Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-02-02

representatives having corrected a cleftca i
error in the Ell rolment of the apportionm antbil,
il now goes to the President tor his approval.
The new law will therefore be promulgated in
day or two. and sent 10 the various state legisa
tur SO That they can enter Oh the work OF
reCIs;TictiGg the state. In the eases where
there Is n gain of one member a fraction. he
can he eiTcsed by the state at large, "a is now
the tact III Illinois under the old apportiOnment.
Ia this way it is said that the republicans will
gam three members IN the next House. The
ELECTORAL vote Tor the mex President will he
cast on the present basis OF 243 members for the
House, instead OF zS3, As under the new bill.
THE CONTRACT FOR CARRYING THE EURO
PEAN MAIL.-1he Committees on Commerce of
the Senate AMI House and the Post Office Com
Tnittee of the Senate this morning held a Joint
meeting, and unanimously agreed TO advise the
Postmaster General to award the contract for
carrying the Wednesday European mail to the
Williams " GuiOn line OF steamers, upon the
assurance that the company has already con-
tracted for the construction Of two more fast
steamers, TO be followed by two additional ones
IN the course of a few months. The N netinc this
morning was on account OF the offer of the
CunaId line I" carry the mail for nothing, but i'm
view OF the fact that that line with three others
entered INTO an agreement two years ago not to
carry the mails for the condensation offered
and the additional fact that the Williams &
Guion line at that time came forw ard and o 4ered
10 carry the mail at the price fixed bv law, thus
renewing the department of a serious enbarrass-
III, mt, the committees unanimously agreed TO
award the contract to that company, which
although sailing under English coiors, is owned
principally by Americans.
OF INTEREST To PUBLIsHrRs-Sir Edward
Thornton, The British Minister here, has been
applied to from home 10 obtain copies of every
newspaper, periodical and magazine published
IA the Rlted States. TO be placed cxhj hition
at the International Exposition TO take place i'm
England this year. Minister Thornton yester-
day called upon Mr.. Joseph Shilington. the
we'll known bookseller and news agent of this
and requested m Ter in
hand. which Mr.. Shillington has consented TO
do. Publishers, therefore, who desire to avail
themselves of the opportunity to he Represented
at the English Exhibition will address 4 copy OF
their publications OF some date in February to
joseph SbillingtOn, News Agent, Washington,
II. T.. On their arrival here. the publications
will he arranged by States and sent TO England
1t will be remembered that a collection OF
American newspapers AMI periodicals excited
much interest at the English Exhibition in 1851.
but It was far from complete, and il Is desirable
u at this collection shall be as perfect d posi-
BILE.
The DUTY ON SALT.-Judge COmstock. OF
New York, was before the Committee of WAYS
and Means to-day, and concluded his argument
against the removal OF the duty on salt. He
showed that in 1856 and IS, with an al ualorem
duty OF Is per cent, there a revenue col
lectcd OF only 500 900 on II 900 coo bushels of
salt, while under the present duties there has
been collected oil II 200, 900 bushels a reve-
nue OF one and quarter millions Of dollars
His argument was 10 show that a reduction or
abolition of the duty on salt would not renlc
the article cheaper than il is now, As in that
case foreigners: and particularly Canadians,
would bring their salt 70 this county,. aud thus
drive out the American article and regulate
prices to suit themselves. The calcl. @toh i
that there are thirty three pounds Of salt Ia,
every individual, which under the present duty
Is SIX cents, sum not sufficient TO purchase a
cigar that any member of the committee would
smoke.
MIR. Ftzhugh, president of the Saginaw salt
Ipn T. Driu
against the reduction OF duty, con.eniing that
any violent convusiOn IN the present tart would
destroy American manufactures.
THE LATEST DEFALcATIOS-A J5ut 50, 900 ef
Pension Funds UHGccounted for.-The resignation
OF W. L. Collins, pension agent for this District,
was noticed in yesterdays STAR. His rcsigna-
ton " as requested by the Secretary OF the Int
fior on the discovery OF irregularities in hs Off
cial accounts. Mr.. Collins, who IL well known
In this community, was appointed to the position
at the beginning of the administration Of Pre-
sident Grant at the solicitation of Gen. Logan.
The arpOintee had served faithfully in the
army, and lost q leg during the service. The
discrepancy in his accounts was first discovered
on FRIDAY last, and since that time the Pension
Office officials have been examir ing the papers;
but as great many checks for various sums
have to be examined the exact amount of the
defalcatiOn has not vet been ascertained. Ii j.
thought, however, that $4,000 will cover it.
The bondsmen Of Mr.. Collins, who have ALREADY
been notified, have expressed their willingness
to make good the amount, hence the govern
mont will lose nothing. The accused is very i'll
at his residence, the Excitement OccasiOned by
the discovery OF the deialcatiOn having caused
irritation OF his wound, he being one OF the five
or sin soldiers whO survived the risky operation
of amputation at the hip joint during the war.
The inference of morning paper that Col
l;ns has sunk $1,000 in the Grand Army Journal
Il probably not altogether correct, as the paper
II Is understood, had been paying since, last
April at least. quite handsomely. He may have
sunk something In establishing the paper, but
m co mn oh L.
Collins sunk over 5000 in an attempt to pub
iisL book, g. The Memorial Record" for 1868
anu 1859, two vols, reprints. 1t is supposed that
the money was taken by Collins through a sys-
TEN OF fictitious checks Tor the payment of pen
sions. The payment of pensions here will he
suspended until new agent is appointed.
ONE BABY KILLED BY ANoTHER.-A TRACE
dy occurred in the family OF II. =. Clark, com-
postor, on Sunday afternoon, at his dwelling.
on 14th street. Mrs. Clark was busily engaged
IN attending to her domestic affairs, and had
called in Mary Russell, little girl. to take care
OF her little boy, baby nine months old. A
with his brother and the little girl, aud was
amusing himself by throwing small blocks and
other missiles from the corner Of the room in
which they were playing TO the other. While he
was thus engaged he grasped a small piece of
slate, and without being precise in his aim
lie hurled ii in playful glee. Ii struck the baby.
which the little girl had in her arms, on the
right side of the head. and inflicted a deep cash
AT first il was not apprebended that there was
ANYTHING dangerous in the wound, but Dr.
Hutchinson, who was Immediately thereafter
called in, said that the skull had been fractured
and that the child could not live. After passing
The night in an unconscious state, the little suf-
ferer expired-Tro Times
HORACE GREELEY ON LiNCOLN.-IIorace
Greeley, in lecture on Abraham Lincoln de-
hvered at Newark, New Jersey, reviewed Mr.
Lincoin's " i'll advised ride through Baltimore"
and the rose-colored views which the new Presi-
dent took OF the situation. Secession had been
threatened so long that Lincoln could not believe
that the southern men were in earnest. Even
AFTER the conflict had actually begun the
speaker thought that the President under-esti-
mated its Importance, and il was not until the
disgractful affair at Bull Run that his ewes
were fully opened.
GEORGE Cross, drunken vasrant in Omaha
was once prospt rous merchant Of large means
In the city of Philadelphia, but who has sunk so
low as to not only despise himself, but to be de-
spised by everybody. He sleeps in . vacant
house, not far from the Ninth street depot
where, without any clothing, except the rags
that cover his back, lie kes ps warm as best he
can. His living is begged, what little he gets
ana ne has now no scruples against asking.
A FIFHsHIRK MAN recently took his child to
the minister to be baptized, Who asked him
" Are you prepared for so eolemn nd / m nortant