March 1881 by StPetersYork

THE

PETERITEI Vol.. III.

MARCH, 1881 .

No . 19.

PLAS MAWR : A STORY OF CONWAY. EEN from across the bay, when the tide has covered the mud and sand and seaweed that lie exposed at low water, Conway town makes as sweet a picture as one could wish . The low houses creeping down to the water's edge ; the fishing boats rising and falling slowly with the quiet waves ; above, the grey ivied town-walls and the glorious castle itself, none of its beauty taken away even by the addition of modern bridges ; behind, wooded hills, and to left and right the estuary, narrowing on the one hand into a river, widening on the other to the sea . Such are some of the elements of the scene . But when you have crossed the bridge and passed under the castle walls, something is gone of the halo with which distance crowned the town. There are not many old houses left, and the very commonplace inns and shops have not an inviting appearance . Still there are a few buildings of great interest to the antiquarian, and foremost among these is the Plas Mawr in the High-street . Some of those who have visited the old mansion for the sake of the fantastic carving with which the interior walls are decorated, will doubtless have been both surprised and pleased at being met by a young lady with delightfully English speech and ways, instead of by an old crone who is as garrulous as her scant acquaintance with the English tongue will allow. Winifred Meredith is not, as a matter of fact, an Englishwoman. Her family have for long inhabited the Plas Mawr . How they first came into the mansion that Sir Robert Wynn built in the year of our Lord, 1577, I do not know ; but there they are, and there they will probably remain—at any rate, until the death of Winifred's grandmother, who would never tolerate the idea of

PLAS MAWR : A STORY OF CONWAY.

leaving the old place . Winifred herself is, in a sense, deeply attached to the associations that cling round it, but there was a time when she hated it . Fresh from the gay life of the west end of London, the young girl could find little to interest her in the dull solitude of a remote Welsh town . Some English friends of the family had taken a fancy to her when she was a child, and had had her educated and kept her with them for some years. Only on brief visits had she come to Conway hitherto : how could she now live in it altogether ? But before she had been long in the old town, new experiences were to take away the monotony from her life. There came to Conway in the spring of 1874, a young artist of the name of Ernest Musgrave . Though he was not above twenty-three years of age, he had exhibited more than once in the Academy, and it was whispered in art circles that, if merit were as sure of its reward as it ought to be, Musgrave would, before very long, write A .R .A . after his name . Conway is a perfect storehouse of subjects for the painter . True, the stores have been often ransacked, but they are not altogether exhausted yet . It was, then, quite natural that young Musgrave should come to Conway ; and it was also natural that in course of time he should find his way to the High-street and the Plas Mawr ; nor yet altogether unnatural that there he should meet and fall in love with Winifred Meredith . For are not young artists, of all people, most susceptible to beauty, not only of mountain and stream and sky and sea, but beauty of the human face and form ? And if the beautiful face and form be only outward signs of a beautiful soul within ?—ah, well, but the knowledge of that comes only by-and-bye. Surely lovers at Conway are, other things being equal, far more fortunate than those whose lot it is to live in most other regions of this prosaic realm . There are no balls and no operas, perhaps : but instead there are walks in the glorious vale, and over the mountains, and on the shore ; and there are drives along the roads that wind this way and that between the sweet-smelling hedges ; and there are rows and sails up the calm river and down to the great wide sea . Of all these pleasures, Ernest and Winifred had their full share through that summer . But it is with the last evening that ever these two spent together that this story is concerned .

PLAS MAWR : A STORY OF CONWAY .

He had just helped her over the rough stones on the quay, and into the little boat that was waiting for them at the water ' s edge. " Which way are we to go ?" he said, as he pushed off. " Not up the river to-night, Ernest, " she answered . " I don ' t like it—it is so dark and treacherous and snake-like . Let us go into the bay." "Why, what is the matter, Winnic ? We have often pulled up it before : and don't you remember how you enjoyed taking an oar yourself that afternoon when we went up to Tal-y-Cafn, making our way all alone amongst the sand-banks ? " "Yes, I know, " she said, " but to-night I would rather we went the other way ." "Anywhere—with you," and he pulled round the boat. The tide was fast going out, so the little vessel sped on swiftly enough . It was late summer, and the day had been an intensely sultry one . It was past six o ' clock when they started, but the heat showed no sign of abating. Over the water lay a dull languid haze that was anything but promising . Yet it was cooler and pleasanter on the water than on the land, and rowing with the tide was delightfully easy work ; so it was scarcely surprising that they did not notice the ominous signs about them, or pay any heed to the jabber of two or three fishermen who were discussing the weather amongst themselves. Swiftly enough the little vessel sped on . They passed on their right the white houses of Tywyn and the modern terrace of Deganwy ; on their left rose Conway mountain, with its rich colours on which the sunlight so loves to linger . Then the little Penmen thrust itself forward into the bay, and on the other side the elephantine Orme stretched itself lazily along. " That ugly monster "—this was what Ernest said as they passed it—" I do believe that is the most unaesthetic mountain on this earth . It looks as if it hadn't the spirit to hold up its head like a decent mountain would . Instead, it lies on its back, and takes up a good deal more room in the world than it was ever entitled to ." Winifred very properly reminded him that far more people could enjoy a breezy walk upon it as it was, than if it were twice its present height ; and surely there were mountains enough for those who wanted them . Now this mention of the enjoyment that so many could get out of the Great Ormc, produced a very

PLAS MAWR : A STORY OF CONWAY.

different effect from the one intended . For Ernest immediately began to make very unnecessary sneers at the people who patronized the ginger-beer establishment on the summit ; and at the people who made the carriage-drive round the head-land . "Only," he said, " their acquaintance with the English language was on a par with their exquisite taste . Have you ever noticed the list of tolls ?—' For every passenger on foot (except the driver of a vehicle), Id .' " And from this he proceeded to include in a wholesale condemnation more than half of the visitors to our English watering-places . ` Trippers' he called them, using a north of England word in a sense of his own . " I do not mean," he explained, " simply day-excursionists, some of whom, no doubt, genuinely appreciate the beautiful . But I mean all those—and how many there are !—who come to beautiful places, and spoil these places for other people by their intrusion, when, for all the taste they have, they would really enjoy quite as much a stay at any unlovely place that had bathing-vans, donkeys, a parade, a pier, a rink and winter-gardens ." And then he went on to propound an extravagant scheme, which he only hoped some illustrious statesman would take up . It was that certain popular resorts—Margate he named amongst others, Blackpool, Morecambe, and a fashionable town it would not do to speak of disrespectfully to Yorkshire readers—should be given up to the use of these objectionable tripper-souls . From the rest of the British coast, niggers and acrobats and all proprietors of popular entertainments should be rigidly excluded . " It would not be necessary, " he said, "to exclude tripper-souls by statute . If one ever came, he would be so utterly miserable that, if he returned alive to his brethren, he would be sure to warn them effectually against going." By the time this scheme had been evolved, and some matters of deeper and more personal interest, which do not concern us, had been discussed, they had got out of the bay . It was growing dusk, and, as she saw the lights glimmer in away over in Penmaenmawr town, Winifred suggested that it was time for them to be turning back . He hummed something lightly in reply : " With love like a rose in the stern of a wherry, There ' s danger in crossing to Conway town . "

PLAS MAWR : A STORY OF CONWAY .

`i 1

Then he proceeded leisurely to act upon her advice . But where was the calm water through which they had rowed at starting ? Out here in the open the sea was anything but motionless, and a few drops of rain warned them that they must be quick if they would get into the shelter of the bay before the storm came on . So entirely had they been occupied with their conversation and each other, that they had never bestowed a thought upon the weather ; and in this region, as many a wreck can prove, storms sometimes come on with fearful rapidity at the turning of the tide . He did not seem to have pulled many strokes, when the sky was black with clouds . Already the rain was beginning to drive fiercely, and every moment the waves seemed to be rolling huger and huger . It was useless trying to talk amid this fury of rain and wind and water. He could only throw off his coat to cover her partially, where she lay frightened in the stern of the boat. Then he must do his best to battle with the elements . His best—but what is a man ' s best in a case like this ? And as the darkness grew thicker, and the storm grew fiercer, he could tell less and less in what direction he ought to row. The mountains lost their outline, and became grim shapeless masses ; then they mixed undefinably with the black lowhanging clouds . He had been rowing frantically for some time, but, finding that he could make no headway, he pulled in his oars . Clearly they must go whither wind and tide took them. He looked anxiously at the pale face in the stern . I-le could not make her hear the words of comfort he wanted to speak to her, but one thing he could do. Reverently he lifted her hand and kissed it . A smile came over the pale features . It was a strange love-making, a grim parody on the lines he had hummed lightly a short while before " With love like a rose in the stern of a wherry, There ' s danger in crossing to Conway town . " And all the while the cruel breakers were tossing the tiny boat this way and that, lifting it up and dashing it down again, and wetting its occupants through and through with the murky foam. At the window of a little cottage on the narrow stretch of green at the base of the Great Orme, stood a solitary watcher of the scene outside . He saw a little boat not far away being made the sport of the tempest ; and, helpless to aid it, but awed and

PLAS MAWR : A STORY OF CONWAY.

fascinated by the sight, he followed its course with the fisherman's keen eye : nearer and nearer it came ; now it was almost on the rocks, and now a huge wave had flung it fifty feet away; a third wave brought it back and nearer still, and then he saw it no more. He lit a lantern and sallied out into the darkness ; with difficulty he groped along amongst the boulders . There is no taint of tripperdom about the Great Orrne on a stormy night ; one is glad of shelter even in a ginger-beer establishment . For some time he searched in vain for any trace of the boat or its occupants ; but at last, tinder the solitary loveless ruins of Gogarth Abbey, he fancied he heard a moan . Was it the ghost of some victim of an unhallowed Druid sacrifice, crying out its cry plaintively to the angry heavens ? or was it a sea-bird shrieking as it wheeled white over the white foam ? or only the storm with its babel of hoarse sounds ? Perhaps he thought it was one or other of these things, as his long search seemed unrewarded till a gleam from his lantern revealed the prostrate form of a woman . He lifted it tenderly and carried it into the cottage ; not till he had got Winifred Meredith safely there did he ask her any questions. Then he managed to glean from her half-incoherent answers that the boat had gone down, and that Musgrave had gone down too, having only had strength left to push her on land before the wave carried him away . This the kind-hearted fisherman and his wife made out to their satisfaction, but they could not understand at all what it was she muttered again and again "There's danger . in crossing to Conway town ." Since all this happened, Winifred 's life has passed quietly and uneventfully . There is a sadness about her still, for she has not forgotten, far from it, the last of the romances that cling to the old mansion in Conway—the old mansion where, as they say, certain royal lovers carved their initials of old . That is another romance of which the Plas Mawr knows something, if it could tell its story—the romance of Elizabeth Regina and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester . LITTLE ALEXANDER .

A RAMBLE FROM SANDGATE. T was on a dry though dull day last autumn that I walked with a friend to Folkestone from Sandgate :* we started early and proceeded by the footpath along the top of the cliffs, in order that we might enjoy the sea view all the way, whereas if we had taken the road at the foot of the cliffs we should have missed this, for the banks on the side of the road hide the sea almost the whole way. We passed one of the Martello Towers soon after leaving Sandgate ; these were built by the government during the panic of a French invasion in the year 1805 to guard the coast from Copt Point, near Folkestone, to Dungeness Point, beyond Romney March . They cost LI 1,000 each, and were all mounted on the top with a piece of heavy ordnance : each tower can accommodate about thirty men : their height is about forty feet, their walls are of great thickness, and their shape is circular . But we must proceed on our walk. Our path brought us out eventually on `The Lees,' which is the fashionable promenade of Folkestone, being bordered by large terraces of houses : we found it thronged with people, for as we arrived about noon, we saw it at its busiest time . The Bath-chairs which are used here greatly would prove a terrible obstruction to pedestrians, were it not for the breadth of the path . We did not go down to the beach, but proceeded to the parish Church situated at the end of `Tlie Lees .' It is dedicated to S . Mary, and consists of a nave, two aisles, chancel, and two chantrics, with a square tower in the centre : the oldest portion is the east end, which dates back to the thirteenth century ; but as the other parts have been restored in the perpendicular style, they are not in keeping with the rest of the building . Among the persons buried in this Church is the mother of Dr . Harvey, the discoverer of the circulation of the blood, to whose memory there is a brass on the south wall which describes her as " a godly, harmless woman . " On leaving the Church we visited the old part of the town which lies in a valley ; here the antiquated look of the old tileroofed houses presented a striking contrast to the large modern

* A small but picturesquely situated town, about a mile and a half to the west of Folkestone, and three to the east of Hythe.

A RAMBLE FROM SANDGATE.

ones on the Lees . Here they are so huddled together that one would think our forefathers considered breathing a matter of very secondary importance . After we had examined this part of the town, we retired to a restaurant and there fortified ourselves for the rest of our walk : my companion insisted on our taking a loaf with us, which doubtless he thought would prove acceptable before we got to our journey's end. We set out for Lyminge on leaving Folkestone, and after we had proceeded on the road about two miles, arrived at the village of Cheriton, which claims an old Saxon Church standing alone on a large plain about three hundred yards from the village : during some alterations a stone was discovered beneath the floor marking the grave of Sir Walter Raleigh's granddaughter . We left these and proceeded on the road. Next we passed the village of Newington, and visited its Church containing some fine old brasses ; the case of the font is worth noticing, as it is adorned with some exquisite oak carving : in the Church-yard are some very fine old yew trees bearing additional testimony to the antiquity of the place . When we had seen these, as it was already growing dusk, we gave up the idea of going to Lyminge that day, but instead of doing so we walked on to Saltwood Castle, which lies nearer Sandgate . As we approached this fine old ruin, the scenery, which was rather tame before, became romantic and beautiful ; lofty hills rise up on either side of the road, some of them being conical shaped, from which fact one derives its name—Sugar-loaf Hill . We hastened on, for darkness was approaching rapidly, and ere long came in sight of the old Castle of Saltwood . This Castle, or a previous one on the same site, dates back to the time of the Romans ; it was enlarged by Oesc, son of Hengist, in the fifth century, and again by Hugh de Montford in the Norman period. It was the property of Cranmer at one time, but on his becoming an object of envy to Henry VIII . on account of the magnificence of his living, he was obliged to surrender it to his royal master. Alas ! it is now sadly degraded, being used as a common farm house . The outer walls, still complete, are covered with ivy, and around these the moat may still be traced : the embattled entrance gate is dismantled of its drawbridge and portcullis, though the groove in which the latter moved is still to be seen. Passing through this gateway, we came in front of the grand

NOTES AND ITEMS .

entrance with two solid round towers on either side : it was now almost dark, but nevertheless we asked the ancient warden who lived within, if she could show us through the building : with a view to getting a ` tip' she readily assented ; so after considerable difficulty she procured a lamp, and by aid of its friendly light we were conducted over the remaining rooms . From what we could judge there was first a groined arch, and on both sides of this were the old guard rooms ; the stone walls of one of these has actually been covered with a bright blue paper ! We ascended a spiral staircase of stone, and saw the other apartments which were formerly used by the Governor of the Castle, but now arc fast going to decay, the ceilings falling, and the old rafters allowed to rot without any steps being taken for their preservation . The staircase brought us out on the roof of one of the towers before mentioned, and from here we could dimly discern the walls of the ancient banqueting hall and the other buildings within the enclosure . How we longed for the moon to throw her tender light upon the scene ; but no such luck was in store for us, so we were obliged to descend the steps once more, and content ourselves with what we had already seen until some future visit by daylight. We left the Castle after `tipping' the old woman, not for her information, for, as she had only occupied the place a week, she was scarcely in a position to instruct us in regard to its history, &c., so, striking across the fields, after some time we arrived at Hythe railway station . There was no train for Sandgate for some time, so we were obliged to walk back . ERIN GO BRAGH.

NOTES AND ITEMS. J . C . Waithman, of Magdalen College, Cambridge, was 16th Senior Optime in the last Mathematical Tripos. The following notice of the late Lieut .-Col . J . J . Collins, we take from the Celcr et Audax Gazette of the 3rd Battalion, 6oth Royal Rifles : " We greatly regret having to record the death from dysentery, at Sibi, Afghanistan, on October 8th, of Lieutenant-Colonel J . J . Collins. This officer joined the 2nd Battalion at the Cape in 1854, and was transfer red to the 4th Battalion on its formation in 1859, and after

OXFORD LETTER.

serving in that Battalion for 13 years received his majority in the 3rd Battalion in 1873, and subsequently his Lieutenant-colonelcy in the 2nd Battalion in August, 1878 . He commanded his Battalion throughout the whole of the recent Afghan campaigns, and was lately mentioned in despatches for his conduct at the battle of Ahmed Kheyl, Most of us knew him well, and deeply shall we mourn his loss . He was a good soldier, and a kind-hearted steady friend ; ever ready to give advice to those who sought it, and always striving to promote the well-being and the comfort of his brother officers and of the men under his command . And now, on his way home, after months of toil, hardship, and victory, has a fell disease carried off one with whom we have lived on terms of intimacy for 26 years, without ever hearing from his lips one unkind word . We cannot better perpetuate his memory than by striving to follow his example . " A . Gorham, of Trinity College, Dublin, has obtained the ViceChancellor's Prize at his University for Latin Prose, and also the Berkeley Medal for Knowledge of Greek. Subscribers will do us a great favour by paying their subscriptions as soon as possible . The Treasurer's address till March 16th, will be Keble Coll ., Oxford ; for about a month from that date, Everingham Rectory, near York.

OXFORD LETTER. O doubt subscribers to the Peterite were greatly disappointed at the absence of an Oxford Letter in the last number, though I think they had most of the news under the head of " Notes and Items ." The great misfortune sustained by the O . U . B . C . in the cremation (see /Esthetes ' Journals) of their new boat-house, has roused the officers to take vigorous measures to repair their loss . All the Colleges are asking past and present members for subscriptions, which in the case of Queen ' s are to be paid to Mr. J . H . Daniel, Hon . Treas. With regard to our prospects at Putney : all last week the ' Varsity were on what is known as the upper river, but the weather has been most unpropitious for practice, and several changes have been made from time to time in the crew . West seems in remarkably good health and spirits ; may his fortune of last year again attend him ! Kindersley (the President), Edwardes-Moss, and Dr . Darbishire have been most indefatigable in coaching from the flooded towpath . All things considered, we may look forward with confidence to the race

OXFORD LETTER .

in anticipation of leaving Cambridge a length or two in the rear : for details of the practices of the crew vide Field and Land and Water. To descend to Torpids,—most of them are practising on the upper river, having deserted the usual Iflley reach Christ Church appear determined to improve their position (last in first division), as they have engaged a small steamer for coaching purposes between Sandford and Abingdon . There are in all twenty-four entries, including the Unattached (S . Catherine ' s) . The races begin on March 3rd. Football, that much abused pastime, continues to flourish in spite of the rancour of its enemies . The ' Varsity have been beaten in their last two matches ; in the Association game v . Cambridge, and in the Rugby Union v . Blackheath. The O . U . A . C . Sports are to be held on March Ij and 16 ; and the Inter-'Varsity at Lillie Bridge on April 8th . We have lost some of our best men, and fear the issue. Praiseworthy exertions have been made on all hands to make this, the dullest term of the year, endurable . We have had Brandram in "As you like it " ; he was perfect, as usual, his forte being dramatic comprehensiveness and the power of individualising every single character in a play . On Saturday Mrs . Fairfax and Mrs . Blake gave a second entertainment in the Clarendon rooms " before a large and fashionable audience, " as the penny-a-liners say. The Union has sported an unusually varied programme this term, beginning with political and land-law questions . Last week Cremation was dissected (Vivisection having previously been roasted in a lively manner), and approved by a small majority. This week we are asked to condemn the imprisonment of Messrs . Dale and Enraght, "for conscience sake, " I presume ! We had a repetition of the Enccenia on Tuesday week, the occasion being Sir Frederick Roberts ' ovation ; the witticisms, as usual, were good humoured, but personal and puerile. On Sunday we had the Bishops of Moosonee and Manchester ; your correspondent heard them both, and then wended his way to Christ Church to Canon King ' s levee, thereby getting an insight into the amiable feelings which the high, low, and broad Church parties res p ectively entertain towards each other . Gen . Field and Lord Radstock (the energetic Plymouth Brother) will address meetings next week. The horrors of Honour (? Plough) Mods . encompass the writer, in anticipation : the iron which has pierced his vitals has rusted the steel of his pen : if you hoped for an amusing letter, you are disappointed . No more from yours ever Feb . 17 .

MULTINOMIAL .

CAMBRIDGE LETTER. February r S.

F course, the first and most engrossing subject this Term is the ' Varsity Boat ; how is it getting on, and what chance have we ? It is no good attempting to deny the melancholy fact, but the consensus of opinion opines that we have but small chance of wresting the victory from Oxford . At present the crew is not made up ; constant changes are made every day, and twice a clay—changes in the men rowing, and in the positions they occupy—so that it is at present impossible to predict the final constitution of the crew : in fact, the only man who has never changed his seat is Brooksbar_k, stroke. In Rugby Union Football, the ' Varsity have beaten East Sheen, and the United Hospitals ; neither of which brought up a really good team to play against us . In Association, last Friday, I see we defeated Oxford, after a close game, by two goals to one, a satisfactory result— for us ; Oxford were reputed to be very strong, too. I believe that before this letter is printed Iieble will have played the return match with St . John ' s, Cambridge—the two teams are very evenly matched, and a good match is expected. Most of the boats we now see on the river--and it is crowded—are practising for the Lent Races on March 9th and four following days, and training will commence next week, though boating (or for the matter of that anything else as yet) has not been exceedingly pleasant . We have had to come down daily in rain and wind, and sleet and cold, any and all of which has been plentiful enough. By this time next year women will probably be admitted to the University Examinations on the same terms as men, though no degrees will be granted to them, but certificates ; and class lists will also be published similar to the Honour lists, &c ., which are now published . To make this arrangement clear (and I think it is sufficiently interesting) I shall quote § 8 of the regulations in full : "That in each class of Female Students in which the names are arranged in order of merit, the place which each of such Students would have occupied in the corresponding class of Members of the University shall be indicated ." The Senate have still to vote on these regulations before they can become as the laws of the Meeks and Persians. There are great searchings of heart just at present over the time at which the May Races ought to be held ; many of the University Examinations (under the New Regulations) will be held in June, and the Tutors wanted the May Races, &c ., to be held in June :

SCHOOL LETTER.

however, the C .U .B .C . think otherwise, and have fixed the Races for May 13th and following days : what will the Dons say ? J . E . Stephenson, of Christ's, has taken his degree and gone down : Mallinson is rowing in Christ ' s second boat. I sat next to a man in Hall yesterday who is rowing in the 'Varsity : there was plenty of beef steak, and roast beef and mutton around : he had (i .) Irish stew with plenty of gravy and onions, (ii .) custard pudding and cranberries, (iii .) cream cheese and pine apple jam . MAX.

P .S .—I bolted when the C .C . and P .A .J . appeared : so cannot say whether that was all.

SCHOOL LETTER. P to a week before the issue of this month ' s Peterite, the weather has prevented anything of any sort being done, except that peculiarly dirty game, hockey . Football could not be played, and it is probable that it never will be played in this Term : and rowing was utterly impossible from the state of the river. Griffith is Captain of the Boats, and Baskett and Greenhow form the rest of the Committee . As far as can be seen the School House will probably be first both in senior and junior boats : their senior probably will win, though they may have a hard fight with the Dayboys : and their junior certainly must, bar accidents . The Sixth Form will have it all their own way this year, and could make two boats easily. The Debating Society is in full swing, and the first meeting was far better than any one could have expected . It can scarcely die again because the authorities have, very wisely, drafted so great a number of new members that death is almost impossible . There are more sensible, if not more verbose, speakers than I remember before. There are a great many candidates for Scholarships in the School ; and these not merely in the Sixth, but some in other forms . Success to them all ! Bulman has returned after all, and we apologise for the mistake we made in our last . We regret that we have lost A . R . Stephenson. Our readers will probably remember the Concert given last midsummer, and its purpose, viz ., the finishing of the decoration of the Chapel . That purpose would have been accomplished six months

OBITUARY.—THE DEBATING SOCIETY.

ago but for delay in the making of the tiles . However, it is now fairly begun . JAMES CRAWLEY.

P .S .—The writer hears that he has given offence by a hint offered last month to the Old Boys who attended the Theatricals ; he hopes that any who felt themselves aggrieved will accept this apology.

OBITUARY. Oz January 6M, 188r, at (hire,

ALFRED NEWMAN, AGED 44. FOUNDATION SCI-IOLAR IN

I849.

THE DEBATING SOCIETY. A meeting of the Debating Society was held on Satu rday, February 5th, and the proceedings commenced in a fairly filled House . Before opening the Debate, the following officers were elected :—President, F . T. Griffith ; Vice-President, G . H . Eyre ; Secretary, B . Baskett. EYRE then moved that " this House approves the action of the Government in introducing coercive measures in Ireland, prior to legislation calculated to alleviate the distress in that country ." The argument on which he laid greatest stress was the prevalence of crime, and the number of agrarian outrages . BASKETT led the opposition, but did not seem to feel at home in opposing his Government ; admitted the force of this argument, but conceived it was not necessary, as the outrages would cease when the Irish saw the Government trying to alleviate their sufferings. The PRESIDENT then reviewed the history of Ireland from early times to the present moment ; but his knowledge was too deep for the rest of the House, and he was not answered at all on that point . The other speakers were Collinson, Kaye, and H . C . B. Clayforth, but the opposition was confined entirely to Baskett and Griffith . Towards the end the discussion was pretty lively ; and on division the majority was found to be six—three against, and nine for the motion .

THE LIBRARY. The following books have Alice' s Adventures in Wonderland. Confessions of a Thug. Cook ' s Voyage round the World. Figuier ' s ` Primitive Man . ' Grant's Frank Hilton. One of the Six Hundred. Under the Red Dragon. The White Cockade. Hartwig ' s Polar World. Sea. Subterranean World. Ivanhoe. Jane Eyre. Kane's Artic Explorations. Kinglake ' s Eothen. Kingsley (Canon) Water Babies. Westminster Sermons. Poems. Kingsley (Henry) Ravenshoe .

recently been added : Little Duke. Lorna Doone. Lytton's Eugene Aram. Harold. Last of the Barons. Morte D'Arthur. Night and Morning. Prescott's Conquest of Mexico. Conquest of Peru. Roland Yorke. Sister Dora. Stanley's Livingstone. St . Olave's. Sylvia's Lovers. Thackeray's Book of Snobs. Vanity Fair. Through the Looking Glass. Whyte-Melville's Contraband. Interpreter.

CORRESPONDENCE. To THE EDITORS OF " THE PETERITE . " GENTLEMEN, — In this letter I wish to propose what I believe is a thorough innovation in a magazine of this kind . There is, I am told, a rule forbidding the discussion in these pages of political questions. It is the repeal of this rule and the introduction of politics which I now venture to propose. I cannot see why politics should be excluded from the Magazine when they are allowed to form the subjects of the School Debating Society. They are frequently discussed at the Union both at Oxford and Cambridge ; and I imagine that they would not be tabooed from the Cambridge Review . What is then the reason for such exclusion here ? Is it that political contributions might contain too much warmth ? This is not likely, for people always write more temperately than they speak, especially when directly in front are seated the members

CORRESPONDENCE.

of the opposition eyeing the speaker like bear-baiting dogs . Besides, people are less particular what they say because they know their speeches will rapidly evaporate from the memory of their hearers : but when a man commits himself to print he is conscious all the while that his lively adversaries can always have his production before them, can enjoy it at their leisure, and with deliberate cruelty sit upon his feeble points and show him up in the next issue . To escape this he tries to write carefully and well . There would be this advantage over a debate, namely that the use of nommes are _plume would prevent the contributors coming into personal collision, and a brisk, and at the same time thoroughly good-natured cross-fire would be kept up. Such contributors would then read the political items in newspapers with greater zest, for they would read with an object, that object being to collect facts to support their views for the next contribution : and if whilst so reading, they had a little note book beside them and jotted down in it from day to day important events as they cropped up, they would, incidentally, easily and pleasantly stock their heads with the history of the present ; and although such history may not be of value for examinations, yet schoolboys should not neglect it just because it is not bound up in red edges and black backs and labelled " Student ' s Hume . " Even the ' Varsity man would find that other things interested mankind besides the welfare of his college boat. The above are some of the advantages to be derived from abolishing the rule, the need of which I fail to see . The retaining of it must prevent many Peterites from contributing to their own paper, and leaves one interesting phase of the school-mind completely unrepresented in the school Magazine. Hoping that this matter will be earnestly taken up by more able and persuasive advocates, I remain, Gentlemen, Yours truly, A . E . C. [We thank our Correspondent for his letter, but we think most of our readers will agree with us in thinking any change in the rule undesirable .—Ens .] Some Queries, and several other contributions, are unavoidably held over till next month.

OXFORD : PRINTED BY W . R . BOR'DP:N, S9, HIGH STREET .