Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-09-09
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
: Cyrye,pgndence cf' Tic RicA1nona EAquirer. ]
NEw YORK, Sept. 8, 1859.


Since the date of my last letter, the steamer
keystone State has been advertised, in the
Herald. to sail with the United States Mails for
Nicaragua on the 9TH October. The aforesaid
mails. with passengers, IRE 10 be sent across the
Isthuus and meet the Herman on the other
side. which they say will convey them to San
Francisco The price Of tickets is not men.
toned. nor is any name affixed to the adver-
tisement. 1t winds up, however, with no
lice to those who wish further information TO
call at No. 3, Bowling Green.
johnson states that he has sold out his in
tcrest to Sloo a Co., who are to pay him GER
tain per ccntagc on the working OF the line.
He also SAYS that Capt. Wright, who owns the
Herman, has agreed to sell her 10 the new com.
pany.
: Iii, Herman is an old boat, formerly run
in the Brennan and Southampton lie, and be-
ing considered unfit for that service was with
drawn and sold for some Si0,0 900 and sent
round to the Pacific, and has for months beer
tied up in San Francisco. The keystone
State is another boat not fit for the service,
without material repairs. Notwithstanding
these prctcnccs and iiourishes on the part of
Spectators and jobbcrs, we must reteratc our
belief that the Government is in a fair way OF
being most gloriorSly hunbugged r.gardins
this new mail contract via Nicaragua.
We have seen no evidence yet to satisfy us
that anv reliable measures have been adopted
to transport the United States mail by the
way of Nicaragua. At last accounts, a small
steamer which had left Greytown for tie Lake
of Nicaragua had, in ascending the San Juan
river stuck fast on the Baccha shoals. We
have no proof that parties pretending 10 act
under the johnson contract have any ability
to execute il in good faith. We have no evil
dencc that they have either placed bargcS and
boats on tue river and lake ef Nicaragua. nr
carriages and animals, for the land transporta.
ton, on the iSthnus And suppose they com.
mcncc with the steamers Keystone State and
Herman, where are their mans to purchase
additional boats to take their places on each
side Of the Pacific by the 2uh of August =
The whole affair is regarded " wcll-inf.rmed
men as rcsularbuilt humbug Time will
soon prove who is ri ght. Vanderbilt Co., al.
vcrtlSc 20 run their line rs usual, via Panama.
The three Collins steamers, the Atlantic, the
Baltic and Adrialic. are adyer; sed 10 run on
new line between this city and San Francisco.
VIA Panama, under the name Of the Northern
Atlantic Steamship Company. The first will
sail on the 9TH of October, and he second on
the Goth of the same month. They have been
completely oycrhaulcd and rciitcd. and new
S,aterooms added on their upper decks, so as
greatly To enlarge their accommodations for
passengers. II is supposed that they will be
able to convey the large number Of 1000 pas
SenscrS each with ease and comfort. These
steamers, rs to speed AID safety will surra>s
those of every other line that has hitherto run
between New York and Caliiornia. and will add
mach to the rapidi,y and comi"r Of travel he
tween the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
The city finances are AT Il hitch just now
The COMPTROLLER who had issued sealed proio-
SAILS for between 5000 400 and SjOouu0 Ten
trail Park loan bends at six per cent, on open
Ing the bids last week, found that only about
half the amount was proposed i"r at par, and
fraction over. The city cred; is good, rs all
It's real estate, Central Park included is plcds-
e for tic redemption Of its debts. ~ money
can be ready invested i'll other good securities
at per cent, it is hardly to he expected that
a loan. however good, unless marketable IN Lon
don. will be taken at Il per cent In coIsc-
Gucncc Of this failure Of the Comptroller to
raise the wind, the superintendent Of the
Central Park, yesterday, discharged ! ,uod men,
He had J. 100 employed on the grounds and
still retains LOO City officials and employees
have also had the payment OF their salaries de-
lavcd. owing 10 >quabb,cS in the Board Of SUI
pcrvisors, who act rs n sort Of Commissioners
of the Treasury, ami whose sanction TO appro'
priations is necessary before payments can b.
made The Comptroller, III the meantime,
from resources in hand has paid off half the
quarterly salaries due, and for The rmalrlcr
awaits the action Of the Supervisors
The Central Park is costly affair, anal will
enormously increase the taxes of the city. We
remarked to tax-paying friend who was gruln-
bling on the subject, that he ought not To conf
plain. that lit was only changing the deposits. y
"lIow so:" said he why We replied, "wc
arc only disintcrring gold from the graves Of
Chiroiiii for the purpose Of huryin. II again in
the Central Park
Speaking of the lIarpers, though the follow
ing annccdote has been known for some time
il will bear publication. OF the four brothers,
one carries the charity purse for the whole; and
has obtained the designation among the i'ater
nitv. Of the "LorTs num-" When an appeal Is
made to them for charity, they refer the appi-
cant to the Lord as they briefly call him.
One day, Il reverend gentleman, Oh collecting
tour for a church, or some missionary purpose,
and who was 4 stranger to them, encountered
in their building the senior Of the finn, and
stated that he wished To see him on some bust
ness. What is You business: cnfulred the
senior" 81 have come said the divine, "on
the business of the Lord" "Thc Lord has
steppcd out" returned the senior, meaning his
brother, who carried the charity purse. The
minister considered that the house was in 4
bad way if 1.-THE Lord had deserted it.
The recurrence of the Northern lights, on
the 2nd inst, has developed some curious facts
in relation to their influence on telegraph wires
Between Pi,tshurg and Philadelphia the cleo
trici,v of the Aurora Borcais took possession of
the telegraph line of wire, say about 800 miles
in length, and it became so surchangei as 10
enable the operators to communicate with
each ether without the use of batteries, which
would otherwise have been Indispensable
This fact proves that the air surrounding the
wires for the whole distance must have been
highly charged with the electrical fluid. The
iron wire being good conductor, and Insulated
at both ends, became filled rs it were with it,
Hence. when the batteries were dctachcd, and
the Instruments NOIhci, ~ a. W va N'h "'it
new the connection with the ground. the usual
telegraph signals were obtained and messages
intcrchanycd In this case the great body
of the atmosphere was grand electrical bate
nv, from which the wire was rcplcniShcd with
the fluid as often as each connection was made
with the ground and then broken again, so as
to make a series Of distinct signals.
A second fact has been established by the
effect of auroras on telegraph wires, and that
is that they occur with intensity in broad day
light, though not visible TO the naked eye
The operators in Boston found that they were
severely troubled with aurorcal electricity on
the morning Of the End inst. from an carly
hour up to 10 or l o'clock. \. NJ, which they
considered was equally as intense as that en-
perienccd previously during the night. Thus,
after years Of speculative doubt, the use of
telegraph wires has established beyond all
question the electrical character Of the Aurora