368 



KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[February, igo6. 



The British Fleet chased and soon dispersed them near 

 the Scilly Isles, and many being damaged and having 

 no friendly harbour at hand to put in to, had to 

 surrender, or else to try to make the great Atlantic 

 trip in a disabled condition, in which but few were 

 successful. 



Meanw hile the invading army, running short of sup- 

 plies and finding itself deserted by its ships, had no 

 alternative but that of surrender. 



Imagine the feelings of the newly made Emperor ! 

 The intelligence of one crushing blow after another 

 came to his ears. The first had made him perfectly 

 sick with rage. The next came as a thunder-clap 

 which fairly broke him down. The great strain of the 

 last few weeks, the excitement of the elections, the 

 whirl of events on being elected President, the arduous 

 duties which followed, especially on the outbreak of 

 war, had been all too much for him. But there was 

 something more in store for him yet. It had been a 

 matter of some surprise how small was the resistance 

 offered by British troops to the landing in England, 

 and the question was often asked, " W'here is the main 

 British .Army?" It now transpired that the troops 

 captured in the transports on their way to Canada, were 

 but a very small portion of the army, which, supple- 

 mented by a huge number of Canadian troops and 

 volunteers, was now actually advancing from Canada 

 southwards to invade the States. And all the flower 

 of the .American army was in captivit)' in England. 



The Pacific, cleared of the enemy's ships, was alive 

 with vessels bearing thousands of .Australians and Xew 

 Zealanders bound to assist their fellow-colonists in 

 Canada. 



This last shock was too much for the passionate 

 monarch. The Emperor, on hearing it, fell unconscious 

 into the arms of his private secretary. He was taken 

 to his room, and medical men were promptly 

 summoned. The gravest symptoms were manifest. 

 Ministers and friends were urgently sent for. The 

 Emperor's condition became more alarming. He rallied 

 a little. His lips moved as if he wished to make a 

 statement. At last his eyes opened, and with an effort 

 he whispered " Libertia ! " She was kneeling at his 

 side and holding his hand. Many of the principal 

 ministers and friends of the great man were grouped 

 around. " Libertia," he hoarsely whispered, " tell the 

 pveople of England that they have misjudged me. 

 Wrong I may have done — often — hut not such bad 

 things as they accuse me of. That villain, Bateson, 

 brought it all about. Would that I had been able to 

 exonerate myself in their eyes. Tell them this." 

 There was a long pause as all looked steadfastly on in 

 solemn silence. At last he gave one heavy sigh, as of 

 relief, and expired. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Peace and Concord. 



.A few- days afterwards the following proclamation 

 was eagerly read, not only through the United .States, 

 but throughout the British Empire, and, indeed, by all 

 the civilised world : — 



" Citizens of the United States, — I, your Empress 

 by inheritance, crave your attention. 



" War, that awful heritage of mankind, bringing 

 death and misery to millions, is raging wildly in our 



midst. War, whose only good is the suppression of 

 the wrongdoers and weaklings of this earth, to demon- 

 strate and maintain the survival of the fittest, is now- 

 manifesting itself as a death struggle between the two 

 mightiest nations of the globe. Between the mother 

 and her child, fk'tween brothers of the Anglo-.Saxon 

 race. Why should this continue? What real good 

 can come of it? Does it not bring to both nations only 

 sorrow and degradation ? 



" Then, I ask you, I beseech you, I command you, 

 stop it ! It lies with you, the people, whose mind must 

 be considered even by their sovereign. Think of it 

 each one of you. Consider it in all its aspects. Shall 

 we gain by the suppression of our neighbours ? What 

 good would it do to each one of us personally to annex 

 their territories, already so well ruled over, so 

 judiciously managed? 



" Is it not a sin to continue such bloodshed, to 

 sacrifice so many lives of noble, able, and accomplished 

 men? 



" Then let us end this strife. Let us shake the hand 

 of peace and settle down once more to carry on our com- 

 merce, to bring happiness to our homes, to foster learn- 

 ing and industry, to better mankind instead of 

 butchering it. 



" I am, therefore, appealing for peace to that august 

 ruler of the nation which we all should love, our kith 

 and kin, that nation with whom we ought to go hand 

 in hand to lead the civilised and uncivilised nations of 

 the world and show them an example of how peace and 

 freedom should be maintained. 



" Libertia." 



These soul-stirring words from the heart of the young 

 and beautiful Empress made the greatest impression 

 on all who read them. Both nations had suffeied 

 greatly. Both had been humiliated, and but one 

 opinion, strongly in favour of the proposed action, pre- 

 vailed. In England it w'as the same. An armistice 

 was promptly proclaimed, and within a short time a 

 reasonable settlement arrived at, and a great Treaty 

 confirmed, binding the two nations eternally to a close 

 alliance for amicably ruling the world. 



One more scene in London and this short history is 

 ended. 



It was a glorious day in June. That huge central 

 street of London, the pride of Englishmen, the triumnh 

 of housebuilding man, was ablaze with many-coloured 

 bunting. Triumphal arches, flags, and banners, large 

 mottoes of welcome, and coloured designs met the eye 

 on every side. .All this betokened a nation's heartfelt 

 welcome to a stranger — if stranger she could be called. 

 Millions of English, old and young, had assembled to 

 greet her, for the Empress Libertia had responded to 

 the call of the British voices, and now arrived in their 

 midst, a pure type of royal womanhood, the bearer of 

 her dead father's last message. 



Xot forgetful of a day, many years ago, w-hen that 

 lovely young form had knelt to Royalty, the Hope of 

 England's future, the Prince whose destiny was 

 mingled with that of the people, now looked upon this 

 prepossessing maiden. Their hearts' strings were 

 struck with a synchronous chord, and soon the nation 

 learned with joy that in her he had sought and found 

 his bride. The union of the Empress of .America with 

 the heir to the British throne cemented even closer the 

 unity, peace, and concord, so happily inaugurated be- 

 tween the two mightv nations. 



