The New York Herald Newspaper, January 8, 1873, Page 4

‘ 4 THE GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE. Recommendations of an Im- portant Nature. THE NEEDS OF NEW YORK More Extended Power De- manded for the Mayor. A. DEFECTIVE CRIMINAL CODE. Prompt Retribution the Cure for Crime and Lawlessness. NO STATE FUNDS FOR PRIVATE CHARITIES, The Canals, Savings Banks, Taxation and Usury Laws Bescanted On. AN ABLE AND COMPREHENSIVE DOCUM! EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, ALBANY, Jan. 7, 1873, TO THB SENATE AND ASSEMBLY :— FELLOW CiTizeNs—You are assembled under cir- cumstances which demand the acknowledgment of our heartfelt thankiulness to the Sovereign Ruler of the universe. The year which has just closed is marked by the usual abundance of our harvests, the general prosperity of our people, our exemp- tion from the calamities of fire and flood, by which other communities have been desolated, and the absence of all minor evils, excepting such as are the fruit of our own errors and improvidence. We have a special cause for gratulation in the prevailing calm which has succeeded the late con- tested election of the Chief Magistrate of the Union, furnishing, as it does, renewed evidence of the ready acquiesvenge of the people of the Unite States in whatever the majority, through the set- Ued forms of the constitution, deliberately decide. When we consider that five-sixths of all the States have cast their votes for th® same candidate for their suffrages may we not regard it as an indica- tion that the animosities incident to the late de- Plorable conflict between the two great sec- tions of our country are gradually wearing Sway, and that a liberal and enlightened policy on the part of Congress and the eminent citizen on whom the public confidence has been thus signally bestowed will lead to an eventualand not far-distant oblivion of past dif- ferences? No achievement can be more intimately interwoven with our common prosperity or more worthy of the co-operation of all good citizens than the obliteration of those sectional distinctions which have proved so fruitful a source of discord and strife. The administration of the federal government during the last four yearg has, under many impor- tant aspects, been eminently successful. More than three hundred and sixty millions of the pub- Uc debt have been paid ; the heavy burdens patrioti- cally assumed by the people, to prevent a dismem- berment of the Unton by intestine war, have been essentially lightened through the abolition of taxes; questions of an irritating character between us and Great Britain have been amicably and satis- factorily settled; our obligations of good faith toward other nations have been scrupulously ful- filled and the peace of the country has been inflexi- bly maintained in the presence of events which ap- pealed with great force to our sympathies as a free people, Withdrawing the attention from the broader field of our federal relations, and bringing it within the circle of our own immediate concerns, may I not Bppeal to you in the spirit of conciliation which presages for the former a tranquil future, to forget that party associations have ever divided us, and in- yoke your earnest and patriotic concurrence in the correction of abuses, the consideration of which entered so largely into the recent State election, snd in regard to which the popular will aas been so decisively expressed? The first message of a Governor of the State must necessarily, from the short period interven- ing between his election and the meeting of the Legislature, be confined to the presentation of his own views upon subjects familiar to the great body o1 nis fellow citizens. He can only know the condition ofthe different departments of the State overnment through the reports of the officers aving them in charge. These reports will be sub- mitted to you, and I proceed to give a synopsis of them in anticipation of the more detalled {aforma- tion which they contain. RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES, The receipts and payments-from the ‘Treasury on ‘ccount of all the funds, except the canal and free school funds, for the fiscal year ending 30th Sep- tember, 1872, were as follows Receipis +++ $14,807,252 Payment: see 14,455,552 Balance in the Treasury......... +. $351,699 During the last few years the sums voted by the Legislature for various objects were greatly in ex- cess of the current revenues. By this improvident Jegislation deficiencies to the amount of more than $6,000,000 accrued and were left to be provided for by succeeding Legislatures. 1 believe it to bea just and salutary rule that no appro ton of money should be made without providing simul- taneously the means of payment. No better safe- guard could be found against extravagant and in- considerate legisiation, tor itis hardly to be sup- osed that a legislative ay, would have he recklessness to run the State in debt by wasteful expenditure, and incur the additional odium of laying taxes upon the people vodelray them. An unsuccessful at- tempt was made to throw the burden of these de- ficits spon posterity by adding them to the perma- nent State debt; but it failed through a constitu- tional obstacle, and the amount was added by the Comptroller to tlie tax levy for the curremt year. Tearnestly appeal to you to correct these errors on the part of your predecessors by abstaining from all expenditures which are not indispensable to an economical administration of the govern- ment. The people of the State are already weighed down by enormous burdens of taxation. I believe it to be in yous power to lighten these burdens by & prudent husbandry of our financial resources, by providing for a more strict supervision and man- agement of public establishments, which now make heavy drafts upon the Treasury, and by re- Btricting appropriations of money to brate objects, For the purpose of carrying these views into effect, I recommend the passage of a general law, authorizing and requiring the Comptroller, when- ever in any year an appropriation by the Legisla- ture shall éxceed the amount of the revenue ap- plicable to it, to provide for such defictency by adding it to the tax ai The people, on whom the burden falls, will be the more likely to scrutin- ize the appropriations by which it was created, and be enavled to decide whether they were re- quired to meet the actual wants of the govern- ment, or whether they were the fruit of improvi- dent legisiation. In this manner they may hold their representatives to a strict accountability. es a years 1869, 1870 and 1871, more than $2,000, were bestowed upon private charitie for the most part of a local and sectarian cha acter. I consider thesé appropriations incon. sistent with our obligations to the great body of the taxpayers, on whom the burden ultimate! falls, The institutions for the support of whic! they are made are, for the most part, purely loc: They belong to localities in which there are la accumulations of wealth, and where private con- tributions may be readily procured to sustain such 88 are deserving of support. They are almost in- variably under the exclusive control of particular JM a Societies, with some of which a feeling of jealousy and asense of injustice are naturally ox- cited by any unequal distribution of the public bounty among them. Moreover, it appears to me to be @ violation of every Principle of equal justice to tax the people of St. Lawrence and Allegany, orany other remote interior county or district, for the support of private or sectarian charities in New York or other wealthy and populous cities. ‘The last Legislature refused to make appropria- tions of the public money for these objects, I nd hoy ‘ou may consider their example w y dnd tha ple worlhy of . STATE DEBT. The following statement shows the amount of the State debt on the 20th of September, 1572, after de- pegeen g Peed unapplied balances of the sinking funds at das B Debt on the i Balance of 30th Septem-| Punds on the| Delt af er, ABT2 | 9h Septem: | plying. ber, 137 é ‘General Fund.. Contingent. Canal Mounty . To *inking fund of the weneral fund imoludes NEW YURK HERALD, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 571 received since the close of the fiscal year, Sharon the sinking fund of the bounty und the igrer has besa. deductods "Te bevane January 1, 187: on "thus the entire funded debt of (the Btate, on. the 30th of September, after deducting unapplied balances of tne sinking funds, amounted to $25, 725. On the 30th of Bopsember, 187}. the entire funded debt of the State, after tion, was $29,482,702. There was, therefore, durin the last financial year, a reduction in the amoun' Of te OR ADRMPTION OF Tm SrATR DEBT REDEM . On the first day of this month $847,500 of the canal debt became due, and the principal and in- terest were paid in coin, In July and joveraber $4,302,000 more will fall due, and will be secoomed in ‘specie by the Commissioners of the canal = ; I trust the good faith of the State, in its most transactions, will be scrupulously maintained, ¢ ans 4 that the public creditors will not be asked to ro. ceive depreciated paper in payment of the — due to them, At a former period, during & hig ra sion of specie payments, the State officers cl ree mush ie aamngeen i he "oulaldng and in the de! he teas anieret ‘the public credit inviolate. fi ithe Justidapie, in seasons of public danger, to make anything ‘but specio & le tender in contracts between individuals, hus departing from the only standard of value recogni by civilized States, and the only one to which transactions between independent com- munities can be made to conform, the policy and morality of continuing the practice in time of peace are both questionable. Indeed, no difference in principle is perceived between a com- pulsory acceptance of a depreciated paper cur- rency and an adulteration of the national coin, Whatever dilatormess there may be on the part of Congress to repeal the law thus affecting private obligations by bringing them to an arbitrary and degraded standard:of value; our own duty towards our creditors is quite spparenk. The propriety of some early action ¢ be equally clear to the federal vernment if its paper were publicly quoted at eighty-eight per cent—its present value— instead of quoting gold at 112, according to the established practice, in order to cover up a na- tonal reproaci, “ TAXES... The State tax levy for tue tirrent year amounted tonine and three-cighths mills, of which five and one-half mills were for bounty debt and canal and general fund deficiencies, The total amount of tax collected under this levy will be $19,580,882, SALT SPRINGS. The quantity of salt from the Onondaga salt springs, inspected during the last fiscal year, was 7,999,799 bushels, less by 579,394 bushels than the production of the preceding year. The net reve- nue from this source was $34,622, exceeding that of the preceding year by the sum of $7,905. COMMON SCHOOLS. The Superintendent of Public Instruction has fur- nished the following statistics for the year ending Teka rece i Tncladl balance on hand Total receipts, inclading ba! September 30, 1871... +++ $11,462,900 Total expendituies.. 10,322,690 Amount paid for teachers’ wages. +» 6,958,318 Amount paid for school-houses, repairs, furniture......... teeee 1,988,460 Estimated Value of ‘school-nouses an sites . +e 967 Total number of school-houses. 11,740 Number of school districts (e. cities) .. 11,369 Number 0! time for the full legai term of school. 18,031 Number of teachers employed during portion of the year 28,495 Number of childre: schools. 1,010,242 Numver schools... 6,657 Number of c! vate SChools......++ 181,519 Number of volumes MDrartes,......seeeercseeess o 875,175, Number of persons in’ the State between dive and twenty-one years of age. CHARITIES AND ASYLUMS, The annual report of the Commissioners of Charities will present to you information and sug- 1,520,628 estions worthy of your deliberate consideration. f"Tenew ‘the recontmendation of my predecessor that an inquiry be made into the condition of pauper children in the several counties with a view to some provision by which they may be saved from contamination by association with old and incorrigible offenders, BANKS, On the Ist of October last Raventy banks were doing business under the wanking laws of this State. During the fiscal year cireulating notes to the amount of $26,003 have been destroyed by the Bank Department. Forty-one banks have been credited with lost circulation to the amount, in all, of $213,341, the time for ach atntn the same, after the usual legal notice, having expired. The amount ot circulation outstanding, including that of incorporated banks, banking associations and individual bankers, was, on the 1st of October last, $1,902,001 50, Of this amount the sum of $1,148,539 was secured by deposits of cash, stocks, or stocks and mortgages. The residue, being cir- culation issued prior to the passage of the general banking law, is not secured by any deposit in the Bank Department. SAVINGS BANKS, There were, on the lst of July last, 151 savings banks reporting to the Banking Department (two of which are closing), with assets to the amount, In the aggregate, of $292,305,325, These assets may, at this tine, be estimated, upon the ratio of in- crease of the preceding six months, at $301,572,804. The number of persons having deposits in these in- stitutions was, according to the number of open accounts on the Ist of January, 1872, 776,700, It is very desirable that the provisions of law regulating savings banks shouid be uniform; and, in iny opinion, the object in view in the creation of these institutions—the security of deposits by individuals whose sinali savings are for the most part all they possess—would be best secured by a general law defining their powers, and by the Tepeal of all special privileges in existing charters inconsistent with it. AS they are created for the benefit of persons in moderate circumstances, and not for persons dealing in large sums, the amount which any one individual should be allowed to deposit should be limited. I suggest further for the consideration of the Legislature whether the classes of securities in which these institutions invest should not be prescribed by law, and any investment by trustees in violation of it made a misdemeanor. INSURANCE DEPARTMENT. The number of insurance companies subject to the supervision of tie Insurance Department on the 1st day of December, 1872, was 204, ag fol- OWS :— New York jotnt stock fire insurance companies. 93 New York mutual fire insurance companies. New York marine insyrance companies. New York life insurance companies..... + 32 Fire insurance companies of other States. + 78 Marine insurance companies of other States,.... 1 Life insurance companies of other States,....... 28 Casualty ins ice Companies Of other States... 3 Foreign insurance companies... steeeeeeee 13 TOA]. ....sssereosecsccrrerrecccececs essseceeees +264 The total amount of stocks and mortgages held by the heel! for the protection of policy holders of life and casualty insurance companies ol this State and of foreign insurance companies ane business within it 1s $9,107,493 54, as fol- ows :— For protection of policyholders gener- ally, in life insurance companies of this State.............5 +++ $3,961,143 54 For protection of registered policy- holders exclusively..............+.. 2,815,350 00 For protection of casualty policy: holders exciusively........+. A 1,000 00 For protection ot fire policyholders in Joreign insurance companies. 2,027,000 00 For protection ot life policynol foreign insurance companies. Total deposit.. TIA. The uniformed militia of tie State, known as the National Guard of New York, consists of eight divisions and twenty-five brigades, distributed among the diferent arms as follows, viz, :—1 regi- ment, 1 battalion and 9 separate troops of cavalry; 12 batteries of artillery, 37 regiments and 6 battal: tons of infantry; making an aggregate of 23,672 oevaa non-commissioned officers, musicians and privates, 1 need not say how important it is to give to the different’ corps the greatest possible eifictency in organization and the most effective armament. Without much opportunity for observation, I never- theless have the impression that little remains to be done by law to accomplish both objects. It is my purpose to give special attention, through my military staff, to the inspection of the troops, arsenals and armories, and to the drill by brigades, when itis practieabie, so that regiments may be prepared to act in larger bodies in case of #1 aden emergency. I have the pleasure of communicating for your information the following extract from the annual report of the late faithful and zealous Adjutant General:—"The excellence of the Na- tional Guard in drill, discipiine and general em- ciency has continued, and it may safely be said that never before in its history has it stood higher in reputation or enjoyed in @ greater degree the good Will of the peopie.”” QUARANTINE. During the past year one hundred and fifty-two Vessels were detained in quarantine for sickness which had occurred on them while in port or on their passage te New York. One hundred and fifteen vessels had six hundred and eighty cases of smallpox, of which two hun- dred and seventy-four were fatal, nearly all the deaths occurring before the ve-sels reached port. This extraordinary number of deaths is due to tle use of the old CMe packets from Germany, where the emigration, aiter the close of the War, was greater than the capacity of the steamships, On board of these one hundred and fifteen vessels there were exposed to disease, in a greater or less degree, seventy-three thousand three hundred and 8iX persons, passengers and crews. Thirty-four vessels had yellow fever on them; on these there were one hundred and sixty-nine cases and forty-seven deaths, there being nine hundred and five persons exposed, Twenty-iour of these vessels had yellow fever on board at the time of their arrival, and forty-five cases were sent from them to West Bank Hospital, and nine of them proved fatal. Four vessels brought six cases of ship fever, to Which two thousand six hundred aud ten persons were exposed, ‘Twelve vessels arrived from ports known to be pots od with cholera, but no cases of cholera oc- curred, During the quarantine season, from the 1at of Abril Wo the 1st of November. One hundred and easels from ports infected with yellow tore were detained for observation. Of these seventy-one were required to lighter the whole, or part, Of their cargoes before going to the city. sixty-four of them were from the port of Havana, and the remaining seven from the ports of Per- nambuco, Manzanilla and Maracaibo. The hey e ment of leaving the work on these vessels ent! in the hands ol the owners, subject oniy to sucl sanitary restrictions ag were necessary to the pub- No safety, was tned by the Health Oficer with signal success. Any responsible person is per- tied to work upon the ships who nas authorit) from the owners of the vessels or cargoes, ant executes a bond to the Health Onicer for the strict observance of the rules for sanitary restraint and detention, PMAN ISLAND. During the year an earnest effort has been made to compiete the pausing on the upper quarantine structare, known as Hoffman Island. he three buildings will he ready for use by the opening of Spring. In antictpation of their being in readiness the steamship Albany, which was loaned to Quaran- one by the United States authorities, has been re- jurned, ~The steamboat Andrew Fletcher, belonging to the Quarantine Department, was burned during the month of December while lying at the dock, and when ne fire or steam had been raised for the last eight hours. ‘Ihe accident was caused by de- fective felting over the boiler, In view of the necessity which exists for a boat for the general operations of Quarantine and the superintendence of the work now in process of construction on Heffman Island the boat should at once be rebuilt, The Health Oficer, in connection with the Com- missioners of Quarantine, acting under authority of the law passed at the last session of the Legisla- ture, has selected aad contracted for a site to be used as a boarding station for vessels arriving from non-infected ports. I recommend the discontinuance of the Com- missioners of Quarantine as @ salaried board, con- tinuing them-as @ court of appeal from -the de- cisions of the Health Officer, with 8 per. gion. allowance when actually employee, "rhe main ob- ject for which the board was créated has been sub- stantially accomplished, and by the arrangement proposed a considerable sum will be saved. Under the present faithful and efticient Health Officer complaints inst the administration of the office have ceased. Tobe prepared for tne pos- sible maladministration of the office by an incum- bent of a different character I think the power of removal, formerly possessed by the Governor, should be restored to him, EMIGRATION, The number of alien emigrants landed at the port of New York aang the year 1871 was 229,639, and the number landed during the year 1872, 293,603, making an excess during the latter year of 63,964, The institutions of the Commission consist of the emigrant landing depot at Castle Garden, and hospitals, refuges and other buildings suficient for 2,500 sick and destitute Santee with 120 acres of land on Ward’s Island, All allen passen- gers, on their arrival at New York, for whom com- mutation is paid, are entitled to the protection of the Commission ior a period of five years from the date of their arrival, The Board, alter an expert- ence of nearly two (biped find the commutation tee of $1 50, to which sum it was reduced from $2 50 by the Legis!ature in 1871, Inadequate to the legitimate and necessary expenses of the depart- iene, although carried on, as the Commissioners state, as economically as it was by their predeces- sors in office; and they ask that the attention of the Legisiature may be called to the subject. Their annual report will be submitted before the Ist of February, containing all information in regard to vbeir receipts and jbursements, 7 . .. CANALS, The revenues of the canajs from allsources for the fiscal year ending the 30th Sep- tember, 1873, a oune to. seecee ese ++ $8,078,247 the payments for ordinity fepairs ANA Cost OF collection...../..c66sersvcc ++ 1,875,676 — Leaving a surplus of........ The surplus would have been Of $577,181 88, but for a deficiency that amount in the revenues of the lateral canals to meet the expenditures upon them. It is hardly fair to them “o consider the real deficiency quite so large, for they have, no doubt, brought to the Erie Ganal roducts which would not otherwise have reached it, and the tolls collected on the transportation of these products on the latter should be considered as reducing the Spearentdédclency to that amount, Nevertheless the lateral canals fail to yield sufficient revenue to meet the sums expended for keeplug them in operation, and have always drawn lar; on the State Treasury to supply these deficiencies, The payments of $1,875,076 71 above stated do not include extri obdinary repairs. In the Comptroller's re; ef there will be found a full statement of expenditures for the canais, includ- ing ordinary and extraordin: ry repairs and new work for the year qpaing, 30th September, 1872}; and ic willbe Seen that the total disburséments on all of them, in excess of all income, amount to Sree 07—a deficiency to be met by loans or tax- ation. For nearly half a century the Erie Canal has been one of the chtef commercial conduits be- tween the city of New York and the Western States and Territories, and until the introduction of rajlroads was the sole channel of communica- tion between them. It has added incalculably to the wealth of the State and to the convenience of its inhabitants, and has been justly regarded as one of the great enterprises of the age. The western boundary of civilization at the time of its completion wes, with inconsiderable exceptions, on this side of the Mississippi River. It is now on the shores of the Pacitic; and an immense population covers the sur- face which was then only marked by rude and widely scattered settlements, Although railroads have superseded canals in the transportation of passengers and lighter products of industry, the latter are still relied on for moving bulky articles, and are likely with the progress of Improvement to yleld as large a revenue as they earned before the business of carrying was shared with the former, While, therefore, the competition ot the great railroad lines which are now penetrating the West, for the purpose of carrying on its commer- cial communications with the seaboard, may re- duce the rates of transportation to the lowest Standard of profit, there is always*a possl- bility that they may, by combinations, ad- vance these rates beyond what would be a fair compensation. Partial agreements of this kind have more than once been made, but they have usually been of short duration through @ breach of faith by some of the parties, for the pur- pose of overreaching and gaining an advantage over the others. In this point of view it becomes of importance for the S‘ate to retain the control of the canals, and to hold them as a security to its inhabit. ants against the possible conselidation of other lines of communication, and as affordivg an uiti- mate measure of the rates of transportation, which, without such a control, might be indefinitely an Oppressively increased. it ts scarcely to be doubted, if the State were to part with the Erie Canal that it would soon pass | into the hands of some great railway corpora- tion, and the people would have no check on the imposition of exorbitant charges for freight. Wh ‘ile, therefore, we appreciate the immense importance of the railroad system in ministering to our com. Yort and prosperity, in stimulating our growth and adding to our wealth, and while our Jegislation in regard to it should be liberal and just, it. would, in my judgment, be extremely uawise to disarm our- selves of the power to protect the people of the State against contrivances to which great corpo- rations are but too prone to resort for increas| Dg their profits, forgetting that the principal object of their creation is to promote the weliare of the com- munity at large, and not the interest of their share- holders, In order to render the power of restraint more effectual, it is desirable that the time required for the transportation of heavy freight from Burialo to New York, by the Erie Canal, should be so reduced that it may not, in any great degree, differ from that needed for the transportation of lke freight by rail, But the question of more rapid transit in- volves other and higher considerations. if the time taken for the transportation of a cargo from Buifalo to New York can be shortened from fourteen days to five, there will be a saving of nearly two- thirds in certain items of the cost. Such a diminu- tion of time can only be effected by the substitu. tion of steam for animals, as a motive power, and in giving the canai the enlarged dimensions fixed by law in 1835, and afterward recognized by the constitution, that is, seventy feet in width and seven feet in depth. Though it was declared, in 1862, to be completed in accordance with the legal and constitutional requirements referred to, it, is well Known that, by the accumulation of earth in the bottom of thé canal, it does not possess, through its entire extent, the Tequired depth. These obstructions should be removed as speedily as possible in order to admit the treer passage of boats and to facilitate the success of the experiments recently made under the act of the Legislature of April 28, 1871, with a view to the introduction of steam as a motive power. With @ canal of the prescribed dimensions we cannot doubt the ultimate success of those experiments Without an impeachment of the ingenuity and skill of our inventors and engineers altogether un- warranted by the improvements they have ef- fected in eater To accomplish the greatest at- tainable rapidity of transit trom the upper es to tide water, and to create the least possible disturb- ance of the water of the canal, a change will be necessary in the form of the boats employed in this service, by making them sharper, and this will diminish their capacity and increase the cost of transportation. To obviate this last objection It has been suggested that it 1s possible to lengthen the locks by the introduction of gates of a different construction, thus enabling the boats to receive the form necessary for rapid transit without any diminution of their carrying power. Iam not pre- jas to say whether this improvement is feasible, ut you may, in view of its importance, deem it advisable to require the State Engineer to report whether, in his opinion, it is fae and, if so, at what cost and within what time. Our neighbors in Canada are making arrange- ments to enlarge the Welland and St. Lawrence Canals, 80 as to admit of the age of steam pro- pellers of eight hundred to one thousand tons from the Upper Lakes to tue Guif of St. Lawrence with. out transshipment. I: is not the sole object of this improvement to turn into a new channel the trade of the West, seeking an outlet to the ocean, butit contemplates also a freer intercourse be: tween their own people upon the great lakes and the city of New York as the most convenient and, during @ portion of the year, the only seaport where their products can ‘meet foreign merchan- dise for the purpose of exchange. With this view a project is on foot to construct a ship canal from the St. Lawrence into Lake Champlain, so that vessels of the same class may reach Whitehall without unloading. The further hope is no doubt entertained that the Champlain Canal may at some future day be enlarged 80 as Wo constitute ® continuous line of transportation steam propellers from Duluth, at tie western oxsromhy of Lake Superior, to the city of New York, We need not fear that any new facilities which may be rded to transportation to and from the West will dispense with or seriously 1m- pair any oxieting line of communication. The rapid growth of the Western States and the con- tantly increased demand for additional supplies of icultural products on the one hand and manu- factures on the other will tax to their utmost ca- acity all the channels which can be opened tor ‘his extending trafic, All these considerations address themselves to us with great force in favor of giving to the Erie Canal the direct channel of communication from the great lakes to tidewater, its prescribed dimensions, and to the transport of the products of the West the greatest attainable celebrity. The su; tions I have made in regard to the preservation of the Erie Canal apply to the coer. and Champ!ain canals, which are indispe le parts o/ our system of internal navigation, FUNDING THB STATE DEBT, In direct connection with the foregoing sugges- tions is the question which has largely occupied, during the last two years, the attention of the public and of the classes concerned in commercial exchanges, of funding the canal and general fund debts and providing ter an issue of five per cent stock, redeemable at the end of forty years, with a provision for the payment of the annual interest, and the creation of a sinking fund out of the sur- lus revenues of the canals fer the redemption of the stock atits maturity. The proposition seems to have met with general acceptance, and I re- spectfully ask for it your favorable consideration with a view topresent 16 to the people for their decision under the form of an amendment of the constitution, If it is adopted the general fund Cah created for the benefit of the people at large, will bo paid py the canal revenues, and in this ng OF view it will commend itself to tio aupray @ the portions of the State which nave no direct commu- nication with tho ganals, and only an indirect in- torent tz, Fnarh jéining them, ‘There is one consideration connected with the creation of the sinking fund, in case this issue of stock is submitted to the eae and favorably con- sidered, which I desire press with more than ordinary earnestness on your attention. brani’ funds are, in their nature, ‘a solemn pledge of fait! to creditors for the payment of the debts due to them, To borrow money on their credit tor other urposes, et in atte words, to Take them fhe sub- lect of any other pledge or to make eve! - Es use Oke ‘onéys or securities ‘hich ‘hey consist, it lear violation of the pledge origi- nally given.’ It appears to me that this deduction of common sense cannot be invalidated or obscured by any refinement of reasoning, however subtle it maybe, There have been instances in which sink- ing iunds have been invaded and consumed; but these cases have been very properly regarded as unwarrantable acts of bad faith. To guard against the temptation of resorting to these funds in emergencies instead of meeting the public wants by taxation, the annual contribution of money provided jor their increase should, instead of being depesited in banks, be invested in perma- nent securities, such as stocks of the United States, The best of all investments is the purchase ot the certificates of stock which they are set apart to redeem; and these certificates should be cancelled as soon as they are purchased, Thus, the State, instead of having on hand for aseries of ears a large fund, exposed to the hazard of bank Initures and to inconsiderate or unscrupulous legis- lation, will gradually extinguish its debts and have no money to provide for the purpose when they ldue. If at times it be necessary to purchase these certificates at a premium, the small advance is repaid by having the ink tpg fund free from the risk of bad management and the people protected against the necessity of providing by taxation or by @ new loan for the loss and the payment of tue debts at their maturity. THE CITY OF NEW YORK. mine The organized system of financial depreaation which was discovered in 1871, and of which seme of the princsral mantel pal omer were the, lah and chief participanie, 288 not only cast upon the taxpayers ‘fn enormoud buraes Dut has brought upon the character of the city a stigind only ic he effectually removed by the punishment of such i the guilty parties as have not eluded the pursul of justice, and by the recovery, if rae caDey of the moneys fraudulently appropriated by them. ° It may be safely said that there never has been in the history of popular government and under the color of law so bold and profligate a misuse of public treasure. Its most lamentable in- fiaence isin its tendency to impair confidence in the institutions under whieh it was perpetrated, by imputing to them a xeeeoe ubllity which be- longs, in great part, to the ee agents by whom they were administered. The authors of this financial pillage, as well as the equally unprin- cipled judicial functionaries by whom they were abetted and upheld, have been ignominiously ex- pelled from the trusts they have betrayed; and it. will Pe yolve on 7e8 to provide, by proper amend- ments to the charter of the city, such safeguards as may be necessary to prevent the recurrence of abuses so oppressive to its inhabitants and so inju- rious to its good name, In the progress of this scheme of depredation, and, as one of its natural appendages, useless offices have been maintained and enormous sala- ries annexed to them, either as rewards to the partisans of its authors or with a view to divert attention from the frauds they were perpetrating hd the exhibiton of kindred extravagancies in the chief departments of the municipal government, and to’silence, by exorbitant stipends, those who, from close connection with them, could scarce}: fail to be cognizant of their guilt. ‘Nor 1s this all. There were recently in some of the departments paid employés performing no services whatever. Some of the largest salaries are bestowed upen oflicers of inferior grades, holding offices which re- quire, by comparison with higher official stations, but a moderate capacity. Thus the Police Justices, who are for the most part persons of inconsiderable judicial knowledge and intellectual ability, have received and still claim salaries of ee per an- num, when half of that sum would be an ample compensation for the services they render. The organization of most of the departments is according to the same scale of extravagance, There are four Commissioners of Police, each with & salary Of $15,000, five Commissioners of Public Charities, five Commissioners of the Fire Depart- ment, and five Commissioners of Pubilc Docks, with salaries of $10,000 each. I believe that in most, if not all of these cases, the organizations would be far more effective if there were in each department one Commissioner, as @ responsible head, to perform most of the labor, with the high- es ry now paid, and the others with one-fourth of compensation, as advisory board. In- deed, no departments have been more eco- nomically or eficiently administered than those which have been confided to Commissioners without compensation. There are m2n of character, wealth and leisure, in New York, who are always ready to accept official positions which- are merely honorary, and in which the interests of the city are deeply concerned. Their own inter- ests, and their pride in its es mame, have always been suMicient motives with them to yield it an ac- tive and faithful service. When the city has such @ resource, it 1s not only a needless expense, but a prodigal waste of its means to crowd the depart- ments with superfiuous officials, and bestow upon them exorbitant gratuities, The Sherif, ister of Deeds, County Clerk and Coroners are patd by fees, and their compensation amounts to an enormous sum, altogether dispro- Vee to their services. I recommend that the fees of their offices be paid into the city treasury, and that they be compensated by fixed salaries. Unless provision is made by law for uprooting the existing system of municipal government, I much doubt whether the evils which have grown up with it, and some of which cling to it still, can be effec- tually eradicated without giving the Mayer the power of removing municipal officers and appoint- ing others in their place whenever he may think it necessary for the purpose of carrying out the re- form so distinctly demanded by the public voice. In this case, the whole responsibility of seeing that the affairs of the city are honestly and eficiently administered will rest with him, and a failure in either respect will make him justly amenable to ublic condemnation. The well-known integrity, rmness and experience of the present incumben: of the office of Mayor, give the strongest assurance that the power referred to may be safely entrusted to him, and that it will be exercised solely in the interests of the city. Should this suggestion meet our approval, all the other needed measures of re- rm may be provided tor by a few well-considered amendments of the existing charter. Enlightened statesmanship, in the eager pursuit of remedies for political abuse and for the arbitrary control of majorities, has devised a plan for secur- ing the representation of minorities by cumulative vol “3° Tn municipal organizations first, and since then in the more extended sete of popular representation the plan has en adopted with satisfactory results. In Denmark and England, in numerous cities and townships in Pennsylvania, and in the State of Ilmois at large it has been suc- cessfully carried into practice. the latter three Tepresentatives, or members of the more numer- ous branch of the Legislature, are elected in each Senatorial district, and each qualified voter may cast three votes for one person or distribute them, as he may think fit. At the late election the object in view, proportional representation, was secured ; and the composition of the House of Representa- tives is said to reflect, in exact proportions, the numerical strength of parties in the State. By this lan, with the greatest preponderance a majority Is likely to the minority is sure of a repre- sentation to detect, resist and expose abuse. I differ with my learned predecessor in regard to the power of the Legislature to adopt this plan; and believing that it will prove a check to the ten- dency of majorities in representative bodies to dis- regard the rights of minorities, and to forget, in 1873.—TRIPLE SHEET : the reluctance of jurors to in @ verdict of wilful murder, is doriitathe paxtarment of death; the difficulty of Obtaming juries of competent in- telligence; the or criminal negligence of prosecuting officers, and the delays in sentences into execution by the Sasprpoeeicn pos legal technicalities. It willbe in vain to hope the suppression of crime unless the retribution is prompt and certain. ‘The leading objects of government are the pro- tection of life and the security of property. No po- litical system can retain the confidence of those who live under it unless these objects are effectu- ally accomplished. The lamentable manner in which both Rave been frustrated in the city of New York has forced upon the minds of many thought- ful persons the unwelcome question whether their ves and property would not be better secured under @ less popular form of government. Nothing can be more deplorable than the suggestion of a doubt as to the superiority ef our own institution over others of a less liberal character. Under thi view of the subject the duty of securing property from depredation and life from felonious assault becomes the more imperious and connects ttself closely with the dari ity of our political system, for if the machinery of the law proves inadequate to effect the fundamental purposes of government it will soon be made to give way to the arm of force. The difficulty to which I have alluded in obtaining juries of competent intelligence arose from the existing rule of law, wh bad its origin in a ried of comparative ignorance, and under which it has been almost impossible te gmpanel a proper jury in a capital case. Th universal aistribution of the pee brings te Svery man’s door the narra- tion of passing €vents, and every intelligent per- son rises ym the perusal with’a distinct impres- sion J”, regard to them. If such an impression 1s to »% treated as an opinion not to be modified of changed on a hearing of the evidence on both sides, intelligence and reflection, the yery qualities needed to pronounce a righteous judgment, would disqualify most of our citizens from serving as jurors when a murder is to be tried. Under the act ed at the last session of the Legislature a jury as recently been empanelied without unreasonable delay, and it is to hoped that this enactment will prove in practice a remedy for the dificulty reierred to. The farther obstacle to the prompt punishment of crime, after conviction, through the interposition of legal technicalities, needs to be removed by some proper and effective provision of law. , In framing our system of criminal jurisprudence he merciful purpose of protecting the innocent ‘6m unjust conviction was kept chiefly in view. It is worthy of consideration whether in carrying out this purpose we may not have created impedi- ments to the punishment of the guilty and given a rein to crime through its impunity. PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE, The conflagration of large portions of the cities of Chicago and Boston, involving an immense sacrifice of property, and the loss of may lives, suggests the necessity of revising existing laws in regard to the construction of buildings and the de- sit of combustibles within our principal cities, it ig due to the security of property and life that the provisions of law in respect to both should be of the most stringent character. Under the existing law, the Superintendent of Build- ings, in the city of New York, is authorized to modify its requirements, with the consent of the Supreme Court. Itis not tobe expected that the members Of this body, from the nature of their functions, will be so competent to forma correct judgment in regard to the propriety of such modi- fications in special cases as others whose connec- tion with the subject of fires and insurance gives them, to some extent, the character of experts. I ‘norcfore recommend that no modification of the law prescribing the mode in which buildings are to be constructed shall be made without the consent of a board fo be os constituted by the New York Board of Fire Underwriters and the Commis- sloners of the Fire Departmens, .2° frst as having, besided {heir special Fnamied yi a large pecnniary interest at stake, and fhe other from their famli- farity with the causes of conflagration and the best modes of contending with it. With these the American Institute of Architects might, perhaps, be advantageously united for the appoihtment of such & hoard as Thave referred to, Pk sti ~ ARBOR MASTERS, There have been continual complaints for many Hien in regard to the ¢onduct of the harbor mas- ers in the city of New York 14. igning vegsdls to places in the docks, and the éxtoftiondte charges of the masters of steamtugs employed in tow! ships, with whom the officers first named are al- leged to have in many cases a collusive connec- tion, and from the partial examination I have been been able to make I am satisfied that these com- h serypce are well iounded. Much of the abuse which 8 grown up of tate years has, no doubt, arisen from the appointment of individuals from the inte- rior of the State having no knowledge whatever of nautical affairs or of the wgnts of the mercantile community, and as are of necessity dependent jor a time in the discharge of their duties on per- sons whose aim it 1s to make the Jargost rofit possible out of their services to Merchant: and shipmasters. Thus they become, evil design, perhaps, at tie outset, in a system of extortion which they find too id table to be relinquished. To such an ex- tent have these exactions been carried, under the pt oore of extra service, that a committee of the gislature, after a careful investigation, did not hesitate to denounce them as “a system of extor- tion, which may not inappropriately be charac. terized as organized piracy upon the commerce of New York.” The term of the present incumbents, who are now holding over, having expirea in March last, I shall deem it my duty to nominate to the Senate men of character and triea integrity, who are qualified by their familiarity with the ser- vice required of them to perform it intelligent! and emMciently. The service was confided to sucl persons in former years, and it is only since the practice has been discontinued that the present system has come into use to the great dissatisiac- tion of the mercantile community and the serious injury of the commercial interests of the city and the State. These officers are now paid by fees, which, together with receipts from other and not legiti- mate sources, amount to very large sums. I recommend that their compensation be limited to @ reasonable remuneration, and that the fees in excess of the amount be paid into the Stave trea- sury for distribution among the hospitals in the interior of the State for the scpror of sick and disabled persons engaged in navigation. THE CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION, The Constitutional Commission, to be reconvened to-morrow, will be charged with the gravest of all duties in reporting amendments to the constitu- tion of the State, to be submitted to the people for their consideration, Not the least import- ant of these is to provide for relieving the legislative department of the govern- ment from passing laws for objects other than those in which the State at large is interested. Of 887 acts passed at the last session of the Legis- lature only 126 were of @ general character. The other 761 were private or local. It would greatly diminish the labor of legislation if in all cases where @ general law could be made applicable special laws should be prohibited, and certainly, as a rule, special privileges or immunities should not be granted te any class of citizens which, upon the bos terms, should not equaliy belong to all others, I trust suitable provision may be made to give to the members of the Legislature a remuneration adequate to their responsible duties. The present compensation was fixed more than half a century ago, and in the meantime the expenses of living are more than doubled. It is néither just nor withou' engaged creditable to the State that its legislators should be kept at a distance from their homes to labor for the welfare of the apt a and to protect the interests of their constituents, and be compelled to have re- course to their private meansto meet their per- sonal expenses. Superfiuous offices should be promptly and unhesitatingly abolished; but all who give their time and talents to the State should receive a compensation for their services 1 ea at to the importance of their duties and to the expenditures which they must necessarily incur in performing them. ALIENS, In more than half the States of the Union aliens are allowed to take, hold and convey real estate. in New Jersey this privilege has been accorded to them with the natural result of attracting foreign capital for investment, In this State the ancient disability is continued, and with the opposite effect of excluding such investments. If foreigners are willing to come among us with their capital to im- rove our real estate, stimulate our productive dustry and us in peti § our burdens of taxa- tion, is it not unwise to repel them? The spirit of the age is adverse to the continuance of ail illiberal and unneighborly restrictions; and it ts respect- fully submitted for your consideration whether these disabilities should not be removed. In Eng- land, France and other European countries our citizens are placed in this respect on the same foot- ing as their own citizens and subjects; and, apart from the injurious influence of these personal restrictions upon our material interests, it is hardly in consonance with the liberal spirit of our institutions to adhere to ancient prejudices which have been renounced elsewhere as unworthy of pelitical systems less advanced than our own. THE USURY LAWS, I suggest for your coi eration whether the time has not arrived to repeal the usury laws, leav- ing the established rate of interest to apply to cases in which no contract or agreement has been made. It is believed that their continuance at the present advanced stage of civilization and in a State so highly commercial as ours cannot be defended on any logical grounds, It has been feared that their repeal might, in agricultural districts, subject bor- rowers to the extortion of greedy lenders, but this apprehension has in other communi- the consciousness of their strength, that the in- terests of their constituents are paramount to their own, I respectfully recommend that it be adopted in the city of New York for cases in which more than one person for the same body is to be voted for, CRIME. The alarming increase in frequency of the crime of murder in the city and its environs demands your most serious consideration. Scarcely a day rome without witnessing a brutal, and tn many instances a fatal, assault Leal the persons of un- ovending individuals, usually in drinking saloons, often in the most frequented streets, and some- tumes within the very purlieus of justice. Accord- ing to the reports of the Secretary of State on the Statistics of crime there were Toss than three convictions per annum for murder in the State during the wine years from 1830 to 1838 inclusive. In one of those years there was nota single conviction for that crime. Since then the nuinber of cases in whioh life ts taken has accumu- lated with fearful rapidity. This deplorable in- crease is due to a variety of causes. Among them may be cuumerated the failure to couvict, irom ties proved unfounded, Im ruder conditions of = soci when the laboring classes were to a great exten’ mdent on capitalists, there was a plausible argument in favor of limiting the rate oi interest. But at the present day, when the eagerness to lend is quite as prev: jt astue de- sire to borrow and when labor has become inde- endent and powerful, it needs no protection, Rirect or indirect, against capital in coumpetin, with it forthe profits of production, In most o} the neighboring Statea restrictions on traffic in money have been removed, and 1 believe there 13 good authority for Lao that no practical in- convenience has ensued, It 1s quite clear that in the city of New York, but for scruples on the one hand and fears on the other, by which conscien- tious and timid capitalists are restrained from lending at prohibited rates, the enormous interest paid, under the pressure of extraordinary de- mands, for the use of money could not be main- tained fora single day. It isonly by establishing an arbitrary and xed standard of value for it, when such value will, in spite of ail legal limita- tions, conform to the fuctaations of commerce, that borrowers are me to suffer through the necessity of payt mium for violatin: Should you not prepared to follow the exam- ple of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and other States by an absolute repeal of tue usury i) I con conapive no possiple objection to their modificat 80 far as to leave the rate of interest to be fixed by agreement of the parties on commer- clal paper and on loans secured by the mortgage or hypothecation of personal property. your attention to the reports Lrespectfully call ted to revise the laws nscrupulous lenders a cine lwe ot of the commissioners appoint for the as:essment of taxes heretofore made to the Legislature and to the draft of a bill submitted by them in the performance of their duty, It is nos denied that it oxiating ae oe the valuation of roperty ant 16 assessi xes are unequal at sad SDannCsi yO; that the valuation negaal, ar estate falls below its actual. value; that much the larger | ews of the per- sonal property of the State escapes taxa- tion, and that the tax on mortgages of real estate not only prevents the introduction of capital trom abroad, but‘’s rapidly expelling our own heretofore loaned’ on such security and transferring it to States in which no such tax is imposed. The ob-- jection to this tax does not come from lenders, but from borrowers aud from the owners of real ee- tate, who find it diMcult to procure money for improving it, In the city of New York, where there is a deticlency of dwellings, especially for the in- dustrious: classes, and where the population is for that reason crowded into narrow 8; on imposition is not only a serious obstacle to extension of the city, but isin the nature of an excise on the health and comfort otf its inhabitants. While real estate is known be valued at one- third or one-half what it worth, mortgages, where they do not eseape the socutiny of assessors altogether, ste-sppraeed pt their fuil cer constituting @ most unjust and oppressive distine- tion between two ciasses of property holders, While New York has been clinging with & nacity for which it is difficult to account to an! commercial restrictions, Pennsylvania and New Jersey have been gradually removing them for the purpose of attracting labor and capital. The re- sult of our inaction and their progress in this re-_ spect is illustrated in a manner which should give us cause for grave reflection, During the last ten years the population of New eg et increased - at the rate of 35 per cent, and that of Pennsyl- vania at the rate of 21, while ours has increased only at Se rate of 13, The natural advantages of New York, especially for commerce, far exceed those of other States; but they are not great euonen to enable us to contend successfully with the rivaly of nate bere quite as enterprising as our- selves, unless labor and capital are encouraged by laws as liberal as theirs, It vitally concerns us, therefore, to consider whether we can maintain our ascendancy in population and wealth; whether we can succeed in retaining the title of pre-emi- netce which we have borne with the consent of our contemporaries for half a century; and whether we can preserve our reputation as an enlightened administrator of our own affairs, if we have not the wisdom and courage to cast off the antiquated clogs and badges o! an obsolete civilization, In conclusion, I cannot forbear to express he great anxiety to co-operate with you zealously an in perfect harmony in such measures as, in your superior wisdom, you may deem necessary to ac- complish the objects of reform so 1mperiously de- manded by our constituents. We come together sustained and honored by a larger majority than the people of the State have ever before givea,to their representatives, It is my sincere desire, and Tam sure it must be yours, to respond to their con- fidence by maintaining the public credit, by reform- ing abuses of administration, by economizing the means placed at our disposal for the general good, by lightening the burdens of taxation, by cherish- ing the institutions and establishments which min- ister to the wants of the people, and by deyot- ing our best abilities to the advancement of the prosperity of the State. JOHN A. DIX. HAMBER OF COMMERCE, vie m the Bille Report of the Committee o Before Congress Rela tion. sek A special meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was held yesterday, with a view to hearing the re- port of a committee appointed to consider the bill pending before Congress for the promotion of emi- gration to the United States. The report was read by Mr. Leopold Bierwith, and céimences by stating that in the past twenty~ six yearsQver seven millions of emigrants haye ar- rived in our ports. It is estimated that three mil- lions brought whit them in the aggregate about five hundred mililons of dollars. The re- port also spoke very isyorably of the work done by the Commissions,’ of Emil- tion and of the present arfangements tt, the comfort of emigrant passengers 00 Doni the different steamships carrying them {rour Europe to this port. It also showed that the nfor: tality on board of steamships is reduced te cott- siderably less than one mill, there being only one death out of more than thirteen hundred, After speaking ofthe certain inability of one gow: ernment oilicer to carry out what has taken @® quarter of a century of the earnest attention of a body of men influenced by no personal interests, the report then shows that the arrival of aliens at this port now averages about 250,000 and of these 50,000 require As the Dill says “the Superintendent rovide at the expense of the te and temporary necessities of those who arrive destitute.” It is not likely that with this understanding many vessels will be willing to bring pussengers; and supposing that there are such what is tobe done with the immi- grants who arrive sick or fall sick within the five years after arrival, during all of which time our Commissioners of Emigration have to take care of them? The bill does not tell us—all it has in rela- tion to it are five words, neither more nor less, In section 3, which provides that $1 head money shall be paid for each steerage passenger, it says that part of it shall be applied “‘to assist the temporar, sick.” In conclusion the committee offer the fol- lowing resolutions :— Resolved, That such improvements as may still be de~ sirable in the existing laws and arrangements for the gaiety and comfort of emigrants on the passage from Europe to the United States, can be obtained only by the united action of European governments and of our own. Resolved, That the care for immigrants after arrival ip our ports belongs and is best attended to by the State in which they land, and that no provision of the general government can relieve such State of that burden. Resolved, That any measure of Congress which cowl’ have the etfect to puralyze the action of the Commisston- ers of Emigration of the State ot New York would be @ (ross wrong fo the emigrant, to the city aud State of New York and to the country at large. Resolved, That a copy of the prefixed report and reso. lutions be sent to our Kepresentatives in Congress, with the respectful request to oppose the passage of any bil that takes from the State of New York the care for immi- grants on and atter their landing in our port. After some discussion, in which Mr. Bierwith in- timated that the bill for Congress was an affair gotten up in the interest of railroads and land jobbers, the report and resolutions were unaai- mously adopted. MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS. BOABD OF ALDERMEN, New Appointments by the New Clerk. Yesterday Mr. Pinckney, the Clerk of the Board of Aldermen, appointed Mr. Francis J. Toomey Deputy Clerk, ‘Mr. James Gowey Messenger, and Mr. Charles L. Mather Engrossing Clerk and Li- brarian. All these gentlemen qualified for office before the Mayor. ir. Pinckney has forbidden smoking during office hours, and in this respect. there will be a great improvement on the condi- tion of these offices last year. BOARD OF ASSISTANT ALDERMEN, Mr. George W. Betts has been appointed Deputy Clerk to the above Board and Mr. George W. Cod- dingten aud Mr. John J. Rabineau, Assistant Clerks. FIRE DEPARTMENT INSPECTION OF BUILDINGS, cette The Fire Commissioners are about to makes thorough investigation of all the public buildings and manuiactories throughout the entire city, with a view of not only ascertaining all the man- traps that exist but to show to the public, as well as to our State Legislature, the thousands of lives that are daily liable to be launched into eternity by unsafe boilers and dangerous pbuild- ings. In 1871 an act was passed by the Legislature compelling all proprietors of manufactories, hotels, theatres, music halls, publie schools, &c., to provide means to communt- cate alarms of fires to the Fire aud Police Depart- ments; yet, strange to say, although this law has been in existence for nearly two Pi 4 not one place of the kind has complied with the same. The Fire Commissioners are-elso instructed by the same act to detail two members of the Fire Department to each and every place of amusement, they to have entire oharge of the buildings and the direction of ali employ¢s of the same for the pur- pose of extinguishing of fires should they occur therein, This law has also never been put in force, and the Commissioners [a as @ reason for not so doing is that they cannot spare the men. They have also the power to increase the force to such numbers in their judgment, they deem most pi T; out they claim that they cannot do so as yet, for they have not Hoeping accommodation for the men, They would cheerfully bring the departmeut up to tue required standard, but they have been greatly em- barrassed by Comptroller Green. In their late ex timate they asked for an extra appropriation of $100,000, with a view of putting up one or two large and commodious outldings, which would accomo- date a large number of men, and tendered to the Comptroller several buildings and lois now useless and which would realize to the city over $50,000, Yet the Comptroller has stricken the above amount out of the tax levy, but for what reason he declines to state. In several instances he has thrown every obstacle in the way of the Commissions, and they seem greatly discouraged at the manner in which their hands are tied, They held a private consul. tation yesterday and will meet to-day witha view of laying out some dedinite plan of agtion,