EVENTS OF 1884

Mahdi Leads Religious War in Soudan-British Send Gordon to Cope with Him-Mahdists Rout Baker Pasha-Graham Defeats Osman Digna at Trinkat and Tamas-Mikado_Creates System of NobilityKoreans Attack Japanese Legation-Japanese Exact ReparationFrance Wars on China for Her Laxity Toward Tonquin Insurgents -French Seize Kelung in Formosa-They Sink War Junks at Foochow-General Tse Routs French at Pamsuret-Death of Charles Reade, Novelist-Schley Rescues Greely and Survivors of His Expedition-Burchard's Alliteration Defeats Blaine, Republican Candidate for President-Grover Cleveland is Elected-Negro Riots Over the Democratic_Victory-Washington Monument Completed-Financial Failure of Ex-President Grant-Deaths of Auguste Bonheur and Hans Makart, Painters-Discovery of Lockjaw and Cholera Bacilli -New Method of Locating Brain Tumors.

A

T the opening of the year, Egypt was seriously affected by the troubles in the Soudan. There the tide of the Mahdist war had risen so rapidly that it threatened not only the overthrow of the Khedive's rule, but also to invade Egypt itself. Early in January General Gordon aecepted a mission from the King of the Belgians to proceed to the Congo River. The object was to put an end to the slave trade in the district of Niam Niam, whence the Soudan slave dealers drew their chief supplies. On January 18, having been reinstated in his rank in the British army, Gordon was despatched instead to Egypt for service in the Soudan. In February, Baker Pasha's column of 3,500, which was sent forward to the garrisons in the Soudan, was routed and dispersed in its first engagement on the road to Sinket. General Graham, with 4,000 Anglo-Egyptian troops, defeated Osman Digna at Trinkat. Later he gained another signal victory over Osman Digna, capturing his intrenched camp at Tamas.

In June the Mikado issued an order readjusting the system of nobility. In the newly created orders of Princes, Marquises, Counts, Viscounts, and Barons were the names of several daimios and former samurai, who had distinguished themselves during recent years. Three hundred men in all

FRENCH WAR WITH CHINA

1884

were ennobled on the score of merit. It was expected that out of these newly created nobles would be constituted the Upper House, or Chamber of Peers, in the projected Parliament. In December the Japanese Legation in Seoul was once more attacked by Koreans, aided by Chinese soldiers. The Legationers had to flee. The Japanese Government obtained reparation for the outrage. Count Ito was sent to Pekin to effect a permanent arrangement regarding Korea.

Provoked by the leniency of China toward the Black Flags on the Tonquin frontier, France began hostilities against China. Without a previous declaration of war, the port of Kelung, in the Island of Formosa, was forcibly seized on August 6. Nine days later China declared war on France. Before this declaration a French squadron under Rear-Admiral Courbe ascended the River Min, as far as the Chinese naval arsenal at Foochow. In the river lay a poor Chinese squadron of war junks, wooden sloops, transport steamers, one modern composite cruiser, and seven steam launches fitted with spar torpedoes. The French had three modern cruisers, three composite gunboats, besides the wooden flagship and the armored cruiser "Triomphante," lying at the mouth of the Min. When the two fleets came in sight of one another, it was believed that hostilities would be opened at once. For several days, however, the French remained quiet. An American squadron of four vessels and three English warships likewise lay in the river. The Chinese remained close under the enemy's guns, and flattered themselves that the French Admiral was not serious in his intentions. Shortly before two in the afternoon of August 23, the "Triomphante" exchanged signals with the French flagship. Six minutes later the French gunboat "Lynx" opened fire. The French ships sank the clumsy Chinese junks one by one. Even when they were helpless and sinking, the French flagship continued to ply them with her machine guns. In seven

1884

CLEVELAND ELECTED PRESIDENT

minutes from the first shot this so-called engagement was virtually over and every Chinese ship was sunk or sinking. The Chinese losses were 521 killed, 150 wounded, and several hundred missing. Admiral Courbe reported his losses as 6 killed and 27 wounded. In French naval annals the event goes by the name of "La Grande Gloire du Foochow." In October 600 French soldiers having landed at Pamsuret fell into an ambush and were routed by General Tse.

England lost this year one of her most eminent novelists by the death of Charles Reade. He made his first reputation by the novel "Peg Woffington." This was followed by "Christie Johnston" and "Never too Late to Mend," in which he at tacked the English prison system, in 1857. Among his many subsequent novels "The Cloister and the Hearth" stands out conspicuously for its high literary merit. Many eminent critics declare it to be the best historical novel ever written.

Lieutenant Greely and seven survivors of his exploration party were rescued in Lady Franklin Bay in the Arctic re gions on June 22, by an American relief expedition under Commander Schley. Seventeen of their comrades had perished. They were brought home in July. On August 22 the last strip of the Northern Pacific Railroad was completed.

On October 29 the Rev. Dr. Burchard, one of a delegation of clergymen, who called on Blaine, the Republican candidate for the American Presidency, used the words "Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion," while referring to the antecedents of the Democratic party. This expression, by alienating the Catholic voters from the candidate in whose behalf it was uttered, is said to have turned New York over to the Democrats by a majority of 1,047, thus defeating Blaine. On November 4 the twenty-fifth Presidential election was held. Grover Cleveland, the Democratic candidate, received 4,874,986 votes; Blaine, 4,851,981. When the result was announced serious negro disturbances broke out in the South.

DISCOVERY OF LOCKJAW AND CHOLERA GERMS 1884

Napoleonville, Louisiana, and Palatka, Florida, were set on fire, the negroes refusing to assist in extinguishing the flames. On December 6, thirty-six years after the first stone was laid, the great obelisk of Washington was completed. The height of the shaft was 555 feet, and its weight 81,000 tons, the total cost of the monument amounting to $1,500,000. Wendell Phillips, the great anti-slavery orator, died in his seventy-third year.

The declining years of Ulysses S. Grant were burdened by the financial failure of the firm of Grant & Ward, in which his sons were interested. The firm owed $16,000,000. Grant paid a share of the liabilities, even selling, to satisfy the demands of the creditors, the valuable presents he had received in his journey around the world.

Auguste Bonheur, the landscape painter and brother of Rosa Bonheur, died this year at the age of sixty. He painted several pictures of animal life, which were generally considered inferior to those of his sister, whereas his landscapes were held to be distinctly superior. Vienna also lost a great artist by the death of Hans Makart, early in October. Born at Salzburg, in 1840, Makart studied under Polity in Munich, and exhibited his first famous picture, "Roman Ruins," at the Paris Exposition of 1867.

A scientific achievement of the year was Nicolaier's discovery of the lockjaw bacillus. A bacteriologist who also worked along the same line was the Japanese investigator Kitasato, to whom belongs the credit of having simultaneously studied the bacillus tetani. In surgery an important advance was made by Dr. Bennett of London, who showed that it was possible to locate a tumor within the brain with great accuracy, even though the disorder was not apparent on the exterior. Dr. Robert Koch, who, two years before, had discovered the bacillus of tuberculosis, announced the existence of a bacillus of Asiatic cholera.

XIXth Century-Vol. III-10

EVENTS OF 1885

Khartoum is Captured and Gordon Killed-Various Conflicts with the Arabs-Wolseley Assumes Command-Failure of Canadian Government to Assure Indian Land Titles in Saskatchewan Valley Causes Indian Rebellion-Riel and Dumont, Its Leaders, Win Minor Successes-They are Beaten at Batoche-Riel is Hanged for Treason -Reforms are Granted the Indians-Canadian Pacific Railway is Completed-Russians Storm Afghan Fortress of Penjdeh-Afghan Frontier Dispute is Referred to Arbiters-French General De Lisle Beats Chinese and Occupies Langson-French Blow Up Two Chinese Warships at Sheipoo-Chinese Retake Langson-Courcy Repulses Annamese at Hue-France Annexes Cambodia and Ofok, and Occupies Porto-Novo - Ferry's Ministry is Overthrown on Chinese Policy-China Acknowledges Equal Rights of Japan in Korea-Japan Establishes Ministerial Government-Other European Innovations-Deaths of Victor Hugo, Ex-President Grant, and General McClellan-Germany Acquires Territory in West AfricaInternational Conference at Berlin Assigns British and French Spheres of Influence in Africa-Congo Basin is Put in Charge of International Commission-Irish Parliamentarians Join with Opposition on Question of Irish Coercion and Defeat Gladstone's Ministry Salisbury Becomes Prime Minister - Roumelians_Offer Throne to Prince Alexander of Bulgaria-His Acceptance Causes War with Servia-Alexander Defeats Servians at Slivnitza and Invades Servia-Austria Stops Him by Threat of War-Powers Decree Armistice-British Subdue Insurgent Burmese King Thebaw.

T

HE beginning of 1885 found the garrison of Khar

toum reduced to the last straits by famine, desertion, and treachery. On January 26 the treachery of one of the Pashas opened the city gates to the Mahdi's troops. Gordon was taken captive. When Sir C. Wilson, who was ascending the Nile to relieve Gordon, arrived he found the city in possession of the enemy, and retired. On the day of Wilson's appearance before Khartoum, General Gordon was put to death.

Charles George Gordon, or "Chinese Gordon," as he was called, was born in 1833 at Woolwich, England. He entered the Royal Engineers in 1852, and served in the Crimea in 1854-56. As already recounted in these pages Gordon crushed the Taiping Rebellion in China by means of specially trained corps of Chinese. On his return to England with