The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-08-14
WASHINGTON.
The Increase Of the Army

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1.-THE House Military
Committee to-day took up the Presidents mes
sage relating to the increase of the army during
the pending Indian war The committee agreed
to the hill passed by the Senate on July 3lst,
providing that the President shall have power
to increase the enlisted men in each company
OF cavalry to 100, in such regiments as may in
his opinion, require such increase, provided
that not more than $500 enlisted men be thus
added at any one time to the %, 900 authorized
by act of July "a, 1876 and an amendment was
adopted to the above, providing that as soon as
hostilities cease, the regiments shall be reduced
again and additional men mustered out
The Diplomatic Appropriation Bill.
The conference committee on the diplomatic
and consular appropriation bill has made its
report to the House. 1t totally abolishes the
missions to Bolivia, Ecuador and Columbia,
and it reduces from Ministers to Ministers
Resident the diplomatic representatives at
Portugal, Switzerland, Greece, Denmark and
Paraguay. 1t establishes at Swato, Southamp-
ton, Malta, OportO, Santa Cruz, Port Said,
Stettin, Maranham, Cyprus, Bucharest, Venice,
Milan, Gaboon, Turks Island, Hahodadi,
Goodrich and Windsor. 1t reduces the pay of
consular clerks eight thousand dollars, the rent
of foreign prisons two thousand dollars, and
the pay of prison keepers five hundred dollars,
The amount appropriated for the relief of the
destitute American seamen has been reduced
from 100000 to $4,000, and the appropriation
for exchange has been largely reduced.
The Adjournment.
The Senate will not consider the House reso.
luton to adjourn until within a few hours of
the proposed time. This will insure the pas
cage of the appropriation bills and deprive the
House OF the privilege of moving a suspension
of the rules. which may be done only on Mon
days or within the last six days of session.
Speaker Kerr Rapidly Failing
Speaker Kerr's condition is such as to alarm
his friends, and it is not believed that he will
long survive. A despatch received from him,
dated yesterday from Rockbridge Alum
Springs, says: 81 am much worse, and hope is
growing weaker"
Sale of Gold Ordered.
WASHINGTON, Aug, 13.-The Secretary of
the Treasury has directed the Assistant Treas
urer of the United States at New York to sell
on Wednesday, the 18th inst, the gold received
in payment for the bonds of the per cent
funded loan Of 1881, sold on the 18th inst The
money received from Great Britain, amounting
to $l5. 100000, it will be remembered, was con-
verted into one registered 8 per cent. bond for
that amount, to be held subject to future dis
position of Congress. The Court of Commits
sioners having rendered judgments for over
$5,000,000, Congress last spring passed a bill
authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to
change that bond into small per cent. bonds,
and to sell after five days as many as might be
necessary to pay the judgments. Accordingly,
these bonds were sold for coin yesterday, aud
the coin thus realized is to be sold and the
amount received to be applied to the payment
of judgments.