Morning journal and courier., 1880-01-01

any year much that is important is chronicled. Political affairs in Great Britain have at tracted much attention. The discussion of
 the home and foreign policy of Lord Beacons- fields government has been very active and
 searching. The Liberal party is far more en-
 thusiastic than itwas year ago, and it's policy
 is more clearly defined. MT. Gladstone's re-
 markable campaign in Midlothian is the most
 important political event of the year in Great
 Britain.
 In France there WAS change in the head
 of the government during the first month of
 the year. Marshal MacMahon retired. and
 was succeeded by M. Grevy. The Dufaure ministry resigned shortly afterwards, and was
 succeeded by one consisting largely of the same persons, led by M. Washington, who
 has just retired in his turn, and given place to
 his colleague, M. de Freycinat. The Republic
 continues popular. The death of the Prince
 Imperial weakened the Bonapartists, and
 though the Republican party may fairly be
 said to have been strengthened, the several
 elements of the party are more hostile to each
 other than they were.
 | In Germany Prince Bismarck has changed
 his policy and associates. He has cut loose
 from the national liberals and has formed an
 alliance with the conservatives and center
 party. The system of 8 protective tariff has
 been re-established. Negotiations have been
 continued through the year with the govern
 a1ent of the Pope. with the end in view of re-
 storing naodus 0iUendS between the German Government and the Catholic hierarchy and
 populations, but thus far without result The Prussian diet has been dissolved and new house elected which is favorable to Prince Bismarck's present plans.
 1 A most interesting and important contest has been going on in Russia between the | Nihilists and despotism. Two attempts l have been made upon the life of the Czar and assassination, incendiarism and the spreading of seditious literature have been active. The Government has taken energetic action. | There have been numerous executions, and the roads to Siberia are thronged with exiles l on their way thither. The prisons are al full, and martial law prevails In the large | towns. There has been talk of some amelior- ation of the present form of government, but nothing in that direction has yet been done. In other European countries there have been ministerial crises. In Asia the difficult l ties between China and Japan concerning the possession of the Loochoo Islands have at | times threatened to become serious. In Bur nah the accession of new sovereign has | been followed by the most revolting cruel I ties and British interest have not been treated | with respect. In Afghanistan there is revolt against British authority. In Africa the Khe- dive of Egypt rebelled against European con- | trol and deposed the English and French
 ministers. They have, however, been rein stated.
 On this side of the Atlantic there have been | revolutions on the island of San Domingo, re-
 bellion in Cuba, a rebellion in Mexico, and a revolution in Venezuela. In Canada the pro l tective tariff, that was rendered certain by the conservative victory in the general elections, has gone fully into force. The remarkable series of events in which the government of 1 the province of Quebec was at stake has ended I in favor of fhe Canadian government.
 In our own country political affairs have been unusually lively. Early in the year the contest over the political clauses of the ap- propriation bills in Congress was waged fercely between the senate and the house.
 
 l dered necessary an extra session, and, the control of the senate having meantime passed into the hands of the Democrats, the former contest was renewed, but this time between the President and an agreeing Congress The l issue was carried before the people at the au- tumnaI elections, and an emphatic support ] was given by the voters to the resistance the | Republicans had made to the repeal of the election laws Other political events are the Yazoo City assassination, the Butler defeat in Massachusetts, the KelIey-Tilden schism in New York, the election of the Rev. Mir. Kal-
 loch as mayor of San Francisco, the southern negro exodus, the Grant boom and the Maine | fraud.
 | No very important wars have been carried on in 1879. The British have had trouble in Afghanistan and Zululand. Since April 2d
 Peru and Bolivia have been fighting Chili, and some fierce naval combats have taken place.
 In the condition of trade and industry this
 country has seen great change for the better
 since the beginning of the year. The rssump- tion of specie payments did much to bring
 back confidence, and our immense crops aud
 the needs of other nations helped to make us l prosperous. Perhaps there was never time
 when there was more real prosperity in the country than to day. In Europe aud in othe, parts of the world the case is very different.
 There have been at least the usual number of ''misfortunes, disasters and accidents. The cholera has ragged in Japan. The plague and diphtheria have caused many deaths ir u1I,a fz;& ,kss
 and stayed all summer. It has done also iti usual work in Cuba There has been famine in the valley of the Nile and in Morocco. An earthquake in Persia in March killed 1, 1,Oot people, and in Sicily in June killed 10. Ar avalanche in the Austrian Tyrol in March killed 40 people. There was the awful flood of the Theiss at Szsgedin in Hungary in April by which 1000 lives were lost and many more thousands of people left homeless. In May again the Theiss rose as before. In June
 the Danube was terribly flooded. Seven iror
 bridges were swept away at once. In October the terrible Murcia floods in Spain occurred when 8, 900 people were drowned by the rising of the river. And again in December IF, ,00t people were made homeless on the Danube.
 Much damage was done by storms in this country. Among steamship disasters, the lHaytien steamer Michel in March sank in e
 collision, with 78 lives lost the Ava in Indiar waters in May with 70 lives, the State of Vir ginia in July with 8 lives, the Congora by col Iision of Finisterre in August with 14 lives, the Pajaro, near Havana, in August with A lives, the French floating battery Arrogante of Hyeres with AZ lives, the Champion oil ou, tcoaat with 30 lives, the Borussia with 200 Hives. Gloucester has lost 24O fishermen. The dreadful railroad accident in Scotland is still fresh in the minds of our readers.
 Among other events of the year thas may be mentioned are the great boom in stocks ir
 this country, and the general rise in prices the refunding of our national debt, the at
 tack upon slavery in Cuba, the Fall River de- lfalcations, Archbishop Purcelrs failure to re- tpsy those who had deposited money with him, the massacres by the Utes, Talmage't | ~I