Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-12-14
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

which the immediate frlends Oh MI. banksstlcK
to him They are impatient of the delay in
giving others II chance, and are saying not few
hard things of the apparent determination Of
the simon-pure Banks men to follow the exam
pie set by the Democrats in their adherence to
Mr.. Richardson. Thus, they point to the ex-
ample of Mr.. Campbell, of Ohio, as being
worthy of all praise, and as being eminently
the fair thing in the present condition of the
Opposition. Some Of the friends of Mr.. Camp
bell are certainly most impatient that every
Opposition candidate shall have his day on
the course as speedily as possible; that the
plurality rule may be brought into play in
due time for the solution of the difficulty.
These gentlemen remember that in 1S49,
although Mr.. Cobb had fallen from the highest
number of votes cast, to two forlorn ones, the
plurality rule seated him in the Speakers
chair. Mr. Campbell's friends are certainly
of opinion that no other gentleman of the OPP
position is the first choice of half as many
members as prefer him to any other. AL
together the House is in a very knotty, gnarly
condition, and bids fair very shortly to be-
come exceedingly snappish, to boot. Weheard
a dozen persons in the Hall yesterday ex-
claiming with evident heartfelt emphasis,
"When WiH the friends of Mr.. Banks be
ready TO let some one else have show"
Great Curiosity.-The Smithsonian Insti.
tuition has just succeeded in obtaining for its
library rare and valuable book, printed in
Low Dutch, and published in Regensberg in
ll72. 1t contains specimens of paper from
almost every species of fbrous material, and
even animal substances, and has accounts of
the experiments made in their manufactures
The following materials were employed, and
specimens are given in the book: Wasps'
nests, saw dust, shavings, moss, sea weed, hep
and grape vines, hemp, mulberries, aloe
leaves, nettles, seeds, ground moss, straw,
cabbage stems, asbestos, wool grass. thistle
stems, seed wool of thistles, turf or peat. silk
plant, fir wood, Indian corn, pineapples, DO.
tatoes, shingles, beans, poplar wood, beech
wood, willow, sugar cane, leaves of horse
chestnuts, tulips, linden, &C., &c.
This book is well worth inspection by those
Interested in the art OF paper making, as well
as the scientific Investigator. We arc informed
that the author Of the book, Jacob Christian
Schatter, is an ancestor of Prof Schaffer, one
of tho chief examiner. of the United States
Patent Office, whose is himself one of the most
men OF our country.
Thurlow Weed, Esq.-This distinguished
gentleman, after spending, what we take 20
have been very an xious week, indeed among
US, left our city on the afternoon of the day
before yesterday for his home-Albany. From
the fact that no yesterday telegraphed from
New York city, to New York member, of
kindred politics, an urgent solicitation that
he should ''stamd fast" where lie is, he, (Mr.
W eed,) evidently continues to be somewhat
interested in the result Of the contest in the
House. 1t is believed by not 4 few, that he
has merely gone north for an additional sup
ply IF the peculiar liniment used by DR..
Greeley'S spinal disease corps, in rubbing the
back-boncs Of the northern national Wings
and Know Nothings. 1t is due to Mr.. Weed
thatwe should say that bis bearing while here,
was exceedingly amiabIe, coIteous, and agree
able, 10 everybody; and that if ne saw any,
thing that he did not fancy, like true gem
tleman, he merely shrugged his shoIdcrs bit
his lip and thought to himself that Washington,
after all, is not Albany, where things are
Ii anaged differently.
The Consulting Physicians
under the influence Of belief that the skill
'f his original corps of fifty spinal disease
doctors imported from the lobbies of Northern
Legislatures is about to prove Insufficient to
save the patient the organization of the House.
Or. Greeley seems to have recently called
in" four very distinguished and veteran prac-
titioners-Drs Preston King, Abijah Mann,
jr., Francis p. Blair, and Thomas H. Benton,
whom We saw all at once, not long since, in
the Hall, deeply immersed in the work of say
ing the life of the so evidently very i'll In an
Old fogies though they are, professionally,
they are exceedingly skilfuI gentlemen in
such cases, and will patch up a sort of cure if
that Is an achievement within the RANGE of
possibility. They can, however, hope bu. to
make him a cOnyalescent-weIIe enough to Off
ciate through mere organization. Indeed.
If they succeed in simply efTec,ing an ultra
anti-slayery organization of the House, the
effected to do that thing, will
not hold together a day after the committees
have been announced.
The U. S. Steam Frigste Merrimac. Tho
following is the list of the officers ordered to
this ship, now about to sail from the Boston
navy yard on a trial trip:
Commodore F II. Gregory, commanding;
w. Harrison, Edward Dom
aldson, +. Key Murray, J. NJ. Wainwright,
Jos. b. Smith, and NJ. p. Jones Master-Jpo.
W Huntington; Surgeon-D. Harlan Passed
Assistant SurgeOn-Jas. +. Harrison; Assist
ant SurgcOn-Eduin r. Dcnby; Purser-A.
Welch Chief Engineer-Wm. IL. Shock :;
First Assistant Engineers-A C. Sinners and