Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills

MONSTER SWEDES AT PONT- LLANFRAITH. On Tuesday afternoon last, the annual distribu- tion of prizes for the best swedes grown in this district by means of the Western Counties Manure, took place at the Greyhound Inn, Pont- llanfraith, about 4 o'clock. A great number of competitors arrived from the surrounding farms with capital samples of swedes, in fact the largest ever seen at these competitions. After some preliminary arrangements, it was suggested that Mrs. Scales would be the best judge of these monster swedes. This, «purse was unanimously agreed to. The weights of the best 12 were as follows LBS. Mr. John Lewis, Penrhiw 153 „ W. Waters, Woodfield Farm. 123 „ Joseph Lewis, Penrhiw 120 Sarries, Ar^oed. 114 „ James Morris, Brynscawen Ill Daniel Nicholas, Kingcoed 110 Evan Davies, Twynffilians 108 Rog-er Powell, Heolddu 108 "• JohiuWatkins, Tonyfelyn 100 William Jones, Penrhiwdarren 98 „ John M6rgan, Argoeducha 97 „ Jolrn Morgan, Nantgoy 96 It raiy be remarked that the decision of Mrs. Scalds" gave entire satisfaction to all parties concerned. The agent and his customers having proceeded to transact some business in a private roor# at the hotel, a dinner was provided in the assefnbly-room, wnere about 50 persons sat down to a-capital spread, provided by the respected host and hostess (Mr. and Mrs. Davies) in their excellent style, consisting of everything that could be desired for the "inner man." After ample justice had been done to this part of the proceedings, and the removal of the cloth, Mr. T#onaas Williams, Cwmdows, was unanimously voted to the chair. He was supported by Mr. Seth Phillips, and Mr. Griffith Oum&O, of The Vicarage, was voted to the vice-chair. The Chairman, after a few introductory remarks, proceeded to award the prizes follows Mr. John Lewis, Penrhiw first' l$s. • Mr W. Waters, Woodfield, second,' 10s Mr. Joseph Lewis, Penrhiw, third, 7s. 6d. • Mr' {tarries, Argoed, fourth, 5s.; Mr. James Morris brynscawen fifth, 2s. 6d The prizes were landed to the recipients by Mrs. Davies, the landlady, and her daughter. Several of the farmers present addressed the meeting on farm- ing work and the virtues of the Western Counties' >Ianure as the most suitable and effectual manure for the district. The proceedings were enlivened with capital songs by Mr Evan Evans, Mr. Daniel Davies, Mr. Charles Moore; and Mr. Griffiths (vice- chairman), and at the close Mr. Seth Phillips sang Hen wlad fy nhadau in Welsh, all the company joining in the chorus, which brought this most enjoyable meeting to a close.

■ ——i» MICROBES ON SALE.—The fact that microbes t\re regularly on sale, and subject, like other «sticles of merchandise, to tbe laws of supply aifll. demand, is at first sight distinctly disquiet ing. A scientific paper publishes the statement thaty experts in Denmark have discovered two micro-organisms that impart so fine a flavour to butter that they are regularly culti- vated for sale to the factories. Microbes flavour- ing Dutch cheese are similarly disposed of to the maker of that article. Ic is a microbic age: and, by-the-byb the law will have to prohibit the sale of microbes except by duly licensed persons. Microbes, doubtless, could be culti- vated land -old to effect other purposes than mere tickling of the palate. Tne Editor of the Medical Annual speaks in the highest terms of CADBURY'S COCOA as a bove And--& food for invalids, on account of its a purity, high quality, and great solu- oility, sad counsels the medical profession to renettibdr, in reoommending Cocoa, that the nam "Gadbury" on anypacket is guarantee of ,viqr.

THE DISTRESS AT CWMBRAN. The ladies' committee feel it a pleasure and a duty to announce the ready and substantial sup- port which they have received during the past week in connection with the relief of the distress among the children of the district. They have been enabled to provide three meals to 186, 193, and 181 children, on Tuesday, Thurday, and Saturday, of the past week. The contributions both in money and kind, have flowed in to the great satisfaction of the committee. Amount already published, £ 27 8s. contributions in money since received :—Mr. Barville, 5s. Phillips and Son, £ 1 Is. Mr. E. Steer, fl Mr. D. Roger Evans, Xl Is. Mrs. Jones, Holly Bush (per Mrs. Parry), 5s. Mrs. Dando (per Mrs. Parry) Is. Mr. Bowen, Glanynant, 2s. 6d.; Friend, per Mr. T. Hopkins, 2s. Mrs. Gregory, Oakfield, 10s.; R. Laybourne, Esq., £ 1 Colliers, Cwmbran Colliery, £ 3 9s. 3d. J. E. Ward, Esq., Malpas, £ l Mrs. VVard, 10s.; Lord Tredegar X2; Mr. F. J. Mitchell, X5 harvest festival collec- tion, St. Gabriel's, £ 1 12s. 5d.; Mrs. Thomas Harris, Apple Tree Cottage, 10s. 6d.; Usk friends (per Miss Lucas) il 10s.; Mrs. Matthews, Cemetery House, 5s.; Mr. Davies, Newport (per Mrs. Simmons), 5s. The following have been received in kind during the past week:—Mr. John Bevan, 151bs. of bread Mr. John Parry, sack of potatoes Mrs. Pilliner, sack of potatoes and 10 gallons of milk; Mr. Mumford, onions, potatoes and turnips Mrs. Murphy, cocoa chips for breakfast Mrs. Jones, New House Farm, potatoes and turnips; Mrs. Humphreys, Half- way Hotel, some beef puddings and 6 gallons of milk. Mr. W. H. Walters, postmaster, on Tues- day, kindly presented the committee with 441bs. of meat to provide an extra dinner, with a pro- mise of a further amount, sufficient to provide for two dinners next week.—The committee avail tnemselves of the press to publicly thank the above-named ladies and gentlemen for their useful and timely assistance, by which means the funds have been considerably saved and the good work enhanced and encouraged.

SUICIDE AT ELEVEN. We hope (says the Chronicle) that the vigilant eyes of Mr. Acland will have been directed to a report in the West Yorkshire Pioneer of the circumstances of the suicide of a little boy of 11, at Barnoldwick. This small creature was a half-timer, and his schoolmaster gave very emphatic evidence of the effect of the half-time system on his small frame. He was a very bright boy, his school life was full of promise, and he had shown great interest in his work. Of late, however, his spirits and work had both declined. "I could not," said the good schoolmaster, 41 find it in my heart to punish the lad, he had such a pleading, melancholy counten- ance." Mr. Barrett added that his experience showed him a similar falling-off in the case of half-timers. "I have seen," he said, "lads so tired at the school that we have bad hard work to keep them awake." And no wonder, consider- ing that this scholar of eleven had had to rise at half-past five in the morning to go to work. Mr. Barrett condemns the system root and branch, and suggests that the local association of masters should meet and denounce it. Let us hope that the death of this small martyr of industrialism, plus over-pressure, will quicken the Government's determination to fix the half-time limit at the age at which the Berlin Conference assessed it- namely, twelve.

THE STRANGE DEATH OF A SCHOOLBOY. By order of the Home Secretary, the body of Leonard Henzie, a schoolboy, has been exhumed at Rowley, and a post mortem examination made. It is alleged that a boy named Davis, who is in custody, knocked Henzie down when leaving school and jumped upon him.

GHASTLY DISCOVERY IN GERMANY. A horrible discovery has been made at Anger- burg in the course of some excavations which are being carried on beneath a church there. The workmen came across a small walled in space in which they found a human skeleton, a broken chair, and the remains of a helmet and a pair of boots. The walls bore marks as of finger-nail scratches, and there was only too much evidence that some person had been walled in alive.

ESCAPE OF CONVICTS. News has been received at Madrid of the escape of thirteen convicts from the prison at Huelva. Taking advantage of the temporary withdrawal of the soldiers who guarded the gaol, the prisoners feigned a mutiny. When the gaoler, hearing a. Jrcat v;-n.UicU ViU'U W»«?rts die convicts- were, they overpowered him, and, brandishing knives, they compelled him to give up the keys 01 the prjson gate. All the convicts escaped. A de- tachment of the Civil Guard has been sent in pur- suit of the fugitives.

THE POTATO CROP IN THE FENS. The potato harvest in the Lincolnshire Fens is now about completed, and generally speaking, it has been one of the best experienced for several years. The early sorts especially have made extraordinary prices, in several instances as much as JE20 per acre being given for the crop as it stood. Owing to the dry season there has been almost an entire absence of disease, and, as a result, less labour has been required for picking and sorting. Many varieties have yielded seven and eight tons per acre.

HEAVY SENTENCES. The trial was concluded in the Seine Assize Court, at Paris, on Saturday, of persons charged with pillaging the house of the Marquis de Pornisse Passis, in the Avenue Marceau, on January 21 last, and carrying oft property to the value of 200,000 francs. Renard, the ringleader of the band, which comprised seven men and two women, was sentenced to twenty years'penal servi- tude Fajan, to ten years and the others with the exception of the woman Fraisse, who was acquitted, to terms of imprisonment varying from two to eight years.

PROHIBITION & TEMPERANCE NOTES. (From a Special Correspondent.) Oct. 17th, 1893. THE annual meetings of the United Kingdom Alliance will take place on Tuesday next. The annual report of the executive, to be submitted to the council meeting, is as voluminous and valuable as any former one. In it is reviewed the work of the year. The Liquor Traffic (Local Control) Bill introduced into Parliament on behalf of the Government last February, by Sir William Harcourt, naturally comes in for exten- sive consideration. Under such headings as, Why was the Bill introduced ?" Tiie recep- tion of the Bill," The merits and demerits of the measure," "The Bill a partial measure," The fight in the country," and Public meetings and demonstrations," a most complete account both of the history and of the agitation in con- nection with the Government Bill will be found to be furnished. The animadversions of Mr. Chamberlain upon the Bill, as well as upon the Alliance, have been met with much spirit and indignation, and should clear up one or two little misapprehensions with regard to that eminent statesman. THIS report, too, is a vade mecum as regards L temperance affairs of every sort as they took place in the recent Session of Parliament. An account of all the bye-elections that have taken place during the year, with the attitude on the veto question of the various candidates, is also given. Another section of the report constitutes a further statement as to the public-house system in Sweeden and iNorway, of which, it will be remembered, the Bishop of Chester has been and is still so enamoured. THH remarkable document, signed by leaders of the Working-classes generally, setting forth the perfect wisdom and justice of the Local Veto Bill and urging all working men to support it, has also been accorded a prominent position in this Report. It was quite an error to state that only 55 signatures were attached to this valuable declaration of opinion. As a matter of fact more than 150 of the names of the leaders of workers in almost every conceivable form of industry or manual labour, have been willingly lent in its support. In truth, it is questionable if any more important document, representing the opinion of the working classess upon any single subject, was ever before made public. It should effectively settle the question as to whether or not the working classes regard the Veto Bill, with its extensions of the franchise, as an un- warrantable encroachment upon their liberties.' In her biennial address to theW orld's Women's Christian Temperance Union, which was read by Lady Henry Somerset in Chicago, October 16th, Miss Willard proposed that March 20th, 1894— the 90th birthday of General Neal Dow, father of Prohibition"—should be observed by the Temperance forces everywhere, not only in con- gratulation of the total abstainer, who has at- tained so great an age and retained his mental and physical vigour, so that he is able to speak and travel in the interest of the movement, but for the purpose of securing the "arrest of thought in as many brains as possible concern- ing the practicability and value of Prohibition. The British Women's Temperance Association's Conference in Cardiff heartily endorsed this plan, and it is very probable that the United Kingdom Alliance will do the same. The reso- lution will be sent to the leading Temperance societies everywhere and, what Americans call "an arousement," is sure to take place on that date named. AT a conference of the Congregational Total Abstinence Association, held at the Memorial Hall, London, on Thursday afternoon in last week, a paper on The Direct Veto Bill and Means for its Application," was read by Mr. J, Martin Skinner, who expressed the belief that judging from the alarm of the liquor sellers, the Government Bill would be carried. If that anticipation should prove to be correct he would suggest the first attempt should be in the direc- tion of Sunday Closing, which he believed would be agreed to at once almost everywhere. After that it would perhaps be well to wait a couple of years before attempting to get total prohibition. Much, however, would have to be done before the second step could be taken, and this wouldiinclude the rousing of the churches to a keener sense of their duties in the matter. After considerable discussion, three resolutions of licenses the second calling upon meetings of all sorts, especially in County Unions, to discuss and advocate the Veto Bill the third urging the advisability of Imperial Sunday Closing rather than by Local Option. 0 ARCHDEACON Farrar spoke out manfully at the recent Church Congress in behalf of the Local Veto Bill, on the occasion of the Working Men's Meeting, when statements were made by the Bishops of London and Chester on their respective licensing schemes. The Archdeacon in answer to the argument about robbing the °*; be?r> reminded them that under the Veto Bill the poor man could not be robbed of his beer except by his own vote. Every leader of working men, such as Mr. John Burns, Mr. Keir Hardie, and Alderman Phillips-every one of them was in favour of the Bill. Whether they belonged to the old or the new Unionism, all recognised the wisdom of it, and were united to a man in the effort to ameliorate the present condition of things by its means. They were now living in a great demo-1 cracy, and would have to trust the people. The people bad a right to decide between Free Trade and Protection, upon the foreign policy, upon the Prime Minister and the Ministry, upon questions of war and peace, and should they not also have a decisive voice as to whether they should be allowed the power to fling off this in- cubus which lay upon them with a weight heavy as dross and deep almost as life. He should with ail his heart trust the people, and help them to help themselves. THE current week is one of vast import in Temperance circles in America, the whole six days being occupied at the World's Fair in Chicago^ by the conventions of the World's W Oman's Christian Temperance Union and of the National Union. Lady Henry Somerset is attending the gatherings in place of Miss Frances Willard, who is prevented by illness and the im- perative advice of physicians from undertaking the journey. She therefore remains in England, but has sent her annual address which Lady Henry Somerset read in her stead. The address is comprised in a pamphlet of nearly a hundred pages, and consists of a comprehensive review of a large number of subjects. Opening with a defence of the do-everything policy," and quoting Dr. Joseph Cook's warm endorsement Miss Willard suggests, as a simple rule on the subject, "that every question of practical philanthropy or reform has its Temperance aspect, and with that we are to deal," and she further remarks: The Temperance cause started out well nigh alone, but mighty forces have joined us in the long march. We are now in the midst of the Waterloo battle, and in the providedce of God, the Temperance army will not have to fight that out all by itself. For science has come up with its glittering con- tingent, political economy deploys its legions, the woman question brings an Amazonian army upon the field, and the stout ranks of labour stretch away far as the eye can reach. As in the old Waterloo against Napoleon, so now against the Napoleon of the liquor traffic, no force is adequate except the 'allied forces.' NOTICING the cry of the pessimist that more liquor is produced and drunk in 1893 than ever before, Miss Willard opposes to it the view of the optimist that there is each year a larger acreage from which the brewer and distiller may gather the golden grain and luscious fruits, there are more people to imbibe the exhilara- ting poison but, per contra, there was never so much intelligent thinking in any one year as to the drink delusion there were never so many children studying in the schools the Jaws written in their members; there were never such gather- ings together of Temperance people to consult on the two great questions, what to do and what not to do, as in this year there was never such a volume of experience and expert testimony and knowledge so varied, so complete, as we have had at the International Congress there were never so many total abstainers in proportion to the population never so many intelligent people who could render a reason scientific, ethi- cal, eesthetic, for total abstinence faith as now there were never so many pulpits from which to bombard the liquor traffic and drink habit there were never so many journalists who had a friendly word to say for the Temperance reform; there was never such a stirring up of Temper- ance politics, for the foremost historic nation of the world, Great Britain, has this year, for the first time, adopted a plank in the platform of the dominant party the principle tnat the people themselves shall decide whether or not they want the public-house and as a natural consequence of this political action, there was never a public sentiment so respectful toward the Temperance reform."

1T0 DABKEN GRET HAIB. — fcockyer's Sulpha Hair Restorer is the quickest, best, safest, and cheapest. Lockyer's keeps off ravages of time QausesHair to grow. Large Bottles,fid. Every vhexe.

PONTYPOOL POST UFFICE PONTYPOOL WALL AND PILLAR BOXES HOCBS OF COLLECTIONS BOX. r— l8nn Tranch PH iPM" 5* SSSSSr?. & jjl | IH | 3 <| Osborne Road n' « ? f-j „ '-25 Opp«rGeorge St. ti!30; ij' o j "S: S ?• £ ■«» TreVe""D !?•«, jtWj 6.13 College. 7.35, 2. a b 7<B Cwmynyscoy Pontypool Road ..j R n Wellington Terrace 10 5 I I'pper Goy trey. J*?-! 45 Cross Hands 2"5o' Coedypane j 7.S0 Glascoed j<J30 BLABNAVON. Lion Btreet. IQIS Lodge 2.45 5-45 Rifle Green 2.30 5-35 Garn 3.3o5-30 BrynTerrace „ L-. Lower Gotcha 3 wi a Forge Side 3-4<> •> 40 Glantorvaen Ter. jg* | ^0 ABEBSYCHAN, Abersychan Snatch wood ° 11JK Snatch wood I 555 11JK 3. 0 j PONTNEWYNTD I [ i Freehold Land Cwntffrwdoer 1n Kn j| 10.50 ti.15 I Letters Letters,Ac can bet-eapbe posted at Register df §i si Qui'"«? lliSS nil 1: =I'I"D tiL. g-g" O¡{ A. MJ-P. jrf, P. jTpTh. PJ|7 OUTGOING MAILS for Abersychan, Blaenavon,Pont-1 f newynyda, Taiywain, Var- teg, Ac 8.30 8.J8 •Newport aad General AJO 0 teg, &c 8.30 j 8.30 Abersychan, Blaenavon,Pont-1 f newynyda, Taiywain, Var- teg, Ac 8.30 8.J8 •Newport aad General AJO 0 •Newport and General 10 9. 0 AJt.! •Abersychan & FtnewynydiS1" 9.50 9.5n •London,Bristol, Glouce^wv. A M • Newport, and General *•• • • "AO .H-*0 n. 0 m P.M.P. ]I. P. M. i Blaenavon. 3.301 3.20 ip*. •Newport and the J»rth 4.15 4.30 4. 0 430 •London, Bristol Cardiff, Newport, Gloucester, and General 7. 0! 7.40 6.30 7.30 7. 0 •Shrewsbury, Crewe, the! North, aayt General 8.101 8. 0 7J>5 These atfails not made up on Sundays. — 111- cS-*» Oft i 3 I3 I iS 51 1$«! INCOMING HAILS. 2 = Ia ♦ >0 > a" a fi-S e Q O £ 1 sg ja London, Bristol, Cardiff,Glou- a.m. a-m. g tun. cester, Newport, & General 7. 0 7. 0 a 63? Shrewsbury, Crewe, North 7.0 7.0 London, Cardiff, <» North, Newport, & General, 8. 0 8. 0 8.4< p.m. o e Blaenavon.. 5 1.40 Noon »/} London, Bristol, Newport, p.m i'gejppJDr Casdik, and General 140 1.23 §3 Ul London, Bristol, Gloucester, OardUZ^NewporMb General 530 515 1 52 Blaenavon .V. 7un 750 | o

SUICIDE WITH A TOY PISTOL. A gentleman named John Smith Brown Card- well, aged fifty-four, who for a few weeks past has been residing at Cheyne Court, Surrey Road, Bomnemollth, shot himself a day or two ago, with a toy pistol. For some time past he had suffered from asthma, and had been liable to fits of depres- sion at intervals. A servant ia the house heard a noise as of someone falling, and told her mistress of it. They could not gam admission to the de. ceaseds room, and the gardener effected an entrance through the' window. He found the deceased on his left side, with a shot wound in his right temple. He was in an unconscious condi- tion, and a toy pistol, which had been apparently just discharged, was found lying on the floor. Dr. Bacot was called in, but the man died a few hours afterwards. It seems hardly possible that so fatal an injury could have been inflicted with a re- ♦u as ? one found,' but the spot where »f ^tiMskulfnt6re tlie llead Was the thinnest part It is not generally known that the directors of some of the old London banks descend into certain minute details in regard to the personal adornments of their clerks. At Hoare's Bank all the clerks are obliged to appear in white tie?, whilst at Coutts' Bank a moustache cannot be tolerated even.it the clerk desires to wear it to hide a deformity. That "mark of gentility," the chimney-top hat, is insisted -upon as an article of dress by all banks and in all weathers. -TlJK Bishop of Chester speaking on Monday at a meeting at Newcastle-on-Tyne, advocated the Gothenburg Company's system of licensing in preference to the present system of monopoly in private hands. It is true, he said, that the Bill with which his name was connected nad for strategic reasons not been passed to its second readme But it was wise sometimes to step Q in orde to fain more strength for the next leap. That.was all that they had done, and he hoped that their nextleap would be a much more powerful and .successful one than the last. The Bishop of New astle, although himself a teetotaler, welcomed the scheme as a step to better things and hoped it would be success- ful. PATWERS AND THEIR TOBACCO. At Tredegar Police-court on Tuesday, seven inmates of the Bedwellty Union Workhouse, Tredegar, were brought up charged with insub- ordination on the 12th inst.—From the evidence of Mr. A. Moffit, master of the house, it appears that the men were told off to execute some work, and were each supplied with an once of tobacco weekly as long as the work continued. The men, considering the allowance too small, refused to do any more work. The master pointed out that in consequence of the large number of able-bodied men in the house at the present time it was absolutely neccessary to enforce work from them. The prosecution was taken to institute an example. The defend- ants were sent to Usk Prison for 14 days hard labour. LIVEFI COMPLAINTS.—Dr King's Dandelion ard Quinine Liver Pills, withou tmercuiy, are a potent remedy; remove all Liver and SomacnComplaints Billiousness, Headache, Sickness, Shoulder Pains Ueartb^irn. Indigestion. Constipation. lu OVERCOME WEARNICN.-I-epper o Quinine and Iron Tonic gives New Life, Health, Strength and Energy. Insist onh avinp P«»per'a Quinine NERVE WORRY .DEPRESSION.—Quinine he only remedy, Pepper's Quinine and Iron.. all Mrve trouble. MuBt be Pepper b Quinine,

ODDS AND END, Don't ask a local organist which side of the road to keep when he sees a bicycle pproaching. There'e a very good pianist at Sehstopol, but the dancing tune does not sound wU at all to passers by. A young gentleman from Griffihstown has discovered that Staffordshire row i the right place in which to get fresh air. A recitation was not included in he recogni- tion meeting at Trosnant Chapel m Monday night last, but they got it nevertheles. A young man may be seen hare at work in High-street, Abersychan, every nigit at about half-past 10, indulging for about tet minutes in theiosculatory process. The prominent Griffithstown sprtsman and marksman, previously referred to inthis column, has now developed into ,a fullblown footballer of a veryforwarci type. It is said that a gentleman from V town has intentions with regard to certain yemg ladies in Nicholas-street, but that UD to the present the ladies do not reciprocate. A young brush-wielder living notfar from the Albion-road was taken to task veryseverely the other day by a young lady for bivingj taken another young lady for a walk. Is lit a fact that some of lour yiung felloes are threatening to give beans o the author of paragraphs re shelters, &c. ? If 30, to these I would say, "First catch your has, then cook him." There is no truth whateverjin therumour that an official from a certain institution in Aberga- venny was looking for the writer o; the medley "Ond" which appeared in the Fe Press last week. A Griffithstown correspondent, asis if it is a fact that monster potatoes intendel for exhibi- tion at a well-known "hostelry in the neighbour- hood, have been ^subjected to the masticatory proeess. I v ::1)Ûîu A correspondentt says Seeinf that the Blaenavon Local Board have no- taken any steps respecting posts and shelte» for young men, perhaps a subscription list migit be opened for thelpurpose." A gentleman well known in Pontypool for his Baron Munchausen abilities wouli be glad to know where the extemporary meket is to be held. Perhaps some other shinin; light" will inform him.) The young gentleman who was mewing the farmers at the Monkswood sale the fay to jump over swede-pulpers was the means d raising the prices of sheep 15s. a head above rarket prices. So there is still a little Tin left. 11 "John Jones," the world-renowned cyclist, who did 20 miles in the extraorditftry time of 3-hrs. 15-min. 2-5-secs. (thereby ltwering all previous records by several hours) has bought himself a medal to commemorate threat event. Until recently, I was under the impression that a quartet was always sung by bur persons, but when I visited a certain church, Jot far from Abersychan, I found that the right number is two at least, that was the way they lid it there. There seems to be great professiojal jealousy between our High-street concerting and the Salvation Army ditto. The ether right, whilst one was playing the Salvation A'my hymn, Will you come ? the other was phying The miner's dream of home," with variations. The discord was immense. >jr— Two young men who left la pub. it the Cwm the other night in the state known as" half seas over" were observed taking stock cf a newly- erected lamp. After gazing intenty at it for some time, one said to the other" yell, I sup- pose it's necessary." "We'll, I dc.n't know," rejoined his companion what we «ouldn't see before we could feel." The old adage says that" A stitch it time saves nine," and some people are of opinio* that if the two young men from the upper part of the valley, who journeyed to Newport a short tijae ago, had the presence of mind to consult a phrenologist before, instead of after the examination, they would have been saved several months of hard if not of useless study. ilhe Swan-like grace with which some fine specimens of the tuber family weie placed in tbe bar of a well-known hostelry irj Ifchis town has caused a few inquiries to be made as to where they came from. The gentleman who placed them there can truthfully avsi that they did not come from •* Bob m his eyeor1111s pains.y-'Ifest, please. It's all Sir Garnet. Some of Garndiffaith's maidens ieem to delight in meeting near the Taiywain sution on a Saturday night to vent their spleen on each other, and on Sunday morning attempt ;o make peace by dining together off caramels. ]t would be more agreeable if they could arraiue to eat them before they attempt to settle thsir little differences, and then wonder if "Ocds and Ends is about. He is so beware. It would be difficult for ordinary mortals to understand what great virture is contaiifcd in a preacher's plan," but a certain perso*» more highly endowed than his fellows, iiforaed cer- tain young lady candidates at a recent elamlna- tion held in Pontypool a short while ago, that if they were fortunate enough to have one of the aforementioned hung up within the priDts of their homes, it would be a guarantee of unbounded success in all their undertakings in connection with their examinations When I heard the above, I was led to exekim in the words of the London coster, Well; well; wot a blessin' it mus' be to be a neddycatei feller."

Not long ago a youth, older in wi; than ia years, after being catechised concerning the power of nature, replied, "Now, I think, (here's one thing nature can't do." "What is it, rw child?" "She can't make Bill Jones's mouth /ay bigger without settin' his ears back." When Morris had the Haymarket Theatre, Jerrold had occasion one day to find ault with the strength, or rather the want of strength, of the company. Morris expostulated, jud said, Why, there is V. he was bred on these boards I II "He looks as though he had been cut out of them," rejoined Jerrold. Our Daniel says proof enough can belleen that people now-a-days don't live so well nlr so long as in olden times, in fact that we don' find any very old folks but what were born a g.eat while ago. He says the present age has never furnished 'em, and he don't believe it can. If jt could, why don't it ? Dan'l is one of 'em—he A young man being asked by a itid,Il whether he had a father or a mother, said he wisii't quite sure whether he had or not. First his father died, and then his mother married sain and then his mother died, and his fatl married again and now he didn't exactly knftr whether they were his father and mother or not. One of Bishop Bloorafield's latest 60ti mots was uttered during 111s Inst illness, HP inocirocl wh&t had been the subject of his two Steons charges, and was told that one was on the art of making sermons and the other on churchyards. -"Oh, I see, said the bishop, «^position and decomposition. r I regard the use of beer as the trtg temper. ance principle. When ( wok tud am exhausted, nothing helps me like a glVs o' beer It assists nature, you understand," sal ltenison a to Benson. T "I ft makes a. fool of iiie," lJenson replied. "Just so," exlaimed Rentson "that's what I say it assists nature.' A very promising young journalisl remarks that When an enthusiastic editor describes the bride as bonny, and an envious tompositor sets her up as bony, as was done the sther day, hope for a season bids the world farewell and freedom shrieks as the compositor fats at his frame, brained by the brother of the blooming bride." Talking of false pretences, a gentletau of this city recently married a woman reputed to be rich, who turned out to be poor, and some senii hun- dred pounds in debt, which debt he had 50 liqui- date. She assured him, however, that Bie debt was contracted for dry goods which she bought to captivate him. Think of a fish paying for the hook with which it is caught The story is told of Senator Zeb Tince, of North Carolina, that soon after his seoo'id nltr, riage he remarked to his bride, dei-, I'm a stubborn fellow, and you may anticipate trouble. Now, in the wginning, while I am submissive, I want to give you one piece of advice. If you • follow it, we'll get 011 mighty well. It ijthis— make me do just as I darn please. I The teacher had grown eloquent in pfcturing to his little pupils the beauties of Heaven, and he finally asked, What kind of little boy go to Heaven?" A lively little four-vear-old fellow with kicking boots flourished his fist. Well, you may answer," said his teacher. "Dead ones!" shouted the little man at the top of his voice. Speaking of extravagance in dress," writes Captain Croystr'?e, the most expensively dressed man 1 ever saw was an African chief-on the Gold Coast. His wives had anoint t him thoroughly with palm oil, and then powdered him from head to toot with gold dust. You never saw in your life a man got up so uterly regardless of expense." "There is something ine.-piicaMe aoout the mental make-up of a woman," said FiLbrown to a female acquaintance. "Thcres that Mrs. Smith, for example. She's utterly unabls to handle a horse, and yet she drives her husband about as though he were a baby." "Ah, but you forgeV replied the lady—"th« horao, you know, is an intelligent unioial!

ABERSYCHAN LOCAL JBOARD. The ordinary monthly meeting of this Board was held at the Boardroom, Abersychan, on Tuesday last. There were present Mr. W. P. James (in the chair), Messrs. E. Bendall. W. Gregory, A. H. Bailey. D. R.Jones, J. R. Morgan, D. S. Davies, W. Davies, and J. Maggs. THE POLLUTION OF THE AVON LLWYD. Another, circular was read from the Local Goverment Board concerning the above. Mr. Eailey said it was a big matter and they ought not to go ;ibout it too rashly, as it might cost them a great deal of money if they made a mistake. He thought they should appoint a committee to visit the places where those systems were in use, and report as to their efficacy. By doing that tbey might save the ratepayers hundreds and perhaps thousands of pounds. He would propose that the Chairman, the Surveyor, and Mr. Lewis be the committee. Major Jones proposed Mr. W. H. Davies as an addition, saying he thought he would be able to render valuable service, and f jur were not too many. Mr. Bailey consented to the inclusion of Mr. Davies. A little more desultory discussion ensued on the above point, but nothing of importance arose. Ultimately, the proposition was put to the Board and carried without dissent. SURVEYOR'S REPORT. The Surveyor reported as follows Gentlemen,—I beg to report that during the past month we have cleaned the slopes and 'ditches on the highway at Pentrepeod and Cwmnantddu. and also those of the main road between Pentrepeod and Crumlin. We have also repaired Bell-lane and reconstructed the pathway at the rear of the Pent- wyn Old Works. One hundred and ten loads of stones have been broken and laid on the road be- tween Ty Blaenycwm and Penheolg-ochwith, and we have commenced metalling the roads between Pontnewynydd and Pentrepeod. Plans are before the Board to-day for approval of two villas proposed to be built in Penthouse Mea- dow for Mr. J. T. Boothman. Yours obediently. ENOCH COOKE. THE STATE OF TIIE ROADS. Mr. Morgan drew attention to the state of the Osborne-road, and said that the paper was very useful in drawing attention to their shortcomings. It had even spoken of the members' wooden heads. The Chairman Oh we can stand that, Mr. Morgan. Mr. Morgan (resuming) said the road was really in a very disgraceful state, and ought to have something done to it. Could they not pur- chase a machine, so that the man might get over a greater distance in a day ? The Surveyor said those machines were very obsolete, and were so heavy thai a man could do very little more work with them than with the hand-scraper. The matter then dropped. Mr. Gregory called attention to the state of the Plasycoed-road. Some of the members of the Board went over it some time ago,and it was decided that something should be doue.Nothing, however, bad been commenced so far, and the road was in a worse state at the present time than it had ever been. In some cases contractors had left lying about building materials for houses which had been in course of erection for ever 18 months. Mr. Davies Messrs. Morgan and Evans ? Mr. Gregory No, they are guilty of joining, but are not as bad as the rest. The Surveyor explained that stones had been broken for the purpose of mending the road in question for a long while past, but it had been deferred until the building operations there were concluded. The Chairman said there was no reason in keeping building materials lying about the roads fer so long a time as Mr. Gregory mentioned. The Surveyor was instructed to see to the matter. CWMAVON ROAD. Mr. Maggs said a part of the road near Cwm- avon needed attention. He would be very glad if the surveyor would see to it. There was also another thing he wished could be seen to, and that was the placing of some fencing at the bottom of the Snail Creep. The bank there was about 30 feet high, and the road ran very near to the edge. The Surveyor said he knew the piece of road referred to, and he would see that it was put right. With regard to the other matter he was afraid that nothing could be done, as the lime- stoae wn-q -on tba surface there. ¡ THE NAILORS' ROW. Mr. Parry said he wished something could be done to the road near the Nailors' Row. A drain had been recently laid down there by the Local Board, and since that time .the water had been running into his shop whenever it rained. The Surveyor said the road did not belong to the Board, but to the Ebbw Vale Company, sd nothing could be done. It was their business to repair it. It was decided that the surveyor should write to the Ebbw Vale Company and ask them to have the road repaired. MEDICAL OFFICER'S REPORT. The Medical Officer reported as follows :— Gentlemen,—The death-rate for the month of September was 16.4, and the birth-rate 43.5 per 1,000 per annum. There was no death from zymotic disease during the month. Since my last report there have been three fresh cases of scarlet fever, and 14 of German measles. The former disease is decreasing rapidly, but the latter seems to be spreading, especially in the cen- tral ward. The typhoid cases mentioned in my last report are convalescent, and there is no spread. The general sickness of your district is about the average. Yours opediently. J. W. MULLIGAN, M.D. Abersychan, Oct. 17,1898. INSPECTOR OF NUISANCES' REPORT. The report of the IN uisance Inspectori was as follows:- Gentlemen,—I beg to report that since your last meeting inspections have been made throughout various portions of your district for the detection and abatement of nuisances. A number of those which arose from fouling were promptly abated by verbal request, while 25 peremptory notices were served for the following purposes:—Ten for re- placing pans and syphons to untrapped w.c.'s; two for replacing broken syphons two for repairing defective drains three for cleansing foul cesspits; three for providing closet accommodation one for providing urinal; one for the removal of an offen- sive accumulation; one for providing slop drains: two for repairing insanitary dwellings. I have to report a serious nuisance on the pre- mises known as No. 56. High-street, GarndifEaith. The house drains are directly connected to the main sewer, and are laid directly into the interior of the house, without having any traps to the inlets. A notice requiring the abatement of this nuisance was duly serveS upon tlie owner, and the time fiven expired on the 25th September, but no steps ave been taken. Yours obediently. W. R. JAMES. THE INSANITARY HOUSE AT GARNDIFFAITH. It was decided, as to the above matter, that Mrs. James should be given one more notice, and if the work was not done then she should be pro- secuted. CONFIRMATION OF APPOINTMENT. A letter was read from the Local Government Board confirming the appointment of Mr. W. H. James as inspector of nuisances. PLANS. w The plans before the Board for the erection of two villas for Mr. Boothman, Pontypool, were passed. FINANCE REPORT. The finance report was read, and shewed an adverse balance of £ 200s. 7d. This was all the business of importance.

BOILED TO DEA.TH.-The Freeman's Journal states that a child met a terrible death at Carrick- on-Suir on Saturday. Mrs. Power, a farmer's wife, was boiling a huge pot of water on the kitchen fire. She left the room for a few minutes, leaving there her four-year-old daughter. On returning she sat;down to "blow the fire, and was horrified to see a little hand clasping the edge of the pot. Oa looking in she saw the little girl literally boiled to death. She drew out the body, the child being quite dead. The little one had climbed on a stool, overbalanced, and fell into the pot. Great surprise has been expressed by pro fes- sional gentlemen in the medical world through- out the kingdom at the wonderful cures effected by WEE E. COOPER & Co.'s RBEUO in cases of long-standing rheumatism, where all hopes of a cure had long before been abandoned. The great success attending the sales of Rheuo-—which are the largest of any patent medicines for rheu- matism only, in these parts-may be accounted for by the fact that it is not offered to cure every complaint under the sun, but rheurostism only in old and young. Taken internally at regular intervals it quickly subdues thejpains, and gradu- ally but surelyrestores the sufferer to a healthy state. DAVIS BROS., Grocers, Pontypool, ana H. M. DAMES, Chemist, Blaenavon, are the local ages «s, and one 2& 9d bottle will care most cases also bottles, Is lid and 4s 6d. Sent post free by the above agents or fr V Laboratory, High-road, E< ^eeeipt of the above a&r

WILLIAM LEWIS OUTFITTER, GLANSYCHAN HOUSE, ABERSYCHAN, BEGS to call Public attention to the New AUTUMN & WINTER TWEEDS & gUITINGS Of C. J. Kino, Merchant Tailor, London, for whom he holds the Local Agency. These Goods have a world- wide reputation, as buyers of them in made-up form can safely be credited with having secured zn FIT AND FASHION, combined with a study of Economy. ALL ORDERS PROMPTLY EXECUTED. PO-N-TNEWY-NYDD. DT) ALL begs to announce that he • OPENED BUSINESS at MERCHANT'S HILL YARD, PONTNEWYNYDD. PRACTICAL SHOEING AND GENERAL SMITH WORK. ALL KINDS OF MACHINERY REPAIRED. Brass Fittings kept in Stock or to Order. ALL KINDS OF REPAIRS TO BICYCLES, &c. Electro-Plating of any description done on the Premises. Estimates given for all kinds of Smith Work. THE GREAT DROUGHT OF 1893. THE long spell of dry weather experienced ths yea X will in all probability cause fevers and kindred diseases! to be very prevalent during the summer, while the Cholera, which is again making headway in neigh- bouring countries, is causing the Medical Authoriûea much anxiety lest it should obtain a footing here, and be fostered by the phenomenal meteorological conditions now existing. Under these circumstances, to be "fore- warned is to be forearmed." but the question arisen how to be forearmed?" The answer is—Fortify your system by taking the the great specific for purifying the blood braernir th. nerves, and invigorating the system Thp TTW A BIITERS annihilate all £ rms of the blood, making it pure and rich, while defSS-^ digestion, torpid liver, nervousness, weakness low smirtt? skin eruptions, yield like magic to its vir?nLf ™i HEALTH QUINTNiS BITTERS contain Quinine han^arsaparilla Eurdock, Saffron, Dandelion,a £ d ottE £ Herbs, prepared by a new process by which the strength is extracted from the various ingredients HEALTH QUININE BITTERS must not^cn^„I5? J"'1 K«hie 2Fdinal7u low-priced Bitters of more doubtful efficacy:they are the result of lon<* antf scientific research, and mark a distinct advance UTOSS? other Bitters ever offered to the public pon an* Sold in Bottles, 2s. 9d. and 4s. 6d. each. Preuar^ nnw h- THE CARDIFF QUININE BITTE^ CO LTD Cardiff.—Sold everywhere