alternates, the following were declared nominated: D. C. Giddings, of Washington County, and S. II. Epperson, of Marion County, electors; Columbus Upson, of Bexar County, and Samuel J. Adams, of Dallas County, alternates. The following platform was adopted by the convention:

We, the Democracy, in convention assembled, hereby declare our principles and policy, and ask for them the popular approval:

1. We reaffirm our faith in the principles of the Democratic party, as heretofore enunciated by our State Conventions, and congratulate the people upon the faithful redemption of all the pledges upon which the Democratic party was recently placed in power in Texas; and point to the honesty and efficiency of our present State administration, as a guarantee of our continued fidelity to the interests of the State and people.

2. The Democratic party, now as in the past adhering to its policy of maintaining an efficient system of general education, declares it to be the duty of the Legislature of the State to speedily establish and make provision for the support and maintenance of public free schools, and to this end to exercise the whole power with which it is invested.

3. The sufferings and losses of our people on the frontier from the forays of savages, and upon the Mexican border from invasions, murder, and rapine by the Mexican banditti, enlist our deep and sincere sympathy; and while we hereby pledge our most

energetic efforts to afford them adequate protection in person and property by the State, we also earnestly appeal to the General Government to give that protection and security to our people and their property thus exposed, to which they are entitled under the Constitution of the United States.

4. That the Democratic party, firmly upholding the Constitution of the United States as the foundation and limitation of the powers of the General Government, and the safe shield of the liberties of the people, demands for the citizen the largest freedom consistent with public order, and for every State the right of self-government and home rule; that, to uphold the former and protect the latter, the Democracy of Texas plants itself for the great leading principles enunciated in the inaugural of President Jefferson and the farewell address of the immortal Jackson, and enters the contest of 1876 with the firm conviction that the elements of opposition to the national Administration should be consolidated in the approaching presidential campaign, without prejudice to the unity and perpetuity of the Democratic organization.

5. We pledge to the nominees of this convention our earnest and active support.

For the same election of February 15, 1876, the Republicans nominated a State ticket, headed by William Chambers as their candidate for Governor, and adopted a platform which censured Governor Coke's administration of the State government; denounced the proposed

new constitution; indorsed the present administration of the Federal Government; and asked that Mr. Pinchback be allowed to sit in the Federal Legislature as Senator from Louisiana. The election resulted generally in favor of the Democratic nominees, by greater majorities over their Republican competitors than in 1875. The majority of the Democratic candidate for Governor in that year was 47,631; the whole number of votes then cast on Governor having been 152,337, out of which Mr. Coke received 99,934, Mr. Davis 52,353.

The state of parties in the Legislature was as follows: Of the 31 Senators-Republicans 3, one of them colored, and 28 Democrats, two of these being characterized as Independent Democrats. Of the 85 Representatives-Democrats, 69; Independent Democrats, 4: Republicans, 4, of whom two are colored; Granger, 1; Independents, 2; with no party designation, 5. Of the 21 district judges elected, there were-Democrats, 16; Independent Democrat, 1; Republican, 1; Independent, 1; with no party designation, 2.

after a journey to Munich, Rome, and Norway, he devoted himself exclusively to painting scenes from Norwegian history. He first gained considerable celebrity by his painting, An Afternoon Service of Haugians" (a religious sect of Norway), for which he received the gold medal of the Berlin Academy. In 1850 he decorated the dining-hall of the Royal Palace in Oskarshall with ten paintings, representing the Norwegian peasant-life from beginning to end. Other works of importance are, "The Orphan," "The Wolf-Hunter in the Mountain-Hut," and "The Norwegian Funeral." In 1860 he produced two paintings, "The Dressing of the Bride" and "The Administration of the Lord's Supper in a Hut," which attracted considerable attention. "The Duel at the Wedding" (1864) is considered his most powerful and passionate painting. His "Wedding Procession," finished in 1873, gained for him a medal in the Vienna Exposition. His last large picture was finished in February, 1876. It represents the landing of Colonel Sinclair with Scottish auxiliaries for Sweden, at Romsdalen, in 1612.

TILDEN, SAMUEL JONES, was born in New Labanon, Columbia County, N. Y., February 9, 1814, where his grandfather, John Tilden, settled in 1790, and where his father, Elam Tilden, was a farmer and merchant. Samuel entered Yale College in 1833, but soon left that institution and graduated at the University of New York. He was admitted to the bar in 1841, and began practice in New York City. In 1844 the Morning News, a daily paper, was established in New York, to advocate the election to the presidency of James K. Polk. Mr. Tilden invested capital in this enterprise and became the editor of the journal, which position he held until after the election. In 1845 he was elected to the New York Assembly, and in 1846 was chosen a member of the Constitutional Convention, where he was made a member of the Committee on Finance and Canals. In 1855 he was defeated as the "SoftShell" Democratic candidate for AttorneyGeneral of New York. Mr. Tilden now devoted himself to his profession. His practice was very extensive, and by it he amassed considerable wealth. Besides other important cases he was counsel, in 1856, for Azariah C. Flagg, in the case growing out of the contested election for the controllership of New York City; in 1857 for the relatives of Dr. Burdell against the claims of Mrs. Cunningham; and for the Pennsylvania Coal Company in the suit brought by the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company. Mr. Tilden became chairman of the Democratic State Committee in 1866, and was a leading member of the Constitutional Convention of 1867, serving with distinction on the Finance Committee. He became an indefatigable laborer in the cause of judicial and political reform in the city of New York, and in 1869-70 was active in the organization of the Bar Association. When the con

test was waged against the members of the "Tammany Ring" holding city offices, who were charged with defrauding the city treasury of many million dollars, Mr. Tilden rendered invaluable services to the cause of reform by his famous analysis of the accounts of the Broadway Bank, showing conclusively how the alleged culprits had shared their spoils, and furnishing legal proof for their conviction. In 1872 he was again elected to the General Assembly, where he continued his exertions in the cause of reform. In 1874 he was elected Governor of New York by a plurality of 50,317 votes over John A. Dix (Republican) and Myron II. Clark (Prohibitionist). He was inaugurated January 1, 1875, and soon after declared war against the "Canal Ring," which resulted in the overthrow of that organization. When the National Democratic Convention assembled in St. Louis, in June, 1876, Governor Tilden was the leading candidate for the first place on the ticket. On the first ballot he received 4034 of the 713 votes cast. When the vote for the second ballot was finally announced, Governor Tilden had 535 in a whole vote of 738. The nomination was made unanimous, and he was declared the Democratic candidate for the presidency. He accepted the nomination in a brief speech on July 11th. His formal letter of acceptance was dated July 31st. (For this letter, and the results of the election, see UNITED STATES.)

TRANSVAAL REPUBLIC, a free state in South Africa, occupying a part of the territory of the former Dutch colonies in that region. Area, about 114,300 square miles; white population, 36,600; native population, 300,000. President, Thomas François Burgers; he was inaugurated in 1872; his term expires in 1877. President Burgers conceived a plan for organizing a direct trade with the Netherlands by means of a railroad to be built to Delagoa Bay. With this view he visited Europe in 1875 and 1876, and secured from the Portuguese Government the concession of the privilege of building a railway, free of taxes for fifteen years, through the Portuguese territory to the port of Lorenzo Marquez, which was ratified by the Portuguese Cortes on the 23d of January. He also formed trade connections with mercantile houses in Amsterdam, and contracted a loan with a banking-house in that city for carrying out his purposes.

Soon after the return of President Burgers to his country, the republic became involved in difficulties with Secocoeni, the chief of one of the Caffre tribes. The trouble arose in charges by the Boers, or Dutch colonists, that the natives were committing depredations upon their lands and stealing their cattle. Secocoeni was called upon to repress the trespasses of his people, but, asserting that he was not tributary to the white government, refused to obey. The Volksraad, by the advice of President Burgers, ordered a "commando" to be called ont to chastise him. An alliance was formed with