The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-08-09
WASHINGTON.
A Elect Ordered to Spanish Waters.

WASHINGTON, Aug. SIN view of the pres
ent disorganized condition of affairs in Spain,
the vessels comprising the European squadron,
under the command of Rear Admiral A. Lud-
Spanish ports. The Wabash, the flag ship of
the squadron, is now en- route to Carthagena,
and the Congress and Wachusetts will follow,
The Shenandoah is already at Cadiz. The
Alaska, now in commission at Brooklyn, will
sail in about ten days to join the European
squadron.
Award for Building the Shops of War.
The contract for building two new iron sloops
of war, the bids for which were opened Aug
1st, will be awarded to John Roach & Son Of
New York, whose bids were $4,000 cash.
Treasury Balances.
The following are the Treasury balances to
day: Currency So, 205, 887 special deposits of le-
post 1874, 100000; coin $82,O77,3 72; including
$43,91S,700 in coin certificates. outstanding
legal tenders. 1856, 100000.
The Manitoba Affair.
The government has received no official CON-
munication from Great Britain relative to the
Manitoba difficulty, and has taken no action
whatever in the premises, nor has the govern
Spanish representatives concerning the action
of the United States officers in relation to the
protection of the Vrginius.
Spicy Letter from Treasurer Spinner to
a New England Bank Cashier.
Gen. Spinner has addressed the following
letter to the cashier of New England Bank:
Treasury of the United States, Washington,
DC, Auy Sir: Your letter of the LIST inst.
was received yesterday by Adams Express
Co. There came enclosed, as therein stated,
two United States legal tender notes. one of
the denomination of $500 aud the other $780,
Both of these notes are entirely new, having
never even been folded and are perfectly clean,
being without spot or speck, For some bad
purpose, probably fraudulent one, with
view to the raising of the other United States
notes of smaller denomination to the value OF
these, more than one-tenth of each has been
sclssored out with a clean cut. Under the Old
regulations of the Treasury Department that
existed for more than ten years, these new
notes could have been redeemed for only nine
tenths of their face value, aud sixty dollars
would, under the old rules, have been deducted
for the mutilations. These rules, unfortunate
ly for the government, have been lately mod
fed so that this penalty cannot be enforced
Under this more than generous modification
you claim to have returned to you new U.
notes OF like denominations under the govern
ment contract at the expense of the United
States. The charge to the government by the
Express Co. tor their transportation both ways
would be $1.20. For the dog days l consider
this request decidedly cool. First you or your
client, wilfully mutilate clear new notes, and
then you ask the government not only to re-
place them with other new unmutilated notes
to be in their turn flor ought know mutlated
and returned with like request for other new
notes, but to pay the expense and run the risk
of transportation both ways. This, to my
mind, is piling it on pretty steep. You not on
ly burn with hot iron, but you ask the burn
ed one to pay for heating. the poker. II you
will turn to the 58th section of the national
banking law you will find that if any person
had treated two of your bank notes in the way
these two United States notes have been, you
could recover, by an action in any court having
jurisdiction, $50 fol. each of the mutilations;.-
the gander. Ought not the perpetrators of
these mutilatons be made to respond in like
manner? Under the circumstances it has been
concluded that the notes be retained, at any