20. At the Parliamentary bye-election for West Down, caused by the resignation of Lord Arthur Hill (U.), Mr. McGeagh McCaw (U.) was returned by 4,051 votes, against 2,760 given to Mr. A. Beattie (L.).

20, 21. The library of the late Bishop Gott of Truro was sold by auction, realising 12,3801. A copy of Voragine's "Golden Legend (Caxton, 1483) sold for 1,2001. ; a "Biblia Pauperum" for 1,2901. A set of the first four folios of Shakespeare was withdrawn, the bidding reaching 3,8501.

21. Special Army orders were published dealing with the organisation and establishment of the Territorial Force, including the provision for officers' training corps, and the transfer to it of the Honourable Artillery Company, the Imperial Yeomanry and the Volunteers.

A Rugby international football match between England and Scotland at Edinburgh was won by Scotland.

23. In Paris a financier, company promotor and ex-hotel porter, M. Rochette, was arrested on charges of fraud and issue of false balance sheets; many small investors suffered.

23-26. A National Congress on Infantile Mortality sat at Caxton Hall, Westminster. Mr. John Burns, President of the Local Government Board, delivered the opening address. Resolutions were passed favouring (inter alia) the general adoption of the Notification of Births Act and the training of school girls in domestic and personal hygiene and the duties of motherhood.

24. Prince Bülow made a statement in the Reichstag respecting the attitude of Germany towards the Morocco and Macedonian questions, and the Kaiser's letter to Lord Tweedmouth. (See Foreign History, Chapter II.)

The Duke of Devonshire died at Cannes. (See English History, Chapter II.)

At the bye-election at Peckham caused by the death of Mr. Goddard Clarke (L.), Mr. H. C. Gooch (U.) was returned by 6,970 votes against 4,476 given to Mr. T. Gautrey (L.). There was a considerable increase of Unionist and decrease of Liberal votes as compared with the general election. (See English History, Chapter II.)

25. The German Emperor and King Victor Emmanuel met at Venice. The stage of Drury Lane Theatre, with much scenery and properties, was burnt. No one was injured.

26. Lord Rosebery opened the new library at University College, Gower Street, and delivered an address.

27. At Liverpool, the Grand National Steeplechase was won by Major Douglas Pennant's Rubio; Mr. Cooper's Mattie Macgregor was second, and Mr. P. Whitaker's The Lawyer III. third. Time, 10 min. 4 sec. The winner started at 66 to 1.

28. The Oxford and Cambridge sports at Lillie Bridge were won by Cambridge by six events to four.

In the final match in the County Rugby Football Championship contest Cornwall beat Durham by a goal and four tries to a penalty goal.

28. At Christie's four portraits by Romney of ancestors of the Poulter family were sold for 4,950 guineas; a drawing in pastel by Daniel Gardner, 1,250 guineas; and George Morland's "Blind Man's Buff," 1,100 guineas.

30. The Transvaal Gold law was published at Johannesburg. (See Foreign History, Chapter VII.)

31. Under the Territorial Army Act, the Volunteer and Yeomanry forces ceased to exist. (See English History, Chapter II.)

The Report by the Inspector of the Local Government Board, Mr. Willis, of his inquiry into the administration of the Mile-End Guardians, declared that certain contractors, supported by a group of the Guardians, had corruptly overcharged the Board and that other contractors were also favoured at the expense of the ratepayers. On May 7 James Calcutt, one of the contractors in question, pleaded guilty to a charge of obtaining money by false pretences from the Guardians and was sentenced to six months' imprisonment.

APRIL.

1. The General Council of Glasgow University unanimously elected the Earl of Rosebery to the Chancellorship, vacated by the death of Lord Kelvin.

2. H.M.S. torpedo destroyer Tiger, while engaged in manœuvres off St. Catherine's, Isle of Wight, was run down by H.M.S. cruiser Berwick and cut in two: thirty-four lives were lost.

2-4. At Christie's, at the sale of the collection of pictures of Mr. T. H. Ismay, deceased (one of the founders of the White Star Line), a set of Chippendale furniture (three settees and five chairs) sold for 1,700 guineas; "A Forest Road," by J. Linnell, 1,280 guineas; and Millais's "The Fringe of the Moor," 1,100 guineas. At the same time Linnell's "Timber Waggon "realised 2,150 guineas; Turner's "Beach at Hastings," 6,000 guineas; and twelve Turner water-colours altogether 6,1157. The Turners belonged to Sir A. Acland-Hood.

3. The Rev. Cyril Alington, assistant master at Eton, was appointed Head Master of Shrewsbury School, vice the Rev. H. W. Moss resigned.

At Harrow School, between 9 and 11 P.M., Mr. Somervell's boarding-house was burnt down; no lives lost.

4. The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race from Putney to Mortlake was won by Cambridge by 24 lengths; time, 19 min. 20 sec.

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Under Association Rules, an international football match at Glasgow between England and Scotland resulted in a tie of one goal each.

6. It was announced that Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman had resigned the Premiership and that the King had summoned Mr. Asquith to Biarritz as his successor.

Two houses in Castle Street, Oxford Street, London, suddenly collapsed at 2 A.M.; eight persons were killed and about twenty injured.

7. The body of Emmanuel Swedenborg, the famous mystic, buried in 1772 in the Swedish Church near Ratcliff Highway, was removed to Dartmouth for conveyance to Sweden in a Swedish cruiser after a short religious ceremony.

At the London County Council, the Budget statement for 1908-9 was made by Mr. Hayes Fisher, Chairman of the Finance Committee. The income was estimated at 10,261,9427.; the expenditure at 10,557,9351.; the deficit of 295,9931. was to be met out of balances carried over from 1907-8. The expenditure on education alone was estimated at 5,276,9021. The education rate was 18. 7d. in the £ as against 1s. 4d., the general rate 1s. 7d., making a total of 38. in the £. The gross liabilities of the Council were estimated at 80,693,5317., but various assets, including surplus lands, reduced them to about 50,000,000l.

8. Mr. Asquith resigned the Chancellorship of the Exchequer and was appointed Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury by the King at Biarritz.

9. It was announced that Sir T. Gibson Carmichael had been appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria vice Major-General Sir R. Talbot.

At an explosion at the Norton Hill Colliery, near Radstock, Somerset, ten men were killed.

10. Lord Rayleigh was unanimously elected Chancellor of Cambridge University by the Senate. The Earl of Plymouth and Lord Alverstone declined nomination.

The subway extension for tramcars from Aldwych to the Victoria Embankment was formally opened by the Chairman of the London County Council, Mr. R. A. Robinson.

At the Central Criminal Court, Mary Ann Robinson, who had pleaded guilty to perjury in the Druce case, was sentenced to four years' penal servitude.

12. The list of the new Ministry was issued, with the announcement that Mr. John Morley and Sir Henry Fowler, while retaining their offices in the Ministry, had been raised to the dignity of Viscount. (See English History, Chapter II.)

At Lemberg, Count Potoski, Governor of Galicia and a Pole, was murdered by a Ruthene student, Siczynski. (See Foreign History, Chapter II.)

At Chelsea, a suburb of Boston, Mass., a fire during a gale destroyed many public buildings and caused damage estimated at upwards of $5,000,000; four persons were killed and some 10,000 left homeless.

16. The report of Lieut.-Colonel Yorke to the Board of Trade on the Shrewsbury railway accident of October 15, 1907 (see Chronicle of that date), suggested that the driver Martin had been asleep and failed to see the signals, and recommended that no engine-drivers should be on duty through two consecutive nights.

18. The repairs of the Bell Harry Tower of Canterbury Cathedral, executed at a cost of 15,000l., were formally completed, the coping-stone being placed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

20. At Braybrook Junction, near Melbourne, an Easter Day excursion train for Bendigo ran into the rear of another from Ballarat; twentyseven persons were killed and forty badly injured.

22. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, the late Premier, died at 10 Downing Street. (See English History, Chapter III.)

23. At the bye-election at Dewsbury Mr. Walter Runciman, who had vacated his seat by accepting the Presidency of the Board of Education, was returned by 5,594 votes, Mr. Boyd Carpenter (U.) receiving 4,078, and Mr. Turner (Labour) 2,446. The Liberal poll compared with 1906 showed a decrease of 1,170, the Unionist an increase of 1,124.

23-25. Severe snowstorms took place almost throughout Great Britain, the fall of snow in many parts being heavier than in the winter. The weather had been wintry throughout Easter week.

24. At the bye-election in North-West Manchester, due to Mr. Winston Churchill's acceptance of the Presidency of the Board of Trade, Mr. Joynson Hicks (U.) was returned by 5,417 votes, Mr. Churchill receiving 4,988 and Mr. Dan Irving (Soc.) 276.

The North Sea and Baltic Agreements, signed in Berlin on the 23rd, were issued by the Foreign Office. (See Foreign History, Chapters II. and IV.)

Cyclones in Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana caused serious destruction of property and some loss of life.

Professor R. A. S. Redmayne of Birmingham University appointed to the new office of Chief Inspector of Mines.

25. The American mail liner St. Paul, from Southampton to New York, ran into H.M.S. crusier Gladiator during a snowstorm off Yarmouth, Isle of Wight; the Gladiator was beached, but one officer and 27 men were lost. The court-martial (June 12) found that Captain Lumsden hazarded his ship by default and not by negligence, and the Admiralty Division (June 20) held the Gladiator alone to blame for the collision.

In the final tie in the Association Football Cup at the Crystal Palace, before 80,000 spectators, Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Newcastle United by three goals to one.

26. At the Parliamentary bye-election in Kincardineshire, due to the death of Mr. J. W. Crombie (L.), Captain Murray (L.) was returned by 3,661 votes, Mr. S. Gammell (U.) receiving 1,963.

27. Funeral of the late Premier begun in Westminster Abbey. (See English History, Chapter III.)

During night manoeuvres in the North Sea, H.M.S. destroyer Gala was rammed by H.M.S. scout Attentive and cut in two; one engineer lieutenant was killed out of a crew of eighty.

men.

A boiler explosion on H. M. battleship Britannia injured five

30. The action "Humphreys v. D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.," in the King's Bench Division, brought by a lady novelist, best known as “Rita,” against a firm of publishers for libel, resulted in favour of the plaintiff with 1057. damages. The libel consisted in altering and in announcing as a "great new serial" a novel published some years previously, serial rights of which the defendants had purchased.

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The Japanese training cruiser Matsushima sank off the Pescadores Islands after an explosion in her magazine; about 207 lives were lost.

MAY.

1. At Muzaffarpur, North India, a bomb was thrown at a carriage and killed a Miss Kennedy and the coachman, and wounded Mrs. Kennedy. (See Foreign and Colonial History, Chapter V.)

May Day on the Continent passed off without disturbance.

At Bournemouth, a tram-car got out of control in descending a hill, was derailed and fell twenty feet into Fairlight Glen; seven persons were killed and twenty-six injured. The Board of Trade Report (Sept. 21) attributed the result to a defect in the electric brake.

4. At the sale of the collection of plate of the Marchioness Conyngham, a James I. rosewater ewer and dish sold for 4,2001.

5. In the Parliamentary bye-election at East Wolverhampton, caused by the acceptance of a peerage by Sir Henry Fowler (L.), Mr. G. R. Thorne (L.) was returned by 4,514 votes, Mr. L. S. Amery (U.) receiving 4,506.

6. At Newmarket, the Two Thousand Guineas Stakes was won by Mr. August Belmont's Norman III., an outsider, Mr. Basset's Sir Archibald being second and Mr. Hall Walker's White Eagle third. Time, 1 min. 44 sec. The King's colt Perrier, the favourite, was fifth.

It was announced that the Government had accepted the offer of Mr. Duveen, sen., afterwards Sir Joseph Duveen, to present a new wing to the Tate Gallery. (See Obituary, November 9.)

7. Budget night in the House of Commons. Chapter III.)

(See English History,

8. In the King's Bench Division, Mr. John Murray, the well-known publisher, obtained 7,5007. damages in an action against the proprietors of The Times for libel in connection with the publication of the "Letters of Queen Victoria." The libel alleged was contained in a letteran incident in the so-called "Book War" (ANNUAL REGISTER, 1906, Part II., p. 41)-published in The Times and signed "Artifex," and was written by a Mr. Ross at the instance of Mr. Hooper of The Times Book Club. A stay of execution was asked for and granted on the ground that the damages were excessive, but the matter was adjusted by October 1 (see that date).

9. At the bye-election for Dundee, due to the acceptance of a peerage by Mr. Edmund Robertson, Mr. Winston Churchill (L.) was returned by 7,079 votes; Sir G. W. Baxter (U.) received 4,870; Mr. G. H. Stuart (Labour) 4,014; and Mr. E. Scrymgeour (Prohibitionist) 655.