The Express.
London, England, 1868-10-07 00:00:00

THE TROTH LOAIIWA. TIM WORLD.

In the year one thousand sight hundred and sixty-
eight, the MID approaching the autumnal equinox, at the
hour of noon, en the 4th day of August, after due pro-
clamation, this Gonsedd is opened at Ruthin, with invita-
tion to all who may assemble here, where no weapon is
unsheathed against them, and judgment will be pro-
nounced upon all worts of genies submitted for LIN Hai-
tian, in the face of the sun—the aye of Light.—The frwU
efessest the world"

After this magniloquent flourish came an apolo-
getic address from the President, then the presen-
tation of prizes for the " works of genius," and
'Afterwards a series of vocal and instrumental per-
formances. According to Mr. MULLAH'S descrip-
tion, the " competition in Pennillion singing with
" the harp" was not a little curious. Instead of
the player accompanying the singer, the usual
arrangement was reversed, and the singer aoconi-
punks' the player by extemporaneous verses, not of
necessity in the metro of the tune which was being
played, but of any number of syllables or variety of
emphasis he could possibly utter while the tune
was in course of performance. The art of the
singer is said to have consiskel in disguising the
discrepancy between the metre he chose and the
rhythm of the time, by making the termination of
the phrases in both synchronize as nearly as pos-
sible. The player's art, on the other hand, was
exhibited in a mechanical and unyielding accuracy
as to time ; and ho was also at liberty to change
the tune without notice—a proceeding which had,
of course, the effect of considerably embarrassing
the vocal performer. In this competition the
prize was, says Mr. HULLAII. " awarded to
" a personage, the fullness and glibness of
" whose speech would, I thought, at one
" time necessitate him being carried out of
" hearing by main forte, like the steam pleader
" in an old novel, ' The Mummy,' whose machi-
" nery, once set in motion, could not be stopped,
" though a turn in the case had made the :urge-
" ment with which it was charged altogether irre-
" levant." The effect was somewhat bewildering.
Some of the performances, however, upon whirl
Mr. Hutran was called upon to adjudicate do not
semi to have been quite so successful. An inac-
curate rendering of a frequently recurring rhyth-
mical effect in a cantata written by a native com-
poser disfigured the execution of ono of the choirs
that sang ; and a mistake in tho pitch at starting
nearly brought that of another to an untimely end
snore than once. Mr. MULLAH noticed also a• mani-
fest indifference or aversion to accompaniment, in
accompanied mnsio. The most remarkable case,
however, was that of two little girls, who not only
sang Bars A's duet, "The Sailor sighs," without
instrumental support, but actually inverted the
parts, the tenor being of necessity sung an octavo
higher than it should have been. But, after a false
start, the two little performers made a fresh ono,
and, says Mr. HIILLAU, " incredible as it May ap-
" pear, they reached without serious discomfort
" (to themselves) the winning poet at much about
" the same instant of time."

Notwithstanding these ludicrous incidents and
the gueral absurdity of the proceedings from a
musical stand-point, Mr. litturti is of opinion that
the Eisteddfod could be turned to account in the
improvement of musical taste and knowledge in
the principality ; and that opinion seems to be
conerined by the creditable manner in which the
Yenisei was performed by the provinoial choirs
without previmis re bins...l either with seek other
or with the coadiatak 011444 It bat ao pond

for Ooniptafat'es the score of want of opportunity.
Morettati t,slq santurios and a half have elapaid
shies tliiii.festiv4 *as shorn of tho glory of royal,
reeogn*ien'and firrbur, and loft to plopad he ow*
• merits ' in instjholition of its oxistones; and it
now *ow some reason tot • Wishing
and deserving to live independent a Oweteilaefty
with which the Celtic mind clings to its
ticns.

IN Ibo Ezpress of Saturday wo urged the now
government at Madrid, as representing tho en-
lightened and liberated conscience of the Spanish
people, to seize the opportunity in their possession
for proclaiming in principle the emancipation of
the slaves in their colonies. The universal feel-
ing on this subject was illustrated in the
reproduction of our remarks 'by almost every
Liberal journal on the Continent ; and we
rejoice to say that, according to a telegram from
Madrid, the junta has shown itself fully in unison
with the popular desire. The Provisionid Govern-
ment has decided, it is said, to pronounce the
enfranchisement of the children of negroes in the
Spanish colonies as a preliminary to a law which
is to ho submitted to the Constituent Assembly.
for the complete abolition of slavery. This is a
duty the Spanish nation should have long ago
fulfilled, and ono by which it will gain material
strength and moral status. The cry for the annexa-
tion of Cuba which is said to be revived in tho
United States would bo much leas of an em-
barrassment if the colony were free.

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.
(THIS DAY.)

TUE nnnAmssommaQUMMON.

The Times remarks that the obligations imposed
upon England by the extension of the frontier beyond the
Indus, after the conquest of the Punjab in 1849, appear
to be more enema than ever, after all the political and
military experiments made for their sappenaion. But
there is nothing babies troubles that is in the least degree
unnatural or inemnpreinaeible ; and various reasons con•

spire to make our eentemporary doubt whether our
Lateen ever be effectually terminated by any policy what•
ever. Between the Rivet Indus and the great mountain
chain on its western bank lies a long belt of oultivated and
fertile territory. This land forms part of our dominions,
which are thus carried up to the very foot of the hills. The
inhabitants of the plain are our subjects, relying upon us
for protecti ,n and security. The hills are inhabited by
tribes of Afghan descent, but owing only a nominal alle-
giant* to the rulers of Afghanistan. These highlanders
are a brave and martial race, gaunt and hungry, lodged
in almost inaccessible regions, inured to war, and trained
from infancy to regard rapine and pillage as the business
of life. litre, then, we have the first eternal motive
which unpile the inhabitants of a mountain range to prey
opts the plains below. But this is nut the only motive.
111.143 highlanders are of the same race and the same re-
ligion as thins, Asiatic tribes which or times past de-
seended from these very hills to the conquest and pis-
stasicn of India. The traditions which tell of Afghan vic-
toria% and the capture and plunder of opulent cities ace
not yet forgottcu. and, besides this, the element of re-
ligious fanaticism has been quickeued among them by a
singular course of eveuta, until it has become a
consideration ton important to be overlooked. Then
there is probably some impulse from behind,
for in the rear of the mountaineers are the
Afghans proper. and in the rear of the Afghani
now stands Bessie. It is not necessary to presume that
either the Russians or the Afghans are actually inciting the
borderers to war, but the belief that the Eugliah have a
powerful enemy already in Bukhara may have its weight
detetminingthe results before us. As a matter of fat,
we are told that a force comprising no less than 20,000 of
the bud troops in India is already massed in these parts
and prepared for action. The Timer, after referring to the
propoal fur extruding the frontier, so as to embrace the
hall country, expresses its fear that it would be vaiii to
expect peace and quit tures as the end of any experiment
but rejoices to think that the pa:salve is stall iu the Lalll4
of Six Juhu Lawrence.