The New York Herald Newspaper, February 2, 1875, Page 6

6 NEW YORK HERALD \ BROADWAY AND ANN STREET. AMES GORDON BENNETT, PROPRIETOR. NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS.—On and after January 1, 1875, the daily and weekly | editions of the New Yor Henatn will be | went free of postage. THE DAILY HERALD, published every | day in the year. Four cents per copy. An- nual subscription price $1% "all business or news letters and telegraphic despatches must be addressed New Youre Hamat. Letters and packages should be properly sealed. Rejected communications will not be re- u med. LONDON OFFICE OF THE NEW YORK HERALD—NO. 46 FLEET STREET. Babscriptions and advertisements will be received and forwarded on the same terms as in New York. VOLUME XL. ssseseoeNO, 38 | AMUSEMENTS TO-NIGHT. BRYANT'S OPERA HOUSE, git street, near Sixth avenge. NEGRO M.; closes at 10%, M. Dan 1 &e., arse. eal GERMANIA THEATRI Poarteenta street DEK GHWIRSENSWORM, at 8 P. Mj closes at 10:45”. M. Lina Mayr. P. M. ; closes at 10:45 SAN FRANCISCO MINSTRELS, Brpadray, corner» of, Twenty.nintn treet NEGRO STRELSY, ate P. M.; closes at lu P, M. eek Me; | GLOBE THEATRE, Broadway,—VARIETY, at 6 P. M.; closes at 10:30 P.M. Brosdway. <THE SHACGHRAUS, at OF. Mi; closes at 4 al 5 at m0 P. Mr. Boucicault. estirgyen strest LIFTLE EN'LY, ar 8 P.M; come as W465 P.M. ¥ aa ACADEMY OF DESIG corner of Twentv-thira street and $PieON OF WATER COLOR, Pal from 9 A. M. to10 P.M. wt WoOOD's MUSEUM, Bee Teks corner of Thirtieth street.—WITCHES OF NEW YORK, ats P. M.; closes at 1045P.M. Maringe at3 METROPOLITAN THEATRE, Fos Broadway.—VARIETY, ats P. M.; closes at 10:30 NEW YORK STADT THEATRE. besrie! foe w—EIN STAATSGEHEIMNISS, at 8P. M.; closes OLYMPIC THEATRE. Broadway.—VARIETY, at8 P. M.; closes at 10:45" THEATRE COMIQO’ VARIETY, at8 3 Closes at 10:45 bg 514 Broadway. BRUOKLYN PARK THEATRE, goyonsr. SINN’S VARIETY, at 8 ¥. M.; closes at 10:45 droning st TONY PASTOR’S OPEBA HOUSE, Fog Bowers. —VABIETY, at 8 P. M.; closes at 10:45 | ROMAN HIPPODROME, mapas and Fourth avenue.—afternoon and | by splendid donations for public or charitable | their fostering care. This species of gene- }to build up Rapid Transit~-The Mocting at the Chamber of Commerce. The meeting yesterday at the rooms of the Chamber of Commerce was respectable in numbers, character and public zeal, but was of more value for the possibilities it suggests than for the actual results it accomplished. The idea of raising by private subscriptions @ large fund to be offered as a bonus to s responsible company, which will build a rapid transit road on @ route and plan to be ap- | proved by ® majority of the subscribers, is | excellent in itself, but the expectation that an adequate fund can be made up by petty subscriptions of one thousand dollars each is one of those seductive illusions into which sanguine men are apt to fall when kindled to enthusiasm for some great object without coolly weighing the sufficiency and adaptation of the means for itsaccomplishment. We heartily approve of the meeting, of the deep interest in the rapid transit question which it betokens, of its plan of stimulating the movement by volunteer efforts, and even of its thousand dollar subscriptions. Every citizen who en- gages to give that sum enlists in the cause, gives a pledge of his sincerity, and binds him- self to act as & missionary in propagating and diffusing public interest in the question. If the effort is well managed it is possible that a million dollars may be raised in this man- ner, but s million is such # bagatelle to the heavy cost of the enterprise that it is neces- sary to look to other sources for a fund ade- quate to the occasion. The plan starts from an excellent idea, but it needs to be carried out bys different method and on a larger scale. It may be well to raise a million by a thousand subscriptions of a thousand dollars each ; but there are wealthy, public spirited men in the city who could contribute a million each without inconvenience, if so inclined, and the success of a volunteer movement de- pends on the possibility of securing hand- some subscriptions from our great million- naires, It is the pride and distinction of our country that the possessors of great fortunes, acquired by enterprise and business sagacity, do not incline to make a purely selfish disposition of their wealth. Many of them leave munificent bequests to public institutions in their wills, and many exercise a higher form of generosity uses in their lifetime while they can be per- sonal witnesses of the good they do and have the satisfaction of seeing the institutions which are planted by their aid and watered by their munificence grow up and flourish under tosity in which the rich men of our country excel all others is partly due to the nature of our institutions. In this country estates can- not be entailed, orders of nobility have no place, wealth cannot be employed to support the dignity of a title, and ambition a family to take rank with a hereditary aristocracy is a motive never felt by republican citizens, whose energy and ability raise them to affluence. We, doubtless, have our sbare of men who cherish a sordid love of property for its own sake, and hold on Messrs. Astor, Stewart, Cooper, Vanderbilt, | Tilden, Anderson, Brown, Belmont, Duncan, Lenox, Goelet and Taylor are twelve gentle- men who could contribute twelve mil- lion dollars to rapid transit and thereby erect a monument more enduring than marble or bronze. They would not stand before the public in the Hight of an association of capi- talists building » road for private profit, It would yield s profit and ultimately a large one, but they could vindicate their character for generosity in one of two waya They might arrange for sinking all profits in a con- to be just sufficient for keeping the road in repair; or, which would be still better, they might make « perpetual donation of the profits to institutions of charity located in or near the city. Under the guardianship of trustees, like those who manage the Peabody Fand, the net proceeds could be distributed to worthy institutions for the relief of the unfortunate. It could be so arranged that each contributor would be at liberty to desig- nate the charity to which his proportionate share should be given, and under the names of the Astor Fund, the Stewart Fund, the Cooper Fund, and so forth, long generations of re- cipients in various institutions would bless the memory of their particular benefactors. The Mysterious Memoirs of George IV. The supply is, in most cases, equal to the demand. Occasionally it is greater than the demand, as Brown, the myth, has discovered. He advertised for one book and is offered a whole library. Hv offered to pay five thousand dollars for one copy and he is asked to pay fifty thousand for ten copies. This is rather bard on Mr. Brown, that, after having declared that but one copy of the mysterious memoirs of George IV. is in existence, he should find the complete edition extant and ready for delivery at No. 559 Broadway, on the terms mentioned, C. O. D. Mr. Fountain T. Fox has the only existing copy in his library at Louisville, Ky., and Captain Leavitt has the only existing copy at Portland, Me Messrs. J. Sabin & Sons have sold several “only” copies, which are likely to turn up in various parts of the country, and we presume quite a lot of others will be found this week in the Nassau street book stores. That they have been diligently looked for therein is a dead certainty. It is probable that every second hand book stall in New York has been ransacked. The original mystery of this book about His Majesty George IV. is eclipsed by the new one. The first gentleman in Europe never made as great a bobbery in his life as he has done in his memoirs, and we forget the scandal about Mrs. Fitzherbert in looking at the amazing spectacle which Mr. Fox and Mr. Leavitt present. The book is more wonderful in its simultaneous appegrances than it is in its contents, and if its custodians continue to come forward its circulation will soon rival our own. The only copy in existence of this book reminds us of the veterans of the Revolution- ary war, the last survivor of which 1s con- tinually being discovered. It is like the club which killed Captain Cook, which is to be to it with the firm grip of avarice; but we FIFTH AVENUE THEATR: OF THE Aes sata ner icwes ari0a0 Pit. Mee Lewis, ACADEMY OF MUSII Beez, Syst eaten Opera ER WANT, ater. LYCECM THEATRE, ESUIATRSEY Talacs cw Fae Uae hoe have also a large proportion who prize wealth chiefly as a badge of success and a title to dis- tinction. The consideration it gives them in the community is the principal source of the satisfaction which they derive from the pos- session of wealth, and when they have estab- lished their claim to stand in the highest rank of successful men of business they bave TRIPLE SHEET. filled the measure of that kind of ambition. 2. NEW YORK, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY From our reports this morning the probabilitus are that the weather to-day will be clear, foilowed by cloudiness. Watt Srever Yestzapar.—The stock msr- ket was generally strong. Foreign exchange firm. Money easy on call loans. Gold ad- wanced to 1133. Business was active. Tue Crvetty To Campren bill is certain to pass the Assembly, and will, no doubt, be successful in the Senate. We are glad that the protection of thousands of little waits is thus to be secured. Tae New Os.e,ns INvEsTIGATION was re- gamed yesterday ; the testimony for the repub- licans is elsewhere published, and is intended to show that black voters were intimidated by the White League. Tae Arpra, to Conaress of Frederick Douglass, Mr. Langston and other-representa- tive colored men to secure protection fcr their race in the South, is given to the public to- day. We aro sorry that they Rave some fear of a retaliatory war, and do not-believe there is cause for it. ‘Tue CoystrtvtionsL But was debated in the French Assembly yesterday, and Marshal MacMihon won a preliminary victory by the announcement that if he was deprived of the command of the army he would resign the Presidency. The proposition to that effect was withdrawn. Tae Rervsricay Memsers of the State Senate have called a private caucus for to- day, we believe, to consider~- their action on the bills relating to New York city, and especially on the propositions to alter the present charter. It is supposed to be their intention to oppose all amendments that will tend to facilitate changes in the municipal departments. A Wan Croup m tee Pactric.—Mr. | Bteinberger starts from San Francisco to- day in the man-of-war Pensacola on a mis- sion to establish civilization in the Samoan | Islands. For this purpose he takes with him | @ condemned howitzer, a lot of guns and { some flags. A full account of this extraordinary adventure will be found | in our despatches to-day, avd it wiil be seen that Mr. @ United States vessel, with the permission of the President, who seems to be his special admirer. power wisely. If the Samoan Legislature does uot do ss Mr. Steinberger likes let him disperse it. If there is Jeagne there let him proclaim its members banditti. In short, give usa strong Lonisiana policy in the Pacifle Ocean, and all will soon be tranquil and happy in that benighted re- gion. But how about the howitzer? It is condemned, but we wonder if Mg. Steinberger wir he Steinberger departs in | We hope that he will use his great | a | Instead of aspiring, as such men do in 1875, England, to gain admittance into the charmed circle of the titled aristoc- racy, and to found families which pri- mogeniture and entails would perpetuate, they apply portion of their wealth to ob- jects of public beneficence. The tendency of our institutions to, divert property into such channels is illustrated by many instances.in this city. The most successful of our mer- chants, Mr. Stewart, besides his benefactions to seminaries of learning, has built a new town in the suburbs to furnish cheap and pleasant homes for people in moderate circumstances, and hos erected a spacious and beautiful building on Fourth avenue, where toiling | women will be able to live in decency and comfort without exhausting their slender means. Mr. Astor has founded a great library and maintains it for the free use of | the public; Mr. Cooper has founded s similar | institution for the benefit of the laboring classes, as Mr. Astor's is for the benefit of scholars and men of culture. Mr. An- derson has made a noble gift to | promote a favorite object of the late Professor Agassiz in providing cheap in- | straction in the natural sciences. These instances illustrate the disinterested liberality | of our New York millionnaires and reflect honor upon the class to which they belong. With such men among us, aud in view of the ex- may we not hope that they will be induced to pour the abundant streams of their gencr- osity into a new channel, and confer upon | the city in which they have acquired their wealth a benefit which will reach thousands of recipients for every individual who profits by’their other benefactions ? We might dwellon the effect of efficient contributions to rapid transit in enhancing the value of their own property. They are the heaviest of our taxpayers, and it would property in the upper part of the city would lighten their taxes by multiplying the values on which taxes are levied. It would be easy to demonstrate that cheap rapid communication | with the upper part of tho island would add to the value of all city property and that the largest oeners would profit most by the increase. But we prefer to ad- dress our appeal to their public spirit rather than their interest. They have abun- dantly shown that they are capable of disin- terested motives, and if they should now per- form a great act of far-seeing generosity no- proceeded. from a sense of interest. If they put forth their strong hands to carry forward | rapid transit to early completion it will be in | the character of public benefactors, seeking | no reward but the esteem of their fellow citi- zens and the grateful remembrance ot those | who come after them. We have many citi- | | zens who could contribute a million dollars | each to a great public object and never feel | the poorer for so praiseworthy a deed. | amples which some of them have already set, | be easy to show that the prodigious rise in | found in every museum, and by the inherent numerousness of which Mr. Barnum has beaten all the other possessors. It is like ‘Washington’s coachman, three hundred of whom are known to have driven his family horses for thirty years. Itis like Washington's nurse, dozens of which still survive in 8 ripe old age. It is like the skull of St. James, which is reverently exhibited in every Italian village. Itis like the latest publica- tion, ‘‘which no gentleman’s library should be without.” It is like the only heir to the Dutch and English fortunes, who is now sup- posed to bea large part of a population of America. It is like the Original Jacobs in Chat- ham street, and the Original Original Jacobs, and the only Original Original Jacobs. It is like the Constitution of the United States, of which Andrew Jobnson has the only existing copy. It is like the only true religion, of which each sect is the exclusive possessor. Finally, it is like Sir Boyle Roche's bird, which was known to fly in two places at once, so wonderful was its swiftness, and to sum up its resemblances we beg leave to say that we pure Chet bird Son eenatie. A Silent Lobby. There is probably no interest more im- portant, more efficient, and at the same time worthy of more attention, than what may be called the sewing machine lobby in Washing- ton. The sewing machine is an invention that has become as necessary to our civiliza- tion as the axe or the gridiron ; no household can do without #. Beginning in a modest way, it bas now spread all over the world, an inven‘ion so delicate and intricate, with so many changes and improvements, growing from year to year simpler, cheaper and more useful. Although supply and demand, im- proved machinery and competition have en- abled the sewing machine companies to make ! the instruments at small cost, there has really been no diminution of the price in America. The reason of this is that a few companies—three or four, we think— have combined and purchased all the patents, and by these rights they compel every ma- chine to pay them an extravagant royalty, amounting to as much as the whole cost of the instrument itself. Tho consequence is, that in any foreign country—France, Ger- many, England, and even in Canada—sewing machines are as cheap as stoves. Better ma- chines than we have are sold for less than half the cost. But, by reason of these patente, the combination which owns them, with the interest they have at Washington, a monopoly is formed that practically controls the market in the United States, and every buyer of a | sewing machine pays a tax of one hundred | per cent to the combination that holds these | patent rights. The agen's of this combination have been and are now among the busiest, shrewdest | and most effective managers in Washington. | ‘The story that they have endeavored to obtain | body would wish to violate its dignity or abate | deserved admiration by suggesting that it | an extension to one of the patents is undoabt- edly true, but it is a question whether they | have succeeded or failed. Far be it from us to deny to the inventor of one of these machines the profit due to genius and skill; but the protection afforded by a patent to an inventor cannot last forever. | has rights as well as the inventor. The men who have made sewing machines have amassed fortunes. They have been repaid over and over again for their capital and their skill. would be wise for Congress to have the whole stant reduction of fares, requiring the rates | subject thoroughly investigated. | inventions as they are entitled to receive. The Ieterest om the City Deposits. The present city charter provides that the Mayor and the City Chamberlain shall desig- nate the banks or trust companies in which all moneys of the city and county shall be deposited, “but no such bank or trust com- pany shall be designated unless its officers shall agree to pay into the city treasury in- ; terest on the daily balances at the rate of not less than four per cent per annum.’ It further requires that all interest accrued on deposits shall be paid to the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund. Prior to the passage of the charter of 1873 no law existed by which the Chamberlain could be required to demand or collect any interest on the deposits, Fors little over three years, however, the Chamber- lain had required the banks to pay four per cent on ‘the daily balances, and under Chamberlain Bradley and his nearly half a million dollars had been thus collected and paid over to the general fund. During Chamberlain Palmer's term of office the city lost the interest, except on a trifling amount of deposits, in consequence of the action of the Comptroller, who notified the banks of deposit not to pay interest to the Chamberlain, and there was no law requiring them to pay it to any other person or in any other manner. The charter of 1873 settled the difficulty by the provisions to which we have referred. A bill is now before the State Senate—it has already passed the Assembly—abolishing that provision of the charter which fixes the minimum interest to be exacted of the banks of deposit, and giving to the Mayor and Chamberlain authority to agree with the banks upon such a rate as they may deem ex- pedient. We regard the bill asa very dan- gerous one, and believe that for the public good it ought to be defeated. It would give to a corrupt mayor and chamberlain the power to use the deposits for their own ad- vantage, and to put any proportion of the in- terest they might please to appropriate into their own pockets. Of course Mayor Wickham and Chamberlain Lane would not do this; but laws should be framed for the protection of the citizens without regard to the honesty of the persons who happen to be for the mo- ment in possession of the public offices. The argument used by those who favor the pro- The community | It | posed alteration of the law is that the banks cannot just now afford to pay four per cent on the public deposits, and that circumstances may arise which will render it yet more un- profitable for them to hold the city moneys on such terms. But if the present deposit banks are not willing to pay four per cent in- terest to the city there are plenty of other banks and trust companies in the city that stand ready to do so. Institutions quite as trustwortby and secure as any of the present city deposit banks pay four per cent interest to private depositors, and are prepared to pay the same on public moneys: There is no good reason, therefore, why such an objec- tionable alteration of the charter should be asked for, and we regard the bill before the Senate as one that ought to be rejected. At the same time some amendments might be judiciously made to the thirty-fifth sec- tion of the charter, relating to the public de- posits. The Chamberlain gives bonds to the amount of one million dollars, which security is intended and ought to cover the safe keep- ing of the city moneys. The Mayor gives no bonds at all. By uniting the Mayor with the Chamberlain in the designation of the banks of deposit, thus taking the sole responsibility away from the latter officer, we release the Chamberlain's sureties, in case the public money should. be deposited in an insecure bank or trust company, and should in conse- quence be lost. The bondsmen for the acts of the Chamberlain could not be held to-an- swer for acts committed by the Mayor and Chamberlain jointly. It would, therefore, seem eminently proper to place the power of selecting the banks of deposit in the Cham- berlain alone, thus securing the city from loss through his sureties, or to require special bonds from the Mayor to answer for the safe keeping of the deposits. It would also seem to be desirable and just that the interest paid on deposits shuuld go into the general fund, and thus directly decrease the taxation of the year, instead of into the sinking fund, which already possesses a surplus over and above the whole city debt for which it is pledged. These amendments to the law regulating the city deposits and the interest thereon would be of public advantage. The proposal to leave the rate of interest to be a matter of public bargain between the banks and the agents of the city is at once unnecessary and dangerous. New York’s Daty. The eminently practical action which the Philadelphia managers of the Centennial are now taking deserves fair and favorable con- sideration on our part. It is notasurrender in any sense of the local pride in which, natu- rally enough, this enterprise had its originand which occasionally has some rather grotesque manifestations. It is nothing of this kind; for Philadelphia feels that she can have her celebration whether New York aids or not; but it is a frank acknowledgment of brother- hood, it is a manly appeal to brotherly feel- ing, which must not be disparaged. If there were or are foolish people in Philadelphia so pettishly jealous and self-complacent as to talk about being entirely indifferent to the sympathy of New York they have either | changed their minds or are silent. Philadel- phia does need cur help, and, in o manly, | straightforward way, comes forward and asks it. We wish New York had not waited to be asked, but, being asked, there ought to be no doubt about her answer. If Philadelphia, like Chicago, were laid waste by fire, or, as long ago was the case, desolated by pestilence, there would be no pause in our generosity, no need of asking purses to be opened. . When, a hundred years ago, the poor of Boston were suffering the tortures of a siege or of exile, Philadelphia, be it remembered, did not wait to be solicited, but sent, of her abundance, generously. So would it be if God's hand were laid heavily on us. The similitude of the necessity, then and now, is not a very exact / one, we concede; but it is not wholly without | its appositeness. Neglect or refusal to furnish | the relatively small sum Philadelphia asks of us may not lead to absolute failure, but to something kindred to it. And with that pos- NEW YORK HERALD, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1875-TRIPLE SHEET. The result, | sibility can New York, in common decency, we think, would show that thesewing machine | hold back? The exullant echo which people have made as much money from their | come from abroad when the news will goes thither that the United States, through the apathy of its greatest and richest city, does not care or choose to celebrate the centenary of independence, will sound dismally in our crowded streets and palatial dwellings. We then shall know what a mistake we have made, not only in a sentimental, but in » material point of view. The sentimental aspect has been presented, it may be, ad naw seam, ond it is a pity that sentiment and sym- pathy so pure should ever be wearisome. The tenantless and useless walls (if ever, through our fault, they should prove so) of the great and really magnificent buildings Philadelphia is now erecting will be like grim skeletons of what might have been full of lifeand health, a standing reproach to the whole country, and to none so poignantly as to us, The material interest we of New York have in its complete success cannot | stated. Nobody denies it, and yet does anything to promote it. What an‘enor- mous integer of the vast population that will go and carry its products and fabrics to Philadelphia is this city and its neighborhood ! Hither, for at least sojourn, must the return- ing concourse come; for no one pretends that Philadelphia can by any exertion furnish suf- ficient accommodation. All this without reference to the visitors from abroad who must make New York the point of access. Tiltem on the Witness Stand. . -Judge Neilson, after taking the two days that intervened between Friday and Monday for weighing the arguments of counsel, an- nounced yesterday morning his decision to ad- mit the testimony of Tilton, with a restriction against stating the confidential communica- tions of his wife. The fact that so ablea Judge decided, after full argument and mature deliberation, to permit Tilton to go on the witness stand, will be-accepted by the public as a presumption that his testimony is legally admissible; and it is difficult to see on what ground of equity or common sense it could have been objected to by any who are willing that all the facts be brought to light. Tilton is, of course, under a bias, and allow- ance should be made for that. But with the exception of Mr. Beecher, who is under a bias atleast equally strong, and Mrs. Tilton, who cannot be admitted to testify at all, Tilton is more thoroughly acquainted with the facts than any other individual. It would be morally absurd, even if it were legally permissible, to allow Mr. Beecher to go on to the witness stand and exclude Mr. Tilton, ‘The antecedent presumption against the cred- ibility of the testimony of these interested parties is no greater on the one side than on the other. The motive of Mr. Beecher to save himself from irretrievable disgrace and utter ruin is at least asstrong as that of Mr. Tilton for showing that he has suffered a wrong which commonly brings derision on the hus- bani as well as on ineffaceable stain on his wife and children. No motive could bring an ordinary husband of any social pride to swear to such astory unless he believed it true. There is gn obvious motive why a man ac- cused of such an offence should deny it, even if true, because a sentiment of honor requires him to shield the woman, though he might be willing to face the persons! consequences to himself, The disgust and horror expressed by Mr. Beecher’s friends at the idea of Tilton swear- ing away the reputation of his wife in a court of justice is proper enough on the supposition of her innocence; but that is the very point in controversy. A husband who has really been wronged in that way is under no obliga- tion, legal or moral, to bear it in patience and silence. The law recognizes his right‘to com- plain and to publish his wrong by allowing prosecutions for divorce. Social opinion brands him with contempt if, after learning of such wrong, he meekly endures it, The fact that a court of justice entertains such a trial as that which is now pending, and that public opinion generally demanded that‘ court should sit upon and sift this scandal, are patent admissions that the accuser has a right to make the facts known, if he has facts to tell. Every divorce suit, every crim. con. suit, involves an attempt by s husband to blacken the reputation of his wife, and if this is too horrible to be permitted the law is wrong which gives a husband a right of action in such cases, We would have ab- stained from this line of remark if a Brooklyn paper, published under the eyes of the Court, had not last evening attempted to cover Tilton with odium for testifying against his wife. All that we insist on is even-handed justice. Let the plaintiff and the defendant have equal advantages in Court. A rigorous cross-exami- nation on both sides will assist the jury in forming their conclusion. After Judge Neil- son decided that this witness has legal right to testify, it 1s impertinent to hold him up to public abhorrence for attempting to do what every injured husband necessarily does in seeking legal redress. It lies in the very na- ture of things that a divorce suit cr a crim. con. suit brought by a husband cannot be tender of the reputatian of his wife. The Fragility ef Railroad Machinery im Frosty Weather and the Mid- guard Rall. The terrible disaster on the Great West- ern Railway near Shipton, England, has aroused attention to the fragility of rolling stock and revived the wholesome agitation of the proposed mid-guard rail. This frightful accident to an express train of thirteen crowded cars was due to the breaking of a | tire or axle and the precipitation of hundreds | of passengers over an embankment, The fracture of axles and the running gear of rail- way carriages is one of the most unavoidable sources of peril to the passenger. Engineers have clearly traced it to the subtle physical change in the fibrous texture of the best iron, | the toughest and most fibrous metal assum- ing, after long strains, the crystalline form, The Shipton disaster occurred during a thaw, after extreme cold, and seems there- fore to connect the fragility of the broken machinery with the frosty weather and its effect on the tensile strength of the tire. The increased liability to such accidents in very cold or thawing: weather has long been no- | ticed. A late writer in a scientific journal has shown the strong probability that this ine creased peril arises not so much from wenken- ing of the metal by cold as from @ diminution of the elasticity of the road-bed and also of the machinery. During the intense cold of | | was there tert at nis death, December in France the inhabitants of Memb martre reported they could distinctly heaz the trains passing through the distant tunnel of Batignolles, but when the thaw came they were no longer audible. The critical moment in the history of a railway axle sppears, how: ever, to be that which marks the sudden rise of temperature after the cold spell has for some time held the iron in its icy and compressive grip. The shaft that has been for a year or two undergoing slow crystallization is then, by a few successive shocks, brought to the fracture point, and the slightest jar or oscillation of the train may precipitate such a calamity as that which oo- curred at Shipton. That much may be done by railroad managers to avert such disasters in frosty weather is evident, provided their trains are then run with an eye to this danger. But the remedy lies deeper than this. It is very questionable whether any amount of in- spection and care in the manufacture and working of rolling stock will ever prevent the occasional breakage of axles and tires, The true wisdom is to provide against the train leaving the track after such fractures have occurred, and some of the highest engineer ing authorities have approved the plan of the mid-guard rail. This ides consists simply of laying down a third rail in the centre of the track, which shall be no encumbrance and under no wear so long as the flanged wheels perform their office; but as soon as the derailment commences the guard rail inter poses to keep the car in the line of the road. It is said thatif the Great Western had been supplied with such a safeguard the disabled car might easily have run to the next station without accident or injury to anyone The introduction of the third rail on our wealthe iest roads, whose express trains make forty miles an hour, would immensely enhance the safety of the passenger and not very materi- ally increase the cost of the track. As the guard rail is exposed to no friction, except in case of accident, it would not require renewal for a great many years, and would probably pay for its cost in the increased popularity and reputation for safety it would give the lines adopting it. The discussion of its value from an economical and an engineering stand point is timely and important to the travelling public, and we hope it may be fairly weighed by railway authorities in this country. ‘Tae Sterutne in the neighborhood of New York is in its tull glory, and, unless we have unseasonably warm weather, is likely to be good for a month. Tue Sremer Cazs are the chariots of dis- ease and of death, The next step of the health authorities should be to require cleanliness, even if they cannot enforce basieah hygienie laws equally important, PERSONAL INTELLIGENCE. Robert Browning will shortly publish @ volume, In all England, treland and Scotland only 137 dally papers. This month that naughty Mordaunt divorce case comes on again in Eogiand. Secretary Delano and Senator Reaben E. Fenton : Were in this city yesterday. Surgeon William M. King, United States Navy, ws quartered at the Albemarie Hotel. Mr. Daniel Dougherty, of Philadelphia, is smong the latest arrivais at the St. James Hotel. Ex-Congressman D. & Bennett and Mr. Edward R, Bacon, of Buffalo, are at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, Commodore John RB. Golasborougn, United States Navy, bas taken up his quarters at the Winchester House. Mra, Jewell, wife of the Postmaster General, are Tived at the Fifth Avenue Hotei last evening irom Washington. Look out forthe domestic tiger. An English Coroner’s jury has just found that = baby was killed by a hungry cat. Mr. Franklin 8. Gowen, President of the Phila delphia and Reading Railroad Company, is re- siding at the Brevoort House. A litte work on British wild Sowers, com sidered im their relation to insects, bas been written by Sir John Lubbock. All the Spanish priests have been instructed to offer up prayers for Alfonso and to acknowledge the receipt of tne instruction. Business-like, Mr. W. Oswald Chariton, of the British Legation at Washington, ts registered at the Westmorciand Hotel. He will sail for England to-morrow in the steamsnip Java. Miss ‘Reuter, daaghter of the Baron and Ba roness Reuter, Was married at St. George’s, Han- over square, London, January 14, to Count Albert Magnus Usto Steenbuck, Secretary to the Swedish and Norwegian Legation, M. Pierre La Rousse, editor of the Grand Dictionnaire Universel du Diz-Neuviéme Siecle, died recently in Paris at tue age oO! fity-seven, More investigation. O1 103 deaths front delir- ium tremens inthe English army in India 84 vic tims were sergeants and only 20 privates. se they propose to investigaté how it is that sere geants can get liquor so much more treely. { ‘The question relative to the admission of females to the courses of the faculty of modicine bas been decided in Javor of Mile. Doumergue at Montpel- lier. She has been authorized to pursue the neces sary studies in order to obtain the degree of doc tor of meaicine. Sir Edward Creasey, the historian, is about to resign the appointment of Chief Justice of Ceylon, which he bas held for more than foure teen years. 1t is said thatthe precarious state of Dis health would render a return to Ceylon in all likelihood fatal. Here’s a chance for loose filibusters. The Lon- don correspondent of the Scotsman wiites:— “From @ well iuformed source I learn that an ex. pedition of & remarkable character 1s being organ. ized in Europe for the purpose of effecting a land ing on the shores of a distant country, The ovject of the expedition will be to accomplish the over- throw of the existing government and to appoint as chief of the executive a man well known tn the politics of a lar; art of the world. It is said that mapy persons of induence and wealth have pledged themselves to support or take part in the enterprise,” ‘Pramatic scene at the reading of a will. Arion. dame who recently died at an advanced age at Fontainebleau, left a will containing, among others, & bequest to ber pbysician of all the ob Jects contained in an olden oa chest of her cadi. net de toilette, for “nis enlightened care and the sage instructions” which haa enabled her to tive toguch an advanced age. There was great com. motion among the heirs when this clause in tue wili was read, and greater curiosity to know what treasures had escaped them, The notary handed the key to the doctor, wiio on opening the chest found all the drags and potions that he nad ordered for his patient during the past twenty years, More trouble about family silver. A plenipoten- tlary of the Landgrave of Hesse-Kumpenhetm has appeared at Prague and claimed tne sliver plate, valued at 2,500,000 thalers,; which the Elector oj Hesse had takon with him to that place, and which ‘rhe Landgrave, wag would have been heir presumptive had Cassel not | been annexed to Prussia, and who, having made his peace with russia, is in the Prussian service, claims this silver as forming parv of the entatled property of the tamily. Tne Counts of Hanau, sone of the late Prince by nis morganatic marriage, re- fuse to give it up unless the property of tne late Prince, sequestered by Prussia and valued @ 16,000,000 thalers, is restored to them,