The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-03-07
WASHINGTON NEWC
WAOHINUIUN NEWS.
The NAVY GARDS-THE PUBLIC PRINTING-MEX

ASt1lNU1ON NEWS.
! THE NAVY YARDs-THE PUBLIC PRINTGNG-MExI
| CAN AFFAIRS.
The report of the Board of Officers to investigat
the affairs of the several navy yards has been trans
| mitted to the House of Representatives by the Sc
| cretary OF the Navy, in response to resolution o.
that body. They say that all the troubles are ow.
| ing to the system on which the yards are organ
zed, and not to want of proper administrative
talents in the heads of departments. In their opin
| ion, the cOmmandant should be considered in the
same position as if in command of a ship The
privilege or authority granted to the master work
men OF selecting their own mechanics has led them
J into the error OF attempting to govern them indie
pendently OF the executive authority of the Board
| and this has been productive of much disorder
| Besides, master mechanics have been overruled in
their convictions of honesty to the government by
outside influence. The investigating Board recon-
mend that the yards be under strict military rule,
| and the commandant alone be held responsible for
faithful performance of duties of all those under
| his command. The master wOrkmen should be
nominated by the commandant, and appointed by
the Secretary of the Navy, after strict and care
full examination into their moral physical and me-
! chanical qualifications. The master workmen to
be directed to nominate to the heads of their res
| pective departments the men to be employed by
| them. The Board make other recommendations,
clearly defining the duties of the respective Off
| GERS.
| Mr.. Gurey, from the Committee on Printing
will present bill tomorrow Wednesday di-
recting that the printing and binding authorized
| by Congress, the Executive and Judicial Depart
ments, and the Court of Claims be executed under
the charge of the Superintendent of Public Print
ing, who shall be authorized to contract for the
lease, erection, purchase of the necessary build
ings, machinery, and materials for that purpose;
said contract to be submitted to the Secretary of
the Interior and Joint Committee on Printing of
the two Houses. The Superintendent is required
to supervise all printing and binding, purchase of
paper, and other necessary materials, and the en-
ployment of prOof-readers compositors pressmen
labOrprs nd IN tbo
work. practical foreman of the printing and
binding, with salary of 81 500@s to be appointed
who shall render weekly statements of the hands
employed, and the money earned by each. The
Superintendent is required to render quarterly
statements to the Secretary of the Interior of all
purchases, and all printing and binding for Con-
gress and the Departments
1t was decided on Saturday by the government
to despatch Minister McLane Immediately in the
steamer Brooklyn to Vera Cruz. 1t is now deemed
advisable to await the arrival of the Indanola
now over due at New Orleans, she having left Vera
Cruz on the 2Sth utimo, and was due at New Or
leans on the Sd, bringing fifteen days later news
from Mexico. Her news may reach here this even
ing or to morrow, which will undoubtedly show
the whereabouts movements of MiramOn. In
case he has abandoned his expedition against Vera
Cruz, there may be no necessity of Mr. McLanes
proceeding thither. 1t all depends, however, upon
the intelligence of this arrival The Secretary Of
the Navy, in the meantime, has ordered the
mander of the Brooklyn to hold himself in readi-
ness to sail at any moment
The House Committee public lands, at their
meeting on Monday, authorized their che irman to
report bill III tavorOf preventing the sale of pub
lie lands, except to actual settlers for ten wears
after their survey. Also to report against the bill
reported last season apprOpriatng public lands for
the endowment of agricultural colleges for the
various States and Territories.
THELATE VIRGINIA TRAGEDY.-The Alexandria
Gazette of yesterday says
The late tragedy in Pittsylvana county, in this
in which he WitpharS nd fria Il
the Clements and their friends were engaged, and
in which three of the Clements were killed out
right, and several of the other party wounded, has
created, it is said, the greatest excitement in the
counties adjacent to that in which it occurred, as
well as in the immediate neighborhood of the resi-
dence of the parties concerned. The instant ac
quittal of the Witcher party, however, shows that
the fault OF commencing the affrav was on the side
of their foes.
FkoM THE WEST INDTEs.-Captain Townsend of
the schooner Il. w. Tull from st. Jaeo at New
York, reports, while at anchor under Matthew
Town, Inagua saw a schooner loading salt which
was the first vessel that had visited that place for
ten months, while the supply of salt had accumu-
lated to a large amount.
Accounts from Trinadad de Cuba of the 9Th ult
state that sugar sold at S4.25, but holders were
firm at an advance, consequent on favorable adyices
from England. The stocks of American provisions
and oreadstufs were light, but prices ruled low.
few days ago, a boy, ten years of age, return
ing from school, near Conemaugh, Pa, saw large
rock on the railroad track, when, taking little
red cap that his sister wore, he raised it and
waving it up the road, along which train was
then laundering. The train fortunately
rested in time, or the consequences must have been
fearful.
New MAIL ARR; ;NGEMENTs.-Propostions have
been informally submitted by the Vanderbilt and
Aspinwall interests to put on an additional mail
via Panama, thus establishing a tri-mOnthly sea
connection between New York and San Francisco.
They are willing to take the postage for compensa
ton. The Department has not yet fully consider
the suggestion.
Mr.. Kenneth Rayner, of North Carolina, has
come out with a card denying that he sustained, in
his remarks before the late Opposition State Con
vention, the course of Henry Winter Davis in vot-
ing for Pennington.