Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-09-11

ed and freights are very scarce and low, bu. the
season Tor the shipment OF the incoming crop
North and South is rapidly approaching, when
more activity and better rates will no doubt be
the result ,; An over supply Of shipping soon
sho Z time bringsthe supply down to the demand
by the decay and loss of vessels. ''-Nsw Yoyk
Correspondence Of the InteHigeneer.
The Postmaster General has recently added
an Important and valuable link to the mail facili
ties on the Pacific, by a contract for four wears
with the Pacific Mali Steamship Company, for
| the regular transportation of the mails semi
monthly from San Francisco to Olympia, on our
extreme northern boundary, touching at Hum
boldt Bay, Trinidad Crescent, and Tamaaua
cities, Astoria, Shoalwater, and our interminable
territories, In the advantages to all those settle
ments and to aud territories generally In that
quarter will be very great, and will materially
assist In developing their resources and adding to
| their prosperity and population. The Postmaster
General is entitled to great credit for the prompt
| ness with which he has carried this important
measure into effect, as it was only authorized by
Congress late in the last session.
| In politics we have nothing new; there ap-
pears to be perfect calm, just now, in the polit-
cal atmosphere of our city .n-NeW York Express.
IMPORTANT TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS
SubjOined is the decision of the Attorney Gene
raj in the case of H. l.. Gallaher who had
contract with the United States for doing GER
tain work on the Washington Aqueduct:
ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE, Sept S, 1857
SIR: H. l.. Gallaher had a contract with the
United States for doing certain work on the
Washington Aqueduct. He was to be paid by
| the cubic yard, and the Government reserved the
| right Of suspending the work under the contract
| at any time. The engineer I'm charge gave him
notice to suspend in July 1856, the appropriation
being exhausted, and the contractor was paid for
what had been done up to that time. In March,
1857, he was notified to resume his work, and did
| SO. He now says he is doing the work at a loss
| ana asks you In memorial, either to give him
| larger compensation than he bargaincd for, or
else to release him from the contract
You have no authority to do either Of these
things. You cannot absolve him from his obli-
CATION to do the work, and if he does it you can
price than the contract stipulates for This is
true, whether he was bound in law to resume
after the suspension or not II he was so bound,
1t is your duty not to release him; and if he is
! already released bv the suspension, he does not
| need your interference. Qua cnnqme uia data,
the result is the same he is asking for that which
cannot be given. In short, you have no power to
relieve him from the hardship he complains Of
either by giving him damages, by releasing him
from his present contract, or by making new
one. -
This is practical answer to the whole case
w hat the effect of the suspension may be upon
the rights of the contractor and his sureties is not
question for you, and consequently not for me,
to decide at present. The courts will settle it due
time, If it becomes necessary to raise it, In the
mean while, If the contractor quits his work or
otherwise violates the covenant he has made with
aud that of his sureties.
am, with great respect, yours, &c,
is BLACK.
Hon. J. b. Floyd, Secretary Of war.
The U. S. FRIGArE CoNGREss.-The NAVY
Department have dispatches from Commodore
Breese lin command of the u s. Mediterranean
s4uadrOn) dated on board his flag ship, the fri
gate Congress, at Smyrna, on the Ilth ult.
Having dispatched the Susquehanna to England
and the Constellation on a cruise westward-to
Lisbon-he left Leghorn about the 10th of May
with the Congress for Trieste, reaching there
June 18th, having touched at Messina.
On the 3D. of August the Congress arrived at
Smyrna, having been prevented from going to
Constantinople by adverse winds On the way
to Smyrna the ship touched at Syria and the
Island of Santorin, at which latter place she
remained for some time to afford the action of
the waters Caused by a submarine volcano) an
opportunity to cleanse the ships bottom of bar
nacles, DC. The water in question is strongly
impregnated with iron, sulphur and magnesia,
and thus produces the desired effect
At the date of his despatch he was making
preparations to proceed to Constantinople, if
the weather favored-if not, to the coast of
Syria; proposing to reach spezzia by the LIST of
November
The NAVAL COURTS OF INQUIRY. Before
Court No. l, the case of It. Gray was to-day con-
cluded, except the reading of the defence. Tue
case of Mr.. c. H. March (ex-Passed Midship-
man) was then taken up, and Commander Al
fred Taylor, Lit. Edward Lanier and Lit. John
He'll were examined on the Governments be-
half, In this case, Messrs. Phillips and Blount
are the applicants counsel.
Before Court No. 2, the case of Lit. William
son is still pending. 1t. Corbin, Capt Hunter,
Capt. Armstrong, Gen. John M. Gregory, of
Virginia, and Capt. Henry w. Morris were ex-
amined to-day in behalf of the applicants
Before Court No. 3, 1t. Temple was exam
ined on the Governments behalf, in the case
of Commander Lockwood, in which the testimo-
ny is closed The defence is to be read TO- NOR
row.
COSFIRMED.-The Indian Bureau have off
cial advices confirming the particulars of the
newspaper account of the murder of somewhat
deranged German, not long since, near Gall
Lake, by half-breed and two Chippewas Of
the Pillageo band-all three having been edu
Gated at the mission. They were subsequently
hung by the settlers.
According to the accounts from the Indian
Agents, a man named Selkirk, son of a mis-
sionary among the Ottawas in Michigan, was at
the bottom of this murder, having furnished
the Indians with the whisky on which thew
were drunk. This fact accounts for the dispo-
sition of the settlers to lynch him also, though
he made the arrest Of the murderers.