Mediterranean. The fall of Khartoum, in the winter of 1884-'85 determined Italy to follow up the new expedition to Massowah, Beilul, and Assab, which left Naples on Jan. 14, 1885, and in quick succession two additional expeditions were sent, raising the number of Italian troops on the Red Sea coast, between Massowah and Assab, to 3,500 men. From the statements made before the Italian Chamber of Deputies, by Minister Mancini, it appeared that there was no special secret treaty between Italy and England, in accordance with which the former was to lend its military aid to the latter during the operations in the Soudan, but merely a spontaneous "parallel action," as it was termed, interests in the locality being more or less identical.

The German Steamers. If there be anything calculated to forcibly demonstrate the desirability of seeing either the Panama or Nicaragua Canal, or both, soon dug, it is the question which has arisen as to whether the future subsidized German steamers for Australia are to have their starting-point from Genoa or Trieste. The shortest route had to be selected, and, complying with the wishes of South German Chambers of Commerce, the choice was left between two non-German ports, Genoa and Trieste. Since the St. Gothard and Arlberg Tunnels have been in operation, the importance of Genoa and Trieste has become so striking, that a new current of commerce to countries in the extreme East is setting in in that direction from central Europe.

Railroads. On the 23d of April, 1884, the Italian Government made a contract with two syndicates for the leasing, for a term of sixty years, dating from 1885, of its three great systems of railroads, and on October 31 certain modifications were made, the whole subject to such amendments as the Chamber of Deputies might deem necessary. The bill in this modified form was introduced immediately, and finally passed before the month of January came to a close. The two new companies rent the lines named from the Government, and purchase the rolling-stock and other material; they also agree to complete the systems. Out of the gross earnings the companies are to receive 60 per cent. for operating the lines, and 10 per cent. for repairs, etc., and interest, the remainder to accrue to the Government, after the shareholders receive at least 5 per cent. net. The three railroad systems on Jan. 1, 1884, were:

entire system, as it then stood in operation, had been 2,787,021,700 lire. The Upper Italian Railroad, having 3,929 kilometres in operation on Dec. 31, 1884, against 3,778 on December 31 of the previous year, had earned gross during the year 124,282,726 lire, against 122,953,148 in 1883; the product per kilometre was, therefore, 32,163 lire, against 32,841 in 1883, showing a decrease of a little over 2 per cent.

Telegraph. The length of telegraph lines, at the end of 1882, was 27,613 kilometres; of wire, 93,799 kilometres. The number of dispatches was 6,454,942. The number of private domestic dispatches was 5,190,909, against 5,015,005 in 1881; of private foreign messages 521,180, against 517,599. The receipts were 12,423,102 lire; expenses for service, 7,974,982 lire; for maintenance, 186,765 lire; extraor dinary expenditure, 457,000 lire.

Telephones.-On Nov. 30, 1884, a new telephone company was formed in Rome, with Prince P. Borghese as its president, with a capital of 1,500,000 lire, for the consolidation of all the lines then existing in the Italian capital, and developing the use of electricity therefor, and other public purposes.

Postal Service.-There were in Italy in 1882 3,497 post-offices. The number of letters and postal-cards that passed through the post-office in that year was 177,034,688, and of newspa pers 160,726,706, while money - orders were issued to the amount of 532,630,867 lire, there having been delivered of such altogether 4,102,253. The amount of postage, etc., collected was 32,660,886 lire, the expenses summing up 27,729,462 lire.

Packages up to five kilogrammes are now forwarded between Italy and Germany cia Switzerland, at the rate of sixteen cents a package as far as the frontier, from where the express charge by mail, at postal-union rates, is added. In 1882 Italy was the nation sev enth in rank in point of postage collected.

Wine and Olives.-While the Italian vintage of 1884 only produced 14,086,200 hectolitres of wine, the average being 27,538,000 hectolitres; the olive-crop, on the other hand, was very abundant, with the sole exception of the Bari region, where the oil-worm did some damage. As for the quality of Italian wines of 1884, 11 per cent. proved unexceptionable, 35 per cent. good, 30 per cent. medium, and 24 percent. bad.

Iron and Steel.-Iron-ore abounds in various parts of Italy, especially in Elba and Sardinia, whence it is exported; but iron-works, during the past twenty years, have rather decreased. The Ligurian Iron-Works, being near the coast, form an exception, and produce about 35,000 tons annually.

In the Aosta valley the firm of Mongenet, of Turin, have blast-furnaces; and in January, 1885, Martin Siemens's steel manufacture was to be begun. The works will be built under the supervision of the French engineer, Ch. Walrandt, who has lately performed such service in Germany, France, and Russia.

appearance in the provinces of Massacarrara, Parma, Porto Maurizio, and Turin on August 16, soon spread with great rapidity to other provinces, and reached its climax of virulence at Naples in September, disappearing again from Italy on Nov. 3. (See CHOLERA.)

The Pope displayed, during the year, extraordinary zeal in mitigating, by means of donations, the visitations of cholera and earthquakes. The Pope has taken great interest in missionary matters in China, near the seat of war and elsewhere.

The Turin Exhibition was international so far as applied electricity was concerned. At the same time, opening on October 20, a so-called "Phylloxera Congress was held. Both were well attended, in spite of the cholera. On November 4, the distribution of premiums took place, the King and royal family being present, and 6,000 prizes being awarded to 13,000 exhibitors. The exhibition terminated on November 15. Previously a great banquet, to which 200 guests had been invited, was given by the Minister of Agriculture, Signor Grimaldi, to the members of the Phylloxera Congress.

There had been a standing complaint on the part of Italy that a well-organized smuggling of cigars was going on for a long time past, from Italian Switzerland into Italy, across the frontier, and during the cholera quarantine, Italy found that the extra expense of greater vigilance exercised, had the effect of greatly

JAPAN. The empire of Dai Nippon (great sunrise), called by the Romance nations Japon, and by the Teutonic Japan, stretches through 27 degrees of north latitude, and 333 of longitude. It consists of a chain of volcanic islands nearly 2,000 miles long, its area equaling that of the British Islands, Holland, and Belgium. The best known part, or Japan proper, consisting of Hondo (main island), Kiushin, Shikoku, and Yezo, comprises three fourths of the total area. The three outlying groups or fringes are Riu Kiu (hanging tassels), Chijima (thousand islands), and Ogasawara, or Bonin Shima (no man's land). The area of the empire is 146,571-77 square miles, of which Hondo has 58.9, Kiushiu 94, Shikoku 47, Yezo 206, and the remaining islands 64 percentage of the whole. Old Japan, the Oyashima of ancient history, consists of Hondo, Kiushiu, and Shikoku, with their neighboring islands, all of which were conquered and colonized by the Japanese in very early times. New Japan consists of acquisitions of the last few centuries, or of very recent times, which have so far occupied a different political position, and are to be regarded as colonies of the mothercountry. The area of the former is 109,73548, and of the latter 36,836-29 square miles. A careful survey of the empire on scientific principles is now being carried on. The popula

increasing the revenue in that quarter, the difference more than covering the expense of guarding the frontier at those points, Remonstrances were accordingly made, but it took considerable time ere the Swiss Government could be made to agree to a stringent customs convention like the one existing between Austria and Italy.

On October 7, a violent cyclone swept Catania, in Sicily, killing thirty people and wounding five hundred, besides destroying property to the amount of 5,000,000 lire, and between Jan. 21 and 23, 1885, destructive avalanches surprised the population of Cuneo, Ivrea, Susa, Brossasco, Sparone, Moasca, Exilles, and Frassinere, in the Piedmontese Alps, burying many people, eighty-seven of whom perished. The usual floods also occurred in the spring of 1884. Shocks of earthquake were felt at Rome, Frascati, and Albano on August 7, and at Cosenza and Rossano on August 19.

The disturbed commercial condition created by the cholera epidemic interfering with trade, was the cause of heavy failures in Milan and Genoa, where a severe crisis set in with the failure at Milan of the Fabbrica Lombarda, on August 20, the suspension of Paganini & Villani in the same city, and of the great shipowning firm of Andrea Danovaro at Genoa early in September, followed in January by the failure of Lorenzo Cotta-Ramusino, of Mortara, Pareia.

tion, by census of 1874, was 33,623,323, of which Old Japan had 33,312,162 and New Japan 311,211;, Hondo had 25,478,834, Kinshiu 4,986,613, Shikoku 2,284,538, Yezo 144,069, Riu Kiu 167,073, Bonin 69, and the smaller islands of Old Japan 362,177. The foreign residents numbered, in 1883, 2,882 Americans and Europeans, and 4,138 Chinese. The present year, in Japanese reckoning, is the 17th of Meiji (Enlightened Peace), or the 2,544th from the foundation of the empire of Japan by Jimmu Tenno. The government since 1868 has been that of the ancient system in vogue from the seventh to the twelfth century, before the establishment of the military usurpation by the Sho-gun (or later Tycoon), modified by the adoption of features from European governments. The Mikado, the 123d ruler of the line, officially styled Tenno (divine ruler), is aided by a Supreme Council of State, a Council of Ministers, each of whom is head of a department, and a Senate. The cities and prefectures are ruled by the Council of State.

Since the Restoration of 1868, the drift of affairs has been toward a constitutional monarchy. The establishment of a Senate in 1875, and of local or prefectural assemblies in 1878, was followed by the imperial decree of Oct. 12, 1881, promising the establishment of a national Parliament, with limitation of the impe