Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-08-22
THE EVENING STAR.
Washington News and Gossip.
GOVERNMENT RECEIPTS TO-DAY.-Internalr rev.
enue, s279, ,942. 10; customs, $s47, $4,000.


instructed It's executive committee not to issue
rations to individuals or communities threat
ened with or infected by yellow fever, except
In cases where persons are detained under
supervision in order to prevent the spread OF
the disease, and even then only for the period
Of detention and for the purpose of preventing
individual suffering which shall be otherwise
unavoidable. In other words, the board will
in Memphis or other infected cities, and will
furnish them TO persons in camp under super
vision only for limited time and under excep
ttODal circumstances.
F. II. WINES, secretary Of the Illinois state
board of charities, has been appointed by Gen.
Walker. superintendent Of the Census, to con-
duct the inquiries respecting the blind, deaf
formatories, &c. The statistics relating to these
classes have hitherto been so defective that, as
Gen. Walker expresses it, "they were not worth
printing!"
OF THE $40 012,,5O ten-dollar Treasury certiti-
Gates issued, $50, ,323, $50 have been returned to
the Treasury for exchange In four per cent.
bonds. They were forwarded in lots OF 5000.
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER IMPROVEMENT COM
MISSION yesterday heard the following reports
OF committees: The committee on statistics
and information submitted plan providing for
a full report by competent officer upon the
trade and commerce Of the Mississippi valley
to be In readiness by the time the commission
is prepared to begin work. The committee to
which was entrusted the preparation of a plan
OF operations for the ensuing year submitted
report providing for the filling up OF the gaps
10 existing surveys between Cairo and the
survey Of the whole river; also for making bor-
1ngs and sediment observations at necessary
points and for gauging the stream. The re-
ports OF both committees, after full considera-
tiOn and discussion, were adopted. 1t Is eX-
pected that Lieut.. Smith s. Leach, Of the engi-
neer corps, will be designated by the Secretary
OF War as permanent secretary of the commits
sion: He will De its executive officer. with
headquarters at st. Louis, will be under the
immediate direction of local committee
chosen from the western members, and will be
entrusted with the disbursement of the funds
appropriated for the use Of the commission No
selections have been made for any OF the Su-
bordinate positions. The commission ad journed
to meet at st. Louis on the Goth OF November
next. There Will, however, be a meeting OF a
part OF its members, including Gems. Gilmore
and ComstOck, Prof. Mitchell, Major Harrod
and Major Suten, at st. Louis, on the 1st Of
october, for the purpose Of arranging for the
organization of parties to take the field.
SAcREDNEss OF SEALED CoxMUN1cAr1oNs.-
In a matter involving the question whether a
postmaster is required under the law to testify
Office who took the letters from it, &C., tending
to show what became OF certain correspondence
the subject was referred to Assistant Attorney
General Freeman, Of the Post Ofice depart
ment, and he has advised the postmaster
general that the postmaster should not be re-
quired to answer the inquiries. He says: "The
postmaster is an agent OF the government, and
there Is no relation which the government sus.
tains towards the people OF such high trust anu
OF such peculiar and confidential character as
that which 1t sustains In the transmission of
sealed communications. The name OF the per-
son addressed is written on the outside of the
letter for one purpose alone, that of enabling
the postmaster to deliver to the proper person.
For any other purpose the postmaster is pre-
SnmQ6 N ~ odH
THE SENATE COMMITTEE on privileges and
elections, of which Senator Salisbury is chair
man, Will 60 to Topeka, Kansas, about the mid
Senator ingalls, OF that state, against whom
charges OF bribery In connection with his elec
ton were preferred. The same committee will
go to New Orleans In November, to Investigate
the Sponord-Kellogg controversy.
SMALLPOX IN PKRu.-U.S. Consul Robert T.
Clayton, at CallaO, Peru, has Informed Surgeon
General Hamilton that an epidemic of small
pox appeared at that place in June last The
disease is confined principally to the lower
orders OF the native population. The cases are
mostly continent, and the death rate has
reached fifty per cent. But few cases have oc-
CURED among the shipping.
CAPITAL AND LABOR IN CANADA-Mr. Mas
son, U. S. consul az quebec, In a dispatch to
the Department of State, dated August 10th,
says that within two weeks three banks, the
Consolidated, the Exchange and the Vile
Marie, doing business In that city and In Mon
treal have suspended, by which suspension a
capital OF five and a-half millions has been
and bill holders of about half million more.
The consul transmits list of the quotations
OF the stock OF eleven Canadian banks In
September ISIS and IN L, August 1879, which
In that time. The entire depreciation within
the last twelve months In stocks dealt In at
Canadian exchanges Is estimated at $50, 900, 900,
and the bottom has not yet been reached. The
protection policy recently 1naugurated, which
II was expected would be panacea for all
Canada Ills, has thus far failed to produce any
Increasing the cost of living, and the opinion is
fast gaining ground that the productions OF the
Dominion are too limited and of such charac-
ter as not to he benefited by protection But
working classes. In quebec during the
past winter there was scarcely any en-
ene Jew rcsnoo who ,la la6ored on the
per day, being mostly carpenters. The present
wages paid on the new government building
are from SO to So cents, and On the harbor I'M
proVenent from 20 cents to 81, many of these
employees being skilled mechanics. 1t is esti-
mated That there are not less than 1000 work.
1Dgmen at present out OF employment In quebec
and its suburbs. The controversies about the
distribution Of the small amount OF work to be
done eliminated In the riot OF the 18th instant.
the particulars OF which have been already
question Of bread, and as repression does not
feed the hungry, the situation is anything but
agreeable.
TIMELY ARRIVAL AT SAMOA.-Captain Chand-
Ter, with the U. s. s. Lackawanna, arrived at
Apia, samoan Islands, June 25th, fifty six days
from Callao. Captain Chandler reports that
the timely arrival OF the ship will 60 far toward
preventing a civil war there, and that all the
good offices that representative of friendly
government can employ will be exercised by
him to prevent the calamity civil war might
entail upon the natives OF the island.
LIFE IN ALAsKA.-A private letter received
from Ar. Isaiah Scott, formerly of this city,
dated On the 14th OF July, from Alaska, says
The Indians here are not the least bad to the
whites All the troubles are among themselves
They make their 100 -tchee-oo" and get drunk of
it, and have little shirt pull OF their own. We
broke up distillery OF ''Oo-tchee- -Oon and can
tured the appliances, which consisted OF a wash
DOller and pipe, just like stove pipe We
have very little night up here, only three hours
and forty minutes.
WHAT HAS Mr.. TILDEN DONE?-In an inter-
view with representative OF the New York
WCrd, Mr.. Cyrus w. Field stated that he had
been compelled to break of his business and
DprS0nal rel3tfonS with ey ,(,Oy Tldon I,aI. :