The Montana post., 1866-09-29
EDITORIAL BREvITIFss--

oLD steamboat men say that the Mis-
slsslppi riveris gradually growing s.smal
oy degrees and beautifully less, Th,
pilots on the Missouri have made III.
same observation regarding that stream
Inc average OF water during the past ter
years has steadily decreased. and tbf
Western lakes and rivers have beer
atfected considerably The June rise
OF the Mississippi is now a fact of history
and the heaviest rains, which, in otbe,
days, swelled it several feet, are absovbed
Dy the earth. Mathematicians can easily
Preolct the date when these arteries will
De reduced to creeks, winding through
treacherous sand-bars and shoals. The
destruction of the forests and the culti.
Vatlon of the soil by pioneers and set.
tiers, have produced some of these re.
suits. The present year was of an OK.
ceptional character, and the Indians Of
tne forts and trading posts informed us
Enat there had not been such freshet
OF The Missouri river, like that of last
May and June, during the past twenty
live years. .r,y
The United States squadron, including
the monitor Miantonomah, has arrived
in st. Petersburg, Russia. The fleet
stopped at various ports during the pas
sage, and astonished the naval engineers
and monarchs of Europe. Rulers and
princes have inspected the vessels and
the officers have met with the most cor
dlal reception. 1t is true source of
hatlonal pride that our country, which
always preferred the arts of peace, made
Inventions and improvements in artil-
lery and all the terrible "engines of
war, during the rebellion, to obtain
which monarchs had squandered millions
in vain. .,.
The Prairie Farmer contains a letter
which maintains than Kansas will be-
come the foremost beef and wool-pro-
ducing State of the Union" The " "Grama
or buffalo grass, y is peculiarly nutricious
and sheep and cattle grow fat in winter
without any attention upon the part of
their owners. Transportation is obtained
at reasonable rates, and it would seem
That the farmers and graziers, who own
thls SOIL and vegetation, are as certain to
reailze large fortunes, as the Montana
prospector who has lead that will weld
gold enough to pay the national debt"
The New York Herald has an elabo-
rate article upon gambling in that city.
where it has increased to fearful ex-
tent. 1t does not refer to the ReImonts
hetchums and Buntings of Wall street
who belong to the fraternity as much as
John Morrissey or L. E. Roberts. but to
those that indulge in the pastime of
faro. 1t is stated, that, although the
matter of "splits" seems unimportant
yet it has been proved to a mathematics
certainty that 100000 will be lost by
splits" alone if party plays ten hours
daily for six months. A dealer can shut
tie the cards in such way that he can
produce as many splits as he desires, and
in most places this skin" game is re-
sorted to. Besides, the person who
makes the bets does all the real work.
and the effect of mental anxiety on his
part is terrible, while the banker, who
knows that he must win eventually all
that is placed upon his tables, performs
a mechanical labor in handling the
cards, and is calm and self reliant. The |
better, therefore, will often play reck.
tessly and lose heavily. The writer cal
cuiates that the chances of winning
against the dealer are only thirty to one |
hundred. Anybody who doubts these
facts can easily test them in this Terri |,
tory by experiment.
The New York Tribune observes. that
out OF one thousand Republican newspa-
pers which are printed in the United
States, less than twenty support Presi-
dent Johnson.
The Beaver Head Nea0s had in it's last
issue the following paragraph, which is
one OF the most sarcastic hits in the
English language. We cannot abbrevi-
ate it without destroying it's force :" On
Friday last an argument occurred in the
courtroom between Col. Sanders and
Maj. Bruce, on the subject of the county
furnishing stationary. 1t was so inter
esting that nearly everybody left the
room" , ,r..- -- ~
Thomas Jefferson in his Notes on
Virginia" states that the clergy at
tempted to make Washington, on his
withdrawal from public office, declare
mis- belief in the Christian religion.
Although he answered minutely every
part of the address, he passed over that
section without making any reply. DIR.
Rush observes that he never mentioned
the subject in his official papers with the
exception of the letter in which he re- /,
signed his commission in the army.
wherein he writes of "the benign infu-
ence of the Christian religion" Gouv-
erneur Morris, who was bosom friend
of the 6 father of his country" often told
Jefferson that General Washington be-
lieved no more of that system than he
himself did" -..-
The Petersburg Iader Of the 10Th ult
says, that four ragged rebels" of Lees
army, the last remnant of the rebellion,
surrendered on the previons day. They
belonged to the Fifty Second Georgia In
tantry and the Forty Third Louisiana b
Infantry, and were cut off from their
commands after Petersburg was cap
tured They made n VOW like some of