LONDON AND LOCAL NOTES. FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS I Friday Night. The weather being warm and the banks of the Thames being oooler than the by-streets of Belgravia and Afayfair, bon. member* 8trolleddown to their little Palace in num- bers sufficient to make a really big House for a morning sitting. The first order of the day :ol\:)gn '{: :oere sub- ject in itself of some importanoe, and of a certain attraction to many bon. gentlemen. Nor was tbe road into Committee obstructed by the usual numberof obstacles. The ques- tion mongers having apparently exhau.zxth,?? available store of grievanoes, and a fresh stock not having come to hand, these gentlemen found their ingenuity unequal to their desires. You may rely upon it that thelrisbChief Secretary, at all events, did not oomplain. Indeed, this inuch-badgerod-oftioerof the Irish Government presented quite a radiant aspect this afternoon. The few questions upon the paper being disposed of, the House glidod into Committee upon the Reform bill. Air. 1 jtbouchere inter- posed between Mr. Warton and the House in order that at the outset of tbe sitting time might not be needlessly expended. Was it true, asked the hon. member for Northamp- ton, addressing himself to Sir Stafford North- cote, tuat the Lords intended to throw out the Bill when it reached their lordships' Hoose He addressed his question to Sir S. Nortboote, as he oontinued to recognise the right hon. baronet as the leader of the Opposition iu that Boue, Sir S. Nortboote, however, was not to be thus beguiled, an-? be declined, by his silence, to answer for a Chamber with whichl b. had not the honour of being conneoted. The principal share of the discussion to-day was devoted tn the proposal made by Lord Claud Hamilton in favour of excluding Ire- land from the provisions of the HIJI. Mr. Brodrick, who appeared for the noble lord, contended, unconscious of the oau of the laughter of the House, that we were about to t?he a leap in the dark before which the Int leap ?-a a Ufa bite." Thia aughtor w" music to the ears of Mr. Gorat whom the hon. member had admonished a few minutes previously for having discovered a sadlien oontidance in Irish loyalty. But Mr. Trevelyau resisted the proposal, contend- ing that the exclusion of Ireland from the enjoyment of the franchise would be inter- preted in that country as an expression of English distrust, and would at once be fol- lowed by an agitation for entire political severance from Great Britain. Mr. C. Lewis delivered a substantial attack upon the deter- mination of the Government to foroe this Bill through Parliament without at the same time dealing with the question of redistribu- tion. lie invited the Upper House to throw the measure out 011 grounds o1.lublic expe- diency. After some incoherent remarks from Dr. 1,3 otii;, Mr. H. Pluuket denied that the fran- chise was extended as a right, but was ex- tended upon the supposition that the working classes might be entrusted with the powers. I hat could not be accepted as a governing supposition in the case of the people of Ire- speech was characteristic and eloquent. It made a sensible effect upon Mr. (iladstone, who could not resist the tempta- tion to reply to it, and his reply, both as to ita matter and as to its manner, was impassioned and energetic. He declined to place Ireland in a disloyal minority, or to sub- scribe to the humiliating predictions of the right hon. gentleman (Mr. Plunket). The speech was brief, but full of tire and energy, and it made a marvellous effeot upon the strangers, whom it rewarded for a dull afternoon, and a loud oheer followed its con- clusion. iSir Stafford Nortbcote ntplied vigorously, and the debate was afterwards adjourned, the sitting being suspended at seven o'clock, The proceedings to-day at the Counoil of the National Union ofConxervativeAMocia- i n Jot n:n:l;"r\;t\'h::ii opposition to Lord Randolph Chnrobill's re- election came to nothing. It being under- stood that Lord Churchill was willing to act in harmony with the leaders of thopilrty, and to withdraw his resignation of the chair- manship, he was re-elected unanimously. The question of the reorganisation was much dis- cussed, and its further consideration post- poned. Lord Randolph Churchill was not present at the meeting. Although the Council of Aberystwitb Col- lege have accepted with" earnest gratitude the sop of t2,.500 a year extended to them by the Government, it is by no means oertain that the matter will pass through the House of Commons without protest. Mr. Stanley Leigbton's notice of motion is still upon the paper of the House, and if the hon, member perseveres support will be given him by members sitting upon the Liberal side. Should it be pressed to a division, the issue would be whether the Government will give an annual grant of £ 4,000 or 22,5w. Itwill be interesting to watch whether the Welsh members will vote for Wales or for the (io- vernment. As I predicted weeks ago, the Government, although it can do nothing and will promise nothing with regard to tho Welsh Inter- mediate Education Bill, has found time to introduce the Bill for creating a Minister for Scotob business. The Scotch members waited upon the Government shortly before Easter, and they have had what they asked for. The Welsh members have been timidly doing nothing for years, and are likely to continue doing it for the remainder of tho-.ir Parlia- mentary career. tIIr, Henry Richard could imperil the exiatenoe of the Government in the interests of Soudani Arabs, but goes to no such lengths for his own oountry in en. Politics in Cardiganshire appear to be very mixed just at present. A little knot of rural politicians in the lower portion of the oounty, aided by mercenaries from Pembrokeshire, seem to have taken it upon themselves to uraign and, without a hearing, condemn arraig l unty member. Vainly imagining, of con rae, that there can be no appeal tfem < their daoijiou, with tias ohartoina lovo of freedom which characterise, the Caucus, they have decided that th»re must be a general shutlle of curds. Mr David Davies, M .P., ill to be conmiaiKied tl) abandon the boroughs, and to stand for the county, and svhwbudj < i. to step inlu :\1 r, ]>avie»s shoes. J11 London political ciick-s this "IW¿.,rl'l is known as Asa's pt- a name dec"d(?div too redolent of the pu^ilistio "ring" to be applied to a legal luminary of Nonconformist proclivities. I bis is on], ai < t j proof of bow earnestly canl1;datel fot 11; lliam iitary honours should pray tu 1; de!J\,ej fro III their fri,,¡¡ùs, Sir John Jones Jenkins's Bill, dealing with leaseholds, is down for second reading uu the 10th of June. I. J. JI. Puleston, M.P,,wb« has a country seat near Ruthin, and i, I believe, a Denbighshire man, has promised to preside over a dinner of Ruthinites resident m London, on Saturday next, at the llolborn Restaurant.—Mr. Stanley Leighton, M.P., treasurer of the Society of Ancient Britons, has received a letter from Sir Henry Pon- sonby, saying that the Queen was much gra- tified by the kind expressions contained in the address reoently presented to her Majesty by tbe society 011 tbe death of the Duke of Albany.—'ihe picturesque etory of Sir Watkin Wynn being wheeled into the House in a Bath chair to take part in tbe Vote of Censure division is an invention of the journal which Mr. Lewis Morris called the assonant Echo." Sir Watkin and Lord Emlyn Lotb paired against the Government. egterda, I referred to the terrible judg. ment which had fallen upon Mr. Henry Irving for having shocked the sensibilities of the Saotch Sabbatarians. It may comfort the great tragedian to know that he is not the tirst eminent member of his profession who has been the target of sectarian bigotry. Whilst Charles Matthews, the comedian, was playing at New York, U.S., in 1623, he wrote home to a friend in Ergland- My 'u. b"" (W York) h?, d??. down 0,. vengeance of ?,h,) is popular in his wa y Be pre.u.bed a :rU:a'Ih. h;I:j/i¡ .?nt for Public 8ins;" 1. which b. p.t?'. -t the causes of the Jate urRe to the city. The theatre—ana me in 11Icutar-ror by a most amuving atjachrontau; he makes out that t>y drawing crowds tQ6(et-her 11t ,?e,.t?r was .fh causes of a pestilence wl.idi c'mm'netd In jiy.T? ke his own ?."is a* published b, himself. What, 1 pray you, are we to think of Ih state of society among ut, when, at the very moment that God'e pestilence was heaviest upon us, we are credibly Informed. In une of our public Gazettes, tiiat the non-appearance of a celebrated comedian (Mathews) upon our stage, in oonsequence of our calamity, lad -t u,?b KloMD over our ItY the fever ttaelf tt, 'r?, that bt of (Satan, Mint nur;ery for hell, is overflowing ni,ht .ftr night with our cHimns, to witn?.. h. mhrdcr," ot an acu>r wbom Gud Almighty sent here at thievery time in Bis wrath, as a better q-iitid. by .11 aooount., thaa any th,r in the world to dinipat? ever y aenous reflection, and he:li tful;i:ne.verl' 1.?b t;c.,ft as a community, bave we not deserved God's ehutl. m.n? Can we not find in this thirst after dlssipatioii a fruitful oause of late calamity 1" The foregoing is certainly a heavier accusation than has yet been brought against Mr. Irving and for that he must be thankful. I have before me a copy of the G hue titer Herald for Saturday, the 8tb of February, 1823, oontaining some curious items of local intelligenoe. One of these is to the effect that Wednesday se'nnight being tbe anniversary of his Moat Gracious Majesty's acceasion to the throne, the inhabitants of the loyal aud ancient borough of Brecon testified their joy in tbe most public and heartfelt manner. During tbe day the belle of the different churches rang merry peals, and in the eveniug there was a grand boDtire and a display of fireworks. Breoon, which had beeu before partially lighted with gas, was on that night brilliantly illuminated with the beautiful light, whtch almost equalled the tpUndour lit a summer't dtiy. The effect to the public ap- peared highly pleasing, and to the engineer .Mr. Sroadmeadow, must have been most gratifying." I am afraid the quality of Breoou gas has sadly deteriorated since those happy days—or rather night-o-of 01 years ago. How funnily all this reads in these times of electrio lighting! "1 was eurprilled," said a friend to me som, days AKO, to learn from a letter in the columns of the Western Mail that the Cymmrodorion Society of London is in a state of decadence. As one of the founders, I witnessed the very great difficulties of the society in its early days, some ten years ago. Theotherday 1 consulted tbe lastannuai report and I see tbat in a very brief period of time the number of tHe subscribers has been more than doubled. That number is constantly in- creasing, and I should say tbat the mem- bers form one of the strongest of the national associations who are banded together for the encouragement of arohteologr, literature, and art. Mistakes in the management may have been committed and may be committed again, but I venture to believe that in many resDeots the Cnll- mrodorion are by far line .v. institution Wales has ever pos.se»«v»M^ The generous example set by .Hijwi a. Gilbertaon's workmen, with respect to the Swansea Hospital, is already bearing gooii fruit. Jam sure the friends of the Institution in question will be pleased to hear df the liberal decision which has been come to by the men employed at the Elba Steel Works I understand that they have met togetbei to discuss the best means of assisting the Hospital, and have finally resolved that each man shall subscribe a quartet of a day's pay on the Isth of June, Tht most gratifying part of the auair is the perfect unanimity which prevails upon the point. It is but a further proof that the practical sympathies of the Welsh working man are easily reached when the obiect is a deserving one. I confidently expect that other large bodies of workmen in the neigh- bourhood will follow suit.

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