The New York Herald Newspaper, January 13, 1868, Page 4

4 NeW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1868 NEW YORK HERALD. EROADWAY AND ANN STREET. JAMES GORDON BENNETT, PROPRIETOR. All business or news letters'and telegraphic despatches must be addressed New York Herat. Letters and packages should be properly sealed, Rejected communications will not be re turned. THE DAILY HERALD, publisned every day in the year, Four cents per copy. Annual subscription price $14. THE WEEKLY HERALD, every Saturday, at Five Cas per copy. Annual subscription price: — One Copy ‘Three Copies. 15 Any larger number addressed to names of subscribers $1.50 oach. An extra copy will be sent to every club of ten, Twenty copies to one addross, one year, $25, andany larger number atsame price. An extra copy willbe gent to clubs of twenty. These rates make the Wreaty Hupatp the cheapest publication in the country. Postage five cents Per copy for three months, The Catarormta Ep:tion, on tho Ist, 11th and ist of each month, at Six Cents per copy, or $3 per annum. The Eororgan Epiriox, every Wodnesday, at Six Cunra per copy, $4 perannum to any part of Great Britain, or $6 to any part of tho Continent, both to include postage. AMUSEMENTS THIS EVENING. AQADEMY OF MUSIC, Fiowsr. NEW YORK THEATRE, opposite New York Hotel.— Unper tan Gasiicnt, OLYMPIC THEATRE, Nicut's Dera. ACK’S THEATRE, Broadway and 13th street. — wast. fourteenth street.—Tus Destrr Broadway.—A Mipsumuer w. Oy THEATRE FRANCAIS, Fourteenth street. —Exizapern. BROADWAY THEATRE, Broadway.—Paxr O'Dar. BOWERY THEATRE, Bowery.—Ipior or tae Mouy- tain—Beorusk Bint anp Me. PIKE'S OPERA HOUSE, 234 st., corner Eighth av.— La Teaviara. BANVALD'S OPERA HOUSE AND MUSEUM, Broad. way aud Thirtieth street —FRos FIFTH AVENUF THSATRE, Nos. 2 and 4 West th steeet.—Facin or Buamau. NEW YORK CIRCUS, Fourteenth street,—Craxastics, Fquusraianism, &c. THEATRE COMIQUE, 514 Broadway.—Haxion Coxst- nation Tuours. KELLY & LEON’S MINSTREL: Danoxs, Kocentnicitixs, Bunivsquas, &¢. roadway.—Sonas, SAN FRANCISCO MINSTRELS, 585 Broadway. —Ermo- IAN BNTSRTAINMENTS, SINGING, DANCING AND BURLESQUES. TONY PASTOR'S OPERA HOUSE, 201 Bowery.—Comte Vocatisa, NEGRO MINSTRELSY, &0. BUTLER'S AMERICAN THEATRE, 472 Broadway.— Bavust, Vance, Paxtowinr, &c. BUNYAN HALL, Broadway and Fiftecuth street,—tux Puce, PARK THEATRE, Brooklyn,—Amarrion. HOOLKY'S OPFRA HOUSE, Brooklyn.—Ermortas Munstaxis, BaLads asp Burixsaues. NATIONAL HALL, Darlem.—Granp Homoxous Con- ornr. NEW YORK MUSEUM OF ANATOMY, 618 Broadway.— Scrxnen’ ap Axr. New Levant Mondny, Guneens 1 Py =z S ‘N a w rn ‘EUROPE. ‘The nows report by tho Atlantic cable is dated yester- day, January 12. Baroa Budlerg, Rusvian Minister in Paris, is pro- moted to ili an important post in St, Petersburg. The rof Italy essed Parliament on the internal on of the kingdom, but made no reference to the Noman question or foreign relations. M1°CELLANTEOODS. Our special despatches from Havana report that an at { mpt at insurrection on the part of the negroes was appre- hooded, ‘he taxgatherers wero meeting resistance at Manzavi‘lo, and in the ni orhood of Santiago small farmers were fouing the cultivation of their fields, and the educatioual estab! hments were being closed, iu consequence of the heavy taxes, Santa Anna is ro- ported to be clandestinely forwarding recruits to Yuca- tan. Alexander IT, Stephions speaks despondingly of affairs in tho South, From his own observation, he bas seen nothing like a spirit of mutual sympathy or iuterost between tho two races. the President is earnestly considering the action he should take {a caso Stanton is reinstated in the war office by the Senate It is intimated that he may alape bis own course ectirely by that of General Grant. In casé the latter refuses to turn the © lice over to stanton he will await developmen, bat in cage the latter should give it up he may determine to remove bim instead of suspending him as formerly, thus bringing (ie case again berore the Senate, Some radicals in Congress, itis said, oppose the pur- chaso of samand on the ground that St. Domingo several years ago insulted the American flag. Senor Pojol, the Dominican Commissioner at Washington, donies this statement, . It was reported in Atlanta, Georgia, yostorday that Vrosident Johnson had ordered General Moade to sua- pend his order removing Governor Jenkins. ‘The republicans of Indianapolis avd Marion eounty, Indiana, fa¥or the payment of the bonds in legal ten- dor, whore gold is not expressly supulated. ‘Tho constabulary of Maine seized $5,232 worth of liquor auring the past year, aud cost tuo Stare $17,000 General John A. MeUlereand, who commanded the ‘Thirteenth corpe at Vicksbu g, is out 'n @ sharp letter, saying that General Grint never did his corps justice in bis reports, through malevolence to its commander, and tho proofs are on file in the War Department, General Grant, bo says, woula stand very diferently in the public estimation K bis real character were known, A corract list of tue deni on the cholera abip Letbnitz, which arrived here on Saturday, is given cisewhere in our columos this morning, The disease raged for four weeks without interruption, No surgeon was on board und tho oficers Lad to attend the sick, On tho ap. ptouch of she voll weather, ton days ago, the disease abated, Rey, Charies B, Smyth, who deliv Jar course of lectures last winter on the “B and other sins of the flesh, addre sed a iarge congregation at Bunyan Hall iaat ing on the ‘New York Press, Preachers, Demons aod Dollars and the Dickens.” Rev, H. W. Beecher preached in the morning at Pymouth eburch, Vrookiya, on *Pne Viriues and Vices of Youth and Vid Age,’ and to the evenicg tho reading desk was ocoupied by Dr, Muhiémberg, who discoursed on “Ta Midnight Mission for Failoa Women."” Al the Cuurch of tho Res- toration, Brooklyn, Rev, Henry Blauchard delivered a lecture to dry goods clerks om Co-operation and Em!- gration ‘The Heraro special Street Commissioner has raado a tour of the city and reports innumerable obstructions of the sidewalk, wbich are in violation of the city ordi- nances, afd to whch the atientiom of tho municipal watborities is called. Judge W. B, Wright, of ihe Court of Appoals, at Albany, diod suddenly last night, Ho was om the bench on Thursday, A man at Detroit skated sixty consecutive hours, Avwhing on Saturday, for $500. ‘Yownrda the last Diankets had to be neid up about him to keop tho wind Stom biowipg uim ever, | Reconstruction Outside the Constitution— Rom ing the Nat Reconstruction moves onward unswervingly in its revolutionary career. The House of Representatives will have before it to-day, from its “Reconstrucsion Committee,” the bill to establish an imperium, within the limits of the United States, It seems that the system of five military districts is not, in ifs operation, sufficiently destructive to suit the radical pur- pose. It does not stamp out tho Siates, It does not crush beyond all semblance of recog- nition the old social and political forms with which we were familiar in the ten Southern communities, That system does not satisfac- torily put the white man’s head under the nigger’s heel. ‘ale lines are left—State courts, Stato governors and State spirit. If the law presses too hard —if the radical will is too despotically put in force by somo tyrant schooled in the small dominion of his rogi- ment—therd is aremedy for the poople; the national Executive reducos the suddenly ex- alted captain genoral to his little level, and puts in his place some man loss ready to pander to the mad extravagance of political passion. And this, in the radical view, is all wrong. Radicalism holds that it blundered when it recognized the States even as geo- graphical quantities and defined its districts by State lines. It argues that it has no power unless it has all power; admits that its pur- pose is so little consonant with our national spirit that it cannot bo executed so long as there Is authority left anywhere to dispute it, Hence it now proposes to morge its five military districts into one grander district exactly analo- gous to the Roman imperium. Under the Roman republic all the groat dependencios—as Gaul, Spain, Germany, Syria, Greeco and Atrica— were held by absolute military powor, subject only to a commander and the Senate. No couris existed save by the will of the commander. There were no local governments except on sufference and a3 managed by his creatures to plunder the country more completely. And this is a model of the form of government that the Congress of the Unitel Ststes now pro- poses to set up in a territory comprising ten States of this Union—ten States of a nation whose primary political principle is the sover- eignty of the people. In setting up this im- perium within our borders Congress abolishes the States in all their political and ‘legal forms, sweeps away tho governmental system and the courts, all tho machinery that gives stabil- ity to order and security to property, and puts in the placo of everything one military com- mander—General Grant. It doclares the con- stitution of the United States null and void by saying that in ten States of the Union the President no longer has executive authority, and that he will be guilty of a misdomzanor if he exercises in thosa Stites the dutios thy con- stitution imposes upon him. And in all this there is no principle—no great point of na- tional safety to secure—nothing whalever but the nigger and a party result. In view of order and law and an old established system the niggor cannot rise. But return to chaos, throw down all the present relations of things, reduce society to tho primitive barbarous level, so that the nigger and tho white man may start even, then give the nigger an army for his ally, and perhaps ho may come out abead. This is tho idea that underlies the new bill. But what else is Congress doing in order to do this? We may regard this Congressional action in two main points as to the power and as to the propriety—considering whether that body has the authority to make such sweeping changes, and whether the harm and danzec the changes involve do not inf- nitely overbalance any other possible result. Constitutions are made for one sole purpose— that of limiting tho action of Logislatures. In nominally tro States, ostensibly wiihout wrilten constitutions, the lawmaking power is supreme. Ilence the declaration of Hallam :— “The absojuts power of the Lugislatare in strictness is as arbitrary iff Eaglind as in Persia.” This is felt to be ths case in Bag. land, though? there is there a constitutions limit of usage, and though certain points are fixed by such instraments as tic Magna Chuirta, the Bill of Rights, the Act of Settlement and the soveral Reform bills. Bat these, thongh essentially constitutional limits, are not so fur | above ordinary law in their uachangeablo character that they can be rele] upon as sev rities against legislitive violence. And tuis was also the case in Row All the political establishments that grow up in the con.titation of Servius Tullius and the liws of the Twelve Tables were subject to legis ative abrogation. It was apparent to the founters of our govern- ment that the first great sources of danger to free States was party fury making itself fels through lezislative majorilies, and that uniess they could establish some fixsd pons for so- ciety beyond that danger they would labor in vain. They saw that unless they could lim't the power of the lawmaking body our government would be no more s‘able than had been the coun.less ones of which history pre- serves the record. flence they laid down tie charter of popular rights to control, not the tyranny of an unscruprlous king, bul the tyranny of the majorily. For this sole purpos gy did the people of the United Sta. writien constitution to draw the lines within which the liwmaking power might act; to de- | fine the poin s beyond which i. siould not go; to guard with a sanction higher than taal of ordinary law the rights of a minority that mghtat any time bat for this protection be subject to the fury and eaprics of # majorily. And this charter of national wis male especially to carry the nation through such siorms of internal dissensio1 a3 we are in now. It was not mide for poacs, for times of quiet and prosperity an! national eass—any law, any system 18 gool enough for such peridds ; it was made to carry the nation through times of struggle and danger. And to assors that in such times tho constitution must be Jaid aside, that it furnishes no safflieat guid» for public action, is to assert tat ib was ridiculous to make it. This is to assure the nation that Hamilton, Jay, Madison, all the great mon of the constitution, were d ivellors and dolis; and this is the present position of the leaders of th majority in Congress. Stevens has plainly de- clared that all the Resonstruction acta are made outsile the constitution, This is saying that rightfully they have no force. Congress, acting outside the law that gives it its authority, is no longer Congress. Its utier- ances are not law, and it is a duty to the nation to resist It. Where must the res’stance begin. Congress by this law puts itselt and its creatures in direct conflict with the consti- tution and the President as the Executive of that constitution. The same duty that required the Exveutive to defend the constitulion as against Southern rebels requires him to assert its supremacy when menaced from other quar- ters, It¢id not require the intervention of the Supreme Court to tell what must be done when Fort Sumter was fired on. This law proposes to put General Grant in command of the new district, deriving his authority directly from Congress. General Grant is an officer of the United States army, of which the President is the Commander-in-Chiet, General Grant can take no orders from any source save the Exe- cutive, and he will be recreant to his duty if he does not so declare. The President must go on in the exercise of his rightful Executive powers in the United States, North or South ; and if Congress, establishing its new recon- struction maching, forces a conflict, that con- flict will bo of radical making, and the Presi- dent will have behind him those majorities of the Northern people that so lately made themselves heard against radical extremity in California, Connecticut, Ohio, Pennsylvania and our own great Empire State. As to the natural and inevitable danger to freedom that lies in the setting up of great military power in any district within our bor- ders, the history of Rome is eloquent in its ex- ample. Such districts were the gradations by which Rome stepped from the republic to the empire. In them were nurtured and kept in train the armies that, beginning to. fight for Rome, grow into the military subordination that at length made them content to fight for their general, whatever the quarrel. In those vast spheres of command generals acquiring ambition with power be- camo too great for tho safety of the Slate. Thus it was that Rome’s conquests proved Rome’s ruin, and the State that could defy the power of the world besides fell a victim to her successes, Ceesar grew in Gaul to such a height that Rome could hold him only as an emperor. Let the people of the North refloct on the unquestionable fact that the danger in this watter is to their own liberties, not to those of the Southern people; for the South isso beaten down now that it is out of fortune’s power; there is hardly a depth of political degradation that its people have not sounded under radical military rule, and they secm to feel that any change may possibly be for the better. The danger is to those who are still free. The danger is that as we grow daily in anarchy, as we grow from bad to worse under the misgovernment of a Congress taat forgets its plain duty to the nation in the pursuit of partisan schemes, the people by and by may grow to envy even those who live under the tranquillity of a despotism, and may look on with satisfaction when the commander of an army posted to keep down the Southern people (perhaps recruited to a great extent in the Southern States) shall suddenly march to Washington, seize the Capitol and disperse that chattering, jabbering, corrupt and con temptible rabble, the Congress of the United States. Tho Gift Enterprise Swindle. There is at last a fair prospect that the gift swindling enterprise will be offectually sup- pressed. A good beginning in this direction has been made by Postmaster Kelly, who has laid anembargo upon a large amount of let- ters addressed to several of these enterprising concerns from their dupes throughout the country. The action of the Postmaster is based on the ground that these “ gilt onter- prise establishments” are carried on under fictitious namos or firms. Tho parties having been refused the letters so addressed appealed to Washington for relief. .The Post Office Department referred the matter to District Attorney Courtney, instructing the Postmaster to act conformably with that officer’s advico in the matter. The result is that the letters daily accumulating are detained awaiting the action of counsel, to the in- tens» disgust of the enterprising gentlemen who traffic with such success on the credulity of their dupes, There is probably no greater swindle practised in our midst than that per- petrated through these gift concerns, which are curried on, ag @ general rule, under fictitious names and tiles. The most successtul plan is the “circular dodge.” Circulars are sent through the Post Office according to the ad- dress. to be found in every city, town and village directory, setting forth in tempting phrases the rich priz’s that for a sm@ll sum, from a dollar upwards, the party addressed has a chance to draw from a lottery where there are no blanks. It is incredible the amount of money these unscrupulous speculators obtain in this way by the sale of worthless tickets. At the time specified a pretended drawing is announced, immediately after which fresh circulars are again addressed to the dupes of the first fraud informing them that they have drawn a prize running up in amount from ten dollars to ten thousand dollars, but that thoy must remit to the concern five per cent in cash of the value of tho prize. This bait takes immensely, and plethoric mailbags attest the success of the double swindle. The prize eventually turns out to be a share ora number of shares in some bogus petroleum company or lumber speculation, or some other unknown or worthless affair of the kind. The Mayor of the city has been repeatedly applied | to to suppress shis evil, nut hitherto without effect; and 11 now rests with District Attorney Courtney, acting on the dovided steps taken by Postmaster Kelly, to bring the matter before the United States District Court, where, as it now stands, it properly belongs, and if the “gift enterprise’ violates the provisions of any statute, the penalties therefor will be rigidly enforced, so that this swindling business may be now and forever suppressed. Congress and the Supreme Court. Upon several incidental cases, it appears, there is a prospect that the question of the con- stituticnality of the’ Reconstruction laws of Congress will shortly be brought béfore the Supreme Court. There is, it next appears, an apprehension prevailing among the radicals (ooking back to the Milliken ease, five to four, and Judge Wayne, one of the four, since deceased) that the court, if called upon to decide upon said Reconstruction acts, will de- cide against them; and to avoid this danger it is said that we may look for tho taking up of a bill in the House of Representatives to-day providing that the concurrence of two-thirds of the members of the Supreme Court, instead of @ majority, shall be necessary to establish the unconstitutionality ofan set of Congross, The movement here suggested is of the highest importance, and we are prepared to seo it pushed through; for without some such measure a3 this to shield the new imperial reconstruc- tion b.1] to be introduced to-day it might be completely squelched within a month, Progress and Prospects of tho Abyssinian Expedition, According to the latest advices from Colo- nel Mereweather, of the British Abyssinian expedition, bands of natives supposed to be hostile were prowling around tho English camp at Senafe, and in consequence of this intelligence, which was transmitted by special telegram from our correspondent at Alexan- dria, in Ezypt, and published in Saturday’s Heratp, orders had been issued for all the European troops temporarily stationed at Annesley Bay and at the different points along the line of march from there to the interior to advance to the front and join the headquarters division at Senafe. To this news we ap- pended an account, by the Senafe correspond- ent of the London Times, of the English camping ground at that point, and also an account of the King of Abyssinia’s army, to- gether with the latest information respecting the prisoners held by King Theodorus. Ac- counts up to October 11 had been received from Mr. Faad. The King bad carried off with him from Debra Tabor all Europeans, some in chains and others free. Among the latier was Mr. Fand, who writes that the women and children were all well, and that the prisoners had of late been better treated. by the King. This improved treatment of the prisoners accords with the descriptions by Abyssinian travellers of the originally amiable personal character of the King, notwithstanding his fanatical pride and ambition. Charity to the poor and hospitality to the stranger are said to be conspicuous redeeming traits of the Abyssinians, It would not be surprising if at jeast one of these virtues—hospitality to strangers—should be checked rather than en- couraged by the war waged by the English upon Theodorus, the descendant of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, the rejected suitor of their own Queen (Victoria), the head of the English Church. And yetnot oae of the least influential motives which dotermined the Eng- lish to engage in what may yet prove, as we have already intimated, as long and tedious and costly as our own Indian wars, was avowed to be a religious motive—that is to say, the British government had to exhibit to Queen Victoria’s subjects the religious side of the Abyssinian question before war was decided upon. The prayers of all pious people in England are now enlisted in behalf of the war, not only because they hope it will effect the release of the missionaries among th prisoners of King Theodorus, but that it will result in either killing or converting him and all his subjects, whether ignorant Jews, lax Moslems or more or less devoted adherents of the corrupted Obristianity which, in a purer form, was first introduced into Abyssinia in the fourth century, in the days of Constan. tine, It is probable that Constantine’s mission- aries brought the sword os well as the Gospel into Abyssinia, as tho missionaries of Mahomet at a later period brought the sword and the Koran. But the missionary army which Queen Victoria has sent against her unsuccessiul Abyssinian suitor and his people is armed lke that which was sent to force the Chinese to swallow opium and Chris- tian dogmas at one gulp, and like that which in India blew the Sepoys into kingdom come because their own religious scruples forbade them to use greased cartridges, This missionary army is armed not only with the sword—which, by-the-by, might be equalled by the blades manufactured at Gondar or Kiaratza—but also with the Bible and with all the most improved and most destructive instruments of modern warfare. If the British can only penctrate far enough -amid the fastnesses of Abysswia they may learn something of “ bushwhack- ing” as it can be practised in that Switzerlant of Africa. Their disciplined twelve thousand may drive the undisciplined sixty thousand who are said to compose the Abyssinian army, together with the whole people, numbering four or five millions, to the remotest wilds of the fabled Mountains of the Moon. Their Bibles and bullets and cannon balls may be brought into full play, creating more consternation than all the thunderbolts of Jove when ho descended from Olympus, and, accompanied by the gods, made a twelve days’ missionary expedition to the Ethiopians. It is a pity that Homer devoted only three or four lines in the first book of the Iliad to this heavenly Abyssinian expedition, the original prototype of the one in which the Brilish government is now engaged. A fuller and more minute description of it might have enabled the engineers of the English army to prepare the way to ® more speedy opening of a market In Abyssinia for ladies’ thimbles, Worcestershire sutce, pistols, prayer books, pocket handkerchiefs with the Ten Command- ments printed on thém, and all other British manufactures. Meanwhile, King Theedorus will probably have to abandon his matrimonial claims upon Queen Victoria, the bead of the English Church, a8 well as his ambitious pro- jects against Mecca and Jerusalem; and the philanthropists of Exeter Hall may do what they can to abolish negro slavery in Abyssinia, If the British missionary army does not find it necessary to “slamp out” and annihilate the Abyssinians entirely, it may be hoped that one of these days Ethiopia will stretch forth her hands to God. General Meude’s Doings in Georgina. The white man’s party of Georgia, in secur- ing the removal of General Pope and the sub- stitution of General Meade as commander of the Third Mililary District, seem to have suffered the misfortune of the frogs in the fable, who, in answer to their prayer for the removal of King Log, got in exchange King Stork, who without ceremony proceeded to gobble them up. Governor Jenkins was threatened by Pope from time to time, but Meade makes short work of the intractable civilian by turning him out and putting the Adjutant Géneral of Pope in his place. A telegram from Atlanta, however, states that @ report was current tiere yesterday that the President had interposed, and directed General Meade to suspend his order removing the Governor. Pope hesi- tated to enforce the ordinance of the Georgia Convention for the relief of debtors in staying the collection of debts; but Mende promptly puts it into execution. Again, Pope only threatened to mnke tho State Treasury furnish tho funds for the vavment of the mem- bers of the Reconstruction Convention, while Meade orders the money to be produced. From Pope to Meade, therefore, the Georgians of the white man’s party are out of tho frying pan into the fire, The President was evidently mistaken in his man in the appointment of Meade, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Army is now called upon to set this matter right and give General Meade employment elsewhere, whatever may be tho designs of the radicals in Congress. Thomas Cession in the Danish Ria: f° In common with the whole American people, we entertained the opinion that the cession of the islands of St. Thomas and St. John, in the Danish West Indies, as arranged for in the sale, bargain and treaty concluded between the Executive in Washington and the Cabinet in Copenhagen, would be perfected on the Ist of January by the transfer of the territory to a répresentative of the United States duly ac- credited to hand over many millions of gold and take possession. We were aware that King Christian, of Denmark, had accorded to the inhabitants the right of voting by manhood suffrage, niggers and all, for or against, and also of declaring their allegiance to the repub- lio or with the crown; but the special corres- pondence from St, Thomas already published in the Heratp induced the conviction that the colonial citizens thus complimented would not impede the royal wish in any respect. We are, therefore, somewhat surprised to learn by the Atlantic cable that the bargain has not been ratified even yet, and that the whole subject is under debate in the Danish Rigsdag, the members of the legislature in Copenhagen having a good deal to say with respect to it, just as have our Senators. These learned northerns appear to take the matter very coolly and in o spirit of true Scandinavian phlegm, for our cable telegram informs us that the debate has been adjourned without saying when it will bo resumed. There is thus evidently a hitch somewhere in the matter of our West India real estate dealings. Secretary Seward must look out for the cause. What can it bo? Has the Prince of Wales had sufficient interest with his royal father in-law to induce him to repent of afford- ing us such a grand naval hold in the Spanish Main? Perhaps the Schleswig-Holstein ques- tion is likely to be amicably adjusted with North Germany, and that Denmark will not require our gold, for purposes of negotiation, defence or war. King Christian may have heard that we want the gold badly ourselves just at present, and it may be he hesitates to deplete the treasury of a friendly Power ; or tho members of the Rigsdag may have learned that the property has been shaken almost to pieces by earthquakes and a groat portion of it washed away by inundations since the bar- gain was made, and, as @ matter of legislative conscience, may hesitate to take our cash— specie, too, at that—when they cannot give fall value in return. The Rigsdag had better bo cautious, how- ever, and finish the matter fair and square ; for if they attempt anything mean or tricky— which we do not ‘expect—they will be necessitated to read volumes of corre- spondence from Mr. Seward; and their friends in London,- Lord Stanley particu- rly, can inform them as to the effect of that sort of labor. Should the learned Secretary be compelled to write concerning the Danish West India bargain, the despatches will be accompanied with maps and explana‘ory notes and scientific disquisiiions on the natural phe- nomena of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, submarine upheavings and the currents and course of hurricanes and their effects—sub- jects which Mr. Soward has not treated officially hitherto. The official documents will also be in duplicate—in the English and Danish lan- guages—and the members of the Rigsdag must, of course, compare the respectivs texts. OF such probavle consequences the Rigsdag is now duly warned, and its members had betler govern themselves accordiagly. Tho St. Mayor Hoffman and the Japanse Jumpers, Mayor Hoffman, having been elected by a majority of sixty-\hree thousind votes, evi- dently considers that he ought to exercise the power and privileges ofanemperor. Augustus threw the mantle of his imperial protection over Horace. He had his Macnas always at hand to dole out his patronage to deserving poets and other people who contributed to the amusement ani enlightenment of the Roman public. I: is in the same spirit, evidently, that Hoffman imperator extends his patronage to everything that comes along in the way of pub- lic amusements. He considers that a part of his newly assumed duties is to superintend everything in this line, and patronize the fine arts as they are represented by Black Crooks, White Fawns and Japanese Jugglers. He, no doubt, regards this as one of the missions which, as Mayor of the city, he inberits from the old Dongan and Montgomerie chartors. And why not? What better occupation can the Mayor devote himself to in this remarkable era of taxation than the business of tho theatres which return so handsome a revenue on the tax list? The “ Black Crook” alone real- ized a quarter of a million, and paid, of course, its legitimate proportion upon that sum in the shape of tax. Mayor Hoffman has some experienve in this business, for he has increased =the taxes. of =the city four millions during his late term of office. Perbaps be has, in so doing, fulfilled the wishes of the sixty-three thousand majority that re-elected him. However, if he is going to add to his other duties that of inspector of acrobats and other performers, the Corporation ought to give him a separate salary for acting in that capacity, and in consideration therefor the Mayor should go further. For ins!ance, while the managers of Niblo’s Gardon have consigned the “ Black Crook” to oblivion they have a “ White Fawn” to put in its place, with new dances and new costumes. It will be necessary for Mayor Hoffman to inspect all these, dancing girls, look into their steps and pirouettes, carefully investigate the measure of the dresses, their petticoats, bodices and other paraphernalia which go to make up ballet girls, If he does not do this as inspector of amusements and amusement makers under the old charters, with @ newly added salary, he will clearly be neglecting his duty, and all the theatres, concert saloons and opera houses will become jealous of the Japanese jumpers to whom tho Mayor did such espeotal honor as to minutely examine their qualities to twist them- selves into allsorts of shapes, eat fire, swallow | knives and socomplish other impossibilitics, eee besides accepting from thoir hands tho dis- tinguished present of a sword. We, think, upon the whole, that the duty of the Mayor upon this subject is very clear, and if he consults the interests of the heavily taxed sixty-threo thousand voters who elected him he will not overlook the great moral responsi- bility involved in the office of inspector of amusements. Hon, Demas Barnes on tho National Wie nances. We published yesterday a pretty full report of a speech on Saturday in the House of Repre- sentatives by Mr. Demas Barnes, one of the Brooklyn members. By recurring to this speech our readers will find that Mr. Barnes brought forward an interesting variety of im- portant facts and statistics to illustrate his three main poinits—the amount of our cur rency, the relations of the national banks to specie payments and the best way to over come existing obstacles to that end. The reso- lutions with which he concluded may not be sufficiently broad and definite, but his speech evinces throughout no less familiarity with the general business and the financial condition and necessities of the country than the orator has, of course, with patent medicines, His col- leagues might well profit by his example and apply themselves to a thorough study of the all-absorbing question of the day—tho a tion of the national finances. THE SKATING OARVIVAL, Sunday at the Park Lakes. Despite the biting, nipping, tingling character of yos- terday, hours that made wild and vigorous life pant in the veins of every pedestrian, one portion of New York assombied upon the lakes of tho Park to participate im the wild frolic of skating. Bofore tho hour of nine A. M. there bad gathered from the four sections of the city five thousand animated, skating-imbued men, women and children, and as tho day wore on fally twenty thousand had enjoyed the pleasures of the ex- hilarating pastime." In addition to the participants there wore estimated to be ten thousand visitors that stood long and anxiously gazing at the oxciting, enchanting spectacle, Some have imagined that skating ‘is no new thing to them," and smile incredu- lously when it is assoried that “New York will do more of that work in one day than some cities will in a week.” But all doubis, all incredulity would have vanished had these siceptica'scen thy great moving panorama that yes- terday lay beneath the feet of spectators, Tho Park was awaxe—wide awake and mad with excitement. In the whirling mass of the dovotees of the art of skating new objects of interest appeared every moment. It was some time bre they could bo separated so as to be viewed distinctly and let their peculiar features become im~ pressed upon the mind. Fathera and mothers, with cbildron in tow, came sweeping down the lakes $n wild, bilarious mirth, when whizzing by such groups, like a small bird passing an eagle, were infantile specimens with petite skates, and light almost as a feather, whose tiny runners seemed scarcely to touch the glib surface, By nervous vid gentlemen, takiog thoir first lossons in the sport, there would dart so swiftly as to hardly leave rom for observation a gay party of laughing giris; aud then old and young of every imaginable proticieacy ip the art, in strange contrast with each other, were under ono’s eyes, and 3s they were swepi away like men on @ chessboard, dashed by 80.ne angry hand in all directions, In the next ret newer and more grotesquely beautiful combiva- ton, the merry groups wero vero again. It gecined like a great kaleidoscopes in which bright cheeks, ring- ing laughter and giadsome hearis were forever bending in new forms. ‘fo paricipauts in the sport there woro moments when they {eit that lo rozion of fairyland was surrounding ther, ing collisions irequently occurred in ihis wild frotic, Every instant it was expected tbat some of the more adepi and ‘heavier weights’? wou'd run down and annibliate @ light and graceful member of the throng. But,no such catsatropne happened, although tuinbies were frequent. Crowded as was tbe ico, none appeared to check the wild spoed which they de- lighted in, no matter how closoly they came together; afew inches were enough for @ passage, aud a miss was was as good ag a mile, Amerry, boisterous, frolicsome time of an hour, and the Younger folks would repair to the roception rooms, aud, just as fancy or impulse => crowd around the stove or funca counter. the scenes outside were animated, here they partook of excitomenut. They could not possibly wait a moment to eat, und sumo of the eager and impuisive both satis- fled thoir hunger and warmed tho ends of tingling fine gers at the same time. ‘Tho drosgos of tho occasion, ale though not particularly unique, were noticeable, Biue and red silks, with trimmings of fur, and caps to match, were frequont. A flood of sunlight greeted the pleasure seekers during the entire di nd happiness med pa bo -een struggling with the excitomonts of the time uj the (aces of all as they swept by in tue great living con orama, NEW JERSEY. «6 Newark, Pouce Reoory.—The police of Newark made sixty-nine arrosts during the woek just closed, of which a large number were for drunkenness and breach. Iysanity. —Jobn Oppler, a man of twenty-five years, residing in Beacon streot, was arresied yesterday in ® ttato of insanity, He was subsequently taken to the nimshouce in an exhausted condition, his frantic efforts to escape irou the officers bayiny weakened bim greatly, AN insane man vamed Slater yesterday morning took Pesseasion of the pulpit of ono of tue Central Methodist churches and proceeded to deliver a discourse to the con regation, Ho was arrested and locked up. Reroet ov Tak Cuigy ov Tas Fine Derantueyt,—The annual report of the Chief of the Fire Department shows that during the past year the losses by fire reached the sm of $109,344, upon which tuere was an insurance of $89,964. Tux Lata Acoiwent.-—Mr. O'Conn the gentleman who was shot in tho cheek on New Year's night, grew yesterday, and it is feared cannot survive, udge Diilis Inat evening to visit bim in or. aie-mortem deposition might be taken, Mission Day.—Mission Day was generally observed in the Methodist churches yesterday. Soveral clerkymon from abroad were present in the city and officiated by requesi, ihe exercises were ull of @ mission character, ‘Tus Suxoay Law.—On Sunday‘ night, the Sth inst, the polico were instructed to notify all saloon keepers that it was contrary to the law to keep their places open on Sunday, Tbeso instructions wero followed out, and it was presumod that the Mavor had given orders for the enforcement of the law. Whether such orders have been given is a matior of donbt, as last evening the Mayor positively any question in regard to the mate have been made for violations of the law itis (air to prosume tbat no orders have been given. Fuverat ov CoLonsn, Heyay,—The funeral of Colonel Henry, a lieutenant of the police force, took place yea terday afternoon, The services were held in the Park Presbyterian church, which was crowded to oxcoas ‘be coffin was enciosed ia heavy black cloth, with sil- ver handles, After the solomn services had been con- cided, tho remains were conveyed to Fairmount Come tery, where they wero interred with military honors, ‘Tne Tuneral cor.oge was corposed of the pulice for the Veieran regiment, in ‘aii uniform; the officers the First and xecoua regiments, New Jereey Ritle Corpa, the Nowark Post of the Grand Army of the Repubie and th ves aud friends of the deceased, ‘Tue po- lice wore the usual badge of mourning op the left arm, ‘The guard of boner consisted of eight members of the police force and oigbt of the veterans The police sta tiva was yesterday draped in mourning, with @ photo- graph of tho deceased surrounded vy the embiems of Inourning. Rosolutious expRe-sive of regrot as the death of their Iie comrade bave been adopted by the Vetoran regiment, the officers of the Build corps and tuo Newark Post, G, A. R. BROOKLYN INTELLIGENCE. Perrtion AGAINST THR MoptricaTion On Rernas ov THE Law. —A petition Ww Governor Fenton and the siature against tho repeal or modification of the <0 law was introduced io the Warren siroet Mission ath achool yesterday afternoon and signed by all the teachers, ollicers and scuolars connected ‘with Le 8cucul, 1. is to be forwarded to Aibany imimediavely, Vioation ov Tie Excise LAW.—A liquor dealer named Martin Stoo, Keeping « store corner of Columbia and Summit streets, was arrested by olf}cer Oswald, of tho Forty-third precinct, about one o’clorsk on Sunday morn mg, charged with vioiation of the Fyxcise law by allow. ing bis siure to remain open after rnidnight, Fatah Can Casvaty.—An aged woman named Catharine Linzner was run over by a Graham avonue car, between eight and pine o'slock yesterday morning, at the coraer of Graham avenye and Powers street, K. D,, Ars, Linaner resided ab 25 Mocker nm d, was removed tw she Siage strect station bows, her rolatives notified of her sad fate, The driver of the car, Aloxandor Wright, surrendered bimaalf us the police aud was locked opto await a Judicial iavertigation ‘TeMPeeance Mey.rina AT THe Pank THRATRR —Anothor meeting under tu spices of the Kings County Central Temperance Association was held tast nieht at the Park tyaatre, Dr, Bennot prosided and introduced the Rev. W. ©. Van Meter, who was prosent with twelve litele girls, Th 7% overal lomperance songs, aftor which Gaptain D, Ma: i made & temperance address, at