New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-12-18

etituttOnaI eXcreSccnces they wOuiu ~ icaso oo ~"
to cut off their support. The defense OF the Du'e"
by Mr.. Monroe was o very able one. He shower
that its plan was not to establish national system
Of education. The Bureau was q kind VI
clearing house for educational information
Each State sent here its statistics and they were
carefully digested and published III the ann' h -, mo
port for the benefit IF all. This was work winch nr
State Board could do, and was egltima1o OH onSe
the General Government to undertake me iio; ;H
by clear majority decided that IT womi1 n W 49,
crease the force OF the Bureau but only ~ Drn so
Gratis and John g. Smith of Ohio voted Tor SUBS t
Grcnt motion made by Mr.. Hereford to starve ous
the Bureau by cutting of the appropriation LOT IT,
TIE PANAMA ROUTE FOR THE lsrHMU5 CANA
The Special Commission. consisting Oh ueh'
Humphreys, Prof Peirce and Commodore AnmehS'
appointed by the President to examine ana report
upon all information relating to canal routes across
the American Isthmus, have received a statement
relative to the feasibility Of the route from Aspih
wall to Panama, which. in their opinion deserVes'o
be tested by a careful survey, and for this purpose
Congress has been asked to appropriate Sl"0cO. IL
is desirable that immediate action should DC
had IN this matter III order that tho survey
ing party may get to work in time 10
complete the survey before the rainy seaso"
sets in. In order to accomplish this the
PARTY should be on the ground early in January.
The Panama route has many advocates among tlcii
some of the first engineers OF this country hnr
Europe The route is claimed to be snoi.ci i
than any other. and the elevation less ny scNcih
hundred feet. Beslues the Chasrcs itivcr iurh'sr,
abundance If wafer for all prr "Ses. IL tne Gl''Ii
sbonld be onencd on his route the Panama hailro1d
could be used to facilitate tho work OF It's con-
structOn.
"ATER COMMUNICATION BETWEEN NEW-loNN
AND THE MISSISSIPPI
Although the House Committee on Roads ana
Canals have agreed to report Il bill providing LOT
pening what is known rs the HenneIin Canai
route from Chicago to the Mississippi kIver' py
direct appropriations from the Treasury, the mem
bers have no confidence that the House VIII pass H.
Mr.. McCrary. the Chairman, believes this to he the
most important of all the canal schemes broacheu'
because it would provide the only missing INK IN a
system of water communication between tue MIS-
sissIppi and New York. and would secure much
lower rates of Transportation for the grain OF those
portions of Iowa. Illinois, MnnesO Il. Missouri, hati-
sas and Nebraska which have ready access TO the
great riycr and its uayiraUie tinntaIIes tnan 'he
railroads Will afford. unless tbey ale forced 10 c"I,
mere with such water route. With this canal
opened and the Instructions at the mouth 81 the
Mississippi removed. Mr. McCrary thinks Congress
might dismiss all the other canal projects.
FEATURES OF TIE NAVAL APPROPRIATION GiLL-
The Naval Appropriation bill, as reported hy the
Committee. cuts down the estimates for the support
of the Naval Observatory very largely Inc amount
for general expenses is reduced $500 and for clerl
Nl,pO
putatous i'll aid Of Prof. Ncwcomb's Investigations
of the moon is refused entirely. Only S2CC0 IS al
lowed for the computations of tie observations o.
the transit of Venus Friends Of the Observatory
say il would be better 20 abolish it entirely than
cipplc its activity in this way. The refusal II hc
carnations asked ioi is eC the more severely on
account Of the absence OF two 81 thc leading probes
sOTs To observe the transit Oi venus.
TIE ALABAMA CLAIMS COURT.
Tn the Court of Commissioners Of the Alabama
CLAIMS the first case coming up before II on It's
merits and head to-day. that of James n.
Hooper and bis two sons Of Baltimore the former
uniting in a claim for the loss Of his vessel which
was captured by the Florida ia 1858, OF Cape May.
Each of the sons who were officers on thc vessel,
put in claims for the loss of personal elects TIC
three claims constitute cases 8, A. and -. The tcs-
tlnony favorable to the claim was submitted by
the claimants and the IcbUtinc testimony by the
counsel for the United states, on which an arSu-
ment followed and closed.
PROPOSED RESTORATION OF DUTIES on TEA
AND COFFEE.
Mr. Dawes from the Committee on Ways and
Means. introduced the following bill in the House
of Representatives TODAY: ~ bill to provide for
the rayInent Of the sinking fund. BE il enacted,
&C. that the duties and rates If duty on all tea ana
coffee imported from foreign countries on aud after
the LIST day of March, 1870, shall bo the same rate OF
duty as was provided for and levied collected. and
paid prior to the pa'sIS OF the act entitled An aci
repeating the duty on tea aud coffee, appIO'eu
May !, 49,"