The Principality

LAMARTINE ON BYRON. MYSTERIOUS being, darkly and in part Reveal'd to earth—Byron, Whate'er thou art, Man, demon, angel, genius good or ill, Thy numbers wild my soul with raptures fill; Like thunder's voice, or furious blasts that pour Tumultuous echoes to the torrent's roar. Night is thy dwelling, Horror thy domain, Like thee the indignant oagle scorns the plain. Soars to the rocks which lift their crags to heaven, By winter blanch'd, and by the thunder riven." JFretlafuPs Poems. ■ r

A LITTLE BEAR'S GIIBA.SE.—It is rumoured that the Emperor of Russia has conferred on Mr. Anstey the title of Count Out.-Punclt. AN indirect way of getting a glass of water at a boarding- house is to ask for a third cup of tea. IT is not in the power of a good man to refuse making another liappy, where he has both ability and opportunity. Somp sensible chap says truly, that a person who undertakes to raise himself by scandalising others, might as well sit down on a wheelbarrow and undertake to wheel himself! THE Nonconformist says of Lord Brougham "His mind is by nature springy. It has in it too much bounce to allow of even a proximate calculation as to his whereabouts for two days together." "WELL, Patrick," asked the doctor, "how do you do to- day?"—"O dear, doctor, I enjoy very bad health entirely. This rhumatist is very distressing indade. Whin I go to sleep, I lay awake all night, and my toe is swelled as big as a «,oose''s hen's egg, so that when I stand up I fall down directly." A COUNTRY VICAR, giving his text out of Hebrews, pro- nounced it He-brews, 10 and 12 (meaning the chapter and verse). An old toper, who sat half asleep under the pulpit, thinking he talked of brewing so many bushels to the hogs- head, said, Egad, and not such bad liquor neither." THE PLAINTIFF PRELATE.—The word versus appears so often in the Law Reports, in connexion with the name of the Bishop of Exeter, that after-ages will perhaps be led to suppose that it was actually one of his Lordship's titles. There is probably not a single confessor or martyr that has had so many trials as Bishop Philpotts.—Punch. "ACCORDING to Lord J. Russell," observes the Birmingham Mercury, Dissenters ought to feel very happy in the presence of the exacting and overbearing Church of England- 0 blest Dissenters, could you but perceive The beauty of the Church ill which you don't believe." AL ADDIN in Jerrold's News says The menef mere figures only calculate the value of the produce, but wholly forget the pro- ducer; they simply concern themselves with material wealth, and, provided th t accumulates, they care nothing for the labourer. Social civilisation enters not into their thoughts they make no effort to raise the masses." 0 THB Clonmel Chronicle mentions that hardly a tradesman can begin business in any Irish town, but he must stick up Late of London," "Formerly of London," Late foreman to Messrs. Somebody or Other, London."—A worthy Celt, however, scorned the nonsense, and now figures signally in Clonmel as William Slattery, Tailor, never in London." TUB NAVY.—When all Governments, of whatever shade of political opinion, have been found for the last 200 years ready to wink at extravagance, peculation, and mismanage- ment in the navy, and when we have a Secretary to the Admiralty standing up in his place in the House of Commons and deliberately admitting the fact, it should cease to be a matter of wonder that every item in the Navy Estimates is looked upon., and will continue to be henceforth looked upon, in a spirit of mistrust and suspicion. Now that the matter has been dragged so publicly into light, it is impossible but that specific answers should be furnished to the few simple ques- tions upon which the amount of navy expenditure must be made ultimately to depend. These are simply—How many ships do we want ? How many ships have we ? How many ships must we build to supply wear and tear ? How many men must there be to man the ships in commission, and how many are to be held in reserve ? Let these questions be answered, and the formation of a navy budget will no longer be a mysterv.—Times. TUB OREGON Ti., ltltl TORY. -Census of the Indian tribes in the I Oregon territory, from lat. 42 to lat. 54 Males, 33,956; fe- males, 35,182 slaves, 5,164 total, 86,947.

(tern I lhm.5. WE understand the amount of gold recently received by various mercantile houses in London from California, is, in the aggregate, rather more than £ 40,000.— Times. 1' 0 THE ENGINE MANUFACTORY of the North Western Railway, at Crewe, turns out a new locomotive and tender every Monday morning. TIIE RIGHT REV. DR. WISEMAN has forwarded to the Car- dinal Secretary of State at Gaeta, the sum of EI,200, collected in the London district for the Sovereign Pontiff, -Cli)-oitL-le. TUB TIMBER AT STOWE.—A further clearance of timber from the Stowe domain is about to be made. No less than one thousand oak trees are now offered for sale by private contract. THE SHILLING CORN DUTY.—About Elo,ooo has been paid in this port upon foreign corn and bread-stuffs, entered for consumption at the nominal duty of Is. per quarter.-Liverpool Courier. THE New York Commercial Advertiser says that a lady, well known as an authoress and an enthusiastic phrenologist, has made proposals to take out a given number of females to Cali- fornia as a bona fide commercial enterprise. Sm J. W. HOGG.-It is rumoured (and, we believe, not altogether without foundation) that Sir James Weir Hogg is about to proceed to India, having been appointed to an impor- tant and lucrative situation in that country. --Ilo)-Ytiykq Post. PRICES OF WOOL.-Tlie safest agricultural investment at this moment is in good sheep. The price is moderate. Hay' and oats are abundant and cheap, and there is every prospect of a good season for roots and green crops and the price of wool is improving and likely to continue good. -Economist. AN IRON-FOUNDER of this town declares that he has found out a process by which he can change any quantity of iron into gold. Before three months are over, he says, we shall hear more of this marvel. He promises to produce gold in tons in short, in any quantity.—Liverpool Albion. Sut JOIlX FRANKLIN.—Prayers are offered up in the parish and Established Churches at Woolwich, for tho safety of tho officers and crew of the Erebus and Terror discovery ships, which proceeded to the Arctic regions under Captain Sir John Franklin and Captain Crozier. THE CONSOLIDATED Bo.A-ItDS.-The Boards of Stamps and Taxes and Excise, united into one revenue board of inland duties and taxes by Act of Parliament, are now styled in official documents and on all business matters connected with the de- partment, the Board of Inland Revenue." INCREASE TO THE ARMY.—The following regiments have received orders to complete their rank anc1 file to 1,000 each, viz.26th, Camsronians, 15th, 30th, 41st, 47th, 49th, and 69th, and to hold themselves in readiness to embark for foreign service. — United Service Gazette. THE EX-ROYAL FAMILY OF FRANCE.—The Count and Countess de Neuilly are about to leave Claremont for a short period, and proceed to St. Leonards-on-Sea, the air of that water- ing-place having been recommended for the ex-Queen, whose health, although much better than it has been for some time past, is still very delicate. The Queen of the Belgians is still on a visit to her illustrious parents but her Majesty is expected to return to the continent early in the present week. The Prince de Joinville, the Duke de Nemours, and the Duke d'Aumale, with their consorts and youthful families, are all staying at Claremont. The Royal exiles take frequent exercise, but confine themselves chiefly to the Claremont domain and its immediate neighbourhood. The ex-King and Queen occasion- ally receive visits from distinguished French noblemen, and the calls of our own aristocracy at Claremont are frequent. The suite of the ex-Royal family at present consists of General Dumas, General Count Friant, the Count d'Houdot, and the Marquise de Dolomieux. The Count de Jarnac is in frequent attendance on the illustrious exiles.- Times. MUTILATION BY A BEAR.—On Wednesday se'nnight Womb- well's menagerie of wild beasts arrived at March, and whilst the keepers were at dinner, some boys endeavoured to obtain peeps at the inmates of the vans from openings in the sides. One little fellow got beneath the booth in which the Polar bear was encased, and perceiving some straw to protrude from a crevice in the bottom, thrust up his hand to remove it, when the animal seized his hand and commenced gnawing and tear- ing it. The boy's screams attracted many persons to the spot, who commenced beatinsr on the sides of the booth to drive off the animal from his victim, and two gentlemen tried in vain to draw the boy's hand from the animal's grasp. Perceiving that the more they pulled the further the savage brute drew in the poor sufferer's limb, one of the gentlemen ran for the assist- ance of the keeper, on whose arrival a side of the booth was opened, and no sooner did the light visit the van, and the animal heard the keeper's voice, than it released its hold. The poor boy's hand and arm were dreadfully lacerated, the bone and flesh being literally gnawed and torn extensively, and the hand presenting a shapeless, bloodless, blanched, and mangled appearance. We hear that amputation is necessary.—Stamford Mercury. THE ROBBERY OF THE MAIL ON THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY,—This case was tried at Exeter, on Friday and Sa- turday, before Lord Denman. The jury hesitated for about half an hour, and then returned a verdict of Guilty against both prisoners, Henry Poole and Edward Nightingale. Lord Denman sentenced both to 15 years' transportation. THE NAVIGATION LAWS,—An answer has been received by the English Government from the Court of Stockholm, ex- tremely favourable to the views of the Ministry respecting the repeal of the Navigation-laws. His Swedish Majesty is ready to abolish all the existing restrictions on British vessels, on the condition of reciprocity. THE HON. AND REV. BAPTIST NOEL preached yesterday fore- noon, for the first time since his secession, in the National Scotch Church, Regent-square, in place of the Rev. James Hamilton, the minister of the Church, who was too unwell to officiate. The rev. pastor commenced the regular service, and was followed by the hon. and rev. preacher, who delivered an eloquent and impressive discour.,ie.-Pati-iot of Monday. THE NUMBER OF "SMITHS" IN LONDON.—The curious in names would not easily forgive us for treating ever so lightly of the statistics of the London Directory, without, satisfying them respecting that large branch of the community whose happiness it is to bear the surname of Smith." This name occurs 1,409 times—1,107 times in the trade, and 302 in the court department of the Directory -deducting double en- tries. AT the battle of Moodkee an European serving in the Seikh army was surrounded at the capture of one of the enemy's guns. He lifted up his hands and cried, Spare me for I am one of the old 44th." He was immediately shot down. This circumstance corresponds with the report that there are three men of that regiment with a detachment of Affglians in the Seikh camp on the Jhelum. INDISPOSITION OF LORD J. RUSSELL.—We regret to learn that the absence of Lord J. Russell in the House of Commons on Friday last arose from a severe cold, from which he is at the present time suffering. Yesterday his lordship was somewhat better, but at the request of his medical attendants he will for a few days remain confined to his residence. The Cabinet Council summoned for this day at noon will take place at his lordship's private residence in Chesham-place, instead of at Downing-street, owing to the indisposition of the Premier.— Times of Monday. PROPOSED STATUE AT ST. IVES, HUNTINGDON, IN HONOUR OF OLIVES CROMWELL.—Mr. Henry Vincent, in a letter to the Nonconformist, says I rejoice to inform your readers that 5 there is a prospect of an appeal being made to the country, by a committee of gentlemen at St. Ives, for funds to raise a mo- nument to the memory of the great Cromwell. Slepe Hall, which stood on the site of Cromwell's old house, has lately been pulled down; and as this was the place where he resided at the commencement of his active public career, the friends think the monument should be planted upon that ground." CATCHING A IARTAR,—A singular circumstance occurred at Chesterton, near Cambridge, on the 9th inst. A servant girl went to the river to fetch a pail of water, and espied, floating on the top of the stream, a remarkably fine pike she made a plunge at it with her pail, and succeeded in capturimg her prize. The pike not relishing his confined position, jumped out of the pail, and fell by the river's edge and the girl, fear- ful of losing him, threw herself upon the pike, placing her hand upon his head, when he bit nearly the whole of her mid- dle finger off, and the next moment was safe in his native element, carrying with him the poor girl's finger. She has been very ill ever since. DESTRUCTION OF TEA.—-A quantity of tea, lying in one of the bonded establishments in the metropolis, weighing upwards of 9 20,0001b., being considered to be not worth the duties, in addi- tion to the warehouse-rent and charges which have accrued thereon while remaining in the bonded premises, application «. has been made, and permission obtained from the revenue authorities, for the tea to be entirely and effectually destroyed, In the case of decayed and useless tea deposited on the premises of the dock companies not being considered of any value for consumption, it is arranged for the destruction to take place on the dock premises, under proper superintendence; but in the present instance arrangements were made, and per- mission obtained, for the tea to be conveyed to the mouth of the river, and cast into the se A, and in that manner to be entirely lost and destroyed.—Timer. THE WILTSHIRE MURDER.—The following is an extract from Sir George Grey's letter in reply to an application for a re- p-rieve Whitehall, March 23. Sir George Grey desires me to inform you that he has carefully considered this case, and that he finds no circumstances which would justify him in interfering to prevent the law from taking its course. 11. WADDINGTO-N. The culprit will, therefore, be executed on Tuesday next, at twelve o'clock. THE COURT OF CHANCERY.—The usual official return of the state of the Suitors' Fund of the Court of Chancery has been l$d before Parliament. It shows that the total payments on account of the said fund during the year ended the 1st of Octo- ber, 1848, amounted to C66,755, and the total receipts to £ 123,465. The cash balance on the account on the 1st of Octo- ber last amounted to E16,710. The Suitors' Fee Fund for the year ended the 25th of November, 1848, exhibits an excess of fees above charges amounting to £ 8,585. COAL-PIT EXPLOSIONS.—The plan proposed by Dr. Dunn, JW mentioned in the Times, for preventing the occurrence of these dreadful catastrophes, by placing a hood or cowl, self. acting over the upcast-shaft," of which the worthy doctor claims the invention, but generously dedicates it to the pub- lid," has been used in the collieries of the north of England for at least twenty years.-Mining Journal. THE "Tems" AGAIN.—Several of our distant brethren seem inclined to break a lance with the Times. We quoted the com- plaint of the Yorkshireman, that his good York thunder had been passed off as the genuine Printing-house-square. The Edinburgh News now says of a recent article in the Times on Ceylon—"We might have been left in the full conviction that the elaborate details had been culled expressly for its pages, had we not taken up Wilson's continuation of Mill's History of India,' where we found, almost word for word, every fact and event on the knowledge of which the Times had been crowing so loud a note. Can it be that this adroit use of simple his- torical facts, and the studious suppression of its authorities, is oaffeof the secrets of its success."—■Jerrold's News, 1M — —

"JOHN PENRY." TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRINCIPALITY. DEAR STlt,-In your paper of the 16th ult., my respected friend, the Rev. Wm. Roberts, of Blaenau Gwent, has favoured your readers with a letter on the above subject. After having read a tract written by Penry, Mr. Itoberts states the conclu- sions he has come to respecting its author," the first of which is, "that he was not a Baptist, or a Brownist, but a thorough Churchman." That he was "not a Baptist" is evident, but" I think my friend is in error, when he states also, that he was not a Brownist." Peter Fairlambe (who was a contemporary of Penry's), in his tract entitled, "The Recantation of a 'Brownist,' or a Reformed Puritan, &c," 1606—among "Books in defence of the pretended discipline,' which contain in them thegrounds of, Browuiam,' "—quotes "Penry his works;" and among Books in defence of Brownism, mentions the de- scription of the visible church, written by Masters Barrowe, Johnson, Penry, and others," Ilanbury, vol. 1, pages 163, 164. In a treatise entitled, The trial of our Church forsakes, or a meditation tending to still the passions of unquiet 'Brownists,' by Robert Abbot, Vicar of Cranbrook, in Kent, 1639," the author says, the name of pride, which they take to them- selves, is Separatists'They will needs glory in the name f 4 SepartLtistsr,9 as others do of Catholics;' their name of justice is Browmsts. They have hadBarrowes, Green- woods, Penries, Robinsons, Johnsons, Ainsworths, and Smyths; the only men, so far as I know, of that full strain, who have tasted of more or less learning ill-placed from Christ's time downward," Hanbury, vol. 2, page 46. We have also his own testimony on this subject, in a letter addressed to the dis- tressed faithful congregation of Christ in London, and all the members thereof, whether in bonds or at liberty" (of this Church Mr. Greenwood had been doctor or teacher). He par- ticularly names My beloved brethren, Mr. F. Johnson, and Mr. D. Studley" -the former was the pastor, and the latter one of the elders—Hanbury, vol. 1, page 75. Fletcher's History of the Revival and Progress of Independency in England," vol 2, page 185. Brook's Lives of the Puritans," vol. 2, pages 23, 96. That Penry was not a "thorough Churchman," is, I believe, equally evident. Wood says that, By his death, with the condemnation of John Udal, and Henry Barrow, the neck of the plots of the fiery Nonconformists was broken, and their brags were turned into prayers and tears," Athense Oxon., vol.1, I page 229. Collier also in speaking of his death says, The pressing of the law thus close struck terror into the party, and made the Dissenters of all sorts less enterprising against the Oovernment"—" Ecclesiastical History," vol. 2, page 640. Mr. "Penry, in his Declaration of Allegiance to her Majesty," thus deferibes a Church: "This Church I believe to be a company of those whom the Word caUeth Saints;' which do not only profess in word that they know God, but also are subject to his laws and ordinances indeed." In his examination, during his last imprisonment, before the worshipful Mr. Fanshaw and Justice Young, he was asked (among others) the following questions :— Fanshaw: It is strange to me, that you, Mr. Penry, hold such opinions as none of the learned men of this age, nor any of the martyrs in former times, maintained. Can you show any writers. either ancient or modern, who have been of your judgment ?" Penry "I hold nothing besides what I will be bound to prove out of the written Word of God, and will show to have been main- tained by our holy martyrs, WicklifF, Brute, Purvy, White, Tindal, Lambert, Barnes, Latimer, and others." F. Do the martyrs then teach you, that there is no Church of Christ in England.?" P. If, by a Chuich, you mean that public profession whereby men profess salvation to be had by the death and righteousness of Jesus Christ, I am free from denying that there is a Church of Christ in this land." F. "What then do you dislike in our Church? And why will you not partake of these truths, and the sacraments with us ? P.: "I dislske, 1. The false ecclesiastical officers. 2. The man- ner of calling those officers. 3. A great part of the works wherein these false officers arc employed. 4. Their maintenance or livings. All of which I will be bound to prove, by the Lord's assistance, to be derived, not from Jesus Christ, but from Antichrist. Therefore, as I cannot be partaker of those holy things of God, except under the power of Antichrist, and by bearing those marks by which he is known, I am bound to seek the comfort of the Word and sacra- ments where I may have them without submitting to any other ecclesiastical government than that which is derived from Jesus Christ," F. What officers do you mean ?" P. I mean archbishops, lord bishops, archdeacons, commis- saries, chancellors, deans, canons, prebendaries, priests, &c., all of which belong to no other body, whether ecclesiastical or civil, but only to the Romish Church, where they were first invented, where they still are, and from thence were left in this land, when the Pope was cast out by her Majesty's royal father. The Church of Christ, in all its offices, is perfect without them. The State, being a civil community, is perfect without them. Heathen idolatry hath them not, and requireth them not. Only the kingdom of Antichrist can in no wise be whole and entire without them; and if it be not law- ful for the members of Christ to be subject to the ceremonies of the Jews, which God himself once appointed, how can it be otherwise than a great sin to subject ourselves to the appointments of Anti- christ, the Lord's great adversary f The Lord hath not delivered us from the yoke of his own law that we might be in bondage to the inventions and impositions of Antichrist." F. Would you then have no other offices in the Church now, in time of peace and prosperity, than were in the days of the apostles, purler persecution ?" P. There is certainly great reason we should not; for if the order left to the Church by Moses was not to be altered, except by the special command of God, then may neither man nor angel, ex- cept by the same warrant, add anything to that holy form which the Sou of God hath appointed for his own house." F. And what office had you in your Church, which meets in Woods, and I knoiv not where ?" P. "I have no office in that poor congregation. And as to our meeting in woods, or elsewhere, we have the example of Jesus Christ, and his Church and servants in all ages, for our warrant. It is against our wills that we go into woods and secret places. As we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, so our desire is to pro- fess it openly. We are ready, before men and angels, to show and justify our meetings, and our behaviour in them, earnestly desiring that we may serve Go I with peace and quietness, and that all men may witness our upright walking towards our God and all the world, especially towards our Prince and Government. We know the meeting in woods, in caves, in mountains, &c., is a part of the Cross of the Gospel, at which the natural mn will easily stumble but we rejoice to be in this mean estate for the Lord's sacred truth. The question should not so much be, where sye meet, as what we do at our meetings whether our meetings and doings be warranted by the word of God, and what constrainetli us to meet in those places." F.: We will speak of your unlawful assemblies afterwards. What calling have you to preach ? Were you never made a minister according to the order of this land P" P. Had I bèen willinq, I migM have been made either deacon or priest; but, I thank the Lord, I ever disliked those Popish orders; and, if I had taken them, I would utterly refuse them. I have taught publicly in the Church of Scotland, being thereunto earnestly desired, and culled by the order of that Church. I never had any charge; and, therefore, I never bare any office, either there or in any ot/ter Clmrch," F.: Did you not preach in these your secret meetings ? What Warrant had you so to do, if you never had any pubic office in your elmrch t" P.: Whether 1 did or not, I do not at proicnt tell you. But this I say, that if the same poor congregation desired to have tin use of my small gifts for edification and consolation, I would, being thereunto prepared, most willingly bestow my poor talent for their mutual edification and mine." F.: And may you teach publicly in the Church, having n) public office therein ?" P. I may, because I am a member thereof, and requested thereunto by the Church, and judged to be, in some measure, endowed with suitable gifts for handling the word of God. The Church, or body of Christ, ought to have the use of all the gIft", that are in any of its members, and the member cannot deny unto the body the use of those graces with which it is furnished, without breaking the laws and order of the body, and thus become un- natural." F.: Then every one that will, may preach the word in your assemblies." P. Not so. For we hold it unlawful for any man to inter- meddle with the Lord's holy truth, beyond the bounds of his gift or for him who is endowed with gifts to preach or teach in the Church, except he be desired and called thereto by the body oj the Church." F.: May any person then preach, who hath no office so to do ?" P.: Yes, that he may; and the word of God bindeth every one to preach who intendeth to become a pastor or teacher in the Church of Christ, even before he take upon him this office." F.: What office then hath he all this time ?" P. No other office than the other members of the body have, who are bound to perform their several operations in the body, according to that measure of grace which they have received from the Lord Jesus." F.: Well, then, you bear no office in your Clt?treh. You will not tell us whether you taught among them; but you say you would if they required you?" P. True." F.: But how came it to pass that you were not made an officer among them ?" P.: Doubtless I was desired to take a charge, and to continue. them but I would not, because I have ahoays purposed to employ my small talent in my poor country of Wales, where J know the poor people perish for lacl. of knowledge." From, the above extracts it appears to me, that he considered a Church to be a company," or congregation of believers that he could not partake of the Sacraments in the Esta- blished Church;" that the Church should submit to no "eccle- siastical government, but that which is derived from Jesus Christ; that the power of governing rested with the body of the Church;" that a multiplicity of officers were unnecessary; that he never took orders, and never took office in any Church that he was a member of a Brownist Church;" and that he refused to accept the charge of a Church. Z, My friend appears to doubt whether he ever preached the Gospel in Wales, but Mr. Penry has himself placed that ques- tion beyond a doubt. In his "protestation before his death," addressed to the Lord Treasurer Burleigh, he says, "I am ;t poor young man, born and bred in the mountains of Wales I am the first, since the last springing of the Gospel in this latter age, that publicly laboured to have the blessed seed thereof sown in those barren mountains And being now to end my days, before I am come to "the one half of my years, in the likely course of nature, I leave the success of my labours unto such of my countrymen as the Lord is to raise after me, for the accomplishing of that work which, in the calling of my country unto the knowledge of Christ's blessed Gospel, I began." With respect to Mr. Roberts's assertion that it was impossible for him to have preached in Wales, as a Dissenter from the Esta- blishment, I can only say that his refusal to accept the Popish orders" of deacon or priest incapacitated him from officiating in the Establishment, in those ceremonious days; that the adverse opinions entertained by him, and the peculiar circumstances under which he must have laboured in Wales, (whenever that took place.) clearly demonstrate that he must have preached here as a Dissenter. As to the time he laboured in the Principality, Mr. Roberts thinks, (if he ever did so,) it musthave been" from 1590 to 1592." Ilere again, I must differ from my respected friend. In 1587 Mr. Penry, after being sum- moned before Archbishop Whitgift, Bishop Cooper, and others, was committed to prison, and after remaining there about a month, he was discharged. Shortly afterwards warrants were again issued for his apprehension, and Walton, one of their pursuivants, proceeded immediately to Northampton, (where Mr. Penry then resided,) but he was not to be found my im- pression is, that he then retired to his native hills, and pro- claimed the glad tidings of salvation to his perishing country- men and I am confirmed in this opinion by the fact, that his tracts" on behalf of Wales were published, the first in 1587, and the other two in 15S8 the very tract" also referred to by my friend, and which was published in 1590, is dedicated to the brethren in England, Wales, and Ireland," which proves the existence of persons in the Principality at that- time entertaining opinions similar to those of the author,—and I think we are justified in inferring that they were the fruits of his ministry there. In his letter to the Church he refers to his "Brethren in the West," which most probably referred to Wales. Regretting that other engagements prevented my noticing the letter of my friend sooner, I am, dear sir, yours truly, Ebbw Vale, 16th March, 1849. D. SEYS, LEWIS.

POOR AND EDUCATION LAWS, TO TBS EDITOR OF THE PRINCIPALITY. SIR,—I must express my surprise indeed, that my friend, Mr. Williams, should so evidently betray his own weakness as an arguist, by rambling a way to such a length, and so little of his communication having any relation to the point in dispute be- tween us. You, Mr. Editor, state, that you have omitted two paragraphs which had no bearing on the question at issue. It appears to me, however, that if you had omitted all that had no bearing on the question at issue, we should have seen but a very small portion of this valuable production. I venture to assert that there are not a dozen lines in the whole piece that have any bearing at all on the point. 0 There are two or three expressions I wish to notice, as they have a direct bearing on the question. The first is, We agree that both are wrong in principle." This expression includes a concession of what I have been anxious to obtain from the com- mencement, namsly, that in some cases, it might be right for us to co-operate with, or to take a part in, a law that is wrong in principle. Here is the chief argument of h, W. given up. This is the great inconsistency I was charged with being guiltv of, to wit, "The subject of discussion is Mr, Griffiths's con- sistency in availing himself of a law which he publicly pro. claims to be wrong in principle" (PRINCIPALITY, Feb. 9th). My friend, in his last letter, publicly proclaims the same with respect to a poor-law and I take for granted, that he consi- ders he acts consistently, in taking a part in it. This point then is finally settled between us we need not have any further discussion upon it. I am glad to find, that we have been abla to come to the same opinion on the chief point of discussion. The difference between us now is, that Air. W. wishes to take a part in and make the best use of one law that is wrong in principle and I wish to make the same use of another as wel;, which I consider perfectly the same in principle. As my friend admits that we are justified in doing so with respect to one, the onus of showing why not also with respect to the other, rests upon him. This I imagine he attempts to do in the foil' lowing expressions—" But he forgets that it is possible to make a law inoperative, though on the Statute Book." He makes no difference between extending the operation of a bad law, and holding an office under such a law, which hit,. been forced into operation." If I understand what is intended by these expressions, Mr. W. wishes to show that the Educa- tion-law may be made inoperative, but that the Poor-law can- not be made so; that the latter is forced into operation, let us do what we may. I readily admit, if all were to join, and sub- scribe so as to properly educate all the poor children of the neighbourhood, there would be no necessity for our applying for Government aid for that purpose and therefore, as far as regards our neighbourhood, the Education-law could be made inoperative. But is not the case perfectly the same with re- spect to the Poor-law r If the present rate-payers of the parish of St. David's were to support all the poor of the parish hy voluntary subscriptions, of course there would be no necessity of having poor rates to support them; therefore the Poor-law- would also be made inoperative as regards our parish. But I wish to observe, that there is one difference between thorn, which is greatly in favour of applying for Government aid for education, and a great inducement to support the poor by vo- luntary subscriptions; that is, whether we accept Government aid or not for education, we shall have to pay just the same amount for that purpose in the shape of taxes; but the mora we support of the poor of our parish, the less amount of rates will he necessary. I have known of small parishes, that sup- ported the few poor residing therein, so that they kept them- selves from the necessity of having a poor rate made, and avoided all the expenses attending the same. I see-jio reason why we should educate the poor, more than support theiu, when we are made to pay towards both purposes alike. As Mr. W, has deviated so much from our mutual a<*r«'e- mcnt, which was, to keep to the point of discussion, and have it to be an investigation of the truth, and nothing else, I bew'to state that I shall prolong the discussion no further. My fr iend may henceforth write to the extent he pleases, and as wide (f the mark as he wishes, without being molested by me. Yours, &c., Trcliwyd. D. G.

taining our own righ t to criticise Welsh poetry as it appears, whether we be proficient or not in its four-and-twenty metres. To return to GWII.YM MAI. The verses on "Picton's Mo- nument" are very smooth and flowing. We wish they had a better subject; and hope to live to see the time when fewer such tributes will be paid to men of blood." "Verses to the Spider" arc exquisite. The metre is one of the simplest, and a boy of ten could commit it to meriiory in a few hours, and it would be his for ever. Then we have a very affecting composition. To us, always excepting the englyn, the cyw- yfl(l is the best of the twenty-four metres; and it is less arti- ficial, and therefore, of course, a nearer approach to the natural." GWILYM MAI seems quite master of its peculiar structure (which consists of a constant series of a kind of short couplet), as in this instance he was fully impressed with the awful subject of his song. Then come Englynion 11 n to the Memory of the late Rev. Edward Evans, of Aberdare," a grateful tribute by a young bard to the memory of a de- parted one. The Elegy to JOSEPll Harris is an elaborate and comprehensive estimate of his various and enduring services to his country. The Elegy to Gwilym Ddu" is worthy of the living and the dead. The poem to the Swan- sea Royal Institution ought to be committed to memory, and to' be kept there. "Llangwniiwr Churchyard" is very truthful and graphic in its descriptive parts, and is a capital poem. But we must pass by much. Still we cannot pass over the Elegy to the late Joshua P. Watkins, Esq., of Carmarthen." Well knowing the man and loving him af- fectionately, this has touched us keenly, and we would cheer- fully pay the price of the whole book for it alone. Of the few Jjii<Tlish compositions we stay not to give any opinion, but hope GWILYM MAI will pay his addresses exclusively to his own native A wen, while we sincerely thank him for this hook, and hope it will find its way to every hut and farm- house ia the land, and every kind of dwelling-place in the land.. We heartily wish the Welsh poets would give us more of their works in the ordinary metres. An entire discontinuance of the pfdwar mesur ar hngain would not be advisable, nor do we desire it, though often wish Dafydd ab Edmvvnt had never gone to Car- marthen. Let them by all means be preserved and practised-be md in an eclectic sense-in poetry for poets and scholars. Let one of the Welsh poets watch a common working man, addicted to reading and of ordinary intelligence, take up a Welsh periodical on its appearance the beginning of the month (and few strangers can corrtpreHfend the eagerness with which this is dune); he turns over page after page, arrives at last to the Poetry. The first thing that meets him is an modi; perhaps he reads it,—the probability is that he does not, but passes on at once to any piece on the next page on any of the common metres, which he peruses lwith great interest and obvious enjoyment. We doubt not that is true of at least seven out of ten of all the readers of all the Welsh periodicals. Let our native bards take such a fact into consideration, and may time and thoughtfulness secure to it a good digestion.