The New York Herald Newspaper, February 20, 1867, Page 5

THE HATIONAL FINANCES. ‘The present francial condition of this country @ warh Want ¢ demands the earnest attention of @vOrP citizen, ee well as every creditor of the coverniher 4, whether @broad or athome In approaching th's for the purpose of throwing upon it whatever li, we may, Mowever foodie and indistinct, wo are actuated by ne ether motive than a sincere and patriotio’ desire to ex- Pere the trath, the whole truth and nyhing but the tach, 20 far ap we may be able 50 to do,/ If the moment- @zy suspension of the law of gravitatiats would produce The wreck of matter angi the crayh of worlds, ‘We trust we shal! not be regayded as Ynduiging in byper- uate when we say, that a dogeed persistence in violating @2) Known laws of political economy in the management @f our national finances, will produce the universal ‘Wreck of every industrial interest of the nation, aud 80 ‘would possibly involve the very fate of the government Meelf. Wespeak advisedly, We know it is suspected ‘Dy leading members of Congress that there is a political @enspiracy at work, with a view to bring about fiuan- Gia distress, disaster and rutn, for partisan purposes, @harging the same to the now dominant Union party, (‘Sad amid the wreck to instal the administration aMlhations i for some time, and still are, moving in the wrong and that much of our prosperity is unreal and his confidence fn the oy 4 of the nn to If speedily is unshaken.”? Right itself! How right itself? 1f the ship is being steered into the vortex of h ‘storm, under all eai!, how it itself? Is it not the duty of the Secretary to ‘course of the ship at‘once, or to advise - they may seize the helm and do what must Beeds be done? And yet, in the face of this assertion er, thinks, indoed he ts confident, that if cer- tio les” pointed out by him are adopted we can Weanme specie payments within two years. With the ‘wtmmost possible deference to him, we are bound to ex- prees our belicf that this is the most preposicrous idea oe by the financiad minister of avy in number, Fedemption of ‘the mm the centro; ‘ef the currency; = Doadiong it rij eo par national bank circulation second, The curtailment revision of our tax laws; the lasue of five per cent bonds, principal and payable abroad, in place of the six per cent bonds now held thero; fifth, the rehabilitation of the Bouthern States. With regard to these remedies we will that in our judgment the first is of no practical ce whatever to check the disastrous tendency: second is impossible to any material extept; the gree toin ‘the most important of all, is uttéFly tnad- third, the to the purpose; the fourth is puerile, and the ‘Bquestion of political philocophy rather than of Wo have for some time past looked anxiously to seo Beme’ measures suggost Congress, since it would ‘Beem vain to look to the executive department of tho Piaget and we have been very much gratified by ‘able and sta‘esmanlike. speech of the Hon, Mr. Kel- ley, of Pennsylvania, in the House of Represen:atives. oe apalad has ca b tee oe Cowie = ty sty 1 speech, and which-m: hy gaarzeabie to pergonal affront, ‘or, what is more likely, wa , deep and indignant sense of the suicidal man- ‘of our finances, it ie the ablest eflort that we 2 seen emanate from eithershonse for many a day. have not space to devote to auch a notice of tho ral. fent points of the specch as ‘we would wish, but will ee with saying that the honorable gen- justly condemned the whole policy of contract- the volume of the currency at present and while the — Se ee aly wi pons oe ing of Sucl chorus yore fs the «oe Bhe! he ogthe that had hey in Beeretary Treasury; a power whit may A onc sad “ageless, widespread and dan- gre - Eire which the Seoretary is end haw deen pursuing is to be briefly ‘Chile: the contracting of the | tender oirtulation by few miltions ‘month ; the conversion of the matur- Indebiedueseinio loug 1d bearing bonds as for coriversion, and the gelling of gold from time fo time, together with the FG what remains in = whi view to" deprese the premiums’ ou ‘@ommunity, s press premiums on ‘state It more correctly, to inflate the vaine of. ST ee currency to a point far beyond fe are to admit that f 4 Hi i ! 4] if P hl Ni i Hs i i i / ! i 5 z rie is Party i ; H i l ik ae 4 “s By age i i ras KH tt alarms Tt is crus ome due fecal > ee ow ry of speculation of short du- Sa Sine Te tt met : : ff le t 2} Hy E s j a! is z i rH if Es i 8 i & eo i 5 it § : i if i i i i & ‘= i ; 3 3 : alt Paint £ I H tH , w eMre y & Con- tinction of , the receipts from taxes will be reduced, mo matter how prosperous the condition of the country be. If the ctroalating capital be Kept et $1 ‘500 ho, 080, and industry ts prosperous, the Pop al a Ly Toa ag Tg 600,000,000, If the clreniating capital be reduced to §700,000.000, we a tebe ny condition | prosperity, the ple can ett pay forty per centam of the circulating ion ‘wut im this cage ft will amount to jut the industry of the country is not prosperons—it is promrated. The (oontaine of our industry are being Aetntge ne oer ‘epother; the public revenues are I diminished day by day; public credit is being ly wodermined and destroyed by the gradual trans- fer of oar bonds to alien The industyal classes are thrown oat of emplormment and obliged to sell the securiies of = SS ae thet A dos and for the Preservation of © they were willing to lay down their tives if need bad been. The securities have gone, and are going, lwto tho hands of alien pio, and. we alien enemies, the products of whose lied to conenms, the money value of the our- iy tt has w can this be done? Tt the cebt fs ded) by curtailing or retiring the circulat! oe the volume $430,000,000 in money, The such taxation as this, It would break them down; it ts breaking them down. And the more yt es the higher the paper dollars rise in value, it becomes. But suppose the premium on gold is one hundred, Then the paper dollars will be worth fife each, and the $600,000,000 paper will be equal to $300,000,000 money. The people would not be distressed by auy such taxation as this if industry is presences they can find a ready market for the products of their labor, if foreigners are pro- Vented from underselling them. If foreigners uncersell them they will stop juciog and begin speculating. If they cannot soll the products @f their own industry, they will buy and sell the products of foreign industry until their means are eaten up by taxation. What good purpose then can bo effected by contracting the volume ‘of the currency? The contraction of the volume of tho currency cannot change real values or relative prices, The barrel of pork will still be worth two barrels of flour, ‘The days’ wages will still give the laboring mao aliving, And here lot us say that the eternal law of supply and demand governs prices, The real price of any- thing cannot permanently remain above the cost of pro- duction, nor can itremain permanentiy below the cost of production. And it is the real prios> we mean when wo speak of price, It is nselees to found any policy or build any argument upon currency prices, when the currency ftgeif has a fictitioas and arbitrary price. Since it would injudrclous (even if it were possible) to contract t! volume of the eurrency then, we must contract the value by depreciating it or raising the premium on gold. Let us seo what effect this wi!l have, Will it enhance the price of domestic products? Here again we must plant ourselves on first principles, o immutable law of supply and demand governs ricer, We must keep within the radius of theso undation principles, We say, therefore, that unless the supply of cireniation and deposits be increased, unless the circulating capital be increased {basinees ‘men will not put out their paper when gold te igh), the eurrency price of dowestic products cannot be materially increased untii tho specie price has failen 90 low, owing to tho decreased value of the currency, that there will be an cxport demand. Then, indeed, they may ae then It will be tsiat the balance of trade be- comes changed in ourtavor. A practical illustration of our argament is shown by the palpable fact that al the cost of living is not materially lower than when go! tf 260, the difloulty of procuring the y mean Sinig hae been immensely int and the proiti “i nearly all classes myerehay an mechanles have dnindied flown “! small point There fs an apparent ¢: ium to this principle in the cep article of cotton; but the exception is nt only ; it is rather a confirmation of mt principle. Supply and demand govern Brice, The, demand for cotton then coming from England, fhe. constiining country ; the specie price of our cotton in land will depend upon the demand théfe; and if the price of cotton is fifteen pdhce sterling, ft will sell for tbat sum 1 remium on gold here. At or abovo juction, England fixes the specie price of cotton American market the same as she docs the pi Diack tea to the China market. At or below acti America — in ibe English market the the of black tca in the axiom, it may be laid down Lb the price of any article of commerce by the market i FE a 8 B 3 B #3 4 : 5 7 SEE 3 ape grtle RBsage 33 Hs B g it daft it g li S52, Years since gold got below ‘Gnd to restore in our favor the balance of now fearfully w and bring< back the ¢normous aa is suspended like a writ of execu» BOY Tessin the eunenc eion aoe serpin S arercems epeedily or it will adjust sit without assletasice. ‘The must and if it comes un- Salone orn the Secretary of the rea eres, eerie aoe ignoranuly or’ we earrtlseen Gece: othe weaved headlong into the vortex of a ning Trey od ga boat wills y 1 al But it Fassersly te aan oe going to ryrome pec pares ‘Until ihe debt tw feuded and the now abroad come back to us im the ee Tees to the establiehs poe alanoe of trate, It Sa ae order. tits eee br casey neaasee other expedient. The of the ourrency ie the wand the only” remedy svort of i fl i dosire for Cui bono? dawn /of a4 nA yonces oO} resumption with value in speci pt pec’ rest? The iseue of paper ar tionary ourrency. and Turkey. that of England} which, beginning with William of Orange, in 1 English debt took place between 1797 and 1815, during which time the Bank of Engiand had paymeats (and did not resume till 1821), ee the ae ® England was engaged in fore! obliged to resort to paper money; and although banks of issue multiplied very rapidly after the sus; the di then of the Bank of England ‘nol ox fact for will foally reach an an- greater the total &. It ehould also be remem- terest payments to make id have coin jabroad to the extent of perbaps thirty millions per annum, and that there wi!! always he a coin balance resting agains! us in our commerce with the uncivilized nations of Asia, All, or neariy ai!, of which payments must be mado at the money eantre of the world—London, It will bo with the greatest difflenity that we shall be enabled to establish @ favorable balance of trade ip the face of such obstacles, Wo understand that the opin receipts from customs were originally set apart by Iaw and hypothe. cated to the hoiders ‘of the gold bearing bonds, rs se. curity for the interest thereon, and we Cannot but re- gard the whole policy; of selling gold, from beginaing to end, as morally wrong, prejudicial to the country and caloulated to impair public credit, The extraordinary depletion of the Treasury in May last. during the Eag- lish paric, with the superserviceable object of relieving the English money market, was the most insonsate abuse of power that could woll be conce!ved. The gold was sold at 130, and went immediately out of the coun- try, and tt probably cost the taxpayers at the av rate of 145 to replace it, thus making @ net loss to the people of not less than four miliious of dollars in cur- rency, It is scarcely reasonable to expect the American people to take care of the English money market. If they can manage their own so as to avoid general bank- ruptey, it will only be by giving affairs a very different torn from the course in which they are mow directed. Nor was the sale of gold necessary rotect American credit, American credit rests upon the resources of a continent, that if rightly used, will amply sustain it, Bot even the rosoarces of & continent, if shamefully abused, will be inadequate to support that, which it would soem there are determined efforts peing mado to destroy. But whence this excessive anxtety—this prurient the resumption of specie paymonis?. Do _our fellow citizens suppose that the resumption of specie payments is to usher in the ‘bliss? the hed the con- specie ayments all our ovtetanding indebtedness? re have mated elsewhere that the os of resumption need Rot necessarily produce serions inconventence, But if ‘we suppose that the national debt waa contracted in a depreciated currency Worth fifty cents on the dollar, thon the res. imption of bmn payments, with its conse- quent imposition of the debt upon the people at its faco will have tho effect of doutiing the debt once—a proportion, we s1 », that will be rezarded: as self-evident, We quite understand the anxiety of foreign bondholders for the Immediate resumption of specie payments We suppose that, naturally enough, they are in a hurry for their money. It is of emall con- juence to them what becomes of the country aftr seq they have obtained the specie equivalent for tie faes of bonds, classes up! But will this be whom, after all, the burden of the debt by the government was far the lesser of two evils. & great but necesaary ov:'—by A gigantic civil war having broken out, the contest bo- nme one that involved tho validity of the government itself, and hence it wes driven to the desperate expedient of paper money, as all governments in such tremendous crises have hitherto been, and probably always will be, driven. The legal tenders ure a revolutionary cur- rency, and our debt is a debt contracted in revolu- Ti, then, the legal tender currouey has been a great evil, and has imposed heavy losses on the producing ciasses alroadg, wiil it not be regarded aa & gratuitous outrage to impore upon the people, at its fail value in specie, a debt that was contracted in such a currency? There ta no instenve in bistory where theso colossal war debts of nations have been paid off. The debt of the American Revolution dieappenred with the continental currency; that of the French: revolution with the assigna’s and mandat. Among those debis that survive the wars which created them may be men- tioned that which hangs like a millstone on the neck of 100 oF those that are crushing Austria, Italy, But the most gigantic of ‘al) deb attained ite maximum ol £865;000,000 I¥., in 1815. Tho largest increase ia the suspended specio of a brief interval, the nation had been gaged in foreign war. It is important to observe that ign war, and hence was not ‘nsion, yet wenty-fi t at aD deapsadimaeiaes five per cent ¥ those of eur people who are dosirous of dis- ‘ing ony national b nat ‘ith more ‘legal a RPr are acetal ory eon cosenpatane sonse, like paper money, Although the English debt was imposed on the English 1e at ite face value in which face value was Entianoed by th ent aye the improvident system of funding for the of gaining the set-off of a low rate of interest, ros.it is important to observe Pekecerenty eens dard ne Bog nn currency; tionally’ to burdens nacawtoad Sar the the fixed on has been most lows to thelr interests,’ bondholders carried the day, and, as a conse- classes Britain and ere Bitte Dine i Fr & F l i i i ui Fe f ' dt 3 3 § BR 37 Br i F FIRE INSUKANCE. ene aut Action of the Executive Committee the National Beard of Underwriters. The Executive Vommities of the National Board of Fire Underwriters held a meoting at their rooms, No. 156 Broadway, yesterday, for the purpose of receiving several reports which aro to be presented to the grand convention of all the fire insurance companies to-day, ‘Tha following named gentiemen were present:—G. H. Curtis, Boston; Walter Paine, Providence; Mark How- ard, Hartford; D, R. Satterlee, New Haven; E. Freeman, Springfeld; D. A. Heald, William Conner, Jr., E. W. Crowell, A. J. Bmith, F. W. Ballard, Now York; @. A. Van Allon, Albany; Charles Piatt, Philadelphia; N. P, Campbell, Baltimore. Mr. Heald presided, and F. W. Ballard acted as sec- retary. The ebairman of tho Committee on Local Boards, Rates apd Commissions, road a lengthy report, in which the number of local boards organized since the forma- tion of the agaociation is set down as 216. In a few Places, the report says, between these boards there is some jarring and friction occasioned by jealousies and suspicions of rival agents. Tn addition to the organiza- tion of the number of local boards roferred to there had been a vast amount of buviness done by sub-com- mittees sent out by this committee to survey and rate districts of country where local boards operate in larger Sectiong than those embraced within tho limits of @ single town or village, These subcommittees, as a rule, the report finds to have been more efficient than ta, Of the matters referred to this committee by the Execu- tive Committee at its Inst meeting, the former reparts:— First—That it bas urged upon compamies represented in the Natioual Board to intract their gencral, special aad: local agents to use their influence’ to have local Ddoards formed in, all places where no such organtzations exist. Companies have promptly seconded our requests: wherever it been tu their power 80 to do, and it has to acknowledge the aid it has received from companies in this dirertiva. Second—In regard $a. securing, Tmounicipal action as to tho’ storage of petroleum its prodneta. Cirenlars been sent. to al! the local boards, m many” places where ino boarils existed upon this subject favor- able responses have been receiv wr. Br in regard to the mat- Third—The subject of local taxes and licenses, also referred to them, has been attended to in the same manner, Fourih—In regard to the formation of a local board in Chicago. the committee would report that the local voard in that place, which, at your last meciing, only em. braced forty-eight companies ont of soventy-ilve doing business there, n ompriseaiall of said companies in one harmonious working boty, the benefictal eftects of which have been demonstrated by the advance of rates in that city on an average of about one hundred and fifty percent, The effect of this Chicago movement is not alone valnablo to the underwriters represented at that place, but to the ondorwriters represented in all other localities of the Wost that are substtiary to and con- nocted with this Western metropolitan city in busivess matters, How and why it is valuable it ts not necessary to say to so intelligent a body as yourcommitioe, who are familiar with the intimate reiationehip there axists be= tween Uhtcazo and most of the Western and Nort Western towns and cities, expecially, those of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. Tho report then concludes by advising, in comphance with a resolution passed hy the Executive Committee in Hartford on the 9th of Avgaat, 1864, as to the best mode of making ‘“‘a schedule o! en to be nsed at po'nts where local boards do not e: ‘and by alluding to the various boards of underwriters of several of tho large cities in the United States, in comparison with which beards that of New York is said to be far the aa- perior, It also advises that the Executive Committee should take some steps in regard to a better fire under- ‘writers’ organization in Philadelphia, St Louis, Cincin- nati and Boston. Ascale of rates which was affixed to the report for ‘Various classes of houses and different kinds of property was the subject of much discusstou. The Carman calicd the aitention of the committes to the storage of petroleunt oil of a bad quality in cities and the risks incurred by such storage, ‘A resolution was offered Mr. Platt providing that in cases where au insurance of more than three-fourths of the value of the granted an inc: mium should be paid. @ resolution, with the ws alo fred and jadopted requeetiog tae in tor boerd was u " to increase the Execktive ‘Comunitice to Afty members, Aletter from J. B. Bennott, one of the members of the Committee on Arson, suggesting that the National Board issue a circular recommending the closer inspec- ti ‘grin Ser ins presented by Mr. A ver insurance was presen A Pe i rman of the Committee on Forme of Policy, 1m which it is declared that tho contract of inst loss ke fire was not designed to assume the entire risk of the subject insured; but it is intended to leave in ‘the hands of is owner a sy! portion of it to guar- antee his ae interest in the preservation of the pro- . ‘This report was signed by two out of four mem- of the eommitice. subject of the report was then fully discuseed, aftor which tho following resolu- tions was offered, which, with the re} on over insur- ance, was referred to the National to-day — |, That the Executive Committee do Te mnmend to the National Hoar the adoyion, of ihe three: ike ineurer snd insured. sa thatthe tier. will have a sub insur ; “ Statial fatorent in the safety of insured property. ‘The meeting then adjourned. METROPOLITAN FIRE DEPARTMENT. TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD. ‘The fearful increase and extent of fires occurring in New York during the last two years have excited the alarm of our citizens, They have naturally appre- hended, if this great and growing evil be allowed to con- tinue and suffer no abatement, that it will become, next to warand pestilence, the greatest calamity that can afflict s people; but they have at the eame time beea hopeful that the resources of modern art and science ‘would be fully employed to combat this terrible enemy ‘and arrest its progress. They were encouraged to cherish this hope by the success which attended the scientific efforts made to mitigate and avert the effects of the visitation of that terrible scourge cholera, which so recently threatened to decimate the inhabitants of this city. They could see no reason, providing that eqnal skill and energy were displayed, why the lamei able destruction of so much valuable property which has so long prevailed in this metropolis could not be equaily controlled and proportidtiately prevented. The secon d annua! reports of the Commissioners and Chief Bngineer of the Fire Department just. published, have, however, done much to dissipate theso reasonable expectations, These documents are so inadequate, defective and meagre in their suggestions as to prove very dishearten- ing to the public who support the expense of the organi- sation, and I therefore trust that I shall not be be deemed Impbacn: ermprti jeast to make Su 101 For'the maprovement of ie work to impertecliy exe- , which moets missic fn which ts invested ital amounting to fifty million dollars, nightly jeovardize, and represented by men ‘who have spent their lives in sows deg jects attention of these tals, ought to and ion of the number of fires which bave year, the extent of the devas- which threatens to annihilate ion of insu: . Se erred Mor seceed by . cea oem tn ‘the covurronce ened Sores inralide ane ment of Brooklyn and that of this elty, both should be placed under the contro! and managemoat of the Board of Fire Commissioners, TULBGRAPH SIGNAL BOXES, ‘The operation of extinguishing fires cannot be too Roiselessly performed. The clamor, Heense and riot ngs old system created an unhealthy frequently led to fneendiarisin, reteation of the practice of ringing alarm beils {s ob tionable, It was necessaryduring the existence of the OBITUARY. Sarah, Countess Downger of Jersey. The London papers announce the sudden death of this lady, at her town residence in Berkeley square, It rs that baying retired to her dressing room after , to all appearances in perfect health, the domes volunteer organization, but is now more of an incui. | “Ss were startled by the violent ringing of her bell. On brance than au for upon the reception of an alarm | au attendant entering the apartment the Countess said message is immedia‘ely telegraphed | sho henid, & Mash eaenek. Metical and then the signal indicating the district is struck, not to give notice to the firemen or polices, dat to the padlic, that could well afford to spare the cost of the annoyance, which indeed only serves to | ° pe was instantly obtained, but it failed to do any 1, and the Countess expired shortly before eleven ol direct thieves to a promising fleld fo Sarah Sophia, Countess of Jersey, was born on the oes bn bara Si Wael span 1 F Gib of 1785,nnd was consequontly in the eighty. The anomalous position and proceedings of the Fire | scend ge at the time of hor death. She Marshal in this city ore not creditable to our municipal | W#s the, Uler and only surviving child of the goverament. He is engaged by x portion of the local | tenth Earl of tmoreiand, her mother betn, Anne, daughter of Mr. Robert Child, In May, 1804, the deceased lady married George Visconnt Villiers, who became Earl of Jersey the following year by reason of inaurance companies, and collects a certain eum yearly for his services, He is dostitute of legul authority or powor, and encumbers, if he does not sometimes pre- clude, the action of the police in the investigation and detection of arsov and incendiarism, The judicial provisions of the ninth rection of the In- surance act, April 15, 1857, authorizing and requiring the General Superintendent of the NewYork Police to nakean | investigation into the origin of every fire occurring in the city, Lam informed, ia not only unconstiiutional, bat at variance with the provisions of the law of 7, creating the present Police Department. Under thesa citenmstances the Legiatature, at present in. ecssion, should immediately provide for the appointinent of ax the death of his father, By (iis marriage there were seven children, of whom four were sons and three danghters. Of these children Frederick, married to Lady Elizabeth, daughter of the Earl of Athlone, alone survives, the title of Earl of Jersey being worn by the son of George Augustus, her eldest child, who died shortly after his father. But few ladies of the English aristocracy have hold @ higher position in-society than the Countess of Jerse} Powessed of @xtraordinary abilities, and having @ thorongh knowledge of Evropean politica, she drew officer legally qualified to investigate every fire. Ho | ®tound her the most distinguished foreign dipiomatists shoald be a gentioman of legal aitainmonta, | of ler times, as well as the prominent statesmen of the thoroughly jated with the law of-evidence and em- | !°ry and Nberal parties, Herself @ strong tory, a ber hever in the superiority of “noblemen” and ‘ni men” over the great mass of the people, and of right of the aristocracy to rule the peasantry and middle ciass of England, her jadyship soon. became distinguish» ed for her political partisanship, and -ber ‘at homes’? Were exclusively confined to a distinct political fao- tion. Notwithsianding this, however, she received the attentions of many of ‘the opposing party. late Lord Palmerston, evew when in office, was an ocoa sional visitor; and Lord Brongham was a warm personal friend of the deceased. For many years the Countess of Jersey held an cnv able position among the aristocracy of London. The death. of hor husband in 1859, how, ever,rindueod her to retire inte seclusion, and ever since he had only woneds the coc ety of her moss intimate friends. Whilo yel a comparatively young women received the personal regard of the Emperor Nicholas of Ruasia, and the Kings of Prussia, Holland, Belgium and Hanover. In her private character the Countess is represented as. having boen kind and charitable, wi'hout ostentation, She Is said to have supported many indigent families, who will necessarily feol a doubio regret at her death. For many years past her ladyship had been ono of the Jeading patfonesees of ‘Almacks;” and, with Lady Palmerston, shared the greatest influence. powered to compel the attendance of wiinesses, to take testimony and prosecute offenders. The captains of the police could, in their respective districts, efficiently co- ‘Operate with a legal Fire Marsbal of this.description, by detailing oflcers to investigate, under his instructions or supervision, every case promptly, before any extsting clae to its origin was or removed, The knowledge of the fact that the police were employed under ablo dircetion to ascortain tho cause of every fire would deter many, whether actuated by malicious or mereenary mo- tives, from the commission of incendiarism, and tend greatly to suppress us crime, which bas of iate pre- valled unchecked to an alarrathg extent. ‘The present Fire Marsbal, whose knowledge of the origin of fires ie the fruit of many years’ exporionce, will, in the event of the. appointment of another to fil his office, doubtless be retained by his presont employ- ers as Preventive Inepector, tn which function his services would prove of inestimable value to the insur. ance interest of New York. {he reckless manner in which combustible articles, inflammable goods and mer- chandise of immense value are stored together, the prac- tice of amoking in cotton stores and other prolific causes of conflagration that might be enumerated, suggest the nature and importance of the duties he would be ex- pected to fulfil. wo- the FIRE LADDERS. _—_—_ Colone! Arthur St. G. H. Stepney, C. B. This distinguished officer of the British army died recently ut Jersey, England, from injuries received. He entered tho service as ensign of the Twenty-ninth regi- ment, in 1534, and, after being promoted to various other posttiune, was appointed Major in 1850, and became Lientenant Colonol of tho ritey-fourth regiment in 1854. In July of the game year he wa appointed a Captain and Licutenant Colonet of the Coldswenms, and was placed in command of a battalion of that rex-ment, with the rank of Colonel, in 1883. In August, 1866, cirone} Stepnoy retired on half pay. The tmutitary services of tus deceased were brilliant and received much notice. He was cngaged in the Sutlej (India) campaign of 1545-6, and communded the Twenty-ninth regiment at the battle of Feroxeshah, When, retaking the Sikh camp a mine ex- ploded, blowing him up and wounding him. He never- theless continued in action until severely wounded by a grape shet, when he was compellet to relinquish the cominand of the regiment, At the battle of Sobraon he greatly distinguished himself; and for his gallantry during the engagement was promoted brevet major, and nominated a C. B, with medal and clasp. During the Cri- mean war he served with the Coldstream Guards from December, 1854, to the end of the war, and received a medal and clasp for Sebastopol, together with a Turkish medal and the order of the Medjidie, Afth clasa, In 1864 he was awarded the good service pension of £100 w year. ‘The increasing use of iron in buildings for supporting necessary in the present dofective Indd der combining the vtility of an escape @ fire ladder which wouki enable the firemen to approach tho seat of the fire without depending oa the walls for support, to move from window to window, from point to point, beat out the fire by the force of the water, and obtain by a scientific and skilful application ‘of the elemont employed a mastery over that opposed—such is the great desideratum of the Fire Depart- ment—one that might and should bo supplied, for Jot it be romembered that a gallon of water judiclously direc is more effective than aton misapplied. The ladders should be conatructed light for rapid transporta- tion and admit of being worked or elevated in a moment by a couple of men, yat of satficiont length to reach the upper stories of buildings. The fre caoapes used in London, constracted chiefly with the view of saving life, aro Val facili ya single nerenn. A fre Inater escape to our pecullar wants and simple and ef- fective im its ayplicaiion could bo had if sufficient in- ducements were offered to inventors and others to make working machines instead of models. Successful con- trivances of this kind, quite as easily devised as a thou- rand machines devoted to other purposes long ago in full operation, would effect a considerable saving in the or- ganization of Jadder companies and materially ldsson the destraction of property by water ag weli as by Gre conflagration. at every DIACIPLINE. ‘Withont diligent and careful trating and strict disci- Mme. Lonis C ins. Fo it id impossible that fire department can attains | qyig lady died revently at Marseilles, France, She was dogree of efilciency. An ormy ia the face . off e@ enemy «ould as woll afford to dispense member of @ family distinguished for ite adherence - with there the fire ' department, Her father ree Tequisites as wi ought imdeed to be drilled im rudimen- military movements, and should frequently be exerpised in manwuvres antict of the various con- pn pe occurring st coni ions.’ This could be one without interfering with the discharge of the regu. lar duties of the men, and a facility, certainty apd skill in execution wonld thus be acquired that would insure the moet systematic and prompt extinguishmont of fires, worth millions of dollars bas begn lost for the want of coolness, sepldy and intelligent co-operation at the critical moment. en confusion and terror eived several severe wounds while defending Louis XVL, on the 10th of August, 1792, and her mother was, resented with a par of diamond earrings by Warie An- ‘Aoinette, for the £eal she displayed in protecting the Qocon from the fury of the rabble on tho same occasion. : fe faithfulness to the Bourbon dynasty, Sir W. 8. Harris, FP. RLS. This gentleman, known favorably throoghout the civil- ized world as the inventor of the only safe method of jightning conductors, died fecently in England. in the minds and control tho actions of othera as the | /'é » ; sleanent of destruction appears to be sweeping all before | He was born in Plymouth in 1792, his parents it, the steadiness, caution, fearlessness and effective ce- | being of the lower ‘class of society. le received Jority of a weil nized corps of thorough firemen tri- | a education at the Plymouth grammar school, and studied medicine at tho University of Edinbirg. Alter practising his profession with great success for several years ho abandoned it and devoted himeelf entirely to the study of electricity and mag- netiem. In 1820 he discovered the mode of conducting lightoing by moans of copper piater, and his writings on the discovery attracted so much a‘tention that Queen Victoria conferred upon him an annuity of £300 (‘1a consideration of his eervices in the cultivation of science.” In 1843 his invention was used on all of the British war vessels, and since that time the British coe has never known loss or damage by Hghtning. In 1! the decoased received the b+ gderapwoen scientific rnment all mateers relating to uumph over diffcnities which would be insuperable to any foree, however great, wanliog in experience and com- OTIONS. A code of instructions, rules and lations for the guidance of the force should be by the Commis- sioners, It should contain an alphabetical list of the sireots of the city, giving the location of the hydrants, the size of the mains and the of tho slectriolty, and ile in this position superintended the e ity, and w! in ‘BU! in| fitting ‘of his conductors to the tworhousse of Parhament, palaces aod other public edi: the last apon by citation to three:— which he was being the royal mau- Ab.9 Soe which sopentie, couerved in Fulton street the | soleum at Frogmore. , & Harris wes knighted for firemen, unacquaint: ith the phenomenon that acol- | his services to science. Mr. Michael Phalen, one of the easliest pioncers of the perdi emma dg Sneraaht Live tne | Golden State, who died recently atthe residence of hia more surprisi ffs fnown thas ‘no tele is more brother, Jobn Phalen, a well known California merchant, in Fordham, near this city. Mr. Phaien landed ip Sam fire, ‘and the promises on fire and those consumed. Had this if been sufficiently dritied ry in his duties he would have waited till 10, Etival of the en; or have broken into the next aacended bavi z i prety ap ge nny gee nae yee a oe form. They pinety aeck, with a men with beam of twenty feot six taches: depin of bold, seven than twenty feet nine inches, and are about 120 tons burden. The Police station frame consists of —_ and ure: som ina ‘barning houses ter'an lett Scene fnm “nad wb provement and of care and bes ry interest in eo ee Ie this ro) Kanee who was the government White eres SSopreel te, cocoon te eres States Reeraiting Officer and « Guorif’e Pewe in North Carelina. Rickwoxn, Va, Feb. 17, 1967. sevah ourge Dy robes u's Chien man In Roth flagrant outrage by rebels on @ Union man in a —Tt te that ontver Carotina, whe was formerty a United States recruiting of the Lone astrond, bes offcer, named Massey, who wont recently to Waynes- Balad AS tx 4 ville, to eottle an sccount witha man samed Wilber, | bave no Toad will be pushed to com> While they wore setting the Sher, Frank Davis, | PUoe. » At preset the work has bese shendoand, gathered a gang of rebels and went to take Massey, He Po te oa . H. Howe, ons hemlet sy om man A pene en dn oa m9 fired on bim, but missed him After two shots fed been fred he tnrned and fred one, which mgood the White, of Rockville Centre, has her pocket picked of 6 crowd, bot passing through Wilber’s dining room struck a orca oy. Milne Underwood in the bip at the front were fred at effect, oy cy more dreaatul Lees wbien be sow to the owe