The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-01-18
From our Special Correspondent.
Our New York Letter.
New YORK, Jan. 13, 1876.

D
shows that a geographical discovery has
been made which will probably be more
joyfully hailed by tue average American
than would bo the finding Of that myth.
cal "Northwest Passage" in the search
for which so many Arctic explorers have
lost their lives. refer to the new short.
cut to the national pocket which those
sharp Centennial Commissioners have
found out aud utilized, and which lies
through the Legislative aud Executive
stomocbs. That big dinner at philadel.
phia did the business. Congress ate 6pd
drank $4,000 worth, went back to
Washington to pick their teeth, began to
acknowledge the high worth Of the Cen.
iepnlal enterprise, and now, while still in
that calm, benevolent frame of mind
which usually follows a square meal, ("
unanimously vote the million aud a half
appropriation that those hosptable com.
missioners wanted.
Now how much pleasantcr that is than
spending the $4,000 in lobbying-bu,.
ton-holing the whole House by turna,
feeling this man, promising that one,
and threatening the other. Verify tue
invention Of our Quaker brethren is u
good one and worthy Of imitation and IS
gentlemen Of Mr. Thomas Scott's genius
arc usually not slow to learn, VIC ma
soon expect 10 see all Washington en.
barking for Texas fer rousing cham.
paguedinner previous to voting that
Texas, Pacific subsidy that has hung Gre
so long.
But just at present Mr.. Scott has his
hands full Of other matters, backing him.
self and Philadelphia against Vanderbilt
and New York in the race lor Western
freight traffic, aud attending to that re.
markable squabblo Of the Pennsylvania
road with the new Airline between Phil.
adelphia and this city. presume the
result of these novel proceedings will Re
known by the time this reaches you, bu;
at this writing the fight is D prominent
topic Of conversation here. The idea ol
two corporations getting up a genuine
battle over track crossing, using theii
laborors for infantry and their locomo.
tives for furious cavalry charges, is Ger.
tainly original enough to command atten.
ton.
In these hard times aud days of general
planning it is refreshing to hear of q
business that can be robbed Of half q
million and never know it, Such an one,
if the papers are to be believed, is that d
Babbitt, the soap. maker, who is prosecut
ing two former employees for larceny d
something like that amount, he having
recently learned Of his loss by accident
Whew He must use his soap to clear
Aladdin's lamp with.
1t may no: be generally understood
that We have two Christmas days here il
New York, but such is the fact, tbs
members of the Greek Church having
duly celebrated the "otber" one on Jan
uary &. The way that happens is, thai
the Greek faith holds to on old chronoI
ogy, while the rest Of Christendom prefe
to run by the new one. / should haye
been happy to 60 over to the Greeks teu
porarily ior the sake Of another chance
hang up my stocking, but understanding
that old Santa CLAUS only endorses Dec
25, didn't think it worth while.
The ilustrious mayor Of Bridgeport
Mr.. p T. Barnum, has sold his wild ami
mails aud all other appurtenances of bi
big Hippodrome, but can no more live ou
Of the show business than can fish ou
Of water. So for lack Of other attraction!
he is now exhibiting himself with consil
crablo effect. He calls his caravan
lccture-tour this time, but that don't ma
ter. People want to see him at least a
much as to hear him, aud they turn Oh
we'll in this city and Brooklyn at least
and the prince OF showmen is successful
az usual.
, The case against Tweed having receiy
ed another setback through some techni
cal error, the question is beginning to b
raised whether such perseverng bunglin;
, on the part Of the prosecution can be en-
tirely accidental. From present appear
ances the suit will have to receive il
r settlement. if it ever reaches one, at th
! hauds Of posieriiy. 1t may be, however
, that the proposed new city charter, nov
under consideration at Albany, will, i
adopted, help this matter incidentally, a
it will introduce some very wholesom
reforms in various departments, that o
the law among the rest.
If it would stop the existing dissension
that disgrace the city council, it would 1
good work. Two opposing bodies hav
t organized and are squabbing for recogni
J tiop, one with the endorsement of th
. mayor. and tho other without it. Th
former has possession of the chamber, an
1 demonstrates its fitness for Office by s.
r conducting itself at regular meetings, Il
= to render threats Of calling in the polio
= necessary to the preservation Of order.
G 1t has long been the fashion . consjc
a Commodore Vanderbilt crusty OLD cur
, mudgeon, with but scanty bcpevolence !;
t his chronological development but b
t letter to the trustees of Vanderbilt Uni
0 versity at Nashville, published a few day
t since, shows that he can be as open.hand
E ed, when he pleases, as George Peabod,
himself. Commencing with a compare
lively small donation to the institution
mentioned, bis sympathies and intcres
became enlisted in its growing needs, am
he has continued to enlarge the amount
5 till now, as shown by his letter, he ha
J. given it the muniicent sum Of 100000
: and that not grudgingly, hut accompanie'
/, with words of encouragement aud appro
e citation to its managers.
;. The theatres having been for the mos
c part fortunate enough to strike bonanza
10 the plays now running, there is no
/, much change in amusements to record
n "Pique," Julius Caesar, ,""Rose Michel.
and "Crucible," still hold their owl
though l believe toe latter's run mus
}, suffer an interruption al the close of tn
Il present week to allow Mr. Hall to g.
several provincial engagements in th
san, rlav Al Woodia Nusanu a M,