IN DAYS THAT HAVE GONE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3003, 4 October 1911, Page 81

IN DAYS THAT HAVE GONE.

THE WEEK'S ANNIVERSARIES. October I.—Henry 111, born 1207. Bolingbroke, born 1678. Halfpenny stamped post-cards first issued in England, 1870. Penny postage between Britain and U.S.A., 1908. October 2—Major Andre executed, 1780. Fiji acquired by Great Britain, 1874. Renan died, 1892. October 3.—Leyden relieved, 1574. Treaty of Limerick, 1691. Melbourne University opened, 1855. Wellington chosen as seat of Government in N.Z. 1864. Benjamin Powett died, 1893. William Morris died, 1896. October 4.—Cardinal Bellarmine born, 1542. Alexander Selkirk placed on Juan Fernandez, 1704. Gunzet born, 1787; Declaration of Belgian Independence, 1830. Earthquake at Nelson, 1870. October 5. First English Bible published, ,/ 1535. Horace Walpole born, 1717. Lord Cornwallis died, 1805. Offenbach died, 1880. - Bulgaria declared independent, 1908. Portugal declared a Republic-, 1910. October 6.-€bok sighted' N.Z., 1769. Jer.r.yLind born, 1821. reunited with Otago, 1870. Te Whiti tried at Wellington, -1866. Tennyson died, 1892. Chamberlain commenced fiscal reform campaign, J 903. •- October 7.—Battle of Lepanto, 1571. Battle of King's Mountain, ' 1780. Poo died, 1849. '" O. W. Holmes died, 1894. Bosnia and Herzegovina seized by Austria, 1908. Prince Ferdinand declared King of Belgium, 1908. Henry St. John Viscount Bolingbroke, was born onl .October 1, 1678. On entering Parliament in 1701 St. John enrolled himself with the Tories with the utmost enthusiasm, and from the first displayed such brilliant powers as placed him at once in the front, rank, and gave him ■. an almost unique position. The powers he unexpectedly evinced as an orator and debater were unrivalled, and he is perhaps the first British statesman whose parliamentary oratory has been really a power. Bolingbroke participated to the full in the spirit of his time; Never throughout his whole career can one observe the operation of a consistent policy, or trace the action of any motive higher than personal ambition. He occupied the positions of Secretary of War and later of Secretary of State during the reign of Queen Anne, but on her death he was impeached for high treason, and fled to France, where he threw in his lot with the Pretender. His subsequent efforts to ingratiate himself with the new dynasty in England were unavailing, -and though part of his sentence' was removed, he had to spend the remainder of his life in enforced inactivity. He produced a number of literary works, including philosophical writings, which, though insufferably wearisome, are in many respects the perfection of English prose style. John Andre was an accomplished soldier who has gained a in history by his unfortunate end. During the- American War of Independence in 1780 he was raised by Sir Henry Clinton to the post of major and adjutant-general of the forces. At this time the American general Benedict Arnold conceiving himself injuriously treated by his colleagues, proposed to betray to the British ' alio fortress of West Point, the key to the American position. Andre was appointed to carry through the negotiations, and was landed from a vessel bearing a flag of truce. By mischance he was. compelled to return by land. He and his guide were provided by Arnold with passports, and succeeded in passing the American outposts undetected. Just when all danger appeared to be over, however, he was stopped by three militiamen and carried back a prisoner. Washington sent him before a court-martial, and notwithstanding a spirited defence, and the remonstrances of the British general, who did 'all he could to save him, Major Andre was hanged as, a spy on October 2, 1780. The traitor Arnold escaped by timely flight the punishment he justly merited. Andre's unhappy fate excited universal sympathy both in America and all over Europe, and the whole British army went into mourning for him. A mural sculptured monument to his memory was created in Westminster Abbey KV the British Government, when his remains were taken over and interred there in 1821.

In 1574, during the atrocious wars that were waged by Spain in the Netherlands Valdez was despatched with 8000 men to besiege Leyden. He contented himself with closely investing it on all sides, and determined to await the slow but sure effects of famine. The States of Holland in tliis emergency determined to cut tihrough d'ykes and open sluices flooding valuaple. lands, but admitting vessels witn supplies up to the very gates of Leyden. The damage was esfoaafeed at. -600,000 guilders, and even when the work was completed it appeared at first as if the vast, sacrifice was to be utterly unavailing,

for a Bteady north-east -wind kept back the waters. The siege had now lasted five months, and not' a morsel of food, even the most filthy and loathsome, remained: when; suddenly the wind veered to southwest* the waters of the Meuse rushed in full tide over the land, and the ships rode triumphantly on the waves. On October 3 Valdea evacuated all the forts in the vicinity. In commemoration of the relief the fair of Leyden was appointed to be held ©n October 1 in every year, the 3rd being ever after held as a solemn festival. A university was also granted to the town by the Prince of Orange and the States.

In 1691 William 111 failed to capture Limerick, but his Dutch general, Baron d« Ginhel, secured its surrender after a gal- e lant resistance on October 3. The Treaty of Limerick was signed on that day by Do Ginhel and the Lords Justices of Ireland on behalf of the English, and by Sarsfield' and other chieftains on behalf of the Irish. It extended wide privileges to the officers and soldiers of the garrison and to Roman Catholics generally.

Up to the year 1865 the seat of Government of New Zealand was at Auckland, After many attempts Mr Domett (the then ex-Premrier) was successful in carrying resolutions in the House of Representa» tives that steps should be taken for appointing some place in Cook Strait as the permanent seat of Government. Commissioners were appointed, and after having made a personal inspection of all suitable places they arrived at the unanimous decision on October 3, 1864. that Wellington, in Port Nicholson, - was the site upon the shores of Cook Strait which presented the greatest advantages for the administration, of the government of the colony. The seat of Government was accordingly removed to Wellington in February, 1865. The placing of Alexander Selkirk upon an uninhabited island on October 4, 1704, was a simple enough event in itself, but it gains world-wide interest as having.been used by Defoe as the foundation of .the greatest of children's stories, "Robinson. Crusoe." Selkirk had a dispute with h* captain, and at his. Own request was put ashore on the lonely island of Juan Ferwhere, after a solitary residence of four years and four mcmibhs, he" was taken, off by the commander of a privateer. •.. Miles Coverdale's version of :'the^.whole Bible, -the printing of which was completed on October 4, 1536, was the edition of the Bible to be printed, in -English Henry VIII ordered it to be .laid in the choir of every church, " for every man that will to look and read therein.',' Madame Lind-Goldsohmidt, the famous Swedish singer, known to the world;** Jennv Lindv was born in Stockholm on October .6, 1820. Her * early celebrity : , in' Sweden was due in great part to her histrionic ability, and there is comparatively, little said about hex wonderfut voeal--artt . which was only attained year'*; hard study under Manuel Garcia/ She-afc-'... tained wide lam© throughout the Continent* ~ and her debut in London in 184 T created a ; furore that exceeded everything; of ;the kind."-; that had taken "place there oi-, anywhere . else in the genuine enthusiasm -:that.;the singer aroused.... At Norwich a little later , began her acquaintance with Bishop ley, which was ; eaid to have baiieed '"ber filial determination to give up the stage aa a career. From 1852 till her death in 1887 England was her homeland there she devoted herself to the cause ot charity. The supreme position she held so long in the operatic world was due not only to the glory of her ringirig voice and the complete ■■ musicianship which distinguished -her above' all her contemporaries, ~ but also the naive. - simplicity of her aotriwg in her favourite parts. Unharmed by the perils; of a stage career and unspoilt by the extraordinary furore of the- British public, she was a model of rectitude, generosity, and straightforwardness. On October 6, 1886, the famous Maori chief Te Whiti, with Titokowaru and others of his followers, were .tried at the Wellington Supreme Court oh of rioting and malicious injury to property occasioned over a land dispute with the Crown. Te Whiti was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and fined £IOO. and the other eight prisoners were sentenced to one month's imprisonment and- fined £2O each. The honour of the actual discovery o* New Zealand must belong to the Dutch navigator Tasman, Who visited it in 1642, but it was not till Captain Cook's firs* visit in 1769 that a white man set foot on it. Cook records that on October 6 of that j ear he discovered the east coast of New Zealand, and found it to consist of two large islands, both of Which he circumnavigated. Captain Cook took possession of the land in the name of King George 111. The battle of lyepanto took place near Corinth on October 7, 1571. The combined fleets of Spain, Venice, Genoa, Malta, and j Pius V, commanded by Don John of Austria,' defeated the whole maritime force of the Turks, and completely checked their progress. ,