VOL. XXIII.

Kruger's Popu

The pilgrimage of Kossuth, nearly lar Triumph fifty years ago, after the complete in Europe. downfall of his cause in Hungary, was so marvelous in the demonstrations it created in liberty-loving lands, especially in the United States, that the memory of it still lingers in the world as one of those object-lessons which sometimes make a good cause as potent in defeat as in victory. In some such sense the triumphal tour of the indomitable old Boer, President Paul Krüger, is making its indelible impression upon the mind. of continental Europe. It is not that any one supposes that there is now the slightest chance of securing European intervention in South Africa; but the fresh and irresistible outburst of sympathy with Krüger has fixed universal attention upon the fact that in the very beginning Krüger had begged England to consent to arbitration of the matters in dispute, and that England had persistently refused to consider it. Krüger may or may not be an admirable character in the personal and private sense; but to Europe he typifies the valor and heroism of a tiny nation of farmers who have taught the great British empire how to fight, and who, with only a handful of soldiers left, are not yet willing to admit that they are defeated. Arbitration will have a more practical meaning for every. body in Europe from this time forth.

On every

occasion where Krüger has had a chance to speak, he has dwelt upon that one idea. He reminds Europe of the principles of arbitration adopted at the Hague Conference, points to England's refusal to arbitrate, and thus, at least, serves as the apostle of the cause of arbitration, even though it be too late to secure application of the Hague principles in Krüger's own particular instance. His landing at Marseilles was on November 22. In modern times, certainly, no other foreigner has been received in France with such acclaim. The old man from Pretoria has at the turn of the century taken hold of the imagination of Europe somewhat as Garibaldi did in his day.

MR. KRÜGER IN FRANCE.

No. 1.

The French reception, from the street demonstrations to the attentions shown the Africander by the highest officials of the government, was no more remarkable for the unrestrained sympathy it exhibited than for the manner in which it avoided all real cause of offense to the govern ment and people across the Channel. Mr. Krüger's welcome in Holland was, of course, assured. He had been brought from South Africa on a Dutch warship, and the people of Holland were disposed to think of him as one of themselves.

Germany and the President.

But in Belgium and Germany, also, his popular reception was of much the same character as in France. The refusal of the Emperor William to see Mr. Krüger was followed by that of the Emperor of Austria. In view of the Kaiser's famous dispatch to Pretoria at the time of the Jameson Raid, it had been supposed that he would now accord at least a courteous interview. But undoubtedly it has been the opinion of the German Government that the Boer cause is hopeless, and that the sooner the Boers submit the better it will be for everybody. Germany has recently entered into treaties with England regarding Samoa, Delagoa

While

Bay, and the Yangtse-Kiang Valley. Count von Bülow, the imperial chancellor, declared in the Reichstag on December 12 that there was nothing in any of these treaties or in any recent communications with England that would have prevented the Emperor from receiving Krüger, such reception did not comport with German policy,-a fact of which Mr. Krüger had been fully informed before he came upon German soil. There were a good many guarded hints in the German press that the Emperor was influenced by his relationship with the English royal family; but the chancellor repudiated that suggestion, and declared that if it were so he himself would not

remain a single day in office. It was uncertain, toward the end of December, whether or not Mr. Krüger would go to Russia, and his plans seemed not to be settled as to the proposed visit to the United States. France and Russia, it is said, would be glad to propose mediation if Germany would join them; but it will be impossible to obtain Germany's consent, and in this case Germany stands for the Triple Alliance. Its policy is no v in exceptionally shrewd and able hands.

The Unending Strife on the Veldt.

England is grimly determined to fight the war to a conclusion, and at the beginning of December the business of crushing the remnants of fighting Boers was put into the hands of the most cold-blooded and ruthless of English officers-namely, General Kitchener, for an excellent new picture of whom our readers should consult the frontispiece of this number. Lord Roberts, in the rôle of conquering hero, is expected to reach England on January 3, to receive such plaudits as were never before accorded to any Englishman. We may be content to leave Lord Roberts' comparative merits as a great commander to the consensus of military critics. He had the opportunity, it must be remembered, to profit by the unhappy experiences of his predecessors, General Buller and the rest. He certainly has not erred on the side of leniency to non-combatants. Buller, by the way, has been the great idol of London drawing-rooms for some weeks past. Meantime, General Roberts will before this time have learned that after he had embarked for England the Boer guerrillas had stirred themselves to a very un

also captured 120 men of Brabant's Horse. The especial cause of military excitement in the earlier part of December was the daring raid of the Boer general, De Wet, whose object it was to invade Cape Colony. The English general, Knox, used every effort and resource to intercept and, if possible, to capture the most wily and active of all the alert commanders that the Boers have yet produced. More than once De Wet was turned back from the Orange River, and more

HUNTING DE WET.

THE DISGUSTED DOG: "Better get some salt, Kitchener!" From the Journal (Minneapolis).

than once it was announced that he was cornered and would certainly be captured. But he made good his escape, and later in the month Cape Colony was successfully invaded at two different crossings of the Orange River. It was hoped by the Boers to incite an uprising of the Cape Colony Dutch in certain districts where sentences for treason were arousing bitter disaffection.

Dutch.

On December 6 there was a great The Cape and picturesque gathering of many thousands of Boers at the little town of Worcester, in Cape Colony. The occasion was the meeting of a league or "bond" of the Dutch-speaking people. Mr. Cronwright-Schreiner made a violent speech in attack upon Sir Alfred Milner, the British governor of Cape Colony, who has now been appointed by Mr. Chamberlain as civil governor of the two annexed republics. The British authorities, in fear of insurrection, were present at Worcester with a force of troops, and the congress was held in the open air, with British artillery trained on the assembled multitude from various points of vantage. This was not calculated to allay race feeling. The call of Lord Kitchener for more troops, and the fresh outburst of hostilities, caused the postponement of the elaborate programme of festivities and religious celebrations that had been planned for January 3 in honor of Lord Roberts' home-coming. But no postponement of the official programme could affect the popular demonstration with which Lord Roberts was sure to be greeted.

MR. GULLY, ON HIS REELECTION AS SPEAKER OF
PARLIAMENT.

(He is returning thanks from the steps leading to the Speaker's chair.)-From the Illustrated London News.

The new Parliament was convened, as The Special Meeting of had been expected, on December 3. Parliament. The Queen's address on the opening of the special session of Parliament on December 6 was the shortest on record, and in that regard it compared curiously with President McKinley's message, read at the opening of Congress, on December 3, which is the longest on record. The address asked, in a sentence, for approval of financial plans to meet war bills. Mr. Brodrick, the new war secretary, stated plainly that the estimates of the government last July as to the cost of the war were much too sanguine, and that it is not now expected that the high rate of mili tary expenditure will be diminished before the 1st of April, owing to the difficulties of the guerrilla campaign. Mr. Brodrick went on to say that it was not surprising that the British found it hard to do in a country as large as Spain, Cuba, and the Philippines put together what it took 400,000 Frenchmen to do in Spain at the beginning of the century, what it took 227,000 Spaniards to do in Cuba, and what it would take 100,000 Americans to do in the Philippines. Mr. Brodrick's comparisons will not bear analysis. Sir Michael Hicks Beach, the chancellor of the exchequer, explained his plan for raising $80,000,000, and was supported by a vote of 284 to 8.

Incidents of the Session.

The Irish members conspicuously absented themselves from this special session, Mr. Healy alone being present. The others were attending the convention of the United Irish League at Dublin, under the leadership of Mr. William O'Brien, who has now come forward in place of Mr. Redmond as the accepted head of the Irish Nationalist movement. This Irish convention at Dublin took far stronger ground against the British in South Africa than the Africanders themselves took at their convention at Worcester. The parliamentary session was characterized by very bitter attacks upon Mr. Chamberlain from the Liberal side of the House. He and his family were charged with being very largely interested in Birmingham firms to which have been accorded all sorts of war-supply contracts. Mr. Chamberlain bore the attacks with unexpected forbearance, and subsequently surprised the Liberals by a very frank and statesmanlike speech on the whole South African situation, in which he outlined as fully as he could his plans and ideas for the future government of the annexed republics. His plan, in a word, is to treat the Dutch in the Orange River Colony and the Transvaal in the same way