Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-04-13

"On the 18th Of December French frigate
and the steamer Colbert opened fire uron the
city, which was continued for about an hour
have not heard what damage was done, only
two or three shots were fired by the rebels ia
return"
The Spanish Language BY tho extension
of our territory in virtue Of the treaty of 1S4S
with Mexico, communities speaking THIS beau
tiful language have been brought into the
American Union. Their archives, municipal
laws and regulations are in that language,
and those records must necessarily be resorted
to in the settlement of their landed interests
for a century or more to come. Besides, We
are In immediate neighborhood with Mexico
for nine hundred miles, the Rio Grande only
separ ating us for that distance, after wiich
this noble river, with its tributaries, traversss
the Territory Of New Mexico from north to
south, Our people are thus constantly brought
into contact with the Mexican population
along the whole sweep Of cur southwestern
boundary, and By commercial and other rela.
tons our intercourse ia rapidly increasing
with Central America, with Peru, Chilli, and
other political dominions of South America,
where this language is the vernacular.
These considerations should awaken atten-
ton to moro general acquaintance with the
language The study of it should be intro
duced into our schools, academies, and COL
leges, not only with view to acquire knowl
edge of the language fundamentally, but to
acquire familiarity with 1t as a medium of
conversation.
We say nothing of the future destiny of
Cuba in connection with our future as a ma.
tion-Our frequent commercial intercourse
with that island giving addition al importance
to the considerations suggested.
The Extraordinary Demand for Postage
stamps.-The change in the law requiring
payment of postage in advance in all cases,
has caused tremendous rush upon the de
partment for postage stamps, which i, at pres
eat answering the orders of postmasters at the
rate of about two hundred per diem. Post
masters, to be certain Of getting supplied
promptly, should be careful to state in their
letters the name Of the Office, with the county
and State in which it may be located; also,
to state the gross amount Of hostages collected
quarterly at the Office for which the supply is
asked.
Rsfunding Duties under the. Reciprocity
Treaty The proper officers of the Treasury
Department are just now very busily engaged
in collating and arranging the information
necessary to enable the Secretary to carry out
the provisions of the reciprocity treaty under
which certain duties paid on fish and other
colonial produce are to be refunded, and out
standing duty-bonds to be Cancelled. This
very great preparatory labor will be fnished
in few days, when, i. is presumed, the Seq
rotary will promptly make dc oisions on all the
cases Of the kind in question arising under
the treaty One party alone claims st least
S25, 900 as being due to him under the treaty
as above explained.
The United States steamer Waterwitch.
Tho Navy Department have ad1ices from the
steamer Waterwitch, Lieutenant Commanding
Thomas j. Page, which vessel, on the 5th Of
February, was a. the mouth Of the Paraguay
river. All were we'll on her. The Lieut.
Commanding, in his dispatches, confirms all
the facts embraced in the account, some tins
since published, OF the firing into his ship by
Parsguain forces, By which one of his men
was wounded, and has since died from his
wounds.
Navy Officers Ordered Samuel Ed.
wards and Master Francis G Clarke, have
been ordered for duty on the United States
steamer Dolphin, now at the Norfolk navy
yard preparing to sail to join the African
Coas. squadron.
Clerical Prom ,tion and Appointment.
A. B. Claxton, second class clerk in the First
Comptroller's Office, vice John Furgerson, re-
signed. VIM. Furgerson appointed first class
clerk in that Office, vice Claxton, promoted.
Surveyor Of Customs Dead and one BE.
signed Tho Treasury Department haze ad-
vices of the death of - Martin, late sur
veyor of the port of Alton, Ill Also, of the
resignation of VIM. Fl. Merritt, surveyor of the
customs at Dubuque, Ill.
Applications fOr Bounty Lands up to las t
evening, $4,000 applications in all, for land
under the bounty land law of the last session
of Congress had been received at the Pension
Office.
A Light. House Keeper Dead.-Thomas I'm
derhill, keeper Of the lighthouse at Little
Watts Island, is dead.
An Appointment The President has ap.
pointed John j. Gage, of Miss, to be Receiver
Of Public Moneys at Grenada, Miss.
The Current Operations OF the Treasury
DerarIn eDt.-0n yesterday, the 18th April
there were Of Treasury Warrants entered on