The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-06 00:00:00

OVERFLOWING OF THE :STEVA.

St. Petersburg iS just now threatened with a complete
inundation, through the overflowing of the waters of the
Neva. Guns have been fired to warn the population, anc
already those who live on the ground floors have
sought the upper storeys. In many parts o•
the town the inhabitants have abandoned theie
dwellings altogether. The catastrophe with whict
St. Petersburg is menaced is not without precedent
In 182-1 the capital was submerged by the floods of th
Neva, 462 houses were completely destroyed, and 3,60(
greatly damaged by the inundation. From 15,000 tc
20,000 persons were left without shelter, and six hundred
perished in the floods. The municipal authorities of St
Petersburg are now adopting all the precautionar3
measures that they can to mitigate the effects of th
inundation, which is looked upon as inevitable.

AMERICAN

The ilretv limes publishes a long article on thi
decline of American shipbuilding. In 1856, the year it
which wooden shipbuilding reached its climax, an Americas
wooden ship rating first-class for ten years, cost sixty-fiv.
dollars per ton, just about the present cost of a British
built iron ship rating first-class for twenty-five years. Th
great depreciation which has taken place in the marke
value of wooden ships has not attracted so much attontioi
in the United States as in Germany and England, in conse
quence of the disturbance in its values and industries
The shipowners of New York know too well the merits o
iron ships over wooden ones. The value of the latter
lowered below the cost of their construction, and iron ship
at £ll per ton are taken as the standard of valuation fOi
new ships. If the call of the Government had bees
responded to at the beginning of the war, America wouli
have one of the most magnificent navies of the world, ba
the shipyards had not the facilities for answering tha
call. The business has gone into other hands, tho me
chanics have gone into other vocations, and the leader
spell that rests upon the workshops cannot be broken a.
once. It is believed that the American builders can corn
pete with England, if relieved of some of the burdens tits.
now press heavily upon them.

(From the Anglo- American Times.)

Our papers by the Holsatict are to the 26th Oct.,
and by them we learn that General Butterfield, in a
letter to Secretary Boutwell, denies the Gould
charges, and demands an investigation. Two of
the men accused of shooting Revenue Officer Brooks
in Philadelphia have been found guilty. General
Spinner, in his Annual Report, recommends an in-
crease of salary for the clerks of both sexes. Go-
vernor Holden is arming a company of negroes to
suppress the Ku-Klux bands in North Carolina.
Father Hyacinthe having visited Plymouth Church,
has been taken in hand by Mr. Beecher. Sixteen
sailors of the British war ship Charybdis went
ashore in a launch at Victoria, on October 20th,
when twelve of them mutinied, overpowering the
others, and escaped to Washington Territory. Gen.
Spinner's Report for the six weeks ending Sept.
30 will show an increase of revenue of more than
$50,000,000. A divorce case is before the Superior
Courts in which a wife divorced without her know•
ledge has applied for redress. Special Commissioner
Wells is in Connecticut, busy on his Annual Re-
port, which will contain valuable tables and new
and important features. He takes the same ground
on the Public Debt as indicated in his letter to Con-
sul Dudley. General Butler and his nephew George
had arrived at Washington ; Andrew Johnson was
expected there, where the Republicans had expressed
joy at his defeat. Mr. Hart has written from Peking
endorsing J. Ross Browne's address at Shanghai,
excepting what was said about Mr. Burlingame. He
considers that Minister's policy not to be working
satisfactorily, alleging the Chinese Foreign Office to
become more illiberal each day. The Hon. Thomas
Ewing is recovering. Ex. Governor Pratt of Mary-
land is ill. Ben Wade has visited the President,
who, with Mrs. Grant, had proceeded to Philadel-
phia to attend the wedding of Bishop Simpson's
daughter. There was a report in Boston that Gene-
ral Babcock had succeeded in purchasing St. Do-
mingo, the United States flag flying over the har-
bour, and that General Banks was about to visit
the island.

The Special Committee of the Representatives
on the Navigation interests, after taking evidence
in Boston and Portland, will turn back to Philadel-
phia ere it adjourns to await the meeting of Con-
gress. It is said that the Committee will not favour
the shipowners' request for an American registra-
tion of foreign-built vessels, nor the proposition of
bounties on American ships, but that it will recom-
mend a rebate of the tariff on foreign materials
used in shipbuilding. The Committee is said to
have secured very full and valuable statistics ; the
leading shipowners, builders, and merchants having
readily responded to its call. As an historical sum-
mary of English and A merican legislation on the sub-
ject its report will be exhaustive, but whether it will
end in legislation to resuscitate the shipbuilding
and the ocean carrying trade of the United States
is another question. There is a want of liberality
in all American legislation in its trade connection
with foreign countries, which was sooner or later
likely to lead to the depression now prevailing, and
is as likely to continue it. In the day of American
ascendancy in shipbuilding and ocean carrying Ame-
rican ships were freely chartered by the English
between Britain, her colonies, and India, thatis, from
British port to British port, in American bottoms
flying the Stars and Stripes, with captains as well as
crews citizens of the Republic. But the United
States will not even permit a foreign built vessel to
•be purchased by one of its citizens and registered
as American, and no vessel not American can trade
between American ports. Had the United States
preserved the pre-eminence, a considerable portion
of its carrying trade would have been at the mercy
of the British Parliament, for every one knows that
in Bombay, Calcutta, Sydney, Melbourne, and other
great ports, American ships were freely chartered
with produce to England, and one of the regular
rounds was with goods to the Australian colonies,
thence to India, and back to England.
It is announced that the Pennsylvania Central,
as it is generally called, though the real name of
the railway is the Pennsylvania Railroad, has de-
clared a semi-annual dividend of 5 per cent. We
desire to attract our readers' attention to a remark
about the Erie, in the money article from the
Springfield Republican, which we to-day publish.
We offer no opinion on what the writer says, but
he is well acquainted with his subject, and what
he does say ought not to be lightly dismissed by
those interested. Mr. David Chadwick, M.P., is
about to leave for New York in the interest of the
bond and debenture holders of the Atlantic and
Great Western Railway, whose chairman be is.
Legal proceedings have been instituted in the Em-
pire City through one of its most influential firms,
and Mr. Chadwick will he on the spot to render
every assistance, in a matter which is of no small
interest to America.

According to the monthly statement of the Pub-
lic Debt, issued on the Ist inst., the decrease for
the month of October is $7,360,000, making the
total reduction from March Ist $64,300,000. The
total Debt now is $2,461,001,300, and the value of
the Bonds, with accrued interest, purchased by the
Treasury, is $64,000,000. On the Ist of Septem-
ber the coin in the Treasury was $108,801,658 ;
the Currency, $6,559,004 ; the Sinking Fund,
$16,125,158 ; other Coin interest bonds purchased,
$34,626,652 ; making a total in the Treasury of
$166,114,783 ; and we presume no great variation
from this will be shown in the October account.

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On the 18th Oct. the New York Times published
six columns in proof that Assistant-Treasurer Butter.
field had nothing to do with the gold plot, that the ring
was and did everything disreputable; among others, that
it tapped the Washington telegraph wires, by which means
Fisk, Gould, and Co., who composed it, obtain6d early in-
formation of the Treasury intentions. Mr. Corbin and
Gen. Butterfield were represented as of lamb-like inno-
cence, but as their careers were not of this pastoral cha-
racter tho public seems inclined to smile. Gould and Fisk,
however, viewed the matter in another light, and state-
ments, affidavits, letters, and cheques, some of them pro-
fessing to be fac-similes, appeared in the Neu, York Sun.
Iu consequence they are deeper in the quagmire than ever.
At Washington the firing took effect against Gen. Butter-
field, for after the subject had been earnestly considered by
the President and Cabinet, it was decided that he should
be called upon to resign, and under any circumstances a
change will be at COLIC.) made in the office. The Executive
has not, however, condemned him on such allegations as
those of Fisk and Gould ; but enough has transpired to
shake public confidence in an officer filling so responsible
a post. Secretary Boutwell has been deluged with anony-
mous communications making charges against him. The
following paragraph gives a summary of the most impor-
tant statement made by the ring.

The disappointed gold gamblers have followed
up the attack on the President, who burst their bubble by
a statement from M. Gould, purporting to be a history
of the plot, and the President's connection therewith.
We have already freely given our opinion on this infa-
mous attempt to defame a great American name and in-
jure the prestige of American institutions, but we sum-
marize this story for the information of our readers,
merely calling their attention to the improbability that
Mr. Corbin should have begun his acquaintance with Mr.
Gould in the manner the latter alleges, who says it was in
the latter part of May he first met Mr. Corbin, who sent
for him about the appointment of a New York Sub-Trea-
surer. Corbin desired to learn how money could be made
out of his control of the appointment. Mr. It. B. Gather-
wood,son-in-law of Corbin, a friend of Gould's, he supposed,
was to got it, but he then learnt that Gen. Butterfield was
fixed on A. T. Stewart's reccmmendation of him, making
things appear easy and natural. Butterfield ho Corbin owned,
and Catherwood was to receive a fourth of the profits
from the financial operations. After all had been ar-
ranged, Gould met tho President at Corbin's house, and
accompanied him to the Boston Jubilee. On the way
Butterfield was recommended, and on the President's re-
turn the appointment was announced. He had an-
other interview in July at Corbin's house, when
the President assured him that no gold beyond
the regular sales would be offered till November, as
he wished high prices for farm produce. In answer to
Gould's question, how then were the bonds to be bought,
the large internal revenue receipts, the President said,
would be sufficient, and money would be kept easy by the
twelve to fifteen millions of dollars for pensions, while the
fractional currency was to be increased from twenty mil-
lions to fifty. On this Gould purchased $1,700,000 Bonds
for himself, Corbin, Catherwood, and Butterfield. Corbin
informed him that he had just received a margin of $12,000
from the President to carry $300,000 in Bonds held for
Grant by Messrs. Stone, Nichols, and Stone, and as Corbin
wished to show a profit on the transaction, he directed
Gould to pay the brokers 1 per cent. over the market rate,
carrying the Bonds till they reached 125 without security.
To this Gould agreed, reserving the right to sell, and he
then paid $3,000 more than they were at the moment worth,
but the transactions eventuated in a loss of $50,000. Fore-
seeing a rise in the price of gold to be inevitable Gould
and Corbin entered into a speculation for the advance.
They visited daily, and sometimes twice a day, to consult
en the subject, meeting at Corbin's house always Mr.
Catherwood, and Oen. Butterfield occasionally. Mr. Cor-
bin gave Mr. Gould orders to buy several distinct lots of
gold, besides taking a joint interest in the other transac-
tions. Among other lots he directed Mr. Gould to pur-
chase $500,000 in gold at one time, which he did, at the
price of 132. When the market had advanced to 13?, Mr.
Corbin directed him to sell that lot, which he said was for
the account of Mrs. Gen. Grant. This was the first inti-
mation that Mr. Gould had received that the President or
any of his family was interested. He sold and gave Mr.
Corbin a cheque for $25,000 on Sept. G. In that month
they discovered that influential bankers and brokers were
about to bear gold on a large scale, and after some enor-
mous short sales a banquet at the Union League Club to
Mr. Boutwell was planned, when every influence was to
be exerted to make him sell gold ; but Corbin procured a
letter from the President instructing the Secretary not to
sell. This letter was first given to Gen. Butterfield to
present to the Secretary ; afterwards Mr. Corbin conceived
the suspicion that the Sub-Treasurer was playing him
false, and a special messenger was sent to the President to
deliver a letter be had read to Gould. Mrs. Grant wrote
to Corbin, anxiously desiring these speculations to
be closed, advancing as ono reason the difficulty of
ascertaining what might be the effect of Cuban affairs ;
another being the Reesident's fear that these spe-
culations might influence him, notwithstanding his
resistance. When gold reached I it, M. Corbi❑ sent a
latter, as ho reported, telling the President that ho was out
of all speculations, gold or bonds; adding to Gould that lie
thought it dangerous then to sell gold, and as the present
price would leave $150,000 profit, he asked a cheque for
that, deducting the $50,000 before lost. Gould advanced
him $lOO,OOO on account, remarking that Corbin could not
wholly free himself from the speculation till others inte-
rested had also sold. Corbin replied that he would write
private letter to the President, explaining his real position,
the:other being intended for use in the Cabinet. 11. Gould
had been previously informed by Corbin that the Secretary
had actually ord,red sales of gold which had been
countermanded by the President on the receipt of a letter
from him.

The United States will probably take action on a

subject of universal interest—the protection by law °I,
telegraph cables. A resolution is about to bo introduce('
into Congress to call the attention of the Executive to 0°
subject, pointing out that no law now exists to protect
those lines from wanton and malicious destruction or in-
jury, and suggesting that steps be taken for a convention
of nations to provide the necessary protection. and to puntsil
persons who attempt to injure the cables on the high seas
In the event of war the question would arise how far a gel
ligerent was justified in dredging up and cutting a cable
Suppose hostilities to break out between Use United Blab"
dom and the United States, in what position, in regard to
France, would Great Britain place herself, if she fished up
the Brest cable more than a marine league from the French
coast and cut it. This must bo her action, unless
diate and full information was to bo transmitted front
Europe to her enemy. It is better to settle in anticipation
such questions than whoa the emergency arises, when ae-
tion becomes alike necessary and dangerous.-
Florida has risen against the execution of the
Raven no laws, at least the counties of Jackson and Washing-
ton being under the control of an armed mob led by
B. Caker, a wealthy and influential man. Assessor Loge
f
of Martina writes to the Supervisor that ho is in danger°
his life, which Calker threatens, and challenges Ithtl t:
fight. From Jacksonville we learn that the State I'3-
Col lector and his wife had been brutally murdered 111
Washington County, adjoining Jackson- and that
theta
had been seven murders in Jackson Count y since the
October, and that the Deputy Collectors and Assists
Assessors of Internal Revenue were in imminent danger'
Tho Supervisor has called for troops.
The Duke of Edinburgh had been very cordiale
received at Yokohama. On the Ist of September lilt
Royal Highness drove to Yeddo, where he was the gil°.si
of the Mikado. The road the entire distance was br„1:
liantly illuminated with native lanterns.. A fleet of I'l'l
Japanese war vessels wore at. Yeddo. Heavy rains Vt,
vailed at the time, which prevented the anticipated °e
door festivities. On the 4th, the Duke, Sir Harry 1'31,e;
and Admiral Keppel paid a state visit to the Mikado.
Duke returned to Yokohoma on the Bth, where the f.e%
tivities were continued for several days. He paid 5 fibSi9l
to Osaca, and while returning had a narrow escaPei„,"l,o
vessel, the Salamis, colliding with a Japanese steamer, "--,0
Galatea, with the Prince on board, left Yokohama on t,
"it
16th for China. It was understood the Prince would 01,
Pekin as a private individual, the Emperor of Chi" hai.
ing refused him a State reception. An attempt to assassa.
nate the British Minister at Yeddo has been frustrated,
Sir Henry Keppel, the Commander of the British sell)/
ron in China and Japan, was entertained at a baticluetn,
the English residents of Yokohama, previous to hi44.T.-0,
partme for Europe. The Duke of Edinburgh, Sirs 7„ce
Parkes, and numerous naval officers were present. "io
Todo, a powerful Daimio, had been assassinated. Icier
Prince was a staunch ally of the Tycoon, and his
was on account of some political differences. Fria°
suma and another Prince had quarrelled, and war
likely to result from it. The Japanese Parliament huts
voted to surrender all their estates, retainers, and ref ell7o
belonging to them as Daimios to the Mikado, and rece'ria
from him honorary titles instead of that of Daimi°'
an allowance of one-tenth of their revenues, With been
from the support of their old retainers. There 113(1 -htal
numerous executions at Yeddo. Admiral Enema°, had
been sentenced to death, but his life will probably
spared. 13.

In our Correspondence His Excellency 1-7"
ip-
Washburne is represented as having applied for 31303•
crease of salary for himself and members of the Leg'
The General Press Despatch has, however, corrected co
rumour, getting its facts from an official source. Insbei-ca
of soliciting an increase, that Minister, since he bas
uptil
in France, has declined to receive certain allowaucee
ho became satisfied that he was entitled to them by will
Unfortunately then for the Government clerks tbelA to
not be able to quote a case on which they relie'tleic
strengthen their application for an increase tc",, ;err
salaries. It is true that the London, Paris, and St. Y 1 Wed
burg Legations, being out of pocket by the sun' a 1• teat
for rent of office, have applied for an increase in 019
to the extent of $3OO to $4OO annuall
The Tribune's Washington correspondent tell the
a story of Frank P. Blair, sen., of Silver Spring:l've-
great American Warwick, as he calls him, maker,t, or
sidents and un-maker of Cabinets. The point of l',""6011g
respondent's sarcasm is that Mr. Blair occasion the
the surplus produce of his farm. In England thie 1;6 its
practice of Princes, who sometimes consider theinseicroot
honoured by getting the highest price. The corresP° Nag
says that as a huckster or produce broker, Mr. 131'iroiet,
assessed for the special Internal Revenue tax, and ,„aodg
to pay, the usual notice was served, but fell into tbe
eat-
of his son, ex-Postmaster- General M. Blair as his fatbert.etoo
torney. He was somewhat indignant, but the recent de4,!ta of
of the Commissioners took his father beyond the lira:ricet
the tax, as only those hucksters who have permanentl that
stands are liable. Hence the correspondent coneleuei
F. P. Blair of Silver Springs is an itinerant vendor
duce. This shows how hard it is to eradicate fromtleitic"
of what our correspondent, Capt. Williams, calls the 42,0
Saxon race, the idea that the sale of produce lowers.;afleg
according to the scale of the transaction. TheyPrzuti GO'
Republican hits at James Fisk, jun., as the pedlar, aaetioss'
tainly the advantages of good birth, of good coned rhea
of old family, are now more frequently eiai'setAine-
ever in America. Some say, perhaps with truth, tit
AO,llO
rica is running up to aristocratic caste, while W'g
running down to Democratic equality.
The Buenos Ayres Standard of the 25th SeP 000
ber is full of romantic stories of the ParaguaY"n
ErigeLo to
relates the adventures of Charles Crane,
in the service of Lopez. In this there is ne
ill-treatment, while there me many allusions t° coo,
a reerar'
gallantry of the Paraguayans, and once to
Tye
ferred on him by Lopez for his services in a batticie'raged
sufferings of a Correntino lady are told, who WA!, r 0011
into confinement by a Paraguayan officer, but n"e of the
hardship she was at last released by the adyeuicedose
who ',aura, an'A
Allied army. An Argentine gentleman,
best to supply her necessities, was shot by 14°.„'"alissie7
when she was liberated with other women, manse
with felons chains, she had been throe day.°
ed fon;
allas be
food. Her Majesty's ship Cracker had arr father
11
Ascuncion with two English orphans, wh°6e 001
mother had both succumbed to the hardships Ayres
endured. The census had been taken of Buena° toeisli"
and the provinces, and the result had created ese'reeer
bt e
ment, and will lead to considerable change in 11co;
tation of districts. The city, according to the cent 320'00120,0At
tains 180,000 inhabitants, and the camp nb,10,000.
The estimate for the thirteen provinces is but at tto
present Buenos Ayres returns only 12 naereberB; babite° 6
prescribed ratio of one deputy for every 20,000 lu P roviaag
e 6
it will in future become entitled to 25, while the
pal
will rather decrease than increase their nuniber,looo I°o
the proportion in future at five for the former and tuote/8
the latter. This the Standard considers to be rod
eye
nearly all the wealth and intelligence are centri'ooo feit,
great city. Congress has authorised the faro
£BOO,OOO for the extraordinary expense° °„,,y, as !co,
guay war, which it hopes to raise in G"In; aria 'At
precluded, by an agreement with Messrs. 51100;4
thers, from raising another loan in England' sod d....,e°t16-
news from Paraguay is to the 19th SeptembEr!i so Peo,
of importance. Lopez is somewhere beYent,ton of P
nislao, with the remnant of the male populati
oci it I
to
guay, some 3,000 half-starved men and boyee, 0
ileitb/!_te
pieces of wtillery. The Brazilians have 13.. came
follow him up for want of horses. Count D with 'A
Asuncion on the 13th, and had a conferene;rovistoa;
Brazilian Envoy, Sor Paranhos. The new vibiellol,
Govrnnt is endeavouring to clean the ci:Y±
soid c
still me
in
a shocking state. Thousands of Wenerge 101/30
dren continue to arrive from the interior, aun,„.irie. „ ig
in tents put up for their reception in the o i'Lot
triumvirs are said to be constantly vat-031111i will
urged that the new order of Clings in Persg rein
only so long as the bayonets of the Allied er"'s
there to maintain peace and quiet."
By the annual report of the Second 15-11;:t sirePsela
the United States Treasury we learn the es'°of dace!: vi
disbursed in bounty and back pay on account
_..0 palede,
soldiers in the late war. Discharged soldierSwa,"onfill,i,
another department, hence these figures are
0...../0 !,11
pendent of them. The sums are as follovr10,9•70,6281,
$249,180 64 ; 1863, $2,443,293 39 ; 1864, $7 17; !' tits
1865, $14,047,599 35 ; 1866, $16,189124 report C4O he
$10,638,782 78; 1868, $19,598,445 88. The
ended t
present year will show the amount 118 12 13,1. 31,
$8,355,618 22, which, added to the $74,13111:492,69e,
ously disbursed, will make the amount sfuthoriSecicelo
Mr. It. D. Mussey is taking testimony ass The ire° tile
the court about the Farragut Bounty Clainloi part in
of the West and Gulf squadrons whichiU'
attack on New Orleans is to be decided by v; 0101 be'
We learn from Messrs. Macmillan's ne
Aye 10 0
weekly journal Nature, that M. Louis l'_c‘, f„oofs
queathed to the French Academy of Science; of 10,v of
necessary for the foundation of three prize jeoce°•
hese sic
each, to be awarded every second year.
physi_
which these prizes aro to be given aro
and chemistry.
TologYlPlll

AUGENER ~,,utoo'
BIRTHS. , Orly
AI-- ins t., 11... ilrt..
Mrs. Georgo Augenor, of a son. qpiens
..,,,
MYIIURGII—On the 4th inst , at 6, Palace-g.,arriste'
sington, the wife of Philip Myburs Is, Esq.,
—On the 3d ' t ' blorpeth goose
law, of a son.

lit°
ill ARM- A G ES. ~ , e Wiliftl3
GODFREY—HEADLAND —On the 4th inst., •-,e11.50 ,:tee•
Godfrey, Es;., of the Admiralty, to AffOltioclP' 'di
daughter of Edward Headland, Esq., of r°l.st. 1%156t0
STRANGE - ORMSBY—On tho 4th inst., at t13".0%,
s trai Co Sill
P,ryanston-square, Colonel Henry F.
Frances a Henrietta, the only child of the
General Ormsby.

GOLDRING —OR
'the 4thpingsilt.,Trßf 181; mqs Goldri°6' .1)(1).19
cf 50, Lincoln s-inn-fields, aged 49. or, Per
Powys—On the 2d inst., at the Lodgo,
Alickleoir
the Hop. Mrs. Atherton Powys.
,IDOSSSI:
London: Printed and Published by WILLIA', 6tr
of No. 114 strand, Printer, at THE SUN 01110 14°;
of lei
in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the Couuty
Saturday, November 6, 18118.