The Western Mail

SOUTH W'.iiËš-TiDE T.ŒI.F. SOUTH W?LEa TIDE TABLE I 1 5 | i § I | | | I: | i I I I+: 1 I 7 f6 I-w;;{ liïz."rm' ,1 6 11 6'i5-i!iJ-;¡6rjll n.,8<1111, .Ev"I' 6 56j 0411 6 5 7 61 7 36 I Dec 14  J S I 22 3 i 22 0 35 9 36 3 ™" U9,1"7 7 I 7 13: 8 ainl day 43 7 211 7 42 8 8 26 Dc, 15 [f.i" 34 9 I 32 10 I 22 7 36 "8 37 3 :Mor'lII' 8 7 ? 7'65 ) a 6"H M') 8'49 Dea 6 1 Eveiuii 8 31 I 8 19 | 8 30 9 23 9 13 Dec. (Ho'«ht 34 6 I 32 6 22 1 35 5 J6 11 ?r- ? M..?.? ? 8 54 I f 43'r8?rr9?rr?' ? !)?'7?'"? 9t9?98!916;09M2 ——?"??-???11?1 7j?l4'?54 35 10 SnndtT. ) ?" 'K I 9 ?? ) 33 'J 4? 10 ?6 j 10 21 da AIv.-19'ï3¡-9-:f51-;¡4'.JJoI.6T1õ27 H 32 10 306 120 3i 43 9 1 34 2 "East Dock Sill. J AicMudm'Uock tlio?nbasu.

WEATHER FORECAST. I YE'T"BDT'8 FOMC4ST. I YE4TERDAY'R WSiTIIIIt.  b; g N.wu?.ht.dun. 11, t?, /iur ut iirst. ?Lf?, I.te?. iHSUJCDFmOKTHK M»T*OKOI.OaiCiI,OF*ir)r AT 8.30 F.V.  *• "•■hor throufho?t. the West of ).' f ?"? "? for t0..i? <W?tMC9?T) ? "M?? foD.?.?tf?,.??? wiirfs, fair i3 e,u 11 Jan lly, bwt ;ott,!?.?,

TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL. D*T« I 'I'tSHlUTCBI, [ "liA|7llTL Mo?. Miu. MMn 9 n.in. 9 p.m. ToU W?u?.]? 7! 65 42 '<a? "I 3 i?' 8 « 41 I 44-5 'W -12 I -U 9, 51 4, 45 5 *— I '28 SJ at.urday—'10 53 45 49'5 -CO! ? "00 53 5 1 5 &,0 .0o '00 i oo Mo'i'lfddY .i !i2 i 55 10 52:5 .o i,' '03! '03 1112 31 64 45 52-5 -to -031 '03 rlu, esd?ay.|13| 54 45 I 49'5 -00 '00 i -CO

BAROMETRICAL INDICATIONS. A, i. 11 the barometrical roadinw for the 48 hours ended Tuesdav midnight, as regis- tered at the Mail Omce, Cardiff. The instrument is 33ft. above sea level.

lwxnu A PI'OI NT ME NTS. HARRIERS. I CaiciHOWKLL—Saturday, Dec. 17, Cwmbannwr — 11 a.m. MRS. PIITSI-RICII'S—Thursday, Dec. ?' The KClluels-ll a.m. ? FOXHOUNDS. C.t.RIURTHEIŒU,nK.-}'riday, Dec. ?' ?'?Ht -10.45 16. OLiMoaoAHsniBr—Wednesday, Dec. 14, Three 'idtty, Dec. 16, Village; Moudar, Dee. 19, Bryn Sadd„ler Wednesday, Dec. 21, l'nn- cross Bani; Saturday, Dec. 24, Ely Bridge—10.45 a.m LORD iaxDEUAii's—Thursday, Dec. 15. Llauederue — ila.m. LLiKoiDBr—Tuesday, Dec. 13, Blue Bell, Went- wood; lr:day, Dec. 16, The Iiolge Wood—10.30 l.LAMGisnion-Tuesauy, Dec. 13, Pontyrhyl j i nday, Deo. lo. Ty-Robert-10 ",m, Llauvetherine 1 1 l MR. CURRB'S—Thursday, Dec. 15, The Dalkins -11.11>. Ma. SITUOCR ALLXxis-r,,i(I.,y, Dec. 16, Llanfnltcj P I), 20. KiWetty Stalion Fri- day, JL>ec. 25, IsarbertU —11 a.m. ^KMSiiOKKSHiat-Thursday, Dec. 15. Triffleton Bridge—11a.m. Dec. 15, Pant?wyn—11a.m. *STRAD—Tuesday, Dec. 13,Cresar Arms—10.30 t..m Friday, Dec. 16. Gellyfoliog Farm-9 a.m.

LLANDAFF CATHEDRAL SERVICES. Wednesday, December 14.-Six p.m.: Gadsby in C: anthem, "Hosanna in the highest" (Stainer). Thursday. December tS.—Six p.m.: Walmisley D minor; anthem, "The grace of God (Barnby). Friday, December 16.—Six p.m.: Rogers in D- anthem, Now we are ambassadors," How lovely" (Mendelssohn). Saturday. December 17.-Six p.m.: Elvey in A; anthem, "The Wilderness (Goss).

Telephone: National. 602. Post-omos. 96. Telesrrtuns: "Mail," Oarditf. London omoe: C-1. Floet-street. E.O.

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SUMMARY OF NEWS. Important correspondence between Sir William Harcourt and Mr. John Morley with reference to the Liberal leadership is pub- lished in the present issue. It is rumoured in Calcutta that the Mad Fakir has taken refuge in Pitai. The Nawab of Dir meanwhile maintains a strong watch at the border posts. The Sirdar arrived at Port Said on Tuesday, and proceeded for Cairo. The "New York World" states that Mr. Joseph Choate, of New York, will he appointed United States Ambassador to Great Britain. The ashes of Columbus were transferred from the cathedral in Havannah on Monday for removal to Spain to the Spanish warship Conde de Venadito. A shell exploded on Monday while being loaded in one of the chambers of Fort Con. stantine at Cronstudt. Nine soldiers were killed on the spot and three officers wounded- o:io of them severely—by the effects of the explosion. Seven soldiers were also badly injured. A daring attempt at train wrecking w,is made on the North-Eastern Railway at Cam- bois, Northumberland, on Tuesday morning. This is the second attempt in the district, but no arrest has yet been made. Thomas Daley, a labourer, was executed at Maidstone oil Tuesday morning for murdering Sarah Ann Penfold, at Chatham, on June 4. At Worship-street on Tuesday Kate Marshall, a whip-maker, was committed for trial charged j with tho murder of her sister. I At Leeds Assizes on Tuesday Peter Keeling, 31, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Joseph Croft at Shipley, and was sentenced to ten year6' penal servitude. At the London Mansion Honse on Tuesday Evan Cameron was fined £100 for keeping rooms for the purposes of betting. A daring jewel robbery was committed in Stockport on Monday night, at the premises of Mr. Jacob Ginter. The thieves forced an entrance into the shop, and decamped with about £1,000 worth of jewellery, chiefly from trays in the window. The Central News Lancaster correspondent telegraphs that Sir Thomas Storey died on Tuesday morning, at Lancaster, aged 73. At the London Mansion House on Tuesday Frederick W. Taylor, who was arrested oil Saturday night for creating a disturbance at the Bank of England, was charged with being a wandering lunatic. The magistrate ordered prisoner's removal t-o the City Lunatic Asylum at Stone. The sailors' and firemen's agitation in Liver- pool collapsed on Tuesday. An illuminated address was presented to Mr. Alfred Thomas. M P., by the Cardiff Liberal Association on Tuesday nisrht, in recognition ot his election to the chairmanship of the Welsh Liberal Parliamentary party, in suc- cession to the late Sir George Osborne Morgan. Money was more useable on Tuesday, but short loans were still easy at 2J—but fixtures ranged from 2J to 3 per cent., and advances into January 3J per cent. On the Stock Exchange attention was largely directed to the carrying-over.

Sir Edmund Monson in his latest speech has endeavoured to pour oil on the troubled waters of French feeling during the last few days, and matters in the French capital in future are likely to proceed with their accustomed smoothness. Sir Edmund takes a most hopeful view of the political situation as between this country and France, and believes that with the close of the year all echoes of Fasliotla and the Babr-el-Ghazal will have died away. With his prophetic eye he foresees a grand alliance springing up < between Great Britain, France, and America, and he believes they are destined to become the three great leading factors in the civilisation of the world. The French ear was rnado to receive a little llatterv—a trait, no doubt, with which Sir Edmund Monson is pretty well icrluainted. I

Dr. William Jenuer, whose death is now reoordml, was for many years one of the most prominent figures in British medical circles. A man of great ability, he acquired tho highest distinction in his pro- fession, and had the good fprtune of being introduced to the notice of Royalty. For thirty years ho was' a persona grata at Court, was medical adviser and physician to the Queen, attended the Prince Consort in his last illness, and nursed the Prince of Wales when suffering from typhoid fever. He was also one of the physicians whose services were called in in the case of the fatal illness of the Princess Alice. Thus, on account of his long connection with the Royal Household, the Queen looked upon liim with no little regard and attachment, and his name is mentioned in several places in her "Diary." He retired from practico about seven years ago, and since then his strength and health gradually declined under the weight of years. He was presi- dent of tho Royal College of Physicians for thp seven years from 18S1 to 1SJ8.

Many and varied are the designs made during each year with a view to minimising tho risks of collisions at sea. In this connection the mind of tho inventor is generally turned to the production of some improvement or innovation which shall reduce the danger "after" the crash has occurred. An Italian engineer has now, however, come forward with an invention which, if it fulfils all that is claimed for it, should go far in tho direction of removing the primary peril of the actual collision. His design tnkes the form of a brake, which, it is said, will act with almost instantaneous effect. In some experiments recently made at Fiume on a ,OOO-tor.. steamer fitted with the inven- tion tho vessel, although travelling at the rate of twelve knots, is reported to h¡¡vc been completely stopped in thirty seconds, during which time she only proceeded about fifteen yards. The brake, so we are told, has the additional advantage of needing only the turn of a handle to apply it, and the reversal of the engines is un- necessary. Further, the apparatus can bo fixed to any vessel, and at a compara- tively small cost. Truly, this is a glowing prom'so for the future security of our ships, but one which we are loth to confess a great deal of scepticism about.

In the fourth annual report. of the Church Historical Society complaint is mado that the society's publications are not sufficiently known and read. This is a great pity, as some of them arc very ably written, and if circulated throughout tlia length and breadth of the country and "read would prove useful in removing many false impressions, and placing the case of the Church in a light much more strong and attractive. The society itself, however,, must be held partly responsible for tho limited scope of its influence, for it docs not seem to have endeavoured to find out the places which stand most in need of encouragement and help. More- over, some of its publications may on his- torical, doctrinal, or logical grounds be strong enough, but they are written in such a ponderous, unattractive style that I their reading becomes more a penance than a pleasure. In the malter of style some English controversialists have much to learn from their opponents. Only the other day a treatise (at least, we may call it by that name) on one of the most abstruse and difficult subjects which any man could take up appeared, and yet such was the ability of the writer and his mastery of the English language that even a schoolboy could understand and follow his line of reasoning.

EXIT HARCOURT. In political circles in London and else- where yesterday discussion chiefly turned on the rumoured resignation of Sir William Harcourt from the leadership of the Liberal party. A statement to that effect was first given currency in the "Evening News," a Unionist paper, and this was said to have come from "a trusted source." Confirmation of the report, however, was slow in coining, until last night, when surmise and anxiety were sot at rest by a document published by the Central News Agency, in the form of a long letter from Sir William Harcourt him- self to his friend and quondam colleague, Mr. John Morley. In this letter Sir William declares that he has finally decided to retire from his position as leader, and explains the circumstances and reasons which have induced him to come to his decision. Tho letter, in fact, is a brief resume of the history of the party from about the time Mr. Gladstone was about to disappear from the arena, and, though Sir William employs diplomatic language in expressing his feelings, he does not endeavour to conceal his disgust at the treatment which his ungrateful friends have meted out to him. Admitting that he has been guilty of the sin by which the angels fell, no person, not even his bit- terest opponents, can deny that he has always been actuated by a high sense of public duty and a. devotion to party second to none in the Liberal ranks. His party are indebted to him for great and signal services both in and out of the House of Commons, but wo know of no leader who is less beholden to his party for support and encouragement than Sir William Har- court. It is true that in 1895 the Liberal party were given a blow from the effects of which they still reel and are likely to feel for many years to come. But there is no reason why they should hold Sir William responsible for all the ills which have befallen them. The Gladstone-Rosebery Government, we ?are awar(,, st:iii(is out conspicuously in English history for its blunders and failures, and Sir Williarji Harcourt was a prominent member of it. But it is only fair to state that whatever success that Government scored came from the Chun- eellor of the Exchequer. The disasters which the party experienced, therefore, in 1895, when the day of reckoning came, cannot with justice be laid to the account of Sir William alone, but should be divided in due proportion to their deserts between him and his colleagues. In his reply to Sir William, Mr. John Morley, with great reason and sympathy, deals with this aspect of the question, and admits that his friend's present position is due to no other cause than his inability to "work miracles." However, the circumstances only help us to realise once more the truth of tho saying that there is no gratitude in polities. Tho question may be asked, What has induced Sir William to choose the present tinle as jthe fittest for retiring H The answer is a veity simple one. Circum- stances have forced '/lim to. The situa- tion has become so strained as to be un- bearable, and no man with a spark of self- respect, let alone any 'Jiigher motives or considerations, would continue to hold the position. Sir William's 0 ill words urn: "I am not, and I shall notlbe, a candidate for any contested position. J I shall not be a party to such a degradation of the tone of public life in this country." For many months Sir William has been made a butt by a certain section of the Liberals who have developed a decided friendship for Lord Rosebery. During the past three .years the ex-Premier has played his card., with consummate skill, and stands im- mensely higher with his party than he did in 1895. As was observed in this column some days ago, the popular policy nowa- days is Imperialism. Tho Liberals are keen enough to discern the success which has followed Lord Salisbury's Administra- tion and the high opinion and confidence ho has inspired at home. Imperialism also must bo tho rallying cry and policy adopted by the Liberals if they are ever to succeed, and so they have looked out for the mar. who is to load them to victory on those lines. That man is Lord Rose- bery, and it is of him Sir William thinks in expressing his determination not to be a candidate for "any contested position." Next Friday, at a meeting of the Liberal Federation at Birmingham, the ques- tion of leadership will have to be settled, and Sir William Harcourt has sufficient sagacity and foresight to divine what the reslilt of tho "contest" would have been had ho consented to stand. This he will not do, but prefers adopting a more dignified course. We must confess that thf correspondence which has passed between him and Mr. Morley reflects the highest credit upon both, but, on the other hand, it serves to show the utter demo- ralisation to which tho Liberal party have been reduced.

THE HARP OF WALES. WALES IN THE PRE-PIAXO AGES. [BY "MOIilEN."] There, is a widespread impression among English readers that the harp came to Wales from Ireland. As the late Rev. Thomas Price (Carnhuanawe), rector of Cwmdu, Crickhowell, points out in his invaluable "History of Wales," published in the Welsh language- which history, by the way, ought to be re-pub- lishcd with iIlustratiom-is due to tire incor- rect translation of an expression by I'cwel]. OmfTyth ap Cynan, King of North Wales, who lies buried on the south side of the great altar of Bangor Cathedral, wai.5 captured in an ambuscade and imprisoned in Chester Castle sixteen years. Some time afterwards, after a series of engagements, he fled to Ireland, where he was hospitably entertained for two years. Sometime after his return home, in the reign of Henry I., lie commanded an eis- teddfod to be held at Caersw^, in accordance with very ancient usage. That congress of the bards and minstrels of Wales was pro- claimed throughout Great Britain, exactly as Edward III. in 1344 proclaimed the Round Table to be liolden at Windsor Castle in honour of his son, the Black Prince of Wales. But Edward III. had the proclamation made also on tto Continent of Europe. As near as I can make out, the eisteddfod at Cardigan Castlo took place in 1098, or exactly eight centuries ago. The Normans had crushed the liberties of England in 1066, and William the Conqueror had knelt at the shrine at St. David's, and the Cymry, no doubt delighted that one who was really a Breton, and, therefore, of their own kith and kin, had crushed the common foe in England. In no other country than Wales do we find a. King assembling the bards and minstrels to engage i" the harmony of sweet sounds and the gifts of poetry. In a former sketch the writer called atten- tion to the fact that the inhabitants of Ireland are referred to by two names, viz., Gwyddel or Fichti, or Picts, indicating that Ireland was then occupied by two distinctly separate nationalities. I hold that the Gwyddelians of Ireland were the descendants of the thousands of learned liritons, mostly ministers of religion who hade.,caped acn, the sea into Ireland in the time of the Roman massacres in Britain. One is disgusted at the abominable practice ot modern Welsh writers, who pollute the stream of truth by changing Gwyddel to "Goidel," a name which has no etymological meaning in any language under the heavens. It is a name as baseieos as the Rev. Baring Gould, M.A.'s statement, mada recently in a Pembrokeshire journal, that "cromlech" is a French (!) name. Now. in Welsh a harp is called Telyn, and a fiddle is named crwth (crooth). A gentleman of keen observation, who. with another, repre- sented the Gorsedd of Wales at the Dublin Eisteddfod, tells me a harp is called crooth in Irish! It, seems like a desecration to suggest that if this be true Tom Moore's well-known lme-j, "The harp that once through Tara's halls The soul of music shed Now hang3 as mute on Tara's walls As if that soul were fled," would convey to a native Irishman the idea that the crwtb, or crooth, "that once in Tara's hulls, an expression which would sugge,t to a Welsh Briton that The fiddle that once in Tara's halls The soul of music shed. We know that the Welsh name Telyn is really Ii-Lull, or the Image of the letter "D" ot the Bardic alphabet, and that crwth signi- fies "C" and Rhwth, the C being an hieroglyphic taken from the same alphabet, and rwth is an allusion to the movement of the arm when engaged in playing. Thus we establish that both Telyn and Crwth are primitive Cymric, or Welsh, names of the instruments. But how came the Irish to mistake the WcN1- Telyll (Harp) for the Welsh crwth, and to give the latter name t,o it? The national musical instrument of the Picts and Scots was the bagpipe. But we meet with the difliculty that in Gaelic the instrument i, called Bihroeh which is obviously Pibgroch or the Vehement Pipe, a pure Welsh compound name, We learn from an ancient writer n'lmed Robert Gruffydd that at the Caersws Einedd- fc;d, tie Kin- (iruffydd ap Cynati. soiizht to introduce Oe-introducef) to Wales the Bibroch. The bards made merry, states Robert Gruffydd over the Bibroch, and prohibited it. But, he continues, the King gave the prive, it, gold I)il)e, to player from 8cot1and IUHrnhuanawg, 1J. 532). It. i, however, admittod that the bard accepted several reforms from the King suggested them on the basis of the custom of Ireland. It is right to state here that Giraldus ( ambrensis in 1187 gives the palm for music to the Irish people, whose Htyle wa fat and lively. while that of the Britons was slow and m -lodious. What Powell says is that to some measure ("mewn modd") the Irish, or rather Gwyddehan, style from that period guided the styie of music among the natives of Wales In 1107 Prince Cadwgnn ap Bleddvn ap Cvnfyn gave a splendid reception to the Gorsedd at the c.a.,tie of Cardigan. This eisteddfod is often ?,)nfouii(led T'h that of Caersw about the veor 1098. In year 1175 Lord Eh? ap Gruffydd. regn)us of South Wale (apart from Gtamorgan and Mor?nwg). zt?e a spfendid ?e.ssieedlTdffoT d at r Cardigan Castle. But the harp of Wa)es is referred to upward, of a century before King Gruffydd ap Cvn-tn'- ..vile m Ireland, in the L-.ws of Wales (Hove!) Dda s compilation). The fol:owing triad is verv ancient:-The three treasures of a nation: A book, a harp, and a sword, and nc. man is to be deprived of them by the order of any court whatever. In the Royal feast the homer Place was next to the heir to the thonc Tlrs was in honour of the sacred instrument and

DIPHTHERIA IN CARDIFF. LARGE INCREASE DURING LAST MONTH. The medical officer of Cardiff (Dr. Walford), in his report to the health committee on Tues- day for the four weeks ended December 3, stated that the number of cases of diphtheria notified during that period was 78, compared with 32 in the previous four weeks.—Mr. Allen tailed attention to this increase, and Dr. Wal- ford stated that the whole of the surrounding districts of Glamorganshire were at the present moment suffering from a considerable access of diphtheria, and the increase in Cardiff was probably dua to the number of cases in ths immediate neighbourhood. The increase wa<» distributed fairly throughout the entire dis- trict.

I SIR STAFFORD NORTH COTE TO fcPEAK AT SWANSEA. I H'r Stafford Northcote, Bart.. MP.. presi- dent of the A.S(jated Chambers of c..i,=: bai accepted the invitation of the Swtn,m Chamber of Commerce to attend the minnal banquet of the swmea Chamber, on the 11th of January next.

LONDON LETTER. 1 SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT STANDS ASIDE. THE INEVITABLE ENDING OF PARTY INTRIGUE. 10, 10, WlHTRFJUAIiS-STREKT, FlEKT-STRRRT J.O:-lDON. TrBKDAT N'JlJnT. The evening papers have to-day Ixvn booming a statement about Sir William Hnrcourt's impending resignation. In- quiries in inspired circles during tho day did not lend either to a confirmation or denial of the story. "No :;t.itement can be made at present" was tha answer from a "very high quarter." The period covered j by the phrase "at present" proved very short, for with the t;k, announccmput came out. And 1:0 one was much urprised when '?lie were thus confirmed. Ever since Mr. Glad- stone's retirement, in 1894, Sir William has always regarded his position iis a false and unnatural one. He confidently anti- cipated the rover.-ion of the Premiership. I and when he was disappointed in this matter he seriously considered the advif.a- biiitv of retiring then. His supporters in the Commons, headed bv Mr. Labouchere, persuaded him to remain. Lord Ro:-e-; bery's tenure of ofifce, they argued, was! but temporary. The voice of the people' cried out for Harcourt. and in the fulness of time Harcourt would be called. To j this end Lord Rosebrry's position was j made unbearable. fle iva, a leader without a following. HARCOUIt-r's MIHTAKKS. Sir William Harcourt, as Leader in the Lower House, refused to carry out his policy, and, as the "Down with the House j of Lords" agitation was then spreading, this attitude was much admired by the rank and file. Lord Rosclwry could not brook such insubordination. He had, it is true, supporters in the Commons, but at that timo they were not in a majority, and at the first available moment he cut the Gordian knot, and resigned himself. The wisdom of this step, so far as he himself is concerned, has been amolv justiiied to-day. Lord Roseberv stands higher in the esti- mation of the country than he ever did. Sir William Harcourt, on the contrary, has lost caste. Mr. Labouchcrc's champion- ship has proved fatal, for, whereas Lord Roseberv has been sounding the Imperial toesin, the Knisht of Mai wood, with the fpar of Mr. Labouchere and his other "Little England'' friends in mind, has had to remain mute. and. consequently, in- glorious. Beating of the Protestant drum has also alienated from him many sup- porters. The consequence is tJiat Sir William found himself in a similar posi- tion to that of Lord Roseberv leader without a following." Added to this that his health has not been of the best lately, that his eves give him much trouble, and thtt hehn?pa'.sed the allotted sp:m of lif(?, and there ar(- sntli- cipntgroimdsonwhich to i jtistif' tion for retirement. TilE EW LFUJFlt IN TIIE COMMONS. No doubt. Sir William Harcourt's resig- nation has been hurried by the fact that the leadership of the party will probahly be brought up at thetneeringofthe executive of the National Liberal Federa- tion at Birmingham this week. It is held that a resolution sent in by Sottinghalll brings this subject on the carpet, and, in that event, an attempt will he made to shelve it by a previous question. There is no need to discuss the Liberal leader- ship ouestion, as it is practically settled that Lord Rosebery is to be looked upon -t,i such. This is the more significant in that in tho "Daily Mail" competition Sir Edward Grey, who was closely associated with Lord Rosebery in the Iiii? Govern- ment, stands next to him in leadership votes. There is no douht that Sir Edward play t, ver.,? prominent part in the next Liberal Adiiiiiii,toi?io!l. if he is not Leader in tho Home of Commons he will be Foreign Secretary, if Lord Rosebery does not take that position himself. The greatest difficulty will be the choice of a leader in the House of Commons. -N I r. Asquith is generally looked upon as being marked out for that position, but he is not popular amongst the party in the House. Mr. John Morlev has become impossible by reason of his foreible-feeble- ness. Sir Henrv Campbell-Bannerman is not strong enough. while Sir Henry Fowler is thought to be too old. He has of late years shown the advance of age. Sir Henry Fowler, no doubt, would be Chan- cellor of the Exchequer. Mr, Brvee and some of what are known as the "old gang" would disilpppar, and a number of new men would have to be brought into the Government. THE THREE M.s. By now Major Martyr's expedition has probably linked hands with Lord Kit- chener's furthest post at Sobat. and the first line of communication hdwpen Cape Town and Cairo is complete. It is a coin- cidence that all th£' 111(>1) prominently engaged in the work of pushing on from Central Africa were initialled among the M's, and were all majors. Macdonald failed, Marehand got to Fashoda, and, all being wpJI. Martyr is now at Sobat. Letters dated Wadelai. September 13, reached London to-day. They are from Dr. Gerard Carre, the medical officer with Major Martyr's expedition. Dr. Carre, although, of course, in ignorance of the battle of Omdurman on September 2. wrote in perfect assurance that the Khalifa's power would be swept away, for he expressed hope of being in Cairo on Christmas Day. This is a hope not impossible of realisation, for W adelai is only four hundred and fifty milps from Sobat. and thence on to F:i«hoda and Khartoum is not a very difficult matter. XEXT WORK. Although there was no meeting of the Cabinet yesterday, the series of weekly Councils for the arrangement of the busi- ness of the approaching session has not vot been suspended for the Christmas holidays. There is to be one more meet- ing before Christmas, which, as at present arranged, will be this week. Although the business for next session docs not include any Bills of such magnitude as those of the preceding sessions, yet there is a large amount of detail in the various measures that has had to be Y,-orked out bv the Minister in charge of the respective Bills. I NO OEVtt'R WANTKD. I f r. Young, who was Appointed by the London County Council the other day to the managershio of thn London tramways system, has rf'sig11Nl tJ¡f> position. Mr. Young naturally demanded that he should be manager not only in name, but in fact also. In this he differed from the London County Council, or, rather, its committee. The manager, they argued. muot act through them, and be amenable to their instructions. As Mr. Young has organised the most, successful tram ¡;\s1 "111 in the world- the one at Glasgow, which, with its half-pennv fares, yet realises an annual surplus of £ M),000—it is not mir- prising that he refused to do so. He demanded the right to appoint his own managf>rs. to select his own men. and the right to dismiss them whFnelpr necessary. It was a right that the London Countv Council committee would not grant, and London is now the poorer and Glasgow the richer as a consequence. TRACKING CONTAMINATED OYSTERS. The Local Government Board announce te-dav in a compendious report that their j medical officers have run to earth the source from whieh the contaminated oysters came last year. In all there were twenty-six cases of infection, and there seems to lie no doubt that the poison was communicated to each person either at C?laet on-on-Sea. Walton-on-the-Naze, ot at St. Osyth village. At these places the twenty-six persons enjoy"d a dish of O"iters, alH, after inquiries of sundry keepers of ovster-stalls. middlemen, and merchants, it was ascertained, first, that the oysters implicated in at least twenty- five instance* vould be referred, almost with certainty, to layings in Brightlingsci Crot-k secondly, that in twenty instances the facts obtained wern sufficient to warrant the inference that the ont.'rs in question had b",n taken. prior to delivery to their respective vendors, from cue or other iof two particular layings situate 11 that, creek. "1KTEK BI DS EXPOSED TO I'OLLUTIOW. ll,-i, Creek had been surveyed bv DrljJuUtrodo in and in his report h" f(i Iawn attention to the fact that oyster* laid down hereabouts were in a notable degree exposed to pollution by sewage from the town of Brightlingsea, which was being discharged, untreated, by three outfalls into the tidal water of tho creek. Conditions precisely similar to thoSt, reported by Dr. liulstrode were found to have obtained during 1[J7. Further- more. Dr. Bulstrode hnd indicated a parti- cular series of oyster lavings. situated Oil a foreshore in front of the sewer outfalls, as being especially exposed to )>ollution by sewage. It was upon this foieshoio that the two laving^ suspected of having fur- nished a large proportion of the implicated oysters were found to be situate. And. h:>tlv. inquiries as to the prevalence of enteric fever at llr!I!;]¡,lin:z:'(,a left no doubt that "at sundry different periods during lelIJ7 infectious matters derived from p-r oils suffering from enteric fever ;¡t llrÏlr,1¡tLu!sp:I must needs have been dis- charged from the Bi ightlingsea sewer out- falls." It may be noted with satisfaction that the council of the recently-formed urban district of Bright lingsea are now hcst;r)-inKthf!nsc)\(.swith the prepara- t ion of. a Theme which aims at dealing with th" sewage of their district in a manner winch is intended to obviate pollution of the Brightlingsea oyster layings. fSIVKBKITV KOOHIA1.L KTK1 <;< The "rugger" match between Oxford and Cambridg. which takes place at Ken>ing- ton to-morrow is exciting unusual interest in football ciie'cs. The game will repre- sent the twenty-^ixth meeting of the rival universities, out of which the dark blues have secured ten matches and their oppo- nents eight, le.u irig srv< n games un- decided. On public form the dark blues appear to have the advantage, but uni- versity contests rarely confirm paper form, and it is not at all certain whether they n'lll be successful this year. In losing the services of l'ilkington. their captain, L'am- oridge have sustained a severe blow, and if victory comes to them it will be by the assistance of their front rank, which is very strong just now. The back combina- tion of neither side is good; with the ex- ception of Champain. of Oxford, the halves are somewhat •■low, and the three-quarters, though individually very useful men, ha\ 0 not done anything exceptionally smart this year. Hic^e games, however, are productive of exciting incidents through- out. and I expect to see quite a.s big P crowd on the ground of the Queen's C!uh to-morrow a* usual. A HitARP RETORT. A popular artiste of the variety world made it known to a crowded room the other day that she had just paid .a visit to an avuncular relative in the Strand .w))oh:id leijt her C10 on the security of a ring. The next day lih" received a cheque for £;'0 from an ardent, but un- welcome. admirer, with a request, that he inighi be allowed to relieve any little temporary pecuniary embarrassment. This t'I" lad:: as promptly returned, with a uoto to the effect that when in difficulties she preferred to seek assistance from her friend in thi. Strand, who took his 10 per cent., buu no liberties. SKI KT DUõCr, The skirt dance appears to have lost none of its popularity, judging from the fact that at many of the most important music-halls in town artistes who are adepts at this branch of t) ?? terp-ichorean art am still very much in evidence. At the Aii.ambra n charming young ladv is now giving representations a. la Zæo and Loie Fuller, but Loio Fuller herself, it appears, is about, to return fresh from her recent triumphs at the Folios Bergeres. in order to outdo her Alhambra and other rivals. She is to be seen at the commence- ment of January at the Lyric Theatre, where she will supplement that engaging comedy. "Little Miss l'iohodv." When last with us she used to employ four elec- tricians and one illuminating glass in order to obtain her marvellous effects, but she has these effects to such an extent that she now uses five glasses and, it is reported, thirtv-two electricians. With these aids Loie Fuller should not only dazzle, but positiv ely electrify her audience Her performances in Paris have been all the rage.

THE LATE MR. WILLIAM BLACK. SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF THE NOVELIST. Mt-. William Black, tbe novelist, who died on Saturday evening at Brighton, began by serv- ing an apprenticeship to art and journalism, and, ainoii4 other positions, filled that of assistant editor of the "Daily News." The mere list of his works proven that he was not only (l hard worker, but a man of great imagi- nation and strong descriptive powers. ill. tir-t novel, "Love and Marriage." was published in 1867. and from that date until his death scarcely a year passed without seeing .1 romance from his pen. Mr. Black was not a great novelist, but he was what the booksellers (-all a "favourite author." especially fifteen or twenty years ago. In the height of his fame hu determined to pay a visit to Carlyle at Chel- sea. and he took with him a copy of hi. late«t, book for the favour of the old man e acceptance. Carlyle knew him as a brother Scot, and gave him as civil a reception as could have been looked for. He thanked his visitor for the new three-volume story, which Black laid on tho table, and then exclaimed, "But, man. why don't you have done with love-sick gir-rls and write a book?" Mr. Black's first. ambition was to be an artist. For two yyar- he studied dili- gently at the Government School of Art in Glas- gow, but. as he ii-ed to remark. "I was a com- iilete failure, and so Qualified myself for a, time in after life as art critic." Mr. Black rune to London in 1SW. and two years later he was sent by tho "Morning Star" to act as its special correspondent during the war betwepn Prussia and Austria—"my chief qualification." he said himself, being that 1 knew about enough German to ask for a railway ticket, and that I had attentively studied the wars of the Jews in the history of Jo-ephus." He did not se« any fighting, but he maxle use of his experiences in his novel "Love and Marriage." The "Princess of Thule" is an eqpecial favourite of the Queen's. It is said that her Maje-ty had an imaginary portrait of the heroine painted by Lady Abercromby for her private collection at Osborne. "The Strange Adven- tures%f a Phaeton" was partly a record of an actual driving tour from London to Kdinburgh. Many years afterwards he tried something of the same kind in "The Strange Adventures 0 a Houseboat." but the later experiment was not, so successful. After the publication of one of his novels. Mr. Black received a letter from a lady at Tarliet, telling him that, as a certain incident in the story could have been known to no one eNe. he must lie her long-lost son, and liegginir him to acknowledge her now he had become rich and famous. To this letter he replied courteously, ?s%ur?rg the writer that he was mi,taken. Hi' n.,?.. be explained, was eally Black, and he hid complete evidence of his parentage. This did not satisfy the lady, who wrote aajn. plaintively entreating him to "ome and see her. that he might once more look on her son before she died. Mr. Biack accordingly paid a visit to his wnul<1.1 parent, hoping to relieve her of her delusion. In this, however, he did not succeed, as the poor lady insisted that he wes her son. The interview, ,1' he afterwards Haid, was one of the most pain- ful and difficult of his life. Mr. Black lived to e irreat extent t1)ar from tho literary world, and was not «o widely known to the out«ide public as are roost successful writers. He livid at Brighton, ivhere he u»ed to be a familiar figure on lie old Chain Pier. At one time he was a consfan; visitor to the Reform Clnh, where he habitually lunched at the same table with Kir Wemyss R..id. Sir John Robinson, the late Mr. James Payn. and the late Mr. Sala About a quarter of a century ago Mr. Black acted for (I tiic as London correspondent of the "Leed Mercury." It was characteristic of 1 ihc man thai he undertook this work at a time when he was at the lic'gh*. of bis fame as a novelist in order that he might fill the place of a dying friend, to whom the salary for IJ. services W,h paid to the end.

SIRDAR'S RECEPTION AT CARDIFF. PRAISE KItOM THE MAYOR OF NEWPORT. The monthly meeting of the Newport Town Council was held on Tue-day under the chair- manship of the Mayor. Mr. T. H. Howelii.— Before the commencement of the actual bad- ness. the Mayor spoke appreciatively of the reception given to the Hirdar at Cardiff, a func- tion to which he was invited in his mayoral capacity, and iii." congratulated Alderman Torn Toiies on his recent marriage.

ILLNESS OF PRINCIPAL EDWARDS, OF B\LA Principal Dr. Charles Edwards, of Bala Theo- logical College, was token ill on Saturday. We are. however, glad to state upon the authoriiy of Dr. Williaine. Tawelfan. his medical atten- dant. that Dr. Ldwairls it progressing eatufaa t-rily.