ur most sacred spiritual duty, is not the way to
conciliate--is not compatible with that "voluntary principle" on which
your bread depends, and which too often places your duty and your
interest in direct opposition."

* * * * *

Llanon, Carmarthenshire.

The good woman of our inn in this village has just been apologizing for
the almost empty state of her house, the furniture being chiefly sent
away to Pembree, whither she and her family hoped to follow in a few
days. The cause of her removal was _fear of the house being set fire
to_, it being the property of Mr Chambers, a magistrate of Llanelly, and
the "Rebecca's company" had warned all his tenants to be prepared for
their fiery vengeance. His heinous offence was heading the police in
discharge of his duty, in a conflict that has just occurred at
Pontardulais gate, near this place, in which some of the 'Beccaites were
wounded. [Since this, farm-houses and other property of this gentleman
have been consumed, his life has been threatened, and his family have
prevailed on him to abandon his home and native place.] The wounded men,
now prisoners, were of this village, the _focus_ of this rebellion that
dares not face the day. It is here that the murderous midnight attack
was made on the house of a Mr Edwards, when the wretches fired volleys
at the windows, where his wife and daughter appeared _at their command_.
They escaped, miraculously it might be said, notwithstanding. The poor
old hostess complained, as well she might, of the hardship of being thus
put in peril, purely in hostility to her landlord. We slept, however,
soundly, and found ourselves alive in the morning; whether through
evangelical Rebecca's scruples about burning us out (or _in_) on a
"Lord's Day" night, or her being engaged elsewhere, we knew not.

And here also we rode through a crowd, murmuring hymns, pouring from the
chapel, where, no doubt, they had heard some edifying discourse about
the "sweet Jesus," and "sweet experiences," and "new birth," the
omnipotence of faith to salvation, and all and every topic but a _man's_
just indignation, and a religious man's most solemn denunciation against
the bloody and felonious outrages just committed by those very
villagers--against the night-masked assassins, who had just before
wantonly pointed deadly weapons against unoffending women--against the
chamber of a sick man, a husband, and a father!

* * *