The Portland daily press., 1875-11-22
WASHINGTON.
The Inter GceF mic Canal Com lnission.

AAC AhtCh- me- OunsAA OOknLAhsslOHs
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20.-The Inter-Oceanic
Ship Canal Commission was in session at the
Navy Department to-day and examined the
survey OF the Panama route which was made
under the direction of Capt. Edward p. Lul]
who was present at the session and explained
at a., length the maps made by his expedition.
The commission adjourned till Monday
q he Navy.
Promotions in the navy have been made as
follows: Commander Stephen I. Trenchard to
be Rear Admiral from August 10. 1876; Past
Assistant Engineer Edmund Olson, to be Chief
Engineer; Mifshipmen Siehl, Morrill, and I'm
1erwood to be Ensigns, Cadet Engineer Leitch.
tant Engineers.
The Vice Presidents Own Account of his
The Vice President has been interviewed
upon the subject of his illness He said that
on his late journey from Massachusetts to
Washington he called upon one of the most
eminent physicians In New York. He was
entirely disappeared. but that there existed an
unfavorable condition of the spine. The
physician said that he could treat the disease,
but that it would be severe. The Vice Presi-
dent gave consent After ether had been
poured along the spine for many minutes, hot
Senator Sumner after the Brooks assault in
the Senate. The Vice President says that he
did not feel the application of the hot irons,
but after the anasthetic effects had passed he
felt relief. The day of his attack he says be
felt most excruciating pain along the spine
and especially at the base of the brain. He
presumed it was the result OF cold and
thought warm bath would benefit him. 1t
was then that he was overcome by the excess
sive suffering he had undergone The Vice
President said that he could not have endured
his suffering another hour; that Immediately
preceding the attack to which he had to sue
cumb he felt his vital force rapidly giving
away, and that the moment of the attack
seemed his last He now thinks that this ill
ness is the crisis of his disease, and that the
will prove SO beneficial that he will now rally
and be permanently restored.
Report of the Director of the Mint
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21-The annual report
of the director Of the mint shows the coinage
of gold to be $33, 553965; silver $1,000, 76S;
minor pieces $685. total $40, 1854 100 The
deposits were as follows: Gold $3S, 556 1913; sill
in the treasury offices in various parts of the
country for storage of silver coin, in view of
the contemplated resumption of specie pay
ment. The director says that the two years
yield of the mines will, it is probable, furnish
sufficient silver to manufacture all the fraction
al currency coin that can be advantageously
used in the country After redemption of frac-
tiOnal notes the trade dollar coinage should be
continued If for no other purpose than to make
a local market for silver.
Purchases Of silver bullion from January 18th
to October 81, 1875, amounted to 8,349, TAT. at
an average price with refining charge added
for done bullion of dollar II cents and 4 mills
per ounce standard, the coming rate of fraction
al silver coins being dollar "a cents and mills
per standard ounce. The gain on its coinage
The total expense attending manufacture of
the coinage of the last fiscal year-$43, 854, 700
was $3.50, $40, or about 60 per cent. of the ex-
pense of maintaining fractional currency. In
this estimate the seigiorage realized on the sill
vor and minor coinage-$436. 105-has not been
considered The propriety of increasing the
amount of $40 gold pieces is suggested for the
consideration of the Secretary of the Treasury
The director speaks at length of the course of
gold and silver during the last three years, say.
ing that the monetary troubles have not been
caused by insufficient supplies of gold, hut by
circulation and diminished the uss of silver as
money.
The new coinage system of G ermany is men,
toned as one of the chief causes and the deley
in its completion is attributed to the action OF
the neighboring countries in practically closing
what it was expected would be the best and
largest market for silver The manufacture of
the standard national coins has already
amounted to about $2S5000,001. The coins,
however. have not gone into general circula-
tou " euo eAttut OrlStudiiy oApeCteu IOr Lno
reason that the old which are interior in value
continue, under the provisions of the new mon
etary law, to be effective money in payments.
Gold has therefore to large extent been held
in the vaults of the Imperial minis and the
banks. The gold standard is to go into effect
throughout the empire on the LIST of January,
1876, in accordance with an imperial decree OF
September 22d, 1875. and which would appear
to indicate the employment at an early day of
more decided meas ures than heretofore for the
withdrawal of the Deprecated legal tender sill
yer coins. When the complete withdrawal of
these deprecated silver coins is accomplished
gold will enter freely into channels of crcula-
ton and money affairs assume their usual
course. The sooner the German monetary re-
form now in progress is completed and the
Bank Of France resumes specie pay ment the
better it will be for Germany, France and the
United States. The time fixed for resumption
by France is January, 1878 but it is probable
that it will take place before the time spec.
fled. Whenever the German empire shall
have its great monetary reform well under
way, and France sets free her immense specie
reserve, the active demand for gold, no doubt,
will cease. The United States may then safely
undertake the acquision of sufficient stock Of
coin for resumption of specie payment