The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-13 00:00:00

GENERAL GRANT'S CABINET.

President Grant seems to have involved himself in some
awkward complications with his Ministry. The Secre-
tary of the Treasury, Mr. Stewart, was ineligible on
account of a law which prohibits Treasury officers from
engaging in trade. The President hoped that Congress
would repeal this law on Mr. Stewart's behalf, but Con-
gress has declined to legislate for the benefit of a single
official. Now, Mr. Washburne, the Secretary of State,
General Grant's most intimate friend, and General Scho-
field, Secretary of Waf, have resigned. The former will
be Ambassador at Paris, in place of General Dix. The
cause of these latter changes is not stated ; but it is strange
that three of the principal appointments should be altered
within a few days.

(From the Anglo-American Times.)

General Butler re-introduced the bill into the
'House of Representatives last Wednesday for the
repeal of the Tenure-of-Office Act, and it was
passed by 143 to 16 votes. The action of the Senate
may be looked for with intense interest ; for if the
Chamber stands firm there will be a fight in Con-
gress, in which Grant cannot fail to share on the side
of the House. This will not be a party fight, but a
struggle for supremacy on the part of the Senate.
Butler is the leader of the extreme Radical wing,
yet he has introduced this measure. The Tribune
is the representative of that party, yet it is the
journal which throws the whole weight of its in-
fluence against the repeal. The proceedings in the
Legislature of New York and by leading Republi-
cans in that city to convene a meeting to press the
Senate into the repeal, while the leading organ up-
holds the Senate in retaining the power, are proofi
of a threatened split in the party. If the Senate
refuses to yield a split there must be, hence arises
the great interest in the Senate's action on the sub-
ject, for the step either way is of the utmost hn-
portance.
Mr. E. B. Washburne's nomination, as Minister
to Faris, will leave the Chair vacant of the Com-

mittee of Appropriations, to which it is arranged
that Mr. Dawes, who withdrew from the contest
for Speakership, will succeed. Mr. Benjamin Field
is a candidate for the Surveyorship of the Port of
New York; Reader W. Clarke, a member of Con-
gress from Ohio, is to be made Sixth Auditor of
the Treasury, vice Governor Anderson. A move-
ment has been organised to supersede Mr. Wilson,
Commissioner of the Land Office, by Colonel A.
O. P. Burnside, a nephew of the celebrated Ge-
neral.

As usual the " special" messages of the Times
differ from Reuter's telegrams in the account of
the NEW Hampshire elections. Reuter says :

" The Republicans have carried the elections in New
Hampshire. Mr. Stearns was elected Governor of the
State, and the three members to Congress have been re-
elected by increased majorities. The numb3r of persons
who voted was not large."
The Times says :

"The Republicans have carried the elections in New
Tramp hire by a majority of 3,000, being a Democratic gain
of 4,000."

Jacob H. Ela, Aaron F. Stevens, and Jacob Benton
are all Republicans, and according to Reuter's tele-
gram they were re-el„ted by increased majorities,
bs well as Onslow Stearns as• Governor, while the
Times says there was a Democratic gain of 4,000.

The following is the text of Gen. Schenck's bill
as passed by the House, which we give, as we believe
it substantially to be the same as that which last
Monday became law :

" A bill to strengthen public credit, and relating to con-
tracts, for payment in coin.

"Be it enacted by the Congress of the United States,
that in order to remove any doubt as to tho purpose of the
Government to discharge all just obligations to public cre-
ditors, and to settle conflicting questions and intppreta-
tions of law, by virtue of which such obligations have
been contracted, it is hereby provided and declared that
the faith of the United States is solemnly pledged to the
payment in coin or its equivalent of all interest-bearing
obligations of the United States, except in cases where
the law authorizing the issue of such obligations has ex-
pressly provided that the same may be paid in lawful mo-
ney, or other currency than gold or silver. Provided,
however, that before any of such interest-bearing obliga-
tions not;:already due shall mature or be paid before ma-
turity, the obligations not bearing interest known •as
United States notes shall be rendered convertible into coin
at the option of the holder.

"Section 2. And be it further enacted, That any con-
tract made specially payable in coin, and the considera-
tion of which may be a loan of coin, or a sale of pro-
perty, or the rendering of labour or service of any kind,
the price of which, as carried into the contract, may have
been adjusted on the basis of the coin value thereof at the
time of such sale or rendering of service, shall bo legal
and valid, and may be enforced according to its terms."
A motion to reject the first section, relating to the
payment of bonds in coin, was defeated by a vote
of 129 to 55. The bill was finally passed as intro-
duced by Mr. Schenck by a vote of 119 yeas, com-
posed of 106 Republicans and 13 Democrats, to 61
nays, composed of 37 Republicans and 24 Demo-.
crats. Gen. Butler voted " nay." The history of
this bill is interesting. It was amended by the Se-
nate so as to strike out the provision of the first
section ; but the House stoutly contended for it,
and in a joint convention gained their point. The
bill thereon was sent to AndrewJohnson,who quietly
putit in hispocket and snuffed it out, as histertn ended
in lesejthan eight days after Congress had passed it.
The, new Congress assembled on the 4th, that is,
a week ago last Thursday, and on the following
Saturday re-enacted this bill, which the new Pre-
sident signed on Monday, so it was law before
Andrew Johnson got back to Tennessee. It has
had a great influence on American Securities in the
markets of Europe, and we could point to no better
proof of the ignorance prevailing on this side than
that the defeat of the bill by Andrew Johnson
caused a considerable fall. That is, the peo pie here
estimated the damage at about £2,000,000 sterling,
while in reality Andrew Johnson's action did not
matter a brass farthing.
The Post-office Committee have reported against
all the telegraph schemes of transfer to the Govern-
ment. The franking privilege is now confined to
the autograph signature of members, both branches
having passed the bill. Our own opinion is that it
would have been better wholly to have abolished the
privilege, for it is worth little to honest Congress-
men, and offers temptation to the dishonest. The
Alaska Investigating Committee cannot agree upon
a report, the question at issue being whether or not
to condemn the conduct of Walker and Stanton in
receiving pay to lobby the measure through Con-
gress ; and whether, also, the report shall censure
newspapers for advocating the passage of a measure
through Congress for pay.
The great American railroad war is a matter of
such vital importance, that we regret our ccilutnns,
already overcrowded, preclude our condensing a❑
interesting article from the Tribune on the subject.
That journal seems to think that the Pennsylvania
Railroad (its directors repudiate the term " Cen-
tral," as will be seen by the report we this day
publish) will, if not the victor, at least hold its
own. Next week we will treat this very interesting
subject more fully, and in the meantime we desire
to refer our English readers who desire to he better
acquainted with the American railroads to the
report.

Madrid informs us that a telegram had been re-
ceived last Sunday from General Dulce, Captain-
General of Cuba, setting forth that the districts of
Cardenas and Colon have been ridden of insur-
gents, and that order would be restored there in
the course of a few days. At Cienfuegos and Vil-
laclara several chiefs of the insurgents have been
shot by order of court-martial ; others, however,
have succeeded in escaping. A battle had been
fought between 4,000 Cuban insurgents and the
Government troops, in which the former were de-
feated with heavy loss. By mail via New
York the news from Havannah is up to Feb. 27,
the day the steamer left for England. It aloud !s
to an engagement at the mouth of the Damuji
River, in which the rebels were defeated and a
steam-tug recaptured. The volunteers had exhi-
bited a mutinous spirit, urging the Captain-General
to measures of severity, and calling aloud for the
shooting of the prisoners. It was reported that
General Dulce had finally yielded to their clamour,
and ordered that no prisoners should be taken ; all
captured Cubans to be shot. After the above ac-
tion some wounded, among them a Mexican Gene-
ral, bad been shot. Reinforcements were arriving
in large numbers. In the U.S. House of Representa-
tives the following joint resolution, introduced by Mr.
Cullom, was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs :—" That the Congress and people of the
United States are not indifferent to the struggle for
National Independence and Emancipation in the
Island of Cuba, which had been so long delayed
by the exercise of European Monarchical Powers
and African Slavery, but now begun under auspices
as favourable to American interests as Universal
Freedom."

Lieut.-General W. T. Sherman arrived at Wash-
ington on the 26th February, from St. Louis, and
is stopping at the residence of his brother, Senator
Sherman. The house purchased from General
Grant for him is to be thoroughly repaired, and he
will not remove to it before the Ist of June. lie
has been promoted General of the United States
Army, and now occupies the post vacated by Grant,
Major-General Sheridan being promoted Lieute•
nant-General, and succeeding to Sherman's com-
mand iu the West. The sum raised for Sherman is
$lOO,OOO, of which $60,000 are to be paid for
Grant's house.

It is not a little surprising to find that an errone-
ous message on a subject so important as the pro-
posed Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution as
adopted by Congress and submitted to the States
should have been transmitted to Europe. The two
versions concurred in stating that the Amendment
had been passed as agreed to by the Senate, removing
restrictions on account of race, colour, nativity,
property, education, or creed either in the exercise of
the franchise or in the holding of office in any State.
The Conference Com!nittee reported the Amend-
ment as adopted by the house as follows, and it
was agreed to by the Senate on the 26th Feb. by a
vote of three to one, and sent to the State Legisla-
tures :—Art. 15—" The right of the citizens of the
United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged
by the United States or by any State, on account
of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude.
Sec. 2—The Congress shall have power to enforce
this article by appropriate legislation." This makes
a wonderful difference, and accounts for the ready
acquiescence in it of so many States, Nevada among

•
the number. The following Legislatures have now
sanctioned the Amendment—Kansas, Missouri,
Nevada, Maine, Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
The Legislature of Nevada has passed a Consti-
tutional Amendment providing for triennial ses-
sions, limited to 90 days each; also a resolution ask-
ing Congress to annex to Nevada the territory
south of_ Snake Island. It has reconsidered the,
vote rejecting Female Suffrage, adopted the amend-
ment, and then rescinded its action striking out the
word " white" from the Constitution.

The numerous friends of the Cunard CompanY
will be glad to learn that the action so long pend-
ing against them for the Scotia having run into and
sunk the ship Berkshire has been virtually decided
in their favour. Tile owners of the Berkshire, on
the plea of carelessness on the part of those naviga"
ting the Scotia, brought the suit for $400,000. The,
Court holds that the proofs show that the light or
the Berkshire was improperly displayed from the
anchor stock, thus deceiving the Scotia and causing
her to mistake the Berkshire. for a steamer, and
therefore to steer in a wrong direction. A decree
is ordered disniissing the libel, on the claimant
amending their answer so as to conform with the
facts found by the Court in relation to the improper
display of the light of the Berkshire.
The number of Senators who voted for the
Amendment was 39 ; against it, 13. All for
were Republicans ; all against it, but Senat°l•3
Fowler and Poole, were Democrats. On the Pre-
sident announcing that the joint resolution had
passed, Mr. Davis of Kentucky raised a point of
order. He said that an Amendment to the Con-
stitution required a vote of two-thirds of the
Senate, not merely of two-thirds of the Senators
present. As there were 34 States, there should be
68 Senators, two-thirds of whom would be 45.
While arguing this out, Mr. Ashley, who had come
up from the House to hear what was going on, laughed
scornfully in the face of the Senator, who looked at
him fixedly and said, " Yes, chuckleheads TuaY
laugh, and interlopers may laugh, but the point'
make is technically, constitutionally, and logi-
cally right " Whereupon Mr. Ashley did not find
the Chamber so pleasant as when he had all the
laughter on his own side.
The Senate has passed a bill that the Supra°
Court of the United States shall hereafter coosist
of the Chief Justice of the United States and
eight associate Justices, any six of whom shall con'
stitute a quorum, and for this purpose there shall
be appointed an additional associate Justice of the
Supreme Court :
of
Section 2. And be it further enacted, That for each
the nine existing judicial circuits there shall be aPPin,,tea
li
a circuit judge, who shall reside in his circuit, and .9°4
possess the same power and jurisdiction therein as
,:te
Justice of the Supreme Court allotted to that circuit.
circuit courts in each circuit shall be held by the Justice
of the Supreme Court allotted to the circuit, or by
District Judge of the District, sitting alone, or by anYtfe
of them coming together, and such courts may be II"'
the same time in different districts of the same cite
n,is
and more than one such court may be held at the saws
time in the same district. The Circuit Judges shall re-
ceive an annual salary of five thousand dollars. in
Section 3. And be it further enacted, That nothing ,0
this Act shall affect the powers of the Justices of :`!ft
Supreme Court, as Judges of the Circuit Court except .10
the appointment of Clerks of the Circuit Courts, which
of
each Circuit shall be appointed by the Circuit Judges
.11
that Circuit ; and the Clerks of the District Courts shall
be appointed by the Judges thereof respectively. h°
Section 4. And be it further enacted, That it shall
at
the duty of each Justice of the Supreme Court to attend is
least one term of Circuit Court in each district of
circuit during every period of two years.
ei
The Bill has passed the Senate to allow the
York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Col3li
pany to land their submarine cable on the shores 0
the United States. Mr. Sumner's motion wo".
adopted, whereby a section was added to give C°the
gress the right to regulate, by a general rule,
tariff for the transmission of messages.
-r mason
BUDGET OF PERSONAL ITEMS.—Andrew 0--;cuy
released Mr. Devlin, convicted a year ago of Ivi lho
frauds in Brooklyn; he threw the responsibility
leading men who signed the petition ; Amos Pillsban.Tr
Superintendent of the Albany Penitentiary, G.°°,ebra°rd
Hoffmann of New York, General H. W. Slocum, 1t.0.1e v.
O'Gorman, R. B. Connolly, Peter B. Sweeney, ni."ol.l‘
Robinson, M.C., and many members of the New ~ser
Legislature. Dr. Craig is experimenting on Fr°rw." he
Gamgee's process for preserving meat. James Gran-, on
has been out on bail since the murder of Pollard, wa':isj.
the 18th February, committed to prison to await, t`heci
IL. T. Leonard, of St. Louis, Mobile, has just accomPtstive
the feat of walking one hundred miles in 21 consccaohn
hours. He performed the last mile in 11 minutes. 3- on
W. Coleman, an ex-Freedman Bureau officer, has ~ola
arrested at Boston, on the charge of absconding a
Baton Rouge with funds of the Bureau. Mr. Denipee't,
who assaulted General Duncan, Assistant Corelaia'l
of Patents, has been awarded ten days' imprisonment ,0111
gi-
a fine of $2OO by Judge Fisher. The suit of John O. of
rence, the City Commissioner, against Murat Iltilste_ao,o-
The Ciccinnati Daily Commercial for libel, wale
000•
menced February 19. The damages are laid at foe
General Sherman returned, as expected, to St. Les 'was so
New Orleans, where he met General Sheridan, and _
proceed in a few days to Washington. A Baltimoreiod,
spatch says that" Andrew Jackson Creswell, of 1.1ar3. t,"
thinks he sees his way clear t, a place in Grant's °a'bli:beerf
Not a bad guess of Mr. Creswell! Senator Saul 1
F 01).
fell from his carriage in Washington, on Sundan father,
and broke his leg. Jesse R. Grant, the Prosident's;riday.,
was knocked down by a horse in Cincinnati, 011,wsteon
Feb. 19, and barked his knee. General James"tesner
Webb and family are among the passengers 135- °Ahe wing
South America, for Rio Janeiro. Mr. Seward' in "'-‘,l ala
to receive an honorary visit on the 3d March, said' which
expecting to retire from public service on the da'Yd onjoy
is thus indicated. It is my purpose to seekoiitiati
thereafter so much of rest and freedom from Pasibili;;
studies and labGurs as is compatible with the rasPtions'
ties which I share common with all my fellovfra4othed,
—Captain Mullins captured a poor demented, half-to Fort
herr
be left
wild white woman of the plains, and brought
Hays, Kansas. Not knowing what to do with he Greet
her on the hands of the hotel proprietors. Geller_ to
was telegraphed to, but as he had other buslaaa'to her
after did not reply, and the Governor will haveforber
special Act of the Legislature to secure a hem° ;ebOasir
the State Asylum. The Convention for which Cs
~tod by
ing received so much praise is the twenty-first is;
Columbia, but the persons, whether corporationsTobei"oon.
duals, all failed in performing the ternls•—,..oo
ilis-
Walter Brooke, formerly a member of Congress ",uudion,
sissippi, died at Vicksburg last month by st". '3,5: West':
produced by eating an oyster.—The Hon-
burne is now recovering, and has been out.--:,ri:Jsiow, off
William A. Winslow, son of Commodore lv„ex. brief
Kearsarge fame, died at Washington, Feb. 25, a''; Ner
illness.—August Belmont's gallery of paintings
York is valued at $500,000.
Gerrit Smith has written to John Sttitti•ortn• 1101
censuring his course on the temperance cluensupluniisbon
would leavo, says Mr. Smith, the dram seller yet yet ice,
for keeping a soul and body slaughter-ho, !tit.
would have his customer punished for dranaynyEgg o
Much more does Gerrit Smith say to the unbaslelros t° he
philosopher, upon whom
foreevrybody o,r„
down. It Vas an evil day John Stuart *".`,:d the
emerged from the seclusion of his own study, a:did ia'
lish Smith who defeated him for Westin esterpt
good service in taking away his seat.
health to New York. He wrote from Pan!.
,our of
so
Mr. George Wilkes has returned
the part taken by the Spirit of the Press inßte,"
t
Fisk against Mr. Bowles of the Springfield p,nly oft
da-
d
dorses condemns in the strongest terms not
ivies, hat dad
ll
calls Mr. Fisk's dastardly arrest of Me. 1.3° lis ra!!sic'S
•intoerlePeeudillif
dorses the article on which the action for lip,e 8 gr. o„.
against the Springfield Republican. He colisnet have
transactions in Wall- street would in England
Mate Pri'°°'
cured him a residence of five years in a
Trial d•
in France the galleys for life.
BroVill We."
The American steamship Arage, ut °ll
from Bremen, for New York to Falmouth,.!
nesday afternoon to obtain a supply of fuel

bg
ar
rorvi
se
t,
er Kensington,awof Birth& coirlev
BENT—On Saturday, the 13th March, at 1, t_ Bsti"
t,
Wa
d"aut hgeh
tha
SHANNOS—OnI the 11th inst., at 26, Bruton-stree
Countess of Shannon, of a son. the 1/°l3
WHITE—On the 12th inst ,at 37, Eaton-Pl3ee'
Mrs. Luke White, of a daughter.
irf.e of Charles Jell

Marriages. j;
thal' n 90,5.
PIItRT—FLINT— On the 11th inst., at II PPer —oda of
Firby, Esq ,of Pelham-place, Brompton, t. mn"
youngest daughter of the late Abraham Fil
rcr•piti
Canterbury. „Air
LAING - DAGLISH-- 011 the 11 t h inst., at to
f eeds, ,64.,
Church, Southport, David Laing, Egg, ° P
riet Catherine, eldest daughter of George Dag
of Wigan.

Deaths. he ilight
GLASGOW—On the 11th inst., at Ilawkhead) t
GLitAirsssi_.'Pa
Sara:
sto
oliph
ilalat hitt insts sti p ,
Hon. Jmes, Earl of Glasgow. eat,
WILSON—On the 10th inst., at 12, Kildare age d
Glassup, compositor, aged .78.
raetl i c2t,
_gardenf,;6.
bourne-grove, Bayswater, Joseph Wilson,
ofGrothsve Nestelnsoorostr. 000.

• ofa.•
London : Printed and Pabliehed by W1L1L"'„T0,,,,,,, of
of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TUB SUN ‘''"--001113',
Strand, in the Precinct of the Se 7021 in -t"
Middlesex,—Saturday, March 13, 1869.