The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-11-20
WASHINGTON.

to-day and hae not received any visitors
excepting Secretary Fish, who had a long
Interview. ar,
The Chief Of the Bureau Of Statistics
states with reference to the omission ofthe
steamer Virginius from the last list oi
merchant vessels OF the United States,
that she 10 entered on that list In page 294
as the Virginia paddle steamer, tonnage
AL and "a 1.100; home port, New York.
The official number (e5 ,s5l) was awarded
Feb. 81, 1879.
The Postofflce has no official iniorma.
ton concerning the seizure Of United
States mails at Havana. 1t was ascer.
tanned at that Department to-day that
there 10 no postal convention between the
United States and Cuba, beyond the ex.
change Of mails. About Twelve years ago
efforts were made by this government TO
effect such an arrangement, but after cor.
respondence with the Captain. General,
who was In favor Of 1t, the matter was
referred to the Spanish government, who
seemed TO take no interest in the negoti.
atoms. By the law applicable 10 this
island, all mail matter must pass through b
Havana for other poStoficeS, where It is
not unreasonable to suppose there Is
searching examination as to the character
OF letters and printed papers, and that
some Of them do not reach the persons to
whom they are addressed. Commercial
letters are permitted to be sent from Ha-
vans to the United States without gov
ernment control.
The Postoff1ce Department has con.
cluded partial postal card arrangements
with Germany. is-
Outstanding legal tenders, $50 $50. .764.
Customs receipts for the week ending
10th at the following ports were: New
York, 81 ,287,84s; Philadelphia, SLID, 1853;
Baltimore, $92.04l.
Secretary Richardson in conversation
with q representative Of the Associated
Press TO day, stated: have every conf,
depce In Secretary Fish. He will do Just
right, and you may rest assured that he
will not be carried away by excitement,
neither will he yield one bit Of National
honor In reference TO the ability OF the
United States to wage successful war
with Spain, should Il be necessary. To
resort 10 arms he said, should such
course be determined upon, the Treasury
Department is fully prepared. We have
enough money to commence with, but ex.
actly as to what will be done afterwards,
depends upon the prolongation OF war,
though l have no doubt 1t would be Of o
short duration, as Congress will be here
in two weeks. II Is very certain
that there will be no difficulty In
raising all the means we want
War, Of course, will be expensive, as it
REQUIRES large sums Of money 10 move
armies and fit out ships. But we are
equal 10 the emergency.
He was then asked the ques.
ton. Do you find the Cabinet war
like2 and upon 1t being answered, that
the sentiment seemed TO uphold the ma.
tional honor, he repeated, "The opinions
OF Mr.. Fish are correct, and the Treasu.
ry Department is prepared TO maintain
these opinions"
Question understand, Judge, that
you are In favor Of the annexation ot
Cuba9 Answer, alter significant silence
While do not say that l am In favor
Of the annexation, do say, that will
stand by Mr.. Fish, whatever the State
Department does Ibelieve the Secreta.
ry Of State Is o careful, cautious, and ju.
dicious man, and that he will not get US
into any embarrassments. That Is my
opinion. I have not given much atten.
tion to the subject In Its present shape:
1t belongs entirely to the Department OF
State. I presume that II we had war
with Spain 1t would result in the annexa-
tion OF Cuba.
The Secretary was then asked If the
acquisition Of that island would not ma
terially disorganize our tariff system; TO
which he replied, that ut first Of course 1t
would upset everything, as we would lose
a large sum Of money the first year from
import duties on sugar and tobacco which
we now receive, but after that our inter.
nal collections on these articles, especially
tobacco, would more than compensate for
that loss.
Question-Would 1t not be necessary to
keep q large army Of customs officers
there ? -..
Answer-Yes. It would be q great
place for smuggling, and 1t would necessi.
tate the establishment Of custom houses
all along the coas,, and as there is such
an extent Of coast many persons would
have to be employed to gusrdit.
The Secretary was asked II the De.
partment knew officially Of the past his.
tory Of the VHginius. he replied that 1t
did, the vessel having been twice owned
by the government. Once she belonged
TO the division Of captured and abandoned
property OF the Treasury, by which she
was sold; and again In 1870 she was
seized at Mobile for The debt OF the default.
ing Assistant Treasurer: She was then
brought to the Potomac and sold TO 0 New
York man named Patterson. Her name
was then Virginia, but upon being taken
10 New York her name was changed 10
the Virginius. believe the. Virginius,
and the vessel which captured her, the
Tornado, were both built In Clyde by the
same builders, tor blockade runners
during the war.
Unusual activity prevails In the Wash.
ington Navy Yard, and In some depart
ments over time is being made. A large
force ID at work on the steamer Shawmut,
and three guns belonging 10 the North
Atlantic station and the Tallapoosa trans.
port paddle wheel steamer are being ra.
pidly repaired. A large force Is engaged
In the ordnance department making am
munilon.
Arrangements have been entered into
between the United States and Germany
for the exchange Of postal cards between
the two countries, to go into effect Dec. ],
1873. The arrangement 10 precisely the
same as that with the Canadian govern