The Cambria Daily Leader

IN NIEMORY OF A HERO. Mr. Ohris, S. Tames, of Dunvant, forwards the following poem to the memory of Stoker William Pry, of Peiielawcld, who was killed in action in the North Sea bat-tie:- fallen in the figrht, your flirty" dene. The battle's o'er, the victory won; Amid the roar of battle's strife He gave his all-his gallant life. Now lying- low in his narrow bed. The laurel wreatb entwines Ms head. Sound the "last post," his is f pr. He died in defence of Britannia's slioro. ♦

Miss Lily Lassah. who plays "Aladdin' m the pantomime at the Grand tins week, accompanied by Miss Bocken-. ham. the managews of the compaQY called -it numerous offices in H'-van^ojsi ye<3terday, with the gratifying result that over was collected on Ivthatf of tha Swansea Hospital and the local Belgian, Fund.

AW USE ME NTS. M M P X W M I Sptoodtd Programme This Week. HEAR WHIT CUNLIFFE Sing his i-atcsjt, Success, ARE WE ALL HERE?" SILBON'S EDUCATED CATS, A Rare Treat for Young and Old. THE BROOKLYN COMEDY FOUR, Stdw-SMtttmg. Ccnkerfy and Superb Singing. ADAM TOMLINSCN, A Real Go-median. BENEDETTI BROTHERS, One of the Cleverest ind Most AmusiBg Musical Acts ever staged. THE RAWSONS; That Betined Musical Act which always Delights Empire Patrons. SINCLAIR'S THREE BLUEBELLS, A Charming Dancing and Singing Trio. Topical Pictures. Latest War News. Special Footbatt Night. Newcastle U. v Swansea Town Both IXsams will be at the SECOND PERFOifdANCE — FRIDAY NIGHT. — GRAND THEATRE SWANSEA. MONDAY, FEBRCAEY 1st. 1915, For Six .Nights at 7.30. a,ad TWO MATINEES, Thursday & Saturday at 2.30. J. Bannister Howard presents a Magni- ficent Christmas Pantomime: ALADDIN Book by Fred Bowyer. Music by J. Ellis Midgley. Principal Dancers The Sisters Oxiey. NEXT WEEK— The Stirring Patriotic Plav— THREE LITTLE BRITONS. TIE mm ROL tE, HIGH STREET, SWANSEA. g MOM-STOP RUN from 2.30 tHt 10.30. NOH-8TO-P RUN from 2.38 till 10.3Ð. TODAY'S PROGRAMME- i Jesse Laeky'fl Great Proclaction, b T;e @LtOPF<XlanE f NORTH. | By the Famous Payers. 1 8t?)?ed in the E?K-t Locale of the B<K)k,, I "The Conjuror's House," by St-e-wart, Edward White. 1 A Motion Piotoe with over 300 Scenes. I DAUGHTER OF THE PLAINS j8 (Nestor). Betta's Elopement ) CVitagraph). A Gripping Drama, with Maurice CoeteUo in the lead. THE TALE OF A HAT (Stirling). Love and Buiiets. A Capital Skit on the Blood-Curdling Drama. Pause's Animated War Gazette. f2RinHIRBHHKnnMBV8BnBR!!VXnBEC29MaHVjnMK| _+- .)..c: CASTLE CINEMA Adjoiuiiic Ioeider OHics. + WORCESTER PLACE, SWANSEA. I  ? Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. £ Continuous Performance, 2.N to tt?t. ? SPECIAL ATTRACTION! | The LAND of | The LAND of i (Exci?MTve to this Theatre). „ A Stupendous Production in TTiree 2 P?rts, preaentmg tbc Mo?t Wonderful J Story of Shipwrk and Peril Ever ?ereeii?d. + Lnfceasely Interesting. ? B«mtef?Uy Photographed. ? Full of ThriBs from Start to Finish. Full of Th-rille from Staz+ to FinL'sh. A COAT'S TALE. ju A Terrific ?eystooe" Comedy. £ EVERY MAN HAS HIS PRICE. j + A Film of DTet?<t Merit. Cripping and A Dramatic. ? THE LOVE OF PIERRE LAROSSE. ? ViUgmph Dr?m? of the Primitive West A Ao4 Other !ntM'Mt<ng Pictures. + USUAL PRICES. CARLTONl Cinema De Lux*, Oxford St., Swansea. 2.31 CONTINUOUSLY 19.8. I Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. THE COWARD, Or, The Lament Impark. Special Two- j Part "Dominó" Feature. i THE RESCUE. TfrritHttg Thaashouser Drama, A DOUBLE ERROR. Yitagrsph Comedy. LIFE IN THE SAMOA ISLANDS. TiitWrcetfcg TrafeiJ Subject. i TRILBY, by PIMPLE. Screamingly Funny Burlesque. §; DOC YAteS' CATS. Saiig Oelaic. PATHE'S AW MATED GAZETTE. Current Eveorta from all parts. The Poor Folks1 Boy. Special Two-Part Vitagraph Dmnms, featuring Anne Sohaefer. Carttwi Orchestra Plays D'tffy (5 till 7 executed). PRICES-3d., 6d., 9d. and 1s. (ThiMrwo, 3d. and 6d. Naxt Monday.-Gigar)tic Production, MARRIAGES OF CONVENIENCE. CARLTON CAFE (R. K. JONES, 1ÆD.). OXPO&D STUEBT. SWANSEA. Open Daily 11 &,=. to U p.m. ORCH EFirRA I- & MiwiceJ Director: YOCIAJL MUSIC. SSgncrr E. polecill Voaalieft*— Mime BsLODWF^N JONfiS, Oontratax 11&. a. REJS6, Tenor. THE COSY, COMFORTABLE OXFORD Electric Theatre, UKfON-STREET. I GRANDMOTHER'S LAMP A Romantic War Drama, portraying Soenes of a Wonderful Character. Produced by tbe Famous Arabrosio Co. Gold is Not All Can A.B. Life Study). Ttsky and Co. (an Extra Scream by Koy^toTi^). The Ucket (a Vitn?r?ph M?etcroifx?). Ke,w" Coast Guard (Hepworth). Continuous Performance from 6,31 to 10.39 j Thursday and Friday, Saturday from 2.38 MWVLAR PRICES. t AMUSE WE NTS. ELYSIUM 6.15. High Stet, Swansea. 8.30. MONDAY, FEB. 8th. For one week only. The World's M&sterpieco in K iiK\m at ography, A PATRIOT OF FRANCE, Adapted from the poem, The BaHad of Splendid Silene»> bv E. Neebitt. "A PATRIOT OF FRANCE" is ad- mittedly the greatest triumph of Kine- matograptoy, and can only be seen at the above theatre, and NOWHERE ELSE IN SWANSEA. To save disappointment hook your seata immediately. THURSDAY, FRIDAY and SATURDAY. FOR LOVE OF THE KINCi A Stirring Military Melodrama in 3 Acts. Special Engagement of WALTER GATTY Character Vocalist, and Six Local Sailor Boys. THEATRE ROYAL (THE OLD "STAH"). WIND-STREET, SWANSEA. TO-NIGHT, and Throughout the Week. < WILLIAM CO U ITS '£T th Has pleasure in announcing that tho GRAND RE-OPENING PROGRAMME Will be Arthur Shirley's Popular Play, THE MIDNIGHT MAIL. I Presented by Dottridge and Long (ten's Co. COME AND GIVE A NEW SEND-OFF TO TKE OLD PLAYHOUSE. THERE'S NO DO-UBT ABOUT IT! THE GBEATEST AND MOST COSTLY' FILM on View in Swansea and District this week, is TOMMY ATKINS Arthur Shirley's Magnificent Military I ilolodraiua. THIS TOPICAL AND FAMOUS WAE STORY will be ON VIEW THROUGHOUT COUTTS' CIRCUIT according to the following tune table:— At the PALACE—On Monday & Tuesday. At the PICTUREDROME, Morriston—On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. At the GLOBE, Giydach-On Wednesday and Thursday. At the SHAFTESrJURY-On Thursday, Friday and Saturday.. At the TIVOLI, Cwmbwrla—On Friday and Saturday. COD BLESS YOU TOMMY ATKINSI HERE'S YOUR COtmTHY'S LOVE TO YOUI PUBLIC NOTICES. RE WILLIAM TUCKER DECEASED. PURSUANT TO IIIR-H 22 AND 2J VICTORIA 0 35 S 29. NOfPLOE IS HEREBY GIVEN* Lbut all Oreàlto ami other rsOJJ.6 leaving tiny Claims or E'emftj}dn upon or agadnat the Eetevte of William Tucker late of Old Prince Inn, G-ra-ig, M<s-Ti3ton, Swiawsaa in the Couut-y cl G^kuoiiorgian Retired Licensed Yio- t uglier deoeaeed (who died on the Utttt (iay of Deoesxiiber 1914 and LeBtc-ra of Admdihis- traiioji (with the Will) of whose Estate were grsar:«d my His Kajeety's High Court of J iiatioe att the PrintaTial PioboCe Registry thejxsof to Thomiae Tiscker of 2 Am.ti-sts^at Morriwf/on Swansea aforesaid on the S3th day of JsaiiLary 1916) CWXJ hereby R<XNtired to send in particulare of their Claims and Demands to the underedgajed the SoAicifcor for the said Administrator on or belare the 1-st day of I.Abreb 3916 AiSTD NOTICE is hereby also given tha.t aJter that day the said Achnin istrator will proceed to disfcri- hutoe ttho (nHfAJtH of the deooaB&i emong tho parties entitled theretx-i, having regard only to the Claims and Demands of which th-e said AdjmmaOTra?or sh?l ?hm have had I nc?ce &ad tbma be will not be I.TW.W<a for the aeeets of the said deceased otr any paait, thereof M diaftribnt?t ro any 0I1 of wbcc? d^t or claim he ,I not t7 h be?e bad notice. Dmtod thio lat day of February, 19!5. D, O. THOMAS. 21, Y-ortt-street, Swansea. Solicitor for the said A<Lnxkiistrator NRATH RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL. TO CONTRACTORS. The aborve Council is prepared to receive Tenders for the laying of 1,213 yards of 9in. Stoneware Socket Pipe Sewers, the Construc- tion of llaalioJes, Flashing Tanks, etc., for tha Dictriut of Bainven, in the Pari eh of Dirl,dq Higher. Plans, Sectione, etr-, ma.y be seen, Form of Tender, Bills of Quantities, and Scht dule of I'riced, obtained on application to Mr. W. E. CIruson Thomas. i\.it.I.C.E., the Engineer, District Coancii Ofiloefi, Neath, oa payment of Ll Is., wiridt will be returned on receipt of a IxHiar-fitks tender I foaled Tenders, endorsed Banwen Se-,vers Dulaii Higher," to be delivered to the un- dcrsic.ned at their Offices, 58, Water-street, -Neet.h, on or before the 6th February. The Council do not bind themselves to accept the lowest or any tender. OPTHBERTSON AND POWELL. Clerks of the OotcnciL January 29th, 5915. THE STOCK EXCHANGE. NOTICE. MEMBERS of the HttVXJK EXOHANGE are NOT ALli)W^«D to AD v KRTI £ E for business purposes or to weue CircoJiara or Buatneee Oomn>unicationa to peraoau ochec tlaaiu thek own i'Tincipals. Persona who advei-tkw as Brokers or Shar» DeaJlers are Not >!«anhors of the stcok Ux- change. or in any wti-Y under the control of the GooMMjttee. Members jsstlmg Ooniract Not/ea axe re- qurreii to uae &ii(-:h a foim lia will provide that the words X-e-uber of the Btock Kx- cha-nue. IhHi<o-n." biiall inimediawly ioiixnr the sacnature. A List, of Membero of >1le Stock I>xchange who ai-e dfcock and SJ:UH lirokers may be eeen at the Rartholomeiw-lane entJaoce to the Bank of EngUuid. or obtained on appli- catioB. to— EtDWARD S-ATTKRTTT W AITE, Sec-retiiiry to Lhe Committee of the Stock Exe-bojigo. Ccanm-ittee Room, Tbt, Stock Exchange, 14ndjn. gWANSEA UNION. &Y&STE XURSE, UNiON INFIRMARY. The Guairdkwis of the above Umotn require the eervioes of a Gentiftca ted Staff Nurse (Day and Nighst, Dut,.r". Salary £:)1) per- anonun per fjnnnun to a was imam of and the us ual ABx/Wva noea. Further partieuio.rsi and Foroi of Apip-lica- tion to be obma-ired from the WMkumicrried, by vhioan appHoatiosnis must be revived nOt M«r thnn 16"-h PeJ>rtrary. 1915, T-TA4%-N-. JTLNKTJiS, Clerk. Uaioc A ier^wiri.TTa-roaf^ -iM'l'WJWi'1- 1st. 19ä. FeLx. Lit? I" PUBLIC NOTICES. I 1st WELSH (HOWITZER)! BRIGADE, R. F. A. 1 RECRUITS WANTED I Men of good character between the ages of 19 and 38 can now be enlisted for Imperial Service only. Height from 5ft. 4ins. Chest measure- ¡ ment 3-ins. minimum. For full particulars, etc., II' apply to OFFICER COMMANDING, Depot 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade, R.F.A., Drill Hall, Swansea. RHODDA. & SWANSEA Dty RAILWAY. NOTICE LS HEREBY GIVEN that the ANNUAL OKJ>INAIiY OENERAL MEETING J Proprietors of -the RHONDiDA AND ¡ ShANSdEA BAY HALLWAY COM3?ANY will be held at the HOTEL i £ ErnROPOLE, WI-ND- tSI RLE.T; in the County Bowugti of Swaai- cn SATURDAY, tho 20th day of FEBRUARY, 1916, at Twelve^thirty o'clock, for the General Purposes of the Under- taking. The TRANSFER BOOKS wili be OLOSED from 8th February to the 20th Febffuary, both days inclusive. D'ated thia First day of February, 1916. iiEORC-E DEER. GhairmciTi. B. IÆWIS JONEiS, .Sooretary. S'nSoea, Q-LYNN YTVTAN ART GALLERY" SWANSEA. I MINIATURE PAINTING GTASS. Under the Will of the Late Mr. R. Glynn Vivian, a Number of Free Stud-eirtahips will be awarded annually in the Miniature Patntine- Class held at the above Gallery. Applicants must be over 16 years of age, amd have resided in the Borough of Swan- sea for not less than three years. The Cla-ss meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Mornings from 10 aJtn. to 1 p.m. Application for Free Studentships to be made to the Secretary, Education Offices, Swansea, not later than Saturday, 20th Feb- ruary, 1915. I The GSyrm Vivian & Deffett Francis Art Galleries, I SWANSEA, WILL BE CLOSED DAILY at DUSK UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. 1th Feb., 1915. rpo BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS. TENDERS axe invited for the ERECTION OF A HOUSE at Reoolven for Mr. Howel Ret-.R. Plane and SpeCTfication can be eeerv ai the Oflk>ee of the undersigned, to whom Ttemliera are to be sent riot later than the! 5ith inafc. 5. CYST. J'OW; ANT) ARNOLD, Arehiteote a.:d Surveyors, SALES BY AUCTION, B It ITO N F B R P. Y ADJOINING THE DOCKS RAIIjWAY Jillm. TO WORKS PROPRISTOBS AND OTHERS. Mr. J, Barron Pascoe F. A I PJL-JS.I., H AB been: instrucljed to SELL by PUBLIC L AUCTION, at the DOCK BIDE, BRITON- FERRY, on WEDNESDAY, 1m:;a F2-BRUARY, 1915, aborot TEN TONS OF MEDIUM HEAVY Steel Turnings Deposited alongside the Railway Line oppo- site the Dook Uate« aaid Accumulator Hooiee, Britonferry, to cover a Lieu under the Mer- diants Shipping Act. Sale w> cottimeaioe at 2.30 pun. prompt,, Tcrniti: Oasit. Auctioneer's Offices: Qajxiigan Ohcmbere, & College-street, S-wrjiwee. Tel. Docks 5!)3. LLANGYFELACH AUCTION MART. BY Messrs. E. Rice and Son, On TUESDAY .NEX-1, FEBRUARY 9th, 1915, at tUO. ENTRIES AiLREADY TO IDSD- 21 Prime Fat Cattle, including that beaaitiftd TLFItBFORD BULL, PRIXOF, OHAB JONG, two years old, out of Mr, Bishop's, of Gilaefeury, famous herd. A very weighty animal and w-eU worth the notice of any Stockbreeder for imp-roving' his herd, GA it ia e6ai <jppor- tuuity (seldom m.et, with in this locality, as he is the Winner of the Silver Cup and severa-l other Prises. 4 3TBONO .STEERS. 4 COWs. AND CALVES. 3 FAT GALVE& 40 FAT LAMBS. W PIGS. SHIRE BRED QART MARE iu foal, 6 yeans oid, 16.2 h-h., pum3ed soiind, reliablie worker in all haroesE. CART MARE in fooiv 6 yearrs old, 16 hh, I reliable worker in all harness. A very uextul MAiRB, 7 yea.r8 o)d, 16 h.h. Do., 4 ymm Ql(f. I' A good PONY, 13 h-h., with Tra-p, Hood and J-LaiTttese. PONY, 12 h.b- Trap and Haameae. A Bea-tiisful Rubber Tyre RALEIGH TRAP I suitable for Cob 4-15. ikrong RAiLEliGH TRAP, Iran Tyrest. The London Office of the Cambria Daity Leader is at 151, Fleet Strest (first I floor), where advertisements can be received up to 7 o'clock each evening for in- sertion in the naxt day's issue. Tel., 2276 Central.

WELSH BILLIARDS CHAMPION- I SHIP. Arthur Llewelliti (Cardiff), an ex-holder of the title, and Joe Ball (Pontypridd) opened their game of 4,000 up at Cardiff | yesterday afternoon to decide who shall i oppose Tom Carpenter, the holder, for the title of Welsh champion. Although neither player succeeded in reaching a century break, some capital play was witnessed, Llewellin being the more consistent scorer, his chief breaks being 38, 6, 71, 38, 36, and 66. Ball's best were S5, 50, 66, 30, 45, and 34. Iittei val scores:—I/iewelliri (in play), 601; E:t" tJ¡. In the evening Llewellin made brpaks, f 25, 62, 37, 34, and 47, Ball's best being Pii. 46, SR. and 11. Closing scores :—Llewellin (in play), 1,200; Ball, L(M0.

According to a census taken for the i lender) City Corporation there are now I W fallow dR?r, and (! roe d1'T in Epping  Fort?t. a ron-?d'?ab?e dcl--e6e compared | .wita ?r?vipu? yc*;& 1

CONSCRIPTION: FOR AND ACAINST. it is not without significance that the re-opening of Parliament coincides with a renewal of the agitation among those who advocate a coascriptionist basis for our Army. On neither side, we must note, is there any disposition, to range up in the controversy upon the old theoretical grounds; the question is one of present expediency. To-day we view all problems in their relation to the war, and the prob- lem Great Britain has to solve is not whether conscription is, in itself, a good or bad thing, but whether its adoption will be ne-cessary as a means of success- fully prosecuting the campaign. Once let it be proved that voluntary methods fail to bring forward the requisite number of mon, and that conscript methods will, and there will bo no two voices in the State regarding the course to be pursued. But fm-t the failure of voluntaryism will have to be established, and the efficacy of the alternative policy made plain.. The national magazines, the half-a- crown heavy-weights of our periodic literature, are more taken up with the conscription question than any other aspect of war policy. The Nineteenth Century" has from Colonel Cregan a criticism of Colonel Maude's enthusiasm for the voluntary principle. He does not like the word conscription," which he holds to be inapplicable, and he seeks a U middle way." He would have the nation embodied for national service and trained, depending on voluntary recruiting from the battalions so raised for the further drafts for service abroad. The one common feature of the advocates of con- scription is a denial that the volunteer has proved himself better than the pressod man. In the same magazine, Mr. D. C. Lath- bury deals with a bye-issue of the contro- versy: He thinks that while there is i happily no question either of the duty or the intention of the Government, in the! event of our present plan failing, to give us the soldiers we must have, or, in case of that failure, of accepting the only alternative, yet he believes that the man- hood of the nation would come forward of its own free will in a way to satisfy the utmost demand if it more fully under- stood the cause and realities of the war. Ho believes that th- great mass of tho people of this country are as yet almost ignorant of what the war really means for the United Kingdom, and that a great campaign is necessary to bring home the issuo. Mr. Lathbury may be right, but it is hard to credit the statement that at this time there are any in this country who have not been made to realise fully the real moaning of the war, and its pos- sibilities. It would be too much to say that the man who has been left in the street posi- tively wants conscription. Had he wanted it. he would have volunteered without waiting for it. Nevertheless, he is ready for it, because he thinks that the country may require his services." Such is the conclusion of the British Review editor. In the U English Review," Mr. Austin Harrison-whose candid reflections upon the course of the war wo referred to yesterday—-takes up more positive grounds. He is a conscriptionist pure and simple. To him the military problem is quite unsolved. He puta his views vigor- ously. It is far more dignified, he holds. to enforce national service, control freights and prices generally, than for the Stale to chivy on the women to speed up the men by way of advertisement. Con- scription does not imply Hohenzollern militarism; it means that we fight col- lectively because, in spite of all British paradox, we have now got to think nationally, the principle indeed of the present war. If the soldiers demand conscription and hold they can copo with it, that man is a fool or a traitor who Opposes it, and there can no longer be any reason in him. To argue about the home political consequences of conscription while Germany holds down, despoils and starves all Belgium, and a large part of France and of Poland, this is the method of the ostrich." So mueh for the theorists. Let as get to the facts- What are they? Suppose that the Prussian system had been in force in the United Kingdom for twenty-seven years before the outbreak of war. The number of men who reach the military ago in the United Kingdom in each year —according to Mr. Spencer Wilkinson, one of our greatest military authorities— is rather more than 400,006. Of these the number who on the Prussian syfltem would have been taken each year would hardly have exceeded 220,000; the rest would hare been disqualified by physique or exempted for sufficient reason. At the outbreak of war it would then have been possible to call up for service all the trained men from. eighteen to forty-five.' That would,have given the sum of twenty- seven. annual classes, which, allowing for a waste of 5 per cent. per annum, would amount for In other words, there would be a million more than are now serving; but something like half a million ox these would be between thirty- eight and forty-hve. Thus a rigorous conscription, if it had been in force since 1887, would have giviln us only half a million men of the beet age more than we now have, in Mr. Spencer Wilkinson's estimation not more than we can expect to raico at the present rate in four months from to-day. To call upon the men who under a compulsory system would have been excluded, either as exempt or as unfit, would bo to deteriorate the quality of the Army. That we have not had a compulsory system does not afl'ect in any way the numbers and physique. If, therefore, conscription were now to trrin^ in more men than tho present mode of enlistment, in his con- clusion it would do so only by a sacrifice of the quality of the recruits. The main result of conscription, would be to bris;g to the colours a certain number of men physically fit who do not at present join. Some of these no doubt are lacking in goodwill, and it would be very desi.rabH>> l that means should he found of inducing these to change their mind*.

AN OLi-TllE WEAPON OF H 1 USE OF FIRE-SHIPS. Turkish Oppression and Misery While no engagement of striking im- portance is recorded, a novelty is intro- chiced in yesterday's French communique by the mention of iire-boats sent down the River Ancro by the GerTnaiM. What these peculiar engines were. and what the precsie object of their use may have been remain a mystery for the pre- sent, but at any rate their purpose was frustrated, as tliev were stopped by us ■before they exp"d.- R&p&rts from the Eastern front show that the position remains favourable t.7? our Russian Allies. A German attack north of Barjimov was repulsed, and no success attended the enemy's efforts to advance south of the Pilitza, in spite of heavy artillery lire kept up by day and night. The Russians hava also advanced almost into the interior from the Dukla Pass, and enormous losses were inflicted on the enemy, who attempted an offen- sive movement south-eat of the Ujok Pass. FIRE-SHIPS AND THE ARMADA. TT is interesting to recall that the use of fire-ehipe drove the Annada from its moorings near Gravelines. According to the official communique issued on that occasion.— The Lord Admiral [Howard], the 2Sth of July, 1588, about midnight! caused eight ships to bo fired and let drive amongst the Spanish fleet; "whereupon they were forced to slip or cut cables at half and to set sail. The tonnage of these eight veeeels, which cost £ 5,100, ranged from 200 to 1^0 tou-g. and even less. Fanciful writers have declared that Howard had to thank the inventive genius of Queen Elizabeth for the idea of using fire-ships. As a matter of fact, they were probably used for the first time by the Greeks in 1204, in the defence of Constantinople, and thepe were merely a development of the Rhodian fire-braziers of 1,400 years earlier. From that time onward they became quite common. Drywood, pitch, and other inflammable materials were the principal ingredients of their deadly cargo. Tho Devil-Ship." In 158-5, moreover, the defenders of Antwerp, when besieged by the Prince of Parma, not only floated fire-chips down tho Scheldt against a wooden bridge which had been built across the river, b.ut they included in the blazing procession a couple of "devil-chirg," loaded with gunpowder. One ship was to explode by means of slow matches, and the other by a clockwork device in conjunction with a flint and steel. Although it is not stated what kind of engine was employed by the Germans two days ago on the River Ancre, it is not unlikely (states the "Times") that this i device resembled the Dutch clockwor devil-ship of 300 yeare ago. The use of a fire-ship" by the Germans near Berry-au-Bac was reported eorno weeks ago, but it was destroyed by the French beiore it had done any damage. TOPSY-TURVYDOM IN PALESTINE, GEN ERAL Swiss subjects who have just arrivad from Palestine and Syria have interesting information to give about what is going on there. Piecing these various accounts together, there can be no doubt that matters in the IToly Land are literally topsy-turvy (saes a Morning Post" correspondent). The existence of strained relations be- tween the Turkish and the German officers is confirmed by these neutral observers, as is also the fact that the Holy War is a fiasco. The Moslems in general are highly dis- contented. and ask nothing better than to see the WBJ cease, if only because cf the extremely heavy requisitions which are being mada. Oppression and Misery. I Poor enough at any time, fchese people are now reduced to the extremity of misery, the Turks and Germans having commandeered all the cihieff necessaries, not merely oamels, mules, hc«?&g, and rafctie of all descriptions, even goats, but also wheat, barley, paraffin, butter, susar. and coffee, to say nofchang of money. Whatever may be the result of the Turkish campaign elsewhere, it has cer- tainly caused misery in Palestine and Syria. Even the German officers them- selves. probably, scarcely believe- that any good will come out cf their desert marcb towards the Suez Canal to attack Egypt, the difficulties of such an enterprise being too great, and so much time having al- j ready been lost during which it has been possible to make arrangements for the defence of the canal. I' Corruption Never Worse. Not only has Turkey insufficient money to be able to offer reasonable salaries to her officials, but even such salaries as they are supposed to receivo are oftecu partially withheld. Corruption has never been worse than at present in countries under Ottoman j; rule. Abdul Hamid's government was bad, but that of the Young Turks is far worse, and the people of Palestine and Syria know this, and are looking for a i deliverance, which seems to them long m coming. If a British force of 100,000 j troops were to land at Beirut and Jaffa, the population would welcome them, j and the Turco-Teuton tyrants now terrorising the country would be lynched. TWENTY-SEVEN FRENCH HEROES. riw W sacrifice of 27 brave FrencJhm^n — in on endeavour to take Aspach le Biis on the Ateatian border is described by a "Daily News and Leader" oorres- pondenft. Our Allies held Aspacih le Hau-t, and the Germans were ewtrendhed ait Aspach le Bas. In the first trench of oTijbposts was a JJédfjon of the 43rd Terri- torial, df Hymnal. Among them was Ser- geant J. Oberreiner, an Aleutian, who knew every abone and every tree of the countryside. As lie looked through his Loophole he oottld see wiffti his naked eye (ihc familiar rOOtf and orofi. He en- treated the captain to order am attack that very nhrht. Creeping noiselessly on with fixed ba.yonets, each man holding a grenade in his hand aDd clippers between his teeth, the gallant 27 reached the barbed wire fence. In a moment, betrayed by the tinkie of bells, and blinded by search- lights, before they had even had time to shoulder their rifles the 27 were swept away. A Supreme Effort. When the morning broke, those of the doomed party who, though severely wounded, were yet alive, were observed making a supreme effort to get through the barbed wire and reach shelter. A salvo from the German trench put {several of them out of thir misery, but seven were still left, desperately wounded, and almost unable to move. Twelve vards I aTav, the Germans in?.uited them. It v&e, now broad daylight. From the French side some stretchor men now went forward, flying a white handkerchief and showing their badges. They were unarmed. The Germans fired, and the two leaders were wounded. But ilie wounded out there could not be left to die untended. Something had to be done to save them. RED CROSS FIRED UPON. A BIG Rod Cross Flag was hastily manufactured and run up at the end of a pole. A hospital attendant deter- mined to make another attempt. On the rery edge of the trench a bullet pierced his brain. He dropped dead, and the flag with him, pierced and torn. That evening the 350th of the Line and the 6th Chasseurs made two furious but rain attempts to rescue their dying com- rades. All night long the Germans re- lentlessly kept their searchlights playing on the doomed and sweeping the expanse up to t" e French lines. The sight of a shadow brought salvos from their trenches. HIS DEATH SONG. THE French officers could hear th'3 feeble groans of the dying. Ser- geant Oberreiner—tho Alsatian—was heard imploring tho enemy in their own tongue to succour his comrades or finish them off. On the morrow at Dawn the French officers by the aid of their glasses could see that Oberreiner alone was still alive. His face was turned towards his native village. Ho was attempting for the last time to baudago his wound. At four in the afternoon, after 35 hours of agony, the order rang out sharply in the German trenches to strike up the Wacht am Rhein "—to drown the ac- cents of the Marseillaise," which Oberreiner was singing with his last breath. THE ERIN'S VOYAGE OF MERCY. E AR-LY one recent morning, passers-by who looked seawards from the terraced streets of Monaco and .Monte Carlo saw an old friend in an unfamiliar guise. Some few cable-lengths from the Prince of Monaco's fine yacht lay Sir Thomas Lipton. s famous Erin, flying the additional flag of the Geneva Convention's Red Cross (states a Dailv Mail corre- spondent). Everybody seemed a little puzzled at the metamorphosis of the yacht and its presence in the Riviera harbour. The secretary of a large hospital rowed out to inquire if we had brought them any sick or wounded men, and seemed rather disappointed when he learned that the only invalids on board were some JO nurses and orderlies who were just re- covering from sea sickness. Caught in a Storm. Hero lies the S.Y. Erin, bound for 1-fer apparently erratic route is ex- ptamod by the fact that some five weeks' stormy weather in the Gulf of Lyons has just spent its ftirt 4tnd left behind so heavy a sea that a brief shelter in the harbour of Monaco and a course to the east instead of the west of Corsica have been deemed advisable. The yacht has entered the familiar har- bour once more, but under singularly changed conditions. Ifer white decks arc cumbered with motor-ambulances and iorries, her hold is full of medical stores and hospital clothing. The occupants of the cosy cabins of one of the most luxu- riant yachts in the world are nurses, orderlies, and doctors who for the most part know little of the big world of modern travel and did not recognise an olive tree when they saw one. The Erin is now on its way to Saloniea. A "WARNING" TO ITALY. TTNEASINESS as to the conduct of Italy is becoming prominent in the German and Austrian Press. In tho Neue Freie Presse," of Vienna, Count Julius Anirassy recently addressed a warning to the Italians to beware of de- parting from their neutrality. Count Andrassy is the eldest son of the former Austro-Hungariwi statesman who con- cluded, in 1879, the Austro-German alli- ance His warning consisted mainly of an intimation that Italy would have every- thing to lose and nothing to gain from a triumph of the Triple Entente, and that ahe would in the best case be exposed to diro peril from the growing power of tho I Southern Slavs on the Eastern Adriatic E>hore. Behind these Slavs there would stand the Russian giant," who would iTUrih Italian interests in the Mediter- ranean and would compel Italy to be- come a miserable satellite of England, Austria and the Slavs. In the Corriere della Sera," of Janu- ary 29fch, a leading Italian political writer, Signor Torre, replied vigorously to Count Andrassy. The arrival of Russia in the Mediterranean, he declares would not necessarily menace Italy or diminish her political and economic in- dependence. Besides, if Italy helped Austria to combat the Slav world, the yoeition of Italy would not be improved, since Austria cannot suppress what sho calls the Slav peril." On the contrary, she is trying to con- quer more Slav territory, and to increase her number of Slav subjects. If Italy has ti defend herself against anyone it is against an Austria aggrandised by vic- tory over the Slavs. It is our interest, concludes Signor Torre, to come to such an agreement with the Slavs that they may form a bulwark for the protection of some of Italy's essential interests. • GERMAN CHILDREN'S DIET. ^SPECIAL appals are now being ad- O dressed to German schoolchildren impressing upon them as a patriotic duty the necessity of eating only war bread and no wheaten bread or cakes during the war, because we shall probably not have enough wheat, and therefore we must use I as little wheaten flour as possible." Owing to the difficulty of importing fodder it is now suggested that maximum prices for cattle and meat should be intro- duced. The Imperial Wool Week," during which woollen articles of nil descriptions and blankets have been collected through- out Germany for the benefit of the Army, has been so successful that the authori- t-Jes think they will be abl-r to avoid the threatened setvrcity of blankets. Prisoners at Work. In Berlin alone over 500,000 parcels of woollen goods were collected, all free srift? and varying in waight from fiv pounds to nearly one hundredw(Üht. Frankfnrt-on- Main alone gave 50,000 blankets. Germany is experimenting wIth the em- p?oympnt of prisoner" of war, especially Ruspians. in tndTItnal ('onrorn. Tho experiments are Ptatpd ro M highly suc- MtMini. The prisoners are alro said fo prefer employment to the monotony of idleness. (

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO BREATHING TIME OF PEACE BE- FORE THE STORM. ONE hundred years ago Great Brit- BN tain was at peace. Our differences with America bad been settled. The European Conference tvaS sitting in Vienna. The troubler of the world waa believed to be safe at El bit. Britain turned with relief to the con- templation of its internal problems; it attacked with eagerness the questions letij after long years of war. Could the people of Swansea have seen in February, 1815. v;hat lay beiV.ra them! Could they havo had a glimpsa of what the future had in its womb! But the sky appeared serene..Not a cloud the size of a man's hand was in tile heavens. The leader-writer of that day sat himself do-wn, in his little Wind- street office, and wrote with joy and prido The political horizon is at length happily irradiated by the beams of Universal Peace. Let us all seriously devote our attention to healing tlia wounds and repairing the ravages of tha long and dreadiul War which we havo so successfully terminated. Let usr chaco its horrors from recollection in tho cultivation of whatever ean im- prove, adorn, and enrich our country. And the poets also turned their Jlarpg to happy song. What radiant visions opened up before their eyes. Peace lad come. The prophecy was to be fulfilled. War was done with. Thus sang one of the bards this time a century ago: Welcome! Days of peace returning! Never may the trumpet more Wake tho rage of warriors burning. Drench the earth with human gore; Snap the spear and break the how, Bum the implements of woe. Inseparables. The course of events, of course, did iiiyt run smoothly at Vienna, (xmriers cstrao with reports thai. Considea-able ciifi, cutties still stood in the way of final ar- rangement. Cracow is strcingly resisted becoming a free town. The Eunperor of Russia and King of Prussia are non-. sidared inseparable in their alliance, and agree in every point in discussion. Prussia is to have a new and in-o re liberal constitution than she has hitherto enjoyed." But no matter! Universal peaco had dawsted upon a world weavy of blood- shedding. Swansea took up the thread again of its domestic Life, paving littla heed to the manipulation of the European clie«s-board. It had at this season a good (ie:il to interest it. For one thing there was* the robbery of Captain Landeg's house at Foxhole—no less than 111 guineas ajid £ 57 in cash notes gone; to be recovered mysteriously one day in the sand at Crumlyn Burrows, where the robber had buried his loot until the coast was clear. Enough crime hero to keep the town talking a month. .For the more sedate not concerned with crime stories, thero was the affair of the road survey to Brecon, which was, then considered a most important matter.. The Board of Woods and Forests was urging the expediency of such a survey of the country between Swansea and Brecon, for the purpose of ascertaining the most convenient line of route; and in tho relief of'h(-,art and the new trad a confidence induced bv pea<-e. the suix scriptions poured in for 1 I: j, purpose. A new i i :i M, r: s-yr and Aber. gave liny, d¡;Jc:d 111 February of 181-5, was computed to reduce the distance be- tween Swansea and Birmingham nine. miles. And, as minor scandal, February saw at country butcher brought before the Port- reeve of Swansea, and fined 5s. for the. too-prevalent practice of introducing dirty or improper substances under tin* kidney of loins of veal." A Local Rejoicing. In January, Swansea had turned! light-heartedly to a celebration of the Queen's Birthday. We read that The anniversary « £ her Majesty's birtl* was observed at Swansea by every mark of loyalty and respect; at one o'clock his Majesty's ship Conquest (Lieutesnants Rogers) fired royal salutes. The sky was fair. The serious citizens talked not of war- "as not Bonaparta safely put away at Elba?—but of tha iniquitous Property Tax, and held meet-, mgs everywhere in prote: And also of the cost of bread, which was going up-- up—up. In February, wheat was quoteci at .£2 13s. at Swansea; on March 3rd ib was .:3 6s.; on March 10th, .23 11.. 4d. The Storm Bursts. And now the storm was about to burst. The sky, magnificently clear in February, became overcast. We hear rumours of Bonaparte. Sometimes it is a piece of gossip such as this:— Some time ago a divorce between Bonaparte and the Archduchess Maria Louisa was spoken of; but difScultie<s are said to have arisen: Bonaparte will not consent to the divorce. Next we hear of Wellington, not in tlvj accoutrements of war yet, but an ambas- sador of peace. We get this view of him: The Duke of Wellington passed through Strassburg, but did not stop there, meaning to reach Vienna with. all possible expedition. Happy days! One morning, when tliq leader-writer in Wind-street was prob* ably contemplating a resounding period in praise of peace, the news camo, the dread news that Europe was again to bo drenched with the blood of tho bravo. Early in March Snaransea was ah a ken bjj a report brought post-haste frc.i Lon- don. It announced that on the morning of March 10, "French papers of Monday and Tuesday last arrived in town. They contain the" extraordinary intelligence of Bonaparte having landed in the de- partment of the Var." After this the news came on leaden wings. On the 24th, Swansea read oS Bonaparte that U The intelligence mostly to be dependent upon at Paris was that he had reached within 50 mi13 of Tm capital." Many nerve-racking day were to follow before the great news came from the field of Waterloo. And then the poets, seeing the vision of Uni- versal Peacc fade, sang the song of tha victor. J. a. W.