The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-26 00:00:00

promoted Rear-Admiral vice Craven— retired, and
Captain J. Almy and Commander R. W. Shufeldt
are promoted in succession. Commodore J. H. Green
is to command the eastern squadron of the North
Atlantic fleet under Admiral Poor, comprising that
part of the ocean north of Cuba and South of the
Chesapeake. General Hickenloper has resigned the
marshalship of the Southern district of Ohio. A
considerable pressure has been brought against the
general, and he resigned to save the President from
the importunity of having him removed. Attorney-
General Hoar's nomination continues to be the chief

subject of discussion. Judge Cartter, of Ohio, has
been suggested, and with little reference to con-
sistency, many of the Southern members, who de-
nounced the appointment of a Northern man to a
Southern circuit, favour him, but some say that Dlr.
Thomas J. Durant is to be the man. Mr. Hoar re-

turned on Tuesday and recommenced work. How
the President will act is not yet known, but the belief
is general that he will not withdraw the nomination,
but force the Senate to a vote. Of course Mr. Hoar
was interviewed immediately on his return, and he

is reported to have said, " the President will not
withdraw my name, and I shall insist on the nomi-
nation being directly voted on. I will not resign
my place in the Cabinet if not confirmed, as I
made this promise to the President." He would pre-
fer being in the Cabinet,and he had strongly objected
to hiss election for the bench, caring little for either
place, preferring his home and law practice ' but
he was a Republican, a friend of the President, and
he would not falter in the face of these plots. An
effort has been made to get the President to send in
his name for the vacancy caused by the death
of Mr. Stanton, but Judge Strong, of Pennsyl-
vania, will, it is thought, be named as Stanton's
successor. The belief prevails that on a square vote
the Senate will reject the President's nomination ;
but nothing can really settle this but the test, for
there are some waverers. Among those for whose
removal a pressure has been brought to bear on the
Executive is Gen. Hugh Ewing, U.S. Minister at
the Hague. It is asserted that he is a Democrat,
and is not a citizen of Kansas, to which State his
nomination is debited.. A Kansas delegation urged

this on the President, but Gen. Sherman supports
his brother-in-law. Collector Casey, of New Or-
leans, is charged with keeping Democrats in of c'.,
and he has hurried up to Washington to defend hitu-
self against the allegation. He says that when he
can find Republicans fit to take the places he will
. •

turn out the Democrats, butithe monslrous ni;ioa
is rejected with disdain, that fitness should ovez-ru'e
soundness on the main question. Iu New York the
Democratic Government is making a clean sweep
of the Republicans, and the Government, wh:ch con-
trols the Federal posts, desires to make as deal a
sweep of the Democrats. Our parties are becoming
contemptible, a mere struggle for the emolu:nents
of office, and it would be well for the country did
they confine themselves simply to the emoluments ;
for this political strife, which makes courage an t
the ability to strike an enemy hard the highest
qualifications, has largely sapped what is good out
of the whole public service of our country. Sc.cre-
tary Creswell wants to abolish the American sys-

tem of boxes, and to deliver the letters in all lame
cities by carriers, the British plan, I believe. Our
way is a very goodi one for those who like it, and
much less expensive. In London, where every-
thing is so concentrated, it pays the Post-office a
large revenue, they say,in distributing letters mailed
in London for people within London ; but the
population there is equal to that of a great State,
and two cents would pay well for distribution
among a population of twoor three millions, grouped
within a circle having a radius of five miles. Per-
haps, therefore, Mr. Creswell has been misled
by the London postal statistics. Tlw Nese
York Post-office sent our mails to New Or-
leans the other day, and we may get our papers re-
turned in a week hence if lucky. There has been
a little storm brewing in that Department of
our Government. It is used extensively to extract
greenbacks from our citizens by unscrupulous—
" swindling firms" they are called. Orders were
given to send all letters addressed to them to the
Dead-Letter Office. As some of them cover their
envelopes with their names and professions great num-
bers as well were stopped on the way to their victims,
and we have had visits from these gentry demand- •
ing the return of their letters. They employed
counsel, giving him a retaining fee of $lOO. The
lawyer accompanied the agent to the Department
to make a formal demand for what they call their
property, but they were informed the letters with
their contents had been returned to the writers, so
the " swindling firms" consider themselves " sold,"
more especially with regard to the retaining fee.
One of the events is the strike of the operators of
the Western Union Telegraph Company, felt here
as well as throughout the country. There are nearly
3,800 operators involved ; nor will this appear
strange to your readers who know that that company
comprises by far the greater portion of the telegraph
communication of the United States, over three-
fourths. The dispute began in San Francisco in the
discharge of two men by the company, who man-
aged to spread the notion that the cause of their
discharge was the resistance to a reduction in their
wages. The employes of the company form a union
which enabled them to work with speed and unani-
mity. The president of the company, Mr. Orton,
happens to be in England, I believe, and that added
to the difficulty. Immediately it was known with
us our operators, about forty, left, reassembling at
Willard's Hotel, where they bad a stormy meeting.
Only three operators remained, two in accordance
with the permission of the league, which on being
withdrawn they also left, and Mr. Tinker, the
manager—of course, in the interests of the com-
pany, who bad to work night and day. The
public believe the employds to be in the wrong,
and the general feeling is against them, and
they are likely to emerge from the strike only
second best. The newspaper telegrams were
sent as usual, but it was the public in its private
and individual capacity that suffered. One prin-
ciple rules in such matters, which'enlists the people
against the operators. The latter have no right to
make numberless individuals suffer, some of them
grievously, without good cause. The company lens
little, but the public loses much, and the question
asked is, Why are we thus made to suffer? When
the answer is, Because there was some misunder-
standing about two workmen in California; and
tbefefore the whole business of the country has been
paralysed, some indignation is excited, and it might
be productive of much good if a few of the strikers
were left to strike one heel against the other till
they began to feel the pangs of hunger. There is
another row in the public schools, owing to a little
mulatto girl being admitted to one on a cc:till-
: cate, and in consequence many of the white child-
ren were withdrawn.

The Bulletin's annual review of the trade of San
Francisco for 1869 places the imports at $15,582,000, the
exports at $58,133,000. Thirty-eight thousand passengers
arrived, inclusive of those by railroad. The real estate
sales amounted to $30,000,000; coinage at the Branch
Mint, $14,346,000 ; receipts from revenues and customs,
$11,634,000. The population of San Francisco is 170,000.
The State is filling with an industrious, permanent popu-
lation, the agricultural wealth has greatly increased, and
the proopecto for 1870 are encouraging.