National Assembly - Election for Paris - Budget Debate - Raw Material Speech of M. Thiers-Resignation Crisis-Navigation Act—Anglo-French Commercial Treaty-Party Programmes-M. Rouher-Suppression of Im- perial Journals-Law of Public Safety-Letter of M. de St. Hilaire- Case of M. Janvier de la Motte-Retirement of M. Pouyer-Quertier-Law against International Society-Easter Recess-Bills for Army Re-orga- nization and Council of State-Duc d'Audiffret-Pasquier and M. Rouher- Debate on Army Bill-Budget Debate-New Convention with Germany -Great Loan-Prorogation of Assembly-Death of the Duc de Guise Inquiry into the Insurrection of March 18, 1871-Trochu's Libel Case-Trials of Blanqui and other Communists-Executions at Satory-Republican Banquets-Alarm of the Conservatives-Permanent Committee on 10th of October-Expulsion of Prince Napoleon-Political Manifestoes-Elections of 20th October-Royalist Banquet at Bordeaux-Meeting of the Assembly -Thiers' Message-M. de Batbie's Report-Speech of M. Thiers-Resigna- tion of M. Lefranc-Official Appointments-Debate on Petitions for Dissolu- Local Diets-Bismarck's Speech on Denominational Question-School Inspec- tion Bill-Bishops of Ermeland and Cologne-Bill for Reform of Districts Administration-German Diet-Great Debate on the Anti-Jesuit Petition -Ministerial Crisis in Bavaria-Meeting of the Emperors at Berlin- Congress of Old Catholics at Cologne-Social Science Congress at Eisenach -Alsace-Lorraine-Prussian Diet, and Districts Administration Bill- Constitutional Crisis-Bismarck's Resignation of Prussian Premiership- Ultramontanism. AUSTRIA.-Bill for Compulsory Elections-Financial Exposition-Dissolution of Hungarian Diet-New Hungarian Diet-Army Estimates Debate-Retirement of Count Lonyay from Hungarian Premiership [222 CHAPTER IV.-ITALY-SPAIN-BELGIUM-NETHERLANDS-SWITZERLAND- Vatican and Quirinal-Relation to French Politics-Abbé Michaud-Père Hyacinthe-Russia, Turkey, and the Vatican-Italian Parliament-Death of Mazzini-Financial Statement-Pope's Allocution-Retirement of M. de Bourgoing. Sagasta Ministry-Dissolution of Cortes-New Elections— Carlist Insurrection-Ministry of Serrano-Ministry of Zorrilla-Dissolution of the Cortes-Attempted Assassination of the King-Fire at the Escurial—- Impeachment of Sagasta Ministry-Financial Measure of Gomez. Geneva Arbitration-Death of King Charles XV. Condition of Russia-Finances- Policy in Foreign Affairs, and in Central Asia-War with Khiva. CHAPTER V.-NORTH AMERICA-UNITED STATES-MEXICO-SOUTH AMERICA. -BRAZIL-PERU-BOLIVIA-ASIA-CHINA-JAPAN. State Elections of October-Election of General Grant as President-Death of Mr. Greeley-Opening of Congress-President's Message-Finance-Fire at Boston. Death of President Juarez. Emperor's Marriage-Treaty with PAGE Dowager Countess Brownlow-General Chesney-Sir F. Crossley-Mr. Gillott Bart.-Sir T. Beckett, Bart.-Sir John Bowring-Mr. J. Capel-Major- General Daveney-Horace Greeley-Mr. T. Keightley-Marquis of London- derry-Sir Donald M'Leod-Mr. Maguire, M.P.-Rev. A. Martineau- Viscountess Beaconsfield-Dr. Bowers-Hon. Lady Doughty-Mr. J. K. Lord ANNUAL REGISTER, FOR THE YEAR 1872. PART I. ENGLISH HISTORY. CHAPTER I. THE "Weather-year"-The Prince's Convalescence-The Thanksgiving—Letter from the Queen-Prospects of Trade-Unpopularity of the Government-State of Ireland-Galway and Kerry Elections-Speeches of Mr. Roebuck, &c.-The Collier Appointment-The Retiring and the New Speaker-The Opening of Parliament The Queen's Speech-Debates on the Address. THE year, whose history we are now to write, will chiefly be remembered in England, in spite of such grave matters as the "Alabama" Award and the Ballot Act, as so far the most remarkable "weatheryear" of the century. The very first week of the new year brought with it shocks of earthquake, fearful thunderstorms, and a hurricane with snow and hail; and the precedent thus strangely set was faithfully followed to the last. Steady rains and cold were prolonged far into the summer, to be succeeded by an amount of electrical disturbance unparalleled in living memory. For weeks and months the newspapers were filled with accounts of fresh thunderstorms each more severe than the last; and even when the heavy and vaporous heats which for some time accompanied them had given place to cold and rain again, the constant thunder and lightning survived the change of the thermometer. The gales of the year were equally abnormal in their violence and frequency, and the disastrous record of wrecks and casualties at sea had never told so sad a tale. During the closing months of the year they were so active, with the rains that accompanied them, that in London they entirely superseded the usual characteristics of that period of the year, and November passed over the capital without bringing with it a single specimen of the well-known "yellow fog." The leading topic of English conversation has seldom if ever held its ツ B position with such justifiable firmness as during the weird year, 1872. Auspiciously enough, perhaps, did the year open at once for the Queen and her people. It was impossible not to see what would be the effect of the happily-conceived and cordially-expressed note from Windsor Castle with which we closed our record of last year. The Queen spoke from her heart to the people, and very warm was the answer. It was not necessary that she should write to acknowledge the deep sympathy of the nation during the painful, terrible days of the Prince of Wales' illness, but it was quite natural that she should. The whole experience had been one of singular importance and interest, and the unanimous and even surprising tokens of loyalty which it called forth, and which made a deep and lasting impression on the Queen's heart, which could never be effaced, had made an impression upon the people also. Meanwhile the progress of the Prince towards convalescence continued to be most satisfactorily rapid. The local pain and feverishness in the hip, which had been the most disquieting of recent symptoms, were reported to have subsided, and the strength to be daily improving. This fortunate state of things continued, and the complete recovery of the Prince was commemorated in the month of February, by a celebration which, at first intended as little more than a private thanksgiving-service on the part of the Queen and her household, assumed by the appointed day all the proportions of a national festival, the most general and the most successful, probably, to be found in the annals of the country. The magnitude of the celebration grew as the day approached, and many of the streets on the route which the procession was to follow, were impassable for some days before the event, from the gathering throng of people who came to examine the scene and the preparations beforehand. It is, in sooth, as was observed at the time, that the decent conventional formality prescribed by the custom of all Christians has been made an occasion for the grandest outburst of unanimous popular emotion witnessed here since the age of the Tudors; and the form of the celebration must surely be accepted as indicating that the nation is not more inclined to give up its Christianity than its Monarchy. The procession started from Buckingham Palace at five minutes past twelve o'clock. It was led by the carriages of the Speaker, the Lord Chancellor, and the Commander-in-Chief, and was composed of nine royal carriages, the eighth drawn by four and the ninth by six horses. The last two were open carriages. The streets along the whole route were lined with a dense throng of people, standing behind the barriers on each side-pavement; every shop, every window, upper and lower, every doorstep, portico, and balcony, and the roofs of many houses were occupied by eager spectators. Lofty and spacious stands, or covered galleries, in which several tiers of seats rose one above another, were erected at convenient places. The procession, as it went along the Strand and 1 Another and briefer account is given in our "Chronicle." |