The Sun. — London, England, 1870-01-01 00:00:00

71NilijiAL p.tviinr 01' Tlll 1J 4 k eengaeicial point of vieW,and SO t Al the etainfxy events of trade are concerned, the pasi year hm beeu lioniewhat uneventful, and will be chiefly reMeminrOol on account of its being the last year in that long period of depression which has for so long a time existed lii the f'4=reeroial world, and the causes of which were, fpr the Inos i paxt, removed in 1869. At the opening of the year much distrust prevailed, arising not so much from any interruption to the ordinary course of trade as to the suspi cion and a want of confidence engendered by the revelations which, in so many consecutive cases, followed the collapse of 1866. Unfortunately our tardy method of procedure, and the magnitude of the charges involved, prevented an early settlement of the disputes which h ave now obtained 115 wor ld- w ide notoriety, and it is only very recently that the chief and most disastrous inquiry has been brought to a close. The year, however, has come to an end under more satisfactory circumstances, and late events %ave gone far towards removing the feeling of distrustful ,a3ss which has so long prevented any expansion cf enter- We are now witnessing a 'evolution cf public opinion in this respect which is likely to be followed by very important results.; but it appears to us that the reaction which has occurred is almost as ludicrous as the excessive displeasure displayed when first the validity of the paper profits, upon which so many had been reckoning, was tested. As a natural consequence of this state of affairs, the number of companies brought out dur ing the past year has been comparatively small, and by far the larger portion has consisted of Submarine Tele graph Companies, the undoubted success of the Atlantic cables having invited further enterprise in this direction. It may be remarked, however, that the general character of the companies has been much superior to that of the many mushroom concerns introduced to public notice during the inflation of 1865, the investing public having been in the mood to scan very narrowly the prospectuses and pretensions of all new concerns. The Bank rate has ruled very low throughout the year, and the money market has been very easy. The highest official quotation for discounts was touched on May 8, when it was raised to 41 per cent. This advance was not justified by the condition of the money market at the time, but was ostensibly made for the purpose of checking the continued importation of Five-Twenty Bonds, and of preventing an undue inflation of trade with America. We pointed out the mistaken policy of the proceeding at the time, and shelved that although the indebtedness of the - United States was very large—it was some £13,000 at the Clue—the balance had been settled by the export of bonds which were not likely to be resold, and which would L i e held until redemption. The rate of redemption, however, was too far distant to enter into our calculations, and that portion of the question is likely to be greatly affected by any attempt at resumption of specie payments, or of funding the debt—both of which are now under discussion in the United States. The Bank rate remained at 42 per cent, for upwards of a month, when a gradual decline to 2Q yer cent. took place, to which figure the minimum was lowered on the Ist of August, and which was the lowest point of the year. Money has been very abun dant in the open market, but it is a noticeable fact that the stocks of bullion, both in the Bank of England and in the Bank of France, have been on the decrease. Capital, in point of fact, has been gradually withdrawn from those two important reservoirs, and is being directed again to the ordinary channels of trade. Notwith standing the quiescent state of the money market, the volume of trade, so far as exports are concerned, shows a very satisfactory increase, and most departments of manufacturing industry have been well employed throughout the year. To this, however, we regret to be compelled to make an important exception. The state of the cotton trade has been very deplorable, and great distress has existed amongst the Lancashire operatives, leading to a vast but salutary emigraticn. The limited supplies of cotton coming to hand have naturally led to high prices and to a restricted consumption of goods. About one-fourth of the spinning Power of Lancashire has been compulsorily idle through out the year, and it is difficult to give an adequate idea of the full meaning of that simple phrase. Great efforts have been made in India to supply the deficiency caused by the falling off in the American crop, and they have been attended with no little success, as, according to recent reports, last year's crop was the largest one ever grown in India. The corn trade, however, has presented the most sin galar course during the year, and has altogether disap pointed the favourable expectations formed in regard to it. It must be premised that our home crop fell short of an average by about 2,000,000 quarters, so that we should require an import of about 8,000,000 quarters, spread over the current year, to make up for our deficiencies. It was thought that there was no doubt of that quantity being forthcoming, but it did not seem very probable that our receipts would exceed that figure. The event has proved the fallacy of these anticipations, for it has turned out that our im ports since harvest have been at the rate of between 12,000,000 and 13,000,000 of quarters annually. These heavy receipts have naturally led to a dull, dragging trade at constantly declining prices. At the time of har vest wheat touched the highest quotation of the year, the imperh;l average fine being returned, on .August 2Sth, at 540. per quarter ; since when the course of prices has been uniformly downwards, until last week, when the average price was returned at 435. sd. per quarter. This heavy fall has been a very serious blow both to importers and to home producers, and the latter especially have had the worst possible combination to deal with—a short crop, and low prices owing to excessive importations. The fall in the price of bread, however, has exerted a most favourable influence upon other depart ments of trade, as the poorer classes have been enabled to purchase more largely of other articles which must be esteemed as comparative luxuries. In this way some ex pLnation may be found for the high price of meat, which has been maintained throughout the year. With the ex ception of wheat farmers, the year has proved a good one for agriculturists, and graziers especially have benefited by the unusual mildness of the season, which has enabled them to keep their stock out on the pastures, and has saved them the expense of artificial food. . The restricted business in cotton, the fall in the value of wheat, and the general shrinkage of prices of imported produce since 1866, have directed a large amount of money into Lombard-street, as trade can now be carried on with much less capital than was the case a few years since. The continued absence of speculation in all departments of trade is another principal cause of the ease existing in the money market and the comparatively small amount of coeamercial paper afloat. The stock markets have natur ally been affected by this, and we find that most of the guaranteed stocks and the more secure foreign Government bonds have been in steady demand at advancing prices. Consols, however, have not risen above 91—which figure was touched on November 27—owing to the uncertainty attending the action of the Government in regard to the mode of raising the money necessary for the service of the telegraphs. The loan market has been quiet, but has been characterised by some lame attempts on the part of Turkey, Spain, and Italy to obtain further monetary assistance, and so to stave off for a time their impending financial ruin. Italy and Spain have obtained a small sum in this market, but by the painful cost of a further alienation of the Crown lands ; but the last loan attempted on account of Turkey appears to have met with all but total failure. Apart, however, from the ordinary events, of trade, the extraordinary occurrences of 1869 have been very impor tant, and one destined to exert a most beneficient influenoe, not only on the commerce, but on the future history of the nation. The marvellous activity which has been displayed in the construction and perfection of sub marine cables has annihilated the space existing between the most distant lands, and, for all practical purposes, Lopdon and New York are in as near proximity as London and lJver pool, gofer as the means of communication are concerned. We are promised an even more advantageous system with respect to our Indian dependencies,, the communication with which has long been a crying evil. It is impossible to estimate the influence that these vast improvements are destined to have upon the future, but that influence will be for good. Again, the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad has added another victory to the energy of the Americans, and has shewn in a practital manner that even a line to India from Eurbpe should not now be considered as utopian. To the errargy and skill of one man we owe the new passage to 'our Indian possessions, and no country is likely to benefit mare than England by . the (am, - letion and successful issue of the Suez Canal. Many other events have taken placo which our space follids us to dwell upcn. The fakilig ever of the telegraph system, by the Government will, to doubt bring this useul agent into more general use, while Vac adoption of the new Bankruptcy Act will have a moat in,poi•tant hearing upon 'the manner of dealing with bankrupt estates. With the abolition of the ls. duty upon corn, the last impost upon the food otthe people has been happily removed , while it is not'improbable that the extinction of the duty on fire/insurances will be followed by similar action, in retard to marine risks. Attention has been drawn to a-ally, by the unfortunate pre lhod companies, -whose embar i little matter of surprise in be hoped that the attention sawn to' the subjeat in the LO furt4r aitoratious are in° Congt: • gip of insurance genera z , , ab of some old-establisl however, furnished c ;Areles. It is to . hi?e,,will be dr the • o raisr s • , # hat somi Marl SPIRIT OP THE PUBLIC TOTTENLLEI, The Saturday Review counts over the three terrible acci dents which in the last twenty years have occurred from a crush at theatres. In 1849, and on Boxing-night in 1859, and again on Boxing-night in 1869, we lost respec tively sixty-five persons, fifteen persons, and eighteen per sons, under circumstances in all three cases of the same kind; and in the last two the rame narrative might apply to the events of 1859, only exchanging the staircase of the Victoria Theatre in London for the inclined plane of the entrance to the Bristol Theatre. We do our best to make such catastrophes inevitable; and that they only occur once in ten years is not owing to our want of forethought, or to any deficiency in our arrangements for the destruc tion of human life. We construct our theatres with an ingenious and varied superfluity of details in order first to sccure an accident, and then to provide that the acci dent shall be as fatal as possible. In the Victoria Theatre and at the Glasgow Theatre good precipitous stair cases, extremely narrow and closed at either end with a contracted gorge, only represent the usual conditions of imminent dancer to life under which everybody goes to a theatre. At Bristol the ingenious artist who planned the.approaches must have studied his subject well, and he has very skilfully availed himself of acme natural and unusual facilities which a peculiar site gave him for introducing a novelty in danger which proved on Monday night perfectly successful. These who know this theatre will remember that it is built on very sloping ground—that it is on the face of one of those many precipi tous cliffs which abound in the picturesque old city of the West. Here was a fine chance of making what never can be but dangerous, doubly peril ous. Equal to his opportu nities, the plotter of the entrances made his pit and gal lery entrances run rapidly down hill at a steep pitch from • the street, and then contrived a right angle turn into the house. The crowd, if there ever was to be a crowd, was therefore provided with a good down-hill swing and im petus, with an inevitable turn at the bottom. The pro blem was one of simple mechanics—how to increase the momentum of a descending body, and how most suddenly and dangerously to arrest it. Tho Bristol Theatre, by its construction, gave every facility to work out the problem; and Boxing Day, a popular pantomime, and much gin and beer supplied the other elements of success. The Spectator says that the Emperor has won the game so far. The permanence of his success must depend upon the conditicn of public ,opinion in France, a condition which we shall shortly discuss, but for the moment the game is won. With a skill which we cannot but admire, even while we disapprove it, he has conceded just enough to satisfy the Chamber without surrendering one jot cf his real power. Napoleon, not the Chamber, has selected M. 011ivier, for his majority wouldwither away if the Imperial favour were s% ithdrawn, and it is Napoleon, and not the Chamber, who will devise the measures to be adopted, who will govern, for example, the foreign policy of France. It is, in fact, personal power tempered by deferences to the Chamber which has replaced personal power tempered by deferences to tho electorate. Can that system last? The answer to that question depends upon influences which no outsider and vciy few Frenchman thoroughly understand. What is it that France wants?. Liberty? If so, she has not obtained it, and mutt renew the st ruggle. The right of speech about her grievances? She has got that, we believe, to the full, the most marked change of the whole series of transactions being the enfranchisement of the Corps Legislatif, the new right of its members to say unchecked very nearly what they want to say. There are observers still, we believe, who declare that were a free Chamber elected ad hoc the personal power would still bo supported by a majority, and they are not without arguments for their view. The peasantry, they say, though they want Napoleon to make fewer mistakes, still want him to govern, and not anybody else, and would re turn candidates favourable to that view. So would the Church, which dreads the policy of a free Chamber, and still more a Republican Chamber, would be sure to pursue in Rome. So would tlle lesser towns, whose opinion is really that of the bureaucracy, and would be directed, even if the Government were honest, by prefects who have all been appointed by Napoleon. These three powers might, if combined, send up a majority before whom the Repub licans of the great cities would be comparatively power less. That is true, but the answer to it seems to us quite final. If a free Parliament would be friendly to Napoleon, why does Napoleon pack a Parliament? if the majority is with him, why does he fight so zealously for seats which were avowedly won by the grossest corruption? Are not all these efforts to scat nominees so many proofs that none but nominees could be implicitly trusted to vote for the personal power ? These arc, we repeat, the weak points of the situation—that M. 011ivier, however adroit, or however devoted, will not be able to resist the demand for electoral reform; and that if electoral reform is granted, the Chamber elected •,‘ ill be hostile to the Napo- Iconic vijime. The John Bull discusses the clauses of the Papal Bull, and asks, Who are they that have incurred sentence, ens pen ion, or int:l-diet, reserved, or not-reserved? They are a "goodly company" so far as numbers go. In fact, it must be admitted that if the Pope is merciful, he has tem pered mercy with a.great deal of j udgmcnt. Everycne who has ventured to read "Janus," or the letters of Mr. Flo:likes, or who has them anywhere iu his house, or has ever ventured to say a word in defence of them is, ipso facto excommunicated, and from that 1 cualty not even Archbishop Manning, but only Pius IX. can set him free. No. 5 strikes a blow at two Sovereigns, both Catholics, and until lately foes. It excommunicates all those who arrest, imprison, persecute, or drive from their dioceses and lands, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and as Victor Emmanuel has in his time imprisoned or banished a good many Bishops, and even Francis Joseph has imprisoned the Archbishop of Linz for opposing the laws abrogating the Concordat, their Majesties will have an opportunity for forgetting past quarrrls in ccnsoling each other under present misfortunes. We can easily imagine that after reading No. 5, the Archbishop of Vienna did not stop to see what the rest were, and that this was quite sufficient to induce his sudden departure hem Rome. No. 6 excommunicates those who impede the action of ecclesiastical jurisdiction— a decided stvifet for the Emperor Napoleon. Miss Saurin may claim the distinction of having a curse directed especially against herself, since No. 7 excommunicates those who bring ecclesiastical persons before lay judges. No. 11 will include Victor Emmanuel and Mr. Gladstone, for it curses "those who usurp or sequestrate the juris diction, the property, the rentals which from their churches or benefices belong to ecclesiastical persons." It would be lost labour to detail the minor curses, when the major are so comprehensive. We already know the worst. We are heretics. We are schismatists. 'We have read Mr. Ffoulkes's letters and " Janus." We should cer tainly bring a Roman priest, or Cardinal Cullen himself, before the secular law courts, if he violated the secular law. We are going to devote to secular purposes the Church revenues in Ireland which Rome claims. 'We hold diplomatic communication with Victor Emmanuel, and gave Garibaldi a reception such as no other man living has had. We have done all these things ; but to have done only one was enough to incur excommunication, end therefore it is satisfactory to know that, among other persons, the Pope has excommunicated—Pius IX. He has held intercourse with Victor Emmanuel. Whose is guilty of one, is guilty of all. The head of Christendom has been cast out by himself. How, then, shall his kingdom stand? An opinion prevails in some quarters, says the Economist, that with the change of the year we shall see also a con siderable change in the mcney market. Enterprise, it is said, is reviving ; credit is better ; there is a greater oppor tunity to earn profit ; and thence it is inferred that the rate of interest will soon rise, and the long stagnation of Lombard-street be at an end. And the suggested basis of facts we are inclined to concede. We believe that confidence is somewhat greater, and that industry i. somewhat better remunerated. But we cannot see any reason to draw the desired inference as to the value of money. We fear that for some time to come it will con tinue much as at present; of course there will bo minor modifications, but wo seo no reason for expecting .a great rise now. The savings of the country are constantly accu mulating—and unless employment regularly augments, there will be a greater and greater difficulty in using those savings. For some years after 1130 it is true that probably savings were much smaller than usual. Business was much less profitable, and business savings are a material, though the most fluctuating, item in the accumulations of the country. And there was a great waste going on beside. There was a demand arising out of old liabilities and out of financing for money to finish half-begun undertakings of most questionable value, and in many Cr.i.C3 never likely to bring in any but the most insignificant return. These causes kept down till now the recent accumulation of the coun try, hut for the most part their effect may new be considered to have spent itself, The " liquidation " ac count of 18(36 is at an end. As the failure of Overends was its beginning, so for historical purpoSes the trial of the directors of Oyu-ends may be taken to be its end. .A nil this tells the contrary wey to what is sometimes exl)ectod. This now money will tend to depress the rate of interest. On the other hand, we entirely concede that the state of credit, properly so called—of confidence—is improved. For a long time after 1860, even those who had savings scarcely liked to let them out of their sight—did not like at all to employ them in an unusual or inventive manner. But now this long nervousness has meetly died away, and there is both courage and money for good investments if only such Gould be found. The entbronization of the Bishop of Bath and , . Wells will take place in Wells Cathedral on Wednesday .• net. fil LONDON, SA lITIZDAY EVENING, JANUARY 1, 1870. 211KELLANE0 US SETTS. montns - out—Trozen to cteatia vit _ house authorities were in no wise blameable, - foiihe woman kept her destitution secret in the hope of re covering and finding work ; and thus, as often happens, praiseworthy intentions produced calamitous results. THREE PERSONS BURNT TO DEATH. A fearful disaster has happened in the Island of Clare. Some of the islanders, having picked up a cask of oil at sea, met at a house at Cape Clear, a few nights ago, +o divide the spoil. By some unexplained means, the oit ignited and set the house on fire. Three persons, inolud ing a child lying in a cradle, were burnt to death, and the house was completely destroyed. Of the eighteen persons in the building at the time of the accident, only three escaped uninjured. A POSTMAN CHARGED WITH STEALING _REGISTERED LETTERS. On Friday, at bow-street, William Jessop, a letter carrier, recently employed at the Post Office, Tunbridge, liras charged with stealing a registered letter containing a cheque for 1:2.00 on the Lcndon and County Bank, and r. bill of exchange for £3.59. There • were other charges against the prisoner. It appeared that Dr. Topwith, of Tunbiid o e, sent the letter and cheque in question male l ay able to order, and the bill of exchange to Dr. 'Wheeler in Dublin. They never reached him, and the endorsement on the cheque produced WAS not in his handwziting. It was proved by Jonathan Carey, clerk to the Tunbridge post-office,that the prisoner was formerly employed there, but resigned in consequence of certain investigations having been made into his charac ter. The prisoner was in the shop when witness regis tered the letter. The evidence went to establish the printet fade charge, and the prisoner was fully committed for trial. THE MARQUIS OF WESTMINSTER'SWILL Probate of the will ( f the Marquis of Westminster has been granted to his seact, the Dowager Marchioness of Westminster, and his sons-in-law, the Earl of Macclesfield, and Sir M. R. S. Stewart, Bart., the joint acting executors. The trustees appointed arc his sons-in-law, Lord Wenlock and Lord Leigh. The personalty was sworn under £300,000. He bequeaths to his daughter, Lady Theodora, on the decease of his relict, certain estates in Motcombe; and to his son-in-law, S:r M. R. S. Stewart, estates In Wiltshire. His estates in Doi setshire he leaves to his son Lord Richard de Aquila Grosvenor, subject to the Mar chioness's life interest therein and a provision for his daughter, Lady Theodora, to whom he has made an appointment in her favour frcm a sum of 550,000 under the will cf the first Marquis. He devises to his eldest son, now Marquis of Westminster, his estates in the county palatine of Chester and the principality Of Wales ; and leaves him all MMS. He also leaves to his eldest son all the parliamentary books and papers at Gros venor House, and all the furniture at lialkyn Castle, Flintshire; his thoroughbred stud, Garter robes, and par liamentary robes and coronet. There are certain jewels left to his wife for her life. His lordship has made be quests by way of remembrance to each of his daughters, the Duchess of Northumberland, the Countess of Maccles field, Lady Wenlock, Lady Leigh, Lady Octavia, and Lady Theodora. SUDDEN DEATH OF A NAVAL SURGEON IN A HOUSE OF ILL FAME. The Plymouth coroner has been investigating the case of a naval surgeon, Mr. A. Southby Crowdy, of her Majesty's ship Indus, who died suddenly in a house of ill fame at Plymouth the other day. Eliza Kinney, an unmarried woman, living at No. 6, Suenmerland place, Plymouth, said the &ceased, whom she knew well, came to the house on Monday evening, about seven o'cicck. He remained about an hour, and then went out to meet a fel(n l whom he expected would come out of the Theatre. About a quarter before ten o'clock he returned in a cab alone, and brought her 'a bottle of champagne. The deceased was quite sober, but he looked ill, and on her asking if he were unwell he replied in the affirmative, and said that he had been faint at Harvey's Hotel. He laid down on the sofa, and she had a fire lighted. Soon after he said that if he went to bed he thought he would be better, and he walked upstairs. She ate her supper, and went up about half an hoer after. She put some scent on his 1 ockethandkerchief, and bathed his face with cold watt r, and he told her ho was much better. She went to Led about eleven o'clock, and the deceased laid upon her urn). Abcut,a quarter of au bout afterwards she spoke to him several times, but he did not answer her, although he nude an effort to do so, and turning his head ho went off in a fit. The deceased had told her previously that he had been subject to fits, and that if he were seized with one sho was not to be alarmed. Afterwards he partially - recovered, and said, "Don't be frightened, I shall be better in a few minutes." She sent for several doctors, but they were , out. At last Dr. Prance an iv ed. The deceased never properly recovered, and died about a quarter past three o'clock.—ln reply to a question the mitre ss Laid about two months ago deceased had a fit on the sofa, but recovered in about ton nsmutes.—Dr. Prance ..rlained thf,t Lo ima nul the ightest doubt that the dcceasel died a natural death, but considering the house in wl the event took place and the circumstances of the case, he thought it best that the matter should be inves - igated and the facts made public. The jury, agreeing with the doctor, returned a verdict of "Death from natural causes." Sir George Bowyer questions the current deriva tion and meaning of the:words Grail and Holy Grail. "The true interpretation of the word Sangreal in the original legend is not Holy Grail, but sang real, that is to say, real blood, meaning the Real Blood in the Sacrament of the *liar." A telegram from Cork says that on Thursday night, •t 7 o'clock, as two sub-constables, named respectively John Doyle and Thomas M'Conaby, were standing in abutcher's %hop, in Askeaton, county Limerick, they were fired at from without. Both men were wounded—Doyle mortally. No arrests have yet been made. It is said that the "special correspondent" of the Times in Rome is a certain Anglican clergyman, who some twenty odd years ago became a Catholic, and three or four years later returned to the Established Church. When we mention the old story that this gentleman became a Catho lic to spite his first wife, and turned a Protestant to annoy his second, most English Catholics will know to whom we allude.— Weekly Register. THE VINE IN FRANCE.—The following is from the last weekly bulletin (26th inst.) of the Sci entifie Association of France :—" The vine occupies in France almost 2,500,000 hectates (6,175,000 acres). This ecnstitutes the one-and twentieth part of the French territory, and the sixteenth part of its soil capable of cultivation. The gross produce amounts to more than 1,500,000,000 francs. This industry occupies six million men, women, and children, and nearly two million merchants, agents, traders, &c. Sixty-nine departments cultivate the vine, from the Gironde, which reckons more than 150,000 hectares (370,000 acres), to the department of Ille-et-Vilaine, which only possesses ' 104 hectares (256 acres)." NEW TRADES OF THE YEAR.—No less than fifty three new trades have been added to Messrs. Kelly's " Trades" Directory, including " Balancemakers " (Assay, Bullion, and Chemical), " Composition manufacturers for the Preservation of Stone from Decay," " Concrete Moulding Machine Makers," " Kamptulicon Carpet Manufacturers," " Moulders' Blacking Manufacturers," " Phototype Engravers," " Pinoleuni Manufacturers," " Quilting Vest Manufacturers," "Rolled Girder and Iron Joist Manfacturers," " Rope Machine Makers," " Sausage Skindealers," " Seron Dealers," " Stay Fastening Makers," " Turnstile Manufacturers," and " Wire Rope Machine Makers." It is stated that since Christmas, 18GO, when the thermometer went to zero, the cold has not been so intense in North and East Yorkshire as on Tuesday night, when the lowest reading, about 9 p.m., was 9 deg. This continued till 4.30 on Wednesday morning, when a thunderstorm oc curred, the flashes of lightning in the north being very vivid, making the third storm in ten days. Alinost immediately the temperature ran up to 34 deg., and has continued there. The reports from the moors say that many sheep have perished. The fate of the French Government vessel Gor gone, with her crow of more than one hundred hands, seems 1., to be decided beyond a doubt. From Brest we learn that the log-bock of 'the Gorgone has been cast on sore, enclosed in a bot 10. It ends as follows :—" We Lave a:ruggled on to the end. Impossible to save the ship; there is a large 1, ak. I put my trust in God." Other d •spatehes state that the sea is casting up numerous c , rpses. Lieutenant Dubose escaped death through an order of the Minister of Marine enjoining him to remain at Brest. lie is the only °Meer that survives. The schooner Hermes, of Aberdeen, Beedie, mas ter, was totally lost on Annat Bank, Montrose, yesterday afternoon. The crew, six in number, were drowned. Tho scene, the telegram says, was heartrending. The lifeboats were out, and the iozket apparatus used, but untuccess• Sully. Nature states that a large depot of petroleum , has just been tliscovered in the Caucasus. It is situated on the east of the Caspian, where there are largo uumbers•of these springs, many of them occurring in close proximity. This new spring is said to be capable of producing 40,000 livrcs daily. The American method hail recently hem adopted with the greatest success. THE FIGHT IN LONGFORD COUNTY. The Fenians are not likely to take their opponents by surprise in Lonzford Comity, as they did in Tipperary. Both parties—the supporters of Mr. Greville l‘fugent, the Liberal, and the supporters of Mr. John Martin, the " National" candidate—are working with intense eagerness. Exciting as the contest is, however, there seems to be no sufficient reason for carrying on electioneering business on Sunday. To the Fenians, no doubt, that day proves most convenient for campaigning ; but better things were to be expected of Mr. Greville Nugent. Yet he, too, has attended Sunday meetings, and talked about resisting mob intimidation, the interests of the tenant farmer, and all the old routine. If the earning of a few pence by costermongers is considered an evil, much more ought these 'political contests to be reprehended. REMOVAL OF A MAGISTRATE. Mr. John Madden, of Hilton Park, in the Ulster county of Monaghan, has come into very unfor tunate relations with the Government. He has been deprived of his status as justice of the peace• and deputy lieutenant for using insulting language to the Ministry. In reply to a communication appointing him High Sheriff of Leitrim, Mr. Madden protested against serving under the present Government, which had brought the fabric of society in Ireland to the verge of dissolution. Within a year the country, he sard, had been reduced from a state of prosperity to a con dition of anarchy. The security for life and property had practically ceased to exist. When dismissed from the two offices in consequence of this effusion, Mr. Madden replied that when he read the incen diary harangues delivered by members of the Cabinet, he considered himself practically turned out of the commission of the peace. CONSERVATISM AT CARDIFF. Mr. Hardinge Giffard, Q.C., who, in spite of the influence of the Marquis of Bute, was defeated by Colonel Stuart at the last general election, addressed a large meeting of the Conservative party in Cardiff on Thursday evening. He vigorously denounced the Irish policy of the present Government, which, he said, had been utterly fatal to the peace of the country, and instead of its being a message of peace," was simply a " me s sage o f anarch y , sedition, treason, anxiedunfusion." He depre cated in strong terms tilt Free-trade measures of past Liberal Governments, contending that Free Trade had been the means of driving the mechanics and skilled artisans from'aie country, and were thus depriving old England of those which constituted the bone, and the sinew, and the vitality a the nation. The " cheeseparin,, ,, " actions of the Gladstone Ministry were treated with considerable ridicule and humour, especially the fact of putting the Admiralty cats on half-pay, in order to provide, said Mr. Giffard, the expense of the pleasure cruise of the First Lord of the Admiralty. The speaker received an enthu siastic reception, and a vote of thanks was unani mously accorded to the learned gentleman. TUE LAST OF THE "MORNING HERALD." A. change in metropolitan journalism, which affects so small a circle that it can hardly be called impor tant, will occur with the commencement of the new year. The Morning Herald ceases to exist. It has long lost its old influence, and now it leaves no appreciable void in the newspaper world. For some time it has been amalgamated with the Standard; the news in both papers has been precisely the same. The only differences have been that the Herald was three times the price of its younger contemporary, it was printed on a little better paper, and the wording of the leaders—merely the wording, and not the principles enunciated—was different. Who would pay 3d. for what could be had for a penny ? The Conservatives will in the future be repre sented by only one morning paper—the Standard. They will be totally without an organ amongst high priced journals, and this at a time, when another Liberal organ is starting. The Times, the Morning Post, the Advertiser, the Daily News, the Te!egrapli all profess Liberalism ; and to them will be added the new Pall Mall Gazette ; while the Standard will be absolutely alone. The Globe is the only evening paper which will preach "Constitutionalism.' The Herald was started in 1780. It enjoyed a popularity next to the Times at ono period. Sydney Taylor, 3laginn, Giffard, Phillips, Lord Brougham, and Donglas Jerrold have contributed to it at different times. But when it took the side of Protection against Sir Robert Peel, from that time it—as itself confesses—began to decline, and never reasserted itself. LABOUR REPRESENTATIVES IN PARLIAMENT. The Labour Representation League, formed to pro mote the return to Parliament of working men and others who have " studied the labour problem "from an artisan point of view, is represented by a committee which includes all the metropolitan trades' unionists. The subscription for working men is a guinea ; for persons who have passed from the artisan ranks into other occupations, ten shillings. A large prerogative is given to the committee, or Executive Council. They have the power to expel any obnoxious member. One half of the subscriptions raised by branch orga nisations are to be forwarded to this central committee. The local societies will pay their expenies with the other half. Lastly, no candidate for any 'constituency can receive the support of the League unless he be approved of by a majority of the ExecutivCouneil. " The views of the local branch where ,etch candidate is required shall always be taken into consideration by the Executive Council in giVing their approval to any applicant." LORD A. CLINTON. The wretched bankruptcy case of Lord Arthur Pelham Clinton, who honoured Newark by repre senting it in the last Parliament, has at length been finished. his lordship enjoys the aristocratic income of £470. This revenue he deemed a sufficient warrant for contracting liabilities amounting in all to about £34,000. No doubt there was a good deal of cheating in the case of some debts, but others bad been regularly contracted, and evidently without any prospect of payment. Mr. Commissioner Winslow, therefore, made it a condition of discharge that the bankrupt set apart £lBO a year of his income towards paying off those old scores. He will thus got rid of the whole sums, cheats and otherwise, in 100 years. May his lordship live as long. RUGBY SCITOOL. "A Father" writes to the Daily News giving the facts as to the appointment of Mr. Hayman against the wishes of the Assistant Masters of ,Rugby School. As soon as they heard of the appointment they wrote to Mr. Hayman protesting against the use he had made of certain testimonials. The memorial was laid by Mr. Hayman before the trustees, with an ex planation •, and that gentleman also met the masters and put tho case before them. But they were more than ever dissatisfied. They petitioned the trustees, and asked to be heard, saying that Dr. Temple had offered to be their spokesman. The trustees met. They did not hear the masters or any one else against their choice; but while the masters were waiting for an interview, sent out the answer—a reply to the effect that Mr. layman had acted in perfect good faith. The masters say that they had never ques tioned the honesty of the now head-master. and they threaten serious mutiun VIE. CONTAGIOUS DISEASES ACT. The Ladies Association are conducting a vigorous attack upoU the Contagious Diseases Act. The Englishwoman's letters to the Daily News are supple vented by a protest signed by some hundred and thirty ladies. The protest gives eight reasons why the Acts should be repealed. They were passed, it is alleged, in ignorance on the part of both Parlia ment and the country ; they violate the sacred per sonal freedom of .woman ; they do not define the offence which they punish; they do not reach the Ix who are the main cause of the vice ; ior them the path of evil is made easy they are cruel to women ; the disease the Act seeks to remove has never been removed by legislation, and the first conditions of it are moral, not physical. The signers of the protest include Miss Harriett Martineau, Miss Florence Nightingale, Mrs. Josephine Butler, Miss Wolstenholme, Mrs. Jacob Bright, and a number of other well-known ladies. The committee of the Ladies Association includes Miss Wolstenholme, Mrs. Bright, and Mrs. Butler. THE FORGERIES UPON LORD ST. LEONARDS. Lord St. Leonards seems to be the chosen victim of those sharpers who work by means of forged orders and letters. A few days ago he sent a letter to the Times warning tradesmen against orders for goods in his name. Since then he has received- bills to the amount of over 241 from Messrs. Fortnum ? Mason, and Co., the well-known aristocratic provision firm, for expensive articles furnished to five different members of his family. Of course Lord St. Leonards never ordered the goods, but the letter purporting to come from him was directed from the Carlton Club, as was another of the kind, containing an order for jewellery. The argus-eyed public ought to soon detect the perpetrator of these forgeries, for surely such outrages must be more than a hoax. STARVATION, Another death from destitution in London. Un happily such cases are becoming quite ordinary and common, but this last starvation of an infant is especially painful. A delicate young woman, de scribed by her neighbours as remarkably industrious and honest, was deserted by her husband five months ago. She had two children, to support whom she did whatever work she could get. Soon she fell ill, and could not work ; bit by 'bit the furniture of her room disappeared to get food for the children, whilst the mother grew weaker through depriving herself 'to feed the little ()nes.' -At length nothing remained in the room but a straw mat and a bed-- an amount of covering sadly inadequate to resisting • the bitter cold of the last few days. On Tuesday tlornina the mother found her youngest child—three PAUPERISM. From a parliamentary return just published we ether that, compared with the corresponding month in 1868, the increase of paupers in England and Wales last October was 41,375. The greatest number of paupers relieved in any one week was 947,253; the lowest amounted to 926,144. It must be remembered that these figures simply represent in-door and out door paupers, and does not include lunatics and vagrants. THE CHARITY OF BETTING MEN. The " charitable turfite " must now be definitely put down as a vulgar illusion. We cherished him as long as we could. He became a very friend to us — with his coarse exterior, his pitiful infatuation, but warm and tender heart. He did good, we thought, by stealth. But now we are finding him out. Even luck does not make him charitable. The St. George's Thspital has been begging for money from the fraternity whose metropolitan headquarters is at Tattersall's. They have never had a farthing. For the whole year a donation box for the hospital has stood where the betting men congregate in such busy crowds. Many of them must have won heavy " pots" during that time ; but never one of them was seduced out of their trade of fleecing others into the path of benevolence. Not one farthing during the whole twelvemonth found its way from the pockets of " the Fancy " into the treasurers funds of the hospital. The box stood empty the entire year. SLAVE TRADE IN THE SOUTH SEAS. The. Queensland Agent-General in this country writes on behalf of the Government and people of his colony to repudiate all participation in the kidnap ping of South Sea Islanders for the Queensland plantations. The Polynesian Labourers Act was passed by the Colonial Legislature to restrain the carrying away of islanders from their native land, by force or persuasion, and compelling them to remain in the colony against their will. The mea sure, in spite of what has been said to the contrary, has been largely successful. The introduction of islanders has been diminished fifty per cent. The greatest care has been taken to secure the return of the kidnapped labourers to their native islands. But, of course, the Agent-General points out, the Queensland Government can act only at home. It cannot interfere with what is done at some of the distant islands. There the Imperial Government must intefro to with an effective maritime policy. AMERICAN POSTAL ASTER-GENERAL'S REPORT. (Continued.) Passing without comment other unreasonable and il liberal propositions, the following may be mentioned as among the ►mpossible conditions persistently insisted tpon by the French post department: First : That France shall have a double share of the in terior rates of postage— a demand so extraordinary and so manifestly unjust us to require no argument to demon strate its unfairness, in view of the well-known fact that the expense of our interior service is not only greater than that of France, but its extent vastly larger, em bracing a territory (exclusive of Alaska) fourteen times greater than that of France. Second : That the United States shall establish a line of mail packets between New York and Brest for the per formance of a regular semi• monthly service similar to the service performed by the subsidized line of French packets between these ports, or else pay the entire ex pense of the sea and British inland transportation of all mails conveyed by way of England, which constitute at present mere than four-fifths of the entire correspondence exchanged with France. Negotiations have also been opened with the British post department for a further reduction of the interna tional letter postage between the United States and Great Britain. The exis.ing postal convention with Great Britain, which went into operation on the Ist of January, 1868, established a reduced international letter rate of six pence (twelve cents), and provided that the question of a further reduction should be considered at the expiration of twelve months from that date. Agreeing with the very general expression of opinion on both sides of the Atlantic in favour of the establishment of ocean penny postage between the two countries, I made a proposal, under date of Bth October last, to the General Post-office in London, to further reduce the postage on 1. tters to threepence (six cents) on the Ist January, 1870, of which one p tiny (two cents) should be the sea postage, and one penny (two cents) the inland postage of each country. intelligence has lately been communicated by the Brtish Minister, through the Department of State, of the readi ness of the British Government to reduce the single rate of postage for prepaid lettees to the sum above mentioned. It may, therefore, be safely announced that this important measure, so long and so earnestly desired by the people of the United States and the United Kingdom, as a means of further promoting their mutual prosperity and happiness, has been virtually accomplished. APPOINTMENTS. The report of the Appointment Office shows the follow ing : Number of post-offices established during the year IN umber discontinued ~ 1,653 ~ 1,028 ...-...-___ Increase - Number in operation on June 30, 1868 .....26,481 Number in operation on June 30, 1869 —27,10 . 3 Number of offices to be filled by appointments of die President 9BO Number to be filled by appointments of the Postmaster-General V,126 Appointments were made during the year: On resignations 3,994 On removals On eliam.7es of names and sites On deaths: of postmasters 230 On establishment of new offices • Total appointments 8,731 Number of cases acted upon during the year The number and aggregate compensation of especial agents, route agents, mail route messengers, postal Jail way clerks, local agents, and baggage masters in service during the year ended June 30, 1869, were : 48 special agents $134,342 503 route agents ". ... 494,160 74 mail-route passengers ... ... 40,350 324 postal railway clerk 384,300 57 local agents „. 45,090 161 baggage masters ... 9,660 Total $1,107,902 Full particulars of the operations of the appointment office are exhibited in the appendix. FREE DELIVERY. The free delivery system has been in operation during tho year in forty• eight of the principal cities, with the following aggregate results : Number of letter carriers ... ... Mail letters delivered Local letters delivered Newspapers delivered ... ... Letters collected „.. Amount paid carriers, including incidental expenses ... $1,183,915 31 Postage on local matter ... ... 667,167 42 This shows an increase over last year of — Letter carriers 4B Mail letters delivered Local letters delivered Newspapers delivered 5,044,183 Letters collected 26,720,384 Amount paid carrier; including incidental expenses 5187,890 72 Postages on local matter 190,185 06 1,246 80,071,052 18,380,627 21,954,898 89,885,009 DEAD LETTERS. The number of the several classes of letters, domestic and foreign, received at the dead Dead-Letter Office dur ing the fiscal year was as follows: — Domestic letters, classed as— Ordinary Drop 450,000 Unmailable Hotel 26,528 Fictitious 17,417 Registered Returned from foreign countries 62,603 Total domestic letters Foreign letters 193,186 Whole number The amounts deposited in the Treasury were: — For unclaimed dead letter money For proceeds of sales of waste paper 2,067 05 Total POSTAL MONEY-ORDER SYSTEM. The whole number of money-order Post-offices in ope ration during the past fiscal year was 1,468. Two of these, Roxbury, Massachusetts, and Fort Leavenworth, liansas,were discontinued, circumstances having rendered them unnecessary ; and 219 new money-order offices wore established July 12, 1869, making the present whole num ber 1,685. The number of orders issued during the year was 1,264,143, of the aggregate value of The number paid was 1,248,874, amounting in value to • $24,447,376 66 To which should be added the amount of orders re paid to purchasers 20(,746 80 - 24,654,123 46 Excess of issues over payments 5193,935 47 Tho receipts and expenditures during the last fiscal year, as adjusted and reported by the Auditor, were as follows, Viz.: — Fees received for money orders issued 8176,190 90 Amount received on premium on drafts 56 97 $17G,217 7 Total . Commissions to postmast ers and allowances for clerk Lire 5101,6? 19 Allowances for remittances ]ost in transmiss on by Incidental expouses fur sta tionery and fixtures 5,797 00 3,831 81 110,694 00 Excess of receipts over expenditures, being the amount of profit to the department from money order business I cannot better illustrate the great success and rapid extension of the domestic money order system than by a presentation of its operations from its establishment on the Ist of November, 1864, to the present time, a summary of which is contained in the following table :- 1865. 1866. 1867. No. money or der offieLs 141 473 832 Issues $1,360,122 52 63.977,259 28 $9,229,327 72 Payments Receipts from fees Expenses Deficit Surplus • 11,536 40 35,803 06 70,889 57 18,584 37 28,664 27 44,628 96 7,045 97 _ - 7,138 79 26,20 Cl 1868. 1869. No. of money order offices 1,223 1,468 Issues $l6 197 858 47 24.848 058 93 Payments '101037 03 24,654,123 46 Receipts from fees Expenses Surplus •••••• 54,158 15 65,553 87 The great and constant increase, from year to year, in the transactions of the money-order system, clearly indi cates its utility as a safe, convenient, and expeditious mode of making small remittances, and shows that it is steadily increasing in favour with the public, as practical experience demonstrates its advantage. I regard it as thoroughly established, and recommend its universal use by the people wherever practicable. With a view to its further efficiency, I respectfully re commend additional legislation to authorize its extension to the stations, or sub-post-office; in the large cities. Detailed regulations for the execution of the conven tion of October 12, 1867, for an exchange of postal orders between the United States and Switzerland, were finally agreed upon and signed at Washington July 2, 1869, by the Postmaster-General, under the authority given by the Act of July 27, 1868, and at Berne on the 26th July, 1869, by the chief of the Federal post department of Swit zerland. This first attempt to establish au international money-order system by this department was put into operation, by inutu.4l agreement, on the Ist September, 1869, and, notwithstanding frequent and considerable fluc tuations iu the value of currency, it has been conducted without difficulty, and thus far has worked satisfactorily in all its details. The number of offices at present °authorized to issue orders for sums to be remitted to Switzerland, and to pay orders for sums remitted from that country, is 150. The amcunt of orders remitted from this country to Switzerland from the Ist September to the 16th October was 92,619 63, gold value, equivalent to 93,515 97 in our currency at the time of transmission ; and the amtunt of orders sent during the same time to the United States was $3,191 in gold, or 94,200 20 in currency. A. copy of the convention, with the detailed regulations, and of the " instructions relative to the in ternational system" issued to postmasters by this depart ment, will be found in the appendix. IRE FRANKING PRIVILEGE. The first objection that presents itself is, that it is a special privilege granted to a favoured class at the ex pense of the many. To this it is no sufficient answer to say that it is exercised solely in the interest of Govern ment. Government has no right to appropriate to itself, in part or in whole, the benefits of a trust the administra• tion of which has been committed to it for the advantage of others : and, to show that 1 am not singular iu this opinion, I introduce the following from tho admirable report, dated December 3, 1859, of_my distinguished pre decessor, the Hon. Joseph Holt : " There is no more reason why the Post office Depart ment, through its contractors, should perform this service (the conveyance of Government correspondence) gratui tously for the Government, than there is that the steam boats and railroad companies of the country should trans port its troops, munitions of war, and stores without com pensation. What shall be the character and amount of written or printed documents forwarded on behalf of the Government, and under what safeguards against abuse, are questions whose solution belongs exclusively to Con gress, and which it is not my purpose at present to dis cuss. I desire to maintain only the general proposition that whether the written and printed matter be great or small, if it be despatChed in the name and in the interest of the Government, and by its agents accredited foi the purpose, it should be charged with precisely the same rates of postage to which it would have been subjected had . it been forwarded by private citizens. The franking pri vilege, as accorded to various officers of the Government. was from the beginning, and still is, an anomaly in the postal system, and in direct conflict with the true theory of its creation. Had this department, like the others, keen placed as a charge upon the Treasury, and were it essen tially a political instrumentality, and the property cf the nation, it would be as incongruous for it to demand remu neration for its services to the Governtneat as it would be for the army and navy to do so ; but this is not, and never has been, its actual or theoretical status. Beyond its po litical authority in establishing the department and its revisory power over its administration the relations of the Government to it are precisely those of the private citizen. This has been distinctly recognised in the seve ral arts permanently appropriating $700,000 per annum for the transportation of 'free matter.' This is not, in the language or spirit of tho Act of 1836, a provision made for the support of the department from its own revenues, but is an appropriation from the public Treasury, and is, in its terms, a specific compensation for the transmission of the correspondence and documents connected with the administration of tho Government." But much more can be eaid in favour of extirpating ;his evil. The cost of " free matter" has been increasing from year to year until at last it weighs down 'he de pertinent into continuous insolvency. The additional expense to which it subjects the service is counted by millions, while there is provided to meet it only the .stand ing annual appropriation or $700,000. It was stated ten years ago that the department actually expended, at that time, in the performance of the duties which tilt franking privilege imposed, little, if anything, short of $ 1 ,000,000. Siuco that time the expense has largely in creased, and I am convinced that it now exceeds the enormous sum of $5,000,000, of which about ono-half is paid on fraudulent matter. That this is not an•exaggera [ion will appear from an examination of the weight of mail malts sent and received at the Washington City Post-office from the 11th to the 31st January, 1869, as officially reported to the department. By this return it appears that the weight of free letters sent was 15,385 pounds. acid of free letters received 16,995 pounds, tnaking for 20 days 32,380 pounds. Hence au estimate for one month is 48,570 pounds, and an aggregate for one year 582,840 pounds. It appears further that the weight of public documents for 20 days was 207,891 pounds, making for ono month 311,837 pounds, and an aggregate tor one year of 3,742,041 pounds. if, therefore, the postage value of this free matter he computed at the miaimum estimates of $1 25 per pound fur letters and 16 cents per pound for docutneuts, we have a postage value for freo letters of $73,c,550, and for public documents $598,727, being an aggregate of $1,337,277, as indicated by the returns made at a period when the mails were almost entirely relieved of the burden of the heavy departmental re ports. Ail this from the Washington City Post-office alone. There is no sound reason for believing that, estimating by weight, the present basis of the postage raos, the proportion of free matter is really less than 30 per con turn, as ascertained by the careful investigations of a Committee. of the British Parliament ; but, even if v.,. . . Wdopt th© results of the impel feet information attainable in this country, and assume 25 per cent. of the ordinary annual expenditures as the just equivalent for the un paid services of the Post-office Department, it will appear that the Government is bound in honour and justice to appropriate $5,000,000, instead of $700,000, for this service. But the most potential reason of all for the abolition of the franking privilege is found in the incurable abuses and frauds which poem to be inseparable from its exercise. When the number of perscns who are clothed with the franking privilege, and of judges who are expected to pass upon the genuineness of franks, is considered, the oppor tunity for boundless frauds will appear to be almost in finite. The following statement, made up from official sources, will show how far the privilege is extended under existing laws : STATEMENT OF OFFICIALS EXERCISING THE FRANKING PRIVILEGE. • "'resident of the United States and his Secretary... 2 Vice-President Members of the Cabinet United States Senators Members of CongreSs Delegates in Congress..... Secretary of Senate and Clerk of House of Repre sentatives Assistant-Secretaries, Chief Clerk, &c., State De partment Assistant Attorney-General and Chief Clerk Assistant Secretary, Commissioners, Chief Clerk, &c., I nterior Department . Chiefs of Bureaus, Chief Clerk, &c., of Navy De partment Chiefs of Bureaus, Chief Clerk, &c., of War De partment Assistant Secretaries, Chief Clerks, &c., of the Treasury Department Assistant Postmasters-General, Supetin.endents of Foreign Mails and Money Order System, and Chief Clerks Post-office Department 241 Add Internal Revenue Officers (Assessors and As sistant-Collectors and Deputies) Postmasters on Ist November, 1869 27,378 Total 31,933 In this statement alone is an army of 31,933, who gene rally speaking, loaf the mails at will with whatever matter they please. Soma of them, to be snre, are granted only a limited privilege, yet, practically, the restrictions are no longer operative. To these should be added the countless host who address communications to members of Co egress, delegates, the Clerk of the House of of Repre sentatives, the Secretary of the Senate , headsdepart ments,possible heads of bureaus, chief cler ks, and all others authorized to frank of f icial matter. How is it that any checks whatever can be imposed and enforced against a privilege so widely extended ? But the difficulties increase when it is further consi dered that the judges who decide upon the genuineness of franks are the entire corps of 27,378 postmasters, scattered all over the country, none of whom, with the utmos t diligence, can hope to acquire a tolerable famili arityt signatures of more tha n a f ew o f - the e largest offices, wher e one h our i s t h e t l h n e h privde w g i e t d h . longest time that can be allowed for making up the mails, and where it is necessary to receive and manipulate thou sands of letters daily, it is impossible, even if the genuine signatures were known, to make a systematic attempt to exelude matter improperly franked. What is the result? Boundless frauds, of course, without a possibility of de tecting them, or even a h o p e o f preventing their further increase. Iu fact, every frank, counterfeit or genuine, is equally effective, and the extent of the evil is limited only by the wants of those who desire to impose upon the service. --- • ---- The objection that Congress may desire to print and disseminate public documents should not avail against the appeal of the department for deliverance from the frauds that are fast overwhelming it. If the privilege be abolished, official publications may still be forwarded in the mails. It is only asked tha t they, like all private matter, may be chargeable with p osta g e. If it be ur3ed that this would prevent or im p ede the diffusion of the knowledge of public af fairs amon g the people, then it may be said, in reply, that if it be the purpose of Con gress to give information to the people a far more telling expedient may be resorted to. An unburdened press, manag ed and directed by private enterprise, cin do more than Congress to enlighten the masses. Better far that the franking privilege shoidd be abolished, and that all ne wspapers sent to regular and tom fide subscribers from a known office of publication sl,c uldbecar a i n if: i d i f , r u e - t e t: without regard to weig ht, throu g hout the United States, a s now throughout the c ount y whereie printed li s h e d. The receipts of the depirtment for the last - year from "newspapers and pamphlets" amounted to 5778 eV :10. This portion of its receipts the d e p artnient can fore go, provided it can be protected agai ns t t l e frauds, more than three tunes in amount, insep ara bl e f rcia the f ra nking privilege. It is not proposed or desired that Government officials should be personally taxed for the transmission of their public correspondence. It is asked, on the other hand, that every department, every member of Congress, and every other public officer, shall have a liberal allowance of stionns for postages, subjected to a prope r aceounta bility, and that the su n ; necessary therefor shall be appro priated out of the general Treasury. Should Congr e ss conform to my recommendations in this respect, I confidently predict that millions will be saved annually to the Government, that the Department will be at once redeemed from its present condition of 6rettio bankruptcy, and that the postal service will .--,,,~, speedily become the potent coadjutor of the people ill developing and adorning our great country. POSTAL TELEGRAPH. My predecessor addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives a letter, under date of 9th of January last, in relation to the postal telegraph, inclosing an ela borate communication on the same subject from Gardiner G. Hubbard, Esq., of Boston. This is a subject of great importance, and deserves the most careful consi,leratior. Several European nations have adopted the system with apparent success. I shall defer making any recommen dation concerning it until a greater degree of efficiency can be attained in the service as at present constituted. PENALTIES. Regarding the present as a favourable opportunity, I call the attention of Congress to the penal laws providing for the punishment of offences against the postal service. The penalties prescribed are iu many cases too severe, and, by reason of their apparent harshness, have tended to create a sympathy in the minds of jurors and others in behalf of this class of offenders. Experience has shown that the certainty of punishment, more than its severity, deters from crime. I recommend that the terms of impri sonment in most cases be shortened and graduated, with a more careful regard to the nature and character of the offences which the framers of the laws designed to punish and prevent. I have the honour to be, with groat respect, your obe ient servant, JNO. A. J. CE SWELL, The President. Postmaster-General. NE.WSVENDORS' BENEVOLENT AND PROVIDENT INSTITUTION. —Charles Dickens, Esq. (the President) will take the chair at the annual dinner, in behalf of the fends of the Nowsvendors' Benevolent and Provident Institution, at the Freemasons' Tavern, on the sth of April. It will be remembered that ill health prevented Mr. Dickens from filling this position in April last. We congratulate the newsvendors upon gaining so able a chairman, and recommend their deserving institution to a generous public. Swindling is the rage. William E. Gray, son of the Rev. H. E. Gray, for eight years chaplain to the United States Senate, is the hero of rather a good specimen. He came up to New York little over two years ago from Shelburne Falls with high recommendations from Con gressmen Butler, Pomeroy, and Morrill, and got a place as cashier in the house of Dimock and Co. His exemplary conduct and strict attention to business, as well as highly !floral character—at all times refusing wine and cigars— won for him a high position with his employers, and when he severed his connection with them they gave him a eulogistic recommendation. He hired a desk in New-street, receiving from a member of the Gold Board a Power of Attorney to operate there, and after preparing his friends for the change three weeks ago, he opened a grand office on Broad-street, calling himself William E. Gray and Co., and procured loans from leading Wall-street bankers. A week previously Jay Cooke and Co. discovered that some of his bonds had been altered from lower denominations, but Gray immediately withdrew and changed them. On the 10th of December the Bank of the Commonwealth de tected forgeries among Gray's collaterals, and forced him at once to close his account, giving notice to the State agents, but making no effort to secure his arrest. Gray was made at this time a member of the Mining Board, bu the cheque given for the fee was immediately protested On the 11th Dec., about 11.30 a.m., a lady stopped with a carriage before his office, to which was transferred a pack age, supposed to contain securities. On that day, for the first time for weeks, ho went to his residence and took away his effects. He afterwards called at the Mechanics Bank, where he deposited three New York State Bonds of $lO,OOO each as collaterals, as he desired to overdraw his account. With the money thus obtained he procured from Jay Cooke and Co. a quantity of U. S. Coupon Bonds, car rying off also 50,000 shares of the Quartz Hill Mining Company, deposited with him as the basis of a " corner ' in that Stock. The Bonds left with the Mechanic.' Bank turned out to be three of the $l,OOO issue stolen a year ago from the office of E. J. Woolsey, for which the State had given new bonds. Gray's office books indic . ite that he bad previously worked with stolen bonds and securities of various mining companies, among them Cumberland Coal Company's 6 per Cent. Gold-bearing Bonds, and the Ruby Silver Mining Company of Nevada, 3,700 shares of which were hypothecated. On his desk was found the following letter addressed to a lady clerk of the Treasury Department, at Washington :—" Dear Birdie—Do not write to mo until you see me. I will be in Washington, Tuesday, or Wednesday, and have insured •ny life for $5,000, for your benefit." He had also been in that department, where he made the acquaintance of a ;ort of swell mobsinan, named T. IL Pratt, who did the stealing, Gray doing the swindling. Gray's stock-in trade was his meek appearance and reputation for honesty, and ho appears to have operated with a sublime "cheeki ness," wiich enabled him successfully to face the first liscovery of his villanies. Pratt did the alterations as well as the stealing. Gray's lady acquaintances appear to be numerous, and billets doux kept pouring in after his departure for the enlightenment of the detectives. One of these ladies has been arrested. The swindle falls heavily on the Street, the ruffians having as yet escaped with plunder amounting to $lOO,OOO, mainly effected through alterations in New York State bonds. Governor Macdougall is said to favour a rail way from Pembina to Fort Garry, and thence westward, confining the connection through British territory to Daw aun's summer route of portage. It was rumoured that ho would bo recalled, while the mail news is that the rebels had placed Governor M"ravish under a close guard on account of his remit proclamation. The sentinels furced Captain Campbell back to Ame: icon soil, on his attempting to enter Fort Garry, informing him that if he carne again ho instantly bo shot. A asole.ration of iutlepesactivb had been issued by the insurgents, in which they protest against the transfer against their consent, asserting the Provisional Government to be the only lawful authority in the territory, While they declare they will resist the transfer they express their willingness to negotiate with Canada to secure a good government, and assure the pros perity of the people. This unsatisfactory state of affairs has caused the Government of the Dominion to postpone the payment of the purchcse money to the Hudson's Bay Company until next spring. There is one thing the com pany will certainly not have to sell, and that is provisions, as the insurgents are rapidly eating them all up. The Times, containing the account of Seward's capture, the begging-letter impostor of Philadelphia, with an editorial thanking Postmaster-General Creswell, Spe cial-Agent Petheridge, and Mr. T homson, the Consul at Southampton, for ferreting out the fraud, was forwarded by the British Embassy in Washington to Secretary Crests ell. The same paper has published long extracts from 8 vcretary Robeson's Report, followed by an article on what "sat Minister says about the British Navy. If the U. S. F scretary of the Navy's Report be generally read, it will disp 9 l 't delusion in the United States regarding Mr. Moncure D. Conway will, it is said, return to America this year partly for a visit, after an absence of six years, and partly on a lecture tour. The Nest York Ind pendent says that he was received so cordially on Lis arrival in England in 1863 " by such friends of America as the Duke of Argyll, John Bright, `Thomas Hughes, and P. A. Taylor, and such literary men as Tennyson, Browning, Carlyle, and Fronde, and was drawn, not only into a delightful social life, but into opportunities of literary usefulness, especially in the in terests of America, that he was beguiled into a residence now not likely soon to end." The fact is that Mr. Con way's literary engagements in London closely and pro fitably occupy his time, and he is become a well-esta blished and highly appreciated member of the metropo litan literary community, a place few succeed in securing, and feel little inclinatian to relinquish when once at tained. When he returns to America it will be in next lecture season, and perhaps not prolonged beyond it, and one of his subjects is said to be his tour in Russia made last year, with unusual opportunities of seeing there all classes of society. LAD VERTISSMENT.J—Avoid 15Iedicines: they always aggravate chronic complaints: but Du Barry's delicious health -restoring Revalenta Arabica Food, which yields three times the nourish mentor the best meat, saves 50 times its cost in other remedies , and invariably restores perfect digestion, strong nerves, sound lungs, healthy liver, pure blood, refreshing sleep, functional re gularity, ansi energy to the most disordered or enfeebled. We ex tract a few out of the 68,000 cures :—" The Pope's health restored by Du Barry's Food. Cure No. 68,413. "Rome, July 21, 1866. —The health of the Holy Father is excellent, especially since abandoning all other remedies, he has confined himself entirely to Du Barry's Revalenta Arabica. Food, of w hich he co nsum es a plateful at every meal. It has produce d a sur p risi ngly hen e flcial effect on his health, and his Holiness cannot praise this excel tent food too highly. From the "Gazette du Midi, July 25 Cure a way, debility, nervousness, with a nervous No. 58,216, of the Marchion ess de Brehan, of s even years' liver bad digestion, constant s l eeplessness, a nd r eo a m ip p ita la t i i n o t n , w a a ll st o in v g er, the most intolerable nervous agitation.." Cure No. 1,771; Lord Stuart de Decies, Lord Lieutenant of Waterford, of many years' d ys p e p s ia. No 49,8 32 : " Fifty years' indescribable agopy fronl dyspepsia, sickness,nervousness, sia ' an asthma, cough, cons tip a ti on , fl a t u lency, s pasms, d vomiting.—Maria Joly."—Cure NO 46,270: Mr. lun James years gs , p g of blood, liver derangement, and diseased ittin Roberts, of F r i m l ey, S urre y, o f 30 partial deafness. Import ant Caution.—Beware o f t h e m an? unsavoury and more than sloppy imitations to which, without authority. Faron Liebig's name is most audaciously attached . In tins, at Is l•d; 1 1 b 2s 9d; 2 lb 45 Gd; slb 11 s ; 12 lb 2284 24 lbs 4 s.— 560 I U BARBY's RDNALENTA A ItABICA CHOCOLIT O PoWnym is packed lu tin canisters: for 12 cups at 2 s, for 24 cup s at Is Gd, for , 8 cups at Gs, for 288 cups a 30s, for 576 c u ps at 55 8 — being about one penny per cup. The 30 s and 55s tiros are sen t free of carri age i n England on receipt of Post Office Orden- - ; B' 3.lty 1)17 14 Althy an d 0 0., No. 77, Regeut-street, Loudon; and all Grocers and Chemists. BIRTHS. MAtrystu,—On the 27 th alt. , at Par 7 e, the wifo of Lieu t. Colonel F. lfaunsell, R.E., of a d aug ht er . PILEAIt -On the 30,h ult., at Bedford-pa .k, Croydon, the wife of henry C. Phear, of a daughter. MARRIAGES. FIALL-13Risco—On the 29th ult., at Thursbv, Laurence Bo b er t, Hall, Esq., of Foscott Manor, Bucks, to Ad; Susan, second daughter of Sir Robert Brisco, Bart., 0' Cruf ton Hall, Cumbetland. i llAcnoNaim—lZooKE —On the 29th 'alt., at Chippenham , W. IL Magdonald, Esq., of Maribo - :ough College, to, Alico Ellen, second d aug ht er oz A. B . R oo k e , Esq., 01 The Ivy. DEATHS. PILKINGTON— On tho 30th ult., atWindle Hall, St. lielen'i l y Lancashire, Richard Flkiug'xn, Esq., aged 74. WARREN—On tho 31st ult., at 21, 111arlb3rough-roa d N.W., Captain Robert Warren, late of the. 4th Dragoon G earth. London : Printed and Pa!dish , d by WILMA NI ANDREWS , of No. 12, Strand, Printer, at Ti E SUN Office, 0. 112, Strand. in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the County of Midcllesex;-- t:' , aturday, January 1, 1570.