Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, December 5, 1872, Page 2

2 THE CHICAGO DAILY TRIByyg:. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1872. > POSTAL TELEGRAPH, Talk with the Hon, Wm. S. Orton, President of the Western Union Company. Telegraphy Over the Globe---Our Ameri- can Companies---Interesting Details. From Our Ouwn Correspondent. WasaINGTON, Nov. 29, 1872, The ro-clection of General Grant, and the con- fident air with which Postmaster General Cres- well comes to the front to broach again his echeme of telegraphy, induced me, & fow days past, to hail the Hon. W. S. Orton in the street, ‘and ask the favor of an hour's interview with *him on the subject. W. 5. ORTON. Established at the Arlington Hotel, in Wash-~ 4ngton, Mr. Orton obliged mo with & communica~ ‘tive mood for much of an afternoon.® This gentleman is the President of the great- est Magnetic Company in the world: the West~ ern Union of the United States. This Company was sesuming such magnitude and growth in 1865 that its Directors were troubled to dis- \cover a person equal o the opportunities it 'would give for faithfulness and distinction, and who might become its executive officer, grasp qts epreading neceseities, and become its magistrate. They had observed that Alr. Orton, a native of ‘Western New York, was & fresh and efficient thead of 8 new and great department in the -American Government, the Internal Revenue ; and they invited him to take the Presidency of ‘the Western Union Company. He did so, after «consideration ; and the character and extent of that Company 28 it now exists, and the position ‘of its President toward the project of Govern- ment telegraphy, may be found from his answers o my questions, and in his own original remarks ‘and comments. T may 2dd that Mr. Orton is, in some respects, a Mr. Doutwell illuminated,—the same general complexion and type of face raised upon a betier stature, lighted with s larger and brighter oyo, ‘and altogether more animated and interesting. THE CONVERSATION. “ Mr. Orton, will youplease tell me how much amagnetic wire exists now in tho Republic?” Orton—* About 165,000 miles, of which the Western Union Company will control, Jan. 1, 1878, 140,000 miles.” “ Pleata tellme the names of all the com- ‘panies operating this extent of wire.” Mr, Orton—** First, the Western Union Com- any. Second, the Pacific & Atlantic,of which orge H. Thurston, of Pitteburgh, is President, and which is the ablest and most used of 21l the others. Its wires stretch from New York to St. Paul by Chicago, and to New Orleans by St. Louis and Memphis. ird, the Atlantic & Pacific, of which John Duff is President, and ‘which is controlled by the mansging men of the Tnion Pacific Railrond, and books on tfo the telegraph of that road at Omsha. Fourth, the Bouthern & Atlantic,which reachesfrom Washing- tonto Montgomery, coastwise. Fifth, the Frank- lin, between Boston and Washington, presided over by Mr. Brown, a Boston merchant. Bixth, the Grest Western, with headquarters in Chi- cago. And, seventh and last, the Reading & Pottsville _Te]egra&:h Compeny, which connects 5! esaive corporation, the e! by that. aspreasiva conp 3 Ip ““The old Overland Telegraph poles havebeen abandoned Mr. Orton—*‘Yes, after the Pacific Railway 'was ‘completed, the ‘Mesars. Wells & Fargo re- moved their line of offices fromthe old mail road tothe railway line; and, sa they had been the agency for the repair and care of the wires, the lstter also took up the new route.” . ‘““Had the first overland line vindiczted itself in g};xblic use and profits when it was removed ?” . 3r. Orton—*I think g0, in both respects, as i"BG vgag in evislence and use between 1862 and “Can you state any facts of proximate impor- tance as to the ocean cables connecting ns with Earope 2" 3 Mr, Orton—“The Western Union Company bes an arrangement with the united cables, which, I think, estsblishes their eficacy by guaranteeing a notwork of shore-communication ‘with them, which has never yet been wholly severed. There are two Cable Companies,—the Frecch and the English—<which ‘pool” their Teceipts, and the English Company 'has two working cables; a fourth cable will be laid next summer from England direct to Halifax, and there connected directly with New York. The present cables land at Newfoundland and 8t. Pierre, and are thence connected with the main land by czble to Duxbury and to Nova Beotia, Nova Scotis and Newfoundland are again connected, while the Newfoundiand Tele- graph Company is an exclusive concession—the only one of its kind ever made by Great Britain —for fifty years, covering the coastsof New- foundland and Lebrador, &nd with it the West- ern Union Company also keeps connection, o that, while one, and even two, cablés are often out of order a% 2 time, silence has not yet wholly prevailed a5 any time.” ¢ Are telezraphs and cables operated at a gain or a losr, speaking as to broad areas?” Mr. Orton—*'The. telegraphs of the world, except in the United States, are now operated at 8 logs, saving only submarine cables, nearly all of which are private property.” ““Are cables favorite forms of investment with e o Tn T d, ifr. Orton—* ngland, they are. In the United Btetes, very. liftle monoy has ever boan raised for the purpose. It yei remains to be soen how long a cable after submergément will stand grappling without rupture, to know swhat guarantee or insurance fund must be set aside 1o save the investors. _Cable profits are, there- fore, only apparent profits at present.” “Ja it not possibl that the English busineds capitalist—who is also the English statesman at the present day—may design by this great cable system, of which England is the centre, to keep glish influence, commerce, and capital para- mount throngh controlling the intelligences of the globe 7" Mr. Orton—*That might be; but the time seems tome tobe nearzt hand when coal and iron, added to grain end cotton as great articles of American export, will turn the balance and settle that controversy against England. There is a singular mingling of prejudice #nd fatuity in tkhab)'luzex“g lu?(ti t‘h:h mteb igent Fnglishman {0 make 0 the subject, but it seems ve c] erican cities lead in patronizing the telegraph 2 v ® Mr. Orton—*New York stands alone in the first ranl. Boston and Chicago only are in the second rank, and nearly even. Philadelphia and BanFrancisco may be grouped together in the third rank. And in the fourth rank come, nearly equal to each other, Baltimore, Weshington, New Orleans, Bt. Louis, and Cincinnati.” “How many people does the Western Union Company employ, and where is its most distant operator 27 Mr. Orton—* We employ of all classes about 8,000 persons ; and, since the sbandorment of Cape Race Station, I m&pose oux most lonely operator msy be in British Columbia.” “Tgthe telegraph of equal necessity #nd day, according to your experience ? » . ~Orton- e circuits of the Atlantic eables, owing to the difference in time, must be alws; mannedi’mght and day. There is mo night on the cable. Tt 1s far otherwiss with onr domestic wires ; the Western Union " is occupied between 9 o'clock a. m. and 5 o’clock p. m. close- ly; between 10 and 4, completely; znd be- tween 11 and 2 in the day it is hot, and every- bodyison the jump. "The night system, at half-rates, has been in operation ten years, has been well advertised, and telegraph messages night can be filed all dsy to await the night- work, when we fily only for light and the reduced (bor employe Ye! only 11 per cent of our business is nigh bueiness, and this shows the failicy of the Postal Telegraphy theory, that to increase tele- garphy and its profits, it is only requisite to cheapen the tolls, and put the boys and girls to writing love-letters by electricty.” ¢ Pleaso explain this further 2" M. Orton—¢ Before there is any great need of the telegraph, it is requisite that two peoplo 'be wailing at opposite ends of & wire. The cur- rents of telegraphic business men will be currents of trafiicand commerce, and not with those of mere sacquaintance, The telegraph ‘business of Maine comes to Boston; and Maine and New Hampshire, side by side, do not tele- Ephw each other, but write to each other. e telegraph will never supersede the mail, an the common uses of the mails arige from o distinct and dif- ferent class of wants from those which use the telegraph. I get this down 28 a fundamental proposition : that the growth of felegraphy has resulted from increasing the facilities rather than reducing the rates.” *¢ You think that there is no essential postal character to the telegraph wire " . Mr. Orton—* None, except a superficial sim- ilarity. They are both instrumentalities of com- munication ; but the telegraph cannot be made reliable for figmes. calculations, or punctuation; and the mails are requisite every night o con- firm by letter the merchants’ messages of the day. The Western Union Company itself is probably the greatest consumer of postage- stamps of any private = corporation in America, snd the growth of cor- respondence by meil will always incréase in a suflicient ratio to maintain the "difference be- tween the rates of mail and telegraph.” e ¢ What point do you make between the mail- car and the wire to show that théy do not com- pete?” Mr. Orton—* This point: The difference be- tween the cost of 10 fons of mail-matter goin| by train between New York and Washington, an 100 tons, is scarcely appreciable, “The train is destined to go; the capacity of none of our roilroads is tested with mail-matter; the cost of oing is increased little or none. Buf, when we fin,ve a wire between the same points, and have 500 messages in a day for transmission, the full capacity of one wire,—and an additional 100 ‘messages are offered, the increase amounts to tho same as if the railroad were obliged to lay nerw track and get new equipment and men ; for, when one wire gets more business-than it can do, another wireis required. Now, none of the railrosds aré taxed to the utmost with mail- matter; but the wires of the Western Uuion Company are taxed to the full every day, and our extensions are in old territory, multiplying {acilitias,lntfierh than in new l:.? déltmtfl?;rfl- ory. Telegraphy meets its largest prof in territory wheré it has educated. the people “to its use for msny years. - The percentage of cost for doing our business - now, when it amounts to 9,000,000 a year, is quite a8 great as ‘six years ago, when the business amounted to $5,000,000. - It does not, therefors, follow that, by crowd- ing down the postal wires with universal busi- ness, thelast of telegraphy would pe- hardly computable 7" Mr. Orton—*“No. The Government,aa the monopolizer of telegraphy, might szve some- thing, a8 it would nof have to pay dividends, and wonld not be liable to be sued or be taxed; but the assertion thatit can send any more messages, at less cost, is entirely erroneous.™ * * Have the English advantages over usas to cheapness " - - Mr. Orton—* Certainly. Take wages, which_ make between 50 and 60 per cent of all the ex- msee of telegraphy : We pay from two to four imes more than in’ Enrope. “The London tels- graph office is operated by females, 14 shillings 8 week, or from 8 to 20 shillings each. Now, in our New York office, we have females whom 'we pay from 840 to £65 a month, or an average of nearly a dollar where the English female oper- ator gets a shilling. And we pay male oparators £80 a month average wages. It is the same wherever we turn. ‘o pey 50 per cent more for wire, morofor telegraph-poles, although the cOuntry is full of timber, and between 25 and 50 per cent more for every article entering into consumption.” ¢ Thatisa queer condition of things, asto poles in particular 2" Mr, Orton—'* It costs more now merely to transport telegraph-poles from the lakes to Chi- cago than it used to cost four years ago for the poles delivered at Chicago. - Chicago 18 the de- K)vot for all the ielflg!‘zgh-plflfl! in the Mississippi alley, of between the Rocky Mountains and Buffalo. The great majority of- our durable poles come from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and are white cedar,but the red cedar of Tennessee makes the best pole of- which- we have ‘knowledge. ‘We have recently erected in the great telegraph- ic centres,—for the telegraph wires assemble at the great focal points like the cords in & whip- stock, of which the butt is at the commercial ceutres,—wo have put up in ‘Ohicago and other cities & class of ‘poles to accommodate the fu- ture multiplication of wires -for years. The poles must be accommodated to the burden of wires, for sleet-storma often break down the poles, -This yesr we have hung 20,000 miles of new wire.” g ‘¢ Are you sble to determine whether the West-~ ern Union Company has greater prospects be- fore it if allowed to continue its business than if purchased?”’ 2 4 Mr. Orton—*‘“We are making a very valuabl property, adapted to the fullest mses of the times ; and, if allowed to enjoy it, our pros- pects ' are ' encoursging to une. Our equi ment is_very complete; but the telegraph is comparable to a house which is fit for occupan- , but always requiring improvements. We charge to ‘profit and loss,’ instesd of to ¢con- struction,’ all our improvements on old roates; but, in the English system, they show an sppa- rent profit by charging large sums expended to construction accounts, instead of to profit and Joss. But our standing as a corporation was - tested in England, when we recently applied for &loan there to_ erect our new building at the corner of Broadway and Dey stroets, New York. We obtained with promptness, and on superior terms to any concern his country, $1,500,000, and we are putting up & building that will give more space to tele- graphic _operationa in the great Post Office edifice in New York, -which costs nearly §5,000,000.” * Why do you build so far down in the City of New York?™ Mr. Orton—*‘ Why, 75 per cent of all the re- cemt.s in New York come from below the City Hall Park, althongh we have 70 stations (there being 100 in all, counting other companies) in that city. They have but one central Post Office there, and thirteen sub-Post Offices. * I mention . these thing;bo show that the telegraphic enter- prises in this_country aro energetic and ample ‘under corporate proprietorship.” ‘ Has Mr. Creswell's desire for postal tele- graphy been of his own motion, or in response to any complaint as to present facilities? Mr. Orton—*¢ There is & tendency amongst all Governiment officials to seek an enlargement of powers, His maybesa laudable ambition, ‘but it is based upon superficial ideas, and he is this year receiving the aid of a person employed. to get statistics in hid interest. No petition had ever been addressed to Congress containing any statement or grievance, or any attack upon the ‘Western Union Coméxsny. The Boards of Trade and Chambers of Commerce are genemlgmdo- clared against the pet ides. After ho proclaimed his policy, two State Legislatures were moved to pass resolutions indorsing it ; but he has no no- tion of the aversionith which railways, and those interests needing the telegraph most, re- gard the plan.” ‘¢ How as to railways ?” Mr. Orton—* We exchange facilities with the railways, and they are compelled, under modern exigencies, to move their trains and rule their line of road through us. In return for this, they push our business with equal slacrity, as they ‘would never do under the repressing hand of the Government. In tho late Boston fire, for ex- ample, I was wakened Baturdsy night, and in- formed thv our offices there were about to s deserted. “That night we moved up operators to New York from Philadelphis, while & trai- load of New York operators moved on fo Bostyn from New York, and constraction trains wee advancing on Boston from both New Yerk and Portland; =nd we esent in a day, emidst all that catastrophe, | 4,900 mercantile messages and 60,000 words for tho - press. The railways would mever have | moved for the Post Office Department with squal alacrity. This seizure of the telegraph-wires.is the initial movement on both'the express com- panies and the railways.” “ Do you think the English system of postal ta'll\:gnphy, then, to promise failurg ?" . Orton—‘‘No. I frankly think it there to be efficient, well performed, and much ex- tended under the Government assumption ; but all the conditions sre different from ours. The English Civil Service alone is a mighty advance upon our own to accomplish such a change. hink of the same revolution being tried with our_system of political ap- pointments! In Europe, the tdegraphas a free mstmmantah&y never existed, any more than a free press, and it was a part of the police sys- tem of each country. It was, in fact, more im- poseible than freedom of the press. It was adopted in England becsuso the telegraph com- panies were without enterprise, and did nof aim to make themselves a universal convenience. Here, telegraphy has arisen among the people, .Isbortory connected with the Normal Universi- - kept ahead of their necessities, and built up s mevspaper pross ‘which is the wonder of the era.” ““What is the superiority of the American press to that' of Europe, under tae telegraph ?” Mr. Orton—*“Well, if you w& compute all the news-matter delivered by the f_i}‘:?mph to the press here as~ gepa- ly transmitted to each paper, it will make an aggregate equal to all the matter of every kind sent over thetelegraphs of the world at thesame time, In no other country can so much tele- raph news be bought for the money as here. L amounts to hundreds of millions of words per annum. The newspaper combinations are nu- merous and wonderful. The Western Associsted Press alone takes 10,000 words & night for 365 nights in the year, and from it other sub-agso- ciations ramify.” ‘“‘Have you deserved any farther encourage- mentina scientific point of view? That s, have you given the world any improvements on g[orgg’;‘ discovery worthy of your earnings ua- er if Mr. Orton—‘‘Yes; Bterne’s duplex system, by which messages pass each other, or the sane wire talks & different thing at opposite ends,is more wonderful than l iny Here is a clock which is just now going into ggg; invented by bne of our Superintendents, whic registers the message from its _receipt to its de- livery. And the sutomatic printing mnchmb nes) and simultaneous market reports, issued by tel- graphy, put the whole mercantile world upon an equal plane.” S & Wgae is the influence of the telegraph on eculation ?” EPMr. Crton—*To give tability to values. Mr. James_G. Bennett, Sr., spprehended this, and refused to encourage telegraphy because his courier and courier-pigeon system would then be no longer exclusive. Trading is now nearly a certainty, based upon fixed prices, Lknown over the world at the ssme moment, and leaving to be compnied only freights, intereats, and com- migsions,” “Which scheme does Creswell favor of postal telegraphy?” “%Vtefl, ie desires all the English system, ex- cept the Queen, and proposes 1o accept postal cards at one-third the rates, in order that the Post Office clerk may read one's lettor. He has under considerstion the Washburne scheine, which propeses to dpm'chue sl the existing = lines, an prohibit ~ pri- vate competition; and the Hubbard scheme, which proposes to_let Congress incorporate & company with special privileges, and give it the free occupation of the Post Offices and post roads; mrf fix the rates of telegraphy, while the Government seizes 5 conts out of each measage, The Hubbard plan is & )isrtna;u!np sobeme. The Washburne plan is a bold notion of confiscation, I admit that the Gavemman‘ui. under the law of 1866, may take our lines. I do not see the need or good policy of doing it. If it bo done, we ex- ct manly and generous trestment; for we ave exerfed ourselves to do our \'l;_nle duty responsibly, and with the fullest citizen and mercantile enterprise.” -- GATH. LENGTH OF A DEGREE OF THE MERIDIAN. To the Editor of The Chicago Tribuns > Sm: Tn a conversation recently with & Isdy on phy- sical geography, # was asserted that the degrees of Iatituds as you spproach the poles increase in length, A the matier colld not be made clear, we agreed to Jeave it to that Usiversity of the public, THE CAIoAGO 'Dm:u!lx. 6 A soxswl‘ RIADEE. OHI10460, Dec, 2, 1872. Answen.—H we could draw s circle in the plane of themeridian, Aaving its centré coinci- dent with tiat of the earth, and draw radii through every degree, the elliptic meridian would-be divided into uneqaal parts, the lengths of which ‘would decresse from the equator .to the poles. The distance - from the equator, reckoned ix tHs way, is called geocentric latitude. But our ordimry geographical Iatitude is the angle fotmed with the plane of the equator by 8 perpendictlar to the surface at the place- of obsérvation; ‘and that perpendicular is mot directed tothe centre, except at the equator and tho pole. The length of a degree of geognphical Iatitnde is the dis- tance 'ws must travel, north or south, while the tirection of the perpendicular is changed to the extnt of one degree of inclination. It is evident hat the flatter the surface, the less rapidly is this chaoge effected; and as the merid- ian is-curved less at the poles than at the equa~ tor, it isneceaau& to travel & greater number of feet or niles, at the pole than at the equator to | obtain the same change in the direction of the water level, or & perpendicular thereto. The fillowing table shows the len; of o degree o lstitude, and of the ayerage degree of longitud), in fest, at the sea level, for every fifth degree from the equator. These lengths are incressod by one foot for every 67.8 feet of elevationabove the ses level: . Latitude, - Meridiam, Paralle, degrees. 10 {n#;;_ Ao s [ BRBASRIFSHBRERBEE ‘The angle in seconds, formed by the perpen- dicular, with the lino direoted to tha centre, ia 596.23 8% 80 deg.; 689.57 at 45 dog. ; 595.28 at 60 dog. ; and nothing at the poles and equator. The above quantities differ somewhat from those given in the books ; they have been cal- culated anew, by the writer, from the latest determinations of the earth's form and dimen- gions. It has recently been fonnd that the equa- tor itself is not & perfect circle, .but an ellipse, the greatest diameter of which ““crops out™ 1 degrees east and 78 dogrees west from the merid- ian of Chicago. The following aro the radi, o distances, from the centre to the sea Isvel, in feet : g ILLINOIS MUSEUM (F NATURAL HISTORY. . The officers of ‘the Siate Museum of Natural History take this mefhod of calling attention to the collections under their care. These have now been throughly arrsnged and organized. with special ©ference to the convenience of stu- dents; and [arge additions have been made to the Library, both of general scientific works and of those cotaining descriptions of species. Minerabgy, geology, conchology, botany, and ornitholesy, are represented by full and valua- ble cabizets, and measures have ‘been taken to' enlargs the already. respectable collections in entomology and general zoology. The chemical - ty vill soon be refitted and supplied with abun- dast apparatus, and will be opened to all who +wish to make a special study of chemistry” and’ the allied branches. = Named sets of specimens will be supplied to schools and public” institutions as fast as possi- ‘ble; and to this end contributions are solicited - from all parts of the State, For® the sake of ‘more exactly dufluinki what i3 mzk\:h-ed, it may beau? ‘t)llu.t any of the following objects will be aceptable : 3 1. Minerals, rocks, petrifactions, and fosgils. 2. Shells, 1and or water. - 8. Insects, snakes, turtles, lizards, and fishes. ' 4. Birds and their nests or eggs. 5. Bones or skins of animals. 6. Prossed plants, seeds and seed-vessels, woods, mosses, lichens, snd fungi. The museum is for the free nse of the people - of Illinois, and every needed facility and assist- snce, in the way of books, specimens. and in- structions, will ‘be afforde: ose who wish to- avail themselves of ‘it in studying our natural history. It is belisved thdt mothing is now needed but the zealous co-operation of the friends of educa- tion to make this one of the most efficient educa- tional forces in the State. 8. A. Fonses, Curator Museum. NomMal, IIL, Nov. 15, 1872, E MILITARY ORDER. MEADQUABTERS MILITARY i!nmxox OF THE), ‘M1ssount, CEICAGO, Dec, 3,1872, f General Orders No, 5: 1. To enable him to comply with General Orders No. 100, current series, from the Head- <cuarters of the Army, assigning him to the com- nand of the Military Division of the Atlantic, Najor General Hancock ia hereby relieved from duty in this Division. ' 2. Until Brigadier General Terry, who has teen- assigned to the command of the Depart- ment of Dakots, -enters upon his duties, the Lieutenant General commanding the Division will give, through the Department - Staff, such dnectfioma a8 may be necessary in that Depart- ment. By command of Lieutenant General Sheridan : Jaares B. Fry, Assistant Adj. General. OrFrciaL: M. V. AN, Lieutonant Col- onel and A. D, C. e The Grundy Circuit Court. Mongrs, L, Dec, 3, 1872, To the Editor of The Chicago Tribune : Bm: Inthe case of John Bell, administrator of John Boyd, deceased, vs. The Chicago & Rock Island Railrond Company, which was on trial in the Circuit Court of thia county last week, the jury came in at 11 o'clock on Batur- day night, with a verdict for plaintiff of $5,000, —the fall amount allowed by statute. Messrs. Hunter and Page, of Chicago, and P, A. Arm- strong, of this Bar, were counsel for plaintiff ; and Judge Eldridge, of Ottaws, and Judge Har- mé of tH':plm:’._é‘or dlefindantn. scar Hause to-daypleaded guil of larceny, and wuysgntancegg?:g;g%:gvfi erts to five years in the Penitentiary, the originsl iavention.” *| Tnckin, NEW YORK. The Raid on Obscene Literature. ‘What Hag Been Accomplished in One Year Against the Poisoners of Morality. Special Correspondence of The Chicago Tribune. New Youx, Nov. 30, 1872, ‘The entire ngtion are the gainers by the suc- cessful raid that has been accomplished against, and the wholesale terror that has been created smong, the infamous harpies Who haye made New York the contre of supply of the obscene literature and trade-articles, the most dangerons and noxious sseds of immorality, sown broad- cast among onr commaunities all over the land. There is but one sentiment sgainst this devil's machinery for destruction, but the question has been how to attack it. What was everybody's ‘business in thi case, 88 in all others, was no- body's business, It needed some man full of zeal for tho work, and of unimpeached motives ‘and purpose, to come to the front and bring to bear the battery of the law, The statutes have been ample to cover the case, but they were idle on the statute-books, and the vil was annually on the increase. It i8_ appall- ing to 'discover how much human ingenuity, artistic skill, and the best appliances in the arts hse been. misdirected .into _this fall channel whose outflow is from the gates of hell, and the streams from which find their way. to every town and hamlet in the United States. The best ex- hibit of the bulk and character of thi frightful flood is to be presented in~ the results of ome year's active labor. in its. suppression, undar- taken by Anthony Comstock, of this- city, The following is his list, and it ‘gresants an appalling proof of the immense breadth and activity of this department of unholy: traffic sgainst the moral purity of community : Impure and obscene pictures and photo- graphs 070 £hAD.vse s egerneee 181,600 Tmpure and- olgcene books and pam- P &tona. Letter-preas 2 tons, Sheets of im culars, anc 20,000 Microacopic watch 5,000 -Negulive plates for printing photographs _and copic views, about.. 625 Engraved copper.and stedl plates 350 Tithographic atones destroyed. 20 Fngravings on wood, mor8 thi ] 500 Btereotype plates for printing o ‘hooks, over..:: . 5 tons, ‘Obecene transparent pla; 5,500 to 6,000 An {mmense number of other obacene - and imm lea of various de- sariptiona. Letters from all parts of the comntey or- dndng these books, &o., over. 7,800 Arrested since October laat. . 8 Police officer dismissed by Commis- sioners for shielding these scoundrels. 1 Publishers dead. .. . . 3 Manufacturer 1 Expressman dead. Convicted or plead 1 According to Mr. Comstoc! toments, the three publishers above were the three principal men ixf this nefarions business. One had pub- ilighed here in New York since 1843, another for . about twent ars, and the other for about six- vteen years. ‘manufacturer has been engaged ¢in obscene rubber business since the war; and “the expressman did business in Jersoy _Ci:\y, and . was the right-hand man of all the principal deal- ;ers, 28- they shipped their wares, through him, into all the large and respectable ax&:auu compa~ nies, who wounld not receive e packages throngh these mep. And, from all sides, Mr. C. finds statements that thess men have carried on this basiness by the lmowledge and consent of - certain detectives and police of the two Cities of .Now York and Brooklyn. *" Too much credit cannot be awarded to the officials.who have for the last six months waged vigorous warfare against the dealers in obscena ‘publications in this city. Distriot Attorney Davis and Commissioner Osborn have exhibited an in- flexible resolution to destroy this infamous busi- ness, root and branch. No exertion has boen conviction of all deelers -in obscene literature. In the vigor and- success of these prosecntions, New me City has set her eister cities-an ex- . ample worth following. .- Comstook’s - undertaking, which, at the outast, met with coldness, and_even opposition, “has broadnred fnto 6ne of the most practical reforms of the dny. It will not be many months ‘before a formal and wide-reaching organization ~will be created, to fight, in all parts of the land, >tis hydra-hesded monster, and crush it out | effectually, until it will not be safer - for the publishers of obsoene literature to follow their infamonus calling than it is for the counter- " feiter and the burglar. * The statutes of theland are against them, and the guardians cf morality everywhere must bring the artillery to the front and open the battary upon them. I am able to * add a reference to the statutes of your own Btate - of Tllindis, to show how completely they cover +the case. The atatutes of Tilinois on thia subject [ provide : >4 If any person shall hereafter bring, or'cango to be bronght or imported, into this State, for sale, or shall sell or offer to eell,” * *: i* .any obscene book, pamphlet, or print, every such person s| on” conviction, be fined in a sum not less than $25, nor more than §50.” —Page 192, Section 10, Gross’ Statutes. T CUMMERgE AND NAVIGATION. Statistics for thé Fiscal Year 1872, Monthly reporf, No. 13, of the Bureau of Sta- tistics, is going through the press. It embraces the statistica of our foreign e for the month ended Jtme 80, 1872,and for the fiscal year ended the same, compared with the corresponding perios of 1871. Dr, Young,-Chief.of the Ba- rean, farnishes the following abstract : ¥ tnports, Dot cop. Foreign mporta. vatucs, . TR ; 73 906,562 Month badad” Foine ¥ ), 1871 ... 51,265,076 41,685,236 9,218,400 ded < S June 30, 1672.. ... 640,397,540 501,164,971 22,769,749 elvé mos, ended v gisess June 30, 167L..... 541,493,708 513,044,213 28,450,899 The following were the respective amounts of the foregoing, which consisted of merchandize and of specie and buiiion : FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 80, 1872, Domestic ezp. Foreign Imports. specle valucs, _exports. Merchandize.... S626,000,054 IB,266,T31 ~ $15,000,456 Specieand builion 13,744,885 = 72,898,240 7,019,204 FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 80, 1871. Domesticexp. Foreign Merchandize 321" ssg,a&ss m&'%fi' sfifg% Bpecie and bullion 21,000,024 84,505, ;038 . The value of the foreign commodities remain- ing in warehouse' June 80,-1872, Was §122,211,~ 266, as compared with - $68,324,659 June S0, 1871 Allowing for the difference in tho warehouse account, the imports for the fiscal year 1872 are in excess of the domestic and- foreign exports, combined, to the amount of 253,886,607, whilst for the fiscal year 1871 the exports exceeded the im%grts by $11,393,818. he respective amounts of foreign commerca carried in American and foreign vessels, and in cars and otber land vehicles, were : FISCLT. YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1872. Domestic ezp'ta Foreign Tmports, (mized values), exports. American vessels.$177,235.806 $161,819,860 6,722,462 Foreign vessels... 445,417,279 . 381,620,692 12,311,355 Land vehicles.... 17,634,455 6,219,157 3,135,802 FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 80, 1871.- Domestic cxp'ts Foreign Impors, (mized solucy). exporte, American vessels.§163,285,710 $180,624,658 $9,753,804 Foreign vessels,.. 363,020,644 876,476,600 16,325,323 5,417,384 2,380,772 Tand veihcles.... 15,187,354 Tt appears from the above, that of our total foreign trade in 1872, carried in vessels, about 71 per cont was in foreign vessels. while, in 1871, it was but little over 68 per cent. The number and tonnage of vessels engaged in the foreign trsde which entered into and cleared from the United States during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1872, were as follows : Entered. Cleared. Ao, | Tons. | No. Tona. American vessels.| 10,621} 8,711,283) 10,488 3,681,824 Foreign vessels...| 18,647| 7,001,843 18,749] 7,048,691 Total.........| 29,288] 10,803,126] 20,237| 10,730,515 FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1871. Entered. Cleared. 30| Zons., | 3o | Tons, American vessels.| 10,715 3,742,740| 10,573| 3,746,045 Foreign vessels...| 10,406] 6,266,444| 19,383| 6,151,587 Total........| 50,121 10,00,184| 29,861 9,898,483 The report contains detailed lists of the arri- val of immigrants in the United States for the quarter ended June 30, 1872, and for the year ended the same. The total number arrived dur- ing the year was 404,806, of whom 20,170 were males, and 164,636 females. They represent 176 occupations, summarized 8s follows: Pro- fessional occupations, 2,443 males and 217 fe- males ; skilled occupations, 43,164 males and 1,091 females ; miscellancous occupations, 183,- 089 males and 10,844 females ; occupations not specified, 2,919 males and 7,126 females ; without occupation (mainly women ildren), 58, males and 145,358 y1’enmlee. aad ), '5.5 e These immigrants came from about one hun- dred different countries, of which the following. are the principal: * From England, 69,764 ; .Ire- lend, 68,732; Scotland, 13,916; Wales, 1,214; Germany, 141,109; Austria, 4,182; Sweden, 18,464; Norway, 11,421 ; Denmark, 3,690 ; Hol- 1and, 1,909 ; Belgium, 738 Switzerland, '3.650 ; France, 9,317 : 8pain, 535 Portugal, 4165 Italy, 4,144 ; Russia 99¢; Poland, 1,647 China, 7,785; Japan, 17; Canads, 24825; Nova Scotis, 8,209 3. New Brunswick, 4,450; Prince Edward Ieland, 1.830; Newfoundland, 205; Vancouver's Tsland, 543 Mexico, 569; Cuba, 785; Bahamas, 381 ; Azores, 890; Sandwich Islands, 203; Austrlis, 9,176 ; born at ses, 121 5 - THE DIAMOND SWINDLE. Xts History==-Report of General Colton. From the San Francisco Bulletin, Nov. 26, From a gentleman who is in the secret of those who have suffered, and who is himself one of the losers, wo have the following comprehen- sive account of the great diamond swindle. The first_discovery, as alleged, was made by ome Philip Arnold. ' He ‘made & contract with Har- pending for the sale of the discovery. Harpend- ing transferred an interest in that contract to William M. Lent. The first payment_to Arnold was $100,000. This money was advanced by Lent. The prope: now underwent various subdivisions, the bulk of it centering in Lent, who paid about $850,000. Other interests were Bold to various parties, so that the result was that Arnold and his confederates, whoever they were, netted about $650,000. By- subsequent sale of & portion of Lent’s interest he got-back a part of his money, and now stands loser of sbout $160,000. The diamond fields discovered by Arnold, after having been prospected by Henry Janin, under Arnold’s supervision, yielded about $15,- 000 to $20,000-worth of gems. Upon this pros- pect Janin’s report to Messrs. Barlow and Gen- eral McClelian was based. It is now reported that Arnold took Janin over a few acres of the 1and, and that Arnold chose the spots for dig- gix;%v, while Janin looked on. Upon Janin's re- ort and the receipt of the jewels, the San -ancisco and New York Mining and Commer- cial Company was organized, with a capital of $10,000,000. A portion of this stock was taken in Ban Francisco at the rate of $40 per share, with the agreement of all sucscribers’ that the stock should remain in the hands of W. C. Ralston, and should not be sold or put npon the market until the value of. the property should -be thor- oughly ascertained. Another prospecting party, beaded by George L. Roberts, who appears to have been one of the on Qhe‘filrt of the officera to secure the |- 3y, urchasers from the discoverer, visited the field. party did a good deal of surveying and lo- cating, but spent, it is rumored, only an hour in hunting jewels, and left the field, bm]img awWay several hundred carats of diamonds. The brevity of thissearch, and the comparatively small results, aroused suspicion of the extent if not the genuine- ness of the alleged discoveries, snd _another party was despatched, whose exsmination- and Teport have not yet been made public. Enough is kmown to warrant the assertion that future explorations will develop no diamonds or other emms. g Amold, the discoverer, is o native of Ken- tucky, and is now sapposed to be in that Btate, though it is more than likely he will prove to be like the pes under the thimbl&-nggar’s cap— “now you see it, and now you don’t.” ‘The swindle was probably suggested by the discovery of the mineral known as itacolumite in the Green River -District, which mineral is usually found in diamondiferous countries, '.hongg it is frequently found, as in the present instance, without the important adjunct of dia~ monds. THE LOSERS DY THE FRAUD. From the San Franciseo Chronicle, Nov, 26, ‘Wm. M. Lent has paid out over 400,000, cash —which, of course, i8-a complete loss. He had never geen the Eannds, and invested solely on his faith in Ji 's report and the stories circu- lated by others. William C. Ralston comes next among the losers, having advanced - $250,000 to ns&make the payments to Arnold. - e following.gentlemen purchased stock for the amounts set opposite thelr names. As the cash was paid in every instance the money isa totalloss: g8 833 BESSEEEEL gggs3sssss S, The amount swallowed up from Harpending, Roberts, and General Dodge is not known, but they are all three heavy losers on paper. BEPORT OF THE GENEBAL MANAGER. To the Board of Directors of the San Franciaco and New York Mintng and Commercial Company : GExTLEMEN: On thelst of the present month 1 was. tendered by your body the position of General Manager of your Company under_cir- cumstances 8o liberal and flattering that ¥ ac- cepted the appointment, and proceeded 'at onca to scquaint myself with the affairs and property of the Company. . On the 12th instant, information_having been Teceived from Mr. Clarence King, United Btates Goologist, in_charge of the survey of the Fortioth Parallel, from which it became proba- ble that s great frand had been perpetrated upon your stockeolders, I immediately proceeded, un- der the earnest solicitations of your Executive Committee, to the purported diamond fields. My party was made up of Mr. Clarence King, who most generously consented to accompany the expedition, and Mr. Henry Janin, who had reviously visited the ground and reported on its value ; Mr. John W. Bost, ex-Surveyor Gen- eral of this State, and Mr. E. M, Frey,—the last two &:ant]aman having been on the gm\m:i'.a with what is known as the * Roberts arty.’ ‘We proceeded by rail to Black Butte Station, on the Union Pacific Railroad, in Wyoming Ter- ritory, then, taking riding animals, we reached the grounds on the 18th, it being in the Territory of Colorado, in a due south direction from Black Batte Btation, and not to exceed fifty miles m";sh locality od e Iocality is perfectly easy of access in gos ‘weather, being sgm.md onniybigh table !gnnd, on the north side of & pine-clad mountain plain, to be seen in three hours’ ride from our start- ing .point. As all the gentlemen with me were familiar with the ground, we lost mo time, and at once prceeeded to prospect the property. At the hesd of what -was designed on. ‘Mr. Janin's map and report as Ruby Gulch, I found a bare, solid table of sand- stone, about 520 feet long by 150 wide, cut up ‘more.0r less by crevices, most of them emptying into Ruby Gulch, which runs parallel with the west.face of the rock. On this tablo, 88 I am informed by Mossrs. Bost and Frey, the Roberts party found the diamonds they brought to yonr company. At the head of Ruby Gulch, and close by the edge of the rock, Mr. Janin pointed to the places where most of tho dirt ws. taken from whick were washed the large number of diamonds and rubied taken by General Dodge, Janin, Har- pending, and Arnold to New York, and’ after- wards brought to 8an Francisco. ‘We proceeded at once to test the dirt in Ruby Gulch, and, after making fifty-six distinct tests, of the most thorough and careful nature, from surface to bed-rock, the day closed on us with- out our having found a diamond or ruby outside the limits of tho bare rock first described; whereas, on the table zock visible to the naked eye, were many smell rubies, and a few small, wortbless diamonds, which had been averlooked by previous parties. The second day General Bost and Mr. Frey de- voted their time to varions tests of the property, particularly in opening on this rock two crevices, which ghowed unmistakable evidences of not baving been tampered with. The result was, they found no diamonds or rubies there or else- where during_the whole day, ontside the pre- viously described points where the first stones ‘were found. In the meantime Mr. Janin and myself pro- ceeded first to the point on Diamond Creek where Arnold and others did their diamond- ‘washing. We found the gravel they had thrown away, and, in testing it, discovered some small rubies, and found some of the same stonea in geveral s}ab—hfllfl near the trail they had travelled while ere. ‘We then procecded on the esstern line of Mr. Janin's and Stock’s survey of the original loca- tion going north. = Found all the stakes; and Mr. Janin, a8 we reached thers, identified all the holes on theline from which they took the dirt with Mr. Arnold, and found rubies as et forth in his firat report. ‘We made five separate, distinct, sud careful tests of the dirt in and about each hole, making over thirty tests, and never in one instance found a dismond or ruby. ~ We also dug new holesnear his old ones, and found nothing. In fact, after making numerous tests—ninety-three in all—in different places on the one hundred and sixty- three acres of the original location, We never in a single instance found a dismond or ruby. And to show you the correctness of our tests, I sll::ed several timess very emall ruby in the irt each gentleman worked, and in every in- stance they found the stone, believing it to bea genuine find until I informed them otherwise. oA reemant. s e It further demonstrated how easy it was for E}lfl!&m even, who had the entire confidenceof 8 associates, to commit numerous frauds on .the varions members of his party without their suBpecting it. 4 — Among other places I examined was a point of rocks near by, and overlooking the place where Mr, Janin and others did the Wi of the dirt that produced the precious’ stones brought to California in August last. On this point I found some rubies geattered on the bare rock -where, in my -opinion, it would have been a8 im- possible for nature to have deposited them as for & person standing in San’ Francisco to toss a marble in the air and haveit fall on Bunker Hill Monument. All these investigations forced npon my mind the irresistible conclusion that the general as- sortment of precious stones found on the ground were not placed there by bounteous nature, but were strewn by the designing hand of one whose supply was only sufficient to place a limited number in the most conspicuous places where the eye of a coming expert wonld most readily discover them. The precious party, after retumin; from the ground, related that, in one hour’s work, ten men picked up 285 dimonds. It is understood these were all found in .the locality before de- scribed. If 5o, it is to b regrotted that they did ot in the eight days they were on the ground, spend one hour more in-prospecting- other por- ti0n8 of the 3,000 acres they surveyed. Inwhich event, I feel certain that the second hour's labor would not have produced a single precious stone, laadmufi necessarily to such further investigation a8 d have demonstrated that the diamonds that party found were all.confined to.the narrow limits of this emall, barren, yet prolific spot, which fact would have prevented, in thia city, at least, many unfortunate complications. Believe me, gentlemen, I was not unmindful of the great responsibility of g out_ the expedition, and of making this report, which Fronounc_as to-day a property absolutely value- less, having when I left home a cash value of many millions of dollars. The honor of this Board, and the many interests of the commu- nity, demnndeq an immediate examination of the property without & moment’s delay, and be- fore any intimation could be given of our move- ments. It.was not a journey to be coveted ; for no mere pecuniary consideration, I am satisfied, would have induced any member of our party to andergo all the psxdshigg!md perils of such a irip in the mountains at this season of the year, camping and sleeping in the open air, surround- ed much of the time by smow, with the ther- mometor fifteen to twenty degrees below zero. .In behalf of myself and the gentlemen who accompanied me, whose names -are iven, the only remuneration we ask atyour ds for undergoing the hardship of this jour- ney is, that you will spare no time, money, nor skill in finding out the -guilty parties to this un- paralloled fraud, and bring-them to speedy jus- tice. The good name of the Btate and the credit of our mi interests demand it.- - T have taken the liberty in_this report of an- nouncing the location of -these -so-called # diamond fields of Arizona,”. from the fact that Y consider it high time the alluring -fascination of secrecy and m; be dropped from this world be brought to understand that if there be any such Im- mense deposits of precions stones as this excite- ment has led them to believe, the depesit is m&a ‘be found, as it is my honest belief that to time no new or rich discovery has been ‘made in the section of country this mysterious whisper has pointed to. - In the few days I have been connected with the management of your company, it is impoasi- ble for ma to give you the best information as to ‘who are the guilty parties in putb'ng this frand upon the world, but the unimpeachable integrity ‘of every-member of your Board is a sufficient arantee that this .investigation will be so thoroughly conducted by. you a8 to do justice to all parties concerned. ting my course in +this matter may meet the approval of your body, 1 remain, very re ly, Davm D. CorroN. Bax Fauxcisco, Nov. 25, 1872, The undersigned, members of the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco and.New York Mining. and Commercial. Company, having be- come convinced by the foregoing. reports of the worthlessness of the pretended diamond fields referred to, haye deemed it.due.to the public to rubliah the above reports and denounce the raud - perpetrated upon the Company and the stockholders by the pretended discoverers. No further stack of this Company ghall be is- stied, circulated, (or transferred, and at the earliest moment the certificates shall be. can- celled and the Company dissolved.. . C A. Gansl, Wm. M. Lent, Thomas H. Selby, 3. 8. Latham, Maurica Dore, Louis Sloss, W. F. Babcock, Wm. C. Balston, Treasurer; Wm. ‘Willis, Secretary. = 8ax Frascisco, Nov. 26, 1872, —_— DEATH OF HORACE GREELEY. From the New York Tribune. ‘The melancholy announcement of the death of the editor and fonnder of the Tribune, though for afew days his .family- and intimate friends- have admitted to themselves its poesibility,‘falls. Tpon us all ;‘;i’: thg :ta'ock of “‘fgd” bt had reached, indeed, a ripe old age, but tima. had not Iaid its withering touch upon him;_ his splendid constitution: easily “bore.the strainof enormons labor; his mind was as fresh, and as strong;and suggestive as-in the prime of life; is generous -impulses- were .unchilled by disheartening - --expérience. Through the irying campaign which has just closed, his physical vigor, his tact, his intellectual activity, Surprised even those who knew him . best, an seemed to promise many -years of usefulness. Looking atwhathe might yet have accomplished, we wonderat -the mysterious.. dispensation of Providence, #hat e8 him .away while his faculties are still -unwearied, Rememberin, ‘what he has already done, we stand with bow: heads beside the open grave, and thank the. Good Master who has permitted his servant to complete so much of his grest labor, and to. reap 80 many of its fruits. - ¢ For, after though- detraction, and disa] pointrnent, :éfi domgeh!tia Soaron may ‘hn\?; clouded his Iast days, this waa the Lppy onding of & mnoble career. My life,” said he some’ years ago, ‘‘has been busy and and anxions, but Tot joyless. Whether it shall- be prolonged few or more years, I am grateful that it has endured 80 long, and that it has abounded in opportuni- ties for good not wholly unimproved, and in ex- periences of the nobler, a8 well as the baser, impulses of human nature.” - The rec- ord of what he has done for the in- dustry, the education, the general culture, and the gocial improvement of his conntry, as well as the story of what he has accomplished in guiding its political destinies, we may leave to an impartial posterity. Itis toosoon, perhaps, to judge correctly how great has been his share in moulding' the public sentiment which dictates laws, chooses Presidents, creates armies, and controls public events ; but it is certain that no history of the most critical period in _our national life cau ever be wriiten in which Horace Greeley ehall not be a conspicu- ous figure. Enormous as-his ge‘mnnnl inflo- ence wes in politics for the beiter part of a generation, it was not upon this that in his Iatfer years he looked back with the great- est satisfaction. That he had shaped the course of Administrations, directed the purposes of parties, created a great organ of opinion, taught statesmen to sit at his feet and Senates to listen for his approval,—these were not the tests by Which he would have measured his success. The vanity of wealth, the unreslity of power, the worthlessness of popular renown,—he esti- mated them all zt their true value. The mo- blest career, in ;his eyes, was that which is iven up to others’ wants. The successful fifa was that which is worn out in conflict with wrong and woe. The only ambition worth following was the ambition to_alleviate human misery, and leave the world s little better than ho foundit, That hehad done this, was the consolation which brightened his last days, and assured him he had not lived in vain. He was a young man when he took his stand by the sufféring and oppressed. He was old when he saw the downfall of the barbarism sgeinst which he had battled for a quarier of a century. Honors and abuse, &-i: erity and reverses, were hig by turn in ong con- test, but his sturdy arm never faltered. and his heart never failed. He took patiently the ‘buffetings of adverse fortune, and rose with sub- lime conrage above disaster; for there was no selfish impulse in his labor, and he lnew that though he spent himself the work must go on to ite'final trinmph. When the victory came, he might have held up his hands and cried out with Simeon, *Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.” But it was granted him to see even more than the destrustion of Slavery. He 'was to impress npon the policy of the renewed and purified Union something of his own generous 2nd olevated character, to give an impetns toprin- ciples destined to work grand reforms at no dis-- tant time, to preach the political gospel of brotherhood and good will, and to win before he left this world the esteem of thousands who had been his bitterest enemies. With no vain eatimate of his personal share in the progress of the pastthirty years, he realized how much had boon acoomplished by the warfare in which iio had taken 80 great s part; he trusted that the agencies which he founded would perpetu- ate his influence_ after he had passed away. Conecious, a8 in his secret heart hie must have been, that when hewas in his grave his name srould prompt men to kindly actions and to noble thoughts, would moisten eyes thab never saw him, and bring & quiver to_strango lips, Horace Greeley waa b?essad in his old age with the re- ward of his fidelity and self-sacrifice. ‘*So,” he wrote,* looking calmly yet humbly for that close of my mortal career, which cannot be far distant, I reverently thank God for the blessings vouchsafed me in the past; and, with an awe that is not fear, and a consciousness of demerit which'does nof exclude ‘hope, await the open- i‘gg ll;gtum my steps of the gates of the Eternal orld.” 1t is not for s, in the first hour of our loss, to dwell long, here, upon his character; or cata~ logue his virtues. To his associates and disci- plea the bereavement s a griet too personal to eave them heart for making eloquent phrases. Although for several months we have missed the inspiration of his presence and the gunidance of his wise counsel, his spirit has never ceased to animate those chosen to continue his work, and the cloge bond of sympathy between the chief and his assistants has never been broken. To those of us who have labored with him longest, and known him best, it has been & bond not only of sympathy but of tried affection. We Ieave his praises to the poor whom he succored, to the lowly whom he lifted up, to the slave whose back he saved from the lash, to the op- pressed whose wrongs he made his own. MISCELLANEOUS. . The Nellie Grant Blues is a San Francisco- military company. Chickens in Gsorgia are 8o scarce they are hunted with hounds. 3 —1It tskes three days fora California China- man to go through the ceremony of marriage. —They have ’possum lunches at church festi- vals in Georgia. —The cable despatch about the Boston fire cost the English press about £600. . —The Astor House, in New York, as soon a8 its lease expires, will be converted into stores and offices. —A man in Pine Tsland, Mich., whose wife died o short time since, refuses to eat and drink for days at s time, and sleeps in & sheet-iron box, where he says he can commune with her 8pinit. 3 —The Italian Government is about to issue orders to prevent any more Itzlians from emi- grating. ~Ttio English Secrstary of War has concluded to let the soldiers play cards in their recreszion- rooms, and see if it won't keep them out of the grog-shops. —Potatoes are 80 scarce and dear throughout - Treland that the Governors of various County Jails have been directed by the Inspector Gen- eral to substitute for them in the diet of ths - prisoner & ration of bread three times a week. - —General Lee’s ouue&a is overcrowded wity applications, and is well off financially. —A Wisconsin Congressman is taken to task by the press of that State for sending out under- his frank over five hundred wedding cards for a. T 1o gil at Walpol —A little girl af lpole, N. H., fell while. Rlnymg the other day, and dislocated her elbow. A surgeon was sent for, but just before his ar-- rivel she had another and luckier fall, which set. the dislocated joint. - —A Tooster, named ¢ Colossus;” died: of apoplexy in Connecticut a few days since. He weighed over sixteen pounds, doubtless the largest chanticleer in Americs, and was valued at abont 8100 by his owner. all the new streets of Paris the buildings. at the corners are rounded, or the angle cut 05, 80 that the sidewalks are curved, thua facilitat- ing locomotion and avoiding the many accidents: caused by turning around. angles. —The Alexandria (Va.) Gazelte says: *The Adjutant General has sent the Governor, to be gigned, commissions filled with names for about 200 Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels, and Majors in the State militia. This batch will probably prgrids for al \mtti;!e%_ Virginians,” _Buchanan County, Virginia. enjoys the prond distinction of being the only county e United States from which no returns whetever of the recent election have been received. ita position it is isolated from the rest of the world, and is guite a terra’incognita. The Richmond Enguirer gays the vote of the county will probably never be as- certained until the Secretary of the Common- ‘wealth sends a special messenger thither for that £W°s°' correspondent of the London Daily News, stationed on this side of the water, writeshoms in unfeigned astonishment ‘‘that on election day ladies Emmanaded the streets just a3 on any other day. ~It was reported some time since ihat & young Iady of Washington was_determined to marry a youthful Indian, who had become in- fatuated m&ahn erego around ’l:ler house; but it transpires that the story was only partially true- The young brave did linger, and tfie other party was pleased ; ‘but the brave explained ina few briof - words on being arrested, ©Big scalp much, ugh!” thet his_intentions’ were not hon- orable. “Governer Walker procured him s full suit of hair, and he started for the setting sun as lcf:mplebely happy as if he had had the entire girl —A Tremont street (Boston) auction store has yielded up & genuine art treasure, & grim{ old picture, that was knocked off for 31.87, bui which, when the buyer had cleansed it with warm water, proved to be a fine portrait, ani to besr upon its back an _Italian inscription, with this import: Bartolomeo Passerotti painted with his hand his likeness st the sge of 51 years, in Bologna. Presented by him to Mr. Giovannr Battista Deti on the ninth day of the y=ar 1571."> Passerotti was the founder of the Academy of Bologna; saccording to Nagel's dictionary, ranked next to Titian; and died in 1592. The Portrait is remarkably clear and distinct, with- ‘out a single * restoration” or defect, but just as it came from the hand of the master. Phofo- graphs of it have been sent to Dresden to be compared with another tgom'nit in the Dresden gallery, besides which there is only one other i existencd. The face resembles Shakspearein & xmkingodegres. —A Boston letter (Nov. 90) to the Springflel® Republican says: *The relief fund i gainin now faster than for a week or two, aad has_goi .above $200,000. There are alao small subsidiery funds, managed by religions and charitable societies, that make the amount much larger than'this ; but the demand outruns_the supply, snd will for some time to come. The natural ‘but foolish pride which led Bostonians to refuse contributions from other cities and communi- +ies has mostly goneinto retirement and closed its mouth ; and Mayor Gaston bss risen in pub~ lic favor pretty steadily for the last week, as the wisdom and humanity of his first impulsive ac- tion appears to be justified by the facts. The Harvard College fund has rolled up astonishing~ afu% aversging nearly $10,000 s day since it gan,” g ] B A Living Microscope — A Lad With Strange Eyes. In & recentcopy of the Birmingkam (England)} Register there is an interesting account of alod “whose powers of vision entirely eclipse anything of the kind ever heard of before. He isnoless than a living microscope, and possesses tke faculty of seeing minute objects magnified toa marvellous degree. When quite young he was affiicted with a disease peculiar to the eyes, and fears were entertained that he would losehis sight. He recovered gradually, but it was noticed that the disease had materialiy affected the organization of the eye—in fach, changed its internal structare, the cornea being eatly enlarged, the crystalline lens being ivided into three different parts, each. part suz- rounded with o light blue circle, &nd_in the cea= tre of ench appears the iris, but greatly dimin- ished in size, being about the circumference ofa small pin-head. He can not distingnish objecis at a distance, they appearing to him as distin:E objects do to ordinary eyes when viewed through & telescope drawn out of focus, blurred and misshapen. Fiis case is exciting grest_interest among ecientific men, who have formed variois opinions a8 to the causes thai have wrongab such a change. 3 Added to this wonderful talent of microscodo sight, the lad exhibits that of being ableio sketch the objects he examines, and by an ai- mirable finish of water colors can give to the world the result of his studies. He has withn the last year examined and sketched quites number of beautiful specimens of Diatomacea Polycystina and sponge spinules, that were kind= Ii loaned him by several gentlemen of learning, their object being o compare them with other published views of the same objects, in order lo test their trathfulness, and the result has been altogether Bnhafncto‘riy. A copy of one oftte papers, photographed in Paris during thelast siege was shown him, and ho immediately resd tho lines and prongiinced the words, whid, however, he did not understand, not being versed in French. Bcientists who have paid attention to this case state, a8 the resultof their experiments, that the magnifying power of his vision is above five hundred diametres. One curious fact @n~ nected with hig vision is, that he will neverex~ amine water, having once, soon after his re- covery, discovered tho vast number of infuseria contained in some he was in the act of drinking, which bhad the effect to thoroughly frighten him, since which event no inducement can mka him repeat the experiment. Bir Charlés Madden, F. R. 8., has paid mich attention to this singular case, and has brouzht it prominently before that body, by & seriesof interesting papers. It issaid that Dr. Crowder, an eminent oculist, is preparing an elabomta article on the subject for the London Lancet