Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-10-27
UNDER WHAT KING?-secretary Sherman

UNDER WHAT KING?-secretary Sherman
to-day declined I D appoint a stenogr lpher
the department because the apple mt hailed
nom New York, although he said the
Treasury needed four or five good steno yrl-
pliers. IDasmdch as similar declarations
rave been made to Oh 10, Mas ,achuSetts q nd
PeDnsy Iva ia AZ plicsuts, the query is per.i-
nent what STATE is the proper Que for the o lice
sCekeis 10 tie to.
sPEAKER RANDALL is daily bssiegei, in
person ard by rune ro1s letters from MEM
bers OF Congress, requesting to be placed On
committee OF their own selection. OF co arse
the Spra ker cannot please all, and there viii
urdoubtG ily he many disappointments. The
lates with respect To the judiciary commit
tee is that IL will be headet by ]. Proctor
KIO {, of Kentucky, his friends having
made the representation that not to retain
many as censnre upon him for the course
he took in the Blaine investigation.
THE WARRINGTON MoNuMENr CoMMIs-
sIoN.--A meeting OF the join; com NJ is don on
The Washington Monument was held ID day
at noon, at the r. sidence of Mr.. w. w. Cor
coran, 10 decide whether the work on the
monument shall be continued or not. Mr.
Clark. Architect Of the Capitol, Mr.. HUI, Su-
Pe1vislng Architect of the Treasury, u an.
Humphreys and Mr.. Corcoran were present
The resident, owing To press of business,
was not able To attend, but agreed to concur
in wbatevet action they shoald decide uuon
The result Of the no ~eting was Ihat
the whole subjGct would have to be re-
ferrtd back Ia COooie:S, the wording
of the act appropriatIng the funds leaves no
discretion In the IN after. IL - rot coast JerCi
advisable to continue the work on the mOnu-
uent without strene re 1tng the foundation
aJd there is no power delegated TO the COM
mission TO eXp5nd the money Appropriated
for that pUTIOSe. COnsC quently f0rther &C
ton by Congress VIII te necessary.
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS OF GREAT
BEITAIN.-The Department of State has re-
ceived TIE official agricultural returns OF the
United Kingdom for 1877, from which il ap-
pears that the total quantity of land returned
1or The year as under all kinds of crops, bare
falIow and grass, was, for Great Il 'itain,
81, S;6CoG acres, and for Ireland 15.427 OG1-a
tolal OF u ,2t5 eco acres, an increase of 10000
acres over 1876. The conversion of arabic
land INTO pasture is noted as rapidly pro
crossing, owing to the scarcity of labor and
the high price of meat. few OF the col
lectors note that This conversion received a
check during the year owing to the large i'm
Iorts OF American meat. The following is
The number of acres under the several crops
In the United Kingdom:-W Wheat, 1921 ,OtJ;
barley, 2652 800; oats, 4 ,23s ,957; potatoes,
3J2,7 turnips, 2.419, 296; clover, 1861 SOL
Number of live STOCK In the United King
dom:-Cattle, 9,995 n2s; sheen, 80 262, $40; pigs,
3 15i ,42l; hOrsf 8, ,S94 1913. A decrease of 2H
per cent of cattle In Great Britain aud per
cent. In Ireland is noted, vita an Increase in
pigs of per cent. for the United Kingdom.
IMPORTANT ART SALE.-By odds the
most interesting event of the kind Washing
ton has ever enjoyed will be the sale at auc
ton of the collection of pictures belonging to
the estate of the late Hon. Stephen A. Doug
las, together with that Of eS.Gov. a. R
Shepherd, announced to take place 10 the
esiitry OF the last named gentleman, corner
Of street ard Connecticut avenue, on the
evenings of Thursday and Friday, Novem-
Der sth and 9Th. The Douglas collection has
not been accessible 10 the publc for several
years past, but Is said 10 be rich in efforts OF
old and modern masters IN what might be
called the ecclesiastical school of art. and TO
contain many important and valuable pie
lures suitable for gallery or for church
uses and we are told that private offers run
Rng up Into tie thousands have heretofore
been made some of them, for that purpo y.
These were invariably declined, when ma lie,
for the re ason that Tue future of the Collec-
ton was not then dec dPi cn, bat BOW that
the sale OF the whole lot has been dets -miled
VI Oh They Will all be offered under the dau-
ner on the evenjL gs above named.
with The collection OF Mr.. Shepherd the
rubilc, and espf cially that portion OF it ia
Ie:csttd in aTi matters, is more familiar. Il
confairs, as is wei known. many choice eX-
emplts OF lavorite artists of the present day,
anu lis separation viii afford an opportunity
rarely preLenied for procuring pictures we'll
worth having. OF those We now recall from
memory We may name Landscapes by M.
ELtte, Crcpsey, Sommer, Church, WIies
Hamilton, GignOux Weyl, Bradford ami
Paris, ard figure pieces by wa ngtoa. De
BraEe Ell, Huntington Andrieux, COuturier
Gny X nner, and e Beui.
Catalogues. which will be out In q few
days. viii he furnished to cOnnoisseurs and
probable purchasers, together with cards OF
adm issiOn TO The gallery, which will be open
or tnsp ctiOn for several days Or .or TO the
sale, 10 particulars In regard To which will
shortly be made public through tue news