Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-01-06

ty, vs., on whose farm Of eight hundred acres
there ere, perhaps, moro miles Of nnder-drsins
laid than on any other in the Old Dominion,
who, at times, has fifteen hundred full blooded
Merino sheep under his own shelters, and has
made, in the last ten years, as much pro rata
clear profit on his capital, invested as it is,
wholly in legitimate agriculture, as any other
farmer on this side Of the Atlantic.
Bat We might extend this list, so as to ELL |
with il q page Of to-day's issue of the Star.
The public will however perceive without such |
an extension, that we are entirely correct in |
the impression that this Board is not only
competent to aid the laudable purposes Of the
Interior Department for which they were as
sembled, but are not to be dreaded as men
bent on revolutionizing the Government in q
wild chase after consolidation by means of the
lever of q new Agricultural Department, to be
charged with the duty of interfering in affairs
of the people in matters in which the General
Government should keep Glands off -
A VERY VALUABLE WORK is now in course
of pu blication by the Smithsonian Institution
1t is a grammar and dictionary of the Yoruba
language. This work is another contribution
from the missionary enterprise Of the present
day, and has been prepared by the Rev. Thos
j. Bowen, of the Southern Baptist Missionary
Board, from materials collected during 4 resi-
dsnce of six years in Africa, and revised and
rewritten with the aid of w. W. Turner, Esq,
| Of Washington. The grammar and dictionary
are prefaced by brief account of the country
aud its inhabitants. The long residence of
the author in this part of the int -ior of Africa
has enabled him to gather more minute knowl-
edge of its topography, climate, and produc-
| tions, and Of the political, social, and moral
| relations of its inhabitants than has before
| been obtained. He has collected interesting
| Information as to the habits of thought and
a,tion of tho people, and their capacity for
moral and intellectual culture, which would
have escaped the casual notice of the mere
| traveller.
Yoruba is a country of western Africa, stu
ated to the east of Dahomey, and extending
from tho Blight of Benin, in a northerly direc-
ton, nearly to the Niger. 1t is between the
| countries explored by the distinguished trav-
| elers, Barth, on the north, and Livingstone, on
| the south. The author describes it as q beau
tiful and fertile region, densely inhabited by
population devoted to agricultural pursuits,
who do not dwell on the lands they cultivate,
but live clustered together in villages and
towns, some of which ontain from 20 900 to
10000 inhabitants The people are generally
Of a primitive, simple and harmless character,
and governed by institutions patriarchal rather
than despotic. In their appearance they re-
semble the Caucasian race, while their mental
powers and general moral impulses arc con-
siderably advanced in the scale of intelli-
gence. They have, indeed, already attained
no inconsiderable degree of social organic alton,
while they have escaped some of the moro de-
PRAYED incidents of an advanced civilization.
The language, which is said to be spoke by
| about two millions Of people, is represented
by Professor Turner to be very homogeneous in
| its structure, almost all of it being derived
from some five hundred primitive words Its
articulations are sufficiently easy to initiate,
and there is a system Of vocalic concords re-
| curing through the whole, which, together
with the multiplicity Of vowels, renders it de-
| cidedly euphonious.
MAIL ROUTES TO THE PACIPIc-The bill
recently introduced into the Senate by Mr..
GWin, for the transportation of mails between
tho Atlantic and Pacific coasts, authorizes con-
| tracts for five mail routes-viz: From New
York to San Francisco and Astoria, via Pan
ANA, once a month, compensation not to ex
coed $3.50, 900 per annum time "a days. From
New York TO San Francisco and Astoria, via
Nicaragua, once month, same compensation ::
time y days. From New Orleans, via Tc.
huantepec, to Acapulco, once month, so az to
connect with the Panama steamer. time II
days; compensation not to exceed $3.50, 900.
From New Orleans via Vera Cruz to Acapulco,
once month, to connect with the steamer
| from San Juan del Sur; compensation not to
exceed $4,000.
1t further provides that the contracts shall
be given to the lowest responsible bidders, and
requires stlpulations securing to passengers
suitable accommodations on the steamers, and
that in the event of any of the routes being
closed the mails shall be carried by one of the
others.
In introducing this measure, Mr.. Gwin re-
marked that four routes to the Pacific would
thus be opened, at an expense of a quarter of
a million less than the present cost of the mail
service between the Atlantic and Pacific States
| SENATOR DoUGLAs.-The telegraph tells Of
the reelection of this gentleman, yesterday,
to the United States Senate, by eight majority
over his competitor, Mr.. Lincoln. He is &C
cordingly expected to reach Washington this
evening. We predicted that he would not
venture in the Senate chamber until after
being re-elected-or, in other words, that he
| would not risk cross examination there that
might compel him to "show bis hand before
the Illinois Legislature had acted on his case
1t is apparent that this judgment of ours was
| correct, ms bold politician as he essays to az
pear to be.
REPORTS AND SPEcULArIoNs.- The House
Committee on Naval Affairs will shortly present
their report on the proposition of comforting the
| rank of Admiral on Commodore Stewart.
The long-pending measure of the French spc.
liation bill will be before Congress again this
session. il having been made the snac;,I ord.