The Princeton union., 1879-11-12
athed his last The body was terribly mu-
tilAtsd. md presented : gtastly sight.
NATIONAL NOTES.

Inealthy Exhibit OF the Operations Of the
Postohnco Department-Larxely In-
orsased Receipts Over the Estimates-
Interesting Decisions by the Supreme
Court Miscellaneous.
INCREASED POSTAL RECEIPTs.
WAsHMaroN, Nov. l0.-A. D. Hazsn, third
assistant postmaster general. has completed
his annual report. It exhibits the operations Of
the postal department during the last fiscal
year. In the divisions of finances, postage
stamps, etc., the total receipts Of the depart
Inent for the twelve months ending June 3Oth,
1879, were 4764. 1866, more than those of the
| preceding year, and about one million dollars
more than estimated, q result attributed to
tho revival of business and consequent increas-
ed demand Tor postage stamps and stamped
envelopes, the actual sales of which amount
to $764, ,482 more than the total for the preced-
ing year, and 90, ,S87 $50 moro than for the fs-
cal year Of 1877.
SUPREME COURT DECISIONS.
No. 626-G. B. Fairchild, plaintiff in error,
W. the county of Gallatin, in error. to the cir
district oflIllinois. This was q suit upon cou-
pons Of certain series of bonds issued by the
county of Gallatin, Illinois, in October, 1870 to
the st. Louis & Southeastern railroad company,
| as donation to assist in the construction Of
that road. The defense set up was, in SUBJ
of the new State constitution, which
went into effect July 2, 1870, the authority to
issue and deliver the bonds had ceased to exist
The question presented is whether q donation
to a railroad company, legally authorized and
approved by majority of the legal voters of a
company prior to the adoption of the new
State constitution, is rendered invalid by tho
prohibition of such donations contained in
| that constitution.
In the case of the town of Concord vs. the
Portsmouth savings bank, 90 q. g., 625, this
court was called to give construction to the
section OF the Illinois constitution now in
question, and it then held that donations by
counties to railroads were prohibited by it
now, that they couldn't lawfully be made after
| July I'd, 1870, even although they had been au
thorlzed by prior statute and by vote of the
people OF the county. 1t now appears, how
ever, that prior to the above decision by the
court, the supreme court of Illinois in constituting
this same section, had decided thatldonations
II sanctioned by popular vote before the adop-
tlon OF the constitution, are not prohibited by
! it. This decision of the State supreme court
has been reafirmed by it, as we'll as recognized
repeatedly by legislative action, and there is
every reason to believe that the rule has been
relied upon, and that on the faith of it many
municipal bonds have been issued, and bought
and sold in the markets of the country.
1t is an established rule of this court that it
will follow the decisions of the State courts in
the construction of their own constitution and
statutes when such decisions are brought to it's
notice. Greene vs. Neels, lessee, p. Peters 2917
Ihls court therefore changes its own decis-
ion as rendered in Concord VS.. The Portsmouth
Savings bank, and adopts that construction of
the Illinois constitution declared by the courts
of that State: "a Ill. rep. 2,777.
The judgment of the circuit court is reversed
and the record remitted with instructions to
give Judgment for plaintiff below on the find
ing made.
No. 5-Original ex parte Alvin R. Reed. Pc
tltlon for habeas corpus and certiorari. The
petitioner was paymasters clerk in the q. s.
steamship nea Essex. On the 2Sth day of June,
1873. he was tried by a naval court martial for
ma!feasance in Office, found guilty, and duly
sentenced. The admiral declined to approve
the Judgment, and sent the proceedings back
to the court that the sentence might be re-
viewed. The court thereupon imposed another
and severer sentence. The petitioner brings
his case here upon a writ of habeas CORPUS, al
leging: :.
First-That naval court martial could have
no jurisdiction over paymasters' clerks.
| Second-That the first sentence exhausted
the power of the court and that the second
was therefore nullity; and
Ihlrd-That the court could revise it's former
decision only on the grouud of mistake, and
that there was no mistake, and consequently
This court holds that none of the prisoners
points are well taken that naval court martial
had jurisdiction over the person and the case;
that the exercise of its discretion within author
lied limits cannot be assigned for error, and be
made the subject of review, even by an appel
late court and finally that the writ Of habeas
corpus cannot be made to perform the func-
tions of writ of error. The petition is there
fore denied.
No. 45-The Gilbert & Parker manufacturing
company: appellant, vs. the Woolworth manu-
facturlng company. An appeal from the cir
cult court of the United States for the district
of Massasuchets, and
No. 377-The Gilbert & Parker manufactsr-
ing company, appellant, VS.. the Coleman pneu-
matte gas works. Appeal from the circuit
court of the United States for the southern dis
trlct OF Ohio. DEGREES affirmed, with costs.
JOINED THE POSTAL UNION.
Notification has been received lat the post
Office department that the republic of Ven
ezuela has become member of the universal
postal union, to date from the first of next
January. ...--
PRECAUTIONARY SIGNALS. s.
The following is furnished by the signal Of
fee: few days ago the signal service was
violently attacked, because at port on the
New England coast the warning flag was flying
while sky was bright and clear, with what on
shore seemed only a brisk wind. The reports
are now in. and show that at the time
the signal was complained of steamer
on it's way to the port referred to,
and near it was being wrecked at sea- and
after narrow escape crept into q neighboring
port disabled and in distress. The recent Nova
Scotian hurricane was sweeping near the place.
To keep vessels out of storms it is necessary to
show signals outside of their track. The sun
may be shining while q tornado is raging with
in ifty miles. The signal says only be careful.
MISCELLANEOUS.
MIR. Bailey, United States consul general at
Shanghai, China, in a dispatch to the depart
ment of state, reports that the cotton crop in
that district will not be more than half an
average yield. This will probably make an un-
usual demand in China and Japan for cotton
goods.
The United States consul at Odessa reports
to the department of state that the wheat crop
of Russia will fall far short of the usual har-
vest and that American wheat must be in
great demand in all parts Of Europe.
In the cases of assessment made for deficiency
against large number of packages of alcohol
exported from the West via New York, the
secretary of the treasury and commissioner of
internal revenue have granted an extension of
1tryA ~.