The Pontypridd Chronicle and Workman's News

THE CAMPAIGN IN CENTRAL ASIA. Some particulars with regard to recent fighting between the Russians and the Turkomans are given by the Daily News' correspondent in Central Asia. Telegraphing on the 13th inst. from Derquez, he nays Four thousand Russians, with 16 guns, are in- trenched a: Kariz, seven miles from Geok Tepe. The Russians shell Geok Tepe at long range, doing little harm. Reinforcements from Khiva have arrived at Bami via, Krasnovodsk. The expedition consists now of 12,000 men of all arms. The camels carrying eight guns to Geok Tepe broke down at Tafend and were sent back. The Merv Turkomans intend to attack the Russians at Kariz when the Merv men have all arrived. The str.-r.g Russian force intrenched seven miles from Geok Tepa is continually assailed by the Turkomans. Com iers have been despatched to Merv- to summon all the available forces to resist the- Russian advance. Numerous Tekkes ask for permission to settle in Persian territory if defeated.. The Turkomans say that the Russian cannon at Bami are draped with crape, and mourning for some great person. There is a complete cessation of hostilities for the moment. Next day the correspondent supplemented this in.- formation with the following The Russians have at- tempted to blockade Geok Tepe, erectin,- works before each of its four gates. A Turkoman sortie, 4,000 strong, was cut to 'ices by the Russians. A second sortie on the 1(' i instant was completely succ-snful, capturing the blockading trenches, four cannon, and a lartre number of rifles, and forcing the Russians to retire with heavy loss to Kariz, seven roPe" to the westward. Their losses are yet unknown'. An official despatch received in St. Petersburg from General Skobeieff states that on the 10th he took a position only 40 yards from the Will of the fortress. The Turkomans made several desperate endeavours to expel the Russians, but without success. On the evening of the ltitn the enemy with their whole Strength delivered an assrvult upon the Russian centra and left flank, when a dc-perate hand-to-hand .fight ensued along nearly the whole line, ending; how- ever, in the rel-)iil.-c of the enemy. The Russian losses in these encounters were one officer killed, five wounded, 16 soldiers killed, 19 wounded. The total casualties at Geok Tepe to. the 13th rep< rt<jd are, exclusive of the above, 11 officers killed, 1G wounded. 182 soldiers killed, 260 wounded. The Ða¡! AV<x' St. Petersburg corre- spondent says The late-t rumour here is the re* ported advance of 30,000 Tekkes from Merv to the relief of Geok Tepe. They are said o be accompanied by a battery of artillery served by Englishmen. This is confidentially whispered, though scarcely cre- dited, in some Anglophobe circles, just as Teheran and other Eastern e'(agw..rations are received in Eng- land whilst, as in those cases, there may be some foundation for the reported advance of additional Tekkes from Merv. 4

TURKEY, GREECE, AND ALBANIA. According to the Berlin correspondent of thej Standard, the Oi-eek circular requesting admission to any further conference has elicited an unfavourably, reply from Germany, Austria, and France, who, wishing the Turks to make a statement rather than to resume the Cfecusiion, do not perceive the necessity of Greece being represented on the occasion.-The,li¡w$' Constantinople representative, however, says that the Porte is disposed b admit that Greece should be represented. He states at the Paute time that grave doubts are entertained at Stamboul as to the ultimate success of the negotiations, for it is believed that the Sultan will not consent to cede much, if any- thing, beyond the line proposed in the noteof. October S,and that the Greeks will not content tliemselve3 with such a moderate acquisition of territory. It is even possible that the Porte may seek t,) withdraw the offer it has made in the note of October 3. The final decision will be deter- mined to some extei t by t he attitude of the A\bai)ian3 which is at present causing some anxiety to the Go- Ternment. The fragmentary intelligence hitherto re- ceived shews that a serious movement is being organised and that the League msditajtes using.the Greek, com- plications for its own en's. In the districts of Prizrend, Uskup, and Dibra the Imperial administra- tion is completely paralysed,and some of the officials have been summarily expelled. From Albanian sources the correspondent learns that the intention of the L'a^ue is to demand complete administrative auto- nomy as the price of co-operation in the Greek ques- tion, and to open, in the event of a refusal, negotia- tions with the Greek Government.To avert the danger, the Sultan proposes to try first the old system of sowintr di.-sensiona among the chiefs, wid for this pur- pose the Mufti of Tashlidje, who played such all im- portant part in the armed resistance to the Austrian occupation of Bosnia,is to be sent to Kossovo. If these efforts do' not succeed, a certain amount of autonomy will probably be granted, at least on pa per,and it is expected that titois will suffice to secure the hearty co-operation of the Albanians in general and the League in particular. The >isi»dard's correspondent in the Turkish capital telegraphs that the Albanian rising at Prizrend created great excitement at thd Palace. but the agita- tion has apparently" subsided with the pivmi-e of atkt t, -triv and the dwrai-sal of the Vali. The fear of concessions of Albanian territory to Greece had much influence in occasioning the outbreak. The Diiitj i Telegraph's Constantinople correspondent stat-. s liiit England has now infornlhliv n(Jtiti.d to tUa Porte her adhesion to the last TufMsh- prop' sal for the meeting of the ambassadors for the settlement of.the.Greek question. The Pcrte is- awaiting the oHicfal reply of the Powers. 1 >

The yacht Invicfa, whilst lying at her moorings in the Thames* off Erith .Gardens, was sunk by thedrift- ing ice oq one uu board. The Rev. R. W. Euraght,. who was ivleased from ■\Vaiv.ick Gaol on the 17th inst., was present at thre« services on Sunday at Holy Trinity Church, P>or tesley, and preached at each service. There was no,, Ito, H,tion in the ritual. A kitchen boiler at 'Tiveiton1 Infirmary exploded, killing a boy and severely injuring- a- nurse.—By the explodon of a kitchen boiler in St. James's-street, Xiondun, a housekeeper and her daughter have been much injured. They were removed t" Charing Cross Ho-pita! in an unconscious cunditi,,n.-On tbe. fires beiti,' lighted for the purpose of heating St. Mary's Chin ch Addiscoinbe, Croydon, two boilers in con- nection with the apparatus exploded with territio force. Fortunately, the occurrence being prior to the time of worship, there was little damage done. One of the attendants was injured. The I"rfton"Steamship- Cnrrpany"at the request of the Red Uross Societies of England and France, have agreed to convey bo East London, Cape Colnry. free of chaige, "cuue case., of hospital comforts for the use of the sick and wounded in the stmjjgle now being carried on between the colonial forces and the Basutos. The Queen has approved the offer of a Privy Cohncii- lorship to Sir Arthur Hobhouse, Q.C., with the view of securing his services qn the Judicial Commit tee. Sir xVrtuur Hobhouse was appointed A- Chat-ity Cotn- missioner in-IStjG, an Endowed School Commissioner lu 1SG9, and Law Member of the Council of the Go- ,vernor-General of India in 1872. Hi* latest publio ^service has been to fin the office of Atbi <ator under the Act of Parftatfisnt relating to the preservation of Epping Forest. I" ed; J J

COLUEKK ijXi>LOSIO^S1.IN: SqiJTH • "■' -—: '■ Va £ es:x~ aJ r hl'c. ':t. 'If GOVERNMENT REPORTS. In the course of the recent inquiry into the Peny- graig explosion Mr Bowell Davies, one of the jurors, very properly pointed out that the reports of seier t" fie gentlemen on the above snbjeet were not bronght out in such a form as to enable the colliers of this and other districts to lead them. We, there- fore, prrpose to lay before our readers the joini report of Messrs. Joseph Dickinson, (chief Inspect tor of Mines) T. E. Wales, and S. Cadman, iEapcc-j tors to the Secretary of State, upon the ooalbed ot coalfied in which the workings at Risca.collierr nre situated. This report, made by the command of Sir R. V. Harcourt, in pursuance of a question by Mr Macdonald, M.P., has only jnst been published. The frequency of explosions in the Risca distt iet will be seen from the following list :— 1st and 2nd explosions at Risca, 1842, With losi of two and three lives respectively. 3rd explosion at Risca, 14th Jan. 1846, 35 lives. 4th „ Autumn, 184S 2.lives. 5th 12th March,1853, lOlives 6th „ 1st Decs. 1868, 142 lives. 1st explosion at Abercarne, 2nd August, 1872, 1 life. 2nd 24bh July. 1876, 3 lives. 3rd 1 Ith Sept 1878,238 lives. Explosion at Risca New Colliery, 15th July, 1830, 120 lives. Desc: iption of Celynon Colliery. GENKRAI, Repout., r v The Coalfield. ThecoalfieM in which these explosions have taken plaee is situated about eight or ten miles from New- port, in Monmonthshiie, being near the conflux ot the small rivers Ebbw and Sirhowy. The seam of coal in whiuh they have chiefly oc- curred is known as the Risca Nine Feet or Black Vein. It crops out at Risca qn the side of a detp valley. The dip is there about 20.iMhes in tho yard, bat it flattensTn a northerty direction, and is in the northern part of the Ri&ca New Collier) nearly flat. Tbq, .ttwoknpss is said to have varied near the putcrop, but at Risca t is now from 9 to 10 feet in thicktieas, the section being CiAl 9ft 7in, h' J Rubbisli 4in. co«i f !i'' Smooth "*• 0 coal Rubbish d I Coal -r (.«. 2 6 Rubbish. „ 0 3 Coal 0 7 A section of the strata with which the seam r i accompanied is given on the accompanying sketched plan of the Risca New Colliery workings. An upper seam of coal, called the Risca Rock Vein, and other seamg called the Red aud 13ib' Veins, were, formerly worked, but for many yeais only the Black Vein has been worked. The Risca Nine Feet or Black Vein is traceable throughout an extensive area, apparently through- out the principal part of the'South Wales coal basin, but it varies, and is known by different names. Jt is, however, only to the colleries in the neigh- bourhood of Risca to which this report applres. The collierien are Risca, including New R-ispa Abercarn, and Celjnen* Th4 Opllieries At Risca, the oldest Workings, were frem revets on the outcrop iu the side of the mountain, the lowest being about 150; yards south of the Ebbw river; and subsequently from a shallow pit abput 190 yards north-west of the level, and 80 from the river. Afterwards a pair of pits were sunk 146 j yards in depth, and situate about 450 yards norith- wst of the previous pit, and 90 yards from the river. It was in this 146 yards'' winning that Ihe first six fatal explosions at Risca occurred, the fourth and fifth of them being when another pit; 70 yards in depth,.with a furnace pit close, to, was1 in cp nation; tbe-FAixth was whert the -70 yards down- tjast was made into an upcast; having a pair of Strove air pumps or aerometers. Ultimately, about July, 1878, th§ working of ooal was fylly oommtmoed in the Risca. Ne;w Colliery on the dip, and all the former workings were closed. The New Colliery is on the same side of the Ebbw river, but ia the fork, on the north side -of thtrSir- howy rivei, and is iTBout 1,200 yards on the dip of the old 140 yards winning. This nevt winning has- two shafts, the downcast being 293 yards, and the upcast 287 yards in deoth. Abercarn Colliery is siftitlted about twn ibiles' further up the Ebbw Valley than Sisca. Celynen Colliery is about three-quarters of a mile further up than Abercarn* in the same-valley. The shafts. of all these collieries are in deep valleys, Ascension of Firedamp. From the commencement the workings at Risca have succeeded each other in descending ranges down to the preiseint new winning. This descend- ing arrangement has many advantages for the libe- ration of flreddmp. Bnt merther at Risca no* in either of the two other colleries has the ventilation been conducted on the nscensional principle required by the Belgian laws, which forbid firedamp being taken down hit!, unless by pxpress sanction. Thw very reverse of this ascensional principle obtained at Abercarn at the time of the great explosion, on, of the two downcast shafts being on the 'sxlremq riso of the workings. Betweon Risoa and the Aderoarn and Celynen Collieries the surface strata indicate that an anti. clinal or ridge isolates the former from the latter two, so far as the drainage of firedamp is concerned. The workings of Abercairn Colliery are on the rise of Celynen; with only a barrier of coal between any firedamp that can flow by gravity and atmos- pheric pressure from the dip to the rise from Cely- nen will enter Abencarn and as- neither colliery is connected with ontcr-op workings, the only vent to the, surface is by the shafts. ,.1 The outflow of firedamp- frpm the rise pit cabled Cwmcarn, at Abercarn CoBi £ ry, during- the time the colliery was flooded with water to put out the fire after the explosion in J878, was found to be up. wards of 500 cubic feet of pure gas per. mioate. Particulars as to th#- Mines* In the new drivings in ':an these collieries, but, apparently, more especially in Aberearaa»wiCelynen, raps or bumps, sometimes like a cannon going off't have been heard, as in ordinary Sery mines, thy noise in these collieries being loudest when most ga is met with, and before outbursts or blowers come off. Boi eholes do not appear to be made in advance; uor in the roof or floor, to liberate gas when larger issues of gas than nsual might be expected. The coal it seems, is worked eaeierjby long waif. That system is, therefore, preferred by some miners. Irrespective of that case, however,, many other miners have exprpgsed a preference for the stall sys- tem for the 9 feet seam, both a8 affording greater protection from falls of roof and coal than the long wall system, by which the noise made by many mi- ners working, near together prevents warnings of falls about to take place from being heard, and also as being safer for ventilation. Opinions as to the cause. Details of the explosions are given, hereinafter in the Appendix. From these it appears to us that the special cause for their occurrence lias been the fiery, nature of the strata, with, in some of the instances, the absence of precautions which might have been taken. > At Celynen Colliery no explosion hbs occurred. The system there has beon double stall, with the Mueseler safety lamp for working with, and the Davy for testing. There btye been many large blowers and sudden outbursts of firedapip in this colliery. In one of these a horse waa suffocated. The first six explosions at Risca were with work- ings on the single stall system, the stalls being driven without taneh regard to direction or thick, oess of the intervening pillars. The first five of thtise explosions were with open lights, chiefly in use for working with, the Davy lamp beiug used fo testing and other special purposes. The discipline was lax, and the general want of atmospheric air must have been seriously detrimental to health, but it apparently mitigated the severity of the explosions. The sixth explosion was during the transition from bad to good, 142 lives being lost, with more air 111 the mine. The Davy lamp being in general use. Two years after the sixth explosion the system of work was changed from single to double stall, and it seems that toe about two years one-half of the safety lamps in use were the Stephenson. To these the mineris objected. They were consequently given up, and only the Davy and Clanay used afterwards. In this, .way during about 17 years the colliery was worked with, entire freedom from fatal explosion; when the coQier; c Tiie Risca Aew Colliery was commenced, and woiked at fiVftt wp^n £ he st^rie"dpuble stall system, but with the Cranny1 tamp tot* the miners and thw Davy tor testiug. After that long wall working wafi- commenced, and it had btcome general at the time of the explosion in 1880, Dayy ftnd Ctariny fem^s being^ used;as btf^e. The'arrari^etaeiittsr jfor yqn»*J jo Juwiiio ( lation at the time of the expli sion were of the mo- dern kirid5, but there ii!Fern-.ql to hrivo "been haste ift wQritlg qu.-tntific-s'af icoal btforftfhe inine was 'sufifeciently drained of tftie ifre'iamp. During the ]on-, ;Wall work sometimes top rob! 9 1 and sometimes bottom coal had been left to lessen the unpacked space, but notwithstanding tbis, places have at times had t6 be temporarily stopped for want of stnff for packing. Abercarn colliery seems also to have been com- menced on the single stall system, then changed to double stall, and ultimately, as at Risca before the great explosion, to long wall, the mode of lighting being chiefly Clanny with some Davy lamps. During the time double stall was being worked at Abercarn, a trial was made to work six or seven feet of the lower part of the seam by long wall, but was given up, chitfly, it appears, in consequence off the mine not yielding sufficient rubbish for packing. The details of the first explosion are not given, but it seems to have been in ground above the Black Vein. The second was in the sinking pit at Cwm- carn. Tho third, with the loss of 268 lives, and the consequent closing of the colliery, was, with dis- cipline and precautions as to lightii g and blasting and modern arrangements as to ventilation similar to those at New Risca, except that in Abercarn col- liery the gas was enclosed by bashings," or stop- pings, which was not so at Risca, and that one of two downcast shafts, that at Cwmcarn, was on the ex- treme rise of the mine, and that more indicatipnsof gas were met with,—the like haste in obtaining large quantities of coal before the firedamp was suffi- ciently drained being pursued. (To be continued.

THE STATE TRIkLg IN IRELAND. The State trial of Land Leaguers is still pro- ceeding in the Dublin Court of Queen's Bench. The defendant* are :—Charles Stewart Parnell, M.P. John Dillon, M.P.; J. G. Biggar, M.P. T. D. Sullivan, M.P. Thomas Sexton, M.P. Patrick E;;an, hon. treasurer of the Land League Thomas Br^nnan, secretary of the Land League; Michael O'Sullivan, assistant secretary of the Land League; Miohael Boyton, agent of the Land League, Kildare; P. J. Gordon, of Claremorris Matthew Harris, of Galway John W. Nally, Mayo; John W. Welsh, Balla; P. J. Sheridan, of Tubberaurry. TWELFTH DAY. THE DEFENCE. Mr. W. H. Bell, a reporter, was the last witness fo* the Crown. He said he took notes of a Land League meeting in Abbey-street, on August 10th, at which Mr. Brennazi said there was a time coming when tenant^would have to strike against rents, and make the landlords collect their rents at the point of the bayonet.—Mr. Mwodomtigh, then commenced his address for the traversers. He said that the present charge was not of rebellion against the Qüeen; it waa a landlords' bill of indiotment against the tenants. He would not say that there were not some good landlords in the country, but he regarded, this prosecution as the case of the landlords who wished to banish the people and to fill smiling valleys with beasts in their stead. Mr. Macdonogh reviewed the history of the land question at great length. He contended that the land League was a charitable organisation, in proof whereof he alleged that contributions to the amount of one mn.I *> sterling had resulted directly and in- directly froih Mr. Parnell's visit to theUnited States that at the time the Compensation for Disturbance Bill was proposed evictions were going on at the rate of 3,000 a year, and on its rejection no resource was left but to appeal to the people. The Land League had succeeded in stopping those evictions, and ha submitted their doing so was in the interest of the country. THIRTEENTH DAY. Continuing his speech for the defence, Mr. Mac- donogh, Q.C., said it was his strong point that, by slopping capripious evictions, the traversers had pre- .vented,a great deal of crime. Their meetings, "held in the light of day, in order to correct public grievances, were riot conspiracies, and they were not responsible for the silly cries with which their speeches might be interrupted.— Mr. Walker addressed the court on be. half of Mr. Biggar, and said if the traversers had errfd it had been for their country's good, and with. ;,out any other object than to earn their country's gratitude. The object of the agitation was to bring about legislation which would not otherwise be forth- coming. FOURTEENTH DAY. Mr. Macdonogh put in as evidence Parliamentary returns and documents in proof of the working of the Irish land system. Two witnesses were called to testify to the distress of last year, after which Nicholas Barry, aired 83, a tenant on Lord Lucan's property in 1847, was put up to speak to eviction cruelties.—The Afctor- nf-y-GeneraI objected to the reception of this evidence' as irrelevant.—Mr. Justice FitzgeraM said that the' extreme generality of the nineteenth count, which charged ths traversers with conspiring to cause discon- tent and illfeeling, had created ti e present diffi- culty, and by ruling in favour of the reception of the evidence the result would bethfvt the trial would only terminate on the death of one of the judges or one of the jury. He wished to know if the 19th count would be withdrawn.—The Attorney-General, hav. ing consulted with his colleagues, announced that the 19th count would be withdrawn.—Mr. Maodonogh then said that in that case the evidence for the traverse^ would now close.—Mr. McLaughlin, Q,C., then addressed the jury on behalf of Sir. Brennan, and at the close of his address the court adjourned. FIFTEENTH DAY. Mr. O'Brien to-day addressed the jury on behalf of Mr. T. D. Sullivan, and Mr. Curran on -behalf of Harris, Walsh, .and .-Nally.The farmer gentleman declared that chronio Irish distress was due'to land- lordism. As to "Boycotting," that was invented long »a?o by the landlords, who refused to do business with a man if he did not vote as they wished. Mr. Curran said the abandonment of the nineteenth count in the indictment by the Crown was an admission that the prosecution shaiik from an investigation which would have laid-bare horrors of which the public were not adequately infonued. SEVENTEENTH DAY. Mr. Dillon addressed the jury on behalf of Messrs. Boy ton and Gordon. He described the cries at the meetings, upon which the prosecution had laid much stress, as merely the exuberance of Irish nature. Mr. Sullivan, M.P., addressed the cotTrt for Egan, and dearlt largely with the political history of Ireland, The first duty to--which the Land League had given itself had been, cliarity, and its next the initiation of a lawful and laudable agitation to redress an evil that ws^s already tottering to its fall.—Mr. Serjeant Heron replied for the Crown, and said it was impos- sible to speak <jf/a movement in which Davitfc and voy were concerned as a constitutional agitation. Nally and other had advocated murder at meetings attended by thejeaders of the League. The counsel for the defence had been unsparing in their slanders upon the landlords, but they had produced no evi- dence to justify them.—The court again adjourned. .r EIGHTEENTH DAY. I Serjeaat Heron replied for the Crown. The learned counsel sketched the history and development of the Land League agitation in Ireland, and stated that its principle was that of Socialism, and that it had a Com- munistic end in view. It was an agitation that O'Connell would denounce were he alive. He quoted fr(m the speeches of the traver,ers extraots to shew that they designed to establish in Ireland an organised system of terrorism, under which no one would dare to pay his just :2tnd legal debts. It would be an un- fortunate thing for the country if the jury by their verdict assisted this foul and treasonable conspiracy. NINETEENTH DAY. Mr. Justice Fitzgerald to-day commenced his sum- ming up. After clearing the ca e from some of the ex- traneous matters that had grown up around it during the progress of the trial, the learned judge summarised the indictment, and described it shortly as imputing a design to crush landlordism, to starve out land. loros, and substitute for them peasant proprietors. If the defendants were guilty of the confederacy which he had described as Boycotting he could not help denouncing it as a crime. He shewed that secrecy was not an essential element of the crime of conspiracy, that the law of conspiracy was neither ob- sole tenor an invention of modern times, and that there was no analogy between Trades Unionism and the Land League's system of agitation. According to its rules, tho Land League was not a legal confederation. If the object of that League was to crush landlords, to return evicted tenants to their holdings, and so on, it was an illegal association, and every meet- ing held under its auspices was unlawful by the com- mon law. As to the statement that the traversers had no gnilty intention whether they intended to impoverish the landlords must, be judged by their utterances he was afraid that there could be no reasonable doubt of their intentions. The learned judge then proceeded to read extracts fvoiu the speec! es of the traverseis to shew that each and all, by tfu-ir own utterances, had rendered themselves obno.\ i ais to the allegations of the prosecution. Hit lords, ip had not concluded when the court rose.

FIRE AT DINAS COLLIERY FAN. The neighbourhood of Dinas, was thrown into a state of great excitement and alarm about half- past ten o clock on Thursday night by the sounding of the hooter. It appeared that tho bearing of the fan had caught fire, and Police- sergeant Row and others, who were almost immediately on the spot, began to throw water on it; The water having done its work plenty of oil was applied to the bearing,' and all danger was prevented. The fire was caused by the friction of the axle of the fan, and, no doubt, want of oil. t ^my of th<a jvomen/who arrived aU the top of the TS8R& another plosion EM occuri^ j

4^-idiPOJ | THE AFRICAN ] I'fl:: SORCERER: A SKETCH IN FEWEST INDIES, By W. E STEWART. c I J. 1' CHAPTER II. The mountains throl their long and deep sha. dows over the valleys, for it is night, and the solitude is ao intense tkt, were it not for the con- tin nous and never varlilg little noises of innume- rable insectE,.Yoti might lancy all life was extinct. But, notwithstanding liiat the luminary which sheds light and heat ujbn ns by day had many hours since gone to rest, the moon stood sentinel in its place, and, undimmedby the vapour and smoke which hang over tie haunts of men, gave forth its rdleoted light vitll a brilliancy and beauty unkrown in the coldetregions of the world. The fpot « as a siaall clearing in thf\ primeval forest. The towering Ptaks, within a short dis- tance, althoi;h some thousands of feet abova the sea lev, 1, are coter with trees of enormous j growth and hard as enny-iron wood, lignum vitae and I abogant-1thich thrust their huge roots deep iuto the ricli soil, and laid hold with tenaoiptts grasp of toe rfceks and stones around, th^iir brinks standi*^ like massive pillars, black and gnarled, and tpifesdi^Qr forth, in all the ma- jesty of their strengtit, their tapering branches. Long trailing tendrih, thick and strong as the cor- dage of some stately reMel, hang in many a coil from the topmost lougbf., and parasitic plants, imitating with mtrvellous resemblance the various specimens if insect life, grow in the fissures of the bark, lumerous and varied enough to make the fortune of any enterprising collector. In such a spot and 4 Euoh an hour, in this island of one of our Westlrdja colonies, two men might be seen, one hard >t ':Work with his hoe, digging deep into th) eatth, the other, though provided with ifflfleflMnts and occasionally f using them, much mote frequently leaning on his spade, and Wjttohing, with cunning leer and contemptuoui .1Id almost sardonic grin, the efforts of his comj&nion. The two men thU8 êd in this solitude dur- ing the watches of th4night were of very different appearance, and >ere actuated by totally dissimilar motives, thoagh gain was the incentive to both. The one wh, øOOIned to be, if not the master, at any rate h* vrho took tie leading part and directed the worl of hia companion, was of powerful build and ttfl and commanding pre- sencj. He was an African by birth, and therefore black as C04lf with thick wool. liko hair, crisp and curly; and what is somewhat uncommon, the wool came low down on the face in the form of whiskers. H's expression was not wilbotit a certain degree of intelligence, but it fAs that of cunning and atrocity, and the contra which he seemed to possess over his feildW man proceeded not entirely from a superior mind, but from the mysterious nature of the trt in which he was a proficient. I have sa(d he was an African he was also a man of Obtvh as it is termed that is, he, was known as a fortune-teller, and one who dealt in the art of necrollabey. The man who was nof his companion was as unlike him as possible.) was a Portuguese and one of those immigrant* Who had come to the island from Madeira at 1 time when want had visited that beautiful sipt ajid driven its people to other lands. Much smaller in person than the African, he was also fartessmuseu]ar, and, owing to the pernicious habits iJ Vehich he, in common with his fellow countiynien, indulged, living almost entirely on vegetables, and these the least nutritious of their kind, he had become weak and attenuated. Nor., was he more like hia sable companion in mWi: The one was all fire and ardour, the other yielding and confiding. Small in stature he was equally i-mall in mental, capacity, and his chief peculiarity consisted in his avarice. He had been digging (lid delving for many a weary hour, and seemed Well nigh exhausted, and yet he appeared distatisfied, and after one more effort to dislodge a piece of rook which it was flecefsary to remove, he thisw down his hoe with Which he had been workiig, with an exclamation of disgust, and, turning to his companion, told him in the negro patois, that he was tired and would do no more. In order to understand the manner in which two such opposite characters had been brought together, we must go back to the time immediately subsequent to the meeting of Maria and Nero, the Af rican sorcerer. Scaicely had the unscrujulous villain who prac- tised upon the fears and the passions of the lower orders taken hurried leafe of his lovely visitor than, after carefully batyiDg the dollars which she had brought him in tba ground which formed r the flcoring of the hut in which he dwelt, he pro- ceeded to reflect both upon the mode by which he w^uld carry out the he contemplated, and also a way which should incase his stock of silver, lie determined, in short, not only that the wife should pay handsomely for work which he was to be the medium of carffl4g out, but that the victim also should pay t^Ute at his shrine, not only in credulity, but iP hard dollars. His rtfiections were long, and tbe decision required the exercise of much thought and cunning, for he must take care that he kept up his character as a chief of Obeah by getting rid somehow or other of the woman's husband, by fair mes if that could be accomplished; if not, well, at any rate he must take care that no trace w?re left of the work. Ho had practised a good many years now, and so far successfully. There had, it ia e, been rumours of people disappearing, none kflev how, and of mys- terious deaths and whispersof foul play had been abroad, and this man amongst others had been in peril, but the fear of the master, whose minister he was, was so great and universal amongst the people, that no testimony odiltd be obtained, and so he had escaped. After Ruminating for a length of time, however, and applying himself to the runt bottle pretty freely, his ideas took this shape. It had been the practice,, he 'knew, during titneir of trouble, and especially i»h%n the war between the Charaibs (aided by the French and the English authorities) broke out, for thO planters to bury their money and valuables, and this was effected frequently in spots fat away from their res;depe, s. and situated in the fastnesses of the mountains. It had sometimes happened that the owners of buried treasure had been killed or had fled from the island, never to return, and there were instances of negroes working their groituds in the hills who had come upon silver and other valuables thus secreted. Now, the wife had told him that her husband's weak point Was a desire for riches; could he not then work upon this weakness and get him into his power 1 The idea once suggested, prompt action followed. Nero had his emissaries, vilio worked for him partly from fear and also for the good wages he paid. They were set upon the track of the Portu- guese,and he had not long refused from his voyage to the neighbouring island when one of these men was on his track, and seducing him with stories of buried treasure. Jose was bot too eager to take the bait, but when he inquired where the treasure lay he was told that Nero, the great Obeah man, alone knew the spot, and so At length Joe6 was enticed to the wizard's den and there, surrounded by the mock symbols of his art, the cunning trickster had duped the pliant listener into the belief that if he would follow his interests and accompany- him to the spot he would sHew him wealth such as he had never dreamt of. And then Jose, eager for the time when toil shall ceaso and be will be able to go back to his beloved isle a rich and great man, entreats the oracle to name an early day. So at last the time has been appointed, and they have gone together-not once, but many times, when the night was dark and no moou shone forth to tell the path they took, up into the silent woods, with the screech owl as their only spec- tator. Rut as yet they have found nothing- have only dug and dug until the feeble Portu- guese waxed faint. But Nero kept his courage up with false hopes and -ardent spirit, and lured frpm him more gold with the plea that he must pro- pitiate the great Spirit. And now they have come once more, and Jose says it is the last time. But have we not seen that he is disappointed? Yet again his meHtof urges him to stay. "Come Jose," said his compation, the jargon of the negro tongue, you no hab any pluck you expeck to fiud de metal widout de sarch. Me tell you under dait big rock he been iver slice de war, and spqse jou sarch for um you go find urn." "Ab," replied tho Portuguese, "so you tell me ebery night, but you no help to find um. Mw give you rooney^dbflat, doubloon, cause you say you know de: gol^l is &rr. Me dig, one, two, tree nights; me no find' am; me tfrikyou fool me me dig no more." Why, -JW' y6ft go stop itxeb wheii yoa-fc flui 1. '.7 •; •• t 1 n I, to stdl 03 t3 .t -( de treasure. "Haveone lilly drink, and den me will help get out dat big rock-stone, and den we find 11m. Did I ro work de Obi for you, and Obi he no lie." The can of rum was produced, but the wily fellow took the first pull, nor did the vessel leave his lips until he had nearly drained its contents. -He, then appeared to hand it to the Portuguese, but •■with much dexterity substituted another vessel, prfcise^^like the first. The unsuspecting Portu- guese received it, and drank long and deeply, and then after a short pause with fresh vigour and with J-ope renewed, the two men now once more .t to their task,and by dint of hard work, and after another hour had passed, the large stone which had impeced their way, and was supposed to cover and conceal the hidden treasure wa3 removed, and the pcor veary gold-seeker stood with stooging f. rm and gloa'ing eyes ready to grasp the prize he has woiked so hard for and paid so much to ob- tain, His companion is above,and stooping over him with a countenance flushed with ardent spirit", but yet with the power which enables him to conceal the emotions within. The Portuguese throws his hoe away, and, looking up in the face of the sootb saT er, asks him in a tone of despair to shew him the treasure he had p:omised. You keep heart," was the reply. I-Sapposeyou no believe what de great Obi tell me, and what him chief foretell by de 'tars, Obeah put one spell 'pon you, make de bones widur up like grass." The poor lowly suppliant, as Nero had thought him, was no lorger too be deceived, and, turning upn the wizard a look of scorn and blas'ed hope, told his companion in accents wild and bitter that he would be deceived no longer, that Obi was a liar and his chief a negro villain. You tell me dis," replied the latter den let de great Obj hab him revenge." The towering form of the giant negro was raised from out the pit where the two had been together, and he stood with arms upraised over the puny Por- tuguese, who was standing in mute despair below. A deep oath was uttered, but heard not or if heard not heeded by Jose, for his senses seemed leaving him. Then came a ciy from the Sorcerer to the god of Obi for vengeance on the unbelieving dog be- neath, and the form of Nero seemed first to dilate, and then to vanish from the sight of the helpless being below. He felt no blow, no sense of pain, only a kind of faintness, and that it grew dark. He tried to raise himself, bat his limbs were powerl, ss, and "a cold shudder passed through his frame, and he Was left alone izi the pit he himself had made, a victim to his own cupidity and dis- belief in Obeah. r) CHAPTER III. 'u.. j Many weeks have elapsed since Maria paid | her last visit to the hut in the mountain, and she haa not seen José, her husband, for j a period nearly as long. His the avaricious and arduous woman at last obtained the cherished objects for which she has worked so hard and imperilled so much ? It would seem so. { She is in undisturbed possession of her cottage and of the wealth represented by the store and its mer- chandise and hoarded doubloons and, what is dearer still, she is in the full enjoyment of the company of Antonio. Some weeks have now elapsed, The store has been open as usual, trade has been brisk, and nothin g unusual has occurred to vary a somewhat monotonous existence. Each day sees Maria at her work,with her fair face beaming with: expressive smiles, and not the faintest trace of a l at licken conscience or of guilt. Antonio still sits at ,1 b;s desk as he was wont, and eeema absorbed in his accounts, and when the day begins to wane, both mistress and lover may be seen seated at the. cottage door, or tending the flowers in the pretty garden at the back. And this routine exi -tence has gone on without remark by the neighbours and oustomers, and none have noted the absence of the master JOEé, for the simple reason that they sup- 1 posed him. away on one of his voyages, as this ia the wife's explanation. But as time passes sur- mise is made,and the question is asked of neighbour- by neighbour whether Jos6 is not a long time ab- sent. Antonioelso wonders why it is that he this time so long tarries and when he asks in perfect- innocence a question of his mistress, the answer is that Jo-e has been as long before, and may-be he has found another love, and will no more ccme back at all. Antonio is satisfied, not so are the wives and the mothers, and the young and pretty Madeir- | ese,who look at Maria and her handsome lover with envious eyes. Suspicion is awakened that all is not as it should be, though it ia somewhat belief when Maria shews no desire to flee,and goes as usual about her many avocations. Lulled into security by the fact that her neighbours make no inquiries so far a a she ia aware of, and resting in the implicit belief that the Obeah chief has performed his promise, and has ufed his power to spirit away, without harm- ing, her late husband, Maria becomes more open and daring in her conduct. She no longer before the world treats Antonio as a dependent, but openly, and glaringly exhibits her love for him. The timer she says to herself, has arrived when the may com- plete her happiness, and so she makes the pro- posal to Antonio that at the expiration of another mon-th they shall be united. He hesitates from the fear that Jo 6 will come b ick, but the luring wiles of his fair mistress are too potent to be re- sisted, and so he yields, and the time is fixed which is to make them man and wife. But a small cloud, as yet no bigger than a man's hand, is. on the horizon, and as Maria's guilty love now grows more and more intense as the day of her nuptials approaches, so gathers the cloud, un. seen and unsuspected by her, in volume and black- ness tmtil it shall burst on their devoted heads. And what a little incident it was which furnished the clue by which to traoe the deed of darkness I There had been much talk and gossip among-t Jese's compatriots as to the truth of his bt ing absent on a trading expedition. Though some believed, the greater part were sceptical, and at last it was determind to ascertain when Jose had last be seen, and with whom, and whether he could be traced to any vessel leaving the island. On inquiry being made, Ja man answering hi3 description was reported to have sailed in a small vessel for one of the Danish colonies, but whether this was about the time Jrse was last seen in thg village none could tell. J»se, so his friends saidy. was so close, and so fond of his money, that he was 1 little'qhestioned, and told little of his doings. The cotis* quence was that suspicion was again set a<t rest, and it was thought he would some day turn up as suddenly as he had disappeared. It is the day before that on which Mada Emanuel and heiparatiioxftr are:to be married, and they are seated with some of their acquaintances, and there are many who arc always ready to forget the old friend and tarke ap with the new. They ere full of j miDthand j illity, ignoring all the past, and think- • jfog only of present enjoyment, and building high bopek of. the future which is in store for them, when tie beauviful moonlight is sud denly darkened by ail inky 'cloud, fit omen of the news which quickly runs from door to door, and spreads with lightning speed throughout the village. groups are gathered, and horror is depicted on the- oountemadee of each, when the tale is told that far away in the mountain jjeak which is only just discernible amid the grey mis.ljB..the ^bodyj-of a human being tias been found halt buried "in a gruve which seems as though it were made by the buried man himself, a huge rock being partly suspended over the body, which, by falling, appears as though it had stuped hia death. To the question asked by all, Who is the self- murderer the answer come- "As yet it is not known, only that the hair and skin are those of a white man." Antonio goes into the group who gather round the messenger to learn the dismal tale, and anon carries it to his^mistress. Can it be José, he in- quires, and she, too, half wishing, half fearing the reply, asks the question also. But no, it cannot be, she mutters to herself, because Jose has long left for Martinique he told her he was going. Nero, the Obeah man, had told her too, when last she sawhim, that "Jose would go across the sea to meet his love," and she dare not question the truth which Obeah spoke. And so Antonio is satisfied, and Maria is lulled into a false security, but only rOt a little, a very brief space. The body has been taken to the nearest town. The coroner and his jury have sat, and their quest has caused the tale to spread that the man has been done to death by Obeah, for none can tell by what oth r means soever the deed has been accomplished. There is no trace of blood. no mark or bruise or even fcratch to shew that force has been applied. No weapon has been found wher. by I to trace a guilty hand. only the hoe used by the dad man himself to dig his pit lying by his side, with no mark thereon save the clay which it had gathered. And so the mystery surrounding this tale of darkness increases as each event is borne upon the L breeze, and the rumour runs throughout the lonely tsle.1ih.t tKt. the: Great Spirit, to WhlCh, ono and •all among the peasants bow, is due a death which none can fathom. Naught but Obeah is the talk of. all men, and the dark but graceful sylph who trusts her fafcure happinesa to the fortune whieh she has obtaincq from Obeah £ s Jiired onward ■' with; ipc^easing. awe and hope that his behests are t rue, Bu^ if this dqgiading. belief is not. checked,, tf .the villain ^ith no c%m. to be ,popular s.ar^^er.^oayih? ltJi e still •1 ,1/YJIWD .11 IA ZYOT.W attmved to ply--4vi4 dangerous, tx&de, the people will ere long- sink into tveii more debasing degra;P dation, and no man's life be safe. And so the la:w is to be in yoked 7 and, after days of waiting— for all must be 'dot e cautiously and carefully, so cunning and so great a hold have the professors of the art obtaint:d-the people learn that he who they deem almo, t a god is in the meshe? of the law. Nerc has been captured t True it is that he has once before steed before his judges; but Obeah then triumphed, ani will he not do so now ? Time will teU and his votaries will learn whether he be a true god or only one of Baal. f (To be continutd.)

A DISHONEST DAUGHTER. At thi Leeds police-court, a young woman natfled Mary Ann Saynor has been charged with StetfTrig £ 25, the property of her father, under the following circumstances. Some days ago it was reported to the police by Mr. Saynor that two men had entered his house in the evenir.ar,while he andhis wife were at church, that they had nearly murdered his daughter, and that they had stolen his cash-box from a room upstairs. On making inquiries the authorities found Miss Saynor in bed, apparency suffering from the effects of the assault. She had a large bruise on the side of her face, and stated that a man had knocked her down, cut through her shawl with some haip instrument, and had tried to choke her. The wound was examined,, aud a surgeon aaid that he was convinced it had been self-inflicted. The police after- wards succeeded in tracing the two B5 notes to the hands of Mi =3 Saynor herself. They found that she had changed them in order to pay for some articles (ft dress, jewellery, and other things which she had purchased. When the defendant's guilt came to light she excused herself W:> her father by saying that her sweetheart had promised to make her a present of some things similar to those named, and that she took the propel ty in order to buy them, thinking that her lover would give her the m Rey if she told him what she had done, and that then she could refund the amoant taken from the cash-box. The defendant ad- mitted her guilt when questioned by the bench, and was remanded, bail being accepted.

THE EXTRAORDINARY SPIRITUALIST CASE. At Bow-street police-court, London, Mrs. Susan Willi Fletpher, 32, of. 22, Grcrdon-streef, Gnrdon- Equare, has surrendered to her bail, before Mr. blowers, to further answer the charge of being con- cerned, with her husband, John William Fletcher, in unlawfully obtaining in the month of September, 1879, a quantity of jewellery aad other (property, by means of false, pretences, with intent to. (Jpfraud Mrs. Juliet Anne Theodora Heurtley Hart-Davies.—Mr. St. John Wontner ap- peared to prosecute on behalf of the Public Prose- cutor. Mr. S. B. Abrahams, of Marlborough-street, watched t.he case on behalf of Mrs. Hart-Davies. Mr. E. D. Lewis, of 52, Old Broad-street, appeared for the defence, and Mr. Humphries, solicitor, and Mr. Basil Greenfield, solicitor, watched the case on behalf of parties interested in the inquiry.—The exa- mination of Mrs. Hart-Davies was resumed. She said that Mr. Fletcher had a spirit known by the name of Winona." He also had a guide who was a doct r. The defendant had a spirit eruide called "Dew. drop." Witness had attended one or two stances where three spirits had appdired. She receive 1 a Christmas card with a printed veise on the back signed "Winona," in Mr. Fletcher's handwriting. The letter in the diary was received from Mrs. Fletcher, and was represented to witness to have been addi essed to her brother by the defendatit whilst in a trance. The entry in the diary was as follows Letters from mother in Heaven chanted through tha mcdiumsbip of Mrs. J. W. Fletcher (Si ter Bertie). God bless you, my boy Percy; I am with you always. Your mother still. You must be courageou-i through a belief in my love for YOI", and your dear sister. Goodbye. God bless you.-Froin Mamma in the spirit I;fe.Witne" continue,]: Be fore I went to America I noticed that the deftn-latit dressed herself very handsomely in my mother's clothes. I was aware that some, of my property was lwin taken over to A 'herica. We were to stay there two months. We were going to L-,ke Fl> a a < to a S¡ 'rit t\ 1st meeting. i'tit-re wete two othórs of the patty beside the Fletchers and myself. On arrival in America we made up two paiti^s. I stayed at New York a night with Mr. Fletcher, his step-son, and one of the party. Mr. Fletcher went' on towards Boston with another of the party. They afterwards joined us at Lake Pleasant. Wit remained about eight days theie. Towards the end of that time Ispoke to Mr. Fletcher, and asked him for my money andpropeity hl. k. He said he couldn't think of such a thing until ht) liad cohsnTt-d the spirits. I had prior to that seen a Dr. Mack. a magnetic doc'or. I repeated my deci- j sion t(x ifletcher, but he still refused.; Later on defendant came into my and said that her husband had told her I had asked for my jewels ami property back. She said, I warn you that if Von insist upon your demand you will have speedy and sudden death before you," alluding, as I understood, to the magnetism in the jewels. I replied that I was indifferent and cared not ta live. Finding I could not get any jew Is, I consulted Dr. Mack, ulti* mately giving hirr, a poWer of attorney to act for me. I was afterwards shewn a quantity of the jewels I had entrusted to the Fletchers. In order to get back the remainder of my property I employed some private detectives, and succeee'ed in recovering some of it. In the result the defendant was taken into cus- tody, and her hushand was afterwards arrested. Fl- timately Dr. Mack and myself, were chat god with stealing the property. I did not appear before any court. Having secured what property I could in America, I came to London to obtain the remainder. Dr. Mack had arrived here before me. I consulted Mr. Abrahams at once, and with him I went to 22, Gordon-street. Dr. Mack was with me. I found that the boxes had all been opened. I had them re- packed, and after doing so my attention was directed to the matttl (e,ces on the bed, where I found a quantity Of dresses and sheeting, which I also packed up. The things were all removed at once, and the inaj-,r por- !■ tion were lodged at the Pantechnicon. With a T few exceptions I removed nothing but what belonged to me.. L have found that I made a mistake in ta':ing one or two articles.. A solicitor named Flei; o 1 » during the time, and at first entered a protest ag;ii nc the removal of the goods, but eventually consented. The list produced shews the articles of jewellery re- turned and those that are not yet returned. On August 19, a latter was received from Mr.Fiftcher, eommencing, "Dear Mrs. Hart-Davies," and con- tained the following Mrs. Fletcher says she should be more than happy to keep any of your things for you or any books, as we have so much room, aud wo will give them the bE-lit possihle can." On the foilow- ing day a letter to the same effect was received from the defendant.—A large nfunber of other letters frcni Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher were read,and several purporting to come from Mrs. Hart-Da view's i mother, but, they had no special bearing on the ca- —The court then adjourned. On the following day Mrs. Hart-Davies, crosi- examined by Mr. Edward D. Lewis, said; I see no reason tot ^ftjsdify the evidence I gavo on the second occasion. It has been modified by Mr. Wontner, anth I wi.,h it tQ remain as it ncws^i da. I adhere In all respects to my evidence given on the first occasion, 'when' I was examined by Mr. 'Wontner, both as to the facts to which I deposed and, this opinions.I then expressed. Ithen said that .4 had re tbrottgh Mr. Flatfhqt,, -found my mother, That is the pfesentr/stale, oj,my.belief, very much modified. I still, believe I had found my dear moth- r. I do not wfeh to modify that part of the statement. When I said I found my mother I did not mean it in the sense that I could communicate with h«r. I meant that-it was ffom the lips of Mr. Fletcher that I learnt for the first time the gUrious truth of the actual presence of the dead here with us. I did not mean that wholly in the sense of b* ing able to communicate with them, but partly in that sense. She believed that in certain circumstanc e the dead had the power of communicating with the living, and that the spirit of her departed mother might be able to communicate w}th her. It was her belief, V3ry much modified, that her mother had communicated with her. Since the first 'communications she had learnt to consult her common sense. Her eyes were opened on her way to America. She had not said that Fletctier was in a state of clairvoyance; trance was the word she used. The letters read on the previous day Were all that she could find that had been receivedby her from the Ftetchers. Possibly she had received others, but she could not find them. She had not received over 200 letters from them. One or two had been destroyed by Mrs. Fletcher's order*, which witness obeyed as though she were her sister. She would swear that she had not removed a single letter she had written to the Fletchers while she was staying with them in America. Several letters were handed tp. the witness and identified as beipg in her handwriting.—Cross-examination continued Before I saw the Fletchers I accepted Spiritualism in its higher phases, believing in immortality of souls, the presence, of thp departed, and in progression int after-life. On three successive occasions my. mother conversed with me in the year 1876, and I no doubfc mentioned the fact to Mr. Fletcher, and I have not sent a spirit message to Mrs. Fletcher, as I am not a medium. I saw what appeared to be a vision of my mother in 1876. At Tours, when I was ill, my mother's spirit cama to me to comfort me. It is quite possible I have asserted that my mother appeared to ma in 1879. I have always asserted that she, had appeared to me in a vision or dream. I remember a letterdated the 3rd of September, 1879, written from my aunt'a home at Sandgate to thp Fletchers. While staying there I wrote to the effect that my mother's pre- sence seemed to b* around her as in a breath of air. I believed it and felt a sort of happiness.—The letter referred too was read, and after some discussion the case was further adjourned.

Another Waterloo veteran, Joteph Qoddard, 96, hasidiedat Ipswich, The deceased served in the 33rd Regiment (Duke of. Wellington's),, and subsequently joined, the 1st Battalion, of th? 31st, apd passed -through the Indian aild Bhrmese wars. r ^"PiTht^and^ubS^d^yTSnSBlrk^Wand"™^ M lUrèét;. ¥6MYpHf{,'f'lti-dèSèellmt.r of Glamorgan, SATURDAY, Jan., 29, 1881.