Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/428

4 The extraordinary expenditure—by which a deficit on the year would be occasioned—was to be met out of accumulations of the surplus of previous years. The Army Estimates showed an increase of 34,000,000 roubles, and the Navy of 16,000,000.

13. Prince George of Greece, the High Commissioner of Crete, presided at the inaugural meeting of the commission appointed to draw up the Constitution.

14. The White Star liner Oceanic, the largest vessel in the world, successfully launched at Messrs. Harland & Wolff's yard, Belfast.

— Count Muravieff, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, addressed a second circular to the European Cabinets, stating that notwithstanding recent events the convocation of the Peace Congress was still desirable.

— At Rome important discoveries made during the excavations of the Forum, and a marble receptacle, at once claimed (without authority) to be the tomb of Romulus unearthed. It was discovered in front of the "Curia."

16. An appeal issued by the French Socialists to the "English proletariat," in which to capitalists in both countries was ascribed the effort to bring the two peoples into collision.

— A French newspaper, Le Matin, opened a patriotic subscription to provide the French Navy with a submarine vessel of the type of the Gustave Zédé, of which the remarkable performances under water had been recently reported.

— The eruption of Vesuvius attained great proportions, one stream of lava flowing down the observatory side and another towards the lower railway station.

— The coffin of Christopher Columbus transferred from the cathedral at Havana, and previous to being deposited in the cathedral of Seville, was opened and found to contain about thirty bones and some ashes.

17. The results of the Local Government elections in Ireland occasioned great surprise, the Labour representatives gaining a large number of seats in Dublin, Limerick, Cork, and other large towns. The Unionists lost many seats throughout the country.

— Mr. John Morley, M.P., addressing his constituents at Brechin, stated that he intended no longer to take an active or responsible part in the counsels of the heads of the Liberal party.

— Herr Carl Jacobsen, a brewer of Copenhagen, informed the municipal authorities of his intention to present his art collection, valued at 5,000,000 kroner, to the city.

18. The Prussian Estimates for 1899, as laid before the Diet, balanced with a revenue and expenditure of 2,326,327,348 marks, showing an increase of 138,769,964 over the Estimates of the previous year.

— Major Esterhazy, having received a safe conduct guaranteeing him from arrest, arrived in Paris from Rotterdam.