Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/485

 1899.] CHRONICLE. 61

4. The mail train from Pretoria to Cape Town stopped within the Transvaal territory, and upwards of half a million in gold taken by order of the Government, and brought into the Government Treasury.

5. The second attempt to sail the first match between the Columbia and Shamrock made off Sandy Hook, but had to be abandoned in conse- quence of want of wind, neither yacht completing the course within the allotted time.

— The Duke of Westminster laid the foundation stone at Hawarden of the St. Deniol's Library, intended to form one of the national memorials to Mr. Gladstone.

— Count Muravieff, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, went to San Sebastian in order to have an interview with Sefior Silvela, the Spanish Premier, and the Queen Regent.

— The Bank of England raised its rate of discount from 4J to 5 per cent., the reserve standing at 20,651,217/., or 39g per cent, of the liabilities, and the stock of coin and bullion at 32,692,932/.

6. A serious landslip occurred at Dover in connection with the works of the new harbour, burying several workmen under an enormous mass of limestone.

— Sir Henry Campbell -Bannerman, at Maidstone, and Mr. John Morley, at Carnarvon, addressed meetings condemning the policy of the Government in South Africa.

— The John Rylands Memorial Library, erected at Manchester by his widow to receive the famous Althorp Library and other collections of books, opened by Dr. Fairbairn, Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford. Mrs. Rylands was afterwards presented with the freedom of the city of Manchester.

7. A proclamation, signed by the Queen, issued calling out the Army Reserve, about 25,000 men, for active service, and in consequence Parliament was summoned to assemble ten days later.

— An order issued from the War Office directing the immediate mobilisation of a field force for service in South Africa.

— The strike of the iron workers at Creuzot, after lasting twenty days, settled by arbitration, both M. Schneider and the workmen's delegates having agreed to the choice of M. Waldeck-Rousseau, the Premier, and to accept his award, which was made within twenty-four hours.

— The third attempted race between the yachts Shamrock and Columbia off Sandy Hook failed like the previous for want of wind.

8. The Parnell anniversary celebrated at Dublin by laying the foun- dation stone of the proposed Parnell monument. Large crowds from the provinces attended, and everything passed off peaceably, notwith- standing the objections raised by the admirers of Wolfe Tone.

9. Lord Halifax presided at a meeting of the English Church Union held in St. James's Hall, to consider the Lambeth decision, which he declared himself unable to accept.

— Nine columns in the great hall of the temple of Karnak reported to have fallen down.