Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-02-07
Notes and Comments.

that party oil English and herman capital
lists have purchased of the state three million
acres of land, and is organizing an emigra-
ton company to settle on them. The amount
paid will be sufficient to pay off the state
debt and leave balance in the treasury
A SAN Francisco subscriber in speaking
of the drouth which prevails in California,
says, under date of January 10th: awe
have not had any rain here for over two
months, which will tell very heavy on the
coming wheat crop 1t is dry and warm
In many localities the feed has failed and
the stock is dying"
As evidence that the failure of letters to
reach their destination is not always to be
attributed to carelessness or dishonesty of
officials, we are Informed that from forty to
fifty letters daily find their way into the in
quiry department of the Boston post-ofIice,
either having no address whatever, or so I'M
perfectly addressed as to make it necessary
to send them to the dead letter office.
THERE will be tears shed in many hun
dreds of households for the death of Mr..
John Habbertons little boy Toddie," with
whose winning ways all of us have become
lovingly familiar in the pages of Helen's
Babies" His bright young life, with its joy
BUSINESS and its promise, ended suddenly
last Tuesday; and we utter the thought of
all persons who have read of him and his
pretty ways when we say that we mourn for
him heartily and sincerely.
A SPECIAL from Washington says that
George w. Griffin the United States Consul,
has just returned from Samoa and has de-
clared that if he fails to negotiate the treaty
of reciprocity with the United States, or
with the severing of the United States pro-
tectorate he is empowered to make an ALSO
lutte gift of the Samoan Islands to the gov
eminent of the United States lie says
that the natives are specially enamored of
the Americans, but distrust the Germans,
who are trying to secure the islands in be-
half of the Fatherand
THOSE who are of the opinion that justice
is slow but sure, will have to conclude that
it is slower than they thought, and not so
sure. Every one no doubt, expected to read
in the papers of the shooting of John ID.
| Lee, the Mountain Meadow murderer; but
his case has been appealed to the Supreme
Court of Utah territory, and stay of ex-
ecution has been granted. The whole in
6uence of the Mormon church will, of course,
be exerted in his behalf, and whether the
monster will ever get his just deserts, seems
to be as uncertain now as it was before his
recent trial and conviction.
New York city is not the only place
where banking capital is too abundant
st. Louis has the same condition of affairs.
During the past year one million seven hun.
dred dollars of capital has been withdrawn
and more is ready to retire-one or more
banks being now in liquidation, paying a
hundred cents on the dollar. 1t is said that
a scheme for the amalgamation of several OF
the corporations into one large bank would
be sure to succeed, except that it would di
minish the necessary number of officers
and officers on salary nowadays do not care
about having themselves diminished.
Thus far twenty-nine men have reached
the exalted position of the supreme bench
Of this number nine are now in office, ter
have resigned and ten died in office Judge
Jay the first chief justice, resigned to &C
cept foreign mission Judges Ellsworth
Blair, Moore, Grier and Nelson resigned be
cause they became too infirm to discharg,
the duties; Judge Story resigned to becom,
professor in the Harvard law school Judg,
Curtis went back to his law practice, ant
Messrs. Wayne and Campbell event witt
their states " in 1861 Judge Davis is tn,
first of this ilustrious list to go from TIN
bench to the forum.
A LETTER has been printed under date o
January 25th, from Internal Revenue Com
missioner Raum to George Bliss, thel
United States Attorney, saying his action il
bringing suit against Samuel j, Tiden, 70
the recovery of one hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars unpaid taxes has his approval
been to treat Mr.. Tilden just as would an,
other citizen. If he owes the government
taxes and declines to pay them, see no rea
son why he should be exempt from prosecu
ton, more than any other citizen. Will
the canvass lasted | thought it unnecessar
and unwise to institute proceedings agains
him, and the instructions from this office o
September 20, 1876, to you, in regard to tn
suits for income tax, were the same tina
were given to a number of other Unite
States Districts Attorneys, when it was b,
lieved that taxes of that description wer
due the United States"
THREE years ago famine in India cause
vast expense to the government and unspeal
able misery to millions of people, of whor
thousands died of starvation. Now there
another famine in district of Bomba,
6fty-four thousand square miles in exten
inhabited by eight millions of people. TIL
area is about equal to that of the three state
of northern New England, and the populi
ton about that of New York and Pennsy
, vania. In the Madras presidency muc
larger area is afflicted, a territory larger tina
all New England, with population {
| eighteen milions-nearly half that of III
United States. The famine began to be fe
as early as June last, the crops having faile
by reason of long drought, which has col
tinued until now, and no alienation can |
, anticipated before April, when the next Gro
) begins to ripen, nor entire relief until Sci
TENDER, in which month the second an
, principal crop of the year is gathered. {
5 course the task of relieving the want of
r many people in region where means
transportation are so imperfect is enormou
4 and the expense a heavy drain upon the r
= sources of the Indian government. The pla
=. of relief adopted is to give employmel
$ rather than gratuitous supplies, so far as thi
I is possible, and two hundred and eight
Y seven thousand persons are now employe
S in Bombay, and more than million
0 Madras, upon such public works as road
3 bridges, reservoirs for the storage of wat
0 for irrigation, which will tend to prevent Il
S recurrence of such calamities in future.
|. CONTINENTAL LIFE INSURANCE CoMPAN
D.,nt,a, A,lars,n 90 tha