Litchfield enquirer., 1862-10-09


 Carnarvon'., Yesterday attended all day the Eisteddfod," and got very complete idea ot its working, The succeeding days are substan tially arepetition of the first. A word of diver Igeuce upon the history of the Eisteddfod.
 ':' The ,Eisteddfod simply means session oi bards and minstrels. It arose naturally from the old druidical customs, and would seem, at the. decline: of Druidism," to have taken the place of the " Gorsedd." Popularly, King Ar thur is said to have originated the Eistedd- fod ;" and after him there are numberless ones on record, from A. D. $40, under the Welch Prince Mae1gwn, to those in 1924 and yl567, un. der the .immediate auspices of Henry Eighth and Queen Elizabeth. The first of these spo- ken of, was held at Conway, the two last at Ga, erwys. '"seyeral Eisteddfoden were held in South Wales during the seventeenth century. The muses were to great extant dormant from that time to the close of the eighteenth century, when Eistsddfoden were revived, and have since every Welch town in turn, and in Liverpool and London. They have now become annual move- able festivals, and have arrived at high degree of popularity."- Carnarvs,. Herald, Aug. 30.
 It must surprise some of your readers, as much as it did me, to find that here all through Wales, the people have retained 80 thoroughly their language, not only talking it, but having large amount of literature written in it. They are too I
 all the while zeatously striving to perpetuate what they have, and to increase it. To do this the national convention or Eisteddfod is well adapted; and, for doing it, it is we'll sustained. Liberal prizes are offered, varying in value from one to sixty guineas, for the best compositions (in Welcb,) in Prose, Poetry and Music; and also, there are prizes for success in various ob- jects of art. The highest plize of sixty guin- eas was !his year for the best essay treating on Welch literature. Another large prize was for ] English language to -Weleh children in day 1 schools The Chairman of the Committee pre- faced his award with his own ideas upon the point. These were, that the true way and only 1 way was 10 teach them English through the Welch for, he claimed, Welch children could never feel the inspiration necessary to success ful learning, unless talked to, and instructed in their own language. This eicited warm ap plause from the large audience, and speak of it 1 to show how very strong is their devotion to their own language. This does not by any means imply any present dislike towards to- wards the English nation; far less, any desire, supposing it could possibly be done, to disunite themselves from Great Britain. There is doubt less not the slightest of any such feeling exist ing by itself. There may be some of the same jealousy that you find 80 strong in the High. lands, and in all Scotland but it is very much modified. Of the Celtic hatred of the Saxons, ! that pervadcs so large part of Ireland, there is none. Is it not curious tEen, that whilst the Welch retain so pertinaciously their old GUS toms and lang the Irish should allow theirs to be, as they are fast being, irrecoveraby lost in the English?
 | Of the exercises yesterday, more than two thirds being in Welch, could understand only their purport. The large tent within the castle wall was well 6lled every age we'll represented. The evening concert commenced about six. The "Artists" were all Welch, professional musicians, well known throughout the kingdom. A large proportion of the songs were Welch l songs several of them national airs these, al- most without exception, were plaintive; either written in minor keys, or abounding in minor ! chords. Several of them were beautiful. Ot the Artists, two old harpists, with grey hair and trembling voices, that sang the " Wenl!lion' in the morning, pleased me as much as any. There wasn't any attempt in their singing; both in6rm land old, they could hardly have made it. They sung because, from love of music, they had always sung singing thus, of course, they sang we'll. On the evening, of the four female singers, two sang well two poorly. The males did not excel separately, but the choruses were | all fine.