Page:The Annals of Our Time - Volume 1.djvu/27

OCTOBER 13.—The French in Algeria. To-day General Dameremont attacks Constantina, the stronghold of Achmet Dey and the capital of ancient Numidia, which is carried by assault after a desperate resistance.

15.—Major Rawlinson encounters the Russian agent Vickovich journeying with presents to the camp of Mahomed Shah, at Herat. "I tracked them," he writes, "for some distance along the high road, and then found that they had turned off to a gorge in the hills. When at length I came upon the group, seated at breakfast by the side of a clear sparkling rivulet. The officer, for such he evidently was, was a young man of slight make, very fair complexion, with bright eyes, and a look of great animation. He rose and bowed to me as I rode up, but said nothing. I addressed him in French—the general language of communication between Europeans in the East, but he shook his head. I then spoke English, and he answered in Russian. When I tried Persian, he seemed not to understand a word; at length he expressed himself hesitatingly in Turcoman, or Uzbeg Turkish. I knew just sufficient of this language to carry on a simple conversation, but not enough to be inquisitive. This was evidently what my friend wanted, for when he found I was not strong enough in Jaghatai to proceed very rapidly, he rattled on with his rough Turkish as glibly as possible. All I could find out was that he was a borâ fide Russian officer carrying presents from the Emperor to Mahomed Shah. More he would not admit; so, after smoking another pipe with him, I remounted, and reached the royal camp beyond Nishapoor before dark. I had an immediate audience of the Shah, and in the course of common conversation, mentioning to his Majesty my adventure of the morning, he replied, 'Bringing presents to me! Why, I have nothing to do with him; he is sent direct from the Emperor to Dost Mahomed of Cabul, and I am merely asked to help him on his journey. Major Rawlinson at once returned to Teheran to acquaint Mr. M'Neill with the communication which was going on between St. Petersburg and Cabul.

17.—Sir F. B. Head writes from Toronto to Sir J. Colborne, Lower Canada:—"In reference to that part of your letter of the 10th instant (this moment received) in which you state that you have made arrangements for assembling troops at certain points to aid the civil authorities, and to encourage the loyal, which will compel you to withdraw from Upper Canada as many companies of the 24th as I can spare you, to show a good front at this crisis, I have pleasure in being able to inform you, that excepting the small detachment at Bytown, I consider that this province can dispense with as many of the troops as you may deem it desirable to require." About a month later Sir Francis was in danger of being made a prisoner in his own capital.

— Addressing a meeting of local Reformers, Lord Durham referred to the late defeat which his party had sustained in his own county. "Having been abroad for a considerable time," he said, "I am not prepared to trace all the small and minor causes which have led to that temporary eclipse of your former Liberal ascendency; suffice it to say that it has happened, and that if I live it shall never happen again." Lord Durham expressed himself as favourable to the ballot, if no other means could be devised of protecting the voter.

17.— Died at Weimar, age 59, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, composer and pianoforte player.

23.—Meeting of the Six Counties at St. Charles, Lower Canada to protest against the threats of the English Parliament to annihilate the fundamental laws of the colony.

25.—Heard in the Court of Common Pleas the case of libel raised by Mr. Easthope, M.P. one of the proprietors of the Morning Chronicle, against C. M. Westmacott, of the Age. The libel was contained in a placard issued for electioneering purposes, and insinuating that the plaintiff had failed to repay money borrowed from a friend. A verdict for 40l. damage was given against the defendant.

26.—Meeting at Manchester to promote a system of national education.

27.—Don Carlos arrives at Durango in his flight to the north side of the Ebro.

28.—From Cabul, Burnes writes to Captain Jacob:— "With war come intrigues, and I have had the good fortune to find out all the doings of the Czar and his emissaries here, where they have sent letters and presents. After proving this, I plainly asked the Governor-General if such things were to be allowed, and I got a reply a week ago altering all my instructions, giving me power to go on to Herat, and anywhere, indeed, I could do good. The first exercise of this authority has been to despatch a messenger to Candahar, to tell them to discontinue their intercourse with Persia and Russia, on pain of displeasure; and not before it was time, for a son of the chief of the city, with presents for the Russian ambassador, is ready to set out for Teheran." Next day:—"Here a hundred things are passing of the highest interest. Dost Mahomod Khan has fallen into all our views, and in so doing has either thought for himself or followed my counsel, but for doing the former I give him every credit, and things now stand so that I think we are on the threshoid of a negotiation with King Runjeet, the basis of which will be his withdrawal from Peshawur, and a Barukzye receiving it as tributary from Lahore, the chief of Cabul sending his son to ask pardon. What say you to this, after all that has been urged by Dost Mahomed Khan's putting forth extravagant pretensions? Runjeet will accede to the plan, I am certain. I have on behalf of Government agreed to stand as mediator with the parties, and Dost Mahomed has cut asunder Rh