PRINCESS IDA DISCUSSION

David Duffey: In 1884 London's first deep underground railway (the tube) was opened. Steam locomotives were used. There were 17,900 miles of railway line throughout Britain.

A monument to (our) Victor Emmanuel by Sacconi was unveiled in Rome, as was Rodin's Burghers of Calais (but in Calais). Both are still to be seen, provided you are willing to take your life in your hands dodging the Italian and French traffic.

General Gordon reached and occupied Khartoum, but as we are working backwards, he was killed during the Mikado.

Election year in the US, Grover Cleveland elected for the first time — I never did find out what he got up to in the bath.

Brahms and Bruckner turned out a symphony each (3 & 7), Ibsen produced The Wild Duck and Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn.

G B Shaw joined The Fabian Society, which had been founded in the previous year.

Gold was discovered in the Transvaal, which, if we were going forwards would be seen as a supreme irony, given the progress and recent ending of the first Boer War.

W E Gladstone was still Prime Minister, and still being a little liberal towards his ladies of the night. (Save one for me.)

Page modified 17 August 2019