Evening Express

GREAT WESTERN PROGRESS I It is often said that companies harp neither souls to save nor bodies to receive punishment, and by the same reasoning it should be difficult to congratulate them on well dcing. However that may be, the Great Western Railway certainly deserves high credit for the splendid pro- gress evidenced by its new train service, which will come into force the beginning of July. In fact, it may be said with truth that, whatever improvements are still called for in South-west Wales, so far as Cardiff and district are concerned we shall now enjoy a rail connection with the Metropolis that will take a lot of beating. It is not difficult to trace in these constant accelerations, this close and yet closer study of the public convenience, the strong, business spirit of the Earl of Cawdor. No doubt, we owe a great deal, too, to tfce late Sir J. Wilkinson, who was called away before lie could rejoice in the inception of those reforms which were so near to his heart. By the business men of Glamorgan and Monmouth the splendid new express service, with its luxurious ap- pointments, its dining, luncheon, and sleeping cars, and its speed of close on 60 miles an hour, will be received with hearty appreciation. On and after July 1 Car- diff will be within 2h. oomin. of London, the frequent expresses bowling along over the finest permanent way to be found in any part of the world. Well done, Great Western!

DOUGAL'S DOOM. Romance and sensationalism flood the pages of criminal history during the last twelve months with a strangely human interest. Great murder trials have taken place the crimes have been re-constructed in detail by the most daring circumstantial evidence that clever detectives could dis- cover. And not one of the crimes was lack- ing in the romance or the depravity which, somehow or other, makes the records of murder trials strangely human docu- mentø, The tragedy of the Moat Farm was probably the most moving of all. Gradualbr. out of the darkness, the crime which Dougal committed has taken shape, and the public have followed the develop- ment of the remarkable story with a fas- cination quite excusable in the romantic circumstances. They have followed it with a prejudice against Dougal from the day he was arrested on a charge of forgery, and the prejudice was turned into convic- tion of his guilt when the body of Miss Holland was found, after three years' burial, in a ditch by the Moat Farm. If ever a man deserved the sentence of death that man is Dougal. He became the con- fidant and companion of Miss Holland-a lady who had passed in good society. To- gether they went to live in the Moat Farm—the very name is ominous and gruesome; and it was not long before Dougal, having imperilled his position by acts of indiscretion, got rid of Miss Hol- land. After all traces of the crime had, as he thought, been buried, and the sus- picion, if there ever was one, of crime had had time to die down, Dougal proceeded, it is alleged, by means of forgery, to trans- fer Miss Holland's property to himself. It was only when the forgery was sus- pected that the disappearance of Miss Holland appears to have been noticed, and then commenced the search for the body which has resulted in one of the most sensational and pathetic trials of our time-pathetic because of the poor victim whose life, already full of romance, had been brought to such a tragic close, with- out even the dignity of respectable burial. For the man who could commit such a crime there will be little sympathy. The trial of Dougal shows in a new way how difficult it is to escape the meshes of the law. It is of no avail if a man flies the country, nor will it avail a man if his crime is buried deep in the earth and in his own heart. "Murder will out."

There is a danger that the museum grant which has been practically promised to Wales will be split between the three universities, instead of being conferred upon one national institution in the prin- cipal town of Wales. The Welsh mem- bers of Parliament were competent enough to decide the question of the location of the museum amongst themselves, but the old spirit of sectional jealousy is, appa- rently, working against the unity of Wales as powerfully as ever. The proper thing to strive for is a national museum- one institution in a town where everyone can see it-not three institutions attached to universities. Because there are three university colleges we need not split up into the same proportions every other Welsh movement.

Mainly About People. A forgotten but characteristic story of the late Cardinal is concerned with his consecra- tion as Bishop of Salford in 1872. He was quite unknown in the North of England. On the morning of his consecration he appeared without any attendant at the eacriaty door or at the presbytery, carying his own c&rpet- bag. He was met by the administrator of the cathedral, who, not knowing the young- looking stranger, told him to go to the schoolroom or some other place, as the sacristy was reserved for the prelates. But as- the stranger good-huinouredly persisted, and said that he had been especially told that he had to go to the sacristy, the old priest sharply asked him who was he that he should want to thrust himself among his betters. "I am Herbert Vaughan," said the stranger laughingly to the dismayed adminis- trator, "and I believe I am to be consecrated to-day." On one occasion while only a priest he was sent down on business to the convent at Newhall, in Essex. He arrived late at night, and could not effect an entrance. When he presented himself early next morn- ing the nuns were horrified to find that he had slept in one of the outhouses. In addition to Bishop Hediey. a number of prominent Catholic clerics are mentioned in the speculations which are already taking place over the appointment to the office of the late Cardinal Vaughan. Of the English clergy, Dr. Bourne, who has been Bishop of Southwark since 1897, is favoured by many of the gossips, and his work for Roman Catholic education may receive recognition. He was born at Clapham, ordained in 1884, and was the first rector of the Roman Catholic Seminary at Guildford, which he organised. Dr. Allen, whose name is also mentioned is a Cheshire man, having been born in Stockport. He was ordained in 1S70, and was consecrated Bishop of Shrewsbury by the late Cardinal in 1897. Monsignor Stanley, the Cardinal's Coadjutor Bishop, and Dr. Brindle, the famous army chaplain, are also regarded in some quarters as likely to have the appointment. Monsignor Stonor, Bishop of Trebizond, who is a personality in Rome; Monsignor Gasquet. the abbot of the Benedictine, at Donmside Monastery, Bath, and an earnest student; and Monsignor Merry del Val, who was Papal Nuncio at the King's coronation, and is paid to have been pointed to by the late Cardinal as his successor, are also put forward in the current speculations as candidates. Admiral Sir John Fisher, says "T.A.T." who takes over the Portsmouth command, is the cynosure of the eyes of all interested in the Naval efficiency of Great Britain. There is a suspicion in some minds that his new appointment may have been the outcome of his too eager efficiency at the Admiralty; nevertheless, there is every confidence that h will be back a couple of years hence as First Sea Lord. The great schemes for the improvement of our Navy which are now in progress are, in a very large measure, due to his initiative. He is sixty-two, and can scarcely remember the day when he did not wear the uniform of the Navy. At the age of fourteen he was playing a man's part in the Russian war; at nineteen he was a lieu- tenant and in the thick of the fighting which preceded the capturc of Canton and the Peiho forts; at forty he commanded the Inflexible at the bombardment of Alexandria. Since then he has been head of the Gunnery and Torpedo establishments of the Navy, Director of Naval Ordnance, Admiral-Superintendent at Portsmouth Dockyard, Controller of the Navy and a Lord of the Admiralty. He was at the Hague Convention, and stood by to see fair play during the American-Spanish war. Knowing that I have served in India for several years, and in the same station with Kipling, many men ask me (says Range- finder" in The King and his Army and Navy") about Kim and his other works. I believe that Kipling founds every one of his characters on men in real life. I know [ Strickland Saheb" well. You will re- member that he is the police officer who dressed up as a. native groom when he wished to court a certain fair young lady. Strickland Saheb" is one Christie, an officer in the Military Police Service. I remember once when I was dining at the same table with Kipling, that a sailor-man passed in at the door. Seeing Kipling he came over and shook him by the hand with great warmth. After he had gone Kipling: turned to me and said, That is Judson!" Apropos of the review of the First Army Corpe at Aldershot by the King, it is interest- ing to note that the oldest regiment on Laffan's Plain, the 1st Battalion Royal Scots, had his Majesty's maternal grandfather, the Duke of Kent, as its colonel-in-chief. His Royal Highness's portrait occupies a promi- nent position in the officers' mess. Twenty- seven years ago, when Queen Victoria pre- sented new colours to the battalion, her I Majesty ggid &he had been associated with the corps from her earliest infancy, and re-called her father's connection with the oldest regi- ment in the service. "Pontius Pilate's Body Guard" is a name the Royal Scots have acquired on account of the remote past with which tradition asso- ciates its origin. Arguing on one occasion with an officer of the Royal Scots, a com- mander of a famous French regiment said his regiment was of equal antiquity, and had kept watch over the Holy Sepulchre. "Had the Royal Scots been on duty they would not have slept at their post," came the swift retort, which showed at least one Scotsman unhampered with the national difficulty con- cerning a joke. "Eo he has at last led her to the altar?" "I don't know whether he led her or she pushed him." Lord Goschen, who raised the question of Imperial tariffs in the Lords, has not long left the more active sphere of politics-he left the Commons for the Upper House in 1903--yet he is to-day very far from being the power that he once was. In his palmiest days he was one of the finest debaters in the Commons, for, though he was far from being a graceful speaker, he was extraordinarily effective. His curious way of folding his hands upon his breast, an action that in moments of excitement gave place to a kind of clutching, tearing movement, was not lost upon the caricaturists, while his demeanour at times gave one the impression that he longed for physical conflict with his oppo- nents. The grandfather of Lord Goschen was a bookseller in Leipsic, while his father was a banker in the firm of Fruhling and Goschen, which is still carried on at Austin Friars, and of which Lord Goschen was for many years a member. It was, doubtless, his financial training which led him into politics, and it was as Chancellor of the Exchequer that he scored his most conspicuous success. As First Lord of the Admiralty he displayed the same bodily weakness as the late W. H. Smith, and could not boast with the captain of the Pina- fore that he was hardly ever sick at sea." He is a man of great classical learning, and as to the Bible he is a walking concordance.

EBBW VALE STEELWORKS. Satisfactory Account of the Year's Working. The thirty-sixth general ordinary meeting of the shareholders of the Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron, and Coal Company (Limited) was held yesterday afternoon in the Memorial-hall, Manchester. Mr. Joseph Braileford (Shef- field) was in the chair. The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report (already published), made a very long statement. The directors were pleased to meet the shareholders after a very suc- cessful year's operations. (Hear, Lear.) The gross profit for the year was £173,468, and a feature of peculiar satisfaction was that they were indebted for this to no adven- titious aid from any boom or any pheno- menal rise in prices. On the contrary, it had been earned during a period of ,eD depressed trade in coal, iron, and steel. Dealing with the various items in the balance- sheet, the Chairman pointed out that it showed a net disposable balance of profit amounting to £ 124,047. It was recommended that £ 30.(XjO cf this sum should be added to the reserve account, that P,74,475 should be paid away in dividend, and that £ 19,572 should be carried forward. Speaking of the coal pro- perties, the chairman said the market for Monmouthshire steam coal had been very difficult, moderate prices and comparatively low profits having ruled throughout the year, so much so. indeed, that many companies bad declared very much reduced dividends, whilst one of these-a very near neighbour of theirs—had been compelled to shut down. The iron and steel works showed a good report, in spite of the fact that foreign com- petition and low prices had been the order | of the day. It was scarcely necessary to say there had been no competition from America, for their home production was insufficient to meet their own requirements. The trouble had been from Belgium and Germany, and the worst feature about it was that the great bulk of the imported material was landed at Newport, right amongst their best customers. Mr. Henry Da vies, who seconded, said the additional profit was largely due to better trade and better management so far as both steelworks and collieries were concerned. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Francis (Worcester) in the course of a long speech criticised the policy of the direc- tors, particularly with regard to the large sums put to depreciation. Mr. Sugden (Huddersfield) thought the board were to be congratulated on the manly way in which they had met the questions before them. He considered that it would have been the beginning of the end of the company if the board had paid heed to the "funk, scuttle, and despair" party. A dividend at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum was agreed to. Messrs. Charles Allen and Joseph Brailsford were re-elected directors.

I MR BRODRICK AND THE TRADE Writing to the secretary of the West Surrey an 1 District Licensed Victuallers. Mr. Brodrick contradicts the statement that he has distinctly and deliberately repudiated the assurances given (to the licensing trade) by the Prime Minister. Mr. Brodrick says the suggestion that in his reply to the depu- tation which recently waited upon him he implied that the Government would take no action to protect legitimate interests until there was" little left to be compensated is foreign to the whole tenour of hjs remarks.

MR JUSTICE GRANTHAM AND THE BAR The General Council of the Bar have adopted the following resolution—" The General Council of the Bar, having con- sidered the recent observations made by Mr. Justice Grantham, including those made in court this day (Monday), resolves that any statement to the effect that counsel are paid to raise false issues or to misrepresent evidence is one which this council repu- diates as misrepresenting the functions and practice of the Bar."

LORD ROBERTS, D.C.L. I Lord Roberts on Tuesday received the hon. degree of D.C.L. from Durham University in recognition of his services to the Empire. The ceremony was a brilliant one, and there was a large and fashionable gathering. Lord Roberts inspected the local Volunteers and lunched with the Dean of Durham before going to the University.

SENTENCE FOR MAN SLAUGHTER I At Glasgow on Tuesday William Barrie (32), grocer, Glasgow, and James Keenan, of Par- tick, were each sentenced to ten years' penal servitude, the former for causing the death of his wife and the latter for killing a man by stabbing him.

THE SITUATION IN GENOA I The information received on Monday from Genoa to the effect that the men had met on Sunday, and had decided not to strike, lacks' confirmation. A wire received on Tuesday at the Cardiff Docks states that the situation ia unchanged, and that a strike is more probable than ever.

BRITISH EAST AFRICA I A Parliamentary paper was issued on Tues- day night containing a report by Sir C. Eliot, his Majesty's Commiasioner on the East Africa Protectorate. Sir C. Eliot says a large part of East Africa is a white man's country, suitable for European colonization. The Protectorate has its own indigenous pro- ducts, and an immense capacity for growing the products of other countries. He considers it certain that the country will pay its way in ten years.

BAROMETRICAL INDICATIONS I ThO! following are th« readings since five o'clock last I evening, as given by the barometer in the veetibule of the Evening Express," St. Huy-street, CartM, which is Oft. abore meaa am to*—

MOAT MURDERER A Character Study of Dougal. CAREER OF THE CONDEMNED MAN. Samuel Herbert Dougal, the Moat Farm f murderer, is a remarkable character study, a man of commanding personality, and a man who, for good or evil, possesses enor- mous influence over nearly all who come in contact with him. At the first glance he gives one the impression of manliness, spoilt a second later by an indefinable suspicion of subtlety; and then, before a minute has elapsed, the student of human nature is puzzled and astounded by the evidences of the power and complexity of Dougal's intellect and passions. To look at, he is a strongly built man of the age he pro- fesses, fifty-five, with broad shoulders, well balanced head, regular, handsome features, and a little beard trimmed Vandyke fashion. The broad, shapely forehead, the strong, clear- cut Roman nose, the firm mouth, and the remarkably clear and shining blue eyes tell of quick decision and unfailing resource. But there is more than this. At times, that face can be as eloquent as a woman's; those eyes of clear, transparent blue can be one moment keen, the next tender, can persuade or can appeal with almost irresistible effect. And yet, with all this softness, there is some thing of bigness, of strength, about the man that implies a genuineness, ip, manliness. Quiet mannered, pleasant in speech, un- obtrusive, but always sympathetic, he haR qualities which almost insensibly recommend him. Dougal would have made a marvellous hypnotist. But, notwithstanding all this, says "Men and Women," there is in him a fleeting occasional expression not so pleasant. It is an expression for which it ie hard to find a name-scarcely more than a shadow in the eyes, a pucker in the forehead; and yet it gives the feeling that the man's thoughts are not in his face. Somehow that feeling, when one looks at Dougal, is objectionable. The extraordinary fibre of the man has been shown vividly since the discovery of the body of Miss Holland. Career of the Murderer. Dougal was formerly quartermaster-sergeant in the Royal Engineers, and his military train- ing leaves evidence in his bearing, and in his heavy military moustache, which is now tu?1-1 ing grey. He was married on August 7, 1892, to Miss Sarah Henrietta White, at St. Paul's, Dublin. He described himself as a surveyor, the son of a civil engineer. His bride was the daughter of a Dublin City missionary. Last August he brought a suit against his wife in the Divorce Division. The divorce was granted because of the wife's alleged misconduct with a farm labourer, with whom she ran off in March, 1902. There was nothing unusual in the character of the evidence, and a decree nisi was granted on August 1, 1902. But at the recent King's Proctor's intervention Dougal offered no opposition, and the decree was res- cinded. It has been proved that on January 27 last Dougal himself was summoned before the Saffron Walden magistrates on an affiliation cac-e brought by Kate Oranwell, eighteen, a single woman, of (Havering, who was a domes- tic servant in his employ at the Moat Farm -nnti1 the end of the year, and that after hearing the evidence the magistrates made an order on him to contribute 5s. per week toward tho support of the child. The charge was vigorously defended, and a remarkable story of immorality at Moat Farm was told. Dougal went into the witness-box for his defence, and upon being cross-examined admitted that he had lost his Army pension through being convicted of forgery. He was then referring to a trial at the Old Bailey on December 9, 1895, when he was indicted for forging the name of Major-Gene ml Frankfort, commanding the forces in Dublin, to a cheque for £ 25. Evidence was given that up to September 24 of that year, when he was suspended—to be subsequently discharged—he had been employed in the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham. He was a messenger, and had access to the room of Colonel Childers, assistant military secretary. The cheque that was forged was taken from a book issued to Mr. Childers, and was presented at Cox's Bank, Charing-cross, on October 16. In unfolding it the man who presented it tore it, and the clerk made him gum it together and write "Accidentally torn." But he did not notice the similarity in the signature "Frankfort" and the endorsement in the name of "Greenfield." Three X10 notes given in payment were cashed on the same day at th-e Bank of England—the cashier could not posi- tively identify the prisoner—and he seems to have bought at the Civil Service Stores in Bedford-street some boots and shoes to be sent to "Mrs. Dougal, 2, Liffey-street, Inche- core, Dublin." The bill for the transaction was found at prisoner's house in Prosperous Village, County Kildare, when Inspector Richard, from Scotland Yard, arrested him there on November 12. Dougal was brought to Bow-street, along with a diary that was found in his house. Part. of the entry for October 17 had been carefully cut out, but this remained:- "Attended Masonio lodge with Brother Shore; no business." Then entry for October 25, 1895, was: "Paid rent 3s., and gave notice to leave 2, Liffey-street, on the following Friday." Other papers found showed that he had served 21 years in the Army, and had reached tho rank of quartermaater-sergeant, with a pension of 2s. 9d. a day. The jury added to their verdict of guilty a recommendation of mercy on account of his previous good character; bmt it was stated that another case of a forged cheque was under consideration, and after a postpone- ment the prisoner was sentenced to twelve months' hard labour. And then came the crowning act of all— the cold-blooded, callous murder of the "lady of the Moat," for which crime he has now been sentenced to suffer the extreme penalty of the law.

ENGLISH BAPTIST ASSOCIATION I The annual meetings of the Glamorgan and Carmarthen English Baptist Association opened at Nazareth Chapel, Mountain Ash, on Tuesday. The Rev. T. W. Medhurst (Car diff) presided. At half-past two a session of the association was held, but the business transacted was of a routine nature.—The Revs. James Williams (Dowlais) and E. Lewis (Treforest) were elected as president and vice- president respectively for the coming year, and the Revs. R. J. Roberts (Swansea) and W. G. Davies (Penarth) were selected as treasurer and hon. secretary for the same period.-At the close of the meeting the President (the Rev. T. W. Medhurst) delivered an address, the subject of which was:—"A Fuller Spiri- tual fife--the Supreme Need of Our Churches." The address was keenly appreciated, and it was resolved to have it printed for distribu- tion among the members of the association. --Sermons were delivered in the evening by the Rev. G. R. Cole (Tondu) and C. R. Wil- liams (India).

I POVERTY AND SUICIDE I An inquest was held on Tuesday at Hereford touching the death of James Lane, 80, for- merly gamekeeper and gardener. He and his wife had been in receipt of 6s. a week out- relief. from which he paid 2s. 9d. rent. They felt they had not enough, but would not go into the workhouse. Lane had lately been ill. He used to be of a violent temper, and on Sunday morning. while his wife was down- stairs, he gashed his throat so terribly that he died before a doctor arrived.

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LOCAL LAW CASES. A Swansea Shipping Action. CLAIM AGAINST SPELTER MANUFACTURERS. In the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice yesterday (before Mr. Jus- tice Phillimore), the case of Horton v. Leaver and Co. came on for hearing. Mr. Distumal was for the plaintiff, and Mr. Spokes repre- sented the defendants, who are spelter- makers at Swansea. The plaintiff (Mr. A. Sothern; is the trustee in the bankruptcy of Mr. Francis Horton, galvaniser, of Welver- hampton, and the action was brought to recover X52 17s. 5d., balance of the price of goods supplied to defendants. The goods sup- plied were zinc ashes, which are a waste pro- duct of the galvanising process. The defence was that by the terms of the contract the zinc ashes supplied by plaintiff were to be of the same quality, or equal in quality to the ot previously supplied. Defendants, said. however, 'that the goods supplied were not zinc ashes at all, but were another kind of goods, known as "washed flux skimmings." Defendants further said that the property in the goods never passed, but for plaintiff it was pointed out that under an order of the court they had been sold at Swansea, and defen- dants had paid the money into court, so that if defendants should be held liable for breach of contract they would have to pay to plain- tiff the difference between the price at which he had sold to defendants and the price at which the defendants had sold. As to the warranty in regard to the quality of the ashes. Mr. Disturnal submitted that it turned on the correspondence between the parties. A question in the case was the percentage of zinc which should be found in zinc ashes, and Mr. Horton, in his evidence. stated that as he had trouble with the defendants before, he had sold the zinc ashes in question in this case without giving any warranty as to the percentage of zinc which they contained. Mr. Disturna! explained that the flux skimmings were what rose to the top of the galvanising furnace while it was in use; the zinc ashes were the product which resulted after the furnace had remained inactive for some time. A larger percentage of zinc was contained in the ashes than in the skimmings.—Mr. Spokes, in reply to his Lordship, said the question in the case was whether the goods which had been sup- plied were marketable zinc ashes, and his expert evidence was to the effect that, if they contained 50 per cent. of zinc, they were marketable. Any difference above 50 to 70 per cent. of zinc did not affect the question. In this instance the ash;s contained 22 per cent. of moisture and 42 per cent of zinc.—His Lord- ship said if it was shown that the zinc ashes were marketable, the defendants would have to pay.—Mr. H. H. Brand, galvaniser, of Wolverhampton and Wednesbury. said he had known zinc ashes contain as low as 30 per cent. of zinc In this cas- £6 a ton for 42 per cent. was a good, but not an excessive, price. In the result his Lordship held that the goods were not zinc ashes, and gave judgment for defendants for £ 45. with costs. Admiralty Action. I In the Admiralty Division of the High Court on Tuesday Mr. Justice Bucknill, sitting with Trinity Masters, had before him a claim for salvage remuneration in respect of services rendered by the Hull tugs Hunts- man and Stephen Gray to the steamship Gorjistan. of Swansea, off the Alexandra Dock, Hull, on January 31 last. It appeared from the plaintiffs' case that the two tugs on the day in question were engaged to assist the Gorjistan out of the Alexandra Dock, the Huntsman as head tug and the Stephen Gray as stern tug. The Gorjistan is a steel screw steamer of 2,093 tons net register, and was in water ballast bound for Man- cheater. The wind was a strong gale from the south-west and the tide a strong spring ebb. About ten a.m. the steamer left the lock with the Huntsman fast on the starboard bow-the Stephen Gray having finished her duties as stern tug-and as she was passing out of the lock the stern check rope parted, and then fouled her propeller, rendering the vessel helpless. The Emilie Galline, a large barque, was lying alongside the Eastern Pier-head waiting to enter the dock, and the steamer at once fell down, with the wind and tide towards her. The forward davit on the port side fouled the jibboon of the barque, which raked the deck of the steamer as she drove ahead, carrying away .,Ber davits, staunchions. awning deck, and malnrigging. The barque fell astern until she took the ground on the bank off the Hebbles, and the vessels "ay locked together on the falling tide, with a gale on their broadsides pressing them further on the ground, The Huntsman hung on to the steamer, towing off the starboard bow, and the Stephen Gray was hailed to take a rope from the starboard quarter, which she accordingly did. There was a nasty sea on the bank, but after about an hour's hard towing the steamer was got clear, and was able to proceed down the river under her own steam. The plaintiffs claimed to have rescued the Gorjistan from a position of danger, and said she could not have got clear without assistance, or, alternately, that if she had got clear she must have gone ashore. The defendants denied that their vessel was helpless, or that she was in danger. They further said that the tugs were engaged to take the Gorjistan clear of the lock and into the river and hold her up until she got straightened, and the services rendered by them were ordinary services within the scope of their original employment. Mr. B. ABpinall, K.C., and Mr. L. Batten appeared for the plaintiffs, and Mr. F. Laing, K.C., and Mr. Dawson Miller for the defen- dants. Mr. Justice Bucknill awarded the Huntsman JE200 and the Stephen Gray 1100. The yalue of the Gorjistan was £ 35,000- Right-of-Way Dispute. I In the Court of Appeal on Tuesday the hearing was commenced of defendants' appeal from thè judgment of Mr. Justice Walton in the Welsh right-of-way action of Roberta and Another v. James and Another. Mr. Justice Walton had given judgment for plaintiffs against defendants, who resided at Borth, Cardigan, restraining them from going over plaintiffs' land near Montgomery, the defen- dants alleging that there was a right of Way over plaintiffs' farm. TI.3 hearing had not concluded when the court adjourned. Action Against the Trinity I Corporation. ic the King's Bench Division of the High I Court of Justice on Tuesday the action of the Societe Generale de Houilles v. the Corpora- 1 tion of Trinity House came on for hearing. Mr. Bailhache was for the .plainiffs; Mr. Robaon, K.C., and Mr. A. D. ,Bateson were for the defendants. According to the opening statement of counsel, the plaintiffs brought their action against the Corporation of the Trinity House to recover the amount of damages sustained by their steamer Boileau. The vessel left Barry Dock on the evening of tho, 12th of February this year. When she got some little distance out, immediately beyond the breakwaters which protected the entrance to Barry Docks, she fouled a buoy which had been put there. The propeller, which had picked up the chain of the buoy, was damaged. The buoy had been put there by the defendants to mark the wreck of the Penzance, which they were engaged not so much in recovering as in breaking up, so that no portion of the wreck might be nearer the surface than a certain number of feet. They had also placed another buoy in order to mark the position of the wreck. They had previously to the 12th of February, and right down to the 10th or 11th, anchored a vessel at the spot, which at night was lighted. On the 10th or 11th the lighted vessel was., placed over another wreck, that of the Arthur, so that the wreck of the Penzance merely remained marked by the two buoys. I Plaintiffs alleged that it was negligence on the part of the defendants to have the buoys in this position without any means of indica- ting their presence at night. They further submitted that, having had a lightship there when she entered the port to load, their vessel should not have been allowed to leave the docks without some notice having been given of the altered circumstances of the navi- gation. His Lordship pointed out that it was the duty of the Trinity House to buoy shallow places, and if plaintiffs' contention were accepted it would come to this, that the cor- poration would have to put a lightship to every buoy. Mr. Bailhache said he did not go so far as that, but submitted that they had a right to expect that the conditions which existed on entering the port would be continued when they left, or that in case of alteration some sort of special notice to vessels like the Boileau would be given. Captain Solgrain, of the Boileau, gave evidence to the effect that the vessel had way on her when she passed over the buoy and tho propeller caught the chain, whicS wrapped round it and caused the damage in respect of which the claim was now made. The hearing was adjourned.

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SOMALlLND WAR. I Tribes Join the Mullah's Force. TROOPS TO BE IMPORTED FROM INDIA. Renter's Agency understands that, accord- ing to the latest information, the Somali Mullah has in his possession 1,500 rifles, including those lately captured from Plun- kett's column and three Maxims. These latter he knows quite well how to use; but he will not hamper his mobility by employing them. The Mullah has with him a number of well- educated and travelled men, speaking several European and Indian languages. Among these are people who were interpreters in the British Navy and well acquainted with the conditions under which white men fight. His agents on the coast are most energetic, and he has a regular intelligence system working from Jibutil and other ports. The 1,500 men above referred to, all of whom are mounted, are really the only fighting men to be taken into account, the mob of spearsmen only proving formidable if the riflemen succeed. Against this force there will be some 5,000 or 6,006 British troops, with a very large number of drivers and other non-combatants in addition. No definite plan has yet been formulated with regard to the disposition of the troops to be imported from India, or con- cerning the dates on which they will be moved up country. Everything necessarily depends upon the transport available. At present there are some fifteen hundred fresh camels on their way to Somaliland, but it is not to be expected that these animals, being strange to the food of the country, will last for more than a month or so, the wastage being enormous. It is strongly held by those who know local conditions that the plan of pouring large numbers of fresh troops into the country will only result in increasing the difficulties of the campaign, and that what is urgently wanted is, as in the later stages of the Transvaal War, increased mobility and rigorous cutting down of baggage and sup- plies. Owing to the enemy's great mobility, the troops have all they can do to protect the lines of communication. If our tribes are not protected their only alternative is to join the Mullah, and recent iniormation leaves no room for doubt that the feelings of these people towards us are becoming seriously strained. It is stated that the tribes are to- day in a more unprotected state than they ever have been since the Mullah's movement began.

DISHONEST TRAM CONDUCTOR Charged with Embezzlement at Cardiff. Before the stipendiary, at Cardiff Police- court on Tuesday, David Albert Evans, of 57, Loudoun-square, Cardiff, a tram conductor in the employ of the Cardiff Corporation, was, at the instance of Mr. Arthur Ellis, tramway manager, charged with feloniously and fraudulently embezzling twopence, received by him on behalf of the Cardiff Corporati(m, on June 17. Mr. Halloran (from the town-clerk's office) prosecuted, and stated that defendant re- ceived 36. 9d. per day as wages as tram con- ductor smce March last. Amongst other things it was his duty to enter upon a way- bill the number of tickets sold by him and to pay the money received to the clerks at the end of each journey. On the date named he was in charge of the Penylan-road and Docks car, and in the morning was given 2,043 penny tickets and 435 twopenny tickets. About 9.30, when doing the last journey from the Pier- head, and when opposite the Taff Vale Station, two gentlemen, one named Earl, got on to the car. At the University College Earl handed the defendant a sixpenny-piece, and received two penny tickets and fourpence in return. Further up the route an inspector boarded the car and askid defendant to show him the tickets. Defendant then said, "There are some fares on the top I have to take." He then went to the top of the car, followed by the inspector; he went to Mr. Earl, punched two tickets, and put them into his hand. Mr. Earl said. "What are you doing? I have my tic- kets," and pushed them back to Evans. The inspector afterwarcls found that the tickets which Mr. Earl had were old ones, and defen- dant had previously accounted for them. De- fendant said he did not know how it had hap- pened, and when told by the inspector that he would have to report the case, defendant said, Don't do so this time; try and look it over. I have not been well." Mr. Lloyd Meyrick. for the defence, said he had had a consultation with the defendant, and he told him that the case as presented by the prosecution was too powerful to resist, and defendant had decided to leave the case m his hands. He had hitherto borne a good character, and was for eleven years in the employ of the Post-Office authorities, who recommended him to the corporation for the post of tram conductor. He had lost his employment, and had forfeited what had ness of wages and length of hours, a man might be led to commit an act of this kind without having any intention of entering upon a career of fraud towards his employers. Defendant was committed to prison for one month as a second-class offender.

PONTYPRIDU PUBLIC PARK SCHEME At Tuesday's meeting of the Pontypridd Dis- trict Council a letter was read from the trustees of the Llanover Estate respecting the proposed purchase of land at Ynysyngharad for the purpose of a public park, to the effect tha.t it was impossible to comply with the council's suggestion, and asking the council to consider the negotiations closed. The esti- mated cost of laying out the four acres offered by the trustees, together with the purchase money, was £ 15,000. The council rejected this offer as being exorbitant, and asked the estate to grant them twenty acres free, the council to carry out certain improvements.

ALLEGED FRAUDULENT DEATH CERTIFICATE. At Swansea Police-e-ourt on Tuesday Annie Jones, 97, Rodney-street, was charged with feloniously obtaining by means of false pre- tences the sum of 23 lCs. from the Royal London Friendly Society. Mr. Viner Leeder, who prosecuted, explained that on July 14, 1902, defendant insured four children, includ- ing one named Esther Jane Pretoria Jones. On April 20 last she went to the local office of the society and produced a death certifi- cate setting forth that the child in question had died at James's-court. As a matter of fact, the child was still alive. In answer to the charge, the defendant said she had nothing to say She was committed for trial at the assizes, bail being allowed.

SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH AND HIS I CONSTITUENTS Sir Michael Hicks-Beach visited Bristol on Tuesday afternoon, and attended a specially- convened meeting of the committee of the Bristol West Conservative Association. The meeting was not open to representatives of the press, but it is understood that Sir Michael's speech consisted almost entirely of a reiteration of his views upon fiscal policy. If the committee desired he would be pleased to address a public meeting of his con- stituents on the subject.

ST DAVID'S DIOCESAN CONFERENCE It has been arranged that the meetings of the St. David's Diocesan Conference are to be held at Carmarthen on Thursday and Friday, September 24 and 25, and that the following subjects be discussed :The Cen. tenary of the British and Foreign Bible Society," The Church and Village Life," Confirmation Before and After," and "Fallacies about the Church in Wales."

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THE TAX ON COAL, Argumentsfor Remission of the Duty. MABON" & SOUTH WALES LOSSES. In the House of Commons last night the House went into Committee, with Mr. J. W. Lowther in the Chair, and resumed the consideration of the Finance Bill. Mr. JOSEPH WALTON (R., Barnsley) moved to reduce the export duty on coal from Is. to Id. He admitted that the output of coal last year was greater than in any preceding year. It amounted to no less than 227,000,000 tons, and the exports of coal were one and a quarter million tons over the exports of the preceding year. But that increase, he main- tained, was wholly accounted for by increased shipments to America and France in conse- quence of the great strikes of coal miners in those countries, while there had been an increase in the exports of bunker coal by one and a half millions. The coal-tax was unjust and indefensible. It violated the prin- ciple of the equalisation of the incidence of taxation; it was imposed upon one industry only, while all other great and profitable indus- tries had no corresponding tax put upon them. It was a reversal of the fiscal policy of this country, and it very greatly handicapped the North Country coalownere, where they had to enter into competition with foreign coal. Some collieries to-day were working at an actual loss. Reduced exports of coal would mean a less number of vessels engaged, and, consequently, less vessels bringing imports into this country, and the whole of the North of England would suffer from diminished trade. He could not see how this duty could be supported by those who favoured the pre- ferential treatment of our Colonies, since it imposed, as against the British coalowner, a tax of ls, per ton, handicapping him in his dealings in coal with our Colonies. The tax had tended to reduce the wages of coal workers, and had not had the effect predicted for it of husbanding the country's coal resources. A great industry now asked for justice at the hands of the House of Commons. Mr. FENWICK (R., Wansbeck) supported the reduction of the tax. It was, he declared, one of the worst forms pf Protection, and, coming from a Free Trade Chancellor, it was a very novel proposal. Indeed, it was a bounty, given in the interests of the foreign producer, and enabled him in many cases to compete successfully with British coalowners in markets where he would not otherwise be able to do so. (Hear, hear.) Since the imposi- tion of the tax the profits of the coalowners had declined, and the wages of the workers had been reduced by 12J per cent. The coal- miner not only paid his full share of taxa- tion in paying the tea duty, the corn duty, and every other duty, but in addition he now had levied upon him this tax, which did not affect any other citizen. Under this tax it was profitable to work only the best seams. The best seams, therefore, were being worked out very rapidly, and the poorer seams would never be worked at all, because they could not be worked without loss. (Hear, hear.) The Foreigner's Opportunity. I Mr. LAMBTON (U., Durham, S.E.) said that our export of coal had suffered very con- siderably indeed. One direct result of this tax was that our trade with Holland and Belgium had greatly diminished, while the import of German coal into Holland, Belgium, and France had increased by 1,100,000 tone. Mr. JOHN WIL80N (R., Mid-Durham) said tha,t if the duty were continued there was the possibility of whole villages in Northumber- land and Durham being depopulated. Sir JAMES JOICEY (R.. Durham, Chester-le- Street) contended that where we had to com- pet-e with foreign coal we had lost a consider- able part of our trade. The figures for Hol- land, Belgium, France, and Germany proved this, and where an old contract in those coun- tries had been renewed it had only been by the British coalowner taking one shilling less than he should have done. Mabon" & South Wales Losses Mr. WILLIAM ABRAHAM (R., Rhondda) said that a tax of this kind might be justifiable if it were imposed on an industry in which the wages were unreasonably high, but at the end of 1892 wages in South Wales were only 28s. 2d. per week, and since then they had fallen 5 per cent. Why should the oollier have both an export tax upon what he pro- duced and an import tax on what he ate? There could be no doubt that the tax was a bounty to the foreigner. The colliery owners had contrived to pay as little of the tax as possible. The foreigner in buying his coal had two contracts made out, showing the price and the tax of a shilling a ton upon it. But the coalowner made those two invoices into one as against the local consumer. If they thought they were going to cheapen coal in this country as a result of the tax, they never made a greater mistake. They had lost on wages in South Wales since last June no less than 30 per cent. In spite of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's attempt to prove to the deputation that the coal trade did not suffer last year, they in South Wales lost. For the first three-quar- ters of the year prices were going down, and they were selling less, but then came the French strike and the American strike, and an extra demand came back to Wales. This tax was unfair in all its incidence, and he hoped the Chancellor of the Exchequer would use his power to remove it on the first oppor- tunity. (Opposition cheers.) Mr. BURT (R., Morpeth) also condemned the coal tax, and said it had not even the merit of being a broad-based tax, for it fell on only one section of a particular industry. The Chancellor Firm Mr. RITCHIE said that he did not think that miners, who were engaged in a highly hazardous and dangerous trade, were over- paid, and he should deeply regret any step being taken which would permanently reduce the earnings of the miners. The arguments for the remission of this duty had been that the output of coal had diminished, exports had decreased, and the wages of the workers had in consequence been greatly reduced. If those allegations had been true, an extremely strong case would be made out for the remis- sion of the tax. But his investigations led him to believe tna.t "tne allegations were not justified by the facts. After quoting statistics as to the output of coal in various years, Mr. Ritohie said that 1900 was an exceptional year, when the price of coal was exceptionally high, and the miners' wages were also high, because the wages of the miners were now made dependent on the price of coal. In 1897 the output of coal was 202 millions of tons; in 1900, it went up tp 225 millions; in 1901, it was 219 millions; and in 1902, it rose to no less than 227 millions of tons. The exports of coal in 1898 were 47 millions of tons; in 1900, which was an exceptional year, they rose to 57 mil- lions; and then last year they went up to 60 million tons. (Ministerial cheers.) So far from there being -any signs of diminished exports, there was every indication that the exports of coal were increasing at a considerable rate. Then as to the allegation that we could not compete with Germany, he found that, while we had been increasing our coal trade, the German output had diminished. Several speakers had argued that the coal duty made mining unprofitable and d-iminished the chances of employment. But he found that since 1899. when the number of persons em- ployed in coal mining was 606.000, the number had increased each year, until the number last year was 800,000. (Hear, hear.) The evils which were alleged to follow this tax did not at present exist, and in the existing state of the national finances he could not remit this tax. He promised, however, to watoh most carefully in future to see if the anticipated evils arose, and if they did it must become a matter of consideration with any Govern- ment whether the tax should be removed. Sir EDWARD GREY wished to point out that, while the mischievous effects of a amall duty like this might not be apparent for some time, they would appear eventually; but. look- ing at the difficult position in which the Chancellor of the Exchequer was placed just now, he did not know that they could expect from him a more favourable reply. He con- demned; this coal-tax because it would affect not merely the coal trade, but freights and shipping and the general trade of this country. (Opposition cheers.) The Committee divided, and there voted:— For reducing the coal duty 135 Against -— 273 Government majority 138 Meeting of Miners' Representa- tives. A special conference of the whole of the mining districts of the United Kingdom was held at Westminster on Tuesday, under the presidency of Mr. W. Abraham, M.P., to determine what steps ah-o-hld be taken as regards the coal-tax. Mr. Burt, M.P., said the strong feeling of the miners against the coal-tax was un- abated. It was resolved that the delegates should urge on their respective local members the necessity of voting for the repeal of the tax or of supporting Mr. Joseph Walton's amend- ment.

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MOAT FARM MURDER Dougal Sentenced to Death. PRISONER'S DEMEANOUR IN THE BOX. As reported in the later editions of yester- day's "Evening Express," the trial of Samuel Herbert Dougal, formerly master of the Moat Farm, Clavering, for the murder of Miss Camille Holland was concluded yesterday. Further evidence was given for the Crown, after which Mr. Gill proceeded to address the jury. He said that the question of identity was established beyond any doubt. The evi- dence of Dr. Pepper was conclusive in this respect. Having regard to the fact that a woman disappeared about the time that the body was, according to Dr. Pepper, put into the ground, and who in so many particulars answered the description of the body found in the ditch, he held that the jury, as reasonable men, must be satisfied that the evidence of identity was conclusive. After referring to I the various articles identified by Mrs. Wisken, Mr. Gill asserted that the cumulative force of these pieces of evidence became exceedingly strong. Then, on the evidence submitted, the case for the Crown that the woman was mur- dered was complete, and who alone had the opportunity of doing it, or who alone had a motive, or who could benefit in any way by the death of the unfortunate woman except the prisoner at the bar? Dougal knew that if Miss Holland did anything in consequence of his conduct to the servant girl he would again be reduced in circumstances, and then, on the i9th of May, he found there was only the life of that woman between him and the enjoyment of that property. On the evening of that day he was in the company of that woman under circumstances in which he could have murdered her if he desired. From the moment she left the Moat Farm that night no human being avail- able as a witness ever saw the deceased woman again. Having regard 'to the place where the body was found and the position, of affairs on the 19th of May, did the prisoner, having the opportunity, commit the murder? Was there any other human being who could have committed the murder except the prisoner? The case (he said in conclusion) had been proved on the part of the Crown. The facts were consistent only with the guilt of the prisoner. When the court re-assembled after lunch, at a quarter to two, Mr. Elliott, having announced that he would call no evidence for the defence, said it was impossible for his client to ignore what had taken place since that day in March, when he came within the custody of the law. Dougal was too conscious that an attempt had been made to try him in a court and before a tribunal other than that, and there had been published to the world statements with regard to him which had not been of a fair and judicial nature. This case, with all its grue- some horror and sensational incident, had formed the only topic of conversation for the nation at large. He asked them to dismiss from their minds all they had read in the newspapers concerning the case, and to arrive at their decision solely from the evidence sub- mitted during the last two days. Although the counsel for the Crown had presented a case for terrible suspicion—a case that called for the strictest inquiries-had he (Mr. Elliott asked) even yet brought home to their minds absolute proof of the guilt of the prisoner? The Crown evidence, he submitted, lacked the finality and conclusiveness on which they could justify a verdict against the prisoner. Discussing generally the question of identity, counsel referred to the amusing mistake made by Mrs. Pollock on Monday, when she pointed out the highly respectable keeper of the court as the prisoner. Although he did not attach any importance to that mistake, he referred to it to illustrate how careful people ought to be before they ventured on allega- tions and assertions that a particular indi- vidual was a particular person with regard to hom ? certain accusations were made. It made no difference to the honest man pointed out by Mrs. Pollock, but it was important to notice that such a mistake might be fraught with the greatest danger. Proceeding, he asked the jury not to rely too much on evidence of identification given with regard to the clothing found on the body. When Mrs. Wieken was pressing the point that the articles of attire found near the body were recognised because they were old- fashioned, it struck him that they might be dealing with a body much older than had been stated. He pointed also to the fact that there wae no initial and no name on the clothing of the body, while almost every article of clothing in the house was marked with Miss Holland's initials. In the whole annals of criminal history there never was a suggestion which, on the face of it, was more improbable than that this man. having killed his victim, should have brought her to that spot—insight of the house—when at any moment he might have been confronted by the vision of the young servant, who he knew was only a few yards off, in the kitchen of the house. He asked, in conclusion, whether, in the face of the terrible uncertainties of the case, they could be justified in coming to a conclusion as to Dougal's guilt. Mr. Elliott resumed his seat, having spoken for over an hour and a half. His Lordship told the jury that the case lay within a very narrow compass. After a searching analysis of the evidence, his lord- ship said the jury bad to ask them- selves, if that was not the body of Miss Holland, where was the body of Miss Hol- land, and whose body was that found in the ditch ? He commented on the fact that Dougal never took any steps to find out where this lady had gone. A powerful motive, said his lordship, was to be found in the matter of her fortune, and the jury had heard from the evidence the sums of money which Dougal had succeeded in transferring from Miss Holland's account to his own. The jury retired at five minutes to four, and returned after about an hour. VERDICT AND SENTENCE. The Foreman pronounced a verdict of "Guilty" in a. broken voice. Dougal, on being asked if he had anything to say why sentence of death should not be passed on him, made no movement, but his eyes filled with tears and his face became pale. The Judge assumed the black cap, and passed sentence of death on Dougal in the usual form. When the judge finished with the customary supplication, "May the Lord have mercy on your soul," several people in court loudly exclaimed "Amen." Dougal then turned smartly on his heel, and, with a warder on each side of him, ran quickly down the stairs to the cells. As he gave a glance round the court before he dis- appeared from view his face showed abject misery, but he bore himself with calmness. After he had been removed the Judge said he supposed the prosecution would offer no evidence on the forgery charges. No, my lord," said Mr. Gill. Before the court rose Chief-constable Showers brought to the notice of his lordship the good work done by the various officers engaged in the case, and the Judge recom- mended their good offices to the attention of the authorities, and added that Captain Showers himself was deserving of a good deal of praise for what he had done in the case.

LATE ALDERMAN SANDERS, I At a meeting of the Cardiff Free Library Committee on Tuesday night the Mayor (Mr. Edward Thomas, "Cochfarf"), who was in the chair, read a letter from Mr. C. F. Sanders, representing the family of the late Alderman Sanders, asking permission to place in the central library a bust of the late alderman similar to the one presented to the corporation. The Mayor said he was sure it would give the committee pleasure to accede to the wishes of the family of the late alderman, and to entrust the work to the capable hands of Mr. Goscombe John. He was pleased at the form of the memorial suggested. They had pictures enough, and little space on the walls to receive many more. He moved that the offer be cordially accepted.—The Rev. W. E. Winks seconded. and spoke highly of the late alderman's faithfulness and efficiency.-The motion was adopted. —■ I

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Cochfarf s" Comments, m I have come to the conclusion that it is in the hands of the inhabitants of Caer- philly to make the disgraceful cruelties to defenceless animals which are enacted in their ancient town impossible of accom- plishment. The evidence tendered ab Caerphilly Police-court yesterday was such as should awaken the greatest indignation in the minds of everyone who has read it. The chances of a rabbit in possession of all its faculties escaping with its lifa are small enough, but when blinded and almost poisoned with vitiated air, or nearly stifled for the want of it, they are reduced to the vanishing point. It is an insult to every sportsman to use that term in connection with it. A few imprisonments without the option of a fine may reduce the evil, but the inhabi- tants of the town should assemble at the84[ gatherings and shame the promoters int4 an abandonment of these coursing matches, and there should be no hesita- tion in organising such a protest quickly. I am informed by a poultry-keeper that poultry-keeping is not being studied witk the diligence its economic importance deserves. Unfortunately, there are I good many people who think that poultry- keeping is delightful when the sun is shining brightly, but they lose their enthusiasm when the short dark days come and they find it impossible to attend to the birds in comfort. In order to mabe such an industry pay, eggs must be produced during the winter months, and unless an owner has a taste for out- door work and can stand exposure in inclement weather, profitable poultry- keeping is out of the question. Unlesa. one is really fond of the work it often becomes a trial, and the birds do not get proper attention and all ends in failure. An ardent poultry-keeper, how- ever, can in this district have his egga paid for before they are laid-so unmis- takable is the demand for them-and those who have spare ground can safely embark in the business, provided they follow it intelligently and diligently. The foundations of the Cardiff new asylum are so far completed as to justify what is known in local municipal parlance as inspection," and the committee which have control of the buildings visited the Velindre site yesterday, and were fully satisfied with the condition of things there. The present condition of the site is such as would convince the most critical of its suitability for sufferers from mental maladies: Retirement and peacefulness are suggested by every prospect which meeta the eye. It will be good news to the friends of patients who are now neces- sarily housed far away from home to know that the building contract for the superstructure will be let in a very short time. Such a huge expenditure as the building involves will give a gratifying fillip to men engaged in the building trade also. The capacity of the asylum will be for 750 patients, whilst the administra- tive block will permit of further exten- sions being undertaken with less cost pel bed than will be the case at its initiatory stage. To those who take pleasure in country sights and sounds the impulse to trespass is often irresistible, and particularly to those who would rather ramble through some quiet country lane than along the finest street in a historic town. sAt the entrance to a charming woodland walk or on the border of a gorse-brightened expanse of heathland, the temptation to ignore a prohibitive notice is intense. Many of the most delightful spots I am acquainted with I should never have seen had I not dared to trespass. The truth is out. I may be charged with being a law-breaker where I should be a model of straight walking within the four corners of the law. The experience of one harmless tres- passer is that trespassing, if indulged in with discrimination, is not only worth the risk of detection, but generally adds con- siderably to the enjoyment of a country ramble. If an irate farmer is met what an excellent opportunity for the exercise of tact it presents. If he demands the name of the tres- passer with a scarcely veiled reference to ulterior penalties, it is worth the while to commit the mistake of pulling out a oigar- case instead of a card-case; and who knows but that the farmer will accept a fragrant Havannah for his Sunday afternoon or market day whiff, even though it may cause him to lose the bucolic bloom which usually adorns his ruddy face: He may reply that he cannot afford cigars for him- self, and that he will not begin culti- vating a habit that he cannot support. What an excellent opportunity this will present to dilate upon the hardship of a., farmer's life, the discouraging state of the weather, or the fiscal proposals of the, Colonial Secretary. In the end, if the trespasser does not partake of a glass of milk from the latest milking, he deserves to appear at the nearest police-court and be fined heavily for treading the grass that would be all the better for the pressure. I recently ventured to assert that a knowledge of good Welsh is more preva- lent at the present time than at any other, the best evidence of it being the greater demand for the better class of Welsh literature nowadays. I arc delighted to find that opinion supported by no less an authority than Professor Kuno Meyer in an article contributed by him to "The Gael," which is an excellent Irish national magazine published at New York. Professor K. Meyer states that the Welsh language is now more firmly estab- lished than it has bee for centuries. It is spoken and written by a young genera- tion in a purity that has been unknown since the days of Goronwy Owain and thf first Lewis Morris in the eighteenth century. Papers and periodicals abound; a national press is issuing the classics of the nation in splendid editions; a national library has been founded, and the eistedd- fod flourishes. If we are in earnest about reviving harp music in Wales, we must institute a harp festival, such as has just been held in Belfast. One of the most interesting features of the festival was the loan exhi- bition, which waa readily contributed to by the owners of all kinds of ancient and modern instruments. Strangely enough, the most prominent performer on the harp at Belfast was Owen Lloyd, a name with a distinctly Cambrian sound. Has it come to pass that our native artistes have had to seek more congenial climes in which to exercise their talents? The hon. secretary of the same festival is Mr. Herbert Hughes, and a lady harpist bore the name of Davies. The Red Dragon Society must send an ambassador to bid these wanderers turn their faces home. wards again.