~1876: Damn foolish things in the Balkans
January 1876: Large numbers of British immigrants begin to arrive in Argentina and Chile to exploit the plains of Patagonia for sheep farming. The farming industry will grow, greatly increasing the prosperity of both nations and lead to further development of Patagonia in Argentina, further encouraging economic growth.
February 1876: Concerned by increasing nationalist sentiment in Indian controlled newspapers, Viceroy Lord Lytton introduces the Vernacular Press Act. The act effectively bans any indigenous paper from criticising the actions of the Indian government and allows for the imprisonment of journalists and seizure of printing machinery to enforce censorship.
March 1876: The Long Depression has resulted in a sharp rise in protectionism in Europe and the US. Lord Carnarvon, British Colonial Secretary, proposes a policy of developing and expanding the Empire to provide an alternative market for British goods. The proposal is similar to that proposed by Forster in 1874. The proposal finds considerable support in Disraeli's cabinet.
March 1876: The Great Council of Chiefs is established in Fiji to advise the Governor on indigenous affairs. It consists of all those indigenous Fijians of chiefly rank.
April 1876: Outraged by the increased Ottoman taxes and emboldened by their apparent weakness after failing to suppress the Bosnian and Herzegovinan uprisings leads to a further uprising in Bulgaria. The Ottoman response is immediate. The uprising is brutally suppressed within a matter of weeks. During the suppression, the Ottoman forces commit numerous atrocities against Bulgarian civilians, with between 12-15,000 civilians are massacred.
May 1876: With Queen Victoria desiring an imperial title the Royal Titles Act making her Empress of India, The act creates considerable controversy but greatly pleases the Queen. As a reward she offers to grant Disraeli a peerage. This is the third time she has made such an offer, however he yet again declines. However he does consent to being made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George.
May 1876: As another reform, the Medical Act allows women to be registered as doctors. The act is only signed into law by the Queen with great reluctance.
June 1876: The continuing unrest in the Ottoman Empire results in Sultan Abdulaziz being deposed by reformists known as the Young Ottomans in favour of his nephew Murad V. Taking advantage of the situation, Serbia and Montenegro proclaim their independence and declare war. The poorly trained and equipped Serbian and Montenegrin troops are unable to make and progress at the Ottoman regulars, but are able to resist Ottoman attacks despite heavy casualties.
June 1876: Radical Liberal MP George Dixon resigns from Parliament due to his wife's ill health. His protégé, Joseph Chamberlain is returned unopposed in his place,
June 1876: A severe drought on the Deccan plateau has led to a serious famine in southern India. Unlike the earlier Bihar famine, Viceroy Lord Lytton has adopted a strictly laissez-faire approach believing market forces will resolve the issue. He has not only greatly tightened the eligibility criteria for relief, he has reduced it too near starvation levels. Consequently, the death toll is rising rapidly. After a series of editorials in Sisir Ghosh's paper, Amrita Bazar Patrika, rioting breaks out in Calcutta. Despite there being no direct link between the editorials and the rioting, the Vernacular Press Act is used to shut down the paper and arrest Ghosh. Far from calming the situation, this will lead to further rioting and unrest, spread throughout much of the Bombay Presidency. The British will respond with a harsh crackdown, however this will only worsen the situation. Lord Lytton's response is to pass the Arms Act, essentially prohibiting Indians from possessing firearms.
June 1876: Dowager Empress Cixi appoints Weng Tonghe, responsible for the disastrous upbringing of the Tongzhi Emperor, as tutor for the Guangxu Emperor. Fearful of a similar outcome, the decision deeply concerns Li Hongzhang, Viceroy of Beijing. During negotiations over the Margary Affair, he mentions the matter to British ambassador Thomas Wade. Wade suggests the possibility of the Emperor being educated in Britain, exposing him to current western ideas, while a suitable classical Chinese education from a prominent sinologist such as James Legge could also be arranged. Li is intrigued by idea and requests Wade investigate the possibility while taking it up with Prince Gong, head of the Qing Grand Council. Prince Gong, still wishing to see his son as Emperor, supports the concept, seeing a greater potential to place his own son on the throne with the Emperor out of China. Wade meanwhile consults with the Foreign Office. Disraeli, sensing an unprecedented opportunity is highly enthusiastic. He instructs Wade to pursue the matter and be more “flexible” on the Margary affair if it can be arranged. Li and Prince Gong return to Wade, who is able to confirm a number highly respected European sinologists such as Legge, Marquis d'Hervey-Saint-Denis and Wilhelm Schott have offered their services to provide instruction in Classic Chinese matters. Despite it being a massive departure from tradition and protocol, Li and Prince Gong are able to convince the normally self-effacing senior co-regent, Dowager Empress Ci'an, to overrule Cixi. Finally in August the young Emperor departs for Britain accompanied by Wang Tao, editor and founder of the Hong Kong newspaper Tsun-wan yat-po, who is to assist in his tutoring. Wang Tao is highly respected by Li and other reformers, as well as being a close friend of William Legge, Europe's most respected sinologist, who will act as his primary tutor.
July 1876: The pan Indian nationalist Indian League founders due to its leaders Sisir Ghosh being perceived as too extremist. However two more moderate supporters, Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Bose, found the Indian National Association to replace it. The INA will strive to challenge the older British Indian Association for leadership of the Indian rights movement. The BIA, an all Indian groups founded in 1851, has long avoided direct involvement in politics, and predominantly represents the interests of the established Indian elites.
July 1876: Stories about the Ottoman atrocities in Bulgaria begin to appear in the British press. A particularly detailed account by American Consul General in Constantinople Eugene Schuyler is reported in the radical Daily News, leading to questions in the House and demands for an investigation. Faced with public outcry, Disraeli promises a full investigation into the situation.
August 1876: The Chinese region of Xinjiang has been beyond Qing control since the Dungan Revolt of 1862. In 1865, Yaqub Beg, an Uzbek chieftain, declared the primarily Muslim Turkic region independent as Yettishar with support from Russia and Britain. With the Dungan Revolt finally suppressed elsewhere, Chinese General Zuo Zongtang launches a campaign to reconquer Xinjiang. He has assembled an army of 50,000 men equipped with at least 10,000 breach loading rifles and modern Krupp artillery, trained by German and French advisers. His forces advances rapidly as Yaqub Beg's rule has proven unpopular with the local population. While Zuo shows mercy to those who have not joined the rebellion or those who surrender, a number of the Qing commanders under him are far harsher, and many massacres do occur.
August 1876: The British entrepreneur Henry Wickham smuggles the seeds from rubber trees out of Brazil to establish rubber plantations in India and Malaya. The Netherlands will also take advantage of this, establishing large plantations in the Dutch East Indies.
August 1876: Li Hongzhang and Thomas Wade sign the Chefoo Convention resolving the Margary Affair. In light of the decision to educate the Guangxu Emperor in Britain, the demands have been significantly reduced. The compensation demanded has been reduced from 700,000 taels of silver {£185,906} to 300,000 {£132,790}, the demand for an apology has been changed to an expression of deep regret, while the demand that no internal tariffs be imposed on treaty ports has been dropped entirely. However the Chinese are still required to open four new treaty ports and British citizens extraterritoriality is confirmed. As a result of the Convention a permanent Chinese diplomatic mission, initial headed by Guo Songtao, will be established. For some time, this mission will actually represent Chinese interests throughout Europe.
August 1876: The new Ottoman Sultan Murad V has proven to be totally unsuitable for the role. An alcoholic, the stress of the position leads to a mental breakdown, and increasingly erratic behaviour. Realising it is essential to have a mentally stable Sultan in order to bring about reform, the Young Ottomans depose Murad V in favour of Abdul Hamid II who agrees to implement a European style constitution. The constitution creates a parliament consisting of an elected Chamber of Deputies and a Senate appointed by the Sultan. This parliament is to include representation by members of all ethnic and religious groups within the Empire, while the constitution guarantees freedom of religion and speech.
September 1876: With reports of the Ottoman atrocities in Bulgaria continuing to appear, Public opinion moves against the Ottomans. A series of Lurid articles in the Daily News by American Januarius MacGahan, provoke outrage. Similar reactions are occurring throughout Europe, with Russia particularly incensed. Gladstone, though still officially retired from politics, launches a string attack on the Conservative government's pro Ottoman policy. However Gladstone takes pains to make clear his attack is on the Ottomans rather than the Muslim faith. Disraeli attempts to minimise the situation, claiming the Bulgarians also committed atrocities. However the official report by British diplomat Walter Baring, confirms the reports and dismisses any claims of Bulgarian massacres of Turks.
October 1876: With the death toll now into the millions, stories of the scale of the famine in India and resulting unrest begin to appear in the British press. These stories include prominently the fact that the Viceroy is orchestrating the export of hundreds of thousands of tons of foodstuffs from India the face of this tragedy. The Liberals are quick to seize upon this as another path to attack Disraeli's government. Despite the unrest, the famine provokes widespread sympathy with charitable donations pouring in. Queen Victoria herself donates an unprecedented £10,000 {£9,210}, in line with her recent elevation to Empress of India. The size of the Queen's donation is widely and favourably reported in the Indian press, though comparisons with her £1,000 {£917} donation to the 1873 Bihar famine are scrupulously avoided.
November 1876: Competition from cheep US grain and foodstuffs from other nations, along the general economic down turn due to the Long Depression has led to severe hardship in the British agricultural sector. With most other nations adopting protectionism in response to the Long Depression, there are growing calls to abandon free trade and introduce tariffs to protect British agriculture. Colonial Secretary Lord Carnarvon suggests restricting free trade to goods originating with the British Empire and Dominions. As a result the Tariffs Act is passed by a majority of two votes. Despite the agricultural depression, the tariffs on agricultural products remains low, with significantly higher tariffs on manufactured goods. Uncharacteristically, many radical Liberals including Joseph Chamberlain previously fierce supporters of free trade, vote in favour of the act due to its lower tariffs on Imperial goods, further increasing tensions between the free trade Whigs and radicals in the Liberal Party.
December 1876: In an attempt to find a political solution to the ongoing Great Eastern War, the Great Powers of Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Russia call a conference in Constantinople. The Great Powers propose a solution whereby Bosnia, Bulgaria and Herzegovina are granted some autonomy within the Empire. The conference lasts well into January 1877, but ultimately, the Ottomans reject all proposals, allowing the war to continue. Throughout the conference, British Ambassador to Constantinople Henry Elliot takes a pro Ottoman line, stating the massacres in Bulgaria should no impact on British interests. The resulting criticism at home, forces his replacement with the outspoken former Liberal politician Austen Layard.