The cultivation of ‘Velsli prose has lately taken a much wider range than formerly, owing to the great spread of periodical publications. Of separate works there are few, except of a purely theological cast, and these are generally commentaries on the Scriptures, in which the matter is taken from English commentators, and only arranged in a new manner. The Rev. Thomas Price's Hanes Cymru,' a history of Wales which has been already noticed, is almost the only volume of original research. A volume entitled Brutusiana sef Casgliad Dethuledig o'i Cyfansoddiadau ' Brutusiana, or a Select Collection of his Compositions), by David Owen, who writes under the signature of Brutus, is considered to contain some of the best specimens of modern Welsh prose, which are chiefly reprinted from the periodical entitled ' Yr Haul,' of which Mr. Owen was editor. The subjects are mostly religious. Mr. Hugh Williams, known under the bardic name of Cadvan, and formerly editor of the' Cyniro,' a newspaper published at Bangor, is also celebrated as a writer of elegant and idiomatic Welsh prose, and was presented with a testimonial on that account by his countrymen in London, in May, 1860. Mr. Williams is one of the translators into Welsh of Uncle Toin'e Cabin.' The spread of Methodism in Wales has been referred to as one of the causes of the revival and extension of its literature, and the proof is at hand in the fact, that no other literature whatever is so emi nently sectarian. Methodism in Wales, as elsewhere, has found its chief acceptance among the lower classes. In England the Methodists have a literature of their own, but it is couched in the common lan ',maga of the country ; in Wales that literature is In the peculiar language of the peasantry. The peasantry are delighted beyond measure to hear themselves addressed from the pulpit in their native tongue. The two popular preachers of Anglesey, Christmas Evans (1766-1838) and John Elias (1774-1841), produced wonderful effects on their Walsh congregations. Christmas Evans,eo baptised because he was born on Christmas-day, was noted for his fine voice and his theatrical action. John Elias, who paid a visit to London every three years, and also took tours through England, preaching In Welsh in towns shore no other Welsh sermon had ever been heard, was a sort of apostle to his countrymen. The great body of modern Welsh literature is thus of a theological and sectarian cast, and it is supported by many to whom nationality and national traditions are a matter of comparative indifference. There are also many, to whom theological disputes are matters of less interest, but who are enthusiastic for their nationality and their language. Between the two are all shades of combinations of the two feelings—theological and national; and the progress of both is more faithfully delineated than anywhere else in the Welsh periodical press. In almost every country the periodical portion of its literature has now assumed an importance unknown to previous stages of its history, but in no country is it so predominant as in Wales.
The first Welsh periodical of any kind appeared about 1770 : its title was Yr Eurgrawn Cymraeg,' or the Welsh Treasure,' and it was edited by the Rev. Peter Williams, of Caermarthen, and Evan Thomas, a Welsh poet, from Montgomeryshire, then resident in that town. Allusion has already been made to Y Grcal; or The Miscellany,' which was set on foot by Owen Jones, under the editorship of Owcir Pughe, in 1805, and did not proceed further than one volume. The Soren Goner; or Star of Gomer,' was the first periodical that achieved a decided success in \Vales. There are three different stages of its career,—as a weekly newspaper, a monthly magazine, and a quarterly miscellany. The first number of it appeared at Swansea, on Saturday, the 1st of January, 1814, and was the first Welsh newspaper ever printed. Its object was stated by the editor, in his opening address, to be to arrest or prevent the extinction of the language, which it appears was then expected by many not to survive that gene ration. The editor, the Rev. Joseph Harris, a Baptist minister of Swansea, was a self-taught man, who carried his admiration of his native language to a fanatical extent. The Sercn Comer' newspaper was at first very successful, but its supporters soon began to cool and fall off, and it came to a close with No. 85, in 1815, the proprietors, six in number, suffering it is said a loss of 1000/. by the enterprise. In 1818, it was resumed as a monthly magazine at Caermarthen, under the same title and with the same editor; but this time it had mom of a sectarian character, and it struck deep root. Even the loss of its editor, Harris, did not check its success : he died in 1825, of a broken heart at the loss of his only son, who had died the year before at the age of twenty-one, and was already known, under the name of Jen= Ulan Tawy, as a poet of merit. The Serer Comer' continued to be for many years the most popular magazine in Wales, though its success gave birth to several rivals. Its general character was that of the English magazines of the early part of the 19th century, the contents consisting mainly of articles from chance contributors, and every num ber comprising a digest of foreign and domestic news, with the state of the markets, so as to give the reader the advantage of a monthly newspaper. Questions of theology and cluirch government took how
ever such a prominence in its columns, as would have caused it to be classed in England among the religious magazines, such as the Evan gelical,' or the 'Baptist.' Its price as a monthly magazine was sixpence; it is now raised to a shilling, and the Seren Comer' of 1861 is a quarterly publication.
Several of the other periodicals which arose in consequence of its success were connected with religious bodies. Y Dryserfa,' or "The Treasury,' edited by John Parry, and commenced in 1831, was under the superintendence of the Calvinists. Y Diwygiwr,' or The Reformer,' commenced at Llanclly in 1836, was conducted by a com mittee of the Independents; and Y Dysgedydd,' or The Teacher,' published for the last thirty years at Dolgelly, is edited by six or seven Congregational ministers. Most of the other magazines are organs of Wesleyans, Independents, Baptista, or Universalists. The Cylch grawn,' or Circulator,' consisting principally of translations from the publications of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, in particular the ' Penny lagazine,' and ' Penny Cycloptedia,' had a very short career, in consequence of the distaste of the Welsh public for all but religious publications. It was commenced in 1834, and discontinued in 1835. Its editor was the Rev. John Blackwell, of Mold, in Flintahire, who had raised himself from the position of a shoemaker to that of rector of Meinordcifl, in Cardiganshire, and had some poetical reputation. Other publications were more successful, which, though not excluding sectarian matter, had a strong tincture of literature. 'Y Gwladgarwr,' or The Patriot,' published at Chester and Liverpool from 1833 to 1841, under the editorship originally of the Rev. Evan Evans (Jcuan (Ilan Gcirionydd), contains amusing and instructive biographical articles. Yr Haul,' or The Sun,' published by Rees of Llandovery, though espousing the interests of the Established Church, was edited by a layman, David Owen, and contained some valuable and non-ecclesiastical matter. But the leading literary organ of Wales for some years has been a quarterly periodical entitled' Y Traethodydd,' or The Essayist,' com menced in 1846 at Denbigh. This is a production of a class answering to the English quarterly reviews, the articles in it being all of a superior character, and supplied by paid contributors. It takes a wider and freer range than its predecessors, and is the only Welsh periodical which contains, for instance, an " essay " on Gocthe's Faust,' and another on Kant's Philosophy.' Many of its articles well merit translation : wo may cite, as an instance, a curious account of the French invasion at Fishguard, much fuller, we believe, than any that has yet appeared in English. Since 1859 a companion has arisen to the ' Trauthorlydtr in a quarterly magazine issued at Bottum which publishes the productions, both poetical and in prose, which have received the prizes at the Eistoddvods, in addition to reviews of new books and miscellaneous articles. The Welsh pe riodicals form altogether the most striking and attractive feature in their modern literature. Their number is astonishing, and they are issued even in secluded towns and villages. In the catalogue of the periodical publicatious in the Library of the British Museum, we find two Welsh nuts;azines published at Llangollen, three at Llanidloes, and four at Llauelly. An interesting notice of them was given in some. articles of the Athenzeum ' (8th and 15th November, 1S56), which enumerated sixteen magazines and six newspapers. The leading news paper is the Amserau ' (the ' Times'), published at Liverpool, whose circulation was computed in the 'Athenteutu; but no doubt very erro neously, at 100,000. Penny newspapers are now numerous and well conducted. Yr Herald Cyanraeg,' published at Caernarvon, and ' Yr Udgorn y Bobl' (' The People's Trumpet '), published at Denbigh, contain letters from correspondents at London, Liverpool, Dublin, Hirwaun, its., which though not remarkable for purity of language, furnish much more amusing reading than was formerly within reach of the Welsh reader. It was mentioned in the 'Athenaeum' that a selection of extracts from the Welah periodicals was issued at New York, under the title of ' Y Detholydd; or The Selector,' and that there were also original Welsh periodicals in America : Y (' The Messenger '), ' Y Seren ' (' The Star'),' Y Cyfaill o'r lien Wlad (' The Friend from the Old Country '), "and many others." Samuel Jenkins, of Philadelphia, who contributes a letter on eminent Welsh men to a book by Alexander Jones on the Welsh in America, entitled ' The Cymry of '76,' published at New York in 1855, mentions that of four Welsh magazines then published in the United States, one was issued in the city of New York, two in towns in Oneida county, and the other in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. We have also seen mentioned a newspaper at New York, 'Y Cymro Americanaidd ('The American Welshman'), which is said to have 5000 subscribers. In an enume ration of the newspapers published in America in 1S61, it is stated that there are five in the Welsh language,—and, wo believe, exactly four thousand in the English.