his leadership, would have fought like lions, as they did in the short and decisive struggle with Servia. When that struggle commenced, the Austrians and most of the foreign residents at Vienna were looking for an easy and triumphant march of the Servian army to Sophia, and the news of the disastrous defeat of that army came like a clap of thunder from a clear sky. Moreover Bulgaria would have had the support of Austria and of England if necessary; and more than likely even of Servia herself.

The ambition of Russia has been, as now, the principal disturbing factor in European affairs, for over a century. Not satisfied with her immense territory in Europe and elsewhere, she has been, for a hundred and fifty years, steadily extending her possessions and increasing her influence, to the east, southeast, south and southwest. To Siberia and her other Asiatic possessions, she had added, in 1745, a large territory northwest of the Chinese Empire; in 1783, a considerable tract of country on the northern shore of the Black Sea, on both sides of the Sea of Azof; from 1814 to 1828 a smaller tract between the Black and the Caspian Seas, thus giving her a broad roadway between these waters; in 1863, an immense territory extending all the way from China to the Caspian Sea; in 1867, Tashkend and Turkestan, with a large country east of the Aral Sea and on both banks of the Syr Daria River, extending eastward almost to Khokand; in 1878, another small piece at the eastern Shore of the Black Sea, to broaden and complete the roadway referred to; in 1880, a similar piece on both sides of the Irtish River, on the confines of China; in 1883, Khokand and Samarcand, pressing hard upon Bokhara, Khiva having been taken some time before; and in 1884, another large territory bounded by Bokhara on the east, Persia and Afghanistan on the south, and on the west by the Caspian Sea.

In that year Russian troops took possession of Old Sarakhs, on the HariRud River, at the meeting of the three frontiers of Persia, Afghanistan and the Turkoman country, thus commanding all central Asia. Sarakhs is forty miles nearer to Herat than Merv; which previously had been the limit of the Russian advance.

In 1885, at the imminent risk of a war with England, the Russian forces actually crossed the Afghan boundary. The English became alarmed and made an attempt to settle the boundaries which should limit further progress. A Commission was appointed. The Russians insisted upon. Zulfikar Pass, the same through which Alexander the Great had led his victorious forces more than two thousand years ago; but the British lion was found crouching in the Pass, guarding the entrance to India; and

one fine day-it was on the 24th of August, 1885, the morning papers at St. Petersburg made the announcement, from official sources, that the Russian Government had concluded not to insist upon retaining Zulfikar Pass; adding that since a new topographical map had been received, it had been ascertained that in a strategical point of view, it was of no importance! The Russian who, after reading this, should take a stroll into the summer garden of St. Petersburg, would notice among the carvings upon the statue of the Russian fabulist Krulow, an exquisite marble representation of a fox turning away disgusted from the luscious bunch of grapes which he could not reach. But then the same Russian, upon returning and again taking up the paper, would find, in close connection with the unwelcome intelligence, a salvo to his wounded pride, in the news that Corea had acknowledged the supremacy of Russia.

It was afterward announced that the boundary had been agreed upon. But this settlement can hardly be permanent. No British statesman doubts that Russia has designs upon India, and the first devolopment of these designs will be an advance upon Herat.

At an expense of $45,000,000, Russia completed her road from the Black Sea to the Caspian.

The Russian vessels float upon the Caspian and her naval stations are established on its Persian shore. Her fleets are on the Aral, the Jaxartes River and the Oxus. A railroad was built some time ago from Balkan Bay to Askhabad and has been since completed to Merv, within two hundred and forty miles of Herat, the key to India. The cost of completion to Herat by way of Sarakhs is estimated at but little over eight millions of dollars. A connection between Quetta, the western terminus of the English Indian railway system and Herat, would bring London within ten days of Calcutta.

In an able and instructive article published in the April number, 1887, of the Atlantic monthly, written by W. H. Ray, of this city, the situation is thus summed up:

"The Russians, if not actually possessors of Herat, are at its gates, and they are not likely to recede from their present position; nor, judging England from her past record, is the government of the Queen of Great Britain and Empress of India likely to give fight to the Russians on the score of any danger threatened short of the actual occupation of Herat. When the steppe was crossed in 1863, England protested, and said she would declare war if the Russians advanced farther into the three Khanates. Gortschakoff's circular, already quoted, allayed English fears, and when Russia, soon after, occupied a part of Khokand, no war was declared. Several times this farce was repeated, but when at last Russia, by the annexation of Khiva, planted herself firmly on the right bank of the Oxus,

both parties agreed that the crossing of that river by the power of the north should be a "casus belli." Soon after the Oxus was crossed; Geok Tepe, Askhabad, Merv, Sarakhs, the Zulfikar Pass, Ak Robat, Sari Yazi, passed under Russian control,-some only oases, but others beautiful cities in fertile valleys, and all places of importance, each bringing Russia nearer to, and then into, the country of the Afghans, which has all along served as a buffer between India and advancing Russia. Yet England has not declared war, and the student of these events begins to wonder if, after all, the Tsar will not soon lay his measuring rod along the boundary line of the Indies.

"Whatever one's opinion as to the justice of Russia's occupation and and claims, or the honorableness of her methods, he cannot but express wonder and admiration at the persistent maintenance of a purpose conceived nearly two centuries ago with almost infinite foresight, and executed in the face of frequent defeat, danger, hardship, barbarism abroad, and dissatisfaction and threatening anarchy at home; a plan devised with shrewd cunning, and persevered in by brave, devoted, ambitious, unscrupulous, audacious generals. * *

"Twice during the present century has the invasion of India been proposed, once by Napoleon the Great to Paul I, and a few years later by the same general to Alexander; it is said on tolerably good authority that the same proposition was seriously considered by Tsar Nicholas in the early days of his reign.

"Russia openly disavows any such design, but on no other hypothesis is it easy to explain satisfactorily her later advances directly toward the Indian frontier, where, as some recent writer has said in substance, her presence must be a perpetual menace to the prestige of English government and arms, and a constant injury to English commercial prosperity. "If the struggle for the final possession of India and Constantinople must come, we can but wish that the Anglo-Saxon blood of Western Europe may gain the victory over the descendants of the old Tartar race. Should the advance of Russia be stayed at Herat, we would hope that the great nation which now possesses more than one half of Europe and considerably more than two fifths of all Asia, and which has a population of one hundred million souls, may learn the lesson of freedom and justice, and may teach it in turn to the barbarian hordes of the conquered lands and so do its part toward bringing on the day of peace, and of faith in all that is true and noble.

"Russia is the youngest as well as the vastest nation of Europe. Her national life began hardly two hundred years, her national literature only one hundred years ago. "She stands," says one of the bishops of her church, "on the threshold of the morning." The danger that threatens India and Europe is not that of Russian aggression, but of Russian absolutism; if this danger be averted, the day of liberty and light opens for her and her subjects. The question of Russia in Asia will no longer disturb English statesmen, but will be determined in the interests of the state and of humanity."

While the eyes of the world are directed toward Bulgaria and the Balkan provinces, the longing eye of the Tsar roams over all Asia as far as Corea, and as the glance comes back to the Balkans, it rests for a while upon the glittering mosques and minarets of Constantinople.

MR. JUSTICE LAMAR.

Mr. L. Q. C. Lamar, recently appointed by President Cleveland to fill the place upon the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States, made vacant by the death of Mr. Justice Woods, entered upon the duties of his new office on the 18th of January, in the presence of the full bench.

There was quite a large attendance of members of the bar, and the memorable occasion was particularly graced by the presence of many ladies.

Promptly at 12 o'clock, the justices, wearing their black silk robes, filed into the court room from an ante chamber, and were immediately followed by Mr. Lamar, who wore a suit of black, and took his seat to the right of Mr. Justice Blatchford and beside Mr. J. H. McKenney, the clerk of the court.

The customary proclamation of the assembling of the court was then made, viz.: "The Honorable Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States: Oyez! oyez! all persons having business before the Honorable Supreme Court of the United States are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for the court is now sitting. God save the United States and this honorable court."

Chief Justice Waite then unrolled a large sheet of parchment, and announced that they had received the commission of L. Q. C. Lamar as Associate Justice of the Court, and ordered that it be read by the clerk, which was accordingly done.

The Chief Justice then enquired: "Is Mr. Lamar ready to take the oath?" Mr. Lamar bowed, and indicated that he was ready. Mr. McKenney handed him a parchment, upon which was inscribed the following oath:

"I, L. Q. C. Lamar, do solemnly swear that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent on me as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, according to the best of my abilities and understanding, agreeably to the Constitution and laws of the United States, so help me God."

Mr. Lamar read the oath in a clear voice, and in completion of the ceremony kissed the bible which was handed him by the clerk, Mr. Mc

Kenney. The newly qualified justice then retired to the corridor in rear of the bench, where he was robed. During his momentary absence, the court and entire audience rose to their feet in respectful welcome and recognition of the new associate justice, who was then escorted by Marshal John M. Wright to his seat on the extreme left of the Chief Justice.

The justices all bowed to their new associate, who in return bowed to them and to the members of the bar and audience. He then took his seat, fully invested with "all the powers, privileges and emoluments" of his high office.

The Supreme Court now sits with its full compliment of nine justices, for the first time since the 4th of May, 1885.-(Wash. Law Reporter.)

THE LEARNED WOMEN OF BOLOGNA.

We give the following extracts from a scholarly and interesting article published in the Woman's Journal, of Boston, and written by Mary A. Livermore, a woman who is well known in this City, and who has acquired a national reputation as an orator and a writer:

"The date of the foundation of the University of Bologna is uncertain. Documents held in its archives indicate that it was founded by Theodosius II, A. D. 425, and was restored by Charlemagne, the latter part of the eighth or the beginning of the ninth century. It took on great glory in the twelth century, when Irnerius was called to the professor's chair by the woman friend of Gregory VII, the noble minded Countess Matilda. The fame of his erudition and the splendor of his eloquence attracted the attention of all learned Europe, and crowds of students flocked to hear the great jurisconsult and to learn of him.

"This was about 1116, and by the year 1250, ten thousand students were attending the schools of the University, devoting themselves to philosophy, jurisprudence and medicine. A diploma from Bologna became at once "a passport to office throughout Christendom." As a matter of course, libraries and literary institutions were the outcome of this educational work, and women were quickened to new life in this studious and literary atmosphere.

"The public examination took place in the cathedral, before the dignitaries, the college of doctors, the students, the ecclesiastics, and the principal inhabitants of Bologna. The aspirant for the degree, before this notable assembly, was called upon to read a thesis, expound some knotty law point, and maintain and defend his or her explanation of it, against all disputants. If victorious in the contest, the degree of doctor, with the