The New York Herald Newspaper, August 29, 1874, Page 4

4 NEW YORK HERALD. SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 1874.-TRIPLE SHEET. “ICELAND. —_———_e—— The Journey from Reikiavik to Thingvalla. Lava Beds, Green, Grassy Meadows and Peat Bogs. THE ICELANDER’S LOVE OF HOME, The Social Life of the Inhabitants in the Interior. Lonpon, August 16, 1874. 1 arrived here trom Edinburgh this morning, where I landed from the yacht Albion on the 14th, and from which place I maiied yesterday, via Queenstown, despaiches written on board and in | Reikiavik, bringing the acconnt of the great mul- lennial celebration up to its conclusion. I omitted, however, almost all detatis of our travels or to mention inctdenta| watters not connected immed- jately with the main business which bad taken me to Iceland, thinking that it would be more accept- able to have the business first and such descrip- tions as I have now to give afterward. First, however, | have an explanation to make with respect to a part of our programme. You know it was announced a8 down in the bill that ‘we were to visit Mount Heclaand make some ex- ploration of that vvicanic region, This proved to be—under the peculiar circumstances of our situa- \ion—quite impracticable, THE RXCITEMENT IN ICELAND. On our arrival in Reikiavik we found every thing im the greatest confusion. Nobody was thinking of anytning but the millennial celebra- tion and the King’s coming. All iceland was placea under requisition to supply the King’s wants. This was chicfy in horses aud saddles, one hundred and sixty oeing required jor the immediate use of the King’s staf, and more than twice that number as pack-borses ior the car:ying of stores of every kind to the place of celebration at Thingvalla. For, understand, everything bere is carried on the backs of horses or rather ponies, and, since a good deal of lumber was needed at Thingvaila, a great many horses were required, anda great deal of trouble was found in iransporting in this manner the long boards and poles needed for the tents. Our intention had oveen to start for the imterior immediately on our arrival in Retkiavik, but not « horse was to be had for Jove or money, and, worse than all, not the least show of attention. Everybody was working for the King, anu nothing could induce them to give up his service; and, indeed, there was work enough for them to do, considering their own share in the great celeb: ation of which they were all so proud, and o: the King’s shure thereta. To add to the dimiculiy iv procuring animals the peo- ple were prepariug to flock trom all quarters to Thingvaila, and were, therefore, unwilling to hire out their horses, needing them themselves, PRECIOUS TIME LOST. So we lost severai precious days, Horses were coming in !rom iiferent parts of the island, but they were arriving slowly, and were ail for the King, to be used for transportation between Reikiavik and Thingvaila, ‘ime passed, and now we had to miss the Sunday celebrations at the church if we started, when we ad at last secured our neces- sary thirty or thirty-two norses—and, Indeed, with less than that number one can hardly travel at all. For instance, one person on anything of a journey, requires a pony for bimself and each of his two guides; them with one pony to carry the tent, one jor the ‘ent iuruiture and two for pro- distinguished Iceland triend, in his efforts to help them, bounced alternately on the fore and hind | legs of a lively little fily of a muddy bne that seemed to be greatly enraged at being neglected by the foreigners and compelled to carry an | Icelander, which it could do any day in the year. OUT INTO THE OPEN COUNTRY. About every house in Reikiavik there Is a little garden, and very pretty and fresh and well culti- vated mary of them are. It was a great change, therefore, after leaving this little snuggery by the sea, and coming ont into the open country, to find ourselves in ap almost perfectly barren desert. Not @ tree or the semblance of one, not even of | the most tiny description, was anywhere to be seen, Rot even the little dwarf willows and birches wnich | oceur everywhere in Greenland, and which 1 have | met there on mountain st¢es more than fliteen hundred feet above the sea. indeed, until we had | gone inland quite ten miles, I discovered no trace | of them, and scarcely any of the very pretty Tee- | lapdic heather, and not much of the stonecrop, which i hardy enough almost to grow on & glacier, Here and there, however, there was dis- covered a little grass of very pale green color, and when a paten of it was descried a long way of, | the size of an ordinary pocket handkerchief, by our spare ponies, away they all darted ior it, pell- mell; the pack animals also dashed away after them, rattling the sacks to the infinite risk of the destruction of everything eatabie and drink- able in them. Away went the guides in pursuit, shouting and whipping the alr, as if the air only were at fault and not the ponies, and away with them dashed our Iceland friend on two legs‘o! his indignant filly. A GREEN MEADOW. Afew miles out from the town there is along ; strip of meadow land, near some little lakes, through which lies the road to Eyrarbakia and the southern coast. This furnishes pasturage for the great multitude of horses required for the inhab- itants of Reikiavik, The King’s ponies were there, and a dozen or more guides were gathering them | together to take them into town in readiness for the start which was to occur about noon. When turned out to graze in this manner the ponies are | hoobied by having their fore legs tied together within about eix inches of each other. Of course they cannot walk, and, therefore, cannot stray away, and they can be caught when wanted, which would not otherwise happen, for utnere is one thing which an Iceland pony dis- likes more than another it is 10 be caught. In order to get irom place to place as they nibble | the grass they are compelled to lift botn fore legs at once, and itis rather amusing to see two or three hundred of them skipping about on their hina legs like kangaroos or rabbits in a warren. THE PEAT BOGS OF ICELAND. On the opposite side of the path there is another low plain which does not. however, furnisn pastur- age but fuel, Itis@ vast peat bog, and such beds are very numerous over the island. Many families in Reikiavik use it tor fuel entirely; while all use it more or less, mixing it with coal, which ts, of course, imported trom abroad, mainty from Great Britain. None of this coal, however, finds its way into the intertor. In places where turf 18 not found, so far as I have observed, they are sufficiently supplied with birch brush, whicn, while it gives little warmth, far- nishes fuel for cooking—an4d, in truth, this is ail the average islander ever dos with fire. Except on the seaboard I did not see a single stove, and there | was no means whatever provided for warming the | houses, This I was not prepared to see in so cold | and bleak acountry. Even in Greenland the Es- quimaux have the means of warming their huts. | But it may be said that the Icelandic hut ts almost impenetrable to the cold. THE ICELANDERS’ HUTS. In the seaboard towns, where timber can be landed trom ships, as at Reikiavik, you see many neat, little, nicely painted, frame cottages, warmed in winter as any cottage would be warmed eise- where; but those not so situated, and those in Reikiavik not rich enough to afford timber, build great walls of turf and stones. I measured one that was eignt feet in thickness. Usually the | visions, makes seven, which bemg muitiplied by two makes fourteen. ‘Two additional pontes should have been aided, in case one of the ani- mals goes lame. Our party should have been sup- plied with torty at east; but we were compelled to cut down our stores and tent accommodations and be thankrui tor what we coula get. The prices charged were more than double those of ordinary times. i nave found the Icelanders honest in all the transactions I have had with them, and with no disposition to unfairness; but they only iollow the rule observed all the world over in business matters, which is to putup the price in proportion tv tue demand. MOUNT HECLA UNVISITED. i finish at once concerning Hecla. To go there aiter the celebrauon at Thingvalla was not to be thought of, om my part at least, gables are of wood, painted, or rather pitched, | black, and the interior is lined with | planed boards, and the floor ts laid with boards Even this I found to be the case ninety miles in- | land; and one can readily understand the labor and bother of getting a suMicient supply from the capitai over such villanous roads upon the backs of those little Icelandic ponies, Yet they have an eye tocom/ort even here, anddo the best they know to make life enjoyable. LOVE OF COUNTRY. They seem quite contented with their fot, and, like the Swiss, the Icelander loves his rugged mountains and his farm life. Very few of them emigrate to other countries. A small number went to America a short time ago and founded a colony in Wisconsin; but tt is said in Reikiavik that the most doleful accounts are returned from uniess I abandoued ali idea of reporting the millenntal celebration in season to make it of | any interest to tie public. The King’s snip | would sail Monday. Sae was to go direct to | Edinburgh. She s.iJed fas‘er than the little Albion, | and would, of course, carry correspondence. It | was determined to start from Reikiavik as soon | a8 possible after the celevration, and I had no | alternative but to sai. with the party, inasmuch as there was no possiile chance of writing up an ac- count of it before tue steumer left. Besides tnat, had I remained beind, | couid not nave reached London before tie widdle of September. which would not have sulied me at ali. But, aiter all, the loss of the experience in not climbing Hecla is rather personal to me than of public value, inas much as it bas been tiis season already climbed, and pretty thoroughiv explored. It has proved in tris last case to be an uncom- fortable rather than a didicult or dangerous task. The crater from which the last eruption took | place, in 1845, 1s reported to be mainly filled up by falling pieces 0. lava, and is quite extinct; nor | is there any evid nce 0: volcanic action anywhere | odservable on the great mountain. | WE GET STARTED AT LAST. ‘Well, we got off a \\st, as | have said In my last letter, Monday morniug, August 3, en route for Thingvalla and tie ysers, to botn of which | places the King was soig, end there could, there- | fore, be uo risk of our using tne celebration. | We preseated a must singular spectacle as we rode out of town. First came our spare ponies, Giteen or sixteen in number, runnicg loose like a drove of cattie; then tie five pack-norses, with vheir heavy burdens of tents and stores, making a great rattle as they trotted along; then | came the three «uides, flourishing their whips and shouting lowly as the herd threatened from time to tine to dart around corners and go back tothe stabies. ihen came our own party of seven, which, together with the cook and steward ana the three guides, uiade tweive persons in all; andit was bot owy a singular cavalcade, but an exceedingly amusing one. I have oetore described in ® general way the Iceiand pony, witn his great, bushy mane, sticking up in tie air as if the ant- mal were an electricai receiver, and each individ- val hair a point of discharge to the skies. | THB ICELAND PONIES. These ponies are o( every color, from piebaid, black and white, or bay and white, through all the varying shades oi the average rainbow, to pure white or pure biack. Irvude one that wasred and | white in about the proportions of a first class Dutch | barn. Another was yellow with @ dash of green and indigo, while a third was so evenly divided between black and white all the way through that it seemed as if two horses had been split fore and aft and the wrong haives clapped together by | @ bungling anatomist. One bestrode a charger white enough for any conquering hero, Another was borne along ona steed of pensive mien and | creamy hue, most befitting a poet seeking some | new earthly paradise; and still another was finely , mounted on a black aud white beast. One in par- ticular seemed a singuiariy unbecoming horse for a first class journalist wo mde; bat with a firm seat, a tight rein and stout whip he rove ahead up the nilland distanced the rest of us. The other members of the party were on beasts of all sorts oi colors, and after we had | cleared the town it was @ lively sight to see the guides dashing to right and left, at tno infinite | risk of breaking their horses’ legs and their own | necks to boot, shouting all the while and whipping | the air in their franuc efforts to keep the herd ahead of them and in the narrow nath. while our | tnconventence of a few who find themselves with- | ana carry burdens and how many cows he has there, and those who had entertained the idea of following them have become discouraged from so doing. I learned, however, that an effort had | been made to get together a party this season, | and under the promise of being taken out by some contractor or other & few had converted all | their earthly possessions into ready money; but the contractor did not come in his steamer, ac- cording to agreement, and so, to the great present out house or home and with nothing in the world | but a few rix-dollars, but I have no doubt to the happiness if not the future comfort of a great | many more, there will be no additions this year at | least to the American colony. Tasked our young guide why he dtd not go to | America. ‘I don’t know,” he said, and then | seriously added, “why should I?” When I looked | at hts bright, happy face I knew him to be intelll- | gent, and he seemed to have no unsupplied want except books. I must confess this was a poser; however, I replied in the only way I could, “Woutd you not be better off there *” Whereupon he put an end to ali further questions on that sub- | ject by ying that he did not want to be better of. He was quite satisfied as he was. Indeed, he might go very much fur- | ther and fare considerably worse. He lives with bis uncle Zeoga, from whom we hired our horses, | in a comfortable little farm house, in Reikiavik, and his uncle is the owner of a great many horses and two fishing smacks, and the boy seems to enjoy this rough riding as guide over the country. He is | a good guide and an excellent horseman, if horse- manship may, in any sense, be said to consist in thoroughly managing an Icelanutc pony. COUNTRY LIFR IN ICELAND. Not far out from Retkiavik is the frst farm house I had seen, and as we passed by I rode into the “tun” to gratify my curiosity, The “tun” is the enclosed or cultivated space about the house. It may be three or four acres in extent or of many acres, and is surrounded either by a stone or turf wall, or a compound of the two. By cultiva- tion, however, 1s only meant that it is kept in order and enriched from time to time with manure for the sole purpose of procuring grass for the Dorses and cows in winter; so in the exact pro- portion of the size of the tun do you know how many horses a farmer (bonderman) bas to ride for milk. Tne sheep graze at liberty summer and winter on the wild heaths, and as we passed slong we often saw flocks of many hundreds dotting the meadows and uillsides. For the purpose of keep- ing them from straying they have a very in- telligent, sagacious little shepherd dog, about half the size of that animal in the Shetlands and Orkneys, The dog is also some- times used for keeping the spare and pack-horses | to the road, the horses being dreadfully atraid of him, as he nips their heels most merciiessly. The sheep are herded in a pen in the evening and the ewes are milked night and morning—milk of some sort being an absviute necessity to the Ice- landic farmer. They drink it in great quantities, but the principal use they make of it is to convert | it into what they call “skyr,"’ which in plain Eng- | lish means potted cheese, curds or smear-case, according as you may chance to live in New York, New England, Pennsylvania or Virginia. They seem to make it a Jittle more sour than we do, and it is not palatable when eaten alone; but with sugar and cream, of which the farmer’s wife ts always ready to supply you for the moderate considera- tion of a few pennies, it is very refreshing, at least toahungry man who has travelled long over an Icelandic road on the back of an Icelandic vony. | tender, Ihave tasted the milk of the sheep several times, and found it very fair wien one is thirsty; but, then, the streams are so abundant and the water So clear and cold that one has no need to go | thirsty long. A CHARMING VALLEY, We had a very warm day after we got ont of the drizzling rain of the coast. We soon took off our | waterproots and then our overcoats, and, after winding along over rugged hilis, along the borders of gurgling steams, about the bases of great, rugged mountains, we came into a grassy plain, then waded a river, and, coming to a halt, turned the horses loose to jeed, and enjoyed a cold lunch with astonishing appetite. The scene in this sun-illumined valiey was most magnificent, The mountains rose up all about us; thetr outlines were picturesque; their dark color | was relieved by particies of snow, but tuey were bathed in sunshine, and a8 we rolled about on the sun-neated grass I think the misgivings with | | which some if not all of us had set out in the rain in the morning vanished, and we really enjoyed ourselves in the midst of strange, wild scenery, such as is hardly to be ound elsewhere. From au hour to an hour and a hall being given to lunch, our tired ponies were exchanged ior the ones that had been running at itoerty all the morning. The journalist rode @ horse with a coat ofadifferent color from that whicn bad carried him in the morning, A FOWL DINNER. With a cheerful “Hip, hip, hurrah!” we followed the stream jor a little way; then, leaving tne val- ley, We came out upon a piain, clothed with soft moss and a jew birch bushes. Here a great many plover and: wimbie were discovered, Mr. Glad- stone and myself unwrapped our guns, and before the day’s journey was over bagged enough to make us a good dinner. I will not attempt to describe this afternoon journey. It was but a repetition of the morutng. ‘Ihe vegetation was a little richer in places as we gotiurther in from the coast, A LAKE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. We rode onward, up steep acclivities, over great plains of moss and tuited grass and heather, along narrow wining shelves, cut or worn vy travel in the sides of mountains, until we came out on the long dreary lava plain, from which we first caught sight of the clear and deautifal and moun- tain girdled Thingvalia Lake, Then we descended by the breakneck pathway through the great Almana gja, already described in my last letter, into the Plain of Thingvalla, and, by this time thoroughly worn out with thirty-six to forty miles of travel. None of us nad been accustomed to travel of this kind, and we were not sorry to sce the tents already pitched and some signs of pre- paration for a meal going on. Some of us, although weary enough to rest, could not restrain our curiosity until we had wau- dered over the Logborg and by the Oxara River, and had stood on the Isle o! Battle. ARRIVAL OF THE KING. The King, led by Zoega, and followed by his Chamberlain and Vice Chamberlain and Marsnal and Minister and physician and other court dix- nitaries, came a few hours later, lookiug droopy enough. lt was an exceedingly picturesque sight from our camp to see them fling out from the dark, mysterious and shadowy obscurity of the Almana gja down the narrow winding slope to the river, through which they splashed on with wet leet to their tents. The King was the only one I saw who managed to keep his feet out of water—a matter of no smali dexterity in fording an Iceland river. The camp of the King was alreacy pitched, a kitchen had been extemporized, and great prep- arations were making by a cook ‘or dinner, and several assistants, who seemed by their actions to be far gone in lunacy, for they had nothing to cook with but an alcoho! furnace, which was doing duty most shameltully, and birch bushes which were very wet. Yet there were plenty of tabies and plenty of dishes and pots and pans scattered about, and all else but the grog seemed ready for the royal banquet, HOW THE KING DINED. Thad already visited tne royal tent, and was courteously shown the dinner table of the King, set for 81x persons, with a clean white cloth and | fresh napkins and chairs and all that was need- ful besides, including sundry bottles of wine, un- | der the very modest Jolds of a new white canvas | tent, that had barely a ten foot spread. been a king and bad all the horses of Iceland at my command I think I should have dined tn larger quarters; but when I reflected that my dinner had been taken in the open air from the top or a dirty box, that my stew had been eaten from a tin plate, my smoky tea drunk from a tin cup, and that there were no napk{is and no wine, I thought how THE PEKING’S RETURN Her Homeward Trip from New- port Yesterday. o A Smooth Sea and Happy Voyugers. MUSIC, SONG AND PLEASURE Gratitude of the Excursionists Ex- pressed by Resolutions. Incidents and Happenings on the Trip. On Boarp STEAMSHIP CITY OF atti OFF SANDY Hook, August 28. 1874, At half-past one o’ciock this morning the stentorian voice of Capiain Griffin rang out the command to weigh anchor, and in a jiffy the ponderous machinery had raised the mai- moth “mud hooks’? irom their bedding and above water, ‘fhe steamer was backed wille the power- ful boat vyclops tugged away at our stern and soon succeeded in turuing the “nose” of the Pe- | King oceanward. A SALUTE, which reechoed and reverbrated among the hills and vaies of the fashionable spa, and must have awakened (he houest Newporters irom their slum- bers, was fred and we were off. Rounding Point Judith and passing Block Island Light the ship rolied. considerabiy, but as the guests were all asleep, they being cowpietely tired oat with the exciting festivities of the previous day, the motion of the vessel scarcely ' tended to disturb their slumbers, but on the contrary acted as a luliaby. Dayligut appeared, and tne sun rose in all the majestic splendor an ocean break o’ day can vouchsafe. Many o! the devotees of Somnus took sdvantave of this novel sight and astouisied their nerves with a glimpse at nature's greatness, wiich only occurs to them semt-occa- siouaily. BREAKFAST TIME came, Montauk Light had been passed and we were geyly gilding over a placid ocean, smooth as crys- tal and scarcely 4 rippie visible on its silvery sur- face. The gallan! stip was forging uhead at a if | teen Kuot rate, sturdy Joon Roach, watcn in hand, Ir t had | great a thing it was to be aking and have a tent | even ten feet across, and be tucked to bed in another tent a foot above the ground in a mat- treased bed and not be condemned to tne shivers and rheumatic pains on the damp sod. A NIGHT VIGIL, When all was still 1 went to the Légborg ana looked down into the dark creek in the lava bed which surrounds it. The night was then moder- ately clear, and I could make out to read at tweive o'clock, but the shadows cast by the Ligbory cliffs | upon the still waters at their base were dark and almost feartul there in the periect stillness of the night. The water could only here and there be aistinguished, so transparent was it, and the absolutely perpendicular walls of the clit, reflected in the glassy, undistinguishable surface gave the impression that the wail was of unlimited depth, and that the Ligborg floated in some infernal sea, When I did get back to camp with a few flowers and a specimen of the lava for souvenirs, and got stretched on the damp sod,I slept the sleep of weariness for four good hours, wien, waking up with the sudden consciousness that the correct thing was something hot on the inside, I fol- lowed Mr. H. to hunt up something to make & fire. We discovered some wet bushes, some wet straw and some Wet paper, and managed to get @ cup of tea; but the art by which Mr. 0 man- aged to get @ fire to burn with ail this wetness, and that, too, hot enough to bojl water and afterward cook a stew, has always been to me @ mystery and will remain so to my dying day. For, be it known, somevody had to cook a breakfast besides the professional of that name. He was the only one of the party whose legs bore any reasonable proportion tothe size of his steed of the day before, and the cook, poor easy man, | found those little legs ot his, aa legs, utterly use- less for business purposes when the morning came. What happened on our way to the Geysers, I will tell you in my next. L 1, HAYES, A PEARFUL ACCIDENT, As the Norwich train, which is due at New Lon- don at eleven A. M., was passing Montville yester- day, about four miles from its destination, the inner connecting rod of the tocomotive broke, and, in revolving, punched @ hole in the boiler, which discharged the steam into the fire box, The door was open at the moment, the fireman, H. Hilliard, being engaged in throwing oncoal. The steam rushed out with such tremendous force that It pinned him he!pless against the woodpile in the scalded him frightfully and hurled of live coals into breast, The engineer, Calvin Moulton, was badly scalded about the breast and arms, but managed to reverse the engine and stop vhe train after it had run about haif a mile, The two men were taken into @ house near by, and at last accounts the freman was not expected to recover, He pre- sented a dreadfui spectacle. The skin was scalded off him in many places, and he was almost unable to speak. When asked wiere he felt most he slowly raised his right hand, off which the fe ry and naila were dropping, aad pointed to the pit of his stomach, ejaculating, ‘On, steam!” A telegram was sent to New London for another engine, W! ich s:arted at once, taking the superintendent, with two physicians, Thatomcer ae the sufferers cared for to the best of his abilitys masses CITY 4REASURY, Comptroller Green reports the following disburse- Ments and receipts of the treasury yesterday Claims pai (number of warrants 71) amounting Dees $12,426 RECEIPTS, s of taxes, assessments and Interest,. ection of assessments and interest. From market rents and fees. From water rents From licenses, From tees and flu was leanlug over the tatfrail noting the move- ments of his pet. He remarked, “At this rate we will be abreast 0: Canal street between oue and two o'clock this aiternoon. His predictions were marvels of truth, tor at precisely hul!-past one tne City of Peking anchored abreast of her pier, having averaged during the run from Newport over tiiteen mies an hour, by accomplishing a dis- tance of 19) miles in exuctily twelve hours. This great triumpl of naval acuievement must have been highly satisfactory to the now /amous Suilder, as it certatuly was to the guests. It appeared as if every person on board had a personal interest in the success of the American built leviathan and gloried in its splendia aciievements. The morning hours glided by swiftiy and pleas- antly. Everyoody was lolling around the deck, enjoying a pleasant doice yar niente, whic was enlivened by the soul-stirring sirains {rom General Gratulia’s orchestra of fiity periormers, or the charming melodies sung by the splendid concert- ists on buard, when at about hali-past ten every- body was requested to gather on the after part of the ship, which was accordingly done. Thus AN IMPROMPIU MASS MBETING was at once organized by being c.lled to order by Mr. Frederick L, Talcott, who proposed Governor Joe! Parker, of New Jersey, for Chatrmun, in a meat and pertinent speeci. The seiection was greeted with marked approbanon, Governor Parker, in his happiest humor, stated tie object of the meeting, which, ashe said, was no less than to express the sense of toe guestson board of tue City of Peking of tbe princely treatment by the managers of this “imperial” excorsion on @ purely American steamship, butit by Amer- ican enterprise and altogether of American mate- rial. The meeting was thus deciared opened. Postmaster James proposed that Messrs. Jacoo Smull, of the Inman Line Steamsitp Company, and J, B, Houston, Treasurer of the Panama Rail- road Company, act as secretaries, Which also pre- , vailed. Captain G.orge W. Blunt, Pilot Commissioner, then offered the following e EXPRESSIVE RESOLUTIONS, which were adopted by acclamation :— Resolved, That standing as we do on the deck of this grand product of American shought and iavor, we feel ita duty to ask of our government that its iegi shail be so shaped as to offer imiucemenis to ¢ Make investincats for the re: cayed branca of our national interesi, the foreign car- rying trade, aad such as will ciabe Americans, wherever (vey wander over the sea, to gaze upon the Stars and stripes ioating above them Resolved, That Joha Koach, tae buider ot this grand specimen of naval architecture, may proudiy point to this his work, aud will hereaiter take the position among naval architects which George Stephenson held as the tather of railroa.s. Resolved, That the kind attention and generous hospi- tality shown to usas yuests by President Russell sage and the directors of the Paciic Mall. steamship Com. any, and curried out so thoroughiy by the manayor, Haich, aud Captain 8. Po Gridin, command aud sl thanks. At the close of our delwhe ful excu: we wish them all health and prosperity, Resolved, ‘hat the watchtul care and yreat skill evince’ oy Captain Griffin and his assistasts prove that the directors of the company have evineed their accus- tomed good judgment in the selection of their officers Major Cnaries L. MacArthur, editor of tae Troy Buaget, in seconding the resviuuons, dweit at length and in eloquent eruditiou on the newly in- augurated era 0; American commerce. He said that “once it was the boast of the Romans that ail roads led to Rome; so let it ve our boast that our own steamers plough our ocean. Europe is straining every nerve to divert commerce with China and Japan via the Suez Canal. Why shoud We not concentrate this traue vy way 01 the Pa- cific Ratiroad and the Pacific Ocean’? He was in lavor of encouraging emigration jrom among the Asiatic nations, We are 1N NEED OF CHEAP LABOR, and these people should be encouraged to come among us, introduce their tea and six culture in this country, which would’ be the greacest of statesmansiip. ihe Pucitic Mail Stearsuiy Com- pany receives subsidies irom the gove:nment, s0- called; in reality, tt 13 oniy @ national investment for the development o/ an extensive commerce. At was carrying out a contract to carry the Ameri. can mail fn American built steamships, He con- gratulated the guesty on board, as well as (ne country at large, on the inauguration ol the new iron fleet of “home butit’’ vessels, of which tie City of Peking is the pioneer—the lareest passen- ger steamer ever bulit, ‘These vesseis are not to be run on the coast, vut the deep ocean, and soon their immeuse capacity will briug to our shores the thousands of tons of soreign products which find a ready sale in our markets. Mayor MacArthur wound up vy paying a highly euloygistic compliment to the man- agers oO tils most elegant and delightiul trip, duige Kelly, member of Congress, on benali of the Philadelphians, jollowed ihe Mayorin a capial speech, in Which ne took occasion to giorify Phila- deipnia on her mandiacturing skill, also hichly com. uinenting Mr. John Koach and the Pacific Mall jompany on their great euterprise. Mr. Russeil Sage, presiient o; tne company, returned bis tuanks, and gave due credit to the ener y oi Cap- Griffin, the eminent commander of ‘the ship. Jor the practical resuit of the trip. The meeting was closed with stuglug the Doxolvgy, led by the concertists and joined by wii the guesis. We Were | now his face and ; that dreadiul . SPEEDING RAPIDLY TOWARD HOME, Shinnecock Light was astern, Everyuody was happy. No more seasickvess, The musicitus lightly fingered their iustroments, happy at the thought that Olid Neptune nad exacted jus trivate from them on the outward trip ior their temerity in boasting of “a ile on the ocean wave.” No more pale-faced waiters grasped the iron stauciionus, gasping open mouthed for tne bracing sea breeze to Inflate their lungs, The nobie steamer swum aiong as pacers and easy a3 aswan on ihe Central jake, Régamey, the caricaturist, saw Mr. John Roicn loukiny over the side of the vessel, watcn in haad, Jn an Instant he whipped out pencil and paper and drew & most per ect picture, representing a large body on diminutive legs,aud a most periect likeness of the features of the ouserving ulider, Which on being #hown created great merriment. In a iike manner he Portrayed the two charming little witches—Misses Bailey and sotley—who kept the deck on Wednesday When strong men were con- vulsed with seasickness. At precisely nali-past one o'clock this afternoon we came to anchor, a8 avove stated, and as iar as sailing Was Concerned our delightiui excursion Was ab end. manager’, Dowever, Would uot allow the guests to depart until another cipttal dinuer 0} mine host Velinonico was partaken oi, which also proved a success, At the tavie Vost- Master James spoke of EDUCATING OFFICRHS FOR OUR MEROHANT MARINE 4 offered the following resolution, which met earty views of everybody :—Kesolved, That credit ia dane to the management on | without any perceptibie motion. | of the Pacific Mail Steamship tor having inaugurated a system of educating American youths by receiving them as cadets and instructing them in seaman- ship, thus fitting them tor the higher duties of the commander and,citizens,”” | About three o'clock the company's tag George E. Weed came alongside and carried the guests ashore. THE PARTING PROM THE SHIP was with regret. Never has there been so suc- cessful am excursion—high toned and cemplete tn every minute detail—as that of the City of Peking to Newport, which will ever be remembered by those fortunate enough to have been participants: ‘The entire credit of the excellent management of managing director of thecumpany. The steamer | will be open to-day for public Inspection trom ten o'clock until five, THE CODE. The Latest Affa'r of Honor—A Shot at Twelve Paces on the Belgian Frontier—Senor Ro- sado, the Cuban, Wins—The Challenge— Conto’s Previous Affairs of Honor. | im this vicinity as the duel between Don J. Ferrer DeConto, the editor of the Spanish organ tn this city, and Colonel Pio Rosado, of Cuban fame. Several days ago came the announcement that one of the principals of the affair had been killed in a fight near Brussels. Tne report created great excitement among the friends of both parties; but this was assuaged by a prompt contradiction. In the HERALD of yesterday appeared a despatch | from London announcing that the duel had been fought, and that Colonel de Conto had come out second best, having been dangerously wounded by hts antagonist, The despatch re- newed the excitement among the i Cronista editor’s fellow countrymen in ths vicinity. Seve- ral telegrams were at once despatched to ascer- tain the truth of the story. The answers con- firmed the report that Colonel de Conto had been wounded, and the friends of nis antagonist ex- perienced a feeling of relief to know that Rosado had escaped unharmed. The Cubans had good reason to fear for the welfare of | their friend and champion in the bioody contest, as the reputation of Colone! de Conto as @ dueilist was well known. He is represented by friends vo have fought many duels avroad—in France and his native Spain—and to have slain More than one antagonist, fle isa gentleman of the flery nature so common to the Spanish charac- | ter. Some of the Cubans speak of De Conto asa | bully, and express themselves as much elated over | Fora long | Rosado's victory in the late contest. time De Conto has rendered himself quite ob- noxious to the Cuban element. In public, on dif- ferent occasions, he has by his reckless attack3 on the character of his political opponents rendered @ breach of the peace almost certain. Upon inquiry at the office of El Crontsta yester- day the editor incharge informed a HERALD re- | porter that he had received a despatch trom Mr. De Conto, stating that he was “wounded and doing tolerably well.” His iriends do not anticl- pate that his wound is as dangerous as reported in the morning despatciies, Inquiries were made thia affair is justly due to mr. Rufus Hatch, the | Since the Virgintus dimculty probably no event | has so excited the Spanish and Cuban residents | | moved a limb, but there w: | sorrow tn his eyes tor liours after he came, however, accom! nied bim to Europe, and took ‘incipal’s Ce “_ peporTo's LITERARY EFFORTS. About ten years Conto published a book ad. vocating slavery in Cuba, which was sold in Cuba to @ Iimited extent, and looked upon as & very atriotic book. Kecently a number of letters pub- ished tn the Azpress by One of the Spanish govern- ment’s agents, Captain Francis Norton, were re- ublished in book form and distributed wholesale this city, and sent to every newspaper in the au to show that slavery did not exist im a. WHO COLONEL PIO ROSADO IS. The combatant of Ferrer de Conto, Colonel Pid Rosado, is a native of Santiago de Cuba, where be Was @ professor in a college at the outbreak of the war. He is avout thirty years of age, small and deitzate looking, and is a man of advanced views, He distinguished himseif greatly at the outbreak o! the war by carrying a flag of truce trom the Cuban chieftain Marmol to the Spanish Gen- eral Garcia Munoz. The flag was carried by @ liberated negro. The Spaniards did not kill him and his negro attendant, fora wonder, but refusea to exchange any prisoners. Since then tte has fgriges. in this city, On his present expedt- tion hé was accompanted to Quebec, where he em- amed, » Miguel Ruiz Aguilera an Pancho Seiler, m ae CONTO REPORTED TO BE DEAD. It was reported Jast evening that Conto had died from the effect of bis wound. The duel is said te have taken place at Roubaix. SAILING UP THE HUDSON. Twelfth Excursion of Sick Children on Board the Floating Hospital Yester- day—Scenes on Board—A Leaf From the Doctor’s Journal, The barge of St, Jonn’s Gulla yesterday left her last landing place at the foot of Twenty-third street, East River, with 901 mothers and chile dren on board,, Among the physicians in attendance were Drs, Kennedy, Thoms and Brush, ana the writer acco-upanied them on their rounds of examination among the patients, Ic ia curious, the eagerness that creeps into the eyes, faces and forms of the little sufferers at the ap- proach of the doctors, Most children regara the presence of pill dispensers with feelings of aversion and dread, being forced to swallow ‘some mixture that, whatever may be its medicinal virtues, is sure to be superlatively nasty. But these poor faded figures 1ift themselves up in the presence of the physicians and seem to hang upon their simplest word as though it was to decide for them the ques- tion of life or death, and as if life, even with all their poverty and misery, was inexpressibly dear tothem. Mothers with babes in their arms—and these were numbered by hundreds—aiso crowded about the doctors and besougat tneir aid and ad- vice for nursiings afflicted with all the ills that A POISONOUS, DEADLY ATMOSPHERE can engender. Qve.case brought on board for the first time yesterday was receiving the undivided attention of Dr. Thoms. It was that of a boy wno was wasting away without visib:e cause, till he seemed hardly more than a ehadow. He never world of pain and Late in the aiternoon he brightened up and seemed to enjoy. in hia feeble way, the unusual scenes around him, He was all aflame in look- ing at the decorated steamship City of Peking, and when he was taken asnore begged his mother to procure tickets for the next excursion, and tearfully bade “goodby” to Dr. Thoms, It was arare sight to see mothers and little girls, With babes in their arms, dancing and keeping ; time to the music. In the little space set aside bi ' mutual consent for this elsewhere, and elicited the fact that a number of despatches had been received | here from De Conto’s and Rosado’s friends abroad, but none explicitly describe Mr. de Conto’s wound. 4 friend of one of the duel- lists says they fought with pistols at twelve paces, fired one sot each and De Conto tell, @ bullet having penetrated his right side. He was taken from the field exhausted, The friends of both parties are anxiously awaiting additional par- ticulars of the bloody fray. This is said tobe the first time Mr. De Conto has been wounded ina duel. He has, army as colonel of volunteers under General Cabal- lero de Rodas when General Goicurta, the Cuban chieftain, was captured. THE CHALLENGE TO DE CONTO. The following cartel appeared¢n Spanish in the columns of the Cuban paper oi nis city, of the %tn of July, alter ite editor, Mr. Juan Beilido de ey bee suffered be nce tor fhe een the vituperative attecksol De Conto, without deignin, to take aby wae Sine ad se ok TO MINE UXCLE TRUMPET. When the allegation is made that a man is @ coward, itis but tair that proots should be given to make good thé Assertion Ly Andisputadl: facia. Wa dety the editor of the Cronista to make that aécusation fespecting our- selves: and he can find us at our office, at No. 40. Broadway, whenever he mak: good our and to to met Conto whenever he may appoint. Mr. Conto has made use of indecent language aid opprobrious terms towards pleases, r. | his political opponents which are unworthy of the pen | J. 8. Lyle. of ainan writing for the public press, and sill less figs Matte eG 5H OD ma man th of Leister & Sommerdoff: 10 09 whose coat is covered with crosses and me Such | Smith, Katon & Tucker. 500 language is unworthy of a man of professed t edu, | aie ‘W. Lukens. 2 8 cation. ~— Coward, chariatan, and lost to all sense of shame is | 8B." Al Hed the editor of the Cronisa, and I will now prove the same | Episcopaltan.. 250 oR va cowarl provoked a duel with | Sethoule Onerod, deka } . like ward, with some men at | Proceeds of Cnildren i, the cy en they came here | iproghtatn, Wake BYERS he poliss Sp teagia. | 8: Yovvssseeeeseesseens ae 01 nto, Who @ short time back had defied them. For his however, served in the Spanish | cowardice in the matter he was lampooned in acomto | paper of Havana, called the Moro Mua, dressed im woman's garb. In addition to this, Conte isa coward for Lacking out of his duel with’ the Cuban, Mr. Abren, lie is lost io all sense of shame for the shameless manner in which he has libelled everythmy appertaining to the United States, the Span- inister Polo, aud Seior Castelar, und, in recent ays, the editor of the Deria, ot tl ‘ity of Mexico. In aidilion to this he has, with his pot house companions, devamed Cuban und Aiericat ladies who are in tavor of Cuban indepen.tence, using terms toward them such as might be expected trom the lips of @ low sailor or @ bull fighter. He is a charlatan wno parodies the acts of Jilustrious Don Quixote of Cervantes, pretending to be a Dersonage of immense imporiance, and tur which hi continually being ridiculed. Such conduct t only with fools. onto pretended, during the Virginius affair, to be clothed with tull ‘powers by the commander of tne spanish irigave. Tornado, so that hi (Conto) could reclaim the surrendered vessel, the Vi fimus, (rom the Cited states authorities. | He Is a chi fatan who styles himself a commandant—but, pray, whatt He has published a work suating that, this coun. try was incapable of raising an army of 25,000men, He isa comedian and a soiemn trumpet who, in this repub- can-democratic lanl, provesses to be the righttul owner and bearer of crosses, ribbons and decorations. opinion this consitiuies a c:a:m to the title of coward ani charlatan, which he has applied to us We think that the proots now given as to his meriting them are unanswerable. We now authorize him to disprove them it_he can, and to show that the undersigned meritseither one of hem. JUAN BELLIDO DE LUNA. CONTO'S AFFAIRS OF HONOR. At the close oi our war he insulted General Ber- nabe de Varoua, who subsequently was massacred on the Virginius expedition. at De'imonico’s res- taurant in Fifth avenue, The result was a rough and tumole fight tu which Varona got the mastery, and bit off a piece of Conto’s chin, NUMBER TWO, Conto, hearing 9! the importance of a clud of young Cubans, who irequented the Louvre Café ut Havana, sent a challenge to @ friend of his at davana, to fight the whole club of these entiemen named “Los Tacos,” and requested hat it might be natied up in the Louvre, This was done, and the challenge was taken up by Meichio: Berual, of Puerto Principe, and Manuel Suarez, of the Canary Islands, woo came on here to fight Conto. General Goicuria (since execated in Cuba) was appointed one of the seconds, Shortly alter their arrival nere they were arrested, and Couto apologized to them, as he said in his paper, by request of tue Spanish Minister at Washington, NUMBER THREE. His next affair was with Mr. Camacho, a Venezu- elan and New York correspondent of the Diario de ta Marina, of Havana, a Venezuelan by birth and Wiose nom de plume was “Peter Hicks.” Conto commenced a vicious attack uyon him and said tuat the post should be filled by a Spaniard and not by @ Venezuelan. Ajter challenges passing between the two men the whole affair fell into the water aad no duel twok place. NUMBER FOUR, Shortly after this Jose G, Castello in New York published a comic history of kerrer de Vonto, un- der the ueading of Ferreiro de Cuitimo.” One of the articies was signed oy Francisco Porto, who claimed the right of fighting tne fire-eating Galician. A duel in Canada was the result, in watch Porto was wounded in the foot. NUMBER FIVE, General Jourdan, for erly of the Confederate and Cuban armies, was attacked in 1871 1m un- Measured terms in the Cronista and called & traitor to the Cubans. The Genoral naturally re- sented this, and -ent @ ctialleuse by the hands of Alverto Fernandez, who Conto attacked with jair Oi scissors and stabbe. in the head, Fernan- dez subsequently met Conto in tne street and cow- ‘om him by w passer by. So ende this would-be duel. a 4 NUMBER SIX. Shortly after this Mr, Abren, a Cubt feariul philippic about Concto in the Cava Aevolucton de Cuba and offered to fight Uonto tor tie honor of “Cuoa Libre.” Conto demurred aud wanted to Aight the editor, Mr. Kamon Aruao, Wno Bald, ike Ba’ kis, that ne was wiilin’ alter Abren had veen fought, No fignt took place, however, aud Conto commeuced calling Abren a thief in the Cronista, General Varoua at this time wiote & comical letter to Conto, saying tha’ he, Conto, wanted to fignt everydody, le thought that he wanted to fight nobody. The ietter was padlished in 4 Cuban paper, ALout this time a pamphlet Ww: writteh—"Que we Deve Hacer con Ferrer di Conto’’ (Woat suali we do with Conto?)--by a Cuban, lampooning him ag the wearer o1 some thirty orders that he had no right to wear, and sald that ne was a iraud 0: the frst water. THR LAST AFFAIR. Annexed will be ound Luna’s challenge. Luna Was arrested and taken to he Jefferson Market Poilce Court and vonnd over to keep the peace and consequently couid not go abroad witn the \ Gerce Gaitctan. His second, Colonel Pio Rosado, wrote a aper La urpose two great-grand- mothers at one ime danced or rather tottered about in @ Highiand fling. two were, one eighty-live and seventy years of age, leat from journal of Dr. Brush gives the followt ist of cases on board, for which active treatmen' was necessary Sbolera tnianvum and teething, 82; bronchitis, 22; chronic bronchitis, 3; conjunc- tivitus, 6; diarrhoea, 20; dysentery, 3; chronie dysentery, 1; exanthem, 4; pneumonia, 1; iuter- mittent fever, 1; tuberculous meningitis, 1; bleed- | ing from the lungs, 1; psorts, 2; tramatic lojury, 8; ulcer from dead bone, 1; nervous debility, 13; scroiulous éwelllug, 8; infammation of the knee | Joint, 2; spine disease, 3; marasmus, 1; rachitis, 2 | Other diseases and convalescent cases would swell the list inuefinitely. ‘The band from the Union Home and School for Soldiers and Sailors’ Orphans furnished the music, Yesterday their services were offered gratuitously, having been so tendered for the second time by Mr. Hoyt. Tne food consumed was as follows:—L barrel of.botled rice, 450 quarts of milk, 330 pounds of beef, 200 loaves of bread, and tea, sugar and but- ter without stint. The thirteenth excursion will take place on Tues- day next. _ —__ i Destitute Sick Children’s Excursion Fund. The following additional contributions have been received by the Rev. Alvah Wiswall, Master of St. John’s Guild, and handed to Henry 0. De Witt. almoner:— ey Grand total. ores Contributions to the fund earnestly solicited once and may be sent to the HxzRacop office, Mayor H. meyer, City Arnott, & Co., No. rom: y; D. ‘App ton & Cr oan wi Broad Al ; De eton & Co., No. ron 3 Aa ust Belmont & Ge,, No, 19 Nassau street: Froderick a onkling. President 4itna Fire insurance Company, No. 172. Broaa HB. Clatio & Go. No iad "Shure Guild: No. 52Varick streo. ns MAS ap ae The thirteenth excursion will take place on Tues- day, September 1, leaving piers at the foot of Weat Tenth street, Market street and Twenty-third street, East River, at rl task ie , at eight, nine and half-past ANTHRAX FEVER. The Fatal Cattle Disease in Connecti- cut—Rich Pasturage the Cause—It Is Not Spinal-Meningitis. A report in yesterday's HeraLp from Newtown, Conn., made known the rather alarming fact that in the rich region surrounding the pleasunt town there was raging @ disease, especially among fine cattle, which bade fair todo much damage. Outoft 110 four-year-old steers, brought from the West by Mr. Fairchild, seventy were seized witn the dis- ease, and eight died within — very short time. They were first treated by the local veter- inary surgeons as if they bad been poisoned, but, alter the death of several, @ post-mortem examination was held which disclosed the fact that the principal disease was in the apleen, although tue kidneys and bowels were found in an inflamed condition, yet not sufficiently s0 to have caused death. However, the doctors disagreed as to the epidemic, and an expert professor 0! veterinary science in the Massachusetts Agricultural Vollege was called in to decide as to the mortality among the cattle. He immediately pronounced it anthrax fever, very closely allied to charbon, or black leg. A liznaup reporter, in an interview with the Professor, elicited the following very important information in regard to the disease :— PROFESSOR—There 1s no doubt at allvhat the Gisease is anthrax ever, whicn isstrictly a disease of the blood, PR a peg not spinal meningitis, as de- PROFESSOR—Not at all. It arises from ricoh, suo- culent Fears and cattle, thin and poor, are never attacked. REPORTER ~How Is the disease discovered? PROFESSOR—At firat the beast loses appetite, then withdraws from the rest of the herd ana is seized with fever and trembling. REPORTER—How do you detect fever in the animals? PROFessoR—Very easily. By means of a “fever thermometer,” which is passed into the bowel id registering, the normal tem- out ninety-eight—is found to cases when the dis- lly suvsiding (through debility rature belore deat! Reroutek—Whast is found to be the condition of the blood ? Proressor—In all cases thin and watery, having undergone importans chemical changes, BarontaR low long do cattle live after they ai acke PROFESSOR—From one to five days. It is new disease, however; lt appeared tn Ber! Massachusetts, about 1370, ana has been ed In reports made to the Stato Veterin- hey et EPORTER—-How dO you treat it? PROFESSOR—With carbolates of iron, soda and lime; also with bitter tonics and stimulants. You gee ine fine pasturage produces & Diethora of good, rich vlood and tie vaives in the splenic vein give way under the pressure, congestion is cause and spieens which shouid only weigh one and one- Hi {n @ normai and healthy condition igo from seven to ten pounds during this dis- ease, and the splesus Lecome decomposed and in- capable of ing the excessive weight. This le pathology of the disease. ane Oat oon ta ine verona you that no ani- valves in th are abject to Sacurax iever ? maaan Nt % ‘KS8OK—Procisely 80. None of the oarniyor- 0s aatmuls are subject to it, Pigs have tt, and 16 1s Known as hog cholera. Horset are affected by {tin the same manner, and it 1a tima is ahanid be better understand, not a hire t