Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-10-01


few evenings since. 1t is said, too, that their
nominal fire apparatus is so wholly useless for
suppressing fires as to be no more than, prac-
tically, cover for the congregation of mouvais
snjets around it with impunity-beng buta
single section Of hose on an old reel obtained
from Baltimore, and kept in a stable in back
alley.
We know that for years past hangers-on of
the Northern Liberties Fire Company have
been engaged repeatedly in fire riots, and are
reputed to be among the most turbulent and
troublesome youths known to the Washington
police, ---.-------------------- .-.-.---
Under such circumstances, is it not high time
that the municipal government took both sets
In hand so efficiently as to cure the evil of their
propensity to violate the laws - - $780,
OPINION OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.-Sub-
Joined is the opinion of the Attorney General
| in relation to postage stamps and stamped en-
velopes sent to postmasters
ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE, } IS
| .- September %, 1857.
SIR Your letter of the 23d instant has been re.
ceived, in which you ask my opinion on the right
Of postmasters TO be credited In certain for
stamps and stamped envelopes not returned nor
A close consideration Of the act Of Congress,
the practice Of the Department, the decisions Of
the supreme Court upon analogous questions,
Is How 57s, and IL How 15i ) and the general
principles Of law applicable to the subject, has
brought me to the conclusion that the following
rules ought to be considered as settled and clear
| L. postmaster should have credit for stamps
he is charged with, when he can show that they
were destroyed without any fault of his own be-
fore he sold or used them. Letter stamps cost the
Government so little to get them made that il can
| counted VA siSfS in
| fact that each Of them represents three cents In
the payment Of postage. Their destruction, there
| fore, is no appreciable loss to the Government
and no gain at all to anybody else. An officer
| ought not to suffer for an unavoidable accident
| which does no harm.
2; But if the stamps should be stolen or lost,
| and get into the hands of those who may them.
| and thus deprive the Government Of so much rev.
| enue, the postmaster should be held for them.
One who has the custody Of public money or pro-
perty, and is paid for taking of it, cannot get
rid of his responsibility by showing a theft or an
| accidental loss. He is an insurer Of its safety
against all perils Of that kind lh.t =
| 3. III he destroys them by his own wanton act
or negligently suffers them to be destroyed, he Is
answerable, on the principle that no nam shall be
allowed to have any advantage from his ownsio-
| lation Of duty. ......-. ....'.. -
4. When stamps are sent to postmaster by
| mail they are charged against him at the time
they are sent, and the presumption is that he re-
| ceived them. If he demands a credit on the
| ground that he never got them, he should be re-
| CURED to repel the presumption by his own oath
at least and by all the other proof which, in the
particular case, he can produce. But If the Post
master General Is satisfied that they never reached
him, he ought to have the credit. His legal re-
| sponsibility for stamps does not actually begin
| until he has them in his hands
| 5. II he asserts that he returned stamps to the
| Department which never came there, and proves
| that he mailed them, he entities himself to a
credit for in sending them lie does his duty, and
| the subsequent loss of them is not his fault But
he should be held to strict proof of this by some
| thing stronger than his own cath. He can easily
| get a witness to the act Of mailing them -'
| am, most respectfully, yours, &c,
| Hon. A. v. Bnowx, Postmaster General.
| EXTENSION OF THE SIXTH PRINCIPAL MERI-
DIAN IN NEBRAsKA.-The returns of the pub
lie surveys have been made TO the General
Land Office, by the Surveyor G eneral of Kan
sas and Nebraska, showing the extension and
the establishment of the sixth principal meri-
dian from township eight north to the intersee-
ton of the Missouri river, in township thirty
three north of the base line, or the line divid-
ding Kansas from Nebraska. The meridian in
its passage north crosses Big Blue river, in
| township ten north south channel of Platte
river, in township sixteen north; the main
channel of Platte river, twenty-five chains in
width, and the LOup Fork of Platte river,
eighteen chains, in township seventeen north |;
| Elkhorn river, in township twenty three north;
Bluffs, one hundred and fifty feet high, two
| miles south of the Missouri river; and finally,
the meridian line, after running 1917 mileg, 10
chains and 20 links north of the base line, in
tersects the Missouri river.
APPoINTMENTs-TheP President has recently
made the following appointments
Thomas J Churchill Postmaster at Little
Rock, Ark, vice j. E. Reardon, resigned.
Harvey P. Yale Postmaster at Grand Rapids,
Mich, vice Truman II. Lyon, resigned.
Albert L. Porter Postmaster at Cold Water,
Mich, vice Corydon P. Benton.
William Pitt Plat Postmaster ut Plattsburs,
N. Y, vice Charles S. Moores, resigned
John ID. Evans, of Me-, Receiver of Public
Moneys at Minneapolis, Minnesota Territory,
in place of X. P. Russell, resigned.
Thomas Sargent, Of Iowa, Receiver of Public
Moneys at Fort Dodge, Iowa, in place of " p
Van Antwerp, resigned.
| NAVAL Courts OF ISQuIRY-Before Court
No. to-day the testimony of Purser SIamm,
called by the applicant, in the case Of Lieut..
|
closed. As we 60 to press, the counsel of Lieut.
T., Mr.. BlOunt, was preparing to commence
reading the defence
Before Court No. 2, the ease of Lieut. Wal.
bach being still up Commanders Young and
Schenk were examined in the applicant behalf
Before Court No. 3, in the case of Lieut..
Refill, which is still before them, Surgeon D.
Harlan, and Passed Assistant Surgeon w. E.
Wysham, were examined in the applicants be-
half. .... ..
| The SIXTH Authorship OF THE TREASURY
DR.. Tate, of Va, the new Sixth Auditor of the
Treasury, was duly commissioned this morn
ing and entered upon the discharge of the duties
of the Office, after visit to all the rooms occ
pied by his bureau, and an introduction to the
Government employees to be under his direc
| ton.
| LANDs RRsYpvFn Tho Conp,;soso,ar 81