The New York herald., 1875-11-17
GENERAL WASHINGTON DISPATCHES.

THE MISSISSIPPI NATURALIZATION Oh
THE DEPARTMENT SUSPENDED BY THH
PRESIDENT.
BY direction OF the President the Post ONCE Depart
to-day suspended all action in regard to comms.
sioning J. b. Raymond and f. p Hatch who were re-
Gently appointed to dispace ex-senator Pease and De
Witt Stcarns postmasters at Vicksburg and Holly
Springs, Miss The contest for and against the
tion of the incumbents is actively conducted by the
respective friends OF Pcase and Governor Ames and
Is understood that the matter this afternoon made
a subject Of some discussion in the Cabinet
REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF NAVIGATION
COAST SURVEYS AND DEEP SEA soUNDINGs.
The annual report Of Commodore Daniel Ammen,
Chief of Bureau OF Navigation has been made to the
Secretary of the Navy.
In regard to interoceanic surveys Commodore Am
men says
This arduous work which has been carefully prose-
cuted for live seasons by parties from the
lsthmus Of Tehuantepee to twenty more miles south
OF the mouth OF the Napip on the River Atrato, Is
at length satisfactorily accomplished II is the
duty Of this bureau 70 acknowledge the
ability and energy OF the different officers
who have been in command and the untring zeal and
intelligent and faithful exertions Of their subordnaes.
The precautions OF those in command shown In the
iact that not one ohicer or man has succumoed 70
climatic influence, though doubtless many carried tho
seeds Of disease and earlier death away from their fields
of operation No OF bad conduct in either officer
or man engaged on this work has come to the knowl-
edge of the bureau
Reference is then made to the various surveys made
since 1870, and he says
Since my last report at the request Of the COM
mission appointed TO consider and report upon the
mteroceanic canal by your order, careful survey OF
the Isthmus OF Panama made the computations
completed and the whole placed before the commission.
reconnaissance the west coast also made
of the Rio Chepo and the San Bias route,
whore the tide OF tho two approach
nearly than at other point. So careful and
minute has been tho examination Of the different water
sheds up the point of manifest nieriority other
known points that no doubt now exists to the APP
proximato labor necessary in the construction Of
M - meg
TO add that the most careful and elaborate surveys
would necessarily have to be made in advance any
point heretofore examined before commencing the
strucon OF an intcroceanc skip canal and that these
surveys could only amelorate the labor aud cost Of
construction, inasmuch the locations given
actual throughout in length and would only be changed
when an advantage would be gained by doing
A large number OF junior officers of the navy have
been detailed for duty the United States
vey. AS the urgent demands OF the naval service viii
permit officers are now assigned TO duty under the
Superintendent of the Coast Survey This duty in Itself
Is national necessity. II is also valuable
school of instruction. shown through the services
Of naval officers in their legitimate duties and especially
during the different in which they have taken
part
REPORT OF THE NAVAL OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
OF THE OBSERVATIONS OF THE TRANSIT OF
VENUS.
The report Of Rear Admiral c. II. Davis Superin.
tendent the United Naval Observatory states
that the great equatorial recently erected is good
order and in constant in the observation OF the
satellites Of the planets Neptune Uranus aud Saturn.
Some of the difficult and interesting of the doubh
also observed, and drawings OF Mars, Jupiter
and Saturn and OF several nebule have been made He
speaks length OF the drawings OF nebuln made
by Mr.. L. Trouvclot, formerly engaged at the OBJ
seryatory Harvard College, who invited to
the Naval Observatory, and visited that institution
in September last In referring to theoretical
investigations he says
Congress having tailed to make the appropriation
asked for last year there but little progress report
on the work on the theory Of the moons motion Ths
circumstance is much to be regretted view of the
large and increasing Of the lunar ephemers and
the fact that il is chiefly these Investigations that
the astronomers of the world looking for
planaton Of the errors in question An approprlatiou
ol $4,000 y therefore asked Tor with view to their
continuation A preliminary investigation, having in
view the correction Of the lunar ephemers during the
last few years. in order that II may be used for the de-
termination Of longitudes of the transit of Venus
stations, is now in progress series OF
periments ascertain the effect Of wind
and Of variable hygrometric conditions the amount
OF rain obtained in rain gauges of sizes and at
different attitudes have been made by Professor East
man. and the results will appear IN an appendix IN the
meteorological observations of 1874 During the past
two months the time has been transmitted at noon over
the country through an additional wire rom the ob
scrvatory TO the Western Union Telegraph office IL 10
transmitted by two wires instead OF one rendering
its reception more certain and necessatng less trou
bic IN repeating at the telegraph Office Ihe following
is abridged statement Of the observation OF transit
4
i NORTHERN STATIONS -wladiwostok, Siberia, Is pho
tographs taken; Pckin, China, 20 taken; Nagasaki,
Japan, 90 taken. Total l63
u SOUTHERN STATIoNs-kerguelen Island 20 photo
graphs taken; Hobart Town Tasmania, 80 taken; Camp
\ bell Town, Tasmania So taken; Queenstown, New
Zealand 80 taken; Chatham Island, taken. Total 1877
Contact observations obtained at the American
stations as ollows;Firs external contact-Northcrn
stations wadiwostok Pekin Nagasaki; Southern sta
tions, Kerguelen, Queenstown
/ First internal contact-This was observed at the
three northern stations, but only at Queenstown In the
south.
/ second Internal contact-Ths also observed at
All three northern American stations, but only at q
single southern one. Campbell Town.
Second external contact.-Ths observed at only
single one OF the eight American stations, Pekin.
Professor Newcomb has expressed the following
opinions concerning the value of these observations
and the probable the final determination of the
solar paraax resulting from their dscussion:-
II Is my opinion that the optical observations OF con-
acts made by the observers Of all nations will by their
combination give value Of the solar paraax OF which
the probable error viii lie between otenths and
three eenths OF second l also think that the Amer
can photographs alone will give result al
least as accurate as this aud probably more
50. large remaining mass OF material will
be the bclomeer measures made by the Ger.
mans and Russians, as we'll as by Lord Lindsay.
Various optical measurements made near the
moments OF internal contacts and photographs which
Venus was partly on the The combination OF all
these may be expected to give result Of equal weghs
with either OF those already mentioned think tiero-
fore, that may look forward with considerable GER
t@nty TO seeing the probable from the conbina-
tVn Of all observations less than twotenths, and per-
\ haps not much more than onc-tcnth OF second AZ
the same time, II not to be disguised that there Is
possibyo unforeseen perturbng causes being brought
TO light by comparison OF all tho observations WhicD
will upset all pri0rt estimates OF probable error
BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF A CHANGE OF SERVICE
The Secretary of War has received the following
PORTLAND, Oregon Nov. 2 ls76
DEAR Srp-I was once in the service Of the UniteA
States but now in the service OF my God EA-