Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, March 14, 1877, Page 2

5 i THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 1877, wuch a deliverance, and to rejoica over it with excceding joy when it Is scaured. CIVIL SERVICE. MOW BRALL WE RREFORM THE CIVIL SERVICE] 7o the Editor of The Tridune. Pont 1lunos, Mich.,, March 12.—Now that the Preatidential condlict §s bapplly settled, no other question except the paclfication of the Bouth is of 8o much finpottante to tho country 28 Civil-Servico reform. Mr. Medill's proposition to make the Iresidential term six years, and prohihit immediate re-clection, would, nodoubt, do away with some of the ovils that now prevall 1n the efvil service; but that it would not pre- vent the practice of the theory that *to the vie- tor belones the spolls,” inust be avident without argument., WHAT ARR THR EVILS NOW PREVAILING in the Civil Bervicol Mr. Medill dlecusses some of them at longth, Ishould summarize them hriefly, as follows: (1.) Strictly partisan sppolnt~ mente. (3.) Practically unlimited power of re- moval by the Excentive, (8.) Lack of any posi- tive “tenure-of-ofice.” (4,) Control of ap- pointments by Benators and Representatives. (5.) Prominence and actlvity of Guyernment of- ficfals In parblean politics, Bome of the PEATURRS TO NB DESIRED 1n a rotormed Civlt Sorvice may bo bricflystated, as follows: (1.) Independence of the Exccutive in mnking sppointmonts. (4) Buch provision for tho cxminination of appointecs na to charac- ter and qualfications ns shall prevent dishonest and Incompetent men from entering Lhe service, (%) Such positive * tenurc-of-oflice ¥ as shall provent removnls for political reasons, and shall prevent sweeping changes of minor officials on the incoming of n new Adminlstration. (4.) Ex- clusion of Bunators and Itepresentatives from participation tn the appointuent of the oflicials of oxecutive departinents. 1OW CAN SUCT REPORMS BR EPPECTED and made permanent? An examination of the provisions of the Constitution regarding np- pointments to oflice will show that none of them can be fixed beyond the power of the party hay- Ing control of Congreas and the Exccutive to reach and overturn, without a revision of that tnatrument, ‘This Mr. Medill poluts out In ad- vocating n thango In tho Presidential term. ‘There should always be reluctanco to “ tinker the Constitution, but we ought not to nltow our reverence for that inistrument to provent sach revision as the progress of tho sge and the changing ircumstances under which our Guv- ernment muat be ndministered demand. Let 1t be supposed. then, that {u place of the second and third clauses of Bee. 2uf the Constitution, tho foltowine or soinething similar AHOULD BE SUBATITUTEDY Third—The [P'resident shall nominate, and by and with tho advice and consent of the Henato rhall appolrt, heads of execative drsnr‘menll and buroaus, Ambnasadars aud other public ministees, oJudgos of United States Courte, aaml lugh other high ofMctala us Congiess may provido fur by lnw, ‘ourtA—The appolnimeut of Inforlor oflfcars of the United Fiates shall be vested in the President nlone, orin the haeds of Executiva departments; but all wnch ofilcors, clerks, or agents, holding places of tenat anid rrant, *hall be oxdinined as to churacter and ruallications by boards elected hy the House vf Reprerentatives, or appointed by its Hpeaker (whowo miembers shall hold offica for terms of not luxs than ten yeara), who hali have vower 1o reject such_appofutees for incompetoncy or had charocter. And such oficers, clerks, or auenta shull ke commiasioned for terms of not thnn sesen nor more than ten years, and moy be r mated or recommisstoned without re-exsmination, ‘Iliey shall not bo removed from ofiice before the expiration of their cumminsios, sxcept for snuls feamance or other suflicient cause, vu henariug bo- fore the proper esamining board, or by abolition of the oflice by law, or reduction’ of clerleal force; hut any porson reinored by such abolition of oftice or reduction of clerical foree abnll bu entitled to hold the place until the expiration of the term for which he was comuiissloned, ehould the ofilce bclinnl created by law or the demands of the ervic Fifth=The Exccutiva and Congress alinll eon- rtoue Lhe foregoinyg clauso to forbid removals from oftice fur pulltical reasoiv, nnd Congreas shall pass Inwa to prevent the active particlpation of -offeers llv;ll cmployes of the United States bu partisan pols tics Arrth—No Sonator or lteprescutatlve In Congress elal) appotet, vitier dlm«lg or_fudirectly, an oficer of the Executlve depariment of the Unito Slaten tioverment, HOW 1T WOULD WONK. Under constitutlon:l provisions like the nhove an incoming Adminlsgration, haviug control of the Renate, would luve full puwer to appolnt lnedlately ull the b ottleers of the Gavern- went through which fts polley nust be directed aul carried out, tneluding heads of depurtments uud Lurenus, forelgn Minlstors, ute. As all suborlinate offluials must obey the onlers of the beads of dopartments, a new Administration would not o hampered I tho slightost degree In carrylng out the “ palley of its porty re- gandluy natlonal affaira by its inability to sweop out of place at onco all minor otliclals, UNDER THE RECOND CLAUSE, given above, wo shoulll have a cheek on tha Lixeeutive fn making appolntments, preventing fuvoritiam, and assurhug competency and good uracter; but it would be hardly possible for the Examining Boards to usurp the powekof dictating appointtnents, In providing for the appofutment or clection of such Boards, Con- Kress might adopt o system somewhat stinflar to that on which the courts ave constituted, hav- Ing 8 Supreme Board at Washlugton, say with the Vice-Presfdent at Its head, and such Circuit und Distrlcl Boards as might be requlred to perform tho work advantagcously, The method of thele appotutinent would render them ndependent of the Exceutive Depart~ mwent, while positive terms of ofilee of conslier- able length would place thelr imembers to some extent abeve purty inlluence and dictation. Provision for the explration of the term of oflico of members In regular suceesson wonld also prevent on immediate cliabge In the compost- fon of such Bourds, o thing much tobe desired. OHIEUVATION CONVINCEBS me that there would bo as great danger and dis- udvantage w giving lfo terms of oflice to ofli- cialsas in the present system. * Eleruity of olllce-hollng,’ as I have heard some peoplé ex- rrcm it, is repngnant to Amerlean [deas, and I attempted would result fn dissator o the cattee of Civil-Servlee Reform, What s really nieeded to do away with the most serions evily of our present systent, and matisfy the publle demand for an otcastonal umn‘,w, s much ten. ure of oitice as shall place the subordinats oftices of the Government beyoud the finmedi. ate control of an luconing \mllucnl party, aml render such ofiicials comyparatively fndepeiident, and at the same tlme make the places worth the eceklng by competent persous, ond give fucentive “to curciul and conscientuus work. Life tenure would bo llkely to breed carelessness and fndifferonce, and 8 superciiousness in such oflicials us come fn frequent contuct with the people that would prove intolerabls to Amerfeans. *Change " fs deinanded, and the problem 1s, how to mive reasonable opportundty for it, und at the sume time do away with the evlls that uulmited powner of change brings upon us. There seciny to bo GOOD UIOUND YOR JIOPN that Presideut Huyes will prove successful In Lis contest with (he Senutorlsl Ring, sud glva to the country o fulr sanple of u reformed cvil service; but neither President Haye nor Con- F'chl bas the power, under the Coustitutlon as t wow stands, to Lriug about auy permanent reforin, Unless there ls u changs n thut Aostrument, the opening of the Preshdentlal campalgn of 1 will wituess the sumo activity on the part of olfice-holders uud otlice-sue! cre, und the whole crowd of polit- feal butsuers who liope te guln something for b es, that we have scen in previous came Pa! nd it the ul.punluuu party should e successful the uccesslon of & new President will be the slgnal fur the lmmediate remoyul of o Llundred thousand ofticials, und the fling of tucle places with fnexperfenced and untried wen. Lovked st from o business standpoiot, cun auything wore unbusinessiiho than this by fmaglned | BUPFOSE the Peousylvania Kajiroad Company should eleet o uew Prestdent, sud on tak?nw chargs of the Compuny’s ulfulte that officiel shoula ut once discharge all the old employes, frou Bu- verlntendent down, snd substituie men of no expericoee, choeen vuly because they wers his persond fricuds, or Triends of hia friends; Wwould {1 uot be the ruth of the corporatlon sn its property] Aud yet this is just what {5 done 1 the Guverument tervico oo’ a chauge of Ad- wlulstration, and just what . will coutinuu to be douc unt!l fprbidden by constitutional law, The prominencs sod actlvity of Goverument officials, snd of place-seekers fu the ¢ Eo.luu pm&hnuomm very scrious evil), whic N Dot bo dotie away with under the Coustitution 84 it now stunds. Trug, Government olicials mlght be forbidden by law, or by Exoccutive order, to take sctive part i polltics, but a new President, or a now Cougreas, might repeal ull .such orders luws; while tle ncentive to uctive work on both sldes would rewaly as slrouy e cvel. Nothlug can prevens the * wire- pulling** of local place-holders and place-scekers all over tho vountry, except | A POMITIVA TERURE-DF-OPFICE that shall romier officials feeurs in thelr placos until tha, expiration of the term for which they were ‘appolnted. Add to this the requirement for a searching examination ns to ualifientions and character, and we shall be able to scnd about thelr busincss several hun- dred thonrand men who are now _continually on the lookout for a place at the public crib. ‘Through the present eystem of civil-rervice ‘management the body politic is aflifcted with & col mmlon of discases that demand radieal remedies to effect 4 permanent and thorough cure, It Is folly to disguise this fact, or to ex- pect to settle ||Y|esa questions on a sound boals hy aome system of * cotnpetitivecxaminations’ adopted by 8 well-meaning Preatdent, or the temporary victory of such a President over 4 ¢ BENATORIAL RING.! Tho “Fathers of the Hepublic” were wise In thelr day, but their wisdomn was not sufMcient to cover nllvtho posaibilitics of the future, and, If they Dad supposed I8 was, they would not have mindle provision for the amendment of the Con- stitution. 1t {8 not assumed by the writer that the plan ropored nhove is perfeet; but it suggests * checka and balanees ! that would render the Executive compnratively independent in makin; appointments, and ot the sanie time preven nnmu of the power; that would give reasonable tenure-of-office, and preven; such extreme prac- tlce of tho theory that ' to the victor belongs the spoila” as wounld Yerpclm\u the present cvils; while there wonld ba euch opportunity for change a8 to provent teternity of ofiicos holding,” and render tho systom acceptable to the peonls. 'The BVILS OF CONGRRSSIONAL DICTATION in_the making of appointments would also be mitigated, If not entircly done away with, under Lhe vinuse rugpested above; and no party would dare to disresard so0 plain a constitutional pro- vislon as to make Government ofliciala active polltieal workers. Wo filnd oursclves, ns o nation, faco to face with many serfous dangers, from onc of which wo have mado & temporary escape through the ;wnce!ul nauguration of Lresldent IHoyes. But rom none of them can wa expect final dollver- ance excopt through radleal cbanices In our ton- stitutional laws aod it is to be hoped that tho present Adminfsteation will not be eatlefied with mere makeshifts and surface work, but will go to the root of the matter, and fix the desired reforms In the Constitution Itacll, where they cannot be reached and overturned by any party that lmh[mnn o obtain tempotary posscs- slon'of the Natiunal Governments la~Ai 8, CHICAGO. THE NON. PUILITUB BAWYER, of Oshkosh, Wis,, who hos just returned from Waalington, yesterday told a TRIBUXS roporter nt the Grand Pacitic Hotol that he believed the cra of good feoling had commenced, *and," eald he “Mr, Ilayos §s-a goud Kepublican, ‘There was never any {ntentfon in the Benate not to confirm his nominations for Cubinet officers, but 8charz was a bard pill for :fiulnla of hh’c,m to swalluw, but they did it, and t well. :'Du you anticipate that the President will mnkutmnny changes In the ‘oflices!® nsked the reparter, I Norsiry 1 do not. T bolieve ho will try to study tho fitness of tho presont Incumbents first, Where he finds a man has been In oftles o Tong time, and his cominission has explred, Mr. Hayena may uppolut a new man, on the principle that ‘o new broom sweeps clean,! ! lll.l llgul'e,yuu any idea what his Southern pollcy will be 1 have not. But I betievo it will be a con- dllatnrr one, and will givo satisfaction to the Bouth,” ORIME. MYSTERTOUS MURDER, 3 Spectal Dispalch fo The Triduna. Bostox, March ),—A death by shooting ns mysterious us was that of Lane, the morchant i Dorchiester, two or three years ogo, ocenrred In this city carly this morning. Jncob Tlirsch- lleld, who lived on Kast Chestor Park, and also carried on a large talloring business on Iarrl sun avenuo, was found shot in the entry-way of the lutter place st 8 o’clock, His veat was un- buttoned, and the pistol, which lay by his side, bad been beld so closo to his body that the clothing was burned. He was shot twice, une ball plereing the left and the other the eight lung. He explred in about fifteen minutes. Wlhien the body was found thers was in iho mouth, puslied down the tnroot as far as . posal- ble, a hnndkerchief, upon which the teeth” wera #0 closely shut ua to render it almoxt impossible to withdraw it. _Hia waliet, crupty, was found lalf-wuy down the stalrs, fndieating that the man was followed by sonie one, who knew his labit of coming to lis shop enrly, for the purpose of vobbery, and probably there wera nolther blows nor words heard before the plstol shiot. M, Hirachficld Is known to have recetved a conshdorable sum of monoy from Minor, Ball & lnckett yesterday, aud haa ngreed to pay hls haods and several other debts thin morning. rhe barkecper occupying the ground floor says that thers was an inferval of about thres minutea between the two shots, und that no scuille was heard, nlthough tho staircnso partition 1s very thin, and the uscent or descent of persons over the stairs [s almost alwoys lenrd buelow, The pollco profess to be- llove that the inan commitied sulclae, ns ho hud been financially embarrassed for somo thoe, ond was much depressed, Thres lodgers In the house heve been urrested on suspiclou, i MURDER AND SUICIDE,. Spectal Dispate to The Tribune, Four WAYNE, Iud., March 13.—This morning a terrible tragedy took place one inile from Tuntington. Michael Merriwon, Ina fit of in- sanlty, shot one of his rous, agud 18, In the head, wounding him fatally, Me then shot the sccund son, aged 16, {nfileting o serious wound, and coneluded b{ shooting hlinself in tho hoad, mualnfl tant death, Mr. Merrmon was for & Jong time an Inmuto of tho State lusune Jos- pital, but was provounced enred and discharged a year ago, sinee whleh thno he has given no sligu of mental derangement uotll to-day. it THF. MOLLY MAGUIRES, PuiapeLiuie, March 18.—The Bupremo Court this morning ordered that o writ of crror {u tho caze of Munluy va. The Commonwealth should bo nollo prossed, there belng uo assigne ments of error Mled, nor any papers or book, owing to the poverty of plalntilf In crror, and that tho arguiment I the caso of Carroll va, The Commonwealth must proceed, It will be the next case armied. Both Munley amd Carroll oro Molly Magulres, and are under aeutonce of death fof munier, TOO MUCH LIQUOR, Bpectal Dispaleh fo The Tridune, Mrxneavorts, Minn,, March 13, —Mary Lyons, of this tity, was found murdercd at her home fn the East Division late Just nleht. Ner husband perpetralyd the deed, and confesscs the erime, both being In the habit of uslug liquor freely, and both being under the influence of it at the time. The quarre! originated about the divise fon of thy contents of u pail of beer. The murderer i3'under arrest. A BIG NTEAL, Nrw Yorg, March 13.—Juuies J. Smith, clork of lylsou, Blakeman, Tuylor & Co., educational book dealers and atatloners, has been arrested and chiarged with steallng over $30,000 worth of atecl pens and other pouds belonging to the firm and found at his house, and marked for shipient to dealers vutzide of the city. Binfth 2w member of thoe Young Men's Christioy As~ soclation, MICHIGAN CITY, Bpectul DispaicA 10 The Triduna. Micmoan Ciry, Ind., March 18.~The Rev, John P, Nash, of Lagrange County, was to-day appolnted moral fustructor at the State Prison, vice the Rey. J. Hartsuck, of Nuble Connty, Richard Viot, the defuulting agent of the Biuger Sewinz-Maching Company at Judisnupo- 11s, took up his nbode st the Btate Prisou to<lay for a period of five yeara, ——— DENIAL, New Onvnmans, March 13.~Btate-Senator Webber contradicts the statement that Lis brother, who was assnssinated st Bayou Bars, had been polng about the streets with a double- barreled shot-gun on his sboulder, thréatent: citieens of that placo. Senator Webber states that his vrother novor carried weapons of auy o DEFALCATION, Porrsviues, Va,, March 18.—~The examina- tion of- the books ol William J. Rutter, Cushler of the Firat Natlonal Bauk ol Pottstown, dis- closes w defaleation of $17,000. FINANCIAL, PorraviLLe, Pa., Manch 18.—~The Oermau Banking Company of Pottsville suspended this afternvon. Deposits, $35,000. It 3 thought the aseots aro considerably more thau the lis- bilitive. BUSINESS PROSPECTS. QOrowing Confidence in the Business Outlook for the Year. Indlcations that a Revival of Business Ilas Already Commenceds The Political Muddlo Settled to the Salisfactlon of Dasiness Iaterests, A General Demand for Lower Rentd This Year, New York Landlords Gonerally Willing to Make Uoncessions. Chesring Reports from the New Hne gland Manufactordes. Bpecial Correspondence of The Tribune, New Yonx, March 10,~It haabeen confdently anncrted ail through the winter that nasoon &s the Presldentinl tranble wae settled thero swould be an Immediate revival of business. The long-voxed queation has been finally daclded, liayes ns beon Inaugurated President, and tho general pabtic ace cepts the solution of the long-pending diflenity quietly In all canes, resignedly by rome, and with great satlafactlon by others. The prevalling eene timent on the subjcet s that of great relief that this Incabue, which has hiung abont the neck of the conntry like an Old Manof the Sea, has at lnst been 1ifted, withont disturbances of any kind. While politiclans of the Democratic sttipe cry **frnad, ** anid procialm Me. Hayes a ** fraudnlent Prealdent, " etc., the busincss-men of that party are of opinlon that fraud was committed to ruch an extent by both partics that it wasa tosy-np which was the worst. They may ihink thut the Loulslans Retorning Doard did not poe. sess nll the virtues, but are quite willing they ehall rank beside Cronin's nose ‘and tho Ore. =oun dispatches. A Democrat zald to me while the Inaugnration of Hayes was In progress, ** Well, T'm glad the thing 18 over; 11ayes may bo a fraudus lent Preéident, bat ho has at Jeast na good a title to tho office na Tildon conld possibly bave shown, It was 1(kd & gamo of cut-throat euchre, —overy man for himaelf aud the deyil tako the hindmost, —and Tilden got left.” The politicians wonld have been glad to have tncited forcible oppoaition to the in- suguration of Prosident Hayen, but the business men of both parties quistly rat down on all such propo- sitions, They wera determined that tho qucetion ehould be poaceably disposed of, and the bnsintss of the country nllowed n chance to recaperate, GOOD INDIATIONS. The promisen of n businoss ravival bid falr to he falfllcd. Alroady morghants and manufacturers are tatking more hopefally, snd certaln ones of them eay that they already begln to feel an {in. ptovement In thelr husinées, When the voto of Lonlelana was connted for tlayes tho Presldentiat quostion was deemed ns good as eettled, Fromn that moment business men took heart and bogan to vrepato for ‘*tha good time toming," A manu- facturer, Jargely engaged ‘in business, onc-half of whose machineey has been lying idlo all winter, says that ho rocolved more orders last week for goods than In any two weeks sinco Octoher, and,ns & consequence, he had to set all bls machinery going and hin menatworkon fall time. Dealers In ‘bootn and ahoes and ready-made clothing represent an Increase of orders alno, and say that their salesmon through {he country represent a good atato of feeling, which promiscs a large spring trade, Men in tho strect wear a pleasanter, buisler, and moro cheerful cast of countenance, and apeak more cheerfnlly and confidently of thelr affales, **Wa are gatting ready for a big epring trade, " tan common remark to bé heard on street-cars, feery- boats, and In the strect, In response to the usual greeting of **1ow's business?™ Thereis cortainly @very reason to anticlpato s botler trada thin yeur than for sevoral yeurs horetofore, The country has been In a state of retronchment ever siuco ths panie, and overy one hos at 1ast TOUUINED BOTTOM, and got his businese completoly under his control. Teople have cut off their ontaide enterprlacs, for- saken speculation, sad confined thelr onerglos, to thelr legitimato occupations. For threo years and more they have.gono along withont wmaking any money; indeed, with o great wany the expenditurcs lave oxcceded the receipts, An businces men, thoy are gotting tired of spending thelr Umo, mnoney, and encrgy with- out making anything, and there fs a unives readiness to launch out this spring. Thoy com- monced doing e0 Jast fall, and quite o busincsa ro- ¥lval set In slong In Soptember and Octoher, but this was unthmely nipped In the bud by the election oxcitement nud subsequent uncertaluty., Tho thous aro sgnin uusplelous, the harvost Is ready for the cnterpriving reaper, sl buslucas men ara auxious to bo frst {n the feld. Thousands have been walting, like Micawber, for ** something to turn up® “which will promise falr roturus wpon tha unproductive ~ capital they have had locked npso'lony. Upportunities are now pre. senting thomselven, And they are putting their mongy Into manufacturing or business enterprises, Kmployers ore re-cngaging old employes, i these are jubilant at once mora having the opp tunity of earntug their living, In all directi ono hears words of hove and good cheer,—tho vs- pression of o determination to **delve things for all they are worth. " NHAL ENTATE, n in that deadest of all dend proporty, real thero In beginning to bo a betier feellng, t t0 sny, thero aru occaslonal transfers of hle class of property, which, of itsuil, iaa novel- ty, Uf course, it dooa not brlng unything liko the priceaof a few years azo, hut there are many hold- urs who are rejolced nt an opportunity toscll for al- nost auything. taretofuretlivre iave bugn no buy: ors, but within a conple of weeks there have beon iudlcations that some persons belloved that maw was a good timo to buy renl entate, This In undoubt. ly true, for never before In my recollection could real catats bo ht b0 low an now. 1 holleve thut mune{-u nvested will double fiaclf within en years, New York has gt 1o grow o next very decliedly’ yot, and all tho real withtn the city limits will become valuablo in a short time, This is tha oplulen of i gould mony aharp capitalinta, who, during tho telgn of hard times, have been ;mulmf thelr money Into mortgages, They now find {ho pronerty worteaged coming futo thalr posseadlon at vory low yurva, the murtzageors belug unable 1o pay inters ent. dlut, while thle s truo"uf same, otlicre tni that the property on which thoy have loaued money will not wall for engugh to satlely lie mortenges they Lold, Home cluxdcs of real eatate buve vafs fered u shriuks f fully 50 per cent in tho five or slx years. and sl kinds have had a veso tumble, Yot ownors of it business In tavorable lucatlo keep their pretty ot They paid © faflas lon prices, und thiey hape ta seo ‘them return, Thelrbopes will bo Tealized If thoy bave the pae tlence to liold un and the mency W pay a high rate of taxation for a few years longer. TIE QUESTION OF RENTS is one which o majority of New Yorkers have brought to their attentlon most forelbly sbout 1hile thne of year, On the 1st of May preity much averybody ls expected to move, sad for two months bofara that tinw heads uf familice aro on the yo to find suitablo guarters. This your thero s o unie vernal demand for lower rents for both buslucss and realdence property, Fur three years In suce ceasion thero lave boen redactionein rents, but they huve noet fallen correspondingly pith other articlos of necessity, Dry guods, buota bnd shovs, clothing, and wany grocerles, can be bought now for une-half what they could o fuw years avo, lutehers bave also reduced their prices somewhat, but not correspondiugly; Just wiy they bavew't Tw une uppeira o knuw s Brobabally becsuse meak buyerd do not Inelst upon It Nents Luve not kept paca with the general reduction fu prices, but thory rvelis Lo bea determination on the purt of ten- suti to BRING TIIRM DOWN : thle yesr, Occupanuts uf costly stores on Boadwa: suy they are dotcrmined 16 bave cheapor ronts thix apelugor move. Bustuess for the pust three yuars liae not warranted then Ly Fying $10, 003 or 315, - 000 & your for 8 store, and they say they have becn dolng'busincss fur the benest” of” thelr landlords long envugh. Alecady we lmim tp notlces atuck up i the windows, **Thly bu will be remored ® (0 womo other number. Thy ludications are that landiords will weet tensnts on falr and cquitablo grounds. They can readily sce the ten- dency 10 lowoer rm:u. and ard not going 1o lut E£oud tenauts pay bhelr noney to uthers it shignt reduction in rent wili retain thom, [ a; that the Asture huve resolved to per ceut reductlon on the larger of thelr vroperty thls year, which witl maks ber ceut reduction they have made within tive years, When the Astors kuock uff o dollar you 1133 bo sure that iwu shuohl buve becy taken off Insiead, It lealso & sury udivatiou of thoconditlon of the rent war- ko, But thery is this to be sald of the Asorw, if thoy exact the hivhest prices for thelr property, they always kecp thair promlees invxcellent ros palf. Lust year hundreds of bouavs rematued vas aut, becauss tho Ligh prlces dewiauded druve the occupants loto te how eedingly I’rl:n Iaforuied ako o 10 APARTMENT HOUSES. All yver tlio city Louscs could be scen, any month of the year, ‘placarded ‘T rent," 'Topauts would not pay the esorbitant rente demanded. ‘Tuse landlords who had anvccupied houses on thcir hands fur tho past year are ot likely Lo ru- oeat thelr biundor tuls year. — +*1alf & loaf s bute ter thun Bo bread, " aud they will be content with falr pelces (b wearon, Ong house that § kuow of that was vacaut fast year because tho owner would nut take less than §2,500 for it has beea rentod for tha coming yeor for $2, 000, A friend who bas pald §1,200 for bis houso for three years paet has rented it this year for 81,000, ‘Thete (A 8 great demnand for cheap houses, rénting for from $0¢ to 1,000 per annum, and thete are not enongh-of theso 10 be had either in New York or Brooklyn, Uf the higher-priced housen there I8 A rnrplos, and ikely to be. The hard times haye umfht prople the way to redace the exprnses of thelr domestic as well ar thelr businesa extabliah- ments, and shown them that **style'" (s not neces- mary to comfortahle exiatence. They are conse- nently content with more modeat resfdences than they were a few yoars o which can be had at constdorably lean rent, lint thera Is something elre which {4 aerfonsly decreasing the demand for high-priced dwellings, and that i« the apartment and French-fat houres. The distinction between theee 1s that in the flats you d6 your own honse- keeplng. while in _the apsrtment-houscs 'the hml!ekrny\ln? Ia done for you, {ulll‘ meals belngecered in yonr ownapariment. Tt lsa plonsant nodifiedtion of the boaniing-house. Within the past faw years any quantity of theee apartment and flat fionses have been bailt, provided with cyery Inxury and convenience thal families can dewite, t very reasonable ratex, THOUAANDS OF FAMILIRS hiave svalled themnelyea of (hese nccommodatione, both for the eake of :cunnm{ and convenience. Consequently just #o nisny familice have been withdrawn from the st of competitors for single hourer, It saves moncy, and the elegant sur- roundings and ** etyla" of tiose apartment houses toride nn caay let.down for ¢ who hiave atood high In roclely, hut fonnd & audden neceesity for reftenchment, The ladies find a convenlent ex. cnee in *'the tronble of honsckeeping, * ** which wana a¢taally killing poor maming, you know, " and ‘‘the worry of thoso dreadful servanta, who are- ‘really good for nolblnf, and, besidea befng dishoncel, are actually Impartls nent.” Tha men like them becnues of the u\-lm“ in expense and the relfef from the butchura, hakers, ete,, which It brines tham. At hia time of year, {herefore, for a variety of eAuses, the mian who uwne a number of hoRses or buginess places 1s on the anglouy seat, cither reeking to recata the goad tenaits Re han, of to provide good flci in place of the bad. Thas far the tenants vo TIR BEST END OF TIE 10O, and bid falr to bring the landlords to terms, But thero In much to bo eald in excuse for Inndlords who demand high rents. It is they who haye fo hear thie barden of depreclation of real estate, and not the tenant. e ls not only made to reslize the fact that his property iy worth only hall ge much n4 he paid for it, Lot his tenania of l)e:l to payin) 8 falr rato of interest on the half that laloft.” Ife has lot in valne, and mnet take all the riske of ownership, pay taxes, keep in repair, and hold his tanant under sharp survciliance to see that ho don't run away, Owners of business property have found great difculty in letting THE UPPRR PLOORS of their premisca, and there are hnndreds of efe- gunt buildings on Broadway and adjacent business flreéts withott A tenantabove the second floor. ‘Thin I8 largely dae to the snepenzion of sa many ~mall manufacturing entyrprises, which were cars ried on in thesa Tofts, Men of muderats mosns, who were doing a quict ilttle business in theso g‘l,ncu. have been g0 cramped by hard thues as to forced to do thelr work at howo, if not to abag- don it altozether. this mneans owners of the Ymreny liave heon deprived of a large purtion of hele revenne, and nuw, when the occue ante of the first fvors domand A re- uction of rent, nothing but necessity mecrres acquiescence. The landlord hias seen his revenues Rradually decrensing year by year, aud now he is obliged to lop off a fuw hundred niore, 11¢ cannot he expected o o it with u very good grace, but nevertheless they nte duln? It very genorally, And this Fact constittiies a portion of that ** hard-pdn ™ that tusinessmen any they are gefting back to In Inu mnnagenent of “their affairs and upon which thny eount for futuro success, —chieap ronts, chieap lahor, the abwence of speculation, aud @ roturh to legitimato traflic, are tho elements npon which they hope to ride into more prowperous tim Let us hopo they mav. Speaking of botter tinies, hiero ia what a coerespondent writes regarding the AANUPACTURING BUSINERS OF NEW ENGLANDS The Fall River manufacturers wnenllykll”' that lielr hardest experlences aro over, snd ok fura Ively sprifg trade. Though the cipenso of funning iy stcam, and, tho lags amount pocewaty to puy e yearly intctest on comly and esienaive ills faye eateu tp wiiat littia pronit they liare nido diing thio post three yoars, the present Lusiness of noarly all tho cor- porations 14 remuncrative, ani the Brotiect is of % flendy increate. © Thio uraint durini the, it wintoe T stopped many mille which are dependent entirety npon water, nnd the grow{ng confidence In A atisfactor, folution uf the poiticat ailustion ias created & domani svhich tho Fall i vepinanufaciurars aro pre- yared (o take ndvantage of. The present of all the ¥all Hiver mills sinuants to 6,800, ards per week, on which here fa & net pront of 5,800, and prices show atgns of improving., It s & nutewarthy fact tint, though Fall Tiiver manutactirers mada (ha dret export of govdd o England, And can compete with her In forelgn countrics, tha liome de- and 18 80 Ereat that they cantobat presous follow u Thio mIvAntage, and this ranch af the tMda i practieals ‘{nmuxw]xvllzfl\. s far as Now Engiaid Ja concernnd, by ud lalaud ninkers. Every indication points to ‘tia factthat thie Land tined In_the dry-xouds trado are trvar, snd i tn fair 10 supoose thiat ihle vew and encour- Aging state of thinge will oztend 1o ather (lnes of tan. ufacture aisa. 1f business-mon generally will only make up their nunda that there {s golng to be a largely-in. creaded trade this year, and prepare to do their sharo of It, and n gocknl the pruilts, confidenca ls at once restored and the conundrums solved. Durron. TFIRES. AT MONTREAL. Spectal Dispulch to The Tridune, MoxtnrAL, March 13.—3cKinnon's biscult Iactory, fn the Village of Bt. lenrl, wae de- stroycd by firs this uvening. A number of fire- men reecived scvere {ujuries from one of tho walls falling while they weroon ladders, C. Dubols had aleg Lroken and was otherwiso brulscd, burned, aud cut, Junes LeClalre had n ey broken, and his hend eat "Tho Jusa {9 estl- nated at $50,000, The Insnrance compunies in- terosted aro the Scotch Imporial, 85,0003 Northe ern, $3,000; Loncashire, $ q zens', #1,100; Norlh British & Mercantile, $1,600: Nav tlonal, $2,000. ‘I'he Quoun's Is ulso futcrested to o sinull amouns. IN NEW YORK, New YORK, March 18.—The firo in Nos, 02and 04 Frankllu street to-day coused large losses to several dry goods fiemus, among others Town- aend & Yale, ‘whose loss {a from $35,000 1o £50,000, Tho hulmlnF was (damnaged aln,ano. ”llf‘llutk kl(.‘n. lose 820,000; Bacon & Co., $:35,0004 all fusured. AT WOONSOCKET, It. 1. Provinuxce, R 1., March 13.—Elllott's Opera- House and the Monument Tlouso and stables at Woonsocket burned to-night, tugetber with most of thelr contonta. Toas, $80,000; {naured, 50,000, The bulldings all ‘wlun:unl to L. W, Ellfott” & Co, Tho fire orizinated in F, 8. Weoke' furnituro store umder tho opera-house, IN CHICAGO. Tho alarm from Box 816 at 12:40 yesterday afternoon waa caused by a fire lu the two-story vrick house, No.433 West Madlson strect, owned by 8. B, McCortnuck, aund occupled as a resl- dence by Dr, A, W. Pulne, Dumage $250; no insurance, Causc, defectiva fBue, IN BALTIMORE, Bavrisone, March 18.—Tho one-story brick warchiouse, No, 11 Comineree street, occupled I? W, . 8churts & Co,, wholesals tlsh and chieeas dealers, and Jesse Luzar & Ca., wholesale t;mccr-. burned this morning. Loss, $40,0003 nsured. CANADIAN NEWS, Speclul Dispatch fo The Tribuna, TORONTO, Unt., March 14 —Another memher has been added to the Ontarlo Qovernment— e, Hurdy, Menber of Farllameut for South Brant, with the porifollo of Provinclal Becre- tary. Mr. Cruoks, who formerly held thoe dual offfve of Member of Education ‘and Tremsurer, retaina the former ottice, and Mr. Wooll takes the Treasurersbip, Mpecial DispalcA {0 The Tridune. Orrawa, March 13.—A Ll Lo {ncory Union Cable Company was considered in com- mittes to-duy, ‘The Hon. Mr, McKenzie suid thero were tireo charters extant which were In- operative, and 18 was not deslrable to puss jue operative measures, Mr, Metealfs sald he be~ heved It was the intention of the Company to obtain a charter to scll it n London, 11 it was the Jutention 1o acll out to the Anglo-Atucrican Company the carter should nut be granted. A Prentlee, representative of the L’umpnufir dented this hi positive terms, Tho blil is stil} under dlscusi rate tho * Cremutlon, American Avchitect The first mublcipal action I favor of crema- tlon uf which we bave heard Is that of the town of (otha, where the Counvil, which sowe time ago legullzed cremation, hus dechded Lo ercet o eotumnbarivm, with provision for the burning of bodies. The plan of the structure provides two wlugs with u coungeting portico—ouu of the wiugs belns used as . reception-nall for bodics, and'tho otber for the cremation {tself; while the portlco, a3 we understand it, 18 to he the evlumbarium propes, the wall bebind the colon- nade carryiug the ary urns, with wemorlal tablets, aud “the lke, The nr.vmml to bu used in the Dburnlug that ol r. Biemens, ~which * wo have bo- fors dederibed (Amarican Architect No, 48, r. 391). A lute number of Eaglueering gives 1l ustrationa of tho prizo design for cremations bulldinges, secepted by the Cungress of Crema- tualats held lust summnet tn llrcndcu[.b_v Herr Lillenthul, au arcbltect of Berliv, ‘This consiats of a classicul chapel, in the forw of & cella of & Ureek temple, rising sbove the surrounding g;rmyk. which counects on either hand by { ort wings with round butlaings somet ivey Jumanesque baptisteries. Beyond these, unfi porticos which will serve us culumbaria strowd out on both sides, The bodics are burued In furnaces ina butldiog bebiud the chapel, and the mmoke of the Juruices 18 carried off ju a duc which Hsés througl the 1iddle ot s bigh bell- tower Lu the rear. VANDERBILT. A Qreat Fortine Intact, and the Lawe- % yers' Bright Visions Dise pelled. Procoedings In the Burrogate's Court Take an Unexpected Turh, . Py The Heirs Reconoiled and the Beorstary of Btate Walked Over the Traol, William I, Snpposed to Mave Pat Big Shinplasters on All Recaleltrants, Bpécial Dispatéh to The Tribuns, Ngw York, March 13,~The Vanderbilt will casc came up to-day in the Btrrogate’s Court. ‘The court-room tas filled with a motley nasem- blage, most of whom were hille curiosity-seckers, ‘There was ono woman present, a tail, thin, old lady In black, whom none of the, parties In tn- térest knaw. At 10:88 Secretary-of-Stats Will- famn M, Evarts walked io, followed by Jacob Vanderbllt, Willlam II. Vanderbilt, snd his sons, Cornellus and Willtam K, These were the only representatives of the family pres- eote It was 11:03 when Surrogate Cul- vin enterod, and- hastily mounting the beneh called: “The matter of the probate of thd last will &nd tostament of Cornellus Vanderbilt, deceased. Mr, Clinton answered *Reddy fof the proponents.” Iie then went on to say that, assocluted with him were Mr. Evarts amd George F. Comstock, and sugtgested that tho names ol counsel for the contestants bo announced fn full. Mr. Allen arose and sald thal Judge Black, Scolt Lord, and himsclf appeared on behalf of Cornelius Vanderbilt, Mr. Matthews safd that David Dud- ley Fleld and himself appeared for Mrs. Ethetin- da V, Allen, ‘Mr, Wingate said that he and Butheriand Tenticy had been retatned on Hehatt of Mrs, La Ba. Mr. Dopow sald that ho repre- sented Mra, Clark, and Mrs, Ficld, non-con- testants, Y - ¥ Mr. Clinton (rising)—All the helrs seem to bo present by appearance and ready to procced, M. Forit—It your Ilonor piease, bn belinlf of Cornclius Vanderbilt, I desire to withdraw all our objectlona to the will, and mové that they be expunged from the record, - The Burrogate (quickly)—=1he motion is granted. Mr, Matthows—On bchalt of Mre, Allon, T ask that our ubjection be removed, and that an order to that cffect bo granted und the order be flled fn tha court records, Tho Burrogate—It is so ordercd. . Mr. Wingate—0n behalf of Mrs, Lo Ba, I ro- quest 4 simllar order, Our objections have not beon filed In court, but a copy of them has been served on the responents, ‘The Surrogate—Grauted. A buzs of astouishment ran through the court, Thecounsel for the contestants rose in abady and left the room. Mr. Clinton stood up and sald that nothlug rematued in tho way of proving tho wiil, Boveral witnesscs wero examlnoed, after which the Burrogate sald: *The proofs seem to be ample for that purvose, aud the motfon s granted.”? Mr. Clinton—Imovo thatlotters testamentary bo granted to the exccutors named in the will. Mr. Calvin promptly made the required order, and then suggested that counscl drawupa formal order withdeawing tho objections, for him to sign. Whila thiswas being done and tho Ietters teastamentary were belng made out, ho descended from the. Benchand had n cordial shaka of hands with the Beerctary of State. In a foew moments the Clerk eutered with tho Yetfers, and Mr. Calvln, surmounting the beneh, called up Mr. Wiillam 'H, Vanderbiit, who swote that the afMdayit made by him was true, and that he would faithfully and honestly dischargoe his dutfes as cxeeutor under tho wiil of Corneltus Vanderbilt, deccased. —Blmilar outlis wera taken by Corsnclins Vanderblilt, Bam- uol Barton, and Willian 11, Vanderbllt, the other exocutors. No bonds wers required, alk being rosidents, Having rocelved tha lotters, tho partioa left tho court-room with Lhelr coun- sel, and the_crowd which had fingered to tho lust slowly dlsperaed, Mesars. Allon, Matbews, and Wingate, for tho contestants, suld that they were unaware of any cotpromise. 1f one had'been agreed to, It wius strictly s fmnllg matter, oud would doubtiess romwain 8o, Their clients were full of fight up to the last momeet, On Monday evening thers ‘was a mecting of couneel, at which o plun of conduct waa drawn up and ogreed 1o, and all went to bed detormined fu good faith to contest the will to the Inst extremity. On arrlving at their offices noxt morulng " each of the threo namod found awaitiug him alutter from his client requeating thut the objections bo with- drawil o renson or explanation was given. 1 roportend on [ authority, however, nerally belleved auongs those who aro nequalnted with the lumllr. that Mr, Willlnin 11 Vaudorhilt, tinding his brothers and sisters determinad, agreed to tholr demands ut tho lust moment. {n n:?urdw tho appearance of Mr. Fvarta so soon after hia soceptance of tho posls tlun of Becrotary of Stato s ono of the counsel in n case which it was probable would detuin him from W -duties for a’long period, ft is wtsted that -Le asccopted " his ro- tainer of #3000 beforo his namo was mentloned i connection with the Cabinet. ‘To carn that vust sum required from hiin ouly o Jouruey from Washington to Now York and'an attendunice of au hour fucourt, during which ho did not open bis mouth onee, except to suggest to Mr. Clinton an fmmaotertal r\uustlnnn out the atate of the Commudore’s bealth in tho cuso of cach witness—awlnquiry which Mr, Cliuton, singularly snough, forgot In each {nstauce, ——————— CASUALTIES. CRURIIED T0O. DEATIL Kpectal Dispalch to The Tribune. JacxsoxviLe, £, Mareh 13.~Duvid Lacy, a well-known and highly-respocted citizen of Jacksunvlile, was fnstantly killed to-day, Io went to hils sawmlll, o few mlles out of towd, this morning, and, while attempting to roll a heavy log into the mill, ho slipped and fetl, and tho hfi‘mm]uver his body, crushing the Jife out of hiin Instantly, Edward Waldwiat, 8 Swedlsh farm-hand Jive ing a few miles frum this city, was run over by a train on the Chlcazo & Alton Hallrond Mot day night, and o’ crushed and mutilated that he'died on Tuesday mornlug, SNOW-SLIDEY, SavLT LARE, Utal, Morch 13.—Snow has been falllng tu tho mountalns near here for the Jaat twelve days, Yestcnlay u suow-slide - oceureed uear Alts, kflling Mathow Iogram ahd arg] Pratt, A cave-ln at the Flagstaf inine lusé night covered fivemen and killed Ueury Johinston, No others were badly hurt. i s « OFF THE TRACK, PuLAvELPIA, Pa., March 13,—Three cars of o tram on the Philadelphifa, Wilmington & Bal- timore Rallrond were thrown from the track near Wilinlnzton last uight and smashed to pleces. OQuo i was killed, o Pt e, OBITUARY, Louvisvieie, March 13.—Mrs, M. B, Bright, widow of the late Hob. Jewe D. Bright, of Indlans, died at the Qalt louse last night at 0:20 o'clock, Mrs. Brizht's {lincss was of short duration, The remalna leave Loulsville at 4 o'clock Weduesday, via thu Olito & Misslssippl Hallroad, for burtul tn Baltimore, pectal Dupatch fo The Triduns. 3 Datnoit, Sarch bk bowns Nowett Avery, of the gereat Jumber firin of Avery & Murphy died to-day. * —————— THE STATE FAIR, Hpecial Dispaich 0 Tha Triduns. BrrinarisLy, IU., March 18.—The Commitieo of Arraugewcuts uf the state Board of Agricul- ture go to-marrow to Frecport to maoke preflng- pary urraugements for the State Falr, which is to be held there this year, eyacciaation. ‘Thore is no cvidence, according to the London Lancetyto show thut rovacgnation, once ctfivicnt. iy pesforwed st or alwer pubedty, need eyer D™ rupea Ou thy other hand, the fro- quest repetitlon of revacdnation, which bas be- come comuwon during slurns of swall-pox, Ls distinctly to be deprocuted | Buch ropetitions are, os a rule,tutile; aro wasteful v lymph when Iymph s most precions; they tead to unsettla tte mimis of people regarding some of thd bost catablished facts ns to the preserva- tive power of vaccination, and they are unneces- sary, The ‘oflictal memorandum of the Loval Government Board on revaceination says: **Re. vaceination once properly and succeastully per- formed does not appear ever to require tepeti- tion.” The nurses and otler servants of the London Small-Pog Hospital, when they enter the seryice, are [nvarlably submitted to vacelna- tion, which in their case’fs {;eucrnlly revacelns ation, and Is never afterwand repeated; and so perfect I8 the protection, that, though the nurses live in the closcts and most constant at- tendance on small-pox patlents, and thoug! also the other servanta are In varlous ways ¢! poscd to special chances of infection, tha reai- dent surgoon of the hospital, during his forty- one gears of office there, hasnever knownsmall- pox to affect any of these nuracs or servauts. LAKE FUCINO. Its Draitinge by Princo Alexander Torlonines End of a Task Commenced by Jullus Cresnr. Rome Correspondence New Tork Frening Iost, Ono of the niost remarkablo works of mod- ern times, tho dralning of Lako Fuctno, lias Just beonfinished by Prince Alexander Torlonta, n citizen of Rome. Theentire history of this great work has been written in English and French, and published by Torlonia In & volume of 000 pages, printed with elegance of typa and paper. Of this volume, printed only for private distribution, I finve been g0 fortunate ns to ob- tain a copy-through the kindocss of Prince Tor- lonta's lawyer, Mr, De Fellce. + A GREAT BNOINEBRING WORK: - The dralning of Lako Fucino, which was the largest lakoin Central and Soutliern Italy, covering sn arca of 87,050 acres, lins been the drean of the Ronans stace the [dea was first coneefved by Jullus Crsar. The lake was situated In the province of Aquila, ifty-threo miles cast of Rouic and ninety-six miles north of Naples, aud before {ts draining eovered the ccatur part of a vast table-land, oneof the argest in the central part of tho Apennines. Thls table-laud, 2,094 feet above the level of tho aea, Is surrounded ou all sides by spurs of the main chain of niountaing, and seprrated from the adjncent valleys In such o manner that the waters found no outlet to dischiarge themseclves Into tho nelghboring rivers. The only means of dlischarging the lake was by evaporation Into the alr or absorptioninto the carth, and as often ostho safufull was larger than the amount of -water thus subtracted, the volume increascd and overtlowed the surrounding country. The propurtions of the lake, thus depon l"f on atmospheric changes, were exceedingly yarlable, Bometimes the water even filled the eitiré baatn of 178U acres vontalned within the cirele of mountalns, and drove the poor Inhubitants gradually away from their farms to the sur- rounding hills, When the wators sank the peo- ple returned timorously to thelr lands; bat searecly did they begeln to wake them ngain pro- duetive whona new rising of tho Inke drove them away. Thoy lived Ina state of contintal auxiety, their flelds being often for several years gt o time covared by the ndvancing waters; and, when at last they were able to take posses- alon of thom, they incurred heavy expenditures In rendering the land fit for* cultlvation, .and wore al4o ¢xposed to tnaladies from the swampy condition of the soll. This stato of thinga was “espocially serlous at Lake Fuclito, beenuso the people on the neigh- Vorlng mountaing had no other placo than that of Fucinoto which they could look for thoir supplies of cereals and other produce of tha sofl, Ahe rest of the territory hl:lnF nothing clge than steep mountaln-sides, on which cultivation was almost finpossibte. Tt was o PAVOIITY. PHOJECT WITIL JULIUS CRAAR to drain the land covered Ly Lake Fuclnu, nsn roductive tract of conntry so near Rome would fiuvc been very destrable.to aulmly the eity with gruln. This was one of several magnificent pro- Jeets, which his munter by Brutus defented, designed to provent the terrfble fanines that so often afllleted the great population of Rome. At tho death of Cwesar the work was dlscontin- ued, und was never resnmed by his successors unth Claudlussucceeded to the linperial dignity. ‘The works which he caused Lo be exceuted arg consldered by I’ll‘:{ the most extruordinnry of that brilllant perlod. This attempt of Claudius o draln the luke, after an immense expanso and cmploying M\OUU men durivg a period of cleven years, wna only Imrtly succeasfnl, This wns owing to the frouds in tho work racticed by his frecinau Narelssus, who, wenre old l){ ‘Tacitus, nccumulated an lmmncnse for- tuno In a mysterious way while lio had tho su- porintendence of the tuunel. The worka wero renowed by Trojan and Hadelan, sudin the ddle by Frederick 11, and by several sovarciens of Naples, but they wero all unsuc- cessful, and the waters contlnued to riss und fall necording to unknown laws, no regular ob- servativns baving ever hoen made before the be- ginning of Torlunia's work In 1854, This lon, auccesslon of fatlures hiad caused tho dralning of Lake Fuuiuo to be regarded ns AN IMPOSSINILITY. 3 ‘The enterprise of Torloniu, who has succeoded in overcoming ditficulties which for centuries had reststed the efforts of the most nowerful tuonarchs, rebounds firuluy to his honor, It Iias been accomplishied in o most sclontifle and thorough mauner, and thereisno probability that like its predecessors b will soon fall fute ruin, Lake Fueino ts the largest inland rescr- voir thut bons ever been dralned, sud Torlonlu, with wonderful vourasge and perseverance, hos during a perlod of twenty-two years continued the work, llrst se owner of one-half the stock, and afterward as solo proprictor, "The tunnel, which follows tha direction of the old Roman one, but s three timas ns.larg und hus four tintes tho power, s onc-half the lengtl of the Mont Cenls tunnel—that s, 6,837 ards—and discharges overy sccond w,alu al- una of water, - The whole work vouslsts of this tunncl under o mountain, and a plain which is hizher than that of Lake Fucino, to the River Lyris, Into which it fulls from an_ clevation; n nystem of conals in tho bed of the lake, and masalve stone bulldings at the head of tho tun- nel, Tho Iske, which, when Torlonta began to draln it, waa 124 milles long and 6.8 miles wide, Is afan ellipticul form. It 1s certain that when the draining tegan ft was much shallower than In anclent thmea, the depth of the deposits helug calenlated at nearly twelve inches per century, Detora the Christlan era the floods wers also higher, and it fs suld by Strabo that the water roseto the base of tho mountains, occupying tho whole plain, TIH CLAUDIAN TUNNML. ‘The celebrated works of Claudius at Lake Fuclno, which exclted the sdmiration of Pliny, ve been lmperlu'ur unierstood unt!l now, "I'he recent works by cf eurlnfi out the rocks and earth which had filfed up the old tunnel lave given an exact notlon of 1t, and show the rare genlus of the eogineer who concelved the pling, Not ouly had he overcoms with ablilty the dinl- cultles of the um.ler)nklnfi but had founded his rlnm upun data the prec! lon of which is aston- ) when we conslder that in those days science and the means of execution wers far in- ferlor to what they aronow. The design then was to have an citire full of 27,000 feet from tho lake to theriver, and 1o druln out about one-half of tho lake. They might eastly have Y'm" u greater inclination to the tunnet and have drained the lake entirely, 28 Torlonia has done, but It was necessary Lo retaln o part of the water lu order not 1o offend tho superstl- tlous projudices of thu Marsi, a warlike uatlon who{nhabited the mountalns near. They,lu order tu propitiate the god * Fuelno,” were llberal of yows and oiferings, and would have feared s wrath it the water had been entirely taken saway, Torlonia, with superstition not fuferior, has placed on a massive pedostal st the head of ‘his tyonel a statuc, nineteco feet high, of the Virgin, and dedicoted the whole work” to her, aud to tho doctrine of the Immmaculate Concep- tion. Inofder ta deflue the boundaries of the luko at thetine of begsinning tie dralusge ho hua placed at intervals on {ts perlmeter pedes- tals of hewn stone éntrmounted by sinall cast. iron statuus of the Virgin, All thls seclalmed land WILL BE 418 after Pl'lm:l certain sum to the Government, oud the Qrwt‘:dlul its sals will in part repay him for the enormous outlnf of moncy he has made Inthe construction of the tunnel, The course of this Fucino tunnel built by Claudius followed a broken line consisting of three sve- tlous foring very open augles with each other ==this plan shortening the total Iength and avoling & part gf.-the way through the solid rock. “About forty square shafts, some of which were Hned with muourly or tho opus re- ticulatum sud uthers with woud, were sunk per- pendicularly frow the murfnce throwsh th sulid Tock or through the struta of lhuxfiny sand, ur pudding stone. The mountaiu and plain were als0 plerced by a great number of smaller gale lerles called cunteuli from their rescublance to rabbit holes. 'These wers gently inclined from tho surface, and served to give light and alr, aud also for roads over which to varry away tho earth aod stons, Thess onclent nilugga” hud bored tnto the wountsin In 80 muny W-uun- uud ut so many ditfereut Dolnta that LN work was u coustunt source of astonlshment and ad- wiration fo the Torlonls laborers, Threcs fourths of the excavatious were through the solid rock, snd tbe remaluder through rocks gll:uemlly consldored the wmost digleult to pleree, The tunncl of Claudius, although defectlvo lu its vxecution, was noverticless TiM MUST BXTRAOUDINAKY CONSTRUOTION of unclent Rome. Unfortuuately its cxecution was 50 far fuferlor to ts couception that the deslzu of the tungel was frustrated, The lake R wuft defectively drained, and the works roon fe]l Into ruin and wero abandoned. Tacltus In- fotina us that Agrippina reproached Narclssus, the freedman of Claudlus, tor Lils dishonesty §y the conatructton of the tunnel. The differcner in the remarks of Pliny and "Tucltus on this tun nel has often been niticed, Thisis caslly ex. plained by remembering that Pliny eaw ita b flnnlnn, when the greatness ol design nade Mm consder it the eighth wonder of thie sorld, while Tacitus saw it fifty or mitty yeats after: ward, when tne nferltory of its construction had caused it to fall Into ruln, ' Claudius ais- ed the greatest sham sca-fight ever scen to b given on the occasion of the opentms of the tun. nel. Two ficets wers buhlt and ‘manned by 19,000 cortvictd and surrounded by ail the caurt; dressed In imperial purple, with Agrippina tobed Ins golden drcss, . nnd with the’ youn Nero by his side, the Emperor pave the sigiaf for tho gladintorial tight to begin, -'The com- batants marched past and greetod him witl the terrible eryy UHall Cmear| Men about to iy salute thee! Ife answered, Hall to youim which they construcd into the sparing of thelr Jives, and” refused for some timeto begin the fights . THE WORK AND THE WORKERS, The nccount given in Torlonla's book of the clearing out of tho old tunncl, and of tha va- tlous expedients used to factlitate tha wotk, i worthy of attentlon. It was filled witn fallen carth and stones, far more diflicult to excavate than fresh #oll, Often thio rouf of tho old tun. nel, which was left without support, threatened to fall upon the workinen, and somo of them weré stationed to watch It and give the cryof alarm, They stood In water tip to tho walst, and the air was often so mephiticthat they could remaln fo It auly n few hours. The thrce chict englnecrs who durlng the twentv-two yeara dirceted the work Were men of unitsual genlus, and wero almost passionately devoted 1o thae success of the undertaking. Montricher, of Frante, a tnan of eluvated chnracter, died in consequence of his lahora there, nnd his succexs. ur nlso died altor years of devotion to it But Torlonla, uow an old man, has lved to sco thy [ mlx‘zlcuun of Nisgreat, work, Isaw himon Christmus Day at the Churchof Santa Marla Magglore. Iaisa mmm of medinm stature, higl forehead, m§ halr, nnd rather distinguished appearance, Yet unless somo one should sny 08 was eald to me, ““That i« Prince Torlonla,! youwaoull never have sclected iim from th crowd as Lhe author of so great a design, ————— " WHAT IS MIND?" | 70 the Editor ar TAe Triduna. * “ Accopting this, that 1t [mind] Is cocxlatém With, or has its seat in, some element or clemeuts of universal ‘distribution, through which, as through the avenuos of the human body, It- can nct upon all the clements of the Unlverse, . 4 . wo may eaally explain many of the gehing phee nometia of Spiritualism, Moamerism, Clatrvoy- ance, and all the other oceult sciences.’” "The above I8 Irom a communication from » L, A, 8. [n lnst Saturday'sTnisune. I take lssuc, “ L, A, 8. presusmes to explain, In" short, spir- {tual phenomena upon a - law applicable o1 to material phenomena, and announces bis declsion in the negatfve: that the spiritual fact does not exist, , Would It not he more réazonable to accept the facts squaraely, and bolleve our cars and our eyes, aud the communications of 8pirltualism,—. for, In the case of the celebented Fox girls, Iul Hydesville,- N, Y., .the mysterlous knockings proclnlmml' that they were spirity, and that ono of sald spirits had baen murdcered, and hls body would be found under the house, burled very, deep under the ground; which proved to be thi casg upon mrglm: down the requirod distanco in the place fudicated. A theory muat have sonto facta Lo reat upon, and only the bigot refuses to. nccept sany fuct that coines In contact with his preconcelved and pet theory. A, J. Davis has by 2 theory! upon the facts revealed to him by clalrvoy- ance, and I make bold to say that he In uo par- ticular contradicts history or selentific fact, to eatablish it. For, inatcad of gabbling about what mind is, and what body Is, he goces arm- fu-arm with that grentest - of the suctent Apostles, Paul, who asseris that there fa o spiritual body, and.u terresteial body, aud thab l(m glory. of tho foriacr exceeds the [r'lury of tho Intter as the sun does the moon and stars, ‘The Christian should skip the fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians when they make up their charges acalust the spiritual theory gs belng tn cantradiction to thy Bible. But “L, A. 8, ox. pressly walves all discussion of theological dis- cusaion, and so I need pureue thls plauof or- gument uo further, s ‘Tho class of thinkers, lhowever, to which L. A, 8. porstbly belongs, or would belong It he contimied his Inveatigation of 8piritualism, try to explain away the genulne phenvmena ou the theory thut tha manlivstations are produced by an aurg projected from the brain of the niediu, - And, in remarkablo cases of medium- ship, these thicorists assert that such gifts are tha result of upilepay or catalepsy, slmply from the fnct that some auch persons have, In o fow instances, been atillcted in that wn{. The noted Fox girls and Eddy brothers are living refuta- tations of this sbsurd charge. . It Is usuless to make facts fit a theory, and there is whero the roal dliliculty commetices fn any investization. A truo aclentist or truth- gecker, when ho proposes to investigate o sub- cct, guea direct to that subject, and analyzes ft :r ey and thon frum the deduced facta forms a eory, Finally, I say that Spiritualism {s eituer troe or falnes if true, lot scieutints accoot the facts, and conform thelr theory Hkewlse. 11 it fs false; then we nust necept Materialism aa the vther extremo, a8 the Bitle Is not accepted now as any m‘xllhurlty for auy facts to buse natural phlloso- upon. B Xn totholaws of the Mind, %L, A, 8.” has atated some of the principles latd down by the metaphysfefans. 1 have nothing to do with making All{ ‘[l»hyu(cal laws, and ¢un haye no cons troversy with tuy opponent sbout them. But we tust look to Where the splrit comes from and whenee It gocer, to aacertaln something of what mind is, “Alter rummng[(nu over seyernl soted nuthors on this suvject, I found -t last that Dr, Brittain, In his work, *Man and His Relutions,” struck deepes and boldest Into thils Interesting problem ot what tn and mind are. 1€ It wna nccessary to acvept any ouc's faith or say-80 on the subjict of lifs after death, who- ever, tnder such tircumstances, conld exprors his oplulons elearer and with more effect than Bocrutes fu bis last hour of lifel The truns- Iators hava it that ho luchingly addressed bis {ricnds who had nssembled to ba with him inhis last mothents, They num.icm-d tho manner of bur mwm when dead, V*Just as you please,’ sk rates, “§0 you can Cbut caleh me, and I don't clude your pursult,”’ aftor which he assures his fricnds that he will Lo with them after his body fs fn the ground; that bis suul would rise to realing of bliss, ‘The hody is the vutward expression of the mind withlu; wa may advert to thu physical and spiritual hody us anexpression of un Idea, which }x,ns lr‘uvelcd away from the wmighty past, als arwii, Lot us accept un{ fact that will assist usin ascertaining what Mind Is, aud bo true students of Nature, and of 3lan as the crowning triumph of Nature's Ged, -~ 2T ———— Lord Heaconstleld, ZLondon Vunity Futr, A great question arose amoni tha learncd a4 to how Lord Beaconsfield could appear I the House of Lords arrayed in his robes—as ho did In the motnlng st thu opening of Purllament— Leforo ho had beon sworn fn, It had, {ndecd, been boldly snnounced by thoss who vnly kuew of tho question, but uot of its answer, that he could nut and would not 80 nopear, Al thizy however, rested on o misapprehension of the law, which Is, that no pecr may sit or votoe till hio hns taken the oathe; but that does not pre- clude hlw from sppearing in leslluuw. a8 Lord Heacousficld did, fn oflicinl attendance on the Queen, nor from wearing his robes there, Ane other nlce polnt was noticed when the Premlcr took hls suat {u the alternoon. It was observed that, {nstead of taking placs on the Earl's bench, s sn Ear} ncwlfl created Is bound to do on belng fntroduced, be calmly insta)led hine scif on the Duke’s bench, 'Flicro wus a murmur of horvor in thy touss at this spectacle; but, In act, Lord Beaconsficld was quite sight, fusse much as hio was entitled to tuke hia plave onthat bench Ly virtue of his oflice of Lord Privy Seal. This, however, was uot oll. His introducers, Lords Derby and Bradford, sat down on car slde ot him on the beneh, ' whereas they clearly ought to have remnained standing. — Al which shows the necessity of takiog guod adycle en ceremonial occuslons. et A Woman in s Well. Schuyler (I1l.) Citisen, Mrs, Ellas Duvhv.'llvgnz near Wuyland, Schuy- ler County, went to the well todrow & bucket of water, there belng no curblug wround it, and the plattorm fey, she sllpped wnd foll lnto the well, which was sume twenty feet \eep. Bho cuur;'l.u. on Lheatone of the wail beforeshe reachs ed she water, and remalned §n thet positivn until jate fu the eveuing, when her husband, coming hong from & visit to a uclgbhbor's bous heaurd Lier voice, and by this iuesns discovere Ler whercabouts, By assistauce of thé ne gir bors e drew Lor out with o rope, She wes uie Injured save a siight bruise, Bhie toolk the chil- dren wnd a candls W the door with ber, but the wind blowing the candle out, thy childres del’b erately returned {o sbo bouse and went (o bed Thero was ubout tew teet of water fu the well and she was nearly chilled throuyh. a—— sosp manufattarer, B, T, Dabbilt, has re un(lz surpsased himacl{ in his new Tullet Boap, in tuade uf U Bucst und pureet vegelably olls, und dellcatoly rcented with the patural 1 frasice of unuzceptioaable waterials. 1. T lisb: itt's 'Tollet Boap Is as guud fur hablcs B3 fur e Fonkdy 0 1t's tho o plus wites of tollct suses