South Wales Echo

The Man About Town. I A brilliant address opened the British Association meeting at Cardiff last night. A learned discussion on the spectroscope does not yield many occasions for literary adorn- ment. The close phalanx of solid facts was heard indeed to pierce. But Dr. Huggins, like a general on the outlook for a moment's wavering on the part of the enemy, managed to attack several points and decorate them with a rhetorical passage or point them with an apt quotation. It is almost with a sigh of regret that one realises how much of its romance astronomy has lost. When it was in its earliest days and did little more than hold up its hands in astonishment at distances and velocities, it was an alluring study. In a primitive stage all sciences are fascinating, because they find so many marvels in so short a time. Even now the learned authorities who write hand- books have not forgotten this child-like characteristic of the astronomer. He will persist in telling us how long a railway-train, running at 60 miles an hour, will take to reach the sun, or how many of our worlds rolled into one will equal I the volume of Neptune. But when the great principles are discovered, when the common laws are extracted, progress, though not less rapid, is less startling. The astronomer no longer trips over undis- covered planets, or worms his way into the confidence of a new constellation. <. Jf. The fact is, astronomy has settled down to solid work. Before it lie problems of even more thrilling interest than those which have preceded it. They are not of such a nature as to excite the wonder of the general observer. He who has whetted his appetite on a railway train at 60 miles an hour will despise a molecule. The great cause of things, the origin of the solar system, the life and death of planets, the regeneration of extinct suns, all these are matters which lack the element of romance. Dr Huggins last night remarked that the record of such achievements was worthy of bein? regarded as the scientific epic of the present century." It is so but it is an epic in a language unknown. The deeper the scientist goes into the great questions which lie before him, the more he removes himself from that atmosphere of mystery in which he worked at the beginning. It is not wonderful, therefore, that even the spectroscope—revolutionary though it has been in scientific methods, and startling in the facts which it has laid before the eye —should not prove a subject of the intensest interest even to a general gathering of the British Association. .¡(. This, of course, is not of the slightest im- portance. Sciences are better without the masterly hand of Miss Braddon and Mrs Henry Woods. And, indeed, even the general public-that public interested at a distance in the great subject in which the President has earned such distinction—can- not fail to gather from the address some remarkable impressions of the progress made in the last SO years. It is not all theory now. The spectroscope records facts which before could be nothing but faint guesses. It unlocks the constitution of the stars, and, if it does not trace their history, at least suggests their pedigree. Day after day new wonders are revealed by its aid which make even the most hopeless of enquirers take heart. Happy the lot of those who are still on the eastern side of life's meri- dian," remarked the President with pathetic force happy indeed, in that sober happi- ness which casts its still light on the lot of a scientist, for no one can doubt that in the immediate future the discoveries for which Dr Huggins himself is largely responsible will open out now paths for the student, and will enable him to read with greater clearness the history of the great, inscrutable firmament. When, at some future meeting of the Association, the President announces the solution of the problem of existence, and demonstrates how from its humble origin the stellar system grows into respectable magnitude, and gets christened in the Greek Church, the name of Dr. Huggins will be associated with it in a way which cannot be said to apply equally to almost any other living man. It is some- thing so to have lived No part of the lecture was more interest- ing, probably, than the acknowledgment of the splendid services of photography to astronomy. This youngest of the arts is the invaluable servant of the oldest of the sciences. It puts it into the power of the astronomer," said Dr Huggins, to accom- plish in the short span of his own life, and so to enter upon thei r fruition, great works which otherwise must have been passed on by him as a heritage to succeeding generations." After all, the astronomer depended on the human eye, and however much he might multiply the power of his glass, he could not call into being faculties of sight which did not originally exist. But by means of photography, not only art} minute stones accurately pourtrayed, net only the quickest of physical motions, but it opens out actually a new region of kiiov- ledge," by seizing on data which were otherwise inaccessible. The eloquent werds of the President must have thrilled the hearts of many amateurs present And, in- deed, though obscure in part, though deeding with a branch of science which is not luminous to the ordinary mind, though of iJeces- sity dealing with facts which seemed incapa- ble of a sound, honest English meaning, the President's address was listened to with the profoundest interest. Such occasions are full of the subtlest influences. A man of repute addressing his fellow scientists aC the one great gathering of the year cannot fail to command an almost reverential attention. That at least Dr Huggins received, and it was undoubtedly no less a recognition of his eminent services to scienco than of his magnificent address that he sat down amid the most vociferous applause. Despite rain, despite the collapse of the building, despite riotous audiences, despite everything which might dishearten the organisers of a great meeting, the Swansea Eisteddvod is holding its way, successful beyond hope, and distinguished at once for the crowds which overflow it and for the high merit of the competitions. What else could be expected 1 What power is there on earth which can interfere with an Eisteddvod ? Is there a pious Welshman living-and of course he believes that Celtic was spoken in the Gardetl of Eden-who will not believe that if at the Flood their Goidel ancesters were sore pressed, they would be found on the last jutting promontory rising above the wilderness of waters either holding a choral competition or discussing the merits of a pennillion and it would not be difficult to realise the waters skirling above the last remnants of the human race to the strains of Wretched Lovers," or And send a leader brold The great event htts come and gone. For months Wales has lived in the serene con- templation of the great choral competition. It has been the star of existence, leading them on to happiness. If a tyrannical God wished to crush the spirit of the Principality, the speediest means of doing so would be to put a ban upon choirs and interdict oratorios. Wales would be heard of no more it could not endure the strain. Not only do Welshmen thus love the chorus, but they are eminently critical. Signer Kandegger seemed surprised yesterday to notethat, by their applause, the vast audience in the Pavilion had accurately determined the order of merit. An Eisteddvod audience, by training, by practice, by experience, are conveniently qualified to judge of conflicting merit in such contests. It did not need the judges to declare tha t Jjlanelly had won—that proud tin-plate town whose sons worship her with an idolatry which is touching and child-like —and that Carnarvon was second. But the salient fact is that the whole competition did not lie so much in Llanelly's victory. It was Carnarvon's dafeat. North Wales is accustomed to win and South Wales to be beaten. I doubt whether the North has once been van- quished yet at a national gathering, but time brings its revenges. There is no event which Welshmen are more delighted to observe than the overthrow of the supremacy of the North, aid there is no town to which the honour is so little grudged as Llanelly.

( GONE FOR EVEl !-The Spiteful Bug and the (Nimble Flea, after one application of Kookum Sure destruction to Beetl es, Fleas, Moths, and all insects. Get zb tin to-t'ut/, and rid your dwellings of the pests. Tins, 6d and 1.s; by post, 8 or 14 stamps, of the sole makers—Due); and Son, Chemists,St. John's square, Cardiff. 3800 BRITISH ASSOCIATION.—Members and vIsitors can get a cup of coffee in perfection (with cream and biscuits) at 14, Queen-street, Cardiff. See the coffee roasted iu the window. 6350

THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY i RAiN. During the past day or two the weather over the United Kingdom has been gradually falling into a most unsettled state, with heavy rains in nenrly all districts and with thunderstorms ovfir a considerable portion cf England and W ¡r,]es. "Yesterday the London district was visited by two or three distinct thunder- storms, each of which was accompanied by l'cavy showers. rIho morning was wet to begin tfith, and after a temporary clearance heavy rain again set in at about 1.30 p.m., with loud peals of thunder and some sharp flashes of hghtnmg. In the afternoon another storm burst over the metropolis, while in the early evening there were further heavy showers at intervals. Up to 6 p.m. the amount of rain measured at Westminster amounted to only O.lOin., but at Clapham the showers yielded as much as 0.30in. The unsettled weather has been due to a somewhat complex distribution of baro- metrical pressure. Since Monday two cyclonic disturbance of considerable depth for the time of year to have moved slowly in a north-north- westerly direction along our most western coasts, and have occasioned heavy rains in all the western and northern parts of the United Kingdom, with slight gales at some of the Scotch stations. The bad weather which has occurre d ove r lo r, which has occurred over tngland has, however, been due not so much to these primary systems as to some small secondary disturbances which have passed directly over our islands. At the present time England is lying in a kind of trough of low pressure, the barometer being high both to the southward and to the north-eastward of us. Under such conditions there is invariably astrong tendency for the development of cyclonic disturb- ances and until one or other of the high-pressure systems gives way it would be hopeless to expect any material improvement in the weather. The thunderstorms of yesterday appear to have been general over our midland, eastern, and south- eastern counties, and temperature was low for the season in London the thermometer did not rise above 67 deg. House Struck by Lightning at Highgate. Yesterday afternoon, about three o'clock, during the progress of a very heavy thunderstorm which passed over North London, the house of Mr Lemeire, 15, Onslow Gardens, Muswell-hill-road, Highgate, was struck by lightning. The flash struck a large stack of chimneys, which I was partly demolished, and forced the fire-grate and mantelpiece of the drawing-room on the first- floor from their position, and did other damage to the room. Mr Lemeire and his family are away from home, and the house was in charge of a servant, who at the time of the occurrence was on the ground floor and was uninjured. The current seems to have spent its force in the drawing-room, as the other rooms were not in any way damaged.

A CLITHEROE "GHOST" LAID. I The Northern Daily Telegraph says :-A ghost story of an unusual nature has just been brought to light at Clitheroe. The Rev. and Mrs Haslam, of Well Hall, Clitheroe, are away from home on their holidays, and the Hall is temporarily oc- cupied by a lady and her two daughters A day or two ago great alarm was caused among the servants and occupants by what was supposed to be a visit from the famous ghost Peggy Nell," from Wadlow. The drawers in the kitchen and the cupboard doors flew open, the window shutters closed mysteriously, the bells rang, and the door knockers were loudly sounded. The bed-clothes upstairs were also strewn about the floor, and when the table was set for dinner in the dining-room the knives became strangely collected in a heap. The alarm became so great that information was given to the police. The Chief Constable visited the house, and, his suspi- cions being aroused, he placed watchers unknown to the servants. In the evening one of the ser- vants was noticed to go upstairs and scatter the bedclothes about, and then return to the kitchen saying, All is right upstairs." The Chief Con- stable afterwards charged her with being the cause of the disturbancce, but she at first strenuously denied all knowledge of it. On being told she had been watched, however, she confessed that she had done it, and expressed her sorrow. Since then the place has been quiet, and Peggy Nell is not likely to appear again for some time.

ST. JOHN'S VESTRY, CARDIFF. I At a meeting of the St. John's Vestry this morning, the recent offer of the Cardiff Corpora- tion of 2700 for 337 square yards of the church- yard for the widening of Working-street, &o., was considered. There were present :-The Rev 0. J. Thompson (vicar), in the chair; Mr T. H. Stephens and Mr Sargeant, churchwardens and Councillor Noah Rees, Messrs Grainger, Peace, and Hern, parishioners. The offer of the Corporation was held to be quite inadequate, and shown to be less than the sum given by the same body for a smaller bit of the same soil 15 years ago, although land has much increased in value. After a discussion, Mr T. H. Stephens moved That in the opinion of this vestry meeting it is undesir- able to part with any portion of the churchyard exceptfor urgent street improvements, and then only on the church authorities being paid the fair value of the land taken together with all expenses incidental to the taking of such land improvements. Dr TAYLOR seconded, and the resolution was carried unanimously.

SUICIDE OF A JOURNALIST. I A Walford correspondent telegraphs :—Mr Arthur Robert Nicols, F.R.G.S., journalist, com- mitted suicide here this morning by shooting him- self through the head with a revolver whilst in bed. The discovery was first made by his wife, who slept in an adjoining room, and who heard the report, of a revol ver

TO-DAY'S WEATHER, 4.30 P.M. I TO-DAY'S FORECAST FOR ENGLAND, S.W., AND SOUTH WALES. South-westerly to westerly winds, frogh changeable showery. GENERAL.—The barometer is at present rising in the western parts of the United Kingdom, but at ValentIa. Island the change has slackened considerably since 2 p.m. The conditions are still favourable for the formation of shallow de- pressions over various parts of our islands.

ARRIVAL OF THE FRENCH FLEET. The French Fleet, commanded by Rear-Admiral Gervais, of the Marengo, arrived off Portsmouth on Wednesday afternoon, and was formally received by British naval representatives selected by the Admiralty for that purpose. H.M.S. Seagull conducted the fleet from the Nab Light. house through the lines of the British Channel Squadron to moorings immediately opposite Osborne House. On entering British waters Admiral Gervais' squadron fired a salute of 21 guns, and ran up the British Standard at the main. The Duke of Connaught, as representing the land forces, answered the salute from Southsea. The French sailors manned the yards as they entered the British lines, giving repeated hurrahs" which were heartily responded to by the men of our own fleet. Passing the Camperdown and Anson, further salutes were fired in honour of the Naval Commander-in-Chief and Admiral Seymour. As a spectacle the reception was strikingly expressive.

CURIOUS BLOCKAGE OF RAIL- WAY TRAFFIC. All trains due at Ilfracombe last evening were blocked at Barnstable in consequence of a vessel from Hull sticking in the sand bank while passing through the opening of the railway drawbridge just outside Barnstable, which prevented the bridge being closed. Nearly 100 passengers were conveyed in omnibuses from Barnstable to a point on the other side of the railway bridge, from, where they were taken on to Ilfracombe by., special train. The vessel would float off by the next tide.

MR SPURGEON BETTER. I Mr Spurfceon continues slowly to improve. His I appetite and strength are a lot more satisfactory.

THE BRITISH IN EGYPT. I [REUTER'S TELEGRAM.1 I CONSTANTINOPLE, Wednesday. The Egyptian Patriotic Committee has ad- dressed a, report to the Turkish Government, III which it states that if on the reassembling Lord Salisbury should decline Rustem Pacha's overtures for the renewal of negotiations for the evacuation of Egypt, the conJmittee will then press the Khedive to | call upon the Porte officially to address a note to the Powers demanding their collective support in its endeavours to re-open negotiations with Great Britain on this subject. It is stated in official circles here that, prior to his departure for this oity, where ifre is to succeed Count de Montebello as French (Ambassador, M. Cambon will receive in^rucuions from his Government to urge nponne Porte the expediency of taking this coursc and to support its action.

A Remarkable Letter. Yesterday Dr Diplock held an inquest at Hampton on the body of Edgar Herbert Dell, an electrician, of Chisv.-iek, who committed suicide on Sunday at Hampton Court. Deceased was seen in great agony at a pond where his sister committed suicide a week or two ago, and when the police arrived he was dead, having poisoned himsell with prussio acid. On the body was found the foilowing letter addressed to the coroner :— Dear Coroner,—If you can do anything so as not to cause these people unnecessary pain and delay you have the anticipated thanks of a fellow- being. It is a very old ordinary case, and calls for no questioniig or circumlocution. The dear ones left fancy there is something dreadful in death, and I cannot convince them otherwise. Truly I am rather mixed—we all are. By way of refreshing my memory and testing my senses I drove round the house last night in a hearse among nasturtiums and poppies. All was as Usual, except that the candle was out—snuffed out perhaps by some careless person who did not know what it was there for. Well, it had lit two other canrlles, but they are not here. The wind blows, and careless persons are abun- dant. Would you believe it, dear coroner, dur- ing that dr;ve in the hearseall the laughable and comical incidents that I had seen in life came upon me in full fury, and I smiled as the world has not seen me smile before. Then two other candles appeared and we all smiled aid said, 'This is good, the world is together, Then one candle vanished and an 'jeautiful. Then one  vanished and :Ill army of extinguishers hovered round us. I said, Drive on, for I will not be one of them.' I looked back and saw the two candles still shimn in the distance. The army had disappeared, and the wind had lulled. I knew that the candles would light by themselves and burn* to their sockets, and I was happy. I said, 'Drive after the other candles,' but they had i;one for ever. The grief between two ternities was ended, and the candles and myself v/ere but things of the imagination. Enough The history of the world cannot be written on p, sheet of foolscap. Do you ask why nen kill themselves 1 Then ask, as one falls, why men mourn for tho dead; why a north pole retracts; a south why a man loves a woman and vhy men live. If you must have something rther tfian unsound mind, let the verdict be death Lam inability to cope with the problems of life bit pljrhaps it is not in the world's phrase-book." Evidence %i to depression since the sister's suicide was given, and a verdict of suicide while of Uilsound mind was returned.

DEATH OF LORD INGLIS. I The Press Association's Edinburgh corre. spondent telegraphs :-Lord Inglis, President of the Scottish Court Session, died to-day at his residence, near Penicrick. He was 81 years ot age, and was a native of Edinburgh. He was educated at Edinburgh and Oxford, was called to the Bar in 1835, and on several occasions was Solicitor-General for Scotland. He was also Chancellor of Edinburgh University.

A CARDIFF STEAMER IN I COLLISION. The steamers Ulleswater, of Newcastle, and Westergate, of Cardiff, both laden tl former in; ward bound and the latter outward, collided out- side Huelva bar. The former was badly damaged, and is ashore, with nine feet of water in the hold. The damage to the latter is unknown.

The Voice of "Truth." I The Queen is to arrive at Balmoral next Tues- day in time for luncheon, and her Majeety intends to stay in Scotland, according to present arrange- ments, until November 20, when the Court will remove to Windsor Castle. --0- A large portion of Sir Hussey Vivian's choice herd of shorthorns (about 50 head) is to be sold off at Singleton Abbey. James Russell Lowell was often described as the American Addison. He was a charming writer, and a truly delightful person. He was a master of the English language, both in prose and in poetry, and his most famous won:, "The Big- low Papers," is the most striking combination of wit and humour which has enriched British litera- ture since the appearance of Hudibras." Scott was his favourite novelist, and he knew by heart Bos well's Johnson" and Lockhart's "Life of Sir Walter." Mr Lowell was an admirable speaker, and there have been few^otter talkers. He had an endless now of anecdote, and his power of repartee was truly marvellous. He was a voracious reader in English, French, Italian, and Spanish. Few men have died of late years who have taken with them to the grave so large an amount of rare and precious attainments and learning. It is announced that Sir Richard Temple "Nvill not stand again for the Evesham Division of Worcestershire, in consequence of the state of his health. I am informed, however, by a reliable local correspondent that Sir Richard is really retiring because there is not the slightest chance of his being re-elected, and he does not relish the prospect of all the expense and fatigue of a hope- less contest. The Tories now hold all the YvTorcestershire seats, six in number, but I am assured that the Liberals will win at least four of them at the General Election. I tremble when I think of the flood of words that will be poured forth on the long-suffering eleetors between now and the general election. What a fearful repetition there will be of the same arguments How the orators on each side will prove conclusively that their party is com- posed of the noblest and the wisest of human beings, and that their measures are destined to confer happiness and prosperity on the country How each side will revile the leader and the measures of their opponents What well- worn exordiums and well-learnt perorations What stale and thread-bare jokes. What noble sentiments What cutting sarcasm And yet, in all probability, the listeners know already as irmch about the issues at stake as the orators. What they want to know is, not which Party promises most, but which Party is fcost likely to fulfil its promises—and this is especially the case in regard to the agricul- tural labourers. These people are not to be put off with sham Allotment Acts. They are not disposed to remain with no voice in the control over the schools to which they are forced to send their children. County Councils have not brought self-government to the village. The squire, the farmer, and the parson are still supreme there the labourers are their serfs and their slaves. This is the outcome of six years of Tory rule. --0-- If we can convince the labourers that Liberal rule will really result in their future, so far as village matter are concerned, being in their own hands, we shall sweep the agricultural consti- tuencies. Our business, therefore, is to bring home to the villagers the gospel of political equality, and to get them to understand that if they will stand by us we shall stand by them. The villager does not concern himself greatly with Imperial politics. His life is one long struggle for bare existence his interests are limited by his horizon his enemies are in his midst. A small village meeting, un- reported even in the local newspaper, is more useful, is of far more practical value to the Liberal cause than a huge meeting in a large town, with speeches that are dubbed most important, and which are reported in every newspaper in the United Kingdom.

THE SEIZURE OF AN AMERICAN STEAMER. LBEUTEREGRAnI. J J NEW YORK, Wednesday. A despatch from San Salvador, of yesterday's date, states that Generals Ayala Letona and Hernandez Ri vaz were on their way to Guate- mala, on board the American mail steamer City of Panama, which was declared confiscate by the San Salvador authorities, on the ground that she had cleared without a permit. It is stated,says the telegram, that the President of Guatemala offered them arms, money, and men for a revolution against San Salvador, and this is why these passen- gers were demanded from the steamer officials. The President of San Salvador has, it is added, telegraphed to Salvadorian Chargi d' Affaires at Mexico to ask the Mexican Government to inter- fere. I

MR OSBORNE MORGAN AND I THE ASSERTIONS OF BISHOPS. I Mr Osborne Morgan, M.P., speaking yesterday at Ponkey, near Wrexham, stated that it would be affectation on his part to ignore a subject con- cerning which every newspaper in Wales had been speaking for months past, viz., the assertion of certain bishops that many Nonconformist ministers were anxious to join the Established Church. When men in high places brought charges against their Nonconformist brethren which they could not substantiate, it was time for every man to protest against the use of such un- fair weapons, which were certainly not calculated to advance the cause of Christianity.

A REMARKABLE OLD LADY. I. One of the most remarkable visitors to Buxton this season is a lady 110 years of age. She is driven, in her private bath chair, to the bandstand every fine day by her diminutive page in buttons, and she makes frequent remarks on the music to the lady companion who walks by her side. The old lady, who had outlived children and grand- children, seems to be no object for pity, for though enveloped in wraps, her face is quite un- covered, and her piercing black eyes, full of rest- less vitality, dart from one object to another with looks of keen and intelligent interest.

THE LONG-DISTANCE SWIMMER I C. E. Fisher, tha long-distance swimmer, in- tends swimming from Dover to Ramsgate on Friday morning. He challenges all corners for the long-distance championship.

The value of the personal estate of the late Lord Edward Cavendish, M.P. for West Derby- shire, who died at Devonshire House, Piccadilly, on May 18th last, has been sworn at £ 28,523. BRITISH ASSOCIATION.—Members and visitors cau get a cup of coffee in perfection (with cream and biscuits) at 14, Queen-street, Cardiff. See the coffee roasted in the window. 636e FJRKE TO ALL APPLCANTS.—Men in search of Strength and Energy, wishing for happiness in married life-the Magic Mirror free by post, in envelope. Ad dress Secretary, 3 3; !jt,?;¡Jh!' 'J" "!rnb.I" I

Singular Death at New- port. —————— -1 -————.— THE CORONER'S INQUIRY ADJOURNED. A farmer, named Amos Lewis, tenant of th* Treharry Farm, Ditfgestow, near Monmouth, went to Newport on Wednesday for the purpose of transacting business in cattle dealing, and during tht afternoon got into the company of a yonng woman, whom he took to the Windsor Castle public-house, Dock-street. After partaking of a glass of beer, the farmer became suddenly unwell, and feU forward from the chair in a comatose condition. A medical man was called in by the publican, and he advised removal to the Infirmary. Herf Lewis received every attention, but die:, not recover consciousness, and died shortly aftei midnight. At the inquest which was held at the Town- hall, Newport, this afternoon, before Mr E. IL Davies, deputy-coroner, the son of the deceased, Ernest Lewis, cattle dealer, spoke to the ag< of the deceased as being 59. Witness wai not with the deceased when he went to Newport, but saw him before he died. He was not subject to fits.-Clara Davies, singli woman, 21, Albany-street, said she knew the de- ceased previously for many years. She met him near the Windsor Castle, and he invited her in. Shs asked him about all the friends at home, and about the harvest. He drank some of the beer, and then said suddenly, Oh, I feel ill send for a doctor, quick." She said, "Are you really ill ?" and he replied, I'm dying." She ran out to the landlady, and went into the street and asked a man to fetch a doctor.—Dr Bowker. house surgeon, said the deceased did not recover consciousness. He could not speak absolutely as to the cause of death. I resembled an unusual form of apoplexy, and also several other things. Deceased evidently suffered from chronic disease of the kidney.—The Deputy-Coroner adjourned tha inquest for a post-mortem examination to ba made. The two glasses of beer, containing each about a third, were produced at the inquest.

AFFAIRS OF A NEWPORT GROCER. At Newport Bankruptcy Court t is morning, the public examination was called on of Jamea Vaugban W iifckins, grocer and provision dealer, of 52, High-street, Newport. The statement of affairs showed liabilities £ 1,57117s Id, and assets,. £ 1,295 18s Id; deficiency, £ 214 3s 2d. The causes o!< failure were declared to bo creditors pressing for payment and want of ready money. The debtor commenced busin sa in 1835, in partnership with Mr John Williams, with j-570 capital, but this partnership was dissolved in October last, when Mr Williams (who had brought £ 4-00 of the capital) was paid L250 on account of his share. Four months before the receiving order was made, the debtor was involved in an action for infringing patent rights in tea labels, and paid L50 to compromise the same, his partner paying a similar sum. Debtor was entitled under a will to three cottages, at Monmouth, upon the death of his grandmother, now 65 years of age.—The Deputy Official Receiver (Mr W. Clark) stated that the debtor had been adjudicated bankrupt, and Mr E. T. Collins, of Bristol, appointed trustee with a committee of inspection. The statement of accounts had been filed only within a few days, and the trustee had not been able to go through it. He therefore asked for an ad- journment of the examination, which was granted.

BARRY AND CADOXTON GAS AND WATER COMPANY'S MEETING. This morning at the Park Hotel, Cardiff, the ninth half-yearly meeting of shareholders of the Barry and Cadoxton Gas and Water Company was held, Mr James Ware, deputy-chairman, presiding. There Wele also present Mr J. B. Ferrier, Mr Edmund Handcock, Mr Thomas Webb, Mr Lewis Williams, directors and the Rev A. L. Rees, Mr D. Davies (Merthyr), Mr D. Davies (Aberdare), and Mr E. Handcock, jun., with Mr F. M. Harris, secretary.—The Chairman, in submitting the statement of ac- counts and report of the directors, remarked on the good state of the works and the prospects before the company. The directors recommended a dividend of five per cent.—Mr E. Handoock seconded the adoption of the report.—The report was adopted, and a vote of thanks was passed to the directors. An extraordinary meeting was held at the close of the general meeting, when it was deciled to convert the company's shares into stock, and to issue 23,000 debenture stock, which will be put up for sale by public auction.

MADAME PATTI'S OPERATIC TOUR. Madame Patti yesterday signed a contract with the American manager, Mr Abbey, for an operatic tour in the United States during the late autumn and winter. Madame Patti had previously received an offer from another manager for a concert tour but the stage has proved a superior attraction, and the prima donna will, it seems, again be under the control of Mr Abbey. That enter- prising director had already secured a powerful company, including MM. Jean and Edouard de Reszke, Mesdames Albani, Eames, and Scalohie and the sisters Ravogli; but whether Madam, Patti will be a member of thia troupe or will head a party of her own is not stated. A per. formance with Madame Patti and M. Jean de Reszke in the casb would, however, probably cost Mr Abbey something like £ 2,000 for the fees of the artists, band, and chorus alone. It if therefore extremely probable that except per- haps upon some special occasions the two great operatic stars will not appear upon the stage together.

LIKE OTHER GIRLS. Apropos of individuality, one of our young Princesses of Wales seems (says a lady correspon- dent) to be displaying an inclination for indepen- dent action. We are told that Princess Maud, instead of accompanying her mother and sister to the family gathering at Oopen. hagen, will go on a round of visits incognito. The bright young lady evidently likes to have some fun on her own account, and to be allowed to forget for a time the burden of her rank. About two years ago Princess Maud paid a quiet visit to her former governess, now married to a clergyman in the South of England. It must be wearisome to be always a Princess, and not to be allowed to ride on the top of an omnibus or in a hansom or look in at shop windows, as I am told the young Princesses of Wales, like other girls of their age, have a strong desire to do.

THE PONTYPRIDD RAILWAY DISASTER. The injured persons at the Union Hospital and at the Half Moon Hotel, Pontypridd, were pro. gressing very favourably on Wednesday. Gra,pee and other delicacies have been sent to the institu- tion and the hotel by several ladies, to be given to the sufferers. Mr W. Pritchard Morgan, M. P., wired on Wednesday triorning to Mr T. Whitty Evans to see the sufferers on his behalf, and to convey to them his sympathy in then affliction.

DESTRUCTIVE CYCLONE. The following cable message has been received in London this morning from Lloyd's a&ent at Martinique :—" Cyclone here all shipping lost. Following names Alphonsine, Ndic, H ;md L. Amieizia, Emmanuel, Auzur, Souveraiu, Nante3. Berthe, Collet, Cienfaiteur (Bienfaiteur ?), Anna. PfflHin*Saphir. Ned White.