The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-01-12

WASHINGTON LETTER.


Ia t5Dtt2hN LNfFf4NfFTN--
Serrice- Or relations arnh Paraguay
and lie Troub}c> Of 0l0 C0nSRl 10 haj
Coaatrp-- TIE Saprcme CoHrf-IHe Pat
Ifc Lands and the Frcach ,Spo5i0tjoa BsH.
WASHINGTON, jar. To- 1885.
We hear bat little of the Collins Steamers
Of late. They were not sold to Nichols, nor
10 Napoleon. nor to Victoria, the other day
Mr. Collins had too much patriotism for this
lie reserved them for the exclusive use of the
l. : government to whom he is ANXIOUS to
render service with them. He is in this city
IT present, making himself exceedingly
agreeable to the members of Congress and
10 AL who are presumed TO have influence
among those honorable gentlemen. 1t is
even whispered that one hundred and fifty
tickets to the great opera, the other night,
were purchased by single individual and
literally dispensed among all sorts of people
If these tickets were purchased nj full price
:h,v must have cost S7T.
Ihayr not made the examination myself
hut am informed by one who has, that the
following facts are correct, viz /. That the
Collins Line Is N receipt of rs high com
peuSation fcufa our government, for carving
thr mails - lee Il month, rs the Cunard Line
taS received from the British government
ar cerryng them four times n month ,
y last the Collins Line receives four times as
srUch As Is paid to the Havre Line, and five
times rs much as is paid to the Bremen Line.
3d.. That this iHRer5C0H Line of Steamers is
owned in great part by English capitalists.
Now that the British Steamers are Occu-
pied, and are for some time likely TO be oc-
,,upied, in the eastern hemisphere, what is
the effect of the bounty TO the Collins Steam.
crs The first effect is, of course to put mo-
uaN into the pockets OF the oStensible Mr.
Collins and his silent British partners; but
the secondary effect is to depress other really
American enterprises by the encouragement
I'll this monopoly.
take no pleasure in dwelling upon, nor
even in alludiDg to, such subjects as this
donot wish to thwart the honest purposes of
any man, nor to incur the displeasure of any
honest man. But when | remember, as / do
most yiydly, the deeply disreput;.ble scenes
that were enacted on board a Collins Steam
rr in tho Potomac river, two short years ago,
when imported wines and stronger drinks
were flowing like water, and men and wo
men dressed In brOaGcl0h and Sattins were
recina about the decks in very drunkenness
and when | remember that an affirmative
vote was obtained in Congress before the
fumes Of the sparkling glass had fully passed
away, must be pardoned for crediting sto-
RE. ! might otherwise be reluctant to be
heve, and for the temerity of entering my
ItebIc protest against Inc evils / see anu IN
far greater evils | believe to exist
Our peculiarly hard fortune with respect
to the agents of our government abroad,
seems TO attend our intercourse with Para
quay, as we learn by recent news. Our Con-
sui, Mr.. Hopkins, now cX Consul, who has,
time and again. been in the midst of troubles,
has come to a final rupture with the govern
meut, and having invoked the protection of
the Commander of the water Witch" be-
Inn ,iucr IN nu- navy that officer in hmm HI q
imitation OF the daring deeds at Greytown,
prepared his vessel to destroy the town, and
thus enabled the offending Mr.. Hopkins to
embark in safety.
New, it may be that Mr.. Hopkins is in the
right in this matter, and il may be that Mr..
Soule has been III the right III all his troubles,
and il may be that Mr. Sickles did right in
quarreing with and challenging Mr. Pea
body, and it may be that Mr.. Daniel did per
fccuy right in penning, and his friend in
publishing, that gariicky letter but | really
cannot come to that conclusion III any of
these Instances | think that gentle inter
course should be cherished between ours
and all other nations and peoples of the
earth, and that we do ourselves great inius-
tice in permitting any interruption to take
place in that intercourse.
he bill tor the reorganization of the Su--
Freme Court still fingers i'll the Senate. 1t
viii be successful. The Judges will be re-
heyed from the duty of travelling through
tie districts, and the despatch of business
Eili be accelerated.
lnthe House, to-day, still greater indispo-
sltion to sqoandering the public lands was
manifested, and the iavorite measure of Mr.
Cobb, Of Georgia, was Hoored as Mr. Jarn-
dyce would say.
The first bill on the calendar in Committee
@s The Whole, is the French Spolation Bill
IL must be taken up, un ess an appropriation
olI shall come in its way if taken mp, twill
pass andil it shall pass, | am reliably in
formed that the President will sign it.
A b. G.