The Bishop of St. David's has been presiding at a
" Gorsedd," or Council of Bards, and made a very noteworthy speech, flavoured, of course, with the praise dear to the local mind. The assertion that the Eisteddfod is a nobler institution than the Olympic games is, however, one we should have expected. from Dr. Bickersteth, or some other Greekless Bishop, than from Dr. Thirlwall. The point of the address was an argument that language has little to do with nationality, Armoricans, for example, being intensely French, though they keep up their ancient tongue. The statement is certainly true of the British Isles, where the Gaelic-speaking clans arc as loyal as- the English-speaking Nationalists of Ireland are the reverse. English and Americans certainly do not love one another the more because they speak the same tongue, while the French Canadians are fairly loyal to their brethren of the -Upper Province. On the other hand, the example of Germany seems to-prove that language is the strongest bond of nationality, and the Magyars would certainly feel more sympathy for their Viennese rulers if they spoke the same tongue.
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