The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-18 00:00:00

ME SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, -DECEMBER 18, 1869

Mr. Grimes' place will remain vacant, the Governor
of lowa not having filled it. In his Sunday sermon
the Rev. 0. B. Frothingbam alluded to his part in
the deathbed wedding, justifying his action, con
demning not only M'Farland's conduct, but those
who spread abroad idle, vain, vindictive gossip.
"To fill up a newly-made gave with venom, to
cover a pure, lovely, broken-hearted, distracted
woman with reproof—to fix a stigma which, per-
haps, can never be wiped off upon innocent children
standing on the threshold of life, is to break up the
order, peace, and harmony of society."
It is evident from the telegram of Sunday that
no time was lost by the Representatives in endea-
vouring to expand the currency, for last Saturday
a bill was introduced to authorize the Secretary of
the Treasury to issue additional currency to the
amount of $44,000,000 for the purpose of purchas-
ing and cancelling bonds. A motion to lay it on
the table was defeated by 88 votes against 65, but
the bill was finally referred to the Committee on
Banking and Currency questions, which is known
to be adverse to the measure. These efforts to get
back to the good old days of inflation are supported
by the heavy fall in the nominal value of nearly all
property, with the rise in the purchasing power of
greenbacks. Genuine losses have occurred to mer-
chants who imported and cleared goods when gold
was 140,as well as to those wbo made large purchases,
leaving a portion of the payment to stand on mort-
gage. Debts remain representing the same num-
ber of dollars, while the assets with which they
have to be paid shrink daily as greenbacks rise
towards the level of gold. Weak houses are sus-
pending, and strong houses are talked of as likely
to do so. Under such circumstances, it is not sur-
prising that Legislators, who think the impending
evils could be averted, while the financial strength
of the Government was increased by merely print-
ing some scores of millions of greenbacks, which
could be put into circulation by purchasing 5-20
Bonds, should eagerly move such resolutions. No
Dead Sea fruit ever looked more tempting to the
eye ; but there are many men in Congress who
know how it turns to ashes on the lips.
These are the only other telegrams :—" President
Grant has nominated Attorney-General Hoar As-
' sociate Justice of the Supreme Court." " Atlantic
and Great Western traffic receipts for the year end-
ing June 30, $5,100,000. Operating expenses 70
per cent.". "On Thursday, at a sitting of the Se-
nate, Mr. Carpenter delivered a long and impres-
sive speech in favour of recognizing the Cuban in-
surgents as belligerents. Mr. Sumner spoke in op-
position." " Ottawa, Dec. 16.—The Canadian Par-
liament will adjourn on the 23d iust. until the 11th
of January next."
The. Reports of the Special Committee of the
New York Chamber of Commerce on the decay of
American Commerce are full of interest, and can
scarcely fail to have an effect on Congress. Mr. A.
A. Low read at the last monthly meeting the ma-
jority report, and Mr. A. Snow read the minority
report ; but both in the main facts agree. They
enter into the history of the ocean-carrying trade
and the causes of the decline. A full and intelli-
gent inquiry will reveal enough to disabuse many
American minds of erroneous impressions ; both the
Chamber of Commerce and the Congressional Coln-
mittee will do much to explode the fallacy that the
Alabama and such corsairs destroyed the mercantile
marine of America. We have long ago arrived
at the same conclusion which the nation is now
beginning to understand ; but Consul-General
Morse was ahead of us, though our opinions were
expressed before we had seen or knew anything
of his valuable report. We will discuss next week
the Reports of the Chamber of Commerce, which
recommend that foreign built steamers might be
purchased abroad, and registered as American, ex-
cept in coastwise trade ; that the materials for build-
ing steamers might be imported free of duty ; and
that steamers constructed in American yards should
be subsidized, and drawbacks on ships' stores al-
lowed. The Congressional Committee has closed
its investigations, having visited Portland, Boston,
New York, and Philadelphia. Its report, now
being printed, runs over 800 psges of manuscript,
and it will be found that these three proposals are
developed at every stage of the inquiry :
"First —A drawback of tho duty upon all materials
entering into the construction of vessels, and a subsily
equal to the amount of the duty when American materials
are used. Secund—Permission to purchase and admit fo-
reign-built vessels to American registers. Third—Subsi-
dies to American linos of ocean steamers."
The Pennsylvania Railroad continues to extend
its connection, and it may now be said to be the
greatest of all railroad corporations. It has just
Wilmington, and 'Ganes-
bought the Cincinnati,
vine Railway, running over 130 miles through a
rich district of Ohio, the direction being from Cin-
cinnati towards Pittsburg. The road was sold by
the European bondholders, and the Baltimore and
Ohio, and the Pennsylvania Companies competed
for the purchase, the latter being successful. The
line cost about $3,000,000, and in default of pay-
ment of interest on its bonds was sold for about
$1,001,000. The difference between the progress
of the Pennsylvania Railroad and that of the Erie,
once its great rival, is striking ; indeed the former
is growing into a positive danger in its magnitude,
for such a powerful interest means a monopoly.
c Aeb appears to have been de-
cided on
betweenttphmanufacturers of e
Treasury Department of
Washingtonrem a rkaarilde
h step
e steel
Shef-
field, England. We have of late frequently alluded
to a charge urged, more especially by Pennsyl-
vanians, against the manufacturers in England, of
invoicing their consignments of steel to the United
States at a rate far below their real value, with the
design of evading the import duties, in collusion
with the consignees on the American side. An
agent of the Treasury left the "Black Country"
for Washington, with evidence calculated, we un-
derstand, to support the charge, but it has teen in-
dignantly denied by the Sheffield manufacturers
(Front the Anglo-American Times.)
and those by whom the goods are cleared in New
Our news by the nolsatia is to the 7th instant
York. The Treasury Department has agreed to
Both Houses of Congress organized on the Gth ; in
send a Commissioner to Sheffield, there to examine
the Senate the monster petition for the recognition
the books of the manufacturers, whn,.on their part,
of Cuba was presented by Mr. Cameron, and bills h
ave invited the investigation.
were introduced restricting the jurisdiction of the
The bill entitled the Tenure-of-Office Act, in-
United States Courts, regulating Chinese immi-
tended to shackle the late President, and which
gration, and for the reconstruction of Georgia ; in
eventually. led to his impeachment, has again come
the House bills were introduced providing for the
u
taking of the ninth census, for the admission of up for discussion. The House has always favoured
its repeal since the inauguration of General Grant,
g
'Virinia, and to amend the Bankin and Currency
but the Senate, into whose hands it throws an extra
Act. An escaped captive states that there are 20
share of power, has not been so ready to relinquish
whitechildren held as prisoners among the Cheyenne
Indians. Mr. Beecher, whose part in the deathbed it. During the first Session this bill nearly led to
a split between the Representatives and the Senate;
marriage has been severely condemned, has written
',
to the Star a letter of explanation. He maintains and the Judiciary Committee, we presume of the
that his impressions, though vague, were " that a House,has.reported favourably upon the bill for the
worthless man had proved in every way unfaithful repeal of the Tenure-of-Office Act.
to his marriage relations ; that, worn out by ill-
Not long ago Peru was a purchaser of war 'ma-
sets in the United States, and in answer to the pro-
treatment, the woman left her husband ; that .
test of Spain that country furnished the best reply
Richardson, after the separation was final, became
that could be made to the detention of the Spanish
deeply interested in her ; that she procured a
gunboats in New York on the plea that they were
divorce, which was not only legal, but well-founded
designed to be used against Peru. In the face of
upon the strictest moral grounds." In case they
its former assertions, it is neither more nor less than
should turn out to be wrong, he would accept the
ridiculous for Peru to come forward in an United
truth, and make such reparation as be could to
States Court as plaintiff in such a case. Judge
M'Farland. It is said the Report of the Committee on
Blatchford released the gunboats on the 10th inst.,
the Paraguayan affairs will not be ready for a long
District-Attorney Pierrepont baying declared that
time. Senator Brownlow has arrived in Washing-
the Government would not prosecute the libel, as a
ton in better health than last winter. The trial of
state of war did not exist between Spain and Peru.
the Susquehanna Railroad suit between Ramsay
Eighteen of these gunboats were formally trans-
and Fisk continues at Rochester. Testimony has
(erred to the Spanish flag on Wednesday, and were
been given to show that at the time of the election
to have sailed for Cuba yesterday, as crews to man
for directors the rootr was packed with New York
them had arrived in a Spanish frigate, which for
roughs, so as to prevent a meeting of the regular
sonic time has been lying iu the harbour of New
stockholders. Florence Scannell, to whom our
York.
New York Correspondent alludes, has died. The
Scere`•aryof die Na vy has ordered the Port-At I mirals Some interesting experiments with torpedoes
were witnessed, Dec. 2, at the Washington
at New York and Eoston to confer with the local
Navy-
authorities that tiuo honours may be shown to the yard by Secretary Robeson, s l
Admira • Porter and
Dahlgren, Commodore Case, and others. The
body of Mr. Peabody on arrival. Though the day
steamer Nina, the first torpedo boat tried, was dur-
on which Congress assembled was bleak, a rain
(inn the war, an iron tug of 306
.tons, very strong
and snow storm prevailing, the Capitol was full,
and fast, going when at sea 17 knots an hour. An
the best feeling existing, Rcoublicaus and Demo-
iron bar, 20 feet in length, attached to her by ma-
crats evincing the utmost cords. ,)sty on their meet-
ing. A son of 0. W. lice 'nes accompanied chinery, is rigged to the bottom of the vessel. The
Senator Sumner to Washington. as clerk of the torpedo is connected with the bar, and so arranged
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Senator f that a torpedo can be exploded by electricity every
Sherman denies the action attributed :to him on minute. Lieutenant.-Commander Matthews, iu
the finances. It is conceded that Mr. Morrill, of charge of the torpedo corps, was highly complimented
Maine, will be made Chairman of Appropriations, on the successful results of the experiments, the
vice Fessenden ; and Cragin, elf New Hampshire, first of which, .with 361bs. of powder, caused a con-
of the Committee on Naval Affairs, vice Grimes, t vulsive movement of the water, a liquid body fly-
though Drake is also menti( Med. For the present lug 50 feet into the air ; while the second, with

FOREIGN NOTES.
THE DECAY OF ACA COMMERCE.

The special committee appointed by the New York
Chamber of Commerce to consider the causes of the decline
of American commerce, and the remedies which the
Chamber should recommend to Congress, have presented
their report. They arrive at the conclusion that
Congress must initiate measures "mono liberal and just
than those hitherto adopted, or the sea must be abandoned
to wiser and better governed nations" They recommend
that Congress should modify the existing laws, so that-
1. Foreign-built steamers may be imported free of duty,
and privileged to carry the American flag, provided they
are American owned and not employed for the coastwise
trade. 2. That iron plate and other shipbuilding ruatelial
be admitted free of duty. 3. That on all ship stores pro-
curable in bond, drawback be returned. And finally, that
subsidies be granted to lines of steamers built in American
yards, so that a successful competition may be maintained
with powerful foreign organisations. Mr. Low, who read
the report, said that if they could have steamers in
no other way, they had better import British
steamers free of duty. A minority report was
also read, recommending free trade in ships and a change
in the bonded warehouse system, but opposing the grant-
ing of subsidies by Congress. In the course of the debate
it was observed that during the late war LSO American
vessels were built and put afloat in three years. It was,
however, contended that the vessels composing this impro-
vised navy were rapidly perishing. It was resolved that
the two reports should be printed, and the discussion of
the subject postponed for a special meeting of the
Chamber.

1001bs. of powder, blew into fragments the vessel
against which it was-directed. The Nina is consi-
dered a very formidable war engine, indeed capable
of destroying ships of almost any power. The in-
gredients of the explosive compound is kept a pro-
found secret.

The French steamship Pereire has be.en making
some fine runs across the Atlantic, but she has been,
wholly eclipsed both by the German and the Eng-
lish lines. The vessel which has now taken the
lead is the City of Brussels, the latest addition to
the Inman fleet. Her trip out from Queenstown
to New York was accomplished in nine days, but
her passage home is really the fastest ever made,
being in seven days, twenty-two hours, and three
minutes to Queenstown, and eight days, fourteen
hours, and fourteen minutes to Liverpool. We take
no small interest in fast vessels of the Inman line,
for the mass of our news is carried by the mails
leaving New York on Saturdays. The City of
Brussels, which is commanded by James Kennedy,
who, if we do- nut mistake, was the seaman who
gained so high a name both for himself and for the
City of Paris, left New York at 7.45 a.m. on Satur-
day, December 4 ; passed Sandy Hook, discharging
pilot, 9.30 ; stopped at Queenstown, 10.10 a.m. on
Sunday, December 12 ; and anchored at Liverpool
4.45 a.m. on Monday last.
General Schenck, who spent the summer in
Europe, returned to Washington in time to set to work in
earnest with the Ways and Means Committee, of which he
is Chairman, on Tariff Bills, and on his own elaborate Bill—
"To reduce into one Act, and to amend the laws relating
to Internal Revenue." The Bill, thus entitled, was read
twice on the first Session of tho present Congress, and
ordered to bo.printed, and it makes a largo book of 341
pages. What is *of most importance to Europe is the free
list as proposed by the new Tariff Bill, to which three
hundred articles will be added. The Secretary of
the Treasury furnished the Committee with a paper
showing the duties collected during the year on these
articles, and it is estimated that the reduction will
be 20,000,000 dollars in the tariff income. Judge Kelley
has submitted the following articles to the consideration
of the committee for the free list: Chalk, chemical
dyes, drugs and medicines, as follows : Acids—Benzoic,
unless 25 percent. can be placed upon it when it could be
manufactured here ; nitric, oxalic, and subacetate of copper;
verdegris, annota seed or extract, antimony crude or sal-
[lure argols, &c. (see under cream of tartar); arsenic, assa-
fcetida, balsam copabia, balsam pouvian, balsam tofu ; bark
Peruvian, Cinchona, Lima, and Calisaya bark ; brimstone,
crude ; bitter apples; colocynth or colo quidita ; buchu
leaves; camphor, crude; cantharides, or Spanish flies;
coculus indicus; cream tarter, crude argols, single refined
tarters, cubebs, cuttlefish bone, cutch or cutachu and
terra japonica, jambier, dragon's blood, dyes, not specified ;
flowers, plants and leaves medicinal, not specified ;
iodine, crude ipecac, jalap, lac seed, lac and stick lae,
liquorice-root, manna, opium, opium extract, potash,
muriat of, rhubarb, rose-leaves, safflower, sarsaparilla,
nitrate of soda; cork, unmanufactured ; ginger-root;
gums, arabic ; jedda,^myrrh ; senegal, copal, kowrie, san-
darac, datnar, and other varnishes; gums, mastic, and
sheilac ; kyrolite (this article, free, does not interfere ma-
t Tinily with soda ash, because it would be most to the
interests of manufacture's to make carbonate and bicar-
bonate If soda at once from kyrolite, and not to make soda
ash for sale, the order of the process being soda ash, car-
bocate of soda, bicarbonate of soda—and kyrolite makes
carbonate of soda at the first crystallization); lead-pig free,
or one cent per pound; mineral waters, nut galls,' oils,
fixed or expressed, almond, laurel, croton, mace, olive in
casks, palm, and cocoanuts ; oils, vo!a,tile or essential—
almond, amber; crude rectified—bergamot, casseput, cara-
way, cassia, cinnamon, cittrooella, fennel, fazel; oil crude
in casks—juniper, orange and lemon, roses, thyme, red or
origanum thyme, white valerian, and all other essential
oils not otherwise provided for. Seeds—Anise, anise star,
canary, caraway, cardatnon, coriander, cumia, fennel, fenu-
gree, rapeseed, wormseed, nux vorniea, sponges, albumen,
berries, nuts, vegetables, &c., not otherwise provided for,
used exclusively in dyeing or composing dyes; bismuth,
cochineal, dye-wood, and sticks, indigo, lac dye, and mad-
der root, ground or prepared. Some papers sneer
.at this
list as a mere parade, got up for show, but meaning no-
thing, while Pennsylvania screws up the articles which
do mean something.

The Bill of Judge Poland of Vermont will come
tip early for discussion. It provides for a free system of
National Banking, and when presented last March was re-
ferred to the Committee on. Banking and Currency. Ile
proposes to issue Bonds for $1,000,000,000, to run for 30 and
SO years, bearing 4 per cent. interest, and free from State
or municipal taxation, for the 30 years bonds, and three
and sixty-five hundredths per centum for those running
50 years, these • bonds to be exclusively used in pay-
ment of or exchange for the bonds, or notes now out-
standing ; .the notes to be destroyed as withdrawn, un-
til only 100,900,000 dollars are left. The national cur-
rency is to be issued to the banks in place of the legal-
tender Dotes withdrawn. All the banks to secure their
circulation by the now bonds. These are to be issued
first to localities not now having their proportion of the
circulation. All national banks within a year after the
hill passes to deposit the new bonds, in amount Such as
the law now requires: After the "legal-tenders" have
been reduced to the sum before named, all banking asso-
ciations depositing bonds of this proposed issue are to re-
ceive notes in accordance therewith. The v 00,000,000
limitation to be repealed. Wo do not think that Poland's
bill will be acCeptable to America, savouring, as it does, of
compulsory caversion of the bonds as far as the National
Banks are concerned.

Mr. Lynch; of Maine, has a bill before the Com-
mittee on Banking and Currency, to provide for the
gradual resumption of Specie Payments. Ms scheme is
that after a certain date the United States notes now out-
stirnding shall, when received at the Treasury, bo de-
stroyed, and in lieu thereof now notes payable in coin
and on demand within ono year after date shall be
issued. National Bank notes received by the Treasury,
and not paid out to persons willing to receive thorn,
shall be redeemed by the banks in legal-tenders, which
arc in their turn to be destroyed and now coin notes sub-
stituted. 'The whole amount of the coin notes is not
to exceed the present issue of Treasury notes, exclusive
of the fractional currency. The new notes aro to bo a
legal tender for redemption of national bank notes, and for
all other purposes, except "by the United States in pay-
ment of other such notes as have already matured, or in
payment of the interest on the public debt whore such in-
tert is now, or hereafter may be, payable according to
law in coin, and also, except before maturity, in payment
to the United States for duties on imports." Said notes, if
received or redeemed at the Treasury, may be re-issued in
now notes to the same amount, under the same regula-
tions, except after the payment of specie has actually
commenced, when tho Secretary of the Treasury may re-
issue them for periods of less than a year, but not less than
throe months. He may also issue new notes, in lieu of
others that have been redeemed, and in payment there-
for may at discretion issue bonds to an amount not ex-
ceeding $50,000,000, payable on and after five years, bear-
ing not more than 6 per cent. interest (coin), the bonds
also payable in gold; said bonds aro not to bo issued at
less than par in lawful money. An accurate account is to
be kept of the notes redeemed, issued, reissued, and de-
stroyed. After the passage of the bill no gold or silver is
to be paid or sold out of the Treasury, except in payments
such as existing lawri demand. This Bill was before the
Fortieth Congress, and is said to grow more popular, as it
is discussed, carrying even the Western Representatives
with it, as it does not contract the currency.
TILE NEW YORK CUSTOM-HOUSE OFFICIALS.--
Public attention having.been recently called to the alleged
misconduct of the officers who examine the luggage of
passengers arriving at New York, in a letter, addressed
by an Englishman to a prominent London jomnal, we
deem it but just to give the testimony of an American
gentleman who recently landed at Now York. Ho says,
" From much I had heard and read of our Surveyor's
officers, I confess I had formed an unfavourable opinion of
them, and I was not alone in anticipating annoyance and
perhaps insult. I know none of these gentlemen personally,
and they had no motive for treating me with more polite-
ness than my fellow passengers. Instead of meeting with
insult or annoyance we were treated with the greatest
courtesy. The necessary and very unpleasant duty of
examining tho baggage was performed with as little an-
noyance as was possible consistent with the law. I was
constrained to remark while the examination was being
made. that the officers who directed it bore themselves like
gentlemen, and while they were faithful to their trust
were considerate and patient towards the passengers. I
regret that I cannot recall the names of those I especially
noticed, fur I disliko to discriminate where all deserve
praise, but I especially desire to designate as efficient and
gentlemanly officers, Messrs. Kirk, Chalker, and Lawrence,
of the Surveyor's corps."
The winter is likely to cool the ardour of the
lied River insurgants, patriots, or whatever else it may
please sections of the world to call thorn. It appears that
there aro two parties around Lake Wiunepeg, who in
their isolated and lonely district have teen living a sort
f eat,rnl,log life. One, the Scotch, was founded by the
Ea, I of Selkirk, who was the Governor of the Titoism)
flay Company ; the other was front the Lower Province
of Canada, and therefore French, and as both lived on
more or less friendly terms with the Indians, a variety of
half- breeds was the result, but all were fostered under the
internal government of the comptuy. Its policy was
exclusion, but to satisfy the world it was necessary that
they should bo able to point to some sort of settle-
ment, and this of Red River supplied the requirement.
The inhabitants enjoyed independence under a mild
rule till the transfer of tl:e eompanv's power to
the Dominion, which not only raised questions as to
their future, but aroused their pride. The idea of being
sold like the fur-bearing animals whose skins they eap-
tur and to become:a colony of a colony, seems to have
exasperated the settlers, who number about 20;000.
There was a meeting at Winnepeg of the half-breeds on
the 16th Nov., when Governor M‘Tavislt's proclamation