Morning journal and courier., 1880-01-16

ready to start out from her slin
 it was discovered that the pilot was dead in chair in the pilot house. Had he died when the boat was just entering the slip
 the boat would have crashed against the dock or bridge with frightfuI results. Or if tbe
 boat had been in mid-stream disastrous coI-
 hsion might have occurred Those who use ferries in New York and Brooklyn are calling for two men in every pilot house. It is only few days ago that a tugboat went careering around the East river while it's pilot lay in an epileptic fit.
 An officer of the United States navy shows that M. De Lesseps' prestige in connection With the Suez canal arose more from the pe- culiarity and the international importance of the work than from it's magnitude and diff culty. Comparing the work of De Lesseps with the Erie canal in New York, he shows that the latter was by far the greatest under taking The length of the Erie is 393 miles or four times that of the Suez. The amount or earth excavated from the Erie canal WAS not as great as that from the Suez, supposinp perfect level, but the Erie canal passes over a country which is billy, the rise between AL bany and Lake Erie being 566 feet, and the difficulties of the route were greatly in favor or the Suez. In addition to the excavation. the Erie canal required the construction of s4 locks, to which there is nothing similar on the suez route. De Lesseps will find at Panama conditions so entirely unlike those he encoun tered at suez, that his ideas of engineering a canal will have to be completely remodeled.
 Autographs of great men are always inter- esting. Edward King, who looked over the collection of distinguished autographs at the Paris Murcia, " thus speaks of some of them Here is Gladstone's traditional postal card. with clumsy but firm script, in which he de- ciares that he has 'trescued" a moment to thank the committee for their great work of charity. The Pope sends @ Latin motto, in a cramped, scholarly writing. Gortschakotf in- forms us that ''his conscience is his judge" and signs himself beneath this sentiment in a painstaking chirography which shows no tremulousness of age. Castelar's letters are long and nicely looped like those of lady; 1t is evident that he takes pleasure in making 'copy." He has contributed a sentiment, however, which is fit only for a schoolgirls album. But we must pardon poor Castelar, whose attention is entirely concentrated on the march of events in his native land Gam betta's handwriting is fine and nervous there is also touch of legal accuracy about it. Prince Orlof writes in characters proper to adorn circus poster. Alfonso of Spain and his mamma possess plain running" hand which has no especial character. Isabella observes in her sentiment that as her anoes- tress Isabella gave her jewels to aid in con- quering the Indies, so would she give her life for her 'dear Spain ;" but these are merely words. The autographs of the Kings and Queens of Portugal, Holland and Belgium, and of hereditary and reignipe princes of Europe, are all disfsured by some official flourish which usually covers more than half the name, and scarcely allows it to be seen. Field Marshal Won Moltke and General Won Manteufel are the only Germans whose auto graphs appear. Moltke informs the world that "Oharity knows no difference between nations" and writes it in large letters which look like the beginning of an official report. Garibaldi's writing seems to have the St. Vitus dance. Oanovas del CastilIo's is clerkly and particular. Von Beust writes like an Ameri- can miss in her teens.