The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-07-28
News and Other Items.

The imports at st. John, New Brunswick,
fell off from 81, 078, 997 in 1873 to $642,725 in
1S74-thus showing that the Dominion, as we'll
as the United States, is feeling the effects of
the hard times.
The political claims of the gentler sex are
finding recognition in California, five women
within short time having received nomina.
tions for the office of County Superinten-
dent
Professor Haldeman of Columbia, Pa, the
Entomologist, sailed for Europe from Phila-
delphia GU the steamship Illinois last week, to
represent the Pennsylvania horticultural Ex-
hibition to be held at the "Flora'' in Cologne
in August.
The French customs returns for the last
six m ,nths show an increase in receipts of $4,-
100000 over those of the corresponding period
OF last year. The total revenue of the country
for the same time has increased $4,000, 900
over that of 1874.
1t is stated that strange discovery has been
made at Buckingham palace. While some
workmen were engaged in pulling down wall
large quantity of valuable gold and silver
plate of about the time of George Ill, and sup
posed to be worth several thousand pounds, was
found.
North Carolina will hold an election August
8, for delegates to constitutional convention
to meet at Raleigh September 9th. The Re-
publicans of the state are strongly opposed to
the convention, which, they fear, will put in
force some measures for disfra nehsiug col
ored voters.
Senator Schurz writes to friends in Washing
ton that he will return 10 this country in Octo-
Der. He has spent most of his time in Berlin
at the foreign Office, studying the correspon-
dence between Prussia and our government a
cent ury ago,intending to use the data obtained
in the political history of America which he
designs writing.
The San Francisco Chronicle makes this very
necessary correction: Gin writing our notice
London Assurance yesterday, we alluded to
the dashing Fanny Davenport. Some printer,
whose zeal is greater and whose modesty is less
than ours, made us say the darling Fanny
Davenport We trust the lady will acquit us of
auy intentional familiarity
The fire insurance business of the United
States is growing. They paid more losses in
the first six months of this year than they paid
In the whole of 1874. 1t is noticeable that the
losses this year have fallen, not upon the great
cities, but chiefly upon the country towns, on
property destroyed in which the insurance
companies have paid about $26,0OO,OO0.
Mr. Charles Mentally, the last person in New
: York seized under the fugitive slave law, died
last week at Washington. In 1860 be was ap-
pretended by officers in Troy. and remanded to
his master under decree of the U. s. Com
missioner. He was rescued by crowd of col
ored people and taken to central New York,
where sufficient money was raised for his re-
dempton.
Mr.. John Lee Carroll, the Democratic NOM
inee for Governor of Maryland, is grandson of
"Charles Carroll of Carrollton," who signed
the Declaration Of Independence. Mr.. Carroll
studied law at the Harvard Law School, was
for time ex officio United States Commission
er under Judge Belts in New York, and was
president of the Maryland Senate during its
last session.
Jefferson Davis declines the Presidency of
the Texas College in a letter in which he says:
mo occupation would be more acceptable to
me than that which would enable me to CO.
operate with you in the organization of a sys-
tenn for the instruction of the youth of our
country in the two important branches to
which the college at Bryan is to be specially
devoted. cannot fully thank yon for the gen.
erous confidence manifested in offering me the
presidency of those colleges, and it is but fair
return that should cordially confess that you
have oyerrated my ability end in the conscious
ness that could not satisfactorily perform
the duties of the Office decline to accept it,"
Some interesting particulars were given in
the courseof the Schillar inquiry, of the life in
the Bishop Lighthouse, which is, in the winter
months, cut off from communication with the
world for long periods of time. The sea dashes
saud right to the top, though it is ITO feet
above high water mark, and the ordinary way
of embarking and disembarking from boat is
to make fast the boat By a grapnel and then
let man down by rope, or hoist him mp in
similar way to the door of the house. In a
storm the tower trembles so much that plates
and cups fall from the shelves and the glasses
of the light break. According to the Navy
this part of the evidence was given in court,
but not from the witness stand, and it does not
all appear in the notes.