in
consequence. On another occasion I was also enabled to do the town some
service by getting Mr. James Taylor, of Birmingham, to come and explain
his scheme for the formation of Freehold Land Societies, an idea then in
its infancy, but which has been for the social and moral elevation of the
working classes, who used to spend in drink what they now devote to a
better purpose. There was a great deal of drinking in Cardiff. Indeed,
it was the chief amusement of the place. The sailors, at that time
consisting of representatives of almost every nation under heaven, were
much given to drinking, and some of the boarding-houses were by no means
of a respectable character. There was no other form of social enjoyment
unless you belonged to the strict religious bodies who, as
Congregationalists, or Baptists, or Calvinistic Methodists, had many
chapels, which were well filled. It was in one of these chapels Harry
Vincent came to lecture when I was at Cardiff, and electrified the town.

The Member of Parliament for the town lived a very quiet life, and seemed
to take but little interest in political affairs. One of the most
accomplished and certainly best-educated men in the place was Mr. Chas.
Bernard, architect and surveyor; without him life would have been very
dull to me at Cardiff. I imagine that his chief reason for pitching his
tent in what must have been to him a very ungenial clime was that his
sister was married to the late Mr. Reece, local Coroner. It grieves me
to state that he has long since joined the majority. Another great
friend of mine was Mr. Peter Price--now, alas! no more, who was destined,
however, to do much good before he passed away. The Public Library,
which he did much to establish, still retains his portrait. Another of
the excellent of the earth was Mr. W. P. James, the brother-in-law of Mr.
Peter Price, who came to Cardiff to build the new Town Hall. They were
all gentlemen who had come from a distance to settle in Cardiff, the
character of which they did much to improve and elevate. We all did
something to get up an Eisteddfod, which, if it did nothing else, had
this advantage, that it did something to develop the powers of a Cardiff
artist--Mr. D. Marks--who, when I saw him last, had a studio in Fitzroy
Square, London, and was engaged to paint several portraits of
distinguished personages, one of these being a fine portrait of the great
and good Earl of Shaftesbury. It was presented t