Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-04-26
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

sistencs and clothing of company of volun-
teeTs in the war Of 1872 and directing the
same to be paid 10 the " soldiers, their heirs,
or legal representatives An individual took
out letters of administration on the estates OF
some fifteen or twenty soldiers, and made ap-
plication TO the Third Auditor for payment as
tho "IegaI representative" The proof fur
nished consisted Of evidence Of the service Of
the soldier and certified copies Of the letters
Of ministrasion. The Third Auditor was
Of opinion, and was concurred with by the
Second Comptroller, that additional evidence
would be required, viz: As to the death of the
s,ldier-that there were heirs living-and
their consent to the administration. The &C
counting officers hold that letters of admist1a.
ton, although evidence, are not conciusirs,
and they may, therefore, where circumstances
seem to require it, 60 behind them and ask
additional evidence. They also hold that
where there are no persons in being entitled
to the benefits OF the act, their claims lapse to
the Government ; and that no person has a
tight, Of his own volition, to take out letters
Of administration and thus constitute himself
a illegal representative" merely for the pur.
pose OF obtaining possession Of the money.
The Cover, ment's Business in San Fran
cisco The present Secretary of the Treasury,
since entering office, has managed to reduce the
annual expense of collecting the revenue from
customs at San Francisco $780, If the
duties on all foreign goods received there were
paid at that point, the revenue from customs
which would be collected there would be quite
$1,000, GOO annually. a considerable portion
Of them, however, pay duties at Boston and
New York, coming over from England and
France in steamers and clipper ships and be.
Ing subsequently, shipped coastwise to the Pa
cifc side. The completion Of the Panama
Railroad is expected greatly to increas, this
practice. Ne rent at present paid for the
Union Block, the custom house, the appraiser
stcrs, and the barge Office, in San Francisco,
amounts to an annual aggregate Of sos, GEO.
Tic expenses Of the two revenue cutters on
the San Francisco station amount to $50, 600
each-s60 900.
The Scar Smuggling in San Fan.
cisco.-1Ec houce in San 1ancisco being
prosecuted for smuggling segars under the
naIue Of SsSari.cs, is tiia. Of Sc. Laekey, Levy
Co. Ths entry clerk there, whose duty it
was 10 designate particular packages 20 be sent
to the appraisers store, has been dismissed
On account Of this smuggling. Measures
are being taken to sue Laskey, Lsvy & Co,
on their importers bond for $40, 709, and about
$4,000 worth of segars imported by them
have been libolled for forfeiture. Vim.
Levy is the buyer and importer Of the house
in Havana.
Horticultural Novelty .-The Agricultural
branch of the Patent Office has taken nea: ures
to procure seeds Of the Bua-ya-bun-ya, tree
Of the fix tribe, growing in Australia, where
it fourishes in region of not much greater
area than thirty miles square. 1t bears cone
nearly two feet in diameter filed With seed
the size Of an olive, and OF flavor more rich
and delicate than tina. of the pine apple. 1t
is 60 much esteemed By the natives as that
they at tines travel hundreds of pies to par
take of it.
OIL fer lighthouse Tho Light House
Board have fox some months past had expert
ments under weigh In hope Of finding some-
thing Et TO be substituted for the best quality
OF sperm oil FOX light house purposes. SO faI
nothing has been arrived at promising a very
satisfactory conclusion to this investigation
There has been submitted to them specimen
o. dcuble-pressed winter lard-oil, made in
Baltimore, which is sold at ninety cents pei
gallon, and from its color and character, il
strikes US 4: is better for family use than any
other Oil We ksow Of st 81 so per gallon.
The H!nots Ledge Light House -We IN
deIs!and that First Lieutenant r. S. Alexan
der, Of United States Engineers. has been as
| signed 10 duty as superintendent CT oonstTuc
tion OF the MiIot's Ledge light house, thc
| most important work Of the kind ever under
| taken By this government. Lieutenant A
| has been engaged for some two or three year
past il experimenting the construction of tn,
military asylum buildings ard other irlpo-
tan. government works in this vicinity, ant
in tho corrse Of these lnbors has acquired ,
| high professional reputation indesd. Lieuten
| ant A. has also been assigned to the superin
.endence Of the construction of the new Ma
rine Hospital st Chelsea, Mas.
| Pcst-Pai3 Letters moro or less post
mas ere eeen TO imagine that letters on which
the postage has been but partly paid in I'D
| vance, are TO be treated as though it had bee,
left wholly unpaid, We ropublish the followin;
| standing regulation Of the Department, fol
tie third time:
Letters part paid should be despatched
charged with the additional postage duo at IL,
prepaid rate, according to distance, established
by said act, (0f March Sd, 1852 except whcr,
tho omission to pay the correct amount i
| known to have teen intentional, when thel
| should be treated as letters wholly unpaid"
Bounty undar the Act CT June II
1S5O-By the third seetion Of the M. or Inn,