Welsh Journals

Mar., 1874. BYE-GONES. 27 Daring one of the recesses of Parliament the Chronicle sent out special Commissioners to report on the Agricul¬ tural Classes on the Continent. Mr Angus Reach wassent to the South of France, and his journey resulted in a charming book, Claret and Olives. Mr Shirley Brooks was dispatched to Russia, Egypt, &c, and one of the results, his Russians of the South, appeared in Longman's Travellers' Library, and at onoe gained for the author, at the hands of the Quarterly Review, the title of " one of the closest ob¬ servers and liveliest descriptive writers of the day." Mr Brooks signalized his admission on the Punch staff by ' Miss Violet and her Offers,' and so popular did these papers become that Mr Bentley made overtures to the author for a novel to appear in his far-famed Miscellany : and it was here Aspen Court was published. Mr Shirley Brooks's position was now established, and at the dinner given to the late Mr Thackeray, on his last departure for America, the late I 'ouglas Jerrold, in proposing the health of Mr Shirley Brooks, described him as " the most rising writer of the day." We have mentioned Angus Reach, and this reminds us that the last communication of Mr Brooks to the Oswestry Advertizer was in reference to a book he wrote, early in his career, in conjunction with that gifted author. For old acquaintance sake Mr Brooks often sent us a line, and every line he sent was like its author—genial and kindly. He always took a strong interest in Oswestry; and the writer of this (who had kept up an irregular correspon¬ dence with the deceased for some years) has often been amazed at the wonderful memory he had for little things. As a specimen, we may mention an instance a few months ago:— Some one having given an epitaph in our Bye-gones column, Mr Brooks wrote to say he could find a more dismal one in Oswestry Churchyard, and indicated the spot—giving, almost complete in his letter, th° whole eight lines that composed it! And a few mouths earlier, noticing a discus¬ sion in the Advertizer about a brooch, bearing the date at which the 'twelve Apostles' became a political bye-word in Shropshire, he wrote and said, " I was in Oswestry at the Cotes and Gore contest, which was three years before 1835, the date of the brooch, and then I heard the term, 'Lord Olive's Twelve Apostles' applied to the members as they had been in olden times; (for later, and before the Reform Bill, there were two or three Liberals): I remem¬ ber being remonstrated with for repeating the phrase, as profane ! " It is a coincidence perhaps worth noting, that almost Mr Brooks's last communication to Punch (if not the very last), bears a reference to the same North Shrop¬ shire Contest and Mr Cotes. In a scarce serial called Oswalds Well, 1846 7, published by the father of the writer of this, Mr Brooks wrote a continuous story, called The Clan's Man; and one or two shorter sketches. These, we need scarcely say, were entirely labours of love. And in November, 1865, on our representing to him how good a start he could give to an Oswestry movement — The Institute—by a lecture — though his time was, as a matter of course, of great value, he delivered one, which many of our readers remember, on House of Commons life; although (and this our readers do not know) at the time he was suffering from an attack of gout that would have confined many a man to his room. It is not our purpose to enlarge on Mr Shirley Brooks' literary career. Writing as he did so largely for Reviews and Magazines, much that he gave to the world was an¬ onymous ; but he has earned the reputation of a brilliant ffia' in every department in which he tried his hand. Whether anything he wrote will live by the side of Thack¬ eray, Dickens, and George Eliot, is another matter; but in the set that comes next to rare names like these, assuredly we must accord a f oremoBt place to Mr Shirley Brooks. March 4, 1874. NOTES. LOCAL ELECTIONS 132 YEARS AGO. In the Gents: Mag: Jan., 1742, there is a list of " Com¬ plaints against undue elections " in 1741, of which were the following :— Places Sitting Members. Petitioners. Denbighshire John Myddelton Sir W. W. Wvnn. Pembroke William Owen Rawlegh Mansell. Cardiganshire Walter Lloyd Thomas Powell. Flint, town Sir John Wynne R. Williams. Pembrokeshire John Campbell J. Symmons. Carmarthen, town John Phillipps G. Philips. Radnorshire Sir H. Howarth R. Gwyane. Denbigh John Wynne Arthur Trevor. Cardigan, town Thomas Pryce R. Lloyd. Radnor, town Thomas Lewis In the same magazine, for Feb., some of the results of the petitions are given, and it is stated that— Sir Watkin Williams Wynn voted duly elected for Denbigh¬ shire, in the room of John Myddelton, Esq. (the returning offi¬ cer, Wm. Middleton, Esq , being committed to Newgate, and to lose his Place of Receiver-General of that County). In March we have the following alterations in the Lists of Parliament:— Places. Elected. In room of Montgomeryshire Robert <v illiams Sir W. W. Wynn. Cardiganshire Thomas Powell Walter Lloyd. Flint Rich. Williams Sir G. Wynne. By which it would appear that Sir Watkiu had been elected for Montgomeryshire, and resigned on the Denbighshire petition being decided in his favour; also that Powell and Williams succeeded in ousting Lloyd and Wynne for Car¬ diganshire and Flint. In the Gents : Magazine for April, 1742, the fol¬ lowing address from the electors of Denbighshire and the Principality generally, is printed :— To Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart, Knight of the Shire for the County of Denbigh. Sir,—We should think we were wanting to ourselves, we should think we were wanting to our Country, if we did not take this Opportunity of returning; you our grateful Acknowledgments for your censtant Attendance to your Duty in Parliament, as well as for the Share you have taken in the glorious Struggle that hath been made since the Beginning of this Session. We join with the Voice of the Nation in rejoicing for the Success that hath attended your Endeavours; but we have a more than common Reason to rejoice, because of the most ar¬ bitrary Methods that have been put in Practice to deprive U3 of the very Birth-right of Britons, that of chusing our own Repre¬ sentatives. It is to the Success of your Endeavours that we owe our being represented in Parliament at all, as the Grand- Corruptor disriuguish'd you by exerting all the Force of Corrup¬ tion against you ; it is because he knew your Attachment to the true Interest of your Country. He despair'd of being able to prevail upon you to betray us by whom you was trusted, there¬ fore was ynu honoured with his more particular Malice. We take it, Sir, that you suffered for our Sakes, which must recom¬ mend you to us more than ever. Altho' we have no Reason to doubt your Endeavours to pro¬ mote all Laws that may tend to the Security of our Liberties, yet you will give us Leave to recommend some Things to you that call for immediate Redress. We hope, Sir, you will do your utmost to procure an Act for limiting the number of Placemen to sit in the House of Com¬ mons— the whole World is sensible that the Want of such an Act in our late Parliaments brought us to the Brink ef Ruin. We likewise request of you, that you will endeavour that a Law may be obtain'd to prevent the villainous Practices of Re¬ turning Officers, and that some Punishment may be provided equal to the Heinousness of the Crime. We have Reason to know, Sir, yt the Freedom of Parliaments may be lost without such a Law.