The Cardiff Times

Last year (writes a correspondent of the Times) I paid my first visit to Cornwall (Sennen and the Land's End), srd again and again during my intercouse with the less sophisticated inhabitants I was struck by their decidedly" Yankee" twang. It set me wondering whether in Cornwall might be found the original source of that pecu- liar so-called nasal inflection which is so charac- teristic of the New Englander (tha true Yan- kee "), and in a less degree of all United States folk, excepting perhaps the Virginian. Many Comwaupeople found*

THE HOUSEHOLD. I HE Home Arts and Industries Associa- tion is rapidly grow. ing into an almost national work; it bas local branches in every county, and in many cases more than one; nearly all the large land- owners have made a point of instituting local classes for the villagers in whom they are especially interested. All these centres combine to- Homer once a vear r Mfetio result, „e5l,,bi'I. f Albert Hall. Th„ e*U?r» .J" •„ „ ne exhibition is one that • ,0U ,nteresting from the purely I SJia I P°!nt; '3Ufc fc^e amateur may get many I** TJ t'le eniployment of paint and oo s. Ou ing has shown a more artistic de- velopment in the way of amateur craft than em. bossed or cut leather work has Of late and this has been greatly aided by the interest taken aud the work shown and executed by the Princess of ',er ^au £ hters from their technical school at handringham. A very beautiful Brad- shaw cover was executed in morocco leather by the Princess of Wales, and shown at one of these exhibitions. It consisted of a semi-Persian design of carnations and leaves, standing out in low relief against a punched ground, and here and there leaves and flowers put in with a modelling implement, technically known as tooling. In starting the working the leather is cut to the re- quired size, aud thoroughly damped; at the back with a clean sponge, and then fixed with tin-tacks (not brass pins) to a small board, which can easily be turned about, and must be strengthened at the back by cross battens to prevent the wood from twisting. In about 10 minutes, when the surface is dry, a clear and accurate tracing of the pattern should be laid on, and traced with an agate or :vory point. After the tracing is reo moved, these lines should all be gone over lightly with the tracing wheel. which is held in the right hand and guided with the thumb and first finger of the left, the larger wheel being used for all the ong ines, and the smaller one, or steel modelling oo, or the short lines, such as the tips of a carnation or the serrations ofj leaves. Itisbetter to mark in the outline lightly at firsb, and then, if there are any un. even or bad lines theymaybe erased by an ivory paper knife, and the line put in again- When once cor- rect the lines may easily be gone over again. After this the ground should be punched with a small star or round punch, as this helps to raise the flowers, KMBOSStD LKATHBB CHAIR. I and a few touches with the modelling tool may be added on the flowers and leaves. The marginal lines must be put in last, on account of the leather swelling and as an assistance in keeping bbe wheel straight, a flat bevelled ruler may be used. A great deal of practice is necessary to get facility in usiiig the wheel, so it is as well at first to practise simple lines, circles, and curves. Fcr "he Celtic and Moorish in terns a modelling tool is hardly necessary. Tor the out leather work, cowhide is the most suitable. Proceed as before, only the leather must: be wetted on the front side, and, after traoing tfce pattern, instead of the wheel, a small knife should be used. It must be held quite perpendicularly in the right hand, the left hand being spread out flat and the cutter pushed along either by the thumb or two first fingers of the left hand. It is essential to cut the leather quite straight and not obliquely, and the cut should be made about half way through the leather. After the lines are cut they are opened out by means of the modelling too), and the outside edge flattened down into the ground, and then punched. The design can then be modelled at discretion with the modelling tool and if a higher relief is wanted the pattern can be stuffed out from the back with a preparation made of rye meal and sawdust in about equal proportions mixed with water to a stiff paste. The part so raised must be modelled while the preparation is wet. Every day brings us fresh instances of the extreme value of space; kitchens are not what they used to be, those great roomy compartments where there were cupboards galore and shelves and hiding-plaoes at a discount; now we do not buy in such large quantities, we live as a rule far more from hand to mouth, our grocer is so handy that he acts as a store cupboard, and it is quite customary in small households to buy only those things required for weekly use. I caine across a clever little American contrivance, and as all the world knows, the Americans sre wonderful inven- tive geniuses. This household novelty is a kitchen cabinet and offers a aeries of compactly- arranged receptacles for all kinds of kitchen utensils and groceries, there are a number of THE KITOHJCN COMMODE. f drawers, so that things can be kepb separately, some particularly arranged in order to hold sugar and flour, and, as will be seen by the sketch, they all open out well, so as to be easily cleaned and set in order, that is if you are lucky enough to possess a maid who likes to have things in order, my experience is that she prefers cracked jampots with labels utterly contradictory as to their con- tents, to any other kind. These cabinets can be made of plain white wood, which can be scoured with sand in the same simple manner as the kitchen table it rests on oastors, and so can be easily pushed about to be within reach when cooking, it also forms a very handy table top. I often wonder that people do not more fre- quently use up the pretty bits of lace that they may have in their possession, as trimmings to handkerchiefs indeed, the entire manufacture of a handkerchief out of grass lawn is not such a difficult undertaking as may be imagined. I give a group of new designs hero, and hope they TRIMMING FOR HANDKERCHIEFS. I will spur on the industrious-fingered to their imitation. The one which has insertion placed in the form of a square in the earners is a particu- larly pretty design, and the centre can be very well filled up with a monogram instead of a piece of lace in one of the corners. Another handker- chief has a small pattern of drawn-thread work occurring at interVals above the taca border, and Mother hsm.h,nlb pale blue thread, with y iT." mow%

Our Country Column. How to Centrel Bees. One of the greatest objections brought against the adoption of the most interesting and not the least profitable of the many rural industries is the power of the busy bee to inflict pain by the use of its sting. It is only natural that the bee, armed with a means of defence, should use it against its enemies, whether they be other insects or the genus home. Bees that from other hives, either intentienally or by accident, enter a hive other than that from which they have flOWD, as a rule get roughly treated, and leave either maimed or lifeless. A bee- keeper, however, may, by studying the ways and peculiarities of the bees, and adopting a careful and proper system of management, render them comparatively harmless. It order to bring bees under control it is necessary that they should be frightened, for then they rush to the honey cells and gorge themselves with honey. While the bees are thus employed, whatever work the bee-keeper wishea to do, should be done without delay an occasional puff of smoke being driven across the tops of the frames if the bees shows a disposition I to resent interference. Two methods are usually SMOKER. employed to intimidate bees-either smoke from a pipe or a specially made smoker is blown into the hive at the entrance, or a cloth steeped in a car- bolic solution, and wrung nearly dry, is placed upon the frames as the quilts or coverings are removed. A single puff of smoke will, during the summer when the bees are working well, be sufficent to subdue them, because at such times they have access to numerous cells containing unsealed honey. If, howeyer, an examination is made after bad weather or in the autumn, the honey will be sealed over, and it will be difficult for that reason to bring the bees under control. Bees should not be interfered with at such times. All work, such as removing supers and examining stocks, should take place as soon as the honey- flow is on the wane—that is when the crops of honey-producing flowers have ceased to bloom. Our illustration shows a specially-made smoker. ? Production of Geese. The point to consider in the production of geese is this the Toulouse and Embden varieties cost no more in food than the common cross bred goose, yet they are twice as heavy Not only this, by having pure breeds there is always the chance of getting a higher price than market price for good specimens; whilst those that are not suitable for breeding from, through faulty plumage, are quite as good as the best when plucked and placed upon the market. There is another point, too, worth consideration-these heavy weight birds bring a bigger price per pound than small geese. Being large it does not follow that they are tough eat- ing on the contrary, their flesh is more tooth- some than that of a small cross-bred goose. To obtain the best results in breeding it is advisable to have birds not younger than two years, and two females, or three at the outside, allowed to each male. The gander should not be closely akin to the geese,-as it is not advisable to inbreed for market purposes. A pen like this will do good service for ? few years, as geese are noted for their .longevity. They should be kept quiet and undisturbed. If there is not a natural supply of water, a small tank three or four feet in diameter will answer the purpose equally well. Be careful in the feeding. It is not wise to stimulate too much. They should, of course, have unlimited pasturage, and when carefully housed, which should be done every night, they can have alternately wheat, barley, or oats, and this should be given to them in a long, wooden V-shaped trough, so that they can pick up the grains easily. Hyacinths in Pots or Glasses. In selecting bulbs, choose those that are clean, well ripened and heavy. They need not be large unless the variety produces a large bulb. Do not purchase those exposed for sale in shop windows or open baskets. To grow hyacinths in glasses, fill the glasses with soft water and place the bulb so that th&base is just touching the water. Should soft water not be available, allow the spring water to stand outdoors in the sun for a day before using. Place in a dark cupboard until the roots are about three inches long. They should then be brought gradually into the tight), and the glasses kept filled with water. They do best in a cool room, near the window, but should be protected from frost. A piece of charcoal in the glass will keep the water pure. For pot culture, prepare a compost of turfy-loam, well broken, and mixed with equal parts of rotten manure and silver sand. Place a crock at the bottom of the pot, and fill with compost. Clean the bulb from all loose parts, and place in the soil so that only the top is above the surface. Have ready a bed of coal ashes, place the pots thereon and give a good watering. When fairly dry, cover to the depth of six inches with old tan, coal ashes, or cocoa-nut fibre, and allow them to remain from four to six weeks. This will enable the pots to be well-filled with roots before the foliage appears—an important point. After removing from the bed, thoroughly clean, gradually inure to the light, and place in the forcing pit. Give plenty of water and keep them close to the glass. By potting the second week in September, and then fortnightly to the end of December, a succession of blooms may be obtained from Christmas to the end. of April. Hardy Vegetables. Now is the time to think over what vegetables will be required during the coming winter and spring. Discard all kinds that have failed, and those that have done well should be planted in suf- ficiently large quantities to last through the cold weather, A common fault among amateurs is to defer putting in the plants nutil too late and another fault is not providing a sufficient supply. Both may be guarded against by a little fore- thought. Brussels sprouts are perhaps the most popular of all our winter vegetables, and none can question its hardiness, while there are few crops which repay so well for careful cultivation. A well-grown plant should stand erect, and bear a profusion of firm sprouts from top to bottom: Giving the plants a fair amount of spaoe is the best way to secure firm, compact sprouts. Kale is another valuable winter green, and; well repays the grower. Get these plants in as early as possible, so as to ensure them being full-grown when winter sets in. Remember that the stronger the plants the better will be the seoondary sprouts; these make the planb a valuable one, for if the head be cut out, the sprouts will con- tinue to grow well into May. Asparagus kale, green curled and cottagers' kale, are all useful, the latter perhaps as useful as any. Broccoli is another winter vegetable in universal demand. A serviceable plant is the Tom Thumb savoy this is delicious after being touched with frost. A winter green, which is seldom seen in private gardens, is the hardy coleworlJ-wby, it is diffi- cult to say. They are extremely hardy, and well worthy the attention of those who have not tried them. These and the Tom Thumb savoy should be planted a foot apart, to ensure the plants doing well. Marguerites. Among our garden flowers that have sprung into popularity during the last few years are the yellow and white chrysanthemums (Frutescens) or, as they are generally oalled, Marguerites. Of the two sorts, the white are by far the best and grow more freely than the yellow. Of the yellow variety the best is known by the name of Etoile d'Or i of the white variety the best have leaves of a bluish tinge. This kind. though it does not produce such large blooms as some other kinds, the distinction of bearing blooms nearly all the year round, as it only requires to be well managed to nower during late autumn, and again m early spring. The old plants generally bloom mere freely than the young ones. Where there axe a number of old plants, aod it is desired to keep them in the pots, turn them out and cut abont a quarter of the ball away. Repot them in a compost of light turfy loam, leaf mould, well rotted manure, and sharp sand. Press the plants firmly into the soil, and keep them in a close and confined place for three weeks or se untIl the roots have gob a fair start. When the plants are repotted rednoe the heads by cutting back the branches, but be careful nob to touch the hard wood or the plants will nofrgrow BO-strong as desired. After the planta lwve gol owe their ffeiffcctaad them out The grower must be careful to allow plants of the yellow variety sufficient pot room to enable them to grow freely. Go over all plants frequently to see that the leaf-boring grub has not commenced to destroy the foliage also keep them free from aphides. Of the hundred and one remedief for this pest, there is none to equal hand-picking. Directly the grub appears steps must be taken to cope with the destroyer, or the stock will be spoilt, The present is a good time to pnt in cut- tings. Select free-growing soft shoots, free from dower buds, as these produces the strongest plants. Answers to Correspondents. Rats in a fowl heuse.—"Kemp" (Guildford) can easily prevent rats getting in by putting half-inch mesh galvanised wire-netting all round the house inside or out. If outside, it should be put a foot or so below the foundations. If Kemp can take up his floor, which he says is of boards, and can lay a cement one instead, he will gain 10 several ways. Wooden floors are not so healthy as are those of non-porons materials. Winter laying (E. Day).—Plymouth Rocks or a Plymouth Rock cross are among the best winter layers. As the cold increases, give more nourish- ing food, April hatched pullets, if in good con. dition, ought to be laying now.

NBIXIK I say, Jack, I want to break my en- gagement with Mr Sappie, but I don't know how to do it without driving the poor fellow to suicide. JACK (her brother): Why don't you let him see you in curl-papers just once ?

THE STANDABD HIGH. Caddington Well, I see you ladies have started your paper, The Ad. vanced Woman. You've made application, I suppose, to have it to through the mail aa second-class mtter ?—Miss Strongmynd (firmhrt: .Nœw.. iadeedl 2'U be i

Welsh Tit-Bits. Neu Wreichion Oddiar yr Eingion. (BY CADRAWD.) Mrs Hemans and Wales. Mrs Hermans has written some excellent poetry to a selection of Welsh airs, but, being too erudite for the common ear, these songs have not become so generally popular as they deserve to be. Who could thus speak of the Welsh language As long as Arfon's mountains shall lift their sovereign forms, And wear the crown to which is given dominion o'er the storms, So long, their Empire sharing, shall live the lofty tongue, To which the harp of Mona's woods by freedom's hand was strung. The Gorsedd. The Gorsedd, or Congress of the Bards, was a meeting of the greatest importance amongst the ancient Cymry. Perhaps the most accurate account of the time and manner of holding the Gorsedd is that given in the Essay on Bardism, prefixed to Dr. Wm. 0. Pughe's translation of the poems of Llywarch Hen. The following is extracted therefrom The regular times of holding a Gorsedd, or meeting, were the two solstices and equinoxes subordinate meetings might also be held every new and full moon, and also at the quarter days, which were chiefly for instructing disciples. The regular meetings were supposed to be well known with respect to time and place, for there were appointed places as well as times. Irregular meetings could only be held by proclamation; or, if arbitrarily held on urgent occasions, their acts required the confirmation of a Gorsedd, or public assent by subsequent proclamation. The Gor- seddau were always held in the open air and in the face of the sun, and in the eye of light. The place was set apart by forming a circle of stones round the Maen Gorsedd. [The Stone Assembly -this was also called Crair Gorsedd, or the Covenant Place of Assembly, and Maen Llog, the Stone of Covenant.] At the Gorseddau it was absolutely necessary to recite the bardic traditions, and, with this. whatever came before them was considered and determined upon. The bards always stood bareheaded and barefooted in their uni-coloured robes at the Gorsedd, and within the Cylch Cyngrair, or Circle Federation. The ceremony used on the opening of a meeting was the sheathing of the sword on the Maen Gorsedd, at which all the presiding bards assisted, and this was accompanied with a brief pertinent discourse. When the business was finished the meeting was closed by taking up, but not unsheathing, the sword, with a few words on the occasion, when all covered their hands and feet. There were certain mottoes used by the bards that for the General Assembly of the Isle of Britain was Gwir yn Erbyn y byd' (The Truth in opposition to the World.) Those for the provincial meetings were such as bad been adopted at the first establishment of them respectively. They were used as declaratory of the cadair, or talaeth meeting of province, whereof the bard was a member, or of the meeting that enacted anything respecting the institution." The mottoes of the several provincial chairs are as follows Glamorgan or Siluria God and all good- ness." The Round Table of Arthur, or Taliesin, and of Tir larll (Earl's Land): Nothing is truly good that may be excelled." Powis Who stays shall be slain." Dobenharth (South Wales): Hearb to heart." Gwynedd (Venedotia): Jesus." Bryu Gwyddon: Hearing is believing; seeing is truth." Bryn Gwyddon, Abury, was one of the three primary places of meeting of the bards, or rather of the Druids of the Isle of Britain. Dyfnaint (Devon) in the obair of Beisgitwen- Nothing is for ever that is not for ever and a'-er. Urien Rheged, ab Aberllycbwr (Loughor), under the presidency of Taliesin—" Truth will have its place." Rhaglan Castle, under the patronage of William Lord Herbert—" Awake it is day." It was not lawful for the bards to bear arms, or for anyone to bear a naked weapon in their presence. They were deemed the Heralds of Peace." Privileges If the Bards. The duties and privileges assigned in the Triads of Dyfnwal Moelmud, and in the Institutional Triads of Bardism, are as follows 1. The three primary privileges of the bards of the Isle of Britain-Maintenance wherever they go, that no naked weapon be borne in their presence, and that thoir testimony be preferred to that of all others. 2. The three ultimate objects of bardism-to reform morals and customs, to secure peace, and to praise everything that is good and excellent. 3. Three things forbidden to a bard—im- morality, satire, and the bearing of arms (dwyn anfael augoes ac arfau.) 4. The three modes of instruction used by the bards of the Isle of Britain-the instructions of voice, song, and usage by means of convention, or congress. 5. The three delights of the bards of the Isle of Britain-the prosperity of science, the reforma- tion of manners, and the triumph of peace over devastation and pillage. 6. The three spleudid bonours of the tjards of the Isle of Britain—the triumph of learning over ignorance, the triumph of reason over irration- ality, and the triumph of peace over depredation, and 7. The three attributes of the bards of the Isle of Britain-to make truth manifest and to difusa knowledge of it, to perpetuate the prais* of all that is good and excellent, and to prevail with peace over disorder and violence. 8. The three necessary bub reluctant duties of the bards-secrecy for the sake of peace and the public good, invective lamentation demanded by justice, and the unsheathing of the sword against the lawless and depredatory. King Arthur. After all the fables that have been told by Geoffrey of Monmouth and a thousand more, Arthur was no more. writes Iolo Morganwg, than the son of Meiryg, the King of Glamorgan, elected to the chief command of the British Armies against the Saxons. The Ancient Britons were never united under one hereditary sovereign monarch of their own nation. The Island of Britain was always divided into many petty principalities, that when occasion required elected temporary commanders-in-chief to lead them against their enemies who invaded this island. Such were Cassivellannus, Cunobelinus, Caracbacus, Arthur, and others. The old Bard of Treflemie was in the habit of referring to Geoffrey of Monmouth as "Sioffreu Gelwydd Teg." Welsh Magazines, Wales for a considerable time, in a literary sense, had to be content with the light of a "Star," but in 1827 there appeared a magazine which was called "Moon of the Age." The editor was the immortal Brutus, and its first publisher was Mr Jeffrey Jones, of Llandovery. It is said that Mr Jones worked so hard at his trade that ho brought himself to an untitnnlv grave. The editor of the Moon" wrote the following epitaph to put on the poor printer's grave:- Y mn, gorwedd mewn graian Brintiwr Uenadwr llydan, Mewn lie llwyd yn ymyl Llan I bydru heb ddim bwdran. Gurach y Rhibyn. The Hag of the Mist" was supposed to bt a supernatural being, residing in the dripping fog. seldom or ever seen, but often heard by people in days gone by to aeream loudly, and to the one who heard it portended misfortunes. In Carmarthenshire the spirit of the mist is represented as a white old man sitting on the hillside, just where the clouds appear to touch them, and is called y Brenhin Llwyd, "The Grey King."

AN AWFUL FIX.—Husband of Authoress My dear, yon are famous now. Your picture is in the paper. (Authoress takes one glance and bursts into tears.)—Husband Why, my dear, what is the matter ?—Authoress The horrid things have made me with a last year's bonnet on. WARM SYMPATHY.—Father (who has just returned from a trip off, and finds his boy howl- ing) What's the matter, Tommy ?—Son Mama has just given xne a whipping.—Ffcther Never

GOSSIPS' CORNER. Next to Venus the planet Saturn is the most conspicuous in the heavens just now. Hamlet, said Mr Froude, is just as mnoh I living personage to us as Julius Cffisar. "Fagin's Kitchen," which is attached tot house in Saffron Hill, is about to be removed. The electrical energy at work driving machteW in Berlin amounts to 1,230,000 horse-power. Mr Hugh Blair has been appointed successoi to the late Dr. William Done, as organist of Worcester Cathedral. Professor Mantegazza commends the soldier at the most desirable husband, the most considerate to his wife, the fondest to his children. The German Emperor is really a good height; but, as he likes to surround himself with ta.U maa, he looks, by comparison, shorter than he is. According to the British Medical Journal, proof of disgusting contamination was fotuid in 90 per cent. of samples of London milk. The real Malay never drinks intoxicants he it rarely an opium-smoker. But he is fond ol gambling, cock-fighting, and kindred sports. Mr Healy, the Spectator says, is fertile in ingenuities often much too ingenious. But he is not, and never can be. a statesman of the massive and commanding kind. Tact," says an Amerioan writer, cannot be said to be synonymous with policy tact is always honest, and policy cannot invariably be said tt have that distinguishing mark." I have long had the conviction," says Sit Henry Thompson, that there is no greatef cause of evil, moral and physical, in this country, than the use of alcoholic beverages." Electric lighting in London is steadily ad< vancing. The St. Pancras Vestry have agreed to borrow from the London County Council th< sum of jE75,000 for electric lighting and othet purposes. In New Zealand it is becoming the fashion among dairymen to put a sheet or rug on theil eattle at night during the winter. They declare that the saving in food and increase in nulk mart than repay the cost and trouble. Madame Albani is at present taking the bathe at Mont Dore, but will return in time for the Gloucester Festival in September. She has accepted an engagement with Sir Augustus Harris to Sing at the Royal Italian Opera next season. The question is again asked by one who has been studying the abundant success of poultry. rearing in France, why should so many millions of pounds bo annually sent abroad instead of going into the pockets of the depressed British farmer. The Bishop of Masbonaland says a aovereiga in Johannesburg is only equal to 7a 6d in England. He has had to pay 8" for a second hand shirt (most unepiscopal raiment suroly), and B4 a week for board and a half-share of a room 12ft. by 10ft. This Is not palatial. Dr. John Hall, the well-known Presbyterian minister of New York, is generally reputed to be by far the wealthiest clergyman in the world. His congregation is largely made up of millionaires and wealthy city men. and it has been said that he receives altogethar as much as jE20,000 a year. A gentleman who docs not wish his name to be made public has presented to tho city of Liver* pool 108 acres of land at Wavertree for a ohild- rtiti's recreation ground. The area includes several lar^e residences, the cents of which will forms considerable fund towards the maintenotnce cf tbf ground. in Dr. Barnardo, who has been "uafering for font months past from angina pectoris, with symptom* of general breakdown due to overwork, has returned to town much improved in health and able to give attendance almost daily for hit wonted duties at the offices of his institution in Stepney-causeway. Be sincere with yourself, whatever the temptation," was the advice of J. A. Fronde. Say nothing to others that you do not think, and play no tricks with your own mind. Of atl the evil spirits abroad in the world insincerity if the most dangerous." It has, says a fashion writer, been generally agreed by all except the New Women that knickerbockers are not pretty for cycling. Tbey are, in fact, ugly to a point of grotesquenesa« especially when of the fuli and baggy variety,. Parisian ladies, however, wear them with f fascinating little air of swagger that has a cettail piquancy which is fetching. There has been no more prosperous season foi the Isle of Man for years thau this. Every woell since May has witnessed an increase in the. number of visitors landed at Douglas over the corresponding week in 1894. During the pasl week over 20,000 passengers landed at Douglai from Fleetwood and Liverpool, nn increase oi nearly 3,000 over the corresponding week of last year. A Luton correspondent says A large numbet of farmers renting land in connectiph with the Sokens estates in Hertfordshire, tliov^roperties o( Colonel R. P. Davies, have just met with a very pleasant surprise. At the half-yearly rent audit they were quietly informed that Colonel Davie% in order to "solve the problem of agricultural depression," bad decided to make a remission 01 59 per cent. on their half-yearly rents. The president of the Dutch cyclists, who havs recently been the guests of the Stanley Cycling Club, says English girls are prettier than the Dutch girls, and. what is quite a^ much to the point, thinks them a lot fonder of the boys. Ons thing has disappointed him-he expected to see all the lady cyclists in rational dress. So hit comparison is limited to faces, and not tc extremities. Experiments are still being tried in preservinf fresh fruit in borax. It has been found perfectly successful with cherries, and is now being tried with vegetables. It is anticipated that should results be favourable a borax bin will form port of the household equipment of every family iii which fruit. vegetables, and other perishable forms of food can constantly be kept. Borax can be used over and over again, so that economy it secured in a double fashion. A new volume of Chums will be commenced with the number published on the 28th inst., which will contain the commencement ot two new serial stories In Quest of Sheba's Treasure r Perilous Adventure by Land and Sea," by S, Walkey, and From Fag to Monitor; ort Fighting to the Front," by Andrew Home. A large reproduction of Mr Joy's famous pieburs, Nelson's First Farewell," will be issued witt the same number.

A SATURDAY SERMON. A wonderful .fact to reflect upon, that eveij human creature is constituted to be that profeund secret and mystery to every other. A soleme consideration, when I enter a great city by night. thatovery one of those darkly-clustered housed encloses its own secret; that every room in every one of them encloses its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands ot breasts there is. in some of its imaginings, s secret to the heart nearest it Something of the awfulness, even of death itself, isreferable to this. Nc more can I turn the leaves of this dear book that I loved, and vainly hope in time to read it all. No more can I look into the depths of this unfathomable water, wherein, as rnomm- tary lights glanced into it, I have had glimpsea of buried treasure and other things submerged. It was appointed that the book should shut with a spring, for ever and for ever, when I had read bub a page. It ws-s appointed that the water should be locked in an eternal frost, when tht light was playing on its surface, and I stood io ignorance on the shore. My friend is dead, my nelghbour is dead, my love, the darling of my soul, is dead is is the inexorable consolidation and perpetuation ot the .secret that was always in that individuality, and which I shall ctrty to my loug life's end. In any of the burial-levees ia this city through which I pass, is there a sleeper more inscrutable than its busy inhabitants are, in their innermost personality, to me, and than I 4\Ø) to them » DIOSBSS (« T*le of Two OittM.") 6

AMBEK ALE,1, PALE ALE, \4>\ STOUT. AND V /> XBOTTLE TERMS, &C. STORES AND OFFICES— PENARTH-ROAD vX. (Near the Havannah Training Ship) CARDIFF. • 15604 X

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WELSH GLEANINGS. When the Taff Vale first came to Mertbyr the station was such a wonder to the people around that parties from Tredegar, Rhymney, and the adjoining district used to come to spend their wedding day at Merthyr to see the station and the train. Fairplay" is anxious that thab sterling loealist, Mr David Evans, Morriston, should not be permitted to drop out of public ken. He says: p The only reason Mr Evans kept from the *ast eisteddfod was because of his brilliant record, having won in both North and South Wales, and bis sense of honour." A robin's nest with young has been found beneath a planing machine in Messrs Meggitt and Jones's timber yard at Barry Dock. What Snakes the occurrence phenomenal is that the machine has been in almost daily use, and at tUch times it was practically impossible for the Mother to visit the place. This verse to a hard-hearted man is from Collectiana," published by J. Evan?, Carmar- Jh*n, in 1(20 Dyma lie gorwedd, fe gyfyd wrth wys; rhan sydd yn farwol o gorph Sion Evan Rhys, JJ8 cas a drugaredd mae'n rhyfedd yn bod "i Wraeth e drugaredd ag undyn erioed." Mr M. O. Jones's excellent paper on the Pro- cess of Choral Singing in Wales," which was read before the Cymmrodorion section of the National Eisteddfod at Llanelly, has been translated for Publication in Welsh in the Cerddor. Mr W. T. Sanmel, of Swansea, has put into lecture form ^'e admirably illustrated paper read by him on ^6 same occasion on Wales and the Tonic Sol-fa System." The Parliamentary representative of Hythe ill was Samuel Jones Loyd, whose father, a "el#h Dissenting minister, married the daughter :.f John Jones, a rich merchant of Rochester. In 1826 he left the House of commons, but was afterwards frequently con- sulted by the Government on fiscal questions. In tiSO he became a Peer, with the title of Lord ^verstone. v Mr Gwenogfryn Evans, who has taken in hand cataloguing of ancient manuscript in Welsh libraries, ill now on a visit to Myrddin Fardd, at DhWtlog. Carmarthenshire. Myrddin (according to the Camarvn Herald) is a veritable bibho- maniac, and, though only a working blacksmith, the possessor of one of the most extensive and libraries of this kind in the whole of 'he Principality. WilliMas, of Pantycelyn, is said to have "ritfcen more than 1,000 hymns, and the religious Tuition of Wales during the last 150 years and j*8 condition co-day are in many respects more 'Indebted to him than any other man, for hymns formed the backbone of religious life >n Wfiles. "oat Welsh hymns are like some of the Welsh **°ontains—grand, majestioal, and many-sided •rlik« Welsh piety—stimulating, realistic, and Romano-Celtic blood, say the most reliable autborities. svill exists strongly developed in W*W Descendants of the Norsemen are at present to be fonnd in many parts of Pembroke. ""ire, Carmarthen, and Anglesea. In the fishing "Nageof Llangwm the Scandinavian element is Exceedingly prominent. The Norman-Welsh sur- in tbe fa.milies bearing the name of PLcbon, *»|Bett, Richards, and Aubrey, while Danish **$pation has given place names to Barry, the ;t;ë and Flat Hokns, and to Sker, near Porth- ^The following veitse, from the works of Rces °oes (Amnon), Pwllfelin, Llandyssil (1797-1846), Wiioh gives souae interesting particulars Of the j ^tttre of rent in the early part of this century, recited by one of the witnesses during an j Sniry conducted recently by the Welsh Charity Cewch ugain punt bob dimau goch A dwy wydd dew o gafnau'r moch A dwy iar ynyd gribgoch lan A llwyth o lo i gadw'r tan." II Tay Pay," in the Weekly Sun, says Mr &ecinald McKeuna, member for North Mon- ^OQthsbire, is one of the young and new mein- rs who will have to be counted with byand- jjFe. He has a passion for politics—so much so eed that, the moment he was elected, he gave !JP the Bar where be had a good rising practice. 8 has a sufficient though a modest fortune, and e has indomitable will and industry. He wisely Voided a set maiden speech, and began by saying «v JJ* words on foreign affairs on the Foreign «v JJ* words on foreign affairs on the Foreign ce vote. That young fellow wiH go far." _^e Welsh Calvinistio Methodists have a more JP^plete system of Sunday School examinations k'*k any of the other denominations. The Jthest prize is a gold medal, which is annually arded for the best set of papers, and is an Iferly sought and much valued honour. A year ^Wo ago it was awarded to a John Jones." Jrlquiry John Jones turned out to be only a de plume, the competitor proving to be the 'ant of a popular medical practitioner, and » 0 carried away the gold medal of the kh«^°n ^n'v*r8'ty a short time before. Since the Corph have laid down a rule that ™™P«titor8 must attach their proper names and Ih>IbI!I de plume to their papers. Society of St. Panl, whose present head- Mhk'6*8 are afc Dock, have been presented ^5 acres of land in Hampshire, and they already erected the wing of a central bouse, are inhabiting three rooms, a central hall, v kitchen. The members are building out- with their own hands, and some Cardiff Uf at work in the gardens. The intention "uperior is to separate those brethren who QWder training from actual work among j/'Cn8n> and provide (1) a mother house for the t fralisation of and control of other houses at *nd abroad (2) a training home for young J^fcfcers of the Order (3) a home of rest and *or the aged and infirm fathers and of seamen. be news to some of our readers that the 8,/T^fod' until late in this century, was con- Hi» literature, solo singing, and harp play- it was at one of the Abergavenny bou^dfodau in the fifties that the first choral j^ibion took place. The Rhymney Choir i u«der the conductorship of Billy Shon ^>» na^ve ofPenderyn, son of Howell Mor j lo jjy Morgan subsequently removed H at Aberdare, where his sister, Mrs Jones, •^■^er>|wawr Brewery, still resides, and united choir in that musical locality. 0 «"oic was soon afterwards taken in hand by 0|f» and, on his removal from the town, the uP°n M-e tailor and t* who was succeeded years ago by his son, Mr William John a 8" ^'8 °hoir has now for nearly a quarter *«, 0kury given oratorio performances at Christ- ^lli^^ year they have eDKa £ etl Miss Esther and Mr David Hughes for the leading *"C if j, — N. who, by the way, is a Noifolk clergy- [ ^hat^8 in hIs book, "By Celtic Waters," was ever a thief is, unfortunately, I fcs^ii00 Plainly writ large in the annals of the teljli 'C. K." then proceeds with most ^ard^ 'nnocence to state that "in 1472 IV. created his eldest son, Prince • aw»ere infant, Prince of Wales, and 1 his younger brother, to the Castle For justice to be doen in the Marches I the end, that by the authoritie of hya wild Welshmenne and ev ill-disposed 68 should refrain from their acctutomed and outrages. "C. K." has 8Qb8fcitoted Edward TV. for Edward j. Post dated the creation of Prince of Wales 188 years. These ^ith ofch*^ deemed trifles by some, but they, (accuracies, have prompted a Welsh I j that articles on fishing to state ■*bitg> 'C. K.' writes of fish and their -1 Opting", llis and Ins friend's experiences in fish from their native element, he ■nc, #ll(j et^ attention. He should stick to that h;at not attempt to Jly into regions where Wftih* °f w»»es and the of

THE COUNT (who has had a little tiff with bis fiancee, tho heiress): Bub, my treMUW— *THB Hdbbbs: j

[COPYRIGHT.] Cheese, Butter, and Milk. WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE PRODUCTION IN BRITAIN OF THE BRST CONTINENTAl. CHEESES. By JAMES LONG. II.-The Trade In Foreign Cheese. It is unnecessary to remark that our imports of cheese are very large in a recent year, in accord. ance with a calculation we made at the time, no less than 5*7 lbs. of imported cheese were con- sumed per head of our population, as against 7*9 lbs. of home-made cheese, and the value of the cheese consumed in the same year per head of the people amounted to 6?, of which 2s 4V £ d went to the exporter. In 1892 we estimated the value of the cheese consumed in this country at 11% millions sterling, the home produced article baing valued at between 6% and 7 millions. The imports, however, have tended to increase, and if we take the month preceding that in which we write we find that the imports have reached 125,000 cwt. as against 71,000 cwt. in the same month of last year. Taking the average quality of milk, this import of cheese for a single month represents one and a quarter million gallons, or the produce of 3,125 cows giving an average yield of 400 gallons each per annum. A simple calculation based upon the average number of cows kept in any one district will show the reader how many of our farmers are displaced by the energy of the foreign producar, and the low prices he is willing to take. Imported Varieties. The variety of cheese which is imported in the largest quantity into this country is made upon the Cheddar principle, although it comes from Canada, from Australasia and from the United States, in each of which countries there is practically no rent to pay on the great majority of tha farms, while in very numerous instances the labour is performed by the occupiers themselves. Thus it is that we are under- sold, in spite of the cost of freight across the ocean. Next to Cheddar come the Dutch varieties, Edam or round, and the Gouda, or fht Dutch. We have had tha advantage of inspecting numerous farms in Holland and of seeing the cheese manufactured, and we are in a position to understand how easy it is for the thrifty and industrious Netherlander to supply the British market, although he does so, to a large extent, with cheese of inferior quality. Vast numbers of Dutch farmers are small owners and live in the most frugal manner. Their cattle are deep milkers and they feed upon extensive and luxuriant pastures, which are admirably managed, while the buildings forming the homestead are usually under one roof with the house proper, and are simplicity itself. It is not surprising, therefore, that Dutch cheese is sold at a low price. The flat variety is not unlike Cheddar when it is well manufactured, but in the majority of instances both Dutch varieties are of second quality, whether it be as regards flavour or texture, Gorgonzola probably takes third place. This cheese, largely manufactured in Italy, is produced by very small as well as by larger owners of cows, who obtain their curd in a manner which is not altogether perfect, especially as regards cleanliness, and who work upon a system, if such it may be called, which is ex. tremely crude and incomplete, although in the Italian schools a well-defined and perfect system is seriously taught by men of very considerable attainments, as we have had opportunities of recognising. As a rule, the Italian farmer does not complete the process of curing, and this applies equally to the large and more costly Parmesan, which is manufactured so extensively in Emilia and Parma. There is a class of middlemen who are capitalists, and who possess admirably-arranged ripening cellars and caves, and these persons buy the white cheese; indeed, it is of top nothing more than green curd, the curing of which they com- plete. Among varieties of a more tasty oharacter still we have the Roquefort, produced from sheep's milk, although cow's milk is to some extent taking its place; Camembert, Brie, Bondon, Neufchatel, and Port du Salut, all of which hail from France, the last-named being a partially- pressed cheese, while the others are entirely unpressed and belong to the refined soft varieties. COMPARATIVE PRICES, At the market price of cheese, which has been very low for some time, the English farmer who makes a really good article probably obtains 5%d per gallon for his milk net. There are large num. bers of makers who obtain less, and who never make first-class eheese; there are many who obtain more, and who have a reputation for a good article. In the Colonies and America it is probable that makers as a body do not receive more than 3d per gallon for their milk net. If, therefore, we take the average cow of moderate pretensions, giving 400 gallons of milk per annum (and it is an undoubted fact that the majority of cows in this country do not exceed this modest quantity), we shall find that the returns per cow. taking 5%d as the basis, would amount to B9 3a 4d, while the return in the Cheddar- producing countries abroad would only amount to £5. In a 40-cow dairy, therefore, the gross returns in England would amount to £366 per annum, and in the other countries referred to, to j6200. The question now arises, whether this difference represents the extra cost of rent, taxes, and labour whether, in fact, the farmer is, better off in this country with the higher receipts, or in other countries with the lower receipts. We venture to think that the British farmer holds the superior position, and that it is better worth his while to pay a good rent for good land and an excellent equipment under a good landlord in the old country, than to pay no rent at all—and we are speaking only of cheesemaking—either on the prairie of America or in the Australian bush. We are quite aware of the fact that the figures we have taken do not absolutely represent the exact state of affairs in either country, inasmuch as cheese is not made throughout the entire season, but they are sufficient for our purpose, for in both countries farmers obtain somewhat higher receipts in the winter, either by the sale of milk in England, or by the manufacture of butter in America and the Colonies. Further, the cheese. making farmer adds to his returns by the pro- duction of pork, in the manufacture of which be daily employs the whey from the cheese. The Dutch farmer does very little better than the Colonial farmer. As a small owner of land he has no rent to pay, and as the labour upon his farm is confined to the management of the cows and a few pigs and the production of the cheese, in which the wife of the farmer assists materially, there is little out of pocket paid during the year. Thejtalian farmers are not so fortunate as the Dutch. They are extremely poor, and the bulk of the profit of the cheese industry, which is very extensive, finds its way into the hands of the curers and middlemen. In Fr&nce. however, at all events so far as the leading varieties are con- cerned, the farmers do much better, and in the past they have obtained golden success in the production of their finest cheeses, hundreds of men having bought the farms they occupy out of the profits they have made. It has been no uncommon thing, and it is not uncom- i mon to-day, to find French cheesemakers realising from lOd to Is a gallon for all the milk they produce, through the medium of cheese, and, as we have urged for years, there are many varieties, some of which are well known in this country, which would have by this time enabled scores of English farmers to have followed their example. But, in spite of the depression, in spite of the means of eduoation which exist, and of the fact that the writer has introduced the system of manufacture of a number of these varieties into this country, systems which have been taught for some years now, we are not acquainted with a single praotioal farmer who has attempted to build up a business in any one variety, although there is an important markob at his very door. The Leading Varieties of Cheese. We have referred to a number of the varieties of cheese suchas are imported. Naturally, Cheddar stands ab the head of the list as a British cheese. A pound of Cheddar is usually represented by about 10 pounds-or a gallon—of milk; bat the quantity of cheese made from a given quantity of milk dopendaopon the quality of the milk, and this varies both with the oowand the month of the year. In the Somerset experiments of 1892 and the New York State experiments at 48 factories in 1893, the following quantities of milk were required in the various months named to produce each pound of cheese Somerset Expts. New York Expts. April 12*4 10.71 May HI 998 June — 9*95 July 11*1 •••••• 10.07 Auc W'9 9 58 Hept 10-2 8.95 Oct 22 Average iï-õi 9'76 Thus we see that iu Somerset, our great Cueddar county, the milk was richest in October, the month in which it wasalso richest) InNewlYork; baft while ib^took Qon8lderw^^)ie^toMO a I cheese in Somerset, it took less than a gallon in America and in five sets of experiments carried out upon an enormous scale in the States the milk was always richer than in the experi- ments in Somerset in 1891 and 1892, which were carried out upon actual cheese-making farms. As regards Cheshire cheese, which comes next to Cheddar in this country, we have not the same exact data, no work upon the same scale, or with anything like the same exactness having been carried out in the successful county of Chester. These varieties are pressed cheeses, and in the same category come the Derby, the Gloucester, and the Leicester cheeses, all of which are but variations of the great Cheddar type, having nothing really typical or character- istic about them when considered apart from their prototype. Toe unpressed firm cheeses made in this country are known as Stilton, Wensleydale, and Cothe^stoije, all of which are mellow and ripened by the aid of the blue mould which grows in veins within them. In making these varieties slightly more milk is required to produce a pound of ripened cheese than is the case with Cheddar or Cheshire, and consequently the value is higher; but, owing to the extension of the system of dairy teaching, the two first-named of these varieties have been manufactured of late upon a much larger scale; so much so in the past year that if the production is further extended, the new makers will have reason to regret their entrance upon the industry. They will find at the end of the season, when their harvest should arrive, that they have no market at any price and I, therefore, venture to caution milk pro- ducers against enteringcarelesstyupon an industry which is now overdone. Far wiser would it be to commence the manufacture of the Swiss Gruyere, the Italian Parmesan, or theFrench Brie, Camem- bert, or Port dn Salut, for each of which the market is :still supplied by foreign producers. Broadly speaking, the cost of producing Cheddar or Cheshire, Derby or Leicester, Dutch or Gruyere, aU of which are pressed cheeses, is similar in amount but im- mediately we handle ,the soft cheeses we reduce the cost of the milk required and-in- crease the cost of labour. Abroad old women are largely employed in the work, and are paid very small wages, these persons assisting the female members of the farmer's family. A Camembert cheese sells roadily for 6(1, and weighs about 11 ozs. A Brie, weighing 1%lb.. or a little more, sells for Is 6d, also by retail. The quantity of milk required to make a Brie varies from two gallons to two and a half gallons, in accordance with the quality of the milk, and it may generally he taken as a standard that half a gallon of milk of a little more than average quality will produce about 14czs. of white or unripened saleable cheese, or 12ozs. of ripened cheese, these figures being liable to increase or decrease in accordance with the quality of the milk. There is a sale in London for Camembert and Port du Salut, as well as for Bondon, Netifcliltel and Gervais, all of which are very small cheeses, weighing a few ounces only, the first two being produced from new milk alone, and the last-named from a mixture of new milk and cream. The possibility of success depends upon the maker, for the London merchant is amenable to reason, as we are in a position to know from experience, and will buy in the English market if he can obtain a satisfactory article at a price which is at least not in excess of that charged by tho Frenchman. NEXT ARTICLE: "SOFT CHEESR ADAPTED TO GREAT BRITAIN."

HE (gently): Are you not afraid soineonq. ipay marry you for your money „ SHE (sweetly): Oh dear, no. Such an idea never entered my head. HE (tenderly) Ah in your sweet innocence you do not know how coldly, cruelly mercenary some men are. SIn: (quietly): Perhaps not. HE (with suppressed emotion): I—would not for the world have such a terrible fate happen to you. The man who wins you should love you for yourself alone. SHE He'll have to. It's my cousin Jennie who has the money, not I. You've made some mistake I haven't a penny. HE Er-very pleasant weather we're having.

Andrew Fletcher, ot Salt*un, in a letter to th« Marquis of Montrose, wrote I know a very wise man that believed that if a. man were permitted to make all the ballads he need not care who should mane the laws of the nation."

BY THE SEA. Why does the sea moan evermore ? Shut out from heaven it makes its moan* It frets against the boundary shoro; All earth's full rivers cannot fill I The sea, that drinking thirsteth still, I; Sheer miracles of loveliness Lie hid in its unlooked-on bed; Anemones, salt, passionless, Blow flawer-like just enough alive To blow and multiply and thrive. SheHs quaint with curve, or spot, or spike, Encrusted live things argus-eyed. All fair alike, yet all unlike, Are born without a pang, and die Without a pang, and so pass by. CHRISTINA ROSSETTI.

LOVE IS INDESTRUCTIBLE, They err who tell us Love can die, With life all other passions fly. All others are but vanity. In Heaven ambition cannot dwell, Nor ivartce in the vaults of Hell; Earthly these passious of the Earth They perish where they have their birtbt But love is indestructible Its holy flame for ever burneth, From Heaven it came, to Heaven returneth Too oft on Earth a troubled guest, At times deceived, at times opprest, It here is tried and purified, Then hath in Heaven its perfect rest It soweth here with toil and care, But the harvest time of love is there. The mother when she meets on high The babe she lost in infancy, Hath she not then, for pains and fears. The day of woe, the watchful night, For all her sorrow, all her tears, An over-payment of delight ? SOUTHKY.

TO When dawn doth break and darkness doth de. part I think of thee. When Phosbus' train appears, oh then, dear heart, I think of thee. When wakes the world to all its toil and pain, To all its joys, to all its greed for gain, To all its sorrows and its pleasures vain, I think of thee. When high in heaven the sun in all its strength Doth brightly shine, And Nature right through its breadth and length Shows the,divine. When birds sing beauteous lays, when sighs the breeze, When dancing through the branches of the trees, When other people think of aU of these, My thoughts are thine. When in the West at eve the sun doth set, And night doth fall, And from the fields of corn, with dew so wet, The corn-crakes call And Venus as an ev'ning star shines forth, And bright Capella sparkles in the North, I think of thee, and know that thou art worth My life. my all. When moonbeams pale in calm and beauty shine, I think of thee 1 wonder if thou ever wilt be mine-* Art thou for me ? Thoa art so good, so pure, so noble, too, Shall ever I possess wife such as yoa I Oh tell me, sweetheart, tell me, tell me true, That thou loylat rAe I J. B. B.

Musical and Eisteddfodic. — OUR GREAT COMPETITIVE CHOIRS. What the Balance Sheets Reveal, [BY MAEI.GWXN.] Now that the excitement caused by the great choral competition at Llanelly has cooled down it may be profitable-it will certainly be enter- taining—to examine the financial position of some of the ohoirs, so. that the public may get some idea of the cost of preparing for a great struggle. The opinion is widely held that a choir incurs little or no expense when doing competitive work, but some of the figures which shall be adduced in the course of the present article will show that, after all, a big oratorio festival may be run with less cost to a socieby than the carrying out of a competitive programme. Sir Joseph Barnby told us that the contest at Llanelly was exceedingly close as between the three leading choirs, and it is with those choirs that I propose to deal. The statement of Rbymney's affairs is business- like, honest, and straightforward, and goes to show that Mr John Price was surrounded by a band of earnest workets, who thought more of the welfare of the choir than of their own personal benefit. The townspeople subscribed liberally to the funds, so that had the choir been unsuccessful the officials would not have been faced by a debt. These subscriptions, with the proceeds of re- hearsal concerts, enabled the officials to pay all the expenses and to carry forward a balance of J650 for next year's work. The prize moraey was divided the conductor received the moderate sum of JB15, the secretary £2 2s, and each of tho choristers 8s 9d. The engagement of the eisteddfod orchestra cost the choir about £20. The balance-sheet of the Merthyr Choir is a most formidable document, being nearly two feet long by a foot broad, and when I received a copy I was warned to Please take care to open it properly"-an instruction which all who have had to handle it will duly appreciate. Merthyr, ib may be well to bear in mind, secured B200 in prizes before going to Llanelly, and these sums, together with the £ 100 obtained at the latter place and the receipts from concerts and subscriptions, bring up the total of their income from the beginning of the year to the very handsome figure of B525 2s 9%d. Surely this is a record, and the choir ought to be proud of the patronage which the town extended to it. But it is the other side of the statement which tells a dismal tale. Everybody in South Wales knew that Mr Dan Davies would leave no stone unturned t<o secure the Llanelly prize—the reputation of 13 years was at stake, and if that reputation was to be boded by defeat at the hands of Rhymney, or worse st)l! at those of the boy from Dowlais-well, then the deluge, as Sir Joseph Barnby said. Money was therefore no object, and it was spent with a lavishness that would do credit to the Duke of Westminster or the Jubilee Plunger. Will the outside public believe me when I say that the engagement of 31 members of the eisteddfod orchestra cost the choir the appalling sum of more than j683 The fees of those gentlemen for actual perform- ance was £ 814s—a sum four times as great as was a, paid by Rhymney. Out of this sum one would naturally think that the orchestra could very well afferd to pay for their own enjoyment; but, no! On the Sunday afternoon before the eistedd- fod the bandsmen took a drive to Cwmtaff, and this item promptly appeared in the accounts "To brake for band, Bl 10s." Mr D. C. Williams, the pianist, receives j612 12s, and Mr David Williams, the pianist who has played at all the rehearsals a.nd part practices, gets B8 8s. Stages for the use of the choir have cost no less than £4-0 16s 2d. The special train to Llanelly cost :£48, and the cost of admission to the eisteddfod £10, the refreshments coming to about the same total. But the choir members them- selves paid for the admission tickets—at least, all but two of them, for in the receipts are included :£9 18s for this item, Hire of pianos, printing, and advertising are heavy. For his work as secretary Mr Sandford Jones gets £7 7s, as against the :£2 2s given to the Rhymney secretary. Mr Dan Davies gets J350, and thus the tremendous balance of JB525 2s 9ygd is whittled down to L39 4s 8%d. Thus the choir, after getting J6200 more than Rhymney got, is JB11 worse off, and the members have not received a penny, while each of the Rhymney choristers has received 89 9d. Is it to be wondered at that the Merthyr choristers are up in arms! Mr David Williams, the pianist, has declined to have any further connection with the society, and some of the choristers have made application to join the Dowlais Choir. Mention of Dowlais reminds me that 'I have not yet dealt with the fiuances of the thitd great choir in the competition. Like Rhymney. Dowlais did not compete at any of the local eisteddfodau, and so had no prize money in hand. They paid less than j620 for the eisteddfod orchestra, but paid the entire expenses of the ohoristers-railway fares, ad. jbission to the eisteddfod, and cost of luncheon. Of course they came back without a portion of the prize, but will it be believed that they are actually in a better financial position than Merthyr is ? Had Merthyr paid for the ad- mission of its members-and of course this sum will have to be paid now there is a surplns-the balanoe in hand would be JB29; or, allowing for small accounts not yet presented, such as gas, etc., say JS25, Dowlais, after paying all expenses, will have about j632 in hand. None of the business officials receive a penny, any more than they used to do when the conduct of the choir was in other hands.