Welsh Journals

Apr. 1, 1396. BYE-GONES. 311 county October 20,1823. He was at Rugby School uuder Dr Arnold, as many people know from reading Mr Hughes's most famous book, " Tom Brown's School Days," which has run through many editions. He passed from Rugby to Oriel, and left Oxford an advanced Liberal. Iu succes¬ sion he represented Lambeth and Prome, but he left Parliament in 1874. He took the deepest interest in social questions, and was a strongr advo- cote of co-operation, and he united with Maurice and Kingsley in the promotion of what was known as Christian Socialism. In 1848 he was called to the bar, and in 1882 he was appointed County Court Judge. Besides " Tom Brown's School Days," he wrote " Tom Brown at Oxford," " The Scouring of theWhiteHorse,""ALayman's Faith," a Memoir of his brother and a defence of the Establishment, and other works. He married,in 1847, Anne Frances, daughter of Prebendary Ford, and leaves three sons and three daughters. When he went to reside in Chester, several years ago, Mr Hughes was an ardent supporter of Mr Gladstone and his policy, but though he wis always an admirer of the aged statesman, he be¬ came a Liberal Unionist on the introduction of the Home Rule Bill, and he was regarded by the Unionists of Chester and Cheshire as one of their most influential supporters. Ihe Sale fieb. (gethtit glabie*, g.gl. We regret to record the death of the Rev. Gethin Davies, D.D., Principal of the North Wales Baptist College, which took place in London on Tuesday, March 17. By_ his death the Baptist Church in Wales sustains a great loss, especially the weaker causes, which always ex¬ cited his deep interest and support. Dr Gethin Davies, who was born in 1846, at Morriston, near Swansea, was the only son of a foreman at a local tinplate works. He was educated at Morriston School, at which he was subsequently for a time pupil teacher, and was admitted into the Bristol Baptist College in 1866, remaining there for four years. During his studentship there he had pas¬ toral charge of the Welsh Baptist Church in Bristol. He matriculated and passed the inter¬ mediate examination, then known as the first B. A., examination, at the London University, and in 1870 was appointed classical tutor at the North Wales Baptist College, then situated at Llangollen, a post which he held till 1888, when, on the death of Dr Hugh Jones, the principal of the College, he was appointed to the Principalship, in which post he remained until the time of his death. Meantime the College was removed from Llan¬ gollen to Bangor, in order to give the students the benefit of the University College classes in that city. During his residence at Llangollen Dr Davies paid great attention to congregational singing, and to the assisting of weak Churches, taking personal charge first of the Welsh Baptist Church at Oswes¬ try, and afterwards of that at Mold. Dr Davies was a sound all-round scholar, and he did an im¬ mense work in the interests of his denomination, and was universally beloved. His la8t illness reached an acute stage during the summer of 1895. He began the work of the first term of the session, but was unable to continue it to the end, and under medical advice took a trip to the Mediterranean, intending to visit Palestine if his health permitted. He, however, found himself unable to continue the voyage beyond Algiers. He returned to Bangor about a month ago, and re¬ mained at home for about twelve days when he went to London to consult Sir William Roberts, the eminent physician. On Thursday week an operation for peritonitis, caused by some organic disease of the bowels, was performed, but only faint hopes of recovery were entertained, and death ocaurred on the 17th as stated. Dr Davies leaves a widow and three children. The remains were removed from London to Bangor on Monday, and at Bangor they were received by the House Committee of the College. The interment in Bangor Cemetery yesterday afternoon was of a public character, and the general expressions of regret shown throughout a wide district testified to the great esteem in which the deceased was held. AP2IC, 1, 1898. NOTES. WILD CATS IN WALES.-A correspondent of Notes and Queries (March 28, p. 252) quotes from Mountaineering Below the Snow-line the statement of a Scottish keeper living in Cwm Eigiau, at the foot of Carnedd Llewelyn, in 1881, that the wild cat was still sufficiently common in that part of Wales to account, partly at Isast, for the scarcity of game. Ed. FROM AN OLD DIARY. The following extracts are taken from notes left by the late William Lewis, for many years blacksmith at Montford Bridge :— Mont ford Bridge Sixty Years Ago.—Situated on what was then the great highway between London and Dublin, as well as on the chief road leading into North Wales, a very considerable traffic passed to and fro through Montford Bridge. As there were then no railways, heavy goods were conveyed in stage waggons from one town to another, the journey sometimes continu¬ ing for several days, to the most remote towns of the Principality. The passenger traific, too, of chose days along the Holyhead road deserves notice. First, there was the Royal Mail Coach, drawn by four fine horses, which conveyed the Irish mails between London and Holyhead, and also carried a limited number of passengers, and drove through the village, going and re¬ turning each day. Then there were two or three (and in the summor months half a dozen) stage coaches, runniug past daily, Sundays excepted. And again, gentlemen's private carriages and post-chaises were very numerous on the road. Nor was this all, for the river, passing through the village, was used in those days for the con¬ veyance of a good deal of heavy merchandise, and the proverbially foul-mouthed, swearing barge-:.