, 1866-11-02

Scheue-Thc Old Stately l4OuBe-HnusH
statue Of WashinEton--Muzzllu the
PIatform-Peraonnt-Xk
From Our Own Correspondent.1
Bosros. October y, 1866.
POLITICAL.
Only week remains before our State cleo
ticn and II would puzzle an acute observer,
forbidden the newspapers, to detect any signs
Of the approach of such an event. In Bos-
ton wc have not had a political meeting for
almost slx weeks; and the canvass Is In
every way the quictcst within the memory
Of the Oldest inhabitant. In the l1eighbor-
Ing cities there is occasionally gathering
addressed by Danks or Boutwell,, and OF
course the usual machinery Of caucns
nominations and conventions Of both
PARTIES to select candidates respectively
to be elected and to be defeated for Legis1a-
tive and Executive offices; but the popular
interest is so slight that the wire pullers
have everything their own way. These peo~
pie huvc used their privileges 90 Iibcraly
that We hare already assured US State Sen.
atc Of most lAmentable weakness aud insis~
nificance, and the newspapers are calling
upon the people to wake up aud look after
the nominations to the lower branch them
selves. The dead calm extends even to
changes In the Federal Offices, which have
almost entirely ceased; and 1t Is reported
| that the President has become angry with
| johnson men from the two Boston Districts
| In rcturn for the gift Of the ColtectnrsEip to
General Couch, hut now confess that they
cannot defeat the Republican candidates,
and that he has broken their slate md re.
| fused to follow their dfctation In the distri-
bution Of the other offices.
| LITERARY.
| Mr.. Lowell has published his second series
| IF Bigclow Papers. which includea sill that
hare appeared in the -Atiaatie for the last five
I volume by the addition Of long prose intro
duction, rambling about among a variety OF
subjects In the pleasantest possible manner.
A bulky volume entitled Massachusetts
In the Rebellion" lathe other new boox Of
the week. 1t has been long announced. and
Ii Of character to command large sale by
subscriptions, but 1t appears like Wretched
piece of patchwork made up In the clunsfest
manner out of the successive reports of the
Adjrtant General during tue war 5fr. T. C..
lIeAdley's literary reputation Is not very
high, and to say nothing Of bis being New
Yorker, his style Is good example OF what
shopld not be nscd in work Of this kind.
I TIE FRANKLIN FUND.
Every. year Or two the citizens of Boston
are reminded, IN one way Or another, Of the
existence Of d fund, slowly and steadily &C.
cumulating, left by Benjamin Fraakiin fur
the public good. fhree.qaarters of the cen
tury since hc died has elapsed, and the thou
sand pounds Of bis will is now hundred and
ten thousand dollars, 60 that the annual in.
: Of the bcqueat. But though the fund has
increased 80 steadily, under faithful ensto-
dianshIp, It's history, as given In little
pamphlet on the subject lately officially pub.
llshed by The city, gives notable e1amp!e
left Ills money for the benefit Of young me.
chnuics, struggling as he himself did In his
early years, for a livelihood, and provided
for loaps to them, In sums Of
yery carefully prescribed in his will and b
the small interest accEuIng from these loaus,
he estimated the amount which would be
accumulated at the end Of q century, and at
the end Of two centuries, when the four n.il.
lions WAS to be divided between city and
arc now no married mechanics less thar
twenty-five years old desiring such small
loans as those provided for In the will, and
able to find securitics for their repayment, sc
that no loan Of this kind hss been made fol
many years, and the interest Is obtained from
different kind Of Investments. Then Of ths
, ! young mechanics who received loaus soo1
, , after Frankltn's death, very few were lblc t
make repayment themselves, aud seven
, | efghths Of the repay yments were made By thu
surrtscs, aud not By the principals. Th'
shrewd old 1nAncier left no margin TO
losscs In his minute estimates; but lnsse
did occur, and the amount ut the end Of tn
!. century, which has yet twenty-five years /,
! run, will be considerably less than he cy
: = pectcd. His legacy has done much good
sisted BY 1t soon amer the creation Of tl
fund; and one Of the poor mechanics wh
received and paid back loan Of slxt
pounds under the provisions Of the will,
y quafter Of century later was made Mayo
!, , Of Boston: A similar sum for similar pus
2 4 pose WAS left to Philadelphia; but this ha
! been less carefully guarded from losses
!. and Is now less, believe, than ours.
d IMPROVING BOSTON uARBoR.
g In the list Of pnb!ic Improvements prt
week, pissed over without mention til
one perhaps the most important Of all. Fo
h some time the channel has been deterlor:
thug. aud accomplished engineers have bee
y for come years continually suggesting var
i. ous plans for improving it; and now Que ha
d been agreed upon by State and city commit
d tees and seems certain TO be adopted, whtc
"a not only benefits the harbor, but near1
~ - doubles. the area Of the city. proper,
is those Of your readers not familiar With OF
y without diagram 50 cap only say brieaa
n that the project includes the hlling up Of
Il. vast area Of fats opposite South Boston,
as TO make the sea line run fro
m the end Of Long Wharf direct I
,e Fort Independence, which Is now In the mil
& die Of the stream, a mile from the city, AT
10 will then be accessible on foot. Thus tt
:" fow of tfde-w4ter will be concentrated, al
T. the channel made In every. way better. {
:. the territory gained from the ocean, u Is pr
to Similar to those in Liverpool and Mo1trea
ID with railway depots for bringing Weste1
re- products to the waters edge, warehouse
rs etc. The South Boston people, who tn
T. find their whasres and beach a mile tnlan
are to be conse'ed BY an Interior cha
Iry,f N4t<f nF I'M EFvf
1t Tor compensation. The execution
" the work is placed In the hands
iii the city and the proceeds OF the sale of q
n area made available for Wharfage and buil
n. harbor fund in the hands Of the State, niu
n tenths Of which are to be set apart for t
er preservation Of Boston hatbor. Five yea
ID Is the time set for the completion Of II
he stnpenaout project, hnt 1t would seem 70 7
i. would be moderate estimate. The last +
d. years hare so transformed Boston, In t
% filliug Of the Back Bay and the building
ds Of the South End, that an old resident VI
has been absent ser that a+ period oon!1 %g
e to e om RassTd tue }oass as or we,s ana if y
~, | next decade the change in The water fro
I'd and the demolition Of Fort Hill will wo
On sach metamorphosis that the city will Il
l s@%OtSA*%4-e*~
* abroad.
bo OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.
be Innovation seems to be wutehwasd Of t
AZ nutumu and now We are told that The {
the quaint architecture Of tho last century
to lose its identity BY the vandalic hand
I'd. Improvement. This structure stauds In
IT. middle OF State street, (which used to
Or King street In the days when the 3
al Of this very building,) in = posit,
It's most ineonyenicnt for everybody but
TO- occupants. It Is owned By the city, and
Of most strenuous pressure for its demoliti
has for long time only been resisted on
for i<rt:s<r made IN effort & while ago to ha
.ea the old State House made public proper
raI preserving Its old exterior, but reluodellt
In The inside 80 as to make 1t useful for So
popular purpose; while Others urged
E. Importance Of pualic square, and me
III, long lease to the present occupants, who
for the place for tai1or's shop, auctioaee
led Office, and what not, and who announce th
1T, Intention OF turning 1t Into comuonpti
his modern store, covered with French rr
de- md made genteel in every way instead
il The bronze equestrian statue Of Washt
iii. ton, by Thomas Bail, uow in process Of c.
ad- Ing ut Munich, fs 50 near completion that
his trustees having the matter in charge b:
InE selected a place for its erection 1t Is
lis> stand IN the Public Garden, on an ol
lille square near Commonwealth avenue
afr. BY the way, opropos OF public ilnpro
al. ment and enterprise, wero yon a~aza t
for Mr.. George Peabody gave one Of his prcse
MS ofs1oo, ,0o0, scattered about 50 freely Of ID
the to an 'institute" bearing bis name IN
sed native town Of Sonth nnnveEs, sort Of
ccum association, with the express coudit
sk, that uonJ OF the lectures delivered
on Its hau shall treat Of political or sectar
,ef- topicsr Imagine the delights Of win
n.y. Phillips excluded, Anna Dickinson for.
10 den, Curtis, Beecher, Cough, Holland,