South Wales Echo

[ALL EIGHTS RESERVED.] 3 K E T G'HE 8 OF VAG Ban 1 Li }■ t.. ijy the Author <■; The Ao venture* of a Socuu Vv.stre'v' '"j lie Gentleman Traaip," Tho Career of a Scapegrace, &c." CHAPTER XXIX. C;xTixcAtio.v OF THE Scrioor.MASTRit's ryroitY—A Night in* A VAG- i! \vr WA!D—THE WOULD-BI* INCKNDTAUY. i ray, D:l1,' said one of the- boys to iiis chum, did the >.ld p.n-ter take all the Rrub away I'mui you? \'e->; lie s.ud u*e'd get plenty here. 13nt i'm ready for more, and 1:11 have it, or else everybody iti the house wnke ail lii^hc. ihrtae's a bell in the corner behind the door.' of the fact that he was quite thai, the full rnoou shinny into th I wade) it almost a light as day, he jumped out of Led and pulled the licit with a force that should h;ivc effectually roused the porter. But thai w>>rtiiy had'had so many tricks played upon hi:a that he had disconnected the beli, so 13ill palled auu»puHed again, but.withoui bringing the porter. Then he tried another plan. Taking up one of his clo^s, ho belaboured the door with a druumier-boy like movement that must have re- sounded through the whole building', and presently the porter came. I Lit, I want tie; jxrub you took away iroai naV \ou'il have 11') \pub to-night.' 'Then y,.uil have no :ile_L,' a!Ll 1.:a L\altl ug-:ln illS l'itt-a t:t\ï.at on the doer. 'Oh, that's your game, is it? But we've a cure for thi.t.' He went away, and in a few 1:1:au ei returned with four sturdy paupers, struprgles, se.zeil uim, put a rr/ iMiiuil him, and carried iiiiu off. Sow we *iiail Iiavo a bit of peace I thought.; but I was laUuikon. tiiero anybody here knows where :l::l' y Joe is now aset one of those whom Dan termed regular workhcuso, dossei-s. 'Yes, he is hi <; i at cf-taif.-r h Got three months lor a p i:. ot ^nckinj; Nicking stockinxs in sum- mer is a i^ame 1 can't understand. 'i'Soy wou'dn'c fotc-i a tanner. If I were him, I'd d<> a shunr.ut of cisi-i county tliey knows !nm too weii.' Aye, L¡:ICl t.il i a good county tu thenl a knows lL. a; weii :s Sidney Joe, iuid he's tJie best c.id'^er ever L h i'iv. 'a. 'I'h -m ere .-h-icblreks ha^ jjot iota o ee .• k wh.eii tiioy jfoc-; on the train p.' ti-'V, J;.ek,' s.-i l anonier, how did you manage to ^etiti? V..u v/cre here hist week, weren't you?' Yes, but i t'-M tee old chap 1M come from Whit- churou t h.y. raid WHS making straight for iNottm /h ..in, _'oie, lie'ie. Be-hees, I.-ahvuys be- !):• v .n tno-;e p'siccs; it dues a chap 110 s-aJ iuu his head ao,iu the wail iu every jrrnbbu-^ Ken fie dosso.-i m.' y, u v. on't '7" ti'.e wail i:, the 10..rning i rh .I so. do my v. ork. if i^:s oakum i can k i" ee.i m ;.n hour and a half. There was 'em "Ill q ;)tlu:d :¡:t week sor rueinn^ ..w. y. a-.u it doui nay to e,o to ^.voi in tile rerin- *••;• C'lnfma it, ;^o to sieeo,' r.'are Dan, or i'ii pu.iCit soni of your neai! 'ihat's the chap i'i the far corutr i ll see in the ni'rninjf it I :;c c m puacn my hrtai.' In the m-.ruing wivn I rv/ektj th.-re wore ouly tliree of us in tae ro.uu — h'a.i, my-;ch", and the nctn wh<> said he woiildsiop ;o to die v,>rk aii tiie-r-st had, oy shooting the ioek, rnn aivay. the poit-r came to lit us out- r.e v.s eninlnramiieci, and fetched the master. -Acer (pier te; nus he deeiined to believe that '.v.; u.fi n-it see.ii llu: (;ther~ go uU. bu^ g'raCi{)1.i¡Y .-a: we g-. a so it ire p'ea-ed as eoon as ire .1 i:au ear oreaku^ is, as a reward f..r not run- nn.gatvay. Tiis brcakdist was the same a the .-U'.eier, on. as the who.e ele.ea tr.inrpi had h en proviued for, the porter said we could have a; muc.'i 1 roilidg.-i as we could eat. I never sito'tjfhi 1: was Ot" a man tJ ;nl: ;() ujiich as i>an d:a tna': l1H'U,U, ;.1d I teal .h in su a 1 -:y tt); remark P. i)i: as t,) wast I was Ldl,i- iug at. rir.ui v.'ieni you can's iny motto,' ;ie see, a: he l-iii.die 1 Ins third quart titsfui oi p r;d;e and jeiik. 4 Tnat'ii alt be gone in two i• »loc:»*t t:.ke long to <lic;e t.' I ventured !•> ;k nim v.-inch was the route for met. t dr• lov.'ards Bur. ion. '\Ved, you e:iu go three ".•j-ys..I'd'eM 'le.'e'o. Ut'ox^te., tu ja to iiurion, L'c'ir.eid, Xer.e.iteu, Co-vcntry, Leamington, .S..uth..ui, liauhnry, and so on. Or you may £ <> to >• ;:n>. i to day, only that's rather long steg.i or „ e'p w lis.me le t; tir:n to .Shlfiual, ^Voi- vfriu.i.tp••• lilt ;):)i:li Hi:, Warwick, .Sir. io). I, ..oovjton, Oiiippiug Ronton, Wood- ri.ek, ();er and so on. The third route is a 'ii. w,<y null' hut a good coiuitjjy to catlge in. It's through ..lurkec Dr.-iytoti, W ediiigtoii, and ishrewsbury, into jlont^o .iieiy.-diire, keeping thu Vv'elsn borders a'.i the way down to Hereford. That's tiie way I'm going, and if you'll do your share of the eaiiing you ean keep me conqniuy if you like.' I never reflected that the longer I stayed on tramp the wor-e would be my cnance oi obtaining employment, for the very smtieieno reason that my clotnes would get dircy ;ind ragced. I thought omy ü she pl"(3ent-ti1at if 1 travelled .d.me every day would probably be like the pre- ceding one; that I should be like a ship without a rudder, not knowing where to go, and should te-often withuut.. wectl. o I foolishly resolved to acsoinpauy him, and intimated the fact. 'All "right; but .Market Drayton's rather a long stage if we go ail the way to-day. But I know a good skipper a little more'n hah-way, and if we can get gruu enough it's no use tramping our te t );Y., Sy feet were much better that day the soaping oi the stockings had marie it easy for me to walk —faster, indeed, than Dan cared to go. When we Led gone about three miles we came to alarge hall, :t iroiii t[i, r,, ;iti a stunning place for a cant if there's been nobody this It's worth going up to see. Will you, go? Your tongue and your toggery will fcz tlizti I As it was not politic to refuse the first time Dan asked me to call, I con- sented, Dan saying he would lay dOWil on the *rass whilst I was away. When I had nearly reached the house the path diverged, and tlunkitig the one to the right only went to the stables I took the other. I had not gone far ero I 8:1 I was mistaken, but as there were two ladits, ap par.jiit.y mother a oil daughter, coming towards me, I went on. As they passed rue without speak- ing, I simply bowed and walked on, trusting to tA) the back premises further on. But something in my appearance must have given the old lady an idea of my condition, ior she caded out, That is the way to the front door only what do you want?' 1 rum d back, arid, iu a hn-otat'ug voice, preferred my request for .lj¡ll(;tcn to eat. Oil 1 mamma, hrj is not a common beggar, I am sure ho has the tone and ar'.dress of a gentleman,' an-i taking out her purse, the young ia-iy gave me five shillings.' Y,)! I will go round to the kitchen I will see, you have S..1113 lood, shall I not, mamma?' 'Yes, dear; poor youug man, it is, as my daughter says, evi- dent -hat jwi have not been long obliged to a;k for charity. What has brought you to this?' I gave her a brief account of the cause of my de- parture iroui noure, to winch she listened with ninny expressions oi pity, but no more money was forthcoming. She probably thought I should get o,! at every large house J. called at, and may have distrusted me, and regarded me as an im- postor. But rho young lady ordered the cook to u ive me a good^ meal, and that good soul filled an old dinner napkin with scraps of all kinds so I leioraed to Dan with a iight heart. What a time you have been! Thought you d gone out the other way, and given me the slip. H'm got a ri^iitener for both of us there, 1 can see.' A little further on we turned into a field, aud did full to the cook had given me, washing it down with a quart of small _bear at a public- e t I t, t i,,i r Aoom two miles further on we C'u'uVacross three of the tramps wjio had broken out of the vagrant ward. Did you try Uio hail ?' ,f tile v,,tgr.tilb ivar(i. -L asked one of them, speaking to Dau. mate did, and got enough to do us botn ad day. Ah his duds did that; I went up, and they told me to go to work-caílecl me a tramping vagabond, and said I ought to be flogged, ior two pins I <i set the blooming place .'dire. I'm tired of tramping, tearing up, getting quodded, f.nd nil the rest or it.' just such as you spoils the country for real travellers. You go on tho road for a few months, and haven't cheek enough to cadge nor uluck enough to thieve when you have the chance. You won't work, and yet you talks of setting lire to one of the best houses in the county on pur- pose to get lagged. If you want to get lagged why do;, t you smash a watchmaker's window with a and tear off with a dozen watches or a wire iu'I of rinss?' saj'd Dan with disdain, as we waiked on.. In less than a mile we reached a villi,ge, and going through it met a policeman. He stooped still, and eyed us curiously. 4 What's tnat uuder^your coat J" lie said to me. Vittles.' Iheu yen ve ben cadging. I've a good mind to lock you up. You'd far better occupy your time in looking after tlneo chaps we left behind about a mde one on says he'd lilies to fire the hall te-niif.it. 0-11 the policeman, with pw- longed wnisiie, 'then I'll just etop ills li-tie gallie, and he 1 rft us in pence to proeeed on our tramp. Towarus night, having rested and slept during the middle oi tna day, we reached the farm where Uau said wi> nuiat skipper, but not till dusk could we so into the bam. Dan seemed to know 1l about the place, for be out a piece of wood into ths shipe of an Ii, and, inserting it in a round ho'p, lifted a wooden bar, and so got into tlvs barn. I had «nt mentioned the fk-e shillings to him, thinking the time miht shoriJy arrive when I should want it more than I did then. As lr(I 'foe eloeed the door, ha astonished iao by climbing to asort of upper loft, and cpccdily reappeareu with 1 five eggs. i What will you do with them TI asked. Do? Why, suck them, to be sure.' And taking a pin from his coat he made a hole in the end of one, and complacently suckc: Oqt. the con- tents. 'Ate.n't you going to try?" -N,), you I never did suck raw eggs.' Ali Y.,u'll lie ghid of \-m it you stops on tramp. Giad to eat nuvtliing. I've had my supper, bed, and break- fast with the ip-; before now, and he1pd to eat baker! hedgehog. ti-y one, '*c,,s I more'n four very weii.' I did try one, but couldn't manage ic at all. 'Ah! Well, we must put it out of sight, and not L t the folks here see any- one's be?n here,' ;;w! lie buried it in the hay that jittered the unpaved floor in one corner. {To be continued.)

THE TEMPERANCE CHOIR CON- TEST AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE Report of the Adjudicator. The following is the report of the adjudicator, Mr J, S. Curwen, on the contest of temperance choirs at the Crystal Palace on Tuesday last: — Keither the test piece nor those chosen by the competitors involved great difficulties hence the notes were for the most pirt correctly sung by all the choirs, and the time wai generally accurate and steady. The contest lay, therefore, in the higher points:—The production of pure tone, and the expression of emotion. Th choirs aiedenlt Av 'tli in the order in which they sang. RKADIXU.—Idle of this choir were very swe-.it ami smooth, tnougii the vowels were not very pure. They sang in an ensy-going style, without much warmth. In "In this iiour" there is passion, and iu "Excelsior" there is tragedy but neither was apparent in the singing. If this choir could, while retaining their pure tone, put more earnestness into toeir phrase*, they would do very well indeed. The tenors were, rather too heavy. A tone was lost in each piece. LL'TOX.—The members of this choir were young, but they showed spirit in their singing. L'otii the test piece aud "Strike the lyre" were sung from memory. The tone was rough the sopranos especially wanted rinsr and sweetness iu the loud passages they were tlnn and piercing. Tile last movement IIf .ssrike the lyre" showed much energy, but at the same time a tendency to j -rkiness. I'll: words "gone" and "touched, in the middle movement, were chopped off m a most peculiar manner. One tone was lost in each pieire, I'OiiTjSMOUTK.— This was a large and well- balauctd eiio.r. It contained 70 voices, of whom 37 were men. In When winds breathe soft'' there was a sharp and living expression, com- bine i with c >n.irier>ib!e dramatic feeling. The chief iaulfc of the singing wag jerkiness. The choir should cultivate the smooth piano and legato more, and learn even iu passages to sing iu a con- nected way. r r h, movemeutin"Bxceisior "oeginning "O stay, the III,,ti,ieil w-,t., very stiff an.I mechanic-ill, with a punching on toe first beat of ihe measure never intended by the composer. "There, in the twilight was exceedingly good. The pitch wr.s half a tuuo in When winds," and a quarter a: a rone in Bx relsior." This i was, in mv op niou, the b«st choir of tha day, and j I awarded tnem the first prize. The blending was very good, and the fortej were obtaine 1 with less tendency to strain the voice, than in any other of the choirs that sang with vigour. LFEl):1J¡"re was a natural richness in the voices of this oho- urisut'pis.ed by any during the day. The basses were specially sonorous. But the who.e efives was that of an over-blown ,:L to h gh-pres. ur,; singing-, instead of keeping its splendid powers m reserve. The general effeci strawied, and the tone breathy, la Henry fcjmaro's O, wake, love, wake" there \mi, a {.-rent want of tlj at del; cacy which tiie music invites. Tiie. iady would certainly have been a woke by such a l eren uie, 1 nfc the nwakuig would not have been ple.-i3-.int. With such grand voices he.u in propel- restraint, anything might be done, tii-. pitch was kept in the Serenade a tone auu half was lo-t in "H/ce'sior. LKKIM LIA-IMON'IC.—Almost the only fault to be f -uiid v.'i.ii this choir was the tauuness of its .i.iging. Tho coices—sopranos «\*pje<ai!y—were. sweet there was no straining the pronunciation j wrs good, but there was a want of dash they took thing.- too easily. Tiie words w.tii (lech siou" placed against the cries of "Excelsior" were disregarded. With indifference'' would. have better expressed the effect. Endowed with more life, this clioir would lake a high place. The pitch was perfectly sustained both iu Excelsior" and Henry Ls.+lie's "Troubadour. (iiii.MSUY.—The choir sat to sing. It it had stood the diaphragm would have been frca to act, ud it would probably have sent forth clearer aud better tone. The opening of Excelsior was very quick, and, as in the case of the Portsmouth and Cardiff choirs, the pressure marks in tlin dob:e movement were exaggerated to the extent oi cancafure. Tiie last section, "There in the twilight," was very good the real pp producing a far off effect that completely realised tho story. Awake, Alolian lyre was well sung, though the tenors were rather too prominent. In this piece the pitch was kept in Excelsior the ciio:r lost half a tone only. This choir obtained th' third prize. HeLL.-Thls clioir possessed pleasant voices, ami in "Hip, hip, iiurrah" their l,roi I],, tioil and delivery were admirably sharp and clear. Tiiey placed themselves out of the running by a. serious mistake in "Excelsior," wnere at the change from A major to A minor they remained I u A major, and thus entirely altered the intervals and the harmony. By requesting a of this portion of tiie glee I gave the choir a chance of righiing themselves, but without effect. The movement beginning "A traveller by the faithful hound'' followed the previous passage without the slightest pause. Surciy the mind requires a moment to realise the interval that eiapse.s between the disappearance of the hero and the discovery of his body. The loss of pitch was nearly a tone in Hip, hip, hurrah," aud a minor third in PJxcelsior." CAIIDUT.—Astonishing agility, and no end of Welsh tire were exhibited by this choir in tl)e glec Yr Haf." But the shouting which prevailed in the forle passage* completely destroyed the artistic value of their singing. Nor was there much attempt at refined expression in Excel- sior," wnerc the pressure tone in the dolce move- ment was overdone. The pitch was perfectly sustained in both pieces. Tnis choir obtained the second prize. If they would learn tn cultivate power without harshness, and to make their phrasing more shapely and delicate, they might challenge any temperance choir in the kingdom.

FRIENDLY SOCIETY CASE AT MERTHYR. The Rights of Members. At the Merthyr Police-court, on Saturday— before Mr Bishop aud Mr T. Williams—Thomas Morgan and Thomas Price, trustees of the Modern Druids Friendly Society, Dowlais, were summoned by a member-named Daniel Davies, a collier, for refusing to pay £ 3, alleged to be due as funeral donations on the death of his wife in April last. Mr Simons appeared for tiie com- p!ainant, and Mr BeJdoe for the defendants. It appeared that for 21 years complainant had been a member of the society, and in March, 1333, lie went to live in the CWlll Rholldda district. He was under the impression that he would receive a card notifying when it was necessary for him to pay what was due. In this manner he allowed time to go on, until lie exceeded the period (six months) allowed, and got out of comphauce. He alleged that in reply to a note addressed by him to the :8crebry, the latter intimated tbllt if he sent 12s for clu'os and funerals he would be put in compliance. His brother-in-law, Morgan Williams, proceeded to the society's place of meeting, and tendered tiie money to someone at the door, but it was refused. Complainant paid no more money from the 4th August, 1884, to 27th June last., and tlien-to resuiric membership he sub- scrioed 20s 1.1. In April of this year his wife died, and he now contended that the defendants were liable to carry out the stipulation of their rules, that on the death of a member's wife a contubutiou of Is per member should be made, and the amount he claimed was based on the estimate that there ^ere 60 memijers in the society. Mr Simons said other members of the society in II similar position to complainant, had received bonetits and he did not know why Ill" client should be denied tliein. Ir Beddoe's contention was that defendants wished to vindicate their rulea, that as matter of fact tne complainant was out of compliance when his wife died, and that the resumption of membership later on did not eltin-i. At tho same time ho off- red, if his worship found for him on a point of law, that he would advise that the money — £ 2 15s, not £ 3—should be paid to the com- plainant.—Mr Bishop, under all the tyrcum- stances regarded the defence as one of a tricky and subtle character, especially seeing that the man had been a member of the society for such a long period, and advised a settlement. I1 ailing that, he reserved his decision for a week.

THE HOUSING OF THE MERTHYR POOR. I 7,000 Persons in Defective I Tenements. Gigantic Work for the Board of Health. [BY SANITAS.] -1 The housing of the poor in jNiorthyr is a subject that demands immediate attention, and in deal- nig with it, as far as lies in their power, the Ideal board of health will have a. gigantic work to perform. It is not unfa.ir perhaps to say that the accumulated work of years is before them. The question is attracting more :>nd moie attention every day, and it is very certain that the board, having already taken one test case, will have to follow the whole matter to a logical conclusion. How many of the pople live here is something astonishing, and how they could have been allowed to linger ou year aftei yen- in the occupancy of such hovels, and without in many casis the requisite sanitary considerations, is to me a matter of no less surprise. There is prosperity in the place, and there are man of wealth and spirit in the locality, -Ind yet within a stone's throw of the centre of the town there are thousands ot the poorer classes crowded in tenements crammed in every hole and corner. I am not without statistics. I havl caJJed on Dr Dyke, the well-known medical officer of -the board, and I have ascertained from him that there .«orti,„ato.i t. b, 1,000 "^t;]^ rooms, and are occupied, the c0rjn^(es'1 5,000 person? 1 Then there callar houses," consisting of two ;;malll't),'nls, and posed to be tenanted by 2,000 1 creatures. Ur. Dyke is strongly l^rdmg ofVuumn minded man ougnt to be, to beings, more especially >> cfmid bn;iac f s0 latter. Knowing that Mc^ > ventured to many two-roomou dvellu^ inquire of the doctor w 1 6^ w.fch & o{ one-roomed houses m the p could ba found, regret he told tne erven u'fc is astounding that vifirii11:, ,7-m »iinut.i b. i,vi.ls. i.ia» » ''rcll„iroraeut( with the common sanK»rj hnard, and I am quite ¡JreP;tred to mpathise witii the officials new till, t IK > are, likely to be calied upon to give evid.eti^e c many have to be brought under the notice of the magistrates. Still something mu-, be ctone in the war of a much-needed reform. Ihe owners will have to b-3 got at, and they cannot co uplain. Tiie houses are invariably < j °.c 1 have been standing iu the nSV4 r °^iU 100 years, and have reverted, I am .old, to the original landowners. „ Matters must always have bet n ■very baa u, reference to the housing ot !8 A-elc.yr Poorj because I find in the inecV^A M^.t- imhlish-id so long ago a 0 9,8S0 houses examined, &> P:, fllR. iirP as having back doors, wh..e 4 004 are not thus thoroughly vent' a bedroom windows wn"iero7 i!HV Sas'les could ba opened thus 2,537 1. uses v,ere without the proper mean-1 tho upstairs rooms." A vigorous s uiai.e to the state of affairs in 1854, w ate Dr. William Kay said "The n.ost striding features of vicious construction are i" s ances ot houses built back to back, or and or of single or several habitation- cl^V1 11 o<gh ground in their rear, frequent y a ti ,mg again. the walls, or rising to a level with their roo s. Othors, again, to the extell of whDle row." with- out backlets or communication3 of any kind externally. The most unwholesome dampness, and an extremely impure atmosphere, loth acting most injuriously on the health ot the umortunate inmates, aro the inevitable consequences of such ill-advised erection*. although after the great strike of 1875-6, at which time terrible depression in trade existed as many as 600 old houses were missed in consequence of their having fallen into decay through tne action of the weather, and of persons who tcok the woodworic for firewood, and the stones for^ other purposes, tha traditional ill-advised erections continue to give a home to the poor, and »nnoyanca to the sanitary inspectors. It will be a (juestion as to where the occupants shall go when tnev are foroed to leave their unhealthy hovels, but perhaps local capitalists, or speculative buildsrs, will come to the fore and do$good tllln for their fellow- creatures as well as themselves in this matter.

REPRESENTATION OF THE RHONDDA DIVISION. Mi, Fped Davis oii the Employers' 0. Liability Act. Mr Fred Davis, Liberal c wi:ii<i;ae for the Rhoudda division, addressed a crowded meeting at Siloh Chapel, Ystrad, on Saturday nitrht. Mr Jacob Ray presided, and Mr Lewis Davis was amongst those present. After some remarks from the CHAIKJIAX, Mr Jolix REKS proposed, and Mr WILLIAM JONES seconded the following resolution, which was adopted This meeting heartily thanks the late Government for their noble effort in securing so successfully these great measures of t'eform, the extension of the franchise and the redistribution of sEnt," Mr GKOUGE Mourns moved, and Mr WILI.I.UI <i 'eeoll'de;.i, the following resolution — xhis meeting desires to express its unabated confidence in Mr Gladstone and his late colleagues, and its thanks for their brilliant services to the country as well as its unbounded satisfaction at Mr Gladstone's refusal to accept a pierage, and his action in guarding the liberty of the House of Commons in not pledging •himself and party." pAvis, wdio met with a. highly cordial reception, supported tlie resolution. lii the course of his remarks, he said he knew that someone was going about trying to persuade people that it was unjust to contract out of the Employers' Liability Act. He considered that it was a point to be settled by masters and men, and as long as the men and the masters could arrive at friendly termS--Wlt lOU law—the better for the both of them. There was another thins to be considered—the 3i<inployeis Liability Act and the Mines Regulation Ac„ Both went together one was no good without the other. Thev- would remember the serious colliery explosion which occurred lately, and resulted in the loss of 177 live- Ine employers were not he:d to be in fault, aud therefore the widows and children of the deceased men had no remedy. ISow, the Permanent Provident Society provided for any accident whatever, and only for those which came within the Employers' Liability Act. (An plause.) The widows ;!nd children of these m-m had to suffer, but that would not have be-n the case if the men had contracted out of the act, and belonged to the Permanent Provident Society To prevent men from contracting out of the act ^orknST woolSf Z\nT$"i rfc -Vt ,:f ^>-d i of its-lf Km TX !"0,ley- Money did not come there vvonV' i contracted out of the act be •? n?.n i J1" t0 "° t0 Iaw there would Societ, o iy Hn the Permanent Provident mpn J' 'i'i1 11 >el:ter deling between masters and men would prevail. (Applause.)

PanrKCT Time-keeping is guaranteed by Tnmsn Y.,itij their >Vatches, and they are invaluable to all wli.) desire o-.i-reccne.>.< and punctuality in ill- engagements, .silver Watches £ 2 t-> iJlO. Watches, £ 5 to ;230.-faiusli Bros., b, IiigU-street, Car- diff eo,)

YANKEE YARNS. I THE MUNNIFR. There Is a General of local fame, who went througn a very unhappy qu irter of an hour a go. He had just returned from the Last. Tnere lie made tho acr/iiainfance nf yuung- gentleman who is engaged to be married to a very girl. The truth, tbat cllways is the accessory of separation of lovers, burned in the young man's breast, and he tr,k the opportu- nity, when the general was leaving, to load him down with messages of love and a book for his fiancee. Tne gallant warrior undertook the com- mission with all willingness, and when he had rested from his trip, he started off one Sunday morning for Oakland with the book under his arm. He sought out the address given him, for the young girl was a stranger to him, and as he approached he saw a lady seated on the steps of an Oakland villa. He opened the gate and walked in with an imposing martial air. Tho lady eyed him with an unfavourable look. You are Mrs ? I am." I have here a book — I I don't want any books." Is there a Miss Jenkmson ?" There is." Is she at home • "Yes." I have here a book "Miss Jenkinson doesn't want an}' books." Hang it all, m.tdam I'm not a hook agent. Your daughter's sweetheart in XI\'V York asked me to deliver tiiis book to ii?r with his love. I don't care a darn whether she wan's it or not. Here it is, Good day, madam." CHRON, CL3, OF TflE COMMERCIAL TOUHIST.' Who hath woe? Who hath contentions ? Who hath babblings? Who hath corns on tho bosom of his pants? Verily, he who goeth forth on the road to travel. lie goeth forth in the morning with a light hc.rt ami a searched collar, and returneth in the evening w.th a wilt raiment and a blister on liis heel. He goeth forth like a roaring lion, seeking whom tie may devour but, Jo, every man he masts sniitetii him. lie goeth to the place where they do entertain strangers, mid whir he ordereth of the servant she bringeth not, and that which he doeth nor, order is sot before him. And when eventide has fallen, he sayeth unto the keeper of the house: •'Behold, I would b« wakenei at- the fifth hour of the morning, that I mayest depart into country." And, Jo, before it is yet light, lie knocketh loudly against the door, and sayeth "Arise iu a loud voice, "th.it thou mayest depart upon tny train." And he that would arise awakcth in hastJ, and putteth his right foot into his left shoe, and he gir leth hitnsei: quickly. And, helwld, he wsareth his clothes hindside before so great is his huste thereof. And the collar that should be girt abotit lii-i neck is coiled iu the upper st ir}' of his hat. And when he arrive that the place from whence he would lie finds that it is ouly the third hour of the morning, and he leaueth against a telegraph pole, mid in his heart he rcvileth the keeper of the house wherein lie slept. U r, p-rchance, he aktlth to be wakened at the sixth hour of the niorninir. and, Jo, the hirelllllall knocketh not until the eighth hour; and when ho raileth, the hired man looketh at him with a look of scorn. He goeth forth to ride unon the railway, and the dust falleth upon him, from head to foot, aud h* catchetli a hot cinder in his optic. Then cometh a beautiful maiden, arrayed like the iiiies, and, behold, she taketh a seat afar off but the dowdy wumau with five children, and a wart en her nose, taketh the seat nearest him. "Verily, man that is born of woman, and goeth upon the road, is of fewdaysand varigated rations. To day he hath much that is good, aud to-morrow the food is as the withered grass, yet not so cleanly. Where he sleeps th, if there be much water, he hath no towel, but it water be gone, iie of towels five in number, and a piece of soap. Verily, he hath cause to murmur, an exceeding great murmur. "4

Is Your. CHir.r> Iu. ? If so, try Williams Pujitsrrlawe. Won a l.ozsntjes, which nave been in use I over »» years, and edyisedhd! other remedies. ,-oH liy Pi-eoni-ed r'rotii H.gh-sttect, ^waiiseu, i'he iozeHKes are agreeable, Hiid I 4IlItaiu MÜ1Ïll injQl,j;)UI$

FACTS AND FANCIES. Ax OLD MARCH.—The march of time. JjiTKivAitY AQrJiREMKXT3.—Books borrowed and never returneu. GOING OUT WITH THK TIED.—Following a newly-wedded pair out of church. THAT'S IT! --kn Aberdeen pundit has found out what makes the Tower of Pisa lean. He says it is the want of good food in Pisa. JiiiiUiiiA 1—An evening newspaper recently announced that a London magistrate who had just resigned was callcd to the bar at the inner 'xcmple in 23; DOuBLE or. QUITS.—A swain wrote to his friend, Dear Harry,—You asked ivitat kind of a gamo I am playing with Jack Graham for U.arissa s hand. I have to say in reply it is a gaun of double or quits, and the result is I douoie and be quits." STAKTIXG A -MOKE.—Some years ago Mr Peck- halll, a gtudemaii well known and remembered by iri'.uiy of the tradesmen of Yorkshire, was staying at the Unicorn Hotel, Ripon, for the nigut, aud, alter completing his business in the quiet and resuectaole old city, was enjoying a (-ig-.ir and a g.t.4s with a tew of the tradesmen who did business with him. Amongst other things the conversation turned upon the subject of hold- ing converse with the lower animals, Mr Peckham atiirming tnat the thing was no impossibility, as he himself was able to hold converse with several of the different .species. %Vllilt- in the act of con- versation, an old man with a donkey and cart, partly laden with pots, drove into the yard and, being seen by the company, Mr Peckham offered to bet any gentleman present half a dozen ciumpagnes that he could make the doukev understand what he should say to it. The bet Ijdii? aewpted, the party turned out en masse. Mr Peckham iislced and obtained leave tor a moment's conversation with the donkey and, b inding the owner half a crown for the favour, he put bi> mouth quite close i.o the donkey's ear, aud, doubtless covering the act with a. cloud ot smoke, tiiiobserveiily dropped the burning ash from his cigar into the poor thing's ear. The sentenee uttered was of course inaudible, but the donkey instantly began to plunge, and, its owner being (jui.e amazed and seemingly powerless, the cart was eventually overturned and most ot the pots broken. Tllc disaster caused no little amusement to the company at the expanse of the poor lellow, who d -inanded compensation for the dailli|Ke done, to which request Mr Peckham oechiiod to accede, and, with his friends, he leturned to tho inn to enjoy his wine. The h.iwker left, threatening to summon Mr Peckham outoi-rf the mayor m the morning, which threat he catued into effect. The case, on being stated, c.iuaeu considerable amusement, and eventually his worship suggested that Mr Peckham should ma.ve^ the poor man some recompense, and he won < dismiss the case. Mr Peckham ass jnted, and ianked his worship kindly, expressing his ie.ie^ ui.iu the matter had turned out so unfor- tunately for the poor m'm. His worship desired hilll to imorm the court what were the words he u^ered .o the donkey, but Mr Peckham at first i.eenned to do so on account of there being a oanger of giving oftence to his worship but the latter gooa-humouredly replied that tnere was no dangei at all, and oeored him to speak out. Mr Ieckham, without further hesitation, stated that he to,d the donkey that he was brother to the Mayor of kipon, and was a fool if he ever drew another pot for any one hence t I i disaster.

FERNDALE SLIDING-SCALE AWARD. Two-and-a-Half Per Cent. Reduction. On Friday evening, before a crowded assembly of the. employes of Messrs D. Davis and Sous, the auditor's award for the quarter ended June 30th, 1885, was read by Mr Morgan Dyer, the workmen's representative. Air Abraham Tibbott presided. Tll(- r,a(is qs folloivs:- To Messrs T. IJevati and Morgan Dyer.— Gentlemen,—We beg to report to you, acting respectively on behalf of the proprietors of the Ferndale Collieries, and their workmen employed respectively at those, collieries, that we have ill accordance with your illstrnctiuns at- tended at the Cardiff offices of Messrs D, Davis and S >ns, and that we find by a careful examination of the books that the average net ler selling price obtained by that firm for colliery screened Jarg-e coal delived f.o.b. at Cardiff In the three, months ending June 30th, 1885, is less than 10s 4-1 per toii.-Wi-, are, gentlemen, yours, &c., JOHN ROUTH & CO." From the explanation of the scale by the secretary, it appeared that for each reduction of 4-d ber ton in the selling price of coal 2 per cent. was deducted from the wage rate. This reduction would tn ke effect from the 1st inst. It was evident from the unusually large meeting, a.nd from the pacific demeanour of the men, that they were not altogether unprepared for the unwelcome information. '1

UNFAILING EF.MKDY FOR HEADACHES. KUUNICK'S VEGETABLE PILLS. FGR INDIGESTION Sold by all Chemists, &.c.,in 74d, ISgcl, and 2s9d boxes BEWARE OF IMITATIONS "VIRIDINB" is a certain cure for Corns be ware of imitations..M. Hie, Marie Xulier, Amster- dam, writes:—"I bOl1!ht a bottle of your genuine Viridill' some six months iii Paris, which cllred ¡,Ie, and as liiiit vo 1 know my feet are my livi ig. The bottle I bought did tlie .service you reeoiu-nended it, but I bought another one after- "war-'s wlvclt was Jo/y/cd, and no good. As 1 want a bo-tls ;>x .<•« fur a friend of who is nearly liud with paoi. will you please send me one direct? iSoniiiiiiy ill ho:tlc.q, 1; hy po,t Is 2; iroui J. Men day. ijhemist. Cardiff, and all Chemists, 330#

Terrible Boating Disaster off Cardiff. I FiVE PERSONS DROWNED. A boating disaster, appalling, from the swift destruction which overwhelmed five persons, happened oil Sunday afternoon off the Flat Hol zii. The facts yet to be obtained are very meagre, but amid a great deal of conjecture an-' speculation the following may be takm its; substantially correct. Between one and two in the afternoon a long, open, black-painted boat, carrying an ochre-coloured sail, was observed ofi the Fiat Holm. She did not appear to be navigated with much steadiness, and probably at first nothing more than idle curiosity led to her movements being watched by some per- sons standing on the beach. The little vessel was seen to contain some tive or six persons, who, to the naked eye, appeared to belong entirely to the male sex. This opinion was afterwards borne out by a woman named Davies, who had been regarding the boat through a glass. The pleasure party, as they seemed to be, and without doubt were, cruised for some titne aimlessly about, never forsaking, to any lueasureable extent, the vicinity of the Kohri. There was known to exist a heavy ground swell, and a wind which sailors describe as luffy," was sweeping around the island. About this time also the sky darkened visibly, heavy masses of cloud coming over the horizon. The watchers at last had their curiosity quickened iuto considerable alarm when they saw the boat unexpectedly enter the race." This is a stretch of water where diverse currents are said to meet, and is regarded as specially dangerous to any not acquainted with the place. Imme- diately after the boat was clearly seen to be in imminent peril of going over. She was swept hither thither, apparently altogether at the mercy of wind, wave, and current. The following party of mon next proceeded with the utmost despatch to man a boat of their own—Alfred Dale, Cabel, Lynnior, and Henry Coie. They had not gone far from the island, however, when in an instant, as it appeared, the little bark went down. The catastrophe occurred about half-past two. The party of rescue cruised about trusting to see some one to save; but by the time they came on the scene all had finally sank. Nothing more remained to be done, so the party returned to shore. News of the sad event from some cause or another did not get about to any extent. It was first rumoured that the boat with its unhappy human freight had come from .L'enarth, but an enquiry elicited the fact that there is no one at the pierhead licensed to let out boats. The only remaining probability is that the boat was hired from Cardiff, but the names of the ill-fated party in her wo have been unable to procure.

THE FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT NEAR CHEPSTOW. On Saturday afternoon, Mr M. F. Carter, the Forest of Dean curoner, held an inquest at the 11112, oii view of the body of the body of Alfred Thomas, 17 years of age, who was employed as porter atthe Woolastone station, of the Great Western Railway Company. It ap- peared from the evidence of William Grayle, a platelayer, that on the morning of the 15th instant I at about eight o'clock witness was standing in the 10 foot way between the two lines of rails when a down goods came up. Deceased jumped off the up platform and stood in the 10 foot way, turning round while the down goods was passing him. He then retraced his steps and while in the act of springing back to the upper platform the engine of the up goods train came up and striking him hurled him on to the platform with great force. W ituess ran up and found deceased insensible with a frightful blow on the left side of the head. Dr. Currie. of Ly ley, and Dr. Shoolred, of Chep- stow, were telegraphed for, but deceased suc- cumbed to his injuries in about an hour. Witness did not hear the driver of either train blow his whistle.—Joseph Chapman, the driver of the goods train, deposed he was due at Lydney about 8 o'clock a.m. On the morning of the 15th he was five minutes late. On approaching Woolastone Station he saw the down goods train approaching and immediately blew the whistle. He was then keeping a good look out, and though he saw the plate layers 100 jards ahead, he did not notice any other person near the rails. The train was travel-, ling at the rate of 20 miles an hour. He waSt nt. aware anything bail happened until he go Lydney, when the engine was examined, 1 indications of au accident were aPP?r'\ j,. Coroner, addressing the jury, parked it was oerfectlv clear the accident was ot a purely bfamelels character so far as the company were concerned. The jury returned a verdict ot acci- dental death. Mr. Inspector HtCKey and Mr. Read Locomotive Department, Swindon, were present.

VOLUNTEER INTELLIGENCE. I 2nd Battalion South Wales Borderers. The volunteers composing the 1st Monmouth, or ¿nd Volunteer Battalion South Wales Bor- derers, who last year were encamped for seven days at St. Arvan's, near Chepstow, have again chosen that beautiful spot for this year's outing, f and on Saturday last, a strong detachment from Newport, Tredegar, Risca, and Rhymney arrived there. They were met at the railway station by the local corps, after which, headed by the battalion band, they marched through the town to their camping ground, fol- lowed by hundreds of townspeople. The tents, numbering about one hundred, had been erected on the previous day, under the direction of Major and Adjutant Downes. The ground, which is admirably suited for the work, is situated on the roadside near to the Piercefield Hotel, and the camp will bp. supplied with water from the public pipe at St. Arvan's, the Chepstow Union Rural Sanitary Authority having granted the com- manding- officer permission to connect a pipe and carry the water into the camp. The oattalion, which is under the command of Lieut.-Col. F. Justice, will remain under eanva.s for seven aays., and will be inspected on Friday by Col. it of era, who has just succeeded Col. Grogan in the com- mand of the Brecon military district. I Cardiff Rifle Club. The twelth competition took place on Satur- day afternoon at the Grangrefcown rane. The wind was gusty from the right front. Twepty- five competed. The first two are winners of spoons Points allowed. 200 500 Tl. Sergeant W. Howells 4 29 28 61 Corporal Cole; 4 30 25 60 Colour-xsvgeant Jones 8 27 6) >'erg;int Wiiinecombe 4 27 28 53 Private Philips. 4 23 27 59 Sergeant Thomas 4 28 27 59 Captain Kegg 10 20 2 59 Mr Oarych 8 25 25 53 Private ,T. W, Lewis 0 28 30 58 Sergeant Pollings 10 22 24 5b

THE ROYAL VISIT TO PRESTON. Singular incident. I The festivities connected with the royal visit to Pre?ton we,' e concluded on Friday night with a, ball, given by the Mayor of the borough. When the Prince was being driven to the station a some- wha.t alarming incident occurred. The trace of one of the horses in the carriage following that in which the Prince was seated broke, and the animals dashed forward un- manageable. They were making past the Prince's carriage at a slope leading down to the centra! station, when the coaciimaiTof the mayor with great courage t urned round, and striking the plunging horse with his fist behind the ear, lellea it to the ground. The damage was then repaired. The Prince was in no danger, and in no way alarmed. Before leaving, his Iioyal "'f> )ness thanked the various authorities and officials tor the arrangements made during the visit. Oiarl Lathom also tendered his personal thanks.

T II E V E R T B E S T • "I have examined the~~PUls known as KRRNICK'S VEGETABLE PII.I.S. X certify their composition to be imr°iy vegetable. I have also tried their effect, and consi.ier ihein one or the »esc Aperient 1 ills ior consti- paled limits th:iu-T kno*y or. •'ISW.-ju-.P .ICU.N I-AI.IMP.M: V..M.D .— Sold by ail Chemists, i'i 7Ai 1 oid. n.'id 2s Oil boxes. £ 20.—TOBACCONISTS COMMENCING.—An IUus Irated Guide (110 pa-ies), O": to °ren a. Sb .)P from £ 20," three tamps.—H..Myers and Co., 109 Euston l oftd. London. Telephone Xo. 7541, 1378

MR GLADSTONE ON THE FRANCHISE BILL. On the 15th inst. a mass meeting, convened b 1 the Central Liberal Association for the \Vestcfll or Westbury Division or Wiltshire, was held of Warminster Common, under the presidency of Sir Charles Hobhouse. The meeting was composed chiefly of agricultural labourers, and resolution* were passed thanking Mr Gladstone and his 1:1t colleagues for tiie unexampled energy by whieh they have procured further electoral privileges fo,r the people, and pledging the meeting t-i s ih« return of Mr G. Fuller, the Liberal o-uulidiite for the division. The resolutions were forwarued to Mr Gladstone, from whom the following letter has been received in acknowledgment: — 1, Kichmond-terraci, Wiiitehali, Juiy 17tii, 1885. Dear S:r,—I have received with cordial interest and pleasure tiie telegram and letter in which you have kindly rendered nu .m nc-nuat of the remarkable meeting recently held by the agricultural population of the Wes'bury division of Wiltshire, composed chiefly of ciiosj aimut to be enfranchised. It was, indeed, a sermu-s st-ruzgle through winch the Liberal party of this country secured electoral rights to tir; agricul- tural labourers of the three kingdom. overcom ng all direct opposition and declining to b-j le I into the snares which were carefully sec in tiieu- paCtl, I have not a doubt that they will sho«v them- selves sensible of the responsibility, is ue.. as worthy of the privilege of enfranchisement, and I may perhaps oe excused if I ray tha: -,hei Aylesbury election of yesterday encourages my favourable -inticil)atit)n-I z-eauin, detr s;r9 faithfully yours. (Signed) W. E. Sir Charles Hubhouse, Bart."

BANQUET AT THE REFORM CLUB. Speech by Sir Charles Dilke. I At the Jteform Club, on Saturday nigut, » banquet was given by the members to Sir Guano* Dilke, who has belonged to the (;, no) for many years. The last entertainment given by the political committee was to Mr Campueli-Jianiier- nian upon his acceptance of the post of Chief Secretary for Ireland. Mr Samuel Moriey, presided. Sir CHASLKS DILKE, responding to the toast of his health, said It is now just a year ago that I found myself cal ed upon by Mr Gladstone to help to put our redistribution scheme into the form of a bill. (Cheers.) Public opinion anti th necee.s- sities of the country demanded a large measure, but there was every reason to anticipate that per sonal interests would strive to reject such a measure, or to minimise it as much as possible, and the parliamentary chart of tormer years was thickly dotted with the wrecks of Governments cast away upon the shoals of Redistribution. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) To accomplish the first 01 our reat objects-a. proper treatment, as soon as we had equal franchise, of the counties —it was necessary that the existing borough representation of England and lrelaud should be very largely reduced. (Hear, hear.) Two moJeii presented themselves for accomplishing this reduc- twn-the merging of small boroughs in counties, and taking one member from boroughs under a certain limit of population, or the grouping- of the smaller boroughs one with another, or with more populous urban places. Tiie improvement of public morality did not enable us to grease the wheels by the offer of larere sums of secret service money had they existed to be given, or of peerages to the patrons or the representatives of the small boroughs, as the wheels are said to have been greased on past occasions in the history of the United Kingdom. (Laughter.) We had to throw ourselves with confidence upon the patriotism of these gentlemen, and that confidence has not been misplaced, I may mention now, us a matter of some little historical interest, that Sir John Lambert and myself prepared together grouping maps for all the counties of England, and that we did not abandon the idea. ] of a possible partial resort to grouping until alter an examination, prolonged over many weeks, had convinced us that apart from objections ot priu- ciple the practical difficulties were themselves insuperable. The task of framing the details of distribution involved a careful investigation of the extent to which the county population was likely to be increased or diminisned by the merging of boroughs,the creation of new boroughs, and the extension or contraction of existi"? boroughs. This was, perhaps, the heaviest porf*olj of Sir John Lambert's work. When we bad settled the probable county population, tha aloxr, question which arose was thafc ot now tj18 counties should bo divide- e lormer practice of both parties m tueir -Pef, riii schemes had generally speaking, been in dividing counties to assign two members to each division. I was myself a warm partisan ()f tiie single- member system, as were also Mr Gladstone, Lord Hartington, and many other members of the Cabinet, and the committee of the Cabinet unanimously decided to carry that system experi- mentally in the bill as far as it seemed likely to "e supported by public opinion. We proposed that the whole of the densely-populated counties, M, for example, the whole of the county ot Lancaster, the whole of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and the whole of Middlesex, should be made into single-member divisions. We also, for one reason or another, suggested the creation of a great number of single-member divisions in boroughs and in agricultural counties, but believing that the universal adoption of the single-membar system would be in advance of public opinion, we also proposed the creation of a very considerable number of two-membet districts. The division both of counties and of boroughs was to be made by a Boundary Commission, o* ,r which we proposed i Sir John Lambert should preside. At this tiiU'i there came suddenly upon us the agreement t between the parties for the immediate passing of the Franchise Bill without amendment, and the immediate production of a Redistribution Bid. We had to put aside the new scheme upon which we had been working at high pressure, an t to revert to a scheme differing from our previous scheme in little except the wider appdeation of the single-member system. There was no difference between the parties at the con- ference as to tiie magnitude of tho future scheme. The bill agreed upon was a little longer than the bill as drawn before rhd agreement bad been thought of, because we had at that time to consider what it would be possible to carry in the face of violent opposition but at the conference proposals for the extension of the bill came from both sides. (Hear, hear.) One which was proposed by the other side was at onoe accepted by ourselves, and one which we offered was, on the whole, thought undesirable. Tho main features of our earlier scheme survived the conference :—The equalisation of the ratio of borough and county representation the nboii- tion of the three-cornered constituencies the increase of the representation of the largo boroughs according to their population and the appointment of the Brrundary Commission, in which we should, I hope in any case, have con- sulted our opponents as to the choice of names. The Conservative party obtained from the agreement tho insertion in the instructions to the Boundaiy Commissioners of words which met points to which they attached importance. ine oul has greatly increased the parliamentary weight of four parts of the United Kingdom whicu contain a large share of the intelligence and enter- prise of the country—I mean the metropolis, the South of Scotland, the West Riding of Yorkshire, and the county of Lancashire. (Hear, hear.) The present Parliament and Mr Gladstone's second Administration are not likely to be forgotten in the history of this country when we remember that they have increased the electorate by two- fifths, that they have trebled the weight in Parliament of Lancashao, of the West Riding, and of the metropolis. (Cheers.) It is a well-known saying that Hogland can never be ruined except by Parliament, but I think it is as just to say that it never can br< saved except by Parliament —(hear, hear) and that measures such as these, which by universal admission and consent will greatly strengthen the representative ifistitution-I of the country, must give fresh n.otive force to Parliament to successfully undertake reforms with which hitherto it has lacked the strength to I deal. (Cheers.) Our measures have been larger than the measures of 1832; some of us would have liked to go further still. I should be fflad to see a. supplementary Reform Bill which would greatly simplify 'the registration system of the country, as was proposed on a com- mittee on which I served as long ago as 1869. Many of in agree that the two years' re- sidence, which on the average is required before a man can get upon the register, is a monstrous absurdity. (Hear, hear.) But the supplementary reforms of the next few years will be small by the side of the immense reform that has been carried, and our power to obtain further reform has beieri immensely increased by it. The largest of the changes that remain for immediate accomplish- ment are those which have to do with freeing Parliament from the weight and complexity of many affairs \vhic:i would be better bandied in the localities with which they have to do, and devolution and decentralisation must now b^ th" order of the day. (Cheers). Printed i.nd_ Published by tne Prnp.e.or UAVID J)UXCAX A SONs, at their Steam Printing Works, 75 and 76 Mary-streec and Westfltate-str eat in rhe caivii vi C.traitf, m cue cauuty ot iiian»or;i<n