365 



VICTORIA. 



VICTORIA. 



356 



issued a proclamation recognising the independence of the Boers of 

 the Vaal river. June 1, the electric telegraph between England arid 

 Ireland opened for communication. Jane 2, the independence of 

 Greytown guaranteed by the English and American governments. 

 June 30, the act granting a representative constitution to New Zealand 

 received the royal assent July 1, the parliament was dissolved. 

 July 3, a great Tenant-Right meeting at Waringstown in Ireland, at 

 which Mr. S. Crawford, M.P., attended, was dispersed by the magis- 

 trates. August 11, Queen Victoria arrived at Antwerp on her way to 

 Brussels. Sept. 14, the Duke of Wellington died j on Nov. 18, received 

 a public funeral in St. Paul's, ordered by parliament. Nov. 2, a great 

 Free Trade banquet held at Manchester, which was attended by 

 3000 persons. Nov. 23, three ships arrived in the Thames with a 

 largo quantity of Australian gold. Dec. 4, the Burmese attempt to 

 retake Pegu, but are repulsed with great loss ; on the 20th Pegu is 

 annexed to the British empire by a proclamation of the governor- 

 general of India. Dec. 16, in the new parliament which had assembled 

 on Nov. 4 the ministry were beaten on the budget by 305 against 286; 

 they immediately resigned ; and on tho 27th the Earl of Aberdeen 

 announced that he had accepted office, and formed a new ministry. 



1853. Jan. 5, the Emperor of China legalised the importation of 

 opium, in order to make it contribute to the revenue. March 9, a 

 treaty with the Caffre chiefs concluded by General Cathcart at King 

 William's Town. April 1, a royal charter received at Manchester, con- 

 stituting it a city. May 3, Prince Menzikoff presented the Russian 

 ultimatum to the Turkish government, claiming for the czar the pro- 

 tectorate of the Greek Christians in the Turkish dominions, which was 

 rejected. May 12, the Industrial Exhibition opened at Dublin. 

 June 20, peace with Burmah proclaimed by the governor-general of 

 India : the late king of Burmah had died, and his successor agreed to 

 the terms proposed by the English. June 21, the Queen reviewed the 

 troops encamped at Chobham. June 26, the Emperor of Russia 

 issued a manifesto against Turkey, and announced the march of 

 Russian armies upon its Danubian provinces. Sept. 27, Turkey 

 declared war against Russia. Oct. 22, the French and English fleets 

 entered the Bosphorus. Dec. 5, a protocol signed at Vienna by France, 

 England, Austria, and Turkey, for the maintenance of the integrity 

 of the Turkish empire. 



1854. Feb. 13, Lord John Russell introduced to the House of 

 Commons his new Reform Bill, which was abandoned on April 11, in 

 consequence of the state of public business. Feb. 20, the Grenadier and 

 Coldstream guards embarked at Southampton for Turkey, and other 

 troops followed in rapid succession. March 11, the Queen reviewed a 

 fleet at Spithead previous to its sailing for the Baltic. March 28, 

 war declared by England against Russia. April 22, Odessa bombarded 

 by the French and English fleets. June 7, a treaty concluded at 

 Washington for facilitating the intercourse of the British North 

 American colonies with the United States. June 8, the Crystal Palace 

 at Sydenham opened by Queen Victoria. June 16, the act for doubling 

 the income tax received the roval assent. August 7, the act for regu- 

 lating Oxford University received the royal assent. August 16, 

 Boinarsund was surrendered to the allied fleet. Sept. 14, the allied 

 army landed in the Crimea, after having suffered severely from cholera 

 during this and the preceding month. On the 15th the Russians 

 evacuated Moldavia, and the Danubian provinces were garrisoned by 

 the Austrians. On the 20th the battle of the Alma took place, and 

 the Russians were defeated. Oct. 17, the bombardment of Sebastopol 

 commenced. Nov. 5, the battle of Inkermann, when the Russians 

 were again beaten. On the 14th a violent storm destroyed many ships 

 laden with stores, and caused great calamities on shore. This was 

 followed by a season of great suffering : the roads were impassable ; 

 the weather was bitterly cold j men and horses, ill supplied with food 

 or shelter, perished in large numbers, while medical attendance and 

 hospital accommodation were wofully deficient. Great dissatisfaction 

 was expressed at home, and private subscriptions to a large amount 

 were raised to alleviate the distress. Miss Nightingale organised a 

 staff of nurses, and proceeded with them to Constantinople to super- 

 intend the hospitals, and attend the sick and wounded. 



1855. January 6, conferences between the plenipotentiaries of 

 England, France, Austria, and Russia, were opened at Vienna. Lord 

 John Russell was the English plenipotentiary, and his conduct in sup- 

 porting the propositions of Austria for a peace with Russia, formed the 

 subject of a parliamentary discussion on July 6, and led to hia secession 

 from office on July 13. January 10, Sardinia joined the allies, and 

 undertook to send troops to the Crimea. January 29, Mr. Roebuck's 

 motion for a committee to investigate the causes of the sufferings of 

 the army in the Crimea carried against the ministry by 305 to 148. 

 In consequence the Aberdeen ministry resigned, and on February 10 

 was succeeded by one of which Lord Palmerston was the Premier. 

 March 2, Nicolas, emperor of Russia, died, and was succeeded by his 

 son Alexander II. April 17, the Emperor and Empress of the French 

 arrived at Windsor on a visit to the queen. May 24, Kerteh occupied 

 by the Allies, whose fleets swept the sea of Azoff, and destroyed several 

 towns and a vast number of vessels. June 18, the French attacked the 

 Malakhoff and the English the Redan, but were repulsed. July 1, a 

 large assemblage of persons took place in Hyde Park to protest 

 against Lord R. Grosvenoir's Sunday Trading bill, and some rioting 

 occurred. The bill was withdrawn on the next day, but the meetings 



and the riots were continued on the two following Sundays. July 11, 

 Sveaborg, in the gulf of Finland, was bombarded by the allied fleets. 

 August 14, the Metropolis Local Management Act, constituting a repre- 

 sentative board for the management of the improvements of the whole 

 metropolis, received the royal assent. August 18, the Queen and 

 Prince Albert paid a visit to the Emperor of the French in Paris. 

 September 8, the French captured the Malakhoff, and in the night the 

 Russians evacuated the south side of Sebastopol, of which the allies 

 took possession. September 29, the Russians assaulted Kars, and were 

 repulsed by the Turks, assisted by Sir W. F. Williams, several other 

 English officers, and General Kmety. October 17, Kinburn, at the 

 mouth of the Dnieper, surrendered to the allies, and on the next day 

 the Russians blew up the fortress of Oczakoff. November 26, Kars 

 was surrendered to the Russians, after a gallant defence ; Sir W. F. 

 Williams and the English officers were made prisoners, and treated with 

 great kindness by the Russians. November 30, the King of Sardinia 

 arrived at Windsor Castle on a visit to the Queen. December 19, the 

 united kingdom of Sweden and Norway joined the alliance of the 

 Western Powers. 



1856. January 31, the Queen, on opening the session of parliament, 

 announced the acceptance by Russia of the terms proposed for a 

 general peace. February 1, Mr. Murray, the British minister to the 

 Persian court, quitted Teheran in consequence of a dispute with the 

 Persian government. February 7, the Queen, having created Sir J. 

 Parke, one of the barons of the Exchequer Court, a peer for life only, 

 a motion to refer the subject to a committee of privileges was carried 

 against the ministers. The committee reported that such a peerage 

 gave no right to sit in parliament, which was confirmed by the House. 

 Ultimately ministers gave wav, and Baron Wensleydale was created a 

 peer in the usual form. February 25, John Sadleir, M.P. for Sligo, 

 having poisoned himself, an investigation led to the discovery of a 

 series of enormous frauds, through which the Tipperary Bank failed, 

 and an immense amount of litigation and suffering among the share- 

 holders followed. April 29, official proclamation made of the peace 

 with Russia. May 3, an amnesty granted to the political exiles ; 

 Frost, Williams, Jones, Smith O'Brien, and others, subsequently 

 returned to England. May 29, public celebration of the conclusion of 

 peace ; magnificent fireworks exhibited in London, Edinburgh, and 

 Dublin, and a general illumination took place. July 12, the allies 

 evacuated the Crimea. July 29, the act for establishing reformatory 

 and industrial schools for criminal and vagrant children received the 

 royal assent. August 20, the Queen of Oude arrived in England, to 

 appeal against the annexation of her son's dominions to the British 

 possessions in India. September 4, the Royal British Bank stopped 

 payment ; on the accounts being investigated gross frauds were dis- 

 closed ; the failure caused a vast amount of distress ; and ultimately 

 the attorney-general undertook to prosecute some of the directors ; 

 an act of parliament was also passed in 1857 to render trustees more 

 easily punishable for misconduct and misapplication of funds. Octo- 

 ber 11, the seizure by the Chinese in the Canton river of the ' lorcha ' 

 Arrow, gave rise to a series of attacks on Canton, from which place all 

 the foreign commercial residents withdrew. November 10, in conse- 

 quence of the Persians having taken Herat, in violation of a treaty, 

 war was proclaimed at Bombay against that country. December 11, 

 the collection of pictures belonging to Mr. John Sheepshanks was made 

 over by him to the government as a gift to the nation. December 16, 

 the Queen went to Spithead to receive from the government of the 

 United States the Arctic discovery ship Resolute, which, having been 

 abandoned in the ice by its crew, was found and recovered by an 

 American ship, and now restored. 



1857. January 27, the Indian army landed at Bushirc in Persia, 

 capturing the place with small opposition, February 2, the army 

 advanced to Burazjoon, where the Persians abandoned their camp and 

 stores, and retreated ; but endeavoured to intercept the British force 

 on its return on February 7, when they were utterly defeated. On 

 March 28, the town of Mohamruerah was taken ; but in the meantime 

 a treaty of peace had been concluded at Paris on March 4, Persia 

 agreeing to withdraw from Herat j and the war ended. March 3, the 

 ministry were defeated on a motion by Mr. Cobden, involving censure 

 on them for the attack on Canton. Lord Paltuerston then announced 

 his intention of appealing to the country as soon as the indispensable 

 business of the House could be got through. Parliament was dissolved 

 on March 21, and a new one summoned, which met on April 30. In 

 the new elections the most remarkable fact was that Mr. Bright, Mr. 

 Cobden, and most of what were called tho ' Peace Party,' failed in 

 getting returned. March 14, the treaty with Denmark for the abolition 

 of the Sound Dues was signed at Copenhagen. An indemnity was to 

 be paid to Denmark, of which England's share was settled at 1,300,000/. 

 and the dues ceased from April 1. May 5, the Art Treasures Exhi- 

 bition was opened at Manchester by the Queen and Prince Albert. 

 May 7, a mutiny broke out in the Indian army; six regiments 

 revolted, took possession of Delhi, and massacred many of the 

 English residents. The mutiny spread, and nearly all the Bengal 

 army joined it. An emperor was proclaimed at Delhi, and a few 

 Europeans and some faithful native troops assembled to besiege it. 

 May 25 and 27; Commodore Keppel, with a British naval force, 

 attacked a number of Chinese junks in Escape Creek, and on June 1, 

 another attack was made on those assembled in Fatshan Creek, in 



