The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-05-17
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

To rHE EDITOR or THE NEW NORTHWEST:
The National Academy Of Science is
in session at the Smithsonian Institute
with nearly full attendance Of its
members. BY the act OF Congress, the
premiership is fixed at one hundred;
Of this number, several have died since
last year, aud the academy held requiem
services one evening since cOnveuiug,
at which eulOgistic essays were read.
The regular proceedings Of the academy
are rather runinteresting to the unlearned,
for they consist of the reading Of papers
upon various scientific subjects as for
eign and incomprehensible to the or
dinary intellect as so many metaphysi-
cal theses. II is pleasure, however,
TO drop into the lecture-roon aud note
the appearance of our savans, even if
their words be beyond our ken. The
venerable President Of the Smithsonian,
Professor Henry, presides. Professor
Agassiz is one of the most entertaining
lecturers Of the body, for he has his
fathers peculiar fascinating manner of
illustrating a dry, abstruse point, such
as the period Of antiquity to which a
fish bone should be assigned, with com
mon, easy, graceful language that a lis
tener feels himself at home with the
speaker. Others Of these philosophers
are not so entertaining, and the visitor
soon ceases to care whether the scien-
tific hair is split or not by the speaker
The wife Of Major Behle, editor Of one
Of our city papers, died recently under
most painful circumstances. About 3
year ago she buried her youngest boy,
to whom she was passionately attached,
and since then has been declining grad
ually il health, hoping for death to
come, that through it she might go to
meet her favorite. Nothing could be
done by her friends to relieve her mel
ancholy.
We notice that Princess Salm Salm
has again appeared on the surface, and
ia a French court figures as having
duped some verdant fellow into matri-
mony, under the specious plea that she
was the recipient Of 5000 pension from
Austria. In 1862 and 1868, We frequently
saw her with Prince Salm Salm in the
eleventh corps, as she was with him in
the field whenever his division was not
on the march. She invariably rode a
spirited black horse, aud on review
days, when dashiug over the field at
tired in dark riding-suit with set lips,
her handsome brunette cOuntenauce
lighted up with smiles, and black eyes
flashing under her jaunty cap and red
feather, she attracted no little attention
from the soldiers, aud many of them
doubtless nave as vivid recollection of
her as Of the hardships aud suferings OF
that winter and spring.
The number Of Outrages committed
upon children within a few weeks past
is fearful; five men aud boys are now
in Jail awaiting trial for attempted rape
upon small girls. Two of these Grim
inals are married men, and their victims
not over eight years of age. So closely
have these brutal outrages followed
each other that our citizens are getting
aroused, aud certainly uphold the courts
for making short work Of trials and con
victions.
Mrs. Hooker, the great Woman Suf-
/ frage advocate, at a social gathering re-
Gently held at the house Of Colonel
Holt, the deputy commissioner of inter
nal revenue, startled the guests with
the statement that pistols should be
carried by young women as essential tC
their protection, and that her owl
daughters were experts in the use of al
kinds Of firearms. Mrs. Hooker is per
haps more than half right.
One of the most interesting rooms 70
the Treasury visitor to enter is that o
Mr.. Brooks, the chief detective. Her
is the rogues' gallery, in which are pho
tographs of all persons arrested for coun
terfeiting, aud more motley crew
judging 10y appearances, cannot be fOun
elsewhere. They are men, women, an
children, and among these are negroes
Chinese, Jews, and faces indicating al
natioualities. We should like to hea
the criticisms Of physiOguomist upo
: the collection, for there is every shad
aud shape Of feature, from the loves
. type of humanity up to that whic
bears every evidence Of talent and cul
) ture. Here also are many Of the appl
ances by which cOunterfeiting is done
costly engraving machines, dies for me
tallic money, etc. In large albums ar
, specimens Of all the counterfeit none
that has been captured, from postsg
, currency up to the thousand-dolla
= greenback. Some Of these counterfeit
, are very excellent limitations of the ger
, uine but the greater portion dlspla
3 little artistic merit, and could deceiy
: only the ignorant and the poor. Al
|. other curiosity in the room is the "Lil
. erty Bell" 1t is a small figure in III
form of a bell about three inches higl
and made out Of residuum obtained b
y the burning Of greenbacks. The colore
I. inks used in printing greenbacks an
: currency have metallic bases, hen,
b when immense quantities of money al
x burned, the metallic residuum is cOusi,
+ cradle. Out Of one batch came th
: Liberty Bell" Like its namesake
e Independence Hall, it cannot utter
J, sound, but stands as a monument merel
. Of the good accomplished through it
u the past.