the Suez Canal, the highway between England and India, depends on the presence of a stable and friendly government in Egypt. A military revolt in 1882, headed by Arabi Pasha, overthrew the government of the khedive. The cry of British interests in danger was at once raised. It was felt, or feared, that if Great Britain did not interfere to restore order, France would. Armed intervention was therefore resolved on. The British fleet, under Admiral Seymour, bombarded the forts of Alexandria on July 11th. Thereafter the rebels set fire to the town and massacred many foreigners. Sir Garnet Wolseley drove Arabi out of his intrenchments at Tel-el-Kebir (Sept.). A rapid march on Cairo followed, and the war was finished. The khedive was restored. Arabi surrendered, and was banished to Ceylon. Most of the British army at once withdrew. Sir Garnet Wolseley and Sir Beauchamp Seymour were rewarded with peerages. 1882 1883 A revolt of the native tribes in the Soudan caused a fresh disturbance. The revolt was headed by Achmet Mahomet, a fanatical chief who called himself "the Mahdi," or reformer of Mohammedanism; and its avowed object was to drive the Egyptian rulers and garrisons out of the Soudan. In November an Egyptian force was sent to Kordofan, under Colonel Hicks, a British officer; but it was surrounded and annihilated. The Mahdi was elated with this victory, and declared himself to be invulnerable and his mission to be a divine one. Osman Digna, one of his lieutenants, occupied the Nubian Desert north of Abyssinia, and threatened the coast of the Red Sea. A British force, under General Sir Gerard Graham, was despatched to Suakim, to protect the Red Sea coast, and to relieve the Egyptian garrisons at Tokar and other places. There were many skirmishes and one or two important battles. The Soudanese fought bravely with spears and swords; but the British were victorious, and broke up the native force for the time. 1884 In order to prevent bloodshed, the British government was induced to send General Gordon ("Chinese Gordon ") to S MEDITERRANEAN DARF Sept. .Damascus rusalem Thebes Assoudn. Et Cat m Z. Wady Halfa psanbool 3 Cat 2 Cat 8 Medina S Dongola Korti 4th Cat Berbers. 5th Cat Shendy Suakin Massowah 6 Cat f Khartoum, to nego tiate for the withdrawal of the Egyptian garrisons there and at Berber and Dongola. Gordon went with a small escort and without troops, as his mission was a peaceful one. Mecca But his mission Jeddah m Gondar Magdala failed, and he had to defend himself in Khartoum against the followers of the Mahdi, who besieged the town. The cry was then raised at home that Gordon was being sacrificed, and the excitement became intense when weeks and months passed without any communications having been received from Khartoum. Yielding at last to the public clamour, the government despatched a force of ten thousand men under Lord Wolseley to relieve General Gordon. The Nile route was selected for the advance. When the army reached Korti, one division was sent across the Bayuda Desert, with instructions to push on to Khartoum. The desert march was a splendid feat, ending in a brilliant victory at Abu-Klea, and another, two days later, near Metammeh, where General Stewart was mortally wounded (Jan. 19). From Metammeh, General Wilson steamed up the river to Khartoum, only to find that the place had fallen, and that Gordon had been killed two days previously (Jan. 26). The 1885 news of Gordon's death caused extraordinary excite ment at home; but it soon died down, and then the expedition was gradually withdrawn. As Osman Digna still threatened Suakim on the coast of the Red Sea, General Graham returned there with a large force. His army was joined by a contingent of volunteers from New South Wales-the first occasion of Australian troops sharing in the defence of the empire. Osman Digna was driven off, and his force was dispersed. Lord Wolseley returned to England in July. One of the last acts of the Gladstone ministry was to complete the fabric of the British democracy by the extension of the household and lodger franchise to counties. The rejection of the measure by the House of Lords in July led to an autumn session being held for the purpose of passing the bill. During the recess there were defiant demonstrations against that House over the whole country. Its very existence was threatened. When the bill was reintroduced, attempts were made to lessen its democratic tendencies by compromises and amendments; but these failed, with the single exception that the government agreed to make known the terms of its Distribution of Seats Bill before the Franchise Bill was finally passed. The latter bill became law on December 6th. It added two million voters to the electorate, and it contained a novelty in the shape of the service franchise, giving votes to servants who enjoyed the occupancy of a dwelling-house as part of their wages. The Distribution of Seats Bill, though introduced in the House of Commons in December 1884, was by consent postponed till next session, and did not pass till June. Boroughs with less than 15,000 inhabitants were disfranchised as such, and were absorbed in their respective counties. Boroughs with less than 50,000 inhabitants were deprived of one member. Those with more than 50,000 received an additional member. In England 43 new boroughs were created. England received 6 additional members and Scotland 12, while Ireland lost 2. The total number of members in the House of Commons was increased from 658 to 670.* While the Redistribution Bill was passing through its final stages in the House of Lords, a ministerial crisis was precipitated in the House of Commons by the Budget proposals of the government. The features which were condemned by the opposition were the increase of the beer and spirit duties, and the failure to give relief to local taxation. An adverse motion in these terms was carried by a majority of twelve (June 8), and Mr. Gladstone resigned. The Marquis of Salisbury became Prime Minister, though he knew that he would have great difficulty in carrying on the government during the short period that must elapse before the general election under the new franchise. When the election came in November, it gave the Liberals a majority of eighty-four over the Conservatives; but as the Irish Nationalists numbered eighty-four, they evidently held the balance between the two great parties in British politics. Lord Salisbury resigned in January following, and Mr. Gladstone returned to power. viously he could not carry on the government without the support of the Irish Nationalists. Moreover, the large majority of Nationalists returned from Ireland led him to believe that the demand for Home Rule could no longer be resisted. He therefore made the Government of Ireland Bill his first important measure. In order to a clear understanding of the position of affairs, a short retrospect of the Irish question is necessary. 1886 Ob CHAPTER XXII. IRELAND AND HOME RULE. Fenianism - Outrages - Real grievances - Disestablishment of the Irish Church-Irish Land Act-Peace Preservation Act-Home Government Association-University Bill-Home Rule-Obstruction in Parliament -Distress and discontent-The Land League-Boycotting-Relief of Distress Act-Protection of Life and Property Act-New Land ActThe Land League "proclaimed "-The National League foundedMurder of Cavendish and Burke-Prevention of Crimes Act-The American Irish-Grievances of Scottish crofters-Scottish Secretary of State Act-Third Gladstone ministry-Government of Ireland BillLand Purchase Bill-Formation of the "Liberal Unionist" partySecond Salisbury ministry-The Crofter Commission-Criminal Law Amendment Act-Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Ο UR review of recent events in Ireland may conveniently begin with a reference to the Fenian conspiracy, which assumed proportions so serious in the summer of 1865 that the government of Lord Russell found it neces- 1865 sary to interfere. It was promoted mainly by some reckless adventurers in the United States, who, finding their occupation gone by the cessation of the American Civil War, organized a system by which the peace of Ireland was seriously disturbed, and the too excitable nature of certain portions of her peasantry was kindled into wild and lawless hopes. The Fenians, who derived their name from Finn or Fionn, a chieftain who commanded a famous body of Irish soldiers in the reign of Cormac, aimed, not at the repeal of the Union, which would have satisfied O'Connell and O'Brien, but at the |