The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-06-16
Our New Orleans correspondence.

NEW ORLEANS, June 4, 1861.
E1ch1nesu in the Custom House at Ne,c Oyfeon
Railroad Conventiow-1he Presidential CUES
tion, 8c.
For several days past great excitement has pre-
vailed in our Custom House, owing to dificultie
existing between the collector, Mr.. Freret, and thu
urveyor, M. Robert B. Stille, in relation to tn
retaining Of ceTtSin officers in their departments
The war first grow out Of Mr.. Freret retail aims
as his deputy Mr.. Solomon, a pet of the previou
collector, Samuel J. Peters, who was rejected BY
the Senate. The objection to Mr. Solomon was
that serious charges existed against his reputation
and the merchants of our city made movement tC
have him displaced. An investgationwas held, the
result of which, it was said, proved unsatisfactory
but no report of it was made by the Collector and
as | stated in previous letter, the documents
in the were then sent to Washington, for the
action Of Secretary Corwin. The Surveyor was
known to be opposed to Mr.. Solomon, an this Gre
ated GOODNESS between the Collector and Mr..
Stille which increased until the parties quit speak
ing to each other.
During this state Of affairs, order of retrench
ment came on from the department to the Collector
and Surveyor, ordering both of them to discharge
one of their deputies. Great tribuiation now pre-
vailed Solomon was doomed to suffer, but he was
consoled with the appointment of Secretary to the
Collector" which, in fact, was the only position he
was holding all the time thus the Collector con
sdered biz triumph over the Surveyor and his party
complete But the ague feeling had not entirely
subsided. The two Deputy Surveyors were Col.
Walton, whig, and friend of the Collector; and
DR.. ayburn, democrat of the non iaterference
school, and friend of the Surveyor. Everybody
said, 'eOf course, DIR. Rayburn will not CON pro.
mise his friend, and will, therefore, resign" But
a darker cloud was gathering over the Custom
House than any one imagined; and to the surprise
and astonish ment ofal the next morning Col. Wal
ton received his walking papers The
ragged heTcey, and, overiespipg the bounds of the
Custom House precincts, spread to the streets and
barrooms, where the hosts of the different pa tiles
array ed themselves in n wider field for action. Tue
whispering which had been confined to the walls of
the Custom House, now became trumpet-toned
deean alton. A violert whig, in support of tle
course of the Surveyor, ia to n Freret man,
publicly declared, that shen it came to honesty,
integrity, and capacity, he knew party dlst 1c-
tions Of wbig democrat and that had the dscapi-
tated Deputy Surveyor been a. well known as he
knew him, the deputy would not have retained his
Office two months. These were knock-down argu-
ments, and were not repliedto This morning the
ne ws spread that letter had been received in this
city, stating that the Secretary Of the Treasury had
fully sustained the course 0t Mr.. Stille, the sur.
yeyor, over the Collector. This has produced the
highest excitement 1t is said the Collector will be
obliged to resign, and that gres, changes will be
made
The delegates from the parishes of Opelousas
and Attakapas to the great Railroad Con ,ention,
TO be held IN this city this evening, have been as
sembling for two or three days, and our strests
once moie wear the crowded appearance of winter.
i he convention will DO organised at six O'clock this
evening, a; Gyceum Hall The Hon. Maunsel
White will preside as President. ! will give you an
abstract of the proceedings in my next. The rail
road excitement is increasing through out state
a 1avv 4spr baIl NJ h.
18th Of May, in reference TO building the New Or
leans and aokson Railroad Spirited resolutions
were passed, approving Of the route by Baton
Rouge, and signiyiag the Willingness of the citi-
zens Of the county TO take stock to the amount Of
SEQ OO0 If necessary. IL is singular fact that the
first piece Of railroad.ever laid in the United States
was laid in New Orleans-ths Pontcha rtraine Rail-
road-and yet wo have beon far outstrpped BY every
other State that has preten led 10 lay track The
convention now assembled in this city has brought
together a number OF politicians and distinguished
men, among whom are Gov. Poindexter. Of MIS-
sssippi; ex-senator Moaton, Hon Isaac T.. Morse,
Hon. A. O.. Penn, memkers of Congress, and
host of others,
1t would soem tho Presidential campaign has
already opened. The democrats have commenced
betting that Doaglass of Illinois, will be the next
President The unionsts and wings counting
on Daniel Webster, whom the secessionists are
already attacking with great violence, and do
the I'D May. MIR. Webster has many warm
friends and supporters in the South, and if he docs
not kill himself by making speeches, he will have
a fair chance f.r the Presidency.
A suis came before Supreme Court the other
day, en an appeal, which uniolded "a tale Of un-
requited love- Ii appears young, fascinating,
and wealthy widow, employed dark-eycd Apollo
Of lawyer to put her in possession of her deceased
hushsnd's estate. In the Of the proceedings
many interviews between the parties for oonsulta-
,ion became necessary and in which the widow fell
desperately In love with the young lawyer. On tho
settlement of the estate. IL did not amount to more
than 10000, and the lawyer considering the
amount not sufficient TO make return Of the ten
der passion, refused the widows overtures, and 10
mai ded his Zee Of 800. The widow refused pay
ment, the ground that the lawyer had won her
affections by his insinuating manners and that
suIposng the feeling was reciprocal she Goa.
sidered he working in the canss of love,
and that consequently he was entitl0A TO no other
pay The court held that dcaht the lawyer
had acted in such manner ~ to lead the uasus-
pecting widow to believe that he Was working in
the cause for love well as money, and that con-
sideriDg he had received full share Of the former
il but just to reduce the proportion Of the lat
ter. They consequently cut down his Zee to
half, as caution to all lawyers hereafter not 10
trine with the feelings Of young widows!
ORPHErs.