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Mr. Robt. Willian,

Gronant, £7 for the best three year old bull, as tenant. Pen-y-bont, £5 for the second best three year old bull. Right Hon. Lord Mostyn, as landlord, a silver medal, for the best three year old heifer. John Dawson, esq. Gronant, as tenant, £7 for the best three year old heifer. Mr. J. Roberts, of Mold, £5 for the second best heifer. Mr. Joshua Price, Fron, £5 for the best pen of Leicester theaves. There was no stock of sufficient merit in the estimation of the judges, for the best pen of Southdown theaves. Mr. James Styche, of Tan-llan, £5 for the best boar. Mr. James Styche, of Tan-llan, £5 for the best sow. Mr. Joshua Price, Fron, £5 for the best year old Leicester tup. Mr. Thomas Williams, Celyn, £5 for the best year old Southdown tup. Mr. Bloor, March Farm, £5 for the best three year old cart colt. Mr. Thomas Whitley, Cron Coed, £3 for the second best three year old cart colt.

Mr. Boydell, in announcing the proposed new premiums for the best managed farms, took occasion to say that the noble president elect, Lord Kenyon, had given £8, as his lordship's subscription, to the funds of the society.

The following toasts, prefaced by the noble chairman in his happiest manner, and suitably acknowledged by such of the gentlemen present as were the subjects of some of them, were given during the evening: "The judges of the stock ;""Breeding in all its branches," "Mr. Boy dell, the zealous and indefatigable secretary;" "Mr. Robert Peters, the judge of crops, fallows, &c. ;" The President elect, the Right Hon. Lord Kenyon;" "Mr. James Kerfoot, the Vice President elect;" "Sir Edward Mostyn, Baronet, and better health to him."

Several other appropriate and convivial toasts were given, and the company separated at an early hour.-Bangor Paper.

LLANFECHAN NATIONAL SCHOOL.

The National School at Llanfechan, Montgomeryshire, was opened on the 1st of November. It will be of great service, a gratifying proof that the poor are not insensible of the blessings of education, when the means of obtaining it are placed within their reach. The school is intended for eighty children.

The foundation stone of a new building for a Parish School at St. David's, Brecknock, has been laid by Lloyd Vaughan Watkins, esq. of Pennoyre.

The Sixth Anniversary of the Hay Branch Wesleyan Missionary Society was held at the Wesleyan chapel, on Friday evening, the 26th of October. The chair was filled by Colonel Powell, of Hardwick. The various resolutions were moved and seconded by the Rev. Messrs. Blackett, of Swansea ; B. Clough, missionary in Ceylon; S. Broadbent, of Hereford, missionary in Africa; F. Beecham, one of the general secretaries of the Parent Society; T. Phillips, Hay; J. Arnett and Hanscombe, travelling preachers in the Brecon circuit. The speeches delivered by the missionaries and the general secretary were admirable for eloquence, information, and effect. A strong feeling was excited in behalf of Christian missions, and the consequence was a very liberal collection. The Hay Branch has received, during the past year, in donations and subscriptions, upwards of £50.

SEPULCHRAL REMAINS.

An urn, containing the remains of some human bones, which had evidently been submitted to the action of fire, and a quantity of ashes, was recently found in the earth by a person digging in the garden of Mr. Lloyd, solicitor, Maentwrog. The urn is of Roman workmanship, about fifteen inches in height and three feet in diameter.—Bangor paper.

Charles Morgan, esq. of Ruperra Castle, has given to each of his workmen, thirty-seven in number, from a quarter to half an acre of land, for potatoes. The land is ready worked and manured for planting, and Mr. Morgan allows each man two days for setting, and two days for raising the crop, paying them as usual for their labour. We would say to the wealthy, "Go thou and do likewise."-Cambrian.

THE WELSH HARP.

However astounding it may appear that very difficult and chromatic music may be performed with good effect on the Welsh or triple-stringed harp, yet true it is that Parry, the celebrated blind harper of Wynnstay, and his son, used to perform several of Handel's choruses in the presence of King George III. some fifty years ago. But we can go a great deal farther back, and find that, about the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign, flourished a celebrated Welsh harper, named Thomas Pritchard, called by his countrymen Twm Bach (Little Tom ;) he died in 1586, and was buried in St. Sepulchre's church, London. In the reign of George II., a Welsh harper, named Powell, used to play before that monarch, and drew such tones from his instrument, that Handell was delighted with his performance, and composed for him several pieces of music, some of which are in the first set of his concertos. Handel also introduced Powell as a performer in his oratorios, in which there are songs with harp obligato, performed by the Cambrian; such as, "Tune your harps," and "Praise the Lord with cheerful voice," in Esther; and "Hark! he strikes the golden lyre," in Alexander Balus. Let any of our modern English or foreign harpers examine these compositions, particularly, "Praise the Lord," and play it loudly, without a continual jarring of finger, against the strings, if they can! In Wales, there are, even at the present period, several harpers who can play most rapid passages, in thirds and sixes, with both hands, clean and neat; and, notwithstanding all casual flat and sharps are produced by inserting a finger between two strings of the outer row, it is done with uncommon smoothness.-Hereford Times.

POST OFFICE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ENGLAND AND IRELAND.

In the report agreed to by the Select Committee appointed by the House of Commons, to inquire into the Post-office communication between England and Ireland, in reference to the Liverpool line, the Committee observe, "that the London mail is due in Liverpool at 8h. 7m. P. M. and that it frequently arrives at 5h. 16m. P. M. It is suggested that there would be little difficulty in starting the mail so as to arrive in Liverpool before the departure of the packet, and that great accommodation would be afforded to the public, who might calculate on arriving in Dublin in less than thirtysix hours from their leaving London. They also suggest that it would be an accommodation to the Dublin merchants if the packet to Liverpool were despatched at least one hour later than it is at present."-A Liverpool newspaper (The Times) remarks, whether any arrangements have been made to

carry this recommendation into effect we have not heard. If not, we think the merchants connected with the trade to Ireland should memorialize the government on the subject without delay. The Committee seem to have a strong leaning towards the Holyhead line, as they observe "that Holyhead has been well selected as the point from which the Post-office packets to Dublin should be despatched, and that it should undoubtedly be considered as the principal line of communication between the two countries, and that no reasonable expense should be spared in rendering it as perfect throughout as possible. The Committee recommend that the improvements on this line which remain to be made should be completed as soon as possible, and that no local interest should be allowed to interfere with them."

SIR TUDOR VAUGHAN AP GRONO.

In the reign of Edward III. lived Sir Tudor Vaughan ap Grono, descended lineally from Enywfed Vychan, a person as to estate, power, and interest, one of the chief in North Wales. Upon some motive, either of ambition or vanity, he assumed to himself the honour of knighthood, requiring all people to call and style him Sir Tudor ap Grono. King Edward being informed of it, sent for Sir Tudor, and asked him, with what confidence he durst invade his prerogative, by assuming the degree of knighthood without his authority. Sir Tudor replied, that by the laws and constitution of King Arthur he had liberty of taking upon himself that title, in regard he had these three qualifications, which, whoever was endued with, could, by those laws, claim the honour of knighthood: 1st. He was a gentleman; 2d. He had a sufficient estate; 3d. He was valiant and adventurous, and added, "If my valour be doubted, I throw down my glove, and for due proof of my courage, I am ready to fight with any man, whatever he be." The King approved of his reasons, and confirmed the honour of knighthood. From this Sir Tudor, Henry VII. of England was lineally descended.

BORDER ANTIQUITIES.

There is in the possession of Mr. Jones, tanner, of Gadlas, in the parish of Ellesmere, a curious shaped key, quite encrusted, which was found whilst ploughing a moated piece of ground near his house. He also has a silver-studded sword, conjectured to have been in his family upwards of 200 years. There stands, also, near the moated piece, a celebrated ancient oak, which our correspondent measured: it is fourteen yards in circumference near the bottom, and has been sixteen before it was chopped away; thirty-two large geese have been securely penned at the bottom.-Shrewsbury Chronicle.

LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES.

The Perseverance engine, got up by the Neath Abbey Iron Company, South Wales, and supplied with the assistance of a rack running parallel with the tram plates from Penydaran to the Dowlais Works, has accomplished the amazing task of conveying from the Dowlais Works to the basin of Cardiff Canal, 1264 tons of iron at once, besides the weight of engine, tender, and waggons 50 tons, making an aggregate of 177 tons. The engine, after waiting several hours for the discharge of the iron, returned to the works with her complement of empty waggons, and ascended the side of the mountain, by means of the rack, with ease, without stopping for This fact is the more remarkable from the road winding in some

steam.

places excessively, so that the engine might have been seen to have passed in one place two reverse areas, one of 304, the other 40 yards radius, at a distance of 146 yards a-head of the last loaded waggon in the train; and from the first nine miles of the road from the basin having an ascent from 1 to 74 inches in a chain, and the last two miles 25 to 48 inches per chain. Up this last part, the engine works at its usual speed, but drawing its load at 2-5ths of the speed it makes on the other part of the way. It is supposed that the Perseverance will take down 200 tons at a time, and convey her empty trams back to the works, when a sufficient number of carriages with springs are prepared.

WELSH MARBLE.

We have just seen some beautiful chimney-pieces of Anglesey marble, ordered by Mr. Jervis, for his new house in Beaumaris. They are now being finished by Mr. Jones, marble cutter, of Bangor, and to those who conceive that the marble of Wales must be inferior to the foreign, we would recommend a visit to Mr. Jones's workshop, where their own eyes may judge of what can be produced from the Anglesey marble by the hand of industry and talent. These chimney-pieces are of the variegated marble called leopard skin, and for mirror-like polish, and richness and variety of colour, equal any thing ever manufactured from the productions of the Italian quarries. We sincerely hope that in a few years every chimneypiece set up in Wales will be of marble or slate, cut from the Welsh mines, whereby a source of profitable employment must arise for many industrious artists and labourers, and a large saving and benefit to the whole country.— Bangor Paper.

APOTHECARIES' HALL.

Mr. William Jones Rowland, of Anglesey, received his certificate of qualification from the Court of Examiners at Apothecaries' Hall.

THE RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE.

This bird has been introduced into the Principality of Wales, the Rev. Mr. Lewes, of Dyffryn, having bred, last year, eight brace under a bantam fowl, adopting the same system of feeding them as that of the pheasant, with ant's eggs, bread and milk, and chopped eggs. They much resemble ours in size and colour, with the exception of the legs and bill which are of vermilion red. They require very steady dogs to be shot with, as they run much like the landrail, and are reluctant to take wing, except when forced to it.

FEMALE DRUIDS.

That there were female Druids, has been sufficiently authenticated. Mela describes a regular sisterhood, consisting of nine of these austere vestals, who resided on an island in the British Sea, and who pretended to raise tempests by their incantations, to cure all manner of diseases, to transform themselves at will into brute animals, and to predict future events. Toland relates "that there were not only Druidesses, but some even of the highest rank; and princesses themselves were educated by the Druids; for in our own annals we read, that the two daughters of King Logarius, in whose reign Patric preached Christianity, were educated by them; and we have the particulars of a long dispute those young ladies maintained against this new religion, very natural, but very subtle." In the same author we

read of "Gealcossa, a Druidess," who resided near "Gealcossa's Mount, in Inisoen, in the county of Dunegall." "Her name," he adds, “is of the Homerical strain, signifying white-legged. On this hill is her grave; and hard by is her temple, being a sort of diminutive Stone-henge, which many of the old Irish dare not at this day in any way profane. Gealcossa, no doubt, was the superior of a sisterhood of her order; and every such community had in like manner, it seems highly probable, its distinct head. Still, that there was an Archdruidess, enjoying supremacy over the priestesses of the island in general, we admit to be problematical, though there may be nothing to render it altogether unlikely.'

APPEARANCE OF A STURGEON IN THE WYE.

On Monday, the 23d of July last, there was caught in the river Wye, in the parish of Boughrood in the county of Radnor, a very fine sturgeon, weighing one hundred and thirty-one pounds, and measuring seven feet and a half in length from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail. The oldest inhabitants of the banks of the Wye never remember this fish coming so high up the river as Boughrood before.

NOMINATION OF SHERIFFS.

North Wales.

Anglesea.-Charles Henry Evans, of Henblas, esq.; James King, of Presaddfed, esq.; Andrew Burt, of Llwynogan, esq.

Carnarvonshire. David Price Downes, of Hendrerhysgethin, esq.; Richard Jones, of Dinas, esq.; John Morgan, of Carnarvon, esq.

Merionethshire.-Sir John Huddart, of Plas-yn-Penrhyn, knt.; George Jonathan Scott, of Peniarth-Ucha, esq.; Jonathan Passingham, of Hendwr, esq.

Montgomeryshire.-John Jones, of Deythur, esq.; William Morris, of Pentre Nant, esq.; Robert Peel, of Llandrinio, esq.

Denbighshire. Hugh Maxwell Goodwin, of Mount Alyn, esq.; William Parry Yale, of Plas-yn-Yal, esq.; John Robert Harrison, of Llantisilio Hall, esq.

Flintshire.-Sir Edward Mostyn, of Talacre, bart; Edward Morgan, of Golden Grove, esq.; William Thomas Ellis, of Cornish, esq.

South Wales.

Carmarthenshire.-Thomas Morris, of Green Castle, esq.; David Lewis, of Stradley, esq.; David Jones, of Henllysfawr, esq.

Pembrokeshire.-John Henry Philipps, of Williamston, esq.; Richard Bowen, of Manarowen, esq.; James Mark Child, of Begelly, esq.

Cardiganshire.-Charles Richard Longcroft, of Llanina, esq.; William Owen Brigstoke, of Blaenpant, esq.; John Hughes, of Alltlwyd, esq.

Glamorganshire-Richard Tuberville Tuberville, of Civenney Abbey. esq.; Henry Combe Compton, of Neath Abbey, esq.; Henry John Grant, of Gnoll, esq.

Breconshire.-John Lloyd, of Dinas, esq.; William Hibbs Bevan, of Crickhowell, esq.; William Henry West, of Beaufort, esq.

Radnorshire.-Walter Wilkins, of Maeslough Castle, esq.; Thomas Baskerville Mynors Baskerville, of Court Clirow, esq.

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