Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-10-27
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

this pojnt-was caused by formal complaint,
| or information lodged by Mr.. Barclay, the
! British Consul General at New York, charging
that she was being fitted out as Russian pri-
vateer, and designed taking one or more of
! the Cunard steamers, and having next rugged
| them as steam privateers, to make descent
| on Calcutta The Government could not
avoid acting on such formal representations.
The investigation, however, proves that the
charge was the ..veriest bosch conceivable; the
vessel having nothing whatever on board un-
suited for Chinese voyage and the Chinese
| trade. The counsel of Mr.. Consul G eneral Bar
clay now admits, we hear, that his client moved
In this matter on an entire misapprehension
OF the facts; and Mr.. Barclay accounts for his
act, it is said, by declaring that when he in
terrogated the owners, or freighters of the
bark, they refused to answer his interroga-
tories
Now, the truth is, Mr. Barclay is in an ugly
scrape with reference to his illegal act OF enlist
| ing troops in the United States for the British
| service in the Crimea; and in casting about him
for some means of attracting public attention
| from his position as wilful violator of our
laws, bethought him of the expedient of nc
testing the bark Maury and her owners, be-
| cause they did not choose to admit his right to
interrogate them Us to their private concerns
This is the truth about the bark Maury affair,
in nut she'll.
Foolish.-We are not q little amused at the
4 LOT Of ba w oob;r
! of the distant journals over the prospect CT
| this or that distinguished Democrat for the
vote Of this or that State in the next national
Democratic convention, almost always accom-
panied with the declaration that some one
distinguished leader carries the vote lin con-
vention) of the State in his breeches pocket.
Some correspondent of the New York Herald,
Is just now specializing amusingly in that way,
concerning the vote of Virginia, saying how
A, or G, will permit her vote to be thrown,
and how they will not.
The Democratic party in Virginia are accus
toned to place the votes lin National Conven-
tions) Of their respective Congressional dis
tricts In the hands Of four delegates and four
| slternates from each district, chosen by the
Democratic voters of the district, with refer
ence only to their character and political
standing at homo, and without the slightest
reference to the ambition or aspirations of any
seeker for the Presidency. They are always
guided by enlarged wisdom and patriotism
when acting in convention, because they are
emphatically, no mans men. Time and again
have we seen the entire absence of selfshness
and Identification with the fortunes of aspi-
rants, which characterize the Virginia dslega-
tions in Democratic National Conventions, save
the party from having foisted on them unfortu-
nate and unsuccessful nominations and when
we hear it said that A, d, or C is certain of the
vote of Virginia in the National Democratic
| Convention, or that E, d, or f will control her
vote there, we always wish that the silly prog
nosticatOr could be "put through" regular
course of Virginia Democratic politics. if but
by way of opening his eyes to comprehend the
fact that Virginia influence in national pub
lie affairs arises in great part from the impos-
sibility-under her system-of tying her to
the tail of any aspiring gentleman's coat
i AAO IA tuoA IOkcSt1Ou Gcu6L1o.-N o nave
very little faith in the idea of forming societies
for the purchase and sale of necessaries of life
at cost and expenses" In countries where
the right TO sell goods is a privilege enjoyed
by law only by favored few, combinations
among them in different branches of business
may occur to the great disadvantage Of the
consumer. For instance, the privilege of car
| rying on the business of a butcher is limited
| by law, in Paris, TO four hundred persons or
firms, not half of whom kill the animals Per-
haps fifty are slaughterers, and furnish the rest
with the slaughtered meats to be by them re-
tailed. 1t is quite possible that the fifty
above referred to may combine to keep up
prices unduly; indeed it is known that they do
so. Hence the recent French Imperial decree
forcing them to sell each part of the slaugh-
tered animal at a price per pound to be
regulated by proclamation every fortnight,
just as at this time the weight of the
bakers loaf is regulated in this city.
We question much, however, the wisdom of
associations in this country, more especially
on a small scale, to purchase for sale, without
Il
know that the retail prices of breadstufFs, l. e,
are very high here, as elsewhere in this coun-
| try just now, but we do not believe that this
state of things is the result Of combination
among the retail dealers. Open competition
and active rivalry exists betwe en- them all /;
and We have seen too many instances of an
intense desire on their part to get business
from each other, to believe that they do not
very generally aim to sell as much as posi-
ble-or, in other words, to sell for as little
profit as possible compatible with the safety of
their business. The idea of establishing in
this city permanent association for the Dur.
chase of -four for consumption by the families
of its members, on capital of 81, 900, is pre-
posterous-as the rent of store room, the pay
ment of clerk hire, drayage, labor, insurance,
&C., would swamp half of it before the first
/ I, nf y he vhoIo L.. L..