The New York Herald Newspaper, March 15, 1869, Page 5

THE HORSES OF AMERICA. Their Present Value, with Some Suggestions ‘as to Breeding for Speed for the Read and Track, Among the great industrial interests of thia coun- try the horse may be considered as standing in 49 foremost rank of anima! productions, For ™ any Years he has been constantly increasing in nurAbers and value so rapidly and with such constant aoccre- tons that the number of the horses DOWs in the United. States will fall Uttle short of 2,000,000 in the aggregate, and representing im money vaiue the enormous sum of upwards of $2,600,000,000, nearly equal to the whole amount of our national indebvedness, and more than the whole gross amount of the gold product of California, and probably of the world during the time which has been occupied in raising these animals. Few who read this article have ever imagined that the annual Value of any avimat product in this country should #0 nearly approximate the vaunted resources of our gold fields, which politicians are ever parading be- fore the public as the means of paying our national debt. Fifty years ago the standard price of horses was very Jow, $100 being considered as much as a first eiass animal was worth, unless in exceptional cases, notwithstanding we had very much the same quality of horse then as now. Subsequent breeding has developed his powers in a different direction, and the gulloping saddle nag of that day has been transformed into the trotting horse of the present. We had at that time in this country some of the highest blood that had ever been imported from foreign parts. It was then rich and fresh and became widely disseminated through- out the country by sach horses a8 Diomede, the win- ner of the first English Derby in 1780; his descendants, Sir Archy and Duroc, Messenger and that most capital horse, ©id Medley, to say nothing of others that have Jeft a favorable inpress on the hoyse of the present day. The descendants of Diomede to this day are the ruling spirits of the race course, a8 they have been principally ‘bred tor that specialty, in the same Way as those of Messenger have been bred for trot- ting. The Southerner, having no trotting vehicle a@nd'the roads being universally of inferior descrip. ‘Won, did the best he could under the circumstances, ‘and trained his horse for saddle purposes. The North, where good roads and greater mechanical talent prevailed, soon possessed itself of fine road velucles, and the borsé, instead of peing taught to Gallop and to amble, was encouraged his trot until he became as conversant ‘with that gait as he had been with other paces. Now, jad the relative positions 0% Messenger and Diomede been reversed, the ae- scendants of Messenger would have, become gal- Jopers and those of Diomede trotters, and the name of Messenger would have been heard of among trot- Ung circles as little as that of Diomede is at the Present day. A further impetus was given to trot tng blood by the Importation of the Arabian Grand Bashaw, who was a natural trotter himself ana im- parted that peouliarity im an eminent degree to his deacendants, and, m addition, communicating 6 graceful movement to a gait that had previously been considered not very elegant, For a long time it was considered advantageous to cross a well bred hotse on the Kanuck, or Cana- dian, as he ts indifferently termed, with tke view of getting that knee action which is deemed essential Inthe trotter. The result of that description of breeding was, as might have been anticipated, too much action infront and a deficiency of propelling power, accompanied by that lack of endurance con- sequent on low breeding and great expenditure of ‘muscular action. Another great objection to this crows was igund in the deterioration of gene- Fal appearance visible in horses of this class, However, s@ time progressed, and these evils became more palpable, attempta were made by breeders to correct the mistake into ‘which they had fallen, and urse was had to horses i of higher blood and superior excellence, and with such success that many of the trotters of the present F day 20 closely resemble the running horse in gen- eral appearance as to deceive the uninitiated... With i the creation, a8 we may tefm it, df a superior trot- a’ ting horse, at once beautiful, speedy and graceful, and the great accanrulation of wealth in the com- munity, the value of the trotting horse has ad- . Vanced correspondingly until now the prices paid for particularly fine horses are such ag would never have been dreamed of twenty years ago. ‘We niay say that the vaine of every other class of horse bas appreciated within the past few years, with the exception of the French Cauadian, for whom there is very little demand—in fact none at the prices it would cost to Import them from Canada, Aw the demand in this country has decreased they are not so numerously bred as formerly, as here was the great market for that description of horse una! a few years ago, when it was discovered that he waa f found unequal to the business requirements of the tommoniy he soon af sna ecprocly. eaty with Oatidda Nad also. to do with lessentug the demand ag it tmpoyed a heavy tari? on his im- portation and increased his cost in this market about 100 per cent, or to about $160 through the goid pre- miam end ditty combined, which is more than he ever was worih for any purpose. We shail see very few of these horses in future, and very glad we ought to be of it, as his introduction into this coun- try has been rather ye ‘ap onermse. The Canadians themselves #¢ fetiority of that class of horse for anything else than mere drudgery, and are eadcavoring to improve their stock by the importation of well Wred horses from the United States—a number of thoroughbred stallions having been lately purchased for that purpose. All over the country the value of the horse has in- creased in a ratio correspgnding to the high price of every other product, and may be set down at about double what it was before the war, with no prospect of adimanition. As respects very fine horses they show a constant increase in price, At the commencement of this article we stated that there were about 6,000,000 of horses in this country at present, as near as the facts could be arrived atin the absence of any census é¢numera- tion, In 1860 thie number of horses in all the States and Territories amounted to 4,136,620, and in 1860 the commprted number was 6,240,174. Notwithstand- ing the great Joss sustained during the war and the almost entire cessation of breeding in some of the States of the South during that time, the natural increase has been so great as to tully reach our esti- ‘mate of 6,000,000. The following table will ahow the aumber of horses in each State and Territory at the periods alladed to above:— HOMEER OF MOwsRS IN tHE COUNTRY In 1860 AXD States. ee Neeeneeeeeeeeeee reer eee a 160. 127,063 joa Total , 8300 25,118 6,224,066 rerert 6,240,174 Owing to the neglect of the census enumerators of the periods above we are unablo to give the value NEW YOKK HERALD, MONDAY MARCH 15, 1869—TRIPLE SHEET. horseflesh is competent to classify them in such & way as to indicate their true worth. Obi, Illinois, Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania took the lead they still retain it. The next great breeding sections are Missouri, Kentucky and Texas, The war drew heavily on these States, but having had four or five years to recuperate there ts no doubt they will show ® favorable amount of increase. Iowa, Michigan doubled since 1860, Ini the Southern States, notwithstanding the devastations of the rebellion, there are more horses now than are required. There never has been @ scarcity of ordimary horses. Much of the best blood, however, was captured during the war by the Union troops, and by tuis means many ofthe finest horses of the South found tneir way into the Western and Middle Statea, where they have been turned to most profitable account in improving the ordinary local or sectional stock. The Pacific States have also contributed their share to the general aggregate, California having in 1860 but 160,640 horses, whereas now she numbers probably 600,000, the effects of the war on breeding not having reached that remote ion. Owing to the introduction of very fine stal- ions at an early period of her history a large. pro- portion of the horses bred in that State are very superior animals. A great many horses were drawn from the Eastern States at the commence- ment of the war, which was an advantage to them, as by that means they got rid of a great deal of worth- less stock, Since then they have been breeding a bet- ter class of horses, and with so much energy that it ts believed the aggregate number in those States tar exceeds that of 1860. The attention of breeders has been turned particularly in the direction of trotting stock, and by the introduction of betier bred stallions than they had formerly they are now producing some very fine horses, although there is still room for great improvement, particularly in the staying powers or endurance of the speedy horse. In this connection, in the breeding of trotting horsea, we may here remark that too much pains can not be taken inthe selection of stallions, Great dis- crimination should be used in the size of the horse; for it is a well known physiological fact, which should always be kept in view by breeders, that the small or medium sized stallions invariably ‘get. the best proportioned stock. The produce of small or me- dium sized mares from large stallions are generally long-legged and deficient in that symmetry of form which it is always desirable to see in the animal under consideration, It must be borne in mind'that while the propelling power of the horse is in his hind quarters his lifting ability \les in his fore parte, and that where there is more weight in front than is necessary for the purpose intended dt is @ decided disadvantage to the speedy horse, This is the case with the Canadian and some other coarse bred horses, who have so much to lift that they tire before they have gone any great distance, Every unnecessary pound in front of the withers tells forcibly agaihst progression. Breeders of the running horse appear to understand these facts bet- ter than the breeders of trotters. Breeding from the thoronghbrea horse is the very best means of eradi- cating the defects in the trotting horse, when too heavy in front, by lightening those parts which im- pede his action, This form of the blood horse is one of the reasons that has made the Bashaws so success- fal throughout the country in the hands of breeders of trotters, ‘With the view of further elucidating the subject of values we give the following analytical tabie, compiled with great care, and believed to be'as ac- curate aa itis possible to make it with the data be- fe — THE NUMBER AND RELATIVE VALUE OF THE HORSES 14 SHR COUNTRY. | 7,971,100" It Will be seen by the above analysis that fve mil- lions or five-eighths of the whole number of horses in this country are animals devoted to the ordinary, drudgery of horse life, and whose individual value ranges from fifty doliars up to $200. There are two more classes, the first of which we will designate as horses of general utility, and the second as fancy sbock, the latter comprising the fast horses of tne land. ‘The first of tnese, the horses of general utility, comprise nearly three-fifths of the whole, for they are not only the fast and stylish, but they are horses adapted in a majority of cases to most of the useful purposes of Ife, including the coach, the express wagon and the road. This class of horses we have ranged in value from $300 to $2,000. The third and fancy class ia a comparatively small one, numbering about 70,000, and includes the ranning and the trotting hor§é, with vali q ing from $2,600 to $10,000, with exéépiisae a where they bring ag high as $30,090 or $40,000—the lat- ter ire having been paid for the rate horse Ken- tucky before he fell lame, and $33,000 for Dexter, with $35,000 offered and refused for Basnaw, Jr. Within the past year Goldsmith Maid sold for $20,000, Lady Thorn for $17,500, with $20,000 refused for George Palmer. The stalltons Featnaught, Rhode Island, George Wilkes and Draco Prince, ail of whom have trotted better than 2:25, are individually valued at over $20,000. As might be expected from our table of valuations, the horses designated as fancy horses are by no means all horses that appear on the turf, such horses being merely the selections, while the great mass are the private ho of gentlemen of wealth and leisure, who seek tion, excite- ment and sometimes notoriety WH the road. The action of agricultural and other ies In offering the Jarge amounts they do annfally for norses to compete at their exhibitions operates as a powerful incenvive to the breeding of fine horses, every breeder hoping to be able to exhibit a Dexter, a Po- gahontas, a Lucy, or a Bashaw, Jr.,*to the gaze of admiring thousands and carry off a pre- mium which wilt enrich him for life. All this tends to greatly increase the number of horses bred and the great accumulation of na- tional wealth in that speciality, The following are about the prices paid for speed at the present day:— A horse that can trot in 2:46 will bring from $1,600 to $2,000; a dashing, good, young animal of square action will command $2,500 or $3,000, while a well bred one, say a Messenger or Bashaw, for instance, that can trot fn 2:35, with @ prospect of improve- ment, will be sought after at $6,000; and one of either of the above stock that caa beat 2:30 is con- sidered cheap at $10,000, while for every second in the twenties $1,000 extra will be readily given. From all that we have said above, and which may be implicitly relied upon, as having been drawn from the best sources of informatton, the comciusion 18 unavoidable that our facts aud figures indicate a rapid increase in the number and value of the horses in this country, so great as to’surprise all who have hot given attention ,to this subject, and whove only opinion has been that of me: DANGEROUS STRUCTURI a has recently made an im} referenve vo the liabilily for injuries to occas by the negiwence of the third parties workmen em- ployed by the = and servants of the owner of Teal estate. great difficulty, it was stated, is to “ascertain who is to be ed master of the wron, has no controt over the rily lable. But in the case in qi was constructed in so defective manner as to excite the general alarm of the by, tne Court held that it constituted a lor which the owner of the land was liable, and the fact that the wall was erected by others, ander con- tract, and to whom he did not the of master, did not excase him, It waa seusrten that where @ party is in of bap dimen And Must take cao that it'ia so uscd snd menenee, other persons shall not be injured, and managed by hia own servants or by their servants makes no difference in mist wake ‘care. injate no man mode of con wor the Work. Whether ie a in the or aservant employ work seome to make 20 difference, THE TURF IN ENGLAND. FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDERT. ‘The Grand i Lonpon, Feb, 27, 1869, ‘Nothing is at present talked of in sporting circles Dut the grand national steeple chase which will be Fun for on the Aintree, near Liverpool, next Wednes- day. The immense amount of speculation to which this event has given rise; the discussion it excites among all classes of the. community who are in any Way attached to sports, and the absorbing interest ‘which is taken in the result prove conclusively that steeple chasing is recovering the popularity which for s period of years it had lost. The fact is due on this occasion, no doubt, to the excellence of the hanaicup, to which I alluded when it first appeared; for it is a credit to Mr. Topham, and in that respect in singular contrast to bis Chester performance; but in a greater degree to the changed circumstances under which the race is now run. ‘There was a time when the fences were so high that jumping and weight carrying power were the chief Tequuaites for success, and when, consequently, no animals but experienced and clever hunters were “in it.” Nowadays, however, when the height of the obstacles has been considerably curtailed, a@ larger class of horses have achance of winning, speed is “served” as well as jumping ability and strength, and the prize very commonly falls to can- didates who, after an inglorious career on the flat, are set to “cross country’? work, can clear their fences well and show thetr racing training in the “run in” over level ground, It was at one time feared that the event would be wholly prostituted from the purpose for which it was designed. The rearing of great hunters and the victories of Emblem and Embiematic were deplored as likely to inaugn- rate an order of things in which thoroughbreds would have it entirely thelr own way and give no chance to the hunting element. The victories of such animals as Cortoivin, Salamander and The Lamb have exploded this theory; and now that the race ig open not only to the animals who formerly could compete for it but to ex-flat racers, who at Jength afford some hope of paying for their breeding, the event has, undoubtedly, far greater attractions for the general public than before, The excellence of the handicap is proved by the character of the betting, which has this year been on @ greater scale than ever, and by the singalarly open appearance of the race even now when the result ia only four duys off. I do not remember any occasion on which so many animals were bucked, or so large @ fleld was likely to go to the post, or transactions of so heavy @ kind were recorded, or market move- meats were so interesting and so keenly watched. ‘The betting during the past week has been very sig- nificant, for it has been marked by several ‘move- ments” in favor of various candidates, and yet it 1s dificult to select out of some half dozen animals any one that has “on paper’ a greater chance than the other five. Your readers have from time to time been informed that The Colonel, 6 years, 147 Ibs., a half bred hunter, by Knight of Kars, out of Boa- dices, of whom little was known, was figuring at the head of the quotations. For some iacrutable rea- son, however, he was woe, out” for a steeple chase at Nottingham on Wedn , and though he won it the performance was co! that he has since “fallen from his sue ey ie ea ead, i en by Mr. 8 1s aged, 148 Ibe, about whom a genuine demonstration Sree iat tant he “nal at Ss eu at 1, ‘Another feature of was. the surprising favor in which Mr. Brayley’s lot—Peari Diver, aged. the top weight, 175 lbs.; Fortunatas, 458 Ibs., and Sea q 146 1bs.—bave been held, ‘Heavily backed by their owner asa team, and with the Sxoman of Sea King, individually they have nd’ i—the lot 6 to 1, Pearl Pine to 100 to 12 and Fortunatus to 20 to 1. Probably all three will be sent to the post; but the hopes of the are no Aoubt fixed on the two quoted, and chiefly on the firat. Guy of Warwick, 5 years, 140 lbs,, who, though @ most indifferent fiat racer, has of late himself a ci le reputation as a jumper, and won his race at Lincoln very , is great force at present, the highest offer inst 10 to 1. Mr. Weifitt’s two—Tuthweil, half bred, 6 years, 160 fro! ire, wor- ‘They have done @ good deal of “see-saw” in the market, and, while Tuthwell bas long the higher place in the quotations, he nas within the last or two deolined to 16 to1, while nis stable companion has “‘spurted” from 60 to 1 to 33 to 1. ae seein tap sro always been @ tremendons favor! pu Sarepo aig ah Pa a rm at it14tol. Mr. An, pair AlpenAG eS, aged, 156 Iba., and Harcourt, 'ibs., have had i 150 of at ; Dut the former comparatively little support Stier being driven $0 2) 00.4 Ran Fipehs0 100.06, and the latter has declined to 100 to 2. q. C., 5 years, 149 has been a deal alter, is much icied Db} of the and he has been Ken t a it déal of money at and apout Golby’s three, half bred, aged, 163 pounds; Hall © junds, and Knave hav at 16 to 1, while in- ry re been sui dividually The Nun carries a lot of mon Knave of Tramps a little at 66 to 1, but 1 be 4r0 choad ae cae oe three, veel a junds; Giobule, aged, Honisman’s 1 Daughter, aged, 148 pounds are volved in mystery; but i seems to be evident Globuie will represent the mterests of the stable, 25 at 25 to 1; to 1 conid to 1 being now taken it These commenia relate to the princifial fiov ts that have taken lace, and the horses named will in all the wipper, well as atew ve little or no chan¢é 5 ai on the Chester Cup has been princi- 107 rf 8 65 Hompl oi 5 AM + nt] Na a to 8 and The on mer, Pad 14 pounds, at 100 to 6, by the increased « to sup- port St. Mungo, 3¥ears, $4 pounds, at 20 to 1, but principally by a strong demonstration in favor of Tom Dawson's pair, Mandrake, 5 years, 123 pounds, and Good Hope, 3 years, of whom the former has been ed =6down to 2% to 1, and the latter is at 100 to 3 Wild Oats is still a firm favorite for the Two Thousand Guineas at 2 to 1, and, the hostility against Belladrum con- @nuing, he cannot rise above 4 to 1, though nothing else receives For the Derby Pero Gomez remains at the of the list, and Js in immense demand at 4 to 1, while Wild Oats has declined to 6 to 1 and Belladram is extremely “fishy” at 8 to 1. Pretender has not moved from 100 to 7, and 25 to’ could be had about Ryshworth, Thorwoldsen, Ladas and jom. ‘There been a good deal of racing during the week at various places— Windsor, pp eo] Derby and Chelmsford; but when there are 80 many fixtures ivisalways a case of * ery and little wool” that is, lots of dport very moderate. The most notable feature has been the wonderful form of Joseph Dawson's stable, first day at Nottingham, carried oif the Stand with Sphinx, the Stakes with his a by Dun- dee (out of Lady Lotsy), the Spring Han with Friday and the Inkeeper’s Plate with Chapel Royal, and on the second day the Little John Stakes with Sister to Veda and the Newcastle Plate with Chapel Royal. The Little John stakes—the princtpai two year old event of this meeting—is remarkable as affording the second victory ot Mr. ors smart opened at once the filly, Who, it will be remem! season and her career by Winning last week the Brockiesby at Lincoin, and who on occasion again showed her great by overthrowing among others—and der a penhaity of seven poands—Mr. Chap- lin’s Countryman, Mr, Jennings’ Phantom Lass, Mr. Drewitt’s Ironstone, the French fliily Chevreuse and Lord Calthorpe’s filly by Kettledram out of Elier- mire. From what we have seen of these animaia the “form” is no doubt moderate enongh, but at all pa ae wan en has the oredit of og —— ° who you appeared. iD er meedngs there is littie to notice beyond the tacis that a tolerable two year old appeared at Cheiine- ford, in Lady Kew, by Vedette out of Kithel, that the Fairlands Handicap was won by Laird of Scotland, that at Deroy Countryman and Phantom Lass were again “bowled ovgr’ by a filly calied Hollandaise, by Dollar out of Vanilla, and that Orion showea a andl power’’ by winning the great Midiand Spring ‘The ambition of the Earl of Glasgow to bear away the premier hovors of the English turf is so weil known as to be quite proverbial even across the Atlantic, No labor or expense nas been spared to attain the coveted trophy, which has been more than all but within his tordahip’s grasp, to the mor- tion not only of iimseif fat wiso to that of the orld iB im which his name bas loug indexible tnt and a the pot for 16 if hope of his ed ead paso ‘state that the darling soarcely ever reach stand sporting career can now; Hot that iis to General Jel,” realization Domination, “Brother victim Was added to phe of the bunting Geld ig the person of | their regular tring, ur in 1849, and on Mariboroug! Buck two ears inter, He was a rider of great judg- ment and pluck, and his private irreproachabie as his profeasional indisputabie. Another popular jock has fa second time. It will be remembered that 11 rd Lyons’ year Custance broke his collar bone, a misfortune which sadly interfered with his e e- ments for the remainder of the season. Rews reached the cite sas. @ second severe accident had befallen hi week’ while hunting with the Cot- tesmore pack, But, all dismounted @nd rudely shaken, his adinirers wii be gratified to learn that the first report was overcolored, as Custance’s injuries are so slight that he will not be precluded from having a spin or two across country before entering upon the legitimate programme of 1869. THEATRICALS IN ENGLAND. The Drama in London—American Artists Abrond—Now Plays and Old Faces. LONDON, Feb. 25, 1869, Perhaps a few itents of theatrical news on this side of the water may interest your readers; and, a8 I am neither actor, manager, author nor critic, my notes shall be at least free from that “envy and un- charitableness” which too often mark the comments of one branob of the profession when writing of any other. Place aux Dames !—so we give precedence to Miss Marie Wilton and her admirably managed Prince of Wales’ theatre, where Robertson’s last production, “Schoo?” is the attraction of the town, drawing not only fashionable, but intelligent and critical audi- ences, and charming all who see it, It may be said with perfect truth that the company at this theatre 18 not only the best. in London, but is absolutely the only company competent to perform a good comedy effectively. Here alone ts there united judgment with energy, talent with youth and beauty, and that savoir Jaire wich gives life, utterance and full effect to an author's conception. Turn we now to the Haymarket and mark the contrast. Here, also, a play of Robertson’s, “‘Home,”’ is the chief attraction. There is talent enough here, it is true, but with two or three exceptions the whole company is composed .of veterans, some of whom may be classed as venerable antiques, and extreme age is more admirable to mein port wine than in players who still attempt to impersonate juveniles. Buckstone 1s a hardy evergreen, always pleasant to look upon, and Chippendale an oak of many sum- mers. The light comedian of the company (Howe) has filled that post some thirty odd years, while Compton, who for quite as long a period has admira- bly acted droil and eccentric parts, is now starting afresh in the juveniles. Sothern Js still the “star” here, but his fire is much paled since the days of Dandreary. Miss Bateman crowded this theatre during her whole engagcinent down to Christmas, and ig now the most attractive star in Engiand. We have had but three pantomimes at the West End of London this year—at Drury Lane, at Covent Garden and the Lyceum. That at Drury Lane was the best, though that at Covent Garden was very good, while E. 'T. Smith’s at the Lycenm was, except the transformation scene. the very worst m London— not a point in it to provoke @ laugb or even coax a sinile, and, except the wonderful and indescribable dancing of F. Voxes, all was melancholy indeed. This flaaco is the more surprising as E. T. Smith had in all bis former puntomimes n eminently suc- cessful. Ome case that tends to keep families Pade bony eine ir rg agin 1s the intro- duction of certain ladies of the demi-monde on-the pone AS 6 period,” who. for the sake of Po'the teatro me the theatre 1m spieudid “fal with magnifi themselves (if that appear with them. Of ot ero scene of this pantontine Cushman, wife, Joe Jeferson and Miss Bate ine here; but our late manager, by friends and bya certain clique In the press here, has failed utterly, After the up run of Binemy 9 a gee 9p vor neal aed nd renews prada for hin wri creat fefini oy ppp id pi Hf but. it fell almost stillbord, from the t the star. The tirst excitement Over, the press and the public soou sound that the Germanico-American vas @ mere mediocrity, and i ig cepts became “simail a 8 og hope, some ad urully less,” until, Bandmann Shakspeare, AS Leow jug mén catch at straws, ao E. T. Smith at this shadow, and Herr Bandiann a, peared a# Othello, Tas wae thé climax. P who went to weep rei to tatter or left & shestre to give vent to pent laughver. One week of this sutl Herr Bandmann’s career at the Lyceum, after the most ramous losses to the management. Our next star from the states was Mr. Pairciough, a Ligon hong ot considerable ubtlity aud judgmeut, but lacking force and that sympathetic power which stirs the heart of an wudicnee. After a brief and unprotitable career Mr. Fairclough returned to the 2 States, Miss Cella Logan, aiso, after a brief residence here, has left us for New York, Charles Mathews is sill starring in the provinces, and despite nearly threescore years and ten have passed over hin, he acts with won- drous spirit and effect, and when “made up” Jooks about five and twenty, His wife sei- ick (Mrs. ae has for some time, but will U two or three offers bave peen made bj New Myopepe ory to cross the Ai juncic, but as yet nothing haa been offered surticiently tempting, and as she is andoultedly the first “star” comedienne of the day and can make plenty of money here, nothing but @ very liberal proposal will tempt her to jeave her home, her troops of (rieads and teus of thousands of admirers, In America she would, | um sure, prove emensey successtul, Of all the “stars”. there are plenty of them moving atound—I betieve J. L Toole makes the most money. He ts droll and can be pathetic, but i doubt if he would saeceed out of Engiand, tie is #0 thoroughly Knglish. ere the sound of his voice at the Wing elicits a “roar of laughter,” and his aj nee ON Lhe stage “brings down the house,” or a wink elicits ‘three hearty cheers," and he retires amid ‘“iaunders of applause.” The playgoers idoil- ize him, and an private Jife he is ly esteemed and respected. To my mind Lionel Brough (one of the literary brothers ) 18 One Of the most natural, droll and even low comedians living, Toote is always Toole, but Brough is @ chamelcon—changing an each 5 ‘Tue uew Gaiety theatre Is a areas success, though the talent asvembied there is by no means extracr- dinary; but the theatre i new, clean, bright and cheerfal, ‘The old mendicity system of demand- ing pay for booking your seat, pay for your seat, pay for & programige, pay for opening a box door and pay for your hM of coat hanging on a peg has very wisely been doue @way with by Mr. Hoiltnyshead, the manager, Who 18 & man of the time, rhe New Giobe is succesafal with Byron's drama of “Oyn’s Success,’ and deservediy so. But the greatest saceess of London is the Alhaimora, where the orchestra numbers sixty admitabie per- fort where grand ballet and comic valiet are — with grander effects than elsewiere in land; where vocalists, tastramentalists, acrobats eccentric artisies of every description appear; where there are seats for 3,00) and prom jes for a8 many more, and where these seats and promen- ades are nigiily dled to such repletion that tocoine- on i diniieuit, es the seer thee #0 coustant!y “coming ta” and “omg out it 10,000 persons have patd for admission in a single evening. FRARS OF A Puesiier IN CANADA.—The cittens of when the enow lueis and the fiver breaks up. sup. 1 city authorities as well as the citi; ie all Bincea ‘unter ‘close petiign, mate 4s being shoy. lp Hy | e snow atrects, Bat all this wil uot prevent damage in Commission street and points exposed to the toe and water when the St, Lawrence breaks up. Jt is alse feared that thi ‘al the region between St. Johns and Montreal oc wilt be in calculable, and paar Sreeaee will occur in the Rich. plea, Ly Johns rivers ames, the entire cou an ial tants are in Stnioet hourly dread, munteation by ratl is a thing will be sono ume before Troight trains will resume Broadway, erected by two of the life insurance com- panics of New York, and everybody has remarked that the foundations of those buildings are laid deep and solid, with the evident intention on the part of thetr builders of lasting till Macaulay’s New Zealander sits on the ruins of the new East river bridge, hereafter to be built, and exclaims, Spe amareemneeres, ‘And any “here in” or "was" where alf is doubly night? or words to that effect; and perhaps the aforesaid holders and pay such large policies to the widows and orphans of those who had the foresight ty im sure their lives before shuffiing off their mortal coil, and thereby leave their wives in a financial condition which enables them to live without taking in shop- work from the tallors’ shops or working in tobacco factories, All this is somewhat mysterious and in- explicable, and go also is the fact that there are hun- dreds of well-dressed men of very talkative habits, ‘possessing the suaviter in modo, whose pockets are well filled with pamphlets setting forth the immense advantages to be obtamed by insuring in the partic- ular company which they have the honor to repre- sent, whose rates are the iowest, whose assets are the largest, already amounting to something less than fifty millions, and whose annual dividends will put any one on the sure road to wealth. And not in this city only, but in almost’every town and vil- lage of the United Staves, these colporteurs of life insurance have become so common that in many places it fs said that the boys in the streets are beard singing:— T want to be an agent 7a _ agente stand, nd & preminin in hand, And the public cannot help noticing also that every year a new litter of life msurance companies under- goes a brief period of gestation and then suddenly emerges into notice with its requisite capital of $100,000 all paki o with ite iong list of tors and officers, and with new and original plans of in- surance, which are confidently asserted to be a great improvement upon anything which has preceded it, a a rs and magazines devoted mainly to the sui of life insurance are doing a thriving business. Now, how the thing is done, and especially HOW LIFR INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE STARTED, to a great many, but we will endeavor to explain it.. There are men to this city who have porns _s eaten Fe in bette speculations, and naye m: save a Tew thou- sands out of the wreck of their fortunes and are anxious to start anew in Jife, and they look upon life wt od = new et where a harvest of greenbacks nay be reaped. ‘There are some agents too, who, after a successful career in man- agibg @ general agency, are ambitions ta have their names before the public as officers of the Great Get-em-all and Take-em-in Life Insurance Company, with a comfortable salary of a few thousands, which ‘will afford them a handsome support through life. One bi thousand must sub- scribed and in to the Insurance ‘this im) ve alimentos a peamien ‘thal upon portant. preliminary 88 s it the hetrs of the insured will not be ch their just dues through mismanagement and fina! m- solvency, When this is accomplished and a few thousands more are raised to meet the current ex- eee of the company, and a plan of insurance and les of rates have becu adopted, an elegant office is opened on Broadway, fitted up with costly oMfoce furniture, sofas, carpeted fioors, easy chairs, pon- Counts, with Clercs, buokkeepers And oiice bors, count KS, And oilice boys, the machine 1s ready for operauion. A new life in- hke @ new mercantile firm small companies whose agents are in every city and State and whose assets are from ten to twenty- ne ee Fr] is meals work, but it is Cy ; dl whicli every new company tu: t must pave the ‘applications for, iD ie 2 insurauce, “and age pn a u companic companies which depend upon their pase misiory and coesaful prestige ana conse- juenthy only a moder on pre- inums recelved-rare waylaid and offered a Mi to work for the new company. of insurance the commis- sion on new ss Was only mn or twenty percent; but now, w! competition is brisk, thirty or forty ven more in case of brok tempted by the high commissions offered and the success which a few persons meet with to try the business, ont after an experience of a few weeks or months they give it up and turn their attention to sometinng else. it requiresa man of peculiar tact and conversational powers to convince a person who ia in sound healtu and sceptical om the subject of life insurance that it would be for his advantage to insure his life, and still more that the particular company which the solicitor represents 14 the only one ior him to insure in. Many persous who try soliciting get disgusied because iofien happens that not one out of ten wiom they approach will listen to the subject, and fhere are many who will pat the solicitor OM Witi some excuse tramped up for the occasion, just to get rid of him. As @ general raie solicitors have no regular training beforehand for this business; they do not understand the. technicatities of it, and they are often, bothered and discoucerted when o! are raised which they cannot answer. Consequently they binuder aiong a few weeks boring mom gpm in«iseriminately, getting little encouragement, finally, give it up in disgust, Its the experience about ali general agents that not more than one outot fonr or five men Who commence soliciting insurance ever succeeds, and 1+ is also wel! known to life msur- ance companies that there are many men who are 80 ignorant Liat they can scarcely write ther own names or make ont an application legibly, yet who make first rate solicitors; for they have a certain tact and perseverance, and, what i valgariy cailed “cheek,” which enables them to succeed where others faii, But there are men Whose peculiar talent fics thea for soliciting life insurance, and who are in the receipt of handsome incomes, So many new life insur- ance compantes are starting up’ that good solicitors are comparatively rare, and, as a general rule, no sooner does an active, enterprising man show a natural adaptability to this yocation than he is placed in the position of a Siate agent, where i@ fas an ‘unlinited fleld to work in and einploy subordinates under him. ‘The usual com- missions paid to general agents 1s from twenty to ‘Vurty per cent on first preunums, and from five to seven and 9 half per ceut on renewals. In the hands of & st | agrorit the Wasiness increases rapidly every year, and there are some agents in this coun- try Who have worked up a business which a them in an income of $15,000 to $50,000. year, it requires ® long and persevering eifort to do this, but when once accomplished it 18 free from all the disas- ters of failure avd condagrauon to which mercantile men are Subject, ard it may be regarded as one of the most reiiable oceapations whiek & man can be CECE ai cost OF LIFE INSURANCE. From what has aiready been said some of our readers may infer that the expenses of life insurance companies are so great that {¢ is a losing game to insure—tiat too great a ratio of the receipts from premiums goes to iil! the pockets of the officers and nis, ‘Tbe siatiatica of the annual reports of tne Commissioner for Massachusetts show that the ay- erage expense of a life insurance policy through life is only about eight per cent of tue premiuws, while fire insurance companies which do an ageacy basi- nes pay at least per cent of their miums to agents, Suppose a president of a ife tsurance company. @ long and successful career has by his constant Cte and watchiuiness raised the assets of a company [rom zero w ten or twenty millions (and there are several such instances in this city), 18 1S an extravagant estimate of his getvices to regard them as worth from $10,000 to b pend aycar? ‘The same amount of talent and in- jastry in the legal or medical profession is as weil or better rewa: The care and responsibility of building up such an immense business, of properiy investing such immense sums and collecting tie ia- terest due irom them, the proper superviston of an army of agents, clerks and solicitors; tie payment Of losses, ave from $1,000 to. $2,000 a day, re- juires & mind of no ordinary executive abiiity to see | these Mnances are Jrovet managed aud that | p oe pam screon and fraud are promptiy | rep 5 | PREMIUMS AND AgSETS. The relation between premiuus, asscts and the net Cost Of Aunuully carrying the risk on the life of we "9 understood, and this want of lead to sone misunderstanding to the life insurance. Suppose every insured by a fre insurance omens, was certain to be consumed within years, 1 is to see that the rates of fire ingurance wi be greatly increased, and that the com; would not S, have make a charge for ¢helr ainual risk, but also keep & large reserve accumulating on hand against the cer- tain event of future conflagrations. This is the rinciple on which the reserves in life insurance are Death is a certainty, which to each indl- vidual will happen at an uncertain period, and ux order for the compan to protect itself from ultimate insolvency the ums must be high enougli ta enable the Company to do business for a long seried of years and still have cash enough on hand to pro- vide for all future losses, ‘The annual cost of carry- 12g a riak or temporary insurance from year to cur 1s only about one-tuird or one-half of the annual life premium, and the laws of tnis State require the remainder to remain in the hands of the company and be mvested in bonds, mortgages or real estate. lic officers surance, ire & or bonds (oS skte nite as @ preliminary transact the business within lend eommeye) States, they also require gu ann’ all the policies in Soece, and ge oe at Sard expenses, incomes and general maui ul several companies, This rule fz so strictly enforced that al! unsound and unretiabie companies are driven from these two States, and 18 an e(fectual guarantee against al! wildcat companies. The pub= lished reports enable every one interested in life and fire insurance to examine for himself tf standurg and business of every company, and they have dove more to place our insurance companies in a sound condition than all other causes combined; and it is one cause of thelr unexampled prosperity and the confidence which the public repose in them. In Eng= ind, where no governmental supervision over le insurance companies exisis, we flud that any sevem men, without @ single pound sterling of paid up capital, can organize a life insurance company, 1ss1e policies, pay extravagant saiaries to olticers, conceak the dot and condition of the company im the iin, penetrable mystery of silence, and alter a few years of systematic plunder into the maelstrom of the Court of ek. and ve their victimized policy holders to shift for themselves. Within the presen cen we find that about 200 life companies e taken course or been amulgamated with ot! companies equally insolvent, until life insurance there las become a synopyi for swindling. BUSINESS IN 1363. From the annual reports of the life insurance com- panies doing business in this State, with three ¢x~ ceptions, we are able to lay before the readers of tue HERALD the following returns, which may be relid upon as exhibiting a very nearly correct. state of the business during the past year. In the three cases where the returns for 1868 are not given the accouni@ of the ofices are in such @ muddle that tt has beem impossible to complete the annual report; but 1m these instances we have taken the returns for 1367, fo that the following figures vary but little from the amounts:. expense of leg agree the following statisti are given as furnished in every case by the oficers ips started in New Expense of management Amount of losses....... pany increases the ing higher commissions, the pockets of policy holders. Let feels that he is suffering for @ policy on hi ‘and per Or if he lives at a distance from the com "3 office let nm write and get a biank app! at get examined by an orthodox pliysician and the application and premium to the office, In let every man be his own agent and save these exor. oitant cot This is the only remedy we know of, and people will take this course when they become intelligent enough to do so. Protessor Elizur. Wrigat says that there are some com) in Gers! many of any years’ standing whose expenses of management are only four per cent of the receipts, and when life insurauce caa be done as cheaply in this country it will be Vastly more popular than 1 1s now. ‘THE AMERICAN AMBASSADGA IN SPAIK, A Sumsh-Up Among Radical Diplomats Abrond, {From the Albany Evening Journal (republican i ai sia has. onanged in an ua. Minister Hale, a rid, fortunate han pohang re peat Perry, Eee = Legation during many years past. man the recail 6f Mr. Perry, upon the ground that he has been engaged in speculative enterprises os with his diplomatic character. At the same time he asks General Grant to retain him in his mintstertal capacity. We ay this controversy is unfortunate. Mr. Hale has been a partial invalid for more than two years, daring most of which time the duties of the em! have devolved upon Mir. Perry, who has them to the satisfaction of the ment ir. Perry is ismiliar. Pap age reat anpunge Casson with the ae a a while Mr. Hale is not, He mgs freely with eople In their social life, and Mr. Hale does not, I Peauite probable, therefore, that the enmity of the Mimster ts largely due to jealousy. At all events, hia charges a Secretary were a examined by our State Department and dec! w be without foundation in fact. Those who kuow Mr. Hale, will remember him ag a bia, oul en of a wan, we, held in etiquette Europe shall be sympathy with the pre}! around them. At least such is not ai Mr. J. Watson Webb, his account of ret which prompted the withdrawal of the French from Mextco—a stacement decorously withheld from the public 80 as Mr. Seward remained in the State Department—has shown us what even a bung man may accomplish tf he only happened to know an emperor when he had not money Lay ho aye for blacking his boots, And those who admire 4 Fre te fr wala at plane it these qualities com) nBut, at jenst, : oy berry the American’ wablic shoul fata. ‘And, strange agi taay seem tn view froe soit record while Senator of Bo Uae nae Mr. Hule ts not. It was orton whis} her exile that our Minister was always Welcome and had Unusual privileges at the palace o He was not ip accord with the re ments that caused her ove! hesitates to express his livély “rgyal prostitute,” oF to di a be returned to her throne, listen to his uteerances with American ronnene 9 wit ‘mortideation, { Tt ia chart has weakened the ental taguthes OF oa manors that he is not now the ing so many years, rights of Man against all the adverse American politics, At ail ev he sent the pom ‘ane in vs a ong attitnda of nish politics, Hav! ae? monstrated hiadiequalinouboa, ae called, notwithstanding hia request vg ment a8 & Measure oO! nal vindicati want @ miniacer at Madrid who sympathizes with liberalism of Spain, .