Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, December 12, 1872, Page 2

TIIE CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1572, 'OMAHA. Important Railway Develop- ments in Nebraska. Omaha as a Railrcad Centre-- Her Business Growth--A Bit of Retrospect. ‘Special Correspondence of The Chicago Tribuna. Ostama, Neb,, Dec, 9, 1672, The last #imbers aro now being laid on the railroad-bridge over the Platte, and trains will cross it on the 16th inst. "This supplies & mizs- ing link, and gives us a direct connection with the South Piatie country, and the great South- west. The Burlington & Missouri, in Nebraska, has bought the Omahs & Southwestern, and this ‘bridge is the first fruit of the movement. South- western traing will, in a few deys, be running to and from the Union Pacific depot. About two miles of new treck was necessary to sccomplish this, and a large force is ab work laying it. The Land Department of the Burlington & Missouri will b moved to this city Jan. 1, from Burlington. This Compeny bas selected, and is preparing for sale, large tracts of land lying north of the Union Pacific grant. The construction of a large Union depot, to bo used by the Union Pacific, the Burlington & Missouri, and other railroads centering bere, will be commenced early in the spring. It will ‘be modelled after the Cleveland depot, which cost £800,000. Up to this time, the Union Pacific hes run its trains to the west end of the great Missouri Bridge, and there etopped. Tho four Towaroads bave run to the east end of the bridge, and re~ fosed to come further. The Omahe DBridge Transfer has been operated between them,—a little railroad by itself. This cannot continue. The trade of Nebrasks, and the lion’s ehare of the Union Pacific business, which, owing to iis overland Pacific-coast connections, is immense, will be given to the first eastorn road thab runs it trains to Omsaha to receive it. This is why the Buslington & Missouri bought the Omahs & Southwestern. It will cross =zt Plattsmouth, and by that ronte b running its trains from the Union Pacific depot, in this city, on the 16th This connection of the Bnrlington & Missouri with Omahs would of itself break up the ** pool,” and compel the Tows roads to cross the bridge. Bat there is said to be another reason. Horace F. Clarke, President of the Union Pacific, now controls the Chicago & Northwestern. It will, after Jan. 1, beused 8s a link in_the great chain extending from San Francisco, through Omaha £nd Chicago, to New York. The trains of the Chicago & Northwestern will run to and from the Great Union depot to be built next year in this city, and that Company will -contribute to the cost of its erection. A RATLROAD CENTRE. Nebraska is fast attracting settlers to ber lands. One hundred thousand havoe come this vear, and she has 1,200 miles of railroad in ac- tual operation. These are facts which have an Important bearing on our future. Men do not pioneer in theso days as they once did; they move by colonies, taking the church, echool, and neighborhood along with them. There are now ‘prosperous and thriving farming communities in more than one county in this State where, a year and s half ago, the prairie solitude was nnbro- ken, eave hero and there by a settler's cabin. Railroads have worked this ieat change, and they are doing more to-day ever before. THE UNION PACIFIO traverses the great Platte Valley, and in ifs 12,- 000,000 acres land graat it received from the Government; one of the finest agricultural re- gions in the world. The land department is making the facts mown, and ‘‘land for the landless * is becoming & motto with meaning in it, both in our older States and in Europe. Every west-bound car that leayes Omaha fakes out1and hunters, and the number of those who come seeking homes is so_great that a colony train with cheap rates and frequent stoppoges bas been provided. THE OMAHA 2 NORTHWESTERN follows the Elkhorn Valley, a beautiful eountry, and is designed to tsp_the Northern Pacific an the extensive pine regions of Minnesote. Forty miles 2re now in operation, and the road is being - pushed vigorously forward. THE OMANA & SOGTHWESTERY shove referred to was started at the same time, and was designed to open the South Platte re- gion, and the southern portion of Nebraska, to the trade of this city. Omaha contributed liber- slly to both these entorprises at a time of busi- pess depression, because our influential men thought theysawin these great projects the means of concentrating here the trade of what issoon to_become a wealthy and prosperous sgricnltural region. They have not been disap- pointed, and enough is now known to essure us that the futare is full of promize. £ OF BRESDEEOE, X In the epring of 1854, a company of exploring ioneers arrived at the old gIormon town of Brneaville (now Council Bluffe), on the east bapk of the Missouri. They looked with ad- miration st the elevated platean on the opposite side of the river, and conceived the idea that it would form a beantiful and sdvantageous site foratown: Next day they waded through the tall and tangled masses of grass which covered the Towa bottoms, and crossed in a lezky cotton- wood boat. They found the landing on the Ne- ‘braska side so diificult that it was necessary to get 6ut of theirfrail craft and wadesome distance, ut when they reached the plain which had firat attracted their attention they were enthusiastic over the prospect and the natural beauty of tho situstion, The Iand bere rises, first in one ab- yupt bluff which has natural openings as if meant for roadwsys, and above that and reced- * ing from the river each plateau is reached by a gentle ascent, a stage higher than tho ome which precedes_it, until tho lnst commands a magnificent and Eveeping view. of the great Missour, Velley and many thousand scres of ondulating prairie and forest lands. The line of vision tothe westward is bounded by the beautiful and productive Elkhorn County, Our pioneers were delighted with their dis- covery, and, not_heeding the obstacles in their way, commenced at once to stake off o town. The names of these explorers, to whom Omaha owes its existencs, are Dr. Enos Lowe, 2u hon- ored citizen, who now resides in an elegant man- sion on the sito which he that day selected; ‘Jesse Lowe, his brother, since deceased ; Jesse Wiltiams, Joseph H. D. Street, and William D. Brown. They returned to their camp on the TJowa side wet and hungry, but very enthusiastic: - It is well they were go, for the difficulties which they had to encounter were such as called for much labor, liberal expenditures, ard time and patience. Nebraska was then s Territory. almost totally uninhabited by white men. the titles to the lands were held b Indians, and no portion of them could be either by chase or settlement. All that could be done by the projectors of the future city ‘was to appease the Indians by a judicions distri~ bution of presents, and await the fimo when the General Government should negotiate its ordin- Iy treaty,” and opep the lands to settlement. Happily, the first of these events soon occarred. Thetreaty between the United States and the Omshas, for the purchase of this part of Ne- braska, was ratified in April, 1854, butit was not until May, 1860, that the patentfor the town sito was issue THE FIRST ACHIEVEMENT. At that time the California fravel was paseing Omsahs (in wagons of course) through Florence, six miles above, and Bellevue, twelve miles below. How could these streams of pioneer commerce be diverted tothe now peper city? Before an effort to do this could be mede with the least show of snccess, it was necessary to de & SUpCTiOr cTosEing at & point which was y nature inferior ;md more difficult than either of its rivals. With this view an expensive wagon road was consirusted across the low bot- tom on the Jowa side, and anew steam ferry- * boat was brought from Alton, T, to iske the place of the rickety nnd lemky cottonwood craft. This done, meszengers were sent out to meet the California travellers, and inform them of the great advantages of the pew crossing. This liberal and plucky goflcy was rewarded with complete success, and the profits of the trade which followed it formed the Foundation for our largest and most substantial ‘wholesale houses of to-day. BUSINESS GROWTH. Since that time the growth of Omsha has not ~ been uniform, owing to tho causes which fre- uently affect the development of Western cities. Vhen the Union Pacific was building, im- mense sums were disbursed here, and the town advanced with magical rapidity. Aster that came alull. Thecity had grown foo fast to satisfy the immediate wants of the surrounding country. But the pause was only brief, for the reason that ot only in Nebrasks, but far to the Westward, there has been an_increasing stream of popu- lation, and the development of natural resources of this vast region has gone steadily forward. ) Tvo yoars ago tho trade of Omahs had begun to | feel the influence of the new settlements more sensibly than before, and her business.is now in a Y‘ruspemus and satisfactory condition. The following comparative statement is taken from tho Jast report of the Government Comptroller, and it s believed that the newreport, to bo iade this winter, will not materially ngter the propor- tion. The following were the amounts of de- posits in the banks of the cities named at the close of business on Oct. 8, 1870, A EPOSTTS. Buffulo, N. Y. $2,170,988.58 Milwaukee, 21129/958.14 Indianapolis, In 1,676,573.69 St. Paul, Minn, ,439,304.14 Wheeling, W, Va. 1,367,703.75 syl Davenport, fowa. Kaneas City, Mo..... Leavenworth, Kan. 899,034.02 TLouisville, Ky. 687,538, Bt. Joseph, Mo. 528776.25 Council* Bluis, Tow: S11,096.27 Omaha, Neb.... - 2,009,711 8t. Joseph, Ka cil Biuffs combined. ceeesrasaenss 1,560,285.55 Other indices of commercial prosperity of Omeha may bo seen in numerons substantial and_elegani private residences, s magnificont High School building, the Grand Central Hotel (not quite finished), which each cost 300,000, and other school houses completed this year, which, it is believed, are not surpassed by any similar structures in the country. . 8. FROM CHICAGO TO DENVER. Remipiscences and Incidents, Correspondence of The Chicago Tribune. PuenrLo, Col, Dec. 4, 1872, Leaving your spow-clad city on the night of Dec. 1, I awoke to find myself beyond tho limits of tho recent storm,’ which seems not to have visited the western part of your State. Taking o late breakfast at Quincy, wo are soon on our way across tho Missiesippi River, which, at the present time, is at a very low stage, sand-bars being visible all along the shore. The main channel is still open, and boats are passing free- 1y up and down the river. As we speed along the eastern poriion of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, the writer's memory i8 carried back to the early scencs of ourlate war, when the Nineteenth Illinois wore sent to guard & portion of this line of road, to prevent its being cut by Jeff. Thompson's bush- whackers. TFrom Quincy we went in two de- tachments via. Honnibal and the short-cat, to Palmyra, which, for a time, was our hesdquar- ters. Here Lientenant Charles Shipley, ono of the original Ellsworth Zouaves, and Licutenant Lambuson, with their Glee Club, called from the regiment, serenaded tho practg girls of the town, some of whom were decidedly ‘se- cesh” in their sentiment. From this place wo lad our first marching experience in going to Emerson, eightcen miles distsnt, to break up a recruiting station of Jeff. Thomp- son’s. A short distance from the town, we dis- covered retreating horsemen, and deployed on either sido of the road. We found a keg of powder in one of the corn-fiolds, which was con- sidered & great trophy. Upon reaching the town, we found the enemy had flown. After searching for eecrated erms, and demolishing & flag-stedl, which was carried off in small pieces by the boya as mementos, we commenced our veary ‘march back to Palmyra. Being inexperi- enced, and not entirely prepared for it, the men soon iu.ve out and straggled, and then pressed into their service horses and wagons to carry them back to camp, tized by General Pope as a get of horse-thisves. This Toad, as well as this section of Missouri, has improved since the war. AS we puss along throu the towns, I noticed the flage at half- mast for the death of Horace Greeley. At Clar- ence the etaff was surmounted by a large white hat, appropriately draped in mourning, We' arrive at Kansas City too late to geta ~view of the city. An hour Iater, we are on our way through Kansas, on the Kansas Pacific Rail- way, comfortably slecping in &_Puliman palace- car,—a luxury to be appreciated in this Western country. Bhortly after daybreak we stopped st Salina for breakfast. We find we aro fairly started on the Plains, or what was formerly known as the Great American Desert. Habitations almost entirely disappear, eoxcept a few at the stations of ‘the road. Fences are un- known, only a8 wused by the rail- road company ss protection sgainst snow. The weather, which was_quite pleasant on tha first day, was exceedingly 80 on the second. There were no signs of snow, and, had it not boen for the sesrcd sppearanceof the vegeta- tion, it would have secmed like a mild spring morninfi;. At Ellsworth, the next station of importanco, the Company has erected a round house and ma~ chine ehops, which give the place s very lively appearance. Tho houses and stores are of wood, painted white, and look very neat. At Ellis, the'Company hss erectod sn eating- house and depot which _ would be an orpament to any town. The building is of o peculiar kind of stone found in this vicinity, which is 8o soft when quarried a8 to be eesily sawed, in this case into blocks about 12 inches square. It hardens with exposure, and makes & very fine appearance. C. N. Prait,of your city, has s house on Wabash avenue the indow-caps of which are mado of this etone. The keeper of the eating-house has a farm near by, upon which he has boon able to raise excel- lent garden-vegetables. 1 notice, at many of the stations along the roed, stacks of, and cars loaded with, dry buffalo bones, which, I am told, make quite & business out here. They are gathered from the Plains, and shipped East, where they are ‘manufactured into a fertilizer. We now come to what is called the buffalo country, but “ nary ” s buffalo did we see. The railroad employes gay they have all gone south, 1o the Arkansas Valley. This is owing partly to tho want . of grass, swhich has been ‘burnt off in laric quantities for miles on each side of the track. The stations now grow smal- ler in size, being only, in somo cases, a single ghenty for a depot and telegraph station, At Wallzce we stop for supper. The shadesof night being now upon us, we turn to ihe lighted interior of our Pullman car, and, from Mr. J. A, 8. Reed, of Chicago, I gain many -interesting facts. He has twice crossed the Plains by stago, in 1860 eand 1863, and mow, for the’ first time, is crossing byTail. Ho was the ioneer of railroad men ot Denver, and circu- ated the first railroad advertising matier at that Place. Ho, with others, canvassod the prob- abilities of a railroad to that place, but never supposed at that timo that it would bein his day. In the morning, I awoke to see oneof the grandest sights it has everfallen to my lot to Witness: the lomg range of mountains, with the pesks of Long's, Gray’s, and Pike's overreaching a1l the rest, and the snow-capped summents in the background,—the sun shining on them with & dazzling light. It isa spectacle 1 shall always remember. C. e A Plucky Woman. FonT Davis, Texas, Nov. 21, 1872, o the Editor of the New York Herald : Tour times within &8 many months efforts ‘haye been made by some black-hearted rascals ‘at this post to offect an entranco into the sleep- ing apartments of the officers of the garrison during the absence of the officers on their sev- eral duties. 4 A dinbolicsl attempt was but & few nights ago made upon the family of one of the civilian em- ployees of the Government at thepost. A feel- Ing of dread apprehension and insécurity has for some time prevailed among the officers and their families, except & few who pooh-poohed and paid that it was all imagination, but by the hero- ism of Mrs. Kendall, wife of First Lieutenant F. A. Kendall, Twenty-fifth Infantry, one of the devils at 1ast has learned that there is a God in Terzel, and the doubters are silenced. “About 2 o'clock this morning Mrs. Eendall, whose husband is temporarily absent on duty, was awakened by a noise as of some one break- ingin the sash of a window opening from her gleeping apartment spon the porch in the rear. She promptly awoke her companion, a young lady, and deughter of one of the officers of the garnison, and asked in a loud voice, *Who's there 7"’ Receiving no reply, tho plucky little 1ady took her revolver and listened. Bits of broken glass continued fallingon the floor, convincing ber that the fiend was persist- ing in his efforts to enter the room ; and the; with the consciousness thaton her depende the safety of herself and companion from o fate worse than death, and, doubtless, their lives and those of er three lit- tlo children, she _called several times, “Who's there?” and, recoiving no reply, sho stepped to the window, and aiming over tho bed occupied by her little ones, at a head just being thrust through the broken sash, fired. She heard instantly after the fall of a heavy body on the porch and & stifled groan. _Being awakened by. the shot, I, in company with others, hurried to the spot #nd soon a squad of the guard were on hand with preparations for removing the carcass. An examination proved him to be (Jo%oral Taliaferro, a hideous negro, belonging to Company I, Ninth United States Calvary, one of the compenies composing the garTison. The bullet had penetrated his slkull, and must ave killed him instant}y. > E, J. B., First Lieutenant, Trwenty-Fifth United States Calvary. for which they were stigma- 14 OUR HARBOR. The Work of Dredging and Docking---Our Present Dockage Facil- ities. - What Ha2s Been Done on the Lake-Front and at Cal- umet--Bridges. Tho harbor accommodations of Chicigo have always been small, in proportion to the demand for room, end dredging and docking were car- ried forward rapidly for soveral yeers previous to the fire. Up to June S0th, 1871, a total of about 17 miles of docksge had been built, of which 14% miles were then in use; nearly 8 miles of that first built having been renewed. A vast amount of dredging had also been done pre- vious to the fire, chiefly at the mouth of the harbor, and in the North Branch. In 1863 the North Chicago Docking Company, commenced to put down a line of piling and crib-work, north of | the harbor, but it was swept awsy by the waves, and the work was sbandoned till 1867, when it was ngain proceeded with, and was nearly fin- ished when tho Great Fire swept over our city, andagain suspended operations. Thework hos since been undertakon znow, and will be com- ploted next senson. Another dock extonsion was, | begun in 1870, near the mouth of tho river to the south ; and an appropriation of $100,000, had | been made by Congress, which was expended during the ‘samo year, leaving the extonsion still unfinished, but preparations are being made for finishing the worl’ next spring. A break- ‘water, 900 feot long, was builf in 1871, running eastwardly from the south pier, and extending out into the lake as for as the north pier, leav- ing a passage of 500 feet wido, between thom for entrance into the harbor. From tho eastern end of this break-water, extends another line, 8,000 feet long, which will soon bo oxtended to 4,000 feet, connecting with snother line running 8,400 feet westward, to the breakwater of the 0is Central Railroad. Another great improvement is in this vicinity, in the Calumet Harbor,” seven miles south Of this city. Congress appropriated §50,000 in 1870 for the improvement of tho channel and the construction of picrs, and the money was oxpended during that year in the building of two piers and deepening the chan- nsl. The harbor was also dredged out to & depth of ten feet. Itis" estimated that these projected improvements will cost the Govern- ment about - §300,000. Binco the fire the Government has expended £50,000 in docking, dredging, and _ building piers, and the company ‘Bas expended abount a8 much more, having_built some 3,000 fect of pier and dockage on_the north side, and 1,000 feet on the south side. The Harbor is now 300 feet wide and 10 feet deep. Improvements will be continued rapidly next season. The operations eince the fire at this port have consisted in the extension of the brezkwater to the south & distance of 800 feet, and tho con- struction of & return at_the north end 800 fect inlongth. Thore hasbcen constructed sinco the fire 2,250 feet of breakwater, including su- perstructures very noarly finished, st & total cost of $200,000,” or $58.88 per lineal foot. This also includes the protection of the north end of the works Dby clumps of piles. So that the whole work may be safely estimsated at 8100 per foot, including covering. It i3 pro- posed, with the present appropriation of $90,000, to continue the extension of the break- water, and, if mnecessary for the protection of the harbor, to edd 100 feet to the return at the north end of the breakwater, a3 originally designed. It is estimated thaf 800 feet will be added to the breskwater during the resent fiscal year, making a total length of ,050, and. leaving 950 feet to completo the brealwator according to the plen. In addition to this, the plan adopted contem- plated the constraction of pier conrecting tho south end of the breakwater with the shore, at 8 cost of $167,418.38, and adopting this cstimate, o further sppropriation of $267,000 will bo Te- quired, or s total sum of 557,000, which, owing to the price of material and labor, is much less than the original estimate. Major D. C. Houston, United States Engineer ot this ‘gm‘ gives the following plan, which, if wil rogress in adopte: curtail tho expenses somewhat, and at the samo time the interests of this harbor will be better subserved. He says, “that in- stead of constructing the south pier as proposed, the funds ehould be appropriated to cxtend tho breskwater. If the breskwater was prolonged in its present direction it would afford all the ‘protection required, and if the Iako front is used for the construction of wharves and elips, 23 contemplated, in the constitution of tho harbor, the necesgities of the case will require this ex- iension. In the plan now under consideration tho south pier would interfere with the naviga- tion of vessels in the lake front. If the lake front is used at all for such oses it will not stopat the present limitsof the proposed harbor, ‘but will extend as the roquirements of commerco require,” He further says that un appropria- tion of 8200,000 can bo_advantageonsly oxpended in repairing and extonding during the fiscal year ending Juno 30, 1873. Since the fire, dredging to the amount of 600,000 cubic_yards hag also been dong in the river and its branches, chiefly from the oldsand- bar ingide of the harbor, which interferes with its nsefnlness as a roadstead, although it is o source of considercble profit to the owners of dredges, who are removing great quantities of it for bnfldin'fi Purposes. During the last year, over eight miles of new dockage has been built at thie port, and about three miles of repairing dono on docks par- tially destroyed by the fire, ata total cost of nesrly $600,000. Tn Beptember, 1871, no less than twenty-seven bridges were standing in Chicago erected at o cost of from'$20,000 to £48,000 each, besides six railrond bridges, which had been erocted at an averago cost of 30,000, When the fire visited us it took awsy eight of our Lfirincipn.l bridges, namely, Chicago avenue, Wels, Clark, State, Rush, Adsms, Van Buren, and Polk street bridges. To-day they are all re- placed at _a groater cost, and are better struc- tures in all respects thun those burned down. The cost of the soparate bridges fully comploted is as follows: Chicago avenue, $20,850; Wells, $48;484.60 ; Olark, £32,000; Btato, $100,000; Rush, $20,000; Adams, $45,000; VanBuren, $13,200.70 ; Polk, £23,000. Meaking the total’ amount expended on bridges $802,585.80. i o W T Mr. Greeley’s Daughters—The New ‘York Tribune’s Statement of Their Wishes. From the New ¥ork Tribune, Dec. 6. With ‘s promptand gratefal, and, under the circumstances, we may say a chivalrous gener- osity of which wo can hardly trust ourselves to spesk, it has been pmptaaud bg: liberal money subscription to show to the daughters of Mr. Greeley the public affection and respect accord- ed tothe memoryof their lemonted father. This thmi?htfnl proposition has been made in the Herald newspaper; and the proprietor of that journal has tendered a sum nominally large, but understood to be considerably less than AMr. Bennett really desires to give. We have nlso received at this office letters offering assistance great or comparakively small, accord- ing to the means of the writers. Yesterday fur-~ ther subscriptions were announced; and this fact obliges us to say that the Misses Greeley are un g under any circumstances, that the plan of & subscription for their personal benefit shonld be adhered to. In the great sorrow which has fallen upon them €0 heavily, they are of course in no position to investigate their affairs. Tt will be & work of time to determine the con- dition of Mr. Greeley's_estate ; but however it may have been impaired by a liberality perhaps too great, by @ loan of his own credit to those who proved unworthy of it, or by an over- weening confidence in men’s = promises, there is, it is probable, enough remaining to quiet all these generous Bpgrelmnaiom of the community. And even if the provisiona were Jess, wo must be allowed to ssy that the Misses Greeley are in the hands of immediate friends who will care for them with assiduous fidelity and unremitting tenderness, and who will recog- nize and repay the debt of teful honor due %o their father—a dobt which it is strongly felt can never be adequately discharged. A sympa- thizing public may confide in our sssurance that the young ladies are now the wards of those who will be glad, as well as able, to care for their every want and comfort, and to see to it that the death of their father shall meke no change in their methods of life and their re- EBources. ‘We announce the determination of theee la- dies at their own urgent request. While they aro anxious not to be regarded ss wanting in & grateful sense of the great kindness which prompted the snbscfi!i)tion they must be allowed {0 take the kindly will for the kindly deed. With o thousand heartfelt thanks, the proffered boun- tyis ined. There may ba other methods of exhibiting tho public_liberality, methods by which the momory of Mr. Greeldy may bé per- petuated, and which would be grateful, not merely to his childfen, but to the whole broad circle of his admirers. If these should com- mend themselves to the public approbation, they would certainly be regarded Ly his daughters with a gratitude equal to that which so much dness has already inspired. — e KANSAS. The United States Senttorship—owe eroy to Be Re-clecte@—Fhe State. Printing—¥hat it Cosis, and How It Es to Be Reformed. Correspondence of The Chicago Tribune. JoxerIoN Crry, Kan., Dec. 5, 1872, The Indian summer of political weather is upon us, Everybody is mild and sercne. The atmosphere is hazy, and wo all seo as through a gless darkly, Not very long since, many were able to cleerly perdeive: that Mr. X was totally unfit for Senatorial honors, and Alr. Z was not tobo thought of 28 a resident of Washington. But the canvass is over, the dominant party is stropger than ever, 2nd the neod of reform is not so keenly felt. The parties afore- mentioned are of * incalculable benefit to the Nation and State,” to quote the words of a- ‘Washington lickspitile. A greet statesmen in the southern portion of the State exhansts three columns of small pica in giving the Senatorial question a quietus, and wicds up with the sug- gestive remark that he has no especial reason fo urge why Senator Pomeroy should notbe re- elected. Andso it goes. A short time ago, o grent show of reform was made. Our present bald-headed Senator was to be summarily ousted. Ho was undoubtedly a disgrace to the State. Now the election is over, and a Republican ma- Jjority of 30,000 and upwards has rcessured the fearful ones. So Semator Pomeroy is at once transformed into & paragon of honesty. Some uf the newspapers are openly favoring him ; they have already been on the scales, and have received their value. Others are silent; they are in the process of weighing. The * Jel- l]y- Fieh of the Neosho” éaid last winter that the ed-Blanket never had favored, and nover should favor, the return to the Senate of Sena- . tor Pomeroy. In a few months, the Sepator made a tour of the State for Grant (2), and con- tributed the usuel 50 or 8100 to the support of Republican principles through the Blanket ;. and now the epineless being says he snpgm—ts the Senator because he heqiaves him to be an honest man. And the cheap men all over the State are doing the same. Senator Pomeroy will be re-clected. Then there will bo o tremendous howl by tho newspapers and men all over the State who helped to elect him. The annual Investifin.titm Committes will be ap-~ pointed ; the usual, perheps more than the usual, number of perjuries will be committed, and everything will be lovely. The bird of golden-egg fame will tako its rations at a dizzy elovation, and sis years hence will again sppesse ‘nneasy consciences, and decido unde- cided judgments by freely disgorging. In view of this, I dub Senator Pomeroy the goose that lays the golden egga for needy, but honest, Konsns newspaper men and legislators. Ibeliove itis a fact that Kansas never has beon, and, until things change, never can ke, represented in Congress by o capable, hones mazn. A kmave or » fool is the alternative. The office of State Printer ismow attractin, some attention, Four years ago, an amendmen to the State Constitution was voted npon, creat- ing the office_of State Printer, who was_to be paid for doing the State Printing at a certain, fixed _ price. Im- mense sums were tobe saved to the people by this. Well, it would seem that not much more than & million or two could be sayed in this way ghen the State printing under the old regime (contract) cost annually but 312,000 to $15,000. I suppose that the amount of work required by the Stote may have increased 25 per cent sinco the now law went into operation ; yet, in the four years, the Stato has paid over 3100 000 for printing. We have not entirely lost our hope of saving the million or two annually, but the realization 18 go far in the future that taxcs actually seem to grow heavier. So here i3 sanother opportunity for reform, and it is going to be improved. For, in Kansas, wherever there is & ghost of a chanco that o man may be re- g:mxed to sacrifice his love of persoual gain to e public good for the trifle of 25,000 or 50 & yoar, thoro are bushels of Spartaus ready to forsake everything else. Like tho voice of the gentle cayoto when bacon is near, bub out of reach, the melodious howl of the patriot i3 heard from the Missouri River to the Great American Desert. A Saperintendent of State Printing is now clamored for. Ho is_to have the printing in chargo morely, letting it out to the lowest bidder. Of course he will be an in- corruptible mon, and no bribing contractors need apply with propositions of per cent divi- sions. T. A. —_— WELSH CHURCHES. To the Editor of the Chicago Tribune: Sm: I noticed & paragraph in this morning’s issne where you state that the Welsh Congrega- tional Church, located in Davy’s Building, cor- ner of Green and West Madison streets, is tho only Welsh religious society in the city, and was organized & yeor ago. As tho gentleman who furmshed you the item has not resided hero six months, we may be permitted to refer to tho columns of TuE TemuNEe for the past twenty §eus a8 evidence of the existenco of the Welsh resbyterian Church, formerly located on Des- Dlaine street, and now on tho corner of AMonroa and Bangamon streets, with a branch in South Chicago or Bridgeport, snd, you may add, the only Welsh church having its own church edi- ice. WELSIHMAN, Cimcaco, Dec, 10, 1672. P ey S The Mayor and Common Council. Translated from the Staats-Zeitung, Dec. 11, The list of ‘standing Committeos appointed by Mayor Medill for the Common Council i8 colculated to excite not only surprise but spprehension among the German Repub- licans. If a Know-Nothing or a femper- ance fanatic had had the appointing of these Committees, ho could scarcely have nmmied them otherwise than a8 Mr. Medill bas dong it. That he has not named one of the oldest, most experienced, and most capable Aldermen (Schafiner) as the Chairman of & single Committec, is & direct ingult. It is in ~vain that any other explanation for this is sought than thab chnfinnr is a thorn in the eyes of the tomperance ‘‘ mucker.” In the Committees on License =and Polico the majority has been accorded to the champions of the Sunday law. Mr. DMedill seems t{o have been careful {0 make the Council coadjutors of Washburn’s against the Board of Polico Commissioners. Among all the German mem- bers of the Couneil, only one (Schintz) hos been appointed Chairman of & Committee,—and thata very insignifiicant one,—on Wharfing Privileges. Does it not look as though Mr. Medill wishes to consider the Gormens in disgrace ? g In the art and manner in which Mr. Medill re- ceived the first deputation of the Sundsy fanat- ics, he understood how to create_the impression that he held really liberal sentiments, and was not favorable to thie obsoletacity ordinances ; 85, in its time, he had denounced the Fu%mvu Slave 1aw, although it was a law of theland. He has improved every opportunity to malke the people ‘believe that o would enforce a law, which he held ss obsolete and outrageous, only in 50 far as his oath of office would compol him todoit. But he has dropped the mask in the appointment of the Council Committeos. Hero he was forced to show his colors, and ho 1izs done 80 by taking his place among the Sun- dny fanstics. His oath of office did not compel i to do this. . He has voluntarily placed him- self in Dp&osifinn to the sentiments represented by the German members of the Common Council. For the rest, tho Committees of the Common Council are not the Common Council itself. The Council can reject the propositionsof these Committeos as well as approve them, and it gvl}l hopetully do this in all cases where Mr. Medill's packed Committees show .themselves only the ready instruments of o clique, which is deter- minéd to disturb the friendly relations which have existed for years among tho various ele- ‘ments of our population. —George W. Batterton of Deer Lodge City, Montana, formerly of Platte County, Mo., gives glowing ‘sccounts of the resources. and agricul- tural wealth of Montans, and among other things, tells of the following marvellous yield of the staples named per acre, which took the first premium at the recent State fair of Mon- tana: One acre onions, 898%¢ bushels’; one acre gotameu, 613 ‘bushels; one scre oats, 101 ushels: oneacre of wheat, 102 bushels. Of course this was an extraordinary case, but Mr. Batterton says the productiveness of the coun- try is wonderfal. . —The season’s operations st the salmon breed- ing establishment at Bucksport, Me., have been remarkebly euccessful. The work of taking spawn has now closed, and & million end a half of ers lie in the hatching tronghs SAN FRANGCISO Qctave Pavy, the World-Be A'rc.fié Ex plorer--Failura of His Scheme. Subsidence of the Gem-Excitement---The”Family of the Late Colenel Evans---joaguin Hiller’s Wife. Correspondence of The Chicago Tribume. . Sax FRANCISCO, Dec, 2, 1870, People who have invesied cach and belief in M. OOTAVE PAVY will regret to hear that heisstranded in this ‘metropolis, and is unlikely to carry out his cher- ished project of visiting the North Pole zia Bebring’s Straits. Tho young scientist wes ‘born at New Orleans in 1844, His mother, who died eighteen months since, was sn American lzdy of culture and refinement, and his father was a French gentleman of liberal education and high social standing. Four years after the birth of Octave, the family yemoved to Peris, and thero resided until the death of themother, when father and son ‘roturned to New Orleans, ond made it their homo. Octave wasa cloze student in* youth, became an enthusiast in the natural sciences a3 he sdvanced in jycars, possed soveral rigid examinations in the College of Napoleon, peered - into - the mysterica of medicine for six years and, during brief respites from the technicalitica of student-life, investigatod the mnoted glacial formations of the Alps, and mado sstronomical 2nd meteorological observations. Several yeurs 830, ho became-interested in the Polar Sea ques- tion, and at onco applied himself to the study of Arctic discoveries in all their bearings. Having arrived at the conclusion that an open Polar Sea existed, £nd that it conld only bo approached via Xelring's Straits, he came to the United States ‘iwo years since for the purpose of interviewing the voteran explorers of the North, and obtain-, ing practical testimony calculated to aid him in fitting out an oxpodition from this side of Ameri~ ca. roturned to France during the Franco- Gorman war, in tho_Breton department, raised and organized La Guerille Noire, or the Black Guerrillag,—a frec corps, acting perfectl independent of any corps darmee, and .fol- Iowing the system of guerrills warfare which was go prevalent among the Texans in the late American civil war. “At the close of the conilict, M. Pavy again applied himself to the study of Arctic discoveries, also contributing editorials to tho Revue des Deux Aondes, and, after a lapse of several months, returned to New Orleans with his father, and_then started on his yoyage of discovery. He obtained the protection of tho American Government from the aunthorities 2t Washington ; in New York City, was the re- cipient of &n American flag and 5 86t of compli- mentary resolutions 2t the handa of the Ameri- ical Society; end, from numerous scientific gociof of the world, received flat- tering manuscript teatimonials. M. Pavy be- l.ieves there was on open Polar Sea inclosed in 2 Lelt of ice, and that the beltin question was impregnable, savein one place, and that the place Lind not been found by explorers, Pavy proposed to organize an expedition con sisting of five men exclusive of himself, and pro- ceed on & chartered vessel to Petropanlooslei, collect the reindeer, dogs, end sledges neces- sery for & land-journey, and then pats through ‘| Dehring's Straits to Cepe Yakan, on the north- eostorn const of Siberia, where the party would leave the ship and proceed on its own account. ‘After leaving Bebring'a Straits, and prior toland- ing on tho coast of Siboria, M. Pavy intended to take observations of the direction, swiftness, and temperature of the curronts, and_to spe- cially note the characteristios of the Japanese Current, which, he contonded, flowed thmn&h tho Btraits and along the eastcoast of Wrengell's Land, and so on to the open Polar Sea. Ho proposed to gail from Siberia to Wrangell's Tand on ‘s rubber raft of tho Nonpareil pattern, to cross the land to the open sen by means of sledges, and to take to raft again and eail around to Greenland and Spitzbergen. Ata meeting of the Academy of Sciences, in this city, M. Pavy detailed his project at fieat length, an vainly éndeavored to convinco tho members of the foasibility of his project. Professor David- son, of tho Pacific Coast Survey, completely van- quished tho enthusiastic Parisian by solid argu- ments, and demonstrated, in the course’of hig Temarks, that Pavy’s ideas were entirely vis- jonary, and his statementa often had no founda- tion in fact. Nevertheless, Pavy becamo a lion, and his fine presence and suppoee wealth won him admission into the leading social circles of the community. He said tho expedition would be fitted out at his own expense. AL Pavy became a social lion,was banquetied at an expense of $400 by the Bohemian Club, and soon after subsided into insignificance. ‘**What hes become of Pavy? " L asked of a prominent detective yester- dny. The officer told mo that Pavy had exhaust- cd his moans, contracted debts, and was thoronghly disheartened. Such are the facts of his case. The journals of the East, who no- ticed his departure and commented upon his al- leied observations sbout Behring's Straits, will take notice that the poor fellow is dead-broke in San Francisco, He is still in communication with tho leading scientific societies of the world (as was _ sscerfained by the officer who overhauled his effects at tho solicite- tion of certain creditors), and eays that his in- tentions are honorable. THE GEM-EXCITEMENT OVER. The excitoment occasioned by the ezpose of the diamond swindle has subsided, and the gem- prospeeting companies not alreedy incorporated aro following the example of the humbug, and dissolving like the baseless fabric of a dream. The last hope of the gem-speculators was a curious and beautifal blood-colored stone which Charles P. Stanton claimed to have found upon an elevated platean, 150 miles west of Fort Defi- ance. Interested experts said it was & genuine Oriental ruby. Henry G. Hawks, an intelligent and relisble mineralogist, tested tho stone, and assured the writer that it was not & ruby. Par- ties interested objected to Hawk’s making a full roport. Enough ws exid, however, to convinco me that the gem is simply o spinel garnot, and has no great value. THE LATE COLONEL EVANS. I regret to stato that the family of the laie Colonel Alvert S. Evans—consisting of wife ; two daughters, of 16 and 19 years respectively ; a lnd of 10 years, and s beby-boy—was left in poor circumstances, and necds pecuniary as- pisiance. Tho members of the San Francisco pross, by whom decensed was highly respected, were mot content with sunplz pass- ing resolutions of condolence, but ap- pointed a Committee to raise the sumof $1,000 %o relieve the Evans homestend of & mortgage, and the matter will be taken-in hand most romptly. Arrangements are being made fora Eamzfic ‘performance at one of the theatres, that will net the desired amount. The eldest daugh- ter has assumed o position as teacher in one of the public schools, and, a8 she has much of her fother's vim and_intelligence, will undoubtediy succeed in materially aiding those who are now wholly dependent upon_her salary. Numerous inquiries are made sbout the book, entitled ¢ Cplifornia Sketches,” that Colonel Evans in course of publication. I am _ convinced that it = would ‘com- mand a large sale here, if issued within a ree- sonable time. It is a delicate matter, this pub- lic comment upon the affairs of the family of poor Evans; and yeb it is for the best, for it may awake the sympathies of some of his numerous_ friends in the East, and lead to the relief of those who are needy and deservo suc- cor. MRS, AINNIE MYRTLE MILLER. Mra. Minme Myrtle Miller (the poat’s wife) has completed her course of lectures in thij Btate, and is temporarily sojourning in Sacra- mento. She is_poor, ambitious, Lonest, and guileless a8 & child. In a few weeks, she will Start East, and tell the people what she knows about Joaguin. It will be worth hearing. Her trinity, as she terms the three children, is at Portland, Oregon, with her mother. BEN Joxrs. e President Grant a LL. D.—Interesting Correspondences THE UNIVERSITY TO PRESIDENT GRANT. HARVARD USIVERSITY, (CaxDRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 26, 1872, Ulysses S, Grant, President of the United States = Sm: Ihavethe honor to transmit herewith the diploma of the degree of Doctor of Laws, which was conferred upon you by this University at the commencement in June last, in recogni- tion of your distingnished public services both in war and peace. In war, in preserving the National territory and the National institutions ; in peace, in strengthening the National credit, ligg'kening the public_burdens, reforming the Civil Service, and settling by arbitration grave disputes of long standing between this country and Great Britainé I am, with profound re- ect, your obedient servan N e Cranres W. Ersor, President. THE BEPLY OF THE PRESIDENT. ExecuTIvE MANSION, } ‘Wasrmarox, D. C., Nov. 80, 1872, Charles W. Eliot, Esq., President Harvard Univer- sity: YinsSm: Yourrvery kind and complimen- tary letter of the 26th instant, with the diploma conferring on me the dezreo of Doctor of Lews Ly Harvard University, 18 just received. Permit | me to thenk the Faculty of Harvard, through you, for this mark of their approval of my ef- foris to serve our beloved country, both in time of war and in time of peace. It will be my ef- fort to continuo to deserve that confidence. Be assured that Tshall ever hold in high es- teem the parchment and your lettor accompany- ing it as marked testimonials of that approval. With gress respect, your obedient seryant, T. 8. GrANT. OBITUARY. Samuel N, Pike. ~ New Yomx, Dec. 7. To the Ecitor of the Cincinnati Commercial & 1 was present at Lr. S, N. Pike’s death fo- night. He died at his business office, 22 Bridge streef, at half-past 6, of spoplexy. He was well this morning, but began to fecl mmwell this afternoon, complaining of headache, which ulti- mated in an apoplectic fit. Ho remained almost gucprz‘ us until ha died. His remains have een Forty-ninth street, where they are now_sur- Tounded by his grief-stricken family. It-is thought by fricnds and physicians that his death was hastoned by the enae business transactions . which he has been engaged in la.tclg. He was_about foreclosing & mortgago of £300,000 against the Opera fians_u rop= erty, which he sold to RFisk & Gould 157 2500,000 ; $600,000 being duo in interest monoy. Ho bad also just sold s large tract of New Jersey Jand to tho railrond. companies for $300,000. These immense transactions, with large opera~ tions in Mexico now being conducted by Dr. Nephaygi, have completely engrossed his mind for several days. His sudden: death is a great shock to the business community. Exx PEREINS. From Landy'a * Cincinnati, Paat and Present.” Samuel N. Pike was born in the city of New York in the year 1822. He was of Hebrew ex- traction, butin religion, as in ¢ ~ *her.matters, his views were enlarged ar ‘L. He ar- rived in Cincinnati on + July, 184, and was so ple: .~ ap pearanco of the city ° £ v e Temsin and try his fr - » With this intention hr " lishment in the F 38 . street, from wher." : a5 Pearl street ; bo’ sz E i 5 in which he haa ¥ g b enterprise in Cinc. $et.d the speculation prov. . About this time ho » o cer of Judge Miller. This was A6, and following this event, he clo. i imess on Pear] street, and purohased t. slcDonald & grocery and rectifying estal. st at the foot of Main street. This purcha. was effected with the residue saved from the wreck of his d.r{]gouds. amounting to_about five thousand dollars. 1is grocery stock being limited, he ob- teined a credit of $5,000 more, and so embarked in this new speculation on the first day of Jan- uary, 1847 In the year 1848 he purchased a warehouso from'R. W?Leo, situated upon the canal, where he was fortunate in his spec: ons, and in the rectifying of whiskey, having obtained a reputa- tion for im “Magnolia” brand unparalleled in the history of tho trade, He was successful in every enterprise, and when the Swedish Night- ingalo, Jenny Lind, visited Cincinnati, efter closely attending her concerts, he became o in- fatuated with her songs, and an enthusiast in the divine art, that he determined, when able, to build up an edifice in Cincinnati of which its citizens might prondly boast as worthy the most distinguished artists of Europe or America. The Opera House on . Fourth street, between Vine and Walnut, was commenced in the year 1857, in such an unostentations manner that but fow kmew the purpose for which it was intended. The work proceeded until the summer of that ear, "which will b remembered. as the poriod of & great mercantile panic. At this time bat two stories of the building were completed. while the means of the founder were scattered all over the country. Matters began to weara iig:my ap- carance ; his banker declined giving him credit; is friends were alarmed, and expressed the opinion that the pmjectafl Opera House would eventuate in his rain. To eave his business, he suspended the work._thereon, and the click of masonry was for the time hushed. The unfinished walls appeared like the monu- ment of disappointed ambition, and people, 28 they pessed, looked grave and prognosticated an utter failure of the project. The sutumn passed, and so did the winter and the epring, by which time the country had partially recovered from its prostration, when once more tho-workmen, fow at first, but steadily increasing in number, ‘Wero seen to be engaged upon the building. Thé walls loomed higher and higher, until the grest arched roof crowned the building and put if under cover. The work was continued withont mm?fiun, and, when finished, the country was startled to diecover that Mr. Pike had given to Cincinnati the largest and most magnificent Opera House in the United States, and not sur- passed by any in the world. It waa thrown open %o the public on the 22d of Febrnary (Weshing- ton’s birth-day), In the year 1859, the event being celebrated by & grand ball and supper. The disastrous conflagration of 1866 whereby this eplendid structure was deatx‘ofed, constifutes a portion of the city’s history. 1t ‘was justly es- teemed = public calamity, and the thousands who ygoze« n&on the halocaust felt as common sufferers in the great misfortune which wrecked in ruin the chief pride, ornament, and boast of Cincinnati. It was remarkable that of the many lookers-on not one was more cool or collected than the proprietor, who, standing upon the por- tico of the Burnet House, calmly watched the rogress of the flames, as they swept out of ex- istence nearly & million dollars’ worth of his property. 3 = Aboup this time, Mr. Pike, having an exten- sive business in New York, divided his {imo be- tween the two cities, and, for s while, the 1ate magnificent block remaine: an uneightly and melanchgly ruin. In time, however, the rubbish was cleared awsy, and upon the sight there rapidly arose the pres- ent superb_block, decidedly the" handsomest in the r.i!:[{, and not assed I?B nx‘;{ in the coun- try. This, too, was the wonderful enterprise of the subjéct of this biography, snd the magni- tude of the work will be more fully appreciated when it is considered that about the game time he was completing sn opera honse in Now York, the most magnificent in that city, and also en- gaged in the gigantic project of reclaiming tho gait-lands of New Jersey. Inthe new building a large and magnificent concert-hall took the place of the opera-house; but o8 it was felt that the latter was a positive essential to Cincinnati, and s every project by joint stock combina- tion and otherwise for the eraction of such structures had failed, Mr. Pike once ngain came to the rescue, and ataheavy ontlay, in 1871, transformed the hall into the present chaste and saperb temple. . ‘While in New York he built, aswe have stated, the Grand Opers House, the finest in tho city: but, finding his mistake in the location, he eold it t0 James Tisk, Jr., for $850,000. The recla- ‘mation of four thousend acres of marsh land in New Jersey, within four miles of the city of New York, is a gigantic and bold venture. Land that has been under water for centuries has Dbeen brought to life, and_proves to be the rich- est of moll, and capablo of immenso production. Tho resulf of this enterprise is of great value to that State, and, in fact, to the whole country. illions of_pedplo have passed over that we ‘o before Ar. Pike took it in hand, but it is now under thorough cultivation, and it is indeed & garden spot, sasfi.ned, before many years, to be- come a lerge and populous city, connecting Jersey City and Newark. j Tn tho year 1667 Mr. Pike was nominated for Mayor of Cincinnati, but it was too close upon the burning of the Opera House for him to ac- cept the honor which his fellow-citizens uonil;‘; t0 confer upon him bosides, he had medeup hi mind to reside in Now York. From Cincinnati Commercial. Nfr. Pike's investments in this city consider- ably exceed in value two millions of dollars. The Burnet House he estimated worth about eight hundred thousand dollars; and his revenue from the Opera House building was not far from eighty thousand dollars per annum. Opinions of Distinguished Actuaries on the Course of the IMutunl Life Insurance Companys % New YoRx, Dec. 4, 1672, fessrs. Elizur Wrinkt, Sheppard Homans, and D, Parks Fackier, Consulting Actuaries = G v: As the public mind is agitated upon the subject of . the reduction of ratesin Life Insurance by the Mutual Life Insurance Company of this_ city, we Tespectfully request from you your views upon the circular issued by that Company, and which we _enclose herewith. Your long coanection with life insurance, and your character a5 _trusted experts in the busi- nesg, together with the fact that as actusries you ocenpy positions independent of individual companies, will give your views great weight with the public and with us. We are, gentle- men, your obedient servants. ¢ Wm. H. Beers, V. P. N. Y. Lifo Ins. Co.; John E. De Witt, President United States Life ; Lovwis C. Grover, President of the Mautual Bene- fit Life Ins. Co.; N. D. Morgan, President North American fifo Ins. Co.; H. B. Hyde, Vice President Equitable Life Assurance So- iety ; Robert L. Case, President Security Life e kad Anouity Cov; L. W. Frost, Acting President Cont’l Life Ins. Co.; Henry Stokes, President Manhattan Life Ins, Co.: C. Stanton, n to his residence on Fifth avenue and" . is the margin President Knickerbocker Life Ins. Co. ; Andrew Gill, President Guardian Life; James A. Taber, Sscretary Merchants’ Life; Fred. Schwendler, YVice President Germania Lifo Ins. Co.; Georga B. Satterlee, President Eclectic Life Ins. Co.: F. E. Morse, Vice President Commoniwealth Lifa Tosurance Go. ; James H. Frothingham, Pres dent World” Mutual Life Ins. Co.; Charles Xorgan, President Excelsior Life Ins. Co. Edward A. Jones, President of the Nation: ZLife Ina. Co.; C. . Bouck, President Brook- Iyn Life Ins. Co. New Yorx, Dec. 6, 187 GENTLEMEN: o are in receipt of your favor of the 4th inst., asking our opinion in regard to tho reduction of preminms to be charged for life ineurances by the Mutual Life Insurance Com- any of New York, as get forth in the published oitor of its Actuary, Professor Bartlett, to which our attention is ially directed. We have exa that cirer with care; its precise meaning is not clear, while some of ita statements eeem inaccurate. _ It is gravely proposed to reduce the costof life insurance by .reducing the rates of preminm. But the Actuary of thet Company, of all men, ought to know that in a Mutual company the cost to tho insured can only be rednced by re- ducizg the woxkin‘gl expensecs. For the premium, 50 far as it is found to cxceed the actusl cost, is :etv.u-ned to the insured, with interest from yeax 0 year. Mutoal rates are designedly, and certainly onght to be, higher than the probable cost ; the excess forms the copital, the balarce-wheel, the perennial reservoir which exalts contingency in- to certainty. Thishas been most abundantly vinficaledin the history of the ‘Mutual Life™ itself. & The language of Profeszor Bartlett’s letter iz quite inaccurate when it speaks of redncing the margin-of the premiums from 40 per cent to 10, and may have misled many, 2s it has puzzled us. For in only one of the present premiumcolumns in a3 high as 40 cent, and in some it is only 21 per cent ; 8o that only a few of the muEins are reduced to the extent he men- tions. To etate it accurately, all the varions ad- ditions to the net premium for expenses and contingencies, are to be reduced to 10 per cent, and the rate per thousand for’an ordinary life policy on o person sged 30, which is now £22.70, will then be $17.82, while for & five-year endowment policy the charge will be from 322 to $199, the proporiionate reduction being thus grealestwhere the premium is least and the risk ©of the Company the heaviest—a self-evident er- ror which needs no farther exposure from us. The next section of the Professor's letter pro- vides for the retention of the surplus—accraing from these new rates—until it amonnts to ona (originally stated 28 two) annual premium, which is to be retained as s margin for contine gencies not provided against in the lower pre- miums; buk this very course will make the aver~ age outlay of the insured for the first ten years greater than novw, and cause the Compeny to re~ tain on hand a much larger surplus than” it now does. At present the average surplus on hand for each policy is only about 40 per cent of the sannual premitm, while on the new plan it will in; time become at least 100 per cent. The following sections may be regarded as Becessary sequences to the ong just mentioned. They are as follows : “2. That these credits beheld to be assessable to meet any deficit that may arise from any cir- cumstances whatever. *¢3, That in case of death the whole of the re- versionary credit to be paid to tho heirs, as at prosont.” The fourth and Iast we would fain believe a ‘misprint, but we are aszsured to the contrary, aa it is the same in all the publications, viz.: “4_ That existing policyHolders may have the option either to leave their policies undisturbed and pay their old rates, receiving, of course, their proportional dividends and reversionary credits, or to take out new policies, with their existing credits added, and pay the new rates corres&onfling to their then present age, vided they subject themselves to & new medical examination, and are pronounced sssurable.” It is difficalt to properiy characterize itsterms, and we are quite sure that no intelligent present policy-holder will care to accopt the second op- tion it affords, as he would thereby forfeit all his ghuflz in the present reserves except as to divi- ends. 2 As to the generallglnm, it is o virtual abandon- ment of those cardinal principles of Eecurity &nd equity npon which the claims of the Matual Lifo Insurance Company to the confidence of ita pofiz{-boldm and of the community have rest- e t cannot be carried into efoct without in- justice to existing policy-holders and a decrezso in their security. If carried outat all, the re- duced rates should apply not only to futnre ‘members, but also to existing policy-holders, sick and well, without necessitating charges in existing contracts by imposing new cond:tions, which may be prejudicial to their interests, as well a8 to their security. The reserves of the o0ld policies are’in effect to ‘be nsed as a capital stock, to bear the expense of getting new business ot stock rates, which must considerably exceed the marginsof the new premiums. But this expense to the old members cannot be reimbursed to them by profits derived from the new ones at any futura time, becanse they are mutual members, and en- titled to any surplus that may ever accrue from, their own premiums. G How far it is competent for the Trustees of a strictly mutual corporation to admit persons to membership upon terms more favorable than haye been, and continue to be, exacted from ex- isting mombers, is a question of law, as well as of mathematics and equity ; but if new mem- ‘bers are to be admitted into the Mutual Life st the expense of those already insured—as will be. the case if the planis carried into effect, and: ihe security of the latter be lessened thereby— then it is on injustice, of which every policy- Holder in that company has a right to complain.. Nothing can express our views better than the. languege Life Company only second to the. ¢Mutual” in size, which thus announces its in— tention not to reduce ifs rates : “Nothing containing any element of hazard: ia truly safo unless more than apparentlysafe;. a purely mutual company has no Tesource whai— over beyond the premiums charged upon its palicies ; vwHerefore theso premiums must be ap- ‘parently higher than any foreseen contingency. will exhaust, or future solvency is in peril.” The cash premiums of the Mutual Life re= ceived from 1543 to 1871 were 264,677,770.23, as shown by its published statcments, and the working expenses were $10,533,650.56, or 16.39 per cent. The expenses conld not well have beens much less if the premiums kad been lower. . the reduction Jrcguaed by Prof. Bartlett, &t preminms woild have been about $53,000,00L which would have made the expenses not muck if any, less than 20 por cent, or double the mar- ginsnow proposed for mew policies. A com- pany to be composed entirely of such policies Ccould not stand withont & large capital behind it, and no person of much common sense can contend that what is too_weak tostand alone can 2dd strength to anything. . ‘We are unhesitatingly of opinion that the re- duction of premiums a8 proposed by the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New Yorkis un- wise, deficient in security, unjust to existing policy-holders, and prejudicial to their rights and interests, and deserving our unqualified dis- approval. We are confident, howeyer, if tha Nrustees of the Mutnal Life should carefully reconsaider the matter, they will seo that they are about to take & sfep nnwarranted by their own m&ience or that of any other company, and will decide to refrain from it. Erizoe WRIGHT, SuEPPARD HOMANS, D. P. FACELER, Consulting Actuaries. e The Tin Mines on tho North Shore & Lake Superiors From ths Marquetts Mining Journal of Kov. 30. At last we have news from the Hn mines d the north shore from on authentic source Captain Harris and party, comprising, in part,a reporter of the New York Sun, s reporter of & New York technical journal, an sssayist sod chemist from Detroit, snd 3fr. Pennock, tte discoverer of the tin deposits, and by whote statements and pretensions 80 much anxiets.~ been engendered, arrived in Marquette on Mor- day morning, per schooner Shenango, They had several large bagafilled with the precious tin o, o:- ut};e rock supposed to contain the preciom stuff. f ‘We interviewed the party as thoroughly ae possible, and obtained some information for ‘he public eer, and much that we dare not pr gate ag a marketable product. That tin exists .in the locality visited the party claim there is_no_doubt. Some of tieit Emfl“ were partially assayed in this pBo on Tuesday, and the product waa found tobe tin. How rich or poor was not determined, reason of the assay not being fally comple! Further and more complete tests are to be made at Detroit. Thorock shown tous looked more like silver glance than anything we have s:en and that which is supposed to bear tin was 8¢ leanin the trace of this metal, if 2 trace colt e determined by the crystals which represon the metal, that it seemed difficult to ! enongh of it tomake good the pretenco that suct & metal existed in it. - Nevertheless, the fact is established that & does exist, in the rock formation st Otter Het Bay, on the north shore of Lake Superior, a0 if the locality was nt first “ealted” to make great speculation out of the pro ihefim ¥ Eome foundation upon which to place the “salt Further investigations are to be made, t¥ nature of which will depend_upon the resulé the easavs of the ore now in hand