The New York Herald Newspaper, February 20, 1859, Page 4

4 NEW YORK HERALD. JAMES GORDON BENNETT, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. wees OFFICE N. W. CORNER OF FULTON AND NASSAU BTS. cash én adeance, Money sant by malt will be a’ the Pe) oye ‘Pomage ‘dompe not as subscrip wn "Tile DAILY HERALD, to conta , BT per anvum THE WEEKLY HERALD, pave) om a aeiz con's ner copy, or % per anmun; the European Edition every Wednesday evoke Na pierromighen Fong he M spemshut & tion on the Sth and 20th of each month, or ‘annum. bas AMAL Y "HERALD, every Wedneday, of four conte Por VOLUNFARY CORRESPONDENCE, containing import! ‘eolicited ‘any quarter of the used, tl’ patd for, gg- OUR FoRmIGN CORRESPONDENTS 4°" Pn ReQussrep To SBAL alt Larrens amp Vac ns SEPT vs. j advertisem-nts in- NOTICE taken gnonymenacorreqpondiencs, ‘We donot_ JOB PRINTING executed with néntness, cheapness and de a AMUSEMENTS TO-MORROW EVENING. BROADWAY THEATRE, Broadway.—Gaaex Busaes— Swepisn Nigutincaue -Kine or Civss. NIBLO'S GARDEN, Broadway.—Cincus PeRronMangns— ‘Teamep Horses, Muies, 4c. BOWERY THEATRE, Bowery.—PizanR0—MASaNIgilo— Brow Bor. BURTON'S NEW THEATRE, Sroadway—A Dosn or OuamraGne—Our FamaLy Awpnican Cousin—Duxe Beis. WALLACK’S THEATRE, Brosdway—Tux Varerax; on, FRANCE AND ALGERIA. LAURA KEENE'S THEATRE, No. 624 Broadway.—Ock Axanioan Covsin—Jenny Lixp. BARNUM’S AMERICAN MUSEUM, Broadway.—After- moon and Evening—NeGro Minstaeisy—Curiositigs, £0. ‘WOOD'S MINSTREL BUILDING, 561 and 563 Broadway— mmoriaN BonGs, Daxces, &0.—Mysric SrE. BRYANTS’ MINSTRELS, MECHANICS’ HALL, 427 Broad- 2 Faas ey Soncs anp Buriesques—He Wou.p sz AN OTOR. New York, Sunday, February 20, 1859. ———————————— MAILS FOR THE PACIFIC. New York Herald—California Editton. ‘The United States mail steamship Star of the West, Cap A %- Gray, will leave this port to-morrow afternoon, Bt two s’olock, for Aspinwall. ‘The mails for California and other parts of the Pacific ‘will close at one o’clock to-morrow afternoon. The New Yor Wematy Hsravp—California edition— @ontaining the latest intelligence from all parts of the World, will be published at ten o’clock in the morning. Single copies, in wrappers, readywor mailing, six cents. Agents will please send in their orders as early as pos- Bible. The News. Tn Congress yesterday the Senate referred the memorial of E. K. Collins, asking payment of the balance due him for the Atlantic mail service, to the Post Office Committee. A report from the Committee on Pensions, in favor of the Old Sol- diers’ Pension bill, was read, but no action was taken. The Consular and Diplomatic Appropriation bill was taken up, anda prolonged discussion en- Bued. Several important amendments were adopt" €d, as will be seen by our report, and the bill final- ly passed. The House was engaged in Committee of the Whole in discussing the Army Appropriation bik. The steamship Edinburg, Capt. Cumntings, which left Glasgow on the 31st ult., arrived at this port at an early hour yesterday morning. She brings no news. For the first fourteen days of her passage the Edinburg encountered very heavy westerly gales. : We have accounts from Jacmel, Hayti, to the 30th ult. President Geffrard was exceedingly popular; the excitement caused by the revolution had passed away, and business had revived. One of the first acts of the new government was to re- peal the export duty on coffee, but upon examina- tion the national finances were found to be in such Q disordered condition as to render the re-imposi- tion of the duty necessary. Professor Mitchel’s lecture on “Astronomy and the Bible,” at the Academy of Music, last evening, was well attended, notwithstanding the rain. The house was nearly filled. The lecturer spoke elo- quently for over an hour, showing the harmony between the pivine Word and the revelations of fcience, and how that the lapse of centuries had failed to reveal any inconsistency in the Scrip- tures. Judge Quackenbush, of the Jefferson Market Police Court, rendered his decision yesterday morning in the case of Mrs. Morrill against Mr. Hume, in which the defendant was charged with having violated the person of complainant while she was ina “trance” state, induced in a spiritual circle. The Justice decided that the evidence was insufficient to sustain ah action, and the prisoner ‘was accordingly discharged. According to the report of the City Inspector, there were 401 deaths in the city during the past week—a decrease of 44 as compared with the mor- tality of the week previous, and 72 less than occur- red during the corresponding week of last year. The following table shows the number of deaths for the past two weeks among adults and children, dis- tinguishing the sexes:— Men. Women. — Girls. Total. Week ending Feb. 12. 9% 80 pt 114 445 Week ending Feb. 1! 8 65 «#136 «117 «401 Among the principal causes of death were the following:— There were also 4 deaths of cancerous affections, 12 of congestion of the brain, 14 of croup, 10 of debility (infantile), 6 of typhoid fever, 8 of disease of the heart, ten of whooping cough, 9 of inflam- mation of the bladder, 1 of smallpox, 9 prema- ture births, 32 stillborn, and 11 from violent causes, including 1 suicide and 2 murders. The an- nexed table shows what portions of the human System have been most affected:— Diseases. Bones, joints, &c. Brain and nerves Total. Ks vesbWeevdeovs We ao The number of deaths, compared with the cor- responding weeks in 1857 and 1858, was as fol- lowa:— ‘Week ending Feb. 21, 1857.. ‘Week ending Feb. 20, 1868 ‘Week ending Feb. 12) 1859. Week ending Feb. 19, 1859. , 401 The nativity table gives 287 natives of the United Btates, 76 of Ireland, 19 of Germany, 10 of Eng- Jand,2 of France, 1 each of Holland, Spain and Bweden,3 of British America, and 1 unknown. The bay and rivers, but more especially the Eas Fiver, were yesterday morning enveloped in a fog ‘Bo dense that, as the sailors say, “ you could cut it witha knife.” Many of the ferry boats stopped Fanning altogether, and all of them experienced freat difficulty in keeping up their regular trips. During the fog one of the Peck slip boats brought Dp at Houston street, while one of the Honston Street boats got ao far out of her way as to bring Bp at Greenpoint. At nine o'clock in the forenoon the fog disappeared, to the great relief of the resi- Gents of the Long Island suburbs who do business fn) ew York. Towards noon, however, it clouded @p «ain, and late in the evening the rain fell in forrcuts—Just what was required to clear away the NEW YORK HERALD, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1859. accumulations of mud and filth that have so long encumbered the streets. In the Court of General Sessions yesterday Patrick Lane pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the th d degree, having been indicted for the murder of Jeremiah E. Looney, by stabbing him on the night of the Ist of January, at the corner of Third and Lewis streets. He was sent to the State prison for two years and six months. Counsel for Bernard Sprince, who was convicted of receiving stolen goocs, moved for a new trial. The Recorder took the ; epers, and will decide the motion next Satur- day. Counsel for Wm. H. Reilly and others, in- dcted for gambling, moved to quash the indict- ment. His Honor reserved a decision. ‘Tle sales of cotton yesterday embraced about 800 bales, closing steady at the slight improvement previously notic- ed. We continue to quote middling uplands at 11%{c. Flour was less buoyant, and easier for common grades of State and Western, while sales were fair. Southern brands continued in good demand, with sales to the domestic trade v for export at unchanged prices. Wheat was steady, with moderate sales. Corn was easier, while transactions were fair. Pork was again lower, but more active at the decline; new mess sold at $17 8734 a $18, and prime a $18 25 a $13 35; thin mess was sold at $17, and clear mess at $20. Sugars were in fair request; the sales em raced about 800 a 900 hhds., chiefly New Orleans, and 1,000 boxes, at steady prices. Coffee was quiet and sales limited, while prices were steady. Freight engagements were light, and rates without change of importance. The President’s Recommendations to Con- gress—Where the Responsibility of Their Support Lies. It is evident from the shape matters are taking in the Senate at Washington, that the petty cliques and factions among those claiming to be- long to the democratic majority are bent upon rendering nugatory the wise statesmanship of the President, and defeating his patriotic efforts to elevate the policy of the country above their puerile and selfish conceptions. Nearly three months have elapsed since his annual message was laid before them, and up to the present time they have not permitted action on one of its judicious suggestions. For nearly iwo months they quibbled and balked on the question of following his recommendation in re- sard to the acquisition of Cuba, and they have trittered away another month since the introduc- tion of the bill by the Committee on Foreign Relations, in taking it up and putting it down, without either coming to action or’ permitting . vigorous and continued debate on it. {n the meantime, the question has gone out before she people, and everywhere the masses are rallying to the support of the President on his vital question to every interest in the coun- try. The opponents of the administration have yeen cowed into silence upon it, skulking the question, as did Seward a few days since, when asked to say categorically what was his position in relation to the acquisition of Cuba. The factious self-styled supporters of Mr. Buchanan, who began with jeering the measure when it was first presented to Congress, finding it was too strong with the people, have now chagged their tactics, and with seeming support have evident- ly determined to kill it in the Senate by indirect opposition and delay, so that the policy of the President shall not have even the sanction of one of the houses of Congress. This course is the more fatal now, when it is manifest that we are on the eve of great compli- cations in Europe, and when the opinions of Mr. Buchanan should have all the legislative sanc- tion that can possibly be given to them. The vote of even the Senate alone, in favor of the bill authorizing him to negotiate for Cuba, may pos- sibly enable him to acquire that island by peaceable means before the present year expires; while the neglect to pass that bill in the Senate will surely de- prive his conduct of our foreign rela- tions of the moral support and strength which its passage by one branch of Congress would give him. In view of this state of affairs, we call upon Congress to act immediately on te Ouva DU. Let the trieuas of tne measure make short speeches, and those to the purpose, and press the question to a fair and square vote at once. We want to see who are the real friends of the administration, and who are the false ones. Congress has but one more working week, and those who fritter it away in factious discussions for the precedence of this or that measure are the secret, if not the open foes of the administration. In another column we give a variety of let- ters and articles, which show the importance the measure now before the Senate has acquired on this continent and in Europe. From Cuba it will be seen that letters continue to come in upon us, showing the anxiety with which it is contemplated there. In the State Legislature of Maine it has been brought up, and promptly crushed by the black republican majority as the most dangerous question for them that could possibly be started; and a significant article on slavery in Cuba and the United States, which we translate from the Paris Patrie, strongly urges that that island shall be given over to the mulattoes and negroes, as St. Domingo has been, in order to save it from an- nexation to this Union. If the Senate during the present week denies to the President the sanc- tion of its favorable vote on the Cuba bill, it will render his voice impotent in Europe for the rest of his term, and may retard the true deve- lopement and progress of this country for half a century. The entire country will watch the course of the Senate during the present week with in- tense interest. Its action is pregnant with weal or with wo; and with a large majority in favor of the President’s recommendations, it may kill them all by making their support the pretext for unjustifiable delay and factious claims for prece- dence. The Cuba bill has passed through the greater part of its discussion. The opposition have spent the force of their exertions against it, and it should at once be brought to vote. Those who kill or smother it indirectly, by insisting upon opening new discussions on other measures, giving them precedence, will be as responsible to the country and to the President for its defeat as though they openly opposed it. We shall hold every man to his reaponsibility before the people in this matter, and no one can doubt, who will look at it with his cyes open, that the great popu- lar masses will support the President. Mr. Buchanan has done his duty to his country and to his own fair fame. He has brought the sub- ject before Congress; he has urged its passage in every honorable way; and if the Senate now re- fuses to support him, upon them and not upon him will rest the blame. Dramatic Coryricut.—“Oar American Cousin” seems likely to give as much trouble to the dramatic world as cousins in general are in the habit of causing to the peace of family circles. As there has never been a great success without a rivalry, the unprecedentedly brilliant career of “Our American Cousin’ could not reasonably be exempted from the rule. Accord- ingly we are not astonished to find that the lawyers arc about to have their hands full of the quarrels arising out of these too intimate rela- tionships, Suits, we understand, have been in- stituted for damages against the parties who the other heads—making a grand total of 7,860, which is more than four times the total furnished in the report now before us. Does Mr. Deputy have encroached upon the forbidden degrees of , Carpenter mean to convey the idea that the kindred; and the profits of managers, usually so difficult to realize, are likely to become a pleasant fact for the hungry pettifoggers of the City Hall. hese actions, it is stated, will be contested for the purpose of trying the right of a foreign dramatist to a property in his produc- tions here. We trust the question will be pushed to a decision, in order to impress upon Congress the necessity of remedying the shameful injus- tice which results from the absence of an inter- national law of copyright. Statistics of Vice and Crime—Are They Re- Mable We have before us the annual report of the Commissioners of Police, made to the Legislature, and just printed by the Assembly, also the quar- terly police report of Deputy Superintendent Carpenter, made to the General Superintendent, giving an array of statistics of crime, and vice, and of arrests, which claim to be very accurate and reliable. It is often said that figures do not lie. Now, of all the lying things in the world, figures are the most mendacious, for they may be made to say almost anything when there is no opportunity or means of contradicting them. In other descriptions of statement the reader can often forma pretty accurate judgment for himself; but in the case of figures, he is left very much at the mercy of those who make statistical statements, unless where they so gross- ly outrage truth and probability that the mind instinctively revolts against them, and in quiry is instituted, which detects the fallacy of the statistics, as in the case presented by the annual report of the Commissioners of Police; some are true, some may be true or false, some are very. improbable, and the greater part unreliable. Among these state- ments is a comparison of the number of police “in proportion to population in New York and in European cities. In London, for example, there are 5,813 policemen, or 1 to 455 of the popu- lation. In New York there are 1,063, with 130 sergeants and captains, or 1 to 804 of the population. Some of the present beats of patrollmen in New York extend two miles. How, then, can they protect the public? The number of persons who took refuge in the station houses for a night’s lodging in 1858 was 121,354; whereas in 1856 the num- ber was only 57,354. How is this increase ex- plained, with a decrease of Irish emigration, and the fact that itis of this class the lodgers chiefly consist? The total number of arrests in New York in 1858 was 75,378, of which 13,812 were of persons born in the United States, while of Irishmen there were 44,587—a majority of the whole number. By the quarterly report of the Deputy Superintendent, the proportion of Irish- men for the last three months is two-thirds. How can this be consistent with the fact that Irish emigration to this port is decreasing? Of the principal descriptions of crime, the following are the numbers reported:—Assault and battery, 8,606; disorderly conduct, 9,011; fighting in the street, 984; misdemeanors, 833; murders, 63; grand larceny, 1,089; petty larceny, 4,410; vio- lation of the Sunday liquor law, 154—a very small figure this latter, considering the terrible uproar of the Sabbatarians, who attribute nearly all the crime in the city to the Sunday grog- shops. Mr. Carpenter, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, reports from the returns of the captains that there are in this city 496 known houses of prostitution and 84 houses of assignation, and that the whole number of prostitutes occupying these houses is 1,358, besides 481 known prostitutes who hire spartments in tenant houses—total num- ber of known prostitutes 1,839. The Deputy says, with a naiveé which is highly re- freshing:—“This is a much less number of this degraded class of our population than is generally supposed, and I have no doubt there are several hundred more; but it is difficult to get sufficient proof of the fact, their mode of living being very private.” The De- puty adds:—“The Captains of Police have the power and the means in their respective pre- cincts to ascertain how many public prostitutes reside within them, andI believe their reports, from which this aggregate is made up, are relia- ble.” We agree with the Deputy, that the captains have the means of ascertaining the truth in this matter; but whether their reports are reliable is another question. He says the captains of the Twelfth, Eighteenth and Twenty-second pre- cincts made no reports at all. Why they were exempt from this duty we are not informed; but it occurs to usthat, in being silent altogether, they do better than some of those-who report only half or one-fourth of the truth, and thus lead the public mind astray. The Deputy never hints that some of the police are known to be in the pay of these houses, and have a special interest in not reporting them, while others are protected by the political influence of men who resort to them, and give the police the wink to keep “mum.” Who will believe that, in a city like this, of 750,000 inha- bitants, there are only 1,839 known prostitutes? Any night in the week the police could almost pick up that number promenading the streets. But the statistics of the police are refuted by themselves, and “out of their own mouths they are condemned.” In a document signed by Mr. Matsell, Chief of Police, in December, 1856, he states the number of prostitutes at 5,000, from the very same sources which only count up 1,839 in the report of Mr. Carpenter. Has the” popula- tion grown less since that time, or the city become more moral? On the contrary, do not the “Sabbath Committee,” in their statistics, draw a fearful picture of the increase of vice and crime? We have stronger evidence still of the unreliable nature of the Deputy’s statistics. It was only in the last year, under the very same system of police and the same men we have at present, that statistics were furnished by the captains of police, by order of one of the Com- missioners, (Mr. Nye,) and what was the result? It is stated by Dr. Sanger, in his book, as fol: lows:—The total number of houses of all kinds, as reported by the police for the year 1858, was 618. Last year, too, the total number of ae certained prostitutes with residences, as reported by the police, was 3,857 (now we are told they are only 1,358), besides 1,500 floating about without fixed residences, and 643 (a low esti- mate) who had escaped the notice of the police— making in all a total of 6,000. Bat even this is not all. There must be added, according to the statistics of the police, 1,260 women who frequent assignation houses for the gratifi- cation of their passions, and 400 for the purpose of increasing their income, together with 200 “kept mistresses” who do ug! com wader any of morals of the city of New York have so im- proved in one year, or the activity of the police in suppressing prostitution has been so great in that brief period, that they have reduced the, number of depraved women from 7,860 to 1,839? They will herdly venture to make either asser- tfon. If, then, they do not, it is plain that they either erred egregiously in 1858, or they err egregiously now in 1859. Let them take which end of the dilemma they please. Their statis- tics touching prostitution cannot, therefore, be relied upon; and if not, how can they be relied upon as regards any of the other subjects em- braced in the report? For example, when we are told that of the 13,765 arrests alleged to have been made for the quarter ending January 31, there were 8,602 of Irishmen, and only 2,707 of persons of native birth, including 271 colored persons, the state- ment may be taken with a considerable quantity of salt to qualify it, Like the sweeping, asser- tion of Jobn Minor Botts, of Virginia, published in Thursday’s Heratp, that “every calamity, every evil, and every ill, that has befallen the country for the last thirty years, may be traced to the democratic party,” these numbers smell very strongly of an attempt to manufacture political capital by exaggerations of the crimes and vices of the Irish, who belong, for the most part, to the democracy; especially when we find the statement coupled with another, that the primary cause of 10,094 of the arrests may be traced to drunkenness. Irishmen in New York commit fully their share of the crime on the calendar; but let them not be saddled with more than fairly belongs to them, for political or party purposes. We are informed that, of the whole number of persons arrested, 8,267 could read and write. Now the cry of the republicans and Know Nothings against “the Irish vote” is that it is the suffrage of men who cannot read and write. Verily, statistics are a two edged sword, which cuts both ways, and often wounds the man who wields it. The Works of the Sabbath Committee. “The Sabbath Committee,” a body of self- sanctified spiritual dictators, have issued now in all five pamphlets, which they have extensively circulated through the community in a sly under- hand way, but seem afraid to to let the light of day shine upon them. We found it tolerably hard to procure copies, which ought not to be the case unless there was something rotten in the statements or arguments which could not stand the test of fair criticism. The fifth we noticed last week. The remaining four are en- titled to a brief notice. The first gives a history of Sabbath observance and its decline, showing how our Dutch ances- tors under “ Peter Stuyvesant” used to keep the “ Lord’s day,” and how it was kept in .this city till 1834, when the Sabbath laws were repealed, and “ the great fire of 1835, and the disasters of subsequent years” followed as divine judgments. The sequitur is not very clear: it does not appear whether the fire and the subsequent disasters were not mere coincidences instead of results— post hoc, not propter hoc—occurring after the re- peal of the Sunday laws in the order of time, but not in consequence of their repeal. Now, we can refer to some well authenticated cases of fearful calamities happening to the Jews as the direct consequences of keeping the Sabbath in the superstitious manner which their modern imitators desire to have it kept now. In the time of Macabeus we read that they refused to defend themselves against their enemies on the Sabbath, and said let us die in our in- nocency, and let the guilt of our deaths fall on weir heads. The result was, that a terrible slaughter took place. (See Mac. ii. 32, 33.) After that time they thought it was better to de- fend themselves; but, as Josephus informs us, they would not attack their enemtes, nor hinder them from advancing their works, nor march themselves. The result was that they were fire- quently cut to pieces, and finally their great city laid in ruins. Among the causes of national disaster stated in this document are the oratorios in the Acade- my of Music and two or three gardens where our German population take a little healthful re- creation. The total number of “liquor shops and drinking saloons” open ona single Sunday in June last,as discovered by this keen-scented committee, was 9,692, besides 18 Sabbath con- certs, and 85 dance houses and places of amuse- ment. What the police are about on Sunday it is hard to say, when we find that the whole num- ber of arrests for violating the liquor law during the last year are only 154. The second of these “documents,” as the com- mittee call them, is chiefly occupied with statis- tics’on Sunday traffic on railroads, with a view to show that the people do not care for Sunday travelling, and the passengers are extremely few. If that be so, then why make such a noise about Sabbath desecration in this regard? Number three is devoted to an onslaught on the poor Sunday newsboys and the proprietors of papers published on Sunday, in which the pious committee are backed by those sanctified daily journalists who do not publish on Sunday, but keep their offices open, and their men hard at work on Sunday in preparing Monday’s num. ber. But the great gun of the committee is number four, entitled “The Sabbath in Europe,” in which a contrast is drawn between the edifying manner in which it is kept in Scotland compared with its observance on the Continent. It was delight- ful and refreshing to see it. “In Glasgow the observance was almost as complete as in a New England village of the olden time.” But on the Continent of Europe “a holiday Sabbath is a frightful cause of physical, political and moral degradation to the masses of the people.” The Corresponding Sec- retary was horrified beyofid expression at the manner in which it was observed in France, Italy, Germany, and even in Switzerland. As for Paris, Sunday was the gayest day of the week, and every description of amusement was in requisition. What was the consequence? “The Sunday’s dissipation disenabled thousands from Monday’s occupation, or sent them to prison.” This sentence is a fine specimen of the man- ner in which these veracious tracts are manu- factured. Everybody who knows anything of Paris knows that there is no drunkenness to be found there; that the amusements are innocent recreations, and that, so far from disabling men from Monday's business, they only recruit the overtasked energies of the man who has been working hard on the previous six days of the week. On the contrary, what is the consequence of puritanical Sabbath observance in Scotland, ond particularly in Glasgow? That in that little country there is more drunkenness than on the whole Continent of Europe, and in Glasgow more of the same debauchery than in all the cities of France and Italy put together. Here a like cause is working like effects, and if the Sabba- tarians only succeed in their mission, New York will soon be more degraded by the intoxication of its ‘nhab tants than even “the largest commer- cial ci'y of Scotland.” Now, we challenge these Protestant Popes to point out in the whole New Testament a single text of Scripture commanding the observance of Sunday at all. “The Bible,” they say, “and the Bible alone, is the religion of Protestants.” But they have derived the observance of Sunday not from the Bible, but from the Fathers and the traditions of the Catholic church. Why do they not keep it as Catholics do? Some Sertous Worps To Our New Comprror> ten.—We must confess to some slight misgivings, produced by the passive facility and unquestion- ing ease with which our new Comptroller, in his letter, dated January 31, to the Board of Coun- cilmen, suggests the propriety of acknowledg- ing and liquidating certain judgments, to the amount of nearly one million of dollars, obtain- ed against the city. Perhaps Mr. Haws docs not trouble himself to ascertain in what manner these judgments were obtained—whether by fraud, collusion, or as the result of an honest trial and decision, Now, the golden rule of doing unto others as we would they should do unto us ie; beyond con- troverzy, one of the most commendable precepts in th» Christian religion; but when it is pro- posed to exercise such benevolent propensitics at the expense of other parties, we would suggest some little hesitation—some show of inyestigation—before putting the great maxim to such extraordinary use. We doubt very much whether it was intended to be applied by comp- trollers of cities in the payment of judgments under such referees as we have in the city of New York. It is true that the Charter of 1857 gives the Comptroller power to “settle and adjust all claims against the Corporation;” but, in justice to the suffering taxpayers of this city, we must contend that this indiscriminate allowance of all sorts of claims, without so much as asking in what manner they are pretended to have arisen, is not the exact kind of “settling and adjusting” which the framers of the Charter had in view. Ex-Comptroller Flagg was oftentimes justly blamed for refusing to pay anything to anybody, no matter how good or valid the claim; but we must protest, even more energetically, against the opposite extreme of giving everybody every- thing that everybody secs fit to ask. Neither the amazing facility with which accounts can be settled by this latter process, nor the troubleand annoyance which must result from resisting pay- ment of claims presented, should be allowed to influence the Comptroller in his course of action. His position is by no means one of ease and com- fort, and he must make up his mind to undergo a vast amount of unremitting and perplexing labor. Mere bookkeeping ability, though an essential, is one of the least essentials of his office: he must understand the laws and ordinances of the city, the machinery of the departments, and the various devices and expedients heretofore re- sorted to for obtaining illegal access to the city funds. We caution the Comptroller against the fatal mistake of supposing either that the city will submit quietly to the payment of a million of dollars on claims for the most part fraudulent, illegal and fictitious, or that the clearing away of these unexamined “judgments”. will leave him a fair field for fature economy and research. Far from it: a thousand more judgments, based on an equal amount of truth and justice with these, will spring up the moment the present matters are disposed of; and he may rest assured that the greater facilities he affords in the pre- sent for “settling” them, the greater will be the demands on his good nature and inexperience for the future. These remarks are thrown out with the most amiable intentions in the world. Mr. Haws is just commencing the exercise of an important office, which he is to hold for a term of years; and therefore the initial steps of his policy should be carefully scrutinized and criti- cised by the press and all his other friends. The Common Council—and this was generous toa political opponent—have afforded him largely increased facilities in the way of well paid cleri- cal assistance ; and the public therefore have a right to expect that, thus armed, he will face the music of his position, and turn a front of ada- mant against the peculators and veteran spoils- men who are hungry and athirst for the public money. These judgments, we believe, were sent in to try his metal, rather than with any hope that the State Legislature would sanction such an impudent and high-handed scheme of spolia- tion as is presented on their face. The Common Council, having full confidence in the Comiptrol- ler, did not examine them ; but, if we understand Mayor Tiemann, he would rather have his hand burned off than permit it to be made the instra- ment for signing warrants on the City Chamber- Jain in cases of such gross and flagrant wrong. We publish, in another column, a complete list of the judgments: given against the city, with the names of the creditors, A very. in- teresting catalogue it will prove to the tax- payers. IMMIGRATION INTO THE Unsrrep Srates.—In nother colemn will be found a document of considerable interest, being a lucid and com- plete synopsis of the immigration report for 1858, which has just been transmitted to Con- gress by the Secretary of State. From this re- turn, which has been compiled by Mr. Brom- well, of the State Department, it appears that the total number of immigrants last year was 144,352, of whom 89,648 were males and 54,704 females. Out of this aggregate, 140,511 are set down as settlers in the United States, leaving only 3,741 for other destinations, Of the na- tions which furnish the largest proportion of immigrants, Germany figures for 23,901, and Ireland for 14,299, China, curious to say, comes next after Great Britain in the proportion which she contributes—the number of emigrants from that country being set down at 4,808, of whom 320 are females. In the occupations, we find 10,217 merchants for 259 clerks, and 20,506 farmers for 23,317 laborers—an unusual disproportion of heads to hands, and which can only be account- ed for by the well known tendency of emigrants to generalize about their antecedents, In regard to age we find the largest number (29,538) be- tween twenty and twenty-five. A prominent feature of the report is the circumstance that, although it embraces full returns from every dis- trict where emigrants have arrived, which hith. erto has not been the case, the aggregate of the arrivals for 1858 amoun'ts to only a little more than one-half of the irumigration for eagh of the previous thrae years, and to only about a third of 1851, '52, °53, 'b4. Taking the period em- braced between Beptember 30, 1843, and Decem- ber 31, 1858, we arrive at the grand fact that there have been added to the population of the United States from foreign sources, during those fifteen years, about 4,051,670 human beings, of whom 2,432,829 are males. In order, however, that we should derive the fullest benefit from the steady influx of population we must take care that all the conditions of a healthy immigration shall be fulfilled. The ad- vantages that are to be obtained from these con- tinual accessions to our numbers will be ina great degree neutralized if we permit foreign communities to avail themselves ot the opportu. nity of saddling upon us their idle, viciously dis- posed and infirm members. Better trust to the slow growth of our own population than to be overrun by not only the most useless but the most depraved clements of European society. The lusty thews and sinews of the foreign laborer are, no doubt, an acquisition to us, but they would be dearly paid for by the demoralization of our people, engendered by such associations, or by our having to assume the burden of the support of all the foreign paupers sent to us. The evidences that we have al- ready had of the eagerness of European governments to shift their responsibilities in this way upon ys, should render the State Legislatures alive to the necessity of pro- viding, by stringent laws, against the introduc- tion of convicts, lunatics, or persons otherwise incapable of providing for their own wants Not only should the authorities at each of our ports be vested with full power to examine and send back all emigrants who appear to them to fall within either of these categories, but to proceed against and punish severely the owners and captains of vessels bringing such parties out. Once it was known that vigorous measures of this sort were adopted and persevered in, the countries pursuing this unfair course would be slow to incur the expense and trouble attending the forced return of their worthless contributions to our population, Foreian Journats tn New Yorr.—We have received the prospectus specimen of a new French journal which is about to be started in this city, under the title of Z’Hmpire Francaise. As that régime has but few actual admirers amongst us, it is to be presumed that the pro- jectors have not embarked in the enterprise as a purely commercial speculation. We do not be- lieve that our French residents, as a body, are particularly enthusiastic in the support of the second empire, and we are annually assured that a certain proportion of them are ready to cut the throat of its chief at the first opportunity. This new journal is, therefore, we suppose, to be regarded as the special organ of Louis Napoleon, for without a subsidy from the Imperial Trea- sury we do not see how it can hope to live. L’ Empire Francaise will make the third French journal published in this city, all three repre- senting, of course, different shades of opinion. The title and progiamme of the new paper are at least honest, which is more than can be said of political organs generally. Its establishment may be looked upon as a tribute to the influence of the public opinion of this country on the part of a sovereign who has shown but small regard for the esteem of his European contemporaries, s " This desire to conciliate a favorable judgment amongst us is not confined to France or French political parties. The Spanish government have an organ here—Za Cronica—which is devoted en- tirely to its interests, and is probably supported by its aid. As the Hispano-American countries enjoy but asmall share of the Cronica’s sympa- thies, it follows that under the pressure of the questions which are now crowding upon us in connection with the latter, another journal, pub- lished in the Spanish language, and advocating the interests of those nationalities, would find a fair chance of encouragement. Such an enter- prise is, we believe, in contemplation, and from present indications we understand that there is every chance of its speedy realization. These journals, with one or two British or- gans; the Eo d’Iialia, sn able exponent of Italian grievances; and a number of German publications, give, we think, a fair share of newspaper representation to foreign interests in this city. In view of the freedom of discussion permitted by our institutions, and the facility which it affords of reacting upon public opinion abroad, it is natural that despotic governments like that of France should feel desirous of com- batting with similar weapons the presses which they can neither influence nor restrain. Tae Centrat Parx.—tIn another column will be found the annual report of the Commissioners of the Central Park, giving an account of the progress effected in the laying out of the grounds, the changes which have taken place in the or- ganization of the Board, and the expenditure’ made under their direction during the past year, Those who have not recently visited the theatre of their operations will be glad to learn that the works have made a considerable advance within the last eight months. The drainage of the Park below the Reservoir is nearly completed, the drive is for the most part graded, the ride for equestrians fs in progress; several miles of the walks are graded, drained and gravelled, fit for use; the bridges of the carriage road are in a state of forwardness ; the broad walk, with its rows of transplanted trees, is nearly complete, as are also the play and parade grounds. The Commissioners complain that their plans for work during the winter bave been frustrated by the Mayor’s returning the recommendations, sent in by them to the Common Council, and passed by that body without his approval. It is pity that any interruption should occur in the progress of works in which all classes of our citizens feel such a lively interest; but in the end # will, perhaps, do no harm for the Com- missioners to find that they are not an irresponsi- ble body, acting without check or control. The concluding passage of the report is suggestive of the precautions that will have to be taken to se- cure to the public the tranquil enjoyment of the park which is being created for them at so much cost. Unless order and propriety are maintained supreme over every foot of its surface, the Com- missioners say they can thus early perceive that the expectations entertained of its beauty, as well as of its benefleent influences, will bo dis- appointed. Will our black republican legisla- tors please take note of this when the Metropoli- tan Police bill again comes up for amendment? ‘United States Commisstoner’s Court. * Before Goo. W. Morton, Hq. ALLEGED CRUELTY ON SHIPROARD. Tx. 19.—Georgo P, Fitzgerald, mato of the whip Sut- tana, was examined on a charge of inflicting, cruel and ‘unusual punishment on John Cole, a seamay, on board of ‘the vessel. The ingudiciont, baw tentimony boing , the complaint