Morning journal and courier., 1883-01-05
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. RIVERS AND HARBORS. A Statement From the SoCPe-
 taPJ Of War. CIVIL SERVICE IN TIE HOUSE. The Bill Passed By a Large
 Majority. THE FUNERAL OF GAMBETTA Reset By a Number. of Conn
 plicatiOns.
Reset By a Number. of Conn
 plicatiOns.
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
 Rivers and HarbOrs-Secretary Lincoln,s
 Statement to the HOuse-Arguments in
 the Star Route TriaI-Dofngs of the
 Day at the Capital.
 WASHINGTON Jan. 4.-The Secretary of War
 to-day sent to the House. in response to 8 resolution of inquiry, 8 statement as to the condition of the river snd harbor bill and the estimates of the government engineers for the coming year. He remarks that it has not been heretofore the custom of his office to express opinions upon the appropriations it was directed to expend, but being called upon for his opinion he must respond that in many instances the results of the improve ments proposed in many streams ''are so obscure and apparently insignificant as to vindicate the doubt on the part of Congress indicated by the resolution" He submits with the report 8 list of streams and works of this character. No money has been with. held except in one or two instances where course and in certain cases where such course was thought wise because of the fact that the President contemplated advising that there be no river and harbor appropriation bill passed at this session. He reports the sum in the treasury on July 1st, 1882, avail able for rivers and harbors at $16, 192, 558 and the engineers estimates for the coming fiscal year at $33, SS9, GOO. The communication contains the following list of rivers and har- bors where, in the opinion of the Secretary, the expenditure of the money appropriated by the last river and harbor bill would not in any way aid commerce and navigation Plymouth, Wareham and Woods Hole har- bors, Massachusetts Putneyville, Sheeps- head bay, Wilson, Flushing bay, Canarsie bay and New Rochelle harbors, Massina, Ti- conderoga and Niagara rivers, Sumpawanee inlet, N. Y.; Vermilion, Port Clinton and Huron harbors and Sandusky river, Ohio; Michigan City Harbor, Indiana; Waukegon harbor, Illinois Breton harbor, Maryland Indian river, Delaware Narragansett bay, Rhode Island :; harbor Grand Marias Mon roe, Michigan; Two rivers, New Buffalo and Cedar river harbors and Clinton river, Mich igan Cohansey, Matewan and Chusequake creeks, Woodbridge, Rancocas and Manas- Gasconade and Cinors rivers, Missouri; Port Washington harbors and Chippewa river, Wisconsin Chester and Frankfort creeks, Penn. St. Jerome creek harber, Elk and Choptank rivers and North Passage, Deals Island, Maryland Lamprey river, New Hampshire Housatonic river, Con- necticut; Elk and Guyandotte rivers, West Virginia Walden, Yallapasha r1ver and Old Town creek, Mississippi; Pamaunky, To- tusky, Staunton, Archers and Hope rivers and Urbana creek Virginia New and French J rivers, North Carolina; Oceaee tee rivers, Georgia .Cehabar Suawanee, TallapT rs
 Fla. Coney l
 Broad Hiawasse'
 Treadwater rive,
 bone La. .; Fou
 sas Trinity rive
 and Snokowish r.
 and the Sacramento river,
 In the Star route trial tC on of whether secondary evide1 oe re- ceived was argued at great length by counsel. MT. Ingersoll. commenting about the letter said to have been sent to Postmas- ter Grimes at Kearney, said that this letter, to be instructions to the postmas- ter to take the mail bills of the route if it existed, was 8 piece of important evidence tending to show that Brady had corruptIy taken the bills off the route so that the alleged fraudulent operations could not be continued without hindrance or increased chance of ex- posture. If such were the facts the court could not receive parole evidence of the con- tents of the letter without first having indis- putable evidence that the letter had existed and that it had been lost or destroyed The court ruled the letter out and other papers and testimony of an unimportant character were introduced, closing the evidence on the Kearney and Kent route. The court then adjourned.
 The war claim of the owners of the steamer J. D. Swain, of New Orleans, was passed upon today by the second comptrol- Nf sl-AS1 made that Congress appropriate the amount asked for, $36. .O00. 50. The steamer be- longed to loyal owners, having been engaged in private trade on the Mississippi prior to the rebellion, and to escape being burned by the Confederates when they evacuated New Orleans her owners ran her across Lake Ponchartrain and scutt1ed her. She was af- terward raised and employed by the United States Quartermaster department from 1864 to 1866. The case involves a test question of very general interest.
 The total amount of three and half per cent ponds received for exchange into threes to date amount to $291, 444, $50, of which amount $32, ,O73, 1850 has been exchanged from November l, 1882, to date.
 On Saturday the time for the reception of bids on nearly all the Star routes in the West will open here. The number of bids received this year are not so numerous by 10 per cent. as they were at the last letting.
 At the afternoon meeting the Committee on Ways and Means amended the tariff re- port by inserting at the end of the schedule of sundries, ''There shall be levied, collected and paid on the importation of all raw or articles not herein enumer- ated or provided for duty of 10 per cent qd OGIeTem and all articles unmanufactured in whole or in part not herein or provided for a duty of 30 per cent Gd rGloren.'' In the schedule of chemicals the.paragraph Articles in crude state used in dyeing or tanning not specially enumerated or provid- ed for in this act'' was stricken out The paragraph containing books by foreign au- thors not printed in the United States, sin gle copies for use and not for sale, was stricken out and books published by gov ernment or scientific or literary society in- serted instead. The committee turned back to the schedule of duty on chemicals, and inserted the following paragraph ''On log wood extracts and decoctions of fustic and redwood and extracts of and decoctions of all other dyewoods 15 per cent. ad 0aIo7eDs." To. morrow the committee will continue and probably complete the free list.
 General Grant received many callers to- day at General Beale's residence. His move ments are uncertain, but he expects to re- main here for a week at least.
 Messrs. Hugh Hastings, D. 0. Wheeler and J John F. Smythe are here urging the appoint ment of M. W. Cooper for collector of cus toms of the port of New York. It is ru- mored here tonight that John R. Lydecker of New York in place of Mir. Graham.
 FOrty-Seventh Congress.