Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

Arrival and Welcome of Sir A. Milner-His Visit to the King and Elevation to

the Peerage--Mr. Chamberlain's Luncheon to Lord Milner-Bye-Elections-

Recess Speeches on South Africa by Sir E. Grey, Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman

and Mr. Morley-Co-operative and International Miners' Congresses-Mr.

Chamberlain and Old-Age Pensions-Mr. Carnegie's Gift to Scottish Univer-

sities-Utterances on the Education Bill by the Duke of Devonshire, the

National Liberal Federation, the National Society and Others-Report on

War Office Reorganisation-Factory and Workshop Acts Amendment Bill

Read a Second Time and Referred to Grand Committee-Legislative Failures

-Gibraltar Debates-Liberal Divisions-National Reform Union Dinner

Speeches-Debate and Division on Concentration Camps: Liberal Imperialist

Abstentions-Queen's Hall Pro-Boer Meeting-Mr. Asquith's Protest: Its

Effect-Heated Debate on War Loan-Liberal Meeting at the Reform Club-

Lord Rosebery's Letter and Speech-The Asquith Dinner-Debates and Divi-

sions on the Finance Bill-Withdrawal of the Education Bill-The Education

(No. 2) Bill Carried through without Amendment-Debates and Ministerial

Statements as to the Mediterranean Fleet and Naval Construction-House of

Lords' Debate on Soldiers' Pay-Mr. Brodrick on War Office Reorganisation

-The Abortive Royal Declaration Bill-Royal Titles Bill Carried-The Rating

Bill The Factories Bill in Grand Committee and on Report-The Abandon-

ment of the Laundry Clause-Unionist Irritation-The Blenheim Speeches-

The Globe and the Nationalist Members-Ministerial Statements about

China-The Concentration Camps-Concluding Debates on South Africa-

Other Imperial Questions-The King's Speech

[ocr errors]

Political Lull-The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall in South Africa-International

Congresses at Glasgow-Pan-Celtic Congress in Dublin-Trade Union Con-

gress at Swansea: Anxieties Caused by the House of Lords' Decision in the

Taff Vale Case-Labour Department Report-Dispute in the Grimsby

Fishing Trade-Riotous Proceedings-British Sorrow at the Murder of

President McKinley-Dissatisfaction at the Slow Progress of the War-

Newspaper Criticisms on the Appointment of Sir R. Buller to Command the

First Army Corps-War Office Explanatory Communiqué-Sir R. Buller's

Westminster Speech-His Dismissal from His Command-Public Opinion

thereon-Mr. Long's Defence of Mr. Brodrick-N.E. Lanarkshire Election-

Mr. Asquith at Ladybank-Mr. Redmond's Reply-Renewed Boer Activity

Sort of Warfare"-Mr. Brodrick's Letter to Sir H.

-Lord Halsbury's

Vincent-Sir M. Hicks-Beach at Oldham-Mr. Chamberlain on Temperance

Reform-Public-house Trust Companies-Mr. Asquith on the Liberal and

Nationalist Parties-Mr. Chamberlain at Edinburgh-Sir H. Campbell-

Bannerman's Autumn Campaign-Church Resolutions on the Education

Question-The Concentration Camps-Mr. Brodrick's Letter to the Bishop

of Rochester-The Bishop's Speech-Lord Salisbury at the Guildhall-Mr.

Brodrick in the City-Favourable Effect on Public Opinion-War Office

Reforms-German Agitation about Mr. Chamberlain's Edinburgh Speech-

Isthmian Canal Treaty and Good Relations with United States-The Duke of

Cornwall's Welcome Home; Created Prince of Wales; Successful Speech in

the City-Liberal Differences about the War-Derby Meeting of National

Liberal Federation-Conflicting Comments by Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman

and Sir E. Grey-Lord Rosebery's Chesterfield Speech-Its Reception-

Close of the Year

[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

(By Sir CHARLES ROE, late Chief Judge of the Chief Court of the Punjab.)

ASIA (SOUTHERN): PERSIA, AFGHANISTAN, ETC.-BRITISH INDIA-INDIAN

FEUDATORY STATES.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

AMERICA THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ITS DEPENDENCIES (by
A. MAURICE LOW)-CANADA (by GEORGE R. PARKIN, C.M.G., Princi-
pal of the Upper Canada College)—NEWFOUNDLAND-MEXICO AND
CENTRAL AMERICA (by H. WHATES)-THE GUIANAS AND THE WEST
INDIES (by H. WHATES)-SOUTH AMERICA (by H. WHATES)—THE PAN-
AMERICAN CONGRESS (by H. WHATES)

.

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

[407

[blocks in formation]

RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR'S LITERATURE (by LIONEL ROBIN-
SON); SCIENCE (by J. REGINALD ASHWORTH, M.Sc., late Honorary
Research Fellow of the Owens College, Manchester); ART, DRAMA,
and (by JOHN E. TALBOT) MUSIC.

[blocks in formation]

PREFATORY NOTE.

THE Editor of the ANNUAL REGISTER thinks it neces-
sary to state that in no case does he claim to offer
original reports of speeches in Parliament or else-
where. For the former he cordially acknowledges his
great indebtedness to the summary and full reports,
used by special permission of The Times, which have
appeared in that journal, and he has also pleasure in
expressing his sense of obligation to the Editors of
"Ross's Parliamentary Record," The Standard, The
Spectator, and The Guardian, for the valuable assist-
ance which, by their consent, he has derived from their
summaries and reports, towards presenting a compact
view of the course of Parliamentary proceedings. To
the Editors of the two last-named papers he further
desires to tender his best thanks for their permission
to make use of the summaries of speeches delivered
outside Parliament appearing in their columns.

ANNUAL REGISTER

FOR THE YEAR

1901.

PART I.

ENGLISH HISTORY.

CHAPTER I.

Queen Victoria's Position-Inauguration of the Australian Commonwealth-
Messages of Congratulation-Unsatisfactory South African News-Lord
Roberts's Return, Reception, and Speeches on the War-Sir H. Fowler on
South Africa-Lord Roberts's Second Visit to the Queen-Death of the
Bishop of London-The Queen's Illness-Her Death-Universal Sense of
Bereavement-Accession of King Edward VII.-His Declaration-Meeting
of Parliament-Foreign Sympathy-Tributes in both Houses, and from Lord
Rosebery-The Queen's Funeral-Impressive Pageants-Popular Sorrow-
The King's Messages to his Subjects.

To all who, above the age of earliest childhood, were living
within the British dominions in the early months of 1901 the
opening of the new century must ever seem to have been
clouded by a national sorrow altogether exceptional, alike in its
intensity and in its diffusion. More than half, however, of
January had, in fact, passed before the stroke of public be-
reavement fell, and, indeed, before any but the exceptionally
well-informed had any reason to suppose that it was imminent.
The presence of Queen Victoria at the heart of the Empire's life,
her keen and watchful sympathy with the joys and sorrows, the
cares and the hopes of all parts of it, were as vividly realised in
the first few days of the new age as at any former period in her
prolonged and gloriously eventful reign. In a brief message of
characteristic simplicity and directness her Majesty conveyed
through Lord Hopetoun, its first Governor-General, her "heart-
felt interest" in the inauguration of the Australian Common-
wealth on January 1, and her "earnest wish that, under Divine
Providence, it" might "ensure the increased prosperity and
well-being of her loyal and beloved subjects in Australia."
These few Royal words gave a happy touch of intimacy to the
cordial participation of citizens of the mother country and of

Α

all parts of the Empire in the joy and pride with which the Australian people celebrated the achievement of their effective unity. To the high significance of that event a fitting tribute was paid in the somewhat more formal, but very felicitously chosen phrases of the message despatched on the same occasion on the part of the Queen's Government. They "welcomed " the Commonwealth of Australia "to her place among the nations united under her Majesty's sovereignty," "confidently anticipated for the new Federation a future of ever-increasing prosperity and influence," and "recognised in the long-desired consummation of the hopes of patriotic Australians a further step in the direction of the permanent unity of the British Empire.' It was well done thus to emphasise the strengthening of the whole fabric of the realm through the political consolidation of States which, as the message from the Imperial Government also said, had always displayed, severally, a "generous loyalty and devotion to the Throne and Empire." It was well done, at a moment when the news from South Africa continued to illustrate the arduous nature of the Imperial enterprise undertaken there in 1899, and the distance still to be traversed before overt Boer resistance to British arms should be completely beaten down, to say nothing of the ultimate reconciliation of the Dutch element to the establishment of British authority over the territories of the former Republics. Very unpleasant New Year messages had come to hand both from the Transvaal and from Cape Town. In the last days of December, as people at home learned on January 1, a big gun had been "rushed" and carried off at the fort of Helvetia in the Eastern Transvaal, four officers and twenty-two men being wounded and eleven men killed and several taken prisoners at the same place, while on the railway near Standerton a train was derailed and several waggonloads of supplies were got clear away. More disturbing intelligence still was that which told of the penetration of invading bands from the late Orange Free State to points even farther south in Cape Colony than they had come in January, 1900, and in particular of their arrival in the neighbourhood of such a centre of hostile Dutch feeling as Graaf Reinet. So serious was the situation recognised as being that on the last day of the old year and century a proclamation was issued by the Cape Government, calling upon the loyal inhabitants to form a colonial defence force to aid the military in repelling the invasion, guarding the lines of communication, and maintaining order in the disturbed districts. To this summons there was a prompt and enthusiastic response, which did much to relieve the discouragement undoubtedly caused at home by the various evidences of the activity and unbroken temper of the Boers.

Still the situation presented in the South African telegrams, when (Jan. 2) Lord Roberts reached England from the Cape contained so many elements of anxiety as to detract appreciably from the triumphal character which his arrival

« AnteriorContinuar »