The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-01-31


Harvard College, took place at Cambridge, Mass
on Saturday night.
We referred a few days back, TO the overpay-
ment to a street contractor in Hoboken OF sum OF
SIS 600, transaction which has created no little
gossip in that town. 1t appears that contractor
from New York had a contract for paving ana nag
ging certain streets in Hoboken, and as the work
progressed he was allowed by his contract improve
ment certificates for rs per cent, payable In ninesy
days, the balance of rs per cent to be paid when
the work was completed. He received in this way
some IS 800: but when the work was finished he
sent in his bill in full, and the committee of the
Common Council passed il without having deducted
the rs per cent already paid, making total amount
of $I4 $780, an excess of the amount of the contract
of S. 800. The error not being discovered by the
officers of the Corporation until some two months
afterwards the contractor has been enabled to
realize on the certificates the full amount, with the
exception of about So OO0 The Common Council
have directed their attorney to take the matter in
hand.
The cotton market easier Saturday account Of the
foreign news while tho sales embraced about 500 900
bales The market closed one eight sent decline or on
the basis of IL per h. for mddng uplsnds As the
Arabias letters would be at hand Monday some ope'
ators disposed to await their receipt before DONG
much. The flour market was less active while the lower
and medium grades &C. loo. lower. Holders
manifested more willingness TO SELL Wheat continued to
be firmly held with fair Sales at full prices Corn was
dull with Light transactions, at quotations gwen IN an
other place. Pork heavy and lower; now mess sold
at SIS 1919 SIS closing at the inside hgue prime was
nominal SIS so SIS 62 The news by the Empire City
impaired more rmness to the sugar Market and after its
0nn ut nriv
rates. The circular of Messrs Fesser Co., dated Ha
vana January o. gives List of fourteen vessels which
had cleared from that port and Matanzas for the United
States since 4h nsart four OF which for New
York. They remark follows" Since our advices Of
the 4th inst the market for crop sugar has opened
with fair demand principally for Spain prices in pro-
portion to 94 10 rails for No. H. IL ii for No 10,
and 13e a IA for good to fine whites and owing TO the
large number of vessels in port planters show much firm
The crops of four have been contracted for
the following terms 5000 boxes at 13H rails for
whites u for Nos II and 49, 10 for Nos IL and 49, and
for No TO- 1000 boxes at SOS per box of 10 arrobes
The receipts at Havana this month 10000 boxes,
against 10000 900 in 1858, and 10000 in 1857.
In old crop only hear Of the sale of few small lots
9s rails for No H. and 900 boxes very dampsh whites
at II rails" They state also that the weather had been
mewhat unfavorable but grinding had been stopped
embraced 900 boxes and 5000 old crop. They
quote muscovados at TX TX rails, with ready sales for
iddlng to good refining and state that So rails for fair
grocery grades had been refused The exports for the
ports for this month to the United States embraced
boxes against 266 for the period last year
of which 256 exported to New York; against s98
last year. The total to all foreign ports amounted to
$751; against 81 413 for the same month in 1853 The
freghts to the United States to rails per box
SO so to 81 per hhd for sugar, and 81 So so for
lasses, and at 37s Cd. 45s for Europe Exchange
firm at 81 per cent premium New York, aud 121s
o l3N London Coffee was firm: the sales embraced
about 800 bags Of Rio sl 40 sll So and about 1900
bags St. Domingo for export at 9c. The public sale Of
teas held Saturday drew good and spirited COM
pany. The prices obtained showed an advance on gun
powder and imperial Of 1c. &c. per Id. Frcghts were
dull and engagements limited.
The State Of Europe-What 1t Portends
and What 1t Teaches.
The present condition of continental Europe
8 one Of universal uneasness and alarm, and
gives rise among reflective men to forebodings o.
the most serious conflicts Mt no distant day
That these fOrebodings are not without fOunda-
ton, general glance at the state of affairs there
will conclusively demonstrate.
The state of the Continent may be character
ized with few exceptions, as a state Of the most
degrading despotism. In nearly every one of
the countries that compose its political division
power is in the hands of set of imbecile family
dynasties supported by brutal soldiery. The
free inquiry and intellectual activity which
characterize the age are borne down and con-
fined by network of bayonets that is woven
over the whole extent Of Europe. In politics the
theories of the Middle Ages, and in religion the
teachings Of still darker age of human en-
possible effort is made to confine the workings Of
the human mind to that passive obedience which
recognises the divine right Of kings and the
freedom Of speech and of the press is confined to
the praise of the existing state of things, or the
utterance of the direct details Of PHYSICAL
science
But beneath this rule Of sensualism and brl-
tality the spirit Of the age is working with mar
vellous activity. For two generations the fasci-
mating theories Of political freedom have been
taking hold Of the minds Of men. Political
economy has steadily brought its unanswerable
teachings to bear upon the fallacies of govern
ments that claim to exercise paternal and pro-
tective rule. Men everywhere have come to be
dissatisfied with the present without attaining a
clear notion of what it is they aspire to. This
feeling has been, and is continually increased
by the example Of the few exceptions in this
field Of despotism to which we have alluded
and by the wondrous state Of prosperity ant
freedom of action which they witness in England
and America. In lS4S it broke out with fur,
that for while seemed destined to overthrow
every remnant Of the past; but the despot
succeeded in cheating the age out of its aspira
tons, and in calling 10 their aid the bigotcd an'
sensual, with whose assistance the uprising Q
intellect was controlled and the present state q
things maintained. At this moment the militar,
establishments of continental Europe, on what j
Al