premiership, and in 1893 for the second time brought a Home Rule Bill into
parliament, which was rejected by the House of Lords on September 8th.

Owing to increasing infirmities of age, Mr Gladstone resigned early in
1894, and was succeeded by Lord Rosebery, who carried on the government of
the country until defeated in July 1895. Lord Salisbury now formed his
third administration, and had to deal with embarrassing situations in
connection with the Armenian massacres; the Jameson raid on the Transvaal
(1896), which led to a prolonged inquiry in London; a boundary line
dispute with Venezuela, which led up to a proposed arbitration treaty with
the United States; the Cretan insurrection, and the Greco-Turkish war.
There were native wars in West Africa and Rhodesia, while a railway was
commenced from Mombasa on the coast, inland to the British Protectorate of
Uganda. At the general election in 1900 Lord Salisbury was again returned
to power by a large majority.

Meanwhile, Britain had lost one of its greatest men. Early in the year
1898 it became known that Mr Gladstone was stricken by a mortal disease.
Party feeling was at once laid aside, and the whole nation, as it were,
watched with deepest sympathy by the bedside of the dying statesman. After
a lingering and painful illness, borne with heroic fortitude and gentle
patience, he passed away on the 19th of May. Nine days later he was buried
in Westminster Abbey, the last resting-place of so many of England's
illustrious dead.

The government had to deal with the long and troublesome Boer war in South
Africa, 1899-1901. To save it from trouble at the hands of the natives,
the Transvaal had been annexed by Britain in 1877. In 1880, however, the
Boers rose in revolt, and defeated a number of British troops at Majuba
Hill. After this the country was granted independence in internal affairs.