Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-10-30
WARRINGTON Kxws AND GOSSIP.

hend the drift Of the remarks we took occa-
sion, not long since, to make on the prospect
for the continuance of the Court Of Claims
We assure that respectable and respected
journal that We are quite as earnest and
anxious for the continuance of that tribunal,
and that it may meet the ends for which it
was established, a. It's conductor can be. Those
ends are not, however, such as he seems to
imagine. 1t is not, and was not intended to
be legal tribunal, the cases coming under
its examination being all such as cannot be
relieved by due action of any existing law;
and hence the application to Congress for spe-
cial laws to meet the just requirements of each
such case.
Inns Court OF Claims is, in fact, and in law,
but an advisory board. Congress, in deter
mining what its duties should be, expressly,
and by carefully matured design, made them
but advisory, on the ground not only of the
inexpedienoy Ct delegating to any court or
board the right to determine what payments
should be made from the national treasury
for which there may be no warrant in ex-
isting law, but because their power SO to do
was not clear. Most of the opposition in Con.
gress to the creation of this court or board was
based on the want of power in Congress to
delegate any such authority.
Now, We trust, with the Commercial Adver.
tiser, that the recommendations of the Court
OF Claims may be such as to inspire Congress
with that sense Of their justice and propriety,
as will insure prompt and favorable action on
all claims they endorse as being such as should
be lquidated by the Government
Up to this time, We rejoice to have it In our
power to say, their action has been marked
with due caution and by the evident purposo
of doing strict justice to the Government as
well as to the claimants. Anything less on
their part, we repeat, will insure the speedy
dissolution of the tribunal which really bids so
fair to supply the desideratum, through the
want of which the public service has suffered
heavily (by hasty ard Misunderstood legisla-
ton in favor of fraudulent or exorbitant pri-
vate bills) and honest claimants ON Govern.
ment have been starved into their graves by
scores.
Australia.-Professor Harvey, the distin
guished naturalist of Ireland, who is now Wis.
iting the islands of the Pacific, says of the
climate Ct Australia, that " it seems as nearly
perfect as a sublunary climate can well be-
There is less rain, and a greater number of
clear days than in England. OF the plants, he
says, many common English weeds are natural
lied, and some are perfect pests. Horehound
is everywhere by the road sides, and chamo
mile covers the fields in many places to the
exclusion Of grasses. Thistles are fast goip,
ahead in Van Dieman's Land; there are hun
dreds Of acres given over to them, and grow
ing so thick in some places that he has walked
over his shoes in the bed Of thistle down, which
had blown from the withered stems. He has
seen oaks heavily laden with welI-grown
acorns; but there are no trees as yet of large
size. Elms and ash are not common. He has
not seen any of the pine tribe in cultivation,
except few recently introduced to the 3D.
tanic Garden and Hobart-town. The great
staple In the garden-wsy, Of the colony, is in
apples, pears, plums, and cherries-all OF
which thrive remarkably well Gooseberries,
currants, raspbeIries, and strawberries grow
equally we'll. But peaches and nectarines
are only ft for tarts, and often fall off before
they are ripe. Grapes just ripen, and no more
and are Of small size. The ferns or alya are
of huge size and great luxuriance.
Professor Harvey has devoted several years
to the study and collection of marine plants.
and the Smithsonian Institution has published
two parts Of work on this subject, in which
all the specimens collected on the Atlantic
coast Of North America are described. lie is
now collecting specimens in the Pacific for the
same purpose. He gives his time, travelling
expenses, and labor freely for the purpose of
adding to the sum OF human knowledge, and
the Institution publishes the results of his in
vestigations as valuable and interesting con-
tribution to science.
The sea in every climate, and at all known
depths, is tenanted by these vegetables. They
are necessary for the support of the animals
that inhabit the sea, they keep pure the water
and yield considerable portion ofoxygen gas
to the atmosphere. The, gsneral uses Of the
alg@, apparent as they are on a slight refec-
tion, are apt to be overlooked by the utilita-
rian querist. We will, therefore, mention a few
of them apart from the considerations alluded
to already. As food, several species of alg@
are used both by savage and civilized man.
they furnish winter proyender for cattle on the
northern shores of Europe; as manure they are
very valuable; as sources of carbonate of sod .
and iodine they are extensively used; they
furnish various medicines and are applied in
the arts. The study of the alg@ is also Of
special interest to the Psychologist.
Mt John Y. Mason Some of the Northern
journals that loose no opportunity to pick
holes in the acts of the Administration, for
want Of something just now on which to hang
q carpipg paragraph with the semblance of
fair reason, have seized on brief paragraph
appearing not long since in the STAR announc-
ing the continued physical disability of the
Toh