The Press. MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1888.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7242, 31 December 1888, Page 4

The Press. MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1888.

• A GENERAL SURVEY. Pensive as must at all times be the thoughts which naturally occur when the old year lies a-dying, we feel, on Reviewing the twelvemonth, whose last Bands are now running out, that in many respects it has been charged with a solemnity peculiarly its own. We have stood by the deathbeds of Kings and there witnessed, almost as vividly as if we had been actually present, the dread struggle which all must face. The eyes of Europe have been fixed during the past year, not on the devious ways of diplomacy, not on the marshalling of battalions, but on the spectacle of two great earthly monarohs in the deadly grasp of a King that is mightier than they. There is no more tragic and pathetic Bcene in history than the story of how' Emperor WiKUAM I. and the Emperor Frederick HI. of Germany laid aside their earthly dignities. The death of the former, full of years and having achieved a life work of vast importance and even grandeur, was in itself a passing away to be-envied, had it not been embittered by the ariguish of seeing at that time his noble "son in the clutch of a terrible disease, that must shortly bring him also to the grave. To that ••son he had looked to carry on and perfect the work of his own lifetime, and many a time his heart must have glowed with pride at the thought of the successor who was to catch the banner of German unity as it fell from his relaxing grasp. The great consolation to which he had looked forward was denied him in his last hours, and so the aged monarch died—calmly and peacefully, it is true, with the trustfulness with which those who have fought the world'e battle throughout great length of days are content to leave it at last; but yet it moat have been with a feeling of great sorrow and disappointment which Germany, and, indeed, all nations who desired peace and good government, shared to the full. As to the way in which the Emperor Fkbdbriok showed the world how a brave man could bear suffering and face a lingering death, it is unnecessary to refer here to incidents which will live long in the minds of us all. Truly in his tender consideration for others, his heroic fortitude, and his manly submission to the will of the Almighty, he taught us all a noble lesson. It was a gracious ending to a great man's life. It is there we would leave him. As to the medical quarrel that followed over Jbis poor remains—a quarrel which all friends of a distinguished profession must earnestly regret —we prefer t© say T ,A tb' r| g aho ,1 * •*- o~ "srord only

must be given to the diary which was printed after his death, and of whose authenticity there seems little doubt. It has shown more clearly than anything else what a truly great and f arseeing statesman was Frederick 111. Not to Bismabck, not even to the Emperor William, does Germany owe its unity. It was the Crown Prince who persuaded his kingly father to accept the Imperial Throne at Versailles, in spite of Prince Bismarck's strenuous opposition, carried even to the extent of threatening to resign. " Unser Fritz" should be inscribed on the German banners; it will long remain engraven on the hearts of the German people. Needless to say, we have not yet arrived at the happy stage when the Eastern Question in general, and the restlessness of Russia in particular, need form no part of our annual review. The close of the present year leaves the situation still in perplexity and unrest. At the beginning of the year we congratulated ourselves on the Triple Alliance as forming a safeguard against Russian ambition, and a guarantee for peace. The death of the Emperor Frederick and the lack of the same kind of confidence in his successor, has changed the aspect of amairs, consequently the decline of the old year finds the position as full of anxiety as ever. We see serious political difficulties in France, sharp friction between the Vatican and the Quirinal, Russia making frantic efforts to raise a substantial loan, the massing of troops on the Austrian and Russian borders, Parliaments asked for warvotes, and, altogether, the whole situation as disquieting as could well be conceived. Unhappily, it is becoming chronic in its recurrence generally at this time of the year, and we can only hope that thinge may settle down again, aa they have done before. In the meantime, one event having an important bearing on the Eastern Question, ought not to be passed over. Constantinople, during the past twelve months, has at length been connected with the general railway eystem of Europe. It can now be reached from Paris in three and a-half days, if necessary, without change of carriages, and so there is an end of the comparative isolation which has hitherto been associated with Stamboul.

The great event of the year in Prance has been the birth of Boulangism. General Boulanqeb, deprived of his rank in the army for insubordination, threw himself into politics, and hoisted tke banner of a Revision of the Constitution, with palpable designs for an absolute dictatorship For himself. The Government of M. Tirard haviug been defeated, that of M. Floquet took its place, and with the view' of taking the wind out of Boulangbb's sails has come down with a pretty sweeping scheme of revision of its own. It remains to be seen whether this is sufficient to meet the case. At present it must be admitted circumstances do not look very propitious either for M. Floqukt or for Frauoe. The failure of the Panama Canal loan and the suspension of the Company has added to the troubles of the country, and formed a sensational item in its year's history. At present the Government seems disposed to take the projects under its care. In any case, after so much money has been spent on the work, it is hardly likely to be altogether abandoned. Its future will be watched with keen interest in these colonies during the coming year.

The United States has loomed large in the history of the nations during the past twelve months. Early in the year attention was drawn to it by a sensational " blizzard " and snowstorm. For some days New York was completely snowed up, all communication was stopped, and it really seemed as if the city were face to face with famine. The price of milk rose to 2s a quart. The overland telegraph lines were down, and New York found it could communicate with Boston only by means of telegrams sent through London. All this, however, seemed insignificant beside the political "blizzards" which stirred up the atmosphere during a later period of the year, when the country was in the throes of the Presidential election. The contest was of peculiar concern to England, because it was largely carried on by the interesting process known as " twisting the tail of the British Lion." There was an impression prevailing that Mr. Cleveland was favored by Great Britain, and with a view, if possible, of removing this idea and conciliating the . Irish voters, he deemed it necessary to present himself in a series of anti-British tableaux, which it must be admitted were of a striking and dramatic kind. The Fisheries Treaty having been rejected , by the United States Legislature, President Cleveland asked for powers to enable him to "-retaliate on Canada," by practically preventing Canadian goods from being transported across American territory. This was a pretty bold bid against the Republicans, but it was nothing to what followed. The English ambassador, Lord Sackville, received a letter from a resident in the States, styling himself a naturalised Englishman, and asking for advice how he and others like him should vote—whether Lord Sackville thought Cleveland was really friendly to Great Britain. Lord Sackvillb fell into what one would have thought was a very obvious Republican trap, and gave Mr. Cleveland a certificate of "friendliness," which, of course, was immediately published. Lord Salisbury recognised that the Ambassador had made a mistake, and was willing that he should retire to England on " urgent private affairs." This, however, would not do. It was necessary for dramatic purposes to give another twist to the British Lion's tail, and consequently Lord Sackvilt<e had bis passports handed to him, or in other words, was bundled out of the country. The best part of the whole affair was the good nature with which these singular proceedings were received in England. The British Lion seemed to think that if his tail afforded any amusement to the Americana it was uncharitable to refuse it to them. It was recognisdd that the twists were a make-believe—a sacrifice to the exigencies of the political situation. Consequently Great Britain did not lose her temper. The prevailing feeling was one of pity not unmingled with contempt, for a political system which seemed to require such child's play as a necessary support. How. all these coups de iMSXre. did not avail, and how

CuevBLAND was defeated by his littleknown rival, General Harrison, need not be told again.

There are many other events concerning which "we might write under this heading did space permit. The narrow escape of the Czar and Imperial family in a railway accident was a sensational incident at the time, and would have been more so but for the fact that Czars seem doomed to undergo as many hair-breadth escapes as professional aeronauts. King Milan's divorce from his wife Nathalie, on the ! allegation of " insuperable aversion," but really on account of Her Majesty's Rubsian sympathies—she being the daughter of a Russian colonel—not only excited the attention of those who like a scandal in high life, but was a matter of which diplojnatists have to take note as well. The attempts of Italy to establish herself on the Red Sea led to a serious conflict with the Negus of Abyssinia and the loss of : many lives. Nearer home, we have j the rival factions in Samoa waging deadly warfare, and whatever the ultimate result may be, the question of j the future government of the country is a matter which the three Powers interested —England, Germany and the United States—have yet to settle. Another question of international, as well as social, importance is the movement initiated by Germany for the suppression of the slave trade on the east coast of Africa—a movement which would meet with unquestioning approval from all civilised Powers, were it not for a lurking suspicion that the extension of German influence, rather than the suppression of an infamous traffic, is the principal object which Germany has in view. Finally, there is the old question of the Pope's temporal power and the quarrel between the Vatican and the Quirinal again pressing for settlement. Altogether the sea of European affairs is still seething and tossing to and fro; yet when was it ever calm 1 Wβ may at least be thankful that it is not being lashed and torn by storm and tempest. So, grateful that we are spared at present the din and agony of senseless war, we still wait patiently but hopefully for a time when-^ Gently—so have good men taught— Gently. and without grief, the old shall glide Into the new ; the eternal flow of things, Like a bright river of the fields of heaven, Shall journey onward in perpetual peace.