New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-01-16
whence they came:

The Hon. Joshua Hill of Georgia to-day presented
to Congress a claim Of several thousand dollars for
losses and depredatiOns which he suffered during the
war from the Union army. Congress ut its last seq
sion decided to postpone the consideration of all
claims from the Southern States but Mr.. Hill as
serts that his is case of peculiar merit for i'll conse
quence Of his undisglised Union sentiments during
the progress Of the war, lie granted by armies
safeguard, notwithstanding which, be was n
loser to large amount by the raids and depredatons
Of the soldiers.
Material changes are about bong made by the
Office Department. in the registry of letters, in
order to give greater protection in their transmission
and also TO fix upon postmasters and others response
bity in case of loss ormiscaniage. Full instructions
and blanks will be issued in few days.
The proposition Of the owners of Davids Island
New-York Harbor, to sell the same TO the General
Government for the erection of military hospitals and
barracks has been referred by the House Military
Committee to the QuartennasteT General for nvest-
CATION and report
Two colored boys who escaped from their former
master, G. Watkins of Montgomery County, Ma
ryIand were brought before Judge Wylie of the SUI
preme Court of this District yesterday on writ Of
habeas corpus and after hearing the Court ordered
the children to be returned to their old master. The
ground Of such restitution was based upon the evil
dence that the children had, under q Maryland stat
ute been apprenticed to Watkins after their enamel
patton The counsel for the relatives Of the children
pleaded iIltreatment by the MASTER and that the APP
prentcing of the children was in violation of the
Civil Rights bill in that the laws of Maryland Oh tho
subject Of apprentcing the children of cmancpated
slaves make distinction between white and colored
that they do not require the master TO educate the
latter; and further, that these children were ap-
preniced without the consent of their natural pro-
tectors The evidence went to show that these children
were in most destitute and deplorablc condition
when they reached their father in Georgetown being
covered with vernin, and their clothes ragged and
dirty. The mother, who had been the slave Of Wat
ins, had died. since her emancipation, in the woods
from sheer neglect and hunger These facts were
testified to upon the hearing Of the case After the
order OF the Court an appeal taken, but before
service could be had the master departed with the
children.
Government i8not granting free transportation to
all the freedmen who choose TO leave one portion of
the South for another. IL has done so in many in
stances and is still doing in certain cases but the
rule is not general has just been discovered in the
case of a Louisiana planter who went to Georgia for
hands in the suppositon that Government would
transport them Free and was refused the request.
The cutter McCulloch should have been at Havana
to-day She is understood to form one OF tho exped
ton to the port of SANTANA.
Secretary Stanton yesterday turned over to Secre-
tary Browning of the Interior Department for safe
keeping, the chair occupied by President Lincoln
when shot by Booth at Ford's Theater II has been
in the custody of the War Department since the night
Of the assassination. The chair is an arm rocking
chair, covered with maroon morocco-colored cloth.
The 18th annual meeting of the American
Colonization Society held at their rooms to-day
Delegates were present from the Massachusetts Con-
necticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania and
Maryland State organizations. Tonight there was
public meeting at which addresses were made by
the President ths Hon. J. II. y. 4atrObs and the