1900

REELECTION OF MCKINLEY

who instituted a series of so-called punitive expeditions into the interior, brought the Chinese court to terms. An imperial decree was issued, ordering the degradation of four Princes of the Imperial dynasty implicated in the Boxer movement. At a conference of the foreign generals at Pekin, the Russian commander, General Linevitch, and General Chaffee, commanding the American troops, announced the immediate withdrawal of the bulk of their forces from Pekin. Late in the year, after seemingly endless negotiations between the plenipotentiaries and their respective chancelleries, a joint note in the form of an ultimatum was at last presented to Li Hung Chang.

It demanded reparation, in the form of money indemnities and apologies, to governments and individuals who suffered from the late occurrences, destruction of forts between Pekin and the sea, military occupation by the Powers of certain places, and revision of commercial treaties.

These terms were accepted.

Before the Chinese negotiations were brought to this end, new general elections had been held in England and in America. In both countries the foreign policy of the Government involving the unsatisfactory wars in South Africa and in the Philippine Islands was on trial. Joseph Chamberlain's resolution to appeal to the country, before the Ministry should be called upon to do so by an adverse vote, proved well taken. The Conservatives were triumphantly returned to power and Salisbury's Cabinet continued to all intents and purposes in statu quo.

In the United States the issues raised by the protracted war in the Philippine Islands were more than offset by the popular dread of financial disturbances. These were inevitably suggested by the reappearance as a Presidential candidate of the chief spokesman for the free coinage of silver, William J. Bryan. With McKinley was associated, as can

EXPLOITS OF DE WET

-1900

didate for Vice-President, Governor Roosevelt of New York, whose exploits as a Rough Rider had made him immensely popular in the West. McKinley and Roosevelt were triumphantly elected.

After the Government's victory at the polls, in England, the return of Lord Roberts from South Africa was awaited with impatience. A magnificent reception was prepared for him. Unfortunately for Lord Roberts's admirers, the tidings of new British reverses in South Africa reached England before him.

Christian De Wet, who by this time had gained a reputation as the most resourceful of Boer commanders, won even the enemy's admiration by his daring dash through General Knox's lines near Thaba 'Nchu. The British were in overwhelming numbers and felt sure of their prey. The only possible escape was past two fortified posts with guns covering the veldt between. In open order De Wet's 3,500 Boers, led by President Steyn and Commandant Fourie, charged through the British line. Only 25 Boers and a 15-pounder gun fell into the hands of the British. De Wet was once more at large. In the middle of December the British were repulsed at Magaliesberg within twenty miles of Pretoria, with losses as serious as those sustained by Buller and Methuen in the early part of the campaign. Four companies of the Northumberland Fusiliers were captured.

More losses were in

The news of this reverse coming on the anniversary of the defeat of Colenso, served to dispel illusions in England that the backbone of Boer resistance had been broken. Within a few days the Boers surrounded and captured 120 of Brabant's Horse in a defile near Zastron. flicted on the British at Scheeper's Nek. that De Wet had invaded Cape Colony. that colony near the Orange Free State were reported in more or less open revolt. A squadron of British yeomanry had

Then came tidings All the districts of

1900

NICARAGUA CANAL TREATY

come to grief. Kimberley once more was isolated. On the last day of the year Lord Kitchener reported from Pretoria that the British post of Helvetia had been captured by Boers with a total loss to the English of 50 killed or wounded and 200 taken prisoners. Under the gloom of this bad news the triumphal reception of the returning hero was indefinitely postponed. The anti-British feeling in America generated by the Boer war had much to do with the failure of an important treaty proposed with Great Britain. This was the Nicaragua Canal Treaty, by the terms of which the United States were to construct an inter-oceanic canal through the great lakes of Nicaragua from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The treaty, as orginally agreed between the American Secretary of State, John Hay, and Lord Pauncefote, Ambassador of England, was an elaboration of the famous ClaytonBulwer treaty of 1850. When the treaty was submitted to the American Senate, objections were there raised to the manner in which the pledges of the former treaty had been disregarded by Great Britain, and the new treaty, accordingly, underwent sweeping modifications. The modifications were regarded as inadmissible by Englishmen, and the proposed treaty was allowed to lapse by Lord Salisbury.

While the debate on the Nicaragua Canal Treaty was still at its height, the city of Washington celebrated its hundredth anniversary amid impressive ceremonies. It was intended as & celebration of the close of a century of unrivaled progress, rather than as a mere municipal commemoration. The most notable address was that made by Senator Hoar, the dean of the American Senate. "To-day," said Senator Hoar, "the United States is by far the richest country in the world. Its wealth exceeds that of the United Kingdom, which is the next in rank, by about $22,000,000,000. In 1800 our population was 5,308,483; now it is 76,304,799."

EVENTS OF 1901

De Wet Invades Cape Colony-Death of Queen Victoria-Accession of Edward VII-Deaths of Böcklin, the Painter, and Verdi, the Composer-Chinese Officials Secretly Grant Possession of Manchuria to Russia-Under Protest of Powers the Chinese Emperor Refuses to Sanction the Arrangement-Marriage of Queen of Holland-Deaths of Campoamor, Spanish Author, and Nevin, American ComposerBoers Refuse Kitchener's Peace Terms-Lyttelton "Sweeps" the Southwestern Free State, and French the Western Transvaal-Delarey Resists Methuen's Sweep of the Eastern Transvaal-De Wet Conquers All the Colony Except the Railways-Kitchener Constructs Lines of Block-Houses to Protect Railroads-British Corral Boer Non-Combatants in Concentration Camps-Great Mortality of Children-Delarey and Kemp Surprise British at VlakfonteinCommandant Viljoen Surprises Victoria Rifles at WelmansrustCommandant Smuts Captures Garrison at Bremersdorp-Congress Passes Act for Evacuation of Cuba and Temporary Civil Government of the Philippines-Death of Ex-President Harrison-Student Riots in Russia Over Excommunication of Tolstoy-Northern Pacific Corner in Wall Street-Deaths of Besant and Buchanan, English Authors -France Brings Religious Orders under Government ControlPortugal Follows Suit-Anti-Jesuit Riot in Madrid-Death of John Fiske, American Historian Steel Strike in America Socialism Becomes Political Factor in Italy-Death of Crispi-Allies Evacuate Pekin-Protocol Signed at Pekin Proclaims "Open Door" in China Death of Li Hung Chang - Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo-Assassination of President McKinley-He is Succeeded by Roosevelt-Pan-American Congress at City of Mexico - Kitchener Proclaims Banishment of Boers in Arms Louis Botha Defeats Gough at Scheeper's Nek-Smuts Rushes British Lancers at Eland's River-Christian Botha Attacks Fort Itala-The British Garrison Retreats-Delarey Defeats Kekewich at Moedwil-The Bothas Defeat Benson at Brakenlaagte Czar Visits France - - Cuba Adopts Constitution-Colombia Wars with Venezuela-She Wins Battle of Curuzao-Colombian Insurgents Capture Colon-Chamberlain Angers Germans by Comparison of British and German Warfare-Senate Ratifies New Isthmian Canal Treaty-Canal Commission Recommends Nicaragua-Riot in Athens over Translation of Gospels into Modern Greek-De Wet Captures Garrison at Tweefontein-Destructive Fire at Jacksonville, Fla.-Flood in West Virginia-Earthquake Devastates Erzeroum, Armenia-Fatal Collision on Wabash Railroad-Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Installed in England and America-Santos-Dumont Operates New Dirigible Balloon at Paris.

E

ARLY in January the Boer leaders planned a grand

coup, of which the invasion of Cape Colony was to

serve as a preliminary. The invaders were to meet a ship bringing arms from Europe and then to seize Cape Town while the British were being diverted by an attack upon Durban, in Natal. To prevent the latter movement

1901

DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA'

General French swept the eastern portion of the Transvaal, between Delagoa Bay and Natal, driving Botha's forces to the Swaziland frontier. De Wet, who was in charge of the Cape Colony invasion, was hindered in his plans by the rapid concentration of the British on the Orange River, by means of the railroad in their possession. He finally crossed the Orange River, leaving behind all his guns, ammunition, and wagons.

Grieving that her glorious reign, so notable for its triumphs of peace, seemed destined to end in inglorious war, Queen Victoria died at Osborne, Isle of Wight, on January 22, 1901. Her burial was a two days' pageant by water and by land. The royal flotilla with the coffin passed the mainland between double lines of cruisers and battleships, amid the booming of guns and requiems played by the naval bands. Between railway stations in London, on the way to Windsor, the route of the funeral was lined by 25,000 troops. Behind the gun-carriage with its royal burden there came as mourners the King of England, the German Emperor, and forty sovereigns of Europe, nearly all of them connected by blood with the dead Queen. Unique as was the military pageant, the characteristic feature was the reverent hush of the populace. Albert Edward, for nearly sixty years Prince of Wales, ascended the throne under the title of Edward VII.

Two other notable deaths occurred during the month. Arnold Böcklin, the great Swiss colorist and painter of ideal landscapes, died on the 18th at the age of seventy-five. Since the exhibition of his early masterpiece, "Pan in the Reeds," at Munich in 1859, Böcklin was recognized as the most original of German painters. On the 27th of the month Giuseppi Verdi passed away at the advanced age of eightyseven. Even in his last illness the old composer was busily engaged on the score of his last opera, "Cincinnatus," the words for which were written by Arrigo Boito.

Verdi's