and Drogheda. April 19 – France adds the Kingdom of Laos, a protectorate since 1893, to the existing colony of French Indochina. April 20 – The controversial ballet Le Cygne, choreographed by Madame Mariquita and written by Catulle Mendès, premieres at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, but is considered by critics to be too sexually explicit. April 21 – The nova V606 Aquilae is first observed from Earth as seen within the constellation Aquila. It fades within six months. April 22 – In aid of the Royal Niger Company, the British Army begins an invasion of Esanland, in southwestern Nigeria, to halt the resistance of the Esan chiefs still resistant to European rule. After Benin King Ologbosere is overcome, the British attack the kingdom at Ekpoma. April 23 – The steamship General Whitney sinks off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida. While everyone on board escapes in lifeboats, one of the boats capsizes, drowning the captain and 16 other crew. April 24 – The Scottish ship Loch Sloy is wrecked off the coast of Australia's Kangaroo Island, drowning 32 of the 35 people on board. April 25 – Voting is held for the 169-seat National Assembly in Bulgaria, and the Radoslava Party wins a majority. April 26 – Jean Sibelius's First Symphony premieres in Finland at Helsinki. April 27 – In Australia, the Apostolic Church of Queensland receives formal recognition as a religious denomination. April 28 – The United Kingdom and the Russian Empire sign the Anglo-Russian Agreement formalizing their spheres of influence in China, essentially agreeing that Britain will not seek railway concessions north of the Great Wall of China, and Russia will avoid doing the same in the Yangtze River valley in southern China. April 29 – Camille Jenatzy of Belgium becomes the first person to drive faster than 100 kilometers per hour, powering his electric CITA Number 25 racecar, La Jamais Contente at at a track at Achères, near Paris. April 30 – In the Philippines, the U.S. establishes a protectorate over the Republic of Negros, a semi-independent government for Negros Island, separate from the rest of the Philippine Islands. The Republic exists until its annexation to the rest of the U.S. territory on April 20, 1901. May 1899 May 1 – U.S. Navy Admiral George Dewey reports that 10 officers and crew of the ship USS Yorktown have been taken prisoner by the Philippine republic. May 2