The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-29

much better than Lord Raglan and Canrobert,
not to speak Of Lord Aberdeen and Napoleon,
why did he fail SO ingloriously himself, Why
did he not use little Of his super-eminent
science and skill to save Hungary
A man may fail, and be none the less capable
on account thereof The most successful men
have been at times on the brink of ruin Louis
Napoleon could not pay for his washing. But
If in such cases the world generously consents
to make allowance for misfortune, and acquits
such men Of want of ability, it has right to
expect that they will not presume on its good
nature to speak and act as though perfect
triumph bad crowned their endeavors An
author who having published bad novel
would at once set about showing that neither
Mitchell nor Hawthorne nor Melville knew any.
thing of novel writing, and that their books de-
served not to sell, would be likely to meet with
severe and merited castigation. just so with
M. Kossuth, Mazzini, Ledru Rollin and the other
exiles. They all had their chance-in some
cases fair and promising one-but not one
out Of the number had the tact or the sense
or the prudence to maintain himself. Common
decency should remind them of this, when they
feel impel)ed to cavil at the acts OF others. 1t
is quite likely that the expedition to the Crimea
may prove total failure; and that, as Kossuth
says, not one in five Of the men sent out viii
return to his home. But could any one
have done better? Would the allies have met
any different reception anywhere else-at Riga
or Cronstadt for instance? Is it not plain to
demonstration that, as was the case in our own
war, the extent of the Russian territory, its
distance from Western Europe, and the nature
Of the climate viii alone defeat every invasion?
Our New Acquisition OF the Galapagos Islands
Another Dead Bargain for our Spare Mil
lions.
Galphin was q mere private and Schuyler
hardly abrevet above corporal in the spoils divi-
sion Of sappers and miners. Itrequires general
to push the trenches under and into the walls
Of the citadel and General Pierce, the rumor
is, has eclipsed them all in doing the clean
thing at single bound.
Three millions, the story goes, are to be paid
by recent treaty, for the Archipelago of Ga
lapagos, an arid pile Of rocks and lava, radi-
ating from about 80 minutes south latitude and
y or IS west longitude, embracing some two
degrees Of latitude and five of longitude, and
distant some six or seven hundred miles from
the Pacific shore of the Western continent
Plenty OF fish, few and rare animals, tolerable
harbors, more Spanish convicts, scarcity Of
fresh water, showers few and far between, tall
rocks in the middle and deep ocean outside-all
for three millions of dollars!
Cheap as dirt? No; there is not even dirt
enough to form soil; and the dirty convicts,
the only types Of humanity in the group, would
not be entitled to vote the administration
ticket under our penal statutes. Cheap as
rocks and lava cheaper than the Galphin dead
horse stock, and far cheaper than Schuyler's
certificates of no stock at all!
The public treasury is uneasy under the
weight Of specie, and it must be relieved.
Needy and seedy agents, politicians haogers
on and gentlemanly friends, need funds for
their board bill, or will be compelled to seek
new quarters in this inclement season. Ecuador
will gladly accept Of one-tenth part of the sum
The Ecuadorian Minister, Gen. Vilamil, is said
to hold the fee OF the finest pile in the group Of
rocks, and has been anxious for some time to
exchange it for pocket full of dollars. He
will accept of one-tenth, and the remaining
eight-tenths, $2,400,0OO, divided among the
outsiders, will buy them warm clothes, good
dinners and bad wine until some new "Pilli-
coddy turns up with barnacles' to resuscitate
the adage concerning a fool and his money
1t is said that the purchase is prompted by
the discovery Of rich deposits Of guano on one
or more islands in the group The value of the
guano to the farming interest, it is rumored,
will more than compensate the country for the
three millions of dollars.
The mountains, hitherto supposed to be rocks
and lava, may prove to be guano; but the IA
cetious Darwin, careful and generally accu-
rate writer, says the sea fowl do not inhabit
these islands; and, as fish are not in the habit
OF climbing dry rocks to deposit their bones,
we are at loss to account for the origin OF
guano at the Galapagos. If every square or
cubic mile in the group should prove to be
guano, the lack of rain described by all who
visit the group, would warrant the concl usion
that like the deposit on the Chincha Islands,
few degrees south, the accumulation of ammonia,
poisonous alike to plants and animals, would rem
der useless the small remaining amount of phos-
pilates that constitute the chief value as q
manure in guano of any kind. Ammonia must