The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-11-20


TIMELY TOPICS.
TIE Frecdman's Bank at Washington
has commenced paying to depositors the
twenty per cent dividend decided on
some weeks ago.
GEN. GARFIELD says that he intends
to move Il repeal Of the law increasing the
postage upon newspapers Il; soon as con.
gress assemblies.
RUssIA's part i'll our exhibition next
year may be comparatively small, but it
will be interesting all the same. 1t will
consist Of products which cannot be du-
plicatcd by amy other country, for they
are to be confined to those which arc pc
culiar to her soil and climate.
THEY have recently had the seventh
annual cat show in the Crystal Palace,
London. The highest priced cat w.s val
ucd by lis owner ut $50 900. but didn't
get the first prize. "'rommy Dodd," aged
nine years, valued ut $500 was the win
ncr. There were over five hundred cats
exhibited
TIE city of Berlin has but one steam
fire engine, the rest being old-i;,shioncd
hand machines and the water supply is
inadequate. Recently IN immense new
hotel was burned, and water was brought
in barrels and pumped fccbly to the Soc
ond story where there was no fire. At
length Il heavy rain cxtinguishcd the
flames.
WAsllINGToS dispatches assert that
the Commissioner OF Internal Revenue
vii! not recommend any increase Of tax
alton this winter The receipts on whis
ky, etc, during the last year have been
larger than i'll any year, except 1870,
since the taxes were first imposed and at
the increased rate they will be still
further augmented during the current
fiscal year
COFFEE drinkers will please remember
That the crop reports do not hold out any
comforting assurances. A falling off has
been reported all around Of old Java
there is Il considerable falling OF. Rio
shows Il still more marked diminution,
though there is some coffee of the pre-
vious crop left over. The islands near
Java shcw a decrease of about !iftv pcr
cent. in production
II is 4 significant fact that the grain
trade of New York has fallen of this year
lS,772,5l9 bushels rs compared with last
year, while the delivery ut Baltimore is
greater than last last. Philadelphia also
shows gain. When our southern rail
way system is made what it ought to be,
Charleston, Port Royal and Savannah will
export more grain, flour and meat than
any other Atlantic cities.
PEOPLE who write letters will find in
struction in the flcts shown in the report
of the dead letter office last year. Some
",64o,1?7 letters went astray, mainly
through carclcssncss in directing. There
was taken out of these letters the aston
lsnlngly large sum Of $500, 00O All of
thls was returned to its owners with the |
exception Of 100000, which remains as
aProft to the Post-oficc Department.
FITZRoY, believed to have been chief
III the organization Of the whiskcv ring
III 1t. Louis, went into court Tuesday.
and, to the dismay of his counsel pleaded
guilty to all the counts in the Indictment
against himself. Thorpe, late store
Keeper, also threw himself on the mercy
CT the court. This action is considered
at st. Louis as the most significant cpi
sole in the downfall of the once formid
able underground organization.
a COMPARATIVE analysis of the public
debt statement published shows de-
rcasc III legal tenders during the last
month Of S705,00O, and in fractional cur
rcncy of s102,000 The Treasury bal
ancc increased nearly Sll 100000. The
fivc-twcntics of 1862 have disappcared
from The interest bearing debt, having
been absorbed by the new fives. The
Sl0,O0O,O0O of 1864 bonds called in, leave
but about $l2,000,000' of the new fives
not taken. There are about $4,000 600
OF the new 'Gis still outstanding, and
they will he called iii before The 18th
inst.