The New York Herald Newspaper, February 14, 1868, Page 4

WEW YORK HERALD. sHOADWAY AND ANN STREET. JAMES GORDON BENNETT, _PROPRIETOR. ‘AN business or news letters and telegrapnic despatches must be addressed New York HERALD. ‘ Letters and packages should be properly sealed, Rejected communications will not be re- turned. ——S—S—eeeeEeee——ee———— Volume XXXILL.....cececccesseeereseees NOs 145 AMUSEMENTS THIS EVENING. NEW YORE THEATRE, opposite New Y ia Srazers or New Youre, as xls alte OLYMPIC THEATRE, Broadway.—Lirriz Baneroor. POCADEMY OF MUSIO, Fourteenth aireet—RicotszTo, NIBLO'S GARDEN, Broadwa: y.—Tax Ware Fawx. WALLACK'S THEATRE, Broadway and 13th streat.— -APTAIN OF THE W aTcH—Woopcoon's Littex Game. BROADWAY THEATRE, Broadway.—Lirrix Neut axp tas Mancuronzss. : BOWERY THEATRE, Bowery.—Jack Cape—Inisit Har MaxeR—Foou oF THe Famity. BANVARD'S OPERA HOUSE AND MUSEUM, Broad- way and 30th street.—Hippan Hann. NEW YORK CIROUS. Fourteenth street. —Gruxasrics, Equusretanisa, &c. THEATRE COMIQUE, 514 Broadway.—Hantox Comsi- NATION TuOUrE AnD MiviatuRE Cuicus. KELLY & LEON’S MINSTRELS, 720 Broadway. —Soxas, ances, Eocenrnicirizs, &¢.—Geaxn Duro “3.’? SAN FRANCISCO MINSTRELS, 58 Broad way.—Ermo- rian ENtentaaests, Sinaia, Danoixc axb Buauesquas, TONY PASTOR'S OPERA HOUSE. 201 Bowery.—Couto Vocaism, NEGRO MiINSTRELSY, &0. BUTLER’S AMERICAN THEATRE, 472 Broadway.— Bautzr, Fance, Pantomiux, &c. LYRIC HALL, No, 795 Sixth enue. Locretia Borcia. BUNYAN HALL, Broadway and Figeenth street—Tux Puomim. Matinee at 2, aul MRS, F. B, CONWAY'S PARK THEATRE, Brooklyn.— Tus Howcupack. BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC.—Ma. James E. Muxpocu's Reapinas. HOOLEY'S OPERA HOUS! Brooklya.—Ermorian ‘Minstae.sy, BALLADS anD BuRLESQUES. NEW YORK MUSEUM OF ANATOMY, 618 Broadway.— ‘SOuNCE AND ART. Now York, Friday, February 14, 1868. THE NEWS. EUROPE. The news report by the Atlantic cabie is dated at midnight, February 14. The Erghsh Parliament reassembled in session, Mir, Lefevre is to bring the Alabama claims question before the House of Commons, Tho Portuguese government gives official encourage- ment for the construction of a line of Atlantic cable, to run from Faimouth, Engiand, 10 Oporto, and thence to the Azores and the coast of the United States, The Fenian riots continued in Cork, Admiral Farragut is invalided in Florence. Count Bismarck promises that the German emigrant passenger traffic system will be impreved. The bullion iu the Bank of England de- ereased during the week, Consols, 93% 2.93% tn London, Five-twenties, 72 in London and 75% a 76 in Frankfort. Paris Bourse dull. Cotton quiet with mis \ og uplands at 85d, Broad- stuffs and provisions without marked change, CONGRESS. Ia tho Sonate yesterday bills were intraduced creating a new territory of Wyoming out of a portion of Dakota, and providing for the temporary supplying of vacancies in the executiv partments. A bill for the relief of certain government contractors was called up aod dis. cussed until the expiration of the morning bour, when the case of Senator thomas, of Maryland, was taken up. Messrs, Sumner, Yates and Sherman spoke strongly against Mr, Thomas’ admiasion, and Mr. Trimbull spoke in favor of it. In the House the bill concerning thé rights of natural- ized citizens was takon up and regommitted to the Com- mittee on Foreign Affairs. 1he Kentucky contested cases were then considered, the special one being that of Joho Y. Brown, who was, after considerable debate, declared ineligible to a seat in the House on account of having voluntarily aided the rebellion. A joint reselution for the reduction of army expenses in New York city was Passed, In the Committee on Reconstruction the proposed re- solution for the impeachment Of the President was de- feated by five votes to three, Mr. Bingham voting against it. THE LYGISLATULE. In the Sonate yesterday a bill providing for security in chse of fires in theatres in New York was reported fa- vorably, Bills were introduced to provide for the trans- mission of packages across the East river and North river by means of pnoumatic tubes; for the-prevention of incendiary Ores; to repes! the act for an experimen- tal railway in New York and Westchester counties, and incorporating the Eas: River Tunnel Company. Several Dills of a local or private character were passed. In the Assembly the bili to amend the Revised Statutes ‘© to assossiuents was edvanced to a tlrird reading, The bill to roguiate the Excise iaw in the Metropotitan district was reporied, and the special order for to- day, It repeats tho Excise law, aud vests the liceusing power in tho Meyor. THE CITY. A communication to the Common Council has been prepared by Mayor Hoffman suggesting tho Ist of May as the day for commencing work on the proposed ox- tension of Church street. A lecture was delivered last evening at Pike's Opora House by the Rev. Henry Wara Beecher. The object of the moeting was to raise funds for the ‘rection of a Masonic orphan asylum, In the United S.ates Circuit Court yesterday, before Judge Benedict, the case of the United States va Wik liam Speke, charged with selling counterfeit fractional currency with intent to defraud the government, was taken up. ‘Ihe evidence being put in And the case sud- mitted, the jury, afier ten minutes’ deliberation, re- turned a verdict of guilty. A motion for arrest of judg- mont is set down for hearing. Abner B, Newcom), deputy marshal, who hes been examined at great length op the charge preferred by the chief detective of the Secret Service division of the United States treasury with obstructing the administra. (lon of justic:, is held by Commissioner Osborn to answer bofore the Grand Jury. Ta the Court of Common Pleas yesterday, before Judge Barrett, a jury found a vordict for Alieu A. Sea- man in a doit brought by bim sasinst tho Mayor and Corporation for damag ed by him to hu boat, the propelior Sama ) 12 coming in collision ‘Wiib spiles on tho river off pier 46 North river; dam- ages $1,800, Asuit brought by Mrs, Mary Anno Dean, formerly ‘Miss Minnie Boker, against Siosos 8, Boach, late pree Prietor of the Yon, for libol, will be -beard in the Brook. jyn City Court to-day, Wilitam L. Judson, ihe Post office employs who was recently arresiod charged with purioining letters from tho Brookiya Post Oiice, was brought before United States Commissioner Nowton yesterday, and, having waived examivation, was beld in the sum of $5,000 to await the action of ¢he Grand Jury. Inman line steamship City of Paris, Captain J. Kennody, will leave pier 45 Norsb river at one P.M. for Queoustown and Liverpool, will close at the Post Office at M. on Saturday, | 4 ‘orth American Steamship Company's sidowhee! stoamor Fulton wilt sail at noon tomorrow (Saturday) from pier 29 North river for San Francisco, connecting ‘at Panama with the fine seamship Oregonian, ‘Tho Cromwell \in6 sleamship George Cromwell, Cap- tain Vaill, will leave pier No, 9 North river at threo clock to-morrow ( alurday) afternoon for Now Orleans direot, The fing stoamship Huntsville, Captain Crowell, of the Biack Star lodependent line, wil at three o'clock to-morrow (Saturday) aitornoon, from pier No, 13 North NEW YORK HERALD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1868, river, for Savannah, Ga, connecting with rail to sll Points in the interior, \ ‘Tho popular iron steamebip Matanzas, Captain Ryder, of Arthur Loary’s he, will sail from pier 14 East river, foot of Wall street, at three o'clock to-morrow (Satur- day) afternoon, for Charleston, 8. C., commecting with steamer for the Florida ports, The stock market was atrong yesterday. Government securities were steady, Gold was heavy, and closed at Moy, | A th beat catibewinn slow yeatorday, bat no change occurred Im prices, common to prime grades command- ing ide. a 18. fet pound. The receipts were Nght, being only about seventy head at Communipaw aud elght car loads at Hudson City, Swine were firm under & moderate demand and tight receipts, fair and primo selling at 83<c..a83<0. ‘There arrived 900 bead at For- Heth street and 700 at Communipaw. Sheep—Common wero slow of sale, while prime were in fairdemand. We quote 5c, 8 73¢. ; latter price for extra, MISCELLANEOUS. Our epscial telegrams by the Cuba cable contain in- telligence trom Hayti, St. Domingo and Guadaloupe, Salnave bad been severely defeated by the Cacos, losing three hundred prisoners. A British war vessel is watch- ing the operations of American Commissioners in the Bay of Samana, Cabral, the President of St.. Domingo, is reported to have gone to Jamaica in a war vessel. Our mail advices from Cuba havo been generally an- ticipated by our special telograms. General Lersundi had asked information of the Americal Consul relative to a supposed American slaver off Nassau, The number of vessels arriving at Havana during the month of January was one hundred and cigbty-three, of which sixty-five were American. Teran, one of Maximilian’s Minssters, had died of vomito, Teboada, La Cunza, Marquez, Santa Anna, Mgrin, Tbana and Flores, impe- rialists, are atill in Cuba, Advives from Moxico, by way of Galveston, state that Diaz and Escobedo have resigned and that a revolution was being organized in Puebla in the interest of Ortega. In the Constitutional Convention yesterday the Bill of Rights received sonte important amendmeuts, providing that witnesses shall not be unreasonably detained, and that divorces shall not be granted other than by judicial Proceedings. Tho sixth section in reference to criminal Prosecutions was amended by striking out the words “Cand shall have the last appeal to the jury.” A me- moridl was presented from 0. B, Latham, one of the new Capitol Commissioners, setting forth that the other commissioners are proceeding with the work without consulting him, the plans are incomplete, the work will cost over four million dollars, that more land is needed and that the work ought to be done by contract. Sec- tions one and three of tho revised report and section ten on suffrage and qualification to hold office were adopted without material amendment, In the second section the words “or of any infamous crime” were restored. The Mississippi Convention find come difficulty in per- suading General Giliem to enforce the collection of their tax, and propose to ask General Grant’s interference in the matter, A heated debate ensued in the Louisiana Convention yesterday on the proposed increase of per diem, One membor was cailed a liar and no bioodshed ensued. In the North Caroiima Convention an ordinance was passed allowing every man to practice law, without re- gard to. color or qualification. General Canby has directed the State Treasurer to pay the members, In the Arkansas Convention a request of General Gil- jem that the day of election be changed was refused. Aresolution was adopted increasing the pay of members to $10 per day. The President yesterday nominated Lieutenant Gen- eral Sherman to be General by brevet, Reconstruction—The Admission of Alabama. Mr. Sherman’s bill proposing to declare the State of Alabama entitled to representation is the indication of a wholesome conviction. It is the acknowledgment that the radicals dare not face the people on the Présidential canvass with the ten States still out of the Union atler three years of peace. Such a ter- rible monument of party incapacity—or some- thing worse—as three years of failure must be swept from sight. at any cost; consequently a law must declare the State in, whether it has complied with the specified conditions or not. The mere in- ertia of the Southern people—their mere re- fusal to take part for whatever cause— must not be permitted to put the party before the nation on the wrong side of the great question. As far as the laws go the real status of the question seems a little cloudy. Mr. Sherman’s bill is* distinctly based on the clause of the law of March 2, 1867, which only requires that the constitution should be approved by a majority of thoso voting on the question; and this ignores tlio later en- actment requiring that the constitulion be ap- proved by a majority of the registered voters. It can hrdly be that the Senator should not know of this enactment, and yet it seems that if this enactment were the potential one, the Senate could scarcely declare the State entitled to representation upon its complying with a condition rendered of no value by having been superseded. In this cloudy state in which the question has been left by the number of laws made there is no understanding the move ini- tiated in the Sonate save on the view we have pointed out. It is a bold determination to wipe out a bad record at one sweep and to declare the State restored, without further tinkering and upon any pretext; to declare, indeed, that compliance with the condition of the law of March 2, 1867, shall be held suffi- cient, without regard to the later enactment, and thus not permit the enemies of the radical policy to force that party into a position in- volving its destruction before the people. This bold course is the part of wisdom. Let the States be brought in, whether they will or no, on any pretext or no pretext, in defiance, ifneed be, of some better things than this or that clause of any particular reconstruction low. It is evident that this necessity of the radical party is the advantage of the country, With the States once in the nation will see its way clearer to the future. We shall then have removed at once all the great danger that lies in the doubt as to what relations the Southern communities bear to the Siates at large and to the general government— a doubt that seemoé likely to be resolved more in a spirit of Late and passion than in justice or reason, and whose resolution in that spirit seemed leading the way to those corruptions and confusions and abuses of power that must surely have left the fabric of our national freedom a leaning, if not a tumbling tower. As fora guarantee against another rebellion, it is only an idle dream to think of any. The resulis of the war are security against its renewal. Morcover, the cause of the war is gone in slavery. Iv ever there be another Southern rebellion it must be on another cause, and 98 noone can even imagine what that cause may be, how should we provide a guar- antee against it? In any view, therefore, Mr. Sherman’s bill is a wise one, and should pass both houses. Whether it be extorted from the radical fear of going before the country in the wrong or whether it be a late glimmer of wisdom, no mattor; it is to the benefit of the nation, With tho States once in—once standing on @ level with the sister States of the North—Congress can make for Alabama only such laws as it would make for Now York; and that restraint will ensure moderation, and if the States come in rampantly radical, with nigger Congressmon, Senators and all, it will soon be seen that that evil must prove ils own best remedy. ‘The Press ana the Tolegraph. © When the electric telegraph first came into use it worked a great revolution in the charac- ter of the daily press. In the United States in especial the intelligence and enterprise of jour- nalism were prompt to recognize the import- ance of the new agent, and speedily made It available for the purpose of increasing the valuoand attraction of the daily newspaper. It was at first feared by some, not without a show of reason, that the swift messenger might become an instrument in the hands of large capitalists to secure an undue advantage over men of more limited resources who might be unable to incur the expense of its general use ; but the interposition of the press dispelled this apprehension, and the daily publication ot all important intelligence transmitted over the wires rendered the telegraph at once subser- vient to the public interest, The liboral and extensive use of the tele- graph by the leading journals of this country Probably first put the visionary idea into the heads of some inexperienced persons con- nected with the companies that they might control the press of the whole United States through the instrumentality of the news reports. These reports are essential to the press, was the argument, and we have only to take them into our own hands to bring all the papers in the country to'any terms we may desixe. The concentration of the several lines into a monopoly helped to encourage this grave error, and the result. has been the creation of a spirit of antagonism aud opposi- tion between the daily press and the present Western Union management, which, while it is likely in the end to subserve the public good, threatens to bring the company repre- sented by these ambitious officers to grief. It is no evidence of competent and intelli- gent managemen‘ in any business to be con- stantly quarreling and wrangling with its best customer. The telegraph owes its success if not its very existence to the press. Without the large income derived from the daily news- papers the rate for private messages would necessarily be so high that few could afford to avail themselves of the use of the wires. The press reports, too, occupy the lines at hours when they would otherwise be idle, and thus become doubly remunerative. It is not, there- fore, exaggerating the case to say that if the impudent attempt on the part of the Western Union line to coerce and dictate to the press should prompt the principal papers‘ of the United States to build independent wires for their own business, the stock of that company, watered asit is, would not be worth ten cents on the dollar. The Western Union line has hitherto been treated with extraordinary liberality and for- bearance by the press ; but when its managers undertake to prohibit newspapers that pay them large sums daily for reporis from receiv- ing any news by rival lines they overshoot the mark and only render themselves ridiculous. Yet this is the arrogant policy adopted by the Western Union directors, and its effect can be seen by a glance at the quotations of the com- pany’s stock a year and a half ago, when the present masagement commenced, and at this time. In July, August and September, 1866, the price of Western Unton ranged from fifty-six to sixty. It was at about that period that the present directors obtained control of the company’s affairs, and the quotation for Western Union is now a fraction over thirty-six. Here isa decline in a little over a year of from twenty to twenty-four per cent, owing to the blundering and incompetent management of the present officers, Upon forty millions of slock this decline is an aggregate loss to the stockholders of from eight million to about ten million dollars, or an amount nearly equal to the whole bona file value of the property of the company. In this startling exhibit can be seen the dis- asttons result of mismanagement. It is not the worthlessness of the stock, watered as it has been, but the inefficiency of the officers, that haestruck down ten million dollars of its value in eighteen months. It the present directors had confined themselves to their legitimate business, instead of meddling in outside mat- ters and endeavoring to become news agents and pedlers, they would not have forfeited public confidence, and no such ruinons decline would have taken place in their stock. ‘The fact is, they entirely misconcetve their duties and their’ position, The press and the tele- graph united will ina few years control the world. All the globe will be in instant com- munication, and events, ideas and feel- ings in every country will be known to all mankind simultaneously. Civilization will spread over the earth, and the most ad- vanced nation will take by the hand those who lag behind and lead them onward in the pro- gress of art, science and universal happiness, The press will be the overshadowing power, the great intellect in this work ; the telegraph the instrument in its hands to carry ont its destiny. But the contracted ‘minds that at present rule over the telegraph cannot grasp these ideas, They foolishly aspire to the lead- ing~ position and dream of controlling the prees. They wake up to find their stock de- clinjng thirty per cent and ten miilion dollars of property utterly destroyed. If the stock- holders are wise they will see to it that these Rip Van Winkle visionaries do not go to sleep again—nt least in the comfortable executive offices of the Western Union Telegraph Com- pany. Progress of Re jones in Haytl and St. Domingo, We publich this morning in our special Cuba cable telegrams imporlant news from the republic of Hayti. President Salnave, who for some time has had his headquarters at Cape Haytien, was defeated in aa engagement with the Caco rebels, who captured three hundred of his men and bad established their headquarters about twenty miles from the Cape. Several had been shot by the Cacos, among them a general; but we are loft in doubt as to whether these lives were sacrificed in batile or after capture. It is our duty (o call attention to the fact that the manceuvres to overthrow ihe Haytien gov- ernment of President Salnave and the Domini- can government of President Cabral began at and have been supported from that northern portion of the island comprised betweon Cape Haytien, in Hayti, and Port-au-Platte, in St, Domingo. The distance between these pointe is about one hundred miles. The Baeziat revolution against Cabral is ad- mitted to have drawn its resources ia British bottoms from Turk’s Island, and bases its attributed to President Cabral. Did President Salnave incur the ill will of European Powers by his treaty of amity with President Osbral on July 26, 1867? Is their intrigue the cause of his almost immediate violation of that treaty and of his proclamation that he would oppose the alienation of any part of the island? Pro- minent European organs have bonsted that England and France have twice defeated the purpose of the United States to purchase Samand, and this morning we have the an- nouncement that a British man-of-war had gone to Saman4 for the purpose of watching the movements of the United States officials in that quarter of the island, St. Vatonti Day. A vast deal of unsuspected paganism un- derlies modern Christian life. The Jesuit mis- sionaries in China and Japan have been ac- credited with great ingenuity for having affixed the sign of the cross, as it were, to many pagan customs of those countries, all, of course, for the benefit of their converts and the glory of God. Even in Rome itself not only have the temples of the defunct gods been confiscated to Christianity—witness the altars erected in the Coliseum—but the very atatues of those deities have been, as it were, christened, For example, we need only mention the statue of Jupiter, ‘which, at the cathedral of St. Peter, has for centuries been venerated after having been transformed into a statue of the Jow Peter. Heinrich Heine might have called translating Jupiter into Jew Peter a statuesque pun. But the paganism which has survived the in- troduction of Christianity has been for the most part solidly based upon what Sam Slick used to call “human natur,” and which he held to be essentially the same in all countries and times and under all systems of religion. Thus love, that universal element of human nature, which inspired some of the most ex- quisite gems of the minor Greek poets—the original authors of what nowadays we call “valentines”—has always existed, exists still and will always exist. To-day, as of old, it inepires those tender’ mes- sages which, from remote antiquity, fond lovers have ‘been accustomed to inter- change at this period of the year, when birds are supposed to mate, and when, it is ima- gined, the human heart responds most readily to the promptings of nature awakening under the influences of approaching springtime. St. Valentine, who flourished in the third century and was bebeaded in the reign of the Emperor Claudius—a blow from which, like the Welch bard beheaded by order of the cruel Edward, he “nevorentirely recovered”—under-, took to extirpate the custom prevalent in ancient Rome at the festival of the Lupercalia, in the month of February, of placing the names of young women in a box, from which they were taken by young men. But finding bis pious efforts unavailing he contented him- self with adopting, with modifications, one of the prettiest praciices of paganism which till survives, substituting, however, for names and love messages excerpts from Scripture and various religious mottoes. Perhaps the Young Men’s Christian Associations of the present day might profit by this example and celebrate St. Valentine’s by distributing an immense edition of Bible texts, far more readable and profitable than tho greater part of the stupid tracts-which they waste so much money io printing and circulating. To these Scriptural excerpts and religious mottoes, as well as to the love-messages which soon recovered their former vogue, the name of the good saint “who was famous for love and charity” was given, and they have retained it to this day. Ot late, however, valentines have shared the fate of many other social customs, and have, a0 to speak, gradually gone down stairs from the parlor to the kitchen. That is to say, the highflown, complimentary and amatory strains in which “polite society” used to indulge on the fourteenth of February, have been mainly appropriated by beaus and sweethearts of lower degree, although not less susceptible to the all-subdning influences of the “tender pas- sion.” But in the middle and lower classes, both of England and the United States, val- entines have continued to be “an institution.” And political economista wonld be surprised at the statistics of the valentines which pass through the post offices of London and New York, and of the vast sums invested by print dealers in the single branch of manufacture to which they have given birth. This year, it is to be feared, valentines have suffered from the vile influence of. tho re- cent alarming development of sensnous art (delicately so called) inspired by pagan ex- hibitions of the “Black Crook” school. The rude caricatures which for some time have formed the staple productions of the valentine depart- ment of popular art and literature have given place to drawings which would not have been inappropriate among the prurient decorations discovered on the walls of certain buildings in Herculaneum and Pompeii. And if this fatal tendency be not arrested it is not unlikely that the moral sense of the community will ere long be aroused to the duty of putting an end to such ‘an abuse of the old heathen custom which good St. Valentine vainly tried to Chris tianize. Renal Estate in the Metropolis. The increase in the value of realestate in this city for some years past has been in a ratio that must convince the most sceptical that in the course of twenty years property in New York will be more valuable than in any other city in the world. It will take some time, of course, and a great many changes before all the up-town districts are permanently settled; but ten years at least will accomplish this state of things and make the upper part of Manbat- tan island as densely populated and as valu- able to real estate holders as Wall street or the lower portion of the city is at the present time. Around our beautiful Park in particular will be blocks of stately mansions which will eclipde Fifth avenne in its palmiest days, and when the magnificent Boulevard is completed Fort Washington and tho adjoining neighbor- hood will rival Vincennes, St. Mandé and Noyes in Paris. Even now the ground in that locality is selling at nine thousand dollars per acre, and each sale of real estate exhibits a wonder- ful increase in value. This upward tendency of real estate is not confined to the upper portion of the island alone, but the adjoining districts in Westchesler count are feeling its influence. Whether it be the result of the splendid Jerome Park or the natural conse- quence of the increase in the value of qlaims og opposition to (he anle of Samoans, real estate arougd the Park, at Fort Washing- ton and in Manhattanvillé, it is vory evident that in Fordham and Morrlsania property has tntety seve ine to an extent exoeoding the sanguine anticipations of the owners. Tho new Boulevard, which will be one hundred feet wide and will rival the most celebrated thoroughfares of Paris, will give real estate in its neighborhood s wonderful impetus. It will be only the initiative, however, of a series of Grand avenues which will place Manhattan- ville, Fort Washington and all the up-town localities within easy access of the business parts of the great metropolis. It is very sig- nificant to’ witness the eager competition of bidders at tho recent real estate sales in this city. As an instance of the increaso in value of up-town property we may mention a sale of sixty lots situated between Eighty-eighth and Eighty-ninth-streots, on the west side of town, which took place this week. These lots, which were sold about twenty yeara since for twelve thousand dollars, brought on Wednesday lagt one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. Tt is needless to say that the real cause of the steady advance in the value of real estate in New York and tho vicinity (for Brooklyn, New Jersey and Westchester county are feeling the Pressure) is the increasing wants and numbers of the population of Manhattan island. Every year demands imperatively more room for the denizens of this human hive, and the time is ‘not far distant when a New Yorker will have to travel a considerable distance before he reaches the country surrounding the Paris of America, Mr. Garfeld’s Bill Providing Return te Specie Pay The bill which Mr. Garfield, of Ohio, intro- duced in the House of Representatives, and which was referred to the Committee of Ways and Means, to provide fora gradual return to specie payments, is an improvement upon many of the visionary schemes put forth for jumping all at once to a specic standard. We speak only from the brief synopsis of the bill as reported in the press despatch of Congres- sional proceedings; but from this we learn that it is proponed that on and after the lst of December, 1868, the Secretary of the Treasury shall exchange gold for legal tender notes at the rate of one gold dollar for one dollar and thirty cents in currency ; on the 1st of January, 1869, at one dollar and twenty-nine cents, and on the first of, each succeeding month for one cent legs, until the exchange shall be dollar for dollar; and that after June, 1871, the United States shall pay gold for all its legal tender notes, dollar for dollar. The principle recog- nized of a gradual approach to specie pay- ments4s the true ono, for by that process only can values, trade and monetary obligations and operations become adjusted without a re- vulsion and universal bankruptcy. But after laying down this principle several questions arise with regard to the length of time it may take to safely reach specie payments, and asto whether the government should un- dertake to bring this about by a forcing pro- cess, or if it should bo left entirely to the operation of the laws of trade and ‘nature. Mr. Garfield’s plan is something like that of Sir Robert Peel to bring about specie payments in England after the long and exhausting wars with Napoleon which ended in 1815. The bill ‘to reatore specie payments, known in history as Peel’s bill, was passed in 1819, and was intended to accomplish that objoct gradually, but within ashort time, It was believed specie pay- ments could be reached the following year ; but though the premium on gold was not over a sixth of what it is with us now it was found impossible to reach the object within the time. The consequence was that the government was compelled, to put off the period for specie pay- ments from time to time, and it: was not until 1824 that resumption fully took place—that is, five yeara after Peel’s bill passed and more than eight years after tho war closed. Peel and the British government found that theory and practice were very different things. They had to give up their theory under the pressure of inexorable necessity. Evon when they did reach specie payments by @ slower forcing process than at first proposed they found that they had involved the country in the most alarming difficulties. General bankruptcy and universal suffering followed. Indeed, the his- tory of that period in Europe. shortly after resumption is appalling. The question for us to consider, then, if we are to be guided at all by the history of other nations, is whether we can safely force specie payments in the way and time proposed: Can we, with gold ata premium five or six times higher than it was in England when Péel’s bill passed, resume within » shorter time than the British did? If they suffered so much from forced resumption, even after they were five years in reaching it and more than eight years after the war closed, can we expect to escape when attempting a shorter process and with gold ata premium so much higher? These are the questions for Mr. Garfield and Congress to eonsider. Undoubtedly we have moro natural resources and a far more rapid devel- opment than Great Britain had, though not as much realized capital or wealth; but the country cannot stand a forced change in its values to the extent and within the time pro- posed by Mr. Garfeld’s bill, There is no ne ceasity for going to England or any other nation for examples to guide us. Our situation, resources and moans are different in many respects to those of other countries. Let us have a financial system of our own, adapted to our normal condition. Rather than interfere with the currency by legislation let us first adjust our political difficulties, and then leave the retin to specie payments to the rapid growth of the country and to the laws of trade and nature. But if we will go to England for examples let it be to avoid the errors of her government and the misory brought upon her people through visionary and impracticable financial theories, Gradual Igrtvence or THe Untrap States tn Eastern Asta.—The rapid growth of American influence in Bestern Asia is singularly exemplified by the choice of Mr. Anson Burlingame, United States Minister to China, by the Emperor, as his envoy to the monarchs of Europe. 1k would seem that Bishop Berkeley's famous line, “Westward the course of empire takos its way,” has been already fulfilled, and that honeeforth, by the law of flux and re- flux, which obtains in history os well as in nature, American influence is about to react fiom the remote Bast upon the destinies of the world. Columbus was right, after all, in his spoculationg as to the shortest route from interests of the entire family of xations. aati x aster ay SN s General @raast—The New Aampshire Elec- yon. The democrats a® making an earnest and vigorous fight to evereome in the approaching election the three thousand majority by which the republicars held New Hampshire in the election of st March; and the republicans, warned by he results in October and Novem- ber Inst, fom California to New York, are work- ing like beavers to maintain their ground: The challaiges among the betting fraternity, it te said come generally from the democratic slde; by on the simple issue whether this or that aide will elect their candidate for Governor the scales are pretty evenly balanced. The Grant-Jobnson correspondence, in clearly de~ fining the position of General Grant, the repab- licans say, has given thom a powerful lift ia New Hampshire under the banner of Grant adopted by their. State Convention, while on the radical excesses and tendencies, on thoir universal negro suffrage programme, the dem- ocrats are fighting a hopeful battle. But in the interval to the 10th of March the contest may assume, from the pressure of passing and ap- proaching events, a much more definite shape than it now presents in favor of one side or the other. ? On the radical negro reconstruction doings of Congress, if there were nothing else in the contest, the democrats would doubtless sweep the State. The popular current down to this month has been- running in their favor upon this issue of negro reconstruction. But should Alabama, be readmitted into Congress within the next three weeka, as we believe she will be, this business of reconstruction will be virtually settled, and all the -broad and general issues covering the next Presidency under the Union restored will come. into the foreground. In any event, General Grant, from all the evi- dences and signs of public opinion before us, will be our next President, and the general movement of all the opposition elements, be- ginning with.the democrats, should be for the possession of the next House of Representa- tives. In this view they can make every Con- gressional district a separate battle field, and adapt their line of action to the public pulse ia every district apart from the general issues of the Presidential campaign. The next House of Representatives will be- the controlling power over the next administration, Grant being at the head of it, In the recent confirmation by the Senate of Noah L. Jeffries as Register of the Treasury, an alleged Maryland copperhead, we see how loosely the bonds of radicalism hang around that body. Give us, then, a conserva- tive House of Representatives for the next Con- gress and we ehall have a conservative Senate and a conservative President, and radicalism and copperbeadism will disappear, as the old federal and republican parties disappeared under Monroe’s administration, and a new or- ganization of parties will follow, as in 1824 Italian Opera In New York. The history of Italian opera in New York is 8 web of many threads, and yet, where intelli- gently defined, is an interesting and improving story. The throes and agonies through which it has passed are innumerable ; the number of times that a managerial Sisyphus has rolled the stone to the summit of success only to see it roll back again is almost beyond counting. Weakness in the management, jeslousies among artists, rivalry betweon managers, everything except inappreciatioh on the part of the public, militated against it twenty years ago; and yet we see to-day thatit is from rivalry and competition we must expect the best results from the opera, as far as the pub- lic are concerned. There are many who re- member the early efforts of Palmo in the Chambers Street Opera House to plant a love of Italian opera in the hearts of New York people, his partial successes, his final failure and his quiet departure from the scene of life @ few years ago. The Astor Place Opera Hoube was to follow, with Truff, Benedetti ‘and Rossi in an engagement which ended in'a quarrel between manager and artists that brought it to a concluslion—a denouement which even tho addition of new artists from Europe could not stave off. This was in 1848. The celebrated Astor place riots, which made the locality and the time memorable, fol- lowed soon upon this opera season In November, 1849, Maretzek under took a season at this house, brief and not very glorious. At Cnstle Garden opera loomed up again in 1850, with Stoffatione, Bosio, Tedesco, Salvi, Badiali and Marinf, at the cheap rate of fifty cents admission—@ prin- ciple in the management of opera which expe- rience has from that day t6 this established as a mistake. Here, too, in the present emi- grant depot, sang Grisi and Marlo. Niblo’s Garden was for » time the scene of Italiad opera, and had to run the gauntlot froma rival company at the Astor Place, where Stef- tanone and Salvi were offeriog their notes for exchagge. ~ "hs This is not the place to recount ceo atory of the nh jowag of opera in Academy, in oh 5 ablog in various places and at varidus times, when ocoasional success and utter failure altetnately ‘oS its career ; but this moral wo draw from tf whole story—that opposition between managets has always resulted in benefit to the public. Good artists we have had, and very bad ones, too; judicious management sometimes, and sometimes management intolerable to the public and ruinous to the managers, The rivalries and mutations at presont in operation ought to be «source of pleasure to the peo ple. If it is strange that Strakosch should have departed from Piko’s Opera House and taken his household gods to the Academy, and that Maretsek, the old stand-by of the Academy, should have cast his fortunes with the one stockholder Pike, after his sad oxpe- rience of one hundrod and ninety-nine, the lovers of opera need not grumble ; for oppos:- tion is the life’ of opera as well as of trade, and we are apt to get some value out of the rivalry. Opera was gradually advancing trom its {u- fantile moments at the Astor Placo Opera House and Castle Garden until the Acadomy was built, and here one naturally hoped that its reputation would increase ;, but unbappily it fell into the hands of very small people and ali but perished by a plague of stockholding locusts, Tt is good,’ then, and encouraging, to see quother dpe opera house built, and better