Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-05-09

Secretary of the Treasury to- day received
from an unknown party the sum o. $40, to be
placed to the credit Of the conscience fund.
AMONG THE CALLERS at the White House
today were Secretary Thompson, Senator'S
Gordon and Burnside, and Representative
Neal, Evans pa, Reilly, Small and Rainey.
THE SENATE COMMITTEE on railroads had
under consideration to day the bill providing
for the establishment of national freight
r9Eoad line between New YoIH DIX ana M S Ghcag9
natOrs Of the scheme, argued before the com
mittee in behalf of the enterprise.
THE SENATE COMMITTEE on RAILROADS
this morning agreed to report favOrably bill
70 aid in the construction of the Portland,
Salt Lake and South Pass railroad
THE NOMINATION OF EX Gov. PACKARD, of
New Orleans. to be L. S. consul at Liverpool.
was reported favOrably to the Senate in exec
utve session yesterday. No regular meeting
of the committee on commerce. to which the
nomination was referred, was held, but indi
vidual members of the committee We're ap-
pealed TO, and favorable report was agreed
upon without debate in committee
THE GENERAL IMPRESSION among members
of Congress is that Congress will certainly ad-
JOurn next month
THE ARMY APPROPRIATION Built is 6X-
pected that the army appropriation bill will
be reported to the House tomorrow by Mr.
| Hewitt, of New York. VINO has it in charge. In
| view of the large reduction in the army which
| the bill cOntemplates, il is liable to be under
| discussion three weeks OF more.
ARMY ORDERs.-Capt. John A Darling. L.
| :. artillery, will report In person to the arti-
| leTy school, at Fort Monroe, for instruction.
| Leave of absence for one month is granted
| Capt. T. $ Kirkland 7th cavalry. The Presi-
| dent has accepted the resignation of Post
| Chaplain Preston Nash, I. s. A, to take effect
the 18th instant.
THE RIVER AND HARBOR BILL.-The Senate
committee on commerce. at its meeting this
morning, discussed informally the river and
harbor appropriation bill Individual mem
| berS OF the committee have studied the bill
carefully. A member says that no great
changes will be made in the bill as passed by
| the House, a few appropriations for neceS-
>ary Improvements of important rivers and
harbors being increased, and some OF the
| minor items of no especial Importance being
| eliminated.
THE RESOLUTION TO INVESTIGATE THE
| FLORIDA ELECTION RETURNS.-The plan by
which the resolution for an inquiry into the
| alleged fraudulent count of the vote of Florida
| for Hayes and Wheeler is to be brought into
! the House, was agreed upon at a meeting of
the democratic congressional campaign com
! mlttee Yesterday afternoon. 1t is briefly, that
| the Judiciary cOmmlttee-acting upon the res
| OluiOnS OF the Maryland legislature referred
! 10 it's to report d resolution in the House
| when called, requesting the authority of the
! House to conduct an inquiry into the mode in
which the electoral vote of Florida was count
| ed for Hayes and Wheeler at the late PreS-
! Dental election, 10 ascertain if, by a iraudu-
| lent return the voice of Maryland or any other
| state was not given its true expression in the
| electoral college. 1t is believed that the reSo-
| luton Will he introduced tomorrow.
THE BILL regulating compensation to rail
roads Tor transportation of mail matter was
considered again to-day by the Senate com
mittee on post offices and post roads. No deci
sion in regard to the bill was reached. 1t is
probable that the section which provides for
the establishment of standing commission of
arbitration to settle difficulties between the
department and the railroads, at an annual
expense OF 10000, will be stricken from the
bill.
DETACHED FROM THE WASHINGTON NAVY
YARD. - Lieutenant Commander Charles
McGregOr is detached from the Washington
navy yard, lst of June next, and granted three
months leave. Lieutenant Frank Courts is
ordered from ordnance duty at the navy ward
here to Newport, r. l.. June lst, for insiruc.
| tiOn in torpedo service.
SOME CURIOUS DEAD LETTERs-A letter
has been received at the Dead Letter office, re
! turned from Japan, with its envelope prOfuse
| ly decorated with post office and carrier
| stamps, and with nine slips of rice paper at.
| rierS and persons to whose houses the letter
has been SENT have written brief statements
| OF what they know or don't know about Mi.
| h. OmuJa the person to whom the letter is ad-
dressed. The Japanese carriers showed con
/ siderable persistence in their search for Mr..
! Omula, but were entirely surpassed by seven
cessiOn with cOmmendable perseverance to de-
| liver letter addressed Santa Claus On the
| Hartz. Mountains, Germany" The joke did
| not pierce the German official head, and the
Letter returned no
| names OF the II unsuccessful carriers pasted
eonspicuously on the back of the envelope.
! The Germans do not seem to recognize Santa
| Claus: Another letter sent to him at Berlin,
! was also treated seriously and returned to the
| Dead Letter Office, peppered all over with
| stamps, printed statements, and written SEN
| tenceS in which the postmaster and carriers
have given vent to their feelings. The fame
| OF the same individual does not seem to have
| A letter addressed to "Sauntie ChlauSe North
| Platte, Neb.," was strangely enough unclaim-
! ed. 1t was thereupOn advertised, but no re-
! SpOnse being received, it came to Washington,
| and now makes up the trio of curious Christ,
! mas deadletters.
| SILVER FOR GREENBACks.-The action of
| merchants in New York Baltimore and else
| where in purchasing silver for greenbacks
| only for the purpose of paying the latter back
| for customs duties, i'm order to save the slight
| premium on gold, il persisted in is likely to
mans order to paw out Silver for ereenbaeks SnJl
| TO the amount OF the monthly retirement of
| legal tenders.
A COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION for positions
| in the Surgeon Generals Office, in this city.
has been going on in the Medical Museum
| building Tor the past four days, and will close
| to-day. There are thrty-twO vacancies to fill
| AN AMERICAN SHIP BURNED AT SEA-The
State department learns from the U. S. consul
| at Cork OF the loss by fire al sea of the bark
| Charles T. Russell, of New York, on the 18th
| OF March last. The vessel was ON her way
| from Liverpool to Bombay with a cargo OF
| coal. In latitude deg. Is min. H., longitude
| % deg. W., smoke was discovered coming out
| OF the hatchwayS. The matches were fastened
| and signals of distress were displayed The
| fire soon increased beyond control the cabin
| floor becoming very hot. At five O clock i'm the
| afternoon French steamer believed to be the
! OrenOque, passed close under the stern of the
| burning ship, but paid no attention I'd her sig
! nails OF distress and repeated halls for aid. No
| smoke or flames were, however, as vet visible
| from her decks. The steamers deck was COW
| cred with passengers waving their hats and
| handkerchiefs as she passed. A sailing vessel
coming in sight was Signalled. blue lights were
burned and boat put off to her, when she bore
down and rescued the crew. She proved to be
| The ship Charles CoteSworth of Liverpool f.
| Browse, master. Soon after midnight the
hames began to burst out OF the hatchWays of
| the Russell, and at / 30 a. IN. she was aban.
doGed. The officers and crew were treated by
| CAPTAIN Browse with the greatest kind nasS