The North Wales Times

CAMBRIAN GOSSIP. -f- ,_r.r- Professor Henry Jones, Glasgow, has been laid up with a very, evere cold, und-has not been able to take his classes for some time. 000 Principal Charles Edwards, of Bala, is still confined to his room, and be has made but very slow progress during the last fort- night. But his general health has been im proving. 000 It is a fact worthy of record, that during the whole of 1898, not a single fatality hap pened at the Penrhyn Slate Quarries Bangor, although over 3,000 workmen are employed therein. 000 The Tyst Dirwestol (under the editorship of Mr. R. Prys Jones, now of Pontypridd), a bright little temperance monthly. started about twelve months ago, has now been adopted as the official magazine of the Gwynedd (North Wales) Temperance Asso- ciation. 000 In the list of successful candidates it the recent final LL.B. examination of London University, appears the name of Mr. T. Arthur Levi, B.A. (Oxon and London), of the Inner Temple. Mr. Levi, who is the son of the Rev. T. Levi, of Aberystwyth, is placed in the first class. 000 Welsh archaeologists, we understand, are co-operating with lovers of antiquity throughout the country in protesting against the horrible vandaiism which pro- poses to demolish the ancient and beauti- ful Bargate' of Southampton in order to accommodate some new-fangled electric scheme. 000 < o a correspondent who complained of the scarcity of books dealing with Welsh poetry at the splendid library at Birming- ham, the librarian of that institution is re- ported to have said that there was more Welsh poetry translated into German than into English.' 000 St. David's Cathedral has the honour of turning out the youngest Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music in the person of Mr. W. H. Harris, pupil-assistant of Mr. Herbert C. Morris, cathedral organist. Mr. Harris is not yet 16 years of age. 000 People who want to alter the Welsh names of localities should take warning by the fate of Ystrad Fflur (Cardiganshire), which has chosen to be Latinised into Strata Florida.' A parcel from Carnarvon addressed to an igent there was recently sent to the State of Florida. The mishap, it appears, occurs pretty frequently. 000 A correspondent states that the retiring Bishop of Bangor (Dr. Lewis Lloyd) intends bo dispose of a portion of his library on re- moving from ihe Palace at Bangor. The collection to be offered for sale includes copies of Bishop Morgan's Welsh Bible, 1588; Dr. Parry's Welsh Bible, 1620; 'The Breeches Bible,' I Areboeologia Cambrensis,' Dr Owen Pughe's Welsh English Diction- ary, and other well-known works. 000 'Paddy,' a sagacious little dog belonging to Mr. Roberts, of Mmste ley, is one of the most zealous supporters of the British and Foreign Bible Society. During the last two years, Paddy' has collected the sum of 24s, towards the society's funds, and last week at a public meeting held at Minserley he was presented by the Rev. D. J. Edwards, on behalf of the parent society, with a hand- some new collar. 000 The proposal to establish a Welsh chair at the Marietta University, U.S.A., is very heartily taken up by Welshmen in the States. Fifty thousand dollars is required by next June, and committees have been formed in all the principal cities for the purpose of raising the sum. Prof. John Rhys and the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes are named among the supporters of the movement, which was started by Dr. W. C. Roberts. 000 Miss J er ny Parry, the lady harpist who has played at successive eisteddvodau in her native country, is now with a company of vocal compatriots in the United States. Y Drych, the leading Welsh newspaper in America, speaks glowingly of her abilities. At the close of one of the concerts, a vener- able Welshman said,4 Os yw yr angylion yn y nefoedd yn canu yn well na'r famous singers from Wales, bydd yn drueni ofnadwy os na chawn fyned yno.' 000 At a meeting of the literary committee of the Cardiff National Eisteddvod, the following were appointed adjudicators in various subjects:—Mr. L. J. Roberts, M.C., inspector of schools, Rhyl; Professor Powell, M.C., University College, Cardiff; and-for recitation—the Rev. Waldo James, Blaenllechau, and Dr. Treharn, Cardiff, Ap Madoc, America, is unable to accept the office of conductor, and the appointment of a conductor in his place is being considered. 000 We hear of some hairbreadth escapes in the collieries occasionally, but one which occurred at Llanberis Quarry last week cer- tainly takes the palm. A young man was on the point of firing a hole when the powder accidentally ignited, and he was blown to the 'bonc 'or gallery above. He fell on his face, and though his jawbone and arm were injured, he managed to run to shelter. Had he fallen to the bottom of the gallery, his body would have been mangled beyond recognition. 080 Notices have been issued convening a meeting of the Welsh National Liberal Council at the Working Men's Hall, Shrews- bury, on Wednesday, February 1st, at 1.30 p.m. Among other business, the Council will elect a president (in the place of the late Mr. Thomas Gee), a treasurer, and a secretary. For the last named office, four candidates have been recommended by the General Purposes Committee, viz., Mr. Lewis Davies, Pontypool; Mr. W. H. Hughes, Pontypool; Mr. Gwilym Parry, Denbigh; and Mr. T. B. Rees, Launceston. 000 An amusing anecdote is related of a cym- manfa once held in the open air in Cardi- ganshire. The day was unusually wet, and all that the preacher, perched in the pulpit above, could see below him was a vast sea of umbrellas. There was not a solitary face in view. Bobol anwyl,' cried the minis- ter at last in a tone of protest,' I was not sent here to proclaim the Gospel to a lot of umbrellas.' Oh, indeed,' retorted an ec- centric medico who stood by, 'then why don't you bring some heavenly fire to dry a little of this rain ? 000 The Welshmen domiciled in Glasgow have a flourishing Cymric Society, whose enter- prising secretary is Mr. H. H. Roderick, brother of Mr. W. Roderick, Market Square, Pontypridd. The other day a successful concert and competitive meeting was held at the Christian Institute, and Welsh items predominated in the programme. The Cym- ric Glee Party and the Gwalia Male Voice Party t)ok part, and the chair was occupied by the Rev. Edwin Aubrey, a rising Welsh man hailing from Bury Port. 000 The Roman Catholic community having recovered from the surprise caused by the announcement that Father Beauclerk had been appointed to lighter mission, and that his connection with Holywell and St. Winefride's Well had been consequently severed, are making a determined effort to try and get the rev. gentleman once more back to Holywell and the neighbourhood. It is not thought, however, that the prayer of the petitioners will be acceded to, as Father Beauclerk has long exceeded the usual stay of the Jesuit Order. 000 According to a letter which has been re ceived by Mr. Griffith Jones, solicitor, Car- narvon, from Mr. William Griffith, F.G.S., who is now at Coolgardie as managing part- ner of Messrs. Bainbridge, Seymour and Co., mining and consulting engineers, of London, the Westralian market has prac- tically gone bang,' though he firmly be- lieves that there will be a great deal of money made there in the next few years. Mr. Griffith, who is a native of Portdinor- wic, and has been associated with mining pursuits in Africa, expects to finish his work in July next, and then to return home once again. He has had several good offers from foreign Governments to report on the mineralogical value of different countries, but he has got tired of foreign soils, and longs to settle down in his native land. A member of Parliament and a Spanish minister have also requested him to report on the resources of Patagonia, but Mr. Griffith, wary Welshman as he is, is not inclined to accept the proposal of what he describes as the off chance.'

WOMEN'S CHAT. The Drawing Room at Osborne, is a truly delightful apartment, with a large bay window looking on to the East Terrace. The walls are distempered in a cool shade of blue, the doors are painted in white and gold, and the ceiling, like that in the Billiard Room, is pompeiian in decoration. Amid such surroundings the innumerable pictures, and the amber-covered damask furniture, show to extreme advantage. The grand piano, and the wall cabinets are of tulip wood, inlaid in plaques, of wedgwood jasper ware, mounted in ormolu. -0- Landseer's most famous picture The Deer Pass' hangs in the Council Room, a beautiful apartment overlooking the Upper Terrace. The Indian Room, with its exquisite carvings, and fairy like sense of whiteness is well known to the public, through the medium of the illustrated papers. The suite of bedrooms above it have proved a valuable addition to the accommodation of Osborne House. —o— At the marriage of Lady Maude Clements,— third daughter of Lady Leitrim-Iast week, the nine bridesmaids had their hats fastened under the chin, with narrow velvet ribbon, and the effect in each case was such as to win over the most disapproving among us. Velvet strings add greatly to the charm of a pretty young face, while to the middle aged, and elderly, they are most desirable additions to becoming headgear. Lady Leitrim looked charming in purple velvet and cloth, her toque being composed of violets in two shades with wings of embroidered gauze, and a white osprey. Lady Carew's black velvet and jet gown showed off to perfection her youug and graceful figure, while her sister Mrs. Clifford Cory, was resplendent in light green moire with a toque of cyclamen velvet. -0- Mrs. Clifford Cory is not quite so tall as her sister, but like her is very slender, and carries herself with that extraordinary grace which is only given to women whose heads are well set upon their shoulders. Her hair is brown, her eyes blue, and the delicately arched brows above them show that students of phrenology have guessed aright when they attribute intense love of music to one whose eyebrows are so curved. Music amounts almost to a passion with her, and she is undoubtedly one of the first amateurs in London. This is saying much in these days of high standards in artistic excellence. —o— An article appearing in a current magazine, deals with the question 'At what age should girls marry.' Sarah Grand-the writer-is of opin- ion that a girl runs a great risk of making a mistake, if she marries before reaching the age of five and twenty. Mrs. Fenwick Miller, con- siders that from twenty-two to twenty-eight is the most suitable time, while according to Gertrude Atherton, a law should be passed in all civilised countries prohibiting girls from marrying before they are twenty-five. I L. T. Meade,' Adeline Sergeant,' and Katharine Tynan, hold the same view. —o— In the United States, it is being seriously agitated that the word 'obey'should be elimina- ted from the marriage service, and the proposal has found supporters among the clergy as well as the laity. A large number of clergymen have been polled as to their views on the sub- ject, and while the majority adhere to the intention of the word, a considerable minority favour its removal. It is improbable that we, in this country, shall ever witness the elimina- tion of this much discussed word. That the marriage service would be better without it, there can be no possible doubt, but then there are a good many reforms badly needed, which we stand little chance of obtaining at least for some considerable time. —o— It has been often said, that compared with our French and American sisters, we are dull, desperately and hopelessly dull. There is unquestionably some truth in this remark, and when one considers the conditions under which we women lived, until a few years ago, when the Married Women's Property Act was passed, we can scarcely marvel that this should be so. Until then, a married woman could hold no property, unless secured to her by marriage settlements. Everything she had belonged to her husband, he could dispose by will of her property as well as his own, and if he wished, could leave her and her children penniless- they were absolutely in his power. In France the law treated husband and wife alike, and also at a man's death, allotted his possessions fairly amongst his family, leaving him the power of disposing by will, of a part only. Is it not natural- that generations of women liv- ing. under two such different systems should show greater differences than those of race ? —o— The position of women has been improved in many ways of late years, and there would be little left to complain of if a law were passed making it compulsory for a man to leave a cer- tain proportion of his possessions to his wife and children, before willing anything elsewhere. Fortunately most husbandd do this, but it ought not to be possible for anything else to happen, and the certainty of her worldly posi- tion would inevitably have its effect upon the character and intellect of woman. —o— Leading jewellers say that they are selling quantities of rings to fit the forefinger, which has been so severely let alone for many years. The mode is all very well for those of us possessed of beautiful, slender hands, but woman not blessed in this particular way should avoid the idea altogether. A limited number of jeweIJeri circlets are a great improvement to a really nice hand, but even under the most favourable circumstances, we should be careful not to overstep the mark, otherwise vulgarity will be writ large upon us. -0- The latest fciaras pass entirely round the head, and are so constructed that they can be worn as necklets when desired. A quarter of a century ago, only very great ladies possessed them, but nowadays almost every woman who has a certain income, proudly wears this beautiful form of head-dress. The Princess of Wales possesses several exquisite tiaras, of a particularly becoming style, so also does the Duchess of Saxe Coburg, one of diamonds and huge rubies being perfectly gorgeous. —o— Happily, the I Winter Sales' will soon be over, when it will once more be possible to go a shopping' without having one's hat knocked away, or one's clothes disarranged byfa crowd of excited women, bent on securing 'bargains.' At one establishment, last week, I witnessed a kind of free fight between two individuals, who both claimed to have selected the same garment, while the attendants, utterly unused to such proceedings, looked on aghast. At another counter, twelve hundred, five-tail, mink boas were going, at four and elevenpence three farthings each. This spot was simply besieged by women, and I could but marvel what attraction those boas could have for them. The fact that eleven hundred and ninety nine other women would shortly sally forth, each decorated with a similar five-tail mink necklet, would be quite enough to make me vow never to be found so ornamented. —o— Mink has been in high favour this winter, but its popularity among the well dressed is now distinctly on the wane, owing to the quantity of inferior imitations placed on the market. There is much scope at the present time for those who admire mixed furs. But few are worn alone, sometimes no less than three varieties appearing on one garment. There is one item in favour of this fashion, it is economical. By a judicious admixture, one can often turn out a collarette, or cape, that would be an impossibility, were we restricted to one description of fur only. —o— Little scarlet jackets, worn with black, or dark blue shirts, are much en evidence among our Parisian sisters, but this side the channel we have reversed this order of affairs, and don our black cloth or astrachan coats, with bright scarlet cloth skirt, plain, or with a little trim- ming. A black and red toque is a delightful finish to such a costume, which to the majority usually proves a becoming one. —o— Savoury Eggs.—Boil six eggs, twenty- minutes, throw them into cold water, take the shell off, cut them in halves, and remove the yolks carefully. Mash these up with an ounce of butter", a teaspoonful of anchovies paste, a teaspoonful of grated cheese, season with a little cayenne pepper, and a dust of grated nutmeg. Return this to the whites of the eggs, and serve with the cut parts turned up, and garnished with parsley-a tiny spry in the centre of each. MADGE.

A GREAT RAILWAY MAKER. The death is announced of General Annenkoff, the constructor of the Transcaspian Railway. Born in St. Petersburg in 1838, Michael Annenkoff was from an early age destined by his father for a military career. In 1863 he entered the Corps of Pioneers of the Guard, afterwards joining the Staff Academy. The services which he rendered in the Polish Insurrec- tion gained him the rank of colonel when he was only 28. During the Franco-Prussian War he accompanied the German Army in the quality of Military Attache. He subsequently held a command under Skobeleffin the Merv Campaign, in the course of which he was wounded. The task of organising and supervising the construction of strategic railways in Turkestan was entrusted to him, and the comple- tion of the great Transcaspian line, which Skobeleff began, must be set down to his credit. The idea of a trans-Siberian railway from European Russia to the Chinese frontier was also largely evolved and suggested by General Annenkoff.

GLASGOW SOLICITOR'S DISAPPEARANCE. The reports current in Glasgow on Friday of last week as to the disappearance of a well-known local lawyer took definite shape on Saturday afternoon, when a sheriff's warrant was issued for the arrest of Alexander Younger Peattie, solicitor, on a charge of embezzlement of trust funds. The firm of which he was senior partner, Messrs. Peattie, Mclntyre, and Laird, 175, Hope-street, issued to their clients a circular stating that Peattie had absconded after abstracting from the firm's safe a quantity of easily negotiable securities. It was stated that the books of the firm had been placed in the hands of Messrs. Kerr, Andersons, Main, and Macleod, chartered accountants, whose inquiries are not ex- pected to be completed for a week or 10 days. It is said that a preliminary investigation has already disclosed a deficit of £ 40,000. Much sympathy has been expressedwith the partners. One is Mr. John Mclntyre, a well-known elder of the Church of Scot- land, who has been a familiar figure in the General Assembly and other ecclesiastical courts. The junior partner is Mr. James Laird, son of Sir William Laird, of the firm of William Baird and Company, ironmasters. Peattie was originally a bookkeeper with Messrs. Ritchie and Maclean, by whom he was afterwards taken into partnership. Some years ago Mr. Peattie purchased a large mansion at Spring- boig, near Shettleston, and there he was well-known as a church member. He was law agent for Sir James Bain, ironmaster, a former Lord Provost of Glasgow, who died recently, leaving several hundred thousand pounds, and it is sail that that estate is a large sufferer by the alleged defal- cations. The warrant, which was applied for by Mr. James Hart, the Procurator Fiscal, after a con- sultation with Mr. Mclntyre and Mr. McLeod, does not specify a sum at all commensurate with the missing securities, and the police believe in the mean- time their ends will be best served by reticence. A description of the missing lawyer has been exten- sively circulated, but as to his whereabouts no trace has yet been found. It is not known whether he had much ready money in his possession. One circumstantial account as to the discovery of the state of affairs is that Peattie's partners, immediately on their suspicions being aroused, in- sisted upon an examination of the books of the firm. After some pressure he agreed to this course, but re- marked that the dissolution of the firm would ensue. He then left the office, apparently in a state of indig- nation, and has not been heard of since. Unsuccessful speculation on the Stock Exchange is given as an ex- planation of his disappearance. A Glasgow lawyer, Mr. Archibald Ross, of the late firm of C. K. Clark and Ross, solicitors, 208, West George-street, Glasgow, was on Saturday committed for trial on a charge of embezzlement. The firm was dissolved, but Mr. Ross kept on business at the above address.

The inventor of the Singers' nesiwg-machine made four million pounds. Some people seem to pass all their days in continual expectation of the unexpected. In ancient days, when men and maids Sat in the cosy ingle nooks, They dreamed romantic dreams-or so, At least, we read in story books. Alas the stout old oaken logs, From which the sparks, all cracking, flew, Have given place to gas-jets, snd The old romance is banished, too. No more the nodding lover sits And sees within the leaping flames Imaginary castles, or Bold knights or very stately dames. But he that sits before the log In these new-fangled, prosy days, Can only picture to himself The bills it takes to feed the blaze. A clumsy waiter upset a cup of tea on the shoulder of a guest. Shall I bring you another napkin ?' asked the waiter. 'Perhaps,' said the guest, 'you had better bring me a mackintosh.'

THE PEACE CRUSADE.] ,& LETTER FROM THE POPE. t "— M By W. T. STEAD. 1 The Crusade, which started with the benediction of Lord Wolseley, Commander-in-Chief, has now received a very friendly communication from our other General, Lord Roberts. "Fighting Bob" does not quite understand the drift of the Crusade, for he imagines that it is a movement in favour of general disarmament, which it is not; but the Crusaders are glad to have received from him an. emphatic declaration that there is nothing in the programme of the movement or its organ which in any way jars upon the susceptibilities of a soldier,, His letter appears in this week's number of War Against War. Never was there a peace meeting that wa so much in sympathy with all that is best in the defensive forces of the country. At Leamington, for instance, last week, the chair was taken by the chief local representative of the Navy League, and at Ripon the resolution was seconded by Mr. Carpenter, the son of a Bishop, who is the organising secretary of the Navy League in York- shire. Not only so, but at Lambeth, on Sunday, Mr. Stead, in appealing for volunteers for service in the Crusade, declared that he was going to preach Tommy Atkins, and that he wished for nothing better than that the Crusaders should fight for peace with only one-tenth of the same devotion and discipline which characterised the British soldier when on a regular campaign. So far as the navy is concerned, it is more and more clear to the people at the head of affairs that the Russian Emperor's proposal is the very best that England has ever received from friend or foe. A good many people have tried to make game of the Emperor's suggestion that everything should be done to make war as humane as possible. But, as a matter of fact, these humane suggestions are more warmly supported by the Governments of Germany and Austria than any other items in the programme. So far as England is concerned, they are all to her advantage, for if the Czar succeeded in forbidding the use of submarine boats one of the greatest dangers to the British Navy would disappear. The great event of the week in connection with the International Crusade has been the publication of the Pope's solemn approval of the movement. Many good Protestants dislike the Pope but the stoutest of all Protestants is glad to have his help in a cause such as this. Without the Pope it was Impossible to secure the hearty support of the Catholic populations in Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, and Italy. Now that the Pope has spoken through his Secretary of State, Cardinal Rampolla, it will be the duty of all good Catholics to give the Crusade their hearty support, for the Pope has now publicly recognised, by the autograph letter of his Secretary of State, that the Crusaders are effectively co-operating with the Holy See in the interests of peace. A member of the General Committee, who has just returned from Berlin, reports that at the German Foreign Office they are much more interested and earnest about making the Peace Conference a success than they are in this country. The German Emperor is said to have only one regret, and that is that he did not issue the Rescript himself but as the Czar got in ahead of him he intends to go one better than the Czar, if possible, at the Conference. This is good news for everyone, and nothing will tend to confirm the Emperor in his good resolutions so much as the popular demonstra- tions which are Asking place throughout this country. it is not generally known that Mr. Herbert Gladstone is interested in a business way, with Sir James Kitson and others, in a great petroleum industry in the south of Russia, and he has written a very interesting letter to the secretary of the Crusade, in which he says that he is quite sure the Russian Government is most favourably dis- posed to' the extension of British industrial enter- prise in the Russian Empire, and that his own experience enables him to speak as to the courteous and friendly consideration with which the British investor meets. Wonderful stories are told as to, the dividends paid by some of the English, Belgian, and French companies in Southern Russia. At a time when people find it difficult to get a safe 4 per cent. it makes the mouth water to hear of companies which are paying 35 per cent. and 40 per cent. I am more and more convinced that the real, permanent and abiding influence of the peace movement will lie in the recruiting of volunteers, who will undertake to pay Id. a week for twelve weeks, and obtain two volunteers and collect signa- tures to the memorial. This can be done by any- one in country districts where the population is too scattered to hold a public meeting. Any reader who wants to help cannot do better than send up his shilling in stamps to the Crusade Headquarters, 9, Arundel-street, Strand, and get his badge, forms of petition, and enrol him or her- self as a member. But time is passing, and the sooner it is done the better. Mr. W. S. Caine, who has just been speaking up and down the West of Scotland, reports that everywhere the feeling of the people is right. He says: "Your Crusade has already begun to walk. It will 'soon run and gallop." The list of meetings already arranged for—town's meetings almost all— is reaching portentous length. London is generally the despair of all organisers of great movements. To stir this leviathan city from its lethargy, to rouse it in behalf of some great cause, is an undertaking which too often proves incapable of achievement. The public opinion of the capital makes itself apparent reluctantly. More often than not it is hidden by that frothy senti- ment which takes its colour from the music-halls- but it exists. This Crusade of Peace is giving a new demonstration of the fact. Battersea has been followed by Paddington and Bermondsey, and by Lambeth. At each place the utmost zeal and enthusiasm has been displayed. There has been no finer gathering than that at Paddington. Sir George Fardell, the local Conservative member, ■peaking from the chair, declared with conviction that he could recollect no movement which has received such general support from the public at large. Had the weather been favourable the meeting would probably have been the most striking demon- stration of public opinion that has been seen in Paddington for years. Under adverse circum- stances it was notable alike in its size and in its enthusiasm. No town is more closely in accord with the senti- ment of London on most public questions than Brighton. That watering-place responds, as it were, instinctively, to the lead of the West End of London. If possible, that circumstance gives an added significance to the magnificent demonstration in the Dome. Fifteen hundred persons were present. Sir J. Blake occupied the chair, while the principal resolution was moved by Sir Joseph Ewart. These two gentlemen are strong political opponents, and lead the public opinion in Brighton From opposite camps. On the subject of the Czar's Rescript they are, however, in accord, and the nrest of armaments movement has found no more tealous supporters in Brighton. The meeting of Conservative and Radical on the platform at Brighton is but typical of what is happening in every part of the country. Men who have no other interest in common, who on many of the public juestions of the day are diametrically opposed, are working harmoniously together for the furtherance af the great cause of international peace, and meet In the sympathy of a common purpose.

Is your house crowded?' 'Crowded? We can't yawn without opening a window.'