EGYPT 9 &7 



and the other 12 to be selected by the 54; in case of disagreement between the two 

 Chambers they were to sit and vote together. The reform was chiefly directed against 

 the Landsting or Upper House, and was hailed with approval by the Radicals and 

 Socialists of the Folketing. Moreover, the once impregnable Conservative majority in 

 the Landsting had dwindled to only one or two votes, owing to the steadily declining 

 number of Conservative " Life Peers." Since 1901 every vacancy among the twelve 

 members nominated by the Crown had been filled by a supporter of the Left. 



Danish Dependencies. As regards the Danish dependencies abroad there is little; to 

 record between 1909 and 1912. A Danish Syndicate was formed in 1912 to carry out extensive 

 harbour works for the purpose of making St. Thomas into a big trading depot and Coaling 

 station. The Danish Parliament granted the Syndicate a 99 years' concession, and a com- 

 pany was then formed in Copenhagen for raising the capital required, about 1,000,000, 

 in Denmark only, as the scheme was planned as a national undertaking. Only a fourth 

 part of this sum was however subscribed for, and the concession was returned to the State, 

 only a minor extension of the St. Thomas harbour being now contemplated. 



In Iceland a change of ministry occurred in 1911, M. Bjarni Jonsson being defeated in 

 the Alting and succeeded by the proposer of the hostile motion, M. Kristjan Jonsson (b. 

 1852), a member of another section of the Home Rule party. During its 1911 session the 

 Alting adopted a system of adult franchise. A separate university for Iceland was estab- 

 lished at Reykjavik on July 30. 



During 1912 politics in Iceland once more turned in the direction of reopening negotia- 

 tions as to a settlement of the constitutional difficulties with Denmark, the Minister of 1908, 

 Hannes Haffstein, being again returned to power, .j . 



In Greenland the establishment of communal councils at the various Eskimo settle- 

 ments was followed in 1912 by a long-contemplated reform, the complete separation of the 

 management of Greenland trade from the administration of this Danish possession . ' 



Capt. Ejnar Mikkelsen returned to Copenhagen in August, having in spite of great 

 hardships and privations during two years reached the object of his expedition- to the north- 

 eastern coast of Greenland in finding traces of. the lost members of the Mylius-Erichsen 

 expedition (1906-8) and completing the work of this lost explorer. 



Obituary. During 1908 the art world of Denmark lost two of its leading names, LORENZ 

 FROLICH (b. 1820) and FRANTS HENNINGSEN (b. 1850). In 1909 the death of PRINCESS 

 VALDEMAR of Denmark (Princess Marie of Orleans, b. 1865) caused national sorrow; as the 

 inscription on the memorial since erected to this popular Princess says with truth, "She spoke 

 our Tongue and found our Hearts. " P. S. KROYER (b. 1851), the artist; EMIL CHR. HANSEN 

 (b. 1842), whose researches concerning the yeast bacillus revolutionised the brewing industry; 

 and the eminent scientist, Professor JULS. THOMSEN (b. 1826), Principal of the Polytechnic 

 College, also died in 1909. 



The obituary list for 1910 included the jurist Prof. HENNING MATZEN (b. 1840), member 

 of the Hague Tribunal; the artists JOHAN FREDERIK NIKOLAJ VERMEHREN (b. 1823) and 

 JOHAN JULIUS EXNER (b. 1825); and the financier ISAK GLUCKSTADT (b. 1839), head of the 

 Danske Landmaridsbank. In 1911 died the Bishop of Zealand, PEDER MADSEN (b. 1843), 

 and the actor EMIL POULSEN (b. 1842), who "created" so many of Ibsen's characters. In 

 February 1912 G. H. ARMAUER HANSEN, the bacteriologist, died (see E. B. xx, 784b). 



H., "..". -. r (W..- R- PRIOR.). 



EGYPT 



History. The year 1916 proved a critical period in the political development of 

 Egypt. The murder of the Prime minister, Boutros Pasha, in February, was followed 



/j'-i -by violent manifestations of Anglophobia. The trial of the Premier's 

 Unrest of - , , . ... , T ,. ,. , 



1910-n. assassin, a young man named Wardam, gave occasion for many Nationalist 



demonstrations. Wardani was- sentenced to death (May i3th) and 

 executed (June 28th), after an appeal for a new trial had been dismissed. The rejection 

 by the general assembly of the scheme to extend the concession of the Suez Canal 

 company the existing concession does not expire- till 1968 was another exhibition of 

 Anglophobia, the scheme being rejected not on its merits but to- discredit the British 

 administration. This state of matters followed steps taken by Sir Eldon Gorst, the 

 British Agent, to associate the Egyptians more directly with the conduct of their :own 

 affairs. The experiment, which was on the lines of Lord Cromer's policy, was attributed 

 by the Egyptians, by the European colonies in Egypt, and by a section of public opinion 

 in Britain, to weakness in Sir Eldon Gorst's words "-to an- attempt, to pacify the 

 Nationalist agitation by ill-timed concessions and to an intentional diminution of 

 1 See E. B. ix, 21 et seq. 



