no one was punished, either because the prefects feared the vengeance of the fanatical priests, or because they sympathized themselves with the clerical party. This emboldened the clergy in their resistance, and several priests placed themselves at the head of armed bands, which imposed contributions on the defenceless villages. The troops sent against these bands made short work of their prisoners. Those who did not escape into the mountains were hanged. The Republican leader, Colonel Nieto, then returned to his headquarters at Morelia, and sent some pacific bulletins to the capital; but the rebels in Mechoacan, still numbering 2,500 men, reduced to ashes the town of Taretan, and one of their leaders, Domingo Juarez, having released the convicts in the prison of Morelia, proceeded with them on a plundering expedition to the adjoining villages.

In October it was reported that the state of affairs threatened to develop into a serious revolutionary struggle; that the robber Cortina and his men occupied the line of the Rio Grande, and plundered with impartial zeal the Mexican and Texan populations living adjacent to that river; that hostile Indians were making destructive raids on the northern frontier; that San Luis Potosi, one of the fairest and richest States of the Republic, was a prey to revolutionists, and bands of insurgents in the Mechoacan were bidding defiance to the Central Government. The unfortunate hostility existing between Church and State came to further complicate the situation. On the other hand, notwithstanding these difficulties and complications, the Government, it was stated, was making "earnest and successful efforts to develop the material wealth of the country." Railways are projected for binding together the various States, and there is even some prospect that an international road may be established. More confidence will be placed in these schemes when Mexico elects to pay the dividends on her State debt.

One of those terrible earthquakes which ever and anon lay desolate large tracts of Southern America, occurred at the end of May. The Panama Star and Herald thus describes it :

San

"The city of Cucuta is entirely destroyed, only a few families being saved. The Botica Alemana (German drug store) was set on fire by a ball of fire which was thrown out of the volcano, which is constantly belching out lava. This volcano has opened in front of Santiago, in a ridge called El Alto de la Giracha.' Cayetano was destroyed, also the larger part of Santiago. In Gramalote there was great destruction; Arboleda, Cucutilla, and San Christobal are all nearly destroyed, principally the four last. The population of these towns is estimated by a person well acquainted in that region to be more or less as follows: San Cayetano, 4,000; Santiago, 2,000; Gramalote, 3,000; Arboleda, 5,000; Cucutilla, 5,000; San Christobal, 1,600. The section of country above referred to embraces the regions about where Colombia and Venezuela join, the Colombian portion embracing

Y

the State of Santander. It is in some respects the most productive part of the Republic, and the coffee of this section is familiar to all the world. San José de Cucuta, the city of the most importance of any in that section, was situated on the boundary of the Republic, and was founded by Juan de Martin in 1534. It was a port of entry, if an inland town can be called a port, and here was the established custom-house. The population of the city at the time of the disaster is estimated at about 18,000; it had a large commercial business, and was the great depôt for coffee and caca for shipment either through the Venezuelan port or down the Magdalena to this city. The shock was felt sharply in Bogota and adjoining sections. A gentleman who was at the time in Facatativa says that the movement lasted three-quarters of a minute. It was also strongly felt at Barranquilla.'

BRAZIL.

On March 16th the Emperor opened the extraordinary session of the Brazilian Chambers. He said :

"The urgency of the Budget proposals and the Bills upon electoral reform, the discussion of which could not be concluded in your last session, has necessitated the present extraordinary session. Public order has been disturbed at various points in the interior. In four of the northern provinces seditious bands, excited by religious fanaticism and by prejudice against the use of the new metrical system, have destroyed the administrative archives and the standard of weights and measures. This criminal movement was promptly repressed, good citizens supporting the authorities. The public health has improved in comparison with last year. Nothing has disturbed our international relations. The frontier line between Brazil and Paraguay has been definitively marked out. Postal arrangements have been concluded with France, Germany, Italy, and Belgium. I am always animated by faith in the Divine protection, and in your zeal; and I count upon your co-operation in order to assure the continuance of the national prosperity. I declare the extraordinary session of the Chambers to be opened."

In the provinces of Parahaiba and Pernambuco there were local outbreaks, caused originally by the religious fanaticism of the partisans of the Ultramontane bishops, and sufficiently serious to compel the Government to suppress them by military force. The riots, after a short time, for the most part took the vulgar form of plundering the property of obnoxious individuals supposed to approve the imprisonment of the prelates of Para and Olinda; and the troops were materially aided in their task by volunteers called for from the well-affected citizens. Some bands of the disorderly party, driven before the Imperial forces, took refuge in the adjoining province of Alagoas; but here they were hunted down as the banditti they had in effect become, and either broken

up or exterminated. After the suppression of the revolts the Imperial Government proceeded against certain priests, Italian Jesuits for the most part, who were charged with fomenting them. Six of these were arrested at Pernambuco, and sent out of the country, it having been necessary to use the military arm to seize them, as they were protected by bodies of armed Ultramontanes, and refused to obey the summons of the local authorities.

ECUADOR.

On the evening of Friday, the 6th of August, the President of the Republic of Ecuador, Don Gabriel Garcia Moreno, was assassinated in the Palace at Quito. Going unguarded to the Treasury from one of the other Government offices, he was saluted in the passage by three men, but the moment he passed them he was stabbed in the back with a large sabre-like knife by one of them and shot with revolvers in the body by the others. Falling in the struggle into the street, he was again attacked by one of his three assailants, and so severely wounded that he died in a few hours after the event. Two of the assassins-Manuel Cornejo and Roberto Andrade, natives of Quito-succeeded in making their escape; but the third, a New Granadian, named Faustino Rayo, paid the penalty of his crime on the spot, being run through with the bayonet of the sentinel at the Palace doors.

The deceased President was a ruler more feared than loved in the Republic whose destinies he had guided for nearly fifteen years, having governed it rather as a military dictator than as the head authority of a Liberal Constitution. It appears that he was assassinated by members of a secret society, which has branches all over South America, and even in Europe. Lots were drawn to select the murderer, who managed to make his entrance into the Presidential Palace. One of the accomplices, an officer, who was caught after the assassination, was told by the President of the Court-Martial before whom he was tried that bis life would be spared if he would give up the names of his associates. "My life," he replied," would be worthless, for if you spared me my comrades would not. I would rather be shot than poniarded."

MISCELLANEOUS SOUTH AMERICAN STATES.

A default in its financial obligations by PERU, which, being hard pressed by want of money, decided to repudiate her Guano contract; the suppression of rebellion in BOLIVIA; threatening relations between CHILI and the ARGENTINE REPUBLIC; religious disturbances in SAN SALVADOR; chronic bankruptcy and disturbance in URUGUAY, may be summarised as the chief features of the year's history for other South American Republics.

RETROSPECT

OF

LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART IN 1875.

LITERATURE.

THE number of new books published in Great Britain this year, exclusive of American importations and new editions, was 3,573; being an increase of 222 on the number published in 1874, and ten more than the amount for 1873. The increase is chiefly in the departments of Theology, Fiction, History, and the Arts.

The life of Sir Roderick Murchison by his friend and brother geologist, Professor Geikie, is one of the most interesting biographies that have appeared this year; and few literary executors have been more amply provided with materials for their task than the biographer. Mr. Geikie's chief labour must have been to carry out judiciously the principle of selection, for Sir Roderick Murchison had carefully kept by him every letter which he had ever received, and copies of every letter which he had ever written, never destroying even an invitation to a dinner or an evening party. But besides a memoir of the great geologist's life Mr. Geikie has given an admirable sketch of the science of geology as it existed when young Murchison forsook fox-hunting for philosophy, and brought upon himself the good-natured taunt of that noted Nimrod, Lord Darlington, that he had "turned himself into an earthstopper." Born at Tarradale, in Easter Ross, on the 19th of February, 1792-among those rocks which it was the last great achievement of his scientific life correctly to interpret-there was little in the circumstances of his nurture or parentage to justify in him a forecast of scientific reputation, or of a genius for the observation of nature. It was evident that book-learning was not the bent of young Murchison, and this peculiarity was more or less discernible throughout his life. But when the time arrived when it was necessary for him to choose a profession of some sort, the delights of a military career began to shape themselves distinctly in his young mind. Encouraged at length by his uncle, General Mackenzie, of Fairburn, he finally resolved to follow the profession of arms, and in the year 1805 he was taken to the Military College of Great Marlow. Twelve months later he was Gazetted ensign in the 36th Regiment of Infantry; and in 1808 he embarked for Portugal with the expeditionary force under Sir Arthur Wellesley. Professor Geikie gives us the details of Sir Roderick's six months of the Peninsular War--how he landed in Mondego Bay-how he carried the colours of his regiment at the battle of Vimiera-how he sustained the reputation of his race for personal courage, determination, and energy-how he took part in the interminable and disastrous manoeuvres that culminated in the retreat from Corunna-and, finally, landed once more in England in January 1809. After exchanging into the Enniskillen Dragoons he eventually retired from the army in 1814. But in the meantime there had