Cheshire Observer

FLINTSHIRE AND LICENSING. I COMMITTEE APPOINTED. At Mold, on Thursday, the adjourned Quarter Sessions for the county of Flint were held, to complete the arrangements for putting into opera- tion the Licensing Act, 1904. Colonel Mo-ham was elected chairman, in the abdence of Mr. P. P. Pennant. The following list of magistrates, as nominated by the pettv sessional districts, was adopted:— Mold, Mr. H. E. Philips; Hope. Mr. W. C. Jones; Hawarden, Mr. T. R. Probert; Northop, Mr. C. Davison; Holywell, Mr. W. C. Pickering; Caerwvs, Mr William Williams; Prestatyn, Mr. R. C. Envon; H h uddlan, lajor R. F. Birch; and Overton, Mr. Oliver Ormerod. As representative of tho Quarter Sessions on the Licensing Committee, the following justices were now elected :—Mold, Mr. P. T. Davies- Cooke; tiope. M-. H. H. Hughes: Hawarden, Mr. J. Watkinson; Northop, Mi-. Peter Jones; Holywell, Mr. J. K. Evans; Caerwys, Mr. Trevor J. D. Jones; Prestatyn, Mr. Elwy Williams; Rhuddlan. Mr. T. Holmes Roberts; Overton, Major Godsal.

A LAME RACEHORSE. SHOCKLACH MEN FIKED. John Mason, a jockey, and John Mate, a farmer, both of Shccklach, Malpas, were smartly fined at Liverpool Police Court Oil Thursday for cruelly ill-treating a horse, the former by working it and the latter by causing it to be worked. The magistrates on the bench were Mr. E. Lloyd in the ohair) and Mr. R. G. Bradley, and the prose- cution was conducted by Mr. F. J. Winchester on behalf of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Inspector Warr gave evidence to seacng defendant Mason on the 30tii January riding a thoroughbred bay gelding, named The Flower of Spring, from Aintree racecourse through War- breck Moor. The animal was exceedingly lame, and at first the defendant refused to stop and to dismount, as he was, he said, going to catch a train. Earlier in the afternoon witness had seen him going out for a race, and he then told him that the horse was totally unfit for racing, and that if he did run it he would do so at his own risk. Mason went d-cwn to the starting point and spoke to Mate, and the horse, instead of being raced, was put into the stable. Half-an- hour later witness went to the stable and warned them against taking the horse home that night. The witness was cross-examined by Mason as to whether he was not told that the horse was lame when it left Shocklach that morning, and in answering the question, the inspector added: "There are many ways of racing. Oftentimes the best horses are not backed to win, but are backed to lose." Corroborative evidence was given by Police- constable 77G. and Police-inspector Mulligan stated that he saw the horse going to Aintree on the morning cf the 30th, and it was then lame in both forelegs. Mr. Dovey, vetet-inary surgeon, also gave evid- ence as to the lameness, which, he said, was due to a diseased fetlock joint. This. in his opinion, was of long standing. The Magistrates' Clerk (Mr. Sanders) It was cruelly ill-treating- the horse to race it? Witness: Yes. Besides I don't know hew a man likes to risk his neck with a horse like that. The defendant Mate said the horse was inter- fered with in a race and got knocked about a lot. It was bumped all over the place, and that made it a lot worse. Mason declared that the animal was as sound as a bell when he left home. On occasions it accidentally knocked its joints, but when it did -so it was all right in about two days. The Bench considered the case a very bad one. and imposed a fine of 25 and 21 costs in each case.

A LETTER OF CHAS. KINGSLEY'S I NATURAL THEOLOGY. I Mr. Reginald Blunt has just lent to the Chelsea. Public Library the appended letter-not before published—sent by Charles Kingsley to a cor- respondent. The letter will be read with great interest by many old friends and others in Chester who had the privilege of knowing him — Everaley Rectory, Winchfield, May 15th, 1863.- My Dear Sir,—I have to thank you much for your kindness in sending me your admirable Rede lecture. The subject is well chosen and most I important just now. The part of it which has the deepest interest to me is that wherein you touch on Natural Theology. Pages 48-52 are most able and important, and I believe future natural theologians will have to face the thoughts which you express there before they can recon- struct a natural theology which will meet the needs of this time. My own belief in the general truth of my friend Darwin's viewè-which deepen day by day as I verify them—has only given me wider and deeper and nobler notions of God's work in the material universe. I send you an apologue—which I sent Huxley, but which you may not have seen—which sesms to me to bear on the matter in hand. There wae an old heathen Khan somewhere up in Tartary who was in the habit of praying to a horse's skull and performing other very rudimentary devotions. And there came to him to convert hiii to Islam two Mullahs-one an orthodox eld Mussulman and the other a Suffi and Pantheist, possibly a Darwinite without knowing it. The jolly eld Khan was very frank with them. He confessed that his horse's skull had failed to give him a reasonable answer at more than one hard pinch; and he was ready to take up with any Gcd who would use him better: but he must have a ~wig& God. "Tell me. therefore, oh Mullahs!" said he, "which of your Gods is the wiser." then said the regular old Mussulman, "Oh Khan, my God is so w;so that he has made all things. "Wah says the Khan. "he is a great Sultan; he is a wise builder. And what can vour God do. oh Mullah No 2?" Then said the second and Suffi Mul'ah. "Oh. Khan, it is a. light thing for a. Vod to make all things. One who could not do that would not be good enough for a Tangoos. who gathers mammoth's teeth, or a Samoiede who eata Mtibber—may their mothers' graves be de- filed-lput oh. Khan, my God is so wise that he makps a.'l things mako themselves." "NN'ah I wah! eays the 'Khan; "He is the sultan of all sultans; he is the builder of all builders. Him will I serve henceforth if he be wise enough to make things make themselves." And so, I think, will the htnaarl mind say after a fow years' more -noise and shrieking.—Believe me. yours very faithfully, C. Kingsley.

THORP'S Annual Sale now proceeding. Great Reductions in all denartments ttt Thorp's Noted Establishment, The Eastgate (opposite Grosveeor Hotel). Ladies' Blouses. &c.. a speciality. NORTH SEA INQUIRY—At the sitting of the Stforth Sea Inquiry Commission on Monday, the English and Russian Agents read summaries of tha conclusions drawn, on either side. from the J evidence. In the English statement it was main- tained that no torpedo-boats were in the North ] Sea, at the time of the incident, and that the Ruasittes were not justified in iirtng on the fishing f fleet. The Russian Agent adhered to the theory that the Russian warships fired on one or two torpedo-boats, and that the trawlers were hit owing t ft) ;j,n i^eyjiteWe accident. t

ANOTHER WRivTCHED SHUFFLE. Ua Saturday we recened a copy of the fol- lowing letter which Mr. John Gntliths had ad- uiesscd to Mr. Yerburgh, M.P., in reply to ins previous communication (-).ci Bank Buildings, Chester, ilth 1905. Dear Sir,—I am in receipt ot jour letter oi yesterday's date, and have confencd Atl, the proposija guarantors upon its contents. The b lW,ÙUltOl' desire me to repiy as tonows Tnty it-arn tor tho first time that you. attach a "tini-j" liunt" to your oner. It must siueij- have boen obvious to you that it would be piacticaliy an- poss.bie tor any oi the men WHO wanted 10 go out to find the necassary guarantee, wnion tunuuuis to a considerable sum, vvitnin the siior-t. time for WLHCh you now state your otier was, open, 11 you reauy wished the otter to ba taken advantage ot, it is dithcult to understand why such a prohibitive conda.on was attached, if you are Still convmctxi or the accuracy ot jour contention, why lllJcatüil to withdraw tiie otter as soon as definite negotia- tions on behalf of tha men iiave been openca vvitn you as to the conditions under whicn tney are to nO and be employed.' in rüp,y to your statement Uiat the offer will then have been before tne Radioai party for ono month, the lact is that the Radical party as such. has not concerned it^eiit with the aeuepuuiee or neglect of your otier made, in tiie first instance at Saltnej-, to the workingaieu of ChesteA The men, wno are anxious to accept your otle-r, unabie to conipiy with your conditions were leferred by you ana j'our repiesentativeo to the gentlemen lor whom 1 am acting. By underlining the word "ill" in paragraph No. 2 m your letter, do you mean to imply tnat tiie men sent out are to be prohibited from bemg eui- p.oyed in any surtaoe work, despite the fact that Kathrs and Chinese are being employed in such WOlK'! Is it from this to be assumed tnat you now admit that Chester men could do such surface work ? Your statement that ill treatment would necessarily be the subject of judicial inquiry can- not be considered an answer to the demand made in my former letter for some guarantee of rairplaj- for the men. The guarantors never suggested that the men would be subject to illtreatment and physical violence but you will surely recognise the ditfer- ence between such treatment as would render the men s lives intolerable and such illtreatment as would enable any one of them to take legal pro- ceedings. In the interests of the men we must emphasise this point, having regard to the exceptional circumstances under whicn they would be employed. The new condition you have added is considered a perfectly unjustifiable imputation, reflecting, as it does, upon the honesty and bona fides both of the guarantors and of the men. The stipulations the guarantors have made have been drawn up entirely in the interests of and for tne protection of the men going out, and from these tney cannot and will not depart. The guarantors are not willing to gamble in the lives, limbs or health of Cheater working-men for political pur- poses, and cannot understand your reluctance to agree to stipulations which they reel assured would be considered as fair and reasonable for the protec- tion of the men by any impartial person. In order to facilitate your acceptance, they are willing to abandon paragraph -No. a in my previous letter, inviting you to deposit a sum of £ >300 to be given to the Chester Infirmary, in case the men tultil the required conditions. The guarantors feel strongly that you should either agree to the stipulations in my former letter, or state definitely that you are unable or unwilling to do so, in order to end the suspense of the six men who have been carefully selected from the large number of those willing to accept your vtter. 1 have only to add that in my previous letter it was mentioned that the guarantors believed that the guarantee was for an amount equal to half the cost of sending the men out. It now appears that it is a sum equal to the whole of such cost. This mis- apprehension does not affect their willingness to become guarantors, as the precise amount 01 money required is immaterial to them. 1 am, yours faithfully, R. A. Yerburgh v. JOHN GRIFFITHS. R. A. Yerburgb, Esq., M.P.

MR. YERBURGH OFFERS INSURANCE, I Mr. Yerburgh replied on Saturday evening in the following terms:—Your letter of to-day's date raises three points;—(1) The question of the con- ditions of work; (2) the treatment of the men; (3) the case of accidents. (1) The work is to be "in" the mines, not surtace work. (2) The "impartial tribunal" 1 refer to would be the tribunal resorted to in labour disputes ar,d claims on the Rand. (3) It is abundantly clear that the responsibility ot pro- viding for the men, or their representatives, if they meet witn injury or lose their lives in the course of their employment, rests upon the guarantors, who are responsible for the men undertaking to work in the mines. As they are evidently unwilling to incur this expense on behalf of their nominees themselves, I am prepared to insure the six men against acci- dent or death in the course of their employment during the six months—in the case of disablement by accident the payment to be £ 5 per week; in the case of death £100.

RADICAL PROCRASTINATION. On Monday, at 11.50 a.m., Mr. J. Griffiths wrote to Mr. Mason as follows:— February 13th, 1905. Dear Sir,—Mr. Yerburgh's letter of Saturday evening was not delivered at my house until between 9.30 and 9.45 p.m. Since then I have had no opportunity of consulting with all the proposed guarantors. As soon as I have done so I will reply to Mr. Yerburgh. I assume that the time limit" recently attached to the offer has been waived.— Yours faithfully, JOHN GRIFFITHS. F. B. Mason, Esq., Solicitor. Mr. Mason's reply is as follows: — 13th February, 1905. Dear Sir,-In reply to yours of to-day's date, delivered at my office at 11.50 sum., I can only refer you to Mr. Yerburgh's letters to yourself and inform you that I am not aware that you may assume that the time limit has been waived.— Yours truly, F. B. MASON. John Griffiths, Esq., Solicitor. TIME LIMIT EXPIRED. FAINT HEARTED BACKERS. On Tuesday afternoon we received a copy of the following letter, which Mr. Yerburgh had that day addressed to Mr. Griffiths:- Grosvenor Hotel, Chester, 14th Feb., 1905. Dear Sir.—In reply to your communication re- ceived by Mr. Masoa yesterday, ten minutes only before the expiry of the time-limit, I beg to say that the time-limit stands. I confess I am amazed that you should ask further time on behalf of your guarantors. It is to my mind but further evidence of their anxiety to find some loophole of escape from the hopeless position in which they have placed themselves. The offer was originally made at Saitney on the 12th Jan. It was repented at the Temperance Hall, on tho 26th of Jan on which occasion I gave the limit of ten days for the acceptance of the offer. This limit expired on the 5th of February. I then extended it to mid day Monday, the 13th of February, thus giving the Radioai party a full month to take up my offer. This they have shrunk from doing. To my personal know- ledge, the men have been prepared to go. It is their backers who have failed to come up to the scratch. I am now curious to see whether the Radical party, who asseit that to toil at unskilled labour in the mines and, to herd with Blacks and Chinese is a fitting position for Chester men, will have the courage of their convictions, put their hands in their pockets, and send them out.—Yours faith- fully, ROBERT YERBURGH. John Griffiths. Esq., Old Bank Buildings, Chester.

MISERABLE INSINUATIONS. HOLLOW EXCUSES. Old Bank Buildings, Tiie Eastgate, Chester, 16th February, 1905. Dear Sir,—I am in receipt of your letter of the 15th inst., and have now had the opportunity of consulting with tho guarantors upon its contents and also upon your letter of Saturday night last. I am desired to reply a3 follows:— In the first place it should be stated that a reply to the Saturday letter was not possible by mid-day Monday, as Mr. Mond, who, as you no doubt know. was one of the guarantors, had re- turned to London and was not immediately acoegsible,and another of the guarantors was also out of town. There seems little object now in referring at length to the Saturday letter, but in view of future referenoo to he correspondence between us it is necessary that one or two observations should be m&de. Your vague and illusory reference to some tribunal," the constitution and functions of which are not defined by you, and its very exist- ence difficult to trace, could not. in any case have been accepted by the guarantors as a substitute for your personal guarantee which they asked that the men should have fair play. As you undertook to find the men work, and have ignored the request to state where the men would be sent to and the specific work they were to be given to do. the guarantors repudiate your suggestion that it was they who were to be re- sponsible for the consequences to the men of the work you found for them. The guarantors express amazement that you Iiave distorted your reference to the duration of pour stay at the Grosvenor Hotel into a time limit and clutched at this verbal quibble to en- ible you to scuttle out of a position which you bund absolutely untenable. Under these extraordinary circumstances it is ;hought well to refer briefly to one or two of ;he earlier steps in the transaction. In your speech at Saltney, when the ill-con- sidored offer was flung out, no mention was made of a tim3 limit. The offer was made to the workingmen of Sa.Itney, and uth.-?y" were to 'I forfeit a specified sum should "they" fail to fulfil the challenge. i This offer, with several important alterations, was repeated at the Temperance Hall on Jan. 26th. You then for the first time stated the definite sum that you required guaranteed. It was in the Temperance Hall speech that you made reference to the duration of your stay in Chester, and also said you "would offer all over Chester the same offer yen made at Saliney." This latter statement hardly supports the con- tention of a "time limit." In neither of those speeches, b, it noted, did you challenge or make any reference to the Liberal party. This suggestion is a very recent development of yours. The offer we repeat was made to the working- men, and by them it has been accepted, and the names of 19 men willing to go were published in the local Press a fortnight ago. One, at least, of these men intimated to you personally, and others of them to your representatives their acceptance of your offer, and they were then advised by you and your representatives to approach some individual members of the Liberal party to see if the required guarantee could be obtained. The majority of these men appealed to the writer of this letter, who is not an official of the Liberal partj*. and he. it was who secured the guarantors (including Mr. Mond) who have been. and still are, perfectly willing to deposit the. neces- sary sum on their reasonable stipulations being complied with. The selection by these gentlemen of suitable men out of the number who had accepted your offer could not be made in a moment. As soon as their inquiries were complete you were communi- cated with. It was obvious to the guarantors that in the interests of the. men and to securc, the fair carrying out of the trial, which was of much more than local interest, it was absolutely essen- tial to clearly define the precise conditions under which the sarno was to be made. It was in the hope of reducing the vague flight of pLatform oratory to the precision of businesslike practica- bility that the letter of February 8th was addressed to you. The guarantors have not, as you allege, shrunk from financial obligations and "not come up to the scratch." You have rendered it impossible for them to carry out their intention by mis- interpreting some of their communications and en- tirfly ignoring others and summarily closuring the matter. The exhibition of gleeful relief in your letter at finding this undignified way out of your difficulty confirms t!he general impression that the offer was never seriously intended by you. In regard to the last paragraph of your letter, it is the guarantors who by their stipulations were endeavouring to avoid your sending Cliester workingmen to "herdi with Blacks and Chinese," and were determined to ensure that the men should only be employed on similar conditions to those obtaining at tho Village Main Reef Mines, under Mr. Cresswell's management, where the white unskilled labour was kept separate from the coloured labour. Tho guarantors venture to hope that before you again indulge in sporting offers you will endeavour to give a little previous thought to what is in- I volved. and so avoid having to ignominiously wriggle out of an insupportable position—I am, vcurs faithfully, JOHN GRIFFITHS. I R. A. Yerburgh, M.P.

190 PER CENT. FAVOUR CHINESE LABOUR. A Reuter's message from Bloemfontein on February 14 states:—Sir Henry Goold Adams, Lieutenant-Governor, speaking at Winburg on Monday night, said that 90 per cent. of the think- ipg population of the Orange River Colony favoured Chinese labour in the mines because it was desirable to liberate a certain numher of natives for farming purposes.

I 41 CHINESE SLAVERY." 4 1 I POINTS FOR ELECTORS. The Chinese are engaged for three years. They are at liberty to take the work or decline it. If they don't like it. they can leave. They cm bring their wives and children along with them. :f they Wdnt to. They have their own villages, and mix with their own oountryrr en. Is this slavery? They come as a temporary measure. The restrictions, which some people call slavery," secure that. The Government of the Transvaal watch the working of the system, and see that the terms of the Ordinance are properly observed. The system is not a new one. Coolie labour has been introduced in Natal, Trinidad, Borneo, British Guiana, and other British possessions, and has been sanctioned by Liberal statesmen. Remember that "all rough hard work is done by natives white men think it beneath them, and only fit. for blacks." Riffht Hon. James Bryce, M.P., Impressions of South Africa." page 443. That it is only the development of the mines that makes South Africa a growing market for Europe-n good. "-Bryce. page 447. That the majority of the British inhabitants of the Transvaal are in favour of the temoorary introduction, under proper safeguards, of Chinese volunteers, because they know that their em- ployment in the mirie-i does not displace one sinde British white subject, but that for every 1.0eo Chinamen at work in the mines employment will be provided for 160 whites. This means that, incltid n- families, some 800 white persons are provided for by every 1 000 Chinamen w ho may be employed.

I DISTRICT COUNCILS. I I NESTON AND PAKKGATE.2 I The monthly meeting of the Neston and Park- gate Urban District Council was held on Monday evening.. Mr. J. Pemberton presiding. There was a full attendance of members, among those pre- sent being Colonel Lloyd: Dr. John B. Yeoman, Messrs. P. N. Stone, J. Woodward, R. Scott. J. Johnson. C. Swift, H. T. Gill. W. Pritchard. W. Ftj-er, J. Piatt, J. Percival Gamon (clerk). C. E. Senicr (survoyce,. and W. Tranter (colicctor). I HEALTH. I It appears that as matters at present stand the sanitary inspector lias no power to enforce the abatement of a nuisance, no matter how danger- OILS a. form it might assume, without obtaining the express authority of the Council. As even bv calling a special me-ding some five or six days must elapse before the inspector could act, several members considered that he should have power to deal immediately with as-erious emergency.— Mr. Gill accordingly moved—"That the chairman of the Health Committee, with two other members of the Council. should have power to order notices to bo served in urgent cases of nuisances, and if necessary to take proceedings."—Mr. Stone seconded the motion, which. however, was de- feated on an .amendment by six votes to five. The monthly statistics compiled1 by Mr. Gill, the health chaiiman., shewc-d that, the births for Janu- ary wore nine, against five in 1904. <)r v rate of 24.9per thousand, against 13.8 in 1904. The deaths were five, against four in 1904. or a rate per thousa.nd of 13.8. against. 11.09 per annum in 1904. Infant mortality one, against one in 1904. Infeotious diseases nil. against four in January. 1904.—-With regard to tho serious nuisance in con- ncction with tho sanitary arrangements at Ness Holt Schools, the surveyor wa.s able to repoi-t that tho necossaiy improvements were being made by the school authorities at a cost of over £ 100 — Plans were passed for two houses to be erected for Miss Williams in Hniderton-ixxid, Neston, I THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY. Sketch plans of tho Ca-rnc?io Library, to be brnct?d by Gary's Stiits in P&rk?a,t?-ro?d. we?,?(, submitted. «nd the cierk was instructed to submit them to Mr. Carnegie's secretary. MISCELLANEOUS. The Council could not see their way to erect a lamp in rear of the Greenland Fishery, as re. quested by several of the residents in that locality —It was decided to re-erect the garden seats on the Patade at Parkgate, and to add a. new seat.— Colonel Lloyd and Messrs. W. Fryer. J. Wood- ward. H. T Gill and C. Swift were appointed a sub-committee to inspect the highways other than main roads.—It appeared that the Council had ar- ranged with tho Joint Railway Companies in reference to the lamp at the end of the Neston Station-road, but with reference to the letter from the company as re.,bird's the drain at. Moorside Bridge, they had replied pointing out that the drain belonged to the Council, and was the pro- perty of the latter before the bridge was elected. T, WATER. ü I I ? ?l l 1 11 -11- 1 j ti appeared irom Air. ftait s return tnat Lne quantity of water consumed in the district during the month was 3,695.000 gallons

FINE FINISH FOOTWEAR. fortons, Northgato. THORP'S Annual Sale now proceeding. Great Reductions in all departments at Thorp's Noted Establishment. The Eastgate (opposite Grosvenor Hotel). Ladies' Blouses. &c.. a speciality. THE KING AND AGRICULTURE. A Reuter's message from Rome says:—With reference to the proposal by King Victor Emmanuel for the creation of an International Chamber of Agriculture, King Edward has telegraphed as follows to his Majesty Ha.ving hearfi of your Majesty's pro- posal for the meeting of an International institution of agriculture at Rome, I wish to express the deep interest I have always taken in the prosperity of that great industry, and would gladly welcome any discussion for the furtherance of any practical measures towards that end. I accordingly await with utmost interest your Majesty's proposal, which will be carefully examined by my Government." King Victor Emmanuel replied as follows :—"With all my heart I thank your Majesty for the interest you are pleased to take in my suggestion. I hope that with the help of your noble nation useful and much-desired results may be achieved.

HEALTHY KESTON. I I MEDICAL OFFICER'S REPORT. I Tho annual report of Dr. Kenyon, medical officer of health, which is to hand, deals very exhaustively with matters pertaining to the health of tho Neston and Parkgate district, and shews tho latter to be in a very satisfactory condition. He estimates the present population of the district at 4,328. The births during the year were 131. as compared with 132 in 1903 and 134 the annual average for the ten years 1884-1903. The birth- rate was 30.2 per 1,000, a high birth-rate. The deaths during the year numbered 59, including two in the Fever Hospital, sev-en in the Work- house, and one in the County Lunatic Asylum. The percentage of deaths under one year of age t-o births registered is 9.1, ad compared with 15.9 in lS03 and 15.3, the average for the ten years 1394-1903. Both the general death-rate and infantile death-rate were much below the average. There were no deaths from typhoid fever, measles or small-pox The water oi the district was of very high organic purity. Excellent work was being done in the clistrict by Mr. C. E. Senior. tho surveyor and sanitary inspector, and the medical officer referred in complimentary terms to ii 1.?; carefu l an d capa b to careful and capable reports. Dr. Kenyon refers to the general improvement in sanitary matters and to the bacteria beds, which are now in working order. A summary of the sur- veyor's report shews in detail the vast. number of inspections that have been made and the corresponding large number of improvements that have been carried out.

I WILL OF MR. EDWARD EVANS. Mr. Edward Evans, of Bronwylfa, Wrexham, ono of the founders of the firm of Messrs. Evans, Sens, Lescher, and Webb, Ltd., manufacturing chemists, of Hanover-street, Liverpool, J.P., Deputy-Lieutenant of the county of Denbigh, who died on January 7th. aged 88, left estate of tha gross value of £ 77,090. 19s. 4d., with nett personalty amounting to £ 62,086. Is. 10d., and probate of his will, dated 21st July, 1896, with four codicils, the last dated 14th August, 1902, has been granted to his actis, Mr. John James Evans, of Brackenwood. Bebington, Mr. Edward Evans, of Spital Old Hall, Bromborough, Mr. William Paterson Evans, of Brentwood, Bidston, and Mr. Arthur Ernest Evans, of Vrondeg. Bron- wylfa, and power is reserved to grant probate also to his son, Mr. Alfred Bickerton Evans, who now resides in Montreal, and the testator be- queathed 250 each to the acting executors. The testator bequeathed J640 to his cook, Jane Evans, and six months' wages to each servant who has been in hlis service for a period of two years, and three months' wages to each servant who has been in his service for less than two years. He bequeathed E100 to each of his grandchildren living at his death, and in addition L250 each to Charles Reginald Williams and Alice Rose Evelyn Williams, the children of his late daugh- ter, Margaret Williams. He bequeathed LI,500 each to his children other than hLs four sons, Edward, William, John and Alfred, the legacy of any deceased child being taken by his cr her issue. To his son Arthur he bequeathed E5,000, his partial blindness preventing him from fol- lowing any business pursuits, to his daughter, Edith Mary, he left an annuity of £ 50 to be paid to her so long as she is unmarried, and to her he also bequeathed legacies amounting to £ 1,500, and to his daughter, Hannah Ros? Jones, he bequeathed £ 1,000, and £1,000 to his son-in-law, Septimus Castle, with certain specific bequests. Mr. Evans directed that the Bronwylfa estate should be offered to his son Arthur for a sum of £ 17,300, and he left the residue of his estate subject to some conditions to his children, the s hares of his daughters who predecease him to be held in trust and the income paid to their husbands until they re-marry and ultimate resi- duo to their issue.

I CONVOCATIONS. I YORK. iho three Houses of Convocation of the Northern Province met at York on Wednesday. The Upper House dealt with the subject of e-x- change of benefices, and discussed the report of the committee on physical degeneration. The latter report, which was presented by the Bishop of Ripon and seconded by the Bishop of Chester, dealt with the report of the Inter-Departmental Commission, and said the committee felt that they could' best complete the duty which was laid on thorn by calling the attention of the House to the scope and te-nor of the report and the conclusions of tho commissioners. All that the committee had contended for was admitted in that report., There weie conditions of life in large towns which could not fail to cause deterioration. The report recom- mended that every step should be taken which could organise public opinion in the right direc- tion. The Rev. Chancellor Espin. Prolocutor, pre- sidffi in the Lower House, and the attendance in- cluded the Dean of Chester, the Archdeacon of Chester, the Archdeacon of Macclesfield (the Ven. A. M. Wood), etc. The Rev. W. H. Biiinev, vicar of Northwich, was introduced as a new proctor for the Arch- deaconry of Chester. Tho notices of motion included one by the Arch- deacon of Northumberland on the subject of the Creed of St. Atha.nasius. expressing acquiesence m tho expediency of adopting a synod ical declara- tion respecting the Creed, but re.affirming the Fotm of Declaration adopted by it in 1873, and afterwards adopted in substanco by both Houses of Convocation of Canterbury. The Bishop of Beveriey. in view of the report on the subject sent down by the Upper House, which was down to be considered—to which the Archdeacon of Northumberland's motion had special reference—moved an amendment to the effect that the whole question be postponed, and no definite charge made in the "Quicunque Vuit" until it had been. considered by other portions of the Anglican Communion, whose present use corresponded with theirs. Archdeacon Long seconded. The Dean of Ripon objected to the motion The Do-in of Chester said that of all subjects that was one they should not hlrry to a division. Many translations were in the air, and. therefore, they d:d not know what form cf the Creed they were dealing with. They did not desire to wait for the American and Colonial Churches to de- cide the question, but they desired their opinion ao a whole. They knew perfectly well that there was. a very strong minority in the American Church—if it were a minority—trying to get back the use of the Cieed in their services. After much discussion, the Prolocutor ruled that tlm Bshop of Beverley's motion, if carried, would prevent discussion on both the report from the Upper House and the Archdeacon of Northum- berland's motion, of which he had given notice. The Bishop of Beverley's resolution was car- ried by a larg-û majority, Pnd discussion on tho Creed- consequently quashed. The House of Laymen passed a number of resolutions on various subjects, peihaps the most interesting discussion being that on Sunday ob- servance. which was: "That this House deplores' the increasing prevalence of Sunday trading and amusements, and desires to emphasise the urgent necessity for the due observance of the day as a dav of rest and worship. n CANTERBURY. In the Upper House of Convocation of Canter- I bury at Westminster on Wednesday, the Bishop of Salisbury brought up an Act of Uniformity (Amendment) Bill which he had drafted to oon- t'd special and additional services and to relieve those who feel difficulty in the recitation of tho Athanasian Creed on festival occasions. A motion of the Bishop of Oxford declaring the time inop- portune was carried. In the Lower House, repre- sentative Church Councils were under discussion. The Housn of La vmc-n affi: med that it is not de- sirable to sacrifice rights rcscrved by statute to safeguard nOll-provided schoo;

ELLKSMERR PORT. i HUGH PRICE HUGHES.—Jn the Primitive Methodist Church here on Sunday evening the;. special monthly sermon was preached, the subject being '-Hugh Pnoo Hughes, the- Man. his Work and his M'ssion. The "Glory" song was sung at tho close by Miss. Viney Foster. The attendance wa~s a large ono. BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED -On Monday evening, at the invitation of Dr and Mrs. Finney, a party was held m the Central Hali.Tn honour ot hts son s b'lthday. Nearly one hundred guests, \ouu<r and old. wem present, and a. most e-njoy- able evening was spent For the delectation of the younger guests, a capital magic lantern enter- tainment was given. PAROCHIAL TEA.-T n thp Church School- room. on Wednesday evening, the annual tea and entertainment took place. As on previous occa- sions, the congregation entered heartily into the undertaking, which resulted in a great success. This -i-ear the Eastham Amateur Minstrel Society j provided the "bill of fare" at the enteTta-ininent, with Mr. W. A. Weston as musical director. With such a talented troupe, it is hardly necessary to Pdd thJt the artists were distinctly succp&?fuL j The farce, "Whitebait at Greenwich." was most amusing and capitally interpreted. At the c-lose of the entertainment the Rev. 0. E Rice thanked the artists, and Mr. Blanev thanked the Jad:('!j who had provided the lea and presided at tho tables. t

COL. COTTON-JODRELL AT HOOLE. CRUSHING REPLY TO RADICALS. THE ALIEN EVIL. On Thursday evening Colonel Cotton-J odrell, the prospective Unionist candidate for the Eddis- bury Division, whose present member of Parlia- ment (Mr. Henry Tollemache) is retiring at the next election, addressed an excellent meeting at All Saints' Schools. Mr. B. C. Roberts presided, and was accompanied by Mrs. Cotton-Jodrell, Mrs. B. C. Roberts, Messrs. W. H. Churton, G. A. Dickson, J. H. Bottomley (Lancaster), Wm. Williams, John Barber, W. E. Phillips, Jacob | Minns, Prichard (registration agent), John Dickson, George Barnes, C. and H. Wiseman, F. Gerrard, Henry Evans, E. Mealing, J. Walton, T. Mangell, R. Peers, and F. Sheen. The Chairman, in introducing Colonel Cotton- 1 Jodrell, explained that Mr. Henry Tollemache, who had represented the Eddisbury Diyision in Parliament for 24 years, intended to retire at j the close of the present Parliament. Those who had known him all that time could not but regret the step he had taken, but he did not wonder that a man who had been for 24 years in the House of Commons required a little rest. (Hear, hear.) While they regretted Mr. Tolle- mache's retirement, he thought the large majority of the electors felt they owed him a debt of 'gratitude for his long and! faithful services to the constituency and the county generally. (Ap- plause.) They had been fortunate beyond measure in finding a gentleman in the person of Colonel Cotton-Jodrell to come forward in his place and challenge whatever opposition might 6e made when an appeal was made to the country. (Applause.) In Colonel Cotton-Jcdrell they had no tyro in the field of politics. He was an ex- perienced man in Parliamentary representation, having represented for 15 years the adjoining division of W irral. He was .therefore, alrrost an old Parliamentary hand, and when they voted for him they would knew they were voting for a man who knew what he was going to St. Stephen's for, and knew what he would talk about. He began his life in the most honourable service that any man could join—in carrying arms in the defence of his country. He was for many years a. soldier, and after retiring from that profession took up politics and served his country in Parlia- ment. Apart from that, he had always taken the liveliest interest in all matters of importance to the county of Chester, and more especially to the division of Edisbury, in which he lived. Colonel Cotton-Jodrell's career, which was beyond blemlish or reproach, contrasted with what it. was repre- sented to be in some utterances in very bad taste by Mr. Stanley a short time, ago. At a small meeting at Waverton, Mr. Stanley said he wcndered why Colonel Cotton-Jodrell should come cut of his shell of idleness and luxury to contest the division of Eddisbury. He (the chairman) never liked to enter into personal matters, and he was not going to do so, but he did think those remarks were in very bad taste indeed coming, as they did, from so young a man as Mr. Stanley. (Hear, hear.) When Col. Cotton-Jodrell was first returned to Parliament for the division of Wirral, Mr. Stanley was per- haps receiving the estimable attention of a nurse- maid. (Laughter and hear, hear.) He only hoped that when Mr. Stanley had! attained the age of Colonel Cotton-Jcdrell he would be able to look back upon a life full of usefulness as he could. (Applause.) Concluding, the Chairman announced the receipt of a letter from Mr. Henry Tollemache, expressing his inability to attend the meeting owing to his presence n Parliament. An apology for absence was also received from Dr. Butt. Colonel Cbttori-Jodroll. who had a cordial re- ception. asso: iatcd himself with the chairman's expression of regret at the impending retirement of Mr. Toilcmache. The chairman had said that after 24 yeais of service Mr. Tollemache might very ligitimate'y desire a rest from Pailiamentary v,c?ry ligi?e (Cc?,. C&tton-JodreIDf?und that after fifteen years of Parliimentary duties for a largely populated and glowing- constituency like Wirral he had felt the need of a rest. In resigning that scat, he felt that somebody who was more resi- dc-ntially close to Wirral than he was, and who could be more in actual daily touch with his con- stituents. was the proper member that big and growing constituency ought to have. Sincop then ho had liad four years' rest, and he had now come out at the request of the Conservative Association in Eddisbury to offer himself as candidate for that division when an election took place. (Cheers.) In offering to come out, he could asslirt, them that ho was not actuated by any personal motive. If he had consulted his own interests he would have much preferred being constantly a blotto reside at home, looking after his own affairs and those county afFaiis which interested him very much. He could honestly and solemnly assure them that he had no axe to grind in Parliament—(hear, h,ca,r)-aiid if they did him the honour of returning him as their member, he oould onlv sav that he would let urn to Parliament with these two main considerations in his mind-that he would try to do whatever he could to place at the disposal of his constituents such knowledge and experience of the agricultural industry as he had been able to obtain in the many years he had been devoted to its study; and (what lie thought was of more national impoitame) he would tiy to do what he could to help in some scheme of reform in his Majesty's land forces. (Hear, lwar.) This was the first time he had ever addressed a political meeting in this neighbourhood, and he was re- minded that his father's mother lived not a quar- ter of a mile from wheie he was speaking, and that his cwn father was born there. (Hear, hear.) Some little sentimental feeling was therefore pro- voked in his mind by the fact that now, nearly ninety years since his father's birth, his son should for the first time find himself at his birth-piace addressing a political meeting. (Hear, hear.) On Tuesday Parliament met and commenced the final session of the present Parliament before its I DISSOLUTION. Whether tho dissolution be very near at hand or very remote, he thought. it could not fail to take pl<tce within thco next twelve months. Now w v- the time for seeing that the powder was dry, and that eveiyrhing was prepared for the fray. Let them not be caught napping, as the Russians were at Port Arthur; rather let them be ready to strike the first blow. He would ask all their active sup- porters to remember that they had a new and excellent registration agent in the poison of Mr. Prichaid. who during the short time he had been working in that, division had made great headway in. his determination to get tho organisation of his party into as perfect, a state as possible. Proceed- ing, Col. Cotton-Jodrell moved the following leso- huion: "That this meeting expresses its con- tinued confidence* in his Majesty's Government, and congratulates Mr. Balfour and his colleagues upon the legislative programme- of the session, un- folded in tho King's Speech, more especially with regard to the proposals for equafising the electoral districts, for stopping the influx of undesirable aliens, and for tho firm and statesmanlike, attitude displayed in their foreign and colonial policy." He referred to the great inequalities now exist- ing m, the electoral representation of various dis- ti-icis. Anci-nalies which were universally recog- nised as existing twenty year-s ago, when the last Redistribution Bill was introduced, had since be- come far more acce ntuated in many districts owing in some ca.«<-s to a stationary population, and in others to the opposite canso. It was well known that Ireland had a much larger share of repre- sentation than she was entitled to, compared with the rest of the United Kingdom. Scotland had about her sh!e of members. Wales had three too many. Ireland had twenty too many. and England had 23 too; few. It was to remedy those, anomalies that he presumed the Redistribution Bill men- tioned in the King's Speech would be diiccted. Touching upon the alien question, Co!. Cotton- Jodrell. after pointing out how the Aliens Bill was killed in the Grand Committee by the Radical obstruction, said he was certain that if the Government was backed, up by the country— as he believed it would be—the Aliens Biil would be passed into law before tho piesent Parliament wa.s dissolved. (Hear. hear.) The opponents of tiie Aliens Bill said it was very unfair that these poor creatures who sought refuge from their own country. where they were badly treated, should be denied an asylum in England, As they knew, this country had always been a DUMPING GROUND FOR ALIENS I and foreign produce. The dumping commenced centuries ago. Protestants who were persecuted for their faith came over here, and their settlc- ment in this country did hardly anything but good. They taught us trad es and industries with whioh we were not acquainted, and by their character became good citizens of this country. Now, however, we received a number of un- tUesirable foreigners, and the report of the evid- ence given before the Royal Commission, which sat a few years ago to deal with this subjeci. shewed that alien immigration was not only in- creasing to a very rapid extent in this country, but- was mainly composed of people who were neither cleanly in their habits nor in their morals, and who drove out of employment vast numbers of our own working-people. (" Shame ") Ac- cording to the report, The aliens sold their lives, and do so now, at the rate of sixteen hours a day for a crust of black bread and a piece of garlic and a corner filled with dirty r a w. Fifty-two thousand British people have left the district of Stepney in London, driven out br the alien. There are in London organised colonies of foreign crime, and from one-half to two-thirds of the immoral traffic in London is conducted by aliens." This was evidence given before the Royal Commission. Some years ago there was practically an unanimity of opinion among states- men in favour of dealing with this matter. Lord Rosebery said: "I take it if there is one cer- tainty in the world it is that with the growth of immigration, an.d of the continual clcsing of the- confines of states to the destitute emigrants of other countries, that there. is no country in the world that will not be compelled to consider its position —and possibly reconsider its position—with re- gard to pauper immigration unless it wishes permanently to degrade the status and condition of its' own working-classes." Th;is degrada- tion of our own working-classes was the very thing which the Aliens Bill of last year tried to prevent, and which the Aliens Bill of this year would, he believed, succeed in preventing in future. (Cheers.) A ROUSING SPEECH. I Mr. J. II. Bottomley. of Lancaster, seconded in a louring speech, during which he kept his audi- ence in continuous laughter by his aniusing sal- lies. He said that last week our opponent* were I tehing us that they were. going to demand a disso- lution of Parliament and that they werc, going to march into office, and that the Government was tottering to its fall. It had been tottering to its fall ever since 1885; all Governments were always tottering to their fall. (Laughter.) They told us that Mr. Balfour and his Ministers were only walking about to save funeral expenses. (Laugh- ter.) He h.ad been very anxious for some time to get the Opposition face to face with the members of the Government, so that there could be a real discussion as to the position of our party and the position of our political opponents. He had never been. afraid of an election, or that the Govern- ment would he turned out of office. Threatened men lived long, and threatened Governments lived long, and the unexpected always happened. (Laughter.) He believed our political opponents had been, as Mr. Chamberlain had said of them. counting their chickens before they were hatched. They were not likeiy to go out. and they had been a little too previous in settling who should bo members of the Ministry of the new Liberal Government, when it was formed. They had (,'overnin(-ri f t, Ic' procc?.(, d s of the io b e?iy been disposing of tho proceeds of the lobbeiy before the robbery had been committed. (Laugh- ter.) The Liberal party were going to kill Mr. Batfour, politicalh% immediately they got the opportunity of coming to close quarters with him. That reminded him of the old Lancashire woman who, when apparently dying, was asked by her husband whc-re she would like to be buried; and she answered. "On top of you. John." (Laugh- ter.) When they buried Mr. Balfour, it would be on top of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and the Radical party. (Laughter.) Mr. Balfour was evi- dently a great suiprise. to his political opponents. Ho supposed no Prime Minister had been killed so often, and so often wrapped in his nice white shroud and tucked away comfortably in a political coffin, nailed down by so nmny bye elections —(laughter)—as Mr. Balfour; but' he 'had an ex- traordinary habit of walking out and saying, "I cm leader of a great party; I am going to stop in a long time yet." Even the most partisan of the Liberal papers stated that the Government would have a majority of from 50 to 70 that night. A Government with that majority should not re- sign, but should carry out its policy and the p;o- mises it made at the last general election. In the Parliament of 1847 the Liberal Government had only A MAJORITY OF ONE, and yet they went on for five sessions. In 1852 the Liberal Government had a majority of 13, and yet lasted 4 £ years. In 1859 the Liberal Govern- ment had a majority of 43, and they ran six years. If the Government could got a majority of 60 that night, he thought Mr. Balfour had better go on and carry out the promises foreshadowed in the King's Speech, and then they would work hard to get them again returned with an overwhelming majority. (Applause.) It was said the Govern- ment were clinging to office because they had lost 16 scats at the bye-elections. That was petfeetly true, yet he ventured to say that in no bye-election had there been a straightforward fight as to the policy of the party and the policy of the Radicals. The party in opposition always had the opportu- nity of selecting the ammunition they wouid fight with, and it was a marvellous thing that they changed it at eveiv election. Mr. Be.erbohm Treo told the late Mr. Gladstone that actors generally were Conseivatives, while the scene-shifters were Radicals. He (Mr. Bottomley) thought the pre- sent or modern Radical party were cxtraoidinarily good scene-snifters. (Laughter.) Here were some of the topics selected as the test questions Ritual- ism, the Aimenian atrocities, doles to farmers, the mismanagement of the concentration oamp. the dismissal ef General Btiller, the- "remount scan- dal," the Education Act, "cemii;it" at Rochester, the personal character of Mr. Harry Marks in the Isle of Thanet. Chinese labour at Chertsey, the alien question at Mite End, cotton at Stalyoridge, vaccination at Reading, and "muslin" in Lan- cashire. (Laughter.) Heaven knew what would be the next, probably microbes and poik pies. (Laughter.) When the general election came round, we would then be able to put the Govern- ment's own policy before the couuntry. and to challenge our political opponents as to what their alternative policy would be. (Cheers.) The Government had been be-aten only once in the House of Commons, and then bv eleven votes; and Mr. John Redmond admitted he had got a few members in by a secret door. and the Whips had not taken notice of it. Mr Balfour had made it plain he would not accept defeat on a. snap division, and if he was defeated by one he would challenge the Opposition to move a vote of want of confidence in him. (Cheers.) The Govern- ment had lost 16 seats in five years, whereas Mr. Gladstone's Government, between 1868 and 1873, lost 24 seats. Another striking feature was that although tho Government's working majority was only about 87. they had never had on any occasion on a critical division, such as on the second read- ing of a Government Bill, had their majority se- duced. They carried the second reading of the Licensing Act by a majority of 157. and of the Education Act by 237. shewing that thev had not only the support of their party, but of the better part of their political opponents. Mr. Gladstone's Government fiom 1883 to 1885 went into office with a majority of 176. and on no question did they poll their full working majority, while in the con- stituencies they lost 19 seats, and yet did not re- sign. The present Government had been defeated oitog in the. l-Iouse of Commons, and their oppon- ents had cried "Resign. Although Mr. Glad. stone's Government had a majority of 176. they were defeated ten times on the Bradlaugh ques- tion and 18 times on other subjccts--28 defeats in five years, and yet Mr. Gladstone said. "I treat them with disdain. That docs not. matter. [ have got the majority of the people at my back." If that, was a good argument for Mr. Gladstone, it was a better argument for Mr Balfour, with only ono defeat. He (Mr. Bottomley) did not believe that BYE-ELECTIONS were a tair test of the public opinion of the rest of the country, because the "crotchet-mongers" of the country seemed to dump down in the indi- vidual constituency where the election was. Be- woen 1892 and 1895. when Lord Rosebery was Prime Minister, the Conservatives gained nine Fc,Lts a.t bye-elections, but the Liberals won six back at tto? general election. From 1895 to 1900, when Lord Salisbury was Prime Minister, the Liberals won 14 seats, and the Conservatives re- gained nine of them at the general election. That proved that bye-elections were no test of the creneral state of public opinion. (Cheers.) The Conservatives had lost in so many cases because of the unscrupulous tactics of their opponents on Tariff Reform. He had long been a Tariff Re- former, and as far back as 1885 he was privileged to be selected as a Conservative workingman to fight the c-oiirtittiency of Gateshead.

FARNDON. FOOTBALL CLUB.-A somewhat one-sided match took place on the home ground last Saturday between Tilston and Furndon. In the first half Farndon had their own way all through, scoring no fewer than six goals to nil, but in the second TiJston managed to score goal per goal with their formidable opponent, each side making three. It was a very plucky attempt of Tilston after being so outscored in the first half, and the final score of nine to three against them is not so bad as it looks.

I HESWALL. TRAP ACCIDEiNT.-On Tuesday morning, sh, ortly after eight o'clock, a trap, containing three men. was proceeding along Telegraph-road from the direction of Neston, when., in the vicinity of Rocky-lane, the horse stumbled and fell, throwing the occupants of the vehicle headlong into the roadway. Fortunately no serious injury was suffered, though the trio were severely shaken. DEATH.—An old resident in the person of Capt. Hodgson, of The Dale, died on Sunday at tho residence of his daughter, Mrs. H. V. Penning- ton. Deceased, who had reached the ripe old age of 84 yeais, was a native of Ulverston, anil had been a great traveller, having been for many The master mariner in the old Kcuda! Line.Th& interment took place on Wednesday at the parish church, in the presence of a numerous gathering of ¡elati" and friends. The service was con- ducted by the Rev. T. H. May. and among the chief motuneis were Mr. and Mis. John Hodgson (Ulverston). son and daughter-in-law; Mr. Thos. Hodgson and Miss Hodgson (Rootle); Mr. and Mrs. H. V. Pennington, son-in-law and daughter; Mr. Wm. Pennington, q 'aid.,ion; Mr. John Pen- nington. Mr. II. Swift, Mr. E. Law, etc. SHADOW OF COMING EVENTS.—At a meet- ing of the Heswail Polling Committee of the Wirral Conservative Association, held on Friday at the Dee View Assembly-rooms, the following ofifcers were elected :—Chairman. Mr. C. Maelver; | vice-chairman, Mr. W. M. Edmunds; hon. tieisnve; Mr. G. L. Vospor; and hon. secretary, Mr. Jss Caldow. The following were added to the general committee Messrs. W. M. M. For- wood. H. L. Broucrh. J. Tarlnick. T. B. Auchter- lonie. W. V. Grainger. J. T. Briscoe. T. Jones, T. Litchfield, R E. Langlands and A. Liebes- chutz. Messrs. C. Maelver and W. II. Jones were appointed ropiesentatives on the executive eoun- cl, while Mr. Jos. Lamb was elected to a vacant wardextship. -+-

TARPORLEY. I BALL.A ball was held on Monday in aid of th-:) (>rldícllO\H! Widows' and Orphans Fund. The hall was decorated with emblems of the society and muslin with much effect. Mr. A. Finn.v sup- plied the music, and kept the dancers busy unti! three o'clock. The management was carried out by the secretary (Mr. F. Vernon) and a small committee. It is hoped a considerable sum will be handed over to the fund. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.—A committee meeting in connection with the Horticultural Society, was held on Thursday in the National Schools. There wcio present Messrs. J. H. Dods. J. Pickering A. Burston. W. Grafton. T. Forstev, B. Rut-tc-r. M. Goulding, H. Woodwaid. E. Wal- ton, T. Herbert. C. Wright and W. Recce, tho Rev. Leadlev Brown. Mr. E. Wilkinson, the hon. secretary (Mr. Sprackling), and Mr. H. Billing (hon. secretary of sports). In the unavoidab'e abscnoe of the president and vice president. Mr Dods w a elected to the chair. The presidents were re-elected—the Right Hon. th<' Earl of I-laci- dington, K.T.uid Captain the Hon. II. R A. Baillie-Hamilton. The Rev W. O. M. Hughes was elected vice-piesident. The date of the show for 19Ü5 was fixed for the Wednesday, tt Autrust 23rd. A splendid prize-list was drawn up. A hearty vote of thanks was proposed to Mr. Dods for taking the chair. REcrr AL- capital recital was given in the Town Hall on Wednesday, by Mr. John Duxbirry, j of Manchester, the hall being crowded. The chair was bv Mr. T. H. Gordon, Who expressed his pleasure in seeing such a large audience, and hcppd the promoters would find J they had a. good balance, as the proceeds were to be given to the Wesleyan Church funds. Mr. Dux bury entertained the audience for_-nc)re tl,,iu-i an hour. His principal peifonnance was a re- c-itat of "Enoch Arden." and the audience will not soon forget ) he t reat. Mrs. T. Sansotn stiig "The Old Country" and "Beautiful Laud of Nod" (en- j cotedi. each song being well received. Among Hl( company were Mr. and Mrs. A. V. Aston. Mr. A. Burston. Mi-. H. Haines. the Rev. and Mrs. j Haines, Miss Aston. Mr. R. Hewitt. Mr. T. W. j Dunning. M" and Mrs. R. Bate. Mr. G. Gunnery, j Mr. and Mrs. Vl. Littler, Mr. T. Cooper, Mr. II. • Dutton, and Mr. S. Gieenway. I

HOLT. PARISH COUNCL-A meeting of the Council was held on Monday evening in the Endowed Schools, those present including Messrs. Edwin Bellis (chairman), J. E. Hayes, E. Hanson, H. Route, Priddmg, H. Jones and J. Pickering. Tenders for the repair of the widows' charity property were considered. Three estimates had been sent in, and of these the lowest was accepted. The question of the Fire Brigade had not been placed on the agenda, but in view of recent events, the members indulged in an informal discussion, leaving any decisive action until the special meeting to be called for that purpose on Monday evening next.

MOLD. LICENSED VICTUALLERS' ASSOCIATION. —The general meeting was held at the Dolphin Hotel on Tuesday. The treasurer reported a sound financial position. The secretary announced a large influx of members from the outlying dis- tricts. The election of officers resulted as fol- lows :-Chairman, Mr. Josiah Simcns; vice- chairman, Mr. Thomas Whitley; treasurer, Captain E. H. Davies; secretary, Mr. J. M. Lows- by; committer., Messrs. J. Bell, Thomas Davies. W. Williams, A. B. Ganod, Thos. Williams, and J. Brady (Flint). It was decided to hold another picnic this year. A vote of condolence was passed with Mr. Robert Morris (Red Lion Hotel), who has bsen seriously indisposed.

HELSBY BILLIARD HANDICAP.-The final tie in the first billiard handicap of the season, held at the Club and Institute, was played off on Wednesday evening, Mr. W. G. Fowles (receives 25) beating evening, N"ickers (scratch) by 10 points in a game of 100 up. An enjoyable impromtu smoking concert was afterwards held, Mr J. Edmondson presiding. LANTERN LECTURE.-On Tuesday evening- a lantern lecture was given in the Recreation Hall in connection with the children's social evenings held in that place. The lecture, which was gi ven by the Rev. E. W. Evans (vicar), was entitled Christ's Ministry on Earth," and was illustrated by limelight views, the lantern being manipulated by Mr. A. Malpass. The lecture was a most instructive and interesting one, and was much appreciated.

I WREXHAM. I (See also page 7.) ANGLING ASSOCIATI()N. --Tlie annual meet- ing was hold at Wroxham oil Tuesday night., un- der tho presidency of Mr. E. Robertshaw. Major Leadbetter, Chief Constable of Denbighshire, wa.s re-elected president, and the following gentlemen wore appointed vice-presidents:— Mr. Hugh Peel, Captain f'Nab. Mr. Macara-Meredith, Mi*. T. Arthur Acton.. Mr. Ll. Roe-Brown, Mit. G. Bevan, Mr. E. Robertshaw, Mr. Topham, Mr. S. G. Jar- man and Mr. E. Jones. Sir Watkin Williams W yim was re elected patron. Mr. A. Kent Jones was re-elected treasurer, Mr. Hugh Gillespie was appointed secretary, and MIl. Stanley Williams assistant secretary. It was announced that a letter had been received from Mr. LI. Roe-Brown stating that during the coming season lie would permit the members of tho association to fish that portion of tho rivor Alyn over which he possessed the rightil free of charge.

RKKLEY SUDDEN DEATH OF MR. C. HARRIS.- Un Thursday morning the whole of this district was shocked to hear of the tragically sudden death of Mr. Charles Harris of Bickley Hall, which occurred about half-past eight on Wednesday evening. Mr. Harris, who was about 62 years of age, and had been in indifferent health for some time, appears to have taken his tea as usual and afterwards gone into the press house, where he was observed to be ill. Medical assistance was immediately obtained, hut Mr. Harris passed away without having recovered consciousness, the cause of death being apoplexy. The deceased gentleman, was one of the principal and also one of the oldest farmers upon the Cholmondeley estate, upon which he had lived all his life, and was a typical Cheshire farmer, He was bluff and genial, and a well-known and successful agriculturist. He leaves two sons And a daughter, together with a large circle of friends to mourn his loss and much sympathy is expressed for his family m their bereavement. Bickley Hall is an ancient and historic mansion of the Cholmon- deley family, to which they retreated during the Commonwealth when their estates were estreated by the Parliament for their adherence to the King, and in it died Robert Cholmondelev, Earl of Leinster, in 1659. For many years deceased was a familar figure at the anniversary of the Malpas Rose Club of which he was an ardent supporter. I

MALPAS. BALL -or, Wednesday night a successful ball was held in tho J uoileo Hall, under the auspices of tho Foothall C.ub. Piie attendance numbered | upwards of SO. The duties of M.C.'s weie vested in Messrs. Mlercer and J as. Baker. The music was furnished by Mr. A. Fletcher's string band. Br the effort £ 5. 12s. 4d. will be added to the fùncts of the dub. i ♦

WEAVEHHAM. DR. SMITH'S BEREAVEMENT.—A wide and sympathetiù circle oi friends will hear with sorrow of the demise of Mrs. Smith, of Ivy House, eaverham, fioni an attack of acute pneumonia contracted only a few aaj's ago. All that pro- icssiona.! experience and loving- care could do* proved unavailing, and she passed away on Wed nesday morning. Deep sympathy will go out to tho kind and busy doctor in this his great, loss. Tho funeral takes place at Wcaveriiam Parish Church to-day (Saturday) at one o'clock.

ROSSETT. THE LATE CAPT. GRIFFITH-BOSCAWEN. the local "Parish Magazine" for February, in the course of an appropriate allusion to the death of Captain Griffith-Bos;awon, says:—" For our- selves, wo can only regret that our con- nection with Rossctt has been so recent; we are unable to put. on record in a fitting manner the value of the services which ho rendered to the parish in different way-, during the long period of his residence in it. Wre venture to say this much. at any rate. that the congregation of the parish church were deeply indebted to him for his work as cnurchwarden during 15 years prior to 1836. and that their indebtedness would have been incteased had his life been prolonged and he had been able to continue for another term of years in the same office, which he was asked to resume last year, and which we may perhaps say without. a breach of conifdence was accepted by him in view of the approaching vacancy in tho living in order that his experience and help should be at tho disposal of the new incumbent. That sense of duty and that desire to be of use to others which were so conspicuous in his character were virtues which are none too common. Should others te inspired by his example to devote themselves with equal disinterestedness and attention to the. service-) of their fellow-men, then indeed his life will not have been spent in vain."

I FRODSHAM. THE DRY SEASON.- -Farmers hero are already commencing to grumble at the continued scarcity of water in consequence of the very unusually dry character of the winter months, PLEASANT SATURDAY EVENING.-A very nico programme was rendered by the Helsby I* roe Church Choir at tho last Saturday evening's gathering. It consisted of songs, recitations, etc. Mr. Low's Brandreth presided. MORTUARY.—A movement has recently been initiated for the providing of a mortuary for Frodsham, which has for a considerable period been a much-needed requirement. At the present time any body found in tho various waterways in dose proximity to the town and neighbourhood would perforce have to be taken in by one of the overseers, not a welcome idea for the persons concerned. PAROCHIAL COMMITTEE.—The monthly mooting was held on f riclay evening, there being present Messrs. H. M. Davies (chairman), P. Booth (vice-chairman). Frith, S. Davies. J. G. Davies, Youd, Shore, Rodgers, III dge, Wilkin- son. Jones. Ashton (clerk), Digglc (survevoi). and Harrington (collector).—A letter was read from Mr. Samuel Davies asking that the new water inaiii might be laid up the new street over land owned by Messrs. H. M. and J. G. Davies as ea.rlv as possible, as the erection of houses will be com- menced imm<d atoly.-Oll the proposition of Mr. Shoro. seconded by Mr. Youd, it was decided that the work be put in hand. and a suggestion was mado that the water engineers should do the work. MISSION WORK IN EAST LONDON.—On Wednesday afternoon the Rev. J. Flannagan, of London, preached in the Primitive Methodist Chapel. Frodsham, and in the evening a public meeting was held in the Drill Hall, where Air. Flannagan described his mission work. His object was to collect a sum of £ 3,500 with which to purchase the freehold of St. George's Hall in South-East London from the Mavor and Cor poration n and towards this he had coilected a sum of ±^.yn(™ JU. Much interest was manifested in Mr. rnnmigan's story, which was kept alive bv his narrating incidents which were of a ludicrous as well as of a pathetic character. A vote of thanks to Mr. Roger Lewis, who presided, terminated a most enjoyable address. BILLIARD MATCH.—The return billiard ma,tch between the Beaconsfield (Liverpool) and frodsham Conservative Clubs was played at Frod- sham on Wednesday cNeiiizig, and after the us nl pleasantly contested games resulted in a victory for the visitors by the narrow majority of 22 points, the scores being—Beaconsfield 825 points and Frodsham S03. At the clos- of the proceed- ings the hon. secretary (Mr. C. H. Hibbertt), on bolialf of tiie members, spoke in eulogistic terms with reference to the harmony and good feeling which had for so many years existed between tho two organisations, and thanked the visitors for their presence and the consequent enjoyable evening that had been spent, which Mr. Jenkins, on behalf of the Beaconsfield Club. reciprocated. Scores:—Beaconsfield: J. Downard 100 J. Nicholls 100. W. Berrv 91. T. Alexander 74 A. E. Page 100, R. J. Felton 100. C. Hunt 100? R. Page 82. W. Jenkins 80, A. N. Other 98: total 925. i rodsham: J. Gorst 88. J. Clarke 84, F W KHTVV l?ar\vin] 100, ?gt. J. W" H. Boorh R n; o8?6 J. ?'??. jun.. 94, "}/■ 5L ?- ?- ?'?'' 100, F. Glea™ 100 JT Hf-T olif land, sen.. 1CO: total 903. JOINT WATER COMMITTEE.-Th? monthly mcenng was held on Friday, there being pre?ut. MMsrs. James H. Utidgc (chainnan). Henry T,?y (vice-chairman), W. Youd, P. Booth, G. S. Frith, G. Rodgers, F. Basnett, H. M. Davies. J. J. Wilkinson, Jas. Andrews and G. F. Ashton (clerk).—The Clerk referred1 to the leakage of water from the Lordship mains, and which up to the present had not. been located, and mentioned! a system which would facilitate the object in view, aPPala,tlls- including three, meters, would cost ii>ooo 9. Os.Aftcr some. consideration it was decided that Messrs. Illidge. Tiley. Frith and Youd be appointed a committee to visit the Runcorn water mams where similar meters were in use, and report to a future meeting.—The Clerk produced his annual statement for the year ending Dec. 31. 1904. It appeared that the. water rates collected wore: Frodsham. £ 686. 7s. Id. Frodsham Lord- ship. £ 268. 13s. 7d.; total, JB955. Os. 8d. The. expenditure was as follows: Stationery, £ 7. 5s.; oil, £ 10. Os. 3d.; repairs. £ 8. 13s. 2d. c-oal, etc;. £ 1. 19s. lOd gas, JB129. 8s. 2d.; wages, £156 13, 6d. rate: £20. 19s. lid.; collcctors' salaries, £ 50; telephone. £ 5. 10s.; sundries, £ 7. 12s. 2d.; allowances. £ 14. 13s. 4d balance, JE516 12s. 6d.; total, £ 955. Os. 8d. Frodsham had a credit balance of LIOG. 3s. 9d., white Frodsham Lordship had an advorso hiil fin to of £119. 18s. 6d. The. statement was considered highly satisfactory in respect of I both:ownships.-From the report of the water rate* eoll.'vtors it appeared that for the quarter ending March 31 the water rates levied for Frod- sham were £ 175. 13s. Id. Of this sum £ 92 7s. 3d. had been collected, leaving £ 83. 5s. 5d. unpmd. Frodsham Lordship £68. 7s. 7d.. col- 6g. lid., leaving unpaid £ 20 Os. 8d. PIERROT CONCERT.—The recently-formed troupe of pierrots mado an auspicious debut to a large audience on Tuesday evening in the Town Hall. The fact of the members of the troupe being local artists doubtkss conduced to the great interest manifested by the inhabitants The in- wption of the undertaking took placein October last, Messrs. O. Holhnshead and P. Jones being the. prime movers and managers, the object being simply as a pleasant pastime for the long winter even nigs and a desire on behalf of the memoers io improve and cultivate whatever musical or vocal talents they possessed. The officials were elected as follows: -Mr. P. Jones chairman. Mr. Tom IMidgo hon. secretary and treasurer, and Messrs. R. Rodgers, H. BoHand. T. Tprner and G. Hollinshead committee. Mr. P. Jones acts as interlocutor and general manager of the troupe, and to him in particular great. credit is due for his labours on its behalf. The necessary costumes have been obtained, and the Parish Room used as a rendezvous for meeting and practising. The programme, which for an initial appearance was very creditably rendered, consisted ofOpening chorus, the Troupe; song". "Loverly Over." G. Hollinshead: "Varma GiJes." J. Rodgers; Land of Hope and Glory," Mr. T. Illidge: "Allays in Jail." Mr. R. Rodgers; Rock-a-bye." Mr. P. Jones; song and chorus, Playing on the old banjo," Mr. J. Rodgers; songs, "The old bull and bush." Air. T. Illidge; Farewell, my little Yo Zan." Mr. T. C'ark • "Home Songs," Mr. T. Turner; "Down the. road," Mr. R. Rodgers; "I'm tired." Mr. R. Rodgers. In addition to these vocal efforts, the two sketches, A Labour of Love," by Messrs. H. 1 ■ R. Haves, T. Clarke and P. Jones, and lee Judge." by Messrs. T. Illidge. George Hollinshead. W. Pover. J. Whitby" R. Hayes find P. Jones, met with a most hearty apprecia- tion, and the audience were kept in roars of laughter by the many comicalities of the actors and the funny situations which tho two plays evolved. Air. P. Jones must be complimented on his portrayal of the "young ladv." Special mention mint also be made of Messrs. T. Illidge and H. Rodgers. whose items met with enthu- siastic and deserving encores Mr. T. Turner acted as accompanist to the troupe.

LATEST MARKETS & FAIRS. LIVERPOOL CORN, FRIDIY. --Wl,,e.,tt market fair attendance, only quiet trade concluded at practically last Tuesday's prices. Flour quotations are i unchanged with better consumptive enquiry. Maize moderate. Business and values rather dearer. Mixed American. 4s. 2d. Turkish. 4s. ft.d. to 4s. lOd.; River Plate, 4s. lOd. per cental beans quiet, ad. per quarter decline. Peas tirOl, unchanged. Feeding barley steady, unchanged. CHESTER CATTLE, THURSDAY.-At this fair supplies were fair, but trade was slow. Prices shewed no change compared with those of last week. WHITCHURCH CHEESE, WEDNESDAY.- At fair the pitch was small, only 2U tons, and some big prices were realised for the best lots, finest grades being eagerly sought after by a numerous company of buyers, many of whom were uoable to obtain their requirements. The quality was variable, and medium and lower grades shewed no advance on recent quotations. Best sold at 70s. to 75s. per cwt., and medium and lower 53s to 694.

THORP'S Annual Sale now proceeding. Great Reductions in all departments at Thorp's Noted Establishment, The Eastgate (opposite Grosvenor Hotel). Ladies' Blouses, &c., a speciality. Printed and published for and on behalf of the Cheshire "nd North Wales Newspaper Company, Limited, by JAMES ALBKKT BIROHALIA at the ChAhire ObRe,o Office, 8, Bri<iv»-<r,reot. in the City of Chester.—SarufcinT, February 18, 1005.

I ARMY AND VOLUNTEERS. I (See als0 page 0.) 2ND V.B. CHESHIRE REGIMEN T.-Rk,g-i- mental orders by Colonel T. J. Smith. V.D., com- rnanding 2nd V.B. Cheshire Regiment, for week ending 25th Fc-bruary. 1905:-1. Drills, etc.: Com- i pany training, Wednesday. D Company, musketry, 8.50 to 9.30 p.m. A. B, C and E Companies. 7.30 to R.30 p.m. sections 64 to 85, infantry training and musketry exercises. Recruits' dri]!. -Monday. Wedmwby and Friday. at 7.30 p.m. Saitney— Company training, Tuesday and Thursday. 7.30 p.m., aiming drill and musketry exercises; f recruits' drill Tuesday and Thursday, at 7.30! p.m.. in the Institute. Signalling clans, Monday and Friday, at 7.30 p.m. Gymnastic class, Mon- | day. 8.30 p.m. voluntary practice, Friday, 8.30 p.m. N.C.O's proficiency class. Monday and Friday, at 7.30 p.m. Duties: Order'T oiticet for the week, Capt. W. A. V. Churton, for Lieut. E. D. Dickson. Battalion orderly sergeant. Cr.-Sergt. W. B. Richmond. Orderly sergeants: A Com- pany.. Lanoe-Sergt. Hadfielcl: B Company, Sergt. Tatier- C Company, Sergt. Haytor: D Company, Thomas; E Cornpanv, Scrgt. Fraser; K Company, Sergt Willetts.—By orde- (signed). W. Martin-Leake, Captain. Adjutant 2nd V.B. Ches. Rcgt.

HAWARDEN. I (See also page 7.) ORGAN RECITAL.—Mr. R. W. Pringle gave an organ recitaj at the parish church oil Wednes- day evening, when thert, was a good congregation. The programme comprised sonw of the best classical examples of the English, French and German schools, .and the performance was veil, successful, notwithstanding tho difficulty the or- ganist had to contend with owing to the poor acoust,io properties of the building and to the cramped position of the instrument- Mr. G. II. Plant (Cliester) gave altistie rcndcl ings of "Sing ye praise" (Mendelssohn's "Hymn of Praise") and Stainer's "My hope is in tho Everlasting," though he was evidently suffering from a severe cold. The following wa.s tho recital programme:—Organ Concerto, B flat (No. 6) (Handel); Canzone (King-ball) Choral with variations (II. Smart); Berceuse (Jocelyn) (B. Godard) Grand Chorus in D (Guilinajit); "Angels ever bright and fair" (Handel); "Avo Maria." (Areadelt) (16th Geutmy Air) (Liszt); Fugue (St. A-iin), E flat, (Bach).

I SANDYCROFT I (See alto -page 7.) INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS. -An inter- esting demonstration of the capabilities of the "Marviti-Sandycroft" electric rock drill took place recently at tho Llechwodd Quarry, Blaetiau Fes- tiniog. before a large and influential company of quarry owners^ consulting engineers, managers and others, who had been invited bv the Sundy- croft. Foundry Co., Ltd., to witness a. performance of these machines when drilling in slate and flint. (chert). The company first visited a shed where the generator was seen at work supplying the special current used for working the drills, and from there proceeded to the quarry (about. a quar- ter of a miie away), which had. through the good- will of Messrs. J. W. Greaves and Sons, been placed at the disposal of the Sandycroft Foundry for the day. The running of the drills was watched with lively interest, and checks were made of the rate of drilling results, shewing 24in. in five minutes in slate and nino in five minutes in "chert." Messrs. J. W. Greaves and Sons after- wards entertained the company at luncheon. A further demonstration of the drills was made in competition with the air drills, the result being much in fa.vour of the electric machine. Tho Marvin drills have been for some mouths in almost daily use a.t tho Llechwedd Qtiarrj-, and the ground broken by them in one month has consti- tuted a record, being over a hundred tons better than the air drill records.

I FLINT. I (See also page 7.) NURSING ASSOCIATION.—At the monthly meeting of the Flint District Nursing Association, held at tho Town Hall on Monday. a. letter was lead from Mrs. Mould', late of Cornist Hall, re- signing her position as piesident, of the associa- tion. Mrs. Mould has acted as president of the association since 1901, and her loss will be felt by the- association. BILLIARDS.—There was intense inteiest in the meeting of the Unionist and Radical Clubs in a Deo District League engagement, wjjich took place at the Unionist C.uh on Wednesdaj' even- ing. The Unionists still boast of an unbeaten record in the league, and on Wednesday evening they had little difficulty in comfortably disposing of their near rivals. Score: -Cotis(,,vatlves: G. Clews 100, E. B. Christophcrson 67, Robert Jones 100. W. Hughes 100, T. Edwards 100. Alec Hughes 100. total 567. Radicals: J. II. Jones 73" E,. J. Hughes 100, D. Hughes 43, E. A. Hughes 46, R. Jones 57, T. Reavan 81, total 400. LIBERAL CLUB.—The annual meeting was held on Tuesday. Mr. W. F. Jones occupied the chair. The secretary's and treasurer's report? shewed that there had been an increase in the membership during the year. The ex- penditure had be-en J379, and a balance remained of £5. Dr. J. Humphrey Williams moved the adoption of the reports, which was carried. Alderman J. L. Muspratt, who has taken up his residence at Oornist Hall, Flint, where his father lived for many years, was re-elected president, and Messrs. W. F. Jones and T. B. Hughes vicie- presidents. Messrs. R. Nesbitt and R. Jones were appointed secretary and treasurer respcc- tively.

I NESTON. I (See also vaae 7.) A JANUARY BUTTERFLY.—A day or two ago a gaudy butterfly flew ill at the open door- way of Mr. T. Griffith's establishment in Higlt- stiv,-t. and was promptly captuiod. Great. care, is taken of the gay prisoner, who is. said to take his meal: as regtilarlj- as the members of the family. The appearance of such a. visitor speaks volumes for the mildness of the seaOll. WIRRAL EDUCATION MATTERS. A meeting of the Neston and Belnngton Education COlUmittee was held on Thursday evening at Hooton. Mr. J. J. Evans presiding.—The Clerk reported that the Neston Urban Council had appointed Dr. Yeoman and Col. Lloyd as managers of the Neston Temporary School. The committee appointed Mr. J. Pemberton. Mr. P. N. Stone, the Rev. J. Towert, and Mrs. Norman Hill.—Miss Caulce, of Bebington School, was appointed an assistant at the Neston Temporary School.— Regarding the Ellesmere Port National Girls' School, H.M. Inspector of Schools, wrote that the average attendance must not be allowed to exceed 124. The staff should be at once strengthened so as to meet the requirements of the code.—Mr. W. R. Redman (county inspector) exp ained that a special inquiry by that committee into the school accom- modation at Ellesmere Port would shortly be necessary.—Mr. W Peel said there were 15C girls on the roll and the attendance was restricted to 124. Thev at once had a difficulty in enforcing atten- dance in view of that restriction. The sooner they set about it the better, as it always took sometime to got the plans into shape —The Chairman said there was a slight improvement in school attendance in the Neston district, and a slight falling off in the Sutton district. Ellesmere Port was about the same.