PIGOTT CONFESSES FORGERY

1889

South Africa Company, assigning to it trading and other rights over a territory of vast extent, with the express reservation to the Crown to take over at any time the works and buildings of the Company.

The novelist Wilkie Collins died on September 23. The most popular of all his works perhaps was "The Woman in White."

Within a few months after Wilkie Collins's death, England lost one of her foremost poets. Robert Browning died on the second day of December. By the time of his death, Browning's works, though never successful from a financial point of view, had come to be recognized as noteworthy contributions to English literature. In his work, love of beauty, or form as such, was second to his whole-hearted humanity. A large charity, a red-blooded philosophy, a sympathetic psychology and religious optimism are the tonic qualities of his poetry. It was for this that he came to be regarded as the peer of Tennyson in English poetry. In 1846 he was married to his fellow poet, Elizabeth Barrett. The two took up their abode in Florence. Mrs. Browning's beautiful "Sonnets from the Portuguese" were written for him. After the death of his wife in 1861 the poet returned to England.

Throughout this year continued the investigation in Parliament of the London "Times's" charges against Parnell. Sir Charles Russell and Herbert H. Asquith were Parnell's chief counsel, while Sir Richard Webster, the English Attorney-General, appeared as counsel for the "Times." Richard Pigott, the person who sold the alleged Parnell letters to the "Times," under a searching cross-examination by Sir Charles Russell, incriminated himself as a forger and blackmailer. Leaving a written confession behind him, he fled the country. The London "Times" apologized for the publication of the letters. Pigott, arrested in Spain, committed Euicide.

1889

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD

The Island of Crete was again the scene of numerous disturbances, which broke out in midsummer. On July 22 a serious rising occurred in various parts of the island. The Turkish authorities were expelled from Vamos and Cidoma and the public archives perished. The Turkish Government issued orders to call out 80,000 of the reserves. Chakir Pasha, the newly appointed governor of Crete, arrived at the Island, informed a deputation of Cretans and Turks of the Sultan's determination to restore order, but promised to inquire into legitimate grievances. A state of siege was proclaimed throughout the island. Murder and plunder were reported on both sides, and several Mussulman and Christian villages were fired. Moussa Bey, the Kurd leader, was sent to Constantinople for trial.

To foil the ends of the Panama Canal Company the United States Senate and Representatives passed a resolution in secret session, declaring against European control of the canal.

On March 4 Harrison and Morton were inaugurated as President and Vice-President of the United States. On March 22 Bering Sea was closed to all nations, and the President issued a proclamation prohibiting the killing of fur animals within Alaska without a special permit from the United States. In April a part of the Indian lands of Oklahoma were thrown open to white men. Thousands of settlers rushed into the new lands. On the last of May occurred the catastrophe of Johnstown. A three days' rainfall of more than four inches on the slopes of the Alleghenies caused a sudden overflow of the Susquehanna River and its tributaries. The Conemaugh Valley on the western slope, dotted with thriving towns, was devastated for forty miles. The bursting of the reservoir at Johnstown added to the deluge. More than 6,000 persons were drowned. Some 1,500 were burned to death where the smelting furnaces at Johnstown set fire to a floating mass of driftwood penned up by the stone

DEATH OF JEFFERSON DAVIS

1889

railway bridge. In other parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania the freshets did enormous damage, the losses aggregating $40,000,000.

In his December message to Congress, President Harrison dealt with the surplus in American finances, showing an excess of $5,000,000 of revenue over expenditure. Congress was urged to take measures to reduce the revenues.

The wonderfully improved relations between the Northern and Southern States of North America were made clearly manifest by the universal expression of sympathy throughout the country on the death of Jefferson Davis. After the war President Davis had been imprisoned for two years at Fortress Monroe. This captivity was shared by General Joseph Wheeler, whose plans for the escape of his former leader were frustrated. President Davis was indicted for treason, but in May, 1867, he was released on bail, Horace Greeley serving as one of his bondsmen. The case never came to trial. Under President Johnson's general amnesty Jefferson Davis received a final immunity from prosecution. He lived unmolested at his home, "Beauvoir," in Mississippi, for the rest of his life.

This year Björnstjerne Björnson brought out his famous. novel "In God's Way," in which he depicted the struggle be tween religious bigotry and liberalism. Björnson's earlier novel "Synnöve Solbakken" established his fame as a story writer. "Mellem Slagene" was his first printed drama. Björnson also wrote poetry which was essentially lyric, char acterized by an idyllic purity that has won for it a high place in the estimate of his country. One of his lyrics has become the national song of Norway. During the last two decades of the century Björnson continued to be the recognized spokesman of Norwegian republican aspirations.

Early in autumn the civil war in Haiti, which had continued for more than twelve months, ended by the surrender

1889

BRAZIL BECOMES A REPUBLIC

of General Légitime, and the occupation of Port-au-Prince by General Hippolyte. In October General Hippolyte was accordingly elected President of the Republic of Haiti.

In Brazil, in the middle of November, a revolutionary movement, of which the first open manifestation was the attempted assassination of the Minister of Marine, Baron de Ladario, broke out at Rio Janeiro. A provisional government under General Deodoro da Fonseca was formed, which abolished the Council of State and proclaimed a republic. The Emperor, who had been kept a prisoner in his palace, was banished to Europe. The Imperial Ministry had arranged with Dom Pedro to abdicate at the end of January, 1890, in favor of his daughter, the Countess d'Eu, but a feeling of disloyalty was felt among the people. A formal decree was issued declaring a federal republic, the several provinces of the late Empire constituting States, and each State arranging its own Constitution and electing its deliberative bodies and local governments. A counter revolution broke out on December 18, in Rio Janeiro. A number of soldiers, sailors, and civilians took part in it, and troops had to be ordered out to disperse them. It was not until Christmas time that the disturbance was quelled.

At the close of the year Henry M. Stanley's expedition, having effected the relief of Emin Bey in the Equatorial provinces of Egypt, marched out of the Soudan by way of Zanzibar. Emin had remained at Khartoum since the death of Gordon. The time spent in Stanley's expedition was three years, and the results accomplished were of great value to the science of geography. Stanley ended the expedition at Cairo, where he wrote a record of his journey, published simultaneously in England, America, France, and Germany, under the title "In Darkest Africa." On Stanley's return to England he was knighted, and scientific honors of all kinds were showered upon him.

EVENTS OF 1890

Deaths of German Dowager Empress and of Dr. Döllinger, Leader of the Old Catholics-Bismarck Disagrees with William II and Withdraws from Public Life-Caprivi Succeeds Him-Death of Andrassy, Hungarian Statesman-Political Agitation of Russian Students Leads to Closure of Universities-First Parliamentary Election in Japan Reveals Independent Spirit of Electorate Africa is Partitioned among the Powers-Great Britain Cedes Heligoland to Germany— Sultan of Zanzibar Abolishes Slavery-British Protectorate is Proclaimed-Deaths of Cardinal Newman, English Author and Prelate, and Richard Burton, Orientalist-Turkish Outrages in Armenia and Crete Salonica is Burned-Epidemic of Cholera among Pilgrims at Mecca-Federal Swiss Government Suppresses Revolution in Canton of Ticino-Federation of Central American RepublicsRevolution in Buenos Ayres Forces President Celman to ResignGeneral Sanchez Leads Revolution in Honduras-He is Captured and Shot-United States Makes Extradition Treaty with Great Britain-Congress Passes McKinley Protective Tariff Bill and Sherman Silver Purchase Bill-Death of Ericsson, the Inventor-Mormons Repudiate Polygamy-Device of Pneumatic Tire Causes Bicycling to Become Popular Craze Indian Outbreaks in South Dakota are Suppressed-Death of Schliemann, the Archeologist.

Τ

HE German Dowager Empress Augusta died on
January 7. After her husband's succession to the

throne of Prussia, in 1861, the Queen devoted her time and energies to the reorganization of guilds of women under the Red Cross. During the campaign of 1870-71 the Red Cross Society in Germany alone established 677 general hospitals, 286 private lazarets, and innumerable stations for refreshments. A total of 25,000 men and women were enrolled. The Empress had the disposal of 18,000,000 thalers.

Dr. Döllinger, the celebrated theologian and leader of the Old Catholic Party, died on January 10, in his ninety-first year. At the Ecumenical Council of 1869-70, Dr. Döllinger became famous throughout Europe by his opposition to the doctrine of Papal infallibility. He was excommunicated in 1871 by the Archbishop of Munich. A few months later he was elected rector of the University of Munich, and, in 1873, rector of the Royal Academy of Science.