Cylchgronau Cymru

The educating of young men for the ministry of the church was con stantly in the mind of W. J. Rees. We have already noted his early pamphlets on the subject, written in Stoke Edith. The young poet Evan Evans of Trefriw, who came to his notice at the Wrexham eisteddfod was especially indebted to him. The Powys clergy were very impressed with Evans, who was then working as a hack translator for a Chester printing and publishing firm, and offered to inaugurate a fund towards financing his education, if he were prepared to take orders. The Kerry circle under- took to solicit patronage from the gentry and Sir Edwaid Price Lloyd of Pengwern, Rhuddlan, was particularly helpful, both with financial aid and by approaching the Bishop of St. Asaph. It was W. J. Rees, however who set down a practical plan, suggesting that Evans, or Plorator as Sir Edward called him, from his eisteddfodic pseudonym, should reside with a clergyman and receive instruction in the classics. Richard Richards of Caerwys became the treasurer of the fund and by the Spring of 1821 Evans found himself at Berriw School, under the tutorship of Thomas Richards. W. J. Rees was of the opinion that "meeting with young men like himself he would probably be more contented and make greater progress than if he were a solitary pupil with a clergyman." Berriw became a power house of bardic activity Evans became acquainted with many of the leading literary men of his day, among them the family of Thomas Richards, his tutor. Later on, when John Blackwell followed him to Berriw, the two poets began to experiment in writing lyric poetry, which was to have such an effect on Welsh literature later on in the century. The young man who was closest to W. J. Rees, however, was his nephew, Rice Rees, the son of his sister. He was born in 1804 at Llan- dovery and attended Eleazer Williams's school at Lampeter. In November 1821 his uncle D. R. Rees brought him to Cascob Rectory so that W. J. Rees could prepare him for the university. Rice Rees, who was by this time seventeen years old, was apparently dissatisfied with the headmaster This was John Williams, who later became the Headmaster of Llandovery College. He had been appointed vicar of Lampeter the year before, on the death of Eleazer Williams, and succeeded to his school. From all accounts he was an excellent teacher, "the best in Europe", according to Sir Walter Scott, who sent his son to Lampeter school. But John Williams, the newly married man was too much given to sporting to suit the serious minded Rice Rees, who finding him inattentive to his school, went home and refused to return. W. J. Rees tried to get him into Shrewsbury College, and to a school in Swansea, but failed, so he took upon himself to prepare him for Oxford. Both uncle and nephew enjoyed the close companionship of the year 1822. Rice applied himself to his studies "with commendable diligence", and when he left W. J. Rees wrote that he "reaped no small enjoyment from his society, his disposition being amiable, his understanding good and his acquirements respectable; it was also a pleasing employment to prepare him for his launch into the wide waters In Oxford he continued his very laudable close attention to his studies and what is of no small importance to him his application has been thought by his superiors to be worthy of reward, having had the appoint- ment by the Principal of the College to an Exhibition of £ 20 per annum at its next vacancy In 1825 he won a Carmarthenshire scholarship and took his degree in 1826. At Jesus College he read with a private tutor named Llewelyn Llewellin, who was later appointed Principal of the new