1898 ASSASSINATION OF EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA Within a month another Chinese convention was signed, leasing to Great Britain for ninety-nine years some two hundred square miles of the mainland opposite Hong Kong and the waters of Mirs Bay and of Deep Bay. As a scapegoat for these foreign concessions, Viceroy Li Hung Chang was dismissed in disgrace, although not in poverty, from the imperial councils. On May 19 England lost the most eminent of her statesmen by the death of Gladstone. The life of William Ewart Gladstone is so integral a part of his country's history from the time that he entered Parliament in 1835 until his last public appearance in his eighty-eighth year, that its best expression is the Victorian Era. On June 17 came the death of another great Englishman, Sir Edward Burne-Jones. In 1856 he and Rossetti became leaders of pre-Raphaelite art. His paintings, by their strangeness of conception and treatment, marked a departure in English art. To the House of Hapsburg another tragic affliction was brought by the assassination of Empress Elizabeth of Austria. While traveling in Switzerland she was murdered, on September 10, by an anarchist named Lucheni. A Swiss court sentenced Lucheni to penal servitude for life. Within a few days of this, on September 20, occurred the death of Thomas F. Bayard, the former Secretary of State at Washington and subsequently American Minister to England. Shortly after this Germany lost her greatest statesman by the death of Prince Bismarck. On October 20 the old chancellor died at Friedrichsruhe in his eighty-third year. Almost simultaneously with the war between America and Spain, England was fighting a war of her own in Africa. A powerful Anglo-Egyptian force was collected on the Nile. On April 8 Kitchener stormed Mahmoud's intrenched camp on the Atbara. An army of 15,000 Dervishes was routed order of battle. At a range of a thousand y opened fire on the fanatical tribesmen. Agai Soudanese chieftains led their tribesmen against the machine guns and incessant mag Egyptian infantry. The Dervishes were thousands. After two hours of this unequ British columns advanced on Omdurman. in the complete overthrow of the Khalifa The battle of Omdurman was followed by ot tories at Karsala. These victories accompli quest for civilization of the whole of the Eg In addition to his dignities as Sirdar of E was raised to the peerage and was appointed Soudan. His first administrative measure tion of a native university at Khartoum. About the same time a French expeditio Marchand planted the French flag at Fas barred the British passage to Uganda. Ma numbered but eight French officers and Eventually the French Government yielded and Marchand's expedition was withdrawn. import to Frenchmen was the sinking, throug a schooner, of the French-American liner "B 600 passengers and crew. 1191 XIXth Century 1898 ZOLA DEFENDS DREYFUS Public opinion in France by this time had become thoroughly upset over the charges and counter-charges growing out of Captain Dreyfus's condemnation as an alleged traitor. First Major Esterhazy, the accuser of Dreyfus, was courtmartialed for the same offense, but was exonerated by a military acquittal. Then appeared the famous letter of accusation written by Emile Zola. The letter was published on the front page of the newspaper "L'Aurore." It began with the words, "I accuse," and was written throughout in a spirit of indignation over outraged justice that has made this letter stand as a masterpiece of French prose invective. The publication of Zola's letter was followed by a hot debate in the Chambers with anti-Jewish riots in the streets of Paris. Zola's house had to be guarded by troops. He was tried and condemned to the maximum penalty of one year's imprisonment and a fine of three thousand francs. Before the sentence could be excuted Zola left France. By the end of August, Colonel Henry, then chief of the Secret Intelligence Department of the French War Office, was brought to confess that he had forged the most incriminating evidence against Captain Dreyfus. Colonel Henry was sent to the military prison of Mont Valérien, and committed suicide. As a result of the dead officer's disclosures the French Court of Cassation ordered a new trial for Captain Dreyfus. France lost one of her great mural painters of this century by the death of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. Born at Lyons in 1824, this artist received his early training in Paris as a pupil of Henri Scheffer and Couture. He made mural and decorative paintings his specialty. Among his most famous works are his mural designs that adorn the Public Library of Boston in America. EVENTS OF 1899 United States Takes Charge of Cuba-Aguinaldo Objects to American Occupation of Philippines-He Sends Envoys to Washington-President McKinley Refuses to Receive Them-Commission Appointed to Investigate Commissary Frauds Exonerates Alger, Secretary of War, and Suspends Eagan, Commissary-General-Alger ResignsHe is Succeeded by Root-Treaty of Peace with Spain Confirms Terms of Protocol with Addition of Sale of Philippines to United States-Spain Sells Her Remaining Islands in Pacific to Germany -Congress Fails to Assure Philippine Independence-Strained Relations Ensue Between Filipino and American Forces-American Sentry Fires on Filipino Prowlers-Filipinos Attack American Positions-They are Repulsed with Heavy Loss-Americans Take Caloocan and Iloilo-Filipinos Burn Manila's Native Quarter-Wheaton Inflicts Successive Defeats on Insurgents-He Captures MalolosOtis Recalls Lawton from Conquests in the South-MacArthur Defeats Aguinaldo at Calumpit-General Luna Offers to Betray His Command to Americans-He is Assassinated-Reenforcements are Sent from America at Otis's Request-McArthur Captures a Filipino Force at San Fernando-He Defeats Another at Angeles-Filipinos Capture Gilmore and Boat Crew-Mataafa with German Help Wrests Samoan Throne from Malietoa-Joint British, German, and American Commission Arrange Samoan Affairs-Death of French President Faure-Loubet is Elected to Succeed Him-Case of Dreyfus is Reopened-He is Reconvicted against Evidence-President Loubet Pardons Him-International Peace Conference Meets at the Hague It Formulates Principles of Arbitration-England and America Agree to Maintain "Open Door" in China-Anti-Foreign Agitation Grows in China-Marconi Sends Wireless Message Over English Channel-Railroad Opened to Central Africa-Wingate Defeats Dervishes on White Nile-Their Khalifa is Killed-Johannesburg Outlanders Petition Queen Victoria for Relief from Boer Grievances- -President Kruger Agrees to More Liberal Elective Franchise -Great Britain Inspires Portugal to Close Delagoa Bay to Boer Traffic in Arms-Transvaal Volksraad Condemns Kruger's Proposed Dynamite Monopoly-Pro-British Editor in Johannesburg is Arrested for Treason-Exodus of Outlanders-Great Britain Demands Equal Official Recognition of English Language with Dutch-Volksraad Regards This as Evidence of British Determination to Force the War and Refuses-Orange Free State Allies Herself with Transvaal-Boers Send Ultimatum to Great Britain to Withdraw Troops from Border-This is not Done, and They Invade Natal-They Invest Mafeking and Kimberley-British Repel Boers at Dundee and Elandslaagte They Retreat to Ladysmith-Boers Capture Two British Battalions at Nicholson's Nek-They Invest LadysmithMethuen Advances to Relief of Kimberley-He Forces Back Boers at Belmont and Graspan-He is Checked at Modder River and Defeated at Magersfontein-Boers Repulse Gatacre at Stormberg of the American troops to assume office as Havana. pine Islands, on the other hand, serious inst could be observed. The Tagalogs, under Aguinaldo, objected to the continued miliof the islands on the part of the United d other towns were fortified to resist occudo sent a special commission of Filipinos, illo, to lodge a formal protest in Washingssioners were not received by President Mcthis same period the people throughout the atly stirred up over the President's investid abuses in connection with the Cuban camort of the commission appointed to inveses was issued at Washington in February. e Secretary of War, yet the evidence confurnished to the soldiers was so grave that eral Eagan was suspended from his milid sought retirement in Honolulu. General of War, resigned his office. He was sucH. Root. Cabinet, about the same time, advised the ratify the peace treaty with the United |