Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-18
FROM WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. April II

| EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION.
All the Senators have received special invitations
| next Thursday. The members of the House have
been invited by advertisement, and the coored peo-
pie In various portions OF the country will repre-
| sented by delegations.
Gen. Van Wyck. of New York has been here for
some days interesting himself with members for the
passage of bill increasing the pensions of soldiers
and widows and orphans, and has retitioned the
( House in their behalf
CATTLE DISEASE ON THE IsrHMus.
| The Secretary of the Treaury has addressed the
following circular to the collectors of custom:
| TREASURY DEPARTMENT, April II, 1866
Sir:-I have received through the state Depart
moDt, dispatch from the Consul of the United
States at AspinWall. stating that cattle disease
along the line of the Panama Railroad has made its
| appearance, and considerable numbers are dying
daily. TIE writer does not seem TO regard the dis
ease as the rinderpest but deem it important that
great care should be used in regard to all entries OF
| hides from the yicinltleS named. You will admit
none without being fully satisfied that they frye
PROMOTIONS IN THE NAVY.
The bill of Senator Grimes relative to the number
and mode Of selection and formation of officers Of
the navy, il of its more important aspects of
difference from the House bill recently Iassei, re-
suits from suggestions of the ccretary of the Navy.
The Secretary deeaed it advisable to increase tho
number of line officers, but TO the extent of the
number of volunteers added to the regular service by
| the bill. He would recommend an increase TO the
| total amount of s., OF all grades The number al
lowed by existing laws is H. Re considers this
Der adequate to all the eXsencics of the public ser
vice on peace establishment.
|
by selection he says that the law for the advance
mPnt Of officers for conspicuous conduct has been
carried into effect ID the promotion of such heroes
| Farragut Rogers, Rowan, Worden, Ninslow and
| Cushing. The wisdom of the law by which such
| promotions have been made, he thinks cannot be
controvered, but there other officers who have
done exec lent and prominent services, whose cases
cannot be reached under the stringent terms of the
law. He thinks such selections should he carefully
guarded, and that extensive scale of irregular pro-
| motions would not only impair their value, but feni
to demoraIize the service. lie hopes that Congress
will not neglect the claims of those meritorouS off
account of the difficulties in the way of the
| proper recognition of their services.
| INTERNAL REVENUE.
! The following circular has just been issued:
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
| Office Of Internal Revenue.
Blank forms for the annual assessment for 1866 are
now being distributed in moderate quantities to all
assessors, whether they have ordered them not.
sufficient quantity will be ready for delivery by The
LIST OF May and those assessors who have not sent in
| who have any of last years blanks on hand can
| readily change them to correspond with the new
blanks. and use them in the present assessment. It
| is of great Importance that this assessment be
| thoroughly and promptly made, and in those dis
tricts where there sufficient assistant assessors
to complete it in sixty days, assessors directed
request the appointment Of moro assistants.
| MASS MEETING OF SOLDIERS AND SAILORS
mass meeting of soldiers and sailors took place
tonight, the Assembly Rooms being densly crowded.
The objects were to promote such measures as VIII
insure the equalization OF bouneS just pensiOn laws
| and appointments to positions under the Govern
| ment and all other matters affecting the rights aud
interests OF the soldiers and sailors of the country
| Generals Garfield and Smith, of the House of Repre-
sentatiEes nay ng made speeGheI IN 1uTtherance OF
tayes, responded at length to the resolutions, which
had been adopted and said, from the first till now he
| would not compromise with traitors.
The rebels were down and he would keep them
so until they give somo evidence of repentance and
| that they unite IN unfolding the Nag In defence OF
which there had been much sacrifice of loyal life
and treasure lie characterized miserable scoun-
drels those who had attempted to overthrow the best
government earth If Jefferson Davis is to be re-
membered and punished as OF the leaders of the
rebellion, he would Dot forget that class OF traitors
whs educated at West Point, and if there was
second apple tree ne did not see why Robert g.
Lee should not meet the same fate the arch traitor
of the late sO-caed Confederate States! These re-
| marks were greeted with deafenng applause.
Col. Mckee, of Ky., member Of the House, said
| there should be no compromise with traitors. The
test oath should never be repealed and the Govern
mGnt should be kept in the hands Of loyal men. He
obedient to the Constitution and the laws but those
who fought the rebellion and were faithful to the
| flag He would never permit the traitors who had
Perjured themselves, ever to hold office under the
United States He not willing to trust them with
new oaths. Washington would certainly never have
invited Benedict Arnold to his deliberations, if the
latter had after his treason, taken the oath Of allie
| glance He was not malicious. but he desired the
leading rebels to be punished. lie wanted the name
of traitor to hang to them till the SHOWS of winters
covered their graves, and to show, that we were
strong enough to suppress the rebellion, strong
| Col. Stllwell, of Indiana. and other members of
the House of Representatives, addressed the meet
| doubt the present Congress would eQualize the
| bounties.
| THE MANASSAS GAP RAILROAD.
The stockholders of the Manassas Gap Railroad
| Company, at their recent meeting in Alexandria,
| elected Edward G. Marshall. President, and L. a.
| Brewis and ii. s. Lambert Directors. They passed
resolution authorizing the President and Directors
to negotiate loan for 10000, to continue and
establish the old line and continue it from Aexan-
| dria to Strasburg-to execute coupon bonds with
per cent interest to be secured by mortgage on he
| franchise and rolling stock.
Gg-As the writer Of the following card-which we
find in the New ork Ttmes-has deservedly many
friends in Baltimore, and has been subjected by the
telegraphic dispatches from Providence to what are
clearly unjust aspersions, volunteer him a hear
| ing with much pleasure:
| The Theatrical Excitement at Providence.
The published statements of the so-caIled theatri-
| cal disturbance in Providence, on Friday evening
last, equally unjust and exaggerated Their effect
| is to place myself and my associate, Mr. Stuart in
the attitude of reckless theatrical adventures, de-
tected IN an act of wful imposition upon the public
patience-an attitude 1t is almost needless to say,
| from which every instinct of my nature revolts.
| The charge that the comedy of the Merry Wives
OF Windsor was either mutilated, or rendered with
undue haste, Is most erroneous. have the positive
assurances of Mr.. J. H. Hackett, c. Kemble Mason
John Dyott, Mrs Grattan and others of the company
whose statements will pass unquestioned, that far
as their knowledge extended, not a line of the play
was omitted. nor its action hurried The comedy
| seldom occupies in its performance than two
hours-in the Cumberland edition it is allotted with
all the music and necessary waits" two hours and
| fifteen minutes-and commenced at our advertised
hour of 3O o'clock all that was needed to insure its
| York was the adoption of the English practice OF
having DO waits between the acts, proceeding which
put in practice this occasion, and which mer-
tied, am inclined to believe, more the applause
| than the censure of the audience.
In all other respects the piece was given without
abrdgment of either text or business and until tbs
fifth act passed off with marked enthusiasm So little
provoked were the demonstrations which, instgated
| am told, by the malevolence of an individual who
| had been excluded from the box office, marred the
close OF the performance, that its occurrence evil
IDENTITY as much matter OF surprise to the great body
OF the audience occupying the orchestra seats,
1t will not be diiicuit, think. to convince those
familiar with the reputation of the artists and mana
they wholly incapable of lending themselves OF
their names to a deliberate imposition upon public
confidence, and trust the citizens of Providence
whose good will, notwithstanding this inauspiciouS
commencement of our acquaintance, yet hope tC
win-will be equally generous in their conclusions
and equally 10th in doing injustice to those whose
only aim, can assure them, was to merit their es-
TEEN and TO challenge theiT T. applause: T ,,-
Nero York. April H. 1865.
The FIRST CoLoRED jury N GEoEGIA.-The Au..
gusta (Ga.) TronscrEpt, Of the 23d of March says
| novel proceeding was before Judge Davis Greed
mems Court Yesterday afternoon, to wit: 1t was
action of debt. Rev. Peter johnson vs. Rev. Richard
| Golfer. The plaintiff demanded S27 for board. The
defendant filed Offset for 800 for labor. In theil
sworn statements they differed widel ly-so much
TO confuse the Judge, VINO generally is not at loss u
| decide. They both being preachers and members o
the church, and entertaining, he said he did
| exalted opinion of persons occupying their posi-
| tons, and fearing he would be compelled to doub
one, if not both of them, if he heard the case, HI
summoned three colored of good standing in thC
church-Jacob Ross, Frank Beall and Toby Lamar
who after hearing the case. gave it as their opinion
that the defendant indebted to the plaintiff il
| the sum of six dollars.
! We attach importance to this item as being th
first verdict rendered by colored jury in the Stat
| of Georgia.
| HEAVY SALES BY New YORK MERCHANTs.-It is
mat ofmercantle curiosity and interest to notice
the amount of sales the last ten months by some o
largest houses, taken from the official recor,
and reported in the daily papers. At the head of tn
list in the Foarh District is H. B. Ciafn Co.. who's
| sales sworn to as being S42506,7l5. Next on th
list is A. l. Stewart h Co., wholesale exclusively
$50 39 6S3, which is apart from large package busi
| ness done by them in Philadelphia, amounting t
several millions on which they pay the Governmen
tax there: also large retail business of many mil
lions on Broadway and Tenth street, which, in tn
, aggregate make their entire sales larger by man.
millions than any dry goods house in this country
Next on the list is Anthony Hall, Sl0373 000 Geo.
! Weeks Co., Sl0.000.0O0. In the Fourth Distric
there some twelve houses where sales were fron
, five to eight millions each; and of the list of hun
dred names. only three had sales of less than mil
, | ion.-N. Y. Tribune.
! MANAssEs GAP RAILROAD.-The stockholders o
the Manassas Gap Railroad. who have recently bee