Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1855-12-19
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1855.
The News,

Col Samuel Miller of Philadelphia, distinguish.
ed hero of the war of 1912 died in that city few
days since at the age Of 81.
Ofthe 9, 100000 acres of land granted by the
State to aid the construction Of the Illinois Central
Railroad, over 100000 acres vet remain unsold.
Taking the sncs made since the land office of the
company opened in Chicago, as a test the fund
realized from the lands alone viii not fall short Of
S45,Oo0.OO0. It is now thought thst the road
completed and fully equipped will be clear profit to
the company, 10 say nothing Of the $50, 900, 900 Of
money that will in due time be piled up in their
treasury. Under the stimulus Of the times this
great work promises to be one of the most success
ful speeulations of the age.
The finance committee of the House of Repre-
sntatives of Georgia, estimates the receipts into he
Treasury for the year 1856, at 1884, 900, aud the
expenditures at 1881, O5O leaving balance in the
Treasury at the end of the year Of 1852 $50, which
may be further reduced by appropriations 70 chari.
table and other purposes 10 Sl6I. $50. The recei.
pts for the year 1857 are estimated at s66S 600
and the expenditures Ot*4l7 $50, leaving balance
of $3.50, $50.
The Alabama Papers are discussing the question
OF annexing portion Of Florida to that State.
The Montgomery advertiser Of the 18th says
The joint resolutions having reference to the
cession Of West Florida 10 Alabama have passed
the House of Representatives of this State without
opposition; and we presume that they will pass the
s enate with like unsnimty. We believe that steps
are also in progress for the appointment of Com.
missioner, or Commissioners, to 90 before the For
da Legislature the subject. As the Florida
Legislature is now in session, the necessity Of
Immediate action on the part of our General As
sembly is obvious
curious fact in che oil trade is, says the Aha
California, that since the gambling law has gone
into operation, thus dispensing with the lights used
In such places the consumption Of oil throughout
California has lessened one third. The alta gets
the information from prominent oil dealer of San
Francisco, who has been engaged in the trade in
California for three years
At a meeting of the Pittsburgh Board of Trade
gentleman submitted proposition on the subject
of improving the Ohio river by converting it into
slack water canal. The suggestions were unani.
mously approved by the Board, aud we're earnestly
recommended to public consideration The dis.
lance from Pittsburgh to the mouth of the Ohio
river is 977 miles, with aggregate fall of 425 feet
Ii is assumed that to the entire river into
slack water would require only fifty locks of an av-
erage lift Of eight and half feet which would ere.
ate pools Of an aggregate length Of l35 miles The
average cost of the work is from seven to ten thou.
sand dollars per mile, which supposed to be about
half the expense Of an ordinary canal or about one
third the average cost Of a railroad.
On the 10Th inst, Alexander H. Rice, ESQ, was
elected Mayor of Boston.
We learn from the Cincinnati papers that Miss
Agnes Robertson, Mrs Bourcicault) was suddenly
called on the Sth inst, 10 hasten to New Orleans
intelligence having reached her that her husband
Dion Bourccault, the accomplished author of LION.
don Assurance" laying at the point of death.
The following extract is taken from the London
circular Of Messrs. Forester & Sons "The grape
malady, vine disease, has been general in every
part of Portugal since the year 1853 and during
the present year its raVages have produced almost
a total determination of the fruit. From the river
Mimic TO the Tagus, but especially in the wine dis
trlcts Of the Bairada, Buceas, and Lisbon, it may
without e1agseration be declared that scarcely
S-''N"
and that at the vintage season. instead of the vines
yards being thronged with cheerful people gather
ing the fruit in many parts observed that goats,
hogs and cattle were feeding on the vines. There
is literally no wine for the ordinary consumption of
the Portuguese people, neither Is there wine in any
Of those extensive districts for distilation"
The contract for the support and maintenance of
the New Orleans Fire Department was sold at auc>
tion on the 5th inst, for five years to John Youe-
mes, Esq, at the rate Of SlOO, 600 per anuum-hO
70 furnish l. engine companies Of 20 men, and off.
GERS each, hook and ladder companies Of Is men
aud officers EACH making in all 7 companies, COM
posed of 800 officers aud membership cos; Of
which TO the city for the whole term of contract
viii be 100000
The beautiful room Of the Library of Congress
has recently been disfgured by the erection of
massive iron fence around the alcoves. by which
10 the books is rendered impossible Without
permission from the librarian This measure was
rendered necessary in consequence of the constant
encroachments of the multitudes who throng the
capitol during the sessions of Congress Many val.
able works have been stolen from the shelves, and
Others ruined by constant handling
Mr.. Ericsson is reported to be still engaged in his
caloric enterprise. His cAorc engine is forty
horse power, and compared with its predecessors,
has been greatly simplfed, and ts cumbrous parts
dispened with-not only avoiding friction and di.
minishing expense, but efFecting great saving in
space Formerly there were four cylinders, with
duplicates placed above them on pumps. The lat
ter are done away with under the new arrangement.
The Coots., eor So,,.,