Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-02-24


every instance the works are almost completed;
requiring the expenditure of but comparatively
little more to make the States capital so far
invested in them available in the way of re-
turning interest. The monetary condition of
the times having greatly alarmed men In the |
Legisiature who know little of aught that
transpires beyond the limits of their respective
counties, such of her representatives have been
struggling desperately against the idea of tax
ing their constituents to finish the improve
ments. That policy on their part is equivalent
to opposing the plan of finishing new court
house that has beencompleted, all to putting q
roof on it.
{. But from ourlastinformationf from Richmond
upon the subject we have every reason to hope
thatthe short-sighted views of the obstruction
lists in the Legislature will in every case be
voted down, We are happy to be able to say
The idea of abandoning the completion Of her
Covington railroad, and of the extension of her
Orange road to Lynchburg,i both of which can
now be finished for very little money, compar-
atiyely, and each of which is destined with its
connections) to convey q thousand passengers
daily across her whole breadth, to say nothing
Of freight tperhaps each 100 car loads daily
each way is SO suicidal as that those of her leg
islators who favor it, seem to US to be better suit
ed to occupy cells in her Staunton Institution,
than to legslate for common sense people in
her State House.
The Secretary of the Navy has received letter
from Lieut.. Maury respecting a plan for com
putting the force of the wind, by which the lat
ter gentleman thinks it probable that the liza
bility to disasters on our Northern lakes may
be obviated to a considerable extent. He says
that Professor Bays Ballat, of Holland, claims
to have discovered proportional relation be-
tween the force Of the wind and the difference
OF simultaneous barometric pressures at certain
stations, by means of which he has succeeded
in deducing rules for calculating each morning
the maximum force of the wind during the en-
suing day. Prof. B. asserts that this system
has been observed by him in Holland, and
during five years the force of the wind has in
no instance exceeded what his calculations in
Dictated. To outwardbound vessels on the lakes
this would be of the highest advantage, as il
would enable them to predict in the morning
whether they would be safe during the day in
case they put to sea. They could also tell the
safest hour during the day for setting sail
The CULL0a AND CLAY AFFAIR-At 2 D. m.
to-day, it seemed to be understood that neither
Mr.. Clay nor Mr.. Cullom had returned to
Washington, though the gentlemen credited
by rumOr last night rs acting as their immcdi-
ate friends were certainly at the Capitol from
noon to-day, we mean the Hon Mr.. Johnson of
Arkansas, and Major Hawkins of kentucky,
and the Hon Mr.. Zollicoffer, of Tennessee, the
latter understood to be Mr.. Cullom's friend
We mentioned yesterday the fact that rumor
attributed to the Hon Mr. Mason, of Kentucky,
the position Of second to Mr.. Clay which can
hardly have been so, judging from all We now
learn.
The impression now prevails that an AMIGA
BILE adjustment of the difficulty has certainly
been arrived at. We trust it may be true,
though the continued absence of both-Mess-s.
Clay and Cullom-from public places in Wash
ingtOn leads US to fear that the truth may be
otherwise The short extract which we pub
lish from this mornings Baltimore SIM, con-
corning the proceedings of Mr. Cullom in and
around that city should be received with eau
ton. We place little faith in its details
OVERLAND MAIL ROUTE TO CALIFORNIA
The communication of Postmaster General A.
V. Brown to the Post Office and Post Roads
Committee of the House of Representatives,
respecting the overland mail route to Califor-
MIA, has been printed, and is now on our table.
1t contains some eleven pages, and, as is usual
with the documents from the pen of that
official, is prepared with marked ability 1t
demonstrates irrefragibly, those who read
it will at once comprehend, the wisdom of all
that the Administration have done concerning
overland mail communication with California.
Tomorrow We hope to be able to spread before
the Stars readers satisfactory abstract of
this important paper.
The VACANT NORTH CAROLINA U. S. Dis
TRICr JUDGEsHIP.-It seems to be understood
that there is in progress quite spirited con-
test for this position, made vacant in December
last by the death of the late venerable Judge
Potter. We hear the names of Senator Bigcs,
the Hons. Romulus NJ. Saunders and Aaron
Venable, and Mr.. Holmes of Wilmington, men
toned as being the most prominent among the
candidates for the appointment s.,
Our hope is that it may fall to the lot of the
first mentioned gentleman, because we know
him to possess one Of the best balanced minds
and characters with which an Anne rican public
man was ever gifted; while in point of attain
ments, fitting one for precisely such position,
he is without superior anywhere
A SPIRITED DEBATE occurred in the Senate
chamber yesterday, between Senators Bell and
johnson, of Tennessee, wherein the former an
nounced his intention Of not being governed BY
the instructions Of his Legislature upon the
Kansas question in its present phase, and the
latter defended them, and enforced the right of
their author-the Legislature of Tennessee-to
OnIr ho1, o..