Year: 1872

VIZ o"AA1o aoooou irou tuc beginning 70 Inc enu
of the volume.


The Last Day or tho Dying Year.


The Record or 1874.


Give him place to lay his regal head


Give him TOMB beside his brothers gone.


Give him tablet for his deeds and name.


We have entered upon the last day Of tho
dying year. aud with "the iron tongue of mid
night we shall have again the old chorus
'The King is dead the King lives long live
the King" There will be many sad memo
ries revived over the king that goes out but
there will be general rejoicings over the in
coming Of his successor The old year, in tho
political affairs of mankind, has been COM
paratively year of peace; but in the strange
perturbations Of the physical world it has been
unusually tempestuous and disastrous. Since
the last day Of last December the peace and
the general confidence in the peace of Europe
have not been disturbed, save by apprehen-
sions, from time to time, of revolutionary
crisis in France, or by revolutionary outbreaks
in Spain, or by the shadows Of the Interna-
tional and yet the great Powers have each
and all been actively preparing for war. The
meeting Of the three Emperors at Berlin was
proclaimed as ON imperial conference
in behalf of peace; yet Germany,
Russia and Austria are all arming
as industriously as France. They have no
hostile designs against France, but. with all
their professions Of good will, they distrust
her turbulent republicans and they distrust
each other. They are all anxiously awaiting
the reopening of the crisis in the French As.
sembly, and Germany stands ready to act at
moments warning The peace which has
prevailed in Europe through the year is,
indeed, only the peace Of an armistice, and
until some regular form Of government, by the
will of the people, shall have been proclaimed
for France there can be no reliance upon this
uncertain peace of Europe.


In our own country we have had year OF
extraordinary political excitements and agita-
TONS from Jandafy to December. On the 1st
day Of january in New York the outgoing
Common Council adopted articles Of impeach-
ment against Mayor Hall, which were
promptly repealed by the incoming Common
Council on the same day. The chapter Of
accidents and incidents in the cause Of city
reform since that day will culminate to-mor-
row with the retirement Of Mayor Hall and the
Inauguration Of Mayor Havemeyer. Again,
on the Sd day Of January last there
were political riots in New Orleans
and split in the Legislature which
resulted in the removal Of Speaker
Carter To-day the confusion Of the Louisiana
State government, in oil its departments,
Legislative, executive and judicial, is worse
confounded than ever, with no prospect of an
immediate pacifcation between the adherents
of Warmoth, the Governor deposed, and of
Pinchback, the Governor set up in his place.


The year has also been marked by one Of
the most exciting, embittered and scandalous
of all our disgraceful Presidential agitations,
and by results the most remarkable and deci-
sive, and in some respects the most melancholy
and deplorable in all the vicissitudes Of our
political parties and party leaders. With all
the attending circumstances, from the begin
ming to the end, there is hardly q more
lamentable chapter in the history of our party
politics than that Of the rise and fall and
death Of Horace Greeley. On the other hand.
since the reelection Of President Monroe in
1920, no administration at Washington has
been so emphatically endorsed by the people
as that Of General Grant in his overwhelming
reelection. IT. however, General Grant is in.
ment Of his first term is equivalent to
carte blanche for his second term, he will act
wisely in wholly rejecting it. We do not sup
pose that he has the remotestidea Of presuming
upon the will Of the people or OF assuming
doubtful responsibilities but the new de-
parture of lavish expenditures suggested in his
recent Message including internal improve
ments aud steamship subsidies, is, indeed, o
wide departure from his original programme
of economy retrenchment and reform. We
know not what may be the developments Of
his second term, but let US hope for the best.


Even from his late Message we have hopes
of new line of policy in reference to our
relations with Spain and Cuba, and with the
reconstruction Of his Cabinet we look for SONS
definite movement in the right direction.
Having settled our late outstanding accounts
with England according to the Treaty Of
Washington, and enjoying the most amicable
relations with France, Germany, Russia and
Italy, he has at least a most inviting oppor-
tunity for a definite and comprehensive settle
ment with Spain. Upon this subject. too,
with the passing away of the year 1872, the
prospect of a settlement satisfactory to the
American people is much better than it was .
year ago.


Hardly any other event within the year, al
home or abroad, has excited so much of public
interest and satisfaction as our African ex-.
plorer Stanley discovery of DR.. Livingstone.
and never has the finding of lost traveller
promised SO much to Africa and to the general
interests of civilization as Stanley's finding of