The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-10-12
CURRENT TOPICS.

&CURREMT Topics.
s. %A----~@~-
TEE rRkDr In amber 10 b~ecorning more extern
sive every year at Mcneil. The diggings in tho
samland, tho district between Konigsberg and tho |
Baltic, recently yielded hvo Thousand three hun
bred pounds Of amber in one year. Amber is
found on tho seacoast OF Eastern Prussia aud on
the shores and ut the bottom OF the Fresh and
Curish HATS. II is 6shed for in the surf with nets,
| or dug up out Of the sands, but the most SUCCESS
full method is to dredge for 1t al the bottom Of the
water. An English paper says TN former times
amber was only procured by picking it UP on the
s%eashore, but it has since been discovered that
largo amber fields exist from sixteen TO thirty feet
below tina surface Of the sea, in o tertiary stratum.
AS, however, it is impossible to make amber-pits
without removing the sand hillooks on the coast, a
large tract Of land, by this practice, has been do
priyed of its natural barrier against the inroads OF
tho sea, and tho sea border has thus been expos
cd to the dangers OF foods and drifting sands. It
is suggested that when the leases are renewed the
Government should make some arrangements for
preventing the amber districts from being expos
cd to such dangers indeed, it appears that the
diggings could be carried on more offectually by q
system Of mines, which would obviate the neces-
sity OF removing the hillocks on the coast. The
diggings up to 1862 had yielded very fair pro-
fits, but by the system Of dredging q Memel
uTul Ill Ouo ySuI tolhc At,cou pOuluo u dmpcT,
at a cost of about SO, 1000 Prussian dollars. In 1868
the quantity collected by this method was nearly
twice as large. In 1865 more dredging machines
were In operation, and 5000 pounds Of amber
we're raised. In 1866 the quantity had increased to
5000 pounds. At present about IA machines and
above 400 workmen are employed in dredging,
who work day and night if the Half is not frozen
up. The Memel firm pays about 1000 Prussian
dollars per annum to Government in rent, and the
current expenses are said to amount to 1870, 600
Prussian dollars a year. Similar works are about
to be established in the Fresh Half, near the port
Of Pillau. The quantity OF amber thrown up by
the sea Of late years has been uncomfortable. The
exact amount, however, cannot be ascertained, as
the fishermen who collect this mineral sell it pri-
vately in small parcels. Mr. Ward, her Majesty1s
vicc-Consul at Memel, reports that amber now
constitutes an important article OF trade ut this
port and also at Dantsic. 1t is exported to Aus.
tria, Turkey, and France, and. after many fruitless
attempts to introduce it as an article of trade with
this country, orders were received in 1885 to ship
amber to England, whence it is re-exported to the
East Indies, Africa, and China. 1t appears that
considerable quantities are now sent to England,
but, unfortunately, no official accounts of the guam
titles are on record at Momel. The amber found
at that port is Of excellent quality, and is consid-
cred TO be particularly adapted for pipe mouth
PhoS0o' AAP RAiCCo Vuly, oScOKOAuS W tuo. blZo
and quality of the piece, from five silver groschen
to eighty dollars per pound. The largest piece
ever fonnd in the neighborhood Of Mcneil weighed
about Eve pounds, and was valued at about four
hundred Prussian dollars.'
TIE CHICAGO TRIBUNE has discovered that an
exorbitant cotton tax, besides bearing hard on the
producer, 10 detrimental to the business interests
Of the country, and, more than all, ia injurious to
the negro. The editor argues in favor of repeal,
as follows: ssThe whole plan, which has been de-
vised to prevent frauds and to secure the payment
OF the tax, constitutes a set Of checks and balan-
ces, embarrassing, harassing, and perplexing in
the extreme, and which would almost seem to be
devised with a view to prevent the sales and trans
mission OF the staple to market. They neoessari-
ly discourage all who raise, handle, or sell cotton,
and tend to repress its production, whereas, pub
lie policy, just now, would seem to require that its
production should be stimulated aa q valuable aux
iliary in the work Of loyal reconstruction. It is an
additional cause Of aggravation to the Southern
people that the constitutionality of the cotton tax
was doubted even by the Congress- that enacted it.
Besides being onerous upon the whites, 1t is
exceedingly burdensome upon the negroes. This
class was set free in the midst of extreme power
ty'. Many left their masters without hats or shoes.
They had neither land, nor home, nor horse, nor
~ ~NCHSs WSA WAAOA w u OAdb OIL.
They are nearly all farm hands to-day. A very
large proportion Of the cotton which is being
raised ia worked by them on shares. The cotton
VaA, va 49, -. an.aals, ana the amount 1t csIls
for, is to them q serious deprivation. The com
plications OF its collection puzzle their dull COM
prehension; they cannot learn to understand the
relations of 80 many formalitios and details. This
gives to the whites who are associated with them
In the raising Of the crop an additional opportuni-
| tV to 6WiQ0lo them ont Of q narf ~ kho;r 1roooaJa
in ways that are easily covered up, and that looks
like honorable dealing. But the North, too, has a
deep interest In the repeal Of this tax. Say that
two millions Of bales Of cotton, averaging four
hundred pounds each, are produced this year, the
tax on that amount Of production, at two aud q
half cents on the pound, will give an income OF
twenty millions Of dollars. This large sum pre-
served to the South would not remain there. The
necessities Of the people would require it's imme-
date investment. But as the commodities need
ed are>neither grown nor manufactured in the I'M
reconstructed States, the Northern trade centre,
would bs the beneficiaries in the frst instance;
and these, again, would, distribute the money
through all the arteries Of trade.
TEns YEAR's RACE has pr oved quite as extra
ordinary as that Of last year. The Tapping. it
seems, 10 not the winner after all, the Ariel, $50
tons, having arrived yesterday morning in the
E1sS lndla DOCKS in about dyehours lees time than
that in which the voyage was accomplished by the
Tapping. The Ariel sailed from Fo~o-chow-foo ON
the 18th of June, ct half past 8 O'Clock in the
morning, while the Tapping sailed nine days pre-
viously, at IL O'Clock in The morning, arriving in
the London docks between q ana O'Clock, +. M.
on Saturday week last. the Hath. The number Of
days from the 4sh Of juno TO the 14thl OF septesnt.
Der is 1l02. The Ariel was precisely the same num-
Der Of days on her voyage, but arriving in the
East India docks at 7.oclock yesterday, she was
the winner OF the race by about five hours. The
Ariel is sbS tons, 1917 feet 4 inches in length, So
feet 8 inches in breadth Of beam, and ii fedt
depth of hold classed A for IA years. Ofsthe
other ships engaged in the race, two-the Fiery
Gross, which sailed the day after the Tapping, ana
the Maitland, which was the first ship out from
Foo-chow-foo, passed through the Downs in the
course of yesterday afternoon, and were expected
20 arrive IN the river last night; the relrainder Of
the vessels arc the Serica, White aAddsr, Nibi,
Taitsings Flying Spur. Black prineee ssYangtze,
ChinAraa'r, and the Golden Spur. iGreat aa was
thefntefest evinced yesterday to- learn tina result
OF the race, another arrival froInd dChfns tcottnplsse-
" put the Ariel and the Taspih9& ttn ths shade as
regards speed. This ship. however, was not in
the race. She sailed from shahghai on the 18th
ofeAnne, after. the departure Of rp6st Of the ships
engaged in the race. took wfaA 4. +a.,,.a ~.