The Pontypridd Chronicle and Workman's News

A REVIVAL of the passion for duelling seems to "have taken place in trance. The custom, it is true, has never quite died out; but now it is as common, apparently, a* it was when M. Thiers exchanged shots with M. liixio after "a scene" in the Legislative Assembly, nearly forty years ago. Thetje encounters, too, are becoming more alluinary in their results than was the case, nor. very long ago. Following the death of M. Dupuis in an affair of this sort, comes tbe news of sL ho-qtlle meeting between the Marquis d' Osmond and the Baron de Bosmelet, which re- sulted in -the former receiving a dangerous wound in the abdomen from hi3 adversary's ,-sword. What the cause of the quarrel was is -not very clear, but that is not material in such nutters. That which loncbston8 called "the countercheck quarrelsome will still suffice to provoke a dael, or even the "reply churlish." It is much to be regretted that all such en- counters cannot be stopped as readily by the police as that which was arranged between jLouis Napoleon, afterwards Emperor of the French, and Count Leon. When they appeared on Wimbledon-common, and took their ground, they were promptly arrested by constables and taken to Bow-street Cenrt. It has often been -urged that it is impossible to prevent duelling -in France, but if the Legislature made such an olfencea capital one the most fiery of French- tnen would soon abandon that mode oi obtain- ing an imaginary redress.

TKE; report on the work of the Emigrants' In- formation Office for the year ending March thirty-tirst last has, just been issued. It shows that Ihere was a large increase of emigration fron/rthe United Kingdom to Canada during the year, but a considerable decrease in emigration to the Australasian colonies. The diminution in the number of emigrants to these colonies is chiefly attributable to the discontimiiyice of isted passages by all the Australasian tjlovernments excepting those of Queensland in41 Western Australia. The Queensland Government stillsallctions free, assisted, nomin- ated, and indented passages to farm hands and female domestic servants, and the Government ti Western Australia otiers assisted passages to vinall capitalists and nominated passages to farm labourers and domestic servants. Another canae which has checked emigration to Aus- tralia is the higher rates charged by the prin- cipal steamship companies for third-class pas- sengers to some of the Australian ports. We learn from the report that a third-class passage to Melbourne by one of the ordinary cheap lines costs atth- present, time nearly two pounds more than it did a few months hack. The steam- ship fares, however, are constantly changing. It is satisfactory to learn that trade depression in the Australasian colonies is not now so marked as it was at the time of the issue of the last report from tbe Emigration Office, in Sydney, however, there still appears to bj a considerable amount of unemployed labour, mnd most of the large Australian towns, in JEact, suffer like the towns in the old country, from a congestion of workers. The report offers a timely warning to those who are pro- moting large emigration schemes in this country. Such schemes are bound to prove disastrous failures unless the promoters ob- serve the following conditions:—First, that tbe -emigrants sent out should he supplied with soine small means. Second, that arrangements obould be made by public or private agencie.- for sending the intending settlers straight ur country from the port of landing and, third. Ukat they should be selected mainly from the country population at home. The colonies, in tact need tbe very class of people whom we ougnt to do our best to .keep at home. They meed our stalwart wealth producers, not out idle and wortbleMø wealth consumers. South Africa has attracted much attention lately as a jwointsing field for aettlers, but it must he borne In nund that thiar-4 is a large supply of cheap native labour on the spot in the South Africar colonies. The high rate of wages paid in the Australian colonies misleads many persons at home into the belief that this is a positive sigt: of prosperity. It should be remembered, how. ever, that the rate of wages is kept up arti. fictallv by the colonial trade unions, and doe not necessarily imply a demand for labour Steadv continuous work is not to be had at af abnormal rate of pay, and high wages for thret or four days a week in the colonies are fre nently counterbalanced by no wages at all foi of the w,,k. Still, as the report states there iq fprhaps no colony where a man willing 4o nork, able to work, and indifferent to tbt kind of work, will net get a living. "But," it in added, "agriculturists should be warne< that farm work at home is one thing and in th< colonies quite another, and that the condition of country life in Canada, Australasia, am South Africa, are. a* a rule, far rougher &a( lonelier than in England." Mrs. Hull-Brown, widow of a frHmer viwr <»! Puxtm. b.-i- ot'ered i-, defray the of de C^iatm^ 'ho < i ;iih i •»! .S*. Aniiu's, whi>d« I lit DItient elioirels j%l, A telegram from Crnn«*adfc, says the harhoni and roadstead are now free troin ie»: nn.l open for navigation. A f; a S I et; I :t has been in preparation for sonw lime, lias boei yofc in blast, and a fourth is to be got ready.

t= THE BANK OF CALIFORNIA. BY PRENTIGE MULFORD. (Continued from our last issue.) So I hunted and "I found it at last, and here arc more of the original packages." He turned up a flat bowlder as he spoke, ami underneath, in a cavity, lay a pile of the yellow flecked white rock. Pieces were there varying in size from a potatoe to a human skull. Some seemed half gold. I picked up the biggest, and was astonished at its weight. That's a hundred ouncer," said Broenor. out- side the rock it carries. Seventeen hundred dollars more than the whole crowd on the bar below will get out in a day. It makes me laugh to think of those poor devils humping themselves down there, and fighting over sardines of thirty-three feet claims to the man, when there's enough up here to send them all to the old boy. For there's where most of 'em would go if they struck it." And he laid back and had his Laugh out in an expansive, silent grin, whose heartiness seemed to pervade his whole being. Singular," he ro- marked, 41 how circumstances alter cases. Rich as I am, I can't afford to laugh aloud, lest the jieonf. below hear me. They alone can enjoy that luxury." But where does this quartz come from 1" I asked. He arose, went forward a few steps to the baso :)f the precipice where it joined the shelf, and turned over a few bushes carelessly laid against the rock. There, low down near the ground, wa a streak of white quartz. Then I observed on closer inspection that it had been dug into here and there to the depth of a few feet. Looking closer still I saw the yellow metal, and in places where rup- tured by the pick it shone with a glint like It very different from the duller colour of the river wash gold or that of bank diggings." "Yes, there's the bank," said Brocner. Tho Bank of California, and if I wasn't a man of more than ordinary strengtn of mind I'd worry my- self to death nights fearing lest some other quartz learned reptile came crawling up here and worm- ing himself into my pile. As it is, I have fit. of such fear at times, but when I find them coming on I say Be off ye devils.' Because all fears ;t i-c devils-devils of the mind. Hard to be put out if once let in, and bound to kill if you can't drive "om out." How do you get the gold out of the rock ?" I asked. "Pound the gold out of the bigger Inmp" ,ith mortar and pestle," he replied, but most of it I carry to San Francisco to be treated,' such as that {riece you threw down just now. It looks worth- ess. You can't see any gold in it, yet it's full, full of dust gold, fine as nour-yes, finer-fine as tho dust on the butterfly's wing. I take that to the assayer. How the mint officials opened their eyes at them. First they ever saw. Wanted to know where I dug them and how and all about it. Of course I told them. I located my diggings in the farthest possible country from this, and fired volleys of lies otherwise at them. A man must protect himself you know, and cut and run from truth just as a ship in an open roadstead with a fale suddenly coming on must cut and run from er best bower. I half believe they didn't quite accept my story and suspect sometimes they set a watch on me to see which way I travelled. No knowing, you know, what some learned worm of the dust at the mint might do. Because "ueh a one would know what this rock meant, and h • would yearn, yea, seek for it diligently, and do— just as I might do under the same sora trial." CHAPTER VIII. COM TACT. "But why," I asked, "do you trust mo. r.hno. t a stranger to you, with your secret ? For this reason," replied Broener. First, be- cause I believe I can trust you secondly, I have long wanted a companion and assistant in one and the same person. The honest ones among the Bull Bar crowd will get drunk, and whisky reveal.' more secrets than Woman—though, for that matter, 1 think quite as many gossips are running around in pantaloons as in petticoats. I need you to keep up a show of work on my bogus claim while I a:n in San Francisco. There I must go from time to time to get my quartz gold smelted and assayed. Miners' law requires one day's work in thirty on every claim in order to keep possession of it. 1 want you to potter around and keep up a show of work on the bank in front of the cabin. In the miners' estimation hereabouts yon are to be my partner in that claim. I don't want to seem mysterious and if I don't keep up a clatter of work here I shall be, through leaving so often and let ting the bank stand idie. Then I want you to slide up from time to time to our real claim on the moun- tain and see that it's all right. And while I think of it mind you break no regular path going up and down. It's very natural for men prospecting about in strange places on finding any sort of a trail to follow it. I think it's the cattle instinct in man- the same that makes sheep and cows follow each other. Men who succeed I notice generally go out of beaten paths. So mind in your travellings up and down from the Bank' to keep your footsteps as much as you can out of the same tracks. Wo must keep shady and lie low. It's not so much the fellows about here now that I fear. But new men are arriving all the time—restless prying, search- ing—maybe knowing and reasoning as I have done on this matter, and if their eyes fall on a bit of: hat white rock on the mountain side or at its bottom they'll be clambering up hunting for it. Should they do so in my absence and find no one in lJOs- session it would be all up with me, for there's no law now to regulate that description of claims- except the law of might. Now do you see how much I need you ? You're quiet, shy and not talk- ative. Those qualities are all helps to me. A talk- ative man, with this secret inside of him, couldn't help in some way letting it out. He'd kill liimselt at last with hints and knowing grimaces. The best way to keep a secret is to forget it yourself --till it's wanted. What's always on the mind is very apt t > write itself on the face. Make people susjK-et you know something they don't and you start 'em on the hunt to find it out. But what in thunder am I doing? Preaching and philosophising. Let's go home anrlstart a new brood ot tlap-jaeks for supjHT. Broener tilled a sack with as much of the quarts as he could conveniently cany, and we took our way homeward. Ascending far out of sight and sound of the busy crowds below the eye fell on peak after peak, far and near, their sides covered with the dark green carpet of chapfwral, which in places,as thrown in shadows, was almost black. There was no sight nor sound of living thing. A shadow floated along on the red earth. I looked up. It was a huge turkey buzzard wheeling through the air as noiseless as the shadows he cast. There was something weird and gloomy in it all. The land did not seem made for human habitation. It seemed new, unfinished, as of recent date frinn some tremendous volcanic upheaval. This impression quickly vanished on reaching Broener's cabin, now cast into a grateful and cool- ing shade by the afternoon sun. The long shadows of the hills on our bank of the stream were rap'dly stealing up the sides of those on the other. The direct andopjwessiveoutpour of noon heat was over, and now, liust the middle of tho afternoon, there seemed to come to men, animals and vegetation a new flood of vitality. Broener had allowed the manzanita bush, its dark mahogany stem contrasting so strongly with iti4 dark green leaved, to remain uncut all about his cabin. It screens me from observation," said he, and I find it advantageous not to be seen in all my com- ings and goings." After «up]ier he proposed a.trip to tho Hull liar store (or trading ]><>st, as many f'I..II,I i' i. two miles down the river. Thill,r we went. To go to the'stor-after supper is the i-; With five-sixths ot the I'.nil P.artH- said '.r-ierer. "They would e insider day iiwomj>■:with- out such a viit." It was store, boarding house, bar, foxit aud ex- press office combined—full ot bumw Ib ISeir woft rag clothes. Every barrel head was used as a neat; so were boxes, tables and the doorsilL As we entered, the proprietor. a small, energetic, bustling man. was scolding a giant in comparison with hunself-11 Big Dick "—for Sitting on the counter. "I want you to know," said he, glthat this counter is to sell goods on, and not to sit on. If you want to retail yourself, get a counter of your own. You come up here every night and plank yourself on my counter as if I had built it for an arm chair. If you want to be sold I'll lay you on the shelf with the other goods, and take you down when called for. But I want you to keep your beef oft my counter." The giant took the reproof good naturedly, and moved off as desired. "Mr. Rankin," said another customer, "are those canned oysters of yours good ? Good I replied Mr. Rankin. Of course not. They're Baltimore oysters, put up rotten, shipped round Cape Horn rotten, sold to me in Stockton rotten, ana hauled up here by a bull team rotten. Just smell of 'em and Mr. Rankin shoved the can under his customer's nose. "I'll take a can, anyway," said the miner, who did not seem at all affected by Mr. Rankin's pecu- liar recommendation of his wares. How much are they ? Two dollars." The miner produced his buckskin and poured a little dust into the gold scales. Mr. Rankin looked critically at it and put it in a flat brass pan, narrowing toward one end, with sides half an inch in height—a blow pan." "Mr. S. P. Willets," itl Rapkin, "I don't sell my waters for sand. Your dust isn't elmn-never is. Maybe some other store-keeper will buy black or gray sand of you, but I can't." Black sand, in reality an oxide of iron, is the in- variable accompaniment of gold as washed from the soil, and very difficult to be separated from the dust. Have you any good butter ? asked another. I've an article here which for axle grease: will beat the oldest man in the mines. English butter. Made to grease the wheels of her majesty's carri- age. Dollar a pound. Want some ? "Yes. Give me half a pound. He plays that well on the boys," whispered Broener to me. Did you ever notice, with nine people out of ten, that if you tell them of anything you want to sell that it's bad they'll believe the contrary Maybe it's because we've all dropped unconciously into the habit of thinking each other liars. t There was a noisy game of cards, and at every second the well-worn pasteboards were thumped on the table with resounding whacks. Mr. Rankin, while not selling goods, was setting rows of tum- blers on the bar and a black bottle before them is response to the frequent call of the players stuck for the drinks." Broener seemed well acquainted with the place and its habitues My presence with him attracted some curiosity. Brother," I heard some one inquire of him in a low voice, referring to myself. No, nephew," was his reply. cc Just out from the states. Been down to the bay to bring him op." How does your claim pan out ? asked another. "Good, yields five dollars a day yet, "said Broener. di I don't want to work it all out. Afraid I shan't get another like it." You seem to take life pretty easy," remarked the last inquirer. Why should I take life hard ?'' replied Broener. But why do you think I take things easy ?" Because you don't work hard like tho rest of the boys," was the answer. I don't believe in hard work," replied Broener, filling his pipe. "I think the best work is the work that's easiest done. I knock off early in the afternoon so that I may have some time to cook my grub decently, wash my flannels and make my cabin comfortable without using up every bit of strength in my body. You see I expect to be dodging around when most of you fellows that take life so hard are cold in your graves—if yon re lucky enough to get a grave. You're using up now more strength than you ve got to sl'am and patching up the rents in it with whisky. It's all very nice working in the river till you shiver, and then coming out and warming up with whisky every fifteen minutes. But you'll i«iy for it inside of ten years. How much rum per day did the Willow Bar boys use when they were building that wing dam ?" Used to send a two gallon demijohn twice a day to be filled," said a slow, heavy voice, and the manner of saying it seemed to imply that it was something to boast of. And amongst ten of you. All right. Min- ing by steam itower. Sneaking of whisky, let's all take a drink,' said Broener. "Come! All hands! Fall in Forward with your banners The company present gathered before the bar. The bottles and glasses were again set out. All waited with a rigid decorum until each glass was filled and ready, and then with a "here s luck and a solemn, simultaneous gulp, the fluid was poured down, with an occasional rasper, "He-m," or an eager grasping for the water pitcher, testi- fied to the vigorous rawness of corn whisky. A sad and solemn performance," said Broener. Another sciew in our respective coffins. Boys who bosses this bar, we or John Barleycorn ?" Barleycorn, I guess," said a piping voice. "Reed's got em. Snakes. Alone in his cabin for two weeks with a five gallon demijohn of whisky. Saw him as I was comin' up sweepin' his doorstep like fury. Asked him what was the matter. lord, how he yelled 'Matter? Matter enough. Can't you see ? The house is full of bugs and beetles, snakes and centipedes, horned toads and bumble bees, and I can't keep 'em out I vamoosed." He was up here yesterday afternoon," said another. "Come walking into the store quiet enough until he saw Rankin behind the counter took him for a mule team, I guess. Anyway, he made for him with a black-snake whip, singing out 'Whoa Whoa! Haw—(iitupthor!' How Rankin did git from behind the counter and old Reed after him, up the hill. The boys got after 'em and started Reed home. Nice man to be laying round loose. Somebody ought to look after him. "He came here a fortnight ago to lay in his winter's provisions," said Rankin. "I asked him to make out his order. Well, he said he guessed he'd have a sack of flour, ten pounds of llOrk, four pounds of sugar, three of coffee, and so on, as he went on lessening the number of pounds until he got to the whisky. He said of that he'd have a barrel. I s'pose he commenced on that before tackling the grub." I wish," said one, I had his claim, .any way, on that jtoint of rocks. They say he's got pickle jars full of dust buried under his tent. I saw him take ten ounces one day out of a pot holo my- self." Yes, he's one of your lucky ones. Rum, luck and a Boston sailor go together. Put Reed with- out a cent on a bar nobody ever got a colour from before, till him full of whisky, and give him a pan and an iron spoon, and he'll pull straight for the only .;100 dols. c/iixpa on the bar. Ef I could man- age Reed I'd break him in and use him for a gold p'inter, as I would Brass here to p'int for quail," said Big Dick. We jsvssed this unfortunate's cabin on our way home, and heard him cursing the fiends summoned by his re;ieated fiery draughts, and to all but him invisible. It was a horrible sound "in the darkness and stillness of the night, issuing, as it did, from the base of a crajrgy mountain which lowered in 17 4tl the Waekuess against the sky. They call it living," said Broener. Poor chaps. Its the best they can do. They're good fellows. But half of them are killing themselves, because. for the tirflt time in their lives, they find themselves freed from all social restraints and in a country where a man can do pretty much a* he jdeases, so long as he i»ays his bills and minds hie own business." They're living now," he continued, on the stable yard muck hill side of life, and call it in-' dependence. That is to say, indejiendence' with them meaiis disregard for dress, rough language, and a cutting away from all the amenities, manners and jiolish of the oldef settlements. It is a great mistake. They can't always remain in it. They've got to beautify life, reline it, polish it in spite of th< ui-elves, uud ten years hence you'll find a jiori i.m of tbe fellows on this bar living in townt and os in grand houses, and clothed in purple aifi LIU: ¡im:n. ) I 11 V«Tt//uite I n Ilezt.

CONSERVATIVE MEETINGS IN THE RHONDDA. LIBERAL OPPOSITION. A WELSH TORY CHAMPION FLOOBBD. Mr James Croe'on, F.S.A., of Manobeeter, whore address at Pontypridd was referred to in these columns a fortnight ago, has since addrciwd meetirgi at Topyrefail.Trpherl)ort, and Tou3 pandy. The meeting at Tcnyrtfail wsis presided over by Mr W. Stewart, of Peorhiwfer, and was largely attended by Liberals. Political speeches were delivered by Mr Croston in English, and by Mr D. Picton in Welch. At the clone, questions were asked, and, whatever way be said If the English Tory lecturer, the Weleh Tory was not able to hold his own against the keen Radicals of T,-nyrt-fail.- On Thursday evening there was a meeting at the t'uhlic Hall, Treherbeit. when the same Conserva- tive lecturers spoke. The ohafr was oocupied by r Glass, ironmonger, Tieherbeit, in the absence of Mr Archibald Hoed, who was announced to preside, but who was unavoidably detained in London in cennection with the local railway bills- Mr Glass therefore, was voted to the chair at the meeting, on th motion of Mr J. G. Pye Parminter, of Swansea, seconded by Mr E. Williams, Treher. bert.-The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, said this was a meeting called to hear the other side." He, therefore, called upon Mr Picton to address the meeting in Welsh. Mr Picton responded, and spoke at some length, mainly upon questions affecting the working classei-. He contended that Tory governments had passed more measures to pi omote the welfare of working men than Liberals. He entertd at some length into frpe trade versus fair trade, contending that fair trade" would benefit the working men. Mr Croetrn followed, ard dealt txbaustively with the topics of the day from a Tory point of view. He was occasionally interrupted, and met with cries of Cheers for Gladstone," which were given. Questions were then invited, and the chair- man intimated that gentlemen would please be as brief as possible, as the. speakers wisbed to leave t-y train. In reply to a question as to what is the policy of the Government as to the question of lecal government for Ireland, Mr Cr( stoa said that eo soon as law was respected, and order maintained, the Government would not be unwilling to extend the principle of the measure to Ireland. Mr R. Morris, Pentre-Mr Chairman, Mr Picton delivered a very leug ept-tch on fair trade. I wish to ask him what is the policy of the present Govern- ment upon free trade. Mr Picton—Unquestionably they are divided. They are not unanimous on free trade. I admit that, but lat the same time I say we ought to have the same advantages as foreign countries. We only want fair play. Mr R. Morris-Will Mr l'icton tell us who in the Government is against free trade ? (Applause.) As it is beyond question, let us have it. Mr Picton—1 cannot say; 1 don't say there is one agaiost free trade. I am speaking .f the Conservative party, not the Cabinet. 1 admit ihit again theie aie some in the pi-eat nt party for free trade, but rt ally they have tot ventilated the ■ulject, and some will go against duties on the veceseaiies of life. (Cli II e f "NatTie.") Mr Altrria-Mi Picton w-is teferring to the Government, and not the paity. lie asked 01 to support the Government, and I aeked him if there was any ne in the Government agaiLBt free trade. (Applause.) Mr Pict, Thpr.. are some in the Government supporting fair trade. mr Moirie-N-wt-. Mr Picton- SalistaurT. (C. ies of "Oh!") Ir Morris- W..s 01 t the question asked bv Lord St-lisbui), after the t Ixff,rd coi-tereno i-, is fair trade ? I don't know what it is, hDd the people who advocate it bin e never told me what it is." How can he support f,.ir tiade when he does not know what it means ? The Ch-irtrian-I must ask yor. to put a question, ud not fnake a fzlwech, because time is shut. (Cries of Ob, oh") Nir il'icton-His ojinioLs way have changed fcince that speech. A workman iu the audience asked whether the houses in Giei heigh w--i-o tit to live in. Mr ( "rcston said a consider. ble quantity of land went with the ti(,us..s, aLd the people o ust have consideted them satisfactory wlen it ey took them. Mr Mortis-Air Crostcn stated ti-st t, e Natioi ul League was All illegal oiyMiizatiOD. and why does not t p jyove-nment i reclaim the NatioLal League I if that is so P (Applause.) Mr Crooitou-I out u w. what surprised that a gfiitleuian in the position of the gentleman who ueks the question, and who very likely knows some- thing of the league and its doings, should ask such fb que- t iots. He knows pi-rftctly well that where- ever thfre has been much activity on the part ot the National League tbeie ti-e Government have pioclaiiued it, and thei e his fi-iendis t-ave denounced t he Government fpr having done so. (Laughter and applanse.) Mr io-I Afok not as to the proclamation of certain brsncbpi-, but if the League itself is illegal, why not proclaim it ? (Applause.) Mr Ct oitoi -The leny iia has no settled abiding place, and it is only wheie its ifficers are active, ilitit ti-e government linve thought necessity to imerlere with it. (Ciies of "Oh, oh.") Mr Morris-Tbe Lt ague has a settled placeand 1 nm pleased to say I am a member of it. (Ap- plause.) in i eply to a brief quest ifin from a working man, Mr Croston went on to make a i-p- ech. After a short while, Mr Mollis asked-Will Mr Crouton favour me with a leply-" short explicit, rpply-to this qtli-tit ion-whot her it is the teuejutt-oi tlie 1 indlords ,I)n I ate Trt-ti#- kil the impioveftieuts throughout Ireland. (Applause.) Mr Crostou lepiied that theie existed an Act of Pailiament in Ireland giving the teuauts compen- sation for anexhausted illlprll'bl..nt,aDd fUllluu.ing that the tenaut bad improved the laud, be was not only entitled to compensation for unexhausted im- provements, but cMnpeneatiou for disturbance, and had concessions mad4 to him which were never made to tenants in this country, or any other countries in the civilized world. (Applause, and cries of No.") Jur Murtio-I asked a simple question, I want no speech. Were the iuipioiemeuts made by the landowners or by the tenacts ? Mr Croston—I say that that statement is delibe- rately misleading, and entiiely wituout foundation. (Cries of "Anther the question," and applanse.) Mr Mortis— Has Mr Balfour not said that the Na- tional League was dead in County Clare antlkerry, and when the illustrious O'tftien went to prove othei wi«e did he not pat him in gaol ? Hear, bear.") Mr 0ronton—Mr BR]f. urdid not wy the National Lengue was dead. In bid speech at Malybridge he said thet crime waa diminished, and that the National League was dying out. Mr O'Brien went t betc- and ttied to get up a meeting. The meeting w"s pri claimed, %Ld Ur Olirien. woo arieatedfor i» breach of th« law. (Applause, and e voice- Who stole O'Brien's breeches great laughter.) This conclnrted the Treherbert uiretiutf, the speakers having to leave tLe meeting to catch the down train.

WIT AND Ht" JOC; The ponple who ivo fcio to srieL'.y suldom give anything else. How Uuc, a horso regard a man ? As tiiy source of all its whoas. <> A iiiotto of livet-y"i.,tn Wliio li,,Iit, drive slow cash down, or no go." What feet tho Komnns must liavo had. Fancy them yrcariug FaudtiU (S;uldl.iII". We go forth in the moaning full of hope, and como home at III-zht full ot bad whisky. The position of a judgo is au exceedingly trying one. < The great tmublo with soma people fa that I their uplCr and lower lips aro stratigt;zd -to each other..

ASSAULT ON A LCDU ING-HOUSE KEEPER I AT POI ff?MD. A RUFFIAN IN COURT. A TERRimD HOUSEHOLD At Ystrad poliee-eonrt, on Monday, (before tht. Stipendiary and Me T. P. Jenkins), William Rico was charged with assaulting Charles Wiltshire. lodging-house keeper, Pontynridd. Prosecutor said defendant bad lodged at his houM. for six nights. On going home 8n Saturday night h found defendant making a row. Defendant knock' c him down, and seizing a knife said he wonld stick: [ into Anyone that entered. There were several men I r the hoase, but they ran out when defendant knock. him down. Inspector Jones said on Saturday night he went k. the lodging house, and found defendant with his cin off. Two lodgers complained ot having been strucl- hy him. Two old people were hiding in a back roo!' through fear of defendant. He had knocked a woim< named Catherine Baynes about. Sent to prison for two months.

Rbondda Police Intelligence. MONDAY.—Before Mr J. Ignatins Williams, Stipeu diary, and Mr T. P. Jenkins. MIDNIGHT DISTURB 4NCK AT PENTRK.—William Rhoda, John Davies, and Carodie Howella wert charged by P.C. Lynch with being drunk on tbe titi; inst., and making a disturbance, causing people tw look oat of their bedroom windows after midniglit There was a prostitute with them.-Rhoda and Davitr were fined 5s each, and Howells 10s each. DRUNK AT FBBNDALB.—Seymour Drina was charged with being drunk.-P.C. Francis was called to the Commercial Hotel, and got defendant ont drunk. He would not go home, and was locked up for the night —Fined 10s. GAMBLING AT TitFALAw.-Iewis Lawrence, Johu Thomas, and Charles Cootnbes were charged with playing pitch and toss on Sunday.-P.C. Markham proved the case.-Fined 5s each. BREACH OF THE PEACE Ar GELLI.—David Jones and Robert Hatton were charged with this offence.—P.C. Richards said defendants were fighting in a field on the 7th inst., and had marks of blood on them.— Hatton was tined 10s, and Jones, who did not appear. was fined las. DAXAGK TO TEAMS AT TREALAw,-David Roberts, William Roberts, and Thomas Hill were charged with doing damage to trams.—William John Davies said the defendants had broken three wheels, and four arms. The vatne of the damage was 1:2 10s.-David Roberts fined 10s, or to go to prison for a week the other two being little boys were discharged. SURETIES OF THE PEACE AT PONTAQWAITH.—Richard Davies was charged with uttering thr-atio.-Elizabetti Jones, wife of Henry Jones, said a fortuight ago de fendant came to their door and called her husband bad names. He afterwards held bid fists over her head, and said he would kill her and her husband. She was afraid of him.—Bound over in t5 to keep the peace for six months, aDd to pay the costs, 103. CRUELTY TO A HORSE AT TICK GKIUT WESTERN COL- LIERY.—Richard Jones, haulier, was charged with this otfencf-Mr Davies appeared for the Great Wes, tern Colliery Company.—Isaac Matthews, farrier, said he saw tbe horse all right on Friday night. V ext day he was sent for, aud found the horse with a cut half antflch long and half an inch in depth on the left eye lid. The right eye was cut through, and blood was running from it. The horse was worth &3G.— William Darbin, doorboy, said he saw defendant strike the horse, which was running away. He struck the horse twice. The horse knocked his head on one side. and it was that did the injury to the right pye, as it struck its head against the wall.-Fined 20s. "BONA FIDES" IN THE RROKUI>A.—William J ames,of Trealaw, and John Richards, David Powell, and Marony Beynon, of Dtnas, were fined 20s each for falsely representing themselves to be travellers on Sunday. THE DitUNICARDs' LWr.-James Rees, Cwmpennar; William Roberts, Treberbert; James Morris, Ponty- pridd Edwin Reilly, Ferndale; Robert Lloyd, Tre- alaw and Edward Haigs, Pontypridd, were fined 10s each for being drank.

A LADY LECTURER AT PONTYPRIDD. MRS JANE DAYIES ON "TEN WELSH ADAGES." On Monday evening Mre Jane Davies (Llinos Taf). delivered a lecture at Penuel, Pontypridd, on "Ten Welsh Adages" (Deg o Sdiarebion Cyinn i^) Tin: chair waa occupied by the Rev. W. Lewis, pastor ot Penuel, who briefly introduced the lecturer to her audience.—Mrs Davies then proceeded to deal in » humourous, interesting, and instructive manner with ten trite, useful adages, applying them with force to the realities of life, md delivering her lecture unos- tentatiously, fluently, and well. The audience seemed highly pleased, and, at the close, the chairman referred to the purity of diction characterising Mrs Davies's Welsh.—Mr Williams, Upper Boat, in proposing a vote of thanks to the lecturer, referred to her intended departure for America to join her husband, and ex- pressed the hope that some of those present would attend ber lecture on the following Thursday evening at Upper Boat, where Mrs Williams, Fairfield, had kindly promised togfeside. (Applause.) He considered* the lecture a treat. (Applause).—"Morien," who seconded the vote of thanks, heartily endorsed the proposer's description of the lectnre—it was a treat. (Applause.) Ttey bad heard of, and seen advertise menta of "He is coming." Well, he intended writing to the American Drych to say "Mae Silllt yn hod." (Laughter and applause.)-The vote was carried with acclamation.—Mrs Davies responded and proposed a vote of thanks to the Chairman, which was seconded by Mr T. Morgan, Fron, and carried.—Mrs Davies also thanked the choir for their kindness in attending and singiug two pieces on the occasion.

RHOKDDA JOTTINGS- I (BY RAHBLga.) The members of the Ystrad Reform Society have been active of late in securing postal facilities. Iu addition to the letter box established at Gelli, they have sacceeded in inducing the postal authorities to cancel the arrangement that all letters be posted hy 0.20 p.m., and which afterwards changed to 6.45 p.m. The public considered this unsuitable for themselves. In future the last available time to post will be 7.10 p.m. Not only will this prove a great boon to trades- men, but it will also meet the requirements of the working classes. The inhabitants feel grateful lor ♦his convenience. The inhabitants of Ystrad Rhondda have at last had the pavement well constructed for their convenience, Formerly much hardship was endured, but matters have since changed. •a* The Bodrtngallt Choir is in earnest just now. The members are beut ou doing their best to secure the chief price at the forthcomimc eisteddfod ou Whit Monday at Caerphilly. As will he roinembbred they were successful at the eisteddfod held on Good Friday at Llantwit Fardreu Their leader, Mr W. Williams (Alaw Maebuo.) A.C., is an able musician. The choir numbers aboat lMO, and many are well-trained Bingers. The contest, no doubt, will be a keeu one. I think should a market be estabhshed at Pentre on Saturdays the movement would be well patronised. To say the least thousands of persona were men walk- ing-to and fro on Saturday evening last at this place. They would, I am sure. patronise snch a laudable movement. I heard it remarked- by aeveral that they never dreamt that suoli a vast uftuaber could exist in the district. Had they a market to resort to they ceald eujoy themselves much better. The Good Teinplar Brass Band played selections of music, and indeed their appearance attracted attention, as all the members were gaily attired. The uniform was of a uaw design. The members of the Salvation Army also paraded the street, and were accompsuit d by a band. TLt weather was delightful, aud all seemed bent upon enjoying themselves. t The reeent musical associations are bearing fruit All true lovers of sacred music ^re, jgj^ebted to the cocawtued faii iu"iiaip,g- ~h beanttfnl tunes as "Aberystwith," "Xaaycastajl," and "Aiozrah." They are much appreciated by oar congregations. We have in each of 4bem a trq« Ojrmrie ring, and we as Welsh- metjLraust have aiattleot this before our hearts are stirjWf. J may haw more tu say epi this subject ip a t fatero issae, as a few word* «oaid not be out of place OD a matter erfckfc loanjr have at heart. n, charges Mri BUfOUt ■till ba»iwg_ purloined the depositions of the witnesses for Vhe defence of Mr. O'Brien at Loughrea. The immediate and unconditional abolitioa of slavery in Brazil has been voted by the Brazilian Clnunber of Deputies. A Berlin telegram states that the marriage of- Prince Henry of Prussia and Princess Irene of Hewe will be oelebraLed on the 24bh hist. The death ia announced of Mr. John Heywood. of Manchester, the well-known publisher and boo seller. According to present arrangements tbe1 AMk will not leave Windsor for Scotland until about (h^ 22nd of this month. The Mysore Gold Mining Company have @old, through Messrs. Johnson, Matthey and Co., the gold obtained in tbe mouth of March, which rea. lined £ «,288 14s. 7d. A London hanker has sent the Mariners' Mission (next Royal Hotel), Burdbtt-Road, London, E.. 10,000 books fur distribution among sailors and others. Thu Partridge, a new composite gunboat, has been launched at Devon port. Her total cost, in- cluding machinery -and armament, will be over £ 40,000. Lord Salisbury has accepted as a souvenir of his recent visit to Carnarvon a large terra-cotta plaqlJe bearing a painting representing Carnarvon Castle, the work of Mr. R. H. Toloman. The gold fields of South Africa have received telegraphic advices stating that the yield of gold since the last advice to Lhe 30th of April from Luipanrdo Vlei was 550 ounces. Admiral Sir William Hewett, who has recently given up the command af the Channel squadron, is so seriously ill at Soiitbsea that his removal to. Haslar Hospital has been ordered. The South Australasian Government has pro- posed the hoCling of an Inter-colonial conference to discuss the subject of Chinese immigration into the Australasian colonies. The Conference on Canal and Inland Navigation has been held in London. Sir Douglas Galton, who presided, "'Iti.l there were 4,000 mites of inland navigation in Great Britain. The Rev William Rogers, rector of Bithopagate, has been elect el president of the Sunday Society, and will deliver his inaugural address on June 23, at the Freemasons' Hall. It is reported from Tangier that the Pasha of Meqllinez has been defeated by rebel Berber tribes in the Berin Guild district, whom he had been sent to put down. A representative meeting has been held aft Dolgelly to take steps for bringing pressure on the Government to reduce their royalty charges on gold and silver mining. There is no foundation for the statement pub- lished by some newspapers at Rome that Lord Salisbury had thanked the Pope for the decree of the Holy Office condemning the Plan of Campaign. In the Queen's Bench Division, a jury awarded X500 damages against Mr. Francis Latham, partner in a firm of gunmakers in Pall Mall, for breach of promise and seduction. At Limerick John Sheehan has been sentenced to six months' hard labour for having entered the bedroom of his wife, from whom he was living apart, and bit off her nose as she lay in bed. Mr. T. E. Ellis, M.P., has adnmbratell a scheme for the formation of a Welsh National Council to which he would delegate the management of ex- clusively Welsh affairs. Colonol Blundell and Mr. Hardcastle have brought in a bill for the relief of colliery tenants, and to secure them against the loss of minerals for which they have paid. Mr. Justice Stirling has annulled the order to. wind up the Congo Company, Limited, the actions against the Company having been compromised. The company will resume business. It is again denied in a telegram from The Haguo- tliat tho healt h of the King of the Netherlands is declining. The malady from which the King i» suffering fe said to be in no way dangerous, although painful. A Portsmouth correspondent telegraphs that*. the Admiralty have decided to recommend th& appoint,ment. of Admiral Commerell to the uavufr comtnand of Portsmouth, in succession to Sir- George Wallis. The bodies of Licnt. Williamson, of the Royal Minister Fusiliers, Mr. O'Dovvdna, a police offieer.. and two private- who were surprised ami killed on the 4th inst. by dacoits near Leppagyin, have- been found. They weru not mutilated. Tho discussion in tho Chamber of Deputies on the- African policy of the Government will, it, is now quite clear, terminate in a vote of confidence it. favour of the Government, which will most probably be carried by a very Iluge majority. Hugh Ridyard (lHI, dencrihod on the calendar A a farmer, but who is a fanner's son, was indicted for having, at West Leigh, feloniously assaulted' Alice Ann Southern, nineteen years of age, and daughter of a florist. The prisoner was acquitted. Thomas Isaac Newbrooke (21), labourer, pleaded nob guilty to having, at, Sal ford, assaulted Jessie Annie Pinder, aged fourteen, sister of his own wifo. The jury found the prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced to two years' hard labour. John Dunn (17), tabourer, has been sentenced to twelve calendar months' imprisonment for feloni- ously breaking and entering the shop of Robert: Colman, at Liverpool, and stealing 4s. Gd., divers tins of salmon, and other goods. A telegram from Gibraltar states that the King of Sweden has left) there for Lisbon on lyoard the Swedish corvette Freja, escorted by the Balder. His Majesty, after leaving Portugal, will visit Spain, and afterwards go to England. The Egyptian Government has postponed farther action in reference to the conversion of the Pre- ference Debt, hoping to obtain in the not distant future more favourable terms than those now de- manded by the Berlin and Paris bankers. Under the new Conversion Loan contracted by the Egyptian Government the Domains Adminis- tration will on July 1 hand over to the Princes 30,000 acres of land, in exchange for the sum of £ E1,100,000, which will be applied to the amorti- sation of the Domains Loan. As the training brig Martin was returning into Portsmouth Harbour after a cruise, she was carried by the tide into collision with the training ship St. Vincent. The brig sustained some injury in her foretop, bub afterwards anchored at her usual moorings. The Protestant Cathedral of St. Paul, at Buffalo* has been burned down through an explosion of natural gas in tho vaults beneath theedilice. The loss ia estimated at 250,000 dols. Several other explosions of nataral gas have occurred at Buffalo. though in these cases the damage pliglit. The explolons are attributed to ef cIes-Ai r%,ei iii-e-stule. Mr. Henry E. Palmer, who was onao# the oldest and best-known traffic inspectors of the good* manager's department, Midlam^ Railway, has been found dead at his residence, Ambrosestrcet, Derby* under circumstances which indicated that he hatl poisoned himself. Deceased was superannuated about a year ago, and was aged about 70 years. While some improvements were being made on- the estate of Mr. A. Maudslay, Twyford, lIeur Win- chester, the site alld: remains of a Roman villa lit considerable dimensions were discovered, consist ing' of flint walls, tiles both flat and flanged, and a per tion of a pavement. The excavation is being care- fully carried out under Mr. Maudslay'a supet viaion. George Fernley Atkinson, surgeon, has been committed for tri-tt at, York on a charge of making false entries in a document relating to his affairs, and then presenting a petition in bankr«|»cy. The. prisoner is also alleged to have obtained a lonll by falsely stating that his debts were below tlioic j actual amount. L.I-I.. A rortsmoum corres|)OiHienc illiao the Home Secretary hns decided to reiiiit, eight years of the sentence of I.wellty years' (tenal servi. tude passed on a young man named prior, at Win- chester Assizes in October last, for tiring a revolver at and wounding his sweetheart at Portsmouth. The memorial praying for the mitigation of I t.he sentence was signed by 10,'WO ik)raois& A curious order has been issued to the troops ah Dover by tho General commanding the district, to the effect that no dogs si "Il be allowed on parade with the regiments. The reason is atated to be ho habit. of tho dog. kept by tho men to fenow their masters on to the parade ground whenever they get the chance. A large meeting, presided over by Coroner S. Casey, has been held at Mitchelstown for the pur- pose of inaugurating a fund to erect a memorial to Peter Oriel Crowley, who was killed in an engage* merit with the MKttary at Kilhleewey Woo&# near Mitchelstown, ft iwft. Mr Patrick O'Hetv M.P., and others addreiftd the meeting, and ttetNfwwo kaken to trtcfa th* mtmodat. 1 .v.