The Western Mail

METEOROLOGICAL NOTES. I SOUTH WALES TIDE TABLE. I a 1 .1 I I .1 ? S £ I a 2 E ? 5 Ó >5 i ?MorBi'?)9M!S.!<!93aa<7" 8 ;7 rondaf t'r: I g I I g 4¡ I 1 Dec. 39 t &0 2 1 27 11 31 6 3, 620 6 {(oath BlUtu Ea.t Dock SIIt {Alexandra 1)001;; SDock 811

BABOMfiTRICAL INDICATIONS. Ap d.d is l?.11 -t the barometrical readings f"' 'I?. 48 ho ?,? ,.d? 6 Hundav midight, u ogia- :h..t 48t:'OU:t,d ::rl&¿8I1f:'I: r.f¡, instrument is 13ft, above sea level.

WEATHER FORECAST. I SITORUIR'A ¡"'IUlJ.!IJ;-1 8ATUtf.IH,'S WMATMRH. North-westerly R-1- and l N-?th weater!, *a1« { strong winds, very j h.?.,y ft.o "W f ,.Id Blio??? f?ir. The foreoa>t .f bUts weather throucuout the Weøt ef  f.r, Sooth WHIM for to,d" ".4"" il fnllo"Norlhe"(.,j ,o,d.od.ralflljJ 8!010111; very I cold; dry.

TEMPYRATURP, AND BAIMFALL. I D.m. Tf;"rK5AT"^ -J RlINFm. Ma*. Min. | Mean. I: ,2! -¡.57144-\ ?5 inn Monday 24 56 45 50 5 025 Tuesday |26 I 57 49 53*0 0 00 W?Mjdty.J26!57 49 63:0 0'00 I- 4 ?lf, 0.. FrM7r.. 28 56 42 49'0 O'OO Saturday I 40 I :1: WO TheTemnerature represents extrnme reading of tb I thermoi??r for 24 hour..nded 9 A.m., t&n in the 1 .h?d..t Or,-y-Vit, P.rtb.. I'he Rainfall re,i."re! 8t C.rt'y.Vil 1.tb, for t,t "24 9 a.m.

HUNTING APPOINTMENTS FOXHOUNDS. CAIIWA&THXN811IBE.- 1Tuesday,January 1, Guildhall- square j Friday, Jauuary 4, Tlough and Harrow, near Coomb-11. December 31, Peulan Wood: Tbur8(by, January 3, Five Lanes—10.45 a.m. GLAMOAU4NSHIRJI.—Monday, Deoember 31, The Kcunels Friday, January 4, sycamore Tree—10.46. IJOKO '1'a¡':I>Eo4u's.-MoudaYt December 31, Groes Llanfro Thursday, Jaauary 3, St. Melion's—11. LA All. Tuesday, January 1, Tymynydd, Radyr: Friday, JanulLrv 4, Coytrnhene-W.30 a.m. LLAXGIBBY.—Saturday, December 29, Catsaeh; Tuesday, January 1, Llangibby Tollbar; Friday, Jauuar.t' 4, Oefoiiri—20.30. Iin, SEYMOUR AU.TN'A,—1Tuesday, January 1, Jetfreaton Friday, January 4, Logiii-11 a.m. Je:e:"o\la;: LJ:¿;;1 1, Llantilio Court; Thursday, January 3, Danygrraig—11. PKMBROff.sHfKK.—Monday, D6c<;mb<!r 31, Peioomb Bridge { Thursday, January 3, Triffloton Bridge—11. TIVYBIDE,—Tuesday, January 1, Salutation Hotel, Newcastle-Emlyn; iTiday, January 4, Llwyngwair -10.4;. VflTRAD.—Tuesday, January 1, Craifllivynpia Friday, Jauuary4, am. HARRIERS. CAicrHewBLL.—Taesday, January 1, Penfilvach Farm, Llanffeaney j Friday, Jtuiuury 4, Llangunider -11 a.m.

LLANDAFF CATHEDRAL SERVICES. Chants and hymus by tho holiday choir throughout the week,

HUMMARY OF NEWS. There was a renewal of the gale on Saturday aad Sunday, accompanied by a fall of snow. The gale was felt severely on the Welsh Coast, and in the Bristol Channel the sailing vessel Polynesian, of Liverpool, which left coal laden from Cardiff, put back into Penarth Dock on Saturday, having been in collision with the ship Balclutha while both vessels were lying at anchor in the Roads. Both vessels were badly damaged. The John and William, a coaster belonging to Minehead, ran ashore off Porthkerry Head. The most serious disaster, however, was the wreck of the ship Osseo, of London- derry, at Holyhead, the whole oi the crew, supposed to be 26 in number, ha,ving perished in the presence of the spectators on shore. Many other casualties were reported to ship- ping. Inland the gale and the snowstorm were also felt, more especially in the High- lands, where for a time three trains were snowed up. In Shropshire some of the country roads were also impassable. The body which was washed ashore in Port Logan Bay, Wigtownshire, has been identified by his son as that of Mr, Jones, Cardiff, the mate of the ill-fated vessel Oswald, which was wrecked during the late gale. The body is being removed from Stranraer to-day (Monday) for burial at Cardiff. None of the bodies of the othur members of the crow have been recovered, although two are reported to have been seen floating in the water. Grappling operations are being resorted to. The theory of an explosion having occurred on board the steamer after she struck is scouted by Captain Lewer, who was sent up to the scene of the disaster by the owners. Lord Randolph Churchill had an extraordinary rally on Friday and Saturday, and the improvement is reported to have been maintained throughout Sunday. The oomatose condition of the patient is said to have been flue to hemorrhage of the brain. The doctors think that a bulletin will now only be necessary once every 48 hours. The .Japun."e Minister at Washington says that the propo.-ed' suspension of hostilities will depend on the character of the repre- sentatives China lends. If they are autho- rised to come to a conclusive decision with- out having to refer'the matter back to the authorities at Pekin, then Japan is likely to concede it suspension of hostilities; other- wise the Japanese will push rapidly ahead to Pekin. Mr. Gladstone celebrated bis eighty-fifth birthday at Hawarden on Saturday, receiving the congratulations and good wishes of his many friends. A conference of members of the Anglo- Armenian Association and representatives of the Armenian communities abroad was held in r'vate at Chester on Saturday. Mr. Gladstone, who was present, spoke forcibly and at considerable length in reference to the grievances from which the Armenians are reported to be suffering. Newport School Board elections on Friday resulted in a victory for the Voluntaryists. The Waziris have been so completely beaten that they no longer menace the Anglo-Indian forces. Mr. Ellis Nanney has been selected as the Unionist candidate for the Carnarvon Boroughs at the next election. Nearly 2,000 tin-plate workmen became disengaged for an unlimited period at Mor- riston on Saturday. An alarming fire oocurred at Newport in the early hours of Sunday morning, when the newly-erected premises of Messrs. Sharpley and Pritchard, drapers, were totally destroyed, and three inmates narrowly escaped death. Details have been received at San Fran- cisco of a terrible tragedy in Oregon on I Christmas Eve, whereby 40 persons were burned alive. Mr. J. H, Wilson, M.P., writes to the "Times" repudiating as "a gross and shame-fullibel" the statements of Mr. G. A. Laws, asserting that an alleged forged cir- cular was issued by Mr. Wilson's instruc- tions to several organisers of the Seamen's Union. Saturday's Bugby football results Swinton beat Cardiff. Newport beat Coventry, Oldham beat Swansea, Penarth beat Morris- ton, Neath beat Llwynypia, Llanelly beat Bridgwater, Aberavon beat Ebbw Vale, and Cwmbran beat Pontypridd. "Notes of the Week," by "Westminster," appear in the present issue. Money was in fairly good request on Saturday at 1 per cent, for short loans and Ujnt.o the NIIW Year. Discount wag quoted steady at J to 1 per cent, for tha best bills- The settlement now- being over, the Stook Exchange has become quiet, and b-in,- in some departments was alm08t at a standstill. The local markets were .till devoid of anima- tion, and very few tran8&CtionB are reported.

1894. The year which is so rapidly passing away from us has left many landmarks in history. Ainong ourselves, the salieut features repre- sent the extremes of humlln life. The birth of a direct heir to tlie Throne in the fourth generation is an incident unparalleled In our records. The retirement of a statesman who for two generations has tilled so prominent a place as Mr. Gladstone is an event in con- temporary politics. The change of Ministry has given Liberals little to boust -if, and Lord Rosebery, in assuming the helm of Sta te. hils made shipwreck of his reputa- tion. Abroad, two nations have loot cheir rulers-one bv the dagger of the assassin, the other hy inexorable disease. Both events have excited profound sympathy from Englishmen. The marriage of the young Oar with a Princess near akin to our own Royal House has been a source of unmixed satisfaction to this country. The prospects of international peace ha vo impruved, sad there lias been "ome revival of trade. Agri- culture, unhappily. still suffers saverelv, though the official world is more inclined to increase than to lighten the burdens. POLITICAL. I When the year opened the session of lo93 was still in progress. The Christmas recess had extended ouiv from the 22nd to the 271,1t of December. The House of Commons, which sat during the greater part of the year, with little profit, wis struggling through the Parish Councils Bill. There were hosts of amendments tn the measure, many of them coming from the .Ministerial side. The Opposition contested the Poor- law clauses with all their might, and there was seven days' fighting over this oortion of tlw Bill, line by line. Eventually, a com- promise was arrived at between the lc-tders. If the Government made certain concessions they should be allowed to leave the Com- mons on January 20. But when the under- standing was arrived at progress ere* more rapid thi»n was expected, and the Commons were able to rise from January 12 till February 12, to give tlie House of Lords time to consider the Bill. Before they rose the Commons disagreed with the Lords' amend- ments to the Employers' Liability Bill. The Lords had inserted Lord Dudley's Clause permitting contracting out. All parties Welle glad to get a brief interval of rut, out Mr. Chaplin and Mr. Gosehen, who had taken active part in criticising the Parish Councils Bill, made strong protest against a measure of such complexity and importance being rushed through a jaded House at lightning speed, The Bill was read a first time in tne Lords on the 15th of January, a second time ten days later. On the 26th a meet- ing of Peers was convened at Lord Salisbury's house. There were many amend. ments to the measure in Committee, several of them being necessitated by the faulty drafting of the Bill. It passed through Com- mittee, and was read a third time February 13. Meanwhile, Ihe Lords had cxmsidertM the Commons' alterations to their amend- ments to the Employers' Liability Bill, and had re-introduced Lord Dudley s Clause, making some changes in it to mL?t the obiee- tions raised in the Commons, and r,serving to the workman the right to proceed ?g?4A?t his :lldPfITeh.la 'Vel:htllnBíiino: should fall short When the Bill 46, e to the Commons the Government accepted Mr. Cobb'. amendment to part of Cord Dudley's C1aue, which limited the permis- sion to contract out to Ehree years from the date of passing the Bill. The rest of the clause was disallowed. There was a stiattg Government whip for the division, but, nevertheless, the majority for Mr. Cobb's amendment vas but two, instead of between twenty and thirty, as had been expected. The Bill was abandoned, and has tamed <i, prominent feature in the Radical indictment against the House of Lords, although tlie contracting-out clause was inserted at the earnest wish of a large number of workmen who wanted to save their insurance societies. Of the Lords' amendments to the Scotch Sea Fisheries Bill, which li^d been hurried through unheeded at one a.m., the Uomwons ■ accepted forty. A committee was appointed to confer with the Lords upon i, but as the Lords struck out the rating clauses, which were an essential part of the Bill, the Government abandoned this measure also, greatly to the relftf of Scotch ratepayers. The Lords'ameiidiflents to the Parish Councils Bill formed the. theme of animated contro- versy and a ground for furious Radical com- plaint, although, as Ntr. Balfour recently ?l'"?r? ,d, probably vcry few persons coul? now ;"i y exactly what those ameildmut:? \?"e. 1ÎÍ¡)\: :}e Icl: :=;dbs wards and forwards, the Commons made up their minds to accept certain amendments which the Lords i!1síted (in. But ille roat olitical sensation of the year was at nand. V.. time t(? time rumours of impending [i;te,ir.¡e cn\a';tbs c¡u¡n'ä while Mr. Gladstone was at Biarritz, early in the year, the "Pall Mall Gazette" sprung a surprise upon the public by positively announcing illr Gladstone's intention to retire from puMk life. There was great incite- ment in political circles, which the vagudv- worded contradiction did not materially allay, A sense of uncertainty prevailed,, hut not for long. On the 1st of March Mr. Gladstone made his last speech as Prime Minister. It was all oratorical onslaught against the House of Lords, bequeathing to his successor the legacy of an attack on the Second Chamber. This policy had been coming to the front since the Radicals bad realised the firm front which the Lords pre- sented to the violent and unconstitutbial changes they proposed. Several Ministers had spoken strongly at public meetings, and at the annual meeting of the National Liberal Federation held at Portsmouth, February 18, a very aggressive attitude was ttiK' U up. Nevertheless, by a curious inc II- sistency, it was it Peer wilt) was chosen *» the successor to Mr. Gladstone in the leader- ship. a fact which has been the eabject of Mr. Labouchere's strong animadversion, Th. sudden death of L r'I Tweedmoutii raise d Mr. Marjoribsnks to the Peerage, and deprived the Liberals of a first-rate Whip, though 'he new peer has found it impossible to totr himself altogether from the Lobby, and has come back occasionally to the rescue of his successor. His entrance into the Cabinet as Lord Privy Seal added another of the "obnoxious" body of hereditary legislators to the list. There were not many changes of importance. Lord Kimberley took the Foreign Office (vacated by Lord Kosebery), Mr. Fowler India, Mr. Show-Lefevre the Local Government Board, Mr. tlerhert Gladstone became First Commissioner of Works, Mr. Ellis Patronage Secretary, ilr. George Russell Parliamentary Secretary to the Home Offico. Lord Reay Parliamentary Seoretary for India, while Mr. William M'Arthur and Mr. Monro Ferguson aecame Junior Lords of the Treasury. As the Queens Speech involved not only -he pro- framwc of a new session, but Of a re? Tini,,try?, it natirnllv eicited more than u,ual curiosity. It was at once, apparent that it did not err on the side of caution. If the Government had carried out the pro- gramme which they put forwud, it riald v??.4 iossed the time of several successive sessions. It is true that Home Rule, the "piece de resistance of the Gladstone ii.istrv, was conspicuous by its abwnoe, but th; Prominent position -ecorded to an Evicted Tenants Bill test !fled to the whole- some fear in which Ministers stood of their Irish allies. Tlie enemies of the Church were promised a Welsh Disestablishment Bill and a Scotch Disestablishment Bill. The teetotalers were "Ilured bv hopes of a Local Veto Bil1. the London Radicals were pro- mised the equ?ligation of rates, the Labour Party the amendment of the Factories nd Mines Act, and a Bill to promote conciliation in labour disputes. The registration law was amended, plural voting abolished, and several minor reforms undertaken, to say nothing of the extension of local government to Scotland. But the Radical legislative appetite grows with feeding, as the French prover b says, and before the session was many weeks old there were further promises of an English Education Bill, an Irish Educa- tion Bill, a R&ilway and Canal Traffic Bill, a Crofters Bill, a Bill for accelerating registration under the Parish Councils Act, anfl another for carrying ont the Behring Sea award. The repeal of the Crimes Act and the revision of the Irish Land Laws were promised to the Nationalist*. The transfer of election expenses o ratepayet-S, tba exi9n o(-Oe.&uU HGWLUS Bill to L, Irela'nd?"ana the granting of Home ttule to Scotland were among the other visions wit- tered before the eves of deluded ^.aduMls. In short, the Government, being desirous of conciliating a dozen rival and often conflict- ing interests, promised every section the par- ticular thing it wanted without the slightest* regard to the capacities of an ordinary session, even if it were not hy a particularly contentious Budget. An unlucky Ministry was unlucky from the outset, and opened its career and the session with II hlunrler in one House and a reverse in the other Lord Rosebery, who ha'! assumed the Premier- ship, witu it good share of public coutidence, stumbled on the threshold by bis extra- ordinary changes of front upon Home Rule. His fervour in the cause had always been open .to suspicion, "nd when, in. answer to Lord Salisbury's speech on the Address, he admitted that thi conversion of "the pre- dominant partner" in the international firm must precede the establishment of Home Rule, there was it generl hope that the Irish spectre was laid for the present. But the Nationalists took darm and assumed so threatening an attit.,de that, in a speeh at Edinburgh at the end of the same week, Lord Rosebery recanted n,t ?.pWned away tho evident meaniug (?f the speech in the u:evif"t:illg il:i thhh:1 P.ii,y inflicted a great hlow on his prestige at the outset of his Ministry, anil those who had hoped for an era of a more definite and con- sistent policy were bitterly disappointed. It was the first step in that downward path by which Lord Rosebery has contrived in the course of a few months to fritter IIwav his reputation. Meantime, in the House of Com- mons the new Government had to submit to the humiliation of a defeat on the Address at the hands of their own supporters Nir Labouchere was the dells ex machina. with his amendment demanding the abolition of the right of the House of Lords to alter or reject Bills passed by the House of Cmnmon.. The amendment was carried by two only, the Conservatives hurrying in to the rescue of the Ministry, though not in time to avert defeat. Sir William Hareourt thus found himself at the outset of his leadership in a most em barrassing position. It was impos- sible to accept the amendment and impossible to ignore it. The only tluug to be done was to withdraw the Address" and move another one, merely thanking the Queen for her gracious Speech. This was done with the help of the Opposition, and the House settled down to the work of the session. It has been a cascof much civ an.1 little wool. The Local Veto Bill, the Mines Bill, and the Scotch Disestablishment Bill never got beyond the Queen's Speh. The measures whicu were introduced were as drastic as though Ministers meant to make up by the strength of their language for the futility of their action. The Welsh Disestablishment Bill was much more rapacious and unfair to the Church than its Irish predecessor, yet the Secularists complained because it saved the life interests of incumbents. The Regis- tration Bill established two registers :n the year, prohibited .plural votings allowed one polling day for the-ithole country, making a. Saturday compulsory, and laid heavy expenses on ratepayers. But it made no attempt to readjust electoral inequalities in reg.rf to Ir,1.n d and W. I ?,. THE BUDGET. The Budget, which was introduced on April 25, was expected, tu be a sensational one, though the secret had not been revealed. It waa to be a "Democratic Budget," and was intended to bo a grand card at the general election, but it does not seem to have quite realised Ministerial hopes in that way. stV¡fie:: i? ry:c;n ahf:c:r of over three millions toO the Naval-expenses, of nearly half a million for education, and of other amounts in Army, Civil Service, and Post Office. A'prospective deficit of over four and a half millions was, however, diminished by the release of the Sues Canal dividends from theiv hypothecation .to meet the charges and the Naval Defence Acts, and by the diversion of the new sinking fund from the payment of debt. The net deficit to be met was 22,379,000. The Budget had three main features -the altera- tion of the death duties, 'the increase of the Income-tax in the higher softies of income, with large abatements in the lower, and an increase of the duty on spirits bysixpenle pgr gallon, and on beer by s ixpence per F. The new death duties would not bring in much at first, but tlie total result of the Budget would- add iJiI,670.000 to the revenue, leaving a surplus of less than 1)300,000. Then began a wearisome and protracted trl!Je ,1')[')1 l'J!groed the greater part of the session. The tedium of the technical discussions was something to be remembered, but tho great tight was waged on the main principle of the ncheme. Sir Willilm Hareourt seemed to act on the theory that the man who has acquired pro- perty is an enemy to the State and must lie despoiled accordingly. He proclaimed the doctrine that a man's title to his property ceases at his death, and can only pass to'his heirs or assign* by a frc^h grant from tlte State, which has "n "anterior" title. The large increase in the sca'.P 1IÍ"harge in the form of the new estate duty inflicted great hardship on the inheritors of landed pro- perty at a time of such depression, for it foreed "them to realise ill some cases thews lue or several years income to meet the exces- sive demands of the State. But the repre- sentatives of real property pleaded in vain. The principle 0 graduaton was canied to a dangerous extreme in regard to tho Income-tax. Irish and Scntch ùi.<til)ers rotested against the spirit duties, and English brewers and barley growers against the beer duty. The ?.u?,? of the Budget was thus far from smooth, and Sir Willizu?? Hal court was arbitrary, imperious, and unbending. He stood by his Bill as a whole, and, us ftne went on, insisted that it should be oassed before he would say what other mea- sures the Government meant to proceed with. The Bill, read a second time on May 10, went into Committee a fortnight lattri was reported July 2 the report stage closed July 1.6, and was read a third time, July 17, by a majority of twenty. It had been sug- gested by the Radicals—and probably hoped -that the Lords would throw out the Bill, against hi,h ti,? Duke of Devonshire had spoken trongly out of dn()r, but the Peen were too wise. Lord Salisbury made a pro- test against the dangerous innovations it involve4, and it was read a third time. The Budget being out of the way, the Chancellor of the Exchequer made his promised state- ment as to public business, which soon proved to be no statement at all. GENERAL. On the 19th of July the Leader of the House ?,id they would defer Sujiply. which was greatly in arrears, till il;ey had par?sed the in T?mnt? Wl, the R:r'B'J and the Scotch Local Government Bill, besides giving facilities for the Eight Hours Mines Bill, and had dealt with eleven other measures. This programme, after the House had been sitting almost continuously for a year and a half, provoked, as was natural, very strong protest. Early in the session there had been a side fight over the appoint. ment of a Scotch Standing Committee to consider Scotch Bills. Its constitution was so manifestly unfair aird- one-Sided that the Government had to yield and modify its tI' lanahip. The Committee had been p ?r..dering the Scotch Local Government Bill, and Sir George Trevelyan blundered a good deal over its management, but the Bill was rescued by the House, who amended the amendments, and was further improved by the P,?, The LQrds' amendments were again amended by the Commons, nd the B;ll passed. The Evicted Tenants Bill. intro- duced by Mr. Morley as a sop to the Irish Cerberu^, could hardly have been expected by its promoters to become law. It practically proposed to reward dishonesty out of public funds. An irresponsible tribunal of three persons, 'appointed by the Government, were to "arbitrate," or, more correctly, to coerce landlords to receive back men who had refused to pay their rents years ago. dislodging paying present tenants for them, Ir. Baitoar, Mr. Chamberlain. Mr. Carson, the ex- Irish Attorney-General,made crushing speeches against the Bill, which was subversive of the whole principle of the Land Purchase System. The second reading was carid by 32, but the list of amendments was formidable, and the Government resolved to trv coercion. Sir W, Harcouit gave untied that on the last dar of July he would move a re-oution for ?a '&;ure" by compartments, Th:ø was carried by 43, for the lateness of the season was telling on the House. Mr. Courtney made an earnest appeal for conciliation, but it was unsuccessful, and the Opposition, in disgust at such a travesty of free discus- sion, refused to take any further part in the proceedings in the Committee. Thev returned to vote against the third reading, which was carried by 32 on August 7. The Bill went to the Lords under tlie title of the Tenants' Arbitration Bill, and was thrown out on the seoend reading after a brilliant debate. The figures wom-249 to 30. The Equalisation of Rates Bill, which the Opposition accented in principle, though condemning the & ? ppi??. tion, was more fortunate, It 1)a.?. both ?Housfs; so did the Railway and Canal Traffic Bill. The Mines Eight Hours Bill ended in a ifasco. Mr. David Thomas's amendment, providing for bed option, waa carried by a majority of five, and the pro' moters thereupon withdrew" the Bill. Mr, Fowler made a good impression in the Indian Budget. The most important Private Bill csmed was Sir Richard Webster's Cruelty to ell Bjll. The Irish Nationalists could otget their Bills for the repeal óf the Crimes Act and for the reiaaian .uf .the Land Acts beyond second reading. Lord Salisbury's Aliens Bill remained at the same stage in the Lords. The DeceasH Wife's Sister Bill was de-eated on the secoid reading in the Lords by nine. On the 2' h of August the profit- less snd discreditable 8plj.,ion came to an end It was the lirst in.ving memory in which Ilk Gladstone had taken no part. Sir William Hareourt's leadersJiip Q tlie Coin- mons had been vcr." far from sa tisfa etor. In the first place, his attendance, when his Budget was not under discussion, was per- functory and irregular. While the 'inanciol contest was going on he was v;giJant enough, but he showed want of temper and fairness. His irritability tvas'explainfcd by some lookers- on bv th, ?,trai.?d relations lot-en him ,nd his chief. Apart fmm the r-constn!ctiolt of the Cabinet, there were several minor changes. MINISTERIAL. Mr. iftmdella was obliged to /esign b; office -in,, to the misfortune .of a com- pany <vilh w hich he Imtl long been Miinectei. the inanag" ement-of which iwurred judicial censure. Mr, Bryc" re-placed him. Sir Charles Russell has forsaken the political arena, in which he had so greatly distin- guishedMtnsttf.fortheBcnch. First he accepted & vacant Lordship of Appeal, and then, on the iame?ted death of Lord Cole- ridge, he was unpointed Lord Chief Justice. Sir John feighy ""came Attoraey- General and Mr. Reid Solicitor'GeneraJ. Loi-d Tweedinoutli has been very inefficiently re-placed as Chief Ministerial Whip by Mr. T. K. Ellis. Mr. Labouchere has made himself very fussy,' but not successfully so. His reck- 1,'s8' chal'ges a:a.in8íl1i"ê01hm-lIIen in Africa were completely disproved. His opposition to the grtnt. w the Dulie of Coburg failed. THE LORDS QUESTION. On the: Opposition side Mr. Balfour has increased his already high reputation and extensive influence, while Mr. Chamberlain and himself, who'haVe wbrfcefHvith Unvarying cordiality, have been the oratorical gladiators who have carried all before them in debate. Since the prorogatior, t hel:" have been many noticeable speeches on Ivtth irl. Lord Rosebery at. Bradford "filing down th<! gauntlet" against the House of Lords, which the Conservative leMfI\ VeTT (Juickly toott up. The Premier, however, proclaims him. self a "Second Chamber man." while Mr. Asquith is for more sweeping alteration. The attempt to galvanise an agitation acrainst the Lords has. however, 'been '"intrti'.Jrly unsuc- cessful. The people ¡!eneralIy feel indebted to the Lords for preserving them from violent changes they had not been consulted upon. Tlie loss of two Libera! seats, in Forfar and Brigg Divisions, show- how little Lord Rose- berv haR gained"bv'liis" declaration of war. Mr. Chamberlain has during the recess put forward a social reform programme, in which old age pensions occupy a prominent place. The AnarchlstR IlaH been disas- trously active, this year. Even among our- selves they have been astir, and there j. every reason to believe that the Royal Obser- vatory at Greenwich escaped injury fróm a miscredUt who paid the penalty oi his moil design with his life. ABROAD. In several parts of the Continent they have, menaced public safety, but it is in France that they han wrought most disaster. In January several Anarchists were arrested in Paris, and during the month Vaillant, who had thrown the bomb" in the Chamber of Deputies last year, was found guilty, and condemned to death, Three days before his execution a bomb charged with chlorated powder and nails was found in the Town-hall nf Versailles. The fuse had been lishted. On February 5 Vaillant was executed, declar- ing on the scaffold .that ia would be avenged. A few days later a terrible bomb outrage occurred in the Cafe Breton. Paris, by which thirteen persons* were injured, many very seriously. It was about this time that the Immb w as found in 'Greenwich Park and the police raided t!M MUtnnom? Club, an Anaz"?i.,l place of assembl- in London, dis- persing the members and seizine many papers. On the 15th of March a bemlv -eKpl«d«d at the Madeleine: but it was in June that the areat catastrophe came. President Carnot had been making a. provincial tour, slit was visiting Lyons,, where he was most cordially received, when, as he was driving to the State performance "t the thatre, he was stabbed in his carriage by a young Italian, named Cesario Santo. He died the same nieht. This terriMfc ertme -evoked universal horror and indignation, and roused pu blie feeliug throughout Europe still more strontrly against the Anarchists. Several measures have since fcen passed in "France" against tliem. M. Casimir-Perier. an able and strong-minded statesman, was fleeted. Presi- dent of the Reuublic in place of the lamenteo M. Carnot. The assassnir w-ho was rased on the spot expiated his crime on the -cafold. France responded to the warm .•xpresshns of English sympathy on the murder if her President, but otherwise th5 Wlations between the two countries hava uot been cordial. So antagonistic, indeed, -,vils tl,e tone of the French press in regard to feerpt alid the other African ouestions tending ?"at when "?d Roseb?y >brt!ed the puboc bv the sudJen "mnMoas "f tto? 'Ca bmet the recess it was generally supposed that » difficulty with Franœ was the origin. It proved i. be otherwise. Rn?tand. nowever, watches with "(,M, a'nx?ty the French H' pedition a?ait?t )Iadaga;car, The Hova) are determined to.resMt, aW a French )c,u, pation is threatened. GERMANY. In Germany the energetic young zmpeuw is engaged in a struggle with the Socialists. Thev rained great' strength at the general election, though the Government ibtaiocd the desired majority. When the Empenr went to open the Reichstag the Socialists ostentatiously kept their hats on ar.d remained seated. Tile Imperial Chancellor asked permission of the President to p.;o»e- cute the offending deputies, but this was refused by the, Chamber-a manifest re- buff to the Government.' Early in the year reconciliation was effected between tb. Emperor and Prince Bismarck, who visited Berlin on the Eippeiaij. birthday. Gwit sympathy has been felt for the venerable statesman in the recent death of his wife. Germany has had her political crisis the difficulties between Count Caprivi. Bis- marck's sucoessor as Chancellor, Mid Count Eulcnberg, life head of the Prussian Ministry. Both resTgned their ofifcii. Prince Hohen- lohe, who had been Governor of Alsace- Lorraine, a man of judgment and expe rieoco, was appointed Chancellor of tll. Empire. His first action in the Reichstag has. however, been ao unlucky one. ITALY. Italv has had a troubled year, cwmmiMnf in a 'political scandal more damaging even than the Panama Canal troubles rn Ftanas last year. The riots in Sicily in January assumed such formidable proportions that martial law had to be proclaimed. In juns an attempt was made to assassinate Signor Crispi, the Premier, which, happily, failed. RUSSIA. Russia has attracted to herself AID unusual amount of attention. The protracted hie* of Alexander the Third excited u.iivjrsal sympathy, and his death deprived the Con- tinent of a stable supporter of European peace. In this country it ?as felt ??ith .spt- c?d interest, on account of the close &8øOClatloD of the Prince add Princess of Wales vrilb the Imperial mourners. The Czar died in Livadia, and his remains were removed by slow stages to tie capital with much Stda ceremony aad profuse demonstrations of {(opular sorrow. Through 811 this trying period the Prince of Wales was at the right hand of the vou Czar, who turned to him on everv occasion. It is «'«ll understood that tlie relations between the two nations are mors cordial than they have been for years, a ioapry augury for the future In Asia. The marriage of the young Oaar to Princess Alix of Hse,gnnd-daughter of our Queen, and an EH1iøh Princess by descent and bv "vthy, IN another omes of pe-,?! and dwir I bet-e?n the nations. The Princess, who is gifted in mind anc person, travelled to Livadia at the wish 01 the late Czar, and wa with him vbec he died. The marriage, which had two necessarily postponed by his ilkiess, was celebrated shortly after his, death, the mourning being suspended for the (1ay. Princess Alix was received into the Greek Church before her marriage, a necessary pre- liminary in the case of every Princess who marries a Russian Czar or CofArewiteh, CHINA AND JAPAN. The pending ouarrel between China And Japan over the sovereignity of the Core* culminated at the heginning of August is &, declaration of war bv Japan. The -mailer, but more disciplined. 'Power has -srriefi all before it, defeating the Chinew, Navy in the battle of Ping Yang, routing the Chriesa troops wherever it encountered them in nud, cagtyirinu Port Arthur, and advancing Q