The Portland daily press., 1872-12-09
Dominion Affairs.

| The Dominion ministry has created the
office of ''rain guager'' at salary of $4,000 a
year, and appointed Mr.. Perry to that office
for the Province of Ontario who resigned a
seat in the Assembly to make room for a
ministry favorite,a the opposition papers say.
The opposition make deal of fun at the ex-
pense of the rain guager and hope he will
have the showers equally distributed over the
province.
The Toronto Globe says of the Presidents
message:
1t is written in a moderate conciliatory
tone, with nothing calculated to hurt the SEN
sibiIities of any nation or individual. 1t was
necessary to speak of the Washington Treaty,
and to express satisfaction at the result of the
Geneva Arbitration and the San Juan Award.
But it is done in modest quiet way. There
is not the slightest appearance of growing
over the issue as if it involved the defeat or
huniliation of Britain.
The Halifax Recorder notes case where
the time between the mortuary and marital
process was just two weeks, which it thinks
is in keeping with the juxtaposition of the
words of the song:
my wife died.
L got another one"
The revenues of the Dominion Gov
eminent for the month of October amounted
to 50, 1853, S26.49 and the expenditures during
the same time were 81, 1873, i28.4S. Of the
revenue 1853, 924.26 was derived from Gus
toms. 1t will be seen that the current expen-
ses of the Dominion is more than one-fourth
as large as the actual expenses of the United
States for running the government, exclusive
of public debt interest and other matters
growing out of the war.
The Peticodiac bridge between Moncton N.
Is. and Clevedale, sixteen hundred feet in
length was formally opened on Thursday
with considerable ceremony.
The Quebec Chronicle says that England's
opinion of President Grant is, that while
that nation has no reason to love him, it be-
lieves him to be ''better fitted for the high
post which he occupies than any other man
who has appeared on the public platform of
politics in America"
The Quebec board of trade is urging upon
the Grand Trunk Railway the establishment
OF a merchants express train to Montreal in
order to Obviate the extortionate charges of
the express company.
In an investigation before the election COM
mittee of the Quebec Assembly, the fact
came out in the testimony that the govern
ment contract witha private insane asylum
was obtained by paying to the agents of the
ministry quit0a sum to be used in carving
elections in its favor.
On the 23d ult., during an arbitration be-
tween Mr. ROchactar nj p nd
Preston, in Ottawa, on account of damag-
ing statement made by the M. P. Mr.. Pres
ton hurled an inkstand at his head. The
former ducked and escaped the missile:
Preston then ran out-se Mr.. Rochester said
for shooting iron" and policeman had
to be called in to mount guard over the bel
ligerent disputants.
On the 18th ult., four men entered house
in the parish of Simonds, N. B., aud, after
treating the inmates i'll brutal manner. set
the building on fire, which was burnt to ash
es. The incendiaries have been arrested.
The Toronto Globe in noticing the fact that
Boston trade interests have induced the pro-
prietors of the Allan line of steamers to make
that city joint American port during the
winter with Portland, ventures the opinion
that Portland enterprise will not be slow to
notice the fact and take measures to hold
what it now has.
The appointment by Sir John A. Melon
aid of Mr. S. A. Blake, @. c., as Vice Chan
cellor meets with universal appreciation. Mr.
Blake is a political opponent of Sir John, and
a brother of the Hon. Edward Blake, his
great political rival.
The Bank of Montreal with a capital of
S., ,060, has voted to increase its STOCK to
1900, 900, and will be the largest bank on
the continent. Old shareholders will be en-
titled to their proportionate part of the new
stock at premium CT 20 per cent.