Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-01-18
EVENING STAR.
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.


BILE building, corner Of Z and Seventh streets
g Items was there lately, and took peep
into the dead letter department. some ven
cradle, gray-haired clerks, were hard. at work
upon the last quarters returns One was
opening the mail bags and sorting the pack
ages; and others were opening and distrlb-
uting the letters. They wore long white
aprons, and were seated at wide deal tables
Missives Of all sizes, shapes and characters
with every variety Of address, color of ink
and figure Of post mark, were passing through
their hands; now it was a dun, now a nete,
and now letter with heavy black seal
1t seemed to matter little to the clerks what
they were handling From long habit they
open them mechanically and fling them aside
with scarce glance at their contents. Here
comes up, enclosed in an embossed envelope,
dalntly noticed, sweet-scented, nicely
folded epistle, filed from beginning to end
with most elegant specimens of crow-quill
penmanship You can just catch the ad-
dress: Z" Miss Angelina A" All, Miss
Angelina, what treasure you missed that
time, and what sweatings, and perplexi-
tiles 1T cost the poor devil who penned it
What mendiDgs of pens, and crampings of
fingers and blottiDgs Of paper. What bit
1 lngs OF nails, and rackings Of brain, and
consuitings Of complete letter writers :"
and all for what? For. ntLi for the pleasure
of having it inspected by an elderly clerk-a
man who "pishes ~ and "pshaws.'' at it
who holds 1T contemptuously between his
thumb and finger, and thrusting his nail un-
der the seal, tears it rudely open-that let
ter and having satisfied himself that 1t con-
tains noting UaluabLe, losses it with speed into
the same receptacle with foolscap business
letters, dirty catalogues, and last years
grOceT's circulars. Strange that q man of
letters should have so little taste. All he
means to deserve our better opinion. He
rs examining letter with much interest
1t Is dirty, awkwardly folded affair, and
sealed with a villainOus red wafer, but il con-
tsins an encloSure-a little obong bit Of thin
Witty brown paper. 1t bears divers marks,
and figures, that are curious, apparently, for
the two clerks get their heads together and
eye 1t with great intensity. Its poor, miseIa-
bic, dirty rag, in itself, but it has amiable
relations. Its connections under different
aliases, as" tin, " pewter" mopusses,"
''chiuk, f" putty" Crooks" &c, are widely
known and universally respected. 1t repre-
sents money, and the man handles it tenderly
and puts it in box.
Judging from the whimsical medley of AZ
ticles in store at the Department, taken from
letters, it would appear that the good people
Of the United States indulge pretty enlarged
ideas as to whstconstitutes, 'msilable matter"
Anything under a four-po bed,tead, seems to
be the understanding. Here were deeds of
land sheet gingerbread, portions of a galvanic
battery, dsguerreotypes, patterns of cloth.
fishing tackle, (poTtabls rOds) gloves, silks,
Brandreths pills, cotton socks, whole tea SETS
(DIIRtot"re ones,) ink powders, Greek Testa-
ments, "French without a Master" Shaker
garden seeds, GillOt's pens, specimens of min
erals, locks Of hair-red, yellow, brown, and
observation-disclosures nail gimblets, ladies find
lngs, musllns, linens, and pOplins, chemizettes
cOllarettes, and parasolettes, drugs and medi-
cines, pincushions. bead-bsgs, breast pins,
and purses, drawings in India ink, samples
q n - l..
hero that might have been seen, ;" numbers
OF pictorial Bibles, Mysteries of New York."
highteeps, sewing silk, embroidered slippers
etc, etc, etc. indeed an attempt at enumeT-
ating the articesis perfectly futile. Items
soon got tired of that, and fell to wondering
how such crookery c0utd get into Uucle Sans
mails under the head Of letters. The new law,
requiring the pre- payment Of letters Is how
ever, pretty effective veto upon such matter;
and, unless the law should be repealed, the
present collection of odds and ends is not likely
u be increased much, but will be preserved
as curious relic of the past
COURT OF CLAINs.-Yesterday, the argu-
ment IN the case of Thomas III. Baird vS The
United States, in which Communication paw is
claimed for DR.. Absalom Baird, who was a
commissioned surgeon in the revolutionary
army, was concluded by Mr.. Rockwell; and
the case was submitted for the decision of the
court.
Tbs case Of John Ericsson as. The United
States was next called up for argument. This
= a claim for compensation for services rem
dered in planning and experimenting the con-
Sruction of the machinery of the United States
steamer Princeton, and is founded on the rem
dering OF the services at the instance and re-
quest Of Robert Z. Stockton, the agent of the
United States, and the understanding and i'm
Piled contract that the United States should
pay for the same what they might be found
reasonably worth. The amount claimed is
stated to be els $50, with interest on the same
from the 18th Of March, 1874. The argument
in favor Of the claimant was opened by John
D, Sargent, Esq. who concluded his remarks;
when the court adjourned.
WASHINGTON PHILHARMONIC SoCIEfY.-The
regular weekly rehearsals of this Society,
which had been suspended during the session
OF the Musical Convention, have now been re-
sumed At their meeting last evening, we
learn that the following resolutions were uni
mOusly adopted:
Resolved, That the thanks Of the w ashing-
ton Philharmonic Society be presented to Pro-
fessOrs A. N johnson and E. Fl Frost, for their
valuable instructions and their exertions in
advancing the science Of music, during the
Convention recently held in this city; and,
likewise, TO Misses Whitehouse and Briggs, for
ReSotUsd, That the thanks Of the Society
be also rendered TO Professor Henry, for the
use Of the Smithsonian Institute for the said
Convention.
ReSoirsd, That the above resolutions be
published in the Daily Evening Star and
Organ.
SUPREME Yesterday-No. % Jock
er Tore Co. ct. al claimants, Us John
Montgomery Appeal from the Circuit Court
Of the United States for the District Of Column
bia. Mr.. Justice Daniel delivered the opin-
ion Of the Court, affirming the decree of the
said Circuit Court in this cause, with costs
Nos. AZ and 43. The heirs of Gen. Lafayette,
plaintiffs in error, as. Joseph kenton e. A.,
and the heirs Of General Lafayette, plaintiffs
in error, rs. Edward C.. Carter et al. The
argument of these causes was continued by
the Hon. j. P. Benjamin for the defendants
in error, and concluded by Hon. Miles Taylor
for the plaintiffs in error; and then the Court
adjourned.
Coop We invite the attention of all dr-
vers, especially to the coachman Of a promi-