This report comes by way of London, and would seem to confirm reports previously published as to the condition of matters in Spain. * * * * * A bill for the removal of all political disabilities arising from the Civil War, recently presented in Congress, has passed and is now a law, as President McKinley has formally approved it. This bill refers to Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. This amendment made it impossible for any person to hold a political position in the United States who had taken up arms against the Government, if he had previously held a political position and had declared his allegiance to the United States. The law that has just been passed declares that "disabilities imposed by Section 3, Amendment 14, of the Constitution, heretofore incurred, are hereby removed." * * * * * Some of the survivors of the terrible massacre at Sierra Leone reached New York during the past week. The story of their escape is a very thrilling one. It seems that among the natives in that part of Africa there is a secret society. When the natives feel that they have any grievance against a particular tribe or people, they send word to all members of the society that "pura" is declared against the offenders; this means that they are condemned to death. As a result of the hut tax, which we told you about in a recent number, "pura" was declared against all English people in Africa. News soon reached the different missionary stations that this had been done; but the attack on the Rotufunk mission came almost without warning. Mr. Ward, who is the only one of these missionaries left alive, went in the latter part of April to Freetown for supplies, and at that time there was not any sign of danger. Through natives the story of the massacre has been obtained. It seems that early on the morning of May 3d native women came running to the mission house and cried that an armed force was coming to capture the place. The missionaries had no means of defence; their only hope of safety was in flight; but, unfortunately, they were too late. When the tribesmen arrived and found that the whites had left, they started through the bush, and soon captured all of the unfortunate missionaries. The tortures to which they put these poor men and women are too terrible to repeat. Death put a welcome end to their sufferings. [Illustration: GOVERNMENT HOUSE AT BONTHE ON SHERBO ISLAND, SIERRA LEONE] In the mean time, the colony of Americans at Shengeh received news that the natives had rebelled. A friendly native visited the mission and told Dr. Burtner that the tribes had declared "pura" against this mission, and that he had better fly. Immediately the work of getting boats in readiness was begun, and the missionaries, together with the friendly natives, finally succeeded in reaching Freetown.