The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-17 00:00:00

From C' ic9gd to Liverpool.

The Chicago Tribune says that at a recent great
Farmers' Convention in Illinois the speeches and re-
solutions were strongly in favour of a channel of
water communication with Europe of sufficient
capacity to carry the products of the North-west
from Chicago to LiverpOol without breaking bulk.
This is a great idea—an idea emanating from a
people suffering much, but accustomed to surmount
difficulties, and determined to surmount those which
now oppress them. The Tribune believes, as firmly
as it believes anything still in the future, that such a
work will be undertaken and pushed to completion
within the next ten years. It would be done though
the cost were three-fold greater, and the natural
obstacles three-fold more formidable than they are.
The surplus products of the North-west will, of their
own force, burst a passage way to the markets of
the world. They will compel the opening of the
cheapest possible route, and the route will of neces-
sity be the cheapest which conveys the grain and
meat to the consumers with the least handling and
the least delay. The farmers are right in pointing
Out the great lakes and the St. Lawrence river as
the route most likely to answer their purposes, and
the Tribune will lend its assistance to the accom-
plishment of this work, not merely because it pro-
mises to make Chicago a greater and more pros-
perous city than ever before, but because it is
susceptible of demonstration that the desired result
can be attained in a manner more cheaply and
quickly than any other. Clearances from Chicago to
Liverpool are not unknown to trade. Years ago the
trip was made by the schooner C. Y. Richmond, and
about once each year we have had a little craft in
Chicago laying down an assorted cargo direct from
Norway. Only the inadequacy of the Welland and
St. Lawrence Canals has prevented this direct trade
with Europe from becominglarger and more profit-
able each season since the first experiment was
made. An inland sea, second only to the Medi-
terranean in volume, discharges its waters over the
Falls of Niagara and down the St. Lawrence river.
The problem is, how to use this water at the falls
and rapids so that it shall be safe for ships suitable
for ocean navigation. And this is really no problem,
for it has already been done on a small scale, and
under conditions which prove that it can be done on
a large scale. Indian corn is now selling in Chicago
at 33i cents per bushel in gold. It is selling in
Liverpool at $l.lO. Seventy-six and one-half
cents are consumed in getting one bushel from
Chicago to Liverpool, which is practically a prohi-
bition on the shipment in large quantities. Hence
corn remains ungathered on many farms in Illinois,
or is burned for fuel. But it could be transported
for twenty-five cents per bushel, with a fair profit
to the ship owner, if it could be passed around the
Falls of Niagara and the St. Lawrence rapids with-
out transshipment. Here then is a saving of more
than fifty cents per bushel (in gold) on the great
staple production of the North-west to be effected by
digging, or rather enlarging, a fewditches, and build-
ing a few locks, on this great highway which nature
has marked out for the commerce of the Western
States. It is impossible that the money, the enter-
prise, and the engineering skill should be wanting
where the demands of economy are so imperative,
and the results so certain. Allied with this enter-
prise, but not dependent upon it, is the proposed
improvement and enlargement of water communica-
tion between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi
River. This work we look upon as half accom-
plished, for it is already begun. It is the natural
complement of the St. Lawrence route to tile ocean.
It will be finished before the other. It will be in
readiness to pour the treasures of the agricultural
districts, washed:by the Mississippi and its tributaries,
into Chicago warehouses before any vessels shall be
there to transport them across the Atlantic.

THIS IS FRANK.—A new M.P. writes to us to say
that the Royal Academy have done wisely in voting a Grant
for themselves, for they will never got another out of Par-
liament.—Punch.

Vacancies, Promotions, and Appointments.

-.0--,-

(From the Mil Service Gazette.)
WAR-OFFICE.—Mr. P. Ramagge has been ap-
pointed to be a commissariat clerk, Gibialtar.
COLONIAL-OFFICE.--Mr. Wm. Conolly has been
appointed to be a writer, Ceylon ; Mr. T. W. Rhys
Davids has been appointed to be a writer, Ceylon.
POOR-LAW BOARD.—A vacancy for a supplemen-
tary clerkship in the office of the Poor-law Board
has occurred in consequence of the resignation of
Mr. Tansley Witt.

THE POST-OFFICE.—A first clerkship in the
British Post-office at Alexandria, Egypt, is vacant.
Salary £250 a year, increasing by £lO a year to
£3OO. Mr. J. H. Moule has been appointed a tem-
porary clerk in the savings bank department, Lon-
don ; Mr. E. Macbeth has been appointed a
temporary clerk in the savings bank department,
London ; Mr. P. C. M. Tribe has been appointed a
temporary clerk in the savings bank department,
London ; Mr. John Black has been appointed to be
a clerk at Glasgow; Mr. William Wilkinson has
been appointed to be a clerk, Liverpool ; Mr. J.
Walker has been promoted from the class of sorting
clerks to the second class of clerks, Derby.
CUSTOMS.—Mr. William Frederick Adams has
been appointed a clerk, London Docks, London ;
Mr. Edward Bradbury, jun., has been appointed a
clerk in the East and West India Docks, London ;
Mr. Edward George Baker has been appointed a
clerk in the Tea-office, London ; Mr. John Cle-
ments has been appointed an extra clerk, London ;
Mr. Henry Stewardson has been appointed a clerk
in the East and West India Docks, London ; Mr.
William James Pethybridge has been appointed a
clerk in the searcher's-office, London ; Mr. William
Riddick has been appointed a clerk for general
business, Liverpool ; Mr. William A. Humphries
has been appointed a clerk for warehousing and
general duty, London ; Mr. George Dickins, as-
sistant secretary, has been promoted to be secre-
tary, H.M.C. ; Mr. John Blagden Hale, senior
committee clerk, secretary's-office, has been pro-
moted to be assistant secretary ; Mr. Robert Bates,
petition clerk, has been promoted to be committee
clerk, secretary's-office ; Mr. William D. Chester,
chief clerk, has been promoted to be petition clerk,
secretary's-office, vice R. Bates ; Mr. John Smith,
first-class clerk, has been promoted to be chief
clerk, vice Chester ; Mr. George Hassell Armstrong
has been promoted from the second class to thefirst
class of clerks, vice Smith ; Mr. Frederick W.
Chaplin has been promoted from the third to the
second class of clerks, vice Armstrong.
INLAND REVENUE.—Stamp and Tax Branch; Mr.
S. P. Platt has been appointed a clerk in the legacy
duty office, London ; Mr. T. C. Collett has been
appointed a clerk in the legacy duty office ; Mr.
William Abbott has been appointed a clerk in the
registry of warrants office. Mr. Cyril A. White has
been appointed a clerk in the registry of warrants
office. Excise Branch—Mr. Alfred Churcher, officer,
Glasgow, 9th division, Glasgow collection, has been
promoted to be an examiner ; Mr. Herbert William-
son, officer, Newcastle, 2d division, Stafford collec-
tion, has been promoted to be an examiner ; Mr.
John racy, officer, Farnham, Ist division, Ports-
mouth collection, has been promoted to be an exa-
miner.

IRELAND.—Mr. E. W. Salmon has been appointed
assistant clerk in the ftotice-office of the Landed
Estates Court, Ireland ; Mr. R. T. R. Felgate has
been appointed registrar's clerk in the Probate
Court, Ireland.
THE EAST INDIES.—Mr. C. G. Master has been
appointed to act as sub-secretary to the Board of
Revenue, Madras, during the employment of Mr.
Dalyell on other duty, or until further orders ; Mr.
W. M'Quhae, head assistant to the collector and
magistrate of Cuddapah, has been appointed to act
as sub-collector and joint magistrate of the district
of Coimbatore during the absence of Mr. H. E. Sul-
livan on leave, or until further orders ; Mr. R. Rice
has been appointed assistant to the collector and
magistrate of the Madras district ; Mr. J. G. Hors-
fall has been appointed to act as head assistant to
the collector and magistrate of the Kistna district.
CEYLON.—Mr. W. Morris has been appointed
Government agent and fiscal for the southern pro-
vince, vice Forbes, deceased ; Mr. H. E. O'Grady
has been appointed Government agent, fiscal, and
collector of customs, for the eastern province, vice
Morris, promoted ; Mr. E. L. Mitford has been ap-
pointed Government agent and fiscal for the north-
west province, vice O'Grady, promoted ; Mr. J.
Morphew has been appointed district judge, addi-
tional commissioner of the Court of Requests, and
additional police magistrate of Jaffan, vice Mitford,
promoted ; Mr. R. W. T. Morris has been appointed
assistant at Batticaloa to the Government agent for
the eastern province, vice Morphew ; Mr. G. E.
Worthington has been appointed assistant at Kai-
galle to the Government agent for the western pro-
vince, vice Morris ; Mr. A. Bailey has been appointed
assistant at Trincomalee to the Government agent
for the eastern province.