Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, August 13, 1876, Page 7

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: SUNDAY. AUGUST i3, 1876—BIXTEEN PAGES. 7 ST. LOUIS. The Improved City Charter, to Be Voted On Aug. 22. Separation of City and County-== A Municipal Area of 52 Square Miles. The Municipal Assembly: A Council and a House of Delezates. Property - Qualification of the Mayor and Councilmen. Powers of the Uity Legislature and of the Executive Department, Provisions in Regard to Elections, Taxa« tion, and the Various Cflicials. Special Correspondence of The Tribune. &r. Louis, Aug. 11.—There is some reason to «expect that there will soon be an improyement + In the system of municipal government in this pountry. In the first place, all the large citics In the United States have reached that point where improvement is & necessity, and, second- 1y, in different cities there are in progress meas- res of reformation whichhave beeninaugurated under excellent auspices, having in view the es- tablishment of the public administration on business principles instead of political cxpe- Siency. Chicago and Philadelphia have suffer, edsoeeverely through municipal mismanage: ment and corruption that it is scarcely possible that their present troubles will give rise to no measares of improvement; while in New York »Commission has been at work a year devising a scheme for the cconomical government of the sty gt. ZLonis takes the lcad of all in one respect. Her improved charter has been prepared and published, and is now under general discussion In the newspapers and at public mectings. The ple will accept or reject it at the election to be held on the 224 of this month. The new Constitution of Missouri authorized the election of a Board of Thirteen Freeholders of property, who should prepare a scheme for scparating the City and County of St. Louis, and a charter for the city, bothscheme and char- ter to be submitted to the people as indicated gbove. Thescheme was intended to rid thecity of & curse which Chicago has likewise experi- enced—the existence of A BURDENSOME DUAL GOVERNMENT, city'and county. The charter was intended to welieve the city from an extravagant system of government by irresponsible Boards, aud in other ways to simplify and cheapen the adwmin- gstration of city ailuirs. I assume that the re- sult of & eystematic attempt in this direction will command the intercst of the people of Chicago at this time. I will, thereiore, give Fou a digest of the new charter, together with some aceount of the discussion upou those con- tested points which have a géueral application. ‘The Board of Freeholders chiosen to prepare the scheme of separation and the charter was composed of first-class representative men. Five of themembers were distinguishedlawyers, and all the others were men of high re- pute, ability, and expericnce. The timeallotted for the work was only three months, when six would have been wo littie. The New York Commission has been at work for s year, and tss applied for auotber year. This curtailment of time was a serious, if not 2 fatal mistake, 25 the discussion of the charter has already shown. THE SCHEME FOE THE SEPARATION, after fixing boundaries, gives to the city county buildings within its limits, the ci suming the debt of the county. Tie present <ity bonded indebtedness is_about_$17,000,000, the bonded debt of the county is $7.000,000; so hat, after the adoption of the scheme and o Zer, the city will owe about $24,000,000, but will e relieved from the county tax, aud the county pothing. The city limits are cxtended so s to add about 32 squure miles to. its area, making 3 total area of 52 square miles. This feature of the scheme excites great bostility, but, as it is of ouly local application, there is no call for fur- ther remark upon it Lere. The charter contains many novel features. The legislative power of the city is vested iu a Municipal Assémbly, consisting of a Council and a House of Delégates. The Council is com- posed of twelve members and a President, all of whom hall be chosen on a general ticket to serve for four years, except that at the firsg election the President and the six members receiving the highest number of votes shall hold their offices for four years, and the others for two ye: In case of a tie, the sen- Jor in are will fuke the long term. In addition Lo ordinary qualitications, vach member of tee Council must be a frecholder of properts in the gity for one year before the day of clection. This property-qualification, which applies ualso to the Mayor, the Recorder of Votes, the Pre Ident of tlie Board of Assessors, and the judg: and dlerks of election, EXCITES BITTER NOSTILITY fn certain quarters. li is urged that the pro- wision cuts off one of the most valued rights of citizenehip, and_creates a class distinction in favor of tue wealthy citizen. It is further sug- gested that all the defaulters of the city and ‘county have been property-owners, and, further, that, as there must be 600 judges and clerks of election, it will be almost impracticable for the Mayor to select Property-owners in every case, while his failure in any case might lead tw a con- osted election. The other arguments pro and con are those that are generally urged when the question of property-qualification is under debate. Toe House of Delegates, the lower House of the Municipal Assembly, cOnsists of one mem- ber from each ward, to be chusen every two Jears by the voters of the several wards. The Pproperty-qualification docs not upply to_tlis effice. No person who is indebted to the State or city on arcount of any tuX can bea member of the Assembly. Each House shall appoint _its own officers, ex- t in the case of the President of the Council, who is clected by the people. Each House may arrest and punish by five, not to exceed $300, orimprisonment not exceed ten days, any per- son, not 2 member, who shall be guilty of dis- respect or disorderly bebavior in its presence; it ‘may also punish its own members for disorderly conduet, and, with-the consent of two-thirds of all its members clect, may expel a member, but cantiot expel a member & sceond time for the &ame offense. The presiding ofli House of Delegates acquires the digified title of “Bpeaker," und is_elected by that budy. A majority of the whole numbcr of members of House shall constitute a quorum, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may compel the attendance of absent members under penalties. Neither House shall, without the consent of the other, &djourn for more than seven days at any oue time, nor to any other place than that in which the two Houses may be sitting. Each Housc shall hold its sessions with open doors and in the City-Hall; but whether the different branches are to sit together or separately does Dot appear from the charter. Each member of the Assembly shall be entitled to receive for his official services dufin§ his term of oflice the sum of $300 annually, and no more, but ie may also be paid his ressonable expenses authorized and Incurred in such service, to be approved by the House of which be is a member. Whenever a member is absent without leave from his House for an entire sitting of any meeting, he shall Torfeit $1 of his offiial compeusation; and for this purpose the roll is to be called at each - meeting, and the names of the absentees re- sorded.’ LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE AND POWERS. The provisions in the charter relating to the procecdings of the Assembly, with a Tew ex- septions, follow the ordinary legislative pro- ure. No bill can become un ordinance un- less a majority of both Houses vote in its favor, &nd ordinances, except for the purposes of gen- eral appropristions and in cases of emergency, shall ‘wot go into effect until ten -days after their approval. Before abill can become ao ordm};gnf it must also be signed by the presid- g olicer of exch House; Lefore such otlicer shall aflix his sigpature he is required in open toesion to suspend all uther business to declare vb“ such bill' will now be read, and that, if no jections be made, he will sign the same to the end that it may become an ordinence. The bill shall thenbe read at length, sud, if no objec- tion be mage, hc shall, in the presence of the and any other business is _entertained, 5 signature, which fact shall be toted on the journal, and tue bilt sent to the other House Where the same form must be repeated. 1f any ordinance prescnted to the Mayor contain scv- enal items of appropriation, he may object to one or more items, while approving other por- ians of tho bill. Insuch case, heis required to append to the ordinance, at the time ian- ing it, a statement of e Ttoums i Which. E:Z’Zg. jects, and the appropriation €0 objected to shall not take etfect. If the Assembly be in session, lie must transmit to the House in which the or dinance originated 2 copy of such statement, and the items objccted to shall be separately re. consfdered. If the House be not in session, thien he must transmit the same within ten Gays to the Register with his approval, or reasons for his disapproval.” If two-thirds of both houses yote to pass the ordinance, notwithstanding the objections of the Mayor, they may do o, and the bill, certified to to that cffect, becomes. law on beiug deposited in the office of the Register. The ordinary powers of the Mayor and As- sembly 1o levy and collect taxes] to borrow money and issue bonds on the credit of the :_m 5 10 open strects and condemn property; o erect or purchase necessary public buildings; to construct improyvements in the harbor; to regulate ferries and tow-boats; and other wa- tercraft; to license and tax different trades and professions; to establish and enforce, quaran- tine and sanitary laws and regulations, the standards of weights and measurcs, the inspec- tion of boilers, the price of gas; to provide for the election and appointment of public offi- cers, and the compensation of jurors,—these and a hundred other minor ones coming under these general heads, are the usual powers of a municipality, and need no particular mention. Two provisions of the charter coming under this title are, however, worthy of notice, viz. : 1. That the Assembly shall not appropriate any money for charitable purposes, except such 2s &hall bt subject to its own supervision and administration, under a system of suitable arrangements, to be_established, whereby the partakers of the charity shall respectively” earn what un} receive to the extent of their ability, and (2) that no stone-quarry shall be opened, or brick-kiln located, or soap-factory, slaughter-house, bone or mrn.’ingrmmrr’}, e ed within the distance of 300 fect of any dwell- ing Hhouse buiit and i inhabited_before such ng, location, or erection, without the con- riting of the owner and of the occu- pant of every such housc. EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT, e Mayor, Comptroller, Auditor, Treasurer, Register, ~ Collector, Regorder of Decds, y spector of Weights and Measures, Sheriff, Coroner, Marshal, Public Administrator, Pres dent of the Board of Assessors, and the Presi- dent of the Board of Public Improvements, shull be clected by the qualified voters of the city, and bold their oflice for four years. The - following officers are appointed by the Mayor ~ for the e ey Vs City Counselor, District AsSessors, Superintendent of “’ork.houbu,’ Superintend- ent of House of Refuge, Superintendent of Fire and Police Telegraph, Commissioner of Supplies, Assessor of Water Ralcs, two Police Justices, Attorney, Jailor, five Commissioners on Charitable Institutions, ulso five Commi: sioners who-shall be known as Street Commis- sioner, Scwer Commissioner, Water Commis- sioner, Harbor and Whar! Commussioner, and Park Commissioner, who, With the President thercof, shall constitute the Board of Public Improvements. ‘The funcuions and dutics of these officers are for the most part expressed in their names. The Mayor must be 30 years of age, and a frec- holder. ~ Ilis residence and that of every other officer of the city is required to be within the limits of the city, otherwise their offices shall become vucant. The Comptroller shall have the right Lo a seat in either branch of the Mu- nicipul Assembly, with the right to debate on any question pertaining to his department, but shall have no vote. The Auditor shall be re- sponsible for all acts of his employes. The egister is the City Clerk under a new name. Auother officer, und one peculiar to the char- is tie Commissioner ol Surplins Mhe duty of this is to purchase all articles needed by the city in its ditferent departments. He is required, whencver practicable, to advertise for proposals to furnish them. Inthese advertise- ments the quality aud quantity ure to be fully stated, and 2 bidder may bid for auy one article pamed. The award must, in every case, be made to the lowest bidder, and euch "bidder has tiie right to inspect the bid oI his_eompetitors. If there arise any case where the Commissicuer ‘canunot advertise for the articles on account of their being required at once, his purchases must be approved by the Auditor. Tue advautages of an ofticer to control all purchases will at once beseen. At present, purchases of supplies for the city are made scparate by cach departiaent. An examination of the different bills shows that there is at times a wide dificrence of from 5 to 25 per cent in the cost of the same articles pur- d by different departments. It would be absurd tv suppoee that any one ever sells tothe ciiy below the marketprice. Therefore,whenever any depariment has paid in excess of what bLas beem paid by aucther department, it ki paid in excess of the value, and the city has bLeen swindled. Advertising and opening up competition will furnish the re- quired articles at the lowcst price. Asgain, it is much casier for the Municipal Assewbly to watch one, than to keep track of a dozen ditler- cnt, purchusing agents. 1t is hoped that under the new systen it will o longer be possible for oysters and champagne to be purchased and consumed by the Committecs, to appear later in the bills as potatocs and vinegar. ~The Police Justices are miven power to furnishall con- fempts of cotirt by a finc not_exceedivg $500, and by imprisonment not exceeding ten days. The Board of Public {mprovements may in future receive an addition to its members, a5 the charter provides that in _case the city should at auy time become the owner of any gas works, then thereshall be added to the Commissioners a sixth, to be called the Gas Comunissioner, who shail have under his _speciai control and charge all tie property belunging to the City G Works, ana shall superintend their worki The nemesof the other Commissioners sutli- cently designate their particular duties. ELECTION AND LEGISTRATION. The first general election under the charter shall be held on the first Tuesday in April, 1877, and every four years. The clections arcto be by ballot, and the polls_shall be kept open for one day from 6 in the morning till 7 in the evening. The Mayor, at least ten days before every clection, is to appoint forr competent persons, to act as judges of election, not nore tian two of whom shall belong o the same political party, and two persons of different, polities to act as clerks at cach election district Inthe city. All the judges and clerks must ossess the qualifications of a member of the Council (that is to be frceholders) and shall re- side in the district in which they serve. If any of the persons appointed as judges of election shall fail or refuse to act, the legal voters of the district assembled at the polls on the morn- ing of the day of clection, to the num- ber of not less than filteen, shall have power at the hour when the polls are to open to clect some person having the qualifica- tion before mentioned to fill the vacancy that may exist. If ten qualified voters of the dis- trict should, at least five days before the elee- tion, present to the Mayor ~an affidavit, sworn and subscribed to by them, stating that any ap- pointed judge of election for their district 1s uufit for the position by reason of ‘habitual drunkenness, inability to réad or write, nearncss of kinship to any of the candidates, or that be is_generally corrupt, or for any other cause which, in the judgment of the Mayor, should disqualify bim Trom serving as judge, the Muy- or shall have power to revuke the appointment of such person and to substitute anotlier, if du- Iy qualified. Every judge of election servingas such at any general eiection held under the tharter shall be exempt from jury-service for one year from the date of the clection, and no judge of election shall receive any,_compensation for his gervices as such judge. The mosle of taking and counting the ballots is novel. ‘Two baliot- Dbuxes are 16 be providea for_each precinct, one of which is to be numbered No. L, and the other o5 e Judzes are to select from their number two of diiferent” politics, who shall })e known 2s * receiving judges,” and two, like- wise of different_politics, to be kuown as “ counting judges.” The two receiving judges shall receive the ballots of each clector, as thicy do so calling out_his name, and if the judges are satisficd that the person offering to vote is a legal voter, his ballot shall be taken and num- bered, and deposited in Box No. 1. At the ex- piration of ene hour, the recelving judges shall deliver Bux No. 1to the counting judges, Who shall immediately deliver over to the re- Seiving judges Box No. % which shall be used for the next hour. After the delivery of Box No. 1 to them, the counting judges sball open it and count the ballots that it contains. in tiie presence of the elerks and party represcntatives. At the close of another hour, the boxes are to be again changed, and this process isto be car- e dom until the close of the poll. No person shall be allowed to solicit votes o offer tickets ‘ithin o distance of 200 feet of the pl:we‘ n_f voting, but candidates may have their tickets depusited at the place of voting for the use xar Yoters, in the imnediate view and control of tix: Judges, who sball protect the same from de Structionand in their aid one policoman at lcast shall be present during the clection. No voting- e fict ahall contain tuore than 500 registered voters. A Recorder of Votcs is to be appointed b_y the Mayor, He shall hold bis ofiice for four ¥ears, and st possess the qualifications of 1 Couny cilman. Persons to hecome voters are required o1 thirty days before & gencral to be registered thirty days o Kenersl clection, except in cases of sickness, may be registered within ten days. Py REMOVAL OF CITY OFflcg.\LS‘ Frie power vested in the Cotneil to remove officy CIs he unlimited. Tnc charter provides that au ected city oflicer may e Temoved from oilice by a- two-thirds vote of all the members of the Council, notice to ta¢ ofli- Cor and & hearing by counscl being allowed, In case the Mayor sl be removed, then the Pres- Ldent ot tie Council shall at as Mavor until 2 new oue is clected. Any elected city offices may be suspended by the Mayor, who shalll- iminediately notify the Coundil of such suspen- sion and the cause therefor. If the Cnuncgc»c not in session, then he shall Immediately call & scssion of the same. If » majority of all the members elected shall, by resolution, sustain the action of the Mayor, then the suspended officer shall be removed{rom office and @ new clection shall be ordered to fill the vacancy; but if 2 majority disagrce with the Mayor, then he shall be immediately reinstated. If the Mayor removes an uppointed officer, he shall immediately notify the Council, which shall fill the vacancy by Glecting a person to fill the place. Al officers appointed by the Mayor shall be subject to removal by a majority of the clected members of the Council, but, if 5o re- moved, the Mayor shall fill the vacaney by an- other person, and no confirmation of the Coun- «il shull be required. Wheu the Council is not in session at the time a removal is proposed, u session thereof shall be called by the President, on a request, in writing, of five members. All appointments made by the Mayor shall require confirmation by the Coun T it shall refuse o confirm, - the Mayor shall, within ten days, nominate another person to fill” 'the office, und he = may continue to.uominate until his nominees are confirmed. 1f the Mayor fails to make another nomiuation within ten days from the rejection of anomination, then the Council shall elect such officer themselves. _Only one ground for the removyal or suspen- sion of an officer is cxpressly sct out in the charter, but it is an excellent one, and so worthy of imitation by other municipalities that it will'be well to give it in full: Skc. 11. Any city oflicer, excepting the Mayor and Commissioner of Charitable Institntions, who shall, except when absent from the city, fail to devote his entire time during business hours to the duties of his oflice, shall be removed or euspended by the Mayor or Council. ~All city offices shall be kept open from Sa. m. to 6 p. m. from 1at of April to 1st of October, and from 9 i m. to 5 p. w, from 1st of October Lo st of April. ‘The objeet of this is, of course, to keep offi- cials in their oflices during oflice hours, but as the words used are * devote his entire time to the dutics of his office,” he will be a poor speck- men of the genus officiosus that canot find a way of attending to_ Lis duties und taldng in the ad- jueent salarics at the same time. * Anothier important provision of the charter is that the Mayor shall not make auy appoint- ment of officers until ke shall have been two years in oflice. This will cut off the hope of pol- iticians who usually assist a candidate in his- clection for the sake of the expected spoils. The oppoucnts of the charter object to the frcat power given tothe Mayor, but it is daimed hat this is offset by making the President of the Council, who appoints the Committces, an elective officer on the general ticket. Objections are also made to the clection of the Upper House on a general ticket, instead of by wards, since this gives all the appointing power to the palitical ‘;m domingnt in the city. It is urged ou the other hand that, under the present sys- tem, the Mayor and the majority of the Com- mon Council have always been from the domi- nant party. But there is a provision of the charter which more completeiy answers these_objections, and that is the one which allows only a bare major- ity of the political party in power to be ap- pointed. Thus if five clerks are to be appointed, only three oi the same political party can be chosen. The charter expressly limits the compensa- tion of afficers, no person being allowed a ‘higher salary than $5,000, and all fee offices are abolished. REVENUE AND TAXATION. For the support of the City Government the Assembly is empowered to levy taxes onall property within the city made taxable by law for State purposes at_the following rates: On that portion of the city which lics within the present boundarics 1 per centumn for mani- cipnl purpases; on that portion of the city called the “extended limits,” lying west of, and between the present boundary line, and the boundary line established by the charter, a sum not to exceed four-benths of 1 per centum. _All taxes collected for municipal pus- poses sball be designated Municipal Reveimre,”” and the taxes collected for the payment of the public debt, ¢ Intercst and Public Debt Revenue,” and tae latter arc to be always kept distinct from other revenues, are 10 be kept in a separate fund, instesd of being mixed up, as now, with tbe gencral revenue. No appropriation s allowed to be made from any revenue fund in exvess of the pmount standing to the credit of such fund, nor shall it be made for purposes to which the mioney therein is not by law applicable. No claim shall be paid without the ordinance Which di- rects it shall have the indorsement of the Comptroller thereon to the efect that sufficient unaporopristed money stands o the credit of the fund pamed to meet the requirements of the ordinance, and be approved by the Auditor. WATER-WOLKS. The Wator-Works, except the asecssment and collection of water-rates, shall be under the control of the * Water Commissioner,” to be appointed by the Mayor for & term of four years and paid o salary not exceeding $3,000. The Tajority of the property-holders of uny street may on petition bave water-pipes luid along theirstreet, or the Assembly by a two-thirds vote of each House may declare the laying of a water pipe on a particulur strect to b necessary, when it shall be lid without cousulting the property- holders. The Water Commissiouer may require owners or occupiers_of buildings to take out license for the use of water wheuever the Board of Health shall declare_that the use of water from the City Water-Works in_such buildings is demanded a8 a sanitary measure. UBLIC PARKS. The public parks are placed under the super- vision and control of the Park Commissioner.” The Assembly are empowered sunually to make an appropriation toan amount not Jess than 30,000 for the cmbellishing, improving, and Keeping in order all the parks andsquares of the city. It is likewise given_power, upon the recommendation of the Board of Works, to scll or lease any of the pub- lic® purks or squares, if an ordinance providing therefor shall have been submitted and ratitied by the clectors at a general clection. This section bas caused much discussion, and lias been sharply criticised by the opponents of the charter, who hold that it I5 unconstitu- tional. HEALTH DEPARTMENT. This is made vne of the most important de- partments of the city service, and, in order to render it effective, extraordinary powers are vested init. The Board of Health consists of the Mayor, the President of tie Cous he Commissioner of Police, two regular practicing physiclaus, and_a Heaith Commissioner, ap- Dointed by the Mayor, and, in Lis abscace, by Phe presiding ofticer of the Board. The Health Commissioner has the general supervisionof the public health; he must sce that the laws and ordinances relating thercto are enforced; he may enter by himself, or his employes, all buildings or places of any description within the city. He shall provide for the registration of all births, deaths, or mar- riages, and sball have charge of all the city hos- pitals, quarantine, Insane asylum, morgue, and city dispensary, and, with the advice of the Bourd of Health, shall make all necessary rulcs for the government of these places. e shall have poyer, whenever, in his opinion, any nui- sauce exists, to notify the owner or occupier [ abate or remove the same, which notice snall be served upon_the owner in the same manner uas writs in_civil cases. If the owner shall fai) within the time indicated in the notice te show wr00d cause to the Commissioner and the Board, B Ity of a misdemeator, Tic shall be deemed cuiley of and on_conviction shall besubject to a fine not shall then be excceding $300, and the nuisance L1 abated by the officers and special tax bills rel Gered ogainst the property. If the owner or oceupier cannot be found, notice may be given by, publication. '\Whenever it shall come to the kmowledge of the Mayor that any infcctious discase or epi- demic is prevalent in the city, or will probably become so, he may make a proclamation of tbe fact, and the Commissioner shall then have power to_take ll steps und measures that nc may think pecessary without the intervention OF the Assembly, aud may employ such oflicers, Izents, and_servants, estaolish temporary hos- Bitals, provide medical attendance, and nurses, 4s in his opinion and that of the Board may be necessary. He shall exercise this power until he shail declare, or the Mayor shall proclaim that the cpidemic ig no longer prevalent or im- Iincut, whereupon his peremptory powers slall Gease. 'Every physician practicing medidine i ‘the city, under whose care a patient may die, is required to makeout two certificates, stating. the B, age, 8ex, calor, place of birth, and place aud ciuse of death, oue of which he shall give %o the undertaker and the other deposit Wwith the Commissioner. The overseers and sextons of cemeteries shall likewise depusit similar cer- tiicates of all juterments in the graveyards under their care. ok Tue powers given to the Oealth Commission- er, it will be sten, are unlimited. They are ab- Solutely unrestricted, and muke him a dictator %o lonz as lis reign shall last, which is, as bas been snown, during the prevalence or anticipa- tion of disease. Such arbitrary gmyers are only To be explained in une way—thic belif that they are neceseary for the common safety. 8t. Lows lies well south, and though in general the rate of mortalityin this city is_far below that of Mearly every ity in the Union, yet in times of epidamics and contagious disuases it has sufier- o toa teible extent, At such a time the distinetions which scparate arbitrary from limit- ed authority are genecally lost s ht of, and men are willing to yield alittle of temporary liberty for the safety of their own glives. So it was in ancient Rome, where, at the approach of Ihe invader, the two Consuls surrendered their authority, as long as the peril continued, to the Dictator. FIRE DEPARTMENT. TheFire Department is under the control and superyision of an ofticer called the Chief of the Fire Department. He is appointed by the Mayor, aud confirmed by the Council, and holds his office for four years. He has general charge. of the property of the Department, and at a'l grv.fi bas the same police powers as the Chief of olice. One feature of the new eharter, which, its ad- vocates claim, should commend it to the appro- Lation of the tax-payers, is the list of oflivers that are abolished. A perusal of the charter and en acquaintance with the army of city of- ficeholders which at present feed at the public crib_will show that mo less than twenty-five of- fivials lose their lieads if the charter be adopted; and with them their offices vanish forever. The salaries which will be saved by this wmount to the respectable yearly sum of "$120,000. In ad- dition to this direct sqving, all feesand per- uisites arc abolished in all the ofiices under e charter. The debate oa the charter is now filling sev- eral columus of cach of the newspapers here every day, and is participated in by the best lawyers and publicits of St. Louis. The misfor- tune of allowlug so short a time for the prepara- tion of the charter is growing more and more apparent as the discussion proceeds. Even its friends admit that it is faulty, but, so far as [ can judge, the measure s generally supported by what are called the better classes, and re- ceives its stoutest opposition from the office- holders and the tummer element, as it is styled in Chicago. This remark, however, may be modified somewhat, as 2 considerable number of good lawyers are of the opinion that the charter is in opposition to the State Constitu- tion, while other persons are utterly opposed to an extension of the dty limits. The Germans are said to be almost solid for the charter, and they arc even stronger here than in Chicago. Their support of the charter, as well as.that of many other pirsons, is due more to their hos- tility to the county offiials (who secem to be fashioned after the Cook County model) than to any intelligent appreciation of the points of the instrument itscl®. I believe that it is generally conceded that tte Charter will be adopted. ANOTHER POINT in reference to taxation should be referred to here. The new Constitution of Missouri, adopt- cd about o year 7o, limits the power of cities to create indebtedness, a8 does that of Illinois; and it goes further ix_limiting the rate of taxation to 1 percent. The revenue from a taxof 1 per cent on the taxable property in St. Louls, is $1,624,444, and tae city must be run on this sum plus the revenue from licenses, fines, etc. The Valuation of property in the city is $162,244,490; in the proposec addition, $17,031.400; muking the revenue, according to the graduated scale of the new charter, $1,750,500. ~The valuation 5:} property in tae proposed new county is $21,- ,400. BOSWELL. SECRET SOCIETIES. MASONIC. ORIENTAL CONSITORY, THIRTY-SECOND DEGREE, B.o P B Bi% About seventy members of Oriental Con- sistory, in the full and clegant uniform apper- taining to this high grade of Masoury, left the city at 5:15 1ast evening on special palace cars via Michigan Central Railroad, for o visit to New York and tho Centennisl. During the march from thei: Asylum to the depot they were accompanizd by Nevans & Dean’s full band, and escoried by St. Bernard Commandery of Knights Templar, under command of E. Sir John Woodman. As this s the first organiza- tion that has vhited the Centennial from this city, 4 few [ats regarding it may be of interest not omly to the Masonic but the general reader. ~ Previous to the year 157, the Scotish Rite of Masonry ‘was Qivided in JuTisdiction, there Leing two Supreme Counils, one locuted in New York and the oth- er in Boston. Thore were akso two consistories in this city, Occidental, under charter from Bos- ton Uounell, meuting {n the ante-fire Masonic earbora street, and Chicago, rect- ing in McVickar’s Theatre Building. After much time spent in_negotiations, the two Bu- preme Councils finslly. unitcd at Boston, and urged a sisilar course smong the subordinate bodies in the several cities in their jurisdiction. The wisdom of unity being apparent to every member of the rita in Chicago, the two Consisi~ ories immedintely consalidated, dropping _their rosg:m‘n ‘nemes and ssswming that of Ori- ental. The fire soonafter destroyed the individual equipments of tie members, and all the farni- ture, records,and paraphernalia belonging to the body; but despile tiis serious financial draw- back they have continued to increase in num- bersand_influerce until now, with a member- ship of 500, thuy are second to nosimilar or- gganization on ths continent. The present oficers of the-Conststory are G. W. Barpard, 53d degroc, Communder-in-Chief; H.H. Poud, 34 _degree, First Lieat. Comm mander; John O'Neil, 32 degree, Second Lieut. Commander; Alfred Rassell, 32d degree, Min- ister of State; Edward P. Toby, 321 dcgree, Grand Chancellor; Eugene B. MTycrs,Ziim degree, Grond Trossurer datnes A. T Bird, S dot gree, Grand decretary; all of whom ac- uomfiu} the conmand. The party also inctudes H. ohnson 33d, Walter A. Stefens. 33d, V. 1. Hulbert 334, Robert t. Foss 33d, the active members of the Supreme Council from Tilinois; John_Cheviile 33d, Deputy from New Jersey; Col. H. C. Clark, of Kankakee; Sheriff ‘Agnew; Robert B. Smith, of Alton; Deputy Superintendent of Police Dixon, and man: oth{frg:nflcmen of note in social and Masonic circles. The route as now arranged includes a short stop at Niagars Falls, thence to New York, where the command will be the guests of New York Consistory. Ample preparations have been made for their entertainment Dy the New York body, the most prominent feature of which is a stcamboat excursion to Ruckaway Beach, and other points of interest in the nar- rows and along the Atlantic coast. Onc day in New York will be devoted to the duty of escorting the Supreme Grand Coun- cil, and'on_the 16th inst the Consistory will Teave for Philadelphia by special invitation of the Philadelphia Consistory. The arrangement for their entertainment in Philadclphia includes Visits to the Centennfal buildings, a drive through the Park, a Wissahickon catfish supper at the Belmont }Mansion, and & formal reception and banquet at the new Masonic Temple. They will_return probably over the Lehizh Valley Road, reaching this city about the 234 inst. WASHINGTON CHAPTER. Washington Chapter K. A. M., No. 43, held a meeting Friday jevening, corner of Halsted and Randolph streets, which was of more than usual interest. At the close of the banquet, to which over 200 sat _down, there was preseuted to the chapter by Mr. Houghton, the artist, onc of its members, a iull»lcu%n portrait of its present High Priest, John O'Neil, in costume. presentation’ speegh was made by Dr. Wilkin- Son, and the response in behalf of the Chaptex by its Past High Priest, A. B. Atkiuson. ODD FELLOWSHIFP. WHAT THE ORDER IS. James 8. Ridgely, R. W. Grand Sccretary of the Grand Lodge of the United States, gives a definition of the objects of Odd Fellowship in the following perspicuous language: 0dd Fellowehip is 8 moral, not & religions organ- jzation. The religions world is divided into muny <ects, each intent upou the promotion of its pect- Yiar plans and Interests, and of cunsequence want- ing in that unity of action so essential in every secular institution to the securement of those great results whicn illustrate the triumph of benevolence and ciarity. This is, in a great Acg!ce,mel by the cuployment of an agency not amenable to such & disability, and in which men of many secfs and creeds may cordially co-operate and labor, upon common ground, for the relief of human sufferine. Such an institution is Odd Fellowship. It doesnot ‘array.itself against the Church, nor presume to ar- rogate its functions, or to supervise its teachings. 1ts lodges are not the council rooms of enmity to religious, civil, moral, or eocial orcanizations. Fur otherwises all its oracles and instructions in relation to these grave subjects, find their warrant and suthority in the Divine law under the inspira- tion of which it proclaims the golden rule as the sublimest illustration of the law of lave. WITHDRAWAL CARDS. A good suggestion has recently been made by the Companion regarding the deposit of cards, and one which should receive attention and pro- duce the requisite legislation. It Is this: That any Lodge receiving a member by card immedi- ately notify the Lodge or Encampment granting the same, 50 that a record may Le made in the Lodge by means of which a member’s residence may be traced. As it now is, a member leaving a Lodge, is; as a rule, utterly lost track of so far as the records of the Lodge are concerned. We deem this suggestion susceptible of being amplitied. _Let the law be so amended as to re- quire any Lodge or Encampment receiving a member by card, by certificate, or as an Ancient (Odd-Fellow in any manner save by initlation, to notify the Lodge to which the member fornmer- Iy belonged. The good results of such a rule dre too gbyious to require enumerating. Gen. J. C. Smith, &r:u:d Scribe, left for the Centennial last evening. —T——— “Can we afford hurdle races and steeple- chases?” is becoming_a question among the turfen of Canada. During the past year three good race-horses bave been lost 1o the turf Through their efects: Frank Ross, Maj. Macon, and Helen Bennett; besides numerous iujuries o the jockeys and gentlemen amateurs who, have béen bold enoueh to take mouuts. THAT INVESTIGATION. The Council Committee Schools Not the Proper Body. on The Baffled Reporter Abandons DMrs. Van Winkle’s Abode. But Relates His Experience for ths Benefit of Others. THE INVESTIGATION. IT 1S LEFT FOR ANOTHER COMMITTEE TO PURSUE. The School Committee of the Council held a meeting at the City-Hall yesterduy afternoon. Ald. Cleycland presided, and the other members present were Messrs. Linsenbarth, Van Osdel, and Stewurt. It was generally thought that the investigation of the charges against mem- bers of the Board of Education would be com- menced, and the attendance of Messrs. Rich- berg, Oleson, English, Covert, and Supt. Pickard rather strengthencd theides. The Comnmittee, however, thought that the investigation should be undertaken by other members of the Coun- ¢il, and were not inclined to take hold of the matter. On the meeting being called to order, City Attorney Tuthill’ said:” The Chairman has called upon me to state what my views arc in reference to this matter. It seems to methat this Committee has nothing to do in the premises. The Board of Education have called Tor an investigation by the Council of charzes aud rumors touching their character. This Committee was not appointed for any such pur- pose, and it is my opinion that it has no juris- diction to go thead and make the proposed ex- amination; but if it had such power, believe, —an@ his Hounor the Mayor, the Corporation Counsel, and other gentiemen, will bear me out in the view I take,—that it would be improper or indelicate_for this Committce, situated as it is, to procecd with the investigation under any circumstances. This Commitice has already pussed upon the question involved in some mau- ner, having reported ADVERSELY TO TIE CONFIRMATION of those gentlemnen as members of the Board of Education. I am informed that it will be necessary for some of the members of the Com- mittec to be examined as witnesses before the Common Council, if it is decided to investizate the charges. That being the case, it would be unsatisfactory to the persons accused, unsatis- factory to the Committee, and unsatisfactory to the commmunity at large, to have this Com- mittce go on and make this investigation. It is proper that those who sit as judges should come into the investization unbiased and un- prejudiced and without any opinions on the subject. 1 think the proper thing for the Com- mittee to do will be to adjourn und leave it to the Council to appoint a special committee, or to refer the matter to the Judiciary Committec or some other committee that hasnot had the matter before it, and let it conduct the investi- gation and make the report. I believe that will De more satisfactory to thecommunity and to all parties concerned than if this Committee undertook the ‘mglr,, Ald. Stewart—As one member of the Com- mittee, 1 may say that such an arrangement will suit me exceedingly well, and I presume it will probably smit thé other members, but 1 dow’t know how they feel on the subject. There is one thing, however, in regard to which the City Atlorney is mistaken—that is, that the Comamittee bas reported on these facts. That is Dot s0; we have not passed on those things spoken of in the papers. City Attorney ‘Tuthill—I simply hadrefcrence e NON-CONFIRMATION ofthe etk members. Ald. Stewart—I will move that this Commit- tec report to the Common Conneil in substance that we have no jurisdiction to subpena and cxamine witnesses, and that, in view uf the pe- culiar cirenmstances of this case, it would be bettertor the Council to take steps in regard to the mvestigation, if there is to be any. The motion was adopted, aad, there belor nothing further before the Committee, the mecting adjourned. Y VAN WINELE. . AN INEPFECTUAL ATTEMPT TO INTERVIEW THE LADL The position assumed by Mrs. Alma Van- Winkle in her contributions of original corre- spondence to the daily press, has made her an object of interest to newspaper men, and No. 1267 Indiana avenue has been besieged by re- porters, of whom 2 TRIBUNE man was one. The house is 2 modest frame structure, * pestling,” after the established custom of modest frame structures, among some treesfand possessing, among other nomclike attributes, a buxom ser- vant gitl, who came originally, she explains, from that far and_distant Aiden known as the West Side. Another concomitant fs & buggy, in +which Mrs. Alna_VanWinkle, if the servant’s tale be entitled to rcspect, doth eat, sleep, avd _bave her being and wn.sumg done. For several days the scribe who doth this veracious chronicle indite has con- fabulated with the buxom handmaiden, and has frequently besought her for Mrs. Van Winkle's whereabouts, whichhave inevitably been located Dy such servant in the buggy hereinbefore men- tioned. Early in the morning, in the middle of the day, and late in the afternoon, not to speak of moonlight exvursions to the nestling house, the scribe has been confiden- tinlly notified in whispered tones with a sort of < Hist! we are watched!”? that Mrs. Van Win- Kl had gone -driviog, and was not expected home until at least an hour after that, sund other reporters had gonc unshriven to their last, long home. The bell at No. 127 Indiana avenue has {intinnabulated over and over again under the nervons touch of the anxious journalist, and as he marched away from his_ daily interview with the servant hercinbefore alluded to, TIE NEIGHBORS HAVE SHAKEN WITH GLEE, and one stout old gentleman on the opposite side of the street has on one occasion so 1ar for- otten his duty to society and his excellent alse teeth as to cachinnate. Sometimes the buxom servant, to whom allusion has already been made, comes out at the front door and then aguin at the lower door, and always with the smiling interrogatory, “Mrs. Van, is that you{” Not seldom has the re- porter _ explained, with offers of un- ‘mistakable collateral evidence, that he was not, = not, and, so far as advised, has no hope of be- coming, * Mrs. Van.” He was studiously met with the same conundrum. Three or four times lie offered to go into the house and sit downand swait, take dimer with the family, or make auy’ sacrifice necessary to accomplish his desi«n of finding out how much Mrs. Van Winkle knew about buying the School Board. But he has al- ways been met with the unanswerable objection that the buxom servant was alone in the house, ‘and airaid to letin strange man, which objection \Was accompanied by the gratifying explanation that, if any stranger were permitted access, it would be that particular reporter. There was always AN ASPECT OF SETTLED MYSTERY about the house. It luoked as though there Were something lurking there, and the’ illusion was not altogether dispelled by the sudden Shifting of blind contemporancous with the reporter’s departure. Occasionaily a ghost-like giegle would cuianate from the upper part of the nestling mansion, and this, connected with the buxom servant's solemn declaration that she was ““lone and lorn, and nobody cared for her,” suggested solemn thoughts to the re- rter. WAS befitteth the occasion, and following the {lTustrious example of the nimble Indisu, the reporter sought trees and climbed up them, and slid down them, immolating his trousers upon the altar of his enthusiasm. But, beyond the hostly giggle and _the occasioual flutter of a firess at the open windows, naught came in_the still glimpses of the sun or moon to reward his enterprise or ease his anxiety. Over and over ggain he tolled the door-bell, and hovered over lge knob like the soul of a resurrected sexton, visiting the ropes that once pealed invita- tions to heaven through the medium of a minis- ter. Sometimes Le thought of ANOTHERALMA, away back in his boykood, who used to make kites for him 2nd tear her dress trying to zet them high enongh for the people on the other side of the fence to understand and appreciate the cause of all the row. Sometimes his col- lege-days were suguested b&; his stroggles, which were mot altozether diverse from~ Lis f)h:xgglus With the pens asinorum and Crsar's ridge. But the buxom servant, in this history already spoken of, answered, Gone buggy-riding,?" £ she became a veriiable raven, and ber croak ing will never come from out his heart, nor her voice cease to be a bore. Nevermore. THE LAST TRIP was made last night, and, alter the dinrnal con- versation Witi: tie h. S., the reporter spoited a Eeuflenmu Wwho turned out to be Mr. Vaa Win- Cle. Bus he adwitted, with mingled contrition and profunity, that he didn’t know whcre she Inight be found, or even, when found, that she would decline to be made note of or interview- ed; not she. him whos« Cutics call To the iurx'lgunus imagination of as near the suony | South as the Stock-Yards, interviewing was a humbug, s hollow fraud, a delusion, & spare to the feet of those who are apt to telk too much. He looked upon the interviewer s the incarna- tion of all the perfidy there is extant, and said his wife entertained the same views, though she wasn’t at home, and wouldn’t be until late. Interview! To his mind the abstract inter- view was llke unto sn overdue note with the maker dead and the indorser dead, notwith- s%nding which his wife had gooe ont buggy- riding. Interview? Why, there had never been one in the Times or Juter-Ocean that the paper wasn't compelled to take back the next day, and, astie buggy drove up without his wife, he assumed that She must bave got tired riding and taken a car. g INTERVIEW. By the way, he had got to take a lady home, and she flashed past the reporter and jumped into the buggy with him, and was off. If any otlier member of the Chicago press de- sires to interview Mrs. Alma Van Winkle, THE TRIBUNEman would suggest that the ** buxom> is youug and open to propositions matrimonial; that twodoors south of and justacrossthestreet from 1267 is a very fine tree, with a most cxcel- leut crotch; that the people in 1265 don’t know gythmfilnbou;‘:\!& or .;xlrs. \'.deinkle; that ¢ northern blind of the second story might be observed with interest. g —————— WILLIAMS. The Ex-Attorney-General on the Anonymons- Letter Scandal. ‘WasHyagToy, D. C., Aug. {.—Er-Attorncy- General Williams came before the Sub-Com- mittee on Whisky Frauds this afternoon asking to make a statement on what he called un in- famous scandal, contained in the Cincinnati Evening Gazette a_few days ago. He was pro- cecding to remark he had secn the President this morning, who authorized him to say—, when Representative Cockrell interrupted him, saying Lc objected to Teceiving anything from the President through a third party, but if the President desired he should have ad opportunity to be heard. After some discussion, Mr. Williams, refer- ring to the statement published in the Cincin- natl Gazetle, said that no such idea was ever breathed to him by the President or by any mewber of the Cabinet that anonymous letters had ever created any prejudice against him. I refutation of the charge that Col. Whitley, ex- Chicf of the Sceret Service Division, was em- ployed by him after Whitley had been removed, Mr. Wililams ssid he never employed Whitley for any purpose after he had resigned as Chiel of the Secret Service Division, but he was paid for services rendered previous to Lis resiguation. With regard to the imputation that nis wife was the author of the anonymous letters, it was a damnable outrage aod a lie, who- ever the author might be. When Attorney- General he reccived anonymous letters of infa- mous character, and he presumed they all ema- nated from the same source, from some enemy of the Administration, and some were addressed to the members of the families of Cobinet offi- cers, His wife was grieved by these letters, but nothing could be: then said about them. e koew it was impossible that she could have anything to do with such communications. Bhe wus as much above such o mean, low act as any womaa in the United States. ere never wis 2 morc wanton and wicked calumny than that contained in the newspaper _article. Mr. Solicitor Wilson informed him that he (Wil- son) was in no way responsible for the publica- tion in the Cincinnati Gazette. It was sssumed therein that he (Willizms) wasremoved from the Cabinet on account of these anonymous letters. ‘The truth was he was not removed, but_resign- ed. He had never beard it breathed that any member of his family bad aught to do with the authorship of the anonymous letters, until late- 1y, in Donn Piatt’s paper, but the statement Was not suflicieutly definite to enable him to under- stand its meaning. The statement in the Ga- sette, however, was in tangible form, and Le was surprised that it was introduced in the Commit- tev und thos given 2 consequence it would not otherwise have possessed. In reply to a question from Mr. Cocbrace, Mr. Williams said the anonyinous letters eontained cobscene statements about the President and his family and the families of diffcrent members of. the Cabinet, and charged that he (Williams) kept & mistress in his department while he was Attornes-General. These letters were not on file. They had been destroyed. Mr. Cothrape asked whother the President’s wile roceived such letters, when Mr. Willlams replied: The President this morning showed Dhim ope of those anonymous letters, only one he kmew of, addressed to Mrs. Grant. The charges therein were against Mr. Williams and his wife, and infamous in_their impntations. The letters he himself received were scurrilous, and attacked everybody connected in any way with the Administration. Mr. Plaisted said he had objected to the recep- tion of the newspaper_article, which was scur- rilous, and they should not keep it any longer under their noses. Before Mr. Williams retired he said, in reply to a reporter: ““What Iproposed to sayto the Committee and what they refused to bear, was that the President told me that the article, so far as it rolated to him, was absolutely false, that he never saw or heard of any report; that he had po knowledge tbut the detectives were em- Eloved in the matter, and that he did not be~ eve I or my wifc had anything to do with @3 anonymous letters.” ————— TFO W. D. S, Thy epirit binds me with a spell, “And holds me mnte and still, While Mewmory's fingers o'er my heard 'Sound every chord at will: Ay! chords that long bave stient lain. Now breathe of naught but thee, N th their low refrain 's agony. I onder if thy soul to-night Can reach me: If the air 0Of ‘this lone, dreary, weeping eve I freighted with mhy prayer? o if exomnd me sottly bend ‘Bright forms from that blest clime Where Death may never come fo ‘Nor Love be chilled by Time? Oh, come! if from thy glorious home hy epirit may depart, And sottly lay thy chilling hand Upon my burning heart. Thine was the earlicst touch that thrilled “And 'woke its melody, 3 And, echoing throngh the lapse of years, 1t murmars still of thee. Of thee! They laid thec low to rest Within the waiting tomb; They gave thee, in thy youth's glad prime, To cold decay and gloom: And still 1 see thee as, beneath Thy clustering hair, thy brow Beamed like & wave-rcflccted star ‘When willowa 'round it bow. . Thy spirit binds me with a spelly 1 feel thiat thou art near, Axid Faith 60 lls my fupt heart now, Thy tones [ almost hears And Peace with snowy winzs, like doves', “Above me seems to brood, And bliss that's vety near divine Now dlls my sotitude. : Magers A, Corym. Cuicago, Aug. 10, 1876 L ——— ‘Washington’s Watch. Up to three or four days ago a Detroft pawn- broker (says M. Quad) had on sale a watch which he exhibited in his show window as “Gen. Washington’s faitbful watch.” Along came a troup of excursionists the other day, and one of them saw the wateh, was overcome by a rush of sentiment, and he went in and paid a good round price for the ticker. It kept first-rate time while the buyer walked four or five blocks, and during the next two hours it would run for one minute and stop for two. He found his way back to the shop, handed the watch over the counter, and said: +¢ Here, give me half what I paid yon.” «]g thereanything the matter withthewatcht™ asked the seller. *~Don’t you feel able to carry 2 watch which the great George Washington once carricd " “T'm perfectly able to dothat,” said thedown~ hearted stranger, ‘“ but I can's spare the time to look up the bincksmith who put in the running gear and have him hammer out some new wheels? He sacrificed $6 in the cause of sentiment, and when the crowd filed down to the depot he was the only one whose breath dido’t smell of raw peanuts. How s Woman Stoppod Sum Prancisro Bulletin. A The Central Pacific Railroad Company in the construction of their branch line between ‘Oakland nd Berkeley have met with a show of oppasition on the part of one or two property-ownctalliving Ta the vicinity of the latter place. The obi¥ftion Taised by the landbolders haa not been to the for- Taation of the line, but to the compensation they had been offered for the right of way. An_elderly Jady is oue of the obstructionists. line wis Jaid as fur s ber proper 1 week, wien it was ‘rought to an abrupt termination. On Sundsy the tracklayers stole # wnarca on the opposition. They went 1o work early, and by the afternoon the iron road was 18id in approved style overthe unpurchas- able property. The lady wus taken at a disadvan- fse, and her opinion of the encrouchment was dot Inodified by the reflection that that the day was not one on which to obtain legal assistance. She bad {be right on her side, however, wherever the might Jay, and had mother wit enough to offxet the trick ad been piayed her. In doe time tae Toco- i Catie paing aong the new lue. The old {ady went puling out Lo ticet it She took up & position on the track and faced the monster. Sev- Fral men who bad come up on the engine went to her and teied to persuade herto leave. ~The woman refased, and the engine backed down, lesving her ‘misiress of the situation.s Locomotive. AROUND THE WORLD. The Javan Sea-Ports---Batavia and Samarang. Chewing the Bstel-Rut---A Familizr Crane---** Tiffin.” Tho Javanese and Malays---A Nutmeg- Grove-<-The Temple of Boro- Bodor. For The Tridune. The charming drives about the suburbs of Ba» tavia, the beauty of the Square and of the pal- dee of Wel-te-vre-den, with the last rays of the westering sun lingering upon its white walls, are all pleasantly impressed mpon my memory. The banks of a small stream running directly through the centre of the city, were another pic- ture of calm beauty and repose. Here, after ¢ p-m., the natives would gather in crowds,— both sexes plunging gayly in the water, and dis- porting themselves in frolicsome antics that would astonish the untraveled and morc seusi- tive European. Good order prevailed thronghout the island, and no, better proof of the judicious adminis- tration of the laws could be adduced than the obvious respect paid to them by the mpatives, and their apparent comfort and felicity. Mang of THE MALATS are finely formed, and Isaw numbers 6 feet high; while I noticed several of the softer sex who would have lost little in comparison with the Venus di Medici or *“ The Greek Slave” of our Power-ful artist. Inform Imean; for the disgusting practice, in which nearly all induige, of chewing the betel-nut, detracts entirely from any charm of feature they naturally possess. Imagine the tecth aud pouting lips of a ball- room belle stained 8 deep-mahogany = cok or; for the masticators, from long_use of this ‘abominable product, become completely black; mugh I ras credibly inm(med by thoss who ad ‘good opportunities of judging, that the betel-nut ana. gfienm—pnsw rendered the breath peculiarly sweet and fragrant. A younger brother of mine host had just re- turned from a tripinland as faras Cheribon,and he had many tales of interest sboat the [nhabitants, animals, and scenery. The whole country about the foot-hills was like a well-kept Zarden, though tigers, the rhinocercs, snd enormous crocodiles abounded in the mountain-region. The unusual demand for rice, owing to the Chinese rebellion, made it impossible for us to procure & 1uil load ac Batavia, and we proceed- to SA-MA-RANG (accent the middle syilable), a port about 300 miles southeast from the foruer port; znd there behold us anchored on a dellcivus cven- ing, as the sun was sinking in uncouded glory to its ocean-bed, Sa-ma-rang is inferior to Baba- via in the mmprovements both of harbor aig dwellings. An interval of twenty years h: elapsed since iny first visit to the plice. He was the same partly-blocked-up little streau the entrance to which, except at high tide, beir only sccessible by canoes, or tam-ban-zurs us they are calied in Malayan dialect. The beach was alive with large snips and snow-white cranes, one of which Jatter I almost recoguized s an old friend of my former visit; for he cune stalking up to my side, impudently enough, and sesmed anxious o learn the latest news frum China and Yaunkee-land. These birds aro ro- lgiously protected from the Sportsaian’s mus- derous gun, and, being uever molested, tiroy have Do fear of man. 1 rode up to the Java Hotel, and took & euite of rooms and a = tiffin,” or lanch, which com- prises in the East a quantity and variety suite cient for an erdinary feast. But A JAVA TIRFIN is the ne-plus-ultra of Junching, sod I will Q:a and describe it. You take,a soap-plate half ful of dry boiled rice, and add_thercgy, ad libitam, the maltifarious, multitadinous vy plqd- uant sauces for which the whole of India an China are so renowned, with boiled shrimps (the finest in the world), and Chutnee sapes; and, having thoroughly mixed the nvmgl;n you sit yourself down to a feast, fit for the gods on Mount Olimpu,—mon referring to a tankard of prime India ale, whica, though brewed in distant London, is a perfect nectar here. ) Your derotions ended, an ever-ready Coolls brings the charcoal salver and 3 and, lolling down upon a bamboo lounge, whose spreading arms stand invitingly open to receive you, you may soon be wandering in your dreama through the Mohammedan’s Paradise, amd hold- ing sweet converse with those black-cred ! Houris who make the Oriental’s Heaver 50} much more attractive than the Yankes Puri-; tau’s chilling Celestial abode. i The hotel-charges were 5 rupees (about $3) per day, with an extra charge of 4 rupces for s, coach which took me from the hotel to the quay or “land,” 7in the morning, back to dinner at 4p. m., and an_evening-drive ‘which was worth all the other luxuries of the country coi THE JAVANESE are quite distinct from the Malays,—the same distinguishing traits and characteristics prevail- ing between them as may be noticed between the small-feet Chinese and ths Manchow Tar~ tars. The costume is very different. A frontispiece of acap projects over the cyes, forming any- thing but a graceful head-dress. Many of the { women are totally depraved, and our anchur was sarcely down when a large tam-ban-zar { came zlonsside, filled with women and girls, begeing liberty to pay their respects to the tan They were soon driven from alongside, « us 2 parting feu-de-joie of Malayan suathemis, 4 which I would not translate ij° £ could. THE SUTMEG GROVE. One of my most delightful lounges at thc hotel was in 2n avenume or grove ot nutme:- trees, in full bearing. The foliage of thi ant spice-trec is very dense, and of the fivs and most beautiful green; and I have lain (.l many 2 dreamy hour bepeath the fragrant shade ; losing myself in soothing reverie, or thinkiug on distant scenes and absent friends, till Rosa- lie’s sweet voice recalled me to the enjoyment of the surroundlng beauties, and the rare de- light of a tete-a-tete with Dher in those sweet nutmeg-groves of Javi. As I have elsewhere stated, I had landed at Java twenty years before the visit L am now de- Scribiug; but, previous to this trip, I bad no idea that the island was so replete with scenes of listoricel interest, and so many ruins of great antiquity, z evidence of the high | statc of the Arts and Sciences st a remote . period. The perusal of the interestiog wark of Sir Thomas Stamford Raflles, the British Gov- ernor of Java in 1515, has led me to look upon the Javanese with that degres of tnterest and { respect which naturally attach o the descend- ants of a people whuse ancestors in bygono ages bad made great progress as a mation. The books so kindly farnished for my perusal be- longed to Capt- Gibeon, of the sehooner Flirt, whom I mentioned in a former paper as havin: escaped from Weltevreden. ey containe many plates depicting scenes of interest and rare beauty, one of which X 1y loaged tovisit. This was the TEMPLY, OF BORO-BODOE, 50 miles distant inland from Sa-marmg. The building is of great antiquity, aud the style and character of its architecture are said o be of surpassing grandeur, aod curions in the ex- treme. Bat ] had not the money to spare. Tho charge for a conch and six—the oaly con veyance in vogue for the trip—was 30 rupces (about $12) per diem; and a week at least was considered requisite for the “ V'rzu." for, in these torrid ‘? es, you may not ‘‘ hurry up the cakes,” or natives either; while, between siesta and dinner, “ o day's work ™ Is =n infinitesimal portion of the twenty-four hours. Oh! bow I srished for the purse of Fortunatus for a week, or fora quantumn suff of the yellow ore, or tle pale rupecs, or for acredit letter frowz Roths- child or the B:\rinis. - Many weslthy Arabs reside at Sa-ma-rang. The Java Hotel was erected by an American Cresus for his private residence. * It e%uxhd, it it did not really excel, any building I saw in that land of gorgeous edifice: CaPr. Saat. T m— A Remarkable Dwarf. Hew York Sun. . A large number of physicians went to Tony Pas- tor's Theatzs yesterday (o see the Mexican dwarf, Lucia Zarate. ‘They messured;ner and ascertaines ber height to be 21 inches, her feet 3 inches lonz, ber les below the knee 4 inches in circamference, and her hands 134 broad. Iier mother, who is ro- bust and of medinm size, says ilat Lucia is 11 yezrs old. Iler face ls older than that. Iler fea- tures are Spanish, and her complexion dark. Her activity is inces«ant. She playsd pranks with tin physicians, an talked fast in Spanish. She step- ped into_a high sil_hat, crouched down. and wat out of *ight excepting per bead. She squeezed one of her pliable little hands through s rathet larye finger ring. The hund of an aduit made an ample ezt for her. Standing on a chair and nold- ing to the back of it, her Singers atuck through the #paces in the cane-work—holes that jnst admitted the pasrage of a_small penholder. * She waa not weigbed, but her weightis said 1o be & pounds; ard, poised in the hand, she does mot veem heavier. Her clothing i3 comically mmail, as though intended for adoll, the shoes and stock- gy expecinily beinz toy-1 ‘om Thumb has grown appseciably since he was exhibited by Barnum: but when he first ustouished the pudlic he was twice aslarge 23 Locia, and he was then aboat her present age. She has mot gf:wn any, her mother says, since she was 8 year