we ha ,ve dozens of times seen her-as Zerlina, Dinor-i li, and her other Rossinia,n and other operas. In c losely observing her, being within a few yards of her, one soon found and felt that the timbre q her voice, the equality of her register, the brill it ncy of her execution, her exquisite phrasing:, and her remarkable pianissimo and sotto, voce were as phenomenal as ever. Our previous gj -udge that her concert should have cost about £ 1,' X)0 had been charmed out of us, and I could but gaze in admiration and with profound astonishri ent and appreciation, and feel that we were listeri tng to a marvellous little lady, endowed with a phenomenal voice, and had reached the highes t results of vocalisation. She truly demonstrate s the highest art, viz., concealcd art, utilizing art, a.s means for a still greater end. She generously yi elded to an encore after the end of her three song 3. She is one of the last of a sen col of vocal isation which belonged to the Italian school of music. Wagner, Beethoven, and others of a b igher dramatic school having a deeper poetic h asis, demand the declamatory more than ever befoi e, and do not confine themselves to the cantatrico and the vocal gymnasium and fire- works of the nigh bygone old Italian bravura school.