South Wales Daily News

},fONDA. Y; SEPTEMBER 1, 1879. Mr Alien, the Liberal candidate for the Pembroke boroughs, addressed a very large meeting of his supporters at Tcnby on Friday night, and another at Pembroke ou Saturday night. The result of a friendly conference of tin- workers and employers, held on Saturday, at Swansea, was, that the men at most of the works will return to work for a time, so as to permit of further negotiations, with a view of preventing a breach upon the wages question. The Aberdare magistrates have sent an old jade to prison for pretending to tell the fortune of a si!]y girl, who gave her 3d for her trouble, in a public-houao, Miss Shepard has gone to Brynmawr, where she is forming a new" army," and is meeting with gratifying success. It was reported to the Guardians of the Brecon Union, on Saturday, that irregu- larities had been discovered in the accounts of the late assistant overseer. The matter was placed in the hands of the clerk. Particulars respecting the steps taken for closing the Pentyrch and MeIIingrimth Works will be found in our issue to-day. It appears that nobody has purchased the concern, and the men, now working on a day-to-day contract, are engaged in blow- ing out," and other matters incident thereto. We not unfrequently read of overseers being threatened and summoned for not paying their calls. They appear, however, not to be always to blame, if we may judge from a report of the Monmouth Board of Guardians. At the meeting,on Saturday, the assistant-overseer for Monmouth applied for an extension of time for the payment of one call, but added that, if a large part of the Guardians were to pay their rates, he would not want an extension of time. The Board said the letter was most insulting. Mr H. H. Miers, of Ynispenllwch, has been elected chairman of the Brecon branch of the English Church Union. At the meeting of thebr&nch, on Thursday, a motion was passed recommending all members of the Union to attend the coming Church Consress. Col. Lyne, speaking at the meeting of the Newport Guardians, on Saturday, stated that a widow who had applied for relief had received JE18 from a friendly society on the death of her husband, and spent nearly the whole of it on the funeral. The board offered the woman the house.

Further signs of improvement in the iron trade are forthcoming. Mr C. Jordan, iron founder has received a good order for castings, and the Wigan Coal and iron Com- pany have arranged to blow in another furnace. At a Liberal demonstration held at Man- chester, on Saturday, resolutions were passed condemning the policy of the Gov ernment. it is reported that the depression in the northern and midland coal trade is passing away. Subscription lista have been opened in Somersetshire for presenting Colonel Pear- son, of Ekowo fame, with a sword of honour. The noted Bleak House, of Charles Dickens's novel, situated in St Peter's- street, Islington, London, was totally destroyed on Sunday morning. The mass meeting of Irish farmers, held at Limerick yesterday, passed off very quietly. The agricultural depression was deplored, and the landlords were asked to 'reduce the rents. At a meeting of earthenware and china manufacturing companie, held at Hanley, with respect to the wages of the workmen, it was resolved to reduce the employes' wal The reduction will aSect over 50,000 persons. The Secretary for War has forwarded to the Aborigines Protection Society a letter from Sir Garnet Wolseley, in which that gallant general refers to a statement of Private Juo. Snook, published in the North DewM Herald, to the effect that the British troops found about 500 wounded near Kam- bula camp, on March 30th, begging for mercy, but that they got no chance, after what they had done to our comrades at Isandula. Brigadier-General Wood reports that there is not a shadow of truth in the statement. The whole of the infantry were employed that day in burying 785 Zulu dead close to the camp. On Saturday all the Burnley coal pro- prietors reduced the price of coals and col. hera wages are at the same time reduced five per cent On Saturday the Northern Iron Trade Arbitration met at Darlington to consider a claim of nve per cent reduction in the wages of the ironworkers. The arbitrator, Mr Dale, reserved his award. During the miHtary manoeuvres in Ger- many one man and six horses were drowned.

THE CZAR AND THE STATE OF SOCIETY IN RUSSIA. THE most mysterious rumours continue to come from more than one Russian centre, all pointing to the spread of the Nihilist Society in the Empire of the CzAR. It is no longer confined to the poor and the peasants —the latest victim of the Russian police being the wife of the CzAR's Physician-in- Ordinary. Then it is said, that although the Emperor ALEXANDER holds military reviews, and goes through the forms proper to theHead of.the State—asatWarsaw onjFriday—that the real moving power in Russia is the Czare- vitch. In the current number of the Oontem- porary Betiew, KARL BLIND contributes a striking article on the conspiracies in Russia under the reigning CzAR. He ex- plains the source of Russian conspiracy, and draws an altogether new picture of the present CZAR, ALEXANDER. This personage, according to KARL BLIND, inherited the arbitrary bias in his blood. No smile ever lights uphis face, and his uneasy glance is that of a misanthrope. He was brought up harshly by his father, NICHOLAS, whose one absorbing desire was to turn the sickly boy into a soldier. When NICHOLAS died-in a rather mysterious manner—the present CzAR, by right; of inheritance, came into power. The Empire had been shaken by the victory of the Turks on the Danube, and such public opinion as dare express itself in Russia made the young CzAR uncomfortable. KARL BLIND quotes, as illustrative of the young CzAR'a mind, the words he addressed to the Marshals of the Polish nobility at Warsaw -I' Before all, no dreams, gentlemen. If need be I shall know how to punish with the greatest severity, and with the utmost severity I moan to punish." When the echoes of the Crimean War were reverberating throughout Russia, what KARL BUND calls an underground litera- ture" began to be circulated in Russia, notable among which were ToLSToY's "Songs of the Crimean Soldiers." PUSHKIN, the well-known political song-writer, assisted materially. a passage of whose writings is quoted in the C.,n-¡,k-rnpQrary to shew his in- tense dislike to the CZAR, ALEXANDER—" I hate thee and thy race, thou autocratic villain. These literary echoes confirmed the death-bed warning of the CzAR, Nicno- LAS, to his son ALEXANDER—"Thou hast two enemies—the nobility and the Poles. Emancipate the serfs, and do not a!low the Polea any Constitution." KARL BuND thinks the emancipation of the Russian serfs less an act of courtly justice than a conces- sion to the aims of the conspiracy which originated in the years 1817-25. Instead of repressing conspiracies, the abolition of serfdom set now impulses a-going, which the Czar ALEXANDER, discerning, led him to approve of military expeditions. The statement, aa made by KARL BLIND, t; ;n direct QDpoaition to what has been stated by every other writer, but as the contributor to the Contemporary Reviewis understood to be one of the founders of" The International," he probably knows more than most men about the enact of con- spiracies in Russia. The present CZAR, he amrms, tried blood-letting abroad-in Cen- tral Asia-as a means of distracting atten- tion from what was going on at home, and it was this idea which led him to encourage the Panslavists in the agitation which led to the opening up of the Eastern Question and to the war on the Danube. What has been'tbe result in the opinion of the Contemporary writer ? All the CzAB's spilling of blood has not been able to prevent the formation and extension of what is called the Nihilist con- spiracy. Side by side, we are assured, with the CzAB's wars,jthe Secret League has grown apace, overshadowing all his glory. KARL BLIND thinks that the St. Petersburg insur- rection of 1825 left its traces in Russia. In proof of this view, he points to the League of PjETRASCHESKi, in 1849, whose adherents were sentenced to forced labour and banishment to Siberia. 0;ie of the moat extraordinary statements which the article contains is to the effect that under the gloss of omcial orthodoxy, Russia is eaten up with a chaos of sects. KARL BLIND affirms that the Ruskolniks, or Old Believers, profess to be the real Church. To them have to be added Runners," "Jumpers," "Flagellants," Self Mutilators, &c." One of the so-called Dissenting sects of Russia held It as a leading form of belief that, according to their reading of the Book of Esdra, after the reign of NICHOLAS was over the Monarchy would fall down under his son, and that the people would then be happy and free. This prophetical view being very generally entertained, practically laid the foundation for the now widespread Nihilist conspiracy, which is religious as well as political, in the sense that it seeks to get rid of the CzAB as the political head of the State, and also in his capacity of head of the Greek Church. KARL BLIND quotes authorities to prove that Panslavism has little real hold of the Russian people, but that Nihilism has; and Panslavism and Nihilism, apparently, are antagonistic. The term "Nihilist" is not, we are assured, an exact definition of all the Russian discontented. Some cultivate a philosophy of despair, disgust, and destruction, through sheer hopelessness others evince a morbid individualism others are followers of COMTE; many hold French and German socialism as the purpose of their political creed while another set of individuals are influenced by hostility to the Orthodox Greek Church. In an admirable chapter, KARL BLIND shews English readers the marked innuence exercised upon Nihilism by women, and the dinerent classes of society from which they sprung. Thus YERA SASSULiTCH is a captain's daughter SOPHH. LoscHEN VoN HERZFELD is a lady of rank NATHALIE voN ApMFELDT is the daughter of an Imperial councillor MARY KovALEVSKi is by rank a noble, while others who have come to the front occupy positions of respectability. Some of them, KARL BLIND says, have suffered imprisonment; others have risked their lives, and not a few have been condemned to hard labour for their associations with Nihilism. A wonderful awakening, we are assured, has taken place among the girlhood of Russia, which seeka impatiently for knowledge, and dares much in order to acquire it. Of VEKA SASSUUTCH, the Nihilist heroine, KARL BLIND tells the story in touching language. For eleven years she was under the eye of the Russian police, or the keepers of prisons-on no precise charge—and it was when she got back, surreptitiously to St. Petersburg, and hearing of the knouting of the brother of one of her female friends— BoGOLJPBOTT by name-that she invaded the ofnce of TREPOFF, the begd of the Police, and attempted to assassinate him. Her trial and acquittal must still be re- membered by English newspaper readers, for it led to something like a full concep- tion of the gravity and aims of the Nihilist Conspiracy, which it has been the aim of the Russian Govern- ment to put down with an iron hand but in which they have not succeeded. The "Reign of Terror" which has set iu brushes aside all liberty, and makes it dimcult for some people to breathe. KARL BuND, on reviewing the historical situation, fully ex- pects that the day is not far distant when Russian autocracy must either bend, by making concessions, or break, and become utterly uprooted. Ten years ago, when Fiance was strangely agitated, K.A.RL BLIND predicted a change, and it came. Will he be equally successful in his predictiona as to Russia? Time will tell.

PONTYPOOL AND TALYWAIN RAILWAY. This important link of communication, belong- ing to the Monmouthshire Railway system, which has been four years in const. uction, has just been completed, and on Thursday last Colonel Rich. R.E., the inspecting officer deputed by the Boaid of Trade to examine the railway previous to its opening for passenger traSic Mr Roberta, the engineer; Mr Boucher, and Mr Watkiua, accom- panied by the officers of the company, went over the line, testing all the bridges, and examining minutely all the works and appliances for con- ducting the heavy mineral and passenger traSic which, on Its opening. Is expected to pass over it, and approved them. A brief deEcription of its principal features may not be uninteresting. The railway commences by a junction with the East- ern Valleys main line at Trevetbin Junction, a short distance to the north of the station at Pontypool, and in order to t:ain an elevation of about 320 feet to form a junction with the Talywain and Abeysychan Extension of the Lon- don and North Western Railway at Talywain, follows a contour line past Tranch Colliery, CwmnrwdoerandCwmnantdduValleys.Pentrepiod Saatchwood, and Pentwyn, where a junction is made with the Ebbw Vale Company's private railway, and thence by a high embankment over the Sychan Brook to Talywain. The gradients, though heavy—the steepest being one in 48—are no exceptions to the ordinary run of railway gradients in South Wales valleys; they are so far favourable that they are with the load and not against it. A somewhat extraor- dinary curve is described by the line in crossing the CwmSrwdoer &nd Cwmnantddu valleys. It traverses three-fourths of the entire circle, so that when standing a.t the upper end the corn' mencement of the circle is seen a considerable depth below, but at a very short distance off. The Cwmffrwdoer branch Railway and stream ar< crossed by a massive stone bridge 40ft in height, and the Cwmnant Idu branch railway and stream by a viaduct of four spans, between 40 and 50 feet high, also built of masonry, with brick arches. At Snatchwood a great landslip took place, and the railway embankment having moved bodily down the hill, a deviation of the line became necessary in order to avoid the treacherous ground on which it had been formed. A massive concrete wall supports the em- bankment between Pentvyn and Aborsychan works for about 350 yards, soon after pp.ssing which a tunnel spans the private railways of the Ebbw Vate Company. This bridge is built upon an old eiag tip, about 60 feet above the natural level of the Sychan Valley, and a high embank- ment is carried over th& bridge, so that the height from the natural surface to the level of rails is more than 100 feet. Ample siding room has bepn provided at the terminus to accommodate the traffic which is expected, and it is to be hoped that the slight revival in the iron and coal trades now observable is the foier'jnner of a long and prosperous period of healthy activity that will not ouly benefit the iron and coal masters, and the working population of the district, but also give a fair return to the Monmouthshire Com:'a"y for their very large outlay in construct- ing the line. We understand it is in contempla- tion to open the line for passenger trffic at an early date, and that traina will be run from I Newport to Brynmawr without change of carriage.

The total receipts at the Birmingham Musical Festival which closed on Friday evening, have beeti EII,720, as against tl5,160 in 1877. There is no truth in the reported death of Mdlie. Pauline Lucca. The wen-known c:tnta trice has been stung on the arm by an insect, and a sweUing followed, such that fearn were 6nter- t .iued M to Mdlie. Liicva# Ufe, but she M uuw con va!Qlceufi.

CARDIFF BOARFoFGUARDIANS. The weekly meeting of this board was held on Saturday, Mr T. W. H. Plain in the chair. There were also present—Mr J. Le- is (ex-officio), Messrs W. Lewis, D. Jenkins. W. Ayres, T. W. Jacobs. Titua Llewellyn. S. Andrews. J. Lee J. -f Barry, W. Hf'adford, J. Mo-W., J. Newbery, Rev. V. Saulez, T. Williams, T. Bassett. E. T. Ferrier, and Rees Enoch.—The Master of the workhouse reported that during the week 25 paupers had been admitted, and 18 discharged, leaving 390 in the house, an increase of 42 on the corresponding week of lwt year. Num- ber of vagrants relieved, 67; number re- lieved corresponding week of last year, 26. The Master of Ely Schools reported the number of pauper inmates of that instttution to be 247 an increase of 15 on the corresponding week of last year. Number of out-door paupers relieved du- ring the week, 2,747 number reiieved last year. 2.537. Amount, of relief, JE2679a7d; cost of relief on corresponding week of last year, JS255 5s 6d. A letter was read from the Local Government Board relative to the appointment of a medical omcer for the West district ef Cardiff, Mr Williams, the medical omcer atipreaeut acting for the district, not residing in it. The question was deferred tilt the next meeting.—Mr U. J. Jeakins,Laneadle,v-eferred toeome remarks made in tbesotah Wale. JOat/y News on Monday morning, At the previous meeting Mr Jacobs asked a ques- tion with reference to the assessment of the Wood- street chapel, which, it was stated, was referred,to when Mr Jouaa Watson was present at a meeting of the assessment committee, and in reply to Mr Jacobs as to whether Mr Jonas Watson was nro- sent, he(MrJeakius) said "Ask Mr Steohen son, the clerk." He considered this was a proper course to take, as the derk wasanooicial who woult probably recollect facts better than he did But m the South Wak, Daily IVews of Monday he was dubbed "a lory' beouse he had done so He was not aware that his political view. were known, but it might have been aa well if the editor had ascertained what his views were. He did not object to the term, but whether Tory or not, he shoutd have been as much opposed as any one to the rating of a. religious place of worship. He, however, know nothing about the rating of Wood-street chape!, and knew not to wh&t Mr Jacobs referred when asking the question. Mr Jacobs aaid it was perfectly true that Mr Jenklna, when he asked the question whether Mr Jonas Watson was present at the meeting, did not know for what purpose he was asking the question. Mr Jenkina I certainly did not know that the question applied to this particular chapel. Dr. Lewis objected to the introduction of political questions into their meetings. In the Brst place there was connecting of the assessment committee on the day referred to, Mr Watson looked in, but he believed no reference in any shape wa.s made to Wood-street Chapel then, and if there had been it could not have been anything more than private conversation, and ought not to have been reported at the board. The Clerk said, if necessary he could exp!ain that no reference was made to Wood-street Chapel on the occasion when Mr Watsou came in. The Chairman thought there was no necessity to carry the natter Kny further. The subject then dropped, and tlie meeting separated.

FORTUNE TELLING AT ABE' :iE OnSaturdity,atthe Merthyr police-court, Mr Jan? Lewis, Dr Davies. 1?. Prpbert and Mr Thomas Wiliiama on the bench. M?ry Vaughan. an old woman, who has been convicted on several previous occasions in the pohce-courts of tne <us- trict was brought up charged with fortune-teDlug at Aberdare on the 28th. PrMoner, it wa. proved, waa on the above date in thePnnceof Wa!es Inn, Aberdare, when ELizabf th Bowen. a servant at a neighbouring inn, entered. The prisoner desired to tell the girl's fortune, and Bowen even. tuaHy agreed to give her 3d for having the future foretold. PrMoaer produced a pack of car<!a, and told Bowen about a dark and light ni;in. Subse- quently she went to the Marquis of Bute I?a where she desired to tell the fortune of the ser. vant of that place. She was told to call at ei"ht o'clock the following morning, which ahe did, and whilst in the act of telling the girl of the light man ho was in love with her, and to be'vare of tho dark man. P.O. Jamee James entered, and arreate't her. The magistrate* sentenced her to 14 days' imprisonment.

"Ma.n wants but little here beto.v,"bnt he can't get Mt without W. F. NiouoLM &nd Co'a TonAooos. To be h?d of res?ctaMe tobacconists, and at 20, St. Majy. 5trfct, New York.' '4005 j WARNtNO.—RKCKITT'a PARIS BLUK.-The Man- uftLctureritbegto Caution the pub''c against nnitatioa &,ua re Ulue of vel") iMferior qua.iity. The t'ttria B!ue. in I squares (used in the Prince of WaleW Laundry. 8otd X l WIIWUOIII btafiua. wwa& IWti Tawia lI&rIt 1M J

ECHOES OF THE WEEK. l BY PETBR PLATFAIR.J MB RMD'a IIKE'l'ING Of CARDIFf. The great Ijiber&I demonstration in the Cardiff Market, on Monday last, will long be remem- bered. There never was the slightest warranty for the statement that the Liberal party were divided, but the meeting has quickened the several elements into activity and determination. Even in sporting Tory otrcles, Mr Gueft, the patron of branding soLHera. is at long odda. It must never be forgottn that "the Bute screw." once so potential, has failed to operate, for the ballot gives the honest voter the means of follow- ing his conscience-Tory screws notwithstanding. I am confident, from what I know, that Mr Reed will win by a very substantial majority. I care nothing for the requisition to Mr Guest, for I see a good many names on it who are not voters Perhaps Mr Jonas Watson will explain how this came about. THE TORY DODGE RESPECTING WOOD-STREIsT CHAPEL. It would be as impossible to wash Bunyan's Ethiopian white as to free the Tones from the charga of seeking to suppress free speech among the Liberals of CardiS. I know a great deal more than I care to mention, but I should like to see one practical point made clear. Mr HoweII, vestry clerk, has committed him- self to the statement that places of worship must not be used for purposes other than worship. Does a ca'itata., or an opera like Blodwen. or a lecture on Zululand, constitute an infraction of the law. Evidently they do. Why, then, has the vestry clerk been 1'0 long remiss in his his duty ? He must either follow law or custom. The cus- tom. throughout the Three Kingdoms, is to use piacea of worship for purposes that are moral, without being strictly religious. Is this to con- tinue-or are the dry bones of the law to be shaken in the face of the Liberal party of Cardiff because there ts no public ha)l? I hope not a month will be lost before a movement for a capactou*! hall be set a-going. A DISGRACEFUL 8CME. Cardiff was strongly agitated on Monday last in connection with a rumour that one of three trains, with Bute employes to Raglan, had been in coUision. The wicked story began at the Docks, and by the time it had reached Roath, the dead were put down at 16, and the injured at 57. The disgraceful story wax, I supuose, the product of a lark" on the part of some young buck at the Docks with more money than sense at command. If the originator could be discovered, his best punishment would be to hand him over to the hundreds of despairing women who flocked round the Great Western Station on Monday afternoon. They would, I am certain, rume hia feathers for hint, and serve him right." THE PROSECUTION OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND BANK DIRECTORS. I was in Bristol last week, and on the day the court opened for the trial of the bank directors and the ex-manager I looked in to hear the opening speech of Mr CoIIins. Q.C., nho has been re- tained by the Treasury to prosecute. Without, of course, prejudging a case now sub judice. I mav say that infinite care has evidently been bestowed upon the indictment. The counsel's speech was a model of its kind. Mr Collins ha& a clear utter- ance, and a manner which improves one with the idea that whatever he undertakes he will carry out thoroughly. He seems a stranger to fuss and hurry. While embracing every- thing in the history of the bank's affairs for the past 20 years, Mr Coilins was particuIaHy careful to dwell upon the transactions with Messrs. Bookerand<Jom:any aud the Aberdare and Plymouth Company. Though the trial is a very general topic of conversation in the city, the attendance of the public at the Guildhall is but limited, which to some extent may possibly be ac- counted for by the fact that a Imisaiou is by ticket. The trial proceeds slowly, and without any excitmg incident. Mr Clarke has been examined, and Mr Turqnand partly s«, but neither have as yet been cro-,s-exami;ie When this happens a somewhat different complexion may be put upon the statement made. THE PERILS OF A NEWPORT WIDOW. It is not always that owners of property are to be envied. Where is the selfish man or woman to be found who would envy Mrs Sarah Jenkins, a widow, although the owner of property. She owns a s' op and a yard adjoining St. Mary-street and St. Edward-street, in the borough of New- port. The authorities of this borough have been mending their ways, but they have a way of making other people pay for the mending. In this '.vay they are backed uu by an Act of Parliament, and so Mra Sarah Jenkins nnds to her cost. For mending the roadways, the pavement, the kerb- tng a') channelling around and contiguous to MrsJenkina'property, the Corporation authorities of Newport demand the sum of B70 4s 21. Mrs Sarah Jenkins is a poor widow, and cannot pay JE70 4s 2d, bxt because she can't pay the Ne'. port Corporation have recourse to law. An order is made in accordance with law. and Mrs Jenkins must t ay, or a levy will follow. I am not prepared to say the extent of roaIway around :\Irs .f enkins'¡j bit of property. It is not much. as it simply consists of a shop and yard. The gross rental is only E20 per annum, with a ground rent of 22 5s, besides repairs and insurance. Poor Mrs Jenkins has a mortgage on her property of 2125,.and upon this she pays B5 per cent, or B6 5s per annum. Thus out of her rental of JE20 a year. poor wid'w Jenkins has somewhere about 3s per week to live upon. This is the out- come of the paving, kerbfng, and channelling a roadway and footway, that was in a decent state of repair before. Mrs Jenkins is one of the conatituenta of the North Ward of the borough. What will her representatives say of this condition of things. With her £8 It Yfar Mrsjeukinaha.s ni,tna,(I,,ed to kepp off the pansi), but if the levy on the property be ma !e, and Mrs Jenkins be de- prived thereof, she may derive consolation from the hope that the guardians of the poor may allow her 3s 6d a week for the remainder of her days Poor Widow Jenkins A CANUID WATERWORKS PROPRIETOR. You have heard the axiom anent the dirty bird that fnnia its own nest. What ,-ill you say of a proprietor of a stream, the ater from which he sells to the public, and yet proclaims it dirty. Whatever may be said of the financial policy of such a course, it has the characteristic of being honest. The illustration illustrates the course pursued by Mr Joseph Firbauk. at the recent meeting of the proprietors of the Newport Waterworks. "Virtually," Mr Firbank says, "I am a shareholder in this concern. I like a good dividend as well as any man. But we are making a dividend out of dirty water. Can't: we improve it a little ? Put the water into a glass bottle, let it stay over night, and by the morning it is quite yeltow. First having satisfied the proprietors with a good dividend, next let us satisfy the public who consume the wate* Try and improve it a little." I was glad to read that Mr Firbank epoke as he did, but I could not help thinking that he would haveshown more real interest for the vast body ot the pubUc who consume the water if he had argued—"Pure water first—n dividend next'" Doubtless it was from want of thought, and per- haps tKixt half year Mr Firbank may move-" No dividend, gentlemen, until the water is warranted not to turn yellow in a glafs bottle. A QUESTION OF INTELLIGENCE—HORSE ANU MAN. Mr John Gale's horsea bear the stamp of acute. neas of instinct. Their owner had turned them out to <rrasa, but the grass was nowhere to be found, having been Mtbtnerged m water. Ihe mares and colts, it is assumed, feared they might precipitate death by drowning if they remained in the midst of so much water, and consequently made for the highways of Redwick. But this in. stioctiveness cost their owner 10s 6d and it was imposed by the county justices. EXPENSIVE WIDOWS AND THE POOR-RATES. I do not )iko to be too hard upon widows, and more especially widows who have recently lost their husbands. Nor would i have mentioned widows at.a.1), were that not neces?ry to the ex. p'anation of & circumstance to which Col. Lyne directed public attention at the Newport Board of Guardians, on Saturday. The question, fairly put, wouid read thus—How much is a widow juatined in expending to inter the dead body of her husband? Is B18 too much, provided that she had no means of existence beyond that of parish relief ? For the funeral expenses bills amounting toJE17 8s 2d bad been received, &nd had to be paid out of £18 handed over by friendly societies to the widow. The money was all gone, and a day or two afterwards the woman applies for relief. From a guardian's point of view, the ex- penditure partakes of the character of extra- vagance, but there is another atandooint from which to look at it. Doubtless the widow had the most affectionate regard for her husbaud, and the greatest effort was put forth to give him decent burial. The money expended was due to the deceased man's frugality during his life, and was intended for the purpose of interment, having accrued at the result of subscribing to a burial fund. Had the unfortunate widow applied for relief whilst a balance of the B18 remained, it M qnite probable th?t she would not have reoetved a penny from the guardians. Consequently she ap- plied the funeral money to the purpoaM ??h it WM desired, and trusted to the ?'?? the support of herself and family, ibe undent Btrikeaa blot on our parochtaJ relief system. Guards of the poor have no alternative but to h?p tho-fw'.o cannot help themselves, wh.ht they often refuae assistance to those who are desiroua of heluinf? themselves, bysu;.plementuigthe pittance Kranted by the guardians by abour or any little saving that may have accrued from the thrift: of a deceased husband or friend. INUNDATION AT SWANSEA. There has been a renewal of comulaints on the part of shopkeepers in High-street, and some parts of the Strand, at Swansea, at the flooding of their ceUMs the middle of last week. Considering the heavy downfall—nearfy an inch rainfall within a few h'.urs-tt ts no wonder that much da.mage waa done, though attiie same time no efforts should be spared to remedy. Rememberin" the heavy expendtture incurred at Swansea in drain- age works, it is only natural that sufferers should grumble, though it would reaHy appear that active steps have been taken to prevent any general repetition of it by repairing the aewer at the bot- tom of the Strand. THE OTSTEBMOUTH TRAMWAY. It would really seem as though the litigation and disputes over tramway matters in Swansea were never-ending. When a few weeks back the Railway (Jommi!'lioners gave their decision in favour of the line being open for the public to run over, subject to p,,yz-,eiit of toUi, and obser- vance of p'oj'er regulations for safety, it wM thottgbt tm?t the taat had been heard of the strite. Now. however, it see'na as far off as ever from settlement, a ru!e Mw having been granted within the last few days requiring cause to be shown why the decision should not be revereed, and the whole begi-in again. I was always under the i,tnpre,Pinn that the de- cision of the commissioners was nnal this would now seem not to he the ca-e, :tn'1 so I aunpose the cauHe will go or, the benefit which should acoue to the public being meauwhilo diverted illtn the packets <?f the gentlemen of th? long-robed pro- fession, who have already reaped a good harvest therefrom. THE BRITISH AIi'8f)CIA'l'J'tJN AT SWANSEA. Now th:tt the in vit.\t;,on for the gathering of the British As!<oc!atk)n has bce't definitely given and accep ed, the luca' committee must losx no time in putting themselves in order to receive th"u visitor It is not the ntet time tb<tt tho association hns visited Swaosea. though the former vistt was so long a.go that but very few whe taok p')rt in the proceedings then can dosoaKMa. The town itself has developed to an enermem extent and population during that period, and it is now for those who are at the head of affairs t< Is itowift hey can makeacorreeponding improvement from a scientific point of view, by giving < liearty welcome to the visitors who come in pur* suit of science and enjoyment combined. 'l'h like everythin? else. requires money, and tJM committee wi)l need more support than they have yet been promised to carry out the arrangementd with due eclat. Swansea is becoming quite < f .shionable place for the gathering of confere<e«t and associations, and I see that in addition to the Church Congress this autumn, and the British Association next, the Pharmaceutical Society wiM also hold a gathering there. AN OLD CLO MYSTERY. "A Commercial," while on his rounds at Wor- cester, beard of an incident which he relates, il- lustrative of the manner in which some water mysteries arise. Early on Thursday morning, some persona, walking near the canal at Worcester, observe! several articles of wearing apparet floating upon the surface of the water, which was found to consist of a pMr of trowsers, coat, socks, a collar, necktie, and braces, all very much the worse for wear. In one of the pockets was found part of a letter, addressed to my loving wife, intimating that a sister had caused a aeriout breach between his wife and himself, fot which he would "never forgive her;" ia addition to this was a ticket for admission to the workhouse for the previous night, bearinz the name Edward Penton. It was ascert:unea[ that a person in a destitute condition, and wear- ing similar clothes to those taken from the canal, h:td actually applied for, and received the ticket, the previous evening. This naturally led to the conclusion that a case of suicide had taken place, and for several hours persons were em- ployed in dragging- the ca.nal, whilst others in their zeal dived in to search for the body, but all to no purpose; at last it waa thought necessary to employ the dredge (kept for cleaning the canal), but, happily, before this w..s done, the suspense of the no IV numerous and excited Concourse of people was relieved by the news that, on the Wednesday evening, Edward Penton had called upon a brother, who lives not far from th< Bcene, and obtained from him a suit of clothes and sufficient funds to enable him to proceed to hi< houfie near Birmingham. Deeming- the old do of no value he had innocently firowR them into the ca.nal, little dreaming the excitement and mystery this act would cause.

'PENTYRCH AND MELINGR1F- FITH WORKS. PAYING OFF THE MEN. BLOWING OUT THE FURNACES. The hamleta of TaS's Well, Morgan's Towa, Tongwynlais.and Gwaelody?arth, owe their ex!st- ence entirely to the development of the coMieriet and the iron and tin-plate works at Pentyrcit and MelingriSit)'. Isolated from all towns, and sur- rounded by an agricultural district, they nevef indicate the extensive commerce carried on with. in the circle formed by them. The hole of the adult male population were engaged at the workw and collieries, and, except ou Sundays, on!y portions of them were seen above ground. Now that the works are closed, the workmen begin to throng the streets and houses, and a large popula- tion seems to have been suddenly called into being. The ironworks at Penty:ch are probably the oldest of the kiod in the country. They began im 1740 the manufacture of cast-iron. For a long time they were most successful. a.nd the Melim- grimth works for the manufacture of tin-platex were subsequently added to them. For 140 yciira these works have been carried on without cessa- tion, and as the copulation grew around them they were enlarged, so that the men who entered abbeys remained there the hole of their lives. and their children in turn succeeded them. Many years ago, when the houses were few and far be- tween, the old cottages which now stand on the company's premises were er cted. but as the wotkt extended houses were erected on the other side of tiie river, and the hamlets of Morgan's Town,Ton- gwynl:ua. and places adjoining rapidly increa-ed to afford shelter to the men, with their wives ani families, engaged at the works. At a time whea there was no communication by railway either with Pontypridd or Cardiff, provisions were dear at these places, and whether from a pe u; h motiva or from a desire to benefit thj wotknu-'u, it is dim. culttosay.a"tfuck shop" was estai'tishel ia connection with the works. This \\aa before tha "Truck Act "came mto operation. Workmea were supplied with books, and every necessary. either in food or clothing, could be obr;Hne 1 a.t the shop, the cost of which was deducted from their wages. Like all systfma of this kind it had one advantage and many evils. Several years age aome cp:nmis.-uonet8 were sent to CarJiS to m- Quire into the operations of the Factory Act, and allegations were laid before them that this was still a truck shop. Theevideucegivenbefora the commissioners respecting the truck system years before were of a very etartliog character, The shop was only open on certain d tys and the wives and children had been known to stand m groups outside during the most inclement wea- ther for hours waiting for the stores to b opened. The assistants were mid to be the most uncivil, and if the article require'! was not in stock another, almost worthless to the purchaser, watt substituted, and they had no power to refuse it. As the wages were not paid in mcney, the wived of the worklllen were com. pelted to purchase their <;ooda at thi< shop, although it was said that the articles couM be purchased at a much cheaper rate at other shop< in the v.lL'ge. Its adv:mtatre was thn.t whea work was dull goo !a could be obtained here by the workmen, and the debt accu'.nuiated then wasgraduaDy removed when trade revived. When the company took possession of the orka they refused all connection with the shop, and a< the directors of the West of England Bank were the mortgagees in !)(}s"es8ion, it was suosequently carried on for their benefit. The character of tha shopwasthenentirelychanged. It was no longer a truck shop, and the way in which its business has been done since is best seen in the fact thatitjt present manager is cue of tl)e most respected resi- dents of the village. A large proportion of work- men continued to trade with the shop until that Unally closed on Saturday week. This was doue in pursuance of an order from the otHcia.1 liquida- tors of the bank, and this was accompanied by another order to collect in all debts due to the shop by the 6th September. The notice that was iasued on the 1st of August, at tne Fentyreh and Melingrimth Works, ter. minating all contracts not only with the workmen but with their agents and omciala, meant, as was then anticipated, the absolute closing of the worker The time hasnearlyexpiredinwhieh theliquidatorw were reauired by the Lord Chancellor to realize the works, and aa no offer such as the liqnidators could accept had been made to put chase them, they must be closed and sold at the earliest oppor* tunity. No new contracts were entered into, and those in hand were completed as f!peedi)y a< possible. The notices expired on Friday, and the men v"ere paid on'. Out of lle:trlyI.600 men, only from30 to 40 are retained for a few days in remov. m? the exposed material to places of shelter. Th? h?t charge was p)aced in the blaat furnace oa Fi-iday. ? Portions of this were run out on Friday Bl-:at, and on Saturday morning the work of Mow* i"g out the furnace was commenced. The"beN top was removed under the direction of Mr Watkins, the furnace manager, what melted orw re!)'a.h]ed was drawn ont, .')!)d the furnace diowed gradually to cool. At the Melingrimth Works t similar course is being pnrsu"d, a few men art engaged in clearing up, and piling material m sheltered places,but it is expected that on Tues* day all will be complete, nnd no ome but the watchman left in charge. There is no industry in the neighbourhood to which the workmen can turn their attention, and the futureprospectof a population of from 5,000 te 6,000 persons in a gloomy one. Fora very longtime trade has been extremely dull, and the works have only been partially carried on. Therq are but few of the workmen who have not contracted debts at t;e shop. some probably to large amounts, and if these debts are pressed tor at the present, the prospect of many i? still more gloomy. The only hope is. and that appeare a frail one, that some man of capital or a co'npaxy wit! purc!'&se the works and carry them on. The new blftst furnace that wM Mown out on Saturday has only been completed about four years. It is one of the best in the country, and turns out th. Bneatquahty of uon. With the new engine at- tached it cost the company about jE30,000. Had the demand for .ron continued, as "L as then ex- pected, tht8 outlay would have proved very proS. table. But the falling off in the demand camt when the interest npon the outia? was mos< severely telt. Many commercial men are o! opinion that when the works get freed from th< heavy Itabihhes under which they have beet earned on for years, that in the hands of a cal)i. hltst they will prove a profitable undertaking ice stoppage of the works puts an end to existing ietaea under present circumstances, and probably in the future the collieries and minea may be teparated from the works. Spanish ore can be unported cheaper than the quarried ore of thit distnct en .be raised, and the coal in thesoutherm outcrop is not good for coking purposes. and. therefore, unsnite i for the manufacture of iron. At the present time the quality of coal required can be bought one shilling and sixpence per torn cheaper than the coal can be raised at Pentyrch, as the smail co:d here has to be washed before it can be sent to the coke ovens. It wall rumoured on Saturday that the proprietor of a large iron- works in the neighbourhood had made an offer of jB60,000 for the works to the official liquidators. The company have alwavs retained a week's wages in hand that sum will, it is stated, be paid to the workmen on Friday next, and then all con- nection between them and the Pentyrch and Meliogrrimth works will cease.

OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENCE. LONDON, SATOBDAT EVBNINO. THE PBOSPZOT IN ZULULAND-A CANDIDATE FOK PARLIAMENTARY HONOUB3—FAGGOT VOTING- THE UNITABIANS—OHABLEa OALVEHT—A CON. TEOVER8T ABOUT WE8LNT—THE MOON AND THE WEATHEB. The genera! verdict seems to be more favour- able to-day than it was last evening, in reference to the prospect in Zulubnd. I attach more im- portance to what is said by the correspondents than to the official despatches of Sir Garnet Wolaeley, which are character!atical!y bumptious. Even the correspondents, however, are very self- contradictory. Thus, while the representative of the TiMC8 in one town paints the subjects of Cete ayo as still divided between the dilemma of British protection and loyalty to their chief, another speaks of the Zulu King's subjects deserting with delight. his hated banners. I see the announcement among the items of electoral news that Mr Rearden is to be a canJi. date for Wexford Boroughs at the next olectioa. Mr Rearden is well-known to London, through the advertising sheet of the Times, as an auctioneer and hou e agent, to which two branches of busi- ness he also, I believe, adds that of an under. taker. He will, however, be better known to tame as the member of Parliament who at one period of his career was bold, or rash, or imbecile enough to propo;e the abdication of the Queen in favour of the Prince of Wales. In Queen Ante's time, as in the reign of her present Majesty, it would seem that there was a wholesome antipathy to those political impostors ho are known 80'1" faggot voters." Accordingly, an Act was passed, which it is to be hoped may be f"undt,o apply to the wholesale swamping of the electorate which ia going on in Midlothian and other constituencies. The Act in question, 10th Anne, c. 23, says—"No person can vote in right of any estate conveyed to him for the ptrf- pose of conferring the franchise, subject to a condition for defeating the conveyance when the object is accomplished. Moreover, the object of such a transaction is to vest the estate absolutely in the grantee and any person who executes -or prepues the conveyance, or gives hia vote under it, sha!J forfeit JMO." The question as to the applicability of this Act to transactions of the "faggot-vote" description is now engaging the attention of eminent lawyers. A rupture in the Unitarian body is very likely to occur before long. Unitarians of the old school are called Aryans by their younger brethren, while the latter are alleged by the for. mer to be verging on infidelity. The world hears little of the contest, but it is being carried on with great vigour, and on one side, at least, with great ability and learning. Unity, therefore, is not always the watchword even of Unittrians. Manchester was always and justly proud of Charles Calvert. He was not a good actor, but he was an intelligent and studious interpreter of Shakespeare—his love for whom made him for- sake the profession of an architect, to which he had been brought up in Edinburgh, and throw himself heartily into what is there considered the disreputable business of the stage. His merits, gradually acknowledgel by the general public, were thoroughly appreciated by all the intellect- ual people of Maacheater, and equally so by men of lettera, and others in different parts of the country. Consequentty it is very natural to hear that a memorial performance is to be given in recognition of his eminent services. It will take place in Cottonopolis early in October. Mis. He en Faucit has kindly consented to take the .admgp.rtm "As you like it," and among the friendly amateurs who are to assist are to be ?und such lamrhar names as Edmund Yates, Alma Tadema. G. Du Mourin. and L. Lam? bourne. The hnpe of the promoters is that the programme may equal the celebrated performances in v hich Charles Dickens and Mark Lemon once made such a brilliant success. Mr Denny Uriin writes to the Spectator protest- ing againut the idea that John Wesley was *'dia- owned by the Church of England. Perhaps he was not formally so; but, as Mr Urlin confesses, there is a poetic d" sense of the word "dis- owned," according to winch Dean Stanley is disowned by the Ritualists, and Dr Littledale by the Evangelic da. I think it was Mr Voyaey who pointed out a custom the Bishops have of pacing the word round to the orthodox clergy not to employ nny clergyman who is intractable, and therefore to be isolated—or in the "poetical" sense-disowned. Possibly, by way of compensation for the faux pas as to the Prince Imperial's monument in Westminster Abbey, a ready consent is given to Sir Rowland Hill's funeral there. More probably the one matter had nothing at all to do with the other, and the great postal reformer would in any CMe have been buried in our national Pantheon. F.R.A.S., in the Times of to-day, once more controverts the old fallacy that the moon has noti.m? at a!) to do with the weather. If she had, he says, the weather ought to have been bad If all round." It should have been as bad, and the harvest as unproductive in Indiana as in England. Only it has not, and facts are stubborn things. In fact F.R.A.S. goes so far as to say that this theory of lunar influence on the weather favours more of astrology than of sober science. But, as I have aheady more than once told you, there are many people who accept astrology as sober science. E'cce signunt. Here in London, in the 19th century, astrologers buy and sell their businesses just as though they were doctors or greengrocers. The propounder of thelunar c\ cle sticks bravely to his colours, and endorses it y by reference to his weather diary for 40 years.

CARBINE COMPETITION AT CAR. DIFF. A compel!n for prizes offered by Lieutenant Colonel Page for recruits and for prizes oSered t< trumpeters of the 3rd Glamorgan Volunteers* took place at the Range,Ea.st Moor", on SatLu-day. The weather was most unfavouraMe.but the firing on the whole was much better than could have been expected un'ler the circumstances. The 6rst prizes were t'Lote offered for competition amp.. twenty rec: uit who had made the best attendance from the lat of March, ranges 200 and400yardA6 five shots at each range. PoiaK 1st prize, j&a. Gui'ne' Wookey, A b&ttery 31 2nd prize, 30s, Gunner M?ne, B battery :e 3rd pnze, 10s, GtmMer G. WtUia.tua, E ) &ttery 84 The corps oEFered three prizes for trtiml)eterik ranfes 200 and 4W yards, nve shots at each ran," r<Mnt9 lat t)r:ze, Trumpeter Reea, F. battery 23 2nd prize, Trumpeter Deer, D. Battery.. 2 3rd prize, Truini,ete," A Imttery. There were 15 cot:ip<*titurs. The a.rr?"peatenta fnr <h" co?.tw?f?? ?'?- carried out under the direction <? L?t 'm H? rison.

I EFFECT OF TRADE rME'BEa8K)N.—A"mC9t t attki illIlTnt, Uever?H ia SAKHKR.? ?ffKRVBSCMT SALKK, whte)' 'seqU< to M'v, M)d o?? A«? ? ?-tM. M? ???.r*' .—S)mdera.Cf<???WM,C<u-??, ?? ?'?