Welsh Gazette and West Wales Advertiser

Wayside Blossoms. CARDIGAN TO NEWCASTLE EMLYN. At this time of year the enchanting loveliness of the Yale of Tivy is unsurpassed. There is not a I beauty spot in the whole Kingdom that can rival the river scenery that greets the eye along the road from Newcastle Emlyn to Cardigan. Through broad and peaceful meads, the river glides at its own sweet will and at every turn in the road a new reach is thrown into view-now the waters are dark with the shadow of a scarped cliff or wooded hill, and anon they are refulgent with the light of a cloudless sky. As you glide along the road upon the old coach, the whole valley is simply a living, moving panorama—vista after vista bursting into sight and while you are still admiring the beauty of one. it is immediately eclipsed bv the matchless charms of another. But, not only is the distant prospect that one commands from this fine old road delightfully grand, the very roadsides are adorned with a marvellous wealth of wild blossoms and it is upon these that we would particularly wish to dwell on the present occasion. Now that the holiday season is upon us, and that the school children can find time to wander leisurely into the country, a list of the wild flowers observed along the road from Cardigan to Newcastle Emlyn, during the last week of July, may not be uninteresting. While we are yet within the borough of the old county town one of the first plants that we come UDon is THE FLEABANE (Pulicaria dysenterica) with its composite flowers of brilliant yellow, and wavy woolly leaves. Our specimen blossoms rather early, the general time of flowering being August and September. The generic name Pulicaria is from the Latin pulex, the vivacious little monster that is commemorated in the first half of the English name. This plant was the Inula dysenterica of the great Linnaeus. Inula, at one time called Helenium, commemorates the heroine of the Trojan war, and was fabled to have sprung from her tears. In support of his specific name Linnaeus mentions that he had been informed by a General Keit that the Russians in one of their expeditions against. Persia were cured of dysentery by mea"s of this plant. Hard by, and all along the hedgerow, we find THE BETOKY (Betonica officinal is).'general ly known throughout Wales as Cribau Sant Ffraid, still considered as a sovereign remedy in many parts of the country. It was held in high repute for its medicinal powers— both corporally and spiritually-in the middle ages, and was largely cultivated in the herb gardens of the monasteries. The Italians' faith in it has passed into proverbs, and when they wish to highly extol a person they say of him, He has more virtues than betony." Among many other wonder- ful DroDerties ascribed to it bv the old herbalists I were taken beforehand, it hindrerl drunkenness taken afterwards, it cleared the head." Its flowers are red or purplish, and its leaves have a weak aromatic flavour. As the old coach draws gently up the hill our eyes fall upon the trailing stems of the TRAVELLER'S JOY. (Clematis vitalba), draping the shrubs of the hedge. This shrub, acknowledged to be the greatest ornament of our country hedges, is not at all very common, and one may often travel many miles along roads and lanes without meeting it. Shortly after passing the fifth milestone, however, it may be found in rich profusion in the hedge on the left. It is sotntimes called Virgin's Bower, which name was given it by old Gerarde in 1597, by reason of the goodly shadowe which they make with their thick bushing and climbing; as also for the beautie of the flowers, and the pleasant savour or scent of the same." Another name for it is Old Man's Beard from the fact that its fruit has feather-tails of white silky tufts. The young botanist will notice that the parts which generally gives its beauty to the flower—the petals—are absent, being abortive or reduced to stamens. A section of Clematis wood makes a very interesting object under the microseope: the air-vessels and cells are arranged in a radiate manner, allowing the air to circulate freely through them—a circumstance which used to be turned into account by village boys who smoked pieces of the wood. Other plants growing on the roadside-especially on the left— within a short distance of the town are the Musk Mallow, with its pink flowers of varying hues; St. .John's Wort, with its stamens in bundles; the Lady's Bedstraw, with its graceful spires of yellow flowers; the Meadow Sweet; Willow Herb: Black Bryony; Tufted Vetch, and the Horsetail. All these, and many more, can be found on the wayside between Cardigan and Noyadd Wilym. THK TUFED VETCH (Vi cia cracca) is said to be the Purples of the dale of Tennyson, to which he refers in the lines Bramble roses faint and pale And long purples of the dale." Curtis, in a work published over a hundred years ago, recommended this plant as a suitable ornament, not for gardens, but for hedges. He says, gentle- men who wish to decorate the hedges of their plantations cannot select a more proper plant, as it is not apt, like the great bindweed, travellers' joy, and other strong growing plants, to suffocate the shrubs which support it." A remark, the truth of which, anyone having the least knowledge of the tiabits of these plants, can bear out. By an old -cottage near Llechryfl, and again near Newcastle Emlyn, we found the common St, John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) represented by THE TUTSAN (Hypericnrn Androsaemum) known in Welsh as y .Oreulys Bendigaid, and sometimes, especially .among schoolboys, as Dail Twrch. The Tutsan may often be met with in old-fashioned country gardens where its presence, like many others, is due to the fact that our grandmothers, in olden times, made great use of simples and herbs. The St John's wort was, in olden times, accredited with wounderful medicinal powers and, indeed, with supernatural powers by certain monkish writers who gave it the .name Fuga dernonnm. Parkinson, writing in the time of Elizabeth, says that the English name Tut- san is derived from the French name Toute-saine, or all heal the plant being considereda panacea for all ills that flesh is heir to. That eminent Welsh botanist, Hugh Davies, in his Botanology (1813) writing of the Tutsan says I have not a doubt that this plant has a claim to the Welsh name "Gwaed y Gwyr (Androsaemum) prior to Sambucus Ebuhis, as it has a reason in its favour, that if the yellow flowering tops are bruised between the fingers, they will immediately communicate a deep crimson stain. The ebulus claims it on the strength •of a fabulous tale, that the plant originally sprung from the blood of the Danes, who were slain in Britain, whence it has -also obtained the English name Dane-wort The famous botanist Fuchs (after whom the fuschia is named) gives a like account; old Gerarde. how- -ever, has another theory. He says that" the leves, floures, and seeds, stamped and put into a glasse with oile olive, and set in the sunne for certaine -weekes, doth make an oile of the colour of blood, which is a most pretious remedy for deep wounds -and those that are thorow the body." THE BLACK BRYONY. (Tamus communis) is the most beautiful-leaved of all our wild plants. Its heart-shaped leaves have a brilliant gloss, and their delicate gradation of form and size is remarkable. It grows very rapidly, and 'its long, twining stems soon over-run the hedge over which they hang in graceful festoons. The flowers are greenish and are what is termed by botanists dioecious—i.e., the stamens and pi. il :are in different flowers. The flowers are somewhat different in form. and the male blossoms are borne on longer stalks than the female ones. The berries that succeed the female blossoms are large and of a deep crimson colour. 0 THE HORSETAIL. •(Eqnisetum) is worthy of note as being a descend- -ant of one of the gigantic trees that grew in the great forests of the Coal period, and whose colossal .stems are found to-day in a fossil state in the rocks of our coal pits. It does not properly belong to the flowering plants, being, like the ferns and mosses, a spore-bearing plant. As we neared Lechryd, SIGNS OF AUTUMN were already evident in the berries of the Mountain Ash, which were rapidly changing their hue from dark green to orange; and in the.clusters of acorns which were quite a feature in the branches of the oak. We also observed the Mugwort, Wild Carrot, Wood Sage, the Smaller Bindweed, or Field Con- volvus, Agrimony, Tansy, and the Vervain growing in dry places near Llechryd. The Teasel, with its prickly stem and leaves, attracted our notice as we passed many an old-fashioned cottage garden. Clothmakers have found that no invention can supersede the natural teasel head for raising a nap on woollen cloth, and many thousands of these heads are imported every year to the large centres of our clothing industry. Beyond Llechryd, in damp places, we came upon the Hemp Agrimony, with its winged seed already ripe for the autumn winds. The pappus or silky feathers attached to certain seeds like those of the Dandeliop and the Groundsel is a wonderful contrivance of Mature for the dissemination of seed and the distribution of plant life. By means of these silken wings the seeds are carried, by the least breeze, far away from the parent plant to fresh woods and pastures new," where competition may, perchance, be less keen and the chance of life, in the struggle for existence, more favourable. Another conspicuous flower that bedecked the hedgerow and waste ground was that of the Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis). The flowers of this plant are of a pale purplish blue and are placed at the end of long stalks, which actually bend under their weight. Tbe,Valeriani(Centranthus officinalis) grew in abun- dance in damp and shady places and in the way-side ditches. Opposite Llandugwyd, the Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Linaria Cymbalaria) made its home on dry old walls, as is its wont; while in a damp spot below Llwynduris the Forget-me-Not flourished with unusual splendour. The Euchanter's nightshade (Circsea lutetiana) was quite common in shady places. The Circaea is a graceful looking little plant. It has a fine and delicate leaf, much like that of the window Fuschia which belongs to to the same order. A plot of ground in front of an abandoned old straw-thatched cottage was com- pletely overrun with the PERIWINKLE I where, earlier in the year, its expanded blossoms of exquisite blue must have made a grand display. Its botanical name Vinca major refers to its bind- ing qualities. The Periwinkle used to be called the Sorcerer's Violet on account of its colour and the use made of it as a charm by the wise folk"- wizards and witches—in byegone days. The re- cent long spell of hot weather had left a record on the rocks under Stradmore, where every specimen of that succulent plant, the Penny Wort (Cotyledon Umbilicus) was parched and withered by the heat. In wet places almost all along the road the GREAT VALERIAN grew in profusion and its crowning mass of light- coloured flowers arlded much to the beauty of the roadside. The Golden rod (Solidago) and the RAGWORT (Senecio Jacobaea) had taken possession of waste lands in neighbourhood of Cenarth where we also came across specimens of the Orpine (Sedum Tele- phium), the Rest,Harrow (Ononis arvensis), and the Figwort (Scrophularia nodosa.) THE RAGWORT. common as it is, has an inherent beauty all its own, and its straight stolid stems with their mass of golden blossom make a strikingly picturesque feature when growing in profusion in waste lands or meadows. In pasture lands it escapes the bite of the horses and cattle but wherever it grows it cannot avoid being the host of the caterpillar of the beautiful cinnabar math, which makes it its food- plant. The caterpillar with its orange-yellow rings will be found in companies on the Ragwort during the present month. Our list is by no means complete it is sugges- tive rather than exhaustive. There 2rew manv another wild plant which we could not well identify from the top of the old coach which hurried along on this day with an unusual pace' being frightened with the bogey of a rival in a motor car which has just come upon the scene. Time was, and not so long ago, when one could drop downiand make botanical excursions in the fields adjoining the road while the old coach trudged quietly along. But all this is changed; for with the coming of the motor the old order has to give way to the new. But whatever new invention may be introduced, and whatever new departures may be witnessed along this imcom- parable bit of highway, let us hope that nothing will deprive it of its primitive srandtur. which i;' the glory of the valley. 0-

"The Still, Grey Town." BY PHILIP SIDNEY." Dolgelley in a thunder storm. Though I have had several visits to this still, grey town," yet such an experience and such a magnificent treat of sight and sound were never before my lot. Cader had drawn down his blinds, and was invisible to all comers, his attendant mountain satellites were like the giant himself, wreathed with water clouds, and the artillery of heaven rattled round their sum- mits in a manner which must be heard to be thoroughly understood. From the great windowat Hengwrt I was privileged to see a panorama, to which no words of mine can possibly do justice. But it is not of storm and of mountain I am to write this day, though of a truth, the theme be indeed a tempting one. I want to say something about the town of Dolgelley, more especially as it presents itself as the centre of a district so rich in walks and day trips, which must appeal to the hearts of all who woo mother nature in her most coy recesses. Thanks to the untiring energy of the G.W.R. and the intelligent courteousness of its well-informed station-master here, no tourists need make this little town their head-quarters, without feeling that it is possible to have such an abundance of outings and trips by rail and by road, that something must perforce be left out of the programme. Tourists who wheel," tourists who tramp, tourists who coach, for all and sundry, there is everything the heart and the purse can desire. Take by way of example the Festiniog District Circular Tour. Possibly some reader may not know anything of it there is no need for such ignorance, all one has to do is to ask the station master for particulars which will be given in printed form, accompanied by a rough plan of the district covered, and a verbal description of much that it is desirable to know. Every week-day practically it is possible by the payment of 5s to acquire a ticket for the Circular tour, which begins at Dolgelley after breakfast and brings the tourist home ready and in time for tea. Such places as Blaenau Festiniog and Portmadoc are brought into the tour by the Festiniog Railway, on thatguage of 1ft. lIt in., which was the first of the narrow guage railways in the country. In fact the G.W.R. time tables give every par- ticular, and rather than give them here I purposely omit them with the hopes of sending tourists for their own edification to the official lists themselves Take the road drives and walks, what do we find ? Such an embarrassment of riches that it is hard to describe ar.y without the fear of overlooking others quite so picturesque and deserving of attention. There is e.g. the Torrent Walk. Does everyone know that a conveyance—a good one too and no mistake, well horsed and well swung-runs in con- nection with the Cambrian Railway Company's Excursions, which after meeting trains from the North and South leaves the Royal Ship-Hotel every morning and returns about noon? The carriages convey visitors to the lower end of the walk and await them at the upper end. It is about a mile long and is in the grounds of Caervnwch, the mansion at the head of the glen. Thiswalk is one of nature's masterpieces in the grouping of trees, rocks and glistening cascades which visitors are permitted to enjoy on the one condition—surely a reasonable one—that they do not touch ferns or mosses. Or say the Precipice Walk is the favoured choice. It makes the circuit of Moel Cynwch and in places reaches a very high elevation, but there is really no danger to be feared. Perhaps however the unfortunate" time pressed visitor wishes to combine the two in one excursion. Can it be done? Certainly. Tourists and excur- sionists in carriages can pass from the Torrent Walk to the Precipice Walk without returning to Dolgelley between the two. The distance between them is 4 miles, and the entire excursion covers about twelve minutes. Then there is the ascent of Cader for the climber which from Dolgelley is one of the easiest routes. How this can be done. and how many other circular tours can be accomplished, will be found most ad- mirably laid out by Ward, Lock, & Co in their new and certainly reliable Pictorial Guide." For the tourist who says All this is very well. but tell me something about Dolgelley itself, and what I can see if I wish to spend a day there let me now try and answer his most reasonable ques- tion. Dolgelley is at once the child of Cader, in whose lap it nestles, and the assize town of county Merioneth. The word Dolgelley is generally translated as "Hazel Vale," a tree which certainly flourisbes in the dis- trict, but,, be it noted, authorities differ on this point of translation. The streets are wonderously crooked and narrow, so much so that a modern writer is stated to have ventured the opinion that "the town was built before streets were in- vented." No description however of Dolgelley can surpass and excel that given by an old gentleman after dinner, with the aid of; a decanter, and a hand- ful of nutshells, "You s°e," said he. this decanter, that is the church." ihen taking the shells and pouring them over the decanter he said, and these are the houses" I I « f The Church dedicated to St Mary stands as is J right upon slightly rising ground, in the middle of I I the town. The present edifice was built in 1726, what it superseded, and whatits registers and books contains I hope to tell my readers ere many more moons have waxed and waned. Let us, however, just take a. turn through the crowded burial ground. The earliest date to catch my eye was that on a flat toiiibstone-of which there are many-inscribed" E. H. 1733"; closely followed by Richard Lloyd in 1736," and then on by various years to Lowry Richards 1766." Lowry, by the way; is a woman's name, not a man's as I heard a visitor say it certainly was. The simple form of "Here lies" has on some head stones given place to This stone designates the spot endeared to Memory as the receptacle of I the remains of," &c., who died in 1842, "leaving a disconsolate widow and six orphans to bewail their irreparable loss." How's that for calling a spade an instrument,-for the trituration of the soil, to say nothing of another where the stone designates the repository of the remains" of a departed Dolgellcyite ? On the exterior of the chancel wall is the stone to the memory of Howell Pugh of Brynn Mawr, who died in 1813. with these lines :— By Nature's Law, what may be, may be now: There's no Prerogative in Human Hours. In human Hearts what bolder Thought can rise. Than Man's Dt esumDtion on To-morrow's Dawn? Where is To-morrow ? In another world ? Y Bedd yw'r Annedd, oer enwyd a gawn 0 ganol ein Hawddfyd Gorwedd sydd raid mewn Gwdryd I beth y carwn y Byd ? Old memories of turnpikes are preserved in such descriptions as "Gatekeeper," "Gateman;" whilst W oolpack tells of the staple trade of the place. The sundial was set up in the year 1808, and though slightly loose, tells the time o' day as true -as ever. The well preserved copper plate only needs to have its screws again tightened, to fit the dial plate for yet another century of work. The tourists should not miss seeing the Alms- houses, founded in 1616 by Henry Rowland, Bishop of Bangor; the Grammar School, crippled and maimed, but yet doing yeoman service under Head- mast er Kinman, as it has done since 1665, which date it rightly and proudly keeps inscribed on its lintel. Then, too, who would care to stay in Dolgelley without, paying, if it be but a passing visit to Dr Williams's Endowed School for girls, which year in and year out has gone on its beneficient way ever since the Rev Dr Williams founded it. Today with Miss Diana Thomas at the wheel, and Dr Williams' trustees to strengthen her rule, the old school which, to its credit be it said, makes no miserable sectarian divisions part of its scheme—stands higher than ever in public estimation, parents from Exeter even, to say nothing of Ireland, sending their daughters here to be fitted for life's battle. Floreat! The County School for Boys—somehow I cannot bring myself to use the hackneyed term Jubilee with it—means business and under Mr Arthur Clendon takes no back seat with others of its kind. The building stands well, look at it from what coign of vantage you like. and the trees so liberally planted in its grounds will in a few years add the one touch needed in its picture. National and Board Schools alike doing good service—complete the complement of machinery for the young- life of the parish and the district; a young life which finds in the public Recreation Ground by the river's bank its liealthy physical de- velopment and growth. t To revert for a sentence to the G.W.R. station its flower garden just now is a veritable "thing of beauty," if not "a joy for ever," one bed of be- gonias alone ensures for the plot more than a pass- ing notice. It is well to be told that travellers, as a rule respect the flowers and that save on the rare occasions of a lot of thoughtless trippers bound for Barmouth, they blossom undisturbed and un- touched. Every man and every woman, too, for the matter of that may be a fisher in Dolgellev, for a long stretch of river Wnion—this you pronounce Oonion —is free to all who care to take out a shilling license; and what is more there are plenty of fish to be hooked; I fancy one of the signal men in a box temptingly adjacent to the water can give many a more ambitious Waltonite points as to how the wary trout can be successfully tempted to kiss the bait. Much more I should like to say, but the tourist has, doubtless, had enough this week, and I bid him farewell at Miss Cobbe's door, where within its hospitable portals my public task ends today.

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A GERMAN SCHOLAR AND THE WAR. We have receivedithe further following letter from that distinguished German scholar, Dr G. J. Sauerwein, who writes under date July 26th from Banteln, Hanover:— SiR,—I have still to thank you for the courteous admission of several letters of mine (English and Welsh), into the columns of your valuable paper, and wolud have done so long ago, but for some necessary work, and as you see, moving having prevented me. The honour of such an introduc- tion to you, so far as it fell to the share of those first poor English letters of mine, through the learned gentleman to whom they were addressed, was quite unexpected. And proud as well as thankful as I feel to have, obtained it, I must, yet confess that, had I known of it beforehand, I should humbly have declined it. The reason might be deducted from the contents of those letters themselves. Still to prevent misunderstanding, I shall perhaps be kindly permitted to trespass a few moments on your space. If I were all Englishman I should not be shy of expressing my opinion about the present war, or war generally, in any news- paper ready to admit it, as freely as, thank God, a great, many English men and women, like Miss Hobhouse, do the same. But as a foreigner, I fancy I have no right to spread my views in an English newspaper before an English public. And I have no doubt, the utterances in question, even as I apprehended, and, therefore, warned, in one of the letters will have been received with consider- able indignation by a great number of readers. My only excuse is, that it was far from my intentions to offend by intruding where it could be said I had no business to stand and that this intrusion, so kindly allowed by you, happened without my knowing anything, about it,, through the well-meaning, but, I fancy in this case rather inconsiderate kindness of the gentleman to whom 1, had written. Now, it is' true,, any voices justly or unjustly blaming the foreigner would, of themselves sooner or later, become silent again. But there is one reason why I must say a few words. The kind and learned gentleman has introduced me to you as the former teacher of an august lady, who, as a Welsh bardess is of peculiar interest to the Welsh also. Now,, people might, from the tenour of my involuntary confession of faith, draw a natural and yet very erroneous conclusion as to the views of the august lady whose teacher I had once, in years longi gone by, the honour to be. To prevent s-ich a precarious conclusion being drawn, I must \observe that I have not the least. knowledge of that august lady's ideas about the present war. But j know this, that a lady in her high position was, is, and must be neutral in such cases, and can never be the partisan or the enemy of any nation. The glorious viarwnad on the late Queen Victoria, of which I in my Welsh letter translated the beginning into Welsh, contains nothing which even a zealous defender of the war might not subscribe. When I many yjars ago, taught the high authoress, then a mere child, English history, and something about Wales too, I did it. in the spirit of that high enthusiasm and intense love for free England which often procured me from Geimans the reproach of angloiiiania." That these feelings so deeply rooted in me, received a most painful shock through the beginning as well as through the progress of the South African war, I cannot help openly avowing, but not as an enemy of England, but precisely out of the deepest love for free old England. At any rate, my views about these and other kindred matters have nothing to do with those of that august lady, to whose political ideas I am an entire stranger. Even any warlike Welshman, therefore (whose partiality for war, for my own person, should lament), but who at the same time, is justly proud of the Barddes Frenhinol of Kymru, need not by any means, for fancied "patriotic" reasons, feel less sympathy with the Royal bardess, becuse a teacher of Her Majesty's childhood is now, and has long been a "foe to war." With my repeated sincere thanks for the act of toleration, already once exercised hy you towards a stranger, before he ever knew of it, and trusting you will kindly add to it a second one by admitting these lines now at my special 1:1 request.— P.S. Trefrodyr was no actual name, but merely the Welsh rendering of the possible meaning of the place where I was sojourning. Kindly excuse the jocular mystifications which I had explained though.

LLANGWYRYFON. HELYNT Y RWHDD YSGOL. YSGIIZTFENA BETHELIAK-Dyma ni yn nghanol berw etto, a dyma sydd yn rhyfedd fod y trethdalwyr mor wahanol eu golvgiadau yn eu gyich. Pwnc y (iy(i(i yina yw:-ra un ai adnewyddu vr hen neu godi ysgoldy newydd fyddai oreu? Ond yr wyf yn meddwl mae y peth goreu i aelodau y Bwrdd fyddai (gan eu bod mor wahanol eu barn a chan fod rhai fel ag yr ydym wedi clywed, dan aden person y pi wyf, sef y parchus gadeirydd, y rhai sydd yn methu barnu dros eu hunain), daflu v mater i farn mwyafrif y trethdalwyr iddynt gael ei benderfynu fel y gwelont oren. Y mae rhai wedi awgrymu hyn yn Darod o berthynas i'r helynt hwn fel ag i gael terfyn arno. Bydded i arweinwyr y bobl fod yn dawel o hyn allan ar faterion gwleid- yddol, fel ag i'r pethau da maent yn lefaru i gael dylanwad. NEMESIS A DDYWED—Syr.—O dan y penawd uchod ymddangosodd llythyr yr v.-vthnos ddiweddaf yn eich newyddiadur clodwiw gan"1 un a eilw ei hun yn "Jumbo." Cawrfil mawr ac ofn- adwy o wlad dramor oedd y Jumbo "gwreiddiol— anfoddog—ac anhawdd ei dris. Ac- yr wyf yn _h_- 11 .J 1 1 gweia iiawero bonux- grybwyll hwn i gymeryd ei enw, a Wrnu oddiwrtb y saith cwestiwn y mae wedi en ofyn.—Ond fod mawredd Jumbo No 2 yn dod i'r golwg yn ei fych- ander a'i anwybodaeth, ond o ran byny Tramoryn ydyw Jumbo, ac nis gall fod yn gwybod amgylch- iadau yr ysgoldy, ncu ni ddisgwyliau y byddai ateb- iad gwirioneddol i'w gwestiynau yn rhoddi un- rhyw gefnogaeth i'r Bwrdd Ysgol i adeiladu Ysgol- dy newydd—a thrwy hyny Osod baich llethol a\li- angenrhaid ar ysgwyddau y trethdalwyr. Gwvr pawb yn y Dosbarth hwn fod yr ysgoldy presenol wedi ei dderbyn ai gymeradwyo gan y Senior In- spector for Wales, a chan y Cynghor Addysg yn Llnndain. er ys dros ddeg mlynedd ar hugain bellach, ac fod un neu ddau o Aroly<jwyr y Liyw- odraeth, pa rai oeddent yr Ysw Williams (senior inspector). Short, Bancroft, Edwards, Tom Jones. Johnson, Thomas, ac yn ddiweddaf oil y Prif Ar- olygydd Darlington yn ymweled a'r ysgol bob bhvyddyn byth oddiar hyny; ac ni chlywais erioed fod un gair wedi ei ysgrifenu gan yr un o honynt yn gondemniol ar y pwyntiau a godir gan Jumbo. Clywais hefyd fod y Prif Arolygydd Darlington yn canmol yr ysgoldy y tro cyntaf ys ymwelodd ag ef ei fod yn ysgoldy iachus, ysgafn, acyn cael ei gad w yn ddestlus—yn un o rhai goreu a welodd y wlad. Yr unig beth ofynir gan y Llywodraeth ydvw ychwanegiad at yr ysgoldy presenol, sef ystafell ddosbarth (class-room). Dvna. vn ol fv idarn i. ddigon o atebiad i gwestiynau Jumbo, i bob dyn diragfarn, ac yn profi yn ddigamsyniol nad oes eisieu ysgoldy newydd o gwbl. Pwyyntesy(ld yn chwilio brychau condemniol ar yr ysgoldy er mwyn cael rhith o sail dros feichio y trethdalwyr yn ddi- achos gan nad yw y Cyngbor Addysg a'i harolyg- wyr yn gwneud hyn ? Pwy meddaf ? Ai y personau hyny y mae y trethdalwyr wedi ymddiried y god iddynt? Gofyned fv ngbyd-drethdal wyr y cwes- tiwn yn ddifrifol iddynt eu hunain. A ydyw Jumbo yn un o honynt ? Os ydyw, well cael cawell (cage) iddo i'w gadw yn ddiogel-ni bydd cisieu un mawr? 0, ie. hysbysa I- John Brown o dan yr un penawd nad ydyw dau o aelodau y Bwrdd Ysgol yn meddu ar synwyr cyffredin 7-0 ganlyniad nid rhyfedd fod y Bwrdd yn un peryglus i'r tretbdalwyr-ac o dan yr amgylcbiadau yna priodol fyddai gwysio plwyf gyrddau ar unwaith drwy y dosbarth i alw aryr aelodau presonol i ym- ddiswyddo, o herwydd yst^riaf fod eisieu saith dyn yn medda synwyr cyffredin cryf tuag at gario allan weithrediadau Bwrdd Ysgol yn effeithiol, didram- gwydd, ac heb wastraff. Deffrowch, bobl, cyn yr aiff yn rhy ddiwedar^ ATEB TRETHDALWR."—Canfyddir oddiwrth lythyr Jumbo fod ffeithial1 yn bcthal1 cyndvn, gwel yntau yn fuan nad yw wiw eu hanwybyddu. Gofyna res o gwestiynau yn nghylch yr Ysgoldy presenol a'i amgylchoedd pa rai a geisiaf atteb yn ol y goleuni sydd ynof. Y mae yr adeilad presenol yn cael ei oleuo a'i awyro yn rhagorol, ac am ei fod uwcb ben ystabl (mewn enw yn unig) nid yw waeth gall fod pob cysylltiad rhyngddynt wedi ei sicr ddiogelu, fel y profa y ffaith nad oc s yr un afiechyd beintus wedi tori allan yma o'r dechreu, na'r un anffawd i'r babanod oherwydd y grisiau, ond os yw y rbai hyn ar ffordd Jumbo cynortbwyed i adeiladu yr Ystafell-ddosbarth gyda mynedfa yn y cetn, heb yr un ris o gwbl ynghyd a digon o clnvareule yn ymyl. Chwareuant yn brescnol o flaen y capel ac yn y cae perthynol iddo. Nid yw yr ysgol yn gauedig er mwyn y capel, ragor na'r sefydliad gwladol ond un diwrnod yn unig pan fyddo Cyfarfod Misol yma, a hyny unwaith bob rhyw bedair blynedd. Felly gwelir yn eglur nad oes eisieu ysgoldy newydd ond yn hytrach ychwanegiad at yr hen. Y mae yma un ysgoldy yn segur eisoes yr hwn a fu unwaith yn Genedlaethol, ond llyncodd yr un Prydeinig y plant, yr hwn sydd yn brcsenol dan sylw, a thyna y drwg (?) ei fod mewn cysyllt- iad ag addoldy ymneillduol. Y mae Jumbo yn foneddigaidd, ond am John Brown nis gwn beth yw. Dywed tod un neu ddau o aelodau y Bwrdd Ysgol heb fod yn meddu synwyr cyffredin, gwelaf finnau drydydd, felly dyna agos i banner yr aelodau yn Pa ryfedd o dan yr amgylchiadau fod pobl yn dweyd mai y cadeirydd yw Y Bwrdd." Wredi ei benderfynu gan ddynion cymwys" ? Un engraipht yn unig o'r cymhwysder hwnYn eu cyfarfod cyntaf ar ol dychweliad y cynllun-amodau oddiwrth yr ymddiriedolwyr, y cadeirydd yn absenol, cydymffurfiwyd a'r oil ond un, a phender- fynwyd apelio at y trethdalwyr ar hwnw. Da iawn, dyna gymhwysder, ond aros funyd, ddarllen- ydd. Yn y cyfarfod nesaf daeth Y Bwrdd" yno. ac ni wnai dim o'r hyn a wnaed yn flaenorol y tro, ac wele bump allan o'r chwech yn scwatio iddo, ac ni chlywyd rhagor am y mater hyd nes i'r ymddir- iedolwyr, rai misoedd yn ddiweddarach. anfon atynt dracbefn, pryd y cafwyd atcbiad oddiwrth eu pwyllgor adeiladu, yn hysbysu fod pobpeth drosodd, a'u bod ar Rhagfyr diweddaf wedi penderfynu adeiladu ysgoldy newydd. Dengys yr uchod was- eiddiwch ac anwadalwch o'r mwyaf yr byn sydd anghymhwysder hollol i drin materion a buddianau y cyhoedd. Dylaswn ddweyd eu bod yn cario eu gweithrediadau yn mlaen mewn pwyllgorau, yr hyn elwir ganddynt yn 'Gomiti of ddi hoi bord,' er mwyn gwneyd i ffwrdd a gwasanaeth eu hysgrifen- ydd. Gresyn hyn hefyd, gan ei fod yn llawer mwy hyddysg na'r oil o honynt gyda'u gilydd yn y Ddeddf Addysg. a phob deddf arall hefyd o ran hyny. Metha John Brown a cbynwys ei hun tua diwedd ei lythyr a phrofa yn eglur darddle'r helynt, Ond clywaf yn nghanol y ,cwbl fod yn mwriad yr ymddiriedolivyr i adeiladu ystafell- ddosbarth eu hunain er cyfarfod a'r anhawsder. Da chwi ewcb atti o ddifrif, nis gwn am unrhyw reswm paham nad all y corph uchod o bobl dderbyn cynygiad felly. "TRETHDALWR ARALL" A YSGRIFENA FEL Y CANLYN :—" Caniatewch i mi ychydig o'ch gofod* yn eich papur enwog i wneud sylw bach fel y canlyn Yn eich rhifyn am Gorph- enaf 18fed ymddangosodd gohebiaeth o dan y penawd Helynt y Bwrdd Ysgol" gan un a eilw ei hun Trethdalwr," yr hwn a gymer arno ei hun y gwaith o feirniadu penderfyniad Bwrdd Ysgol Dosbarth Unedig Llanrhystyd i adeiladu ysgoldy elfcnol newydd yn Llangwyryfon. Nid ar v Bwrdd Ysgol y mae'r helynt ond ar Trethdalwr*" ac ychydig ereill. Y mae y Bwrdd Ysgol wedi penderfynu ar y cwrs i'w gymeryd yn dawel a phwyllog, gan mai hwn oedd yr unig cwrs posibl o dan yr amgylchiadau; a pur debyg y gwnant ei ddilyn er holt helynt a thrafferth Trethdalwr a'i gyfeillion i'w rhwystre. Nid wyf yn myned i geisio gwrthbrofi yr haeriadau disail nac i g-yweirio y mynegiadau anghywir sydd yn yr ohebiaeth mewn perthynas i'r ymdrafodaetb rhwng y Bwrdd Ysgol ac ymddiriedolwyr yr Eglwys Fethodistaidd yn Tabor, sefyllfa a chywair yr ysgoldy presenol, a'r draul debygol i adeiladu ysgoldy newydd. Gwel pob trethdalwr deallus acanmhleidiol nad yw yr oil a ddywed mewn perthynas a'r pynciau uchod ond ymgais bwyUog i gamarvvain rhai o'r trethdalwyr nad ydynt eisoes wedi cymeryd dyddordeb yn y mater. Cyhudda y Bwrdd Ysgol o anfedrusrwydd, a gwna ymosodiad cul, annheg, ac anfoneddig- aidd ar gadeirydd y Bwrdd, sef y Parch D. Jen- kins, ficer parchus plwyf Llangyrwyfon. Yn ffodus y mae y Bwrdd Ysgol presenol wedi profi ei hun yn fwy medrus i weinyddu a llywodraethu ysgolion elfenol y dosbarth nag un o'i ragflaenoriaid er sef- ydliad y Bwrdd Ysgol, a meddiaf ddweyd y deil ei gydmaru ag unrhyw Fwrdd Ysgol gwledig yn y wlad. Y mae y Coideirydd hefyd yn hollol rydd oddiwrth y cyhuddiad o geisio dwyn enwadaeth i mewn i'r helynt. Y mae wedi ymiMwyn yn hollol deg ac amhleidiol o'r dechreu. Nid oes angen i mi i ddwyn tystiolaeth i'w gymeriad yn v cyfeiriad hwn, er pan y mae yn aelod o'r Bwrdd a chyn hyny, gan fod trigolion y dosbarth yn hollol gyfarwydd a'i ymddygiadau. Ymosodiad personol i arucanion neillduol yw yr ymosodiad bwn ar gadeirydd y Bwrdd. Cyfeiria Trethdalwr" hefvd at ryw an- nghydwelediad sydd yn bodoli rhwng y "Bwrdd Ysgol a'i ysgrifenydd. Os oes y fath annghydwel- ediad yn bod y mae yr achos o hono yn cyfodi o du yr ysgrifenydd ei hun. Diameu y gwyr Treth- dalwr nad yw yr ysgrifenydd yn bresenol yn aelod o'r Bwrdd. Felly dylasai wybod hefyd mai dyledswydd yr ysgrifenydd yw cofnodi gweithred- iadau y Bwrdd mewn distawrwydd a siarad pan y ceisir ganddo ac nid siarad yn ddiddiwedd ar bob cwestiwn yn mhob cyfarfod, ac heb unrhyw gym- helliad gan y Bwrdd, a chamdrin yr aelodau. Deillaf y bodola ycbydig gywreinrwydd mewn perthynas i awdwr y llythyr hwn. Pwy yw Irethdalvvr" ? y\V y gofyniad cyffredin. Daw y TVT U Canlyno1 *'r wynebyn amlwg yn ei lythyr (1)_ Mae yr awdwr yn hysbys o weithrediadau gerir ymlaen yn y Bwrdd nad ydynt yn hysbys i'r cyffredin. Felly y mae yn un 0 aelodau y Bwrdd, neu ysgrifenydd y Bwrdd. neu rhvw hprsnn vn rhii 1 --J .1"" "-LA'" cysylltiad agosaf ag un o'r rhai hyn. (2) Mac yn flawn enwadaeth gul ei hun, neu ynte yn elyn per- sonol i gadeirydd y Bwrdd. (3) Y mae arddull ysgrifenu yr awdwr ac yehydig o'i frawddegau yn bradychu ei awdwr. Caraswn ddweyd rhagor mewn pertbynas i'r ohebiaeth hon. ac os deallaf fod Rythyr Trethdalwr yn cael effaith niweidiol ar y trethdalwyr, dichon y byddaf yn gofyn eto ychydig och gofod yn fuan yn eich newyddiadur, yr hwn, fel yr wyf yn deall sydd yn cael ei ddarllen .ec^in yn y gyraydogaeth yma, i draethu yr holl wirionedd mewn perthynas i'r helynt hwn."

WEATHER AND THE CROPS. (From Monday's Mark Lane Express,") The rains of the past week have extended to nearly all parts of the United Kingdom. Sussex and South-east Kent have alone been unvisited The gain to growing wheat and barley in the north and west will be considerable, and to the oats immense, but south of the Trent and east of the Severn the rain is tow late to make any very great difference to the wheat. The root crops will benefit as well as the pastures all over the country. With regard to trade, the fine hot weather makes English wheat weaker in tone, but there is so little offering that prices cannot be quoted differently from last week. New samples are expected at Mark-lane this day fortnight. Foreign wheat barley supports the full advance of the 26th, but is distinctly dearer on the week. Barley is scarcely on offer, for English and Iorelgn IS by no means plentiful. Oats are decidedly dearer on the week. The Russian sorts offered at 15s have been damaged on board ship. The demand for oats is, however, decidedly good, considering the season of the year. Maize makes from ici l's for Turkish up to 26s for Cinquatitiiia.

Business Notices. 0 Printing quickly and neatly done at the Welsh Gazette" Printeries, Bridge-street, Aberystwyth. [Established 1856.] E. I[IOWE & SONS, Tailors, Outfitters, &c., OXFORB HOUSE, 65, NORTH PARADE, ABERYSTWYTH BEG to inform their numerous Customers and -L" the Publie generally, that they are now showing a Fine Selection of 8 UITI-NGS, TROCSERIXGS, 0 YERCOA TIXGS &c., At their New and more Commodious Premises in North Parade, at JVIODERATK PRICES. LADIES' TAILORING IN ALL ITS BRANCHES. All orders promptly executed on the Premises by experienced hands. Style and Fit guaranteed. Your esteemed favours respectfully solicited. ;i Bn-r .-< QARDIGANSHIKE CARRIAGE ORKS J. G. WILLIAMS, PRACTICAL CARRIAGE BUILDER, CHALYBEATE STREET, (Near Railway Station,) ABERYSTWYTH NEW CARRIAGES of own Manufacture on hand, of Best Material and Finest work- manship throughout. Rubber Tyres fitted to all Vehicles if required. J. G. WILLIAMS invites inspection of works, which is the largest and best equipped in the county. PRIVATE ADDRESS-13, BAKER STREET WORTH A GUINEA A BOX. 15 JEE- C Abi IS PILLS FOR ALL BILIOTJST & NERVOUS DISORDERS SICK HEADACHE,; CONSTIPATION, WEAK STOMACH, WIND, IMPAIRED DIGESTION, DISORDERED LIVER, and FEMALE AILMENTS. :ANNUAL ALE SIX MILLION BOXES. In Boxes, Is ltd, and 2s 9d each, with full directions. The Is lid box contains 56 Pills. Prepared only by the Proprietor- THOMAS BEECH AM. ST HELENS, LANCASHIRE [NOW READY.] TRANSACTIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF WALES, ABERYSTWYTH, AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY- CONTENTS: Sheep Farming," by J. Marshall Dugdale. The Farmer's Needs," by Walter Williams, Llan- sadwrn. Horse Breeding," by Jno. Jones, Llandudno. The Labour Problem in Wales," by H. Jones- Da vies, Glyneiddan. Reports, etc. PRICE SIXPENCE. To be had of- SECRETARY, AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, U.C.W., ABERYSTWYTH. Business Notices. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOUTH WAL AND MONMOUTHSHIRE, CARDIFF. SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. A CLASSES are open to both Men anc. e .i !?men Students who may spend three out ot their five years of Medical Study at this College. Special Courses are held in preparation for the examinations for a Diploma in Public Health and also for Sanitary Inspectors. Informatkn regarding Fees and a Prospectus of the School of Medicine may be obtained on application to the DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE. R. O. RICHARDS, TAILOR, Hatter, Hosier, and General Outfitter. LADIES' COSTUMES A SPECIALITY. ABEIIDOYEY. YOUR FAVORS RESPECTFULLY SOLICITED TEMPERANCE COMMERCIAL HOTEL, STATION TERRACE, LAMPETER. Two Minutes walk from the Railway Station. WELL-AIRED BEDS. BATH ROOM. CHARGES MODERATE PROPRIETRESS—MRS S. A. WALTERS. FURNITURE. FURNITURE. FURNITURE. J. JL. EVANS COMPLETE HOUSE FURNISHER CABINET MAKER UPHOLSTERER R E A T ABKGATE (^1 >, •; A BERYSTMIYTH. FURNITURE FURNITURE, FURNITURE GALVANISED SHEEP NETTING AND STXNDARDS. ft M -=- AT LOW PRICES, o es fre'e cn '7YLISS,JONES & BAYL'- ty HAMPTO.O. & SHow 139 4 141, RICHARD MORGAN GENERAL GIIOCER, CORN & FLOUR MERCHANT, GREAT DARKGATE STREET A BERYSTWYTH. WHOLESALE AND RETAIL CONFECTIONER. AGENT FOR BARRETT'S LONDON CONFECTIONERY FINEST SELECTION OF NOVELTIES FILLED WITH CHOCOLATE FROM THJí: LEADING 1RMS. GOOD ACCOMMODATION FOR CYCLISTS Most Central Place in Town NOTE THE ADDRESS:- MORGANS' BlglKlass Confeciionerp stores. OPPOSITE THE TOWN CLOCK. Tea Rooms and Refreshments. DAVID WATKINS, WORKSHOP SEA VIEW PLACE. PRIVATE ADDRESS CCSTOM-HOUSE STREET PAINTER, PLUMBER, PAPERHANGER, GLAZIER AND HOUSE DECORATOR. CHOICE ASSORTMENT OF PAPER- HANGINGS ALWAYS IN STOCK. SHEET LEAD PIPES, CISTERNS, &c., &c. HOLLIER'S COMMERCE HOUSE, JgRIDGE STREET & QUEEN TREEI' FOR ANCY GOODS AND CYCLING ACCES ORIES. C. LUMLEY & SON, COAL, COKE, AND LIME MERCHANTS, MACHYNLLETH, Sole Agents for the Celebrated Goulding's Manures. Ageats for Price Tkomas' Phosphate. Special Terms for truck loads. Delivered to any Railway Station CAMBRIAN RAILWAYS. WEEK-END TICKETS are issued every FRIDAY and SATURDAY all L. & y. W. and G. W. Stations in LONDON TO ABERDOVEY, ABERYST- WYTH, DOLGELLEY, AND BARMOUTH. Available for return on the following Sunday (where train service permits) Monday, or Tuesday For full particular see small hand bills. CHEAP WEEK END EXCURSION TICKETS ARE NOW ISSUED OX EVERY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY TO *Birmingham, ^Wolverhampton, "'Wah:all, Peter; ^eicester- *Derby, *Eurton-on-Trent^ Stafford Coventry, Manchester, Preston, Black- burn, Bolton, Leeds, Dewsbury, Huddersfield Liverpool, Birkenhead, Wigan and Warrington FROM Oswestry, Llanymynech, Llanfvllin, Montffomerr \\elshpool, Newtown, Llanidloes, Machynlleth Borth Aberystwyth, Aberdovey, Towyn, Baraiouth Dolgelley, Harlech, Portmadoc, Penrhyndeudraeth, Criccieth, and Pwlheli, Simi.ar tickets are issued from Aberystwyth. Borth, Aberdovey, Towyn, Barmouth, Dolgelley, Harlech, Penrhyndeudraeth, Portmadoe. Criccieth, and Pwllheli to SHREWSBURY. ♦Tickets to these Stations are not issued from Welshpool. Passengers return on the Monday or Tuesday following issue of ticket. THOUSAND-MILE TICKETS. The Cambrian Railways Company issue FIRST CLASS 1,000 and 500 MILE TICKETS, the cuupons of which enable the purchasers to travel between Stations on the Cambrian Railways durin the period for which the tickets are available unti the coupons are exhausted. The price of each is £5 5s Od 1,000 miles, and £ 2 17s 6d, 500 miles being aboiif 14-d per mile. Application for the 1,000 or 500 mile tickets must be made in writing, giving the full name and address of the purchaser and accompanied by a remittance, toMrW. H. Gough, Superintendent of the Line, Cambrian Railways, Oswestrv (cheques to be made payableto tlieCambrian Co. or order), from whom also books containing 100 certificates for authorising the use of the tickets by purchasers- family, guests, oremployeescanbeobtained.pric 6d each book; remittance to accompany order. C. S. DEXISS, General Manager Oswestry, March 1899. Business Notices. SPLENDID BARGAINS REES JONES JGMPORIUM, TREGARON Now offers for Sale at Low Clearance Prices a fine lot of MEN'S, YOUTH'S, AND BOYS' OVERCOATS. JACK EDWARDS. (LATE E. EDWARDS,) JgOOKSELLER AND STATIONER, 13, GREAT DARKGATE ST. ABERYSTWYTH. OUR AIOTTO- GOOD "VALUE FOR MODERATE PRICES* PRINTING or EVERY DESCRIPTION QUICKLY AND EATLY JQONE AT THE "mm Gazette" PRINTERIES JgRIDGE ST. & ^RAY'S INN RD¡ ABERYSTWYTH. NEW OFFICIAL SIZE WITH jp R I N T E D A DDRESSES, I 6s. ca D., 7s, 6D., AND 8 6D Per 1,000, ACCORDING TO QUALITY Orders should be sent to the WELSH GAZETTE » OFFICE, ABERYSTWYTH.