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EVENTS OF 1876

Portugal Liberates Slaves in Its Islands-After Repeated Defeats Don Carlos Surrenders, Ending the Spanish Civil War-Turkish Province of Herzegovina Revolts-Andrassy, Premier of Austro-Hungary, Sends Note to Sultan Proposing Immediate Reforms in Balkan Prov inces-Moslem Mob Murders French and German Consuls at Salonica-Abdul Aziz is Deposed-Murad V Succeeds Him-Assassinations of Aziz and Turkish War Minister-Christians Massacred in Bulgaria-Revolt of Bulgaria, Servia, and Montenegro-Turks Beat Servians Repeatedly, Ending with Decisive Victory of AlexinatzArmistice-Abdul Hamid Succeeds Murad V-Milan of Servia Renews War-Montenegrins Take Dugunis-Turks Take Alexinatz and Deligrad-Armistice-Sultan Rejects Proposals of the Powers-Diaz Wrests the Presidency of Mexico from Tejada-Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia-Bell Exhibits Telephone-War_with_ Sitting Bull's Sioux-Defeat and Death of Custer-Sheridan Defeats Sioux in Big Horn Mountains-Deaths of George Sand, French_Novelist, Harriet Martineau, English Author, Antonelli, Papal Diplomat, Paludan-Müller, Danish Poet-Kaffirs Defeat Army of the Transvaal-Campos Arrives to Crush Cuban Rebellion.

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EW Year's Day was ushered in with unusual festivities throughout the United States. It began the "Centennial Year," or hundredth anniversary since the Declaration of Independence. A general amnesty was granted to all unpardoned Confederates.

In Portugal on January 16 the Chamber of Deputies voted to liberate all slaves in the islands of Cape de Verde and the Azores. This liberal measure was confirmed by the Upper House.

In Spain the Carlist war drew to a close. Captain-General Campos planned the seizure of the Valley of the Bassidoa, so as to cut the Carlists off from supplies except by sea. To effect this he arranged that Generals Quesada, Moriones, Loma, and Primo da Rivera should operate with separate divisions by way of diversion. General Moriones captured the heights of Garabi-Maudi above Guetaria, under cover of a feint on January 25. Quesada advancing from Vittoria pushed the Carlists toward him in the direction of Guipozoa, and took Durango on February 5. Loma, having taken Val

REVOLT IN HERZEGOVINA

1876

monade, occupied Guernica before February 8. The three now moved upon Guipozoa, and met King Alfonso on his road to Vergera. Meanwhile, General Primo da Rivera, after capturing the heights of Monte Jurra above Estella on February 19, took that town itself, heretofore the headquarters of the Carlists. On the same day Campos defeated the Carlists above Veras, and the Carlists withdrew their last battalion. Don Carlos himself took refuge on French territory on February 28, and surrendered to the Governor of Bayonne. With him went General Lizzarraga and five battalions of troops. The remainder surrendered. Thus ended the civil war which had devastated Spain for so many years.

The Eastern Question this year took an alarming turn. Herzegovina, where revolt had broken out the year before, had long been one of the most disturbed parts of the Ottoman Empire. The rebellion was attended by the usual atrocities. The Christians complained of foul outrages, and the Mohammedans in turn accused them of murdering Turkish travelers. After several months the European Cabinets tried to make peace through their agents. This attempt wholly failed. The insurgents would not lay down arms unless the Powers would protect them. The Servians and Montenegrins gave the rebels secret help. The result of the international pourparlers was the famous Andrassy note, sent to the Porte by the Austro-Hungarian Premier of that name, proposing immediate reforms in the Balkan provinces. It was seemingly acquiesced in by the Sultan. Shortly afterward, on May 6, the French and German Consuls were killed at Salonica, during a fanatic outbreak of the Mohammedans. Other events quickly followed. On the last day of the month Sultan Abdul Aziz was deposed at the Yildiz Kiosk, and his eldest son succeeded him as Murad V. Not long afterward the ex-Sultan, who had been conveyed across the Golden Horn to Catragan, was murdered by order of his Ministers.

1876

BATTLE OF ALEXINATZ

A fortnight later, as the Ministers were holding their meeting in the palace of Midhat Pasha, the Minister of War and one of his colleagues were murdered by Circassian officers. Meanwhile, a rebellion had broken out in Bulgaria. This happened after the burning of Christian villages, the massacre of old and young, and indescribable horrors at Babak. The Servians likewise were preparing for war. On the last day of June Servia formally proclaimed that she intended to join Bosnia and Herzegovina to secure the liberation of the Slavic Christians from the yoke of the Porte. Simultaneously the warlike Prince, Nikitia, of Montenegro, took up the same cause. On July 2 he set out with his army from the capital, Cettinje, and hostilities commenced. The Servians, 50,000 strong, crossed the mountains in two divisions, and thus carried the war into the enemy's country. But soon they suffered serious defeat near Belfina. The Turks penetrated by way of Granada and Randerola into Servia. On August 5 the Servians were driven from their position at Kujazevach, while on the following day a Turkish column under Hassah Pasha occupied the defile of Vraternitza and the village of Galgan on the Timok. After this the Turks advanced on Tescieza and put the Servians to flight. This opened the way to Alexinatz. Prince Milan summoned the foreign consuls to the palace, and expressed his willingness to accept the intervention of the Powers. On September 1, under the walls of Alexinatz, the Servian army was completely defeated. The Porte declined an armistice and made demands which the Powers declared to be inadmissible.

At this critical juncture a coup d'état at Constantinople intervened. Sultan Murad becoming insane was deposed August 21, and his brother, Abdul Hamid II, was called to the succession. Finally, on September 16, the Porte agreed to a suspension of hostilities until the 25th. England now

DIAZ SEIZES PRESIDENCY

1876

proposed that the status quo should be maintained in Servia and Montenegro; administrative reforms looking to self-government, but not to independence of the Porte, should be established in Bosnia and Bulgaria. These negotiations were hindered by the proclamation of Prince Milan as King of Servia at Deligrad. Prince Milan rejected the proposal of Turkey to prolong the truce until October 2. War broke out again. Despite the help of Russian volunteers, the success was on the side of the Turks, except in Montenegro. A struggle from October 19 to 23 ended with the taking of Dugunis, the greatest success of the campaign. Russia made demand for a six weeks' armistice, but the Porte asked six months. Russia would not agree to this, and on October 31 General Ignatieff called on Turkey to agree to the shorter armistice within forty-eight hours. On the day the ultimatum was presented Alexinatz was captured by the Turks and Deligrad was occupied by them on the following day, thus opening the road to Belgrade. Turkey declared herself ready to accept an armistice. On the conclusion of the armistice England proposed a conference of the Powers at Constantinople. All the recommendations of the conference were rejected by Turkey. Midhat Pasha was now Grand Vizier.

In Mexico a revolution had broken out in consequence of the attempted reelection of Lerdo de Tejada as President. Eventually his rival, Porfirio Diaz, gained possession of the country, and, on November 16, defeated the Government troops under Alatorre near Humantia. Puebla fell on the 18th, by revolt of the troops in favor of Diaz. Lerdo de Tejada, with one regiment, fled from the capital on the 21st, and with his escort reached Morelia, where he attempted to maintain the constitutional government. On the 23d Porfirio Diaz entered the City of Mexico amid unusual rejoicings. Vera Cruz declared adherence to Diaz, and on the 30th he was officially proclaimed Provisional President.

1876

THE CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION

On May 10 the Centennial Exposition was inaugurated at Philadelphia by President Grant. The ceremonies were opened with a march composed by Richard Wagner. One of the greatest features of the Centennial Exposition was the exhibit of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell. Born at Edinburgh in 1847, Bell was educated there and in Ger many, and settled in Canada in 1870. In 1872 he came to the United States and introduced a system of visible speech for the education of deaf mutes, which his father, a distinguished Edinburgh teacher of elocution, had invented. He became professor of vocal physiology in Boston, where he constructed his telephone.

The United States had entered into a treaty with the Sioux Indians, by which these were to leave their lands in the Black Hills to enter into a new reservation. Sitting Bull, the chief of the Sioux, refused to sign it. The Indians, led by him, chose a strong position in the Bad Lands in southern Montana. The plan of the United States troops was to converge on them in three columns-General Gibbon from the west, General Crook from the south, and General Terry from the east. In the last-named body was the Seventh Cavalry under Custer. In advancing from the south, Crook was impeded. Terry moved up the Yellowstone Valley. Custer with five troops of horse was ambushed. Custer and all his men were slain. Gibbon and Terry came up three days after the massacre. In July General Sheridan was put in command of the expedition against the Sioux. On November 24 the Sioux were severely defeated in a pass in the Big Horn Mountains. This ended the war with the Sioux for a time.

The famous novelist George Sand (Madame Dudevant) died on the 8th of June. George Sand's works consist of some sixty novels, many plays, and numerous review articles. Much has been written concerning her relations with Musset the poet and Chopin the musician.

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