The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-15
EDITORS CORRESPONDENTS
prom our regular cOrrespOndent.l

present system OF raising dttSS 10 loan 10 OaAS whtch
IS again loaned 10 merchants al high Interest 10 meet
The payment Of dUiiss.Ths ind tsnsbL condition Of
Castle Garden condemned by Gen Bernard, Uhsn |
N me service Of The gOpernmtni.-.Hsney dPpropria-
Tea 70 such an object hroOn meay.-1hs Peter
fanks m NtW Y~k.--9 remarkable Taes.- Their |
o'eh"s-Some Iaughabts incidents The devil some |
fines gets his due, so do the Peter Fiaks-Ih. /
mastery 0fUs "Hob-yNsiLs," opsr one OF he E.nks /
and his severe fagstaiiOn, whiis ineiossd IN sack
BY the Dhips ofths "Hsb--Naiis,n alias Tsamsts,-I
Conclusion, &c.
The Chamber Of Commerce had a meeting yes |
terday, called IN reference TO the sub-treasury
understand the result Of Its deliberations was order
cd 10 be printed and copy sent TO each member Of
Congress This report may have already reached |
Washington IN an Official form | understand i, |
dees not object to the subtreasury IL its operation
be made somewhat gradual, and It's passage be &C.
companled with other important measures, such as |
the warehousing system, branch mint and the |
final adoption Of a revenue tariff.
With liberal warehousing system goods would |
only be released and paid for they were wanted
for consumption; hence, merchants, as now, would
not be forced TO borrow money from banks, land the
very money, too, previously paid perhaps TO the
government, and deposited by IL with the banks al
high rate Of interest Such system, isiniquitous
The interest paid the banks for loans TO meet the
payment Of duties on whole csrgoes, must be as
sessed the value Of the goods 10 the consumers
30 that this class have not only to pay the high
duties imposed by law, but they have TO pay the
banks for interest on loans made 10 merchants.
The birthday dinner Of Mr. Clay at Niblo's las
night, you will see, came off with great seiai and
satisfaction to the man-vorshPpers. Not finding
| enough that was laudatory in their political deity
| they turned upon their opponents with much gall
| and bitterness. What does il all mean Are they
training their ofbeaten nag for another race Well
| see.
Those acquainted with Castle Garden, in this
city, know IL to be utterly worthless as place OF
defence. The circular brick wall which encloses i
was cracked, some years ago. from the coping stone
| to lts base, when merely firing a salute from liz
PORTFOLIOS. believe h was on the occasion Of Gen
| eral Jsekson's visit to New York Even II sound
as adamant, It could afford no protection to the city
u an enemy was not stopped ill within the rang
OF Castle Garden, good by TO the city Of New York
The castle was Condemned by General Bernard
when IN the service Of the government. The money
designed or recommended to put il in state Of de-
fence ought TO be applied at the Narrows or at some
other exposed point. II the place is merely wanted
FOR place Of city drill, il can be used for that pur.
pose without armament on the part Of the United |
States Spending money for such an object would |
be throwing it away.
Mock auetiOns.--Every large city abounds with |
mock auctions; they found in London in Liver. |
pool, in Paris, and, for aught know, in Bagdad
IL is true that such sales differ infinitely in form az
well as in kind and amount There is a deal OF
mock auconeerng in the man who sells real estate
or damaged goods, as in the Peter Funks who sell
pewter watches for silver levers and old cloths in
nathan street, making all due allowance and with
all due respect for the Peter Funks whose voices
are heard in small Offices behind red flags, the live
long day, crying till they are hoarse, "Going go. |
ing" "and-a-harf, and s-harf,n "cheap as dir, "
"and-a -harf snd-a harf" mo one give any more;r
"a hart, harf" "gone" Whats your manner |
peter Funk, t" says one Of this numerous family Of
Funks, whose shabbygenteel figure, and suspicious
countenance, strikes any one Of experience rather
equyocal. The green onesn from the country, |
often consider Peter very shrewd and clever fel-
low, who growing rich by his bargains, and enter
The field in composition with him, when they soon |
find they are "done for
Two young men, farmers sons, from the interior |
OF North Carolina, were last season seized With |
love of travel, and bent their way 70 New York, |
bringing letter OF introduction to me, requesting
me to see that they were not hanged before they
departed from Gotham A rssi1ent of New |
York, who has anything TO d., 10 bad hand to /
look after friends from distance; for, such 10 the
hurry Of the place. that he 10 compelled to be busy
also. This was my case; and however anxious to
serve my wards" found il impossible to look |
after them, as should have DONE Consequently
"the boys" brought upin an auction store Of "Pe,er
Funk 8" just at the time Peter was offering splen-
did card Of knives for three York shillings. Now
as North Carolina shilling, and Of York, rass
for the same, the boys knew that Peter was almost
giving his knives away. So one Of them bid a six
pence more, and became the purchaser. He then
handed Peter a $40 bull from which to take his
change. Peter went into little back-room, and, to
the utter establishment Of the boys came back with
bill against them for whole box of rusty knives,
which, Peter alleged, they had bought, and which
amounted to $40, less $40, received; demanding in
the most peremptory and threatening manner, the
payment of the remaining $50! The boys were
utterly COMPOUNDED. AS soon as they could breathe
freely they boed into the street, leaving the knives
the $40, and Peter behind. They never eat drank
slept, stopped, until they found me- and stated
the in all its length and breadth. Peter Funk
was a character whose fame had never reached the
quiet country farm in the interior Of the honest "old
North State" on which they had been raised"
The finale was soon accomplished. Next morn
ing took the boys with me, and repaired to the
police off ice at the Tombs and having laid the case
before Justice Matsell, who had heard hundred
others just like it, he ordered police constable to
accompany us to Peters STORE and make demand
for the restoration Of the $40 in good money to the
boys, or take Peters body in lieu of it, close his
store, and conduct him to the Tombs. became
spokesman, and pointed out to Peter the alternatives;
who, seeing such odds arrayed against him, handed
the $40 bill without further scrupe, and 80 the
matter ended; but ought not to have ended without
subjecting Peter to punishment for Intentional
fraud" Let it pass They say the devil some
times gets his due, and 80 do Peter Funks, if the
following story related to me be true, which may or
not be so.
1t seems some wagoners visited the city not long
since with their teams. They belonged to the
homes. "hob-naiI shoe" gentry Of the country, and
like the "Norh State" lads, the peculiar business
ard reputation of Peter Funk had not been made
known TO them. They, too, like the boys, when
sroing through the city, striking hard upon the
pavement with their "hob nails" in search Of novel
ties and bargains, brought up in Peters place Of
fancy work; one of whom entered, and became
spirited bidder, when he, like the lads, was soon
used up" He, too, left Peter with indignation, in
search Of his companions, whom he succeeded in
finding, and stated to them how he had been "done
for" by the immortal Peter. The "dander" of the
whole party was raised to its highest pitch. They
took from their wagons large sack and cord, with
their wagon-whps in hand, and proceeded at once
to Peters auction establishment, where they seized
him, thrust him into it, and tied him up, threw him
helpless on the floor, when they commenced plying
their wagon whips on him in most interesting
manner. Peters friends, if he had any, had ell
taken flight, that the "hob nails" we're mas
ters Of the field, and of Peter also, WIN
plunged about on the floor, amidst the cracks
Of the whips, like cat in wallet. His con-