New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-05

against the free passage through her territory
secured in the San StefanO Treaty. the
Russian Chancellor says that the Car Will
order the occupation of ROumanla and
! the disarmament of her army. These threats
leave Roumania no option but submission
With Russia at one side of her, and the new
Bulgaria at the other, she will be crushed IL
she attempts to thwart the Russian WILL
The dinner to Mr.. Bayard Taylor, last
night. at Delm0nico's, was conspicuous for the
unusually brilliant company drawn together,
and the unusually excellent quality OF the after
dinner oratory. In both respects it fairly
takes rank with the dinner to Charles Dickens
on the occasion of his last visit, and the two
will henceforth he long associated in the
memory of guests and the public. MI
BRYANT was specially felicitous as presid-
ing officer and the Committee on Arrange
ments managed all the details with
great skill No nomination to for
eign post for many years past has
been received with such general acclaim;
and certainly New-York has never exhibited
to an outgoing Minister such signal proofs OF
generous regard
There is hope, it seems, that the country
will not he worried for some time to come by
Congressional agitation of the finances. Our
Washington dispatches state that, although the
bill to repeal the Resumption Act will doubt
less be called up at the next meeting OF the
Senate Finance Committee, a marked change
of sentiment has taken place in that body.
Several members who have before been
counted among the supporters of the bill, are
now opposed to it, believing that the country
should have n rest from currency Legislation.
This is good news, which will be better when
it is confirmed by the action of the Committee.
The country has had already all the Con-
gressiona joltng of the finances it can afford.
The silver war cost millions of dollars, rob
bng the rich and the poor alike. What the
country wants now is to be let alone. and for
that small favor it will be profoundly grateful.
One of the uueerest of all the contests In
the Su1rogate's Court is that begun yesterday.
The will of the late Samuel Wood, founding
Musical College, is disputed by his cousin,
Samuel A. Wood, who makes a strange claim.
He declares that the testatOr and his brother,
Abraham Wood, having inherited equal por-
Il
being without children, agreed that the one
diving first should leave his property TO the
survivor, and that the survivor should be-
queath the whole to the present contestant,
Samuel 4. Wood. The first brother who died.
Abraham, fulfilled his share of the compact.
and duly willed his property to Samuel; but
Samuel, being influenced against his cousin,
repudiated his part of the bargain, and leaves
his money to found Musical College. 1h!s
betrayal Of a promise the cousin now asks
the courts to rebuke, not exactly on the
ground of fraud, but of " mental incapaclty."
1t will be intere ,tiug to see what the Surro-
gate will have to say to this extraordinary
case, where the chief witnesses would need to
be consulted by medium. But it does not
seem inconsistent with prOpriety to remark
that the contestant should have joined the
ghost of Abraham Wood with himself as CO.
plaintiff.
The British public are afforded a foretaste
of the cost of war; in the budget as explained
last night in the House of Commons. Mainly
on account of the war preparations the
Chancellor finds that he expended in the last
fiscal year $13, 365 900 more than he received.
He increases the taxes for the current year, but
he calculates that its revenue will also fall
short of the expenditure, so that he will be-
gin the next fiscal year $7533,O0O III
debt. OF course if there be war the
public burdens will be enormously in
creased. In order to raise more money
the Chancellor adds 2 pence on the
pound to the income-tax and pence per
pound weight to the tobacco duty, while
each British dog is TO yield TIC shilhngs, in
stead of 5, unless it is under six months
of age, when the animal is exempt. The
increase in the tobacco duty concerns this coun-
try, inasmuch as it may diminish consumption.
At present the United Kingdom consumes about
100000 pounds OF tobacco, paying duties
of from 3 to 4l2 shillings per pound. An
addition of pence to these rates may be
more than the British smoker is disposed to
pay at a time of high taxes and low wages.
1t so, we must be prepared to export less of
the fragrant weed to the United Kingdom.
---
THE SECRETARY AND HIS CRITICS.
Secretary Sherman seems little less THAI
criminal to some persons, because he does