nated by the Democrats for the presidency, and General Francis P. Blair, Jr., of Missouri, for the vice-presidency. The Republican candidates were successful, and General Grant was inaugurated on the 4th of March, 1869. On the 25th of the previous month the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution was proposed by a joint resolution of Congress; and the ratification of this amendment was afterward (April 10) made one of the conditions for the readmission of the three States which were still unrepresented in Congress. Virginia ratified the amendment in 1869, Mississippi and Texas in 1870, and in the latter year the States named were restored to their position in the Union. The census of 1870 showed an aggregate population of 38,558,371, an increase during ten years of 221 per cent. In 1871 the governments of the United States and of Great Britain appointed a joint high commission, which met at Washington and concluded a treaty (May 8, 1871), which was ratified by the Senate (May 24). This treaty (known as "the Treaty of Washington") provided that a tribunal of arbitration should be constituted, consisting of one member from Great Britain, one from the United States and three from foreign countries (Switzerland, Italy and Brazil). This tribunal was to decide upon the amount of the "Alabama Claims "-i. e., the claims of the United States against the British government for damages on account of the injury done to the American commerce by certain Confederate cruisers which were fitted out in British ports. The first formal meeting of the "Geneva Tribunal of Arbitration" was held on the 15th of December, 1871. The "printed cases" of the respective governments were presented, another formal meeting was held on the following day, and the tribunal then adjourned to meet at Geneva on the 15th of June, 1872. At this date its sessions were renewed, and at the thirty-second conference, held on the 14th of September, a decision was announced, which states that "The tribunal, by a majority of four voices to one, awards to the United States a sum of $15,500,000 in gold, as the indemnity to be paid by Great Britain to the United States for the satisfaction of all the claims referred to the consideration of the tribunal." The dissenting voice was, of course, that of the British member of the tribunal, Sir Alexander Cockburn, who verbally "stated the grounds of his own decision, which the tribunal ordered to be recorded." Sir Alexander "recorded" his reasons by publishing them in the London Gazette for Sept. 24, 1872, and he "annexed" them to the official protocol by sending a copy of the paper containing them to the agent of the United States. Such is the statement which we have seen appended to a report of the proceedings of this conference in the Annual Cyclopædia for 1872. It is only fair, however, to give the account of Mr. Cushing, who certainly cannot be accused of an exhibition of favoritism when speaking of the British arbitrator. "He withheld his argument from the tribunal at the proper time for its presentation as the 'reasons' of an arbi

trator. At the last moment, without its being read by the tribunal or printed for the information of agents or counsel, as a resolution of the tribunal, adopted on his own motion, required, he presents this argument as his Reasons for Dissenting from the Decision of the Tribunal of Arbitration." The publication of all of the Reasons, etc., could not have been made in the London Gazette, if, as Mr. Cushing says, they filled 296 pages of folio letter-press, 180 of which were devoted to opinions on the various. vessels, and the remaining 116 "partly to the discussion of the special questions," says Mr. Cushing, with great courtesy, "in all of which he is inordinately prolix, and partly" (here Mr. Cushing's courtesy is overpowering) "to a general outpouring of all the bile which had been accumulating on his stomach during the progress of the arbitration."

In the latter part of 1872 and in the beginning of 1873 was fought the famous "Modoc War." The Modoc Indians took possession of the Lava Beds, near Fort Klamath, in Oregon. Under their chief, Captain Jack, they kept concealed in the caverns which abound in that locality, and it was exceedingly difficult to force them into action. They were armed with rifles equal, if not superior, to those of our soldiers. They were holding positions which gave them a decided advantage over any attacking party. They were commanded, moreover, by a skilful and unscrupulous leader, and their flexible system of tactics enabled them to take the fullest advantage of their thorough acquaintance with "the seat of the war," while the routine methods of attack and defence which are preserved in the regular army left our soldiers to a certain extent at the mercy of their wary foes. Nor was there perfect freedom on the part of some of the officers from the careless spirit displayed by Braddock more than a century before, if, as we have been informed by a soldier who passed through the whole campaign, a detachment of twenty or thirty men was permitted to halt for dinner without having a single sentry posted; whereupon the savages stole upon their unwary foes and killed nearly every man of them. After a number of almost fruitless skirmishes, General Canby, who commanded the Department of the Columbia, together with the peace-commissioners, Thomas and Meacham, attempted negotiations for a peace, were met by Captain Jack and several of his warriors under a flag of truce, and were treacherously fired upon (Apr. 11). Gen. Canby and Mr. Thomas were killed, and Mr. Meacham was wounded. Col. Jefferson C. Davis was immediately assigned to the command of the department, and by the 1st of June his vigorous measures had resulted in the capture of the whole tribe, including Captain Jack, Sconchin, Hooker Jim, Black Jim, Bogus Charley, Boston Charley and Steamboat Frank. The seven just named were tried by a military court-martial, and found guilty of murder. Captain Jack, Sconchin and Black Jim were hanged (Oct. 3), but the others were spared and transported to Dakota with the rest of the tribe.

On the 31st of October, 1873, the Virginius, a ship sailing under the American flag, was captured on the high seas, near Jamaica, by the Spanish steamer Tornado. It was alleged that the captured vessel was laden with men and arms for the Cuban insurgent army. She had 170 men on board, including the crew, and these were all held as prisoners. On the morning of the 4th of November four prominent Cubans who were among the passengers were shot. On the 7th and 8th, Captain Fry was shot, together with 36 of the crew, and a few days later seventeen British subjects were disposed of in the same manner. Further executions were stopped by orders from Madrid. Prompt action was taken by the United States government. War with Spain seemed at one time inevitable, but a peaceful settlement was brought about by negotiation. Spain stipulated "to restore forthwith the vessel referred to, and the survivors of her passengers and crew, and on the 25th day of December (1873) to salute the flag of the United States;" but the salute was to be dispensed with if before the time specified Spain should prove that the Virginius was not entitled at the time of her capture to carry the American flag. This was not a very difficult task; the Spanish minister easily obtained the required evidence within the stipulated time; so the Virginius was delivered up without the salute, on the 16th of December. She sailed for New York, but sank before reaching her destination. It was, however, a great satisfaction to the country that when she sank she was under the American flag.

On the 5th of September, 1874, the centennial anniversary of the meeting of the FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS [see HISTORICAL SKETCH, p. 99] was celebrated by a meeting held in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, in the very building and room where that historic body had assembled. On the 19th of April, 1875, the centennial of the opening scenes of the Revolution was celebrated at Lexington and Concord. At Concord French's statue of "The Minute-Man" was unveiled. An address was delivered by Ralph Waldo Emerson and an oration by George William Curtis, while the poem was read by James Russell Lowell. At Lexington the oration was delivered by Richard H. Dana, Jun., and the poem was read by John G. Whittier. On the 17th of June the celebration of the centennial of the battle of Bunker Hill took place at Boston. The leading feature was the enthusiastic reception of the Southern soldiers who came to participate in the ceremonies.

Here, then, our record closes, with the expression of the hope that the greater Centennial, now near at hand, may be the occasion of still kinder and more brotherly feelings between those who in the past "contending have stood apart," until in fact as well as in name, in heart and sentiment as well as in outward form of government, this country may deserve the name of "The UNITED States of America."

THE

THE CRYSTAL PALACE, LONDON, 1851.

"Great Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations," which was given in the building above represented, was the first of all international exhibitions. It was fancifully resolved that the length of the building should indicate its date. It therefore extended 1851 feet, with a breadth of 450 feet and a height of 66 feet. It was situated in Hyde Park, and covered an area of 13 acres. It was constructed of iron and glass, and the contractors agreed to have it completed within four months. The glass-maker was to be ready within that time with 900,000 square feet of glass, weighing 400 tons and composed of the largest panes of sheetglass which had ever been made, each being 49 inches long. The ironmaster was to furnish 3300 columns, varying from 14 to 20 feet in length, 34 miles of guttering-tube to connect every individual column under ground, 2224 girders and 1128 bearers for supporting galleries. The carpenter was to provide 205 miles of sash-bar, flooring for an area of more than 3,300,000 square feet (one account says 33,000,000 cubic feet!), besides a vast amount of wooden walling, louvre-work and partition. These extraordinary engagements were interfered with by no important accident, and all went on with admirable regularity toward completion. Sir Joseph Paxton was the architect. A royal commission had the management of

the whole affair, and a guarantee-fund was subscribed, the queen heading the list with £1000.

The exhibition was opened by the queen on the 1st of May, 1851, was open 144 days, and was closed October 11. The number of exhibitors is variously stated, the lowest figures given being 13,937, and the highest 17,000. The entire number of visitors was 6,201,856, averaging 43,068 per day. The largest attendance was on Tuesday, the 7th of October, when 109,915 persons were admitted. Between eleven and twelve o'clock on that day 28,853 persons entered the building. Pecuniarily, this exhibition was a decided success. The gross receipts were £505,107 5s. 7d., while the expenses were £330,000, so that there was no call on those who had subscribed to the guarantee-fund. The surplus was expended in purchasing a site for a National Gallery.

Only 600 articles were sent to this exhibition from the United States, yet the Americans carried off five grand-council medals and ninety-five prize medals. One article (a reaper), exhibited by a citizen of the United States, was considered by the London Times "so important that it would repay England if the exhibition had done nothing else than make that invention known."

The closing scene of the exhibition was very impressive. At five o'clock P. M. on the 11th of October, Mr. Belshaw, one of the managers, appeared at the west corner of the transept gallery, on the north side, bearing in his hand a large red flag, which he displayed just as the clock struck. Instantly all the organs in the building sent forth the notes of the well-known national anthem, "God save the Queen." These were continued for several minutes; then ensued a silence to be broken by a tremendous rolling sound like that of thunder, caused by thousands of feet stamping their loyalty (or their courtesy) upon the boarded floors. This demonstration caused every portion of the edifice to tremble, and as it swept from west to east many an eye was raised with anxiety to the girders and pillars; and now the time had arrived for the death-knell of the exhibition to be rung out. It came, and a perfect storm of bell-peals broke over the building. Immediately before this closing signal some one hung out from the gallery of the transept the following lines-a well-selected epilogue from Shakespeare's Tempest: