The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-15 00:00:00

THE UNITED STATES.

The Tenure of Office Act may probably cause a serious
complication in Congress. General Butler has reintro-
duced the bill for its repeal, and it has passed the House
of Representatives by 143 to 16 votes—all but unanimously.
If the Senate persists in rejecting it, a struggle will ensue,
not a party fight, but a contest for supremacy between the
two Houses. In the House of Representatives the
support of the bill is not guided by any party considera-
tions, for whilst General Butler introduces the measure
for repeal, the Tribune, the organ of Butler's section,
opposes it. The contest is one between the two branches of
the Legislature, and the action of the Senate is therefore
awaited with the greatest interest. Should the Senate
persist in rejecting the bill, General Grant cannot fail to
side with the Lower House.
The differences of the civil war are smoothing down.
President Grant's appointment of General Longstreet as
Surveyor of Customs at New Orleans is a conciliatory act.
Longstreet was one of the leading Conferlpr.te officers,
and has fought against Grant himself.

(From the Anglo-American Times.)

On the expiry of the postal contract with the
Cunard Company with the year 1867 a provisional
arrangement was made for last year for the convey-
ance of the mails across the Atlantic. In conjunc-

tion with Mr. Inman the Messrs. Cunard and Com-
pany offered to perform the service for a subsidy of
£150,000 a year ; their steamers carrying two-
thirds of the mails, and receiving two-thirds of the
sum, the other third going to Mr. Inman. The Go-
vernment cut this down to £105,000, at thesarne time
shortening the term of the contract from ten years
to seven, which was accepted by the companies, the
contracts being signed by the end of 1868. Parlia-
ment had, however, to ratify the engagement, and as
the Ministry changed during the interval the new
Government asked to shorten the agreement to six in-
stead of seven years. This the companies declined ,and
the original contract has just been discussed in
Parliament, and will doubtless be ,sanctioned.
However important may be a penny postal rate, it
is even of more importance to have the letters
quickly and regularly delivered, which cannot be
done without a special subsidy. Indeed, it would
be impossible for any but old and well-established
companies to keep up such fleets as those of the
Cunard and Inman on such a subsidy as £105,000
a year, scarcely the cost of one of their steamers.
The amount has evidently been reduced to the
closest margin, and the Government may rely on
this, that they would never hear again of eight-day
passages from New York to Queenstown if the
subsidy was decreased or withdrawn. The enormous
difference in the expense of a fleet which saves one
or two days in the passage across must be known
before the question of subsidy can be appreciated.
Strike off the subsidy, and off go the two days, and
were it not for the strong competition the com-
panies would make far more by throwing up the
subsidy and taking their time to cross the ocean.
General Caleb Cushing's Treaty for the Ship
Canal across the Isthmus of Darien has been favour-
ably reported on by the Foreign Affairs Com-
mittee of the Senate, and the Chairman, Senator
Sumner, asks for its ratification. It is regarded as
of great commercial importance to the world. It is
favoured by General Grant, who may be trusted
to carry it out during his present administration,
even supposing that General Butler failed to secure
his reelection in 1872. The Danish Treaty and
others are for the time postponed.
Among the schemes for reducing the United
States army the most prominent were those of
General Butler, Mr. Dodge, and Mr. Blaine.
Butler's plan was to discharge men and officers till
the estimates should be reduced to a fixed sum.
The bills of Mr. Dodge and Mr. Blaine differed in
principle from Butler's, but not from each other.
Butler's plan was defeated in the Representatives
by 111 to 64, and the bill that finally passed that
body provided for a reduction to 25 regiments of
infantry, and 5 of artillery and cavalry, by not
issuing new commissions nor enlisting men; while
no further promotions are to be made nor any ap.