, 1870-08-04
WASHINGTON.
Our Government Officially
Notified Of the War
in Europe.
Proposition Made to Spain Rela-
tive to Claims Of Ameri-
can Citizens.
Work Suspended on all the Gov
eminent Cotton Cases,
sredal pespateh to The Chicago Tribune.

sredal Despatch to Tbs Chicago Tribune.
1nk WAR In ECRork-oFF1ClAL NOTIFICATION. |
: " AsuENoToN, Aug. 2,-1he French Minister to. !!
1sy, By order Of his government, notified rs Of tho
war between France ana Prussia. The Emperor |
sayt he declares. war 70 protect the honor and dig
n1y Of France The document Is brief, and IN the
usual form, and contains nothing Of special stg-
nlacance. A. tho fact that Prussia ascepts VII
Is apparant to erezJoody. it probably Mill not be
thought Necessary to give anybody onlcial notice.
The question that now presents Itself is, whether
~e shall issue proclamation Of neutrality. The
President has not Jet reached determ!us-
ton to do 10, and those who have learned
his views gnce he went to Lang Branch
are confident he has no intention Of doing 70 1t
present The French and Prusslan Ministers were
b. Nj. Ffsa come ume ago that We
would observe our neutrality ACTS and the laws Of
nations. and that supplies not eontsaband Of var
would b sold 70 either government Neither
power has Jet offered 10 buy anything about
which there can be = question raised. The last
malls brought votumuIous de4patches from MIn-
tstefs Bancroft and W&shbnrne, but tho war
news IN them has been anticipated By foreign
nj ewspApc1s and the cable dispatches,
Foo11su STORY.
The Berlin telegram. saying an agent OF the
United States ia In Antwerp making Arrangements
whereby that port shall become the. centre Of
wAr. must be an out and out fiction. Of Ia founded
On some Misrepresentation, for VIC have not sent
an agent abroad for an5 such purpose, nor given
anJ one In Europe authority to make sach m H.
rauEeuent-
ENGLISH NKuIRALITY.
copy Of tho English proclamation Of neutrality
between Franco and Prussia has been received
here. 1t Ia Ia the usual form, and bears date OF
June ~, four days after the declaration ly the
trfl0~ &rf aIAft ia
nothing to the French Minister beyund papers re-
latinR 10 the declaration Of war, and nothing Of
Importance WAS Received at the Plussian Legation.
ouR RELATIONS WITH STAIN.
The Madrid te!cgram which rrc!tea that the
Ministerial Council OF Spatn has been debating
Cuban adafra In connection with the demand from
the United States Government Is easily explained
me weeks ago Secretary Fish furnished Minister
s1ckles witt list Of names Of persons claiming to
lie American citizens who have suffered toss Of
property IN Cuba, and Instructed him to again
press The Presidents t,eslre that ea.!y ateps be
taken TO examine aud adjust the claims OF thes1
reTsons- The Secretary suggests that the hnst-
ness be done here, and that the Spanish Co..
crnment appoint an agent with full power
in the premises, to sit with agentto be appoint
cd ly our government, for the purpose of settling
ali claims not Of political character, each By It.
seaf and on lts own merits. This proposition Is
probably what the Spanish Council have under
confederation. 1t Is no new thing, and In some
form will probably receive their assent.
Loss sCsTA1sKD EFT GOLD corn IN uASptrsd.
Some correspondence has recently been had By
the Treasury Department Elih parties In New
York end Boston, as to the loss Of value In gold
tv handling in the course Of business. A test In
New York, on coin taken At random from
that received at the Sub'FrcasuEJ, showed twenty
i've pennyweights deficiency on 5000 Of halt
eagles, quarter eagles, and gold dollars and some
thing less Of deficiency On larger pieces, Int the
Office SAFE it nhver rejects any coin, however
light, u the short weight Is evidently due to the
natural wexr from use In ordinary bustncsa, At
tue Custom House In Boston, correspondence
says, tho coin Is required to come up to certain
standard. There Is no LAM OF Congress, nor auy
regulation Of the Treasury Department with ref
crence to this matter.
COTTON cAsxa
The business Of tho government cotton cases
has been brought to a standstill By changes deem-
ID necessary to comply with tho new 11v orR1n-
lied In the Department Of Justice. There are 7ss
Of these cases. md woEk upon the portion IN
haEd, nearly half the number, has been going for
ward for nearly two yearh. About forty vera dis
roeed Of At the last serm Of the Court Of Claims,
and humber were ready for t1iAl- The reorgan-
izat!on has, however, thrown ont every ouc here
tof0re engaged upon these matters, even down To
clerks who familiar with the recor1is, and Ill
bstcfs, In whateEef stage Of preparation, hare
beeli put IN tie hands Of new men. These will
know nothing OF the evidence or special history
Of individual cases, except Whist can bo learned
fFom examining room full Of pspcrs, tur ned
over BY the retiring counsel The suits Involve
Rpoas Flo.ooo, 600.
RICHMOND MUNICIPAL AFfA1za
The muss about Richmond municipal os1ces t.
~ no means settled. The Judge, WHO. = faw days
ago, declared them Ill vacant, because Of franla
ID tho election, yesterday made seven new ap-
rointmenta. The present incumbents VIII not sur
render their places, and the whole matter Will
probably 80 to the Court Of Appeals. The hope "a
expressed by diz7kSstonAte observers that the
thing will Be allowed 70 tafe this course instead
OF running into civil outbreak a. on former oc-
casions stncc this quarrel began
BwrNDLlN0 rxSsloN AGENTS.
The publications showing the activity Of the
Pension Ot1oc iu tcettn8 out frauds upon soldiers
and their heirs, is bringing IN large number OF
complaints from pensioners, who now have ser-
Ions tears that the agents to whom they have en-.
trusted fhctr business have cheated them. Every
case will be promptly Investigated. The vouchers
required are such a. to render It almost Impossl-
bic for tho guilty parties to escape Hereafter the
Commissioner Will require duplicates Of Ill con-
uaets In which the fees must be state.1, and By
the new Law to be made By the agent and died In
tho Pension Once These afn subject, II e1ces-
size. to revision by the Commissioner.
To the Associated PrssA
rEBlC HC1lDISGs-
WASHINGTON. D. C., AuR. s.-The board crea1c,s
hy act Of the last CpuHrrss. 70 approve the plans
tur all public buildings thEnughout the Cnited
master General and Secretary OF The Interior met
to-day At the Treasury Department and organized.
Acting SeSsetarv Rfcharison Eeprtsented the Sec
ret1zy Of tho Treasury. The hsAE1 approved the
plans Of the supervising architect for the new
| Court House and Post OMces At On2hA. Seh,
aud Columbia. s. 6. They declined 70 take
House n Nashville, # being impussiule IN thels
opinion to erect suitable building within the
limits Of the present appropriation.
| fSIEkSAL KKTKSCB RECEIPTS
Internal Revenue receipts for several dAya have
been Te9 heavy, are.aEinG about Million Z day.
To-day they wcfe orer taat amount
The National Executive Committee Of tho Union
| League had = meeting II Long Branch lass Friday.
The reports from Florida showed tnAt = thorough
reorganization OF the State WIS Necessary, Wherc-
| as In Texas the Equalization seemed to b. most
efc1ent and It Ia expected that the new militia bill
tsung II present. General Ltslencli. Of Flos1da,
illustrated the condition OF Tie Republican party
tn that State, and demanded the active eJlnrath
Cntou men, whita snd black, wcts scarcsg per.
nissed to i've In peace.
III. said that Monszoner1 % p,a,, i, determined
2 nm foE Reprtsentative 70 Congress from ine
Fifth MARYLAND District dc wilt make An eaEues,
| 1ghs for the Democratic OF EonSefT1ttYb noruiu4-
ton In hlg district
sEc7EfAHY rmH.
| NEW fonK, Aug. 3.-Tns Eorld has 4 ycry post
! uEe ruMor tom Washington that Secretary F!sh
viii soon TcAgn his seat In the Cabinet, which
~as ii drst reluctantly accepted By him. and on1J
| Tor tme, 70 release President Grant nom some
complications In which he had been tusolyed.
| WORK n IuK EAyT TARn
WASHINGTON, Aug. A-Yestcrd2y Secretary
] Robson ordered 800 more men to be engaged u
various nAry yArls. and the work Of repairing ant
remodelinG the rcssels on hand. aaa those beiol