Welsh Journals

170 BYE-GONES. Feb., 1885. father does not come back to play with him as he was used to do. Mrs Burnaby is at present somewhere in the neighbourhood of Davos, being obliged by direction of her doctors always to live in Alpine regions. The funeral of Margaret Morris, who, it is said, was born at Borth on the 12th September, 1776, and was therefore 108 years and four months old, took place at Talybont Cemetery nn Tuesday, Jan. 20, and was at¬ tended by upwards of four hundred persons. A corres¬ pondent of the Cambrian News says :—The funeral pro¬ cession was headed by the teachers and scholars of the Llancynfelin Board Schools. The funeral was noteworthy on account of its representative character, the procession being made up from every sect and class in the district. The funeral expenses were defrayed by Mr John James, Mayor of Aberystwyth, in whose family she was formerly a servant. Margaret Morris was remarkable for many things besides her longevity. She received no early edu¬ cation, but when nearly forty years of age she learned to read her Bible by attending the Sunday 3chool. She had a most retentive memory, and could repeat at will about ten chapters of the Bible. During her last years she would repeat as many as six or seven chapters on a Sun¬ day ! Most of the hymns of Williams, Pantycelyn, were quite familiar to her, and she was never tired of repeating them. A remarkable feature of her character was her wonderful juvenescence. In bodily appearance and cheerfulness of spirit she was anything but a centenarian. She was never married, but was very fond of children, and she was frequently visited by little girls from the vil¬ lage who, ai her request, used to beguile her weary hours by singing hymns and sacred songs. She was born in the year of the American declaration of independence. She lived under four moDarchs. For forty-four years she was a contemporary of George the Third. Napoleon and Wel¬ lington were both born only seven years before her, and yetshe survived Napoleon for sixty-four years ! Welling¬ ton died at the advanced age of eighty-three, but Mar¬ garet Morris survived him for thirty-three years. She was thirty-nine years of age at the time of the battle of Waterloo. The following are amongst " Leaves from our Early Issues," published in the North Wales Chronicle (from April 7th to May 12th, 1814) :—To say that the inhabi¬ tants of the town of Carnarvon felt the highest exultation in receiving the glorious news of the downfall of the Despot of France would but feebly convey to our readers what those exultations were. Wives in anxious expectation of again se-ing and embracing their beloved husbands, long the objects of the Despot's captivity, and their infant children lisping praise for their emancipation, can be better conceived than expressed. The joyful tidings were received by the inhabitants of Carnarvon in their true spirit of loyalty. The town guns fired a general salute, and in the evening, with general consent and unsolicited, the town of Carnarvon presented to the eyes of the pat¬ riotic inhabitants a general blaze—and to their honour be it said, that Peace being the order of the day, it closed with the night. The members of the various societies in the town met to celebrate this glorious event, drank " libations deep " in cwrw da, etc., and sported their white cockades a la Paris. With the exception of illuminating, every demonstration of rejoicing was manifested through¬ out the Principality—firing of cannons and musketry.bella ringing, etc., etc., and collections made for cwrw da for the populace.—Saturday, as soon as the glorious intelli¬ gence arrived at Oswestry, many of the inhabitants paraded the streets, testifying their joy at the probable restoration of Peace and the Bourbons, when they were attacked by a number of the French prisoners, some of whom espoused the Bourbon cause, and hoisted the white cockade; and it was not until several were much hurt that order was restored. — The ex¬ treme popularity of this deservedly respected baronet (Sir W. W. Wynn) in Wales is almost prover¬ bial, and his family have long enjoyed the pleasing dis¬ tinction of public applause. To exemplify the estimation in which Sir Watkin's military services are held in Wales, we give the following little anecdote : —A person talking the other day to an honest Cambrian on the late successes in France, extolled highly the character of Lord Welling¬ ton. " Talk what you please of his lordship, but if it had not been for Sir Watkin going to France, the war would not have been at an end soon !" It is a matter of doubt whether the gallant baronet is yet arrived in that country; but this observation shows, nevertheless, that the honest Cambrian had implicit faith in his esteemed countryman's ability. FEBRUARY 4, 1885, NOTES. AN IRISH GRIEVANCE IN 1822.—The follow- ing, which I take from the Oswestry Herald of March 5, 1822, will read strangely in these days. N. W.S. TO THE MAGISTRATES OF THE COUNTY OF ANGLESEY. The Memorial of the undersigned Merchants and Tradesmen of Dublin Sheweth, that your memorialists are in the habit of having goods sent to them from London by the public coaches and waggons to Holyhead. That the proprietors of these conveyances have estab¬ lished charges which are higher than the charges usually made for the carriage ot goods in England, and insist upon extra charges for storeage and shipping expenses, which are wholly unwarranted by the practice of any other carriers. That your memorialists are informed, that the Magis¬ trates of the county of Salop have fixed the following rates for goods brought from London to Shrewsbury, viz., 2d. per lb. for heavy goods, and 2a. for each small parcel. 1 hat your memorialists are of opinion that no higher rate should be allowed than 3d. per lb. for heavy goods, and 3s. for each small parcel, coming from London to Holy¬ head, and they are also of opinion that no extra charge should be allowed to be made by the coach and waggon carriers at Holyhead than the customary office charge of 2d. on each parcel, which comes to or goes from their offices ; and that the charge for shipping or landing should be 6d. for each large parcel, and 3d. for each small one. Your memorialists pray your worships to take the foregoing statements into your consideration, and that you will adopt such measures under the authority of the Car¬ riers Act, as will afford them relief, from what they con¬ sider very unfair and exorbitant charges. Jan. 20, 1822. --------- QUERIES. A MERIONETHSHIRE SALT MARSH.—In Adams' Weekly Courant (Chester) for Apr. 15, 1755, there is an advertisement, stating, that " At Brondannw, near Traethmawr, in the county of Merioneth, is a Salt-Marsh lately inclos'd," where horses, during the month of June, and cattle from July 1st; and sheep for the winter, will be taken in. The charge for horses was 2s. 6d. a week, and for cattle a shilling. Did the land attract any attention as grazing ground, and is it considered valuable for its salty- flavour in the present day ? R.C.O.