Abergavenny Chronicle

!A YEAR'S HISTORY RECORD OF IldPORTANT EYENTS. Many of the events of the year just closing tave been of an impportance and a far-reach- ing siqninc&nce which perhaps we are not in a position as yet to appreciate. The full effects of these events are not &t present seen they WIll appear later in their true per- spective, and it is certain that future his- torians will find much to interest them in the story of the year of grace one thousand nine hundred and nine. The political his- torian will devote his attention to the con- flict between th, two Houses of F%rliament, and will follow carefully the records of the Session which ended in the refusal of the House of Lords to pass the Finance Bill until the country lias approved or condemned it. With a General Election just upon ua, many people will be inclined to think that the political crisis has been the most remark- able event of the year. Others, however, will point to the extraordinary development in the science of flight and the conqueat of the air. But the settlement of these points may be left to the future; for the present olir concern is simply to set them on record with the other events, ordinary and extra- ordinary, which have helped to mtake his- tory. THE KING AND HIS PEOPLE. I Experienced observera of international politics agree that an excellent effect was produced by the State visit of their Majesties the King and Queen to Berlin in February. The visit was paid at a time when the rela- tions between this country and Germany were causing anxiety, and their Majestiea were received by the German people with a ap-ontaneous enthusiasm which created a very favourable impre&ston in Great Britain. At borne, his Majesty has had a busy year, and baa again given abundant evidence of his 'warm interest in everything which concerns the weua-re of his subjects. In July the King h<td what was probably his busiest month in the year. In one week his Majesty, who was accompanied by the Queen, re- viewed the Lane.,ahire Territorials at Liver- pool, opener new University buildings at Birmingham, and laid the foundation-stone of the Imperial College of Science at South Kensington. Later in the same month his Majesty laid the foundation-stone of the new King's College Hospital at Denmark-hill, London, and opened a new in-patienta' de- partment at the Royal Orthopedic Hospital. On the last day* of the month the King and <j!u.een reviewed the Fleet in the Sclent. In October his Majesty visited Norwich, where he presented colours to the Territorials, and laid still another foundation-stone of a hoa- pital. In November his Majesty opened an extension of the Hospital for the Paralysed aad Epileptic in BIoomsbury. Not the least interesting event of the year was the opening -ty. the King of the Royal Edward Tuber- c #i.osis Institute in Montreal. The ceremony 'was performed by cable, the doora in Montreal flying open at the touch of a button on this side of the Atlantic. STATE VISITS. I There were two State visits of monarchs daring the year. On August 2nd the Czar and Lzarina. of Russia, arrived at Spithead in the Imperial yacht. A meeting took place between the Emperor and King Edward, and the Fleet was reviewed. Visits were after- wards exchanged and banquets held on the Royal yachts. It had been generally sup- posed that the Czar would not land, but quietly one afternoon his Imperial Majesty went on shore at Cowes and paid a visit to Osborne House. The second State visit of the year was that of King Manoel of Portu- gal, who arrived at Windsor on November 15. The youthful monarch was received with great enthusiasm when he drove through London to be the guest of the City at tne Guildhall. „' A REMARKABLE BUDGET, f On December 3, for the nrst time in his- tory, the Parliamentary Session came to a close without a Finance Bill, the House of Lords having refused to pass the measure without it being first submitted to the judg°- ment of the couiitrv. The story of the Parliamentary Session of 1909 is exceptionally interesting. Many im- portant matters were dealt with, but far be- yond everything else in importance and in pnbhc interest was the remarkable Budget which was introduced by Mr. Lloyd George on April 29 in a speech of four and a half hours' duration. From the first it was apparent that the Budget would meet with determined and powerful opposition, and immediately upon publication of the Chancellor of the Ex- chequer's proposals there broke out the storm which, with varying degrees of intensity, has been raging ever since, and will reach its climax in the General Election, which is to take place next month. TAXES AND "TACIKIN.G." I It was the proposals for lind taxation which awakened the strongest opposition. The Finance Bill seta out four new taxes on land: (a) duty on increment value; (b) re- version dty; (c) duty on undeveloped land; (d) duty on minerals. The Bill proposed also a complete rearrangement of the liquor licenses, with new ana higher scales of duties, and an increased duty upon potable spirits. Death duties were revved, the rates being raised on all eatabps exceeding .65,000, and a new departure proposed in the shape of a iper-ttx on large incomes. An addition was made to the tobacco duty, and motor-cars and motor spirit also came in for some attention. Besides these finan- cial matters proper, the Chancellor of the Exchequer referred in his speech to some questions which are not generally included in measures dealing with SnaJice. For in- stance, he outlined a scheme for the eco- jiomic development of the United Kingdom and the improvement of its roads, and also i<Jtlched upon other subjects which gave his opponents material for making the charge il>-ft he had "tacked on to his Finance "Bill a good deal of matter which had no business there at all. THE COUNTRY AROU3KD. I A strong agitation was at once begun in the country against th0 Budget. A budget .Protest League was formed, and was fol- lowed by the birth cf the Budget League. Meetings were held by these leagues up and down the land until there can scarcely have been an elector who had not had the oppor- tunity of hearing both sides of the question. In the House of Commons, on June 16, the second reading of the measure was parsed by 366 votes to 209-a Government majority -of 157. A few days later Lord Rosebery in ,1\ letter to the Press declared that the pro- posals of the Bill amounted to a revolution. Lord Rothschild presided at a meeting of London business men, at which a resolution of protest against the Budget was carried. THBEE SPEECHES. I September was & very interesting month in the history of the measure. Since his letter, to which reference has been made, Lord Rosebery bad been recognised as a strong opponent of the Budget. and in a speech at Glasgow on the 10th of the month he delivered a strong attack upon the measure. The probable f&te of th<j Budget &t the hands of the Lords was at this time becoming an absorbing subject of specula- tion, and Lord Rosebery's speech was held by many to be favourable to the' reiection of th": measure by the Upper House. A week Yater. the Prime Minister, at Birmingham, championed the Budget in a speech to which his supporters had been eagerly look- ing forward; and Mr. Balfour, in the same hali 6T€ days afterwards, delivered his at- tack upon the Bill, and denned the issue of the future as a choice between Tariff Re- form and Socialism. LEADERS WITH TUB EiNG. I Early in October evidence was forth. I coming of the keen interest which bis Ma-jestv the King was taking in the situ.a- 'tion. The Prime Minister left the House of Commons early one evening, &nd it was an- nounced that he had received & sudden sum. mona to B&Imor&l. Earl Cawdor, the moat prominent of the group of Peers who were trnying the rejection of the Budget, also had an interview with his Majesty, and it was I freely said that the refusal of Lord Rose- MTy to -AddreFiR a meeting at Birmins:h?tm on 'the Budget was at the wish of the Kin-g. Then, on the 12th October, in London, his Majesty received Lord Lansdowne and Mr. Balfour. and immediately afterwards Mr. Asqnith. Meantime the House of Commons Wt8 izoinir steadily on with the Bill through Committee and Report stages to third read. ing. On November 4 the Commons passed the third reading of the Budget by 379 votea to 149—a majority of 230. LORD LANSDOWNE'S AMENDMENT. I The first reading of the Finance Bill in the Upper House was, of course, merely formal. It took place on November 8, and it was not until the 16th that Lord Lansdowne gave notice of an amendment which was to the effect that the Hcuso of Lords should refuse to pass the Bill until it had been submitted to the judgment of the country. The momen- tous debate on this amendment began on the 22nd of the month, and amongst a number of Peers who, while not favouring the Budget, were yet opposed to its rejection by the Upper House, was Lord Rosebery. Theae counsels, however, did not prevail, and after a memorable debate the Lanedowne amend- ment was carried by 350 votes to 75. PARLIAMENT PROROGUED. I Ae in this Review we are merely recording facts, there is no need to enter into the ques- tion whether the Peers, in refusing to pass the Finance Bill, have committed a breach of the Constitution or usurped the rights of the Commons. That they have done both, however, is the view of his Majesty's Government, and on the day .following the historic division in the Lords t<be Prime Minister gave notice of a resolution asking I the House of Commons to make a declara- tion to that effect. On Thursday, December 3, that resolution was carried by a majority of 215. The Premier annomneed that the dissolution of Parliament would take place at an early date, and on December 3 Parlia- ment was prorogued. SOME OTHER MEASURES. I Though the Budget has overshadowed all other things in a Parliamentary session of record length, it has been by no means the only legislation attempted, or achieved. One of the moat interesting measures ever placed upon the statute-book is the Housing and Town Planning Bill, which was nrst intro- duced by Mr. John Burne, President of the Local Government Board, in the Session of 1908. It adds greatly to the powera of local authorities in the direction of the prevention and abolition of slums, and strengthens the law as to closing or demolishing unhealthy houses. The town-planning' section of the Bill is an entirely new departure for this country. Still another measure to which reference must be made is the Development Bill, which was foreshadowed by Mr. Lloyd George in his Budget speech. It was duly introduced, and passed both Housea, not without undergoing some vicissitudes. Its objects are to promote the economic de- velopment of the' United Kingdom by aiding agriculture and rural industries, forestry, the construction of harbours, and various other things. The Bill also constitutes & Road Board, whose business it will be to im- prove the facilities for road trame. AFRICA, INDIA, AND IRELAND, j The year will be very memorable for the passing of the South Africa Act, which, coming into operation next year, will unite Cape Colony, Natal, the Transvaal, and the Orange Colonies into one community under a Governor-General. While the measure was being discussed in Parliament, regret was expressed by several speakers at a pro- vision of the Constitution of United South Africa that membership of its Parliament is to be restricted to persona of European descent. It is highly probable that Mr. Her- bert Gladstone, the present Home Secre- tary, may be appointed Srsf Gcvemor- General of the. Union of South Africa. Lord Morley's Indian Councils Act enlarged the legislative councils of the Governor-General and the Provinces. In future these bodies will be partly elected, and will have fuller powers of discussion in matters of public interest. The Executive Councils of Madraa and Bombay are made bigger, and similar bodies will' be established wherever need- ful. Affairs in India have again given cauao for anxiety, and only a few weeks ago, on November 13, an attempt was made on ,the lives of the Viceroy and Lady Minto at Ahmedabad. Indian troubles have had their echo in this country. While attending an "At Home" at the Imperial Institute on the night of July 1, Sir W. Curzon Wyllie, political aide-de-camp to the secretary ot State for India, was assassinated by a young Indian student named Dhingra, who had been infected by the teachings of the seditionists. Dr. Lalkaka, an Indian, who was going to Sir Curzon Wyllie'n help, was also tilled. Dhingra was condemned to death, and the sentence was carried out on August 17. The Irish Land Bill, which w-as passed through its final stages in the closing days of the session, extends the facilities for the acquisition of holdings by Irish tenants, on terms which allow them to repay the purchase money over a period of years. It is estimated that in addition to E112,000,000 necessary under the Act of 1903, the new Act pledges the credit of the United Kingdom to the further extent of <'70,000,000. NAVAL AFFAIRS. 1 In connection with the Navy perhaps the most remarkable event of the year was the realisation by the country, on the authority of statements by Ministers in the House of Commons, that the days when we could, without any special eSort, maintain our supremacy at sea are past and gone. Ger- many has become a great Naval Power, and the extent of her programme, and the rapidity with which she is able to build ships make it plain that Great Britain must make the most of her resources if she is to keep well ahead in the costly race. The Naval Estimates for the year showed an in- crease of .62,823,200, and the Government proposed to begin the construction of four Dreadnoughts, taking powers at the same time to proceed with four more if circum- stances should make it advisable. The Unionists declared that in view of the German programme this provision was in- adequate, and a vote of censure upon the Government's Naval policy was moved in the Commons by Mr. Arthur Lee. The motion was defeated, but, nevertheless, the country was much alarmed by the position of aoairs. An early and very gratifying effect of the Naval disclosures was the re- ceipt of an offer of a Dreadnought from New Zealand. This was followed later on by a similar oner from Australia. Alarm was not finally allayed until the Government an- nounced that the four contingent Dread- noughts were to be .forwarded. ADMIRALTY ATTACKED I In March Lord Charles Beresford retired from active service, and lost no time before laying before the Government certain charges with regard to the state of the Navy and its preparedness for war. These charges were investigated by a Committee, which decided that they could not be upheld. Later on Lord Charles Ber?sford, in a correspondence with the Premier, charged the Admiralty with the intimidation of oNcers. These charges also were denied. Sir John Fisher, First Lord of the Admiralty, is about to accept a peerage and to resign his post. He will be succeeded by Sir A. Knyvet Wilson. IMPERIAL DEFENCE. I An Imperial Defence Conference was held in London in July, representatives from the over-sea dominions being present at the in- vitation of H)e Government. With regard to Naval matters it was decided that New Zealand shall adhere to her present policy of contributing to the British Floet, while Canada and Australia will lay the founda- tion of fleets of their own. The military forces of the several dominions will be stan- dardised to the pattern of the British Army. There will be also facilities for exchanging omcers, and an Imperial General Staff to assist the Colonies in co-operating with the Mother Country in case of National emer- gency. The subjects of Imperial Defence and Closer Communication within the Empire had also afforded material for dis- cussion at the memorable Imperial Press Congress, which met in London in June. It was attended by editors'and proprietors of newspapers throughout the Empire. SOCIAL LEGISLATION. I Among the important events of the year at home the coming into operation of the Old Age Pensions Act must be given a foremost place. The first, payments were made on January 1, and the number of the aged poor receiving benent is about half a million. The Children's Act, well named "The Children's Charter," came into force on April 1. On January SO the Royal Commiesion on Coast Eropion isaued a report Tecommending the otforestation of 9.000,000 acres of laixt in OtfMt Britain and Ireland. The doom of uft wofkhouae is foreshadowed in the teports of the Poor Law Commission which were issued on February 17. There w-ere two reports, a Majority and a Minority. The latter went further in certain direetiona Hum the former, but there were certain points upon which both wero- in accord. The chief of these were the abolition of general workhouses and of boards of guardians; the giving of separate methods of treatment to aged, the weak, the able-bodied unem- ployed, and "the loafer; the detention of Tagrante ia Colonies; the institution of and the discooragement e<r pro"ntion of boy labour. INDUSTRY AND UNEMPLOYMENT. I Happuy, the record of the year is not darkened by any great strike of workers in any branch of industry, and a distinct and gratifying advance has been made in the direction of settling trade disputes by con- ciliatory methods. There was, however, & period of great anxiety in July, when a dis- pute between Scottish mineM and mine- owners eeenMd likely to result in a. national strike of miners. English workmen went so far as to declare by a great majority in favour of a stoppage of works in sympathy with &eir Sodttiah brethren, bat acch a dieaater was averted by a settlement of the matters in dispute, announced on July 30. On July 1 the Miners' Eight Hours Act came aL ?ration, and trouble quickly arose in different parts of the country on points of detail. In South StaS'ordshire the miners on etrika came into serious collision with the police. A. nrat attempt to deal by legisla- tion with certain trades in which the evil of sweating prevails haa been made by the paseing of an Act which provides for the formation of trade boards with the power of fixing a. minimum wage for the workpeople engaged. A highly important and interesting measure ia that which establishes a national system of labour exchanges. The scheme will ccat L-200,000 per annum for the nrst three years, and .E170,000 afterwards. It is designed to regularise the demand for labour in the hope of reducing unemployment. I CONQUEST OF THE AIR. I The year now ending has witnessed steady progress in the conquest of the air. There has been no freah discovery of epoch-making imp'ortance, but whatever men proved they couid do in aviation during 19M they have done better in 1909. They can ny higher, further, faster, and longer. New records have been act up, only to be beaten in their turn in the next week, or the week after. There is one record, however, which though mado on July 25, still stands. In import- ance and in the appeal which it makes to the imagination, it stands easily nrst in the events of "the Symg year." It was on that day that M. BIeriot, a Frenchman, starting from point near Calais in the early mom- ing, landed at Dover thirty-seven mihutea later. Two attempts were also made by Mr. Hubert Latham, but both were unsuccessful. BOMB RECORDS. I Noting the remarkable performances of other flying men, a flight over the Strata of Dover does not seem so very wonderful after all. M. Henry Farman has twice nown over one hundred miles, and at present he holda the distance record with a night of 150 miles (November 3). Latham, Paulhan, and \viibur Wright have each more than ninety miles to their credit. Farman has also re- mained in the air longer than any other aviator, his record flight having occupied 4hrs. 22mins. Paulhan, the nearest com- petitor, new for 2hrs. 43mijBS. 24secs. on August 25. The speed record was captured by M. Delagrange at Doncaster on October 26. On December 1 Latham soared upwards to a height of 1,550 feet, beating the previous best performance by more than 200 feet. Orville Wright, Farman, and Cody (now a Briton) have all carried passengers, and the last-named also held the cross-country record for a few days, but was then outstripped by Paulhan, who was in his turn beaten by Maurice Farman. LiGHTEB-THAN-AIB. It is generally admitted that the future of Night is with the aeroplan", the neayier- than air machinea, but considerable success has attended the trials of a few dirigible balloons, or airships. Of these the most famoua is Zeppelin No. 2, which on the last <tay '-of *ay fiufsbed a journey of 600 miles, which håd taJtch 36 hours to accomplish, by colliding with A teee. No otb<Br airship hM come within measurable dist&nee of the German leviathan but the Gross No. 2. de- signed by Major Gross, took part with much aaocesa tn the German military manoeuvres. The French military airship Republique also took part in manoeuvres, but on Septem- ber 25, when she waa on her w!ty from La is_ w'  h I h d, Palisse to ChaIais-Meudon, one of the blades of the proppUer broke and tore the balloon envelope. Th& airship fell 500 feet, and the crew of four were killed on the spot. BACtCWABD BBITONS. j With the exception of Mr. Cody, no British aviator has had any outstanding suc- cea<t during the year, though Mr. Moore- Brabazon, by Hying a circular mile at Sbetl- be&ch on October 30, 'Won & prize of £1,000. At neither of bhe British nyi&g meetinga did the home product show to advantage. Per- hapa another year may tell a different story. The Government has appointed a special committee to deal with the problem of aerial navigation, and on August 3, when the vote for scientific investigation came before the House of Commons, the Secretary for War announced that £78,QOO would be epent on aeronautics in the coming year. So that something at leaat is being done to remove the reproach of British apathy in this matter. FROM POLE TO POLE. I Of Arctic and Antarctic exploration the year has a wonderful story to tel! t etory of heroic endurance and splendid achievement, and of the moat amazing coincidence that has ever been recorded. It w&a on Septem- ber 1 that a telegram was received bem tho Shetland Islands from Dr. Cook, an Ameri- can explorer. That telegram startled the world. It stated that Dr. Cook was on hia way to Copenhagen in a Danish Govern- ment steamer, and that he had succeeded in reaching the North Pole on April 21 in the previous year. The newspapers sent their special correspondents to Copenhagen post haste, and when Dr. Cook arrived he was invited to tell his story, which at once was subjected to merciless criticism. He claimed to have made the dash to the Pole accom- panied only by two Eskimos, and it wao pointed out that his rate of progress on sledges over the ice-seventeen miles a day —was much faster than had been &eCOID- pliahed by any previous expedition. And he had come back to Europe without his re- cords of observation. PZABY'8 MESSAGE, t I If Dr. Cooks message had startled the world, the sensation was nnid compared with that caused by a telegram from Com- mander Peary, dated Indian Harbour, Labrador, mber, Q.in which the famous American declared that he had reached the North Pole on April 6 in the previous year. By itself this message would have excited no surprise owing to Commander Peary's great reputation. Coming in less than a week after that of Dr. Cook, however, it has given rise to a bitter controversy. Com- mander Peary, in following messages, made a violent attack upon, Dr. Cook, claiming, on the testimony of certain Eskimos, that Dr. Cook had never been out of eight of land. "I have Cook nailed," waa how Commander Peary expressed it. There were not wanting thoae who pointed out that Dr. Cook's story was no more improbable than that of Com- mander Peary. The latter was accompanied on the last stages of his journey by a ncgro servant and three Eskimos, and that his rate of sledge progress was even more Te- markable than Dr. Cook's, for while on the northward journey he had made an average of at least sixteen miles a day, he came back at no less than thirty miles a day. Fortu- nately the two explorers are both American, and we in t* country have been only in- terested onlookers at the quarreL THB OTHB& POLB. I Great Britain's chief interest is in connec- tion with the other Pole. No event of the year created greater interest than the return to England of the explorers who, under the leadership of Lieutenant Shackleton, had been endeavouring to reach the goal. The record of the expedition is a story of heroic endeavour and; terrible hajcdship. The party reached the South llaanetic Pole, but short- ness of food supplies compelled them to re- turn when they had Jr" t to within ninetv- sewn miles from the southern limit. The ecientino results of the expedition were of the greatest importance. A great poplar re- ception was accorded to Lieut. Shackleb>n and his companions on their arrival in Lon- don, and the leader himself was acclaimed M one of the nations heroes. A Government Srrant of -B20,000 was made towards the ex- pedition, and the most popular name in the Birthday Honours list in November was that of Lieutenant Shackleton, now Sir Ernest Shackleton, knight. I SAVED BY "WIRELESS." Mr. MarcdnTs "wdnderfuT discovery hM now become a national institution, and general aatisfaction wa$ caused by the announcement made by Mr. Buxton in the House of Com- mons, September 30, that the Government had arranged for the transfer of the Marconi wireless coast stations and the free right of using- existing and future Marconi patents and improvements for fourteen years. Drama- tic evidence of the value of wireless tele- graphy at sea has been afforded on two not- able occasions this year. On January 23rd the White Star liner Republic and the emigrant steamer Florida collided in a fog off the coast of Nantucket, and the Republic, with her living freight of 700 souls, was in gcave peril. The wireless omce on board the Republic "was wrecked, but fortunately the apparatus was uninjured. Jack Binna, the operator, immediately set to work to com- municate with other vessels which might be in the neighbourhood, and so successful were his efforts that ships came to the assistance of the sinking vessel from all points of the compass, with the result that the whole of the passengers and crew were saved. Some- what similar was the case of the liner Slavonia, which was stranded off the Azores on June 12 The passengers and crew were saved in a few hours by help obtained /by means of wireless telegraphy. IN THE COURTS. I There are a few cases which have come before the courts during the year important enough to deserve mention. In April a young man named Robert was arrested in Madrid in connection with the remarkable D. S. Windell" bank fraud, which was one of the sensations of last year. He was brought to trial with King, a clerk in the employ of the bank, and sentenced on June 26. King, who planned the robbery, was sent to penal servitude for seven years, while Robert, who had brought off the daring coup, received & sentence of eighteen months' hard labour. On September 6 commenced the trial of Harry Benscn for frauds in con- nexion with Feltham's Bank. On October 7 the accused was sentenced to five years' im- prisonment. His appeal against the convic- tion waa dismissed. On November 1 a mys- terious murder was committed at Gorse Hall, & country mansion in Cheshire, the victim, Mr. Storr, & builder, being stabbed by a man who had hidden himself in the house. The murderer escaped, and for some weeks no ar- rest was made. Then, on the 20th of Novem- ber, a. man named Cornelius Howa-rd was taken into custody and charged with the crime. An astounding outrage was com- mitted at Tottenham on January 22 by two armed Ruesian Anarchists. They attacked t clerk who was carrying a large amount of money for workmeIlB' wages, and made off. When they were pursued by police and others they used their revolvers freely, kill- ing one policeman and a boy, and wounding twenty other persons. One of the desperadoes waa shot dead, and the other shot himself, and succumbed to his injuries in boepital about three weeks later. FOREIGN AFFAIRS. I In tRe briefest survey of the events of the year the state of affairs in the Near East would claim attention. The crisis in the Balkans which arose in the last months of 1908 passed without a shot being, nred, though the action of Austria in annexing the provinces of Bosnia and Herxegovina has left an unpleasant impression. la April Turkey provided a sensation for Europe. There was a counter-revolution in Constan- tinople against the new Young Turk regime. It was quickly suppressed, and the Sultan, Abdul Hamid, deposed. In the following month his successor was invested with the aword of Othman. It has been an eventful year for Greece also. Army reformers brought pressure to bear upon the King to consent to several reforms, the exclusion of the Princes from the Army, and the aboli- tion of the post of Commander-in-Chief, which was created for the Crown Prince, f The King is reported to be bitterly resentful of the Army's action, and at one time his abdication appeared probable. In Persia in July there was a Nationalist uprising, the occupant of the throne was deposed, and a new Shah, twelve years old, reigns in his stead. SPANISH TROUBLES. I Nearer home, Spain has had her troubles both within and without her own borders. She has been engaged in a war in Morocco, which arose through the killing of Spanish workmen employed in mines, for which a concession was granted to Spaniards in 1898. The Spanish arms have not been uniformly successful, and the war was so unpopular in Spain that serious connicts arose between the people and the authorities The centre of the trouble was at Barcelona, and stern measures were resorted to in quelling the tumult. On October 13 Signer Ferrer, an educationalist, who was opposed to the Clerical party and had worked to break the Clerical monopoly in education, was shot, the reason given being that he was a moving spirit in the Barcelona insurrection. The news of his execution caused an outburst of Socialist feeling in many European capitals, and in London there was a demonstration against the .Spanish Embassy. The Spanish Cabinet resigned, and a new Liberal Ad- ministration was formed. In France M. Clemenceau's "Ministry resigned, having been defeated on a vote of conndence. The new Premier is M. Briand, a. Socialist of a moderate type. Germany has a new Imperial Chancellor, Dr. von Bethman-Hollweg, who succeeded Prince Bulow in July. INTO THE SILENT LAND. I The death-roll of the year is heavy, and in- cludea the names of men and women distin- guished in many walks of life. King Leo- pold, of Belgium, died on December 17. The Hon. Archibald Gordon, youngest son of Lord Aberdeen, died on December 16 as the result of injuries received in a motor acci- dent. A list follows of other well-known people who have passed away:— Statesmen: Marquis of Ripon, Lord Tweedmouth, Viscount Selby (ex-Speaker), Mr. H. 0. ArjnoId-Forster. Peers: Lord Amherst of Hackney, Earl of Leicester, Lord Burton, Lord Robertson, Lord Gwydyr, Earl Hardwicke, Earl Eger- ton of Tatton, Lord de Clifford, Earl of Carysfort. Members of Parliament: Sir Andrew Tor- rance, Sir A. Jacoby, Sir John Baker, Sir F. ,on_Hartland, Dr. G. J. Cooper. Financiers and captains of industry: Mr. Geo. Singer (pioneer of the cycle in- dustry), Mr. Andrew Pears, Sir Donald Currie, Mr. Charles Morrison, Mr. C. Harri- man (American "railway king "), Mr. Robert Hoe, Mr. Wm. Watson (chairman of the Cunard line), Mr. Arthur Wilson (head of the Wilson line). Bench and Ba,r: Lord Justice Fitzgibbon, Judge Owen, Mr. Gilbert Kennedy (metre' politan magistrate), Mr. H. M. Bompas, K.C. Literature: Mr. A. C. Swinburne, Mr. Geo. Meredith, Mr. John Davidson, Pro- fassor Lombroso, Mr. Marion Crawford, Sir Theodore Martin, Mr. Arthur A. Beckett, Mr. Geo. Munville Fenn. Art: Mr. E. J. Gregory, R.A., Mr. W. P. Frith, R.A. Stage: Madame Modjeska, Mr. Lionel Brough, Mr. Charles Warner, Mr. St. John Harbin, Mr. Clyde Fitch.

A man name Vrsak, aged sixty, of Semlin, Hungary, has married his son's wife's step- daughter, a girl of eighteen. A cock pheasant new through the dining- room window of the residence ot Mr. S. George at Portreath, Cornwall, smashing a large pane of glass. Hundreds of poor persons in the Isle of Wight have received Christmas presents irom the sum given by the Czar after his visit to the island in the summer. The Essex Education Committee is consider- ing a proposal to provide apparatus for drying the wet clothes of school children in the county council schools.

I TEA TABLE TALK. Opals are the only gems that cannot be counterfeited with any degree of success. < Should a bride perchance aee a comn whila being driven to the railway station prior to departing upon her wedding tour, she should order the driver to turn back and start over again, or elsa she wilJ surely meet with bad luck. The French girl has the example of her elders daily before her eyes where economies are concerned. Like her mother, she takea oC her outdoor dress directly she enters th<i house and puts on an old one. At an age when English or American girls only think of play, she thinks of her trousseau. All the presents she receives from her relations and friends are treasured up and stored away, to form the nrst important instalment towarda her future home. The Princess of Wales and the Princess Louise, Duchezs of Argyle, both possess the Prussian Louise Order, which, in the case of ladies, is equivalent to the Iron Cross. Both orders were instituted by Frederick William III., in 1314, when he—like the rest of the world—believed that peace had at last been really established. Fashionable people in certain circles are amuaing themselves with a new toy. It is a fortune-telling tea-cup, of which a great quantity is being sold. The cup ia engraved inside with the myatic symbols of the for- tune-teller—a bell, a heart, a horseshoe, a purae, and so on. The tea-leaves at the bottom are awirled around the cup, and according to Hie position or objects to which tthey adhere, so ia one's fortune. < Signora Orlicci, head maid to the Queen- Dowager of Italy, has for some years pa&t been making about one thousand pounds per annum by the sale of her mistress' old dresses. For a long time past Queen Margherita. has held twice a year a sale of her cast-oS clothing, her Majesty, of course, not disposing of the things in person or haggling with purchasers over the price, the salea being the perquisite of her head maid. Americans have always been willing to pay extremely high prices for "souvenirs of the Queen," which, not improba-bly, were donned a few months later to dazzle less fortunate ladies at dinner-parties given in the society homes of New York and Chicago. < The late King of Holland was a man of un- governable temper, and when he was I annoy.edover anything it was quite useless to attempt to argue with him. On one occasion he was very angry over the manner in which one of the Dutch newspapers had criticised hM actions. He refused to see his Ministers, and stamped up and down a corridor at his palace, storming and gesticulating as was his wont. The Cabinet was becoming desperate, since some important papera de- manded his immediate attention. One of the ladies of the Court sent little Princess Wil- helœina, then about nve, into the corridor to meet her father. She watched him for a moment unnoticed, and then, Imitating his actions, stamped backwards and forwards, with her nsts tightly clenched. His Majesty was unable to help laughing as he paused to watch her. Half an hour later the Premier found the King seated on the noor playing contentedly with his little daughter. It is usual in Germany for men to wea: dress suits, not merely for evening affairs, but weddings,, funerals, and any important daylight ceremonials. The German Emperor, however, apparently means to make a change in the fashion, for when he was about to take part in a recent function at Berlin Univer- sity, he issued instructions that the gentle- men attendinlt should wear morning and not dress suits. Doubtless, the Emperor's initia- tive will be followed, and it witt no longer 00 necessary for the German to attire himself in a dress suit to go out to a luncheon party. < < Eiaa a bride right after the ceremony, and before the newly-made husband has a chance to do so, and you will have excellent luck throughout the year. < One day an enterprising journalist, who had wandered about Stratford, vainly seek- ing to snapshot Miss Marie Corelli, heard that she was going to be present at a fashionable ball. The journalist was there— or thereabouts. As a matter of fact, he had the temerity to focus his camera on the portico of the entrance hall, while an assis- tant stood by to manipulate the nashlight. But the wary novelist was too clever for him. The carriage drove up, puff went the naah- light, but although the night was Sne MI"SSI Corelli had provided herself with an umbrella, which she had carefully raised before emerging from her concealment. Dr. Louise Robinovitch has startled medical men with the declaration that she had discovered a way to bring the dead to life. Dr. Robinovitch electrocuted a rabbit and brought it to life again by rhythmic electric excitations that caused its heart and respiratory organs to resume their functions. What the young woman is able to do with a rabbit she claims to be possible with a human being as a subject. < < Princess Alexandra of Fife, whose name has been coupled with that of King Manuel of Portugal, is spoken of as an unusually up- to-date young lady, and, while not neglect- ing such accomplishments as music and lan- guages, has become a great believer in open- air life and physical exercises, being a good horsewoman, swimmer, and all-round gymnast. She nshes well, too, and often accompanies her mother, the Princess Royal, on long nshing excursions. In appearance she is tall, slim, and dignined, and strongly renembles Queen Alexandra. < < Maidens eager to wed should give dish water heated to the boiling point a wide berth. It means that they will not marry for a long time if they attempts to cleanse dishes in water so hot. < Miss Ada Crosaley, the charming Austra- lian singer, was extremely nervous about trying her fortune in .London. At last she resorted to the experiment of tossing a shil- ling in the air. **Yf it comes down head,' I go, if it doesn't, I remain in Melbourne." The shilling dropped down "head"—fortu- nately for us. Miss Crossley crossed the Equator, came, and saw, and conquered. A well-known Brooklyn "millionairess," who has acquired a pearl necklace said .to be worth .640,000, has lust appointed a stalwart young man of excellent fajnily to act as ner bodyguard and to accompany her to all the receptions where she wears this splendid ornament. < Miss Ada Reeve, the well-known actress, is very fond of little children, and she tells a atory of one little boy which is well worth re- peating. "The little boy in question was being examined one day in natural his- tory," sh e says, "and on being asked if he knew the one great din'erence between himself and a big brown bear, he only gnawed the end of his. pen and grunted. 'Well, you see, said the teacher encouragingly, you can take your warm little coat og, but a bear can't take his coat oS, can he?' 'No,' assented Tommy grudg- ingly. 'And do you know why he can't?' was the next question. I suppose,' said Tommy, after thinking for several minutes, 'it's because Heaven alone knows where the buttons are! < Queen Wilhelmina of Holland possesses one of the loveliest and most delicate com- plexions in Europe. This she attributes not 30 much to "make up" aa to simple diet and open-air life. At the same time she makes a daily practice of using in her bath a pint of Hie iinest essence of Cologne, the purity of which Queen Wilhelmina tests herself over bhe lamp upon which her morning chocolate has been prepared. Mrs. Josephine Sullivan is the nrst police- woman of Chicago. She was sworn in re- cently and invested with all the authority and privileges given to special policemen of that city. She was assigned to detecting thieves and pickpockets in the department stcres. < < In Paris a great many ladies are taking "nying" lessons from the various aeroplane makers. The terms are eaid to be &100 a month.

The Central (Unemployed) Body bave accepted the offer of the Council of the Festival of Empire, of which the Earl of Ply- mouth is chairman* to provide work for 500 men for twelve weeks, at their own cost, in renovating the Crystal t their own C<x3t, in renovating the Crystal Palace and grounds. Field-Marshal Edhem Pasha, commander of the Turkish Army in the war with Greece, has died. in Cairo, where he had b<en staying for the bene6t of his health.