Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/491

 1899.] CHRONICLE. 67

2. The American ladies in London announced their intention of chartering and fitting out a hospital ship for the use of the sick and wounded in the Transvaal war.

— The American cruiser Charleston wrecked on a coral reef off the island of Luzon, but no casualties occurred.

3. The landing stage of the Waesland Railway, on the left bank of the Scheldt, near Antwerp, broke in two, and over a hundred people were thrown into the river, of whom upwards of twenty-five were drowned.

— A terrific gale, rising in parts to the force of a hurricane, swept over the midland and southern counties of England, doing great damage at sea and on land.

— Colenso (Natal), to the south of Ladysmith, evacuated by the British troops, who concentrated with all their stores, etc., farther south ; Ladysmith being thereby completely invested from all sides.

— Westhampnett Workhouse, between Chichester and Goodwood, totally destroyed by fire during the night, but the inmates, 115 in number, were all conveyed to a place of safety.

4. The Marquess of Dufferin elected Lord Rector of Edinburgh University by 943 votes against 688 given to Mr. Asquith, M.P.

— Right Hon. Horace Plunkett, M.P., appointed first Vice-President of the new department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland.

— The Massachusetts authorities granted permission to the Vic- torian Club of Boston to erect a monument in memory of the British troops who fell at Bunker's Hill.

6. A great portion of the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, destroyed by fire, which broke out just before the opening of the doors for the even- ing performance.

— The election at Exeter, consequent on the retirement of Sir S. H. Northcote (C), resulted in the return of Sir Edgar Vincent (C.) by 4,030 votes against 3,379 given to Mr. Allan Bright (L.).

— Lord Kitchener, returning from Khartoum to Cairo, accomplished the journey in seventy-one hours. A tourist service for the winter was organised between Wady Haifa and Khartoum.

7. An agreement with regard to the Pacific Islands % arrived at between the protecting Powers, by which Tutuila, etc., were ceded to the United States, Upolu and Savaii (Samoan) to Germany, and the Tonga, Savage and Solomon groups to Great Britain.

— The United States " fall n elections in eleven States were gener- ally favourable to the Republican party or to the Fusionists.

8. The Czar and Czaritza returning from Darmstadt stayed at Berlin to pay a visit to the German Emperor at Potsdam.

— A violent south-westerly gale blew for some hours, causing much damage to shipping on the Irish and west of England coasts, and to some transports conveying troops. Digitized b vGoO<