Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-08-05

eighty miles up patches Of grass lands, orchards
and here and there little wheat oat field, an
pear IN sight allcared for with far more attention
to minute details than is common in the south |
"A hve-scre field secms 70 be a considerable one |
here, and as much labor seems to be besseywetfl
upon II as upon many really profitable five hun.
dred-acre field IN Virginia. Where cereals are
cultivated here, II must be simply to prepare the |
fields for other crops, or for lawns. | presume
that every acre have seen to-day in which crops
can be grown. is worth from five thousand down
to two or three hundred dollars (each) which
prices land cannot be devoted to the production
Of the cereals without great loss.
| observe an apparent decrease Of sailing Graf,
upon the river-hardly tentir,a az many have /
seen to-day as was accustomed to pass and meet
ten years ago when making similar trip upon
the Hudson. Steam has taken the place of sails
of course, here. as elsewhere Cotton il king but
Steam is the prime minister, without whose assist
ance COtton's reign could not exist. We see most
of King Cotton's sway at the South; and here, of
| that Of Steam. Nay, the Calliope is even now
ringing in my ears-the newly invented Amer
| lean organ blown by the waste steam of the loco
| motive or steamer, and manipulated on just as
piano or organ is touched. In tone it by no
| means comes up to ordinary street organ
| though its notes are strong those OF the
| ordinary steam whistle. 1t is Of interest only
as novel and fantastic application of waste
steam. The attached to the engine of this boat
| makes horrd discord in its effort to make music
We now at the Poughkeepsie landing
| Though one of the handsomest towns on the river
it is SO built back Of the front high grounds as
that nothing is seen Of it from the water but few
| very ordinary buildings. used for manufacturing
| purposes Above Poughkeepsie, the Hudson loses
| much of its extraordinary interest with which
1 ma uYp hi nd
1t. From the city to the upper point Of the High
lands every foot Of both banks is sacred ground to
| patriotic Americans, 1t will be remembered and
at every turn Of the river some spot glides into
| view that has been rendered famous by some
striking revolutionary incident
| My fellow-passengers seem to be. for the most
part, very gium and unsociable set It is how
the custom Of the country for travellers at the
| North to be exceedingly exclusive. So many
travel here, and this region is so replete with ad-
venturers, whose acquaintance is anything but de-
sirable, as that necessity has compelled all who
would not be taken in, when travelling here, to be
exceedingly careful how they extend their personal
| acquaintance under such circumstances. We
have the usual allowance of peddlers and mendi-
| cants upon the boat No greater nuisance exists
than the custom of permitting them to ply their
trades on public conveyances. We but little
'.
and it is to be hoped that the time may be long
hence before Southern steamboat owners permit
their passengers to be dogged for hours by such
people. WD VII.
| IMPORTANT DECISION IN REFERENCE TO POSTAL
ROUTES The Acting Commissioner Of the Gen
eral Land Office in reply to a letter of mail con-
tractor inquiring whether upon renewing mail
contract upon the same route contractor have
/ tn nj sta otbo
lected under his old contract, renders the follow
ing decision
Congress, in It's general policy affecting the
public lands, has been careful to limit by partcu-
lar laws the right to the part of settlers
hut to one selection, and by analogy. In the alb
sence OF any express provision to the contrary. we
must, IN administering laws embracing the prin-
ciPle OF presumption. constrre them being SUBJ
Ject to the same Limitation. Hence under the
postal presumption allowed by the Sd Of March,
1885, the right TO select stations is restricted TO and
exhausted under the first contract and that no re-
| newal of the contract renews the right to make
| further selections
| Inc po1cy OF the law allowing this privilege
| was louhdcd In the hypothesis that grants of
lands at convenient distances for mail stations n,
| routes to the Pacific, would not only afford sun
plies essential to the service but would encourage
| inm grafton and settlement in the line Of the
route. Therefore it was that the several stations
allotted were restricted to the respective distance
| Of ten miles. 1t was deemed that this distance
| petweeh the stations was near enough to meet the
| object of the law. To allow a contractor there
| fore, upon renewal of his contract on the same
route, the privilege of making a new selection of
| stations. would interfere with the distance already
| established, aud would, upon SUGGEST We renewals
absorb all the lands on the route without benefit
| To tie public. IL undoubtedly was the policy of
| the statute that stations once erected on a fixed
| line OF route, would pass from one contractor to
MS SUCCESSOR the former agreeing to the latter for
any fixture that he might have established as a
| matter between the parties themselves
| 1t is therefore the opinion Of this Office that
| upon the renewal Of contract to carry the mail
on the same route, the contractor not entitled to
select stations other than those already selected
under his first contract"
Iowa SWAMI LAND GRANTs-A few DAYS since
the Secretary Of the Interior gave further exposi
ton OF the decision Of the Department in reference
10 certain lands in Iowa, which, selected as swamp
| lands under the grant of September %, 1850 are
| also designated as lands which would fall to the
| State OF Iowa under another grant for railroad
| purposes The confirmation Of the selection of
these lands as swamps has for some time been sus-
| pended, because Of afidavits being on file In the
| Land Once representing them To be dry The
| Secretary holding that further delay would be Of
greater detriment both TO the State and the United
States than any that can occur in instructin,
the General Land Office he says if the title of the
State under the grants for railroads to the particu
| nON nd