Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-04-18
NEWS Of THE DAY.
II, shine the Gerry age nnd Lo'ly aim" Times

| Tn the Dominion Parliament on Tuesday
night. the annual accounts We're submitted,
| showing highly prosperous condl'I"n"T trade.
The subject Of the canal across the ST. Clair
fats, and incidentally the Claim Of the United
States over that part Of rhe st. Clair river. was
brought up, and motion praying for intnrula-
ton as to it was carried Notices of mnliuUs
were given in regard TO the Fenan raids. and
the case Of an American fishing schooner, lille
galy abducted from the port nt Guysbnru.
4 Congressional Committee are inves,iga
ting the South Improvement Company. which
created such stir in the oil regions month
ago. One of the chiefs OF the ring testified
Yesterday that it was for the brnrtlt of the pro-
ducers, but as they cond not appreciate it the
scheme was dropped and is no dead.
At the annual meeting ut the National Board
# Fire Underwriters in New York. yesterday
the President reported The grand total OF prem
| INNS for ISL at SO M2, 30 aud Of losses
So; al .G94 The actual loss by tie Chicago
FIRE is placed at hundred and eighteen uil
lions of dollars
One hundred and thirty-cisht Mormon pr
,oncrs are released in Utah by the decision Of
the Supreme Court in the Eng"lbrecht case.
They were he'd for vari"rl> Offences against the
anti pnlygamy law Of Congress, ami AMONGST
them was Brigham Young.
Charles Rrade the weli-knnwn author and
dramatist, las announced his intention II pros
ecute FIVE journals for libel which he alleges
was embodied in several uni;lvor.ble criticisms
upon his play entitled ''ShiiIy Shaiiy.
The investigation Of the surrender Of Metz
has been concluded at Paris. aud the report OF
the cornuitte submitted, but not made public.
The committee has yet niue captulatI"n> EN-
bracing that of Paris, to inquire into.
The trials of Communists are still proceeding
mt Versailles. On Tuesday Il number OF cases
were disposed Of, of which two men were con
demned to death and TWO to imprisonment tor
life
1t is reported from San Francisco that the
grape crop of California is damaged ia the eX.
tent of a fifth or SIKH by late fro>tS. Peach
es, figs apricots almonds and English |h'nnts
are also damaged in some locates.
The Collector of Custom, at Burlington, cr-
mont, has resigned because, it is said. OF de-
6cit in his account Of $;'i.Wn. which he
could not make good.
The President has accepted al Invitation to
be present at the meeting Of the Society OF the
| Army of the Potomac AT Cleveland, on the itlr
of May next.
The investigation by the Senate C)mmirtee
into the sale vi arms to France closed today.
CoSGRESS. In the Senate yesterday a petl-
ton was presented irom the ,dical members
of the Mississippi Legislature asking the pas.
sage of the Supplementary Civil Rights blll.
The bill making an appropriation of $3o,OWI
for an observation of the transit OF Venus, was
passed. The day having been Setapart for the
consideration of bills from the judiciary Com
mittee, the following were taken up and passed:
to perpetuate testimony in the Courts OF the
T.. S: to further the administration ofjustice:
supplementary to the act amending the act
to enforce the right Of citizens Of the United
States to vote in the several States of the
Union and to amend the act establishing a
uniform time for holding elections for electors
of President and Vice President of the United
States, which provides that where the polls in
any State are held omen for more than one day
for the election Of State officers occurring at
the same time as the Presidential election.
then said election for electors shall be continued
the humber of days required by the laws OF said
State. The bill authorizing the President to
accept the resignation Of Judges OF any Court
of the United States who are disabled from per-
forming the functions of their Office their
salary to continue during life, was amended by
providing that Judge must have been ten
years in office before being entitled to the bene-
fit Of the provisions of the BILL aud then the
bill as amended rejected eyes |, noes %. The
House bill for the relief Of purchasers Of land
sold for direct taxes in the insurrectlonary
States was pending when the Senate adjourned.
In the House Of Representatives the bill
regulating the seizure of private books AID
papers in suits for violation Of the revenue laws
was passed The bill for the preservation of
forests on the public lands was discussed and
laid over The bill appropriatng 1881 4 ! Tor
the support of the Military Academy was
passed \ bill was introduced and discussed to
reform the Civil Service. Upon the bill TO lncor-
porate the Great Salt Lake and Colorado River
Railroad Company, and to grant to SAID Com
paDy right Of way through the pub llc lands
of the United States, 4 vote being taken
by teers, no quorum was found voting. and
the House adjourned.
SOUTHERN CLAIMS CoMMISsION-Th
Southern Claims Commission yesterday ex1min-
ed the cases Of Camilla Whpple. Of Philade-
phia widow and executrix of the late Engineer
Whipple. United States Navy, for property
taken in Virginia to the amount of Sl4,00o
Aldridge James, of Fauquier county, Va,
amounting to 81 ,6j7. and Christopher Ger
hardt, OF Richmond Va. amounting to nearly
twelve thousand dollars. In the latter case,
the proceedings were cnlivened first, by the
energy of gesture and speech with which the
claimant testified as to his loyalty; and, second
ly, by the reading Of sworn statement, adj
dressed by him, in the fall of 1861 to the Con
federate Secretary Of War, applying for the
discharge of his son from the Virginia volun-
teers, on the ground that he would be more
serviceabe to the Coufederacy By aiding his
father to fill contract for the fabrication Of
swords and cartridge boxes. This paper, turn.
ished from the Confederate archives in posses
sion Of the War Department, had demoraliz-
ing effect upon the claimant, whose attorneys,
|