express itself through the ordinary channel of the commons. It seems to be the general opinion, however, that His Excellency would have acted in closer conformity to constitutional ideals, if, instead of arguing the matter at all with Sir Charles Tupper, or giving any explanation of his decision, he had simply thrown the whole burden of responsibility for his action upon the shoulders of the Laurier ministry-a burden which would at once have been willingly assumed.

Manitoba School Question.-In his speech at St. John's on July 25, to which we have already referred, M. Laurier expressed the belief that this vexatious question would be settled within six months, and that, by means of conciliation, justice would be done to the minority without violation of the rights of the majority.

Considerable speculation was aroused in the middle of September by the departure to the Vatican, of L'Abbé Proulx, of St. Lin, Que. The nature of his mission, if he had any special one, is not revealed; but conservative organs teem with rumors that his object in visiting the Eternal City is to bring some influence to bear upon Pope Leo XIII. which will counteract if possible that of the Canadian hierarchy, by representing to His Holiness that a re-establishment of separate schools is impossible, and that therefore a compromise is the only solution of the question. Archbishop Langevin of St. Boniface, recently returned from Rome, is authority for the statement that the pontiff's views on the school question are those of the Canadian hierarchy, and that the rights guaranteed to the Catholic minority of Manitoba by the constitution must be restored.

Another rumor is that L'Abbé Proulx has gone to make a formal complaint to the Holy See in behalf of the liberal party, against such clerical interference as was practiced in some quarters in the late election (pp. 403, 405). And still another report is that an extension over Canada of the jurisdiction intrusted to the papal ablegate in the United States, or even the appointment of a special ablegate in Canada, is to be proposed. Time alone will show whether or not there is any truth in these rumors.

The Temperance Question. The government of M. Laurier is the first Canadian government pledged to deal with the liquor traffic from the prohibition standpoint and submit the question to a vote of the people. The taking of a dominion plebiscite to learn the sentiment of the country on prohibition was one plank of the platform

adopted at Ottawa in 1893 (Vol. 3, p. 317). On September 3 M. Laurier stated to a delegation from the Dominion Alliance that it was the intention of the government to carry out that platform "in the shortest possible time;" but no announcement has yet been made of a date for holding the plebiscite.

A gathering of the heads of all the national temperance organizations in Canada was held in Toronto, Ont., July 15-18. A deputation of 100, including prominent. members of the W. C. T. U., called upon Hon. A. S. Hardy, the new premier of Ontario, to learn the intentions of his government regarding the pledge given by Sir O. Mowat in February, 1894, that the Ontario government would enact the largest amount of prohibition consistent with the ruling of the courts on the pending "test case" (Vol. 4, p. 175). Mr. Hardy replied that the judgment of the privy council, not being explicit, had left the matter of federal and provincial jurisdiction still involved in difficulty and doubt (p. 409). Apparently the only things made plain were that the province could maintain municipal local option, and could not prohibit importations, while the Dominion government could enact total prohibition. He had no hesitation in making this declaration:

"This is a temperance government, in sympathy with the temperance reform. It will take no step backward, and will go as far forward and as rapidly forward as public sentiment will warrant and our jurisdiction allow."

A section of advanced prohibitionists, who stand for aggressive and direct political action for suppression of the liquor traffic, as distinguished from the more conservative and non-partisan friends of the cause, have "bolted" from the Ontario Alliance executive, finding themselves "out of harmony" with the construction placed on the platform of the Dominion Alliance formulated in 1894.

Miscellaneous.-Figures for the fiscal year ended. June 30, show that the revenue of the Dominion was $35,659,775, there being a gain over the preceding year in revenue from customs, excise, postoffice, and public works.

Under the admirable banking system of the Dominion, the industries of Canada during the recent and still-continuing period of commercial depression, are conceded to have had all the currency required at their commandthis being the case as well with the agriculturalist as with the capitalist. The Dominion notes and specie issued by the receiver-general, the issues of the chartered banks,

and the deposits under the postal savings-bank system, furnish a currency so elastic that farmers in the West can borrow money at about as low a rate of interest and in as great abundance as in Ontario.

Other changes in the Ontario government following the elevation of Hon. A. S. Hardy to the premiership vacated by Sir O. Mowat (p. 408), were the promotion of

Mr. J. M. Gibson from provincial secretary to commissioner of crown lands, and of Mr. W. D. Balfour from speaker to provincial secretary. The death of Mr. Balfour shortly after assuming the office of secretary, created a vacancy which was filled August 28 by the ap pointment of Mr. E. J. Davis.

Sir O. Mowat, minister of justice, was appointed to the senate for the Quinte district, in July.

Hon. Edward Blake, former liberal leader, now anti-Parnellite M. P. for South Longford, Ireland, was, at the request, it is said, of M. Laurier, the judiciary committee

A census of Manitoba shows the present population of the province to be 193,425, as compared with 152,506 in 1891-an increase in five years of 40,919, or twenty-seven per cent.

A Canadian counterpart of the Chinese question in the United States is already attracting serious attention in the Western parts of the Dominion. It is stated that there are now 11,000 Chinese laborers in British Columbia, as against 24,000 whites. The Chinaman, with few exceptions, is everywhere and always the same. The Dominion Trades and Labor Congress passed a resolution favoring

the restriction of further Chinese immigration by an increase of the tax on immigrants from $50 to $500 per head.

At an artillery contest at Shoeburyness, Eng., early in August, a Canadian team carried off the Garrison Queen's prize for the highest score in the stationary and moving target competition. They also won third prize in the Garrison artillery moving target competition.

A strike of telegraph train dispatchers on the Canadian Pacific Railway system began September 27. Numerous grievances were complained of, such as the menial nature of some of the services exacted, insufficiency of pay, length of hours, etc. But the committee representing the C. P. R. branch of the Order of Railway Telegraphers, instead of submitting the complaints in the regular way, namely, to the divisional superintendents. first, passed by those officers and appealed directly to headquarters. The appeal was rejected, not on its merits, but on account of the irregular way in which it had been made. The result was the strike. The freight service suffered quite severely; and some irregularity in the passenger service, especially west of Winnipeg, was occasioned. However, through mediation of a committee of brotherhood engineers, firemen, conductors, and switchmen, a compromise was at length reached, and on October 7 the strike was formally declared off.

The terms of the settlement are not officially published; but it is said that the men will go to their superintendents for redress of grievances, which will be passed up to higher officials. It is also asserted that the Brotherhoods of Locomotive Engineers, Firemen, Conductors, and Brakemen and Switchmen, will see that the telegraphers receive proper treatment and fair dealing in the proposed adjustment and adoption of a schedule, and will see that the grievances which the company have virtually conceded as existing are remedied. The operators, except those guilty of acts of violence, are to be reinstated, and a committee is to decide whether or not the men have really been guilty, if they are charged. The "scabs" are to be utilized only in filling extra positions created by the fall business.

On the night of September 1, a fire in the Grand Central hotel, Vankleek Hill, Ont., caused the loss of five lives.

MEXICO.

On July 13, General Porfirio Diaz was, without any opposition, re-elected president for the four-year term beginning December 1. He received every vote of the 22,000 electors chosen in the latter part of June (p. 412).

This summer has seen the completion of the railroad across the isthmus of Tehuantepec, from Coatzacoalcos on the bay of Campeachy to Salina Cruz on the Pacific coast. Work on the line had been carried on in a desultory way for fifty-five years, the first concession having been granted in 1841; the last, in 1892, to the London (Eng.) firm of Stanhope, Hampson & Corthell. It still remains to provide harbor and terminal facilities at the Atlantic end, and to build a pier stretching out to deep water in the Pacific at Santa Cruz. The contract for this work has also been given to an English house.

The Yaqui Uprising. During the latter half of August the border between Mexico and Arizona in the vicinity of Nogales, was in a state of disturbance which necessitated much activity and watchfulness on the part of both Mexican and United States troops for the keeping of order. On the morning of August 12, a band of about sixty Yaquis (commonly called Indians, but really Aztecs), attacked the portion of the town of Nogales lying on the Mexican side of the border. A fierce fight ensued, in which seven Mexican officers and citizens were slain, the Yaquis also losing about as many. Some of the latter fled across the line into United States territory, where they were joined by considerable numbers of their fellow tribesmen. A Mexican pursuing party overtook them the same day, and in the engagement which resulted Captain Sanchez of the Mexican police was killed. The next day a considerable force of Mexican troops under Colonel Kosterlitski started on the trail of the filibusters, and a force of United States cavalry was promptly ordered by General Wheaton to patrol the border districts. No further attempt at disturbance by the Yaquis was reported.

The main object of the raiders was apparently to capture the arms, ammunition, and money in the Mexican custom-house at Nogales, with the ultimate view of starting a revolution to overthrow the government of President Diaz.

The Yaquis are a splendid people physically, industrious agriculturists, and, when not at war, are the best laborers to be found in the state of Sonora. As a people, however, they appear to have had long-standing grievances against the Mexican government, based on a long history of armed inroads upon them, of dispossessions of coveted lands, of conflicts with the onerous restrictions of Mexican political law, etc. All efforts of the Mexicans to subdue them finally,

have been in vain.

The immediate occasion of the present trouble seems to be connected with the agitation fomented by a young woman named Teresa Urrea (Santa Teresa), who, for six or seven years, has wrought