counties of Lanark, Renfrew, Carleton, Russell, Prescott, Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry, and part of the district of Nipissing.

The winter carnival held at Quebec during the week beginning January 27, drew over 30,000 visitors to that city.

The celebrated case of the Hyams brothers who had been charged with the murder of W. C. Wells, and who, after failure of conviction, were held on several minor charges, including conspiracy to murder Mrs. Harry Hyams to obtain her life insurance (Vol. 5, p. 399), was finally disposed of on February 2. The accused were released on bail, and immediately took their departure across the United States border.

On February 18 Mr. J. A. Strathy of Barrie, Ont., late manager of the Bank of Toronto, was fatally shot in his own house by Michael J. Brennan, who accused Mr. Strathy of being the cause of his financial troubles. Brennan has since been convicted of murder and sentenced to be hanged.

On March 9 a farmer named Lapointe, living near Brockville, Ont., deliberately, and without provocation, shot several people in the streets of that town. One man was killed instantly; Chief of Police Rose was very dangerously wounded; and as many as eight others were injured more or less severely. Lapointe was finally captured after being shot down by a bystander. He is supposed to be insane.

THE WEST INDIES.

Hayti. The elections passed off quietly in the latter part of January. President Hyppolite had guarded against a possible outbreak, and government candidates were returned in all places except Aux Cayes, a hotbed of the opposition.

The sudden death of President Hyppolite on March 24 further complicated the already uncertain political outlook in the island. The executive power, pending the election of a new president, was assumed by Señor Couchil, secretary of state. However, none of the rumored candidates now in exile-Generals Manigat, Légitime, and othersmade any attempt at a coup; and on April 1 it was announced that the national assembly had quietly elected General T. Simon-Sam, minister of war under Hyppolite, a brotherin-law of the late Séide Télémaque, a former chief and friend of the deceased president. His election indicates no immediate change in the internal or external policy of the country.

Riot at St. Kitts.-On February 17 a strike for higher wages among the plantation laborers, boatmen, and porters, on the British island of St. Kitts, culminated in a serious riot, during which stores were looted, buildings set on fire, and plantation managers and overseers beaten and in some cases killed. Marines were landed from the warship Cordelia, and succeeded in restoring partial order, but only after several of the rioters were killed, many injured, and the ringleaders arrested. For some time thereafter, the island was kept under mar

tial law.

The population of St. Kitts-English, Portuguese, and negroesis about 30,876, the Portuguese being in general the merchants, money lenders, and the most prosperous class.

CENTRAL AMERICA.

A serious revolt broke out in Nicaragua in the latter part of February, against the government of President Zelaya. The political conditions in the republic, owing to the traditional rivalries of the cities of Leon and Granada (Vol. 3, p. 330), are at all times such as to facilitate revolutionary upheavals. It is difficult to learn definitely the causes of the present trouble, owing to the rigorous press censorship exercised by the government; and what may be said now may be qualified by future revelations. However, the immediate cause of the revolt seems to have been President Zelaya's abandonment of the liberal party, through whose support he was raised to the presidency on the overthrow of General Zavala in 1893 (Vol. 3, p. 561). The liberal party is said to be in the ascendancy in all of the five republics of Central America.

Toward the end of February, Zelaya dissolved congress, which was strongly liberal, proclaimed himself dictator, and rallied to his support the conservatives. Most of the members of the cabinet withdrew from the capital, and, organizing a provisional government at Leon, demanded that Zelaya should resign and leave the country, turning over the executive to General Francisco Baca, ex-minister of the interior.

During March hard fighting occurred. The rebel forces attacked Nagarote on the first day of the month, but after an eight hours' battle were driven off. They, however, obtained the ascendancy in Corinto, seizing the custom house there. The United States cruiser Alert was ordered to

that port for the protection of American interests, reaching there March 20. A force of 1,000 rebels was also defeated with heavy loss in a four hours' battle at Pital, near Momotombo, about March 12; and still another reverse befell the insurgents about the same time at El Jablon, where they lost thirty-five killed and eighty wounded.

President Gutierrez of Salvador attempted to effect a settlement by sending Vice-President Alfaro and General Canas as commissioners to negotiate terms of peace between the government of Nicaragua and the rebels; but a conference held at La Paz near the end of March, between General Baca and the commissioners, had no result. Zelaya's terms, demanding unconditional surrender, were rejected. Press reports at the end of March as to the prospects of the revolutionists were conflicting.

THE NICARAGUA CANAL.

The report of the government commission of engineers appointed last year to examine the canal route, and determine the feasibility and cost of construction, etc., was submitted to congress February 7. Ex-Senator Warner Miller of New York, formerly president of the construction company, asserted without qualification before the committee on commerce of the house of representatives at Washington, March 27, that the movement to appoint the commission was made by the enemies of the enterprise. The board of engineers consisted of Lieutenant-Colonel Wm. Ludlow, United States army; M. Endicott, a civil engineer of the United States navy; and Alfred Noble, a civil engineer.

In the opinion of the board the cost of construction will be $133,472,893, or about double the present company's estimates. The most serious difficulties, the report finds, are those involved in the heavy rainfall and consequent discharges from the lake and streams, which will immensely increase the cost of local drainage and engineering construction.

The climate of Nicaragua is misunderstood. It is the continued moderate temperature, in conjunction with the high humidity, that so seriously reduces the value of physical labor in the tropics. The natives are not likely to prove useful in the work of construction. Jamaican negroes will undoubtedly form the labor supply for the canal. Wages are only about half as much as in the United States, but the efficiency of the laborers is proportionately much less.

Machinery will be used largely, but will be of little value after the completion of the canal; and little, if any, will be worth removal. Its entire cost would, therefore, be charged to the canal construction, making the plant-charge higher than usual. There are now no shops or facilities of any kind on or near the canal line, and they will have to be supplied. Skilled labor will have to be imported. Fuel will cost more than double. Freight on materials and supplies will increase their cost greatly, particularly if sent to interior points.

Greytown Harbor, the entrance to the canal as proposed by the company, is too near the angle of the coast line, and the entrance should be moved eastward about a mile and a-half.

In regard to the Ochoa dam as proposed by the company, the report says this dam is to be a rockfill across a powerful river, on a sand foundation. A dam so constructed, the commission says, has no precedent; and its erection in conflict with the unknown volume of the floods presents grave difficulties.

In regard to the western division, from the lake to Brito, the report says: "The information with reference to the site proposed for the La Flor dam indicates that its construction is impracticable; and the commission suggests an alternative low-level route, which offers no special difficulties in construction."

As to the terminus at Brito, the commission suggests the desirability of moving it southward from the location proposed by the company.

The report closes with the following general conclusion: "The official estimate by the company of $66,466,880 is insufficient for the work. It should be understood that the existing data are inadequate as a basis for estimating the cost of many of the structures. For obtaining the necessary data for the formation of a canal project, eighteen months' time, covering two dry seasons, and an expenditure of $350-, 000, will be required."

THE PANAMA CANAL.

A recent report to the state department at Washington from United States Consul-General Vifquain at Panama, expresses his "firm belief that there will be a canal built within the next decade." The following statement is also made regarding the bearing of European enterprises at the isthmus upon American interests:

"Under a foreign ownership and a foreign management the corporation known as the Panama railroad will continue to thrive whether there be a canal or not, greatly to the detriment of American interests, commercial and international, inasmuch as European tendencies seem to be determined to undermine United States interests in that part of the world.

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"The Panama railroad has been a gold mine to its owners, and is likely to remain one, even though, through the possible construction of the Panama canal, it may cease to be the one great factor of the world's transit business across the isthmus. *** The French are determined to have a complete railroad with good harbors on each side of the isthmus, even though the canal should prove to be an impossibility. On the other hand, if the canal is not an impossibility, the railroad will still do an immense local traffic through the development of the very richest agricultural lands on the globe."

An outbreak of labor troubles similar to those of last year (Vol. 5, p. 677) occurred in January, the men at work on the canal striking for higher wages.

SOUTH AMERICAN REPUBLICS.

Colombia. About the middle of January a serious revolt occurred in the province of Baranquilla against the government of President Caro. Twenty liberals were arrested and imprisoned, and the province declared in a state of siege. On March 12 President Caro resigned his office, presumably in order that he might be qualified as a candidate for re-election. His retirement left Vice-President Quintero Calderon the acting president. The new president accepted the resignations of all the members of President Caro's ministry, and at once formed a new cabinet.

On March 16 it was announced that the British minister, Mr. Jenner, had been recalled by his government, because it had been informed that he was persona non grata to the Colombian administration.

Venezuela. For an account of the developments connected with the boundary dispute with Great Britain, see article on "The Venezuelan Controversy" (p. 18). Another petty revolution began January 25 in the province of Carabobo. The rebels were few in number and were quickly driven to the mountains. The forces of the government hoped to dislodge them quickly, but it was soon discovered that large numbers of Venezuelans sympathized with the rebels. General Ricart, in command of the government troops, was attacked by the insurgents and slightly wounded. His soldiers, however, rallied and defeated the rebels. The legislature of the province of Carabobo passed resolutions expressing loyalty to President Crespo and thanks to the United States for its attitude towards the boundary dispute between Venezuela and England.

Ecuador. It is not surprising to those who are acquainted with the recent history of Ecuador, to learn that the mercurial temperament of Ecuadorian politicians has led many of them to enter into a conspiracy against the new president, Alfaro. On January 21 a conspiracy was announced in Guayaquil; and Manuel Andrade, editor of La Democracia, and others, all Colombians, were expelled because of complicity in it. A few days later a plot against the president was discovered in the province of Manabi, and three conspirators were arrested.

On February 9 it was reported that General Flores, who had unsuccessfully opposed General Alfaro in the revolution of last summer (Vol. 5, pp. 408, 679), was attempting to organize an expedition against Alfaro in Payta,

Peru.