The New York Herald Newspaper, December 22, 1868, Page 3

EUROPE. The Recent Storm in England and on the Coast. Mr. Peabody’s Gift to the won- don Poor. THE NEW BRITISH PARLIAMENT. ‘The steamship America, Captain Hargesheimer, of the North German Lloydy,, from Bremen via South- ampton, arrived at thiy port late last night with maile and details of cabie despatches up to the 18th inst. . A subseription list has been opened. at Orleans for ‘the erection of a statue to the memory of M. Berryer in his native city, Marseilles. ‘The Pall Maui Gazette points out that during the nine Wonths from February to October, inclusive, of the present year there were run for at the different race meetings in the United Kingdom no less a sum than $312,526 15s. At the opening of both the Legislative Counals in ‘Switzerland on the 7th inst. the Presidents expreased the thanks of the Swiss peopie for the sympathy shown them by foreign countries during the inunda- ‘uons, It is stated that the complete accounts of the Rus- sian budget of 1867 show that the revenue was 15,000,000 roubles more and the expenditure 15,000,000 leas than had been estimated. It added that the government has at its disposal with foreign bapkers a@running account of 68,000,000 roubles in specie. The France and the Etendard of December 7 state that Lord Lyons had an interview that morning with the Marquis de Moustier on the subject of Greece and the formation of the new English Min- istry. Kighty-six journalists have presented a petition to the Chamber of Representatives complaining of the arrests, domiciliary visits and seizures to which they were subjected during the recent press trial. The petition was referred to a committee, which re- ported on Monday, the 7th inst., that they regarded those measures as legal and that journalists must always be incarcerated from the time of their arrest until their trial. ENGLAND. ‘The Recent Disastrous Gales. [From the London Globe, Dec. 7.) * Yesterday a heavy southwest le raged inthe English Channel and caused sev serious shipping Saturday, at various periods during tue day, the wind A us luring the e win ‘was accompanied with heavy showers of |, and its force was very great throughout the night. Yester- day the wind was again very strong, and there was heavy rain about noon. Ai raged with great fury, and it is to be feared that lament- ed avcounts of wrecks apd disasters will be re- The steamship Hibernia has gone down off the wd coast. Pe e ge iene at Wick, re boats containing eighty-one passengers. missing boat, with thirty-three persons on board, ‘was seen to go down. The bark North nee from Quebec, was wrecked yesterday afternoon in Mount’s , hear Penzance; and it is said by the Liverpool Courier that seven of her crew were drowned. The lifeboat was Jaunched immediately, and succeeded in res- guing: the rest of the people on board. On the other hand Mr. N. B. Downing, the honorable secretary of the Penzance branch of the National Lifeboat In- Long ryt rts “that the seas were so tremendous on the first attempt that the noble boat was cap- Happily, no lives were lost; but a second crew of thirteen men instantly jumped into the life- boat and saved the nine poor fellows from an appa- rently certain d Mr. Downing reports this morning from the Pen- zance that the bark North Devon is ashore on the Long Rock, and that seven of her crew have unhap- ply been drowned. in attemptii to reach the id in their own boat. Tne lifeboat Richard Lewis, which had gone off to the aid of the ves- sel’s crew, was upset,after a terrible struggle, Carbis, the brave coxswain, being disabled, and one man being washed ashore, having happily been kept afioat by nis cork lifebelt. Both these men are still very ill. The lifeboat was fortunately successful on the second attempt, and rescued eight men, but in doing 80 one of the lifeboat men had his ribs broken. The ship is smashed to atoms. An Algiers baper of tne 3d inst. gives an account of the wreck of the English steamer Hotspur at the mouth of the Shelif. It says that no lives were lost, and that there is reason to believe that the steamer itself will be saved. Robert Hicks, Esq., the Collector of Customs at Campbeltown, N. B., reports that during a strony gale from. 8. E., and in very thick weather, on Thurs: day, the steamer Flying Mist brought information from Carraidale, thirteen mile N. E. of Campbel- town, that the bark William Gillies was lying off that shore dragging her anchors, and likely to on the rocks, that the crew could not Tand in the heavy sea then running, and that they were in danger of losing their lives, The lifeboat Lord Mur- ray, belonging to the National Lifeboat Institution, immediately proceeded to the spot in tow of the tug, and arrived there at about one o'clock. The crew of fifteen men were at once rescued from the shi and put aboard the tug, which then returned with the lifeboat in tow, and landed all hands safety in Campbeitown by four o'clock P. M. The vessel was bound from London to Ardrossan in ballast. She was in a very dangerous position on a lee shore. ‘The ship Castilian, of London, 106 tons, laden with timber, from Quebec to Liverpool, came ashore on the south side of Portmadoc Bat on Friday night, about twelve o’clock, reports D. Homfray, Esq., at Portmadoc, North Wales. There was a heavy sea running, and it was blowing hard from the southwest at the time. Directly she was seen this morning Captain D. Richards got the lifeboat John Ashbury, of the National Lifeboat Institution, launched, and the tug ran down to Crierteth to tow her up, a8 the wind liad shifted more to the south- ward. There wes a great deal of surf alongside, but ‘with great care they managed to get eighteen peo- ple safely on board the steamer, which landed them at Portmadoc at noon. Three poor fellows were drowned while ergs tg to get ashore in the night in their own boat. sea struck the boat directly they got in her with such force that the rope dragged the stern clean out of her, and though life buoys were thrown to the men they sank. m to the Poor of The following ts a copy of the letter which accom- panied Mr. Peabody's munificent gift:— Lonpon, Dec. 5, 1868, MY LORD AND GENTLEMEN—I beg to acquaint you, who have so kindly undertaken the management of the fund eg under my second deed of gift ‘of the 19th of April, 1866, for the benefit of the poor London and its vicinity, that in pursuance of an in- tention which I have entertained since the creation of that fund Lam desirous now of adding to it a fur- ther sum of £100,000, In contemplation of this, I purchased about three years ago a tract of freehold building land of about fifteen acres in extent, at Brixton, near the City of London School, easily accessible, and within a few minutes’ walk of frequent trains to and from Lon- don. This land has increased in value, and can now be let on building Jeases of eighty years at rents pro- ducing about Ss per me annum on the cost, which is £16, 178, 34. is land I propose to convey to you with the same powers as are conferred by the deed over the other property of ttus trust, and with discretion to you either to deal with it asa source of income by letting it, or apy portion of it, on lease; or, should you deem it expedient, to retain itin your own hands, as sites for dwellings to be erected by the trust, Pursuant to my letter of the 20th ef January, 1866, I transferred to you, subject to a contingency therein explained, 6,000 shares in the Hudson's Bay Company, which accordingly stand in your names, er with 642 additional shares purchased by the reinvestment of the accruing income of the pro- vious 5,000. These 5,642 shares I have since re- deemed conformably to the deed of the loth of April, 1 by the ment of £100,000 on the ist of Febrn- last. I have now to acquaint you that it is my intention, so soon as the necessary deeds can |e pre- fe to band the shares over to you, to be re- ined or dealt with according to your best judgment and diacretion. The price of tiese shares shivl be fixed on the 17th inst. the Stock Exehange ales on that day, when I will hand to you a check for the balance to make the gift a cash value of £100,000, ‘This amount will increase my former donation of the second trust to £200,000, and, inciuding my gilt under the trust fund of March, 1sdéz, of £150,000, a total of £360,000, I trust you will see manifested in this further do- nation an expression of my entire satisfaction with the manner in which you have conducted the affairs of the trusta. Iam, with great respect, your hum- ble servant, GEORGE PEABODY. ‘To the Right Hon. Lord Stanley, M. P. (chairman); his Excellency Reverdy Johnson, United States Miniater: Sir Curtis M. Lampson, Bart.: Sir James Emerson Tennent, 8. Morgan, The Personne! of the New British Parliament. {From the Daily News, Deo. 8.) ‘ That the new Parliament is chiefly composed o Middle aged politicians ts a circumstance which has een made the subject of invidious comments, If the workingmen or ther warm partisans are dis- i the ii reas of candidates belong. r own | a a ‘Suenos D class younger reformers holding rank in life deem it unjust that the ee Tadicals should have been every- here resected. Now this is one of those matters About whied it is al once more easy to deciaim than A l@ ridiculous who have been preferred at the pursuance this policy nicl es have been invented and others revived, may fairly do, however, is to prot it the practice of regi & man’s &l in iife as t sole standard by which to measure his political apti- ment because he was skilful in boiling soap. absurdity is heightened, if possible, by considerin: his success a8 a soap boiler tn itself @ bar to a par! amentary career. ‘We adinit that the leaven of young members is a most desirable dient in the composition of a new Parliament. In the ranks of the younger poli- ticians the statesmen of the future must be sought. It Is certainly discouraging to those who, while un- biassed by prepossessions of birth or culture, fore- cast the course of events to see the existing preponderance of the elder over the younger members, Formerly it was otherwise. The statesmen whose names and deeds are immortalized in history entered the House of Commons at an early age. The most pointed of the utterances attributed to Pitt was made in defence of what he termed ‘the atrocious crime of being a young man.” William Pitt laid himself open to the like accusation, for he took his seat when he had just completed his twenty-first year, mage his great speech on Parliamentary reform when he ‘was twenty-two, was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer a year afterwards and became Prime Minister at the age of twenty-four. James Fox outdid him in this respect, he took his seat and voted before attain jority. Sheridan was twenty-nine when he entered Parliament. Burke was thirty-five. Lord Liver- pool, who was Minister of State for thirty- one, and Premier for fifteen years, was twenty when first .returned for Rye. Earl ed became member for Northumberland at very keg twenty-one, and at the same age Earl Russell first entered the House of Commons as mem- mer for Tavistock. To this list the names of many di ed statesmen might be added; suitice it, however, to observe that what we have said with re- t Pitt, Fox and Grey is equally true of Sir nea ae Gladstone. With a slight modifi- ‘cation {t applies algo to two other men—the one the most ebquent of essayists and histo1 ‘the other the sujreme master of all the oratorical arts; for Lord wulay was thirty when he entered Parlia- ment a} member for e, and John Bright was thirty-tyo when he first sat for Durham. ‘The fgcilities afforded by the ket boroughs for retui young men have induced many to advo- cate tir retention on that ground alone. With this, however, we cannot concur, Itis doing evil that goed may follow. Sometimes the owner of a ket borough deserves well of the country yy the pro} of hig choice; but more fre- oe the choice falls on tool who will it serve his master. It is a mistake to at- tribute & the existence of these byways to Parlia- ment the eminence ‘afterwards reached by those who pamsed th them in their youth. Another branch ¢f the system formerly prevailing chiefly con- tributed to the desirable result. This consisted in men expected that he would place himself under the care of Sheridan, but he preferred the eee of Pitt, snd profited greatly by the lessons taught him -by the great commoner. At present some- thing of the same kind mi be revived with ad- vantage. But what is lefly required is the ex- istence of seats for which young men can compete with success, How this can secured involves the discussion of more questions tuan can be treated at the end of an article. When the tory reform act is amended by a liberal government when the constitution of the House of Lords shall be altered in accordance with the demands of the age, and when the expenses connected with a seat in Parliament shall be borne by the constituency, we expect to see young men aspiring to become Jeg! with Wer success than they have had dn the election just completed. Quakers in the New British Parliament. ‘The Friend of this month in a letter signed “Observer” gives the following list of mem! and ex-members of the Society of Friends in the new House of Commons:—Messrs, John Bright, Birmingham; Jacob Bright, Manchester; Edmund Backhouse, ents wi) W. E. Forster, Bradford; William Fowler, mbridge; R. N. Fow- ler, Penryn; Charles Gilpin, Northampton; BE. A. Leatham, Huddersfield; Jonathan Vim, ' Dublin; Joseph W. Pease, South Durham; John Whitwell, Kendal. The name of Mr. J, Fletcher, Cockermouth, might be added, as he 1s a member of the Society of Friends, All will support Mr. Gladstone, except Mr. R. N. Fowler, who is a conservative, TURKEY AND GREECE. The Eastern Question. {From the London Morning Post, D + It is mpst singular that a Foreign Secretary, who in the gmat Eastern question distinguished himself by following a thoroughly” Palmerstonian line when he refusal to join the other great Powers in recom- mending Turkey to cede Crete to Greece, should have mide the now famous King’s Lynn speech. Where dil Lord Stanley find that Turkey was about. to fall bey nse: from internal dissension? From the Danube the Euphrates peace reigns throughout the Ottomanempire, and it is only where her extremities touch Rassia and Greece that the intrigues of her rapadous neighbors create a sore. Turkey is in- deed the one solid State of Europe since it is ad- mitted into the European concert. Where is Spuin, financiaiy or politically? Is the existence of Italy certain? Can any prophet say whether French ar mies willarrive at Berlin before Prussian hosts reach Paris, ant in either event what becomes of the king- dom and monarchy vanquished?’ Austria acknow- ledges herself split into two, and looks forward to a possibly fastern future. Russia has the open wounds of Pol to heal, It is Turkey alone of all the Pow- ers that if solidly compact ; tough in force of resist- ance, andbacked up by the certainty that the West- ern Powers must come to her aid if Constantinople, the Euptrates Valley and the Suez canal are threaten! by Russian aggression. It is all very well to taik about non-intervention. We heard a reat dea of that before the Crim war. The ‘mes and Lord Aberdeen were The then Eniperor of Russia was deceived by them, as the resent mght be again, if experience had not taught Russian flatesmen to distrust the casual talk of | Sarna and the easy platitudes of public pens. irkey in itself is mighty diMcult of digestion, and Englmd would have a word to say to whoever should le pe Had devour that empire, before the m D. gun. Lord Cigrendon’s first question on arrivi atthe Foreign Ofice will be familiar to one vei in_all the lore o/the Canning and Palmerston policy. The Eastern dMcuity crops up again. The patience and Jong suffeing of the Porte are exhausted and we learn thatthe Turks are determined to act vigor- ously agabst the Hellenic government if open as- sistance fontinue to be afforded to the Cre- tan insugents. The letters of our corres- pondent n Crete have proved how completeiy the insurrection has been overcome and how it only qwed its existence to foreign aid. Our own (xperience ip Ireland has taught us how easily a revolutionary fame may be engendered and kept alive by foreign flibusters. Yet America isa long way ¢, and Ireland is, as it were, in the heart of the empire. But Greece ts. close to Crete, and that miagverned kt ym, to whose wretched guidance ve consi the once Lyme and now ruine( lonian da, instead of attempting to set tte howe in order, to ite debts, to suppress its brigamis and to develop the resources of the kingdom,'@eks to stir up anarchy in a neighboring State, and oy exciting tumuit to blind the eyes of Europe to ts own too Manifest shortcomings. To this sate of affairs the Cabinet of Constantino- ple have ¢etermined to put ap end, and it appears that an olimatum has been sent to the Hellenic government requiring explanation for the past and guarantees for the future, otherwise commercial and diplomatic telations will be immediately suspended. Hobart Packa has been appointed to the command of the Turkish steam fleet, and troops are being sent outside the Dardanelies. Now, for who preach non-intervettion, here is @ case traly in point, Leave the Turks and Greeks to settle their differ- ences, and there can be no doubt that the mischiev- ous little kingdom will soon be reduced to a proper sense of its ‘rue position, FRANCE. The Eastern Difficnities and the Part» Bourse. That terrible spectre, the “Eastern question,” cast 4 shade over the Bourse on Saturday, the sth inst., and produced an effect which all the ghosts in the preg Cemetery, disturbed by the police legions on December 3, had failed to do, The* tele- grams stating that the Porte was about to break off diplomatic reiations with Greece and that a ship of war, with troops on board, had left the Dardaneiles for an unknown destination, brought down the rente from 71.80, the closing price of yesterday, to 71.35, 0 impression afterwards prevatied thai diplomacy wo,tt!d find means to explain the news away; and, inde 4, if it were serious at all it would produce someting far Worse than a fall of less that one-half or cea Repte recovered for the ciose ( to 7145, veing a fax! of Dut 26e.; Halen fell Lf. and ‘Turkish Tar wonuaewonas moaumess | WASHINGTON. The Ragpickers of the r Vaughn—Political Righte—Propesed Con- versazion. ‘The Workingwomen’s Central Association held is regular meeting in room % Cooper Institute last evening, Miss Susan B. Anthony, the President, 1D the chair. The minutes of the last meeting were read by the Secretary, Miss Elizabeth C. browne, ‘and approved. A ‘change of base’? was then fourd necessary, in consequence of the fact that an organ- zation of men had through some misconception pre- viously engaged the room. The workingwomen, of whom there was a large attendance, then adjourned to room 18 and proceeded with their business, - Reports from the special committees were sn- nounced as in order, and the Tombs Prison Invesi- gating Committee was called upon to respond, A member of the committee stated that as the chairmin was absent she did not think it practicable to re} ‘at present. There was also a dimc inthe matter, ult) from the fact that the committee had fody there for Liling thelr Husbands, "(SensatioL) ere for | irs. S. me ) of the Commitee of Inve into the condition, habits, laborand pre. sented a hat in it was set forth that the subject cove a wider range than was at first aup- a ragpickers Ww however, a class rever roperly estimated and were’ treated with much 2on- pt. It that, as @ rule, one “search” during the twenty-four hours was the sver- age time it_in picking up the rags, paper, bmes, &c., and thelr labor usually commen at thre or four o’clock in the morning. One small class geter- ally commence their rounds about midnight, rech- ing their homes about two o'clock in the ater- noon each day, and devoting the remaining time to © assortment of their findiigs, The prices realized by them averaged—for peer ae cents per Uae ine LeSpa glass ae cent, ind for bones, scraps of bread and garbage fifty centsper bushel, "Metal seraps varied with the markets, Phe average earnings of the chiffonnier were from firty cents per day to ten dollars per week. A large na- Jority of the ragpickers are Germans. One snall colony in Willett street, of 106 families, numbered 462 persons. Another colony, almost as large, lived on the west side of the Park in shanties. Asa cass the Germans were and industrious, sendng their children regularly to school, and their gim 4s a Tule seemed to be to secure means sufficient to :na- ble them to emigrate to the West, It was appmxi- mately estimated that there are about 1,200 rag- pickers in New York. Mrs. Garrafalia Clifton submitted a coup ements report, from which it appeared that the avemge rental of tenements id by ragpickers was ifty cents per week fora single attic room, ani that in many cases five or six Hiren Cog a siagle apartment. She had found a family of husband and wife and six children in one room, clothed in rags. When @ suggestion was made to the mothe! thatshe might secure employment at washing or srubbing she replied, “‘Indade, ma’am, Misther Donshoo sup- rts his , aud wud be ashamed tohave his wile go out to work.” ‘The reports were jccepted, Mrs. Parrish presented a report in relatim to pho- tographers, from which it appeared that 9 60 per dozen was the average price paid to wome! for tint- ing pictures, and that some women received fifteen dollars per week ana upwards, Mrs. ces McKinlay then addreasedthe asso- Clation on the subject of the condemnationof Hester Vaughn, cl: that her conditig in life savored less of poverty than it did she yould not have been convicted on the insuficient evidence presented, the only voice raised in her belif being in consideration of tirty dol- lars, and poorly “raised” at that. The rmedy for such injustice would be in women the right to sit in the jury box. These righ) women must have, and the workingwomen had jone well in securing Miss Anthony as their standati bearer. The speaker then closed y Spatesting MisiAnthony, in the name of the association, to condut or par- ucipate in a series of conferences, witht view to instructing workt! omen in their politiel rights. ‘The matter was put toa vote and carried. Miss Anthony then made a brief addrés, claim- ing, in effect, in reference to the opinion d the pre- jing speaker, that if it had been found tat white men in the South could not be entrustedwith the administration of “equal and exact jutice” to the blacks, it was quite as logical an inference that men could not be depended upon to rendr justice to women with an unerring precision. A Mr. Hill made some suggestions on thequestion of establishing co-operative eating housei for the laboring classes where they could procuresubstan- tial meals for a small sum—say five cents. Mrs. Charlotte Lozier endorsed the propogtion for conferences, or sociables, to be held at the reidences of members, and it was on a vote resolved hat they should be Leg aa After some other unimportant business theassocia- tion adjourned until Friday, January 8, “ANOTHER SINGULAR SUICIDE, joots Himself in a Fit of Desyond-. 4 eucy. The Fourteenth ward was startled yesterday afternoon by one of those self-homicides (fot which no sufficient motive can be found) that haveot late been so frequent in this city. In the presentcase a boy of eighteen years, living with his paren’, of steady habits and with no troubles of any kind ex- cept a prolonged, but not acute or dangerous, tick- ness, without giving the slightest premonitim of his purpose, sent a bullet turough his breast and tumbled from his chair a bloody corpse. Mark Klein has lived witi his parents, Mathtasand Agatha Klein, on the first foor of No, 197 Eim street, and for the past sixteen months has been suffering from a pulmonary complaint and been nunablt to work and for a portion of the time confined tothe house. His disease, however, had not assumed a virulent form, nor had he given any decided swnp- toms of despondency. Latterly he had been gww- ing weaker daily and the idea had apparently seized upon him that he was destined noi to recover. But his parents did not have the slightest suspicion that he had any intention of committing suicide, and tonsequently he was not closely watched. Yesterday afternoon he was sit- ting in a chair, and was apparently ag usual. The father was absent on his daily business and the mother was passing in and out of the room at short intervals in the discharge of her hougehold duties. The boy sat seemingly mpt in a reverie, his eyes fixed on vacancy and hardly noticing lus mother as she came and went. About @ quarter to three o'clock she left the room on one of her frequent errands, leaving Mark alone, as she had often done before during the day, She had scarcely left the room when she was siartied by the report of a pistol in the room she had just quitied. Hurrying back at once she paused in the doorway, petrified, as it were, by the spectacle before her. Mark lay stretched at full length upon the floor, the blood spurting from his left breast in those fitful jets that surgeons dreadto see, Clutched in his right hand was an old-fashioned self-cocking pistol, empty, and the mouth blackened by the recent dischar The ‘her rushed to him, but he heeded her not. She spoke to him, but ne did not answer. He was already unconscions, and without ever hav- ing uttered a word in explanation of bis rash act he died before the medical aid arrived that would have been powerless to save him, The news of the sail event rapidly spread through that densely populated section and attracted crowds of eager and curious ape to the scene, Officer Minnie, of the Fourteenth precinct, however, quickly arrived, and after dispersing the throngs that had gathered about the house took charge of the re- mains to await the action of the Coroner. The pis- tol was taken to the Spring street Station house, but nl remained in the midst of the etricken family. ‘The investigation by the Coroner will take place to- day, but it is not probable that any facts other than those now narrated will be elicited. Ali of the family | of the deceased have already been closely examined by the police authorities, and none of them can imag- ine any cause for the act except a sudden fit of de- spondency, caused by his sickness, and unless this be accepted as the reason the affair must remain un- explained. ay "LOCAL. INTELLIGENCE, Suppen Deatu.—Ellen Cronim, forty-five years of age, died suddenly last eventmgz at No. 62 Cherry street, and not having had medical attendance dur- ing her tliness the coroner was natified, INJURED BY A FAaLL.—An old gentleman named Henry Mortmeyer fell yesterday af\ ernoon in White- hall street, and was slightly injures! about the head. He was taken to the New street staiion house, where his wounds were dressed. CIRCULAR SAW AccIDENT.—About Live o'clock yea- terday evening a German named Hrnest Jachie, While at work in the kindling wood :factory No. 531 Weat Twenty-first street, had three .of the fingers nearly severed from his left hand by the circular saw. He was removed to Mount Sinai | Lospital. AN ALLEGED DiAMOND Rossery.—Ch aries White ‘was last evening arrested by detective (jt ‘inn, of the Eighth precinct, be a ‘gi of steal(ng @ dia- mond pin worth $300 from Syivester Rob inson, No, 747 Greenwich street, It appears that Rob, ‘nson lost the pin some two years ago, it being snatcl \ed from his person as he was riding in @ West street car, and was able to identify the pin in the poss ‘ssion of White as his by means of a va"y re in the centre stone. te, on the contrary, that he has hal the pm nearly two years and that he wt'l be able to prove that he obtained it legitimately in a trade with Thomas Canary, The accused was, | \ow- ever, held — Mills to await an investiga tion by Justice Dodge. FIRk IN DELANCEY StREBT.—About nine o’clo ‘kK last night a fire was discovered on the top floors f the four story brick building’ situated in the rear of No. 138 Delancey street, occupled by H. Turk as @ cabinet factory, whose loss will be about, $500; insured. ‘The third floor was occupied by Marcus Satter & Glee, cabinet makers; loss $300; not insured, Second floor, ocen- by Henry Egger, cabinet maker; loss $100; unin- i. First floor, occupied by H. Tanbert, also et maker; damage to stock by water about fifty ‘sj insured. The building is owned by James liorn and Was damaged about $400; insured. The cwuse of the fire is at present unknown, Adjournment of Congress the Holidays. Proposed Retirement of Judges of the Supreme Court. Destruction of the Howard Hos- pital Building. Arrival of the Danish Minister of War. Wasuinoton, Dec. 21, 1868, A Short Sessi the House. E. B. Washburne was Speaker of the House to-day for about twenty minutes, the length of the session. Of course there was no quorum present, and the un- derstanding had on last Thursday was that there should be no business transacted to-day except to re- ceive Van Wyck’s report on the whiskey frauds. Spalding, of Ohio, and McKee, of Kentucky, did not seem to see matters in that light, or at least they professed not to be aware of the understanding, which Washburne said existed; accordingly when Cullom, of lllinois, attempted to introduce a bill, and Speaker Washburne said he could not receive it, Spalding and McKee showed a disposition to contest the matter. The ‘Father of the House,” who was also its Speaker on this occasion, was in no humor to pariey with the querulous Spalding, and 80, when Van Wyck had _ presented his report, he adjourned the House after the fashion in which Old Ben Wade adjourns the Senate. “I wish somebody would move to adjourn,” said Washburne, sotto voce; whereupon Getz, of Pennsylvania, who was sitting in front, and probably heard the request, relieved Speaker Washburne from further trouble with such fellows as Spalding by moving an ad- journment. Reconstructing the Supreme Court. The bill introduced to-day by Mr. Wilson, allowing Judges of the Supreme Court to retire on their full salaries after they attain the age of seventy years, is another ingenious and by far the most engaging plan*that has yet been broached by radical genius in the Senate to overcome that bugbear of a conserva- tive majority in the Supreme Court. The two con- servative Judges, Nelson and Grier, have passed the limit of this ripé old age, and feeling, if0 doubt, a little weary, and mayhap yearning for rest, will snatch at this glittering offer and vacate the high Place they have so long and worthily filled. Then the chance presents itself for a republican Executive to appoint two republican Judges, and then will the party of progress and great moral ideas return toa happier frame of mind, as all that has been or may be done will, it is presumed, be legalized by the highest authority in the land. Arrival of the Danish Minister of War. Major General Raasloff, at present Danish Minister of War, has just reached this capital, where he so long resided as Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary of Denmark, General Raasloff, who rendered him- self so acceptable and popular with our people, will be welcomed with a cordial warmth which his merits inspire and with the respect due his high official character. Charges Against the United States Consul at Aspinwall. The charges made some time since against F. W. Rice, United States Consul at Aspinwall, by Tracy Robinson, a Panama Railroad clerk, and which were disproved to the entire satisfaction of the govern- ment, were recently renewed by one A. R. Gon- zalez. The latter, in his letter to the State Depart- ment, designated by name several respectable par- ties residing on the Isthmus as witnesses who would support the charges. ‘The department has now received from Aspinwall, in reply to the Gonzalez complaint, a letter signed by all the parties whom he had cited as witnesses, denouncing Gonzalez’s use of their names and con- cluding :— From long acquaintance with Mr. Rice we know the charges against him to be entirely destitute of truth. Mr. Rice, whose record at the department is unex- ceptionable, incurred Robinson’s hostility some months ago by deciinjng to appoint him Vice Consul on terms of his dictation, A New York lawyer, a friend of Robinson, is now understood to be solicit- ing afMdavits for the purpose of renewing the effort to procure Mr. Rice’s removal; but it is not the custom of the government to act im such cases until the party accused has had an opportunity to answer the charges made. The Georgia Reconstruction Committee. The Reconstruction Committee held another me ing to-day and had before them a delegation of car- pet-baggers from Georgia. They laid before the committee a large amount of documents, which they putin as testimony to show that the present State government is run in the interest of the rebels and that the ‘so-called loyal men are kept in pe petual dread of either losing their ‘lives or being compelled wo leave the State. Since the committee commenced to investigate the condition of affairs in Georgia, under the resolation of the House, no testi- mony or statements have been heard from the other side, All the evidence before the committee is therefore ex parte, Before a final report is made to the House It is expected that a delegation will be here to represent the interests of those who are termed “rebels,” and who are freely accused of having usurped the State government, though they are in a minority. The Pacific Raitrond Committee. ‘The Pacific Railroad Committee appears to be the Most attractive of any other to the members of the Senate, judging by the anxiety expressed by some of them to be placed upon it for the country’s good and glory. Since the assembiing of Congress the Southern Senators have been clamoring for an addi- tion of two of their number to this, the prize com- mittee of Congress, To-day Mr. Rice called up his resolution for this purpose, and thereupon @ Senator from the Pacific slope made a request that his section of the national domain be given a share of the representation, This was strenuously object- ed to by one of the Eastern Senators, who was unable to see that the West liad a right to entirely monopolize the management of railroad schemes for uniting the Pacific with the Atlantic, He thought the people living east of the Alleghanies had some little interest in these railway projects as well aa those living at the other side. Wherefore all this eagerness to get on the Pacific Railroad Committee and so very littie to get on any other? Is it a rich and profitable placer? Important to Haytien Traders. The following letter, which bears upon a question of much interest at the present time, has been ob- tained from the Yepartment of State :— D&PARTMENT OF STATE, WasuixaTon, D.C., Dec. 17, 1868. GENTLEMEN—Your telegraphic note of yesterday i received. You submit the following inquiry:— ‘Will the United States government protect American ves- fele bound to porta in Hayt! held by the rebels there from seizure or detention by the Haytien government? It ts my duty to inform you that the United States are at peace with the republic of Hayti. The govern. ment of the United States will protect no United States vessel which shall attempt to carry on trade in Haytien ports in violation of any existing block- ade, or of any lawful decree of the government of the Haytien ublic which has been duly —s nized by the Ui States. All persons trading in losurrectt rts in Hayti will be liable to be dealt with jing t ‘he processes and principles of international law. 1am, gentlemen, your obedient servant, WILLIAM H, SEWARD. Messrs. WILLIAM S. BROWN & Oo., No. 6 Coeuties slip, New York, A Ku Klux Photographed. A member of Congress to-day received fron) @ military oMcer in the South a photograph of two members of the Ku Kinx Klan. He explains that t,¢ band from which they were taken was one hun+ dnd and fifty strong, and is the same that seized Hun teville, Ala., surrounded the Court House, mur- dered the judge and some other citizens, Ac. The men ca,"tured were not more than eighteen years EW YORK HERALD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1868—TRIPLE SHEET. 3 Diack gown with a siit for riding, the hood of striped white and yellow with a skull and crossbones and heart pierced) with a dagger, with the words “Ku Klux Klan” around the border. Wells, Farge & Co.’s Mall Contract. Postmaster General Randall to-day submitted to the House of Representatives @ report explaining the circumstances connected With the making of a contract with Wells, Fargo & Co. for carrying the mails between the termini of the Union Pacific Rail- road. This report is made in reply to @ request of one of thé members of the Committee on Post Omces and Post Roads, and effectually disposes of the vari- ous statements that have appeared in the news- papers recently charging fraudulent action on the part of the Postmaster General in awarding the con- tract to Wells, Fargo & Co. when other persons bid at a much lower figure. The report gives in detail the whole transaction of making the con- tract referred to, and is accompamed by the correspondence that occurrad in connection with it, Mr. Randall states that the next available offer to that of Wells, Fargo & Co. was that made by a Mr. Spatdes, of Chicago, who en- gaged to transport the mails, as the postal laws stood at the time the contract was advertised, for $835,000, But atter the change made in the postal Jaws by Congress, which caused a heavy increase in the weight of the mail matter, Mr, Spaides required a8 an additional stipulation that he should receive @ pro rata increase on all mail matter transpoted after October 1, in excess of the quéntity transported before that date. Ona careful ¢sthnate, based on the reports of the Postmasters of some of the larger cities in regard to the increase in bulk and weight of the malls since the passage of the new Postal act, it was found that the proposition of Mr. Spaides would make his compensation for the year foot up to $3,087,583, The bid made by Wells, Fargo & Co. before the change in the postal laws was $1,300,000 and aiter the change in the laws their bid, was $1,750,000, ac- companied by a stipulation providing thata pro rata decrease in this sum should take piace on the completion of each section of the Paciiic Railroad, which, of course, diminishes materially the expense of carrying the malis in stages. An investigation of this proposal, estimating the distance over which the mails were to be carried at 837 miles, shows that by reducing the amount of compensation according to the progress of the railroad from October 1, 1868, to July 1, 1869, when it is expected that the railroad will have been completed, the amount of compensation received by the contractors will be $670,144. This, it is estimated, will fall short of the expenses of the eontractors by about from $1,000 to $2,000, and it is believed that ‘The company will be obligett to call upon Congress for relief. Before concluding any contract the Post- master General, wishing to have the advice of others in the matter, visited New York and laid all the pro- posals before Senator Morgan, Senator Cole, Horace Greeley, Postmaster Kelly and anumber of other gen- tlemen. These gentieme: adyised Mr, Randall to accept the bid of Wells, Fargo & Co., a8 being the mog? favorable of all presented. From the calcula- tions made of the cost of transporting the malls be- tween the termini of the Union Pacific Railroad it was estimated that 1,200 horses would be required. Supposing that there should be a mail station every ten miles of the route, taking the whole distance at 800 miles, it would be necessary to have twelve horses at each station, making 960 horses for carrying the mails. Then it is estimated that it will require at least 240 more horses to trans- port forage for all these animals. Then when the number of men necessary to take care of these horses, the number of wagons needed and the high price of forage were considered, it was not thought that the compensation asked for by Wells, Fargo & Co. was at allunreasonable. The Postmaster Gene- ral in conclusion requested that a committee be ap- pointed to investigate the whole matter. Detention of the Overland Mails. Mr. Geo. W. McLellan, Second Assistant Postmaster General, has written a letter to Senator Ramsey in relation to complaints made by California and Mon- tana papers regarding abuse of mail matter in transit on the overland route to California. In this letter Mr. McLellan states that this and other similar com- plaints have been brought to the notice of Wells, Fargo & Co., the contractors for the transportation of the overland mails, with directions to take prompt and effectual measures to correct the abuse. Internal Revenue Appointments. The following Internal Revenue appointments were made to-day:— Storekeeper—W, Nelson Place, Third district of New York. Gaugers—H. D. Rose, Twenty-seventh district of New York; William G. Wilsey and W. P. McCurdy, First district of Ohio, Revenue Collectors for 'Louisiava. ‘The President to-day nominated to the Senate W. 0. Taft as Collector of internal Revenue for the First district, aad Adolphus Bouchard as Collector and James Hart a3 Assessor for the Third district of Louisiana. United States reme Court Proceedings. In the Supreme Court to-day the following cases were disposed of:— No. 125-—Gordon ys. The United States.—Appeal from the Court of Claims.—The Court aitirmed the opinion of the Court of Claims, that an award made by the Secreiary of War in the case was null and void, on the repeal of the joint resolution oe | the Secretary to make it, and that the action founde on that award must be dismissed. The act of the Secretary in making the award was held to be minis- terial only and not binding on the government. No, 59—Chicago and Rock Isiand Bridge Company ndrews.—Amrmed by a divided court, ». 14—West et al. vs. City of Aurora.—Action on city bon The argument of the cause was com- menced. Mr. Henry Stanbery, late Attorney Gen- eral, appeared for the defendant in error, ‘The Chief Justice announced that the court would adjourn on the 24th inst. to January 4, and on that day the docket of orig!nal actions arising under the constitution will be called, Holiday Week at the War Office. ‘The Secretary of War has directed that during the holiday week the office hours of the bureaus of the War Department be from nine o'clock until twelve M., and that but half the general force remain on duty during those hours, Cannon for the Kearny Monument, ‘The President has approved the bill giving can- non for the erection of a monument to General Kearny. Naval Orders. Lieutenant Commanders R, K. Duer and 5, W. Ferry have been ordered to the receiving ship Ver. mont. Ensign F.H. Parker has been ordered to Mound City station. Acting Master William Barry- more and Acting Assistant Surgeon Smith have been honorably discharged. Bill to Protect Criminals from Popular Vio-~ lence. ‘The bill recently introduced into the Senate by Mr. Trumbull to prevent @ repetition of such crimes by popular violence as that which was recently com: mitted at New Albany, in Indiana, has, it is under- stood, the approval of the Secretary of State. It is as follows:— A bill further to provide for giving effect to treaty stipulations between thie and foreign governments for the extradition of criminals:— Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre sentatives of the United States in Congress assem- bled, That whenever any person shall have been de- livered by any foreign government to an agent or ought within'tne Uaited States and ered, for any within the crime of which he is duly accused, the President shail have power to take all necessary measures for transportation and safe keeping of such accused person, and for his security against lawless violence, until final conclusion of his tral for the crimes or cf ified in the warrant of extradition, and until his final discharge from custody or tm; n- ment for or on account of such crimes or offences, and for @ reasonable time thereafter. And it shail be lawful for the President or such person as he may empower for that purpose to employ such portion of the land or naval forces of the United States, or of the militia thereof, a4 may be necessary for the safe keeping and protection of the acer as afore- aid. Sec. 2. That any person duly appointed as agent to receive in bebalf of the United States the delivery by a foreign government of any person accused of a crime committed within the jurisdiction of the United States and to convey him to the place of trial, shail be, and hereby is, vested with all the power of a marshal of the United States in the several districts rough which it may be necessary for him to pass with such prisoner, 80 far as suc power is requisite for his safe keeping. Sec, 3. That if any person or persons shall know- ingly and wilfully obstruct, resist or oppose such agent in the execution of his duties, or shall rescue or attempt to rescue such prisoner, whether in the cus- tody of the agent aforesaid, or of any marslial, sher- iff, jailer or other officer or person to whom bia cua y have lawfully been committed, every per. nowlagly and wiifuily offending in the prem- ises shall, on conviction thereof before (he District or Ciremit Court of the United States for the district in old, The Uniform worn by this band is a serge | w,4ieh fag offence Was committed. be ined not ex- = ge cute $1,000 and imprisoned not exceeding on® Fall of a Building—Fifteen Werkmen Injured. The main walls of the new hospitat building be- longing to the Howard University gave way this afe ternoon, The workmen, about fifteen in number—~ one-third white, the others black—who were at tha time engaged in roofing the structure, fell with tha, masonry to the ground, a distance of probably fifty feet. They were all injured, several of them se~ riously if not fatally. The material of which th hospital and other university buildings were con- structed is a composition of which lime is the princi- pal ingredient, The accident to-day is owing to tha, action of frost, which separated the building block® into their original particles. Indian Delegations Expected. Several delegations of Indians, representing the Miamis, Creeks, Cherokees and other tribes, are ex pected to visit Washington during this winter for the purpose of securing additions to the existing treaties, between them and the government relative to the ceasions of lands and the improvement of their do- meatic condition generally. Removal of Light Vessels. All the light vessels in the service of the Light+ house Board have been removed from their locations on the Northern coast to localities where they will, not be endangered from drift ice. The can and nun buoys have also been removed, from like precaution, and their places have been temporarily supplied with spars. The Case of the British Blockade Runner Wren. {Washington (Dec. ig iey jee of the Boston. journal. ‘The steamer Wren was unquestionably built hy Laird & Co, for the Confederate government, and ran the blockade into Galveston with @ cargo. She vooic a freight of cotton from Galveston to Havana, ant on her way from there to Halifax for another cargo: her crew rose on the officers in June, 1865, and carried her into Key West, where she was libelled and, condemned. Anappeal was taken by Laird & Co.,, claiming to be her owners, and the Supreme Court here ordered the steamer’s release on the ground. tha ae she might have beew) engaged in blockade running, she was not so epgag when captured by her crew. Just then General Caleb Cushing hbeiled the proceeds of the steamer’s! sales, which were in the ‘Treasury for the benefit o' the United States, under the advice of the Treasury Department, as the property of the Confederuie, ‘States; and In case it should be held to be the pro- bag of Laird & Co,, General Cushing also libelled tt! in behalf of the owners of a Newburyport ship de-; stroyed by the Alabama, which Laird & Co, had tit-) ted out, on the ground that they were, therefore, re-! sponsibie for the damages which she had caused. ‘This suit was defended by Foster and Thompson, law-) yers in New York, who have had intimate profession-; al relations with Attorney General Evarts, and it is now rumored that upon their application the At-' torney General has ordered the release of the pro- ceeds of the steamer without trial. Hence the reso- lution presented by Mr, Morrill in the Senate of the United States. THE FORTIETH CONGRESS. Third Session. SENATE. WASHINGTON, Dec, 21, 1868. AMENDMENT TO THE NATURALIZATION LAWS. Mr. SUMNER, (rep.) of Mass., presented a petition from a mass meeting of the colored people of Norfolk, Va., in favor of his bill to strike out tho word “white” from the Naturalization laws bill,! Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Mr. Sumner remarked that the Waturalization laws were, the only laws of the United States containing the) word white, and he hoped that his bill to strike 16. out from them would be promptly passed. PEACE WITH THE INDIANS. Mr. SUMNER also presented the memorials of the Universal Peace Union in behalf of Indians. CONSOLIDATION OF SOLDIERS’ HOMES. Mr. WILSON, (rep.) of Mass., presented a petition from the soldiers of the Washington Soldiers’ Home for the consolidation of soldiers’ homes, Referred. { LIGHTHOUSES ON THE PACLFIC COAST. Mr. Conbgrr, (rep.) of Oregon, offered a resolution requesting the President to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to detail an officer to select sites for, lighthouses on the coasts of Oregon, Washington’ ‘Territory and Alaska. Laid over. JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT. Mr. WILSON introduced a bill relating to judges of the Supreme Court of the United that any jndge of the Supreme Court may, aiter hav4 ing attained the ol seventy years, resign, anc shall thereafter, while he lives, receive the same, salary as When in active service at the date of his resignation, Referred to the Committee on the Ju- diciary. TREATY WITH THE OSAGE INDIANS. Mr. THAYER, (rep.) of Neb,, presented a remon- strance against the ratification of the Osage Indian treaty except upon certain terms, Referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. STANDARD WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Mr. SuMNER offered two resolations, one directing. the Secretary of the Senate to inform the Senate what has been done in pursuance of the resolution authorizing him to furnish each State a set of stan dard weights and measures on the metric system, and the other directing the Postmaster General to) give information of wiat has been done to furnish, postal balances of the same kind. Adopted. THE REVENUE LAWS. Mr. CAMERON, (rep.) of Pa., presented a petition. from the tobacco manufacturers of Philadelphia for a change in the Revenue iaws. Referred. ‘MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY. Mr. PATTERSON, (rep.) of N, H., introduced a bilt to reorganize and increase the efficiency of the Medical Department of the navy. ; PACIFIC RAILROAD ‘COMMITTEE. Mr. Rice, (rep.) of Ark., calied up his motion to add two members to the Commictee on the Pacific Railroad, as Representatives of the south, Mr. ConBETT thought that if the committee were to be mecreased there ought to be one member added from the Pacific coast as a representative of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Mr, WILSON said that of the nine members now comp) the committee five were from the coun- try west of the Mississippi. He thought it would do some Seaators from the Pacific coasi no harm to. be reminded that there was still a portion of tie country east of the Mississippi. ‘The resulution was adopted. INDIAN AGENTS. Mr, WILSON offered resolution, .which was adopted, directing the secretary of the Interior to re- port what Indian agents or superintendents are ab- sent from their posts. THE UNION PACIFIC RATLROAD. Mr. THAYER Offered a resolution requesting the President to instruct the special commission who have examined the Union Pacific Railroad west of Omaha and the Eastern division of the Union Pacific to examme in the same way ail the Pacific railroads, so far as constructed, and to report What ainount is necessary to complete thei, according to the stand- ard of a first class railroad, a3 required by law. Mr. Howarp, (rep.) of Mich., offered a resolution requesting the Secretary of the Treasury to commu- nicate to the Senate the reports of the Union Pacific Railroad and its branches, as already requested by & resolution passed last July. ADJOURNMENT. On motion of Mr. EpMUNDs, (rep.) of Vt., at fifty minutes past tweive o’clock the Senate adjourued to Tuesday, the oth of January next. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. WASHINGTON, Dec, 21, 1568. ‘The House was called to order by Mr. E. B. Wasit~ BURNS, a8 Speaker pro tem, Mr. CULLOM, (rep.) of LL, asked leave to introduce several bills, ‘The SPEAKER @aid that according to the order of ‘Thursday none could be received. A conversation took place as to whether such order was adopted or not. The 9 er was positive of the fact. Mr. VAN Wyck, (rep.) of N. Y., made a report from: the Retrenchment Committee on the subject of whiskey frauds, &c., whereupon the House adjourned to January 5. Fourth Day=Conclusion of the Spert—Three Races Ran. MostLE, Dec. 21, 1868. The fourth and last day’s races on the Magnolia Course took place to-day. The first race, being two mile heats, was won by Captain Moore’s Fanny Cheatham, who beat ©. Warwick's Transit after a! fine beim of three heats, Transit winning the second hea Fourth day, first race, purve $200, two mile heats, | ‘oul lay, , pi J Fannie Cheatham, b. f., four years old, by , htning, out of Leviathan.... ° Lt rremat be, four years old, by Bieakwind, out of Sovereign, . 2 ‘Time, 3:68 —3:47 43:67. SECOND RACE. The second race, mile heats, for beaten horses, was won by Richards and Kilgour’s Bettie Bay, who beat KE. Warwick's Joe Johnston, and distanced M. Glass’ Faro the first heat. Secona race, purse $200, for beaten horses; horses beaten once allowed seven pounds; twice, ten ia; mile heats, ttle Db. f, 3 years old, by imp. Ans tralian, dam Bettie Ward, by Lexington. Joe Johnston, b. b., 6 years old, by Goodw: dam Judy, by imp. Sovereign Faro, b. years old, by Bi Jane Wilkins THIRD RACK. ‘The third race was for Sherrod colts, $200, milo heats, and was won by 7. fi, cerson’s Ch. Whisenhunt, three years, by Suerrod, dam by Jolua Tuuter, Time, 1 States. It provides’