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POLITICAL GOSSIP IN MERIONETHSHIRE.

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EAST AND WEST.

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The Rev. Mr Best, of Leeds, lecturing last week on behalf of the Birmingham Educational League, gave some samples of the value of religious training under the present denominational system. We do not know that they are worth much as arguments, but they are amusing. Here is one- Danel was put into the lions den and the lions eat him up and then his father told him to go and mind his sheep and he went to mind them on the field and while he was tending the sheep a lion and a bear came out to kill the sheep and the sheep ran away and he turned back and saw the lion and the bear and ran of a running and catch them both and then he came back to the sheep and prayed to God to forgive his sins. The following brief biography of the prophet Elisha also presents some curious and not generally known facts- Elisher was barn in cainen and was brught from cainen to egypt and he became a king of egypt and he went with his soulgers to conkor another country and they came home beten and he had a great powerful country and elisher went to speak to daniel when he was in the lions den and elisher said to him daniel how canest thou hear and he said the king put me hear and elisher was a good man and he had a good many soulgers. Our readers will remember Mr Dickens's somewhat ambiguous confession of political faith at Birmingham. We have now an explanation from Mr Dickens, who, in distributing prizes at Birmingham last week, took occasion to say- When I was here last time I made, in reference to some re- marks of your respected member, Mr Dixon, a short confession of my political faith—(applause)—or, perhaps I should better say, want of faith. (Laughter.) It imported that I have very little confidence in the people who govern us—please to observe people there with a small p "—(laughter)—but that I have very great confidence in the people whom they govern—please to observe there, "people' with a large "P." (Renewed laughter.) This was shortly elliptically stated, and was, with no evil intention, I am absolutely sure, in some quarters inversely explained. Perhaps, as the inventor of a certain extravagant fiction, but one I do see rather frequently quoted as if there were grains of trnth at the the bottom of it-a fiction called "The Circumlocution Office "—(laughter) — and, perhaps, also, as the writer of an idle book or two, whose public opinions are not obscurely stated—perhaps in these capacities I do not sufficiently bear in mind Hamlet's caution, to speak by the card lest equivo- cation should undo me. (Laughter and applause.) Anyhow, I complain of nobody but simply in order that there may be no more mistake as to what I did mean, and as to what I do mean, I will restate my meaning. And I will do so in the words of a great thinker, a great writer, and a great scholar-whose life unfor- tunately for mankind was cut short—in his History of Civil- isation in England." They may talk as they will about the reforms which Government has introduced, and the improve- ments to be expected from legislation, but whoever will take a wider and more commanding view of human affairs will soon discover that such hopes are chimerical. They will learn that law-givers are nearly always the obstructors of society instead of its helpers, and that in the extremely few cases in which their measures have turned out well, their success has been owing to the fact that, contrary to their usual custom, they have im- plicitly obeyed the spirit of their time, and have been, as they always should be, the mere servants of the people, to whose wish they are bound to give ajpublic and legal sanction." (Loud applause.) Amongst the effects of a Prussian sailor, Frederick Boltz, who poisoned himself at Liverpool the other day by taking morphia, was found a very singular document in the German language, giving an account of some miracles which Boltz professed to have witnessed in his youth, and describing how on one occasion the devil visited him when at sea, and induced him to sell himself body and soul. It appeared to have been a cash transac- tion, for Boltz, when Satan and his myrmidons withdrew, found himself surrounded by heaps of gold and silver. One portion of the document consisted of an earnest exhortation, based upon the writer's own experience, to all men and women to resist temptation. The Cologne Gazette relates a horrid story as enacted at Schrimm, in the Government of Posen, A country girl, living not far from that place, had received her inherit- ance of 300 thalers from the authorities there. On her return home she spent the night in a village having no acquaintance there, she took refuge at the house of the village justice, to whom, in virtue of his position, she gave her whole confidence, and informed him of the object of her journey. He was ready to take her in, and ad- vised her to go to bed with his wife. When all lay in a deep sleep, the covetous host got up, went into a garden and dug a hole there. He then took a sharp knife, went up to the bed where the two were asleep, and with a steady hand cut the throat of the person lying furthest from the wall, took up his victim and buried her in the garden. When he came back he found the bed empty. He had murdered his own wife instead of the stranger. The wife lay close to the wall during the evening, but had after- wards moved to the outer side of the bed. The girl had got out of bed after the murder, and hastened away with her money. A German paper gives an account of a strange incident which occurred lately on the occasion of a marriage before the civil authorities m Algeria. The official required the consent of the mother, and asked if she were present. A loud bass voice answered, "Yes." The mayor looked up and saw a tall soldier before him. "That is well," he said; "let the mother come here-her consent and signa- ture are necessary." To the astonishment of all present, the soldier approached the mayor with long strides, saluted in military fashion, and said-" You ask for the mother of the bride, she stands before yon." "Very well, sir," replied the mayor, then stand back, I can take no proxy I must see the mother-the mother I tell you And I repeat," rejoined the soldier, "that she stands before you. My name is Maria L- I have been thirty- six years in the service; I have been through several campaigns, and obtained the rank of serjeant; here are my papers, the permission to wear uniform, and my nom- ination as serjeant-major." The mayor carefully examined the documents and found them perfectly correct, and completed the marriage of the bridal pair, the mother blessing them so fervently with her deep bass voice that all present were more startled than touched. Prince Napoleon, it seems, has resolved to give his son a Spartan citizen's education. The boy, who is just seven years old, has been sent as a day-boarder to a small school in Paris. His father gave strict orders that his son should be called simply "Victor," and, as a recompense for good conduct, "Napoleon Victor." His day's work is from eight in the morning to six in the evening, with two hours' recreation. His mother, the Princess Clotilde, who is extremely popular in Paris, accompanied her son to school on the first morning, and entrusted, with many recommendations, an extra pair of shoes to the matron, in case of her boy's coming in from the playground with wet feet. The young prince's luncheon was to have consisted of dry bread; but, on the master's representation that all the other boys were allowed marmalade, the stern father relaxed so far as to allow his son to enjoy the same indulgence. The following curious specimen of Russian Jenkinsism is published by the Tamboff Gazette under the head of "Court News": Yesterday his Imperial Majesty deigned to wake at 7 a.m., and after a frugal breakfast, was graciously pleased to go for a bear-hunt. On entering the wood with his suite, a bear, moved apparently by a happy instinct to recreate the mind of the father of our holy Russia, immediately came to the spot where his Majesty had posted himself. Paralysed at the sight of the ruler of millions of beings who idolize him, the bear stood still, and it was observed that instead of the fierce aspect by which this savage animal is usually character- ized, his countenance bore an expression of blissful anticipation, as if he were looking forward, like a loyal subject, to the happiness of being put to death by his gracious sovereign. On returning from the chase, his Majesty caught cold; but the usual remedies having been applied to him, he deigned to feel better. He then went to bed, and next morning he was graciously pleased to be quite well. The Pall Mall Gazette learns from a French paper that the Council has attracted to Rome not only prelates, but ladies from all countries. These last are the most persevering when they can approach the Pope. At a public audience, in came an American lady. She got an armful of ros aries blessed. "Is that all?" said the chief of Catho- licity patiently. Your photograph, Holy Father, I beg!" "Here it is. What more do you want?" irour name at the foot of the carte. Pius IX. hesitated. He did not like it, but the spirit of sacrifice came to his aid-he re- signed himself; he signed the card. "Have you another favour to ask ?" Holy Father, give the pen with which you wrote your autograph." This time the excellent old man lost all patience. "Here, madam, take the pen- holder, and—take the inkstand also." The American lady wrapped all up in an old newspaper, opened her travelling bag, put in the spoil, and departed with a low curtsey. The annual report of the Ordinary of Newgate is an interesting and instructive document. The Ordinary tells us, amongst other things, of the influence exerted by sen- 's sational literature. A contemporary summarizes his remarks as follows- It has often been remarked that there seems to be a sudden fashion in crime that great crimes, operating upon diseased imaginations, tend to reproduce themselves. This was curiously the case at Aldershot in August last. A soldier shot his corporal, and several military murders and attempts to murder followed in rapid and startling succession. One of these murders took place at Devonport and the perpetrator, a private soldier, named Taylor—was brought to Newgate for trial while the first Aldershot murderer was there. Taylor was under arrest for break- ing barracks, when one of those newspapers which sensationally illustrate crime was brought into the guard-room, with a vivid picture of the Aldershot crime. Taylor could not read but he looked at the picture, and his imagination became fascinated and possessed with the crime. On the very next day, during punishment drill, his corporal offended him, and he shot him dead. That picture," said he, put it into my head." The Ordinary also gives us fresh examples of the terrible evils of drunkenness— From December, 1868, to November, 1869, inclusive, twelve persons were tried at the Central Criminal Court for murder. Of these twelve seven had been drinking or were under the in- fluence of drink at the time when the crime was committed, and two of their victims were drunk. Of the other five murders only one clearly had nothing to do with drink, one was doubtful, one took place in a public-house where murderer and victim had been drinking, and two were murders of drunken men by per- sons who themselves were sober. During the same twelve months forty-three persons were committed to Newgate on charges of feloniously wounding or attempting to murder, and it was clearly proved that in twenty-one of those cases drunk- enness directly promoted the offence. Twenty-one persons were » committed for trial for manslaughter, and in eleven of those cases also the immediate cause of the offence was drunkenness. In cases of robbery with violence Mr Jones says that the almost invariable defence of the prisoner was that the prosecutor was drunk, and could not give evidence of what had taken place; and Mr Jones adds, this was generally true."

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YSTUMTUEN.

ILLANILAR.

ABERDOVEY.

LLANDRILLO.

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THE NOMINATION.