but American Ministers are being summoned from foreign Courts to give evidence, which looks like earnestness."

When the enquiry had proceeded some time, however, with the clear desire to unseat the President, the House of Representatives, by a vote of 215 to 21, passed a resolution declaring that the forty-fourth Congress having declared Mr. Hayes President of the Republic, it was not within the power of any subsequent Congress to reverse that action, and that any attempt to do so would be revolutionary.

Encounters with the Indians still continued during the year. Fifty volunteers under Captain Sperry, who marched to Willow Springs, thirty miles south of Pendleton, to scout in the Indian country south of Columbia River, were ambuscaded by the hostile Indians in July, and the entire company killed or wounded, except seven. Captain Sperry himself was among the killed. Intelligence was received by the Government that, in order to prevent the crossing of the Indians, the Columbia River had to be guarded by the Federal troops.

General Howard two days later advanced from the south-west in two columns, and attacked the hostile Indians at Butler Creek. The Indians were strongly posted on a steep ridge, but, after a stubborn contest, were driven to another position in the rear, which the troops stormed and captured. The Indians retreating, were pursued five miles, abandoning their horses, provisions, and camp materials. The loss on the side of the United States troops was trifling, and General Howard reopened communications with General Wheaton on the Columbia River.

Mr. Sherman, the Secretary of the Treasury, delivered a speech at Mansfield, Ohio, on August 26, in which he expressed himself in favour of the circulation of a large amount of silver and greenbacks, so that they might be kept at a par with gold. Mr. Sherman declared that the execution of the Resumption Act was rapidly approaching, and that silver, gold, and paper were now almost at par. The United States Treasury had $140,000,000 in coin available, and he believed that the resumption would be easily maintained, and that no step backward would be justified. The Government had effected an annual saving of interest on the debt to the amount of $10,000,000. The sales of the Four per Cent. Bonds were rapidly progressing; and Mr. Sherman was confident that they would exceed $100,000,000 this year, thus enabling him to redeem all Five-Twenty bonds of the 1865 issue. While labour in the United States was depressed in consequence of over-production, and the same depression existed in other countries, there was a better prospect of relief in the United States, where labour as well as property received protection from the Government. In conclusion, Mr. Sherman defended the policy pursued by President Hayes, whose object, he said, was to destroy sectionalism.

President Hayes himself, at St. Paul, where he had an

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enthusiastic popular reception, dwelt on the progressive improvement in the financial condition of the country, showing that in thirteen years the public debt had been reduced by one-third and the annual interest diminished to the extent of $56,000,000, paid monthly in America, owing to the return of bonds from abroad. The annual taxation of the country had been reduced to $247,000,000, and the expenses to $120,000,000. The paper currency was nearly at par, showing an increase in the coin value of $175,000,000. The excess of exports over imports during the past year amounted to $258,000,000. The President proceeded to declare that the balance of trade was in favour of the United States, remarking that American enterprise and the most important American products sought every land. "We cannot," said the President, "isolate ourselves from the rest of the commercial world. Our increasing foreign trade requires our financial system to be based upon principles whose soundness has been sanctioned by universal experience and by the general judgment of mankind. We are on the threshold of better times, and the surest foundations for prosperity are a sound and honest currency and unstained national credit." The President concluded his speech with an eloquent appeal on behalf of the people of the Southern States now suffering from the yellow fever epidemic. This was a specially terrible one, and the English journals of September 14 contained the following account of the progress of the strange disease, which had not appeared in such a form since 1853.

"Most terrible accounts of the ravages and spread of yellow fever in the Southern States are contained in the latest telegrams. The number of deaths from yellow fever on Wednesday (4th) was ninety at New Orleans and 104 at Memphis. Out of a thousand nurses at Memphis eight hundred are ill with the fever. It is stated that in the fever-stricken districts there are now 90,000 people without employment and destitute, for whose subsistence alone within the next fifty days a million of dollars will be required. A famine, it is believed, will certainly follow the fever. A telegram of Tuesday's date from Washington reports that the Secretary for War is stated to have declared that the means at the disposal of the Government for relieving the distress in the Southern States are now almost exhausted. The principal Southern Congressmen and other leading members of Congress have issued an appeal for the immediate organisation of a national relief system, to anticipate the famine which it is believed will certainly follow the fever. The Governor of Ohio has proclaimed a day of prayer to avert the pestilence from that State." The total number of deaths to September 29, when the plague was abating, amounted to 2,758 at New Orleans; Memphis, 2,469; Vicksburg, 790; Greenville, 300; Grenada, 274; Holly Springs, 133; Port Gibson, 110; Canton, 99; Stickman, 95; Brownsville, 66; Plaquemine, 65; Baton Rouge, 58; Grand Junction, 44;

Louisville, 36; Pattersonville, 33; Morgan City, 30; Labadieville, 30; Chattanooga, 26; and at other places, 200.

A despatch of Mr. Evarts on the Newfoundland Fishery Dispute removed all fear of serious quarrel, and was a very temperate and reasonable document. It brought out one important point, namely, that the Newfoundland fisheries are closed by a local law between October 20 and April 25, so that for the Americans to fish on January 16 was a violation of this regulation, made in the interest of the fisheries themselves. Mr. Evarts argued, however, that American treaty rights can hardly be overridden by a one-sided law emanating from one of the parties to the treaty only; and this apparently he argued without reference to the date of the municipal regulation itself. It is highly reasonable, he says, that the contracting parties shall by some "joint action" adopt regulations protecting the fisheries, but it is not reasonable that one of them, after affecting to give the other a right with one hand, shall take it back with the other by a onesided regulation. The whole despatch was written in the same tone of argumentative moderation. It was stated that Lord Salisbury's reply was equally frank and cordial, that it accepted this principle, and gave the greatest satisfaction at Washington, much to Lord Salisbury's credit.

The excitement of the strife of parties over the last Presidential election abated in the presence of a common and formidable enemy. The Greenback inflationists and the Labour agitation joined their forces and formed a new party, which threatened at once public credit and private capital. General Butler placed himself at the head of this "Greenback-Labour" party, which gained some ominous successes in Maine, and seemed likely to win for Butler the governorship of Massachusetts. The Democratic Convention which met on September 17 in Boston, contained a heavy majority of members, said to amount to two-thirds, opposed to the nomination of General Butler for Governor. So strong, however, was the feeling in his favour outside, that the Convention, after a brief struggle, nominated him unanimously. Kearney, a Californian mob-orator, seemed to have gained a considerable following. "The temper of the wage-receivers," said a writer upon this subject in the Spectator, "was shown in the railway strikes, and of the unskilled city labourers in the riots which accompanied them; and we do not feel quite so secure of the farmers, or rather yeomanry, as we did. We defer on this point to American opinion, if it is at all decided, but to us, as outside observers, it seems that the farmers in the Union are growing discontented; that prices hit them terribly hard; that mortgages are growing, owing in many districts to an exhaustion of the soil, which now wants unprocurable quantities of manure; that the railway charges, which are to the corn-growers what freights are to coal-owners, excite irrational bitterness; and that a blind craving for relief, taking the form of a clamour for cheap money,

has spread among the distressed. In the West they say the price of money makes the whole difference between a profit and ruin.'" However the better Democrats took the alarm in time. At the "Fall elections" the "Greenback-Labour" candidates were beaten everywhere, while the Democrats, who had coquetted with them, suffered severe losses in the north and west, though they so far recouped themselves elsewhere as to leave the balance of parties but slightly affected. When Congress met in December the President's message announced that resumption of specie payments would be carried into effect according to law on New Year's Day. No opposition was threatened, and the revival of mercantile activity already visible was confidently expected to make rapid progress on a basis of hard money.

CHAPTER IV.

ITALY SPAIN—BELGIUM-HOLLAND-DENMARK—-PORTUGAL

MEXICO.

Italy.-Death of the King-King Humbert IV.- Death of the Pope-Election of Leo XIII.-Cabinet of S. Cairoli-The Eastern Question-Encyclical Letter -Surplus of Revenue-Municipal Elections-" Italia Irredenta "-Electoral Question-David Lazzaretti-Death of Cardinal Franchi-Reconstruction of the Cabinet-Attempt on the King's Life-Loyal Demonstrations-Defeat of the Cairoli Ministry-Ministry of S. Depretis.

Spain.-Marriage of Alfonso and Mercedes-Opening of the Cortes-Pacification of Cuba-The Budget-Death of Queen Mercedes-Death of Queen Christina -Attempt on the King's Life-Diplomatic Difficulty.

Belgium.-Fall of the Clerical Ministry-Silver Wedding-Opening of Parlia

ment.

Holland.-Outbreak in Acheen-Opening of Parliament-The Budget-Betrothal of the King-Socialism.

Denmark.-Revolt of Negroes in Santa Cruz-The Folkething Dismissed-Marriage of the Duke of Cumberland and Princess Thyra. Portugal.-Change of Ministry.

Mexico.-Border Difficulties.

ITALY.

VICTOR EMMANUEL, first King of Italy, died in Rome on January 9, from a brief but severe attack of fever, caught at his hunting palace of San Rossore, and complicated by pleurisy. He was in his fifty-eighth year, and died on the same day as the Emperor Napoleon. The King belonged to an excommunicated class, those who had aided in the seizure of the States of the Church, though he was never excommunicated by name, but, on his application, his private chaplain performed the last rites of the Church. The chaplain had previously received the authority of his ecclesiastical superiors and the Cardinal-Vicar, and on receiving the intelligence the Pope expressed his regret that his infirmities prevented his visiting the Quirinal himself, and sent the King, by two Monsignors, the Papal benediction. The King remained in

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full possession of his faculties to the last, and died enjoining his son to follow in his footsteps. "His character," said the Spectator, was most remarkable for this-that while it was in many serious respects far from elevated, or even average, its loyalty was not only perfect, but was perceptible to the masses of a great country; but we must add here that his death has created deep emotion in Italy, and deep regret in every country in the world. The precise share of the deceased King in making Italy will only be known when this generation has passed away, but it is already certain that without him, without his peculiar, gloomy uprightness in politics, his almost ferocious daring and the confidence which, Savoyard hunter as he was, he attracted from all classes, Italy would never have been made."

The Prince of Piedmont was at once proclaimed King as Humbert IV. After referring to the misfortune which had befallen himself and Italy in the death of a Sovereign who founded the unity of the State, and whose last sigh was for the nation, King Humbert said :-" At this moment there is but one consolation for us possible-namely, to show ourselves worthy of him-I by following in his footsteps, you by remaining devoted to those civic virtues by the aid of which he succeeded in accomplishing the difficult task of rendering Italy great and united. I shall be mindful of the grand examples he gave me of devotion to our country, love of progress, and faith in liberal institutions, which are the pride of my house. My sole ambition will be to deserve the love of my people."

On January 12 the troops throughout Italy took the oath of allegiance to the new King. In Rome the ceremony was extremely impressive. It took place just beyond the baths of Diocletian, on the site of the prætorian camp established by Sejanus. Three sides of the square were lined with troops, while on the fourth were ranged the officers now in Rome, but not attached to the corps under arms. Solemn silence was maintained by the crowds along the route, until on the appearance of the King a shout of "Il Rè Umberto" arose on all sides. General Bruzzo, commandant of the Military Division of Rome, read in a loud voice the military oath, and the soldiers, raising the right arm, simultaneously uttered the word "Giuro" ("I swear "). The King then rode to the Piazza dell' Indipendenza for the march past of the troops, and at the conclusion returned to the Quirinal.

A week later he took the oath at the Parliament House, in the presence of an immense assemblage of persons, who cheered him for five minutes.

After the senators had sworn allegiance King Humbert addressed them, and said that Italy-which knew how to understand Victor Emmanuel-proved to him the truth of the lesson taught by his father, that a religious respect of her institutions was the surest guarantee against all danger. Such was the faith of his House, and that it was which would be his strength. He added