DAYS THAT HAVE GONE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3111, 29 October 1913, Page 71

DAYS THAT HAVE GONE.

Oct. 26.—Danton born, 1759. Von Moltkc born, 1800. North-west passage discovered by Captain MacClure, 1850. First Otago case of robbery under arms reported, 1861. Lord Sackville West dismissed by President Cleveland, 18£8. Dr Temple appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, 1886. Oct. 27.—Michael Servetus burnt, 1553. Mr Roosevelt born, 1858. King George of Greece married Grand Duchess Olga, 1867. Marshal Bazaine surrendered at Metz, 1870. Village of Grindclwald devastated by hurricane, 1882. Oct. 28.—Battle of Arrovo dos Molinis, Idll. Treaty between Britain and Persia, 1841. Earthquake on Niphon Islands, Japan, 1891. Professor Max Muller died, 1900. Oct. 29.—Raleigh beheaded, 1618. Edmund Hadley born, 1656. Boswell born, 1740. Reform Bill riots at Bristol, 1831 Vienpese surrendered to Prince Windischgratz, 1848. Bishop Ilnnnington murdered, ?885. Wreck of train carrying Czar and Czarina, 18Z8. Wairarapa wrecked. 1894. Prince Christian died in South Africa, 1900. Oct. 30.—George II born, 1683 R . B. Sheridan born, 1751. Miss A. A. Procter born, 1825. Burn'ng of Tower of London, . 1841. Treaty of Vienna, 1864. Disaster at Nicholson’s Nek, 1899. Boers encircle Ladysmith, 1899. Union of United Presbyterian and Free Church of Scotland, 1900. Oct. 31. —Luther nailed -up his theses at Wittemburg, 1517, Great floods in South of France, 1340. Sir George Macfarren died, 1887. “ Ali Red ” Pacific cable completed at Suva, 1902. Nov. 1. —Benvenuto Cellini born, 1500. Lisbon earthquake, 1755. Russia declared war against' Turkey, 1855. Battle of Lcsvvarroc, 1803. Caledonian Canal opened, 1822. Czar Alexander 111 died, 1894. Christchurch Exhibition opened, 1906.

Very serious and disastrous rioting commenced in Bristol on October 29. 1831, at the time when the Reform Bill agitation was at its height. The occasion for the outbreak was the entrance into the city of its recorder (Sir Charles Wcthercl), who was known to be opposed to the Bill. The rioting lasted for three days, in the course of which the Mansion House, the Bishop’s palace, merchants’ stores, some of the prkons, and about 100 private houses were burned, and all the prisoners wore liberated. When the military were called out to quell the disturbance no fewer than 500 people were killed in the conflicts that took place. Four of the rioters wore subsequently executed, and 22 of thorn ordered to be transported Mr Roosevelt, who was the twenty-sixth President of the United States, was bora in New York City on October 27, 1858. H is family has been prominent in thc_Jife of New York for many generations, and is of Dutch origin. Mr Roosevelt was educated at Harvard University, where he giaduated in the cla r of 1880. In the same year ho married Miss Alice Lee, of Boston who died in 1884, leaving one daughter. Two years later ho married Miss Edith Kermit Carow, of New York, and by this marriage ho has had four sons and one daughter. He first entered politics in 1881. when ho was elected to the Now York Legislature as a regular Republican, and bis vigorous, forceful figure has been prominent in his country’s political life ever since. Upon the assassination of M'Kiniey in 1901 he succeeded to the Presidency. No previous President had entered the office at so early an age as 43 years. It may be said without exaggeration that no American public man in the history of the country has achieved such extraordinary popularity during his lifetime as Mr Roosevelt had attained at 50 years of age, both at home and abroad. In bis successive offices he has not merely exerted a strong influence upon the immediate community, but, by reason both of his forceful personality and of the often unconventional, although always effective, methods of work which he employed, he achieved a national prominence out of ordinary proportion to the importance of his official position. As a public speaker his style is incisive, forceful, and often eloquent, and he possesses literary power .nd skill of no mean order. An awful inundation occurred in the South of France on October 31, 1840. The Saono poured its waters into the Rhone, which broke through its banks and overspread 60,000 acres of country. The City of Lyons was inundated ; in Avignon 100 houses were swept away, and 213 houses wore carried away at La Guillotierc. At Vaise, Marseilles, and Nimes also great damage was done. The Saone attained to a height which it had not previously reached for 233 years. The Act authorising the construction cf the Caledonian Canal, from the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, received the royal assent in July, 1803, and the work was commenced the same year. The canal was opened for navigation on November 1, 1822. The nautical routes between the western ports of Great Britain and those also from Ireland to the North Sea and the Baltic arc shortened in some instances by 800 and in others by 10(X) miles by this canal. From the northern entrance on Beauly Firth to the southern, near Fort William, the total length is about 60 miles, that of the artificial portion being about 22 miles. The number of locks is 28, and the navigation is vested in the commissioners of the Caledonian Canal, of whom the Speaker of the House of Commons is ex officio chairman. Usually the income is between £7OOO and £BOOO annually, and exceeds the expenditure by a few hundred pounds; but the credit balances have not always proved sufficient to meet expenditure * or renewals and improvements, and

Parliament is occasionally called upon to make special grants. The ceremony of opening the New Zealand International Exhibition in Christchurch on November 1, 1906, was said at the time to have been one of the most imposing ever witnessed in the dominion. His Excellency Lord Plunket made the official opening speech, and was followed by Sir Joseph Ward, who was then Prime Minister. A feature of the proceedings was the rendering by the exhibition orchestra, under Mr Alfred Hill, of the ode specially written for the occasion by Mr Johannes G. Andersen. An idea of the extent of the undertaking may be gauged from the fact that the main exhibition budding absorbed 3,200.000 ft of timber for its framework alone. Altogether the buildings cost about £90,000, and gave a floor space of 476,500 square feet.