Cymro a'r Celt Llundain

Gohebiaethau. A WELSH POET. To the Editor of CYMRO LLUNDAIN A'R CELT. DEAR SIR,-Can any of your ,readers, through the columns of your journal, inform me where I can obtain a translation, in English, of a Welsh poem entitled The Immoveable Covenant," by Hugh Dervel Hughes, whom I believe is dead, and when alive, lived near Bangor. I shall also be glad to know if any other works of his, either prose or verse, have been published, and if any criticism of his work has been issued, and, if so, where ? What is his reputation in Wales as a poet ? Thanking you in anticipation, yours truly, PENDRAGON.

GLAMORGAN SOCIETY. The Glamorgan Society in London held its monthly meeting on Thursday evening, March 14th, at the Holborn Restaurant, and under the presidency of the Right Hon. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, when an interest- ing and learned paper on Celtic traces in Wessex, was delivered by Mr. Arthur P. Higham, of the Western Mail. Mr. Higham entitled his lecture as In Hardy's Country," and remarked that- A strange fact in connection with the invasions of Britain is that, despite so many changes, Celtic traces were still to be found in various parts of the country. That is particularly the case in Wessex, the history of which has been in- fluenced by the Welsh to a very large extent. The battle of Deorham, a Pyrrhic victory for the Saxons, prevented the in- vaders from further permanent advances westward. Its natural sequence—the battle of Chester-enabled the northern kingdoms to turn their attention against Wessex, which became the field upon which the British Empire was founded. There was a general impression that Dorset was occupied by the Saxons very early after their arrival, but it was possible to argue that their settlement in that country was the last stage of their occupation, as the victories of King Ine over The men of the hills were not followed by an actual possession of Dyvnaint. At the same time, if Dorset were occupied by means of early conquests, a large con- tingent of Welsh must have been left behind. The battle of Beandune, in 614, when 2,065 were slain by the Saxons under Cynegils and Cwichelm, and the battle aet Peonum in 658, when the Welsh were 'made to fly as far as the Parrett,' was a proof of this, especially when it is remembered that right on to the time of Ealdhelm, when Wessex (in common with other parts of England) had been re-Christianised, there were suffi- cient Welsh occupants still following their own particular form of the Christian church, to induce the synod and the witenagemot to instruct Ealdhelm to write letters to the Welsh Christians asking them to conform to the form of the church newly brought from Rome. It was but natural that with such a strong occupation some of the Welsh im- pressions would be well-nigh indellible. This was found to be the case when place names were considered. Numerous writers and lecturers on the subjeet had seen fit to throw some doubt upon the derivations that had been traced back to Celtic sources, and in a few cases there had been a disposition to go even further in discounting the work that Professor Rhys had done in this direc- tion. An examination would show that unless Celtic origins were accepted, not only the derivations of the names of many places, but the places themselves were entirely lost, and the critics had no better solution to offer. The chronicle of the 16th Iter of Antoninus might be taken as a case in point. Unless the station named Ibernium in that chronicle were to be identified with Y Gwern, now known as Iwerne, the station could not be fixed. Again, if the Londinis of the itinery were not Llyndaen, afterwards known by its translated name as Broadpool, and now as Bradpole, near Bridport, that station also was lost. And the argument could be carried to other places. Dorset itself was a name of Celtic derivation. The district was known before the Roman occupation as the land of the Dwrinwyr. One had only to read the description given by Hardy of the place to which Hen chard repaired in his misery after he had fallen from being Mayor of Casterbridge, and to remember that that same description might be applied to a dozen or more places in Dorset territory, to realise the fidelity of the description com- pressed into the old Celtic name, the main root syllable of which had been preserved through the changes of Roman, Saxon, and modern, until this day. That the Welsh form of the Christian church was the strongest factor in christianising the West of England was shown by the unbroken record of the foundation established by priests from Wales. As to traces in other matters, whilst all credit was due to the Romans for the work that they did in road- making, there were ample grounds for re- garding some of the main highways in the West of England as having been commenced by Welsh. Those who attributed the roads lo Rome entirely, left out of consideration several important factors, one of which was the remarkable work done by Dyvnwal Moelmud and his son Belyn, so many cen- turies before the Romans landed here. Whilst it was true that a trade route between Wales and the continent existed via the Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall of to-day, it was also certain that more than one line of communication was from the banks of the Severn across country to points of embarka- tion in the Solent. Ar Y Morin (now Ware- ham) on this side found its counter-part in Morbihan on the other side of the English Channel. At the close of the lecture Mr. Higham was thanked on behalf of the Society by the Rev. G-. Hartwell Jones, M.A., Rev. W. Bryant, Messrs. J. Jay Williams, B. Watkins, and F. Morgan. A musical programme followed, when songs were rendered by Miss T. Bodycombe, Miss M. Davies, Mrs. Edwin Evans, and Mr. E. J. Evans.

WOOLWICH. Once again our Cymric friends in and around Woolwich have splendidly vindicated their musical reputation by giving in the Wool- wich New Town Hall last Thursday evening, 7th inst., their eighth annual concert in aid of their local Bethel Welsh Chapel. As usual this concert lacked nothing to place it in the forefront of the musical events in the district. There was a crowded audience. The soloists were Miss Edith Evans, Miss Dilys Jones, Mr. Thomas Thomas, and Mr. David Evans, each eminent in the world of song, with Mr. Fred Barker, one of the greatest modern exponents on the harp, and also the London Welsh Male Voice Choir. Mr. Merlyn Morgan opened the concert with a piano solo, and was followed by Mr. David Evans, a fine baritone, in the celebrated prologue to "Pagliacei." Miss Dilys Jones elicited well-merited recalls by her fine rendering of Turf Ships," which she gave with all the sweetness of a rich contralto voice. Mr. Fred Barker also charmed his hearers with a wonderful excerpt on the harp, and was encored. Mr. Thomas Thomas was heard to advantage in Roses," and Miss Edith Evans, with a soprano voice of remarkable compass and purity, sang The little white sun," and in response to calls gave "If I built a world for you." The Soldiers' Chorus and Comrades in Arms were given by the London Welsh Male Choir. They gave the Destruc- tion of Gaza," Tale of a Tack, where is he," and Pussy's in the well," their efforts being evidently most noteworthy of a really good all-round programme. Thora," by Mr. David Evans The Gleaner's slumber song," by Miss Jones; Rose Adair," by Mr. Thomas Thomas; "Waltz Song," by Miss Evans, and many more, especially Mr. Barker's harp solo were all rewarded by encores. The duet, It was a lover and his, lass," was effectively contributed by Miss Jones and Mr. David Evans. Appropriately enough the Welsh National Anthem and God Save the King," concluded the pro- gramme. Miss Jenny Jenkins demanded special criticism for her excellent display on the piano as accompanist. Great thanks are due to the respective secretaries for the excellent manner in which they executed their duties, and also to Mr. L. Davies Lewis, L. & P. Bank, for his assistance in making the financial success of the concert a certainty.