The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1884-05-30 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]  WEDNESDAY. Parliament rose on Tuesday for the Whitsuntide recess, and will reassemble on Thursday week. As considerable progress has been made lately with the Franchise Bill in Committee, Ministers went away in a good temper; but the "Gordon" knot in the Soudan has not yet found its Alexander, and as long as that difficult problem remains to be solved, it cannot be expected that serene calmness will brood over the brow of Mr Gladstone. The holiday scheme whereby the Derby Day was included in the recess has given general satisfaction, as it has obviated the necessity of dividing on the question whether the House should sit on that day or not. Of late an uncanny practice has cropped lip of robbing members of a breezy day on Epsom Downs, for which we have to thank Sir Wilfrid Lawson and his myrmidons below the gangway, and therefore all difficulty and dissent has this year been avoided. On Monday night the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved the second reading of his bill fur the conversion of £612,000,000 of three per cent, stock into two and three-quarters per cent. stock at £lO2, on two and a half per cent stock at £lOB, at the option of the holders. In explaining the provisions of the measure he stated that there would be a net saving of £1,300,000 a year in the interest, after setting apart a sinking fund to pay off the nominal increase in the total amount of the debt. The declarations of Edmund Burke that "the days of chivalry are dead" is somewhat open to question, as any one might judge for himself who happened, as I did, on Tuesday, to be present in the Queen's Bench Division when the case of Weldon e. Johnson, was tried before the Lord Chief Justice and a special jury. The name of the lady is familiar as a household word to all newspaper readers, and her face and form scarce y leas so with the habitues of our law courts where she has so frequently figured. Whatever the real merits of the respective cases may be, in which she has appeared before the public, it cannot be doubted that she carries with her the undoubted sympathy and admiration of a very considerable number of intelligent and influential persons. She is a handsome, intellectual woman, possessing immense force of character, but thinly veiled under a suave demeanour. Her action on Tuesday was against the London correspondent 4.f the Paris Figaro, whom she accused of writing articles against her for more than a dozen years. The defendant was ably represented by Mr Charles Matthews, who however, failed to bring off his client scot-free, £5OO damages being awarded to the " litigious creature," which Mrs Weldon quoted as a description of herself. The announcement of the verdict was received with marked applause. It was not to be expezted that the fair litigant would permit the opportunity to pass without a fling at the "mad "—or, as she pronounced it—the "made doctors" who are her special aversion. On Friday night last I attended the annual concert of Miss Elizabeth Philip at St. James's Hall, which was crowded to suffocation, the fair benefieiare, who is one of our most intellectual composers and vocalists, being assisted by various artistes of more or leas eminence in their profession. Prominent amolig these was the veteran, Sir Julius Benedict, who usually wields the baton at Miss Philp's concerts. On this occasion he accompanied Mrs Hutchinson and Miss Hope Glenn in the charming duett, " Dolce Conforto" by Mercedante, after which Miss Philp, in a short speech to the audience, announced that she had persuaded the distinguished veteran to play a solo. The announcement was received with prodigious enthusiasm, which was well justified, not only by the beauty of the composition, but by the masterly manner in which it_yas played. The piece, we understand, was wrMen specially for the Benedict Jubilee Fostival by his old friend, Dr Ferdinand Hiller, and had not been previously heard in public. I may remark, en peasant, that the Benedict Testimonial Fund has already reached a big figure, a fact which must gratify all lovers of music. At Friday night's concert several of Miss Philp& newest compositions were produced, and being rendered by some of the most accomplished vocalists of the day, they were naturally received with enthusiasm. Among the most telling of Miss Philp's new ballads were "The life that I lived for you," and "The song of the galley slaves,' both of which were specially written for the concert by the distinguished novelist, Miss Braddon. A duett, "Nets and cages," words by Mr J. P. Douglas, the music by Miss Philp, was admirably sung by Mr Cecil Treherne and Mr Ernest Cecil, and proved very effective. Altogether the concert was a great success. The Derby has come and gone. Many descriptions of that great Olympian festival have been given since it was first instituted by the ancestor of our present Colonial Secretary, but perhaps, a paraphrase or parody of Mr Alfred Jingle's description of Spain to the poetic Tupman, may give as good an idea of it as anything else. "Seen the Derby? Been there thousands of times. Won anything? Millions. Hand and glove with the Leviathan Davies, hob nobbed with Lord George Bentinck. Found his body, in fact, on the evening of the day when he netted £BO,OOO Splendid fellow, George, younger son of Portland, the Duke who gave him a cheque for £200,000 for his speech on the Corn Laws, which crumpled up Cobden like a sheet of brown paper, and dished the Wigs. Did I back the favourite ? Rather think I did.  Which favourite? Ah ! Fifteen suicides among the hackers. Glorious! Saw Archer. Twigged Fordham Collared five Welshers, pumped upon them till animation was suspended Royalty ? No. Family bereavement. Never say die. Touching, very."