Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-05-16

COURT OF CLATIs.

] The Court of Claims, last week, rem
/ dered an interesting and important
| decision in the case Of SlOWsOu, jr., Us
! the United States, claiming the value
! of a steamboat sold by q Treasury
/ agent at Charleston, as captured prop
! erty, after the close Of the war, at the
/ date OF the fall Of Charleston. The
I vessel owned by SlOWsOn had been for
/ some years used in the hGTbOr by the
/ COnfederate4u 4uthOrities, and was then,
] on q verbal agreement with complain
Z ant, employed at a per diem COmpeu-
1 satiOn by the United States Quarter
master Department. After remaining
in this service for about year, she
was turned over to a Treasury agent
/ and sold. Suit was subsequent
! ly brought in this court for
! the recovery of the proceeds.
/ Chief Justice Drake, delivering the
/ decision, holds thar the court has no
I jurisdiction to pronounce a judgment
/ against the United States in suits
/ brought to recover proceeds Of any
captured property which has been
used for carrying on war against the
United States, and that this vessel
was so employed. Judgment against
! the claimant Is also based upon fur
/ ther consideration, that said steam
boat having been appropriated for
! use by the United States army for mil
/ itary purposes, is exempted by the
| act Of July, 1864, from jurisdiction Of
/ the court.
| Judgment was rendered also in
favor Of Benjamin MastOue for S9S23,
! proceeds Of captured cotton.
AGRICULTURAL.
An investigation Of the condition
! cf farm ANIMALS of the United States,
! recently made by the Department OF
/ Agriculture, shows that lever losses,
| either from disease or winter expo
sure, have resulted during the past
| season than for several years previous
] ly. Losses amounting 10 millions of
/ dollars have been heretofore reported
yearly, but no epidemic has lately
| prevailed in any portion Of the cOuu-
try. Restrictive laws, and the prac-
| tice Of gathering Texas herd in IRON
tier depOts, have reduced the ravages
of spleniC fever. The foot and mouth
! disease, which spread through pOr-
ti0ns Of New York and New
England, was not fatal, and has
| nearly disappeared. PleUrO-pneu
mOnia has been reduced 10 a few
| cases near the cities of the Middle
| States; charbOn is now almost IN
| known in the South. Horses have
| been comparatively healthy, some
have exhibited the greatest cOmpara-
tive mortality, but less than in former
! years. Sheep have suffered slightly
| from disease. Farm stock Of all kinds
is almost uniformly reported in good
condition. The hay crop was short
I last season, but of excellent quality,
/ The corn crop was very large, bat
was fed literally, and better care than
usual was bestowed upon farm ami
mails. This improved condition is at
! tributed to abundant feed, more hu
name treatment and the mildness OI
the past winter.
AN ACCOMPLISHED FACT.
Not long ago, q company Of loyal
men in Washington purchased g
] Seneca redst0ne quarry, near thai
/ place, at q low figure, from a man who
! Wes ignorant of its value. This was
/ followed by the passage Of an act o
Congress for the erection Of marke
house 10 the Capital oct Of this ma
terial Seneca redstoue IS also To b'
the government building material
The new sidewalks on the north from
Of the Treasury, ana the north from
of the Capitol, sIe laid in redstOne, a
/ three times the actual cost, and tn,
/ city viii be paved ali over with it
The Seneca RedstOne Company is
big thing, and General Grant is chr
5 rently reported to be one of the larges
3 stockholders. General Washington
D or Thomas Jefferson, or James K
2 Polk, or any Of the statesmen or war
ri0rs who have occupied the Presi
I dental chair, would have been in
1 suited at the mere mention of sucl
q / Transactions. But General Grant is
I / thorough Radical, and halts at moth
! ing which has profit and gain at IN
end Of the transaction,