New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-03-23
CORB,s CONTINGENCIES.


Everything relating to the personal habits and
official life of 80 distinguished a fnancier and
statesman as the late Secretary of the Treasury,
Mr.. Howell Cobb, must be interesting to the
people whom he heeced, and Of these his account
of Contingent Expenses for the last year Of bis
stewardship contains some pleasing hints. We
learn, for instance that the chief newspapers
and periodicals which the Government supplied
to him we're The Richmond Enquirer The Wash
ingioa Constitution and De BOp's Rerieu-a dis
coyery which sheds light on the obique and
stupid course of this respectable person; We find
that his literary studies were principally confined
TO leIcons Of the Greek and Latin languages,
copies of these valuable though not exciting works
being charged in the account; from the fowery
fields Of literature thus represented, he seems
TO have strayed into the realms of art, for we
see that he bought Il statuette of General Jack.
son and an engraving called The First Blow
for Freedom" though it is not easy to conceive
why he could want bust of Old Hickory unless
10 wreak his spite on il after the manner of Quilp
who thrust gimlets into the wooden eiigy he
imagined to resemble his enemy, Kit Nubbles;
may not one fancy the Ex-Secretary chipping the
classic nose Of the plaster General, or gOuging
his eye, at the same time taunting him with the
war.cry Of Secession'
The modest sum of 1856 so was expended for
penkniyes during the year--and this only for
the chief man himself Caleb Gushing, for "pro-
fessional services" received $500. Is it possible
that the brilliant Mexican Generals peculiar
abilities were called forth in the preparation of
the wonderful Treasury reports which annually
M stiiied the country Or was this amount In
tended to remunerate him for his assistance 10
breaking up the Democratic party at Charleston
A horse figures largely in the account under
consideration. We have first the absolute cost
of the horse $500; then other items. us follows:
Livery of horse, Sl66 20; hire of horse, SIG 81;
doctoring of horse, 500; shOeng of horse,
$I2G G2; harness of horse, $50 Al; pasturing of
horse, So 75 hy-net for horse, So 10; making
the total disbursement for the quadruped,
sos GO. This experience Of Mr. Cobb may ac-
count for the small display Of cavalry in the
Southern army; for no treasury, even aided by
al export duty on cotton, one of Howells most
luminous ideas, could sustain the draught Of many
such horses.
In the midst Of so much extravaganza it is re-
freshing to come upon bit Of economy though
in this case it vas not judcious; we learn that
the charge for trhiterashing was only five dol
lars Surely this was not wise; surely it would
have been better to have bought fewer peDkniyes
and to have used more whitewash; it certainly
was needed. Two hundred and fifty dollars for
penknives, seven hundred dollars for a single
horse, and only five dollars for whitewash
The case is worse than that of Jack Falstafrs
sack and bread.
But the most astonishing item of all is this,
which the reader will look at then rub his eyes,
and look again:
"vanshing Mr. Buchsusn..........,...s3 So"
Vanishing Mr.. Buchanan Consider the
work Three dollars and fifty cents Consider
tho pay As we reyolye this bewilderiDg and
fruitful topic in our tortured mind, what Pic
ture rises before us The Old Public Function
AIRY presents himself in the Treasury Department
for his coat of yarnish--it may be his second
coat; perchance his third. The feeble hands oil
the Sage Of Wheatland wander amlessly about
in search of something to grasp, whhe the
puffy Georgian applies the brush; perhaps
they fall on the pOnderous 'le1icons charged
among the contingencies; perhaps they steaay
themselves by the Constitution and the laws
bound in sheep. With piteous accents ne I'M
plores his friend not TO clay it ON SO thich.
The Job done, the Secretary picks his teeth with
one of his penkniyes, while the President cuts
" chew " from his fayorite weed with another
and then goes out to dry. The apparent im0e'
cility of Mr. Buchanan when he should have
acted is now explained; he was not allowed to
p,ove, the varnish was hardening
What was the purpose of the vanishing Was
IL TO preserve the great man Was it to keep
him from cracking' Was it to restore his
colors and bring back thu blush Of youth Q why
was tho nation asked to pay only % 80 for this